Deer Hunting
Escape from Planet 4 MOA– Part 1
Back in 2019, I wrote a missive on 24hourcampfire.com on hunting deer where the bar for accuracy was rather low. The Planet Where They Shoot 4 MOA Rifles I would suggest you go over there and read it– read the whole thread if you like. It will really set the stage for what is to come. Planet 4MOA was a very real part of my life. I lived there for a good long time. This year, I managed to shoot a nice buck at 200 yards, and I realized that I had finally escaped Planet 4MOA and moved on. I … More . . .
Deer Season Post Mortem, 2022
Any discussion of this past Rifle Season has to include the after-effects of my Chemo and how it played into the dynamics. It played into stand selection. It played into who hunted and when. My sons were on guard the whole time waiting for their Dad to fall over in the woods and call for help. To some extent, especially early on, I probably deserved that kind of attention. I surprised myself repeatedly in what I was able end up doing, and I was pretty much back in my usual form by the end of season. I appreciate the care … More . . .
Moose bags Doe
Most honorable #2 son, Moose shot a doe Friday evening at the Blackberry stand . At 1740, just 10 minutes left in legal hunting. A single doe popped out of the woods next to the rockpile. Moose dropped her with his Winchester 570. Two more deer ran off towards Westwood. #3 son, Angus popped out with the truck to pick me up at Midway, where I had been having a good time watching the south pasture with no interruption from the deer. We then drove out to Blackberry to retrieve Moose and his doe. The deer went 80 lbs. live … More . . .
Angus, SuperCore Score Bucks
Angus and Moose braved the 18F and went out to Midway this morning. They had just settled in when Angus noticed a doe running across the south field, behind the Garden of Stone. An 8-point buck was following close behind. Angus shot. The buck gave no indication of being hit. Angus shot again, and the buck took off into the weeds. It was 0710 . Legal hunting began at 0651. Moose called back on the radio. I had decided to sleep in. I’d been up at 0430 and decided it was too cold to risk it. I’m still not up … More . . .
The Shaman’s Buck, 2022
I really did not have great expectations when I went out to Midway this morning. I managed to fall back to sleep after SuperCore left for the blind and managed to doze for 45 minutes before jerking awake. I flew out the door– I still can’t feel my feet from the Chemo, and made it into my chair, fully suited with just 10 minutes to spare before legal hunting. It was 31F and I had clear skies and just a wee bit of wind out of the East. Nothing. I dozed again shortly after sun rise, and woke around 0900. … More . . .
Deer Opener, 2022
Some days, just being out and making it back in is the highest achievement you can expect. After Chemo, just being out is all you can ask. We started getting rain about 10 minutes before legal hunting, and it grew to a downpour. I stayed under an umbrella and managed to stay fairly warm and dry. When they came and got me with the truck about 0930, I was still quite serviceable. In a pinch, I could have still walked out. The gear didn’t fail. I was still warm at the core. I lost feeling in my hands coming down … More . . .
European Mounts
For years now, I have been sawing off the skull cap of bucks and mounting these to display boards, and calling it quits. Of course, I have to boil them first, but the whole process is rather fast and easy. I can have the antlers ready to mount almost immediately. A while back, I decided that I would try a European full-skull mount and see how it compared. Moose and Angus discovered a seriously decomposing buck down in the creek at the bottom of Hootin’ Holler back in 2018. They waited until the dead of winter and then returned with … More . . .
How Do I Know a Deer is Coming?
I found this draft from back in 2009. Somebody had asked the question, and I’d hesitated to answer. The post lay in draft status until I found it again over the summer as I was housecleaning. I have been asked this many times, by readers and by my own sons as they were starting out. It is an innocent enough question. I remember asking it when I first started. How DO you know a deer is coming? Of course, nowadays most beginning deer hunters know the answer before they set foot in the woods. The answer is simple: the background … More . . .
What Deer Rifle?
I’ve got a couple projects in the oven this year even though Chemo made me curtail most of my load development for 6 months. There just is not enough room in the freezer to do all the experimentation I want to do. I always keep a rifle or two handy with proven success, just in case. I’m still getting over the treatment. I do not want any goat rodeos this year. What I’m taking to deer camp this year: Savage 99 in .308 WIN— Nothing new. This is just my go-to gun for the Opener. It did very well last … More . . .
Early Muzzleloader — After Action Report
I am not going to try and paint this rosier than it is. It is Sunday morning of KY Early Muzzleloader season. I’m wimping out and sipping coffee inside the cabin. The only one of the Shamanic Dream Team who is out is SuperCore. With the recent Chemo, at least I’ve got a fairly good excuse. I saw the Oncologist on Monday and he said I was clean. I related details of the Yute hunt with Mooselette. He was quite surprised I was making out so well. I set off early yesterday morning with high hopes and my goals fairly … More . . .
KY’s Early ML Season Looms
Every year we all get out for the mid-October Kentucky Early Primitive Weapons Season and use it as a dry run for the coming Rifle season. Some might think this is a waste of a weekend. It actually has a point– in fact, several. First off, this gives everyone at camp a chance to be there while the weather is still fairly nice. We can enjoy Deer Camp without feeling like we need to fill freezer space. We are out, we are really and truly deer hunting in usually ideal conditions. Secondly, Early ML acts as a dress rehearsal for … More . . .
Mooselette’s First Yute Hunt
Most honorable #1 granddaughter, Mooselette, went afield for KY’s Yute Hunt on Saturday. She went in the company of her grandfather. This was my first time out as well since the Chemo. Mooselette was armed with the same Marlin 336 carried by her father on his first hunt 20 years ago. We took the venerable 30-30 out to the Hollywood blind, settled in, watched the sun come up, and waited for the action that never came. Somewhere along the way we got to talking about family history and such. Somewhere along there we both took a nap. When we woke … More . . .
Getting Ready for Yute Season, 2022
I was able to get down to camp fairly early on Friday. By the time Moose and #1 granddaughter, Mooselette arrived, I had already managed to get two more deer rifles sighted in. Both the 8X57 Mauser and the 7mm-08 are ready for Rifle Season. Blacksmith and I went to Berlin for pizza and were sitting at the Thoughtful Spot when Team Moose arrived. Saturday was a big day for us at deer camp. Mooselette’s first deer is next weekend and we had lots to do. We woke up to the remnants of Hurricane Ian on the horizon. The dark … More . . .
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