Deer Season 2008

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Mutilated1

Mutilated1

Beer Drenched Executioner
Joined
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Location
Hoover, Alabama USA
All you deer hunters - post each time you kill one this season.

Here in Alabama regular rifle season opened today. Took my first buck of the season about 9:00 am, one shot with my .30-06 from 130 yards. I saw a nice 6 point earlier, but I let him walk till next year.

The muzzleloading season opened a week earlier, but I didn't kill one so I'm going to make up for it tomorrow and try and get one my with Knight 50 cal 209 Bighorn.

See the pics in my gallery and you'll see the deer I'm hunting tomorrow morning.

Edit: Pic in the attachment is first buck of the year

IMG_0030.jpg
 
I got a small buck yesterday with my rifle, and a big doe in October with my bow. In Michigan, the season opened on November 15, but that was only my second time out.

One thing that helped yesterday was it was COLD last night. The deer were moving around at 3 PM looking for food. I saw 5 big does before the buck came running in.
 
Shot a baldie around 9:00 this morning. Now I am free to go for a buck if I get that lucky. (Damned Earn-A-Buck.........)
 
Shot a nice 9 pointer on opening morning in Missouri. Haven't hunted since to fill any doe tags. I don't care for deer meat that well and I raise cattle, so the freezer is always full of beef. I did pick up 125# of deer sausage from the processor today from the buck mentioned above. He did an exceptional job and it is some tasty stuff. He mixes in 25% pork and adds cheese and jalapeno's to the sausage for his spicy.
 
nothing i michigan's bow season oct.1-nov14 or the first 8 days of our gun season:mad::mad::mad:

still hoping the buck i saw in sept is still running around:D
 
I didn't even see a deer during bow season.

Shot a 6 pointer last week, tracked him for a 1-1/2 miles and the blood trail disappeared.
Never found him :(

I was going to go back out this weekend, but its just too cold. Even for my fat ass.
 
eriktlupus said:
get back out there cap'n!


I know cuintherearview shot a 6 point opening morning
Click to expand...

I think ill be waiting until December when I can go out bow hunting again.

I have a friend whose parents live in West Branch.. He sent me an email this morning that he took an 8 pointer last night from his step fathers blind (blind... aka "condo in the woods")... I might go up there closing weekend to see if I can change my luck.
 
Don't hunt myself, but my neighbors say it's been a bad year for deer and elk. I've only seen one elk buck this fall. Normally, I'll see herds of 8-25 wandering through the nearby farms. Ditto, one deer munching the apples out front vs 4-5.
 
capcrnch said:
I think ill be waiting until December when I can go out bow hunting again.

I have a friend whose parents live in West Branch.. He sent me an email this morning that he took an 8 pointer last night from his step fathers blind (blind... aka "condo in the woods")... I might go up there closing weekend to see if I can change my luck.
Click to expand...

we've got the taj mahal!15ft elevated
 
Haven't seen anything this fall to justify a bullet, yet. We've got nusance stamps, so whenever we run low on meat, something dies, usually a cull buck or smallish doe.

The biggest I've heard of here was a 10 pointer, there's not enough hunters in the woods now to cull the crappy deer. We do have a lot of deer in town tho.. I'm thinking of trying to get an archery tag. Go commando on the court house lawn. All the animal lovers in town are super upset about even the possibility of sticking bambi within town limits. These are the same people who spend a ton of cash keeping deer out of their organic veggie gardens. Bullets are cheap. Eat what you kill.
 
2nd Day of the season ( Sunday ) - was disappointing. Saturday it was clear and cold and the deer were active. Sunday it was warmer and overcast and deer weren't moving around at all. I dumped the carcass of the deer I killed on Sunday along with the carcass of one my brother in law killed about 50 yards behind one of my tree stands to see if I could tempt some coyotes and stray dogs I've been wanting to get rid of to step into shooting range. Sat in the stand from 5:15am till about 7:45am and then the wind started up out of the north west, so I decided to move down to another stand on the southeast end of my farm overlooking a couple of food plots. Sat there till about 10:45 without seeing anything, and then I got hungry and decided to go home and take a nap. Had my nap, and drove back out to the farm about 2:30, the wind had died down so I got in my middle tree stand overlooking some game crossings where I know a really big buck crosses from time to time. Sat there in the stand till about 5:10pm when it was dark then walked out and went home. Didn't even see a deer on Sunday at all.

I'm going back out there after 'em again tomorrow morning nice and early. And if they don't want to come out in the open where I can see 'em, I'm going to put away my .30-06 and stalk hunt the little pines where they like to lay down and rest with my 44 magnum carbine.
 
capcrnch said:
I'm really pondering the thought of buying some land after this season is said and done.
With the end of the season add in our economy, I should be able to get it cheap.
Click to expand...

Land in the Yoop is still going up in price. My father owns a 40 acre lot and the price of land surrounding it is still rising.
 
srm775 said:
Land in the Yoop is still going up in price. My father owns a 40 acre lot and the price of land surrounding it is still rising.
Click to expand...

Yeah, because the Yoop is where most of the deer and fish still are ;)

I'm working on a place just north of Bad Axe with a few buddies.
:fingers crossed:
 
capcrnch said:
Yeah, because the Yoop is where most of the deer and fish still are ;)

I'm working on a place just north of Bad Axe with a few buddies.
:fingers crossed:
Click to expand...

Maybe fish, but deer are polluted in most states around you. I know Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York seem to keep increasing the limits and extending the seasons to try to increase the harvest. I see deer most days on my way to work in the urban park near the office. That park is a narrow park cutting through an industrial area of Cleveland. Still plenty of deer out there.

Craig
 
Sat out on my mom's porch on Wednesday around 6:30. Wasn't planning on hunting because I have the cold, but I woke up early and said WTH. Was sitting there for 10 minutes, maybe, and saw 4 or 5 walking down the trail, a hundred yards out or so. Shot at them, poor line of sight, probably shouldn't have taken it. Didn't hit anything. Went over to see if I maybe injured one. Nothing. I look up, and see a doe take off up the other direction of the deer trail. Got nothing to lose, so I follow her. I circle around the property, figure she's gone. Damn, I see her again, staring me down my scope. Take another shot, and she runs right as I pull the trigger. Gone again. My mom lives at the base of Naked Mountain, and that's where she ran to. So, again, I give chase. She'd run for maybe a hundred yards, stop, and wait for me to catch up. As soon as she'd see me, she'd run another hundred yards or so. The way it was going, I thought, if I could just get to a point where there was a ridge with plenty of visibility, I could get a good shot. And knowing my mom's property well, I knew I'd end up with such a ridge soon enough. So, on and on up the mountain, I keep seeing her tail bobbing up and down. Finally I reached the ridge and there she was, so I took her down. Not the best shot---high gut, had to put her down once I got to her, but I missed the good cuts. It was a long walk back down the mountain with her, though...
 
I got a 4 point opening morning (Nov 15th) of Gun season. If the deer wasn't already non-fatally wounded I wouldn't have even considered shooting it but sometimes you have to take one for the team and put down a wounded animal that would starve to death when winter hits. No pics online yet... strangely, but I'll try to get some up soon.
 
MOD EDIT: Threads merged.

Now I am talking about deer, okay!

Anyway, I got my rifle sighted in on Friday and went out on Monday morning to windy and cold conditions. No luck at all that day. Tuesday we had snow on the ground and calm clear weather in the morning. I had a spike buck bed about 75 yards away from my stand and he was joined by a 4 point who hung around for awhile. A few doe meandered by my stand (actually under it a one point). I waited on a big buck and he did appear. After watching the spike and 4 point for about 30 minutes, the 4 point moved away quickly into the brush and the spike rose from it's bed to also move into the brush and then a huge 12 point walked out of the trees and presented me with a broadside shot about 80 yards out.

POW!...... the deer just walked away as if nothing happened. A short time later, the spike returned and again POW!.... same effect! Nothing! I waited 30 minutes and dropped out of my stand to inspect the area around where both deer had been for signs of a hit. Nothing! I returned to my stand and shortly after had a doe wander into my sights. Same thing again! What also amazed me was that none of the shots scattered the deer. It was as if they never heard the guns report.

With these results, I left the woods and returned home. My scope which has served me well for several years on my Savage 30-06 has finally passed it's prime. I have replaced it with a Bushnell Trophy Master 3x9 and will return to the woods next week for a replay.

So......... Anyone get lucky out there?

Salute! :mug:
 
You know, I've never really been interested in doing any hunting (as my handle indicates, I've always been a fly-fisherman)- but the thought of having venison all year makes me reconsider. I wouldn't even know where to start.

I'd love to head out into the woods with an experienced hunter to learn the ropes.
 
flyangler18 said:
You know, I've never really been interested in doing any hunting (as my handle indicates, I've always been a fly-fisherman)- but the thought of having venison all year makes me reconsider. I wouldn't even know where to start.

I'd love to head out into the woods with an experienced hunter to learn the ropes.
Click to expand...

Providing you learn how to use your weapon of choice, the actual basics of the hunting part are not that difficult. I got my first deer just sitting on a seatpad next to a tree. You should wear woods camo appropriate for the surroundings, but should have at least one patch of fluorescent orange on you somewhere in case other hunters are about. Deer are colorblind but notice large fields of solid color, hence the benefits of camo. If you're really into it, you can scout out the area and find a place where you think they're running, usually just a trail. Find a place that has a good wide line of sight. A tree stand is best, but I don't have one and I do alright. When it comes to what to shoot, as long as you're not into big-buck rack dickwaving contests, I'd go for doe's before bucks unless the Buck is mature. The best place to hit them is the vital organs, just behind the shoulder blade...or if you're confident enough, a headshot. Either way, you miss the backstraps and the front and hind quarter cuts.

I suppose the most difficult thing about the entire ordeal is learning how to field dress them. As soon as possible after shooting them, you need to get the guts out of it, preferably where they lie. You'll need someone to teach you how to do this---no book can adequately illustrate the process. It involves cutting open the belly, splitting the bones of the pelvis, cutting out the anus, and pulling everything out of the cavity. It's pretty much the nastiest thing I've ever done...so if you have a weak stomach, you might not be up for it. But aside from that, and knowing your weapon intimately, the process of just going out and taking a doe is not that difficult.
 
Thanks Evan. I haven't shouldered a rifle seriously in at least 5 years, save some plinking with a .22 on a friend's property. I could frankly care less about trophy bucks and all that rot- I just like the prospect of having wild game on hand.

Time to start looking at some hunter's education classes, methinks, and starting looking around for a decent rifle.

Anyway, sorry about the thread hijacking. Continue with the photos, all!
 
flyangler18 said:
Thanks Evan. I haven't shouldered a rifle seriously in at least 5 years, save some plinking with a .22 on a friend's property. I could frankly care less about trophy bucks and all that rot- I just like the prospect of having wild game on hand.

Time to start looking at some hunter's education classes, methinks, and starting looking around for a decent rifle.
Click to expand...

I wish you were closer- we'd love to show you some of the fun we have in hunting. Not only is it an enjoyable activity in itself (being outside and seeing all the wildlife) but we have the satisfaction of knowing we're eating great food. Talk about "organic"! We eat mostly venison and fish and veggies from our garden. It's greatly satisfying, not to mention healthy and great tasting!
 
Shot a big doe, spike Buck, and a modest 8 point....then went home to SWMBO and got lucky.
I'm with Evan...filling the freezer has a much higher priority than a trophy. I wont pass on the big buck if its dumb enough to walk out, but when I have a freezer to fill, if it walks in front of me...its tagged.
 
YooperBrew said:
I wish you were closer- we'd love to show you some of the fun we have in hunting. Not only is it an enjoyable activity in itself (being outside and seeing all the wildlife) but we have the satisfaction of knowing we're eating great food. Talk about "organic"! We eat mostly venison and fish and veggies from our garden. It's greatly satisfying, not to mention healthy and great tasting!
Click to expand...

I am confident that we will meet one day, Lorena! :D I love being outdoors with a flyrod in my hand plying streams for wary trout, though I only harvest one or two a season. Big catch n' release proponent here.

For the occasional hunter, what's an appropriate rifle?
 
oh, I thought you were commenting on our inability to string her any higher...;)

she was a good size, but I got a doe that was much bigger than her last year.
 

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