To get away from daily life, venison, adrenaline, I like being in the woods because my mind just gets wiped out when I am there.Why do you hunt?
To get away from daily life, venison, adrenaline, I like being in the woods because my mind just gets wiped out when I am there.Why do you hunt?
You know you guys are absolutely right. I have begun to hunt the way others hunt. I began to care what others thought. I began to worry about what others think when before I didn't care. Something that has stuck with me for awhile was a doe I shot in 2016. She was maybe 1.5yo and the first deer I ever taken. I had my middle brother and a family friend who has killed Moose, deer, hogs, etc. He was ecstatic about me shooting the deer but my brother told me it was small and I shot a baby. Since then I have been selective on size of doe. When I shot the one in the picture (this is the one that dropped in the beans and then ran away) I called it a big 8pt but my buddy kind of laughed and said that not a big buck. That kind of stuck with me. I swear to you guys when I saw him drop in the beans you would have thought someone gave me $1million I was so happy. Yes, I kept his rack because after showing my buddy the blood which was covered in bubbles and bright red and the deer only going 80yards total he said the shot was good, I must have only hit one lung and we just didn't wait long enough to retrieve. I thought about it and called the warden and explained what happened and told him I wanted to use my buck tag on the deer after it was found a week later. He said he would issue a salvage tag and I told him no way! I drew blood and I took its life so I owe it to the deer to use my only buck tag. I had something similar walk out in October and offer me a good shot several times, but I passed. To be honest I knew my other spot held a good buck and my buddies place has come through in the past, so I waited. I have until Feb 8 to make it happen and if its the size of this one he's done for. I didn't know what a big buck looked like until I had a close to 180'' walk under my stand and make me shake so bad I almost dropped the crossbow and my left leg wouldn't stop bobbing up and down.
To get away from daily life, venison, adrenaline, I like being in the woods because my mind just gets wiped out when I am there.
I swear to you guys when I saw him drop in the beans you would have thought someone gave me $1million I was so happy.
That's a pretty good rack. I've been hunting for over 30 years and have only taken 2 bucks with more than 2 points.
Lean how to process your own deer. It really isn't difficult.Me too. I’m very happy with the doe I got yesterday but then one of them turns around a shoots a 150lbs field dressed doe and I second guess shooting her. I passed at least 8 deer this season cause I didn’t like the shot or too small when several years ago they would have met their maker. I love deer meat and do it mainly for food but like today. I spent $100 trying to get both deer rifle loads done, $25 on a tag, $19 for a license and $110 to process the doe. Last nights doe cost me $135 at minimum. I decided to buck hunt tonight and that tag cost me $32. I wanted to end my vacation resting but my buddy is nice enough to let me hunt the lease with them and his truck is in the shop, so he wouldn’t have hunted if not for me going.
My preacher have a message on thing that bother you. He said look at a problem and ask can I fix it. If the answer is yes, get to work. If it's no, pray for strength to not let it bother you.See every time someone says something it brings another issue I see with myself to light. Its starting to drive me crazy when I see a truck at one of the farms I have permission for. Mostly because those farms are affiliated with a hunt club, in which I am not part of but still have permission to hunt the farms. I would say 95% of these guys never get a slip signed or ask and I have been told by countless farmers they don't care nor have the time to enforce it. I knock on doors around May/June, dress nice, bring them an apple pie, offer to help, shoot woodchucks that are eating beans and then come rut or gun season they decide they are going to hunt there because its on the roster. I run cameras and try and pattern the deer because they are small woodlots surrounded by large fields and I don't want to waste time sitting one 10 acre woodlot when they are actually across the road in another. It actually gives me some slight anxiety when I see someone else hunting there. I used to be happy and grateful when someone bagged a deer on one of the farms I hunt and now I get irritated. Maybe its because I didn't hunt at all last year, so now I feel I have to catch up? If I see a gut pile or stand that just appears its irritating. I don't want to be this way.
Your buddy should have called it a good first buck. We all start somewhere and I would have been happy to kill that as my first buck.You know you guys are absolutely right. I have begun to hunt the way others hunt. I began to care what others thought. I began to worry about what others think when before I didn't care. Something that has stuck with me for awhile was a doe I shot in 2016. She was maybe 1.5yo and the first deer I ever taken. I had my middle brother and a family friend who has killed Moose, deer, hogs, etc. He was ecstatic about me shooting the deer but my brother told me it was small and I shot a baby. Since then I have been selective on size of doe. When I shot the one in the picture (this is the one that dropped in the beans and then ran away) I called it a big 8pt but my buddy kind of laughed and said that not a big buck. That kind of stuck with me. I swear to you guys when I saw him drop in the beans you would have thought someone gave me $1million I was so happy. Yes, I kept his rack because after showing my buddy the blood which was covered in bubbles and bright red and the deer only going 80yards total he said the shot was good, I must have only hit one lung and we just didn't wait long enough to retrieve. I thought about it and called the warden and explained what happened and told him I wanted to use my buck tag on the deer after it was found a week later. He said he would issue a salvage tag and I told him no way! I drew blood and I took its life so I owe it to the deer to use my only buck tag. I had something similar walk out in October and offer me a good shot several times, but I passed. To be honest I knew my other spot held a good buck and my buddies place has come through in the past, so I waited. I have until Feb 8 to make it happen and if its the size of this one he's done for. I didn't know what a big buck looked like until I had a close to 180'' walk under my stand and make me shake so bad I almost dropped the crossbow and my left leg wouldn't stop bobbing up and down.
Skin and quarter the deer in the woods where you shoot it. People do it all the time with big game out west. If you're in decent shape, a couple ratchet straps and an over hanging limb are all you need to hang it up. If you have physical limitations or it's a real big buck you can use a small block and tackle to help out. Then you can just bring it home in plastic tubs or unscented garbage bags and cut it up at home. I've packed a couple of deer out on my back when doing it that way. Easier than dragging if you've got far to go. If you're a trophy hunter, processing tools may not be worth it. If you're a meat hunter like me, they're absolutely essential.I have been debating on it. I stay so busy with work, school, and life I don't have time. The GF just purchased the grinder for her kitchen aid mixer last week. I guess I could do as others do and quarter and cut it up a little each night, but I rent and no where to do it. I could do it at the GF house cause she has a garage, but the ceiling is dry walled so cant hang anything. I will probably get one of those tripod stands to hang it though.
This keeps me in the stand more than anything. Eating the meat and finding new recipes. Ask .308 Norma about his wife's Chicken Fried Venison Steak and Gravy recipe. Makes my mouth water just typing it.learn to process yur own deer. its not very hard and the equipment is cheap.