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2021-2022 hunting thread

markstanco

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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15406

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, hookemATL said:

This is the origin story of mad cow disease.  Rabbit gets sick.  Cow eats rabbit.  Society collapses. Sweet release.

Want to NOT sleep at night.  Look up how resilient the prions are from mad cow and CWD (can survive temps @ 1,000+degrees, decades in the soil)....and the concerns that it might someday jump to humans.

100% fatal.

Good times......

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cab948
cab948

This years opening weekend was a little bitter sweet as this was the first time going down since our "ranch foreman" had passed.    A little rough around the edges would be quite the understatement wh

CHIEF
CHIEF

CHIEF Jr. told me he really wanted my Book Auodad more than a 170+ WT. So yesterday morning we saw the biggest one (Number One) with the herd. Number two might be a little bit longer, but doesn't have

deadshank
deadshank

this old fella went down 10 minutes ago.     will post weight and green score after cleaning him up. 

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hookemATL

hookemATL 11993

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Want to NOT sleep at night.  Look up how resilient the prions are from mad cow and CWD (can survive temps @ 1,000+degrees, decades in the soil)....and the concerns that it might someday jump to humans.

100% fatal.

Good times......

Spoiler??  Fuck me. 

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CHIEF

CHIEF 5102

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, hornmpa96 said:

Curious what people think about this Buck’s age. The top 2 pictures are from December 2019 after the rut while the pic in the bottom left is October 2020. Bottom right is this September.

8063FA75-C056-46FC-B970-258560507E57.jpeg

Looks like a 4.5 year old. Again, the brisket is small, that is always my number one indicator. at 5.5, they have a deeper chest (brisket) and the legs look a little short for how thick their body looks.

CHIEF

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Speedtrucker

Speedtrucker 2085

Posted
Posted

Man you hill country people have it great.

Over in the plains territory of Wilbarger Co. we can’t get them that big. I’m trying but 3.5 yos are never making it to year 4. Our doe population has gotten bigger these last couple of years though, been 2 good seasons in a row and looks to be another solid season for doe.

We have at least 6 Bucks that could be big chunks if they survive till next year but they won’t. Someone is gonna bag the 3 that are legal for sure… and maybe the 3 that aren’t

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NotActuallyALonghorn

NotActuallyALonghorn 4980

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, hornmpa96 said:

Curious what people think about this Buck’s age. The top 2 pictures are from December 2019 after the rut while the pic in the bottom left is October 2020. Bottom right is this September.

8063FA75-C056-46FC-B970-258560507E57.jpeg

I'd say he's at least 4.5 if not 5.5 in the top. He looks pretty old in the bottom pictures, but he is still holding a lot of mass in his antlers (I'm assuming protein fed), so I'm gonna say he was an exceptional 4.5 year old in 2019. That's pretty impressive for post rut. Most bucks around here look methed out after the rut, but we don't have folks feeding as much protein like y'all do.

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CHIEF

CHIEF 5102

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

We had one come off our place last year that was similar to this one in the ‘20 pics.  Didn’t have quite as much mass but what a fine specimen. 

A 4.5 will have 90% of the antler score of a 5.5. but at least a 50% chance of not seeing 5.5 years. That is a nice buck, a shooter for sure. If he looks really worn down at the end of December, he would be tough to turn down.

CHIEF

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NotActuallyALonghorn

NotActuallyALonghorn 4980

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, CHIEF said:

A 4.5 will have 90% of the antler score of a 5.5. but at least a 50% chance of not seeing 5.5 years. That is a nice buck, a shooter for sure. If he looks really worn down at the end of December, he would be tough to turn down.

CHIEF

I'm curious what your reference to this is. Not doubting you or anything, but I like to see the science behind it. I got my degree in wildlife but haven't used it, so I still like to keep up with what the latest studies say.

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CHIEF

CHIEF 5102

Posted
Posted (edited)
15 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

I'm curious what your reference to this is. Not doubting you or anything, but I like to see the science behind it. I got my degree in wildlife but haven't used it, so I still like to keep up with what the latest studies say.

https://www.realtree.com/brow-tines-and-backstrap/how-long-do-white-tailed-deer-live

75% of hunters will not pass up a 4.5 year old buck, that will be possibly the biggest they ever see. Especially if they think there is a possibility that someone else will shoot them. You have to have enough land, and like-minded hunters with enough knowledge on being able to judge a deer's age on the hoof. Only 37% of bucks on public land ever see their second birthday.

CHIEF

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Both Tacos

Both Tacos 1825

Posted
Posted
Curious what people think about this Buck’s age. The top 2 pictures are from December 2019 after the rut while the pic in the bottom left is October 2020. Bottom right is this September.
8063FA75-C056-46FC-B970-258560507E57.thumb.jpeg.88c96a38970a72167f7165f995dd4abe.jpeg
The lower right pic doesn't look like the same deer through progression.
In the 2020 pic, looking at 4.5 so that would make him an eligible 5.5 years old this season.
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NotActuallyALonghorn

NotActuallyALonghorn 4980

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, CHIEF said:

https://www.realtree.com/brow-tines-and-backstrap/how-long-do-white-tailed-deer-live

75% of hunters will not pass up a 4.5 year old buck, that will be possibly the biggest they ever see. Especially if they think there is a possibility that someone else will shoot them. You have to have enough land, and like-minded hunters with enough knowledge on being able to judge a deer's age on the hoof. Only 37% of bucks on public land ever see their second birthday.

CHIEF

When. I took my Intro to Wildlife Management class in 2004, the number cited as the average age of a buck killed in East Texas was something like 1.9 years old. Folks were basically shooting kid deer most of the time because they knew if they didn't then their neighbors would.

A lot has changed since then. We have antler restrictions and doe days have been expanded greatly, but there is still a lot that can be done. I'm not scientifically a fan of the spike exception, but it serves a purpose of allowing people to shoot a dumb easy to kill deer for meat in their freezer. Antler restrictions allow most of the deer who don't get shot as spikes to mostly grow up. Expanded doe days have obvious benefits. 

The biggest problem we face is the whole thing about only shooting bucks and not does. It had it's important place in history, but those days are long gone and we need to focus on a better buck:doe ratio. Unfortunately that isn't super palatable politically, so we make baby steps compared to what a good wildlife manager could do without those restrictions.

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Jiggy-Z

Jiggy-Z 3469

Posted
Posted
On 10/10/2021 at 11:17 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

When. I took my Intro to Wildlife Management class in 2004, the number cited as the average age of a buck killed in East Texas was something like 1.9 years old. Folks were basically shooting kid deer most of the time because they knew if they didn't then their neighbors would.

A lot has changed since then. We have antler restrictions and doe days have been expanded greatly, but there is still a lot that can be done. I'm not scientifically a fan of the spike exception, but it serves a purpose of allowing people to shoot a dumb easy to kill deer for meat in their freezer. Antler restrictions allow most of the deer who don't get shot as spikes to mostly grow up. Expanded doe days have obvious benefits. 

The biggest problem we face is the whole thing about only shooting bucks and not does. It had it's important place in history, but those days are long gone and we need to focus on a better buck:doe ratio. Unfortunately that isn't super palatable politically, so we make baby steps compared to what a good wildlife manager could do without those restrictions.

For the freezer, I will take does over bucks any day.

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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15406

Posted
Posted
On 10/10/2021 at 9:17 PM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

When. I took my Intro to Wildlife Management class in 2004, the number cited as the average age of a buck killed in East Texas was something like 1.9 years old. Folks were basically shooting kid deer most of the time because they knew if they didn't then their neighbors would.

Yep.  Even a term for it - "prisoners dilemma"

We see it across a myriad of situations.  

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686

686 3457

Posted
Posted

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.

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crimsonlonghorn

crimsonlonghorn 2310

Posted
Posted
On 10/13/2021 at 3:42 PM, Jiggy-Z said:

For the freezer, I will take does over bucks any day.

Yeah, I most years I will find someone with some extra doe tags left late in the season and ask him to go shoot me a deer for the freezer.

I pay for the processing and they get to go shoot one more deer without breaking the bank.  

Win-Win. 

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Reagan1k

Reagan1k 3026

Posted
Posted

I realize most people never have the opportunity, but if you ever get the chance to shoot or even just take the meat from a velvet or cactus buck, typically from Mason or Llano counites - Jump on it.

I've mentioned them upthread or in the managing wildlife thread, but they get chemically castrated by vegetation native to the granite outcroppings so they basically are rendered steers as a fawn.  Never pump testosterone and don't go through the hormone cycles that doe have in dropping fawns.

Damn near venison veal.  Fork tender, flavorful but no gamey taste, and since they are just eating machines they get huge relative to their peers of the same age.

In my mind its a toss-up between them and axis doe as the best table fare on the hoof in TX. 

I try to shoot at least one every year and most of the time burn two tags on them.  

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Anastasis

Anastasis 23514

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I use to prefer does for freezer stacking, and still take a couple down every year.  But I just really don't find buck meat gamey or offensive in any way. I think that the processing primarily, plays the biggest role in the quality of the end product, and secondarily the cooking.  I am very very particular about timely cleaning and temperature control throughout the entire processing from field to plate. 

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fattyflattie

fattyflattie 4639

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

Yeah, I most years I will find someone with some extra doe tags left late in the season and ask him to go shoot me a deer for the freezer.

I pay for the processing and they get to go shoot one more deer without breaking the bank.  

Win-Win. 

Let me know if you need this service this year. I’m going on a mission this year wrt does. 

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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15406

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

Yeah, I most years I will find someone with some extra doe tags left late in the season and ask him to go shoot me a deer for the freezer.

I pay for the processing and they get to go shoot one more deer without breaking the bank.  

Win-Win. 

Basically what I do with the kids.  Our hunters do all the heavy lifting during the season, then I take the kids late in the season to pop does.  

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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15406

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, Anastasis said:

I use to prefer does for freezer stacking, and still take a couple down every year.  But I just really don't find buck meat gamey or offensive in any way. I think that the processing primarily, plays the biggest role in the quality of the end product, and secondarily the cooking.  I am very very particular about timely cleaning and temperature control throughout the entire processing from field to plate. 

This.  If processed and aged properly, the vast majority of the gaminess is removed.  I know a guy that ages his for a solid two weeks before processing and swears by it.  Everyone has their little tricks

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Izhmash

Izhmash 563

Posted
Posted
On 10/13/2021 at 8:50 PM, deadshank said:

This year’s crop of bullets is ready to find a target.  130 grain Nosler Accubond custom fit to my .270.  

Can I ask what you mean by "custom fit to your .270"? Do you mean the seating depth is optimized for your rifle? i.e.- xyz thousands of an inch off the lands?  I'm curious because I've never heard it stated this way...and you got me wondering if (maybe hoping that) Nosler will custom make Accubonds.

Those magnificent bastards look hella deadly. My father uses those in his .260 and they do an amazing job. I have really grown attached to Barnes TTSX for my .308...not typical to find them more accurate but for whatever reason, they love my rifle.

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Izhmash

Izhmash 563

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

This.  If processed and aged properly, the vast majority of the gaminess is removed.  I know a guy that ages his for a solid two weeks before processing and swears by it.  Everyone has their little tricks

100%. What always fucks us up is the weather. Ideally, I love to let them hang (cleaned, not processed) at least a night. But damned if it doesn't get higher than 80, we don't like to let the flies get all over them. Besides bagging them, what do you guys do when it gets hot...just process and put them on ice?

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deadshank

deadshank 24653

Posted
Posted (edited)
16 minutes ago, Izhmash said:

Can I ask what you mean by "custom fit to your .270"? Do you mean the seating depth is optimized for your rifle? i.e.- xyz thousands of an inch off the lands?  I'm curious because I've never heard it stated this way...and you got me wondering if (maybe hoping that) Nosler will custom make Accubonds.

Those magnificent bastards look hella deadly. My father uses those in his .260 and they do an amazing job. I have really grown attached to Barnes TTSX for my .308...not typical to find them more accurate but for whatever reason, they love my rifle.

Casings are trimmed, necked and formed to my rifle.  Yes, down to the 1000ths of inches.  
 

I had a custom rifle built out of 1970s Remington .270 action.  All of the parts were extremely machined to crazy tolerances.  With that sort of detail custom hand loaded bullets were a no brainer.  
 

These bullets won’t fit into another .270 or may fit then get stuck (yes, a friend palmed one and got it stuck in his .270).
 

The down range accuracy and consistency  is really great.  
 

3-shot group at 100 yards  

 

F21ECF9D-61EA-40CD-8C6E-067C08920061.jpeg
 

3-shot group at 300 yards with a 20-25 mph crosswind 

A22E2C72-348D-4D6A-962A-3EF2C62DFBCD.jpeg

Edited by deadshank
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CHIEF

CHIEF 5102

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, Izhmash said:

100%. What always fucks us up is the weather. Ideally, I love to let them hang (cleaned, not processed) at least a night. But damned if it doesn't get higher than 80, we don't like to let the flies get all over them. Besides bagging them, what do you guys do when it gets hot...just process and put them on ice?

I used to hang mine overnight, but you always had to watch the weather. I had a buddy I hunted with for a couple of years, he would quarter his deer up and throw them in a cooler and cover with ice. He was a procrastinator, so he would just keep buying ice and adding to the cooler and drain the water off every couple of days for about 3 weeks. He was divorced, so he brought over a backstrap for Mrs. CHIEF to fry up for us one night, and it was sublime. I've been doing it with my deer ever since.

CHIEF

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Johnny Sack

Johnny Sack 8397

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, Anastasis said:

I use to prefer does for freezer stacking, and still take a couple down every year.  But I just really don't find buck meat gamey or offensive in any way. I think that the processing primarily, plays the biggest role in the quality of the end product, and secondarily the cooking.  I am very very particular about timely cleaning and temperature control throughout the entire processing from field to plate. 

I like gut, remove skin, and hang mine in the walk in fridge for a couple weeks before processing.  Cool and dry is the way meat should be handled.  People that use the ice method to drain blood in cooler befuddles me.  You wouldn't put a good steak in ice water -- it turns it gray.

The venison I cook is outstanding table fare.  Because I clean, handle and age it properly. And I know how to cook it.  It can be simple.  Sometimes I simply cut small backstrap medallions, salt and pepper, and cook on a very hot cast iron skillet.  Fantastic, plus quick and easy.  For chicken fried, the key is smaller and thin pieces.  So you don't fry as long and it stays tender.

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Johnny Sack

Johnny Sack 8397

Posted
Posted
36 minutes ago, Izhmash said:

100%. What always fucks us up is the weather. Ideally, I love to let them hang (cleaned, not processed) at least a night. But damned if it doesn't get higher than 80, we don't like to let the flies get all over them. Besides bagging them, what do you guys do when it gets hot...just process and put them on ice?

If you have to put quarters in a cooler, place them in something to keep them dry and out of the ice water -- contractor trash bags will work.  As to straps and tenders, vacuum seal them.  The meat should not touch water.

 

 

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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15406

Posted
Posted
37 minutes ago, Izhmash said:

100%. What always fucks us up is the weather. Ideally, I love to let them hang (cleaned, not processed) at least a night. But damned if it doesn't get higher than 80, we don't like to let the flies get all over them. Besides bagging them, what do you guys do when it gets hot...just process and put them on ice?

Quarter and get one of those large coolers and keep it on ice.  Keep draining and refilling for as long as you can manage.  

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Johnny Sack

Johnny Sack 8397

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Posted

NOT MINE, from a processor, and basically what I follow (except we have a walk in cooler and I let it hang for 1-2 weeks):

For years we have all been taught by our hunting mentors to soak deer and hog meat in ice water. I’ve heard some hunters say soaking the meat overnight is enough and others who prefer a week or more. This is one of the worst things to do to any animal carcass after its slaughter. Putting the meat in water allows bacteria (primarily E. coli) to grow and spread over the entire carcass. It also removes all of the flavor from the meat. Imagine eating a good ribeye after soaking it in water for a week.

Years ago, before hunters started feeding deer like they do today, deer meat had a strong gamey taste. This led to the practice of soaking the meat to remove the gaminess. Actually most of the deer we harvest today have access to more and higher quality feed than what we feed the vast majority of our cattle and domestic pigs in this country. This leads to a higher grade of meat which lacks much of the typical gamey taste.

I put together the following guide to educate hunters how to properly care for their kill in order to give them the best tasting meat possible (and also the longest shelf life). I have slaughtered cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep for a living for over 30 years. I am also an avid hunter and the method outlined here is how I personally clean and prepare my kill EVERY time. Good luck hunting!

After the Shot. The first thing to do is properly bleed the animal. Cut the jugular vein as soon as possible. It minimizes blood clots and bruising that occur around the shot area (especially with a shoulder shot). It also cleanses the meat of lactic acid buildup that occurs when a deer runs off after getting hit (this is even more important when a deer is running from dogs). Lactic acid adds to the gaminess of the meat.

After Skinning and Gutting. Leave the carcass hanging and do your best to remove any feces and hair. Use a sharp, smooth knife to trim any areas with visible signs of feces and discard them. Remove as much hair with your fingertips as possible. If the shot was in the shoulder, use your knife to open up and lift both shoulders to trim away any bruised or bloody meat.

spacer.png

 

Washing. At this stage use your hose to clean the carcass as best you can. Use a heavy stream and be sure to get the inside of the stomach cavity and any other bloody or messy areas such as the neck, pelvic area, and under the shoulders if you opened them up after a shoulder shot. At this stage, water is your friend.

 

spacer.png

 

Dry, firm, cool carcass ready for processing.

Hanging. After washing the carcass, leave it hanging to let it dry. If the temperature is below 48 degrees, the carcass can easily be left out overnight. The longer you can hang it, the better. Hanging the carcass lets excess blood drip out of the meat, allows the surface of the meat to dry up, and causes the meat to firm up so it is easier to debone. After the surface is good and dry, it will be easy to pick off any hair or trim any blood or feces that was missed earlier. Even if it is fairly warm, you can hang the carcass as long as 2-4 hours.

Packaging. When you are ready to ice down the carcass, break it into quarters or halves. At this stage, use care not to allow the meat to get wet again. Put each piece separately into plastic bags (garbage bags, ice bags, etc. the thicker the better to prevent bones from puncturing the bag) and tie or seal the bags tight. Put the carcass into ice chests in layers. First put a layer of ice on the bottom, then put one or two pieces of the carcass, add ice and repeat. Always cover the top of the meat with ice (cold air sinks). Pull the plug on the cooler so water does not build up in the cooler. Check the cooler regularly and add ice as needed. You should get the meat to a processor as soon as possible; preferably within 3-4 days.

Final Word. The process described above will minimize the spread of bacteria, make the job of cutting up or deboning the meat much easier and cleaner, and also maximize your yield of meat. The end result will be a much better tasting final product.

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Izhmash

Izhmash 563

Posted
Posted
35 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Casings are trimmed, necked and formed to my rifle.  Yes, down to the 1000ths of inches.  
 

I had a custom rifle built out of 1970s Remington .270 action.  All of the parts were extremely machined to crazy tolerances.  With that sort of detail custom hand loaded bullets were a no brainer.  
 

These bullets won’t fit into another .270 or may fit then get stuck (yes, a friend palmed one and got it stuck in his .270).

 

I suspected the trim / necking...but not fire forming. Thanks for clarifying!  My father and I have custom rifles from Mike Bush (back when he was working under Underground Skunkworks), but we've never fire formed cases for them. Do you go through a process similar to forming for .223AI? 

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