been out four times since Oct. 13 and haven't seen anything but squirrels and chipmonks. I did see one buck, but it was at the highway on-ramp about an hour before legal shooting anyway (not that you can shoot from a road or anything....150 feet from an 'improved road' in MA).
was wondering how everyone else is doing?
they just don't seem to be moving around much up here....not sure if its the abundance of white oak acorns, rapidly changing weather (was 27 when I got in the truck yesterday.....in the 50's when I woke this am), or lack of hunting pressure, or what?
Truth to tell... I didn't even buy a license this year.
Between all the local forests getting closed last year due to fire danger and the necessity of purchasing a "Forest Adventure Pass" to park inside any of the local national forests ($5 per day or $30 per year), I just couldn't see spending money on a license and tag with the chance of not being able to go anywhere.
I guess things started out ok this year but they're sure going to heck right not. We've got some hot, windy, and dry conditions and it sounds like most of So. California is on fire. I'm quite a ways from any of the fires and the sky here is orange, you can smell the smoke, and there's a layer of ash everywhere.
Guy
"Someday you and I will take the Great Hart by our own skill alone, and with an arrow. And then the Little Gods of the Woods will chuckle and rub their hands and say, "Look, Brothers. An Archer! The Old Times are not altogether gone!" - Adrian Eliot Hodgkin
I'm pretty well done with big game archery hunting this year, except for any opportunity to hunt pigs. I went 0 for Several, with a couple of blown opportunities. Missed a nice 4x4 (story posted last month) and had a Mexican standoff with a 4x3 the next day.
Fortunately, I managed to get an elk with my rifle in CO, so at least the freezer is full.
Oh yeah, the rut is in full swing here in the A-zone. Bucks are regularly chasing does out into the pastures with the horses, causing general havoc and making me wish we had a late archery season around here.
He has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct... Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience rather than a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.
Aldo Leopold
Only been out 5 times so far (season opened Oct. first). First time out--saw a big old doe. She never saw me, pretty sure she never smelled me, but somehow she knew something wasn't right--no shot. Second time out--nothing but a suicidal squirrel, but it was a day or two before squirrel season--didn't shoot. Third time out--pretty sure it was the same old doe, pretty much the same story--no shot. Fouth time out--saw a small doe (different place), don't know that I would have shot her (woulda' been some fine freezer meat), but she didn't come close enough. No shot. Fifth time out--saw 6 deer, but all were on my way home--no shot.
I bowhunt through all the seasons, and have until Jan 31st. I don't usually get out too much when the orange army is in full swing, but I may have a spot or two that will be safe enough--we'll see.
Chad
You gotta get in the woods to do any good.
Man, this year so far has been a bust. Season opened Oct. 1st and I haven't even had a chance to go yet. Wasn't even able to go opening weekend of muzzleloading and I have a new muzzleloader.
I'm gonna try to go this coming weekend. If nothing else for a scouting trip. The next weekend (Nov. 8th) is opening rifle season and we always have a big family camp for that weekend.
If I do get to go this weekend the ol' Crusader will be with me.
Romans 8:28
yah..I hear ya all on the time thing.....I usually hunt every weekend during the season and stay out all day, and take a few days off during the week to hunt as well.....with a 4 month old at home, I've really had to curtail my outdoor wanderings. some of those four times listed above were literally only 1 hour in the woods in the morning.
I hope you guys out west fair well with all the fires.....
Haven't had much luck this season. Jumped a few does in a thicket while muzzleloader hunting and was able to get one to stop and ended up killing the prettiest little scrub tree you ever saw. I thought I had a clear shot.
Went back a week later and had a 15 yard standoff with another doe while bowhunting. I was hoping to get her with my recurve, I've killed a few with a compound, but never a traditional bow. I've had a lot of run-ins with loudmouthed squirrels this season. Left the recurve at home last week and took my 10-22 instead and was able to shut 7 of em' up. I've got a few more weeks of bowseason left, so I'm going to hang in there with the recurve. Wish me luck. Good luck to all of you too. Jimmy
I have finally come to the conclusion that if I can keep my nose to the grindstone, and work as hard as I can, I can remain poor the rest of my life.
Jimmy
Well, it finally happened.I went to visit a good friend in TN this past weekend, and on Saturday (Nov 8th) evening I got a nice 8-point. I almost didn't even buy a license--I went up mainly to visit and hide from the hustle and bustle for a few days. I'd seen a young does from the same stand the evening before, and although I didn't get a shot, it was a bonus. I was more alert, and heard her (or something) coming in again, from the same place and got ready. She never came out, but I was ready when the buck came across from the other side. To make a long story short, my 125 grain Ribtek tipped cedar arrow, shot from my 66", 66@30.5 Crusader longbow, got about 6" of penetration......in the dirt, that is, after it passed through the deer. The deer traveled about 30 yds along the woodline, turned as if it was going into the woods, and looked like it was thinking "what the heck was that anyway???" Then it swayed, stumbled, reared up on it's hind legs, and fell over backwards. A feeble kick or two and it was over. It was approximately 10 seconds from the time of impact till he hit the dirt for good.
Not a monster, but I couldn't have been any more proud of it. Credit goes to my buddy Tom for putting me in his best stand, and Mr. Miller who owns the property we hunted on and let us have it all to ourselves for the weekend.
Chad
Congratulations LBR.I'm going to try it again this Saturday and then do a little muzzleloader hunting next week and then,,,,,RIFLE SEASON!!! I like bowhunting, but I'm not a diehard yet.
I have finally come to the conclusion that if I can keep my nose to the grindstone, and work as hard as I can, I can remain poor the rest of my life.
Jimmy
Well, I finally got meat in the freezer, though not from my bow. Our modern gun season opened this past weekend. I got a small 8-point Sunday morning with my .270. Loaded up my muzzleloader for Monday's hunt. Monday evening around 3:45 a little deer steps out. I glass and determine he's a button buck. No shootin him. Watched him for about 45 minutes and there are other deer around but too far in the brush to see. Finally momma steps out and checks on her little yearling. She's a good sized doe so I took her. Reloaded with my only speedload. About 10 minutes later another buck steps out. Glassing determines him to be a legal buck so I ended up taking him in the exact same spot where the doe was when I shot her.
Well, now I'm tagged out for Arkansas and can now concentrate on duck hunting. I get ready to get out of my stand and I hear a LOUD bleat. I think, "Is that doe just NOW dieing (sp?)?" Then I look up and lo and behold, it's Grandaddy!!!!!!!!At least a 10 pointer, wide and high. All I could do was look at him giving me a perfect broad side shot at 70 yards, and just feel sick inside that I had just taken the smaller buck.
Probably a good thing I only had one speedload cause I don't know for sure if I could have resisted shooting him and letting someone else in camp check the smaller buck. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. I know.
Anyway, guess the bow goes back in it's case for a while. I'll get it out again after turkey season. The new muzzleloader (Beartooth Magnum) performed well. The 295gr hollowpoint PowerBelts REALLY performed and I recovered the bullets. I'll get pictures later. They knocked the doe over and the buck only ran about 30 or 40 yards. Both shots were at 77 yards.
Before leaving for camp my wife told me that we really needed a deer. We were actually having to buy ground beef. We haven't done that in years. When I called her Monday night and told her we now had 3 deer, all she could say was (uncharacteristic of her), "Damn." Fortunalely, my pastor has an electric meat grinder and now I don't have to hand grind that much meat.
Romans 8:28
well congrats all who made meat! I still have yet to se a living deer in the woods this season. Gonna haveto search around a little more lively next spring for more places to hunt.
Congrats, Chad!
I'm debating bringing the bow home for Christmas, or just using my brother's rifle. I suppose I'll keep tabs on the weather channel, and decide at the last minute. Might end up duck hunting if the weather is ugly.
Now, if I can just get a foolish turkey to stand still while I stick an arrow through him this weekend!
He has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct... Whatever his acts, they are dictated by his own conscience rather than a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.
Aldo Leopold
Well I have had a OK year. I have harvested 2 does one with my long bow and one with my compound bow. I have saw several small bucks but none worth harvesting. I have got some great video though. I have filmed two eight points ( 2 1/2 year olds) fighting not 20 yds from my stand and then I got an eight point snort and whezzing on tape. I have hunted whitetail for 24 years and this is the first time I have seen a deer snort and wheez. The bonus was he wasn't 8 yds from the tree I was in. I am going to be on vacation the week after Thanksgiving and I'll have 11 days to hunt. I can't wait. LOL
Enjoy the woods
and Be SAFE!
God Bless America!!!
He who laughs last,Thinks the slowest.
well. we just closed up archery season in MA....still nothing. spent the afternoon sitting In my stand listening to kids on ATVs tearing up the woods behind me, occasionally stopping to shout at each other over the idling engines....gotta love the peace and serenity of the deer woods...huh?
this is the first season in a really long time that I haven't had at least one good shot oportunity. weird. all my friends saw deer, couple got shots, couple got kills...not me.... not so much as hide nor hair.
nothing to do now but sit back, take the week off, eat some turkey, and get the shotgun out for MA firearms opener 12/1
I know what you mean HickStick, not much of a season here either. I am glad rifle season finally arrived. I guess I'll try it again with the recurve next year. Good luck to you during firearms season.
I have finally come to the conclusion that if I can keep my nose to the grindstone, and work as hard as I can, I can remain poor the rest of my life.
Jimmy
I hunted fairly hard during September and passed up 3-4 shots at small does and skippers. I have hunted 5-6 times during rifle season with my pistol and have seen 3 bucks and have had no shot opportunities as of yet. I will start bowhunting again next Monday and hunt until Dec 13th. Tough weather this season and not many acorns.
Remember, pick a spot and follow through.
I killed this small 2x3 Blacktail buck in Oregon's north Cascades last Friday.
I'd rattled in a heavy palmated 3pt opening day of the late hunt, but he caught me banging the bones. But we received a good shot of snow one week ago, and I tracked this guy into a flat with big timber and found him tailgating a doe. They moved into an opening at 20 yards where I introduced him to my homemade Douglas Fir arrow.
treekiller
Congrats TreeKiller
I have finally come to the conclusion that if I can keep my nose to the grindstone, and work as hard as I can, I can remain poor the rest of my life.
Jimmy
yah. congrats treekiller.
I have FINALLY seen deer on the hoof!!!! and acutally got a shot! was opening day of shotgun season moday. saw a flag at ten to seven but couldn't get a shot...had really high winds (30+mph) so I climbed down and still hunted till about eleven. went back to the truck (parked a few hundred yards up a powerline two track) and had a sandwich. was just finishing up and getting ready to radio my buds that I was gonna pack up for the day and try a different spot, when a flag caught my eye. crossed the power lines and stopped about 80 yards from the truck. I literally had to drop my sandwich, take four leaps to my left, grab my unloaded winchester 1300, throw one in the chamber, slam the pump home and leap to where I could get a shot.
centered the crosshairs and.....booooom. and I see dirty fly from teh slug hitting about 15 feet behind the doe...I knew that couldn't be a good sign...she and her yearling take off. and ran right into one of my buds who downed the yearling. I check my scope later....somehow, was over a foot high!!!!....
that night I did the 'poor man's bore sighting' that i saw byron fergason do on ultimate outdoors where you set the gun (or barrel) in a vise, insert a small flashlight in the chamber and turn the lights out. then center the cross hairs on the dot of light projected on a wall. worked pretty good. first shot at 25 yrds on the 'sighting in' target was 4 inches high and 2 to the right. not bad, huh?
hopefully I'll get to get out on saturday! know I at least knwo the season wasn't a total bust.
Sorry about that miss HickStick. Thanks for the tip on boresighting, never heard of that before. Good luck for the rest of the season.
I have finally come to the conclusion that if I can keep my nose to the grindstone, and work as hard as I can, I can remain poor the rest of my life.
Jimmy
just found out last night that the yearlling my friend shot monday was actually this years....6 months old and already 80 pounds. man, its been a good summer/fall for them up here :)
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