2021-2022 hunting thread

[Kennythetiger 9,376]

Every few years one will pass through up here on the high plains. Not sure I could shoot one, even if it was killing one of my calves. 

[CycleTex87 2,967]

I saw a mountain lion hopping a fence in Glasscock County off the highway between Midland and Garden City a couple of years ago.  Just at daylight, saw this obviously catlike animal casually jump the fence, decided it was too big and too long a tail for a bobcat.  It was pretty cool as I had never seen one live in the wild.

[686 3,447]

Also, the Florida Panther is actually a subspecies of mountain lions, despite being officially called panthers.

I thought they “supplemented” the Florida population with Mountain lions from west Texas a few years back; ergo it’s basically all the same now?

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,975]

It was still a subspecies, but I believe the population wasn't large enough to maintain healthy genetics, so they had to introduce a little outside blood.

[hookemATL 11,704]

Easily one of the coolest animals in the states. Always hate to see pics of them killed (hunting or otherwise). 

[cknight 184]

Getting excited for dove/teal season even though it's hot as hell right now. My dog has been a couch potato for 4 months so we just picked back up training and I am getting her back in shape and tuned up. Anyone else got a lab or bird dog they are looking to shoot some birds over? I'm jonesing for some hunting!

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

My brother got this big ugly last night at my place in Scurry County. Massive cutters and fat as hell. 
 

 

[686 3,447]

Getting excited for dove/teal season even though it's hot as hell right now. My dog has been a couch potato for 4 months so we just picked back up training and I am getting her back in shape and tuned up. Anyone else got a lab or bird dog they are looking to shoot some birds over? I'm jonesing for some hunting!

We just booked a duck hunt; don’t know what I’m going to do for doves yet. One of my good hunting buds has a great bird dog. Watching her work is the best part of the hunt.

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

2 hours ago, 686 said:

We just booked a duck hunt; don’t know what I’m going to do for doves yet. One of my good hunting buds has a great bird dog. Watching her work is the best part of the hunt.

I used to have one who would see the doves flying towards us and start whining softly, then he’d bark at me when I shot and missed. That dude lived to go hunting. Never lost a bird with him. He died about 10 years ago and I still miss him. 

[686 3,447]

[Brisketexan 105,074]

Man….those posts make me miss my old girl, her last hunting season was 2008. She must have retrieved 3,000 birds, maybe a lot more.
She would often spot incoming birds before I did - when her head would lock, I would follow her gaze and often see dove or ducks in the distance. Click of a safety made her perk up and immediately look where I was looking. She knew the drive to our bird lease even in the dark; when I made the last turn on the route, she’d start whining in anticipation. And yeah, she got pissed at me when I missed a shot. Goddamn she was a great dog, and I still miss her.

[cknight 184]

Probably shared this pic from last year already. It’s a real joy watching a dog work and do what they love and were born and bred to do!

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

On 7/17/2022 at 1:40 PM, 686 said:

 

Hell yeah. 

CLICK

"WHAT?!?! WHERE?!?!? IS IT TIME?!?!?! WHERE ARE THEY??!?!?!"

Love that. 

[solamente73 1,132]

Checked the cameras, was like whoa.

A lot of work to do, so I had to get to it.

Time to establish a better vantage point to allow for multiple shots on multiple pigs.

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

I think that protein we added this spring is working. 

[deadshank 24,652]

Topped off protein feeders yesterday.  Refilling water totes today.  
 

Lawdamercy, it’s dry out here.  

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,975]

Too dry and too hot. I've got a small enclosure where my grandfather used to put his round bales that I need to fix the fence and add a by pass gate to so I can put a feeeder in the middle and plant a small food plot, a couple of tripod stands to move, and a box stand that I need to build a base for and set it on top. It's just too hot to do that kind of work right now.

[Herbie Hancock 7,345]

Topped off protein feeders yesterday.  Refilling water totes today.  
 
Lawdamercy, it’s dry out here.  

What’s in the Yeti

[deadshank 24,652]

3 minutes ago, Herbie Hancock said:

What’s in the Yeti

Regret on the rocks 

[deadshank 24,652]

Skinning rack floor redone.  Needs a blood christening.  

[686 3,447]

77 days till elk season for me. I picked up a Christensen Ranger 22 for grouse hunting and for some inexpensive range/trigger time, it shoots well. My first carbon barrel rifle.

I’ve been rucking 1-2.5 miles a few days a week with my pack in cargo arrangement and a 50# “imitation elk quarter”.

Tried another handload recipe for my 300WBY and still no luck. Factory ammo is still grouping so at least I know I can fall back on that.

Last years elk hide got back from the tannery this week.

[solamente73 1,132]

This one ran on three legs into the thicket, about 50 yards.  Shame on me.  Really interesting blueish-gray hue to its coat.

Starting to collect some decent cutters this year.

So many pigs, so little blind time.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,975]

Gotta get out and clean up these two feeder pens.

Probably going to cut the top foot or so off of them, as the deer never jumped the fence last season and we ended up just feeding raccoons and a few other varmints. Hopefully that will be enough and I won't have to buy more cattle panels to make the pens bigger, as they were almost twice the price last time I checked.

We also have to move these two tripod stands.

And build a base for this blind (also gotta add a funnel so we have somewhere to pee without opening the door).

I was planning on fixing up an old feeder in this hay enclosure, planting a small food plot, patching up the fence, and adding a bypass gate, but the guy running cattle on our family land has already done most of that so he can store hay there, so I gotta talk to him and see where we can build him another one as I know the deer frequent this corner.

All of that is going to involve a lot of manual labor, and it's just been so hot this year. We've had decent rain, but it will probably have to wait a month or so for it to cool down a bit and fingers crossed the deer won't care. This last picture captures pretty well what it feels like about now.

We gotta put the work in now so he will have a place to grow up hunting.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

2 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Probably going to cut the top foot or so off of them, as the deer never jumped the fence last season and we ended up just feeding raccoons and a few other varmints.

You don’t have to cut the entire top, just a couple of spots where they can access. I’ve never had a problem with them jumping in, even at full height. But I leave a section of 36” for the fawns. 

[Armybrat 40,822]

[Armybrat 40,822]

Hey, at least he used a suppressor.

[BabaYaga 15,288]

1 hour ago, Armybrat said:

Hey, at least he used a suppressor.

You want to go down an mother f'er of a YouTube rabbit hole, check out the videos of rat hunting with dogs in the UK or the guys commissioned to hunt them with high-end pellet rifles.

Dogs are going to town!

The mother of all pellet rifles

 

[Cajun 11,705]

[Spaulding Smails 1,552]

Call me an optimist, but I think this dove season could be pretty decent.  I'm seeing a ton at my house right now in western Hays Co.  There's usually a decent amount of local birds, but the numbers seem to be significantly more.  I saw similarly increased numbers at our place in Kimble Co a few weeks ago.  I'll be at a buddy's ranch in Burnet Co for opening morning.  Need to go pick up a license in the next few weeks.  Anyone else have 9/1 circled on the calendar this year?

[fattyflattie 4,639]

28 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Call me an optimist, but I think this dove season could be pretty decent.  I'm seeing a ton at my house right now in western Hays Co.  There's usually a decent amount of local birds, but the numbers seem to be significantly more.  I saw similarly increased numbers at our place in Kimble Co a few weeks ago.  I'll be at a buddy's ranch in Burnet Co for opening morning.  Need to go pick up a license in the next few weeks.  Anyone else have 9/1 circled on the calendar this year?

Call me a realist, but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts I know exactly when we’re finally going to get that much needed turd floater. 
 

I’m also seeing a ton of birds. 

[markstanco 12,571]

7MM Rem Mag ammo and .410 #6 high brass in stock at midwayusa.com right now.  I bet it is gone in a few hours.....

[Spaulding Smails 1,552]

3 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

Call me a realist, but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts I know exactly when we’re finally going to get that much needed turd floater. 
 

I’m also seeing a ton of birds. 

TRUTH.  I think it was about three or four years ago, I stopped by my buddy's ranch in Live Oak County Labor Day weekend on the way back from Port A.  Just absolutely covered with dove.  Shot the shit with him and fantasized of a 30 minute limit.  Showed up a few weeks later for the south zone opener and it didn't stop raining for three days straight.  Shot maybe three birds over the weekend but drank lots of beer on the porch.  Though as dry as it is this year, I'd probably take the rain out. 

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

On 8/4/2022 at 9:33 AM, Spaulding Smails said:

Call me an optimist, but I think this dove season could be pretty decent.  I'm seeing a ton at my house right now in western Hays Co.  There's usually a decent amount of local birds, but the numbers seem to be significantly more.  I saw similarly increased numbers at our place in Kimble Co a few weeks ago.  I'll be at a buddy's ranch in Burnet Co for opening morning.  Need to go pick up a license in the next few weeks.  Anyone else have 9/1 circled on the calendar this year?

I haven't seen that many in Scurry County, though we have a ton of ECD's everywhere and you can shoot those year round. 

After last year's sparse pickings, I tried to put in a dove food plot earlier this spring and only about 10% of it came up, even after running sprinklers on it 3 days a week. Probably an error on my part with the planting technique. Will go get an actual cultipacker next year and maybe that will protect it from the birds before it germinates. 

I figured with sufficient food and only limited water during this drought, we'd know where the doves had to be this season. Oh well.

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

Shot a smallish rattlesnake yesterday on my back porch with a 410. He had a big bulge and obviously had just eaten something. I aimed right behind the bulge and when it split open, out popped a big ground squirrel. Kind of cool. 

What's strange is that I thought they had immunity to rattlesnake venom? Guess this one did not. 

 

[Herbie Hancock 7,345]

No idea if they’re immune or not but I’ve seen a prairie dog fuck up a rattlebug. Mean little bastards.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,732]

Going out in 2 weeks to fill feeders and mow. It’s dry as shit and no swine in sight.

[deadshank 24,652]

26 minutes ago, T’Boo Ted Marshall said:

Going out in 2 weeks to fill feeders and mow. It’s dry as shit and no swine in sight.

Mow what?  Dust?

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,732]

Mow what?  Dust?

Around the trailer and in pens.

[deadshank 24,652]

[Jerry Callo 8,699]

On 8/4/2022 at 9:33 AM, Spaulding Smails said:

Call me an optimist, but I think this dove season could be pretty decent.  I'm seeing a ton at my house right now in western Hays Co.  There's usually a decent amount of local birds, but the numbers seem to be significantly more.  I saw similarly increased numbers at our place in Kimble Co a few weeks ago.  I'll be at a buddy's ranch in Burnet Co for opening morning.  Need to go pick up a license in the next few weeks.  Anyone else have 9/1 circled on the calendar this year?

I'm hoping for a better season in Central Texas for mourning dove.  I've been watching the skies for mourning dove and have seen some.  I'll head out to the lease in a couple weeks to get an idea of quantity of dove and existence of sunflowers (or lack thereof).  We should have plenty of Texas croton either way.

Thanks for the reminder, I almost forgot to calendar 9/1 and 9/2 for vacation.

[deadshank 24,652]

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

So when are we starting a new thread and who's doing it? I'm not worthy. 

Dove opener is only two weeks off.... 

[Herbie Hancock 7,345]

I think the better question is who is actually seeing any birds? 0.4 inches rainfall since May 23rd is not good

[fattyflattie 4,639]

So when are we starting a new thread and who's doing it? I'm not worthy. 
Dove opener is only two weeks off.... 

Don’t even need a calendar. March-July, nah.




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[fattyflattie 4,639]

Lol. Current “radar estimate”. Whatever that means.




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[deadshank 24,652]

2 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

I think the better question is who is actually seeing any birds? 0.4 inches rainfall since May 23rd is not good

We are covered up in birds.  Therefore a hurricane followed by monsoon followed by another hurricane followed by an appendectomy is imminent.  

[deadshank 24,652]

On 7/13/2022 at 1:15 PM, CycleTex87 said:

I saw a mountain lion hopping a fence in Glasscock County off the highway between Midland and Garden City a couple of years ago.  Just at daylight, saw this obviously catlike animal casually jump the fence, decided it was too big and too long a tail for a bobcat.  It was pretty cool as I had never seen one live in the wild.

Not far from the banks of the Devil’s River a few years ago at a friend’s ranch.  

[Ted Dantzler 149]

Pretty sure I flushed a mountain lion out of a 60 acre CRP field a couple years ago in NW Kansas while pheasant hunting. I was about 100 yards away from it when I stopped to see if any birds flushed, all I saw was some tall grass parting and a tan back.

Then the cat reached a pasture, sprinted across it and right before it hit a new patch of CRP stopped and looked back at me.

50/50 chance it was a large bobcat but if you put a gun to my head and asked me what I saw I would say mountain lion, solid tan color with no spots.

We do get some decent sized bobcats out there tho.

[deadshank 24,652]

Going up mountain one month from today. 

[CycleTex87 2,967]

So when does the 2022-2023 Hunting Thread start?