Gone Huntin'

lonestar · Nov 3, 2011

This saturday is opening day of rifle season in Texas. I'm packing up the camo and the Weatherby and heading out to West Texas for a few days. I dont typically shoot anything on opening day, but I promise its going to sound like World War 3 in the Hill Country this weekend...

I'll be back next week with some pics.

Anyone else planning to do some hunting ?

spartan · Nov 3, 2011

One day... just not anytime soon. I've lived in Texas for 9 bloody years and havn't been hunting ONCE. It's pathetic. I'm almost ashamed to call myself Texan! :crying:

markw4mms · Nov 3, 2011

Not going hunting here myself, but I'm sure it's going to sound like a war zone in West Georgia this weekend too.

rickpal14 · Nov 3, 2011

Been out a few days here in upstate NY bowhunting. Seen a few but no luck yet. Gun season starts in 2 weeks and that's typically when the tags get filled!!!
Good luck Lonestar!!!

lonestar · Nov 3, 2011

Spartan, dont feel bad. Its tough to get onto a good deer lease. I had to wait 16 years for someone to die before I got a spot where I'm at :D

You really should look into the drawn hunts on public land, I'd say thats the best bet for you.

I never cared for the open access public lands where any goober with a shotgun can wander the woods.

If you'll look through TPWDs website, theres info on managed access wildlife areas where each hunter is assigned an area. Most of them are drawings, where say 150 people enter their names for 50 spots, so no gaurantees but you have a better shot getting a spot with some areas over others you just need to do the research.

That type of hunting is very well managed, and you can really find some good hunting.

logandow · Nov 3, 2011

I wish i was

lonestar · Nov 3, 2011

Baskerville, we hunt Llano county, not as far west as Hudspeth.

I'm spoiled. The 3 surrounding counties, along with the one we hunt, have the highest population density of whitetail deer anywhere in the world. Its not so much hunting as picking the one you want to eat.

Heres what saturday morning is going to look like

lonestar · Nov 3, 2011

Heres a couple of 8 points from last year. I let some bigger 10 points walk because they were still young.

Hopefully I'll run into a couple of those I let walk a year ago.

We also have some exotics that stray onto the ranch, theres been fallow deer and blackbuck shot there.

Last year we took 3 African Auodads, the one on the Jeep is mine.

(hopefully nobody is offended with the pics)

baronsamedi · Nov 4, 2011

I'm getting out my bow and the broadheads when tourist season opens.

pstlpkr · Nov 4, 2011

My country cousins do a lot of hunting... I used to enjoy it a lot...

But, now about the only thing I hunt are my car keys.

lonestar · Nov 4, 2011

Paul, its never too late but there is a lot to learn.

Really its a social thing, nature watching and a vacation as much as anything.

Don't get me wrong, theres nothing like putting meat on the table, but sitting around deer camp after a hunt, cooking, drinking beer and telling stories is what its all about.

Its a great excuse for waking up at the crack of dawn and watching the sun rise. Its as much fun to watch the wildlife for hours as it is to actually take a shot.

We dont even eat beef other than a few steaks. Two deer keeps us in meat for the year, and I usually give away one or two.

grouchy · Nov 4, 2011

i was the family hunter. no one else would go. hunted would always bring it home and eat it. would only take one deer per season, about 35 seasons. bow, shotgun and rifle. i prefer to hunt alone and stalk. cant sit in a tree stand or blind. love to get on a set of tracks and find my prey. earliest kill would be lunch time and just before dark. have never killed a deer before noon. calibur of choice 338 win mag with roll your own and 225gr hornady's through my sako hunter with 2-7x burris. bow of choice an american cheeta 43# recurve with number 10 micro flites. had hopes of moose but time would never allow. all my hunting toys had been sold.

so now i hunt with a nikon and a self defence short barrel shotgun with slugs for the criters who bite.

enjoy your hunt. time well spent with friends and alone.

hobie1dog · Nov 4, 2011

I'm packing up the camo and the Weatherby and heading out to West Texas

Weatherby.....

lonestar · Nov 4, 2011

Weatherby Vanguard. Not the good stuff Hobie

I'll tell you this about the Vanguard though. I paid $250 for it in a Pawn Shop, and its one of the best shooting rifles I've ever owned.

Grouchy, I love tracking too, problem here is its almost impossible. Theres just too damn many deer.

Sit in one spot and you're very likely to see 40+ in one hunt.

Thats why I say its less hunting, and more like picking the one you want to eat...

lonestar · Nov 4, 2011

Trucks packed, about to head it West.

Heres some game cam pics.

Pigs, Auodad and Deer at the same feeder.

maduroman · Nov 4, 2011

the problem with texas whitetails is they are kinda scrawny.
i am used to wisconsin farmland whitetails who get heavy as hell.
but, i am trapped here in kalifornia for G_d knows how much longer without any hunting and envy anyone who gets to go out.
btw, lonestar, what are the rules on the pigs?

lonestar · Nov 4, 2011

Yep Texas Whitetail are generally small. The drought all year has them slimmer than normal, to downright skin and bones on some of them.

For what its worth, there no deer in that picture that I would shoot, those are all pretty small even for Texas.

Rules for pigs ??? HA!

Kill them, thats the only rule.

No season. No limit.

No restrictions on means of taking them (dogs, traps, bowie knives, machine guns, its all good)

tslex · Nov 4, 2011

The Auodad s quite something. Can only imagine the response if I'd come across something like that. (Do they eat as tasty as whitetail?)
I did more hunting when I lived up north.
When i moved to Florida, I was stunned to find out they hunted deer with dogs. Was never my thing.
Now, shooting BIRDS over dogs, that is really something. Have seen some amazing bird dogs in my day.
Good hunting to you.

lonestar · Nov 4, 2011

The Auodad is not bad eating, tastes fine but its pretty rich meat. The best I found was cooking it slow in a stew, gave me heartburn if it wasnt cooked slow. I would probably only shoot a big ram if I see them this year.

If I didnt have a freezer full of Venison, I probably would have enjoyed the auodad more. Its just hard to pass up deer steaks for the auodad IMO.

I've got some Mexican friends that loved the stuff though, and everything Maria cooked with it was awesome.

brewshooter · Nov 4, 2011

My dad and brother are both hunters, my dad less so these days, and both enjoy fishing. I never really took to it, but can appreciate both activities. My brother's a heck of a shot and has some kind of gift when it comes to taking fish out of a river. So, it just seems like he was destined to go that route.
I do remember going bird hunting with my dad as a kid, some grouse and a lot of cold mornings in duck blinds waiting for ducks and geese. Somewhere, I still have the rack off the deer I shot with my dad when I was about four years old. He apparently helped me sight in, but I pulled the trigger. For some reason, I have no memory of that, but I do remember those COLD duck blinds!!!!! I always had two big issues with hunting and fishing. One, usually involved getting up WAY too early for me. Two, I just shot something, now I have to clean and prep this thing. What was I thinking?!?!? Oh, also, did I mention it was usually very cold? :lol:

Gone Huntin'

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