The Shamanic Deer Battery
I brought the Shamanic Deer Battery back from its secret offsite underground storage facility the other day, and it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to take pictures to share with y’all. I’m always talking about this deer rifle or that one. You can tell that I’m rather attached to them. I have to warn you. This is not my end-all list of must-have rifles. It is just the ones that I own, and ones that have a lot of history for me. I’ll try and post stories about each one as I go on the … More . . .
What do you prefer: Bow, Muzzleloader, or Rifle
If I had to go based on my preference of season, I would say bow. I love being afield in October and watch the woods getting ready for Winter. If I had to base my response on what weapon feels the best in my hands, it would be my 54 Hawken. I just love that rifle. Eventually, I hope to find a full-stock flinter that gives me that kind of joy. I answered modern gun. My reasons are these:; 1) I finally figured out I could go easy early in the year and finally get around to filling my freezer … More . . .
So You’re Looking for a new Deer Rifle, Huh?
It occurred to me the other day that this might be a good time to start a new conversation about deer rifles. Guys will be thinking about possibly buying a new rifle about now, maybe their first. So it is probably a good thing to throw something up on the wall and get the ball rolling. To be honest, the best time I’ve found to buy a new deer rifle is just after season ends. A lot of guys sell their rifle to pay Christmas and winter heating bills. You get a lot of good deals. However, now is also … More . . .
Developments– Food Plots and Jagende Hutte II
We got to deer camp Friday night and did not even bother to open the doors. Instead, we immediately rolled out into the field to check on the food plots. I’d planted over Memorial Day weekend. In the interim, the farm has been soaked repeatedly. The results were fantastic! In two weeks, both the sunflower/milo/clover field and the wheat/clover field are germinated and growing. The other surprise we had was that as we drove past the one field, a dozen mourning dove flew out. In the other a dozen turkeys, all gobblers, ran off. There were serious deer tracks in … More . . .
We return you now to our regularly scheduled program. . .
If you scroll to the bottom, you’ll get into the serious hunting stuff. It’s not like a crawled in a hole at the end of turkey season. A couple of y’all have e-mailed me wondering where I’ve been. You have to remember that being a father is not all about sitting in a buddy stand or trying to find a good 20 GA turkey load. Sometimes it’s watching your kid and his bagpipe band take home all the marbles at the 2009 Glasgow Highland Games. Angus is only 11, but he managed to walk away with a 1st place in … More . . .
Update from Turkey Camp.
Well, it was a good fresh start. It wasn’t going to last. I bagged that gob on Friday. Friday evening, my wife and sons showed up. We were treated to a bunch of hens and a mature gobbler out in the pasture just before sundown. The didn’t much mind us; their closest approach was 150 yards. The gobbler did not seem to have his heart in it– he strutted once, and then spent the rest of his time feeding. That was sort of how Saturday was. I took Angus back to the same spot as the day before. The same … More . . .
Deer Hunters: Time to Start Thinking Salt
Now, right about turkey season, is a good time to start thinking about putting out your salt if you haven’t started putting one in already. I have action at mine, hitting the leftovers from last year. I don’t use salt blocks. I use bags of rock salt and use one bag per lick. Dig up a 4X6 hole about 12 inches deep. Pour in a little salt, a little dirt, a little salt and fill everything back in. I leave a little rock salt on top just to let the deer know where to look. Maximum hits on the salt … More . . .
I am NOT a Deer Geek
From Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine Forum I was in the process of trying to come up with a few quips that would get y’all laughing, and I finally stopped myself. It just wasn’t going anywhere. It’s not for lack of involvement. It’s not for lack of attachment to this place. It’s not that I’m not wholly immersed. It’s just that something has changed in me, and being a D&DH Geek isn’t quite where I’m at anymore. For one thing, a Geek act was from way back to Elizabethan times. The term “Geek” was used to describe a fellow who … More . . .
In the shamanic Reloading Cave
The shaman was busy at his reloading bench when he heard little Scooter come into his cave. “Mister Shaman?” “In here, Scooter.” said the shaman. “Jeepers, Mister Shaman.” said the boy. “What are you up to?” “I’ve been reading too many deer threads,” said the shaman, and I thought I would come here to chill out and get some reloading done. “It’s all so complicated.” said Scooter. “I wouldn’t know where to start. All these bullets. All this data. It makes my head spin.” “It doesn’t make my head spin.” said the shaman. “It was going to, and then I … More . . .
Why Do They Slit the Thoats of Dead Deer?
The thoat slitting thing is a fascinating topic to me. I never did it, but I sure heard about it. Throat slitting only works to bleed an animal if the animal is still alive and its heart is pumping. Everyone not closely connected with deer hunting wants to know “Did you slit their thoats?” I even had one lady standing by my freezer waiting to get a gift of venison ask me this and then turn around and leave when I said I did not. I’m not Meshack Browing; the last thing you’ll catch me at is jumping on the … More . . .
Taking the Venison for a Walk in the Snow
Every year about this time I wait for the temperatures to dip below zero. You have to plan ahead around here. We’re far enough South that it does not happen every year, and it has to be on a day I’m going to be off work. When it happens, I let all the venison out of the freezer and let them go and play on the back deck. Last year it did not happen at all. The frost was getting pretty thick. This morning, however, the temperature dipped down to minus 5F, which is colder than the inside of the … More . . .
The Check Stations are gone, but. . .
With the Telecheck system in place, the deer processor has replaced the check station for the place to hang out and watch deer come in. The spectacle at Meyer’s in Lennoxburg is every bit the way it used to be– crowds of people, lot’s of deer. Ditto for the Farm Store in Willow. If’n y’all are missing the check station, you ought to figure out some sort of event. Have a big buck contest at the old check station. Have the church bake sale, or the fireman’s chili cookoff or something. Y’all have car shows in the summer, right? How … More . . .
Is That All There is to Season?
Now, here’s question : if you’re down to a doe tag, and you know you’re probably going to see a shootable doe, then what? What happens when there’s no more “WOW” left in the season? Here are the options I’ve tried: 1) Stay home. Bummer. Season ends to soon. 2) Go out, but don’t carry a weapon. There’s another name for it: hiking. Again, bummer. I could join the Sierra Club and eat granola too. 3) Go out, carry a weapon, but don’t shoot anything until the last possible moment, or not at all. It’s a little hard to get … More . . .
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