Anyone out today??

[305RSlc]

So, start to rifle season, who's out there and are you seeing anything?

I need to get my license updated, finish my honey-do list, pack my gear, and hope to be out there next weekend. It'll be the first year with my new .270, so I want to see what I can do with it in the woods and not just on a bench.

I hope to hear some good reports and happy hunting to those in the field :thumb:

 

[SAWMAN]

My wife and I had some stuff to do this AM but will be out at our club for the PM hunt.

So far,the deer we have been seeing have been small does,button bucks,or club shooters,just not shooters for us. For our club the bucks MUST be a 6pt with an 11 inch inside spread. We saw several nice does but my club has not provided the usual doe tags yet.

Will be hunting with my Rem 700SA(16" bbl) chambered in 308Win with handloaded 130gr Barnes TSX. This will be my first time with the weapon after installing the "bottom metal". The Wyatt's DetMag with a 5 shot detachable magazine. This weapon already sits in a B&C stock.

Best of luck to you sir. --- SAWMAN

 

[Calculated steps]

Debating about going out to the woods. Just haven't had the drive to go. Plus with the warm days lately, I'm sure the serpents are out.

 

[305RSlc]

With the warm and humid weather, I am sure it's ripe for snakes and spiders. However, that does give me the ability to work on two things while I am in the woods. 1) My karate moves once I walk through that unseen web. 2) My draw time for the new S&W .357 with 6" that is going to be my woods gun once I happen upon the random rattler.

Luckily, next weekend is looking good in the weather department. It should be cooler, less humid, and sunny. On top of that, honey-do list is done so I won't have that on my back to keep me from getting out there.

Sawman, I think I've seen pictures of that setup on the forums, yes? Should be a good one to tote around and much more manageable than the rowing oar that is my 24" .270. Either way, if it gets meat on the table, it works, eh?

 

[Daezee]

Just killed my 20th hog this evening about 8:30pm. Good size sow. Don't have a weight yet. Suppressed Ruger American Ranch Rifle in 300 Blackout, FLIR thermal sight, Barnes 110gr Blacktip handload. A family is coming over in a few minutes to pick her up. Left my coat and hat and flashing light on her to help keep away the coyotes until we pick her up. Saw a sounder of about 6-7 hogs of various sizes. Will get weight and a pic to post. Video recorder indicated no signal...one of the cables had become slightly unplugged; no time to fiddle with it in the middle of a stalk.

 

[Daezee]

Fairly large sow. This is in the back of a full size pickup. Should have the weight later today w/autopsy results. She was not nursing.

 

[305RSlc]

That's a beauty right there. Hoping to get at least one hog during gun season in Escambia River and a buck would be icing on the cake. Like how you, Daezee, and Sawman, I really want to get into stalking more than a blind or tree stand.

 

[Daezee]

A real Porker. I estimated the weight at 180. Actual weight was 181. Bullet hit behind right shoulder and exited left side of neck, so no important meat was hit.

 

[SAWMAN]

GREAT HOG !! Kinda strange to see a non-pregnant/non-nursing sow though. Don will eat good for the holidays.

For me it would be ---> Soak both rear quarters in saltwater brine for 3 days. Rinse (with scrub) under running water. Season and cook in house stove until internal temp is 130deg or so. Take outside and put in smoker until internal temp is 160deg or so. Use whatever wood suits your fancy. (That apple is great.)

However done ..... great eating. --- SAWMAN

 

[305RSlc]

Went out to the River this morning. Almost picturesque morning at a cool 33* and not a cloud in the sky. Found a good spot early and waited. Heard a few sounds, but nothing to get excited about and plenty of tracks; some fresh, some not so fresh. Decided to go deeper into the woods into some thick and swampy stuff. We ended up spotting a few bedding areas and some fresh scrapes on a small tree. As we got deeper into swampy stuff (think boots sinking halfway with each step), we apparently spooked a good sized hog. As we held up listening for where the rustling was coming from and I was coming around to my buddy, out of the corner of my eye, I see a big black streak in the thickness. No time to draw for a shot and it was gone. Tried tracking deeper after the general direction it went, but no dice. Wrapped up the morning by about 8am.

Not too bad for a couple of hours trudging around. However, next time, I hope to bag something.

Anyone else have any luck so far? When are you guys seeing any deer activity. The guy I was with, who is much more seasoned that myself, mentioned that after first light, they typically go back and bed down and you won't see anything during the "working hours."

 

[SAWMAN]

On my private land am seeing some mock scrapes that are gettin' much bigger. Have reports of some bucks sniffing around. Starting Monday I will be out in the middle of the day,WX permitting. The deer are tearing up the sweet potatoes.

My wife and I are headed out now ... should be warm in the shooting houses. Will have to set my alarm clock. Good luck to everyone. --- SAWMAN

 

[305RSlc]

On my private land am seeing some mock scrapes that are gettin' much bigger. Have reports of some bucks sniffing around. Starting Monday I will be out in the middle of the day,WX permitting. The deer are tearing up the sweet potatoes.

My wife and I are headed out now ... should be warm in the shooting houses. Will have to set my alarm clock. Good luck to everyone. --- SAWMAN

My common sense, which ain't worth much, tells me that you're probably seeing more activity since you can put out the buffet of good stuff whereas I am working with public land and can't "bait" them. Think that's a reasonable train of thought? From your posts, you seem to have some expertise with the River. Do you recall any consistent patterns of movement or activity during various times of the day? I plan to get out there some days later in the morning to see what happens in the more sunlit hours, but I'm still learning deer behavior and taking all the advice I can get.

Best of luck. Hoping you bag something since your posts that tell the story make for a good read. :thumb:

 

[John B.]

Shot one of the biggest nannies I've ever seen in Florida, yesterday... on some private land up around CORE... My dog in the picture is 60lbs. Lol. Not a fun drag by myself.



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[John B.]

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[SAWMAN]

Yep ..... being able to bait makes quite a bit of difference. Not just for your bait spot but in the general movement in between the spots that are baited. With the proper rules and regs in place,and strictly enforced,I believe that baiting of deer,hogs,and coyotes,is great both for the hunter and for the animals in general. Remembering that there are tons more animals that get a meal from the available bait than just the target animals.

NOW ....... you never said weather you hunted the river from a boat or simply walk-in. I have done both. I hunted by boat for 8 years or so. From my own boat and from a buddies even before I moved down here. There are some walk-in hunts that I used to do and have got both hogs and deer in that manner. If you have a boat you can launch from Jim's(no more Swamp House),Molino,Quintette Rd,and Mystic Springs. North from Mystic Springs has some great hunting and is IMO under hunted. Especially the Santa Rosa side. That far north on Escambia there are no dog hunters which can be a real problem south of the Quintette Rd. launch and especially on Brosenham Island. IMO ... do not hunt in a dog hunting area(check the regs and the maps).

Deer move less in the WMA's IMO. They really don't have to unless pushed by hunters and/or dogs. Some of the area's that we used to hunt in the Escambia River WMA are so thick that if you managed to move deer,you could not see them for a shot. We hunted in water quite a bit and hip waders were mandatory. There are the well established deer trails that have been used by game animals year after year. These are a great place to sit and watch if you can find them. The hunting pre Ivan was tons better than post Ivan. IMO,it is just in the last 5 years or so that things on the river are starting to get back to normal. You gotta realize the Brosenham island was 16ft under water and unless the deer and hogs could climb a tree or tread water,they pretty much died or got washed over to the mainland.

If nothing pushes them,the deer in the WMA move like the normal deer patterns are. Early AM last feeding before bedding. Late afternoon moving around and closer to the food source before sunset. All bets are off during the rut,which I feel is the very best time to hunt the river if the animals are not pushed. The bucks will be on the trail of the does and the does will be moving hard to try to stay away from the bucks. Watch the established game trails then. Sit back from them as far as possible and still be able to shoot. Take a look at a topo map for the choke points around the edges of standing water and/or an old cypress swamp. Most small streams have a deer trail along the edge also.

Stay in there during the middle of the day. As other hunters are coming out for lunch they can make the deer move. Pick a good spot,get comfortable,and sit still. Use the wind to your advantage. Use NATURAL things for a scent screen. Pine,cypress,and honey suckle are great. Pull off the vegetation and rub it on the thigh area of your pants.

Lastly ...... your chances increase with more time in the woods. Get in their during the off season and do some scouting. I loved small game season for this. Best of luck to you. --- SAWMAN

 

[MarkS]

Rode around to my little field around back and I should of had my window rolled down
Saw a mid-sized doe trying to get across my fence and thought she was gone but she turned and walked up to where I had a clear shot but by the time I got the window down she bolted and was gone
Still laughing at myself for not being ready as I know better


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[305RSlc]

John - That's a good looking deer considering what is usually available down here. How far did you have to drag her before being able to load up? Did you get an approximate weight before dressing?

Sawman - awesome insight and appreciate the advice. One of these days, if/when we meet, I'll owe you some of your favorite ammo or perhaps some meat if something walks across my scope.
Now, yesterday was pure walk - in on the main trails. I currently do not have access to a boat but I do understand that opens up a whole new world of possibilities in Escambia. We parked at Cotton Lake, walked in on a well established trail, and just headed straight north. The weather was cool, clear, and not humid (33* when we left the truck). We walked about 2 miles north of the paper mill and ventured east as far as our boots would allow. We were well on our way at 5am and in our spot by 6am as the sun came up and waited. After about an hour, on the advice of my buddy, we set out to see if we could push a something out since he figured by that point, everything had pretty much already bedding back down. The hog, or what I thought was a hog, was the only thing we came across once we got into the mushy stuff. We saw some pretty fresh deer tracks and, only enough, coyote tracks right on top of those.

You're 100% right about needing to spend more time out there. I need to learn the trails and find my way around the less frequently used paths to start noting any activity. Might be a good time to teach the boy and have him nab a few squirrels as well. It also sounds like I should focus a good bit further north than where I am putting in. Based on the map, it looks like putting in at Mystic Springs would give you an option of only heading north without possibly running into private land or swimming. Either that or I need to start getting over to the Santa Rosa side and get some experience there.

 

[John B.]

John - That's a good looking deer considering what is usually available down here. How far did you have to drag her before being able to load up? Did you get an approximate weight before dressing?

.

I gutted her where she dropped... had about a 400 yard drag, forgot my cart at home and I like the paint on my truck, but after that drag, I was reconsidering that. Lol.

I've shot a bunch of deer, and this was definitely the biggest doe I've shot in Florida. I'd say she went over 100 lbs for sure. The fat was over an inch thick on her back and hams. It was pretty impressive.



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