Deer Hunting
Happy Saint Hubert’s Day!
After a late night watching election returns, it’s time to put on my lederhosen and decorate my boar spear with garlands. KYHillChick is trying to get into her dirndl. Angus? You didn’t think there’d be German bagpipes, did ya? He’s tuning up his doodlesak. We’re even decorating the dogs with fake antlers.
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Don’t do what I did
Don’t do it. I was taking the Mod 70 back to the case and tightening down the caps on the scope as I went . All of a sudden I felt a strange clicking noise. I tried to tighten the cap a bit more, and it happened again.
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What do Deer Really See?
If you go to this website: Color Blindness Simulator
. . . and upload a photograph, and then pick the 2nd option marked “Red-Blind/Protanopia” It will give you a pretty good idea of what a deer sees.
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Deer Hunting Funnels
There has been a lot of debate over how to handle the Call of Nature when deer hunting. Do the deer smell it? Does it matter? My advice has always been not to try and forget it and hope it goes away. It doesn’t, and while the desire to stay put in your stand or blind is admirable; the amount of extra activity coming from a hunter well afflicted is far more obvious to a deer than the quick trip down the ladder. A hunter also runs the risk of waiting too long, and. . . well, sometimes all those … More . . .
Yeah, but he calls his Girlfriend. . .
Many thanks to mightfofaad in Suffolk County, NY for submitting this on D&DH Forum. This post has already been read 847 times!Views: 3 Related posts: How to hold deer while staying at the hotel? The Shamanic Anti-Telepathy Hat R.I.P D&DH Forum In the shamanic Reloading Cave Report from Deer Camp 2014 The Doctor, the Shaman, and the Elephant The Shaman Bags an 8-Pointer in KY Rifle Mr Whelen Tags a Doe
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35Cal.com is Back
35cal.com is back. It had been down for quite a while, and I’m glad to see Whelen back in operation. This is a really great site for 35 caliber fans– 35 Rem, 35 Whelen, .358 Win, etc. I found it extremely helpful when I was developing loads for The Whelenizer, a Rem 7600 in 35 Whelen.
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Moose Bags a Smokepole Forker
Now comes the interesting part. Rather than running off, the doe just stands there, looking at him. The smoke clears, the woods settle back down, and there they are, just staring at each other. Moose is still expecting the doe to fall over at this point. The doe? Heaven knows what was going on in her head. Moose quickly figured out that the shot had gone wild, and he was glad it did, because he saw two little ones come up from the rear.
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Start them Small
Don’t be shy about exposing them to dead deer. This is one of the easiest ways in the world to demystify death for a child. They are going to have to come to grips with it sooner or later. I brought home a little buck back in 1998, and all the neighbor kids came down and wanted to touch it and ask questions. A dead deer is a wonder. All my kids had the choice of watching their dad clean the deer too. It helps to get the “ick” factor out of that sort of thing.
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Requiem for a Meatpole
The shaman talks about building a new meatpole.
“When I got back, I could hear the wailing from the house. At first it sounded like a wild animal in a trap. Then I realized it was my wife, consort, and best Girlfriend, KYHillChick. It seems she had not taken to the sight of the deer being eviscerated, and I’d compounded the problem by asking her help cleaning up. She didn’t fault me. She just realized somewhere into splashing water on the front porch that deer evisceration just wasn’t her cup of tea and had gone into the house to lose her mind. I was extremely apologetic, but poor ‘HillChick was quite inconsolable. Finally I got things back on a good track by promising her she would not have to put up with flying deer innards ever again. She had seen them come back with holes in them. She had just gone about her work elsewhere in the house, and just not given much thought, and by the time we were done the porch was pretty well cleaned off.”
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Angus Bags a Buck in KY Yute Season
Angus has had a two year struggle with the deer. He’s an avid hunter. He passed Hunter Ed at 8, and cannot remember a time he wasn’t out hunting me, his Dad. However, last season the deer just have not been cooperating. In 2008, he got his first chance to go afield with a rifle and managed to take a nice doe at sunset on the first day of the KY Early Youth Hunt. 2009? Despite numerous chances, Angus was just having bum luck. He was all ready to light one up on a nice fat doe, but the other … More . . .
Transporting your Deer
Kenn wrote: “…I just got my lic and permit to hunt a deer this fall. I’m using a 40lb recurve and have a place to hunt up near Marysville. I’m still a bit vague on field dressing, processing stations and such. For instance, with a small to med-sized buck, will I be able to transport it in the back of my Matrix or do I need to get a truck? Do you have any sage advice?” Congratulations! Finding a good spot to hunt is sometimes the hardest part of the whole thing. I was a bit vague on field dressing … More . . .
The Deer Family
So I see the guy who does my hay has been out and started work. He’s late getting started. So first thing last night after returning to the farm, I go out in the truck to see how far he’s gotten– not far, but it is a good start. I was particularly interested in seeing if he’d managed to Rotovate the new food plot. The answer was no. Oh well. I drive into the pasture that will hold the new plot . About halfway along here comes a doe and two fawn in through an opening in the fence and … More . . .
Bambi Killer!!!
James P. Reilly: Bambi killer Remember James, If the Good Lord had not wanted us to eat deer, he would not have made them out of meat. Yes, I kill Bambi. Mostly I try to kill Bambi’s aging grandfather, Bambi’s spinster aunts and his older sisters. However, if Bambi shows up on the wrong day, he may get it. The sad thing of it is that about 50% of the herd’s new cohort suffer mortality in the first year. Some of that is due to hunting, but there are a whole slew of other causes. Bambi ( the antlerless bucks) … More . . .
Playing the Wind or J-Lo and Steve find each other?
From the D&DH Forum Cut N’ Run If deer always walked into the wind in Fall, wouldn’t they all eventually end up in the Pacific northwest? Just kidding. This all reminds me of a story: O.D and Playing the Wind As usual, I’m going take a completely contrary approach to all this. I guess it’s just in me. But now that I’m starting to look at 30 years as a deer hunter, I guess I can start speaking with at least the appearance of authority– either that or the appearance of foolishness. The older I get, the more these seem … More . . .
Baking Soda– the Shamanic Method
Jake Simon August 12 at 3:36am Shaman, I hope all is well with you and yours! I am curious as to how you use baking soda. Do you dump it on everything or do you just put it in with your clothing like you would use it in your refrigerator? I am looking to try using it this year and am looking for any tips you would kindly share. His Blessings, Jake Thanks for asking. Now that Scent-Lok has been unmasked, I was meaning to write something about how to kick it up old school. My method is based on … More . . .
Burn Out
From the D&DH Forum: DeerCamp Super Member Deer season is long, but as you all know the off season is even longer. My question is this, with all the books, DVD’S, magazines, and countless numbers of deer strategies out there, do any of you ever get “burned out?” Here in Michigan, there is about 51 days till bow season. I have all my stands placed accordingly, and feel good about their location. However I continue to read and watch all sorts of hunting related material. How do you cope with a “burn out?” It seems after all my hours … More . . .
What made your most successful hunt successful
My most successful hunts are nearly identical in details. 2003 Opening Day — The Savage Spoke 2007 Opening Day — The Savage Spoke Again The story is real simple: I went to my favorite stand, climbed up and sat down. Shortly before sunrise, The Big One came out and stood broadside to me at short range. In 2003, it was the first rifle hunt out of this brand new stand. In 2007, it was a nigh-on repeat, except the buck had a hat rack considerably larger. What made the hunts the most successful: 1) The Rut. In … More . . .
So you STILL want a new Deer Rifle???
This is a continuation from last year’s diatribe on deer rifles: So You’re Looking for a new Deer Rifle, Huh? Larry Miller, the comedian, used to do this bit about the five stages of drinking. As part of one of the stages, you find you have spent arguing for the past hour against Astroturf. By the end of the next stage, you’ve argued for Astroturf. By the end of the five stages you are Astroturf. I was thinking about what I wrote last year. It is kind of obnoxious to leave folks with the impression that my best suggestion for … More . . .
What is the best place to shoot a deer?
From Deer & Deer Hunting About this time of year, we all get to talking about a list of “bests.” What’s the best deer caliber? What’s the best broadhead? What’s the best. . . I remember once having a fellow get on AllOutdoors.com (that’s dating me) and ask what was the best camo for squirrel hunting. He had gotten an invite and he had never been before and figured he better buy a new wardrobe. I remember there was a lively discussion that came out of that question. The best? So where is the best place to aim to kill … More . . .
Taming Recoil on a 30-06
I am currently deer hunting with two 30-06 the 7400& the 7600.I am getting bothered by recoil& want to get something with less recoil in bolt action & semiauto.I am looking at .308 & 7mm-08.I would like a opinion on either of these calibers. Would either be sufficient for large deer. I hunt northern Maine & Newhampshire
More . . .A Ninety-Niner Speaks Out about Deer Hunting
From Deer and Deer Hunting: For the Ninety -Niners It’s funny. I don’t think a lot of guys get it. It could be that my hillbilly girlfriend’s all-to-subtle ways are rubbing off on me, and I’m getting so subtle no one can catch my hints anymore. It could be as well that I’m the only Ninety-Niner on here. I doubt it. I just think most folks are trying to lay low on it. Shoot! It could be no one else even knows what a Ninety-Niner is, or how it relates to deer hunting. Let me explain: If you’ve been on … More . . .
Come On! Really?
You know, the more I think about this whole Scent Lok thing the more annoyed I get. You figure an entire generation of hunters has been working under these assumptions about scent management. I am not saying scent management is bogus, but I am saying that Scent Lok and its ilk have certainly muddied the waters. For 20 years we’ve been hearing experts tell us this is one of the primary keys to successful deer hunting. I would be the first to admit that a lot of my thought has been down those same lines. I never did agree with … More . . .
I Just Don’t Get it
For every crazy instance I have in the past 30 years of deer busting me at some un-believable range, I have one or more crazy stories about deer that walk up on me while I’m taking a dump or eating my lunch, coming to watch me erect a stand, or while I’m climbing into my stand. My point here is that we’ve all had these various mindsets, mostly around a deer’s fantastic senses of hearing and smell. Now all of a sudden we find out the fancy scent suits weren’t working. Instead of being invisible to the deer, thousands of … More . . .
Towards a New Understanding
I caught myself this morning while I was writing a response to a fellow on another forum who was defending his use of Scent Lok clothes. I would agree up to a point. Reducing the amount of stink your body is throwing off is a good idea. The results can be dramatic too. However, I have also had some experiences where it caused me to doubt the whole premise. I had two nice bucks in velvet IN my turkey blind this season. They came in on the downwind side too. In fact, I have had several encounters like that over … More . . .
Becoming a Hunting Curmudgeon
So I was showing KYHillChick the latest on Scent Lok, and letting her read the piece on building an outhouse next to my tree stand. She screwed up her face a little and said, “Why do you do that?” “What?” “You’re such a. . . you’re always such a . . .” We finally agreed that curmudgeon was probably the closest fit, although we tried a few more epithets on for size during the process. I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t. I would like to think it is a gift. A lot of folks are not that pleasant about it. … More . . .
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