Might as well start it again.
My nephew texted me this a.m. asking "Two yearlings bedded down 10 yds away. Both clear shots. Pass or go for it?"
I replied "Wait until they stand up for a clearer shot, but where's Momma?"
His reply. "Good thinking!"
An hour or so later he replied "I just shot a button buck at 7 yds, and Momma jumped and stopped. I strung another arrow and shot her at 12 yds. She went about 15 more yards and keeled over."
No pics.........
I got soaking wet duck hunting today. That sums up my hunting season so far for the year...
I got soaking wet duck hunting today. That sums up my hunting season so far for the year...
Yeesh! My rain gauge was empty at this time yesterday. It was at 4.7 inches when I came in at sundown this evening. The duck's feathers are probably saturated with rain water. I hope your gun/guns was/were well protected against water.
80's here and clear blue skies.
We NEED the rain for the groundwater levels, but the farmers don't want it because they are picking at a tremendous pace. Almost everyone that I see is picking soybeans up here, with only a select few picking corn. In Arkansas, they were going to town picking rice. I saw a lot of cotton down there that was still green, and about every soybean field was green too.
I already posted this in another thread, but I shot this big girl on the opener for us here in Indiana. Haven't been able to get back out much lately because my little angel has been pretty sick. Hopefully tonight I can get back in a tree. Here is the pic of her from my camera.
Haven't gotten out yet for deer, planning on going this weekend. Been is Saskatchewan waterfowl hunting. No big shoots this year, average about 30 birds between the 4 of us each day. The snow geese where not around in large numbers, thinking that a bunch where still further up north. The freezer is empty so the does better not get too close.
No stand time yet but we did take 133 Doves off of my little 1/2 acre sunflower field this year.
I'm looking to hopefully put some brown down this weekend. It's supposed to cool off here so I'm going to plug in the cooler and see about filling an antlerless tag.
Hunted this afternoon. Had 5 toms come within 20 yards this afternoon and they never gave me a chance to stand up. So I draw at them sitting down. They saw me draw and started walking away, one stopped at about 25 yards and I let the arrow fly. To bad it was low and only clipped a couple of feathers. They walked off but weren't really spook as it took them 10 minutes to feed out of the food plot. I also had 9 deer come through (2 fawns/doe less, 1 doe/2 fawns, 2 doe/fawns). None of the does came closer than 40 yards. Problem was they all feed east of me along with other deer I didn't see in the newly harvested cornfield and I had to walk that way to get to the house. I waited until an hour after dark before walking in and still spooked them out of the field. Well tomorrow will be another day.
Hunted a tree on a new property yesterday that I'd prepped earlier. Turkeys were putting at me while I hung the stand in the dark and when it got light, there were a bunch of 'em above me in the trees. I've had them take off before when I disturb them in the dark, but these hung in there and then after it got light flew down into the pasture.
Rained all day and didn't see a thing until half hour before dark a doe and twin button bucks came down the trail. Just before she got broadside, she spotted me. Felt good to have the heart pumping again!
Oldest got a his first this morning... Had a spiked close last nigh but couldn't get a clean shot..
Wow, look at that kid - cool as a cucumber. All I can say is, them deers in Illinois are in trouble! Good job, Dad!
Congrats!! How far away was the shot?
I have a trail cam pic of what used to be an 8 point. Whole left side is busted off, all the tines on the right side are busted off too.
I think rattling now would be a good way to get them to come in.
Thanks guys...
It was a slight quartering to shot at maybe 10 yards... A doe was behind him on alert, but I told Mitchell if he wanted to shoot the button buck to do it because the doe would probably bust us if she can into the opening...
As for mister too cool to smile, he made that comment that he had to look tough for the picture!!! LOL
Picked up these 2 today. I found 2 more, but since they just popped up, I'll let 'em get bigger. One is growing in the exact same place that I picked a 15 lb. one last year. Can only clean so many in a day as it is. These are #3 and #4 for the year. The others were used up in scrambled eggs and as a side dishes with venison.
These aren't that huge, only between 4 and 5 pounds each.
Those things taste so good!
Took this girl in our food plot today with my Savage ML10 muzzleloader in the early season in PA. She was surprisingly fat for as few acorns as there are in the woods this year...
Wow...she does appear rather well fed!
Picked up these 2 today. I found 2 more, but since they just popped up, I'll let 'em get bigger. One is growing in the exact same place that I picked a 15 lb. one last year. Can only clean so many in a day as it is. These are #3 and #4 for the year. The others were used up in scrambled eggs and as a side dishes with venison.
These aren't that huge, only between 4 and 5 pounds each.
Score!
Scott while you where messing with fungus, I was shooting sky carp. Thousands of geese around us Saturday for the opener. They didn't work real easy but we shot our 7 man limit by 9 AM. This morning was slower for some, I limited out right away but we had 8 guys today and could only get 12 geese. We didn't see a tenth of the geese today that we saw yesterday. Oh well that is it for my waterfowling till thanksgiving. Time to get back in the tree stand with the bow.
Took this girl in our food plot today with my Savage ML10 muzzleloader in the early season in PA. She was surprisingly fat for as few acorns as there are in the woods this year...
How do you like your ml muzzleloader do you shoot black powder in it or regular powder how far does it shoot. I have been thinking about buying one since they shoot regular powder and it would be easier to keep clean.
We have deer all over the place. Need to take 30 does as per biologist. I won't happen even with help from the family.
I love my Savage, I use smokeless powder out of it. No messy cleaning and 1" groups at 100 yards. 4 shots, 4 kills with this gun so far... Scott (esshup) put me onto this gun...
I heard they will shoot 400 yards with a good scope?
Modern muzzle-loaders are pretty amazing. Anything within 150 yards is a gimme shot if you are a good marksman. After that the wind and distance have a huge affect on the bullet. If the deer was standing still on a calm day I might shoot a couple hundred yards. After that you need to be very accurate on distance and wind. The farther you get out the more accurate you need to be. 400 yards is probably very realistic for range shooting on a stationary target, but not for hunting. I am sure some will disagree but I would say 200 yards is about as far as you would want to go without jeopardizing a clean kill on the animal.
I heard they will shoot 400 yards with a good scope?
They'll "shoot" further than that, just like a .22lr will shoot a mile.
Accuracy and enough retained energy is a different matter. Bullet drift in the wind is more of a concern than bullet drop.
I played around with my .50 cal Savage and got accuracy at 100 yds that was 3/8" x 5/8" for 3 shots. But, typical accuracy is about what CJ is seeing.
I made a bad shot on a doe, and she bedded down at 168 yds, with her body behind a large Oak tree. She'd peek around the tree once in a while at where the shot came from (I was in a tree stand, and the woods were VERY crunchy dry. If I got down, she'd have run off for sure, as I had pulled the first shot and broke her leg.) I reloaded, rested the gun on the treestand "arm" and put the bullet in the white patch on her neck when she peeked around the tree again. Laser rangefinder to get the distance.
With the .50 cal, I've taken deer over 200 yds away.
I ordered a .45 cal barrel from Pac-Nor for my other Savage. It's most accurate with 70.0 grains of H-4198 behind a Harvestor blue sabot holding a 195g Barnes .40 cal flat based bullet. 2" high at 100 yds, dead on at 200, 6" low at 300. I know guys who are using the same combo on deer depredation hunts that shoot deer out to 400 yds with it.
Muzzleloader bullets are like bricks flying thru the air - they quickly lose energy and velocity due to low bc numbers.
I chronographed my .50 at 2300 fps with a .45 cal 250g Hornady SST. I was told to expect the chrono to show somewhere between 2700 and 2900 fps on the .45 cal with the Barnes 195g bullet H-4198 combo.
Just to give you an idea how much wind will deflect a bullet, take the .45 cal 250g Hornady SST. MV 2300 fps. 10 mph full value wind (90° from the shooter), sighted in at 100 yds. Bullet drop at 300 yds is 32.6", it only has 837 ft. lbs of energy, fps is 1228, and bullet drift is 27.0". Bullet drop is easy to calculate and tape a drop chart on the stock. Wind drift is a different matter altogether......
I shoot it before season starts to make sure it's hitting where it's supposed to, and I don't clean it again until season is done, which is usually around 50 days later.
Modern muzzle-loaders are pretty amazing. Anything within 150 yards is a gimme shot if you are a good marksman. After that the wind and distance have a huge affect on the bullet. If the deer was standing still on a calm day I might shoot a couple hundred yards. After that you need to be very accurate on distance and wind. The farther you get out the more accurate you need to be. 400 yards is probably very realistic for range shooting on a stationary target, but not for hunting. I am sure some will disagree but I would say 200 yards is about as far as you would want to go without jeopardizing a clean kill on the animal.
I agree! It all depends on the gun and shooter. I'd never shoot 400 yds with my .50 cal, but with the .45 cal? If the wind was constant, or it was calm, I would. Variable or swirling winds? No way. It all depends on the animal too. If the deer are calmly grazing, yes. If they are on high alert? Nope.
But then again, when hunting I always have my laser rangefinder with me, and if shots could be past 200, I have a portable wind meter (Kestrel 3500). I've had enough range time so I KNOW what the gun will do in different wind conditions, and have a cheat sheet taped to the stock.
I always use some sort of a rest, a tree will suffice for broadside shots within 200 yds in calm conditions. But a bipod/tripod and any support I can find for the butt is what I try for. Bipod and backpack, bipod shooting sticks and sitting in a chair, etc.
I heard they will shoot 400 yards with a good scope?
I ordered a .45 cal barrel from Pac-Nor for my other Savage. It's most accurate with 70.0 grains of H-4198 behind a Harvestor blue sabot holding a 195g Barnes .40 cal flat based bullet. 2" high at 100 yds, dead on at 200, 6" low at 300. I know guys who are using the same combo on deer depredation hunts that shoot deer out to 400 yds with it.
.
I chronographed my .50 at 2300 fps with a .45 cal 250g Hornady SST. I was told to expect the chrono to show somewhere between 2700 and 2900 fps on the .45 cal with the Barnes 195g bullet H-4198 combo.
Just to give you an idea how much wind will deflect a bullet, take the .45 cal 250g Hornady SST. MV 2300 fps. 10 mph full value wind (90° from the shooter), sighted in at 100 yds. Bullet drop at 300 yds is 32.6", it only has 837 ft. lbs of energy, fps is 1228, and bullet drift is 27.0". Bullet drop is easy to calculate and tape a drop chart on the stock. Wind drift is a different matter altogether......
That's waaaay too many numbers for a hayseed like me to understand.... I just put the crosshairs on the squirrel's eye and pull the trigger. There's a loud noise, and the critter falls out of the tree.
I've hunted exclusively w/my TC .50 Omega for the last 9 years now. What impresses me the most is its knockdown power. I've now killed 20 deer with it and all have dropped within 20 yards, including a couple 200 pounders. I hit a doe too low in the brisket once and lost her, and I simply missed one other. I don't load it up on powder either, usually just 100 grains of Triple 7 or Jim Shockey's Gold. I also switch between Powerbelts and TC Shockwaves.
I think one of the biggest advantages to muzzle loaders is the cost per shot compared to shotguns. Sabot-ted shotgun rounds have become crazy expensive. There is quite a bit of up-front cost in muzzleloader equipment, but if you add them up and divide by number of shots its a pretty good deal.
Sparkplug, your comments are as accurate as your shooting!! Thanks for keepin it simple for us simple!!
Nothing more fun than hunting with kids...
About a month ago, Anna bagged her first squirrel with my browning lever action .22!
Then this past Saturday the fall turkey gun season opened and it took Jared all of 15 minutes after setting up to coax in a half dozen birds. Took this hen at 15 yards with his new Wingmaster - his first turkey. I was worried he'd get spotted with his big black insulated boots and that glossy shotgun, but apparently I was wrong.
If you all got kids, I encourage you to make the time to take them hunting (and fishing, of course). If you don't, take someone elses kid. More fun than hunting yourself.
Great pics and congrats to the kids! I have a blast teaching kids how to hunt/fish/shoot.
I watched a small 6 point at 20 yds this evening for about 15 minutes. Then 1/2 hr later a doe and yearling came past the stand. They both left very quickly, but the doe only went about 40 yds.
Then I pull the SD card from the trail cam and see this guy.
That's what I get for not being out in the woods last evening!
Dang Scott, that's a real stud.
My weekend started out nice.. Should be pushing mid 150's gross..
Heck of a deer, ODL! Those split brows are great!
Is there a story to go along with the picture?
Thanks guys..
Heck of a deer, ODL! Those split brows are great!
Is there a story to go along with the picture?
It started with my hung over butt getting out of bed and heading to my favorite rut stand... Sent a text to my bestest buddy at 7:30 saying I hate morning hunting.. 12 minutes later one of the 2 deer I have in my sites is at less than 10 yards..
Made a great shot and he went maybe 40 yards...
Been a great season so far for me.. My oldest shot his 1st deer at 9 years old and I have a dandy hanging with a bow... Not much better IMHO!!!
Congrats! Thats a very nice deer!! No sign of that 10 pt (yet).
Was a good day for me. I was texting my wife telling her I had not saw anything. I look up with my phone still in my hand and 2 nice does were walking right to me at 40 yds.I gently slid my phone in my pocket and drew back just in time for one doe to turn broad side at 20 yds. I hit just a bit high and believe I broke her back because she dropped in her tracks.
Yep, you spined her. How fast did she die? I spined one at 30 yds last year and she didn't die right away.
She kicked all 4 legs pretty hard for about 5 minutes. I didnt want to shoot her again because she was pouring blood and I really did not expect her to last long.
I had 3 hunters(kids) on my place this weekend but didn't do much hunting myself. I had other things that I needed to get done. One 200 pound pig was taken but no deer. Several deer were passed on.
Saturday afternoon, just before dark, I walked about 200 yards from the house and looked at a corn feeder. There was a huge 6 point buck there that I've been seeing on game cams. It's about 5.5 YOA. I decided not to shoot it. I thought "This isn't hunting. This is killing. It's just too easy."
We are only allowed one mature buck and the antlers must extend outside the ears. Had I shot it, I would have been limited to doe and spike hunting for the rest of the season. That's about like kissing your sister.
Wow, I am surprised they allow you to shoot more little bucks. Seems counter intuitive....
Great looking buck ODL! I managed to miss the entire first weekend of November due to Fire Dept training all weekend...horrible planning on the part of our training officer, but it is what it is. I'm hoping to get to slide out tomorrow and also all next weekend. There have been several real dandies shot around here in the last 3-4 days. It's on!
Okay, someone has to have some updates...Spent all weekend cleaning up the yard so all of my neighbors leaves don't end up in the pond...GRRRRRR!!!
Really thinking about going out and purchasing another OTC tag so I can hit the woods again before gun season... This not spending the rut in the woods is driving me CRAZY!!!!!
I was kinda excited about taking a couple of weeks off before gun season myself. The feeling lasted about 3 days before I bought more tags. Congrats to you on your buck and good luck.
On a separate note, this change to DST really makes hunting a lot more enjoyable in the mornings. I am a night owl and rarely get to bed before midnight. Getting up around 4AM with any regularity to go hunting just wears you down throughout the week. The extended season before the time change was really nice while it lasted.
Was debating if I should hunt this morning but the wind wasn't up yet and it wasn't raining so I went out. Had a buck pushing a doe in front of me right at shooting light. The two fawns from the doe ran right under my stand. The doe and buck went south and never saw them again. About 7:45 AM a buck came through that I thought was a good 3 1/2 year old 8. He walked to within 15 yards and I stopped him. Right before I released he took a step causing the arrow to hit a little back. He didn't run off just sort of walked off to 50 yards or so and stood there looking around. After a little while he walked/trotted of and I lost sight of him at about 150 yards. I got down and checked the arrow it had good dark blood on it (liver blood?). I backed out and let him sit for a couple hours. During those couple of hours we where getting thunderstorms which washed the blood trail away. I went back with my neighbor to look for him. We walked to the last spot the I saw him and together we said there he is. He was laying dead about 30 yards away. Sorry for the long story so here he is. Not the biggest buck on my place and maybe should of let him walk but to late for that now.
Nice buck down this evening. Pic to come.
Took my nephew on his first deer hunts this weekend. He was just tagging along learning the ropes. I think he was more excited than me till it came time to gut it.
Molly just kept saying WoW!
I will get a lot of burger out of it. Now to kill me yearling for steaks.
Nice deer, both of ya!
Mark, yes, that dark blood usually means you hit the liver.
Just a teaser. More details in 2 days when I get home. I DID get a cow Elk on the last morning (today). 705 yds.
Great deer, Mark! Good thing you knew where you had last seen him - losing the blood trail could have made it really tough.
Great looking deer, John! With all those beer cans in your truck - obviously just pre-season target practice
- it's no wonder you got him!
Funny story about your nephew. I assume the gutting process was a little rough for him from what you're saying. My now 11 year old daughter refused to eat deer meat for about three years because she was with me that season when I shot and then gutted a big doe. She loved venison up till then but seeing the process in action was a bit much for her! Now she's back to eating it like a champ and doesn't even mind the gutting process any more. Just have to expose 'em to it and they'll eventually learn to appreciate the whole circle of life biz!
Great looking deer. I have had a great season myself. I have harvested 5 deer so far, which I am grateful for. Funny thing is though, I took Wed. and Thur. and Friday off of work to hunt a spot with a beauty of a buck rutting in the area and he shows up for a modeling show in front of my cam at 7:40 in the morning Monday. I just happen to be stuck at work that day. Here is a pic of him. I am more of a meat hunter, but he definately got me excited. The neighbor about a half mile down the road has him on cam at a feeder that he has out just for wildlife viewing. I havent heard of anyone getting a big buck in this area so hopefully he will make it until next year.
Wow! That's a great looking deer! I am generally a meat hunter, too, but I think I'd have to take a shot at that bad boy!
Just curious - I just noticed that the title of this thread that shows up on the list is NOT the title that shows up once inside the thread. Any of the mods know what that is all about?
Just curious - I just noticed that the title of this thread that shows up on the list is NOT the title that shows up once inside the thread. Any of the mods know what that is all about?
It seems that in a reply, you can also change the subject/title. Gets a bit confusing once it happens
at least for my simple brain. It all goes in the original thread, but it looks like new ones
. See how I did it!
I admit I'm not the man I used to be. Tomorrow is the second gun season, and I think I'll just sit it out. 10 degrees w/snow and wind doesn't appeal to me anymore. The first season, I passed on 3 bucks, took a big doe, and the wife killed a button buck. We have enough meat, so I'd just be antler hunting. I pulled the pistol out on one about 15 yards away but didn't have the heart to drop him--big body,tall, narrow, reddish-colored rack. He could be pretty nice in a year or two. Biggest I saw was probably 130. One of my student's father killed a double drop yesterday, but it was by no means huge. Other than that, I've heard of few nice ones killed this year.
130 is one heckuva nice buck here. 150 lb body is also pretty big.
Just curious - I just noticed that the title of this thread that shows up on the list is NOT the title that shows up once inside the thread. Any of the mods know what that is all about?
It seems that in a reply, you can also change the subject/title. Gets a bit confusing once it happens
at least for my simple brain. It all goes in the original thread, but it looks like new ones
. See how I did it!
You are a sick, sick puppy!
Just curious - I just noticed that the title of this thread that shows up on the list is NOT the title that shows up once inside the thread. Any of the mods know what that is all about?
It seems that in a reply, you can also change the subject/title. Gets a bit confusing once it happens
at least for my simple brain. It all goes in the original thread, but it looks like new ones
. See how I did it!
You are a sick, sick puppy!
I was trying to get a pic of a snake that obviously had tweety bird for lunch. It was a still shot, just at the right moment, and no way could that bird react. Pretty cool! I tapped on the pic from my Nexus 7 to save it, and all kinds of warnings went off about being attacked by an Android Virus.
I tried to find the pic again from a puter, but no-go. I just wanted to show it to you
Snakes gotta eat ya know!
One of my neighbors just sent me this photo of a buck he took while hunting on me a few days ago. Said it field dressed out at 190 lbs.
OK hoping to get this thread back on track (plus give todd a break). Sat in the tree stand last night over a bean plot and only saw 2 fawns. Thought with the cold weather more deer would of shown up there. Well lets say I had enough of the cold that this afternoon I going to sit in the redneck stand with the heater running. Yes I getting softer in my old age.
OK hoping to get this thread back on track (plus give todd a break)
Todd is just so fun tho
I wish Todd was my neighbor, he's that kinda guy!
No more snake stuff from me.
Sprkplug, tell your neighbor congrats from me. That's a nice deer!
Forgive my ignorance, but what do you do with the snakes after you catch them?
You slap 'em around a bit and then toss them at your nearest buddy!
Loved that video, Scott! I'm not afraid to go after snakes, but man I don't like 'em!
You slap 'em around a bit and then toss them at your nearest buddy!
With buddies like that...
.....who's going to have any buddies left?
Forgive my ignorance, but what do you do with the snakes after you catch them?
Why do you think Todd was looking for "game processing equipment" !!!!
Well the hunt is over here. We as a group got 12 total with 15 hunters. My boy didn't get one on his first hunt. Next year.
Few pictures.
The small six point buck I was lucky enough to take this year. Single shot 12 gauge shot gun.
Cheers Don.
Forgive my ignorance, but what do you do with the snakes after you catch them?
Why do you think Todd was looking for "game processing equipment" !!!!
Nice suggestion!
Sounds like a good haul.
I shot two anterless so far. Didn't see any bucks but also didn't really hunt hard. I am more interested in meat than the rack. We have two more antlerless periods coming up this month - 18th - 20th and 28th - 31st - so I hope to get at least two more.
Hunted with my AR15 this year for the first time as I got the optics and laser zeroed in a couple of months ago. More than anything it was just fun hunting with my 8 year old as he loves that rifle. I am impressed with it - 2 standing and unbraced shots, 2 kills. The sucker is dialed in! I was thoroughly impressed with how well it shot. One was a head shot with the laser at about 120 yards and the second was a neck shot through the scope in a bunch of brush. Both dropped on the spot.
Sounds like a good haul.
I shot two anterless so far. Didn't see any bucks but also didn't really hunt hard. I am more interested in meat than the rack. We have two more antlerless periods coming up this month - 18th - 20th and 28th - 31st - so I hope to get at least two more.
Hunted with my AR15 this year for the first time as I got the optics and laser zeroed in a couple of months ago. More than anything it was just fun hunting with my 8 year old as he loves that rifle. I am impressed with it - 2 standing and unbraced shots, 2 kills. The sucker is dialed in! I was thoroughly impressed with how well it shot. One was a head shot with the laser at about 120 yards and the second was a neck shot through the scope in a bunch of brush. Both dropped on the spot.
Nice wish we could hunt with exotic guns here but no chance. Those head and neck shots will drop them like a rock.
We only have two weeks a year we can hunt with shot gun and the others are bow hunts. Shot gun is first week of November and the first week of December.
Cheers Don.
Sounds like a good haul.
I shot two anterless so far. Didn't see any bucks but also didn't really hunt hard. I am more interested in meat than the rack. We have two more antlerless periods coming up this month - 18th - 20th and 28th - 31st - so I hope to get at least two more.
Hunted with my AR15 this year for the first time as I got the optics and laser zeroed in a couple of months ago. More than anything it was just fun hunting with my 8 year old as he loves that rifle. I am impressed with it - 2 standing and unbraced shots, 2 kills. The sucker is dialed in! I was thoroughly impressed with how well it shot. One was a head shot with the laser at about 120 yards and the second was a neck shot through the scope in a bunch of brush. Both dropped on the spot.
Nice wish we could hunt with exotic guns here but no chance. Those head and neck shots will drop them like a rock.
We only have two weeks a year we can hunt with shot gun and the others are bow hunts. Shot gun is first week of November and the first week of December.
Cheers Don.
Move to Michigan! You can red neck it across the boarder
Number 6 hanging in the barn. Taken from a herd of seven (but three were young ones). Hopefully I will get the doe numbers down and force the bucks to compete. Only one left within the county limit.
Nice! I'm doing the same thing at our place. The few neighbors we have in our general area out there all try to take at least a couple of does each year as we work to keep numbers down. I won't shoot a mother that still has young with her but once she's on her own or at least once her babies are grown, it's on! We don't see a lot of bucks thanks to a few bordering property owners who don't care that the rest of us are trying to improve the quality of deer. They have a big group that comes up from Florida for the first week and they shoot everything that moves. Kind of sucks, but that's the reality.
Nice wish we could hunt with exotic guns here but no chance. Those head and neck shots will drop them like a rock.
We only have two weeks a year we can hunt with shot gun and the others are bow hunts. Shot gun is first week of November and the first week of December.
Cheers Don.
It certainly is fun! I've always hunted with a traditional hunting rifle but thought we'd take this one out this year. With a little luck, I'll get my son on one during one of these extra hunting periods and let him try it out. He's not a bad shot and may be able to do the trick.
Your firearm season isn't radically different than ours. Buck gun season is only two weeks but we do have the antlerless periods and a couple of muzzle loader periods, too, so we have ample opportunity.
We have neighbors that do the same thing - If its brown its down. The results will be a much smaller herd since a lot more does need to go if folks take a lot of immature bucks, which are the easiest deer to shoot. I'll keep taking lots of does till the ratio is right (about 1 buck to two does). These guys don't own the land so I guess they are not really interested in long term management. I support new or young hunters taking small bucks because they are trophies to them and a way to learn, but these guys have been doing this for years. Some like to say that they are meat hunters, but does taste as good as any buck, so maybe they are just poor hunters? Its not my land and its not illegal, so they have the right to do it.
I feel you. It's frustrating not owning a huge tract of land where you can actually manage your own herd in a sense, so we make the best of it we can. I am truly a meat hunter and have shot one rack buck ever, that being my 8 point last year. He was a nice sized deer body-wise but his rack, while very nicely shaped and very symmetrical, could have stood another year or two and he'd have been a gorgeous mount with decent mass. As it was, though, I knew there was little chance of him surviving another season and figured I might as well be the guy to shoot him. We had him mounted and he now hangs in my son's room.
I do not like to hunt too hard and the high number of does makes it easy to know we're going to get at least a few deer in the freezer each season with just a bit of effort.
My neighbor killed another while hunting on me today. I saw it on the trailer as they drove past, but I was fishing off the swim platform at the time and didn't want to get off and take a closer look. I think that makes four that have been removed thus far.
I made a mistake at the end of bow season and took a smaller buck than I would have liked to take, but it was not many years back when I would have been thrilled to have taken him. I have had some good luck in recent years, so I am more picky now. The problem is eight guys shooting anything that moves on five acres of land, vs me hunting alone on 100 acres of my own land. I do let a good friend hunt when he is not going to his own land, but he is willing to let the immature bucks walk. In addition to these eight guys, two other neighbors let a number of guys hunt on small tracts that don't support many deer year round. I am restoring habitat on 100 of my 114 acres for lots of different wildlife, but I only hunt deer. A retired neighbor traps our land also to keep populations of fur bearers in check. We do need to cull some coyotes also, so I may try and let some friends give it a go. My kids have no interest in hunting though, but I had no interest until I was 30 years old, so maybe it will kick in later for them.
Here's the elk hunt story - it's a long one. Hard to make a 4 day hunt short! I am just getting the pictures organized, so they'll be up tomorrow evening. Play time is over, work starts again tomorrow.
It is a bit technical because I also posted it on a reloading forum that I belong to where half of the guys on the trip frequent. The people on the trip were me, Dave, JJ, Colorado Mark, Florida Mark, Randy and Harry (also from Florida). Randy, both Marks and I were on the trip last year and Randy was the only one to get a cow. Harry blew his knee out less than 12 hrs before the plane was to take off and a doctor friend drained it and told him to be VERY careful. He tore his ACL and is going in for surgery tomorrow.
Short story - I got my cow. It was a small cow, but it will be tender!
Long story? Here goes. I’ll upload the pictures to Photobucket later and get them added in here tomorrow.
We (my buddy Dave from Tinley Park, Ill and JJ from Southern Illinois. JJ is a retired State Police Sniper Instructor) had pulled into Montrose at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, so after a bit of breakfast and a tour of the town for the guys, I took Dave and JJ to the landfill to sight in our guns and to check how they fared during the trip out. It was also a chance for me to shoot the big gun at altitude with the Berger 180g VLD bullets after having problems with the 175g Sierra MatchKing bullets coming apart in the air due to the speed and rpm. At my elevation (750 feet) the Bergers were leaving the muzzle at 3350 fps., about 145 fps slower than the SMK's. At the landfill, it was 6330 foot elevation, the temp was 39°F with a swirling 5-7 mph wind. JJ estimated with the elevation change, the bullets had a MV of 3400 fps. Dave was first up with his .300 Win Mag with handloads of 168g Berger VLD's pushed by H-1000 for a MV of 2950 fps at 750' elevation. His rifle is a Sig Sauer 202 Takedown, and his scope is a Swarovski 6-24x50. His rifle was zero'd here at 300 yds, and we had to do some adjustments for the altitude, but he was hitting at 300 to 500 - 600 yds. JJ was shooting a 30-06 with some Carcino bullets that he had worked up for Wildebeest in Africa. That rifle was spot on at 100-600 yds.
My gun? It took a bit of dialing in because of the different elevation, but we worked up and verified a drop table from 300 to 1335 yds. I couldn't find anything to shoot at safely any further away, durn it! I really had wanted to stretch it's legs to a mile, but it wasn't to be. So, I'm ready to go. Riiggghhhhtttttt.................
First day we hiked in to where the Elk were supposed to be crossing a corner of a ranch. I could only see 130 yds in one direction and 250 in the other. The Elk decided they wanted to take another route, so both Florida Mark and I came up empty. The wind was blowing and gusting up to 50 mph ahead of the approaching storm, so long shots were impossible. Later on that evening, on a different property, about 2,000 ft higher in elevation, the guide saw 2 cows laying under a ponderosa pine, maybe 400 yds past where Mark, Dave and JJ shot theirs that morning. Florida Mark lined up on the cow and I lined up on the head of the other one (all I could see was from in front of the ears forward because of a bunch of aspen tree trunks, but since the rifle will shoot groups of ¾” or less at the distance the guide said the elk were, I wasn’t concerned). Mark connected, I did too, and she flopped her head down at the shot. Mine tried to pick up it's head at Florida Marks 2nd shot, so I sent 2 more down range. She quickly flopped her head back down and never twitched again. I couldn't see any blood thru the 22 power scope, but she just laid there, not moving. The guides and both of us watched both elk for a bit and they never moved, so they said that we could put the guns away as they walked up to field dress the elk. The guide walked up to the elk, but when he got close to Florida Marks elk, mine got up and ran off straight up the mountain.
We figured we followed mine for 4 miles until it crossed a patch of bare ground and we (or rather the guide) lost the trail. I couldn't keep up with the guide, and I think I left part of a lung on the mountain trying to keep up. Not fun trying to keep up with a cross between a billy goat and a bighorn sheep that is years younger than you! The snow was about knee deep, and the elk kept going up and down the ridges. I ranged the shot after the fact, and it was only 120 yds, much closer than what the guide estimated. My altimeter said 8330' elevation corrected for pressure. I’m disappointed at myself for muffing the shot, and for not staying put until we KNEW both elk were down. We checked where my elk was laying when I shot. Very little hair, and just a tiny bit of blood. I'm guessing that with the bullet that I was shooting, if I'd hit anything substantial, it would have exploded. Maybe I just grazed her and knocked her out, she sure acted like that the way she got up and ran off when the guide got really close.
Lesson learned? When zero'd for 300 yds, always range the target if there is time. A few inches off can make a HUGE difference.
Dave and JJ went out predator hunting Tuesday night with a guy that Colorado Mark fixed them up with, but came home empty handed. I was supposed to go too, but after that high altitude hike I opted to stay in the lodge. They think they had a bobcat in the light at 200 yds, but miscommunication let the cat get away. BTW, we were told that bobcats in Colorado are going for $350 to $1,300 each this year!
Next day was spent in the lodge all day long, watching movies and BS'ing. I got up at 4:30 a.m. looked out, and saw a few flakes, but couldn't see the lights of Montrose, I went back to bed and got up a few hours later. We watched the snow fall, and I think when it was all said and done, about 18" fell at the lodge, and about 24" came down further up the mountain. We started off with coffee and JJ’s home made Irish Cream for creamer, and the Florida boys had Bloody Mary's. We finished up the day going thru 3 quarts of JJ’s apple cider hootch that is made with Everclear. Good stuff!!!!! I think we had green chilies and eggs for breakfast, I forgot what lunch was, but dinner was an appetizer of artichokes and mushrooms, with chicken, green chilies, mushrooms, rice and I forget what else for dinner.
Last day. When we got up @ 4:30 a.m., my phone said -17°F, and after coffee, it had dropped another degree. Florida Randy and Florida Harry went up the mountain, JJ (to call out drop and yardage), Dave (for moral support and extra help) and I along with my guide went about 30 miles away near Olathe, Co. which is about 1,300 feet lower in elevation to a ranch where the elk were supposed to be feeding on a ranchers haystack. We pulled through the gate and drove towards the haystack. Nothing. No tracks, no sign of any elk. So we slowly drive around on the ranch, following the 2-track that was there, going through a few gates.
The wind isn't blowing at all, but the truck thermometer says -8°F. Durn cold! Getting to the ranch, we saw a plow/salt truck that almost backed into a deep creek. We were amazed that it didn't tip over.
There wasn't room in the truck for my case and gun, so it was in the bed of the pickup, but I had the magazing and 8-10 shells in my pocket. JJ has the rangefinder and the dope book.
Anyway, we'd drive to a hilltop and glass. Nothing. Another hilltop. Nothing. Next hillto..... CRAP, there's a herd of elk! What a mad scramble. As*#$ and elbows all over the place in the mad scrambel to get out of the truck, get to the rifle, etc.. JJ ranged them at 250 yds, and before I could even get to my gun, they trotted down into a drainage and out of sight. I dashed out of the truck, got the gun, threw the mag into it and got ready. When they came out of the drainage, they all stopped at the top of the knob and stared. JJ called out range and clicks (400 yds. and change), I adjusted the scope, squeezed the trigger and promptly missed. WTH?? Checked the dope, lined up another and squeezed. Same thing, and the elk start moving TOWARDS the truck, then down into another drainage. Grab shells from my pocket, fill the magazine up again, and glass for the Elk. They popped up again, but they never really stopped moving, except for about 5 seconds. All there was time for was to JJ to range and call out dope, me to dial in more dope and squeeze off another shot, this time for 500+ yds. Another clean miss.
The elk are confused, and start towards the truck again just to go down into another drainage. When they appear again, this time they are at roughly 700 yds. They are milling around, and because there are a number of bulls and spikes in the herd of 30-40, it's hard to pick out a cow that doesn't have another elk behind or in front of it. Finally after JJ says "they're at 700 yds, the dope says to dial in 7 moa up." I confirm that I have dialed 7 and he says "dial in 2 more moa up". I confirm and dial up 2 more. The guide says to take the furthest one to the left, I move the crosshairs over, get the rifle settled in for a high shoulder shot and squeese the trigger. When I come back out of recoil, I can see the elk down on the ground, her front feet moving, but her back feet not moving at all. She had her butt to me, so I can’t put another into her without ruining a bunch of meat. We watched her for a minute (me through the scope set on 22x with a round in the chamber, Dave and the guide through 10x binoculars) and she quit moving. It took a while to find her, because we kept looking on the wrong hill, but we finally found her. The 180g Berger went right where it was supposed to, a high shoulder shot, clipping some of the backbone and dropping her in her tracks. With a VERY lacerated set of lungs, she expired quick. Looking at where the Elk went after the shot, I'm glad that she dropped there or we probably would have had to quarter her out to get her back up the hill. Less than 50 yds away they dropped into a 300 to 400 foot deep canyon before moving off.
The Berger performed great, exiting the other side. In looking at the data, and even at 700 yds it still hit her at somewhere around 2500-2600 fps and with about that much energy. We met up with the other guys and they saw a few Mulies, but no more Elk. She was back at the processor by 9 a.m., and she was all cut up, packaged and frozen for us to leave the next day. I asked for the hide, and with that she completely filled a 120 qt cooler and another 80 qt. cooler with deboned meat. Steaks, roasts, stew meat and hamburger.
That night right before dark, JJ and Dave are on the porch outside and they notice some specks in a field. Dave grabs the rangefinder and glasses, and we range a herd of cows at 1970 yds. JJ looks at the hill on the other side of the lodge and sees more Elk. These turn out to be a herd of 6 bulls, all pretty good, but one is really good, and looks to be a 6x6, 6x7 or a 7x7. I wish I had a bull tag! We ranged it at 1400 yds - well within the dope that we generated at the landfill, and the elevation was about the same. I could have shot a VERY nice bull right from the lodge.......... That snow really pushed the elk down from the high country in a hurry!
All in all it was a great trip. Crappy ride home because of the icing on the roads around Denver. It took us about 3 more hours coming home because of the bad road conditions. JJ sent me a text later after he got home saying that he had 1” of ice covered by 18” of snow, but Dave and I drove the rest of the way home on snow and ice free roads. It took us 24 hrs to get there, and 27 to get home
Congrats esshup! Sounds like a great adventure!
Thanks for sharing all the info. Did you use the rifle you had at TJ's?
Al:
Yep. That's why we had such a hard time at TJ's with it. The bullets sometimes weren't making it to the target - they were coming apart in mid-air 20 to 50 yds downrange from the muzzle. Too much velocity and RPM's coupled with a slightly rough throat (gunsmiths guess) boogered up the thin jacket on the Sierra MatchKings enough that they wouldn't hold together. The Bergers have a thicker jacket.
FWIW, that Sierra Matchking bullet is spinning 279,600 rpm when it's leaving the muzzle..... (MV 3495 fps, 1:9 twist rate)
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2008/06/calculating-bullet-rpm-spin-rates-and-stability/ To give you an idea where the elk was, take the distance from the shooting bench to the fence at TJ's. Now double that distance and add 1/3 more.
I'm glad you figured it out prior to your hunting trip. It would have been a bad deal to have that happen in the field. I wonder if TJ's neighbor's windows are still vibrating?
Also, does the cold air affect ballistics? I've never taken game over 150 yards, so I'm clueless.
Nice, Scott! Fun trip! Did you determine why you were missing?
Yes to both questions. Difference in altitude and difference in air temp all were contributing factors. Colder air is denser. Lower altitude air is denser. Colder temps make powders burn slower - some are more temp. senstitve than others. Slower the bullet velocity, the faster it drops. I had hoped to mitigate some of that by keeping the cartridges in an inside pocket where it was warmer. I honestly don't know how much they cooled off sitting in the magazine in the rifle.
The only thing that I can do is wait until we have a cold day around zero and go to the range and shoot at 500-1,000 yds and collect data.
It was a mad scramble to get the rifle dialed in before the hunt for sure!
Moving the Point of Impact (POI) up 2 moa actually moved the POI 14.66" at 700 yds. (1 MOA = 1.0472 inches per 100 yds)
A normal (average) sized Elk has a top of the back to bottom of brisket measurement of 18", so I was shooting just under them. I think that's why they turned and came towards me after the shots. The bullet was impacting the ground on the other side of the herd as I was shooting under the elk, and with the muzzle brake on the rifle, the impact noise was greater than the report of the rifle, so they thought the danger was on the opposite side.
Interesting analysis. Lots of variables in long range shooting, for sure.
Todd, the biggest variable is the wind. What it's doing where you are is usually NOT what it's doing down range. Wind can move bullets up/down/left/right and that can be all in the same shot! I've watched bullets move right, then left, then back right to impact the target. In long range shooting, when behind the shooter if you have good optics, you can actually watch the bullet "trace" as it disturbs the air when it goes down range.
It's the inconsistency of gravity that wreaks the most havoc with my shooting. Somedays, that rifle is just too blamed heavy to tote around for very long.
Strangely enough, I've noticed that those days tend to occur most often when there's heavy snow on the ground, or If I was up very late the night before, or maybe when it's cold enough to snack on a pinesap popsicle. And most recently, during a "River Monsters" marathon on TV.
Thank God someone had the foresight to invent gravity resistant, graphite fishing rods.
I hear ya! That thing weighs 12 pounds. I'd rather be toting around my 6 pound .243, but that long range gun has more than twice the reach of the .243. It's easier to walk up to them without the rifle when they're dead than stalk after them with the rifle when they are alive!
Although after my experience this year, I'm thinking of finding a lightweight rifle that can shoot to 600-700 yds if required. Something in the 6# weight class with scope. I know recoil won't be pleasant, but I can live with it for one or 2 shots on game.
Esshup,
Congrats on your elk!
You need to take up archery hunting...70 yards is a long ways on an elk with a bow!!
I'm a bow guy at heart, but I regularly shotgun/muzzy hunt deer in MI. I will admit though that I love the 3-4 opportunities a year that I get at a coyote behind the house at 3-600 yards. I love the challenge of touching off a shot with my 243 that has a chance to kill one at those distances. I'm not nearly proficient enough at those kind of ranges to shoot at anything except a varmint.
Once you are beyond 2-300 yards, it becomes another type of game and turns into long range shooting and it is quite a skill to master it and have the ability to kill animals at those distances. I wish I had the time to become more proficient in long range shooting.
Wind is a huge variable. My Brother was into precision shooting at 100 to 200 yds. He used 3 wind flags at 100 yds and 6 at 200. Sometimes none of the flags were going the same direction.
he needs a much smaller knife with a gut hook. Oh, and also a much larger brain to go in his oversized head.
Had a big oh shxx today. First day of second muzzleloader season here and I was nice and comfortable in the redneck stand while it was snowing outside. Around 4 PM 2 does and 2 fawns came out to the brassica plot and started feeding. Figure I had time and took my time getting organized in the stand. Well after feeding for a minute or two they walked out of the brassica plot behind some switch grass and into a cut corn field. Now they where 100 yards to 120 yards and I decide to let them go and wait for something closer. Well it wasn't until just before 5 PM that 2 more deer entered the plot at about 75 yards away. Shooting closes at 5:06 so it was fairly dark. I saw the long nose thinner neck and believed the deer standing at 65 yards now was a doe. I put the binos on her and didn't see any antlers so I put the scope on her and pulled the trigger. After the smoke cleared I didn't see anything but about 5 seconds after the shot I thought I heard the deer crash. I packed up and walked across the clover plot to where I shot it. Found the tracks in the fresh snow but no blood. Weird I thought I heard the deer crash. I followed the tracks in the snow and after about 10 yards a couple of drops of blood, then more, and more and then after about 35 yards there HE is. Yes I shot a 1 1/2 year old 7 pointer. DAMM. You are only allow two bucks in IL so I am done for shooting bucks this year. I really thought the deer was a doe and was really happy to hit and find the deer but really disappointed that I shot a young buck and robbed myself of a potential great buck later. Oh well I have so good venison aging in the pole barn. Anyone want to come over for tenderloins?
Funny story is I passed this buck twice during archery season at 0 yards (right under the stand) and at 15 yards. No picture of the deer maybe I will get one in the morning before I process him.
Oh crap. Maybe it's time to upgrade to better glass?
Don't feel alone.
We're only allowed one buck per year here. But, they have late Archery, and a very late "antlerless" firearms season - it runs into January. I've shot bucks that have dropped their antlers 2x so far. I'm not happy about that, one had pretty large bases.
My first deer this year during bow turned out to be a button. It was only 25 feet from me when I shot it. Its knobs were so small you could not even see them when you were standing point blank. I did not know it was a button until I flipped it over. I have been real careful since then because I am trying to get the doe to buck ration down (which is hard when neighbors go by "if its brown its down). I have taken 4 more does, but at the end of bow I also shot a buck that was smaller than I thought (9pt but not as big as I thought). One more doe is allowed where I am, so I have been letting small does walk. Its snowing, so I'll be going out soon.
My son gets home tomorrow, going out with the muzzleloaders tomorrow night. It's 1 degree here now as I sit enjoying a coffee and we're supposed to get about a foot of snow this evening. It's going to be a cold one on stand tomorrow! Season ends for good on Tuesday and the landowner where we're hunting would like 3 & my son could use one. I'm kind of just going along for the ride as the 3 I've taken is all the venison I need. It's funny... when I was younger, I lived to deer hunt and it was an important staple for me to put up for the family as I wasn't making much then and the family liked eating it. It helped a lot with the food budget. Now- I'm really ready for the season to end so I can do the cutting I want to get in there to do to get ready for next summers projects, digging out a pond & using the fill to dam an adjacent gully for another dam/roadway combo.
Take your ML and get one for the landowner. PR is always important!
The way I look at it is that I'm hunting for the property owner, or shooting for the dog trainer - not for myself. What they say/want goes. I enjoy being outside, viewing wildlife and if I can help someone else, so much the better! That's why I typically donate a deer or 2 to hunters feeding the hungry. If the herd needs management, it does 2 things - helps the herd and helps put food on the table for someone else.
I've taken a buck that I typically wouldn't take (and used up my only buck tag) because the owner wanted "X" buck removed from the property. I feel that's a small price to pay for the opportunity of hunting on the property.
Sound like you are the kind of hunter every landowner wants to invite over. I also give most of my deer to the needy. We have folks right in our community that are struggling to put food on the table.
I only take does from this property, though the owner has said he doesn't mind if I take a buck... he hunts himself and I have my own land to hunt. A couple weeks ago on this property I had an 8 I'd have gladly taken from my place hang around for 15 minutes. Later I took a nice doe. I pretty much just help with management here & I'm happy to have the opportunity to help out. My goal for this season was that my Dad get his deer and he did at my place a couple weeks ago. I'll never pass up a chance to hunt with family- life's too short! Finding a place to hunt gets harder each year. One of the main reasons I bought land is so that I can leave something for my family- grandkids, et al... that gets harder to come by all the while. I want to set up a timber harvest program so that the place hopefully covers the taxes (NY is brutal on property tax) Sorry for the ramble
Good luck with the rest of your season!
Indiana has a great program if you are willing to keep land in wildlife habitat forever and manage it properly. We have the Classified Forest and Wildlands Program, which I just put a small parcel in (15 acres) to get my feet wet and make sure that I understand it properly. The assessment on the land goes to $1 per acre. I was planning to put my whole place in the program when I retire, but an incompetent tax assessor reclassified the land as "excess residential". I will need to go to court for this years taxes, but it is really an open and shut case since nearly identical cases have recently gone through the courts with the landowners universally winning.
I have mixed feelings on selling timber. I've been there, and experienced it firsthand. I don't want to hijack this thread, so I would simply advise you to take several bids, and work the details out in advance.....how do you get paid? Up front? After the job is completed, or per load?
If the subject of timber stand improvement comes up, (TSI work), pay extra close attention. And check references.
Being in the Classified Forest Program in Indiana means that the District Forester must approve of any timber harvest and monitor it. No harvest is required though. I too have mixed feelings, but a proper and limited harvest might not be a bad thing. I do like big trees, but the woodland that I bought was raped of quality timber before I bought it. My kids and grand kids may enjoy big trees though. I do have one giant cottonwood on the place that I have owned for over 20 years (over 4' in diameter).
Just got back online guys, the 9 inches of snow we got over night filled the sat dish up. Head to go out and clear it out. Then had to plow the driveway. Your right Scott I going in for new glasses next month. But that said, I looked really hard and did not see antlers on him. That puts most of my deer hunting to an end for the year. Two deer in the freezer, don't think I need a third, but maybe I will go out tonight or tomorrow night and give it a try.
I have mixed feelings on selling timber. I've been there, and experienced it firsthand. I don't want to hijack this thread, so I would simply advise you to take several bids, and work the details out in advance.....how do you get paid? Up front? After the job is completed, or per load?
If the subject of timber stand improvement comes up, (TSI work), pay extra close attention. And check references.
There are many snakes in the logging biz around here too. I plan to have the young men help me get what we cut ourselves & lay them out for bids by the road. I want the young guys to see how this works so they can go that route when I'm gone if they don't mind a little work for more cash... and more control of what goes & why.
I like that idea, but from watching and listening to the guy who cut the timber here, I wouldn't know a good log from a bad one. And consequently, wouldn't make much money.
I don't know what it cost to hire a forester to help you, but that might be one option?
When I was in school, the forestry proffesor said that we should mark both the trunk AND the stump with paint so the harvestors didn't cut more than they were supposed to. Without painting the stump (or root flare) there's no way to verify unless you are on site and watch every log taken out.
Large trees are very nice, but they can be left to grow too long for useable wood too. Check with the State, they might have a forester come out at no charge. I have a friend who's a retired forester, and he did some recommendations for me when he was here visiting. Learned some new things, and got my memory jogged for things that I forgot.
Scott,
That is standard operating procedure around here to mark both spots. I need to do a select harvest on 30 acres one of these winters (part of my forest management plan). The price of timber is so low my forester doesn't want to do it yet.
Second rut seems to be in based on activity last evening. Had 4 does bed down about 70 yards from me last night. I could see the biggest one but was not sure that it was a clear shot due to some brambles. Good thing that I did not shoot. When they got up after about an hour, the big one started chasing one of the does all over the place. He was a big deer with no antlers!
Second rut seems to be in based on activity last evening. Had 4 does bed down about 70 yards from me last night. I could see the biggest one but was not sure that it was a clear shot due to some brambles. Good thing that I did not shoot. When they got up after about an hour, the big one started chasing one of the does all over the place. He was a big deer with no antlers!
Wow... early drop. We got almost a foot of snow here- winds are supposed to be 15-30 mph later... planned on a hunt later but might switch it to Mon or Tues instead. Good luck!
I am just hunting does now, and already took 6 deer including our one allowed buck. I can be a wimp now. Good luck to you too!
lassig, due to the storms that went through the area last summer, there is still a glut of hardwood on the market. The wood is worth more as firewood than as timber. I called a few places and they said they'd pay a "few bucks" if I brought the wood to them.
Just how they expect me to move a 50" dia to mid 30" dia (in 34' of length) Red Oak to them is beyond me. (it was tipped over in the storm) Even cutting it down to 9' in length means it still weighs approx 7119 pounds at the butt end!
There is a shortage of Maple in the mills in the area, but here the trees get interior stains due to the mineral content of the soil, and the value drops. Go 15 miles East and the staining disappears.
RAH, bucks that are stressed lose their antlers earlier. I've seen bucks with no antlers now, and some still have them in early March.
It was worse last year, with all the large bucks losing antlers during the first rut. We have had two years of summer drought, but their body size and condition seems excellent.
A good friend of mine & my son hunted my place yesterday afternoon. My buddy filled a doe tag at dusk. It was near 0 with heavy snow & fog... weird conditions. I'm taking my son to a buddies place this afternoon for a last chance muzzleloader hunt... our season ends today. Warmer temps are forecast for later this week- should be perfect for getting in there with the chainsaw to open a few areas up a bit. This makes such a difference and has turned into one of my favorite winter activities. Some of what I'm clearing will be where the next ponds are going- it's so much easier to picture how it will go with the barren ground of winter clearing all vegetation- you can really see where waterlines would end up with different damming/digging scenario's. It's much easier to see the best options for where to put what you dug. The deer really appreciate the trimming this time of year too. Last winter I had some that would bed about 70 yards away from where I was running the saw just waiting for me to leave so they could get to the tops of what I'd cut that day. After 50 winters I've started to fantasize about wintering on the sand somewhere warm... but I think in the long run... I'd really miss the couple months of beauty winter offers. Of course, I say this on 12/17... I reserve the right to change my opinion in March!!!
I am planning some clearing in two different draws in my woods with pond plans as well. Did not see a thing in the stand last night, but the snow was loud and I only had an hour during shooting light.
On the topic of timber harvesting I would definitely recommend a forester...my district forester recommended a guy here in West Central IL that was outstanding. He marked every tree to go (trunk and base), put the project out for sealed bid ONLY to those loggers that would agree to my terms and had proper insurance based on my requirements, then supervised the removal. He was great. If there's anyone in Central IL that wants his info PM me.
Side note, I did my harvest purely to improve the health of my timber but it had a fairly significant side benefit...my 40 acres now (8 years post harvest) holds more deer than guys on either side of me with 3-4 times the acreage. I had the typical 'open timber' model on my ground pre-harvest...lots of mature hardwoods, full closed canopy, no underbrush. The forester took out every third or fourth mature tree, letting some underbrush come in. Consequently I have patches of bedding/cover all over my timber now. Strategic placement of stands so as to not bump the bedding areas and I have a phenomenal hunting area. In a year when IL kills were down almost 35% overall and most of my hunting buddies in the area didn't see hardly anything the entire bow/gun season combination, I had one of the best years I've ever had. 21 sits in for bow plus 9 for gun, and only 2 sits total did I not have the ability to harvest a deer. I had more 3 1/2 year old bucks in range this year than I ever have before. I have pictures taken from my stand of no less than 7 different bucks that are borderline shooters. I let them all go. I only had an encounter with a clear shooter-class buck once, and couldn't get a good shot with my bow. Had I seen him during gun season he would've been harvested.
My totals for the year are 4 deer in the freezer...3 taken the same morning before 9 AM. The weekend of Thanksgiving falls in between the 2 major gun seasons in IL. I traditionally don't bother bow hunting that weekend as in my experience the gun season really wreaks havoc with the herd. But this year was relatively quiet on first gun weekend so I decided to get a good sit in with my limb and stick that next Saturday. Long story short I had 11 different deer within bow range before 9 AM. I harvested 2 does and 1 small 7 pointer that someone had darn near shot the leg off of the previous weekend. He could barely walk, and was going to be coyote food very shortly. You can see the hole in his upper leg in the picture. I'm very particular about the bucks taken off of my ground but this guy wasn't going to make it.
Killed a whitetail on November 23. Spent a bunch of time hunting two 1/4 sections of alfalfa with a nice thick band of bush between the two. Had signs of at least (3) different bucks in the area, but as the snow kept falling and falling (2' on the ground) I took this buck before my access to the land became non-existent and the writing was on the wall that the final week after I wouldn't be able to get into the field at all.
He was a decent 4x4 that fell to my .308 (168gr sierra matchking) at about 200yds as he stood with about 7 or 8 Does in the field. So far he's a tasty, grain fed whitetail.
The pics aren't the greatest unfortunately.
Nice deer! Tall tines, good mass.
Killed a whitetail on November 23. Spent a bunch of time hunting two 1/4 sections of alfalfa with a nice thick band of bush between the two. Had signs of at least (3) different bucks in the area, but as the snow kept falling and falling (2' on the ground) I took this buck before my access to the land became non-existent and the writing was on the wall that the final week after I wouldn't be able to get into the field at all.
He was a decent 4x4 that fell to my .308 (168gr sierra matchking) at about 200yds as he stood with about 7 or 8 Does in the field. So far he's a tasty, grain fed whitetail.
The pics aren't the greatest unfortunately.
Very nice deer. We just had some of ours last night for dinner very good eating.
Cheers Don.
Thx!
He wasn't the biggest bodied buck (122lbs on the hook, skinned and head off), but not too bad lookin!
This is for Scott, even though I moved to the farm I still get back to the far western burbs of Chi-town to hunt geese. Here is our 5 man limit from yesterday. Heading out the door in a minute to try and do it again today.
Nice Mark!! Today is the last day of duck and muzzleloader deer, and I'm opting for the deer. We will have the nusance goose season again in Feb., and the limit is 5 per person per day then.
I've seen lots more geese vs. ducks this year.
Pull a six man limit yesterday morning by 8:30. They worked real well in the light snow that was falling. That may be it for my goose hunting for the season. We have a couple more weeks left but looks like I will need to be in North Carolina with a customer.
Fun day today, 4 inches of fresh snow, no wind & temps in the 40's. Plus the dogs are 8 & 10... gotta love a day with a couple veterans!
Took my limit on deer this afternoon. Two with bow, one with muzzle loader, and four with the .44 carbine. A record number for me. The last doe had 7 companions. Hopefully I can impact the doe to buck ratio and offset some neighbors' practices. Somebody's having rabbit for dinner!
I don't have much to say on here usually,just soak up info for my future pond but I will say that rabbit hunting with beagles is my favorite form of hunting. Better that deer hunting anyday!! Love the sounds of those hounds.
The weather was perfect for it today in NY, can't beat wet snow to hold the scent for the dogs, and the "older" dogs sure stay tight on that scent.
Miss my dogs, haven't been in more than 10 years and the coyotes have really wiped out the bunny's around here.
I'll bet those dogs are sleeping well tonight!
I thought chipmunks hibernated during the winter? I saw one running around the woods this evening looking for acorns.
No deer sighted this evening. I did see some white flags when I was running the chainsaw today around noonish.
Good shooting RAH!
If hunting was about shooting, I'd be in trouble. All the deer were less than 35 yards away this year and I am only good out to 100 yards with a good rest. The last shot was about 20 yards away. My good friend can shoot me under the table at the range and he is still looking for a shot this year. My skill is putting myself where the deer will be, and keeping still.
I certainly have no problem with dog hunters except when their dogs chase the deer out of my woods after I near freeze to death waiting for the deer to move as the sun warms things up. I have had dogs all my life and have trained some near impossible breeds (Norwegian elk hounds), so I know it takes a lot of effort, but heck, I should not have to deal with someone running dogs through my place with the excuse that "dogs just run" (sorry for the rant, but this happened a number of times this year). The picture sure looks like good times!
It was a great day- we all deer hunt & never start small game til after the last day of deer season.
Hey - I just don't like em running my land without permission. You guys look like you had a great time on a glorious day!
Got my biggest buck ever this week. I got invited to hunt a 3,000 acre place in the Mississippi swamps. I nailed an 8 point with some interesting stickers. It weighed 212 pounds and scored 151.
I never take pictures of anything but did of this guy. Now, I have to figure out how to get them off my phone, onto the puter and then posted here. Oh well, I'll get my Grandkids to come over.
For some reason my puter is saying that I don't have an encrypted connection available. So, I've asked Allen Hall to post the pic.
Here you go Dave. His neck is wider than most of the deer's rib cages around here. Way to go Dave.
That's a goodern'.....Nice job Mr.Dave!
nice one I got to get back hunting this year
Nice deer!! Score one for a good guy?
For some reason my puter is saying that I don't have an encrypted connection available. So, I've asked Alan Hall to post the pic.
Hotel/Motel?
Nice one!
Thanks all. I've taken big elk, mulies, antelope and coues. But this is my first really big whitetail.
A buddy and I are starting to plan a grizzly or brown bear hunt next year. But, I'm not sure I want to shoot a bear. I may back out of that.
A guy got this one about 30 miles NE of my property.
Black Bear I don't know how it finally scored.
When this hit the news, people were shocked that we have bear roaming about the woods
I've seen 3 so far on my way to work when I was still at my camper. Maybe 3 years ago.
I'm done deer hunting for the year. I shot a yearling doe with the muzzleloader on Thurs evening, and I took another adult doe this morning with the same gun. I had both the crossbow and ML in the stand just in case a buck walked by (can't shoot one with the ML this season). Late archery I can shoot a buck, but the late antlerless firearms season is going on right now too.
I had a group of 5 does/yearlings walk by at 7:00, and shot the lead doe. Not 3 minutes later 2 more does walk down the same trail, headed in the same direction. 90 yds was too far for the x-bow, and I didn't bother reloading the ML. I aimed a little farther back this time, to miss the shoulder, and even with a double lung hit she went about 120 yds. She even laid down after running around 100 yds, and then got up and moved another 20 yds before dropping over. With the $0.50 sized exit hole, and the blood trail that she left, I was shocked she went that far!
Time to get her skinned before she chills down too much.
My good friend took a large doe on New Year's day with a 50 caliber pistol load (in a rifle) and it went 100 yards, even with a good shot. With my buck, accidental button, and 5 does, that makes 8 deer off the farm this year, and the last one was from a herd of 12. The habitat restoration is paying off! My friend did the butchering the next day to avoid a deep frozen deer! Hopefully I can get he buck to doe ratio up and get some more trophies.
RAH, what was the rifle and load that he used? I had an inquiry if I knew of any rifles chambered in .460 S&W, but I don't.
The way this ML shoots, I can't justify spending the $$ on a indiana legal CF rifle. 2" high at 100, 0 at 200, 9" low at 300 and 27" low at 400. Still has over 1200 foot pounds of energy at 400. 100 yd groups will run 1/2 moa out to out if I do my part (.40 cal bullet). 195g .40 cal Barnes "X" bullet with a MV of 2850 fps.
Jkb, that give ya any second thoughts about a nice evening walk about?
I am not an ammo guy, so I'll need to ask on the 50-cal. I know that he reloads. I shot both my .44 carbine and my 50-cal ML with two pellets at 100 yards and both were less than 1.25 inches low and less than 1/2 inch off on windage. That is good enough for me since I did not shoot over 35 yards this year. I am very very happy with my .44 Ruger 77/44 all-weather. It is just a pleasure to shoot and carry. Its almost like carrying a Ruger 10/22. It does require the Horneday LeverEvolution ammo to shoot well at a distance though, and that is pricey. But I really don't shoot it much except at deer during the season (3 weeks a year).
RAH, what is an all-weather gun?
Stainless steel with synthetic stock. Mine is topped with a Leopold with Butler Creek flip up covers. No worries in the weather and a dream to shoot (and very accurate to 100 yds with Hornaday Leverevolution rounds).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ1V1fOzgjM
Friend's 50 cal deer gun - The gun is an H&R single shot. The load is 36 grains of Reloader 7 over a 375 gr cast bullet.
Friend's 50 cal deer gun - The gun is an H&R single shot. The load is 36 grains of Reloader 7 over a 375 gr cast bullet.
Rah:
.50 Beowulf or .50 S&W Magnum?
Went goose hunting yesterday. We got into the field right after sunup and had the decoys set out and the pit blinds dug in about an hour. Then we waited, and waited, and waited. Here's what I looked at for most of the day:
Blue skies, no birds flying. All that changed around 2:30 p.m. when the first 2 came in. the 5 of us ended up with 17 of the flying toilets, 4 of the 17 were banded. In the picture below, the guys are standing on top of about 2' of snow.....
Went out snow goose hunting yesterday, it was a long day but we managed 40 snows for a whole day hunt. They are difficult to decoy but a fun day in the field.
Couple of victims
Swans anyone?
The end of the day pose
Mighty hunter
Went out snow goose hunting again yesterday. Had a good day with killing 84 but then again it was a slow day. Good with a good number of geese shot but slow in that it was a whole day hunt and only saw 10 groups/single snow geese all day, but everyone gave us shooting opportunities. Some of these were groups up to 50 geese with a couple of singles and groups of 5. Needless to say the singles and groups of 5 (two of them) didn't get away. Here the end of the day pile.
Congrats on a a good hunt! Do you think the main body has gone north already, or it hasn't really kicked into gear yet?
It is all but over. Talked with the guys today and it is slow. Was outside most of the day trimming fruit trees and only saw/heard one flock of snow geese flying over. I made my reservations with the guide service today for next day. Its a fun way to spend a couple of days. Plus it is in my backyard so hard to pass up
