2014 Hunting Megathread

Here is the biggest doe any of us had ever seen in Lakeville last weekend. We didn't get to weigh her, but my buddy is 6 ft 3 so that should give you and idea of how big she was.. doe.jpg doe.jpg
 
whacko said:
Take what you learned this year.....apply it to next year.......it'll happen. There are two weeks of muzzle loader left you know!!!!! With a few days to pick one up and zero it at the range first!
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I'm actually really happy with the way my first season went, but I might pick up a bow for next year to hunt all three seasons.
I'm eager to get back to cottontails and those little ginger squirrel bastards while preparing for some spring turkeys!
 
Chinfidel said:
I'm actually really happy with the way my first season went, but I might pick up a bow for next year to hunt all three seasons.
I'm eager to get back to cottontails and those little ginger squirrel bastards while preparing for some spring turkeys!
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I'm still trying to get my son a rabbit!!!!!
 
Well the season ends here in NH on monday and i'm going to be out of town till tuesday [sad]. All in all though it was a good season. Only have 1 tag unfilled.
 
only been hunting bow & my left arm is all jacked up. went in the hospital last week for what turns out to be a kidney stone, and they "had to" put a 20 gauge needle in my arm for the pain meds & IV. Pretty sure the Nurse wound up hitting my muscle & its been hurting ever since. [frown]

ETA: Its been a lackluster 1st season for me. Didn't see squat. G/F saw more deer in the backyard than I did out in the field.
 
I bumped about 5 doe on my way into the woods. Well before shooting hours and still dark. They froze in the beam of my head lamp. I looked at them for a few minutes and shook my head. Once the beam broke from their eyes they were off. Naturally I didn't see crap after shooting hours opened. [thinking]

On the way in I also came across some other jack wagon's f-en mess. He left 3 different gut piles in 3 contractor bags just thrown in the path. Also found a rib cage remaining from a carcass on the path. This is a path people walk their dogs on, walk with their kids, and take day hikes on. That kind of crap upsets me as it gives us all a bad name. Leave the gut piles in the woods - and why put them in bags which you then leave behind for the coyote to make a mess of. Looked like a damn garbage dump. WTF. [frown] Dude didn't want to gut them near his stand or maybe took them home and brought the gut piles back and dumped them. Maybe he jack lighted them on the path and gut them in the dark. Don't know but he's a douche bag either way.

I'm going to head out for the last day of shotgun tomorrow. Probably spend the AM in the stand and then hit the ground to try to make something happen. Maybe I'll bring some contractor bags and gloves and clean up the other ass hat's mess too... Some effen people... Not sure what else to do about it. Thought about taking pics and writing the editor of the paper a shame on you letter. But I don't want to draw attention to it either.
 
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ThePreBanMan said:
Thought about taking pics and writing the editor of the paper a shame on you letter. But I don't want to draw attention to it either.
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Ya, it just isn't worth it. The kind of ******* that does that wouldn't care less even if he did happen to see the letter. It would be far more likely that a different kind of ******* would notice it and the next thing you know that land is posted... Or just bad press for hunters in general.
 
Gonna sit all day tomorrow...any obscure tips given the weather (relatively warm, 37, wind 10-15 from NW, dry, barometer rising?)?
 
ThePreBanMan said:
I bumped about 5 doe on my way into the woods. Well before shooting hours and still dark. They froze in the beam of my head lamp. I looked at them for a few minutes and shook my head. Once the beam broke from their eyes they were off. Naturally I didn't see crap after shooting hours opened. [thinking]

On the way in I also came across some other jack wagon's f-en mess. He left 3 different gut piles in 3 contractor bags just thrown in the path. Also found a rib cage remaining from a carcass on the path. This is a path people walk their dogs on, walk with their kids, and take day hikes on. That kind of crap upsets me as it gives us all a bad name. Leave the gut piles in the woods - and why put them in bags which you then leave behind for the coyote to make a mess of. Looked like a damn garbage dump. WTF. [frown] Dude didn't want to gut them near his stand or maybe took them home and brought the gut piles back and dumped them. Maybe he jack lighted them on the path and gut them in the dark. Don't know but he's a douche bag either way.

I'm going to head out for the last day of shotgun tomorrow. Probably spend the AM in the stand and then hit the ground to try to make something happen. Maybe I'll bring some contractor bags and gloves and clean up the other ass hat's mess too... Some effen people... Not sure what else to do about it. Thought about taking pics and writing the editor of the paper a shame on you letter. But I don't want to draw attention to it either.
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Where is the location......If I'm reasonably close I have some free time tomorrow could swing by and help you clean it up. send me a pm if you don't want to give up your spot.
 
Holy shit I saw a deer! 7:20 she came rolling in. And a big doe at that. No shot for this novice - she was running on a ridge, stopped behind a massive downed tree stump, and then back the way she came. I felt like I was a poking my head around every tree to see where she stopped and where she might go. Most exciting day I've had all season and its only 8:20.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MP-2-Bucks-G37c-1.jpg MP-2-Bucks-G37-1.jpg



On Saturday (12/6)...I was in my stand at legal shooting time, nice and dry in my newly purchased rain gear...As dawn approached I could see the gray fog shrouding the area. Just before 7AM, I deer sprinted from my right about 65 yards away....unfortunately it proceed another 60 yards at a full sprint to my left and then directly away! My shotgun was poised, but no shot was available.

I watched the deer move off into the woods in the distance... As I'm straining my eyes to see if that deer would loop back, another deer ran in from the right, near where the first one had come. It ran across...away.....back to the right....closer...further away...back and forth in a mad frenzy. I'm trying to follow it with my shotgun...as it's making this "Benny Hill-like" path all around my stand! As luck would have it , the deer soon left in the same direction as the first.

I was psyched in that 1/2 hour into the first day I had seen 2 deer! ....as I'm scanning the woods a few minutes later, another deer comes across from my right about 45 yards away. It's trotting/walking along broadside to me...my Remington 11-87comes up....BANG....I see the shot hit mid-chest.....A bit far back, with with the quartering away angle, I was pleased with the shot. I then noticed it had antlers! Wahoo!!! I see the buck fold after a brief sprint another 35 yards away! As I'm waiting for some time to pass (to ensure the deer doesn't get up and do an adrenaline fueled dash), ANOTHER deer runs from the same place as the deer I shot had come from! The deer is running fast, but at about 25 yards, I aim the shotgun....BANG....the deer crashes about 20 yards from where it was shot.
Again, I start another wait....which turns out to be the LONGEST minutes of my life! I approach deer #2....which is not going anywhere...and proceed to deer #1 about 35 yards further away. As I approach I notice that it has a VERY nice set of antlers with great symmetry, and it's nice and big!! (Forensic note: The 12 gauge slug entered the deer on the left side, mid rib cage. Due to the angle, downward & forward...the slug ripped a hole in the heart perfectly bisecting the ventricles.)

Now the fun part....I drag deer #1 to deer #2...I filled out my doe tag, but then noticed that it was actually a spike! Wahoo! At this point I need to get them tagged, so no more hunting until that happens.

For the next 2 hours, it was a series of drag buck #2 100 feet....go back and collect my gear and move it to buck #2...then it was back to buck #1 and pull it to the pile of gear & deer #2. (I was working up a sweat so I took off my rain gear/jacket, shirt & long johns... long pants & t-shirt with orange vest were still very warm!)

I had called a friend who lives close by for an assist in loading them in my car which has a wonderfully small trunk. Buck #2 goes right in... Uh...buck #1....he's a much bigger boy. At this point there's a lot of pushing/shoving/pulling to get it into the trunk. We finally get both in, but the feet have to be moved as they're right where my head would be while driving.... The head & neck are just hanging down over the bumper. Hmmm...that'll cause rubbing against my paint! 8^( ...hmmm... I find an old striped bathrobe which I use to wrap the antlers...which must have looked like the deer was wearing a turban to the other motorists!!!! ;^)

Bottom line: buck #1 8 points & 160 pounds...buck #2: 2 points ...and both are wrapped an in my freezer ...and I have one more "antlerless" tag to go! 8^)

MP-In-The-Wind
 
Thanks ccm75...believe it or not, you're NOT the first one to say I need a truck! [wink]

BTW: I love the looks on folks faces when I back up into the weigh/check in station...and they always get a good laugh! [smile]
 
Quiet end of the shotgun season for me. I was hunting an area where what looked to be an old abandoned stand is. It's been in the tree for at least 2 years. About 7:30ish someone shows up and gets into the stand. I'm thinking the guy is gonna be pissed I'm in his area. I get down and leave at 9:00 and he and I start chatting on my way out. Turns out it's not his stand either. He also thought it was abandoned and decided to hunt it. Seemingly nice fella. Far braver than I. That stand looked like it had seen better days. Strap was frayed and growing moss... Couldn't pay me to get in it.
 
off subject side note-why do people block out their license plate? what would someone do with it? and if you drove from ma ny more strangers would see it than on this site-im just curious
 
MP-In-The-Wind said:
View attachment 122273 View attachment 122274



On Saturday (12/6)...I was in my stand at legal shooting time, ...

Bottom line: buck #1 8 points & 160 pounds...buck #2: 2 points ...and both are wrapped an in my freezer ...and I have one more "antlerless" tag to go! 8^)

MP-In-The-Wind
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Good storytelling, great hunt, superb freezer full. Time for a beer and a good night's sleep.
 
Coyote33 said:
Off target: Fewer hunters taking to state's woods
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I found this to be just sad, people do not need to hunt to go out and enjoy the outdoors. There are so many things to see out there.

""And it's not just hunting, but pretty much all outdoor-related activities like hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, even the visiting national parks. We're seeing a steady downward trend," he said. "

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Congrats on the double MP!
 
exojam said:
I found this to be just sad, people do not need to hunt to go out and enjoy the outdoors. There are so many things to see out there.

""And it's not just hunting, but pretty much all outdoor-related activities like hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, even the visiting national parks. We're seeing a steady downward trend," he said. "

********

Congrats on the double MP!
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They really need to allow Sunday hunting; I think that would help get more people in the woods.
NY finally passed it a while back as they realized it was the only way to get the kill numbers they wanted.
They also changed opening day from a Monday to Saturday. A state like MA complains about it's suburban deer herd but yet does nothing to encourage hunting. In fact, like gun ownership, they often look to make it more difficult and more expensive.

In this part of the country in the more suburban areas I am afraid hunting may be a dying tradition.
It's a struggle to get my kids in the woods during small game season. With sports and other stuff, hunting and shooting is often not at the top of the list.
None of my HS age son's friends hunt or shoot. We plan to take one of his buddies trap shooting soon and hopefully spark an interest in a few of his friends and their dads.

Hopefully when my kids are older they will be willing to spend the money, invest the time and jump through the hoops to keep the hunting tradition alive.
 
exojam said:
I found this to be just sad, people do not need to hunt to go out and enjoy the outdoors. There are so many things to see out there.

""And it's not just hunting, but pretty much all outdoor-related activities like hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, even the visiting national parks. We're seeing a steady downward trend," he said. "

********

Congrats on the double MP!
Click to expand...

I hunted the Prescott peninsula Thursday and Friday. The hunters had one of the best harvests in quite awhile. In part due to the fact that Prescott was the segment that was closed last year so that there were two years for fawn recruitment and the weather was perfect with a light snow pack. At the end of the second day yesterday there were 42 deer checked which is a big number since the harvest is usually in the 20's. There were quite a few nice bucks that were taken as well.

I shot a 1.5 year old, 106lb, four pointer in the same spot that I shot a nice buck the last year that Prescott was open. Damn near the same time as well. Keep a journal, it's worth it.

I did notice that there seemed to be far less ticks on the deer than in years past.

Bob
 
exojam said:
I found this to be just sad, people do not need to hunt to go out and enjoy the outdoors. There are so many things to see out there.

""And it's not just hunting, but pretty much all outdoor-related activities like hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, even the visiting national parks. We're seeing a steady downward trend," he said. "

********

Congrats on the double MP!
Click to expand...


How incredibly disheartening. In 10 years the number of sportsmen decreased by 85%.. A number that will not be easy to raise. Fewer and fewer will be passing the tradition on.
 
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