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Posted
  On 7/8/2021 at 2:37 PM, CHIEF said:

That is a big fucking cat. Probably go 250 lbs. Ours around here top out about half that. They get over 200 at our lease in Benjamin. I guess if you are killing bigger deer, and elk, you have to be a bigger cat.

CHIEF

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Bergmann's Rule; however, some say it is false.  

Posted

At the lease for a work weekend. Saw that big Aoudad ram again. I’m shooting that fucker as soon as we get cooler temperatures. Gonna find us a good swimming hole on the river this evening. The river is as clear as the Comal up here. Never would have thought it. 
 

CHIEF

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Posted
  On 7/10/2021 at 7:53 PM, CHIEF said:

At the lease for a work weekend. Saw that big Aoudad ram again. I’m shooting that fucker as soon as we get cooler temperatures. Gonna find us a good swimming hole on the river this evening. The river is as clear as the Comal up here. Never would have thought it. 
 

CHIEF

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I lived in Benjamin in 5th grade until that POS Bobby Johnson faked his death and cost my parents everything they had. Its part of the Spike Box now. I was in 5th grade and had the whole run of that place. Just me and my trusty Remington nylon 22. Theres some good country around there. Good luck getting that Aoudad!

Posted
  On 6/29/2021 at 3:23 AM, 686 said:
Well, my hunting buddy and I were drawn for rifle elk tags this fall in a unit close to Pagosa Springs. We’ve hunted this area before and it kicked my butt. (7500-9000 ft.) I’m not in great shape, so I’m going to be working on that. Gear wise, I need new mountain boots (thinking Schee’s, Kenetrek, Meindl, etc.); new pack (maybe Kifaru or Erbelstock, etc.); and some new technical clothes (Sitka or first lite).

Also considering changing up my my rifle setup. This hunting area would be average shots of 100-300yards with long shot opportunities up to 700 yards. I have a range setup at my folks ranch of 650 yards, so I’d like to get proficient to that range. I’m thinking of staying with 300 Weatherby, with heavy bullets (preferably Nosler Long Range Accubonds if available sometime soon, maybe ELD-X or Barnes LRX if not). I’m thinking about a Weatherby Mark V Accumark for the rifle (not super light, but better accuracy and shootability (lower recoil) than super lightweight rifles). Also thinking about changing from my Swarovski Z6i to a Sig Sierra 6 scope to sync with my Sig Binos for easier ballistic calcs. Lots of decisions to make. Pretty sexy rifle though. I was able to put my hands on one at McBrides and I really like it over the competitors (Christiansen, Fierce, Browning, Nosler).

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Pro tip: get the contact info for 1 or 2 pack out outfits in the area. If you down an elk in tough terrain, it will be worth every cent to pay someone to retrieve it. Cost is usually $1000 or so. Plus you don't waste a day on pack out, which is critical because you or your partner will want to keep on hunting.
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Posted
  On 6/25/2021 at 8:27 PM, CHIEF said:
We watched about 7 of them while sitting in his blind one night, through the thermal. Big bastards looked like year old bear cubs. He was there last weekend and he estimated there was 300 lbs. souring on the ground under the feeder. Our feeder is going to be on that bluff on the river (posted picture), so we will have more coons for sure.
CHIEF
We just timed protein feeders for this reason. If the coons roll in, you don't lose much.
Posted

Wow, what a night. Everybody started packing up and leaving because there were going to be storms overnight. If you get 2-3 inches on the lease, you will not get your truck out for 3-4 days, or more. You always have to be watching the weather up there. CHIEF Jr. and I made the decision that we were going to take my truck and gooseneck to the front gate, take the Ranger back to camp, and rough it back out in the morning. 

It was cooler in the evening, we had purchased a 1500 lb. protein feeder, and were hauling the last load in, when a ball joint popped loose on the Ranger. That changed everything, suddenly it's leave the gooseneck at the top of the river crossing, and take my truck back to camp, load up, and get the hell out. This is at 11 p.m. The run to camp from our stand is about 20 minutes, took us about 20 to load, and get everything buttoned up. By this time we can see the lightning lighting up the thunderheads to the north of us. I had purchased a ton of protein, we put 1450 lbs. in the feeder, so I still had 550 lbs. on the trailer, no tarp, and would have a $320 loss if it got wet. We haul ass back to the gooseneck, hook it up, throw on the Ranger and tie it and the remaining protein down.

It still is 30 minutes to the front gate, by the time we get there it is 1 a.m. we have to run east for about 80 miles before turning south, and these thunderstorms are moving north to south. So it's 85 mph from west of Benjamin all the way to Olney. CHIEF Jr. is driving, and I'm on the radar app watching. We thought we were going to get caught in Olney, when we turned south towards Graham, we could see heavy rain to our north about a half mile with each lightning flash. 

We turned south and put some distance between us and the storm front. But of course, we have to stop in Graham at 2:30 a.m. for CHIEF Jr. to pick up his Whataburger order that he called ahead and ordered, the storm almost caught us again. Now, I'm driving and CHIEF Jr. is on the radar app. We have a hail core to our left, in Grayford, that I am pretty certain is going to catch us in Mineral Wells. When we turned to get back over to 281 in Mineral Wells, I ran 60-70 mph almost to main street, turned south and finally got enough distance to not see lightning right behind us. 

We pulled into my shop, as soon as we got home, and shut the overhead door, crisis averted. We walked into the front door, here, in Granbury, at 4:51 a.m. By 4:58, it was raining like a cow pissing on a flat rock. I was so wound up, from being chased by the storm, I couldn't go to sleep, watched the lease get absolutely pounded on radar. I took a shower and watched the sun come up. Finally hit the sack about 6:30 a.m. I'm too old for this shit.

CHIEF

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Posted
  On 7/11/2021 at 4:40 PM, CHIEF said:

But of course, we have to stop in Graham at 2:30 a.m. for CHIEF Jr. to pick up his Whataburger order that he called ahead and ordered, the storm almost caught us again.

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Real American Heroes.

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Posted
  On 7/11/2021 at 4:40 PM, CHIEF said:
Wow, what a night…
CHIEF


That reminds me of a trip I had in the late 80s where two of us were driving back home on a Sunday night in pouring thunderstorms with all of our gear and two gutted deer in the back of a rag top CJ7 with no doors.
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Posted

Buying new hunting boots for my elk hunt, etc. Shopped Kenetrek, Zamberlan, Meindl, and Schnee’s. Thinking I’m going with the Schnee’s Timberline. Boots are pricey these days.

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Posted

Dayuuum!  Those are nice,  but wow.  I guess I haven't boot shopped in a long time.

Are they motorized for that price, or do they at least have a built in massager? 

Posted
  On 7/15/2021 at 1:12 PM, Reagan1k said:
Dayuuum!  Those are nice,  but wow… 


The craziest part is that half of the stuff I was interested in is sold out. Kenetrek is sold out of both of the models I was interested in; next shipment due mid-august; Schnee’s is sold out of my 1st choice, next shipment also due in August. I was not anticipating having a hard time finding availability of $400 boots, but this is the world we live in now. I don’t want to wait until August as I need to break them in.
Posted

Great boots.  Will last decades.  Might want to check out Crispi's also. 

I wore Danners and still have the pair.  The big difference is the weight now.  Those danners are heavier.    

The elk hunters:

Danner Elk Hunter

Posted (edited)
  On 7/17/2021 at 6:05 AM, Sam Lin said:

Excuse the ignorance, what makes a "hunting" boot different from a hiking boot?

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The obvious being external camo.

Insulation and weight are another.

Hiking boots beget the obvious need for constant movement, so they are often much more robust, rigid, and have much less insulation.  Think of your traditional all leather REI boot you can get for a small car payment.  For certain types of hunting this is ideal.  Western mountain hunting on public land.  Elk, mulies, etc.  You need a robust boot that can cover many, many miles and not be too heavy.  This was the genesis for all the modern technical gear carriers like Sitka, Kuiu, etc.  They are just super-lightweight, super-technical mountain gear.

Juxtapose this with still hunting for whitetail.  Either in a ground or tree blind.  You need maximum insulation and warmth.  Same with your camo.  Weight is less of an issue to you can get away with big, heavy, insulated gear.  

I sure wouldn't want to chase elk over ridgelines wearing heavy, insulated boots anymore than I would want to freeze in a tree stand with uninsulated Italian hiking boots.  

It's like the old health care adage:  cheap, fast, & good.  You can only pick two.  Same with gear.  Cheap, lightweight, and warm (keeps you dry).  You can only pick two.  

Edited by BabaYaga
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Posted (edited)

Making some progress.  This group is like clockwork.  It is so green and there is so much to eat, the older bucks are not coming around much at all.

If I had to guess and its who I think it is - that's one of them standing off at about 2:00 monitoring the youngsters on a drive-by.

 

 

7_21_21 Bucks.JPG

Edited by Reagan1k
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Posted
  On 7/23/2021 at 1:35 PM, Reagan1k said:

Making some progress.  This group is like clockwork.  It is so green and there is so much to eat, the older bucks are not coming around much at all.

If I had to guess and its who I think it is - that's one of them standing off at about 2:00 monitoring they youngsters on a drive-by.

 

 

7_21_21 Bucks.JPG

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Good looking (youngish) buck at stage left.

Posted (edited)

I had to stay home, this weekend, and take Mrs. CHIEF out on the boat for her two best friend's birthdays. CHIEF Jr. told his buddy that if he helped him set up hog panels around the feeders, and put up cameras, he would put him on a nice Aoudad. I warned him that he better not shoot my big one. He put him on one alright. This was the third biggest ram in the herd, and still huge.

Landon-Ram.png

CHIEF

Edited by CHIEF
commas
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Posted
  On 8/1/2021 at 5:14 PM, Noogman said:


Gotdamn that’s a big pig. What’d she put it down with?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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She used a 100 grain .243.  
 

She mostly dishes out headshots but I told her if you see a big one with nice sized cutters and want a full head mount then a headshot won’t do and you’ll have to neck it through the spine.  
 

So, neck shot it was and she severed the spine half in two between the skull and shoulders.  DRT. 

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Posted
  On 8/2/2021 at 8:58 PM, BabaYaga said:

Cutters cleaned up nicely.  Nice and white.  

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Implants.  The real ones were pulled and she wears them on her necklace when she goes into the jungle on search and destroy missions at night.  Charlie got nothing on her.

Taxidermy by Browder Graves  at Graves Taxidermy in Uvalde.  Browder is a good guy and hunts way more than anyone should be allowed.

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Posted

Buying a light commercial grade (500 lbs.) ice maker to set up at deer camp.  Water supplied by our well.  Need to set up a filtration system to take out iron and calcium. 

Do any of you Appalachian-Americans have any practical experience with this?   Was thinking of 3 in-line filters with the first being the biggest micron filters graduating to two smaller micron filters.   Mount them on a board for easy access to change out. 
The actual plumbing should be simple enough  

Thoughts?  Experience?  Doesn’t seem to be a difficult proposition.  

Posted
  On 8/10/2021 at 2:03 AM, deadshank said:
Buying a light commercial grade (500 lbs.) ice maker to set up at deer camp.  Water supplied by our well.  Need to set up a filtration system to take out iron and calcium. 
Do any of you Appalachian-Americans have any practical experience with this?   Was thinking of 3 in-line filters with the first being the biggest micron filters graduating to two smaller micron filters.   Mount them on a board for easy access to change out. 
The actual plumbing should be simple enough  
Thoughts?  Experience?  Doesn’t seem to be a difficult proposition.  

What aquifer/formation is the well pulling from?
Posted
  On 8/10/2021 at 2:03 AM, deadshank said:

Buying a light commercial grade (500 lbs.) ice maker to set up at deer camp.  Water supplied by our well.  Need to set up a filtration system to take out iron and calcium. 

Do any of you Appalachian-Americans have any practical experience with this?   Was thinking of 3 in-line filters with the first being the biggest micron filters graduating to two smaller micron filters.   Mount them on a board for easy access to change out. 
The actual plumbing should be simple enough  

Thoughts?  Experience?  Doesn’t seem to be a difficult proposition.  

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I just installed one at the shop for my guys.  I'll send pics of the setup.  In the week since we've had it running, just know you're gonna see a ton of condensation runoff from the melting ice, so if it's running constantly, make sure you plan accordingly.

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Posted
  On 8/10/2021 at 2:41 AM, Spaulding Smails said:

I just installed one at the shop for my guys.  I'll send pics of the setup.  In the week since we've had it running, just know you're gonna see a ton of condensation runoff from the melting ice, so if it's running constantly, make sure you plan accordingly.

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I have one in my warehouse being supplied by city water.  The melt amount is tremendous. 

Posted
  On 8/10/2021 at 2:03 AM, deadshank said:

Buying a light commercial grade (500 lbs.) ice maker to set up at deer camp.  Water supplied by our well.  Need to set up a filtration system to take out iron and calcium. 

Do any of you Appalachian-Americans have any practical experience with this?   Was thinking of 3 in-line filters with the first being the biggest micron filters graduating to two smaller micron filters.   Mount them on a board for easy access to change out. 
The actual plumbing should be simple enough  

Thoughts?  Experience?  Doesn’t seem to be a difficult proposition.  

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We have had a large commercial ice maker at our place since the early 90s.  We used to keep it in the kill house.  And it would break down constantly.  We moved it inside the walk in fridge and now it rarely breaks.  We have a Carrizo well, so our water is clean and delicious.  I don't even bother with bottled water down there.

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Posted
  On 8/14/2021 at 12:22 PM, Spaulding Smails said:

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Here's my shop setup.  Pretty simple.  Added a T with filter and spigot for the guys to fill up their coolers.  I'm going to do something smaller / simpler at the ranch in the next year or so as well.

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Hey, thanks for the pic.  That’s what I’m envisioning. 
 

List of parts and pieces?  Does it matter?  

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