Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Hunting and Trapping Fall/Winter 2009/2010

Thanks Chris. It'll be interesting to see what ducks are brought to bag. I'll be down there the weekend of the 16th-17th.

Well, the deer season for Indiana closed today. I thought I'd give it one last try, I wasn't about to let this year be the first year in a long time that I didn't take a deer.

As I walked out to the stand this afternoon, I spooked a yearling from the woods. I thought I was toast for the rest of the day, but with the storm and cool weather the deer were moving. About 20 minutes later, I had 3 yearlings, an adult doe and another yearling walk by at 25-30 Yds, and the doe was looking at me the whole time. She let her guard down for a minute, and I had 90% of the creep taken out of the trigger in the crossbow before she had enough and turned to leave. She turned the wrong way, so I couldn't take the shot. The sear had moved enough that I couldn't engage the safety. If she would have stood there for another second, I would have had time to get the shot off. Oh well.

Not 15 minutes later a single doe ambled past, occasionally stopping to scrape at acorns. She stopped in one shooting lane, but every time I moved to get the crossbow in position, she heard the snow that had fallen on me creak, and she'd look at me. I had a good inch covering me and the crossbow. We played this game for a couple of minutes before she gave up on the acorns and walked away. It was getting close to the end of shooting time before I noticed two more deer coming down the trail that I have the Cuddy Trail Cam on. I was able to get in position while they were still 100+ Yds away and couldn't hear me. The doe paused in front of the Cuddy and I think she was in range for a pic. I thought "at least I'll have a good look at what could have been." She walked another 30 feet and stopped, just clear of a couple of trees. I barely touched the trigger, and I heard the bolt hit what sounded like a hollow watermelon. Both deer jumped and stopped behind a group of trees. I heard one deer snort, (I couldn't see them) and then all was quiet. I didn't see or hear a deer after that. After waiting about 15 minutes I decided to get down and look because the snow was still coming down really hard, and I didn't want any sign to be covered up. After a bit of searching I found the bolt stuck in the ground, missing one fletching and a few flecks of blood were on the snow next to it.

I followed the trail that the deer made in the snow, and came upon the doe not 50 feet further away. She died really quick (double lung), and the other deer must have snorted when she dropped. This is the 2nd deer that I've taken with these HyperShock mechanical 100g broadheads, and I'm really pleased with how fast they kill the deer. Neither of them travelled more than 20 yds.

Pics to follow tomorrow, maybe a "before" pic too, if I'm lucky.

Congrats on the kill... All I did was freeze my butt off yesterday on VA's last day of deer season. It was so cold this morning that the saltwater creek my dad on that has a fairly strong tidal flow had frozen completely over! There was just a few open spots and the number of ducks that were using those openings was impressive! Looking forward to some late season waterfowl hunting over the next few weeks...

Congrats on the deer. At first when you mentioned the snow strom I was confused since the sky was clear here yesterday and I am only 100 miles west of you. Then I remembered a little thing call lake effect snow that we bearly ever see here on the west side of the lake. How much snow did you end up with?

I can't give you an answer yet because it's still coming down, and the weatherman said we'd be stuck in this pattern all week. It's a light and fluffy snow, and it seems to pack down all by itself. I can tell you that I've shoveled 4 or 5 times, each time I've shoveled about 4". Where the snow is laying on the ground and undisturbed, there is about a foot now.

It's snowed on and off since Friday evening. On Saturday, I talked with a person that lives in Berrien Springs, about 45 miles to the North and closer to the lake. She said they had 18" on the ground just between Friday mid-day and Saturday evening. It's coming down in bands, depending on how the wind blows. If a band parks over you, some are producing 3"-4" of snow per hour.

Whew Scott now that is cutting it close. COngrats! I got my 4 does pretty early so not really been hunting meat for awhille. I only have does and yearling bucks on camera anymore. WHere do the big bucks go??? I might try and get one more doe for second batch of jerky for sunil. THe metro ATL season is longer than anywhere around goes thru end of Jan, if anyone needs a late season doe hunt let me know.

Most lakes frozen today so I will be in a lake in the am in 1 degree wind chill (that is cold for my southern blood) in a lake that has 6 mill gallon spring water going thru it daily. There should be lots of ducks since it does not freeze. I'm due a good one.

Post the pics of success Greg!

It was a bit close, the pictures on the trail cam of the deer were taken 9 minutes before close of season.

I checked the trail cam and only had a pic of a nose, then another pic of the other end of the deer.

It's hanging in the garage now with the thermostat set on 50*F to try and get it thawed enough so I can start skinning. It was the 997th deer checked at this station for the year, and very likely will be one of the last ones, if not THE last deer checked this year.

I doubt that I'll post a pic, it's sort of wadded up and froze stiff, with the abdomen wide open to cool down.

I've got a picture of an 8 point that's a couple inches wider than his ears, and the tines are about 8" tall that made it thru the season. If nobody takes him illegally, and he dodges the cars & coyotes, he'll be really nice next year.

Greg our late season doe hunting outside Washington DC runs til the end of March! They are desperate for us to kill does... I can't keep up. Somehow the idea of sitting in a treestand in 20 degree weather with wind chills in the negatives to shoot a doe doesn't get me going though.

CJ:

Are there any food banks there that take venison donations?

One year hunting during the regular rifle season in Wi. we had to alternate driving and standing just to stay warm. The trees were freezing and popping it was so cold out. IIRC the thermometer was durn close to -30*F at night and it only warmed up to -teens during the day and that's without windchill.

Dad and I stayed in his cousins hunting camp. The guest lodges had a crawlspace under them for the plumbing, and were heated by an oil furnace - no forced air. In the morning, the snow that melted off of the boots was froze in a puddle on the floor. We slept in sleeping bags under the covers in the bed, with knit caps on our heads just to stay warm at night. The oil furnace wouldn't keep the place warm, even tho it was turned up all the way.

Yeah, we have a program called "Hunters for the Hungry". I only keep 2 deer a year. The rest go to friends or the program. The meat processor I take my deer to doesn't charge a penny if you donate the deer. Some guys abuse it but I always donate at least a $100 cause I normally donate at least 3 or 4 deer.

Whoa huting deer in March- crazy. The does would be huge with twins by then.

Dang I have the worst luck. Just as I thought over 200 geese and 80 mallards in there this am. Only open pond around. Legal light came and they just sat there looking at us only 60-120 yds away from them. Mallards started coming in but just out of good range and landing with their friends. They got up and flew a loop around us, could have killed tons on the water. It would have made great video just with them swimming aroudn. Anyway we had a lone goose come in hour later and then 30 geese and we only dropped one. Picked up headed down the lake to the dam and lookup 30 mallards pitch in our spot. Ten mintues more hunting and would have decoyed in. Oh well out of town on business so no hunting them for awhile.

FWIW, I weighed the doe before I started cutting her up. While she wasn't a large doe for the area, she still weighed 110# field dressed.

Yeah, some of the deer fetuses are very large it makes you feel a bit guilty. Especially when you can sex them.

My dad and I went on a guided duck hunt this morning. We ended up getting 16 ducks between us and the guide. The spot we hunted was probably the only open water for miles around. We stopped hunting by 9:30. If it weren't for our bad shooting we would have been done a lot sooner.

Dang, now I'm really jealous. I had to postpone the trip.
1)The turbo in the car is acting up (It really isn't supposed to make 30+ PSI and live for long) so I have to drive with one eye on the road and one eye on the boost gauge, modulating the boost with my right foot 'till parts come in. It's normal mode of operation is spike to 22 psi, then settle down at 18 psi. I'll cruise down the road @ 2-3 psi. If I can't get the variable vanes freed up, then I'll just have to slap another turbo on it. (slightly bigger, and I'll increase the exhaust size as well )
2) My buddy was hunting in Lousiana and had to break thru quite a bit of ice to open up the water for the ducks. He is due for a knee replacement on the 27th, and the cold water & ice really affected it.

I'm postponing the trip 'till warmer weather, when the fishing is good down there. He'll be back up and around by then and hopefully feeling better.

Chris awesome is all I can say. Frustratign year for me. I haev seen ducks but they leave ealry from roost spot. I have shot 3 waterfowl but gunner brought back none on 6 trips. Hope to try couple more times.

Got to go on my sweepstakes hunt and had a great time even though the hunt was not nearly as valuable as advertised.






Me and Rusty Baker

Rex the results speak for themselves. Awesome deer.

We got 5 geese, 2 widegon a hen gadwall and hen mallard this morning, finally good day in GA swamp.

Rex, you're right, that is an OLD deer. Did anyone age it for you? The rack looks pretty good.

Thanks for the pictures, Rex!!

My first limit

It's the last day of the season, isn't it? I see the weather has warmed up too.

Nice limit! Congrats.

No, it doesn't end until the 24th. I don't have school tomorrow or Tuesday so I should be able to get a few more.

Just got back from the Braidwood area and my first hunt at Migrators Unlimited hunt club. Not many geese on the lake 10,000 if lucky. Very foggy visibility 1/4 to 1/2 mile and the cieling was 60 to 100 yards. No geese flying until 10:30 AM and by 11:30 AM we had our 2 man limit. Couldn't see the geese coming had to listen for them. They would just appear out of the fog and almost be in range. A nice first hunt at this club

Chris go get em. I painted some dekes this weekend with Wyatt. My attempt to make them look like ringnecks.