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Mass Gun Season Opener Tomorrow
- Thread starter HorizontalHunter
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Eh... truth be tole venison isn't my favorite. It's okay - don't get me wrong. But on the scale of beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish and venison, the venison is pretty much at the bottom of the list for me. For me the most enjoyable part is the fair chase.
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I’m with you !! Full camo ! It’s on !!!!
45collector
NES Member
Doe and a spike down today. Neither were shot by me but I worked my ass off to help make it happen. About 93lb each, dressed.
Bagged a spike horn right behind my house yesterday AM. Sat on a stump for half an hour and he walked right up to me.
Funny, I saw him about 100 yards off and didn’t want to shoot through a bunch of brush so I figured I’d just sit and watch. Thing walks straight toward me, looking st me the whole time. About 15 feet off it stops and just looks at me. I’ve got my trusty Savage 220 sitting across my lap so now I’ve got to get the gun up. I figure as soon as I do I’m going to jump it and have to shoot it on the run but now it’s a nice close shot in a clearing so I’m feeling pretty good about my chances even on a running shot.
I just raise the gun slow and steady and the deer keeps staring at me. Put the crosshairs on the back of the front shoulder and it’s still staring at me. Squeeze the trigger, boom and for another 2 seconds it’s still staring at me. Never flinches. I think for a second I’ve missed, which seems impossible given the range and I’m reasonably handy with that shotgun.
I jack another shell into the chamber and that jumps the deer. Makes it 15 feet and it drops dead. Strange!
Funny, I saw him about 100 yards off and didn’t want to shoot through a bunch of brush so I figured I’d just sit and watch. Thing walks straight toward me, looking st me the whole time. About 15 feet off it stops and just looks at me. I’ve got my trusty Savage 220 sitting across my lap so now I’ve got to get the gun up. I figure as soon as I do I’m going to jump it and have to shoot it on the run but now it’s a nice close shot in a clearing so I’m feeling pretty good about my chances even on a running shot.
I just raise the gun slow and steady and the deer keeps staring at me. Put the crosshairs on the back of the front shoulder and it’s still staring at me. Squeeze the trigger, boom and for another 2 seconds it’s still staring at me. Never flinches. I think for a second I’ve missed, which seems impossible given the range and I’m reasonably handy with that shotgun.
I jack another shell into the chamber and that jumps the deer. Makes it 15 feet and it drops dead. Strange!
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HorizontalHunter
NES Member
Nice shooting guys.
Bob
Bob
Mark from MA
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I like to take one or two deer in overpopulated areas early in the year (September) I don't eat more than 2 and give some away to my club and others.
It reminds me why I'm out there, keeps me fresh on shooting live animals and tracking. I then can take most of October off keep spots fresh, and know my equipment and shooting is in order for the Rut. Then looking for big bucks the rest of the year isn't such a big deal if I don't take anything.
The real reality is if your hunting only for meat. You can buy beef much cheaper at the store when you figure in time, equipment, license, fees, gas, wear and tear, travel, etc....
I realize we hunt for more reasons than that, but when a guy tells me he's a meat hunter, and only out here to feed his family.....I tell him go buy it at the store, its cheaper.
I disagree with your cost estimate on price of venison. It gets expensive only if your buying new stuff every year. I've been using the same shotgun (which I owned way before I started hunting) for 6 years and no plans to buy another. Hunting clothes.....I wear
the same coveralls and sweatshirt I wear ice fishing......same with my boots. Hunting deer can be done on the cheap.
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Hunting can definitely be done on the cheap. My dad has used the same shotgun for 30+ years. His hunting outfit doubles as his winter outfit and he doesn’t replace it too often. Wears the same stuff ice fishing (and everywhere else pretty much). Butchers his own deer.
45collector
NES Member
Hunting on the cheap yes. I try to keep it cheap but the clothing gets so beat up! When it comes to the guns/knives/hardware for hunting I can maintain that stuff for decades. It’s the boots, pants, jackets, slings, gloves, vests etc. that I beat the living hell out of. I can afford some good stuff from Lacrosse, Danner, Carhartt and the like but I go through it pretty quick.
It’s nice to know how to live off the land without all the fancy gear, but man that fancy gear sure does keep you warm and dry.
It’s nice to know how to live off the land without all the fancy gear, but man that fancy gear sure does keep you warm and dry.
Locally harvested wild game is the ultimate cage-free, organic, hormone-free, non-GMO food you can put on the table for your family. It is, in fact, priceless, because it's illegal to sell the meat harvested from your local WMA or conservation land.
My family and I take special reverence to the fact that the food on our table was free and wild less than 5 miles from our house until I harvested it and prepared it for my Family's consumption, as Nature intended, not bought it from the distribution center for a Meat Factory.
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I understand what Mark from MA is saying and I also agree with what everyone else is saying. Licenses get real pricey when you start going out of state for big game non-resident!!! Room & board , etc.... it adds up! CT to me was the best for me: I stayed at my college buddies house, hung out with his family & inlaws when they visited Thanksgiving to the point it was an annual thing like duck hunting on opening day. Lots of good memories & times that I will carry with me forever. On the way home one rainy night, I hit a deer which cost me a lot of $ & surcharges for 3 yrs?! Never found it either.
Same rifle for 20+ yrs, same clothes & butchered all my own deer.
Same rifle for 20+ yrs, same clothes & butchered all my own deer.
As long as your not outfitted in expensive clothing and use the same gun for many years (also my shotgun is used for trap, duck, snowshoe hare, squirrel and turkey) the cost is spread out over multiple "hobbies" and is more economical. My muzzle loader cost me $179 5 years ago and I've taken 3 deer with it so it's paid for itself. I hunt in caarhart coveralls and a double thick arborwear sweatshirt I've used for hunting and ice fishing for almost a decade. My uncle's and grandfather were taking deer in the 70s and 80s in caarharts and flannel shirts in their day and never had a problem being successful either. Hunting can be economical......just have to keep it real and leave the Sitka Gucci camoflage out of the equation.I understand what Mark from MA is saying and I also agree with what everyone else is saying. Licenses get real pricey when you start going out of state for big game non-resident!!! Room & board , etc.... it adds up! CT to me was the best for me: I stayed at my college buddies house, hung out with his family & inlaws when they visited Thanksgiving to the point it was an annual thing like duck hunting on opening day. Lots of good memories & times that I will carry with me forever. On the way home one rainy night, I hit a deer which cost me a lot of $ & surcharges for 3 yrs?! Never found it either.
Same rifle for 20+ yrs, same clothes & butchered all my own deer.
Mark from MA
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Obviously you can hunt on the cheap. Walk out your backdoor in your shitkickers and carthart jacket with a 20 year old gun. Not arguing that. All you pay is your 30 dollars for the in state lisc and your done. If your one of those guys fine.
How many hunters do that? Not too many.
Most serious guys have pickup trucks, drive to multiple states, pay hundreds in lisc fees. Lots of hours in scouting, gas and time. If not they pay outfiitter fees or lease fees.
Most own several guns, several cameras, several treestands, bows, cossbows, muzzleloaders, ammo, targets, etc.
This is not even taking the one most valuable asset TIME into account.
If one values venison as priceless then that fine. Technically it is illegal to sell and it. I dont value it any more than a good steak. If that as far as taste goes.
I also take pride in harvesting game for the table and think its the best thing going. Which is why I hunt.
How many hunters do that? Not too many.
Most serious guys have pickup trucks, drive to multiple states, pay hundreds in lisc fees. Lots of hours in scouting, gas and time. If not they pay outfiitter fees or lease fees.
Most own several guns, several cameras, several treestands, bows, cossbows, muzzleloaders, ammo, targets, etc.
This is not even taking the one most valuable asset TIME into account.
If one values venison as priceless then that fine. Technically it is illegal to sell and it. I dont value it any more than a good steak. If that as far as taste goes.
I also take pride in harvesting game for the table and think its the best thing going. Which is why I hunt.
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My group of 8 took a doe and a button skipper yesterday. I shot the doe.
View attachment 256368
Small deer indeed but it’s gonna be nice tender meat! I bought that scoped Winchester Ranger 1200 off an NES’er just a few years ago and have already taken three deer with it. I’ve never even had to adjust the scope.
What scope is that?
I was looking at the first pic and started thinking, "where is his tongue?"
My dad had an Italian friend who would always take the tongue, heart, brain, lungs, and other sweet meats.
Nowadays, muzzle loaders are just as, or more accurate than shotguns.
Still need the orange clothes (or vest).
On the TIME thing, most hunters I know cherish the time in the woods, and consider it as a VACATION, not a COST.
![[cheers]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/018.gif "Cheers [cheers]")
![[rockon]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/020.gif "Rockon [rockon]")
45collector
NES Member
A Simmons something or other. It came on the gun when I bought it from a fellow NES'r.
Mark from MA
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[QUOTE="Coyote33, post: 6115780, member: 451"
On the TIME thing, most hunters I know cherish the time in the woods, and consider it as a VACATION, not a COST.[/QUOTE]
Totally agree. Its a choice.
The only reason I mentioned it is because
I used to hunt with a guy that was self employed electrician and we used to laugh after hunting all week and shooting maybe one deer or worse none.
He would put a value on the time it cost him. It was hysterical. I would have to tell him. Dude, if your putting a time value on hunting you might as well go to the nearest game farm, pay 5 grand and shoot a 200 inch buck behind a fence in a few hours.
Then go back to work. He always would agree..and say yeah....im an idiot. But it seemed every year id have to remind him of that, he would get so wired about the time cost.
On the TIME thing, most hunters I know cherish the time in the woods, and consider it as a VACATION, not a COST.[/QUOTE]
Totally agree. Its a choice.
The only reason I mentioned it is because
I used to hunt with a guy that was self employed electrician and we used to laugh after hunting all week and shooting maybe one deer or worse none.
He would put a value on the time it cost him. It was hysterical. I would have to tell him. Dude, if your putting a time value on hunting you might as well go to the nearest game farm, pay 5 grand and shoot a 200 inch buck behind a fence in a few hours.
Then go back to work. He always would agree..and say yeah....im an idiot. But it seemed every year id have to remind him of that, he would get so wired about the time cost.
Mark from MA
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Thats new! I upgraded my vest in 1999 for 10 dollars, the orange would likely not pass anymore. When I see a game warden ill be getting a new one. Lol.
4-5" of frozen crust over crunchy leaves, making for tough going in the hills of Zone 4S. I'm beginning to not like shotgun season so much. I'll take the smoke pole out if we get another dusting of at least 3", but I'm done for now.
45collector
NES Member
It was a beautiful but cold day on the Cape. Went out from sun up to sun down for last day of shotgun. Moved some deer and a few shots were fired but no takes.
Chris M.
NES Member
Great day today but no shots. Saw two doe 10:30ish. No doe tag for that zone. Lunch in the car. Freezing nap.
Still hunting just before sunset. Bust what might've been a doe. I go and sit close to where she was and start with the bleat can. Time goes by and I have crunching way off behind me. I have no view. I bleat. Five minutes go by. More crunching. He's gotta be 25 yards behind me. More minutes. I bleat once and otherwise like a statue. Silence. He blows once, bounds off and stops in the timber. He blows again twice and takes off. Busted. His blows and sound on the ground sounded like a pissed off horse. Crazy. Oh well. That ended right around 4:30ish.
Still hunting just before sunset. Bust what might've been a doe. I go and sit close to where she was and start with the bleat can. Time goes by and I have crunching way off behind me. I have no view. I bleat. Five minutes go by. More crunching. He's gotta be 25 yards behind me. More minutes. I bleat once and otherwise like a statue. Silence. He blows once, bounds off and stops in the timber. He blows again twice and takes off. Busted. His blows and sound on the ground sounded like a pissed off horse. Crazy. Oh well. That ended right around 4:30ish.
Mark from MA
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Still hunted Wachusett most of the day. No deer seen and very quiet. Tough to believe I was on a controlled hunt as I heard no shots. But deer have probably been messed with all week there.
I probably wont go out unless we get some tracking snow. I cant sit stands anymore and see nothing.
The deer are very nocturnal right now in my area from what my cameras are picking up. 8-12 pm is normal movement time.
I probably wont go out unless we get some tracking snow. I cant sit stands anymore and see nothing.
The deer are very nocturnal right now in my area from what my cameras are picking up. 8-12 pm is normal movement time.
HorizontalHunter
NES Member
ccm75
NES Member
I'm going to give it a few days and then sneak out with the bp rifle and see if i can get lucky.
Here in MA I hunt in suburbia and I think I know where the deer go when the pressure on state land goes up.
Maybe I'll get lucky and run into this guy again..
Rutting Buck in the neighborhood...
Here in MA I hunt in suburbia and I think I know where the deer go when the pressure on state land goes up.
Maybe I'll get lucky and run into this guy again..
Rutting Buck in the neighborhood...
Zone 9 yesterday with my buddy and my son. Buddy got a 90 pound doe at 7am. Moved to a new location....... group of does ran through my area at 8:30am but no shot.......waaaay out in the brush.....if they had been 20-30 yards closer I'd have pulled the trigger. Spent the rest of the day doing some drives here and there but didn't bump anything. But....it was a good day....my buddy got his second deer of the season.
And I have 5 days planned during muzzie season so I'm not worried.......yet.
And I have 5 days planned during muzzie season so I'm not worried.......yet.
Amen to that!!
Got this guy Thursday morning.
