2024 Deer Season

[TroyC]

WV, I want to try your corning recipe now that things have settled a little. Tried to find the Tender Quick or salt peter but no luck. Where do you get yours?

[WV Sawmiller]

  When we moved up her 34 years ago there was no Sunday hunting allowed then eventually the state opened it up to the county to decide. then they opened it to all Sunday hunting on private land with owners permission IIRC. Now it is legal on all public land and private land with owner permission.

  We had 1 and sometimes 2 weeks of rifle season and I was working overseas or out of state at the time so if I was lucky if I got 1 and maybe 2 days of hunting per season. And as often as not it would be raining or blowing sleet on those Saturdays.

Troy,

    I bought mine on line. It is called "Anthony's Premium Curing Salt" but I am sure you will see others listed if you surf the web for Quick Cure, Tender Quick, Curing Salt or Sodium Nitrate/Nitrite.

[Resonator]

Curing salt is also sold as "Prague powder", and will have a pink tint to keep it from being confused with regular table salt.

----------------------
Talked to one of my friends who hunts today, season is ending and all he's gonna be eating is "tag soup".

[thecfarm]

The hunting on Sunday has been tried a few times. 
But land owners say will post the land. We want one day to enjoy our land without a threat of being shot.
Sounds good. 
I have land and just post the road frontage. I could be looking at a tree that I want to cut and someone could shot at a deer in the field and shot right towards me. 

[WV Sawmiller]

Ray,

   Couldn't they do that on any other day of the week too?

   I'm in the camp to let the landowners decide about their land and public land belongs to the public all the time. JMHO.

[thecfarm]

I think what the land owners want is a day to enjoy their land without a threat of hunters. 
Like now I have a Monday-Friday job. So I only have 2 days, Sat and Sunday to work my land all day.

[WV Sawmiller]

    Yes, and your co-workers and counterparts who work all week feel the same way about their recreation - hunting - for the short season they have available. Also parents and grandparents with kids in school only have the weekends to hunt with them so the state cuts their available time doing so in half too if they restrict Sunday hunting. I've been on that side of the fence too.

    I feel it is too often for people trying to legislate morality on others. I think it is an individual decision and am fine with the landowners posting and determining who, when and what others hunt on their land. I post my land to help control/limit use to me and my family.

    I don't blame or find fault with anyone who differs with my opinion but ask them to respect others views too.

[SwampDonkey]

They aren't allowed to shoot off paved traffic roads up here, got to be at least 30 feet off a road. And near a dwelling, athletic field or playground you have to be 400 meters away with a rifle or 200 meters with a shotgun, 100 meters with a bow.

[WV Sawmiller]

Donkey,

   We have similar rules here which restrict shooting a firearm within 500' of a road or building. You are also required to ensure you know your target and what is behind.

   Common sense and hunter safety training classes (required for all hunters below a certain age) would prevent people shooting in an unsafe direction or an uncertain target. I admit common sense is hard to find at times and people don't always remember/follow the safety training.

    Young hunters, too young to need a license or take the safety classes, are required to hunt with a licensed hunter who cannot carry a gun or bow and must remain within reach of the young hunter. I can't think of a better way to train a young hunter or enjoy time with your kids and grandkids.

[YellowHammer]

I finally got mine, after lots of cold mornings and evenings, watching does and letting smaller bucks pass by.  I had seen this 10 point fighting on my game camera, and finally caught up with him.  It took awhile.

If you look at the picture, you will notice I have another "new" pill dispenser.  It's a Benelli Lupo,  300 Win Mag, high grade Walnut Stock, cryogenically stress relieved barrel, with a Hellfire 419 Match muzzle brake.  The rifle came stock from Benelli shooting 0.51 inch (that is not a typo, certified 0.51 for a 3 shot group with factory ammo) certified groups with Fed Gold Medal Match ammo, but as a 300 Win Mag, has a mule kick recoil in such a light rifle.  However, since I had some experience with them, I addd the match muzzle brake, and the recoil is reduced down to half, maybe to an AR level and also improves its accuracy even more to a bughole shooter by timing the brake to the barrel vibration.  Unlike most suppressors, zero increase in blast to the shooter's ear.  Amazing bit of kit.  Actually, rigged as it is, shockingly accurate when I tuned it to 180 gr Hornady ELD-X and with devastating terminal ballistics.

I'm real big on "cold barrel" confirmation before I "believe" in any new hardware and here is the last target I've shot with it, two cold days in a row, one shot, then come back the next day, another shot.  Both into the same hole!  Stock ammo, off my bench at 100 yards.  The grid is 1/2" so only 1 click off, or 1/4" at 100 yards. I didn't shoot the third day for fear of messing up this target.     

[WV Sawmiller]

Robert,

   Congrats on the deer.

   Thanks for the detail on your rifle but you forgot to mention you shot this buck broadside at 27 yards.

[YellowHammer]

I was going to spare the somewhat ordinary details of the shot, but ....

It was about a 1,027 yard chip shot from my stand to the tree line, and the heart is a pretty big target at that range, so I simply dialed the scope up exactly 84.7 inches of elevation, compensated for the 20 mph swirling wind (make that 30 mph), held on the left ventricle of the heart to limit any blood spatter and squeezed off.  No big deal, split the heart in half and the deer died so fast it was still standing up on all four legs when I came back and loaded it in the truck.  All I had to do was give a push to tip it over and it landed right in the bed.  Did I mention I had to use a full size truck bed because it wouldn't into a short bed?

  



  

 

[WV Sawmiller]

   I just asked my wife where she put my rubber boots.

   If you had used a 165 grain jacketed bullet instead of the 180 grain soft point it would probably have just sucked the hide through the exit hole and he would have already been skinned and ready to to fillet when you got there. 

[TroyC]

Hope that deer didn't spoiled before you got to him being that far away. I always load rock salt in my shells just to make sure they don't spoil before I can get to them  

[WV Sawmiller]

Troy,

   Not to worry. Remember Robert had talked about the cold weather so I am sure it was properly chilled for easy butchering.

[Jeff]

Well, I just mailed my 2024 U.P. Firearms season Deer camp Survey. I hunted 9 of the 15 days. I saw a total of of 2 does and 3 fawns. I saw 0 predators, but did see sign.

So season ended as it began. No venison in the Freezer.  I thought this year was the year  If I don't catch that mink they'll be no fish next year either.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I wonder what fried mink tastes like?

[YellowHammer]

If that mink is giving you problems, it's only 971 miles from here to there, so I'll have to adjust my elevation a little, but I'll take him out next time he shows himself.

I still have two bigger bucks on the property, the 10 pointer who whupped this one and broke a tine off, and an 8 point that could saddle Godzilla and ride him until he dropped.

This new Lupo is amazing, if anyone wants a new toy for Christmas, this is the one to get.  I have shot pretty much every bolt action I can get my hands on, from Remington's to Sakos, Tikka's to Brownings,  Bergaras to Weatherby's, and of course my Alamo Precision custom, but without doubt, this is the best shooting, non custom out of the box with factory ammo, by far, that I have ever bought or used.  It has the Super Black Eagle recoil reduction system, and is a chassis based system, so can use composite or it beautiful wood stocks with zero environmental issues.  Fresh out of the box with a new scope on it.  A work of art.    
Here is a video of a lady doing a review on one, at 5 minutes in the video, she put the first 3 shots into the same hole at 100 yards with factory ammo.  Even she was surprised.

I have shot it enough to feel very comfortable, and have no doubts I could pop a squirrel or mink in the head at well over a hundred yards.  This why I needed to put an additional muzzle break on it, it is a 300 Win Mag, after all, and I poured the ammo through it.     

https://youtu.be/CbnAiZyrz4k?feature=shared
     

 

[SwampDonkey]

I'm sure I mentioned it before, but only one buck was seen here all fall and with a doe. All the does around here last summer were dry, no fawns. Hopefully a few fawns next year, but I only saw 7 different does all year. I imagine 3 of them does will become coyote food. I was out to the woodlot over a week ago and saw 3 sets of deer tracks and saw coyote tracks and bear tracks. The deer don't hang out on my place, just pass through and usually on my trails. You can see 100 yards in under them fir trees now, the crowns have lifted. Looks like mature woods now because it was all spaced out a few years ago. But nothing grows under those fir for deer food. Only thing green is moss and a few ground hemlocks and very very few of them.

[WV Sawmiller]

  I am out of buck tags but can still shoot an antlerless deer with a rifle about half of the days remaining between now and the end of the month. There are several 3-4 day antlerless seasons when we can use a rifle. Also I could shoot 2 with a crossbow any day before 31 December or 2 with a a muzzleloader during our 1 week ML season the week after next and there are 2 dree antlerless opportunities 26 & 27 December (Youth/Senior days).

  It was cold but clear this morning so I decided decided to go shoot a doe. The only chances I got were off my front porch when I walked out and there were 3-4 in the pasture 60-70 yards away. I let them live then rode around on my 4 wheeler and spotted 4 up where I parked and could have shot one then but figured I'd wait till they came to my feeder. I took Sampson, my Rat Terrier as that stand has a ramp he can walk up.

  No deer to the feeder so we came home a little after sunset. I am glad I did not shoot one now as I found my outside freezeproof faucet at my skinning station had frozen shut. I suspect it needs an O-ring but will see next week when it warms up.

  To add insult I saw another flag waving at me 80 yards away as I put the 4 wheeler up for the night.

  I suspect I'll have plenty of chances to take a doe or two before the month/season ends.

[ron barnes]

I, also have used my buck tags and have 2 doe tags remaining until 31 December.  We can use any weapon for the does.  Season is 15 Aug-31 Dec.  Hope to get a big doe before season ends.

[Peter Drouin]

Last day of hunting in NH. Just put out #40 lb of hole corn mixt with sunflower seeds and salt lick.

I always wait till the snow comes to do that. I think we have 4".

[Rhodemont]

I have taken a doe almost every year during muzzle loader, and once in a while a buck.  Rhode Island does not allow center fire ammunition for any hunting (except coyote with no bigger than .22 center fire.  Need bigger than .22 for the coyotes I have around!).  So we have muzzle loader and shotgun, you can use muzzle loader during shot gun. Since I sold my place in Vermont my rifles just sit.

 I usually take a doe early Nov when muzzle opens for three weeks.  And if a buck during December shotgun or the reopened muzzle loader couple days at end December.  It was so warm during November I did not hunt and end up with a deer aging while it was 60 degrees.  Maybe I will go out this week.

Side note:  Getting older sucks but does have a few benefits.  Free Rhode Island combined Hunt & Fish license over age 65.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Yeah WV had free licenses for over 65 forever then 10-15 years ago they changed it to so when you hit 65 you pay a one time $25 fee for a permanent senior hunting, fishing and trapping license. That base license allows a deer during Archery, one buck during rifle season and one either sex in ML season. We also have 4 days of youth/senior antlerless days when we can kill an antlerless deer each day that does not count.

    For my local granddaughters I bought them lifetime WV Hunting, Fishing and Trapping licenses for their first birthday. (Infant license prices up to 2 y/o). First GD was $250. Last 2 were $405.50 IIRC. I figure it is an investment so they can hunt and fish with grandpa forever.

[SwampDonkey]

Best memories of hunting and fishing was with grandfather.  Dad wasn't a hunter or much into fishing, any he did was with mom's father when we'd go on little weekend excursions. Father was used to farm work, there was never much time for him to hunt and fish growing up. Pretty much had to take over his father's farm when he was 16. His older brother was 11 years older and had a family by then and a farm of his own. I don't remember him hunting and fishing, ever. Mom's father, grandfather and great grandfather were all hunting/fishing guides. Grandfather ran adds in those American hunting and fishing magazines.