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Had a decent sit this morning. Wanted to get a doe or two, but didn’t pan out. Saw a few decent bucks, this one needs another year, lousy pic through binos:

Great pics - what camera/lens do you shoot with if you don’t mind? I’m trying to decide on an upgrade for my old Rebel T1

The First Lite Obsidian Merino pants worked great on my elk hunt FYI. Really comfortable, great pockets, great balance of insulative value, decent durability in moderate thorns/brush.

Hiked hard and hunted some beautiful country the last three days but still haven’t filled my buddy’s tag yet. Lots of cows and a few non shooter bulls. Tomorrow is the last day of our season, hopefully we get lucky.

I’ll definitely never forget it. I’ve been dreaming of making this happen for about 30 years; still a little in shock that it did.

Got my first elk Saturday. DIY public land with my hunting buddy; about 5 miles off the road into national forest, 8400’ elevation. Packed out the head, cape, tenderloins and straps on foot, which took four hours. Luckily a friend loaned us a couple horses to pack out the quarters the next day. Pack out and deboning took 14 hours total four two guys. We’re whipped. Not a giant, but a decent bull for this unit, and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer setting. This bull was still rutting and didn’t want to go down. 3 shots through the chest with my 300 Weatherby at 300 yards before he went down. The exit wound you see is from a hard quartering on shot that entered in front of his right shoulder.

My season is going well so far. Shot a big whitetail as a guest on a high fence place last week and heading up to Colorado for rifle elk season tomorrow. Got the new Weatherby bloody for the first time on the whitetail, hopefully the first of many. The 200gr ELD-X bullet blew up pretty good after entering the ribs at close range (~120yds) and didn’t exit. Animal was dead and down in 40 yards, but I will need to pay attention with the softer bullet construction at close range on elk; not like shooting the monometals I’ve been shooting the last several years.

I like the cut of your jib. I splurge and use 18-24” concrete form stakes with pre-drilled holes to anchor my feeder legs (attach to legs with brace wire). I don’t like T-Posts next to my feeder legs in case I fall (God forbid) loading the feeder; I’m also lazy and I can drive the form stakes with a 3lb sledge instead of a T-post driver. (We have rocky soil)

Nice plot - what implement(s) do you plant with?

You had a good question and interesting scenario man, no need to delete. Same type questions come up for a lot of folks on a new place.

You guys are talking me into 4.5 with the nose, swayback, and little starter belly

In your first year, since it hasn’t been hunted for the last 3, I would focus on getting an idea of the age structure and target harvest on older / mature / ~5-6yo+ bucks regardless of antlers, and spread the doe harvest out among the age classes if you can at all. We had a trait of no brow tines that was common, but after we started managing the forage better and some supplemental feeding, that problem went away. Was any supplemental feeding/plotting done the last 3 yrs? If you are going to start a feed program, you need to continue it through winter and keep something available when pasture conditions aren’t great, or you can lose the older bucks. My dad bought a place that hadn’t been hunted, had a bunch of old big 8 pointers. We started feeding, and my dad liked watching those old bucks and didn’t want any of them shot. We didn’t keep the feeding program up after January and we didn’t see a single one of those old bucks the next year. They had gotten accustomed to corn and protein feed, and then we stopped feeding when pasture conditions weren’t good, the deer crashed; laid down and died somewhere. It is known to potentially happen with cattle in the similar circumstances.

3.5 would be my first guess as well

I usually build my own, but you might check these guys out: http:// https://texasdroptineoutdoors.com/

I’d like to take 10 off our little family place. I really want to just go out myself early in the season and shoot at least 5, then have guests shoot some over the course of the season as well. I might have the 5 I shoot all done up into nice dried sausage and pair it with some jalapeño honey mustard and cheese in gift baskets for our clients. My biggest concern with this is explaining this plan and expense report to the corporate office in New York.

Culling lots of does is work. One MLD ranch I hunted on as a guest had a scheduled does only hunt early in the season and it was a fun party type weekend, lots of guests and everybody HAD to shoot a doe. If you didn’t, you weren’t eligible for invitation back for buck hunting in December. Kind of like the legislated “earn a buck” tag structure in Pennsylvania I believe. I was usually the youngest guy there by far, so I’d end up gutting/skinning/quartering for several hours a day/night to help the old timers and pull my weight. I ended up kitting myself out with an apron, butchering knife sheath that’s easily taken apart for cleaning (so I can put a bloody knife in it no worries), two S30V cryogenic treated knives (drop point skinner and filet), and a cordless sawsall. When I have my tools, running water, can crack a beer and turn up a little Willie/George; breaking down a pile of does is a lot less tiresome. Especially when there is a shower, steak, cigar, and bourbon waiting for me when I’m done.

I’d say it depends on what you’re going to do most with the gun - hunting, plinking? precision shooting? Do you use a rangefinder or just guesstimate? Will you use a ballistic calculator on your phone or not really want to mess with it and just shoot?

Vortex Razor LHT might be a good fit http:// https://www.eurooptic.com/Vortex-Razor-HD-LHT-3-15x42-HSR-5i-MOA-Riflescope-RZR-31501.aspx 19oz

Zeiss Conquest V4 is fairly popular in this application as well, but it’s second focal plane. http:// https://www.eurooptic.com/Zeiss-CONQUEST-V4-4-16x50-ZMOAi-1-Illum-Reticle-93-Ext-Elevation-Turret-Ballisti.aspx

I’m a Sig fanboy so here’s a few options from them: http:// https://www.eurooptic.com/Sig-Sauer-BDX-Combo-Kit-Kilo1600BDX-LRF-and-Sierra3BDX-Rifle-Scope-45-14x50mm-SO.aspx http:// https://www.eurooptic.com/Sig-Sauer-TANGO4-Scope-4-16x44mm-30mm-FFP-MOA-Illum-Reticle-Side-Focus-025-MOA-A.aspx Both in the 25oz weight range

How long range do you want to go with it and do you want to manually turn turrets or use holdover/electronics? And stay lightweight I’m assuming?

Nice work! Is that doe in the last pic missing half her left ear?

My 8yr old daughter has been in my ear about getting her a bow. She’s seen me shoot mine some, and I think has seen some female comic book characters with them or something. Anyway, I took her to an indoor range this weekend where they had some toy bows, and she had a good time, wants to do it more. I’m looking at getting her a quality bow that they use in the National Archery in Schools Program; maybe she’ll compete one day. More importantly, maybe I’ll have a bowhunting buddy one day:

The state stocked the Oryx and ibex on two separate ranges (white sands and the Florida mountains). On range/reserve there is a very in-demand draw system for the Oryx/Ibex. There are off-range draw tags available and I also believe they sell some off range/reserve oryx tags year round that are good for ~30 days or so; so theoretically if you see one off the designated area, you can run over to the fish and game office and buy a tag and come back and try and get it. This isn’t first person knowledge; I’ve only talked to folks that have done the Oryx hunt and Rinella had a good podcast where he did an Oryx and I think an Ibex hunt (or had a guest on that had). The ibex archery hunt is super low success rate (~7%).

There’s a few free-ranging higher altitude animals that are hunted as regulated “non-natives” in certain areas and as invasives/exotics in others. Some I can think of: Auodad in west Texas/ NM Oryx in NM Ibex in NM Elk, Axis, other exotics in West Texas These animals don’t get the negative reputation that pigs do, but the state game agencies want hunting to keep the numbers in check and/or keep the animals within a certain range. Pheasant is also a non-native/“invasive” that’s managed like a native game animal, FYI. The original pheasants from China all got loose from a barn in Oregon during a storm if I recall, now we have them over maybe 30% of the lower 48.