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Hunting ‘23/‘24: Bag ‘em and Tag ‘em


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17 hours ago, HOOKEM4 said:

Wife in the school pickup line saw this horny fucker. 5 min later and it could have been disaster if kids were walking that strip like normal. 

 

 

Pretty sure I'd die after jumping out of the truck, wrestling him to the ground, and getting impaled through the face

Worth it

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I was out for a walk in my neighborhood the other day and saw some dumbassery. Noticed some deer back behind a house and then realized they were eating out of a protein feeder that was tucked into the trees. These are around 0.2 acre lots in a subdivision. No way this guy is shooting anything with where it was located, not even bow. Just feeding city deer protein. Insanity.

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35 minutes ago, HOOKEM4 said:

I was out for a walk in my neighborhood the other day and saw some dumbassery. Noticed some deer back behind a house and then realized they were eating out of a protein feeder that was tucked into the trees. These are around 0.2 acre lots in a subdivision. No way this guy is shooting anything with where it was located, not even bow. Just feeding city deer protein. Insanity.

Lots of hill country B&Bs do this to enhance the scenery.  I woke up early one morning and hand fed a bunch of does Doritos until I ran out.  Could have beaned any number of them with a rock.   

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On 11/6/2023 at 11:03 AM, Storm the Field said:

Not great photo quality, but here's the 8 I saw Saturday morning.

IMG_5095.thumb.jpg.7d1cab293be5817261525e2cd87eff1b.jpg

 

Well, proud to report that our hard work over the Summer getting the lease into shape paid off this past weekend....for one of the other members that only spends 1 night a year out at the lease. Guy shot a nice, big body 8 on Sunday morning. Best buck taken on the property in several years. 

Don't think it was the same deer I saw on Opening Morning, because the pics he sent looked like a much bigger body. Still, the thought keeps nagging at me.

Gonna head up again the day before Thanksgiving and get in a hunt that evening and next morning before joining family. I really want to take a 3+ day trip at some point, but just hasn't been working with my schedule lately, so have to settle for quick trips. Might try and block out some time at very end of season in that space between Xmas and NYE.

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Explain this? 

Serious answer to a rhetorical question: My hunting partner hasn’t been able to find his wallet all day (Haha). He Doesn’t remember what happened to it after his second drink at the Mexican restaurant we stopped at last night on the way back through town after packing out his buck. A potentially related topic: He can’t sleep on the ground as well as I can. I’m no Mick Dundee, but I like to take naps during hunting days when we’re out in the wilderness. He can’t. After a pack lunch, I like to find a spot with the appropriate sun/shade blend for the air temp and get a good nap. Keeps me able to function on short sleep at night for several days in a row, and puts me in a focused place for the evening hunt. Ruark had a line in The Old Man and the Boy about “taking an afternoon nap in the shade when anything in it’s right mind would be laying low out of the heat” or something similar. There aren’t any fire ants, chiggers, ticks, etc. where we hunt in the mountains, so my favorite naps of all time look like this:

bec0dd579c8402b85f2c1de8ab6235af.jpg
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7 hours ago, williemackgarza said:

de5829dd2f15cad493fa52cc368349db.jpg
Also up in the panhandle, caught this guy out in the open chasing does. Set up on a ridge overlooking the mesquite flat he went in to. He ran off and sat behind a pushed over cedar. I could only see his head and 1/2 his rack. We waited 3 hours for him to stand up. Finslly did and I dropped him right there. 28 Nosler with 180gr VLD-H did the trick.
He was a toad. Sorry for the bloody pic. We cut the tounge and wiped him up but he was still bleefing at pic time as we were trying to beat the darkness.

That is a great buck.  Please post close up pics of his antlers so we can see the character and nuance. 
 

Also, guts-in weight?   Age?   Wet score?

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Thanks Fattie.
Shank, we dont weigh them anymore but both were prolly close to 190-200 pounds pre dressed weight.
They have big red whitetail which are similar in size to northern deer ala kansas. These were red deer. The smaller gray deer we have are more like big texas whitetails.
The smaller compact 10 with all the trash scored right at 148 with only a 13” spread. His terth were ground down to nubs. He was we figured 10+.
Big deer scored 163 and change. His teeth showed alot of wear. We thought he was 7 years old.
No feeders on this ranch. Just spot and stalk. You see one you like you gotta figure out how to go and get him. Pretty cool way to hunt.
With this big country you gotta be ready for 50 yard to 400 yard plus shots, if your comfortable with tjose long shots. The narrow 10 we rattled back to 50 yards and put on thru the base if his neck.
That wide buck we spotted him bedding down next to a cedar pile around 790 yards aeay. We hiked in behind stop a ridge. We could only see his head and part of his rack. Set up prone at 420 yards. We waited 3 hours for him to stand. He got up facing straight away from me. Had a decision to make as he looked like he was gonna bolt. The 28 nosler with 180gr vld-h did the trick as he dropped in his tracks.

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1 hour ago, williemackgarza said:

Thanks Fattie.
Shank, we dont weigh them anymore but both were prolly close to 190-200 pounds pre dressed weight.
They have big red whitetail which are similar in size to northern deer ala kansas. These were red deer. The smaller gray deer we have are more like big texas whitetails.
The smaller compact 10 with all the trash scored right at 148 with only a 13” spread. His terth were ground down to nubs. He was we figured 10+.
Big deer scored 163 and change. His teeth showed alot of wear. We thought he was 7 years old.
No feeders on this ranch. Just spot and stalk. You see one you like you gotta figure out how to go and get him. Pretty cool way to hunt.
With this big country you gotta be ready for 50 yard to 400 yard plus shots, if your comfortable with tjose long shots. The narrow 10 we rattled back to 50 yards and put on thru the base if his neck.
That wide buck we spotted him bedding down next to a cedar pile around 790 yards aeay. We hiked in behind stop a ridge. We could only see his head and part of his rack. Set up prone at 420 yards. We waited 3 hours for him to stand. He got up facing straight away from me. Had a decision to make as he looked like he was gonna bolt. The 28 nosler with 180gr vld-h did the trick as he dropped in his tracks.

Thanks for the report.  You earned it. 

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Out refilling corn feeders and ran across this.  The guilty party copped to it.  It was a member’s guest that knew his rifle wasn’t sighted in very well (not at all apparently) but decided to give it a go anyhow and shoot at a pig right next to the feeder. 
 

Maintenance will fix it over Tday weekend.  
 

Big dummy.  

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2 hours ago, deadshank said:

Out refilling corn feeders and ran across this.  The guilty party copped to it.  It was a member’s guest that knew his rifle wasn’t sighted in very well (not at all apparently) but decided to give it a go anyhow and shoot at a pig right next to the feeder. 
 

Maintenance will fix it over Tday weekend.  
 

Big dummy.  

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Not the worst guest story I've heard.  We had one that decided it would be cool to try and shoot some doves off of a high power line that crossed our lease.  (Narrator:  It was not cool, and he ended up writing a big check.)

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3 hours ago, deadshank said:

Out refilling corn feeders and ran across this.  The guilty party copped to it.  It was a member’s guest that knew his rifle wasn’t sighted in very well (not at all apparently) but decided to give it a go anyhow and shoot at a pig right next to the feeder. 
 

Maintenance will fix it over Tday weekend.  
 

Big dummy.  

IMG_9063.jpeg

IMG_9062.jpeg

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Looks like a second hole on that seam.  Good thing about dumb steel feeders, nothing a 7018 can’t patch right up. I have same feeders, yet to put a hole thru one tho…

Worst thing that’s been hit on our place was a gas pipeline riser by one of the members kids.  Oof. 

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3 hours ago, ChickenNuggets said:

Shot this cull buck Saturday morning.. great day of hunting and football. 

image.thumb.jpeg.e79f56584391305e69c782e41e7a371c.jpeg

Caracara flew in to see about stealing it... 

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gutted, skinned, and butchered before 9... good day

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Cool little acorn on that 2.  Nice cull.  That’s a solid mgt for us (and similar to one I took opening weekend) 

Edited by fattyflattie
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4 minutes ago, 686 said:


This is a fantastic buck man. I’m assuming high fence? If this is low fence, really need to get it officially scored. Did the taxi score it?

100% low fence / free range. Deep woods bottom land along the Saline River. These bucks are super secretive and show up about every 5 years or so…

Waiting on dry time to officially score.

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5 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Well now there is no way in hell I am posting my buck from yesterday, lol. I’ll hold out for one of the food threads. 
 

 

No shit. I just got time to edit a few pics and got the euro back etc.   May just have to hold on for a cold spell or when we’re jonesing out of season or something.  

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16 hours ago, 686 said:

Good stuff @HOOKEM4

I got the 13y.o. In the blind tonight and we saw some good eating pigs, but she got worked up and missed the shot on one of them

3059042e3345ed2b21a281f980789b4b.jpg

My kids know dad misses most piggies. That's what they say atleast.  I have killed a bunch but I'll be damned if I  dont miss my fair share at 11pm 5 hours of drinking later. 🤣 

I am just glad kids are out trying. I worry about this generation. I guess I am just old man yelling at clouds, but we need less tic tok and more people learning to live off the land. 

I had the best week. My boys helped me dig a waterline by hand in sloppy soil, we got two deer, they helped stoke the fire on a pork shoulder for 12 hours and I can't remember one complaint. They did beat the shit out of each other playing basketball/football/baseball all week, but hell that is expected. I have hope they can be stewards when I am gone. 

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

LETS FUCK UP TCEH.

Hook'em!

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Is your blind on top of a skyscraper?

That blind is on a 12’ tower and is set on a limestone knob overlooking a hillside and a pond. The ranch is on a high spot in general - rain that falls on the east side of the ranch runs to the Brazos, and that which falls on the west runs to the Colorado.

Things have really greened up, my food plots have sprouted and the deer would rather be in the fields than at the feeders.
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7 minutes ago, 686 said:


That blind is on a 12’ tower and is set on a limestone knob overlooking a hillside and a pond. The ranch is on a high spot in general - rain that falls on the east side of the ranch runs to the Brazos, and that which falls on the west runs to the Colorado.

Things have really greened up, my food plots have sprouted and the deer would rather be in the fields than at the feeders.

 

May I have the pleasure of introducing my similar aged son to your daughter when the time is right? 

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May I have the pleasure of introducing my similar aged son to your daughter when the time is right? 

Haha hell yeah. I was just thinking earlier today that I need some more bros out there. My dad and I are outnumbered 4-2 typically. My 11 y.o. daughter was complaining tonight that I “made” her drive the skid steer loader awhile back to help me with some stuff, and I couldn’t help think to myself, “if I had sons I wouldn’t be able to get them off of this equipment/to stop doing ranch work…”

Hopefully they bring some decent boyfriends/sons in law around that are interested in what I do.
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With the absolute tornado of my life (wife getting masters, kids sick as fuck last 2 weeks, work kicking my ass with executions of upcoming projects/travel), I’ve had next to no time to get out and fill feeders and generally scout my hunting area. I was finally able to go a check on things since I was out for thanksgiving, and far as I can tell the deer population on our little section of Bastrop County has done remarkably well despite a ridiculous summer.

I have a long stretch of time off coming up from mid dec thru the first week of jan so I am hoping to make up for lost time and finally bag a buck for the first time in several years. 
 

for you experts, any idea on age of this one?  I’m low fence and not a huge tract of land, so this is about as good as it gets out my way. Apologies for the shit photo, didn’t get chance to put images to my desktop. 

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21 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

With the absolute tornado of my life (wife getting masters, kids sick as fuck last 2 weeks, work kicking my ass with executions of upcoming projects/travel), I’ve had next to no time to get out and fill feeders and generally scout my hunting area. I was finally able to go a check on things since I was out for thanksgiving, and far as I can tell the deer population on our little section of Bastrop County has done remarkably well despite a ridiculous summer.

I have a long stretch of time off coming up from mid dec thru the first week of jan so I am hoping to make up for lost time and finally bag a buck for the first time in several years. 
 

for you experts, any idea on age of this one?  I’m low fence and not a huge tract of land, so this is about as good as it gets out my way. Apologies for the shit photo, didn’t get chance to put images to my desktop. 

IMG_7423.jpeg

IMG_7413.jpeg

Nice deer.  The head looks pretty old.  IDK if it is just the pic, but he doesn't seem to have the belly sag that our lease looks for before we take out a trophy deer.  You know your ranch better than I do,  but I'd most likely pull the trigger on this guy in Bastrop County.

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28 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Nice deer.  The head looks pretty old.  IDK if it is just the pic, but he doesn't seem to have the belly sag that our lease looks for before we take out a trophy deer.  You know your ranch better than I do,  but I'd most likely pull the trigger on this guy in Bastrop County.

Thanks!  I’m trying to get my Aussie buddy on a deer as well but I don’t think I can pass this one up for myself if I get a chance. 

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9 hours ago, hookemATL said:

With the absolute tornado of my life (wife getting masters, kids sick as fuck last 2 weeks, work kicking my ass with executions of upcoming projects/travel), I’ve had next to no time to get out and fill feeders and generally scout my hunting area. I was finally able to go a check on things since I was out for thanksgiving, and far as I can tell the deer population on our little section of Bastrop County has done remarkably well despite a ridiculous summer.

I have a long stretch of time off coming up from mid dec thru the first week of jan so I am hoping to make up for lost time and finally bag a buck for the first time in several years. 
 

for you experts, any idea on age of this one?  I’m low fence and not a huge tract of land, so this is about as good as it gets out my way. Apologies for the shit photo, didn’t get chance to put images to my desktop. 

IMG_7423.jpeg

IMG_7413.jpeg

I’d like to hear what posters more experienced put out in age, but that deer would get got on sight on my low fence small acreage tract. 

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