2014 Hunting Megathread

ThePreBanMan said:
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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It is even more disheartening when you consider the loss of their votes. As our numbers decline so will our sporting rights.

Bob
 
Had a big buck in my sights Yesterday on the last day for shotgun. Slight pressure was applied to the trigger. Followed him too close to road with passing cars and a nearby house so I had to let him go. Would have been my first deer. :(
 
A1850 said:
Had a big buck in my sights Yesterday on the last day for shotgun. Slight pressure was applied to the trigger. Followed him too close to road with passing cars and a nearby house so I had to let him go. Would have been my first deer. :(
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He will be there next year for you.
Good job passing on the shot.
 
A1850 said:
Had a big buck in my sights Yesterday on the last day for shotgun. Slight pressure was applied to the trigger. Followed him too close to road with passing cars and a nearby house so I had to let him go. Would have been my first deer. :(
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Sound like a good hunt even though you were not able to shot. From the sounds of it you made the right call. Better to let him walk than have some bad crap happen to you or someone else.

Did you write it in some type of journal? Date, time, area, wind direction etc. Always good to keep notes for future reference.
 
I haven't hunted in a while, but I always buy a sporting license each year just to support hunting. Where I work all of my co-workers still think that time I take off around Thanksgiving that I am deer hunting in CT, LOL. Out of about 25 people (we use to be almost 50) I work with I am the only outdoorsman. I know of only one other shooter and one other guy who shot when he was young (NH). There is one other fisherman. Sad to say, it seems like we are a dying breed.

Yup, hunting/fishing journals are a must IMHO. We can't always remember all the details as you grow older. Heck these days you could put in a GPS reading, too.

A1850 - you are smart for passing, there will be another day. Your patience will be rewarded in the future. :)
 
exojam said:
She is not the biggest but I am happy.

I was really starting to think I would not get anything this year.

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Most excellent!!!

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MP-In-The-Wind said:
View attachment 122273 View attachment 122274



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
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Sounds like you had a hot doe in the area they were chasing! great day!!
 
No. No journal.

I was getting ready to wrap up for the day for an xmas party and I was breaking down my buddies tree stand. He texted me saying he bumped a big buck and it was heading my way. I looked up and there he was on the move across the pond. 50 yards or so. My gun was off to the side while I was dealing with the stand. I grabbed the shotgun and tried to out flank him before he got to the road but he was too quick. When I finally lined him up, I had a few branches in the way. Would have been about a 30-40 yard shot when he stopped but I could see the cars passing and imagined a richochet sending the slug into one of them...

I met up with my buddy and we found his tracks. We followed them to where I saw him last and then they disappeared into the pond at a shallow spot (damn beavers). Next year we will try again.

exojam said:
Sound like a good hunt even though you were not able to shot. From the sounds of it you made the right call. Better to let him walk than have some bad crap happen to you or someone else.

Did you write it in some type of journal? Date, time, area, wind direction etc. Always good to keep notes for future reference.
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3rd year in a row I've not fired a shot during the shotgun deer season. I've seen one with my own eyes but it was too far of a shot, and with obstacles. No way.
Not giving up. 2 weeks left with the smoke pole. You never know what's going to cross your path.
Good job to all those who filled tags so far. Love the 2 in the trunk. [rofl]
 
Nice deer!! I do have a question about your equipment...is that your chair or is it a loaner? I am of the walking challenged myself to the point that I can only hunt at places where people must drive me right up to a stand and carry all of my gear which means that I have little to no independence when it comes to hunting on my own and also where I want to hunt. If it wasn't for sponsors I wouldn't be able to hunt because of access. I own a power chair but unfortunately it doesn't go off-road and can't get wet. Something like what you have would be the ticket.

exojam said:
She is not the biggest but I am happy.

I was really starting to think I would not get anything this year.

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Mattitude said:
Nice deer!! I do have a question about your equipment...is that your chair or is it a loaner? I am of the walking challenged myself to the point that I can only hunt at places where people must drive me right up to a stand and carry all of my gear which means that I have little to no independence when it comes to hunting on my own and also where I want to hunt. If it wasn't for sponsors I wouldn't be able to hunt because of access. I own a power chair but unfortunately it doesn't go off-road and can't get wet. Something like what you have would be the ticket.
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It is an Action Track Chair.
Added: And just be aware, they are expense so if you run through the (get a quote) thing, be ready to fall over.

http://www.actiontrackchair.com/Default.aspx

Here is an older version:
 
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Congrats to all, lots of great deer and stories. I was looking though my phone and saw this pic from thanksgiving day. We were tracking in the fresh snow and this one back tracked on me. Just a doe, I did see her but I thought it was an amusing picture. My track one way and the doe the other!

46021d28435970733e7d1eaf7d7d95a5.jpg
 
Still hunting with the muzzleloader this morning...didn't see anything, must have been really hunkered down in the rain and I didn't flush them. Anything from anybody else?
 
bdb said:
Congrats to all, lots of great deer and stories. I was looking though my phone and saw this pic from thanksgiving day. We were tracking in the fresh snow and this one back tracked on me. Just a doe, I did see her but I thought it was an amusing picture. My track one way and the doe the other!

46021d28435970733e7d1eaf7d7d95a5.jpg
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some days I hate those damn creatures [laugh]
 
Went out today. nothing happened in the stand in the AM. at 9:30 I got down and hit the ground. Cut a track around noon. Followed it and eventually got to the deer. that was cool - first time I ever followed a track that led to a deer. Unfortunately the deer got away. When I bumped it the deer ran on to posted land. So I couldn't keep following it. Boooo.....

I need a muzzle loader. If I had a firearm it would be in my freezer. But the bow just wasn't going to get it done at the range - about 50 to 60 yards. Not for me anyway. I'm not comfortable beyond 40 yards.
 
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NIce! Congrats exojam and oifer.
Pre ban you can find nice clean very serviceable muzzleloaders for reasonable cash.

Was out yesterday, saw nothing. It wasn't past shooting hours yet but I wanted to leave. I like this spot and cleared a branch away for next time as I'm leaving. Right then heard a big crash and breaking ice. Couldn't see anything. It can get pretty dark in spots even at sunset.
 
I sat in a tree from before dawn to about 3PM yesterday...I saw a squirrel... [wink]
Oh well...it was still nice to be out there! I had high hopes due to the cloud cover which I feel that might make the deer a bit more active during daylight hours as it's not as bright...
 
ThePreBanMan said:
Went out today. nothing happened in the stand in the AM. at 9:30 I got down and hit the ground. Cut a track around noon. Followed it and eventually got to the deer. that was cool - first time I ever followed a track that led to a deer. Unfortunately the deer got away. When I bumped it the deer ran on to posted land. So I couldn't keep following it. Boooo.....

I need a muzzle loader. If I had a firearm it would be in my freezer. But the bow just wasn't going to get it done at the range - about 50 to 60 yards. Not for me anyway. I'm not comfortable beyond 40 yards.
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This, I just bought a CVA wolf for $150 clearance at Cabela's (needed a scope, came with rings) Screw in breech plug and pellet powder make these things super easy.
 
ThePreBanMan said:
I'm going out Fri and Sat. Last weekend of the season. I need some more meat in the freezer.
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I have one more day with friends on Friday. I missed a buck last week on my first muzzle loader hunt. Swore I had everything lined up when I squeezed the trigger and he just ran away........no sign of a hit at all. SO.....I was thinking the sights got knocked off or something (I spent a good deal of time at the range with it pre season and swore it was dead on). Took it to the range yesterday to test it........first shot was in the red at 50 yards......damn.......that miss was all me. Frustrating.
 
Squire said:
This, I just bought a CVA wolf for $150 clearance at Cabela's (needed a scope, came with rings) Screw in breech plug and pellet powder make these things super easy.
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The wolf is a great little muzzle loader for the price. Lightweight, easy to clean and very accurate.
 

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