Shaman’s First Deer
Sue and Hugh had invited me to hunt their 50 acres over in Grant County, Kentucky. The place consisted of a few acres of bottom land, a creek, and a ridgetop with an abandoned farm on it. I had been having good success hunting near the old family cemetery up on top of the ridge—a lot of sightings, but nothing worth putting an arrow into. When rifle season came, Hugh suggested I take a post on the hillside overlooking the creek. Opening morning found me in sight of the back of their trailer, about half-way up the hill. I found … More . . .
Requiem for a Remington 742
It was always a quirky rifle, but dropping out the trigger group and giving it a good cleaning always seemed to get it going again. I’ve probably been prolonging the inevitable. No matter what, I always tried to hunt a couple of days each season with it. It kept me close to my old hunting buddy, Jerry. Oh well, we all have to go sometime. I got the call from the gunsmith late on Saturday. My Remington 742, my first deer rifle, had trouble. The smith had found a dent in the receiver that had also put dent in the … More . . .
More on those Sad Eyes Looking Up
Pat Ford: The deer I’m thinking of was laying with it’s legs under it. I put one right in the middle of the forehead and it took two to do the job. To which I reply: Finally, I have a second true-life anecdote to confirm my thesis that head shots on deer are not a good idea. If you don’t mind, I’ll include it in my book. A skull is a weird place, and bullets do strange things. I’m not here to throw rocks at anyone. Lord knows I’ve done plenty of stuff in my hunting career that seemed right … More . . .
Sad eyes looking up.
PatFord over on 24hourcampfire.com wanted to know You have shot a buck. Instead of dropping it takes off and when you find it it’s laying in a bramble patch with it’s head up looking at you. Where do you considder the best place to shoot to finish it off quickly and humanely? Pat: That’s an easy one to describe, but it is hard to do. It’s sad when they don’t expire as quick as we’d wish. However, you got him into the mess, and you have to get him out. Call me a crazy shaman, but I usually talk to … 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 . . .
How fast do you need to gut a deer
If it’s fairly cool, I just haul it back to camp and do it there. Mind you, I’ve got a place that allows me to get a truck in nearly everywhere. If I down a deer, it can be up on the meatpole in a half hour or less. I’ve had them on the way to the processor in under an hour from being shot. You have to look at it this way: In warm weather you can’t gut them fast enough. If you feel the need to apply ice to the carcass, you should not delay in gutting. The … More . . .
Checking my Backtrail
I had not expected my birthday to cause me to become so reflective. However, I found a thread over on 24hourcampfire this morning. It was one of the usual conversations you see starting up this time of year: What is your favorite deer cartridge? I was about to jump in, and I found myself hesitating at the reply button. Why? I’ve been on online forums, either as a host or a contributor since 1981. I have been outdoor-oriented forums for about half that time. There I was, sitting in the dark of my dining room, and I was suddenly compelled … More . . .
Treasure Your Hunting Buddies
I was on over at www.racksandspursclub.com. It’s a fairly new board, and one that I would heartily recommend to everyone. Anyhow, I lifted a thread from over there. I guess my point in including it here is similar to what I said to one of my younger buddies after we got back from burying one of my older buddies: “Yeah, Pook.” I said. “I guess the trick of having a bunch of old farts for friends is that you need to keep a steady stream coming in the door. There’s always so many checking out. That was about 8 years … More . . .
Hunting in the heat.
I was always so hot on the idea of rolling back the start of bow season from early or mid October to September. Then Kentucky did just that. The result? I start hunting about the first weekend in October. Why? The heat. Last year, they took a total of 39 deer in September in my county. That’s pretty pitiful. I know that’s not for trying too. The deer just stay holed up during the day and do not move. They have their Winter coats coming in, and the last thing they want to do is exert themselves while the sun … More . . .
Which is Better for Hunting: Morning or Afternoon
I was about even on score (AM vs PM) until a few years ago. Now it’s getting sort of lopsided towards mornings. The difference is that now that I’m hunting an area with a good deer population, I’m more likely to score on opening morning, and then that’s it. I’m done until at least the next day. Mornings are practially better in my book. If you get your deer early, you have plenty of daylight to track it, clean it, and get it to the processor. Evenings are always more hectic. Cleaning has to be done by artifical light. The … More . . .
Cover Scents
Cover scent? I’ve pretty much given up on the idea, except that I’ll probably throw some cedar boughs in the trunk that holds most of my clothes. If the deer are going to smell anything on me, cedar is probably the best choice for my woods. Mind you a do this very conservatively. I am about ready to start processing my hunting clothes for bow season. I’ve got about 2 loads to do. The rest are all still bagged up from last season, and will not require any work. These are the few pieces I left out for Turkey Season. … More . . .
The new Tenant
The other day, Mooseboy and I were out freshening up the licks. I’m running only two licks this year, one over by the campground and the other by the garbage dump. The others can probably go a year. Anyhow, we had an 80 lb sack of rock salt that I decided to split between the two lick sites. Dennis was due to arrive in a day or so, and I wanted to get the salt in the ground before the rains hit. Both lick sites were well used. I was surprised to find a bit of dairy mineral still left … More . . .
Where Do Deer Run When They’re Hit?
TJK over on 24hourcampfire.com was wondering if anyone else had noticed that deer all seem to run in the direction they were facing when they are hit. Some agreed, some didn’t. Here’s my take on it. I’ve had mixed results, and I cannot honestly say that I’ve seen a pattern. Mind you, I’m not going to castigate you for holding your belief. I too, walked into the woods with it an and only gave it up in recent years. Two consecutive years, same treestand, same day of the year, two similar bucks walked by and caught an arrow from my … More . . .
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