Any Hunters in The Audience?

[LegalEagle 22]

As I get ready for deer season, I wondered if anyone here hunts. Maybe we could keep a thread going on our success or failures throughout the season.

Perhaps we could have a "Big Buck" contest?? I'll even agree to let PT rule all of my bucks are does. *grin* Uh, since I'm primarily going for a doe anyway, I'm not likely to win.

Season starts here on 9/25. I've got oats and clover planted. It is just coming up. I saw 2 jakes, a hen and 6 chicken-sized poults in one plot yesterday. They were busy taking "dirt baths" and didn't pay much attention to me.

I've got 125 pecans and 125 sawtooth oaks ordered for delivery in January to plant where several acres was clear-cut right before I bought it last year.

I planted apples, crabapples, pears, plums, peaches, grapes, honeysuckles, blueberries, chestnuts, english walnuts, etc. last spring. I've got mineral and white salt out. I'm tossin' 'em pears, apples and corn now. That stops 10 days before season. When they visit me it's like walkin' into the world's largest Chinese Buffet for Deer.

When the "nip" is called, that means football and hunting to me. Anyone else?

[tiger88 934]

Legal your not one of those hunters that sends unsolicited pictures of you with your freshly killed deer to friends and family are you? I have a couple of cousins who are always sending us shots of them with dead deer and I have yet to figure out why.

[CCTAU 3,327]

A HUNTER WHO WILL VOTE FOR THE BIGGEST ANTI-HUNTING/ANTI-GUN CANDIDATE IN HISTORY.

Dude, you have got to get your priorities straight.

I'm going to a dove shoot Saturday. Taking my 7yr old (he'll be 8 Sunday). Just got him a Rossi single shot combo .410/.22. He may not hit one, but I hope he has fun trying.

Took him squirrel hunting a couple weeks ago. Kept trying to point out a squirrel, but he never saw it until it moved.

He missed his first deer end of last season. He had a .223 handi rifle and the shot was at 100 yds with a red dot scope. It covered the whole deer. Sounded like he hit it but we couldn't find any trace. He'll get one this year.

Hunting is so much more rewarding when teaching a youngster.

[LegalEagle 22]

A HUNTER WHO WILL VOTE FOR THE BIGGEST ANTI-HUNTING/ANTI-GUN CANDIDATE IN HISTORY.

Dude, you have got to get your priorities straight.

I'm going to a dove shoot Saturday. Taking my 7yr old (he'll be 8 Sunday). Just got him a Rossi single shot combo .410/.22. He may not hit one, but I hope he has fun trying.

Took him squirrel hunting a couple weeks ago. Kept trying to point out a squirrel, but he never saw it until it moved.

He missed his first deer end of last season. He had a .223 handi rifle and the shot was at 100 yds with a red dot scope. It covered the whole deer. Sounded like he hit it but we couldn't find any trace. He'll get one this year.

Hunting is so much more rewarding when teaching a youngster.

Right on CCTAU. It is so great for a kid to be in the woods. I never had a .410. It would seem tough to get a limit of doves with it, but he'll get a few and will never forget the experience. I still remember my first dove shoot. I had a single barrel 20 ga. I got 6 and my older brother w/ a semi-auto 16 ga. got 4. Woohoo!

Back then little college football was televised. We all had transistor radios to listen to the Auburn games while in the field.

I've got an 18 yr. old daughter that loves to deer hunt. Almost all of what I'm doing with the land and all is for her. Hopefully she will be able to enjoy it with her kids and grandkids.

I wouldn't worry about anyone takin' your guns away, unless you don't know how they work! *grin*

[CCTAU 3,327]

The .410 will be tough, but he's only 8 so anything bigger would hurt. He's got a dead-eye with a .22 and at short (50yd) ranges with a .223. So it will be interesting to see if he can hit a flying bird. If he hits just one, he'll be hooked. My first dove shoot was with a Stevens double barrell .20 guage. I still have it and will use it some. After about half way though the hunt my dad looked at me and asked, "Son, does that thing ever shoot just once"? I got 2 birds out of 75 shells. Most fun I ever had.

My whole family hunts. Its sad when you had to fight your mom for the favorite stand. My niece is 17 and the smallest, cutest little thing. She DOES NOT MISS. Her guy friends took her to sight in her gun and were kinda laughing at her. Asking things like, you can use me as a rest, do you think its too far off, etg..

At 100yds freehand, she put 4 rounds of .243 3 inches above the bullseye. The guys said, hey, you shot high. She said nope, its set that way for longer shots. They never kidded her again. She is the youngest grandchild and has spent many hours in the woods with my dad. I'm hoping my kids get the same attention. So far, so good. We'll see how this year goes. Good luck and safe hunting to you and yours. I'm looking forward to the first frost.

[CCTAU 3,327]

Took my 8 yr old dove hunting today. He finally got the courage to shoot his .410. Then it was all over with.

There were no birds (at all) but where we shoot had a huge skeet range. Watching an 8 yr old (Sept 5th) stand on the firing line with a .410 and yell pull while knocking down as many targets as many adults is a joy. This kid had a ball. He went through 4 boxes of shells. I can't wait to watch him shoot at some real birds. I shot less and had more fun just watching him. Look out Sarah Commie Brady, another one joins the club.........

[LegalEagle 22]

Good for you and the kid! Hopefully they'll be some birds flying next time.

I got a better look at the turkeys, and the "jakes" now appear to be grown hens and the "hens" appear to be poults. Hey, at least they're turkeys. They are becoming less and less afraid of us. I took some pics today, but even with my telephoto lens, I'd guess I'll have to point out the brown spots. *grin*

I also saw a couple of small bucks, about 1 1/2 yr. The oats and clover are coming on. When that Frances gets here, they should get plenty of rain. I've got to put some ladder stands together and get them up. Hopefully they will not be stolen by opening morning.

Thanks for the report on the kid.

[MDM4AU 332]

I'm a deer hunter. I usually hunt down in the Lowndes and Crenshaw area. I have hunted a little bit in Pickens, Autuaga and Elmore Counties as well. It's been a while for Autauga and Elmore but I have some relatives in Pickens (Gordo) that let me hunt on their land. I go on an annual trip in January with some co-workers to Brundidge. A co-worker's parents have a bunch of land down there.

I don't get to hunt as much as I would like. I have only gotten 3 deer in the last 4 years. All good size. One spike and 2 doe. We use deer meat quite a bit at my house.

Depending on where I am I either hunt with a .270 or a 30-30. Most of the time it's just the .270.

What do you use, Legal?

[LegalEagle 22]

I use a Horton Legend SL crossbow in archery season, a CVA Optima Pro .50 cal muzzleloader and (embarrassed) a .300 Win. Mag Browning A-bolt in gun season. I also have a Browning A-bolt 30.06, but it has a nice wood stock, so I don't take it out much anymore. The .300 mag is way overkill for deer, but I like it.

My 18 yr. old daughter has a Parker compound bow, an American Knight .50 cal muzzleloader and a Marlin 30-30 for gun season.

My 21 yr. old daughter doesn't hunt much anymore, but she has a bow and a .270 SS Remington bolt action rifle. I don't recall the model number.

I made a big pot of deer rib stew this past weekend. Mmmmmm. I'm starting to work on the freezer to make room for some 2004 deer.

[TitanTiger 20,499]

I'm a hunting hypocrite. I freely admit it. I like deer meat, but don't make me shoot it, see it dying, or watch them clean and process it. I think deer are so beautiful I'm more likely to want to pet one than hurt it. But I understand the need to keep the population in check and as long as people actually use the meat (or give it to someone who will), I can't see anything wrong with it.

I'll never understand hunting just for the sake of shooting living things though.

[LegalEagle 22]

Well, I go to be with my daughter. I put her in the best spots, and I take the bad spots. I sit and watch the squirrels and birds waiting for her to shoot. She hasn't let the freezer get empty in years, so there's no reason for me to actually kill anything.

I do plan to get at least 1 deer this year. I always wanted to get a deer on my own land. Now that I have a little land, I'm gonna make it happen.

[LegalEagle 22]

My wife and I went down to the property yesterday afternoon and watched the turkeys for about an hour or more. It turns out that there are 10 turkeys including the 2 jakes I thought I saw earlier. They just walked back and forth over the plot and into the grass beside it. It was raining the whole time. They were still there when we left.

Our property is about 11 miles from the house where we also own some "rough mountain land" on the edge of the city limits with the house being within 1 mile of the city square.

Last night our daughter was leaving to go somewhere. She came back into the house with a turkey wing feather that she found beside her vehicle in our yard! Apparently we didn't have to drive so far to see turkeys.

We got the rain we needed from Frances. Now we'll have several days of sun. The oats and clover should take off now. I've gotta make sure the oats don't get too big before the frost or the frost will kill 'em. Mmmmm, it's just one concern after another.