2014 Hunting Megathread

I was out deer & hog hunting last night and for most of the evening I didn't see anything save for a few squirrels & a single rabbit until right before dusk when a small doe came out of the brush and decided to spend some time in the food plot. She was on the scrawny side so I just ended up watching her for well over 10 minutes. Right at dark I put on my night vision and continued to watch the doe (legal shooting time is a full hour after sunset) hoping for something bigger to come out. Nothing happened for a good 15 minutes when I heard some sloshing to my right followed by loud grunting. I turned around and saw a big hog standing in the clear cut. The puddle is just over 130 yards away and the hog was right in front of it. He was just standing there when I popped him right behind the ear and dropped him on the spot. I didn't realize how big he was until I got up to him...nor did I realize how badly he smelled from spending his days wallowing in the swamp. To say he was dirty is an understatement and he was also covered in ticks. He did clean up nicely with some cool colors and appeared very healthy. He weighted in at 266# live weight and he fell to a single 125gr SST from my 300 Blackout.


 
whacko said:
I've seen plenty of stampedes in the last two days! You gotta be quick and you gotta lead em just a little tiny bit and keep the gun swinging.....that is my ewperience with driving anyway. BTW........exojam.......the pushers have just as much of a chance as the sitters.......two of our pushers harvested deer they happened to "jump" while moving........just gotta be quick!
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Just wanted to weigh in on the deer drive comments.
Very effective way to get meat in the freezer.

I have been hunting with the same 4-5 guys on the same properties in NY for more than 25 years. I've killed lots of deer in drives while pushing and sitting.
We push a lot of woodlots and smaller brush lots and pretty much know where the deer will go but get skunked and out smarted often as well.

Not to state the obvious, but for those who are new to hunting or have not done a lot of drives, especially in a small area, you really need to be aware of fields of fire, where the watchers are, where the drivers are (or should be) and when it is safe to shoot at a deer or when you may have to take a pass.

If you are hunting with people you don't know too well, don't be afraid to ask..."what happens if a deer comes out there and heads that way...?" etc...Things happen fast and sometimes you need to make decisions about when its safe to shoot and when you need to lay off. Again, we hunt some small lots and move a lot of deer. We encourage young or new hunters - "If you are not sure just let it go..." Not easy for a new hunter to hold fire on a buck but I've seen it happen on more than one occasion.

I have seen guys do some really scary stuff. (Not my usual crew) We once had a guy in the far hedgerow and a cousin on watch who shot at a running deer 5 times across an open field with a 180 degree arc causing the farthest guy in the hedge to literally dive for cover....I've seen watchers shoot directly into the drive with the drivers coming out saying "WTF, lead flying through the trees all around me". I have seen drivers take a shot at a jumped deer running right out of the drive toward where watchers are waiting. And I've also seen a teenage hunter hold fire on a nice buck because "he wasn't sure where the pusher was..." So not to preach - But have fun and be careful!

** And for those new to hunting....Drivers or pushers should go slow and quiet. Stop every 5-10 steps and look around. No need to bang on trees and bark like a dog! When I push I move like I am still hunting. But you need to have all pushers going about the same pace. Believe me, the deer know you are coming through. As a pusher you have as a good chance of shooting deer trying to sneak back through the drive or a deer standing still focused on the driver to your right or left.

A couple years ago I was pushing real slow through a small thick woodlot and it was snowing hard. I was moving real slow and quiet and covered by the light fluffy falling snow. I was standing looking around and spotted a buck slowly sneaking back through the drive coming right toward me. I was still, the wind was right and I was covered in snow. Shot him at about 12 yards and he never knew I was there...As a watcher, find a good spot with fields of fire and some cover to break up your outline. Be still and wait. The deer may come running by or, if the drivers are moving slow, they may be walking cautiously ahead of the drive. I posted a pic recently of my friends son who shot a big buck while he and I were on watch over a small lot. When he shot that deer I had 4 doe standing still right in front of me at 20 yards. They kept looking back for Bucky and the drivers. They knew exactly where the drivers were and they were in no hurry to leave the security of the woods into the open fields...Tell your walkers to go SLOW and you will have better shots at slower moving deer.

Our tradition is that we alternate who walks and sits with the thought that those sitting have better of odds of getting some shooting. If you have a tag filled you pretty much become a full time pusher. Guests (some) and elders get put in best watching spots. A youngster hunting on a doe tag with a buck hanging is a full time driver and gets tasked with pushing the thickest nastiest stuff. All good fun with now three generations of hunters joining in during the week.

Good luck and shoot straight. [grin]
 
PatMcD said:
Here's a pro tip for drives: always leave a guy sitting where the other guys start their "drive" from. Deer are often very sneaky and will sit tight while drivers go past them and then get up and go the opposite way.
Got my first deer that way as a kid. Saw it happen again a few years later.
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This....I've learned that the big bucks don't go far (sometimes they bolt). They circle around you a lot of the time. Play the wind right and some times they come walking too you. As long as they're not watching you the whole time [wink]
 
jmh992003 said:
Just a question from the group. Let's say a group of guys is driving deer. Person A is a driver he jumps a deer gets off 3 shots, person b in the group sees the deer moving slowly and recognizes a gut shot wound, the deer comes right at person B, busts person B and regains steam and person B who proceeds to shoot once hits the deer the deer goes 20 feet and drops, whose deer is it? I've heard differing opinions just curious what you guys think. The deer has 3 wounds, a guy shot seen by person B, a grazing shot very high on the back and one right through the vitals.

985800b0af1d319e28f15fe0d869fe4c.jpg
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I hunt with family only....well for the most part. If my family member puts a decent shot into it and I drop it, I'm saying it's theirs (first blood kinda thing). Hey, I'm probably getting some meat from it anyway. For reasons like this, I don't hunt with a lot of other people. My group is on the same page and makes for fun hunts every time, whether we drop one or not.
 
Mattitude said:
I was out deer & hog hunting last night and for most of the evening I didn't see anything save for a few squirrels & a single rabbit until right before dusk when a small doe came out of the brush and decided to spend some time in the food plot. She was on the scrawny side so I just ended up watching her for well over 10 minutes. Right at dark I put on my night vision and continued to watch the doe (legal shooting time is a full hour after sunset) hoping for something bigger to come out. Nothing happened for a good 15 minutes when I heard some sloshing to my right followed by loud grunting. I turned around and saw a big hog standing in the clear cut. The puddle is just over 130 yards away and the hog was right in front of it. He was just standing there when I popped him right behind the ear and dropped him on the spot. I didn't realize how big he was until I got up to him...nor did I realize how badly he smelled from spending his days wallowing in the swamp. To say he was dirty is an understatement and he was also covered in ticks. He did clean up nicely with some cool colors and appeared very healthy. He weighted in at 266# live weight and he fell to a single 125gr SST from my 300 Blackout.
Click to expand...

Your gonna have bacon for a lifetime with the size of those hogs.
 
Mattitude said:
I was out deer & hog hunting last night and for most of the evening I didn't see anything save for a few squirrels & a single rabbit until right before dusk when a small doe came out of the brush and decided to spend some time in the food plot. She was on the scrawny side so I just ended up watching her for well over 10 minutes. Right at dark I put on my night vision and continued to watch the doe (legal shooting time is a full hour after sunset) hoping for something bigger to come out. Nothing happened for a good 15 minutes when I heard some sloshing to my right followed by loud grunting. I turned around and saw a big hog standing in the clear cut. The puddle is just over 130 yards away and the hog was right in front of it. He was just standing there when I popped him right behind the ear and dropped him on the spot. I didn't realize how big he was until I got up to him...nor did I realize how badly he smelled from spending his days wallowing in the swamp. To say he was dirty is an understatement and he was also covered in ticks. He did clean up nicely with some cool colors and appeared very healthy. He weighted in at 266# live weight and he fell to a single 125gr SST from my 300 Blackout.


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Damn! How far are you from York SC again...? [laugh]
 
She walked around my stand through some brush. Never gave me a shot until she stepped out of the thicket at 125ish yards on the range finder. Shotty is zeroed in at 100 so I let it fly. After the shot she wet running off. Didn't react like she was hit. No hind leg kick, didn't flinch, stumble from the impact - or anything. I thought I may have missed. At this point I was just hoping it was a clean miss. Got down walked to where she was - no blood. Not a drop. Still thought I probably missed her. But I found her tracks and followed them. About 150 yards later - there she lay. Shot should have been a little better. Just a few more inches forward. Shot tore up her liver...

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a531/zackinma/20141205_0933511_zps79880c57.jpg

Shamelessly copying Arlow's christmas Tree decoration

http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/zackinma/media/20141205_1329001_zps1e5f32d4.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

Check station weighed her in at 97 lbs dressed and put her at 3.5 years old.
 
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Sweet. Going by your location I thought you were in NC. I just found a pig skull in the woods behind my place in York a few days ago. I've been reading up since then.

Now that I know the difference between hog and deer tracks, I realized that some of the tracks I've been seeing are piglet tracks. Every time I saw these tracks that were only 3-4 inches apart from right to left and only about 10-12 inches front to rear. I kept thinking to myself, "Why am I seeing fawn tracks? Isn't it way off season for fawns? Ah, what the **** do I know about hunting?..." [laugh]

Now I'm excited since I'll have something to go after when what has so far been a bust of a rifle season closes on deer in a few weeks. [smile]
 
ThePreBanMan said:
She walked around my stand through some brush. Never gave me a shot until she stepped out of the thicket at 125ish yards on the range finder. Shotty is zeroed in at 100 so I let it fly. After the shot she wet running off. Didn't react like she was hit. No hind leg kick, didn't flinch, stumble from the impact - or anything. I thought I may have missed. At this point I was just hoping it was a clean miss. Got down walked to where she was - no blood. Not a drop. Still thought I probably missed her. But I found her tracks and followed them. About 150 yards later - there she lay. Shot should have been a little better. Just a few more inches forward. Shot tore up her liver...

http://i1282.photobucket.com/albums/a531/zackinma/20141205_0933511_zps79880c57.jpg

Shamelessly copying Arlow's christmas Tree decoration

http://s1282.photobucket.com/user/zackinma/media/20141205_1329001_zps1e5f32d4.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

Check station weighed her in at 97 lbs dressed and put her at 3.5 years old.
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Preban,

What charge and sabot were you using?

I had hoped that using a MZ would drop them in their tracks but I guess we need rifles for that and in this commie state that is not happening.
 
exojam said:
Preban,

What charge and sabot were you using?

I had hoped that using a MZ would drop them in their tracks but I guess we need rifles for that and in this commie state that is not happening.
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Charge and sabot? I think he said he Used a shot gun.
 
Mrs whacko just got a buck. She called me......could hear it in her voice right away and knew it! So proud of her
 
exojam said:
Preban,

What charge and sabot were you using?

I had hoped that using a MZ would drop them in their tracks but I guess we need rifles for that and in this commie state that is not happening.
Click to expand...

I was using a shotgun. Remington 11-87 with a rifled barrel shooting Remington's Premier AccuTip Sabot Slugs in 3" shells. 385 grain slug moving at 1900 FPS. LOTS of internal damage. Unfortunately no external bleeding most likely resulting by way of my poor shot placement.

I hit a much larger Buck with this same setup last year and it took him off his feet. He did not get up. That's what led me to think I missed this time. She didn't seem to react to the shot. I didn't see what looked like an impact (hair flying, etc.) She just went bouncing off.

I learned a bit more about their incredible sense of smell. She had circled down wind of me when she came into a shooting lane. She stopped dead in her tracks, licked her nose and started to try to smell the sky. She did that for maybe 10 seconds then bang - looked right at the tree I was in. This was 125ish + yards away and she figured out exactly where I was. Unfortunately for her that brief moment she stopped was all I needed to crank up the magnification on the scope and get a shot off.

I do everything one can do to control scent too. Washed my hunting cloths the night before in scent free detergent, stored them in a clean tote with a box of baking soda, took a scent free shower using scent eliminating body wash. Sprayed down all my gear and cloths in scent eliminating spray - including my climbing stand once I got to my stand location. I have a long walk to this stand location so I got to the woods extra early and walked slow and was very careful to not sweat. She still made me from 125+ out... Incredible!

This taught me that the stories I read online about "use this product and they can come in from down wind and not make you" are bull shit. Maybe they don't bust you quite as quick, maybe they misjudge the distance. But you still get made. The wind truly is your only best friend or worst enemy.
 
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Preban and Wacko,

Thanks for clarifying that, my reading comprehension is missing sometimes!

And yes the wind rules the day no matter what fancy stuff that is tried.

Congrats to Mrs. Whacko! Feel funny calling her that [smile]
 
whacko said:
Mrs whacko just got a buck. She called me......could hear it in her voice right away and knew it! So proud of her
Click to expand...

Mrs whackos dressed out at 137.6 pounds.....6 points! Damn mine was only 50 pounds! Mrs whack rocks!
 
whacko said:
Mrs whackos dressed out at 137.6 pounds.....6 points! Damn mine was only 50 pounds! Mrs whack rocks!
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Well you are both ahead of me. I only have one dead buck that was never recovered so he does not really count in my book.

And the way my season is going it will have to be next year before I can get one.
 
lancecolonel said:
Congrats. I heard her shot. I haven't seen a goddamn thing except raindrops so far......
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Get down from the stand and still hunt. I don't think they like to move in the rain. The woods are moving and noisy and scent gets washed away.. Deprives them of being able to use their senses. Nothing is absolute of course...
 
sibort said:
I hunt with family only....well for the most part. If my family member puts a decent shot into it and I drop it, I'm saying it's theirs (first blood kinda thing). Hey, I'm probably getting some meat from it anyway. For reasons like this, I don't hunt with a lot of other people. My group is on the same page and makes for fun hunts every time, whether we drop one or not.
Click to expand...

I like your ethics. That is how my father taught me as well. He said karma is a bitch. If someone put a good kill shot into a deer and it runs into you. You give it to them no matter how big it is. Because someday, the shoe may be on the other foot.

I wish that the feeling was universal. In the archery hunters it generally is, but most gun hunters still feel whomever gets to it first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Mark from MA said:
I like your ethics. That is how my father taught me as well. He said karma is a bitch. If someone put a good kill shot into a deer and it runs into you. You give it to them no matter how big it is. Because someday, the shoe may be on the other foot.

I wish that the feeling was universal. In the archery hunters it generally is, but most gun hunters still feel whomever gets to it first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
[rolleyes]
 
Mark from MA said:
I wish that the feeling was universal. In the archery hunters it generally is, but most gun hunters still feel whomever gets to it first.
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You and Coyote33 must be annual Special Olympics Gold Medal runners up in the category of "don't know jack shit about anything, but feel the need to comment anyway."
 
Timber said:
You and Coyote33 must be annual Special Olympics Gold Medal runners up in the category of "don't know jack shit about anything, but feel the need to comment anyway."
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I'm not going back to find what coyote33 said but are you saying if a guy shot a deer and it ran toward you and died you'd keep it because you got to it first?
 

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