How's the hunting

[bac3996]

Hi guys.

So how's your hunting season going?

Unfortunately I don't get out hunting anymore . Moved down here from the New England area where I use to hunt pheasant , deer & small game.

Down here it's a different deal. I don't know any property owners or areas open to hunting.
Also I don't get around to good on my legs as I have severe Diabetic Neuropathy.

Last year my 2 grandsons were able to go deer hunting with their church group.

My oldest son shot a nice doe and his brother took at shot but missed a buck. There both now interested in hunting and hopefully can get out again with their church group.

I use to run a site in the New England area that catered to disabled sportsmen & women.

I enjoy reading about you guys hunts, It helps my days go by.

So if you get a chance after your hunts post up a report so myself and other members here on site can enjoy the hunt to.

Thanks guys. And a special thank you to the operators of this site.

 

[SouthBound]

Here ya go... Last weekends report...

The weekend before the season, I went to check on a spot I like to hunt early season because there are some nice oaks that produce acorns. A buddy and I went in there, trimmed a little and I put out a camera. That was on the Sunday before the season.

On Saturday morning (last Saturday), I got to the woods right at first light and made my way to the stand. It's about a 1/4 mile walk through woods so I usually wait until I have a little light and the birds start up since the deer bed up there too.

I hunted until 9:15am and didn't see or hear anything so I got down, trimmed up a few branches that we had missed and grabbed the card from the camera. Here's what I saw when I put it in the iPad on the truck (the time is incorrect but I changed it on the photos).











Kicking myself after seeing these and adjusting the time in my head, I realized I had gotten down right when the deer were moving.

On Sunday, I got there a little later and planned on sitting until 11:00am or so. Around 9:00 I saw some movement about 50 yards in the woods but I couldn't get a good view of it. Around 9:15, a doe pops out at 45 yards and I fling an arrow at her and she pulls a magic trick and ducks the arrow. She runs about 30 feet into the woods and stays there blowing for about 2 minutes. I grabbed another arrow and got ready because I had a feeling that she would be back. Sure enough, she walks right up the trail I walked in on and gets right under me. I didn't have a shot but knew she would head to the oaks so I waited. About 15 minutes go by and she finally leaves headed to the oaks and I get a nice 15 yard shot on her. She runs about 20 yards. I'm excited and call my friend and my wife to share the news. First bow kill! 98# doe.

 

[SouthBound]

 

[bac3996]

Nice report SouthBound, Thanks for taking the time to share.

Congratulations on your first bow harvest.

Now I'm starting to get the itch again.

 

[Aaronious45]

Windy as crap this morning! Jumped 2 going to my stand. Froze my fingers off. Had a house cat sitting on the four wheeler when I got down. Maybe it'll be more exciting this afternoon

 

[bac3996]

Aaronious45 you have me laughing.

I do so remember those days. Cold and windy as hell. Fingers so dam frozen you couldn't get them to squeeze the trigger, I've had it snow so hard you sat under a tree a few hours and my buddy walked past thinking I was just a snow covered rock under a tree. LOL.

Those were hard days to hunt but years later those are the days that bring back great memories . Especially when you can no longer get out hunting .

Hope your afternoon turned into a nicer experience . And good luck this season.

 

[Telum Pisces]

Mine has started off with a bang. Hope it continues. But usually when I start off with a bang, things slow down the rest of the season for me in the past. Hope not though.

http://gulfcoastgunforum.com/showthread.php?13594-First-bow-kill-ever!

 

[Daezee]

22 squirrels and 3 deer. Just got back from my annual deer hunting trip to my brother's Georgia farm. Got 2 large does and my biggest buck, a six point. He should have been an eight point, but my brother says there's a line of bucks that don't grow brow tines on his farm, and he's glad I got one of them. He calls them "management bucks" and hopes people he invites to hunt "manage" to get one. Went on night time armadillo patrol at a local nursery with my thermal sight while in Georgia. Saw 2 armadillos, and I'm confident I got 1 or 2 .22lr bullets into one of them before it disappeared into the tall grass. Will post pics tomorrow.

 

[bac3996]

Telum Pisces, Congratulations on your first ever bow kill. Very nice looking buck. Hope your season continues to be plentiful .

Daezee, Sounds like you've been doing real well this season. A mix of squirrels & deer to fill the freezer . I guess we know you'll be eating well this summer.

Up north most bucks dress out at about 90-125 lbs of meat and does run from 50-100lbs dressed out. What the average dressed out bucks & does run down here?

I was up to Robertsdale on Saturday to the Fresh Farm mkt. I love their German Kielbasa . Do any of you use them to make you sausage or smoke your meat? A guy brought in a cooler containing a buck & doe and he wanted both smoked & fresh kielbasa sausage made out of it.

I wondered how anyone that used them liked the sausage they made from deer.

Again thanks for the reports I know I sure do enjoy reading them.

Good luck to anyone headed out this week.

 

[Daezee]

http://s1129.photobucket.com/user/Gizmo6309/slideshow/Mobile Uploads

Got back yesterday from my annual hunting trip to my brother's Georgia property. Daniel Defense 16" 300 BLK, Nikon M223 2-8x scope. Handloads with Nosler 125gr BT giving a muzzle velocity of 2162fps.

Large doe #1: 85yd, facing me. Aimed at neck such that if the bullet missed the center, it would still go into the body towards heart/lungs. Bullet hit center of neck, breaking it. DRT. When the deer was field dressed, we kept the guts, and upon returning from the processor, my sister-in-law used her metal detector on the guts, but no bullet was detected, so whether it fell out during cleaning or stayed in neck muscle, I don't know. I saw 4 other deer that afternoon, but just watched them with no shooting (2 young ones and 2 mature does). This was my first deliberate neck shot, and I was very pleased with the results.

Next day, large doe #2: She was at 138yd and VERY alert, finally settling down to eat acorns. The bullet hit her in line with the front legs and about 3-4 inches down from the top of the back. This should be where the shoulders meet the spine. I've never seen a deer drop so quick. Now the 300 BLK recoil isn't much, but as the rifle recoiled and the deer disappeared from the scope, I figured she'd run, but no, she was on the ground right there. I'd read about hitting a deer in that spot, but had never done it before. I suppose with something more powerful there would be more meat damage. Bullet exited.

Same afternoon as doe #2, my biggest buck: I now had 2 good does, but it wasn't too late in the afternoon and the weather was nice, so I put down the rifle and binoculars in the stand and decided to simply enjoy the outdoors. After while, I even closed my eyes and rested my head on the railing. To my right and left are fields. I was resting pointed between the fields at the nearby woods. At one point I opened my eyes and glanced to the right and there was a buck about 85yd looking in my direction near the only tree in the field. Binocs were too far away to get without too much movement, so I slowly got my rifle. He walked behind the tree and stopped, looking in my direction through the branches/leaves. I waited and finally he came out from behind the tree and started trotting across the field to the surrounding woods. At 80yd I shot at the lung area, he jumped and kicked and ran. I heard the sound of leaves being kicked/disturbed, followed by a crash sound. I waited 30 minutes and called my brother to come with his ATV to pick up the doe. He arrived and I gave him my rifle to carry. I powered up my thermal sight and we went in the direction the buck ran. The thermal detected a glow, but when I'd look in the direction without the thermal, I'd see no deer. I walked towards the heat signature, and it was the buck, laying such that no belly white was showing in my direction, crashed into some brush. Now I'm confident we would have found him, the thermal just made it quicker. I had the thermal sight with me to use as a hand-held unit, just wanting to see how far I could see and ID deer and to see if it would help with finding a down deer. The bullet went through the center part of the lungs and exited. Very little blood showed; you could not have trailed him by blood loss, but him running about 40yd was in keeping with the other 3 deer I've killed with pass through lung hits with the Nosler 125's in my 300 BLK...all went 40-50yd. Six point; no brow tines. My brother who does some managing of the deer said there's a line of bucks that don't grow brow tines, and he wants me and his son to try and take them. He says mine should have been an eight point had it not been from the no brow tine genetic line. Now I don't know all about that, but to me, he is a trophy! Gave the processor guy a $5 tip for cutting off the skull cap with the antlers to put next to my three point. The above link will take you to a short slideshow of the last two deer.

That night I mounted the thermal on my .22lr SBR AR and we went to a nursery owned by a friend of my brother. Armadillos have been doing damage. We stayed from 10pm to 12pm and saw 2 armadillos. I put 1 or 2 bullets into a big one, but he disappeared into some tall grass where thermal can't penetrate well. At least we helped out a little. I suspect with warmer weather there might be more armadillos out. This was in NE Georgia. His neighbor didn't think there were any hogs at that time on his property, so I wasn't able to try for a hog.

 

[Aaronious45]

Well today's my birthday...got in my stand a little later than I wanted..at 640 I had 2 does cross at about 50 yds ...sat thinking about getting down at 730 and decided to wait till 8. 739 a big doe walks out headed right to me. Gets about 15 yds and turns broad side. I pull the trigger and hear a loud thud (I haven't shot a deer with a bow in about 10 years) that was 20 min or so..I'm about to go look for her in another 15-20 min

 

[Daezee]

As explained to me by another member: After you arrow or shoot a deer, unless it drops right where you can see it, be VERY quiet and DON'T move for 20-30 minutes. If the shot deer hears or sees any human sound/movement it may keep running. If it sees or hears nothing to alarm it further, it may only go a short distance, knows it feels woozy/tired and stop or lay down to rest and expire there.

 

[bac3996]

Nice to read some of you guys are doing pretty good during bow season. I bet with the cold temperatures on the way that the deer will really start moving around more during the days.

Again congratulations to those of you who have scored & good luck to those still out enjoying the hunt,

I so wish I was out there with you. It's going to be so hard this year during muzzleloaders and firearms season just starring at the guns hanging on the wall.

But at least I have memories of hunts past and I can read all about you guys hunts here.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Warning! Graphic images!

Saw two spikes opening morning at my lease in Crestview. Didn't take a shot due to a 3 point rule. Saturday evening had two 150lb pigs come racing around me in a gradual arc with no shot due thick brush and moving animals. Never shot at a moving animal with my bow. Didn't wanna loose an expensive arrow head. Lol. Nothing Sunday. Except maybe the tons of squirrels and a hawk that almost took my face off trying to figure out if I was something edible. That'll wake u up at 20 feet in the air, let me tell you! Monday morning at around 9 a doe tries to slip by 20 yards to my left. Thwack! It's a good feeling!

10 minutes later a fair 8 point pokes his head around a thicket and him- haws around for 5 minutes or so before stepping out in the open at 19 yards. Thwack again! I've shot 2 with a gun, but never a bow. And a decent little buck to boot! Hope u enjoy the stories!

Ps: turns out the doe had small spikes. The club had already okay'd spikes due to the numerous sightings.

JB

 

[FrankT]

You always shoot for a head shot ot did the buck jump the string?

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Ha! Ha! Never a head shot, not confident enough. Had had most of his neck in a small window of opportunity and my back was killing me from having it twisted to the right as I am right handed. I took the shot and he jumped and it ended up punching his neck bone below the jaw line. Dropped on the spot.

 

[FrankT]

I guess he did, bled him out real fast that way!

Congrats on your deer!

 

[bac3996]

Johnny Bravo
Thanks for the report . Congratulations on 2 nice kills.

Don't think I'd like being on the receiving side of a hawks talons.
Certainly would wake my ass up and keep me more alert that's for sure. :lol:

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Yes it did! Easiest trail I ever had. Lol. Thanks!

JB

 

[Johnny Bravo]

That's actually the 3rd time I've had a hawk come at my head in a tree climber. Another good reason to wear a harness and fall protection. Luckily they realize I ain't edible before they make contact!

JB