Hunting ‘23/‘24: Bag ‘em and Tag ‘em

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2718]

10 hours ago, davidg said:

Of course, my dad lived to crack open squirrel heads and eat the brains.

[686 3371]

@Ted Dantzler

Driving to your hunting spot and carrying a loaded firearm are vastly more risky endeavors than butchering/eating with a deer with CWD. Have it tested before consuming it and discard the meat if it’s positive if you want to be very careful. Looks like the state is offering some free testing:

https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD

[BabaYaga 15116]

7 minutes ago, 686 said:

@Ted Dantzler

Driving to your hunting spot and carrying a loaded firearm are vastly more risky endeavors than butchering/eating with a deer with CWD. Have it tested before consuming it and discard the meat if it’s positive if you want to be very careful. Looks like the state is offering some free testing:

https://ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/Big-Game-Information/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-CWD

If any of my buddies left the cabin and entered one of my blinds with a loaded weapon it would be there last trip.  But I get your point.  CWD is not so scary in terms of tainted meat, it's tainted land.  Prions can live in the soil for years and decimate entire herds of healthy animals with a 100% fatality rate.  

[686 3371]

If any of my buddies left the cabin and entered one of my blinds with a loaded weapon it would be there last trip.  But I get your point.  CWD is not so scary in terms of tainted meat, it's tainted land.  Prions can live in the soil for years and decimate entire herds of healthy animals with a 100% fatality rate.  

Yes, CWD is going to suck in terms of herd dynamics. The little “golden age” of huge high scoring bucks we’ve been in (both high fence and free range) may start to decline soon as the number of bucks that reach 5+ starts to decline with increasing CWD prevalence.

Several high fence ranch owners I know are contemplating removing white tails and other cervids that can carry CWD from their property, because: A) they don’t want to deal with it, and B) speculation that future rules around CWD prone animals will lower the cost/benefit ratio below that of non-CWD species (Bovidae: sheep, goats, bison, antelope, oryx, gazelle, addax, eland, Kudu, impala, etc.)

[deadshank 24644]

As I thought, the drive belt done blowed up on me.   

[686 3371]

@deadshank
How much is the replacement going to run you? How many hours were on it?

[Lat22 3941]

32 minutes ago, deadshank said:

As I thought, the drive belt done blowed up on me.   

That's fun to fix when it's 107 degrees.

[Lazarus Bocanegra 303]

23 minutes ago, 686 said:

@deadshank
How much is the replacement going to run you? How many hours were on it?

probably not as much as the clutch on the tractor.  when it rains, it pours

[CHIEF 5035]

Ranger belts run about $132 a pop. I would assume maybe a little less on a Mule with a smaller belt. It takes longer to get the dust cover off on a Ranger then to replace the drive belt.

CHIEF

[CHIEF 5035]

On 8/21/2023 at 4:11 PM, hornmpa96 said:

Just curious - any history with that deer?

I have become a big believer in aging via multiple years of pictures. Obviously, every place is different but if I have a deer blow-up one year, then he’s probably getting a pass. For example, I couldn’t place this deer last year so he got a walk and I’m hoping to see his pictures in this years batch.

I agree with everyone else on the aging based on that pic - he’s at least 4.5.

Everybody started going back through last year's game cam pics, and we found him on another guy's game cam about three-quarters of a mile away.

The spring rains sure were good to him. Looks 3 1/2 last year, gonna say 4 1/2 this year. We are supposed to shoot 5 1/2 and up. I'm just not sure we are going to get the same kind of spring rains in 2024 to make him any bigger. My vote is to let him get shot this year with no repercussions.

 

CHIEF

[deadshank 24644]

57 minutes ago, 686 said:

@deadshank
How much is the replacement going to run you? How many hours were on it?

Don’t know. My guy is beyond reasonable.  
 

2nd replacement on a 2005.  Lots of hours.  
 

1st replacement was due to my own dumbassery overloaded in awful mud. 

[hornmpa96 2516]

3 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

Everybody started going back through last year's game cam pics, and we found him on another guy's game cam about three-quarters of a mile away.

The spring rains sure were good to him. Looks 3 1/2 last year, gonna say 4 1/2 this year. We are supposed to shoot 5 1/2 and up. I'm just not sure we are going to get the same kind of spring rains in 2024 to make him any bigger. My vote is to let him get shot this year with no repercussions.

 

CHIEF

He made a nice leap this year. Great looking deer!

[CHIEF 5035]

Last year:

 

To this year, just to ba able to see them side by side:

Just to get a comparison on what adequate rainfall and plenty of protein can do.

CHIEF

[DalTxHornFan 3066]

34 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

Last year:

 

To this year, just to ba able to see them side by side:

Just to get a comparison on what adequate rainfall and plenty of protein can do.

CHIEF

Freakishly impressive!

[686 3371]

What a great deer. @CHIEF hope you guys get your hands on him.

I need to get some cameras put out. Maybe this weekend.

[BabaYaga 15116]

15 hours ago, deadshank said:

Don’t know. My guy is beyond reasonable.  
 

2nd replacement on a 2005.  Lots of hours.  
 

1st replacement was due to my own dumbassery overloaded in awful mud. 

Brothers in hold-my-beer idiocracy!

[CHIEF 5035]

Back on the subject of feeders. Has anyone used a 70/30 percent blend of corn to soybeans? I used a couple of sacks in my road feeder last year, and the deer ate it up. Had a buddy try it in his feeder, in the feed pen, and they kind of ignored it. Anyone had any luck on getting them to eat it?

CHIEF

[BabaYaga 15116]

2 hours ago, CHIEF said:

Back on the subject of feeders. Has anyone used a 70/30 percent blend of corn to soybeans? I used a couple of sacks in my road feeder last year, and the deer ate it up. Had a buddy try it in his feeder, in the feed pen, and they kind of ignored it. Anyone had any luck on getting them to eat it?

CHIEF

Tell you buddy his deer are a bunch of poons

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2718]

If any of my buddies left the cabin and entered one of my blinds with a loaded weapon it would be there last trip.

Really? We have about 500-1500 yard walk to our various blinds. We leave the trailer locked and loaded as we’ve shot many a hog on the way to the blinds.
Now for deer it’s a different story.

[Handcruser 2799]

Really? We have about 500-1500 yard walk to our various blinds. We leave the trailer locked and loaded as we’ve shot many a hog on the way to the blinds.
Now for deer it’s a different story.

Yup. I walk out the door hot as fuck.

[Storm the Field 5239]

Less than a week until hunting season officially begins, at least North of I-10. This time next weekend, this thread better have pics of dove laying on tailgates, dogs, and beer cans. 

Arguably a good thing that it's not this weekend, as there'd probably be a a bunch of heat-related hunting deaths. Old men just keeling over out in sunflower fields. 

I've got a big hunt coming up for South Zone opener 3 weekends from now. No current plans for Labor Day at the moment, so thinking about making a quick run to the deer lease and seeing if I can luck into some white wings on Saturday. Saw plenty while we were driving around out there 2 weekends ago, but there hasn't been water in the "watering hole" for 2 years now and there aren't really any proper fields (it's timber property, not a farm/ranch), so there's no particular spot to set up in. Would have to get lucky and catch some flying over the clearing around the camp-house area. Beats sitting at home, I guess. 

Just remembered I need to go swing by Academy this weekend and renew my super combo. 

[Speedtrucker 2057]

Really? We have about 500-1500 yard walk to our various blinds. We leave the trailer locked and loaded as we’ve shot many a hog on the way to the blinds.
Now for deer it’s a different story.

Yeah our walk is between 200-1000 walks from my front gate to the 4 stands. The morning walk in and the sunset walk out are locked and loaded, safeties on. Although whomever sits in the middle stand usually doesn’t and will carry a sidearm. We have hogs that like to come out and hit the feeders predawn and post sunset.

[DalTxHornFan 3066]

4 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Just remembered I need to go swing by Academy this weekend and renew my super combo. 

Thanks for the reminder.  I just renewed mine online. 

I'm still a Luddite at heart, though.  I asked them to send me a paper license.  I don't trust those new-fangled digital tags.

[williemackgarza 1826]

I tried the digital license last year. Was a huge pain in the ass. I tried to report a deer kill up in the panhandle where I didnt have cell service. With no cell servic. The app is supposed to let you enter basic info if uou have no service just in case the Gw checks u. I couldnt enter shit. When I finally got cell service the pis app still wouldnt load anything so I couldntvreport it. I got to the house and when I got on wifi I was able to load it. One other thing is when I entered the info it has a Gps system that asked me to set a point in tbe location of the kill. The paper just asks for Ranch Name, date and county. I didnt really like it because it gives the state pinpoint info on where deer could be.
I was glad we didnt run into a game warden after the kill as we had an untagged and unteported kill.
Another buddy told me his app locked up while entering info and when he rebooted his phone, the app made him reenter his info. Later he noticed he had 2 deer killed on his app losing a tag.
Pain in the ass
I went with a paper license this year

[DalTxHornFan 3066]

13 minutes ago, williemackgarza said:

I tried the digital license last year. Was a huge pain in the ass. I tried to report a deer kill up in the panhandle where I didnt have cell service. With no cell servic. The app is supposed to let you enter basic info if uou have no service just in case the Gw checks u. I couldnt enter shit. When I finally got cell service the pis app still wouldnt load anything so I couldntvreport it. I got to the house and when I got on wifi I was able to load it. One other thing is when I entered the info it has a Gps system that asked me to set a point in tbe location of the kill. The paper just asks for Ranch Name, date and county. I didnt really like it because it gives the state pinpoint info on where deer could be.
I was glad we didnt run into a game warden after the kill as we had an untagged and unteported kill.
Another buddy told me his app locked up while entering info and when he rebooted his phone, the app made him reenter his info. Later he noticed he had 2 deer killed on his app losing a tag.
Pain in the ass
I went with a paper license this year

That's where I'm coming from.  Cell is really spotty out at our place, plus fucking around on a cell phone with bloody hands is less than ideal.  I hadn't even thought about the GPS and privacy considerations.

Hard pass.

[DalTxHornFan 3066]

On 8/24/2023 at 8:48 AM, BabaYaga said:

If any of my buddies left the cabin and entered one of my blinds with a loaded weapon it would be there last trip.   

All of our guns are always loaded and are treated as such.  They are rather useless when they are not loaded.

[fattyflattie 4631]

I’m team unload the rifle from the hard case while in the blind.   Any pigs encountered either get it from the truck gun or a pass.  Sorry, most of my stuff has too nice of wood for that shit. 

[markstanco 12424]

Went to check out the millet and sorghum today. Groceries for ducks is looking goooooooood.

[markstanco 12424]

[686 3371]

Went to check on some things at our place and saw the hen that is bringing up her poults about 300 yards off the front porch of the house. Saw lots of does and fawns, not many doves though.

[Herbie Hancock 7270]

Dove are moving pretty well between Abilene and Coleman. Not much traffic in the morning but it picks up massively in the evening

[Kennythetiger 9273]

7 hours ago, 686 said:

Went to check on some things at our place and saw the hen that is bringing up her poults about 300 yards off the front porch of the house. Saw lots of does and fawns, not many doves though.

I have a hen that brings her seven chicks into my front yard every day for water. I make sure there’s always something in her dish before I leave for the day. 

[Kennythetiger 9273]

13 hours ago, DalTxHornFan said:

All of our guns are always loaded and are treated as such.  They are rather useless when they are not loaded.

I unchamber in my vehicle and ask everyone else to do the same. 

[Herbie Hancock 7270]

I've worked two hunting accidents and personally know of a third. None ended well. All 3 could have been avoided if things had been done differently, most notably not carrying around a loaded rifle. A rifle is not the same as concealed carrying a pistol. I've been hunting my entire life and never found a reason to have a round chambered when traversing about.

[Lat22 3941]

I hunt in Brooks County when you never know what you might run into in the brush. My bolt action might not always be chambered but the AR that I always have with me is. 
 

Just kidding. We know exactly what we might run into. 

[CHIEF 5035]

We always have a round chambered in the bolt guns, but the firing pin is not activated. I don't trust safeties. It is this way in the stand as well. You have to raise and lower the bolt before the gun will fire, which takes conscious effort.

CHIEF

[hookemATL 11496]

My guns are always loaded. Don’t believe it? Try me. 

[markstanco 12424]

I unchamber in my vehicle and ask everyone else to do the same. 

Similar at my place. On the lease roads (private of course) we keep a bolt gun loaded in case of a pig but unload when we go through the gate on to the county road. No reason for a loaded rifle on public roads. Pistols are treated differently.

[686 3371]

My dad bought this gun about 35 years ago. He never cleans guns, but luckily for me he doesn’t use them much either. I’m borrowing this off of him for a skeet shoot, and I may dove hunt with it as well. It was filthy by my standards, but nice and clean and protected now.



I’ve always liked the action on this gun, not too tight, not too loose, top locking mechanism is rock solid.



Weatherby Orion

[deadshank 24644]

31 minutes ago, 686 said:

My dad bought this gun about 35 years ago. He never cleans guns, but luckily for me he doesn’t use them much either. I’m borrowing this off of him for a skeet shoot, and I may dove hunt with it as well. It was filthy by my standards, but nice and clean and protected now.



I’ve always liked the action on this gun, not too tight, not too loose, top locking mechanism is rock solid.



Weatherby Orion

That’s a nice rig. 

[Lat22 3941]

1 hour ago, 686 said:

Weatherby Orion

Dang. I was about to say “username checks out”. 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4956]

I don't like walking to the stand before daylight when I can't see well enough to walk quietly, So I generally head out as soon as it starts getting light. I'm not going to risk missing a shot at something because I wasn't ready to take it, so I always carry my gun ready to go with the safety on (if I'm carrying a gun with a safety. I hunt old school a lot, so sometimes half cock is the only safety). I can't sit in a stand all day long, so I usually end up still hunting late morning until it's time to head back to camp and rest up for the evening hunt. Now, if I'm hunting in some sort of elevated stand, I will make sure there isn't a round int the chamber or there is no primer in the pan until I am in position.

[686 3371]

Dang. I was about to say “username checks out”. 

Haha - Beretta 686’s are great too, although a buddy (who wasn’t much of a hunter/gun guy) had one that occasionally would hang up after you fired the first barrel. You would pull the trigger a few more times thinking “WTH is going on here?” and then “Boom!” I told him he needed to take it in immediately, hope he did.

My username is an homage to my Smith & Wesson 686, a great wheel gun.

[crimsonlonghorn 2299]

7 hours ago, 686 said:

Haha - Beretta 686’s are great too, although a buddy (who wasn’t much of a hunter/gun guy) had one that occasionally would hang up after you fired the first barrel. You would pull the trigger a few more times thinking “WTH is going on here?” and then “Boom!” I told him he needed to take it in immediately, hope he did.

My username is an homage to my Smith & Wesson 686, a great wheel gun.

My man.

[markstanco 12424]

9 hours ago, 686 said:

My username is an homage to my Smith & Wesson 686, a great wheel gun.

Ive got one in .44 with exhaust ports (or whatever the terminology is) on each side of the barrel.

 

[Speedtrucker 2057]

Yeah I should add, we have 3 AR-10s and 1 bolt. The bolt gun user is the one who Carrie’s a sidearm because he does baby his rifle and doesn’t load up till he’s in his stand.

So our walks with safeties on is with AR-10s. Which we all have been doing for prior work for years…

[BabaYaga 15116]

On 8/25/2023 at 7:16 PM, T’Boo Ted Marshall said:

Really? We have about 500-1500 yard walk to our various blinds. We leave the trailer locked and loaded as we’ve shot many a hog on the way to the blinds.
Now for deer it’s a different story.

Talking deer.  For some reason we have zero pigs.  They're in the northern part of Coleman county where there are live oaks, but our area is all mesquite and pear patches.  

[CHIEF 5035]

18 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Talking deer.  For some reason we have zero pigs.  They're in the northern part of Coleman county where there are live oaks, but our area is all mesquite and pear patches.  

Just remember, there are two kinds of people in this World, those with hogs, and those that will eventually have hogs.

CHIEF

[BabaYaga 15116]

24 minutes ago, CHIEF said:

Just remember, there are two kinds of people in this World, those with hogs, and those that will eventually have hogs.

CHIEF

Just not sure what they'd eat?  I could see them passing through looking for water, but a sounder would struggle out there to keep up their numbers.

[Frank Drebin 5359]

I keep my rifle in a case and don't load up until I am in my stand. 

Riding around I have my AR, but do not chamber a round unless I am about to shoot.