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2017/18 Hunting Thread!!

45collector said:
Sucks when you lose a bird, I know. Pheasants are extremely good at blending in with their surroundings, even when dead. You would think with the cocks being so colorful, you could see them easily. Not so much.
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Get a dog....watching the dog work is half the fun. And they find the dead birds you would easily walk by.

Also unless that bird is stone dead in the air, they can run like hell once they hit the ground. Just this morning I wacked a bird hard, thought it would be stone dead where it landed in a high grass field. Dog tracked where it hit the ground and it ran another 40 yards into the woods where she had to run it down and grab it.
 
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Snuck out before work this morning.
Bagged a rooster down by the river....Terrible pic of my handsome dog Scout.

Also, one of those strange middle of the woods moments.
Scout was sniffing and pawing something on the ground and it jumps in the air.
The very rare and elusive one-eyed bullfrog. Frog legs? Not with the 12 ga. [smile]

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Went for squirrel locally today on a WMA. Damn it was windy......I totally lose my sense of hearing them and seeing them is harder because they don't "timber" in the ten win and it's harder to spot em on the lower part of the canopy. I gave up after 2 hours.

The pheasant field accross the road had some action though......5-6 shots during the morning. Also I saw a rooster and a hen pheasant crossing the road away from the WMA when I was driving home. I stopped the truck got out and chased em back onto the WMA. Boy those pen raised birds let you get close. I could have kicked em!!!!
 
Frigging wind sucks. I'm working 2nd shift this week so decided to put in 3 hours of small game hunting each morning. 2 mornings in a row now the wind is so strong I can't hear anything out there. Saw one squirrel yesterday zip accross the trail and just disappear. Today.....nothing was moving at all.....woods were just cool and windy......no game.moving at all.

Haven't been skunked two days in a row in a looooooong time.
 
Took the pups to Knightville for the first time this season, and we put up one hen. I didn't take the shot, and will likely be leaving the birds there to someone else's dogs for the entire season. The place hasn't been mowed, and the brush is insane. Even the dogs were getting of tired of all the bushwacking.
 
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I was actually squirrel hunting by myself and this guy wandered off the field and entered my area of operation. Couldn't resist.....threw a stick to flush him and......well.....that's that. [smile]

Was not exactly a target rich environment today.....but I took advantage of a target of opportunity.
 
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pupchow said:
Took the pups to Knightville for the first time this season, and we put up one hen. I didn't take the shot, and will likely be leaving the birds there to someone else's dogs for the entire season. The place hasn't been mowed, and the brush is insane. Even the dogs were getting of tired of all the bushwacking.
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I went there Sunday for some scouting and for a hike with the dog and kids. It is really thick. A couple of the fields weren't too bad but the majority looked crazy. I might check it out one day later this month if I have time. We'll see. The dog liked the water and being able to take a swim.

I did hit another WMA today but pup didn't flush anything. It's still his first season and it's the first week. He found some spots were a pheasant had been eaten or shot so he's getting it. It warmed up quick though and I should have brought more water. That part was my bad. We'll hit it again tomorrow for another try.
 
whacko said:
Frigging wind sucks. I'm working 2nd shift this week so decided to put in 3 hours of small game hunting each morning. 2 mornings in a row now the wind is so strong I can't hear anything out there. Saw one squirrel yesterday zip accross the trail and just disappear. Today.....nothing was moving at all.....woods were just cool and windy......no game.moving at all.

Haven't been skunked two days in a row in a looooooong time.
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As a mobile bowhunter chasing whitetail - I love it when the wind is like that... strong winds almost always are in a steady direction. Good for keeping my scent stream in a constant direction. The woods are louder so it covers the sounds of my movements, the woods are in motion from the breeze so this also helps cover my movements... You'll have to forgive me for hoping for that kind of weather.
 
And a hen today. Worked the power lines by myself. Saw the bird fly from a tree down into the high vegetation about 50 yard in front of me. Moved in and flushed her. One shot and she folded. Also flushes a rooster today but pulled up....flew over the top of the real thick crap and I said I ain't in for that kind of bush whacking to get your ass. It was a dead bird flying oherwise!

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ThePreBanMan said:
As a mobile bowhunter chasing whitetail - I love it when the wind is like that... strong winds almost always are in a steady direction. Good for keeping my scent stream in a constant direction. The woods are louder so it covers the sounds of my movements, the woods are in motion from the breeze so this also helps cover my movements... You'll have to forgive me for hoping for that kind of weather.
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PreBanMan. Are you chasing deer on the existing trail system? Or using a machete to blaze new trails?
 
Here's it is. My pups first bird outside of training. Not sure who's more excited, me or him. What a feeling.. all that training and playing. Finally paid off. Here's to 5 more weeks of phesant hunting.

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Went out for some chuckars at Addieville to warm up the 28 gauge. Got two roosters this morning on state land
 

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My first pass of the season happened yesterday. Small antlerless came in and worked a semi circle around my stand on the upwind side. Had a couple opportunities while it hung around for like 10 minutes. But not the age class I'm looking for. Couldn't tell if it was a button or a doe.
 
ThePreBanMan said:
My first pass of the season happened yesterday. Small antlerless came in and worked a semi circle around my stand on the upwind side. Had a couple opportunities while it hung around for like 10 minutes. But not the age class I'm looking for. Couldn't tell if it was a button or a doe.
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At least you are seeing em! I'm not a bow hunter.....yet.....and have to wait till shotgun and muzzie season but I an to give it my all this season and fill at least two tags.
 
Oh yea I'm seeing them - shooters too. Just no ethical shot opportunities yet. But any hunt you see deer is a success in my book. I get just as much of a kick out of watching them undisturbed in the wild. I learn a little something about their behavior each time.
 
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ThePreBanMan said:
Oh yea I'm seeing them - shooters too. Just no ethical shot opportunities yet. But any hunt you see deer is a success in my book. I get just as much of a kick out of watching them undisturbed in the wild. I learn a little something about their behavior each time.
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Yup, I've seen 4 so far on the piece of land I just bought in Sept. I'm psyched I hadn't seen a TON of sign when I was scouting before we closed on the land.

Seen 2 skippers (buck and doe) from my stand, another button buck and a mature doe. I've also seen a 4 point, 8 point and doe with 2 skippers on the camera's. Pretty stoked! Even when you know you're not going to shoot a deer it's exciting to watch them and try to keep from being seen.
 
Pheasants

Looks like the Mr. and Mrs. Pheasant will be joining me for dinner!

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