Deer Hunting
Dennis comes to town; Shaman hits the bench.
Hurricane Dennis hit the Ohio Valley in a way that reminded me of one those interminable groupies from my days running the Black Hole Coffee House. Sluggish, bloated, Dennis moved in and never left. After putting up with him for a week now, it seems he will never leave. Day after day, we wake up to clinging mugginess, and the promise of a thunderstorm. Friday night, we finally decided that going to the farm was going to be well-nigh useless and stayed in town. If we were going to be shut up inside, we might as well have the extra … More . . .
Should you give it to ’em broadsides?
Over at the 24hourcampfire, we were all jawing about whether or not it’s important to wait for a broadside shot. Flinch made the following statement that summed up the feelings of many there: “I take the shot that is offered. Broudside shots are way over rated. From any angle, it is easy to hit vitals. Place the shot and punch tags.” Flinch While I prefer a single broadside or slight quartering-away shot, I’m not a snob. I’ve taken a brisket shots with a bow and a rifle. The bucks all travelled only a few yards. I’ve also done the Texas … More . . .
What kind of bullet do I use on deer?
I’ve spent most of my life living with cheap bullets and cheap ammo on deer and not had much of a problem. Most of my time has been spent with Remington 12 Ga sluggers and Walmart special 180 grain 30-06. I hunt dense cedars and Eastern hardwoods, and I hunt at very close range. I started out life as a bowhunter, and most of my deer hunting sensibilities lie in that sort of hunting. If I do not get within 80 yards of the deer, I am doing something wrong. Since I took up handloading a few years ago, I’ve … More . . .
I’m just a Lowly Acorn Farmer
It’s been several years now, and I have to say that I am so glad I took this up. What we are doing is trying our hand at acorn farming. See, we have acres and acres of white oak with tons and tons of acorns just lying on the ground. The problem is how to get them all vacuumed up and processed into something worth selling. About 5 years ago I hit on an idea: run all those acorns through the intestinal tract of whitetail deer and wild turkey, then harvest the critters. Those deer and turkeys just naturally go … More . . .
Choice of Rifle
JERRYO is a newbie over at KYHunting.net His question was: “which is the better rifle to hunt with single shot or repeater of some kind. “ Here is my answer: I guess what you need to answer is: what is BETTER for you? Now ask yourself: What is better for the game? Some folks feel a single shot rifle gives them more of a challenge. My personal motivation is that I am out there to hunt. That has always been challenge enough for me. I have never been all that enamoured by the one-shot-one-kill macho thing. I shoot. If I … More . . .
Shamanic Guide — Approaching a downed deer
I recently saw some controversy on one of the forums regarding how to approach a deer, once it’s down. Some found the idea of poking a deer in the eye to be abhorent. Some felt it was wrong to use your rifle muzzle. Count me among the eye pokers. I took my kid to Hunter Ed a few years ago, and they taught eye poking too. However, we’re getting way ahead of things here. How do you approach a deer that is down? Carefully and respectfully. As soon as a deer is shot, and you loose sight of it, check … More . . .
If Somebody Gave me $6500 to go hunt deer.
From 24hourcampfire.com If someone handed me $6500 to go hunt deer, I think I’d see if they’d let me use it for Moose, either in Eastern or Mid-Western Canada. If I had to stick to whitetail, I would be asking you guys for suggestions. I’m with RonT on what he said, but I also see it in less spiritual terms. The first time I went boar hunting, it was a great trip. However, when I got home I began to realize that the hunt had been a little too pat. I went out, sat on a bench in the woods, … More . . .
Mineral Licks– now’s the time!!!
Now is about the time of year I start thinking about my mineral licks. I’ll start refreshing my licks as soon as the ground begins to dry out, and I’ll keep this up until mid-July. First, I buy a bunch of bags of rock salt and some di-calcium phosphate. I’ve got about 5 salt licks that I refresh every March with a 50 lb of rock salt buried about a foot down. The salt dissolves into the soil and the deer spend all summer chewing on the dirt. About this time of year, I start doctoring the licks with ever-increasing … More . . .
The Ideal Deer Rifle/Cartridge
The question came up yet again on the 24hourcampfire: What is the Ideal Deer Rifle/Cartridge. Yes, one of those will do nicely. The fact of the matter is that they all seem to kill deer, some a bit better than others. However, we don’t have the luxury of replaying every deer hunt and retrying a shot with a different rifle or a different load. Would an ’06 done a better job? Should I have used a spitzer on that one? I will attempt to answer this in a different way. I always listen to the voices inside my head to … More . . .
Eeets Alive!!! PT II
You’ve probably guessed most of the answers already. Sorry, 270 Winchester never showed up. I’m not sure why. Ditto for the 250-3000. 30-06 never showed up. That was interesting in and of itself, so I decided to find out why. It took some doing. However I added a weighted system of ratings. If you figure in Energy at 100 yards, Dekker KOV, and drop at 100 yards, and then make the system search for the best balance of the 3, TADA! You get a result that ‘s a 30-06, with a 168 grain match bullet , loaded about 92 % … More . . .
Eeeets Alive Pt I
I once wrote years ago, when I first started dabbling with neural nets and artificial intelligence, that there comes a time in any mad scientist’s life when he feels compelled to grasp the table, lift his eyes to the heavens and exclaim: “EEEETS ALIVE!!!” I don’t think this is going to push the envelope any in regards to what is known about whitetail deer cartridges. However, this is a good example of one man’s quest for answers to the ultimate question in a deer hunter’s life: What is the best round? I have been downloading data from the Hodgdon and … More . . .
Acceptable Deer Rifle Accuracy?
Acceptable deer hunting accuracy? I’d say that is a two-part answer: What can the rifle do? What can I do with the rifle? I usually shoot a rifle from the bench and work toward a 1-2MOA groups with a given load. Sometimes, starting out, a rifle may print 6-10″ groups before I start tweeking. Once I get it down to 1-2″ at 100 yards, I stop trying. Going further is not necessary. I have a slug gun that shoots more like 4″ at fifty, but that’s okay. Then comes the real question: what can I do with the rifle. I’ve … More . . .
Glasses and Deer Hunting
I’ve been wearing glasses since I was 9. I have always been nearsighted. Iron sights have always been a bit of a problem for me, but scopes work fine. For the most part, I hunt with a 1.5-4.5X scope with decent eye relief, and I have no problems. There are few things you can do to make eyeglasses less of a hassle. First, buy yourself a glass strap. Croakies makes a good one. Use a strap. The last thing you want to do is lose your glasses while you’re out. Second, treat your glasses with some sort of anti-fog before … More . . .
223 for Deer?
muzzleloaderman writes on 24HourCampfire: .223 on deer #425666 – 02/06/05 07:02 PM Hey guys. I have been thinkin about getting a .223 for squirrels an other varments. Now I havnt checked the regulations but if its legal, what are your guys opinions on hunting blacktail with a .223? Ranges would ussually be up to a 100 yards occasionally out to 200. I know shot placement is the key, but still what are your guys’s opinions? ________________________________________________________________________I had a similar project in mind a few years ago. However, I could never find a load that satisfied me. 223 Rem on deer … More . . .
The 44 Dream Meets Reality
Well, I haven’t been having any more epiphanies lately. In fact, my mind has been largely elsewhere. However, I did give some thought to the Dream Cartridge. Here are some responses to your responses and some new stuff to stir the pot. Thank you, Adobe, for recognizing two things: 1) It’s not necessarily that I’m a bad shot or that #2 Son is a bad shot. As I wrote earlier: individual results may vary. Some of these shots I’ve taken have been inside 10 yards and the results have blown out a 4” hole on the other side and shredded … More . . .
More on the 44 Dream
Thanks for all your input. I posted this on a few places, and got surprisingly similar replies. Allow me to address a few issues: 1) No, I don’t need my medication changed. Thanks for asking, but Doc says I’m doing fine on the dosage I’m on. The good news is this: as a practicing shaman, I can file for unemployment benefits if I ever stop dreaming. 2) As they say, “Individual results may vary.” I can’t say why my family seems to be having such a problem with the 30-30. Really, that’s what this is all about. If my deer … More . . .
Haunted by a Cartridge
It’s 30F. Light is just coming up so I can see the far barns. They keep blowing in and out of view as the snow squalls are beginning to build. It’s the last day of late Kentucky Muzzleloader Season. I still have a tag, but the freezer is quite full, and I haven’t seen a buck worth taking in two months. Still, I wanted to come out and enjoy things as best I could. The laptop and I are out in back, somewhat sheltered. I ran a 50 foot cable out so I’d have Internet. Most guys don’t talk about … More . . .
Muldar’s Neuroma and the FRS Radio
1999. I went out opening day of bow season and on the way back to the car had something go wrong with my foot and had to crawl back to the car. Doc said I had a Muldar’s Neuroma and that surgery was the only thing that would take care of it. This is where a nerve gets pinched between two toes, and the only recourse is lots of steroid injections (which didn’t work) or removal. I was nursing the foot throughout October, trying to stay working until Thanksgiving– figured I’d take off the whole week and then come back … More . . .
Deer Season– in Retrospect
I quote myself from my weblog: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 Deer Season It all seems to come on so quickly. There is a first whiff of Fall, the Harvest Moon rises, and then ZAP! I’m in the middle of deer season and my life is filled with last-minute shopping, running loads of hunting clothes through the washer, juggling acts in the dimensions of time, space and the vagaries of stand choice. Before two months are out, it will all be over. The freezers will be filled, the checking account drained. The unmarked van of reality will pull up and dump … More . . .
Sabots in a Round-Ball Muzzleloader
CKYhunter was looking for some help over on KentuckyHunting.net regarding sabots in a round-ball muzzleloader. Here was my $.02: ACEOKY and SALTY are giving you good info. I have a .54 TC Hawken that I shot with patched roundball for 20 years. When I hunted deer, I’d switch to 425 grain Buffalo Bullets. They were good to about 40 yards, keeping them on a pie plate, but not much better. Last year I bought a drop-in 1-28 barrel from Green Mountain– still .54 caliber, but with a much faster twist for conicals and sabots. I tried 8 different bullets. I … More . . .
What I do to kill time
There was a discussion raging over at kentuckyhunters.net over what was legit when it came to killing time on the stand. Some guys read, some guys putzed with the GPS. One guy plays games on his cell phone. I read when I’m expecting a long wait on the stand. I read about a page and then put the book down and scan the woods. Reading can keep you very still. It’s especially helpful for energetic kids. It gives them something to do besides fidget. I’m currently going through Teddy Roosevelt’s memoir of hunting in the badlands. Normally I’d have dusted … More . . .
Madness
Birdog428 on Hunting Chat.Net posts: Post subject: 2004 Season Discouraging And so I add another year to the 7 previous in which I have failed to kill a buck. With less than a week left to take a deer on home ground I find myself discouraged and wanting to bag it for the season. I had more free time to hunt this year than in the past 20 but it seems to have been of little help. No snow, and very little sign made for a difficult time in the local deer woods. I counted a grand total of 5 … More . . .
Hey! I resemble that remark!
sassafrastea over at KentuckyHunting.net writes as follows: ——————————————————————————– The last two nights, JUST before dark (around 5:45), I have heard rifle shots close to home. Both times there were 3 shots fired in close succession, three shots in less than half a minute. Also heard the same gunfire opening day (Sat morning at the crack of dawn). The other days (between opening day and the night before last) I had the windows closed, so didn’t hear anything. I am not a hunter but we have friends who hunt the farm, and they were out here yesterday afternoon hunting. I went … More . . .
What should I expect
A buddy of mine wanted to know what to expect if he shows up at deer camp, here at Genesis 9:2-4. He wanted to know terrain, choice of rifle and load, and weather. Here is what I told him: SW Bracken County, KY is a land of ridges and hollows. The elevation usually only differs less than 100 feet from ridgetop to creek bottom. It has all been cleared at least once. Tobacco and cattle once ruled. Tobacco is leaving and there are fewer and fewer cattle. Some folks are turning to sheep and goats. My ridge is about 40 … More . . .
Mooseboy Gets his Cherry Popped
#2 Son, AKA Mooseboy, succeeded in bagging his first deer on Opening Day. I t was a bit of a mixed victory, but then again, aren’t they all. We got up into the stand near the campground a bit late, but still well before sunrise. A screech owl, the wail of the banshee, caught us as we were starting up the ladder; I’ve been hearing it all my life, and it still makes my skin crawl. From the look on #2’s face, it was the perfect spook to get the juice flowing. We settled in and began the wait. … More . . .
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