Gone Huntin'

[schmitzbitz]

We had our limited entry season open last month, I went out stalking over a couple of days, but to no avail. Lots of sign, but also lots of large carnivore scat as the bears and cougar prepare for winter. My usual partners each bagged a buck, however, so my freezer isn't completely empty. I will probably take a weekend to head up-country to try and fill my elk tag later this month; best eating game in my opinion.
The lottery system also netted me a pair of sheep tags, but I'm thinking of passing them along - I am finding it is getting harder and harder to traverse the 400 yards to your kill when it entails three miles of vertical faces in the Rockies. Any BC/Alta based hunters looking for a go (its a real PITA to try and transfer them to Americans, otherwise I would offer them up to all)?

 

[cyndi]

Now I'm craving deer chili. Bootleg has a friend who makes it and I may have to hunt HIM down.

 

[baronsamedi]

Went frog gigging with a Colt Walker once. Not the best pairing of weapon vs. game but damn entertaining.

 

[hauntedmyst]

I want to go hunting but am a complete noob at it. The sad thing about urban suburbia is you don't find many people who hunt and where I live, which is liberal urban suburbia, they think guns randomly kill things and you're even less likely to find knowledgeable hunters. We need an open season on free range liberals.

 

[Perique]

Big hunter here. Meat hunter more than a trophy hunter. We eat mostly game - venison, duck, goose, turkey - along with what we raise and grow on the farm. Took a whitetail last weekend down in our woods and I'll be back out tomorrow morning. As Spring rolls 'round and quickly turns to summer it'll be fish and frogs.

 

[carlomarx]

Rifle season in PA doesn't start until the Monday after Thanksgiving. Small game is still in, I was out squirrel hunting Saturday.

I'll be out for "buck season" , hopefully my boys will join me on the first saturday. We don't hunt much together since they are still in college.

Deer hunting is declining in PA, both in numbers of deer and hunters.

 

[lonestar]

Well I'm back.

Saw a lot of great deer, probably 50+ individuals out of the 3 different spots I hunt.

Saw some really nice bucks, six with at least 10 points and one 12, plus lots of spikes to 8 points.

I ended up taking one 10 point buck, which I mistook for the 12 point I saw earlier in the day who never offered a shot. This 10 came down the same trail, stopped behind the same tree, acted very much like the bigger deer I spotted earlier in the day. Instead of studying him a little more, I grabbed my rifle, racked in a round and said "this jokers not getting away this time".

Ah well. I still ended up with a very nice deer, but I would have rather harvested that huge 12 or a bigger mature 8 point I had seen a few times.

I like letting them grow up some to 4 or 5 years old, the deer I took was probably 3 1/2 yrs old.

Heres the 8 point my buddy took the day before (actually a 10 point, he has two small kickers on his G-2's)

And heres a random view of the ranch with the sun shining through some clouds.

 

[seanz]

It must be nice to go hunting where you arent bashing through thick dense underscrub on eighty degree slopes. Most nearly all the hunting down here is in mountian country good fun but hard slog! i am envious of those open looking areas.good luck guys and stay safe!