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2022-2023 Hunting Thread


markstanco

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Hunting at our lease outside of Seiling Oklahoma. It is a cold bitch today, still a bit of snow on the ground. Hunting a ladder stand between where the deer leave the wheat fields and go back to bed. Had to come set a pop up blind for my daughter and i to come hunt this weekend, so decided to do some bowhunting while I’m here. 

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Saw on camera what I believe is a prime example of the drought's effects...... for us anyway.

We had a 3.5 / 4.5 yr old main frame long tined 10 with a nice G2 kicker last year that we'd hoped would be really special. 

He's easily identifiable because of a white spot on his hide.

Watch him all last year and knew he'd made it through gun season.

Haven't seen him since February.  He finally showed up last night on camera (I guess the cold and / or rut finally got him out of seclusion).

He's added some mass and his G1/G2/G3 lengths are arguably better, but he lost at least 12" of combined G4 length (nothing more than bumps this year) and his 3" kicker is now just a nub.  He's in good shape physically, and IMO definitely shows at 4.5 yrs now. 

If he'll stay on property and not get himself shot by neighbors (and we have a better weather year) it'll be interesting to see a side by side by side comparison showing the effects of a drought in the middle as he ages into a mature buck.

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Wife has big paper due for her Masters program so I am biting the bullet and watching both kiddos for Friday - Saturday. Which allows me to trade off on Sunday and head out to get some burn piles done in the morning before getting settled around 2-3 in the blind. Plan on hunting Sunday night and all day Monday. 
 

if the deer don’t want to come out and play there has been a coyote issue the past month or so. Need to make them pay for stealing chickens. 

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Was gonna leave tonight but CHIEF Jr. is still in a class giving a presentation. Also, my late father's sister passed, and visitation is tonight. We are leaving in the morning for the lease, in Benjamin, won't be coming back till Monday the 28th.

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CHIEF

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8 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

Good luck breakfast at the only place I’ll eat at when I’m down here. Now it’s time to start the killin’

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It's funny, all the guys I hunt with are from Temple/Killeen/Belton/Salado, they drive 5-5 1/2 hours each week to hunt in Benjamin.

CHIEF

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Gonna head out in the morning with all three stinkies to give momma a break and cruise around on the side by side with them, maybe explore some creek beds, and just do some fun stuff out at our family land. The flintlock is gonna have to chill for a bit, and I'm going to bring along my .243 that is set up for longer range shots as well as my .300 BO for when we are exploring the creek beds in the brush after last weekends monster buck for the property casually crossing the road 250 yards off while I was cruising around with my flintlock episode. Anyhow, the plan is to spend some time with them just hanging out, not really looking for anything, but being ready, and then take them back home to momma in time to get back out for an evening hunt and then another in the morning after spending the night in the camper. After that we'll take the camper home (we are going camping over Thanksgiving break, which looks like it might become a family tradition, so I gotta make sure everything is ready) and head out to the inlaws' place where the middle kid will probably want to go sit in the blind out there with me. 

It's dang near as complicated as sports season just planning time to hunt and balancing family as well when you have young children. I'm just glad I have one who wants to go do that stuff with me at only three years old.

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Rained out this morning in Uvalde.  Glad to have the moisture.   Have lots to do before the entire mob shows up for Tday weekend.   Will have 10 people down for the complete madhouse.  
 

Lots of turkey to eat, whisky to lie and embellish over and tags to fill.  
 

A great time of year. 

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21 hours ago, 686 said:

Got my 10 yr old on her first deer this morning. She spined it, I needed to put a follow up on it but no worries. Saw two coyotes but they were gone before I could get my rifle on one. Saw a half dozen young bucks, one 4.5-5.5 yr old buck that would make antler restrictions but I’m still holding out for a look at the big 10. 33 degrees in Lampasas this morning

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Dia de las muertos. 

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4 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

Those are javelina, correct?  Your native species?  I thought you guys really hated the feral pigs. 

They're native.  For some reason, the State of Texas has deemed them a "game" animal and imposed a bag limit of 2 per year on them.  Bastards show up right after the feeder goes off and clean house.  Unfortunately, that feeder is in a narrow area not conducive to the erection of some hog panels.  I'm taking a chainsaw out there this weekend and am gonna clear an area so I can put some panels up around that feeder and keep those fuckers out and away from the corn.

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6 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

Those are javelina, correct?  Your native species?  I thought you guys really hated the feral pigs. 

Skunk-pigs are like racoons.  Once they find a food source, it's a PITA to get rid of them.  In numbers, they can also deter deer from coming in to the feeder.  I'd smoke as many of them as you can.  

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5 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Skunk-pigs are like racoons.  Once they find a food source, it's a PITA to get rid of them.  In numbers, they can also deter deer from coming in to the feeder.  I'd smoke as many of them as you can.  

This.  You smell them before you see them. 

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22 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Skunk-pigs are like racoons.  Once they find a food source, it's a PITA to get rid of them.  In numbers, they can also deter deer from coming in to the feeder.  I'd smoke as many of them as you can.  

They are dumb.  They will just stand there and let you shoot them.  Unlike hogs who will scatter.

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They're native.  For some reason, the State of Texas has deemed them a "game" animal and imposed a bag limit of 2 per year on them.  Bastards show up right after the feeder goes off and clean house.  Unfortunately, that feeder is in a narrow area not conducive to the erection of some hog panels.  I'm taking a chainsaw out there this weekend and am gonna clear an area so I can put some panels up around that feeder and keep those fuckers out and away from the corn.

Best tamales I’ve ever had were javelina tamales made by the Turcottes (S Tx family friends). I was a kid, had been fishing at their place in Riviera Beach for a coupla days, and they brought 2 dozen, hot and fresh. Goddamn they were amazing. So, that’s something javelina is good for.
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33 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


Best tamales I’ve ever had were javelina tamales made by the Turcottes (S Tx family friends). I was a kid, had been fishing at their place in Riviera Beach for a coupla days, and they brought 2 dozen, hot and fresh. Goddamn they were amazing. So, that’s something javelina is good for.

Where’s the punchline?   
 

I’ve read if you can skin them without the skin ever touching the meat, get the glands out immediately, etc, they can be eaten. I got a friend that eats kingfish too, though, so who knows.  I used to see a TON of them on our place but not in last few years. Was hoping it would be first kill for my oldest, as she was working her way up on calibers to get to “deer sized”.  But they got the memo and disappeared I guess.  

1 hour ago, MalibuSheriff said:

First time hunting back in Oklahoma in about a decade in one of my old spots. No bueno last night but beautiful evening hunting around the shores of Lake Tenkiller.

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Like that Wby. 

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13 minutes ago, Herbie Hancock said:

I eat a lot of weird shit. Sushi, cabrito, calf fries, Allsup’s corn dogs, tripas, lengua to name a few. But under absolutely no circumstance will I eat wild pig. Nastiest gotdamned critters.

Javelina ain’t a pig. It’s a collared peccary. 

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12 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

Me either, it’s my go to. That little 100 grain spirepoint even took down an unexpected Nilgai last year.  The “hits harder” part of Roy’s sell was pretty accurate.  

I shoot my 257 WBY almost exclusively now, and I have a lot of rifles.  Might be the least expensive gun I own too.  Weatherby Vanguard.  It shoots so fine.  I do have good glass on it.

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54 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

I shoot my 257 WBY almost exclusively now, and I have a lot of rifles.  Might be the least expensive gun I own too.  Weatherby Vanguard.  It shoots so fine.  I do have good glass on it.

I have a .257 Vanguard that shoots better than my Mark V’s, so over the last several years, it usually gets the nod. It’s not my absolute most accurate rifle, but it’s easily my most accurate that isn’t a custom job. I have a custom 6.5-06 that will hold that title, probably forever. But the vanguard, for $1000 or whatever is a *damn fine rifle. 

*the action isn’t as glass as my Mark 5’s, pre-64’s, or old Sakos, but what is? 

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4 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

I have a .257 Vanguard that shoots better than my Mark V’s, so over the last several years, it usually gets the nod. It’s not my absolute most accurate rifle, but it’s easily my most accurate that isn’t a custom job. I have a custom 6.5-06 that will hold that title, probably forever. But the vanguard, for $1000 or whatever is a *damn fine rifle. 

*the action isn’t as glass as my Mark 5’s, pre-64’s, or old Sakos, but what is? 

Mine is the old Sub-MOA Vanguard.

I walked in to Sportsman’s Warehouse up in Round Rock in 2008 or so, when they were closing.  Completely unplanned but best gun purchase I’ve ever made.

I’ve got a decent scope but I should upgrade to some really nice glass as it’s all I shoot now.  I’ve got multiple .308s, Sako .270, .243, and others but Vanguard .257 is my go-to.

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4 hours ago, RMac5 said:

I have read that the 257 was Roy’s favorite caliber. It is a death beam for sure.

Here’s an excellent older article on the .257:

https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/ammunition_st257weatherbymagnum_031706/100524

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Through the years Roy used the speedy cartridge quite successfully on game as large as moose and elk, and even the mighty Cape buffalo fell with one shot during one of Roy's many trips to Africa. Declaring war on something as big and potentially nasty as a Cape buffalo with a 100-grain bullet was not something he recommended to others, and Roy did it just once to prove to himself that it could be done.


 

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With the rifle zeroed three inches high at 100 yards, bullets landed an inch high at 300 yards and dead-on my point of aim at 400. Accuracy was minute of angle (MOA) all the way out to that distance. When hunting with that particular rifle and ammunition, I could have held dead-on the vital area of an antelope at any range from just off the toes of my boots all the way out to about 430 yards.

 

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