Deer Hunting
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 . . .
When Do You Get In Your Stand?
From Quora: Question for YouAugust 5 What is the best time to get in your deer stand? Greg Thomas requested your answer. What is the best time to get in your deer stand? Here is my response: It is going to depend on several factors. For starters, don’t think of it in terms of when you get in the stand, but rather when are you going to be settled in and ready to hunt. One of the big factors you have to figure in how much sweating you’re going to do getting there. I set off about an hour before … More . . .
Deer Blind Reading Suggestions
But Shaman, if the deer are blind, how can they read? I have a Kindle Reader App installed on my Android phone. You would be surprised at the number of free and 99-cent books that Amazon sells. For the past 40 seasons, I’ve kept a book handy during long sits in the blind. The only trick I can tell you is learning not to get too engrossed in the content. I read a page or so and then take a scan of everything around. What I have learned is that reading keeps me still, and I can remain attentive to … More . . .
Deer Season Predictions, 2022
It just turned over 13 weeks to the Rifle Opener. I do not usually make predictions on how the upcoming Rifle Season is going to go. I do have my suspicions, and when compared with reality, they’re usually wrong. I cannot help it. Every year, I start looking for the Rut Prediction and consult the lunar tables. It never amounts to anything. I am always up in the stand on The Opener, and I try to hunt as many days as I can. This year is a bit of a head-scratcher from a bunch of perspectives. Let me explain. PERSPECTIVE … More . . .
Campground: A Treestand Profile
When the surgeon told me last summer that I had cancer, the first thing I asked him was whether or not I could be in my stand for the November Rifle Opener. He said I undoubtedly could. He was true to his word. Last season, I shot a respectable buck from my treestand at a site we call Campground. It is the 8th deer we have taken from that stand in 21 seasons. It is by no means the best venue we have, but it is the place I want to be on the Rifle Opener. It has accounted for … More . . .
A New Stormy Kromer
I turned 64 over the weekend. The whole tribe dropped over to wish me well. My favorite present had to be the new Stormy Kromer that Angus gave me. It’s Hunter Orange. This is my second Stormy Kromer. It all started a couple of years ago when I was getting Remnar set up for his first hunt. I told him he needed to pay attention to his headwear. He showed up at camp with a Stormy Kromer, and I thought it was an awesome hat. Angus bought me one for Christmas. I’ve been loving it. If you are up above … More . . .
What Do You Think of 308 WIN?
From an email: Oh great shaman! I’ve been offered a rifle for deer hunting that is in 308 Winchester. Is that a good choice? Should I hold out for a 6.5 Creedmore? I guess my 308 WIN experience is perverse compared to most folks. Don’t take me wrong. I don’t want it to seem like I’m throwing shade on the chambering. As with so much of my life, 308 WIN has come out with results “other than expected.” The short answer to this is that 308 Winchester is a nearly ideal choice for whitetail deer. Do not let my experience … More . . .
Mooselette Wants a Deer
I’d just made it home from the hospital a few weeks ago, and I was weak enough to feel super-glued to my recliner. Moose and Mooselette stopped over to see how I was doing. I was so happy to see my most honorable #1 Granddaughter. With Chemo Camp I’d been missing her since May. We got to talking about plans for the upcoming fall, and I repeated my vow that I wanted to be in my stand for the Rifle Opener. I asked her what her plans were; did she want to take a deer this year? She answered in … More . . .
What’s a Good Scope?
Every year I get asked what’s a good deer rifle. I’ve been writing deer rifle recommendations for close on to two decades. Rather than beat that horse again, I want to discuss the scope. Honestly, I am by no means an expert on rifle scopes. However, I’ve been dealing with them for 4 decades. Back in 2014, I decided that my eyes had aged enough that it was time to give up my fascination with cheap scopes. I had a bunch of scopes from the 70s onwards that I’d acquired under various circumstances. I doubt I’d paid more than $30 … More . . .
44 Magnum — It won’t leave me alone
Have you ever had a hard time getting a chambering out of your head? Let me tell you my story. See if this sounds familiar. Let’s start back to 30 or so years ago. Back then, I was only deer hunting with 30-06 in Kentucky and 12 Gauge slug in Ohio. I wanted to expand my horizons. Honestly, if I’d stayed pat with those two, my life would have been far different. The problem for me was where to go next. Somewhere in all this, I got to thinking about a lever action in either 30-30 or 44 Magnum or … More . . .
Brown Bess– First Chance to Play with My Balls
Today is looking like the first really good day in a while. The snow is almost completely gone. It’s heading towards the low 60s today. I had reasons not to go to the farm, but I did have time to get my two new molds out and cast balls for the Brown Bess Musket. The first mold is a .735 brass mold I got from Dixie Gun Works. This produces a tight fit with the thinnest patching, and I’m figuring that this will produce the most accurate loads. The other just arrived in the mail this morning: a Lee Precision … More . . .
Brown Bess Cometh
The tale starts way back. I had shot a Brown Bess once; it was decades ago. At some point in the deep past I read an account of a fellow in the modern-day using one as a general-purpose hunting weapon. It was one of those back-burner deals. I figured that it might be a decent project for after my retirement. I managed to read up on the idea at times and keep track of who was making them. Several things happened. Cancer right after your 63rd birthday will make a guy think. I was overdue for a firearm. Normally I … More . . .
European Mount in the Works
For the last few seasons, we all have been processing our mounts in the absolute easiest way possible. We have been chucking them in the pond with a piece of paracord tied to the antlers. We pull them out in about June and let the skulls bake in the Sun until August. The result is a perfect skull. The only problem is that the skull and antlers both get a dark brown stain. I am not saying that is necessarily bad, but it does not have that classic look. Moose invented this method a couple of years ago after he … More . . .
Deer Season Post-Mortem, 2021
First off, my apologies for not writing sooner. The season ended with me unable to make posts to the weblog. It was a combination of screwups with the ISP and web provider, and my laptop going on the fritz. I got the majority of the problems ironed out after I got back to town. Our last weekend of season was a bit of a fizzle as well. We left camp on Saturday with one more day to go. However, now that camp has been closed up and I’m back in town, I figured you all deserved some accounting. Post Mortem … More . . .
Angus Put One More on The MeatPole
Last year at this time of the season, I think we had 6 on the pole and ended up having 8 by the end. This year, Angus put just the third deer of the season on the pole with a few minutes to spare last night. Angus accidentally fell asleep on the couch yesterday afternoon, and did not wake up until 1620. He threw on his gear and ran out to the stand at Blackberry. He had just gotten his gear up and sat down when three doe came up to watch. He shot the largest of them. The doe … More . . .
Moose’s Doe, 2021
Most honorable #2 son, Moose, got one to the meatpole yesterday afternoon. He took her out the front window at Midway. I was shooting out of Hollywood and when I heard the shot, I came down and went over. As it happened, Remnar was just arriving at camp. We had him grab the truck and roll on out. Moose took the shot at 1713. At 1813, the doe was dressed and back on the truck and we were heading for the processor. This is the first deer we have had to the poll since my buck on Saturday. Action has … More . . .
The Savage Speaks Again
It has been since 2014, but my Savage 99 kept its promise this morning. I’ve been carrying it up into the stand for The Rifle Opener since 2003. The Savage 99 in 308 WIN has only been shot at the biggest bucks. I always put it away after filling my buck tag. This morning, the Savage spoke again. You have to understand this was a pretty big thing. I was dealing with existential problems back over the summer. I even got to ask the surgeon that question you don’t want to ask: Will I be able to be in my … More . . .
So when IS The Rifle Opener?
The Commonwealth of Kentucky picks the second Saturday of November as the beginning of its Modern Weapons Season. This year, that means The Opener is on the 13th. Looking back on it, it has always seemed like the date of The Opener has flitted about. I was sitting here fretting with my usual pre-season jitters, and I thought I would calculate it out. What I found is that there is a bit more order to it than I originally thought. 2020 –> 14th2021 –> 13th2022 –> 12th2023 –> 11th Okay so far, it’s orderly. Now comes the jump 2024 –> … More . . .
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