CA Hunting Thread

[AAlmeter]

I've seen at least a dozen spread out all over the place in prior hangouts, lets try to keep a consistent one going here. I'm assuming its the right place since the fly fishing is in GD too.

So, who's out there now? Who got what? What are you going after? What are you using? And of course, any pictures?

Bow season opens this Saturday for me. I'll be hunting black bear (never any luck, no bait no dogs in NY) and whitetail in southwestern NY (Allegheny Mountains). Using a Bear compound and maybe a Bear recurve.

[SvilleKid]

Bow season started today for whitetail. Squirrel and Rabbit season also started. Not a bow hunter (yet), so will have to wait for a bit. Disked up the area at back of acreage where my hide-a-hole is, notices the deer have been tearing up my mineral rock, and had several tracks and action around the salt lick. Not sure if the corn feeder is getting deer action, or if I will just have a lot of really fat squirrels in the freezer this winter!

[compuag]

Right now I'm currently dove hunting and it's been awesome. Quail and whitetail open up shortly. Very spoiled here in South Texas with all the possibilities. I've gotten a few pics off my trail cam of a nice 10pt coming to a feeder. I Hope he's still around when the season opens.

If anyone is interested in a little South Texas hunting, PM me.

[fissure]

Our season here in michigan started October 1. This year the lower peninsula inacted a no baiting law. First year hunting with the homemade longbow, wood arrows...the whole nine yards. Any non fawn was going to get it, being the first for the longbow. Missed a fat little 4 point opening day and haven't seen squat yet. What I learned?
Longbows with heavy wood arrows are much much slower than a compound,
Deer really can duck an arrow out of these slow bows,
It's time to break out the compound, get a deer, and then go back to the longbow:ss

My brother (DPD6030) got a nice 12 point opening week with his pse compound.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a151/gbsteve7/100_2410.jpg

[AAlmeter]

Our season here in michigan started October 1. This year the lower peninsula inacted a no baiting law. First year hunting with the homemade longbow, wood arrows...the whole nine yards. Any non fawn was going to get it, being the first for the longbow. Missed a fat little 4 point opening day and haven't seen squat yet. What I learned?
Longbows with heavy wood arrows are much much slower than a compound,
Deer really can duck an arrow out of these slow bows,
It's time to break out the compound, get a deer, and then go back to the longbow:ss

My brother (DPD6030) got a nice 12 point opening week with his pse compound.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a151/gbsteve7/100_2410.jpg

Congrats to your brother!

I've got a stickbow myself. It's barely legal (not a huge draw weight) and I would never use it anyway, but one of these days I'd like to make a new one and give it a go. I've got a certain spot where I always have deer within 10 yards...nothing thats trophy material, but to take a deer with a stickbow...can't beat that!

Oh...and tomorrow is my opening day for bow!

[AriesOpusX]

Bow season started here but I'm not big on the bow yet. Waiting for my shotguns turn. ;)

[AAlmeter]

5 hours until the drive down to go hunting....wish I could sleep. Whether you sit there or get a 12 point albino buck, most don't realize that its nothing more than therapy for the average guy.

Good luck everyone..and be safe!

[compuag]

5 hours until the drive down to go hunting....wish I could sleep. Whether you sit there or get a 12 point albino buck, most don't realize that its nothing more than therapy for the average guy.

Good luck everyone..and be safe!

Here's hoping for a little more than just therapy! ;)

[nhcigarfan]

Whitetail in NH. Going to be using my .357 in the pistol/shotgun area and the .30 .30 with those sweet leverevolution rounds up in rifle country

[Diesel Kinevel]

Whitetail... Shot a 4 point yesterday morning blackpowder. I hunt with everything except crossbow

[DPD6030]

Shot a doe this weekend, October, 18th. Plan to hunt some more. I'm giving the doe to the landowner who lets me hunt his wonderful deer filled property.

[SvilleKid]

Checked my rear acreage this afternoon. Tearing up the mineral rock. Lots of fresh tracks in the ground I plowed 5 days ago, several nice size tracks!!! Getting excited. Will put my climber out tomorrow so it will be common place in three weeks when gun season opens.

Thought I had a deal on a complete Bow set-up for $200 (including arrows and hard case), but was already sold by the time I got to seller. :hm

[kayak_rat]

Went last weekend for the opening of muzzleloader here in Ark. Dropped a nice size doe. Saw a great 8 point buck, but a brown bear decided to wander close to us and sent my trophy in the other direction. If I had my sidearm with me, I would have shot a the bear.........but one shot from a muzzleloader on a bear.......I dont trust my shooting abilities that much.

Also TONS and TONS of squirrels. They are extremely large this year. Got about a dozen in the frezer for chili and stew.

[fissure]

Went last weekend for the opening of muzzleloader here in Ark. Dropped a nice size doe. Saw a great 8 point buck, but a brown bear decided to wander close to us and sent my trophy in the other direction. If I had my sidearm with me, I would have shot a the bear.........but one shot from a muzzleloader on a bear.......I dont trust my shooting abilities that much.

Also TONS and TONS of squirrels. They are extremely large this year. Got about a dozen in the frezer for chili and stew.

Muzzleloader on a bear would be fine, all about shot placement like everything else. We shoot them with bows up here:ss My dad shot one a couple years ago with a hickory selfbow we made.

[ahc4353]

Good luck to all. I have downed my fair share of deer. Don't care much about killing any more. Not to say I would let MR. Wallhanger walk. I just love to be at camp with the guys and the smell of the woods. Other than home no place better on earth than deer camp.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii201/ahc4353/Camp.jpg

[EMFreeburg]

My dad and I are bow hunting whitetail in CT right now. But a few weeks ago my dad went Caribou hunting up in Canada.

Here's what he got:
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr307/EMFreeburg/MJFCaribou.jpg

[fissure]

Great camp Al!! Takes me back to my childhood camping in the canvas outfitters tent on the eve of the gun opener.
And yes, it isn't all about the killing. If it was just that it wouldn't be worth it. Kind of like this site, it is the people you meet and become friends with that make it, cigars are somewhat secondary.

Great Caribou!! Something I've always wanted to do with my bow.

[EMFreeburg]

They gave him two tags and he tried to take the second with his bow, but no such luck. Ended up taking another with the gun.

[ahc4353]

Biggest buck I ever missed, hell biggest one I have ever seen live was in Howell MI. I still have nightmares about that shot. :mad:


On a side note, I would like to ask that all photos posted be tasteful in nature (no super bloody or tongue shots). All hunters know what I mean on this. We need to promote a positive image of our sport. I would ask the mod team that if ANY pics arise that are of poor taste that they be removed as soon as possible.

[fissure]

Man Al, you lived very close to me (assuming you hunted close to where you live).....scary:D I am just north of there about 15-20 miles. There is some big bucks running around, you just have to be able to hunt the private property they are on.

[ahc4353]

Man Al, you lived very close to me (assuming you hunted close to where you live).....scary:D I am just north of there about 15-20 miles. There is some big bucks running around, you just have to be able to hunt the private property they are on.

I was lucky. I have a friend that knew a guy with 650 acres just for us.

I lived in Brighton actually. Great place.

I can still see that 220+ lb. buck bounding away from me with that heavy dark mahogany rack wider than his ears if you were to put um flat out sideways, 10" G2's, 4" dog killers and main beams out to his nose. Yep, I can hardly remember him after 15 years.

[DPD6030]

Plan on going out tonight again if the wind is right. I'm looking for Mr. Wallhanger # 2 for the year. I don't plan on shooting the small ones since I don't need the meat. Too bad deer can smell or else I'd smoke a stick on stand.

[skyhigh340]

Looks like some nice successful hunts! I'm glad to see the PRK hasn't banned hunting yet!

[yourchoice]

I think I might sneak out of work early today and bow hunt for just the second time this year. Nice cool fall day, lucky enough to hunt the land across the street from where I live....change it to "I will sneak out...." :tu

[theycallmedan'lboone]

I have to find a good, inexpensive feral hog hunting gun... I was told .223 ain't enough.

[AAlmeter]

I have to find a good, inexpensive feral hog hunting gun... I was told .223 ain't enough.

Don't know much about hog hunting...but I'd think a Savage in 30-06 would do the trick.

Isn't a lot of hog hunting done up close? I'd think regular old Rem 870 or Moss 500 with slugs would do the trick. I've got a 870 smoothbore shooting Brenneke slugs and I'm very happy with it out to just under 100 yards.

[SvilleKid]

Plan on going out tonight again if the wind is right. I'm looking for Mr. Wallhanger # 2 for the year. I don't plan on shooting the small ones since I don't need the meat. Too bad deer can smell or else I'd smoke a stick on stand.

Funny thing, smoking.

My old hunting club had about a dozen cajuns in it. Oren (the elder of the bunch) ALWAYS smoked on the stand/shooting house/blind (which ever he was in). Man killed more deer in the club than any two members put together. Jeremy and myself helped him hunt down several wounded ones. Orin was color blind and could not pick out the red blood on the leaves. As a results, he usually used a .300 mag so they didn't run after they were hit!

Don't know how Orin got away with smoking, but it did not seem to impede his ability to spot and kill deer.

BTW, before anyone gets offended by "cajun", this is what they preferred. And, they WERE cajun, not just from Louisiana, but from deep in, and most of hem in our club came from the coastal areas and they all worked in the oil business?!!?

[yourchoice]

I think I might sneak out of work early today and bow hunt for just the second time this year. Nice cool fall day, lucky enough to hunt the land across the street from where I live....change it to "I will sneak out...." :tu

I was able to get out. After 2+ hours of seeing nothing, a scrubby looking buck popped out about 10 minutes before dusk. Kind of hard to see him, but I'm guessing he was a funky four pointer. I put my binoculars on him at about 100 yds. but couldn't get a good luck with such little light.


At least I saw something!

[compuag]

I have to find a good, inexpensive feral hog hunting gun... I was told .223 ain't enough.


Depends on where you place the shot. I had the opportunity to take an 11yr old hunting on Monday and he took a 275lb boar from 100 yards with a .223. I would have called BS on anyone who told me that this was possible if I hadn't have seen it with my own eyes. He hit him right behind the ear and dropped him like a ton of bricks.

[compuag]

I was fortunate enough to take this guy on Tuesday morning. He has 14pts and scored 176 7/8 after a 5pt deduction. All of the area we hunt is low fenced land and this buck hadn't been seen before. Just goes to show you, you really never know what is actually out there.