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2021-2022 hunting thread


markstanco

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12 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Kid's sports shit getting in the way of spending time in the blind nursing whiskey. May have to just move the office out there next week. 

That’s what I’m doing. CHIEF Jr. wraps up finals on Tuesday. Nieces college graduation is Saturday. Leaving for the lease and will stay until Christmas, come back, return, and stay till New Years. 
 

CHIEF

Edited by CHIEF
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2 hours ago, deadshank said:

164 & 6/8”

7.5 years old per lower jaw pull. 
 

Dang nice buck for a low-fence free ranger.  

074B255E-2893-4730-A925-EE8453F9A371.jpeg

Can you briefly describe the process it’s takes to get the skull to this point?  I’ve never seen it done and would like to give it shot this season. 

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40 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

Can you briefly describe the process it’s takes to get the skull to this point?  I’ve never seen it done and would like to give it shot this season. 

Cut the head off the buck up high on the spine right next to the skull.   Use a caping  knife to cut through the hide and neck muscles to get to the bone.   Once the hide and muscle is out of the way use some good pruning loppers to get through the spine. Have someone hold the buck by the antlers so the head and antlers won’t crash to the ground.

 

Get a very sharp and small knife (I recommend an A. G. Russell Woodswalker. They are small, easily sharpened to very sharp and are very nimble.  I skin all my deer with that little bitty thing.  They’re inexpensive and can be purchased along with a leather sheath that fits into your back pocket.  It is actually a whittling knife) and turn the buck’s nose away from you.  Start slicing from the middle of the back of the neck toward the nose.   Once you get to the point that aligns between the burrs of the antlers go to your usual skinning stroke toward the burr of each antler and go around each burr.  This is the hardest part. 
 

Try to keep the head hide in one piece as you skin and peel.  One contiguous piece will give you more grip leverage as you pull, lift and apply your skinning stroke. 

Having someone hold the antlers to steady the skull during the process really helps the time spent peeling the cap.  
 

Keep skinning and turning the head and work your way down to and around the nose. 
 

Next, trim all the excess cheek meat and connective tissue.  

Pulling the jaw requires turning the skull upside down and working your way into the horseshoe shaped lower jaw and cutting away the flesh, tongue and connective tissue.  Once you feel it start to loosen you can pry apart the jaws and age the buck with the lower teeth now easily seen.  
 

This buck took 2 experienced guys 10 minutes to peel.  

Good luck and let me know how it works out for you. 

Edited by deadshank
Posted a pic of the AGR Woodswalker in post #1035
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10 hours ago, Speedtrucker said:

The warm front that sat in for 2 weeks has nothing moving now…

It’s been in the high 70s to low 80s and even at night it’s been barely coldish

Temps finally dropped last night out at the land so hoping things start moving again, we are headed out next weekend and I need a freezer filler

Went today and it was damn slow.  Couple of small 8s and nothing exciting. Bring me winter.  

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7 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Or maybe a rat snake?  The "pretend" rattlers of Texas

Like a lot of others, he was shaking that tail pretty good the first time I approached him. Was much more chill the second time.  Whatever he’s eating, he’s healthy af.  Probably picking off the mice around the feeders. 

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11 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Like a lot of others, he was shaking that tail pretty good the first time I approached him. Was much more chill the second time.  Whatever he’s eating, he’s healthy af.  Probably picking off the mice around the feeders. 

Probably.  Mice, birds, eggs, even other snakes.  They are pretty snakes and cool to watch.  

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I like having non-venomous snakes around.  So long as it is not where little kids are playing.

I kill every venomous snake I see.  Just a habit.

Our family place near Navasota for years had copper heads out the ass.  They would eat the cicadas in our flower beds.  Our caretaker would kill 50+ a year minimum just in the flower beds.  Got some cats and kept them around and now we rarely see any.  I hate copper heads because, while not aggressive, they are so damn hard to see.

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17 hours ago, Johnny Sack said:

I like having non-venomous snakes around.  So long as it is not where little kids are playing.

I kill every venomous snake I see.  Just a habit.

Our family place near Navasota for years had copper heads out the ass.  They would eat the cicadas in our flower beds.  Our caretaker would kill 50+ a year minimum just in the flower beds.  Got some cats and kept them around and now we rarely see any.  I hate copper heads because, while not aggressive, they are so damn hard to see.

Cotton Mouths for me.  Hate them.  Only snake I go out of my way to eradicate.

They're just born angry

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Cold front this weekend just might be my saving grace. I guilt tripped the clan about not getting a buck this year. Just little drops here and there. "Well I guess it just wasn't my year." I got out of the annual Christmas lights trip to go hunt. Going to hopefully change my luck. Solo, quiet and efficient.

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