WV Archery season opens a week from tomorrow. Crossbows are legal for our archery season. I already have 2 feeders out encouraging the deer to visit my shooting houses at dawn and dusk. There appears to be plenty of mast in the woods this year so the deer don't need the corn but it is kind of like going to get an ice cream cone after dinner.
I dug out my Killer Instinct 415 crossbow and took it out to sight it in. It is not an expensive crossbow but it works well for my needs. I dug my target and a couple of practice bolts out of the stall in the barn. I set it up and grabbed my tape measure and remeasured and marked the adjacent fence with pieces of hay strings at 5 yard increments.
I dragged out and patched up a nearby sawhorse I've used for sighting in purposes before and tightened and added a few nails and an end brace and pulled out an old 5 gallon bucket for a seat.
I waxed the rails and string and pulled back the string only to find the locking pin did not engage. I went back in the house and returned with my hand crank and cranked the string back and fiddled with the locking pin till it engaged. I guess the wax build up on it had it stuck in the up position. After that I was able to pull the string with my rope cocker.
I set up at the 30 yard mark and shot a couple of test bolts which hit a little low and to the right so I started playing with the windage and elevation setting on the 4 power scope. Pretty soon I had it on target. When done I tried a couple of shots from the 40 yard mark and they also hit directly on the mark. I tried a couple from 20 yard mark and found they hit about an inch high so I'm fine for that for the areas I hunt.
I bought about 50 bags for 1 lb rolls for ground meat last week from a local Rural King and got the hog rings and pliers to install them so I am ready to butcher anything I kill.
Now its just a matter of waiting and watching the weather and such.
I took a broken fuel tank holder from my mill to be welded yesterday and picked it up a couple hours ago. About half a mile before I got home I spotted a nice little 4-6 point buck in a neighbor's yard by their trailer. The lady was standing about 20' away with something in her hand. I don't know if it was a phone or camera or food she was feeding it. If its a pet I hope she puts an ear tag on it or a n orange collar so nobody shoots it. I'd sure shoot one like that and it is easily close enough to my home hunting area to come up but I would not shoot a pet if I knew it.
They are all wild in WI, no pets.
Around here by law they are wild too but it is common for people to start feeding them or adopt a fawn. DNR will not give out permits for them. We had one years ago and I had an orange collar on her. She ran up and played with the other deer from day one but would come to us for her bottle or treats. We did not pen her up. Her mom got killed by a car when she was about the size of a cat and we had goats so milked the goats and fed her from a bottle. I went up in antlerless season and a yearling jumped up and a shot it then Spot jumped up about 30' away from where she had been playing with it. I felt bad and would not have shot it if I'd see her with it but when I gave her an apple or fortune cookie she forgave me.
I finally made time to go hunting this morning. I took my crossbow and went to my original shooting house. It is built into a bank overlooking a wide bench several hundred yards long and nearly 100 yards wide. I parked my ATV in the pasture and fought my way up the muddy slope to the bench. By my walking light I spotted at least 4 does/yearlings/fawns on the bench less than 1100 yards from the shooting house. They drifted away but were not alarmed. I climbed the last slope to the shooting house and unzipped my crossbow case and set up to hunt. Legal shooting light was 6:49 with daylight at 7:19 am. Just after 7:00 and old doe started sounding the alarm. I could see her flag 60-100 yards away as she she and her brood moved in in the dim light. She finally calmed down and the corn stealing doves started flying in about 3 minutes before my feeder went off at 7:30. Sever looked like they were about to light on my windows and I was hoping to grab a couple and wring some necks but they shied away before they got in reach.
I got my book out when it was light enough and started reading. At 8:30 I looked down and 2 spikes had ghosted in from somewhere, They fed on the corn and often were directly under me. They had decent spikes but were real small. Since I am a meat hunter the antlers did not matter to me but they were not big enough to excite me although I did figure Id harvest one. Before I did they started acting skittish then drifted off before I could shoot the larger one. About 9:20 I looked down and a doe had appeared. She looked nearly as big as the spike and I just let her feed then leave in peace.
I stayed on and finished my book about noon and came on home. I'll go back later this week after the Paul Bunyan show and maybe collect one of the spikes or their daddy.
Here in Aiken County SC, the deer processors are without power so they are closed. I can't process my own so I will wait until later to get some venison.
Ron,
My son used a family friend for 2 of his last year. I think he paid about $100 each. I still do mine but it is more tempting every year. I may shoot one this weekend or early next week if the situation permits.
IIRC the deer season along the coast in SC when I was there started August 15. Way too early for me to go fight the skeeters, deer flies and assort poisonous vipers in the area.
Take care and have a very enjoyable season
We got back from the PBS last night and got unpacked and set the clock to get up and go chase our local deer this morning. I got set up in my blind/shooting house. The doves started coming in and stealing my corn when the feeder went off at 7:30. About 8:00 the doves all flushed and flew off. I looked and a hawk had lit on a limb 50-60 yards away. The doves and a squirrel that had also been below had disappeared. The hawk flew away before I could get my camera ready.
A little after 8:30 I saw two spikes headed my way. They were the same 2 I saw the last time I went there last week and about the same time of day. They came to my feeder and started enjoying the corn. They were not big deer but one looked a little bigger and kept pushing the other one around. About the time they got settled a doe came up from the same direction and she started feeding. The spikes seemed to ignore her.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_4145.JPG)
Here is the larger spike feeding. I let them feed about 10 minutes watching behind and around and especially watching them to see if they spotted anything else coming but they did not so I decided to go ahead and harvest this one. The biggest problem was most of the time he was about 5 yards in front of and directly underneath me. He finally drifted to the side 10-15 yards away. I got my crosshairs on my crossbow scope behind his R leg and aimed a little low because he was so close. I shot and he ran right and the other two ran left. All of them stopped after 30-40 yards and kept looking around.
Mine seemed confused and I began to wonder if he was even hit then he just crumpled beside the ATV trail. The other 2 moseyed over and seemed confused that would not get up. They went back to feeding and drifted off. None of them ever seemed very alarmed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_4146.JPG)
I wrote out a field tag, packed up and walked over to look for my arrow/bolt. I found it sticking in a punky log about 6" in diameter. I tried pulling it out but no joy. I tried twisting and was able to unscrew the point and left it in the log. It's no doubt ruined anyway and was not an expensive point. (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_4147.JPG)
I walked over to the deer and here is how he fell. The entrance and exit holes look the same. I used the winch and a handy maple fork to load him in the ATV basket. It is amazing how much harder it is to load a loose floppy deer, even a small one like this, than it used to be a few years ago. (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_4148.JPG)
I took him home, called the WV DNR Game check number and checked him in then went down and hung him on my game skinning rack, weighed him then skinned and quartered and partially butchered him. He weighed 108 lbs on my spring scales and is about the same size as a typical grown doe around here. BTW - that's live weight as I never field dress my deer because I am so close and they are much easier to skin and process intact and fresh.
It was so warm and the yellow jackets are so bad I pulled the loins, tenderloin, and brisket and put them in a corning solution where they will stay in the fridge downstairs for 5-7 days. There was about 8lbs of them after I trimmed them up. The hams, shoulder, neck and the trimmings I salvaged so far are in the fridge in my log barn. I'll do some more de-boning tonight and get some pork Boston butt and grind them together and make 1 lb rolls out of the rest.
I ain't gonna win no speed records for cutting up meat. I finished deboning the shoulders and neck Saturday night and finished the hams and a 10 lb pork roast last night. I do try to trim them a lot closer out of fat and silverskin than is probably necessary and more than what most people do.
Now I just need to cube it and put the met in shallow trays in the freezer for an hour or so then grind it. I understand meat grinds much better if about half frozen. I'll packager the burger in 1 lb rolls.
EDIT: Well the grinder worked good and we used the stuffer to fill the bags. I think it was 37 lbs of meat but we overstuffed the bags I guess and ended up with 29 bags. Net time I'm going to dig out my bigger stuffer tunnel and see if that makes the process go faster.
I have been a few mornings but all I have seen is a doe with a pair of this years fawns. The fawns are too young for me to shoot the momma so they get a lot of corn. Monday I spotted a buck with the binoculars, looked pretty good but he was gone before I could get the scope on him. Another day.
Yesterday was the start of our 2 week long Rifle Buck season. We also have a concurrent antlerless season on-going. I bet I heard 50 shots go off within hearing of my place throughout the day with 15 or so during the half hour before daylight. I did not see any bucks and only one big doe and her fawn/yearling that busted me and informed the whole world at 4:00 pm.
Sunday I had gone up there with my crossbow and saw one nice buck in the distance who looked to be cruising his scrapes and one healthy 3 point at my feeder who would never give me a decent broadside or quartering away shot.
This morning I did not see any deer but I went back up and the 3 point came back out when my feeder went off at 4:00. He must have smelled me as I had added more corn to the feeder and left my field expedient walking staff leaning on a tree under the feeder. Anyway the deer was on alert and looked to be leaving the area when I made an amazing shot to his right side vital from about 20 yards. :thumbsup: He bucked and ran about 30 yards and dropped dead.
I dragged him about 400 yards to my 4 wheeler then dragged him behind it to my barn and loaded him on my little cart and took him to my skinning rack behind my boatshed. When I got to my pasture gate I saw at least 5 big does in my next door neighbors pasture about 40 yards away. I thought about harvesting one of them too but decided they could wait till another day.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/IMG_4222.JPG)
He weighed 145 lbs live weight on my spring scales I keep at the skinning rack. I got him skinned, quartered and partially butchered by 10:00 pm. I'll debone the shoulders and hams tomorrow and start the backstrap, brisket and tenderloins corning. I'll can a couple of cookers for BBQ and such and give the corned parts and at least one of the hams to my cleaning lady who wanted some deer meat.
I'm tagged out on bucks for the year but can still kill between 3-5 does/antlerless if I manage the opportunities and want to do so.
Here in SC our deer season starts August 15. We get 3 buck and 2 doe tags with our license. We can also buy extra doe tags if we desire. I have shot 2 small 6 point bucks so far and am going back out in a few minutes hoping to harvest a good doe. Really enjoy the time spent in the stand watching for wildlife.
Our long range weather forecast shows a Northerly wind for the next week so I will not make that 92 mile hunting round trip until the weather pattern changes.
I'll just burn some firewood plus I have a sawing job scheduled for the 4th & 5th of next week. Gonna be chilly with the morning temps in the 40's.
I forgot to mention but it was funny to see the 5 -6 does at the pasture when I came in. I was dragging the 3 point behind the 4 wheeler because it would not have been safe to come down the steep slope with him in the ATV basket plus he was to hard to load.
Anyway when I pulled up to the gate the does were 30-40 yards away and every single one of them were ignoring me and looking at the buck as if to say "What is Melvin doing now? I've seen him do some dumb things over the last 2 years since I've known him but I never saw him chasing a hunter on a 4wheeler while on his belly."
Our deer season ended on Sunday the 24th here. I don't think there were any taken in my area. I think there was only one buck around. Buck only hunt here.
I guess we have a reasonably liberal season and limits. Our archery (which includes crossbows in all but 4 counties) starts near the end of September and ends on 31 December and we even have a special Heritage hunt a week after that for recurve bow and primitive muzzleloaders,
We dropped to a 2 buck total limit this year and 3 does state wide. You have to buy extra stamps for a 2nd or 3rd deer in any category but landowners don't have to buy licenses or stamps when hunting their own land which is what I do even though I bought a lifetime senior hunting/fishing/trapping license when I turned 65.
We also have 4 youth/senior hunting days (2 in October and the 2 days after Christmas) where underage hunters (8-17) or seniors can kill an antlerless deer on each of those days which does not count against your season limit. Youths have to be accompanied by a licensed adult hunter who has to be close enough for supervision and cannot carry a weapon. So that potentially adds 4 more antlerless (Both antlers less 3" or no antlers) to their bag if you need them and follow different seasons.
We now do electronic check-in where we call a number or go on line and report our kill and get registration number. Its pretty simple and straight-forward to do and stay legal.
Our rifle season for bucks is 2 weeks (Thanksgiving week and the one after) which is our peak rut time for the most part and is often concurrent with antlerless plus there are 10-12 other antlerless days. After rifle season we skip a few days then have a week of muzzleloader season but you can't use a bow or crossbow on those days. They want to force people to buy muzzleloaders, black powder equipment and stamps. We can substitute a bow, crossbow or muzzleloader for a rifle if we want to do so. We could hunt with a bow/crossbow during muzzleloader season but would have to tag any kill as an archery kill and not an ML kill/bag limit.
Its not perfect but it is reasonable for the most part and we are blessed with a very large deer population so the limits/regs are mostly working well.
Our season used to be longer and no difference in sex hunted. Deer were plentiful even in the harshest winter habitats. The deer would move to easier grounds for winter. They didn't stay in 6 foot snow of the Serpentine, but the rest of the year they were as plentiful as cows on a dairy farm on the same ground. No trouble to see 50 deer trot on across the edge of a clearcut. All lakes had nice paths the deer made. They are saying the deer are rebounding now, but that is mostly in the snowless south areas. The winter habitat of the north is gone, fell down, burnt down or clearcut and coyotes of plenty. Unbelievable how active the coyotes are on my winter sled/shoe paths, scat everywhere. Occasionally I find a kill, not that often because there are few deer. I think I've found 3 kills in the last 6 years. When the new highway opened [cut through a wintering area], at least 50 was killed.
Pretty sure the reason we go to a station is for weight, and they take a tooth or something to get age and health of the deer. So online doesn't provide that.
Donkey,
Do you have different seasons/limits in the southern/snowless areas than where you live?
Our state is broken up into, I think, 5 districts and each district has its own regs and limits to accommodate the differences in the number of deer there. Some require you to take an antlerless deer before you can take a second antlered buck while others don't. Some areas allow antlerless seasons, others don't.
One area of 4 counties has been archery only for many years and do not even allow crossbow without a doctors excuse and they kill some really big bucks down there. Several years ago the state opened up to use crossbows in all the archery seasons.
One advantage to the call in is if you want to you could actually do a final check in at the kill site and not even have to do a field tag. Just call in the info and record the number and if stopped show it to the game warden.
(I once told the game warden to just hold on to my hunting/fishing license as I never needed it unless he was there anyway. ffcheesy )
It is a proven fact in Game Management if you want big bucks you harvest large number of does and spikes and restrict buck harvest to larger antler size and the bucks grow bigger. However you provide more enjoyment to the general population allowing more hunters to kill a small buck instead of just a few killing trophy deer. We have a few trophy management areas in the state where any deer killed has to have antlers that extend past the ears or about a 14" - 16" (IIRC) spread. Many hunters are happy to just kill a spike or basket rack buck and would not hunt if they could only take an occasional trophy so allowing small buck harvests results in the state selling more licenses and getting more money for the wildlife programs.
It's easier to point to the web site. I do see you can reg a deer online now up here.
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/nr-rn/pdf/en/Wildlife/HuntTrap.pdf
I finished deboning the shoulders last night and canned 10 pints of meat then did 9 more pints this morning. I had to cut some meat off the neck to finish filling the jars. I left the bone in the first joint of both front legs and will throw them and what is left of the neck in the crock pot and cook the meat off the bones and pull it off for sandwich meat/BBQ or hash. That is easier than deboning and cutting all the silverskin and sinew off those pieces.
My cleaning lady came and got all the meat off the hams. She borrowed my cuber and will cube some steaks, pack some cuts as roasts and some for stew. I don't care for deer stew or soup. I reminded her she still has 13 lbs of the choice cuts corning that will be ready Wednesday. She got a sick look realizing her little freezer would not hold it then asked if I could can it. I told her if she would bring me the jars and lids I'd can it for her so she will do that in the next few days. I figure probably 2 canner loads (10 pints per load) will more than do it. She does water bath canning which takes 4 hours for meat and I still think is not safe as it does not get the meat hot enough but I think her mom blew up a canner one time and they won't use one now.
I just finished all my canning and freezing last week. Had 2 bucks to do, took me about a week to get it all done. I use the 1/2 pint jars mostly, just right for a meal for 2 with no leftovers. Ended up with about 6 cases of jars, 12 to the case. Cut and froze thin steaks from the hams, canned most everything else. Put taco seasoning in some of the jars and it works nice for quick tacos. I give the shoulders to a friend, too much work for me.
For some reason this one seemed to be the easiest one I have ever done. I pulled the muscle groups from the hams and shoulders and just cut them loose at the ends with a boning knife. As mentioned, I do not bone out the neck or hocks (?) - the short section below the knee or elbow equivalent. I prefer to just cook them slow in the oven or crock pot then pull off the meat with a fork which is much easier than deboning them raw. The backstraps peeled right off
As far as management, I now refrain from does and only take larger older bucks. Yeah, we have a lot of does and I enjoy watching them. They produce a lot of bucks every year! I call the does buck magnets. We are allowed 2 bucks in Georgia. I can afford the time to hunt for the bigger ones, and have been targeting 4-6 yr olds for the last several years. This year was a 4.5 yr old 200 lb and a 6 yr old 220 lb. The season in central Georgia was different this year, very warm and a super heavy acorn crop. During primitive weapons (about Oct 15-20) several nice 3.5 yr olds were coming to the food plot. Not nearly as many does in the plots as previous years, and I contribute that to the heat and excessive acorn crop. The bucks did not really show for the rut (too hot) and chase as much, and I figured it was just too hot and the does were in the woods. The 4.5 was coming to the food plot, the 6 yr old was tending a late rut doe. Those two provided enough so I was able to share with several friends and neighbors with plenty of reserves.
No Sunday hunting in Maine.
The Grandson can get at least 2 does and I think a buck.
Better check the web, I might be wrong.
hard for me to follow the rules now.
He bought a doe tag and then there was a drawing and he can get another doe on my land, but if he was hunting where he lives, he could not shoot 2 does.
Someone says too many does in this County.
I think they started the Sunday hunting here because some folks can only hunt weekends and holiday (Thanksgiving). About the time a work day is over it's black as a cave up here this time of year.
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?
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.
Curing salt is also sold as "Prague powder", and will have a pink tint to keep it from being confused with regular table salt.
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Talked to one of my friends who hunts today, season is ending and all he's gonna be eating is "tag soup". ffcheesy
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. :uhoh:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. ffcheesy
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?
I just asked my wife where she put my rubber boots. ffcheesy
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. ffwave
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 ffcheesy
Troy,
Not to worry. Remember Robert had talked about the cold weather so I am sure it was properly chilled for easy butchering. ffsmiley
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.
I wonder what fried mink tastes like? :huh?
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
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.
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. smiley_smug01
I suspect I'll have plenty of chances to take a doe or two before the month/season ends.
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.
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".
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.
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.
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.
Today was our last day of our one week Muzzleloader season. I went several times earlier in the week but did not see any deer. The weather was pretty poor and I only have anterless tags left. Our daughter came up Friday so I did not hunt then or yesterday as we did early Christmas with them, our son's family and several friends and former students of my wife.
My daughter and her bunch left today so after noon I went out to try one more time. When I got on my ATV ignition switch would not turn. I don't know if it was iced up as it has been real cold and we had a dusting of snow the last few days. I sprayed some WD40 on the key and in the slot and got it to turn and crank.
I took off up the hill and about half way up the steepest part and a doe ran out past me and stopped so I shut the ATV off and unslung my ML and shot her. She was way up the hill above me but fell and slid to my ATV road. I went on up the hill and turned around, came back and looped a short firewood dragging cable on her neck then to the ball hitch on my ATV. I got back on and it would not start. Crap! Fortunately the grade was steep enough I coasted all the way down out of the woods to 50- yards from my barn. I went over and got my dog biscuit Kawasaki 650 I flipped several times a few years back and just use for hauling firewood. The cart was connected so I drove over and parked the cart on a slope, disconnected to lower the bed, dragged the deer on and hooked up again. I went ahead and pushed my other ATV into the barn then went and finished checking my deer on the phone. I'd already field tagged her. I called and got my check in number that allows me to dress her out.
I pulled down to the skinning rack on the back of my boat shed and was getting set up to process her but when I went to connect my water hose to the freeze proof outside faucet I found it had a small drip and had frozen up and had a long icicle hanging down from it. Crap again!!
I opened the well house and got out my propane fish/turkey cooker, went back to the house and got a lighter, fired up the cooker and warmed up the pipe and head and luckily I was able to thaw it out so I was back in business.
I weighed her and she weighed 132 lbs (60 kg) which is a pretty decent doe around here. I skinned and broke her down into the shoulder. neck, hind quarters/hams and pulled the loin and tenderloin, and cut off as much meat for burger and such as I could get from her.
I quit about 5:30 and put the meat in a couple of fridges and will finish working her up tomorrow I guess. I will likely give the loin/tenderloin to a friend as I don't need to corn any more and I'll get some cube steaks off the hams and grind the rest I guess.
Now I just need to go clean and lube my ML and put it up till next year.
with the furnace failure and my wife falling I had things going on the entire MZ season. We are in a zone for a holiday antlerless hunt. Runs from Christmas to new years.
Wish you well Trapper. Let it be a Christmas present.
Pray that your wife is doing well.
For us the next 3 days are only open to archery (including crossbow). 26 & 27 Dec are youth/senior days and I could shoot an antlerless each of those days that does not count on my bag limit. The last 4 days of the season/month are rifle antlerless and I could shoot one antlerless then with a rifle or keep hunting with archery gear. Several years back I shot a big spooky doe on the 28th of Dec IIRC and when I got to her she was a he who had already shed his antlers. He was a legal deer though. I don't know if I will go again. I have one more sawing job penciled in the 28-30 if the weather and such permits.
Deer season is short here, but you can hunt grouse from Oct 1st to Dec 31st. Before the last snow the first snow had gone with rain. I was walking up the woods roads to the woodlot in the nice weather and there was always a grouse in nearly to same spot out by the road in the tangled shrubs sunning himself. He'd fly. But sometimes he'd be right back there when I walked out. Grouse are funny that way. If you find a spot they are feeding or sunning, if you wait and be still they'll be back again. ffsmiley
I still have 2 doe tags for this year. Our season is open thru Dec 31. Need to fill one of the 2 tags. We use a lot of cube steak, hamburger and sausage.
I guess we are lucky here, but we can shoot three antlered deer and then a doe a day for the entire season, that runs from mid October through January. Archery starts first, then muzzle loader then gun and all stay open until the end of the season. That's a lot of deer! I don't know of anybody who shoots that many, however I did know a guy who would average 35 a year, but I didn't think much of him for killing that many, it was excessive. I guess I am just surprised at some of the pretty short and restrictive seasons you guys have in some states that I would think would have tons of deer and very long seasons because you have tremendous croplands or thick woods. Around here, and in bordering states, the deer can be too thick in some places, and are tagged and shot during the summer as nuisance deer if the farmer can convince the court of such significant crop damage. We also have some CWD spreading, and that is becoming a real concern, and it is due, in part, by over population of deer. Do you folks have CWD emerging? We have deer literally eating the grass in our front yard, as I type this.
I'm just curious why other states don't have such a high or rising deer population with the nationwide decrease in hunting. Just curious to me.
This was a common scene at deer camp back in the 60's. 40 miles from the nearest town. Serpentine Lake.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/SD_Outfitter_Deer.jpg) (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=77953)
Like YH, we also have a long season with liberal harvest quotas. On private property, any harvest method is legal through most seasons, which as virtually eliminated ML's. Our season closes January 31st.
Looks like our wind will shift from North to South after Christmas so maybe we can hunt a few days.
Ron,
We eat a lot of cubed steak and the corned deer. I used to make sausage and still have some to use up but I see I can get pork Boston butts for $1.99/lb and sometimes on sale for $.99./lb. I prefer pork to deer sausage so when I run out from now on I'll make pork sausage. Last year was the first time we'd made burger. I sent some de-boned meat to be ground for sausage and the guy packed it in 1 lb rolls and I did not want to tear them open to season the meat so we used them as burger and I just shot another for sausage. Turned out we liked the burger so this year I shot one in October with a crossbow and made about 30 rolls of burger. What I don't make into cube steak on this one I will grind into burger.
Robert,
I am surprised on that limit in Ala. Is that state wide or in your part of the state? I started hunting deer there is S Ala in my late teens and the limit was 1 antlered deer per day. Antlered was "horn visible above the hairline", They never had a tagging system that I remember so I don't know how they'd enforce it,
We can get damage tags here, When my son was a teen a buddy had damage tags and I was working overseas. They would ask my wife how many she wanted to work up and on what days then they would go shoot at night, I think they could shoot them until 10:00 pm, I don't remember if they had to call them in or had actual tags, My son has a co-worker with a big farm and he may shoot hundreds during the summer and drag them to the edge of the field to rot. He will bring in coolers full of backstraps and maybe hams if people want them but does not process them further and only then if people ask for the meat. I thought in many states you were not allowed to keep the meat on damage permit killed deer.
In South Africa we used to buy Kudu, Springbok, impala and such in all the grocery stores and it was on the menu in all the restaurants. They had big game farms and would send out shooters at night with small caliber rifles like .223 with trucks with spotlights and extra alternators to keep the battery lights charged, They'd drive to an area and shoot 30-40 before the rest would run. They had skinners and mobile butcher shops and reefer trucks to skin and butcher the animals. A shooter who shot one anywhere besides the head would be fired. The game farms did better than beef as they could raise more meat per hectare that way and the native animals were used to the native plants and did less damage than cattle did.
In Norway and I think most of Europe you could buy legally harvested moose and deer and such in the markets. I know our Noggie daughter used to sell some of her reindeer to the local groceries. She also got her dog certified for tracking and the road department would sometimes call her to track down a road killed animal. She'd get paid or get a portion of the meat she could use or sell. To hunt in Norway you had to have or have on contract the services of a certified tracking dog.
I see here in WV I think starting last year you can use a leashed dog to track mortally shot game but the dog owner has to have a valid hunting license and if he does it for pay he has to have a guide or outfitter's license. I think using the dog is a good rule but the licensing requirements should not be needed. If someone called me I'd take Samson and go try to help him find one. He's not a great tracker but he has helped me a time or two.
I finished deboning the shoulders yesterday and took the backstrap and tenderloin to a friend for his Christmas and deboned the hams today and we cubed them. Made 14 packs of a lb or so each for us when vacuum sealed. I'll throw the neck and hocks (Fetlocks?) in the crockpot and cook the meat off the bones for sandwich meat and grind the rest into burger. Don't know if I'll try to shoot another or not.
Surprisingly in South Alabama, the season extends even longer than here in North Alabama.
Due to CWD, Alabama has a pretty intensive (big ticket and fine) check in system for any deer shot these days not properly checked in (via app or in person) or in the counties with CWD alerts, samples taken. We just heard in the news there was a positive deer CWD case a few counties over.
As most know, CWD in deer is 100% fatal, and although not yet jumped to humans, it is CDC recommended that no deer be consumed showing symptoms or tested positive. Cooking will not kill it, and in the counties where it has been discovered, deer hunting has plummeted because no one wants to even take a chance of eating an infected deer before the symptoms appear, which can take years. So the population explodes and it spreads even more.
Heat will kill anything, it has to be hot enough and well cooked through. Some people like meat half cooked, I don't. :wink_2:
Sorry I forgot to answer earlier, Robert, but we have CWD in 4 counties up in the north part of the state IIRC.
There are special regs there and the head/brain and spinal cord cannot be transplanted out of the county. The deboned meat can be taken and I think the cleaned scull cap and antlers can be removed. Our DNR tells us in the regs the meat is safe to eat if properly cooked.
Do some searching:
Will cooking destroy any prions that might be associated with the deer meat? While taking standard precautions will reduce or eliminate any contamination of deer meat with prions, cooking or canning will not destroy prions that might be present.
But the fact is that much/most about CWD is unknown.
Doesn't seem possible, but according to a lot of creditable sources (not news media) cooking won't kill it. I stand corrected on the subject. :thumbsup:
Well, I don't eat the brains of spinal cord and CWD i has not been identified in my area so maybe I will survive.
I had 15 lbs of deer for burger and added about 9 lbs of pork Boston butt (The label also called it Pork Sirloin roast which was a new term to me) so I cubed and ground that together. I am loving my Weston electric grinder I go last year - sure beats the small or large hand grinders I'd been using. Samson loves burger making time as there are lots of left over pieces and small spills for him to clean up.
I put the stuffer funnel on and we made 18 mostly overstuffed pound rolls which is also something we started last year. I have a big sausage stuffer with a bigger funnel which no doubt would be faster but then another machine to clean and sanitize so I used the grinder. I need to check and see if the bigger funnel won't fit the grinder. I think it will. Anyway the burger is in the freezer, the grinder and kitchen items are washed and air drying and I'll put them away in a bit and be almost done for the year.
The only thing left is the neck and four front lower leg sections which are in the big crock pot and almost ready to fall off the bones. When they will I'll let them cool and strip the meat off and bag and freeze it for sandwiches. I could make hash from the meat or BBQ but they are pretty good as roast deer sandwiches. Its a lot easier to remove the meat from those cuts after cooking than trying to debone them raw.
EDIT-ADD-ON:
I just checked my copy of our regs and find we actually have 6 counties in the extreme NE part of the state with CWD. The regs don't specifically say the meat is safe to eat but they do specify no part of the head/spinal cord can leave those counties except for antlers and scull caps or finished taxidermy mounts with no tissue attached. It also says de-boned meat can be transported as long as there is no part of the spinal cord or brain attached. Since I save the neck and make a roast and cook the meat off it I could not do that if I were in one of the affected counties.
In fact I just finished removing my neck and lower leg roasts from the crockpot, bagged and tagged and put the meat in the freezer and cleaned and put away the crock pot.
I checked on a butchering chart for deer and see the lower legs I have mentioned are called the shanks. There is some good meat there but hard to de-bone and remove the tendons and such but it comes off easily when slow cooked till it falls off the bone.
Quote from: WV Sawmiller on December 25, 2024, 04:55:10 PMWell, I don't eat the brains of (or) spinal cord
You may not actually eat the spinal cord but it is inside of the neck that you cook in the crockpot. :wink_2:
Fact is, the precautions that the wildlife regs require will not prevent CWD from spreading because they allow the antlers to be removed. How is it possible to saw the skull cap off without sawing through the brain?
Our regs say the cleaned scull cap can be removed. Yes you have to saw through the brain to do that, I gather a European mount could also be removed as the flesh and tissue would have been removed from them too.
And my earlier comment included the fact I have saved the necj which does have a section of the spinal cord. I don't know if the prions come loose in the crock pot but I suspect they do. The cooked spinal cord slides right out of the neck bones when cooked a long time. It is a pretty tough piece of tissue.
Our deer season here in SC is over tomorrow, 1 Jan 2025. I want to get a doe either today or tomorrow morning. Need some more meat in the freezer.
Quote from: ron barnes on December 31, 2024, 05:59:56 AMOur deer season here in SC is over tomorrow, 1 Jan 2025. I want to get a doe either today or tomorrow morning. Need some more meat in the freezer.
Ours ends today. My orange coat is hanging on the back of the rocking chair and I keep debating whether to put it on. We almost certainly have enough venison canned and frozen to last us through the next year.
I have a loaded mag with 4 rounds in it and 5-6 loose ones on the tray with my boots. I look back and laugh because when I used to go deer hunting I'd take at least a box and half of shells with me. I don't know if I thought I was going to get into a war zone or have to fight my way out of deer stampede. Now when I go I take a loaded mag and 4-5 extra shells in my pocket.
Good luck on stocking your freezer today or tomorrow.
Because of my "central heat" fan failure, I had to miss going yesterday and today. Now the wind is switching back out of the North for the next week, so I might as well saw.
Since our season runs through the entire month of January, I know that we will have some opportunities to spend a few days at the Cabin.
Well, good luck Lynn. I sat at my lower stand this afternoon because my Rat Terrier wanted to go and he can walk up the ramp to it. No deer. I think I wounded a dove with a ricochet marble. I broke ones wing the last time I was there.
I will have to retrace my steps as I could not find my scope cover when I left and sure had it when I started. May be where I parked the ATV in my field. I'll ride up tomorrow and look for it.
I still have one feeder out to bring in and remove and store the batteries. They have a twist on mount and are easy to remove and re-install.
Thank You. The wind direction says that there will be no hunting for at least the next 10 days, so sawmilling it will be.
We had snow start falling this morning so I rushed up my search for my scope cover. I checked my pockets again then my path to the barn then all around the ATV where I took it off. No luck so I rode back up the hill where I went yesterday watching beside the path. No luck. Then I rode up to my shooting house and checked in there. It was dark when I left last night. No cover. Then I retraced my walking path and finally on a steep hillside hanging on a wineberry brier about 50' from where I parked my 4 wheeler, I found it.
Well you had to check where it wasn't before you check where it was. :wink_2:
Something is always in the last place where you look for it.
(You'd look pretty silly looking for it after you had already found it. ffcheesy)
Today was the last day of our deer season. Had to rough it today. Two hours before closing my heater ran out of propane. Shortly after that the one burner stove that heats my coffee and warms my sausage also ran out of propane. Didnt see anything but we have enough venison from earlier deer.
I was looking to get a doe for some more freezer meat but that didn't happen. Never saw a deer the last 2 days of SC season. We have plenty so it is no big deal. Guess the wife's nephew won't get quite so much meat.
We had corned deer hash last night. 4 Irish taters diced with an onion, fried brown and a half pint of canned, corned deer stirred in. It is so tender it breaks up easily and was very good. Simple to use and no waste for me and my wife.
I have plenty put up and gave away the backstraps and tenderloins off the last 2 I shot. Actually I corned and canned the second one for our housecleaner. She said she wanted a deer to put up but I ended up doing all the deboning and canning one batch of stew meat for her and 2 batches of the corned cuts. I deboned the shoulders and canned them for our use for future hash and BBQ use.
Got two in the cooler to process will let them hang for 10 days made lard today and salted bacon to get ready to smoke it 10 days from today and 5 hours with pecan and oak the price for bacon is $6.99 per LB mine comes in at $1.50 per LB
Can't even get bacon by the lb here, it's 100 grams light. They still want the $7.00 though. ffcheesy ffcheesy ffcheesy
Quote from: YellowHammer on December 23, 2024, 07:39:28 AMI guess I am just surprised at some of the pretty short and restrictive seasons you guys have in some states that I would think would have tons of deer and very long seasons because you have tremendous croplands or thick woods.
In some states it's all about the money, Ohio being one of them. It's more about promoting Ohio as a big buck state and getting out of state hunters to come than actually regulating the deer population.
We have a long archery season, from the end of September- February. But only 9 days of restricted firearm plus 2 days of muzzle loader. We are only allowed one antlered deer per year, with a max. of 6 total deer. Each of our 88 county also has a max. per county. My home county is a 3 deer county. I shot my 3 during the week long firearm season, so I'm done for the year.
I can, and have, gotten damage control permits from the ODNR for crop damage. Typically they will issue 6 tags which must be used before archery season starts in September. Restrictions on those are does only and the meat must be harvested, plus I had to call the game warden and sheriff before I hunted every time.
Yes, even though we have a record harvest so far this year the population is still increasing. The 3 I can shoot don't even put a det in the population in my area. The neighbors are watching dozens of deer a day waiting for the right one while judging me for harvesting a pair of does and a yearling buck. Personally I would like to see my state ease some regulations on landowners. If my wife or kids wanted to hunt they could also tag 3 deer each, but they don't so I'm limited to what I can tag alone.
What I see here is a lot of "buck mania". One of my sons acreage borders with two people who "only shoot bucks", I think they are idiots. We have an abundance of deer here in the upstate of SC but due to development they are getting squeezed into much less habitat. Our family that hunts our place have a rule (mine) that nothing but 1 buck 6 points or better each. Does are plentiful and I wouldn't mind if they took 3 each (annual limit without extra purchased doe tags). If we over harvest the bucks we are limiting future opportunities for the larger animals. I haven't hunted myself for the last several years but our oldest grandson is happy to harvest a nice doe for us if we want it.
My grandfather shot his last deer in 1984. Days drive from home to get to the area. Wow just over 40 years. But that was the easy part. He never hunted near roads, walked in the bush. We dragged that deer across a couple beaver ponds besides through the woods a ways. It wasn't real far away from the road but far enough. ffcheesy In his younger years, carrying a deer or dragging it out was nothing. Things ain't the same when your 77. I remember him saying to mother, 'if you want some deer meat come help drag it out'. Never said that before. I figured the old man was played out just thinking about dragging on that deer. ffcheesy It was 240 lb 10 point.