The 2018 Hunting Thread

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2732]

Rain rain Go away come again another day.

[Jkwellborn 6704]

Last year I killed the biggest deer I’ve ever seen in person or on cam and I was sitting in a pickup in the middle of a plowed under wheat field.

Night vision or thermal?

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

Some more pics from the cheap feeder in my pasture.   I’m gonna have to put a cage around the timer.  Have several pics of that little 4 pointer smacking it.

Edited October 21, 2018 by Judge Roybeanbag

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

On 10/16/2018 at 4:23 PM, 4th and 5 said:

baboon hunting looks fun: 

 

 

 

 

I’d hunt hyenas by the dozen. Nasty, flea-bitten bastards are the archenemy of the most noble of creatures, the lion. 

Edited October 22, 2018 by ImissWallyPryor

[Noogman 161]

Been meaning to post this, shot this guy over opening bow weekend in Mason. Tons of pigs out there right now. Got him made into some sausage that I cooked the other night.





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Edited October 24, 2018 by Noogman

[Both Tacos 1806]

It's the youth opener this weekend but we forgot our scuba gear.

[Jkwellborn 6704]

Dang

[williemackgarza 1826]

At least you are feeding the carp and catfish

[686 3449]

Got 8” of rain after seeding my plots, was worried they might have washed out, but germination looking good:



Did a little shooting with this older custom gun I picked up a little while back, looking forward to some time in the blind.

[TexasEd 8067]

3 hours ago, 686 said:

Got 8” of rain after seeding my plots, was worried they might have washed out, but germination looking good:



Did a little shooting with this older custom gun I picked up a little while back, looking forward to some time in the blind.

Beautiful rifle.  Tell us about it.

[BabaYaga 15299]

Beautiful Weatherby.  Original stock?

[Brisketexan 105151]

Beautiful rifle.  Tell us about it.

Man, I shoot a 40 yr old WBY .300 mag. It brings the thunder. Great gun.

[SHOOTER12 8810]

On 4/9/2018 at 10:15 AM, Lat22 said:

Gave this one a dirt nap last night. First kill with my new 300 Blackout. Dropped him in his tracks at about 80 yards. Don’t know where I hit him as I wasn’t going to crawl all over him to find out.

Well, where were you aiming?

[Brisketexan 105151]

Had an interesting mental incongruity this morning.  Headed S. on Mopac during morning traffic, see a construction sign up ahead in the right lane, just past the 2222 entrance.  As traffic backs up, I think to myself "why in the hell are they doing construction during rush hour?"  But mostly, I was going through my mental checklist for opening weekend -- gotta find my binoculars, probably oughta sight in the rifle one more time, etc.

Then I pass the "construction" truck.  It's one of those TXDOT traffic trucks, and it's got a lane blocked off, with an APD SUV about 50 yards in front.  And between them is a really nice-looking mature 10-point.  He's kinda laying down, but his head is up, and he's obviously braying in pain, his bloody tongue hanging out.  There's blood all over the concrete wall.  I see the scene, and immediately say "OH NO!," and I was genuinely upset the rest of the drive.

But if my son sees a clone of that deer on Saturday morning, I'll say "take him."  And I certainly hope he goes down quickly and cleanly.  Maybe that's the difference.  I hated to see a fantastic animal like that clearly suffering.  It just struck me as odd to have two different feelings about the same animal in different contexts.  I understand that is the way that we hunters think -- for example, I am quite fond of the deer that live around our house, am friendly with them (seriously, I talk to 'em sometimes when they're next to my car in the mornings), and if one was injured, I would try to help it.  This just struck me as a rather harsh juxtaposition.

[Lat22 4014]

I wonder why the APD officer hadn’t dispatched him yet? I have a friend who used to be a Lakeway cop. He said he had to coup de grace countless deer that had been hit by cars. 

[Brisketexan 105151]

7 minutes ago, Lat22 said:

I wonder why the APD officer hadn’t dispatched him yet? I have a friend who used to be a Lakeway cop. He said he had to coup de grace countless deer that had been hit by cars. 

I wondered the same.  I imagine it was a tough call -- it was rush hour, a hundred people would have seen him take the shot, and that can be gruesome for the general public.  And, it's a busy roadway, no grassy median, house nearby -- tough place to discharge a high caliber weapon.  A .22 to the back of the head would have been much easier and cleaner.

Just really sucked to see a great animal like that suffering.

[HOOKEM4 5037]

Last year I had to do that to a doe my nephew had hit in the jaw. It was pretty messed up but I got there quick. I felt bad though about the suffering. Hate to see that.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

23 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Had an interesting mental incongruity this morning.  Headed S. on Mopac during morning traffic, see a construction sign up ahead in the right lane, just past the 2222 entrance.  As traffic backs up, I think to myself "why in the hell are they doing construction during rush hour?"  But mostly, I was going through my mental checklist for opening weekend -- gotta find my binoculars, probably oughta sight in the rifle one more time, etc.

Then I pass the "construction" truck.  It's one of those TXDOT traffic trucks, and it's got a lane blocked off, with an APD SUV about 50 yards in front.  And between them is a really nice-looking mature 10-point.  He's kinda laying down, but his head is up, and he's obviously braying in pain, his bloody tongue hanging out.  There's blood all over the concrete wall.  I see the scene, and immediately say "OH NO!," and I was genuinely upset the rest of the drive.

But if my son sees a clone of that deer on Saturday morning, I'll say "take him."  And I certainly hope he goes down quickly and cleanly.  Maybe that's the difference.  I hated to see a fantastic animal like that clearly suffering.  It just struck me as odd to have two different feelings about the same animal in different contexts.  I understand that is the way that we hunters think -- for example, I am quite fond of the deer that live around our house, am friendly with them (seriously, I talk to 'em sometimes when they're next to my car in the mornings), and if one was injured, I would try to help it.  This just struck me as a rather harsh juxtaposition.

I totally get your thoughts about the juxtaposition, but did you think the deer was shot rather than hit by a vehicle?  After all, deer are active and on the move during the rut, and you were on a highway  

I’m probably jumping to conclusions and reading something into your post because I’ve so often heard people comment on seeing a dead or wounded animal and wondering if it had been shot. When we moved into a house on a river years ago, I found a dead falcon on the shoreline, and mentioned it to one of our new next door neighbors. She assumed it had been shot even though her house was the last property on the road and on our other side was a vacant lot and then a neighbor who was a ardent conservationist who for many years had his outdoors tv show.

Maybe she shot it. 

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

2 hours ago, HOOKEM4 said:

Last year I had to do that to a doe my nephew had hit in the jaw. It was pretty messed up but I got there quick. I felt bad though about the suffering. Hate to see that.

Back in the 80s, one of the guys I hunted with shot a small buck that had been crippled by a previous shot that hit both hind hooves. It was probably someone on an adjacent lease who tried a long shot that was beyond their skill level. 

Edited October 30, 2018 by ImissWallyPryor

[Jkwellborn 6704]

I think you misread it. I don’t think he assumed it was shot.

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

Yeah, I reread it and came to the same conclusion. I wish this site gave us a few more minutes to edit posts. 

[Jkwellborn 6704]

My little brother shot a small buck that had been shot in the rear hoof too.

The edit time needs to be up also

[BabaYaga 15299]

On 10/30/2018 at 1:30 PM, ImissWallyPryor said:

Back in the 80s, one of the guys I hunted with shot a small buck that had been crippled by a previous shot that hit both hind hooves. It was probably someone on an adjacent lease who tried a long shot that was beyond their skill level. 

Quite possibly.  Or he got hung up in a fence.  They're always getting tangled up in crap.  

[Cooder 37]

Scouted today on public land in Nebraska for the upcoming rifle season. It's not Texas but it's still a pretty good view.

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[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

Quite possibly.  Or he got hung up in a fence.  They're always getting tangled up in crap.  

Nope.  Both back hooves were pretty much obliterated. It sure drove home the lesson to know the limit of your abilities.

Edited October 31, 2018 by ImissWallyPryor

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

5 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Quite possibly.  Or he got hung up in a fence.  They're always getting tangled up in crap.  

One of my wildlife profs in school found one stuck in the fork of a tree trunk. Apparently it tried to jump through and didn't make it. So it got stuck and died there.

[BabaYaga 15299]

12 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

One of my wildlife profs in school found one stuck in the fork of a tree trunk. Apparently it tried to jump through and didn't make it. So it got stuck and died there.

Yep, look at this poor bastard.  I've come across more than a few back legs (and one head) hung up on a normal, short cattle fence.  Rest was coyote dinner.  They are clumsy like all animals.  They get tangled in crap all the time.  

Nickname:  Stubby

[Kennythetiger 9388]

20 hours ago, Cooder said:

Scouted today on public land in Nebraska for the upcoming rifle season. It's not Texas but it's still a pretty good view.

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Which river?

[Cooder 37]

North Platte River

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[Jkwellborn 6704]

You driving cattle to Montana? I hear it’s a cattleman’s paradise.

[BabaYaga 15299]

 

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

You driving cattle to Montana? I hear it’s a cattleman’s paradise.

Well we don't rent pigs and I figure it's better to say it right out front because a man that does like to rent pigs is... he's hard to stop

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

6 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

Yep, look at this poor bastard.  I've come across more than a few back legs (and one head) hung up on a normal, short cattle fence.  Rest was coyote dinner.  They are clumsy like all animals.  They get tangled in crap all the time.  

Nickname:  Stubby

Interesting read that makes me question our assumption that it was a poor and unlucky (for the deer) shot. As I recall, the wounds looked pretty fresh as opposed to a rotting infection, but those memories are 30 years old now. 

[BabaYaga 15299]

8 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Interesting read that makes me question our assumption that it was a poor and unlucky (for the deer) shot. As I recall, the wounds looked pretty fresh as opposed to a rotting infection, but those memories are 30 years old now. 

Might have been?  Who knows?  Animals do stupid shit and being in the wild is tough (could have been frostbite, infection, etc).  I remember growing up, asking as a kid why all the pump-jacks had these little 2ft tall fences around them.

Sheep/cattle - keep them from getting squished by the counter-weights on the crank.  

[Both Tacos 1806]

Alright, Duck season Youth Weekend is just a couple of days away. This is the last year that my son has to participate as a shooter. There were some ducks in our wetland last weekend and this last cool front should have brought more, so looking forward to some smoking guns this weekend. 

[UTEX90 589]

46 minutes ago, Both Tacos said:

Alright, Duck season Youth Weekend is just a couple of days away. This is the last year that my son has to participate as a shooter. There were some ducks in our wetland last weekend and this last cool front should have brought more, so looking forward to some smoking guns this weekend. 

Good luck to the young fellow.   Some of the best days of my youth were spent waterfowling.

[Kennythetiger 9388]

4 hours ago, Cooder said:

North Platte River

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Cool.  I'm not far away.

[686 3449]

Beautiful rifle.  Tell us about it.

I posted about this gun in the Gun Owner’s thread a few months back. I saw it and thought I had it bought (for $750), but then I was told they sold it to someone else. I was let down and forgot about it for about a month, but out of curiosity, I checked with the gun shop and the guy they were holding it for hadn’t come to pick it up, so I was back in business.

It’s a Flaig’s custom gun. FN Mauser action, Douglas barrel. Great, light trigger. Custom Flaig’s Circassian stock. Topped with a vintage Leupold VariX III 2-7 that I’ll probably replace at some point, but it’s definitely functional as is. Very light, shoulders quickly. Shoots easy off sticks, kicks a little off the bench. I’ll put a better recoil pad on and maybe a mercury recoil reducer in the stock at some point that will make it more fun off the bench.

I have another Flaig’s custom in 375 Weatherby that I’ve posted about a fair amount, so this gun makes the start of a little custom gun collection for me.

Flaig’s was an old-time German gunsmith in Pennsylvania that closed 30+ years ago. They were renowned for craftsmanship. I like modern firearms and all, but there’s nothing quite like an old time custom gunsmith’s workshop. I frequented several as a kid, and even now, remembering watching master smiths at their work amongst the smell of oiled machine steel, oiled walnut and gunpowder brings nostalgia flooding back.

Hopefully we don’t lose all those special places where boys could stare wide-eyed at all of the wonderful creations built by the hands of men, listen, and learn.

[Lat22 4014]

One of my wildlife profs in school found one stuck in the fork of a tree trunk. Apparently it tried to jump through and didn't make it. So it got stuck and died there.

I’ve pulled a live one out of a fence. She just stood there and looked at me after I freed her. Pretty surreal to be standing right next to a wild doe. She was too tired to run.

I also came across a long dead one hanging on a high fence. My stomach jumped into my throat because it looked human (and our place is ground zero for finding dead humans).

[markstanco 12577]

Got the duck lease cabin delivered today, then put up a fence to keep the bulls out.

[Brisketexan 105151]

In retrospect, perhaps the jalapeño double cheeseburger with tots on the drive in last night wasn’t the best “pre morning in the blind” choice.

Also, it’s windy AF.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2732]

Everybody likes their own brand.

[jofus 2266]

Anyone get a deer yet?

[Kennythetiger 9388]

Stanko, you drunk fuckers put that cabin right next to the drying fans on the grain bins.

[Brisketexan 105151]

Anyone get a deer yet?

The boy just took his first real buck - a mature asymmetric 8-point on our friends’ place.

[Brisketexan 105151]

With his deer:

[Both Tacos 1806]

With his deer:

Awesome stuff. I'm sure both of you are pumped.
I'm out with the boy trying to get some ducks. He's gone through half of a box of shells but has connected. He stepped up to a 12 gauge this year so he is behind them on the swing. It is a great morning anyways.

[Brisketexan 105151]

Awesome stuff. I'm sure both of you are pumped.
I'm out with the boy trying to get some ducks. He's gone through half of a box of shells but has connected. He stepped up to a 12 gauge this year so he is behind them on the swing. It is a great morning anyways.

Once he gets the rhythm, he’ll be on. Get some birds.

[jofus 2266]

My brother just shot this guy

[Kennythetiger 9388]

By god if I still drank I'd have a cold High Life for The Boy.  Sometimes a guys feels like other peoples' kids on Shag/Surly are his own.  Good job, kid.

[Brisketexan 105151]

It was the only deer taken this morning. We just got lucky and had a good shooter at our blind. He came early, bolted, then came back and gave the boy a perfect shot at about 75 yards. He put the shot on the money, and he didn’t run but 25 yards.

Made the boy do much of the cleaning. It didn’t go quickly. And I demonstrated a lot. But we got it done.

Now, to the fundraiser lunch in Paint Rock, to check out the local ladies.