Who else is getting ready for hunting season?

[Squatch]

I'm all stocked up on #4 steel 12 gauge and 180gr 300 Win Mag. I just ordered a bunch of new 125 grain Thunderhead broadheads for my Mathews bow.

I still need to replace my climbing stand (I have an API Grand Slam that I hate...waaaaay too noisy) and I want to pick up a jon boat...I'm so through with wading for ducks.

I'm taking a week of leave for the bow season opening, and to prepare for that, I'm taking my hunting buddy out this weekend for some intensive bow practice.

I've been scoping out my hunting locations (mostly on military installations) and the deer look VERY healthy. I've seen about one male to about every 2 or 3 does, so the herd itself is very healthy as well. The deer are nicely filled out and muscular looking, so their diet is probably very good.

I get six deer on my tag, so this year I'm looking to fill my freezer. I can't wait for the first morning in my stand, swaying gently in the breeze, nodding off once and a while, not moving a muscle for hours, listening to the sounds of the forest...

[Lex]

1. This guy is

[Xipe Totec]

35. Duck season? nt

[flying rabbit]

46. Rabbit season! n/t

[Kali]

2. for me getting ready for hunting season means making sure the kids

are wearing color when they go outside (and not letting them out when they were younger!), having lots of interuptions in my day from all the good ol boys stopping by to ask where the deer are (! - isn't that part of hunting? to go find 'em yourself?) and the endless driving past the house. Last year I put my foot down about the atv's (why did I even have to do that? This isn't a kids motocross track, it is a working ranch, if you are to wimpy to drag your kill out on your own I guess I can put up with an atv for it, but I sure as hell don't think all your kids need to be racing around all day and night up and down our road just for "fun" - no wonder they need directions to the deer - they let their kids scare 'em all off)

Bleh, they never share either. I don't get much out of it but the occasional bottle.

Back in the day the Mexican family that hunted here for years always brought tamales if they got something. They were good folks.

[Squatch]

3. I never understoon the ATV thing, either.

Nothing like trying to sneak into the woods on a LOUD and SMELLY vehicle, when the point is to not be heard or otherwise detected.

[havocmom]

6. The Pukes of Hazard

Out here on the prairie, they raise enough dust the game can see them coming from MILES away.

And what's with the thing about not knowing how to shut a gate?

[Squatch]

9. The GOLDEN rule out west.

Come across an open gate? LEAVE IT OPEN!

Come across a closed gate? Go through it, and then CLOSE IT behind you.

[havocmom]

16. Ranchers around here end up chasing a lot of cattle around

Pisses them off when hunters do not leave gates as they found them. In fall, most are seperating calves from cows and they have enough trouble without people messin with the gates.

Some hunters are great. Some are wannabees and nothing but trouble. Those types think the Golden rule has to do with how far outta camp one has to go to relieve one's self.

[Squatch]

17. Wait...you have to leave camp to do that?

[havocmom]

18. LOL Depends on the circumstances, I guess...

and the company.

[Kali]

20. My favorite story of hunting is one year when we first moved out here

we stupidly scheduled a round-up for a major weekend hunt at the same time. But it was hilarious to be out on horseback watching the deer follow the guys in camo walking down the draws.

:rofl:

[havocmom]

4. Hell days for the likes of us, huh Kali?

Can't take my dog for walks out of town either. Too many idiots who should not be off pavement without supervision (or at least their AA sponsor)

Hunting season... too many who come here mix beer, bullets, and petro. NOT pretty.

And the ATVs are a huge problem.

[Kali]

22. and between the various hunts it seems to go on for like 10 months!

[NorthernSpy]

38. my state has a No Sunday Hunting law, fortunately...

Which is especially welcome during rifle season. It's great to be able to hike out to the stream, or tend the fruit trees, or whatever without worrying about getting shot.

It's true that getting shot by a hunter is a pretty remote possibility statistically speaking, but still...

:scared:

So I mostly just to stay out of the woods during the season. Which is kinda too bad, since that's one of the nicest times of the year to be outside.


All those gifts of venison and ducks from your hunting friends do make up for it, though.

:9

[likesmountains 52]

29. Same here...It's the most beautiful time of year to hike in the mountains, but

I have to put an orange bandanna on my dog and hope that nobody gets too trigger happy up there. The funny part for me is when I see 5-6 guys all walking around "downtown" dressed up in their camouflage clothes. The DOW has set up some fake deer along the highway here and busted people shooting those things from their trucks.

[XemaSab]

41. The best poaching story I heard...

My forestry teacher was a South African, and he worked in Kruger for a while doing game management... yeah.

But anyway, the way they would catch poachers is they would glue two reflectors to a rock. The would-be poacher would come up, spotlight the rock, and take a shot at what they thought was eyeshine. By the time they got 4 or 5 shots in, the wardens would be there. :P

[Kali]

45. HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

that is great!!!!!:rofl:

[Raven]

5. Some questions for you...seriously.

I live in the country on about 17 acres of mostly woodlands. Below my property is a wetland system that attracts all kinds of critters...deer, moose, probably bears. Every morning at least 3 deer are in my backyard chomping away in the high grass. My property boundaries are well posted and three of the four boundaries are delineated by old stone walls. I have two dogs, one white and one chocolate, who love the woods and go there often. Here are my questions:

Do most hunters respect posted boundaries? Is there anything more I should do to keep hunters away?

I was thinking of getting the dogs orange vests of neck scarfs. Is that a good idea?

What are the most dangerous times of the and and the season when hunters are more likely to get careless? I have heard that the last day of the hunting season can be brutal.

Your thoughts would be most appreciated!

PS. There is a story up here that the locals swear is true about a NYC guy who comes up to hunt, shoots a farmer's goat and goes to get him weighed at the local store bragging about what a great deer he got. :-)

[Squatch]

8. Some answers

1) Do most hunters respect posted boundaries?

- ALL the hunters I go into the woods with do. I know that much for a fact. I will not hunt with another person who does not obey the law nor respects the rights of property owners.

That being said, when I see posted land, I usually try to ask the land owner if I can hunt their property. More often than not, the answer is a big "no", but I respect that and move on.

Any hunter that disregards posted land can get into a heap of trouble.

2) I was thinking of getting the dogs orange vests of neck scarfs. Is that a good idea?

- Absolutely good idea. I have a blaze orange vest that I put on my dog when we're out in the woods not hunting. (don't forget to Frontline!)

3) What are the most dangerous times of the and and the season when hunters are more likely to get careless?

- Most dangerous time is 1/2 hour before sunrise and 1/2 hour after sunset. The light is usually flat, and tired hunters can make mistakes. When you go out at these times, dress brightly and put on a bell.

The most dangerous time of the year is on opening day (especially in PA). All the weekend hunters want to fill their tags quickly and get back to work/home. I will NEVER hunt in PA on opening day again...it was like combat.

[Omphaloskepsis]

12. What is "Frontline?"

I could Google but most hits would be for a TV show and a pet medication.

[Squatch]

13. The latter.

Keeps the ticks away.

[Omphaloskepsis]

15. Doh!

I thought it was some type of formation/strategy to keep the pet safe.

[Raven]

21. Thanks so much for the info! I'll get the vests and maybe a bell

for their collars. I use frontline religiously.

[havocmom]

11. Raven, get orange on those dogs! And make sure they are not out without you along.

Too many 'hunters' are not really hunters. Too many are twits looking to validate some chromosome and they really don't know (or care) about hunting. Too many mix too much beer into the adventure.

I know people who have had cows shot out in open prairie. One or two have had John Deere (bright green and yellow for you city kids) equipment shot at, sometimes while someone was using it.

When I lived in western part of Montana (mountains and trees), I knew people who had dairy cows shot (while cows were withing 50 yards of their homes.) People not only put dogs in vests, many spray paint their cows in day-glo orange: C O W

Have seen 'hunters' proudly hanging up their kill which was no more than a fawn about half the size of a greyhound dog. Have seen 'hunters' hanging up deer they took in antelope season (and thought were antelope) and vice versa.

One guy shot another hunter... before they even left the motel in the morning. Cleaning gun while loaded, shot THROUGH THE WALL and hit man in next room. One would hope, that at 6 AM, no alcohol was involved and it was just native stupidity.

Have watched for years as they 'lay in supplies' at the store. Too often it is: One loaf of bread, couple packages of lunch meat per the group and one 18 pack beer per man.

I do not venture even to the edge of town for nearly 3 months. Pity too, cuz fall is a grand time to get out and about.

Do be VERY careful with yourself and the dogs.

[Gormy Cuss]

30. Wearing an orange vest herself can't hurt either.

There was a famous case in Maine where a hunter killed a woman in her own backyard because from his distance he thought her white mittens were a deer tail.

Everyone I know with acreage in the Northeast has had a hunter trespass at least once over the years. One can't have enough signs out there. It's just a fact of life in the fall that you may get an unexpected visit from a yahoo who "didn't see the signs."

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

7. I'm headed "Up North" in two weeks...

It's a family function, but I'm going to get my post ready. I'm taking my nine-year-old with me this year for deer season; he won't be hunting, but it will be his first time in camp with his uncles and older cousins.

[Squatch]

10. I saw a cool bumper sticker yesterday

"Hunt WITH your family, not FOR them"

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

14. The family that guts together...

My son has let me know in no uncertain terms that he's not going to gut a deer.

But that's OK with me. Camp is about a lot more than just hunting. I have a good time even in years when I didn't see a thing; my father-in-law (who passed away this summer) was the oldest of six Italian brothers, and the camp is owned jointly by all of them. Typically we'll have 6-8 guys there for opening day. My favorite part is sitting around in the evenings and listening to old family stories.

[mduffy31]

47. Where up north

I am in Superior and we hunt near Gordon/Solon Springs.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

49. Dickenson County

In the UP.

[RedCappedBandit]

19. I prefer to just use my camera.

[RebelOne]

23. A camera should be the only weapon to use to shoot an animal. n/t

[Squatch]

24. How else am I going to get venison roasts if I don't shoot a deer?

[Kali]

28. a camera is a weapon?

[BreweryYardRat]

25. My man, you're gonna get a lot of flack for this one.

Fine by me, though, as long as deer are prevalent enough in your area that hunting is the best way to keep the population from growing unsustainably.

If you were hunting bear, cougar, bobcat, etc... then I'd give you hell for it.

Deer? Fire away. Venison's a good, cheap source of protein.

[janx]

37. I haven't seen any flak so far.

I'm not a hunter, but I've never been that hungry... :shrug: I do enjoy fishing though!

[HERVEPA]

44. Here's some flak.

I can't for the life of me understand how anyone can enjoy killing animals. If it's the sport in the tracking or finding the right spot or whatever, fine, but why not with binoculars?
I understand (barely) how you might want the animal for the meat, but to enjoy it seems really remarkable to me.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

52. Let me field this one...

I can't speak for every hunter on earth, because I'm sure we all come at it differently. But where I go is a family camp, jointly owned by six (now five) brothers who were taught to hunt in the north woods by their father and their uncles. With ten kids in a family whose sole breadwinner drove a cement truck, let me assure you that hunting was an absolute necessity back in those days.

So why do we hunt these days? Because the brothers (and their sons) are now scattered across the country now, and deer season is that time when we get together, swap old stories, and reconnect as a family. Every year I spend some time out in the cold at the pole, skinning a deer with one of my wife's uncles. And we talk. About stuff. Family traditions and memories are passed down the old-fashioned way.

I don't need the venison. I have a good job and could just as easily (and more cheaply, when you count my out-of-state hunting license) go to the store and buy beef or pork. But you can't buy the sensation walking through the woods in the pre-dawn hours, your breath billowing out in the cold before you. You can't buy the tingling sensation you get when you hear movement off in the brush, and all your senses focus on that one spot.

And while a non-hunter will never, ever, understand this, you can't buy the feeling of taking careful aim and how the hammering of your own heart makes your target move in the crosshairs. And you can't buy that last moment when you hold your breath and everything is still the same. The woods. The morning. The deer. That last still moment before you pull the trigger and the forest erupts in sound.

If you're not a hunter, it's likely that none of this will make sense. But that's OK. I've never understood the whole tofu thing.

[WindRavenX]

26. I love venison

Mmmm :9

[EstimatedProphet]

27. I would like to go this year

It's been several years for me. I have the guns, and nothing else.

[femmocrat]

31. Not yet.

I have until October to enjoy the peace and quiet without the constant barrage of rifles. Is it true that 8-year olds can hunt now? God help us all.

[wildhorses]

32. 12 guage at the ready ---

snake medicine;)

[NorthernSpy]

33. remember, hunters: food pantries are always in need of meat...

If you bag more than you can freeze for yourself and distribute to family and friends, lots of people facing hardship would be grateful for the food..

Thought I'd mention this in case your state has a Hunters for the Hungry program, and you'd be interested in helping out.


In any case, have a good time out there, and best of luck to you!

[bigwillq]

34. All my friends who hunt do that

It's such a great idea. To me, that makes hunting relatively acceptable. :)

[NorthernSpy]

39. hunting is not nearly as objectionable as factory farming...

They're not in the same category, as far as I'm concerned.

And yet some people get all upset over a hunter shooting a deer in their town -- and then they sit down to their factory-raised pork roast. Whatever.

:eyes:


Nothing in agriculture is worse than one of those commercial hog farms.

:puke:



Where I live, road-killed deer and moose go to the soup kitchen. Even people who dislike hunting probably wouldn't object to that, I don't think.

[bigwillq]

40. That's why I don't mind if the meat

goes to the soup kitchens...because it will feed another person just like when I sit down to eat meat, it is feeding me!

I don't like the hunters who just kill for the sport so they can put a big head up on their mantle.

[TX-RAT]

55. I don't like the hunters who just kill for the sport

What do you mean?

[bigwillq]

64. I mean...they just go out and shoot animals

so they can bring them home and put their heads above their fire places and brag to their friends that they killed something. I think I was specific in my last post.

[stuntcat]

43. so so true

The idea of someone getting a rush out of taking beautiful animals' from their families bugs me a little but it's better than torturing them to death. I've been to a factory chicken plant before and seen videos of what goes on in pig and cattle plants.. next to that hunting is in every way moral and good.

[MiserableFailure]

65. YES I HATE THOSE PEOPLE

God they piss me off so much, thanks for hitting this point, cause I was going to if you didn't. I hunt bucks during our season and you wouldn't believe what I hear from stupid people. "Oh, why do you need to shoot the deer? That's cruel. Deers deserve to live!" They say that while they're wearing their leather shoes and eating a burger at McDonald's. I guess people think that eating something that someone else killed is less objectionable than killing and eating/skinning it yourself?

[flvegan]

36. I know I am!

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[XemaSab]

42. Where do you live that you get 6 deer?

:shrug:

[mduffy31]

48. In Wisconsin you can get as many as you want to pay for in some zones

The deer have really over populated because of mild winters and a lack of a real Wolf population. The wolves have made a real comback so I would expect that to start to turn. All in all the WDNR biologists have done a really good job in managing the deer population.

[IndianaJones]

50. Just moved here so I need to get aquainted with a new set of laws....

and find places to hunt. Leases are so expensive, so I hope to find some decent public areas. Looking forward to early bow season, I've seen a couple of bucks in the fields around where I live, so I will ask around for permission to hunt some of the neighboring farm land. Not real optimistic there. One awesome thing...Bass Pro Shop within 20 miles of my house. May get into muzzleloading this year, no rifle here, just shotgun and powder.

[seemunkee]

51. Wish I knew someone who would pass on some venison

Love it but rarely get to have any. The two hunters I know go after birds so I do get pheasant and chuckers sometimes.

[IndianaJones]

53. Where in VA are you...

I am from Virginia.

[Squatch]

54. I currently live in Woodbridge

moved up here from Chesapeake. I work in Arlington & Fredericksburg. I'm going to be doing all my hunting this year at Ft AP Hill or Quantico MCB, unless I can find some private land.

Whereabouts are you from in the Old Dominion?

[IndianaJones]

56. Lexington...about 50 miles north of Roanoke...

just off 81. Born in VA, dad was in the Army so moved around until high school, then came back through college. Will eventually move back.

Leases here in Indiana are outrageous. I will probably hunt on public land this season. I haven't bow hunted in a couple years. I am impressed with the size of the deer in the midwest.

[underpants]

57. I AM!

I sleep in while grandma helps watch the little girl and when my Father-in-law and brother-in-law get in from hunting I get up and have a late breakfast with them.

:bounce:

Actually this WAS the case. The cabin that they hunted at for 30 some years was recently sold by the owner who had let them hunt there. They couldn't afford to buy the land ( multiple acreage). They are completely heartbroken. This was a major part of their life.

[TX-RAT]

58. I'm always ready.

This has been another record year for us as far as rainfall. Looks to be a great year for big bucks. I promised myself i won't shoot another buck unless he's bigger than my last one. I may have have a little trouble, with that one. My last whitetail scored 165+ Typical 10. My last Mule deer was over 200 B&C. My last Whitetail with a bow was 146+.

[IndianaJones]

59. What are your limits down there?

I believe its 3 here. Only 1 antlered, and thats one total for bow, powder and shotgun. They do also have county bag limits for antlerless.

[TX-RAT]

61. 5 total, 2 bucks 3 does

I'm pretty picky when it comes to shooting bucks so i usually only end up with 1 deer a year and it's usually a doe. If i take a buck he'll be a big one. I've seen several bucks over 150, this year.

[IndianaJones]

62. Any deer I can take with a bow is a trophy....

I've been blanked for 3 years.

[TX-RAT]

63. Bow huntings a whole different world.

I'd post a pic of my last Bow Buck, but it was before mounting and not real pretty.

[krispos42]

60. I had some really good venison last night

We're doing inventory at the plant, and one of the supervisors who lives in the country brought down a heap of venison steaks. I think he called them "rounds". Tender and tasty, not at all gamey. He grilled them and a bunch of brats on the company grill. Very very tasty!