2022-2023 Hunting Thread

[Frank Drebin 5611]

35 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, yeah, I've heard people give that speech before.

I'm telling you, deep red meat soaked in buttermilk and hot sauce, battered and fried crispy and dipped in cream gravy while watching football?  It's fantastic.  Yeah, specklebelly is better than snow, and sandhill is better than both.  But red meat chicken fried is good.  Real good.

Sub some chicken tenders and it's even better.

I don't shoot geese because I have zero desire to eat them.

I'll stick with dove, quail, and teal.

[Kennythetiger 9334]

1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

My favorite goose recipe:

• Take goose
• Place in driveway
• Run over goose with car
• eat the tire

Brisket is half Mexican and half coonass. If it’s got a heartbeat, he’s got a recipe. 

[Brisketexan 104537]

12 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

Sub some chicken tenders and it's even better.

Meh.  Chicken tenders are bland and tasteless.  Goose actual has real wild game-beefy flavor to bring to the table.

6 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Brisket is half Mexican and half coonass. If it’s got a heartbeat, he’s got a recipe. 

I often tell folks that I eat organic.....if it's carbon-based, I eat it.  Kill a pig, and we'll eat everything but the squeal...and I'm working on a recipe for that.

[BabaYaga 15205]

50 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, yeah, I've heard people give that speech before.

I'm telling you, deep red meat soaked in buttermilk and hot sauce, battered and fried crispy and dipped in cream gravy while watching football?  It's fantastic.  Yeah, specklebelly is better than snow, and sandhill is better than both.  But red meat chicken fried is good.  Real good.

Sandhill, ribeye of the sky!

[BabaYaga 15205]

We hate geeses to pieces!

[BabaYaga 15205]

5 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Meh.  Chicken tenders are bland and tasteless.  Goose actual has real wild game-beefy flavor to bring to the table.

I often tell folks that I eat organic.....if it's carbon-based, I eat it.  Kill a pig, and we'll eat everything but the squeal...and I'm working on a recipe for that.

Trying to think of all the weird shit from Texas I've had?  All the usual:  deer, beef, frog, rabbit, mutton, pig/javelina, everything that swims and flies.  Snakes.  Bugs (with soy or chocolate).  Worms (school project, baked into cookies).  Squirrel/coon/possum.  I know I had dog in Mexico because a little kid tried to warm me the taco was "different".  

Never had ringtail or fox/yote.  Never had lion, though I hear it's amazing.  I have had black bear & nutria.  Killed beaver, never ate it as @South Austin's mom is ticklish....

[fattyflattie 4636]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, specklebelly is better than snow, and sandhill is better than both

Understatement of the year.  Sandhill shouldn't even be spoken along with the other two. 

[CycleTex87 2953]

On 3/21/2023 at 6:55 PM, MalibuSheriff said:

Speaking of deer organs, I have an old story to share…

My first buck was a little six point I shot down in the Ozark hills south of Locust Grove, OK.  I shot the deer and he ran downhill towards where my dad was sitting.   It was a really dry Fall and the reason I saw the deer is I heard him walking up the side of the hill in the dry leaves.  He sounded like an elephant racing back downhill with a .30-.30 150 grain in him.

My dad found the deer and waved me over to field dress the deer.  We were both bent over gutting the little buck, when out of no where, this old man is standing next to us.  We both kind of jumped as we never heard him coming whatsoever.  The old dude is dressed in dirty overalls that look like they belonged on Pea Eye from Lonesome Dove (literally looked like he walked out of the 1870s).  Old man says “ya gonna eat that liver?”.  My dad and I were still somewhat stunned by his appearance and said no, that he could have it.  Old man bends over and picks up the bloody deer liver and sticks the son-of-a-bitch in his coat pocket and walks off silently.  Weird as shit deal.

My dad turned to me and said “I think that  fucker was a damn ghost”. 🤣

We had a client outing on a high fence exotic ranch in S. Texas this year.  One guy killed a scimitar oryx.  A buddy took the heart and cut it up into small pieces, mixed it in with lime juice, onion, salt, pepper, etc. and made a ceviche, let it sit overnight.  Wasn't bad.

[686 3404]

Man….I need to go on one of those hunts. Where’s the best place to go? I used to goose hunt 20X a year back in high school and college.
We’d eat platters of chicken fried goose breast strips while watching college football on Saturdays 10x a year. Loved those days.

Arkansas was a pretty good place, but the problem with the snows (from what I heard) is that they have gotten extremely shy of decoy spreads and are really hard to hunt. The big outfitters do thousands of decoys per spread and electronic calls, and still have a hard time getting the kinds of harvest you’d think would be possible in a no-limit situation. Mossberg even makes a gun tailored to these hunts with a 12 round mag (3”).

[BabaYaga 15205]

On 3/24/2023 at 8:12 PM, 686 said:

Arkansas was a pretty good place, but the problem with the snows (from what I heard) is that they have gotten extremely shy of decoy spreads and are really hard to hunt. The big outfitters do thousands of decoys per spread and electronic calls, and still have a hard time getting the kinds of harvest you’d think would be possible in a no-limit situation. Mossberg even makes a gun tailored to these hunts with a 12 round mag (3”).

On 3/24/2023 at 3:45 PM, CycleTex87 said:

A buddy took the heart and cut it up into small pieces,

[ImissWallyPryor 9045]

On 3/24/2023 at 10:33 AM, fattyflattie said:

Specks aren't that bad.  I've got a friend who will take as much as you can provide. #blessed

That’s my wild turkey recipe! 

[Cousin Strawberry 1261]

On 3/18/2023 at 7:14 PM, deadshank said:

I haven’t field gutted or camp gutted a deer in 20 years.  You can skin, quarter and pull straps & tender loins without gutting.  

This.  I only gut if I am taking the heart and liver.

[HOOKEM4 5016]

My youngest had a break in baseball due to weather/Easter so we snuck out to the ranch and went pig hunting. He got his first pig. I told him to hit her in the white somewhere and he put the shot in a great spot. 300 blk dropped her straight to the ground. 90yds with my silly 2x scope on the sbr. He is only 8 but becoming quite the enthusiast. Proud dad.

[686 3404]

Got out Turkey hunting with the 13yo today, she worked hard, but I couldn’t get her close to any birds; saw two Toms that were locked onto the hens they were with and wouldn’t come to calls. She had a good learning experience.

[DalTxHornFan 3085]

24 minutes ago, 686 said:

Got out Turkey hunting with the 13yo today, she worked hard, but I couldn’t get her close to any birds; saw two Toms that were locked onto the hens they were with and wouldn’t come to calls. She had a good learning experience.
 

Not easy to call a Tom that is locked on to the real thing!

[686 3404]

I’m posting this as somewhat of a journal entry for myself but also as a help/conversation starter for anybody considering trying to draw tags for western public land hunting. A summary of where I’m at in my journey:

(TLDR: out of state public land hunting is complicated, figuring out how you want to do it can be complicated, there is help available)

Last week I turned in my Colorado tag application and also decided to start building points in more western states for elk, and will be putting in for Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona for the foreseeable future. In addition, I will continue to build points for Moose and Big Horn Sheep with my Colorado applications where I usually draw an elk or mule deer tag.

After thought and conversation with kids, I’ll be putting in for points for them as well. They are 10 and 13, and should be drawing decent tags in their late teens. Youth stuff is a whole other topic I’ll save for another time.

New Mexico and Alaska don’t do points, and Idaho is a little different with costs, so I’m saving those for later consideration.

For some of the in-demand tags, the average time to draw is over a decade (even for elk), and approaches 20 years for some species/units. One of the reasons I’ve put off point building is the fact that it’s so foreign to me to plan/spend money for hunts a decade+ out. After 5-6 years of research and some experience, I think I’ve finally figured out a plan for myself, based on what my capabilities and limitations are.

Here’s a list FYI:

Limitations:
1. I really lose interest looking at monster state game agency annuals trying to figure out where to hunt and where/how to apply, and all the little esoteric state-by-state rules. They evolve over time as well.

2. I have a hard time keeping up with all the due dates for applications. They aren’t consistent and also can change over time. And I believe with some states, if you miss a year of applying, you lose your points. (Big disincentive for me.)

3. I don’t have hunting connections all over the west. I have had connections in NM and CO, which were invaluable to getting me hunting there.

4. I’m 45. Already too old (by most guide’s recommendations) to start applying for sheep tags that have a ~20 year average draw time.

5. There is the potential for rules to change or for “point creep” to continue to lessen my chances at drawing tags in great hunting areas, but I’m ok with that.

6. I really enjoy a hot shower, hot meal, and cold beverage at the end of the day. Climbing into a sleeping bag without a hot shower is a low point for me and I typically don’t sleep well like that. This has limited me to hunting from places where I stay in lodging and walk/drive in and out of the hunting area. In order to get further back I will need to tent camp; an area for improvement.

Capabilities:

1. I have a decent “public land” hunting budget. I usually spend about $800 for a tag in Colorado. Tags for most other states will probably trend higher, up to a few grand, which I can swing. I usually spend probably double that every year in ammo and gear. And then at least a couple grand in fuel, lodging, processing, tanning/taxidermy work. Building these points will cost about $700 per year. Not that much per se, but a shift from my Texas hunting experience. The costs are somewhat spread out over the year, so you aren’t getting a $5k+ bill all at once.

2. My wife and I will get into some arguments on the time I spend away, but we get through it. She is generally “supportive”; I.e. doesn’t overtly fight me on hunting topics, takes care of things while I’m gone, and is happy to cook/eat venison.

3. I’ve become a “decent” public land elk hunter; it’s a totally different thing than Texas whitetail hunting and took me awhile to adapt, and I’m obviously still drinking from the fire hose. This includes:

A. Being in physical shape enough to go ~10 miles per day up and down grades at 7-10k feet elevation, with 20-70lb+ pack.

B. Being able to read the situation and adapt the daily plan to the conditions; what the weather, animals, competing hunters, and your partner(s) are doing/wanting to do.

C. Taking marksmanship, prep, and gear seriously. I make investments in my gear and have it sorted out and ready. Always being able to reliably shoot at distance when the hunt starts. It is a buzz kill on a hunt when someone doesn’t have themselves or their gear ready/reliable.

D. I can “embrace the suck”; work through type 2 fun/no fun at all/tough situations without panicking / going negative / giving up. Dudes that can’t handle inconveniently timed hard work and adversity won’t make it in public land western hunting IMO. This will be something to work on with the kids.

E. I am fairly patient and optimistic; can do all-day sits, multi-days hunts without seeing animals without letting my attitude sag, I’m in for the whole experience, not just the kill. Also, if I tag out early; I’m all in for scouting/pushing game or packing out for others.


With all this in mind, I’m going to use a tag application service to help me with managing points/tags. I’ve looked at several services, but I ended up using Huntin’ Fool. They will cost me all-in about $500/yr. They have hunt planner types to help me with unit selection, guides, etc. if needed down the road. They have been helpful on the phone to this point and their website was good as well. Additionally, they will turn in applications for my kids for free in states where they are managing my applications, which is a huge benefit. I will probably spend more time with them on managing my kid’s applications than on my own for a few years.

[fattyflattie 4636]

@686 great post.  I've said I'm going to dive in for years now, and just never have gotten deep into it.  IF you can bear it, txaggy board had a really good annual thread on it.  LOTS of those fuckers doing the western thing.  

[686 3404]

[mention=2146]686[/mention] great post.  I've said I'm going to dive in for years now, and just never have gotten deep into it.  IF you can bear it, txaggy board had a really good annual thread on it.  LOTS of those fuckers doing the western thing.  

I don’t know if I can stomach it over there, but over the last 15 years I learned a fair amount on/from The High Road, Texas Bowhunter, Eastman’s, Petersen’s, Rokslide, etc.

Luckily for me I was at a point where I was ready to take advantage of the opportunity when an acquaintance was nice enough to extend an invite. That was the sticking point for me - having someone I trust giving me some first hand information on where good hunting spots would be, etc., so I didn’t feel like I was wasting my time. Hopefully Huntin’ Fool will be helpful like that for me in other states, and OnX makes things easier now as well.

[BabaYaga 15205]

On 4/8/2023 at 11:07 PM, 686 said:

Got out Turkey hunting with the 13yo today, she worked hard, but I couldn’t get her close to any birds; saw two Toms that were locked onto the hens they were with and wouldn’t come to calls. She had a good learning experience.

My bird from year before last.  

 

[BabaYaga 15205]

Bird, bird, bird is the word

[ImissWallyPryor 9045]

On 4/10/2023 at 6:34 PM, 686 said:

I don’t know if I can stomach it over there….

[deadshank 24651]

The game is afoot

 

[cabowabo 4452]

58 minutes ago, deadshank said:

The game is afoot

 

The chain hasn't wrapped around that T post yet?  Every time I set one of these up, the fuckers find a way to destroy it.  

[deadshank 24651]

10 minutes ago, cabowabo said:

The chain hasn't wrapped around that T post yet?  Every time I set one of these up, the fuckers find a way to destroy it.  

So far so good. We have 2” steel ring.  Plenty of room to keep from binding.  

[solamente73 1132]

Getting some work done.

This was a loner.  There’s still a sounder of 20 (4 adults and 16 footballs) out there that show on camera but never show when I’m onsite.  Pisses me off.

[Speedtrucker 2063]

The chain hasn't wrapped around that T post yet?  Every time I set one of these up, the fuckers find a way to destroy it.  

We had a 2” ring on ours as well. They didn’t have an issue with it.

I need to put ours back out this summer

[deadshank 24651]

6 hours ago, solamente73 said:

Getting some work done.

This was a loner.  There’s still a sounder of 20 (4 adults and 16 footballs) out there that show on camera but never show when I’m onsite.  Pisses me off.

Adult boars are typically loners. Always looking out for hot sows.   
 

Good looking long snout and cutters. 
 

Nice work letting the air out of him. 

[deadshank 24651]

A boomer 65 miles east of us. 

[davidg 4025]

My bird from year before last.  

 

Nice bird.

You made a comment on the carry thread about a semi auto 44. Ruger made the bolt 77/44 and a 10/44 semiauto around the same Buddy had the semi auto and 6 rounds of 44 mag down range in a short time is pretty awesome.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

Weren't the semi .44's they made a tube magazine? Detachable magazine would be pretty sweet for a .44 mag carbine.

[BabaYaga 15205]

Sadly, it's that time again.  Pray for rain in Coleman Co., and please disregard and dead hookers found in the bottom of the stock tank.....I had a wild youth

Time to bring in a dozer and deepen the tank at least.  

[RMac5 1550]

Yeah Mills County too. Hey, I ate at the Cattle Drive Cafe last week, it was damn good. Just had a burger with onion rings but both were damn good. Anxious to try the CFS and other offerings. 

[General Specific 3231]

The game is afoot
 

I’ve played on some rough courses in my time, but this takes the cake! Damn, someone needs to learn course manners and repair their divots!
/s

[BabaYaga 15205]

18 hours ago, RMac5 said:

Yeah Mills County too. Hey, I ate at the Cattle Drive Cafe last week, it was damn good. Just had a burger with onion rings but both were damn good. Anxious to try the CFS and other offerings. 

It's great - also check out Owl Drugstore across the street

[RMac5 1550]

I spend lots of time in Owl Drug too, they typically have great pie. Several years ago they had a very cute girl that ran the front part of the store and was the cashier, wished she was still there. 

[Lazarus Bocanegra 303]

appears we've had a gully washer down in Live Oak County.  Tank is full, grass is high

 

[texashorne 1177]

On 4/17/2023 at 12:07 PM, BabaYaga said:

Sadly, it's that time again.  Pray for rain in Coleman Co., and please disregard and dead hookers found in the bottom of the stock tank.....I had a wild youth

Time to bring in a dozer and deepen the tank at least.  

We're just supposed to disregard you grew up with Craig James?

[Reagan1k 3016]

On 4/10/2023 at 3:04 PM, 686 said:

I’m posting this as somewhat of a journal entry for myself but also as a help/conversation starter for anybody considering trying to draw tags for western public land hunting. A summary of where I’m at in my journey:

(TLDR: out of state public land hunting is complicated, figuring out how you want to do it can be complicated, there is help available)

Last week I turned in my Colorado tag application and also decided to start building points in more western states for elk, and will be putting in for Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona for the foreseeable future. In addition, I will continue to build points for Moose and Big Horn Sheep with my Colorado applications where I usually draw an elk or mule deer tag.

After thought and conversation with kids, I’ll be putting in for points for them as well. They are 10 and 13, and should be drawing decent tags in their late teens. Youth stuff is a whole other topic I’ll save for another time.

New Mexico and Alaska don’t do points, and Idaho is a little different with costs, so I’m saving those for later consideration.

For some of the in-demand tags, the average time to draw is over a decade (even for elk), and approaches 20 years for some species/units. One of the reasons I’ve put off point building is the fact that it’s so foreign to me to plan/spend money for hunts a decade+ out. After 5-6 years of research and some experience, I think I’ve finally figured out a plan for myself, based on what my capabilities and limitations are.

Here’s a list FYI:

Limitations:
1. I really lose interest looking at monster state game agency annuals trying to figure out where to hunt and where/how to apply, and all the little esoteric state-by-state rules. They evolve over time as well.

2. I have a hard time keeping up with all the due dates for applications. They aren’t consistent and also can change over time. And I believe with some states, if you miss a year of applying, you lose your points. (Big disincentive for me.)

3. I don’t have hunting connections all over the west. I have had connections in NM and CO, which were invaluable to getting me hunting there.

4. I’m 45. Already too old (by most guide’s recommendations) to start applying for sheep tags that have a ~20 year average draw time.

5. There is the potential for rules to change or for “point creep” to continue to lessen my chances at drawing tags in great hunting areas, but I’m ok with that.

6. I really enjoy a hot shower, hot meal, and cold beverage at the end of the day. Climbing into a sleeping bag without a hot shower is a low point for me and I typically don’t sleep well like that. This has limited me to hunting from places where I stay in lodging and walk/drive in and out of the hunting area. In order to get further back I will need to tent camp; an area for improvement.

Capabilities:

1. I have a decent “public land” hunting budget. I usually spend about $800 for a tag in Colorado. Tags for most other states will probably trend higher, up to a few grand, which I can swing. I usually spend probably double that every year in ammo and gear. And then at least a couple grand in fuel, lodging, processing, tanning/taxidermy work. Building these points will cost about $700 per year. Not that much per se, but a shift from my Texas hunting experience. The costs are somewhat spread out over the year, so you aren’t getting a $5k+ bill all at once.

2. My wife and I will get into some arguments on the time I spend away, but we get through it. She is generally “supportive”; I.e. doesn’t overtly fight me on hunting topics, takes care of things while I’m gone, and is happy to cook/eat venison.

3. I’ve become a “decent” public land elk hunter; it’s a totally different thing than Texas whitetail hunting and took me awhile to adapt, and I’m obviously still drinking from the fire hose. This includes:

A. Being in physical shape enough to go ~10 miles per day up and down grades at 7-10k feet elevation, with 20-70lb+ pack.

B. Being able to read the situation and adapt the daily plan to the conditions; what the weather, animals, competing hunters, and your partner(s) are doing/wanting to do.

C. Taking marksmanship, prep, and gear seriously. I make investments in my gear and have it sorted out and ready. Always being able to reliably shoot at distance when the hunt starts. It is a buzz kill on a hunt when someone doesn’t have themselves or their gear ready/reliable.

D. I can “embrace the suck”; work through type 2 fun/no fun at all/tough situations without panicking / going negative / giving up. Dudes that can’t handle inconveniently timed hard work and adversity won’t make it in public land western hunting IMO. This will be something to work on with the kids.

E. I am fairly patient and optimistic; can do all-day sits, multi-days hunts without seeing animals without letting my attitude sag, I’m in for the whole experience, not just the kill. Also, if I tag out early; I’m all in for scouting/pushing game or packing out for others.


With all this in mind, I’m going to use a tag application service to help me with managing points/tags. I’ve looked at several services, but I ended up using Huntin’ Fool. They will cost me all-in about $500/yr. They have hunt planner types to help me with unit selection, guides, etc. if needed down the road. They have been helpful on the phone to this point and their website was good as well. Additionally, they will turn in applications for my kids for free in states where they are managing my applications, which is a huge benefit. I will probably spend more time with them on managing my kid’s applications than on my own for a few years.

My son has just begun using Huntin Fool.  I’ll be interested in your follow-up posts.  He’s young so he’s decided to go all in for the long game on tags with the goal to hit some of those 20 year waits.

I’m hopeful things work well for both of you! 
 

[686 3404]

My son has just begun using Huntin Fool.  I’ll be interested in your follow-up posts.  He’s young so he’s decided to go all in for the long game on tags with the goal to hit some of those 20 year waits.
I’m hopeful things work well for both of you! 
 

Good for him! It’s hard to predict what will happen with point creep, state laws, hunting demand, etc.; but the only way to have a chance at a tag is to get in the game.

As an update on my personal situation, I was just notified by Colorado I was unsuccessful in my bighorn sheep application and was granted a preference point in exchange for $110. Now only 19 years to go!

Randy Newberg (a CPA in his professional life) has a good YouTube segment where he goes into a full elk tag application strategy for guys with short term and long term states, etc. that would be a good watch for your son (if elk is a priority for him):

[686 3404]

My elk hunting partner came up to my folks place this weekend and we put a good stalk / calling session in on this Tom today. Also chrono’ed his elk rifle and did some long range shooting (for us) 450-650 yds. We were both rusty so it was good to get the practice in. The accuracy was ok but it was physically taxing (different muscles, etc). This bird had some nice spurs.

[deadshank 24651]

Somebody looking to get a window put in him. 

[markstanco 12501]

Had to be done. 2008 trailer with original wood. (I removed a few bunks before the first pic)

[Herbie Hancock 7303]

Nicely done. I've got to do the same with two of mine. One before hay season gets fired up and the other can wait until deer season

[markstanco 12501]

Nicely done. I've got to do the same with two of mine. One before hay season gets fired up and the other can wait until deer season

That’s only a 12 footer. #2 PT wood still isn’t cheap. Can’t imagine a 16+ foot trailer, but it would be easier to bend the wood. My all in was about $220.

[deadshank 24651]

18 hours ago, markstanco said:

Had to be done. 2008 trailer with original wood. (I removed a few bunks before the first pic)

Fix your door operator light cover already.

[Horns99 155]

That’s only a 12 footer. #2 PT wood still isn’t cheap. Can’t imagine a 16+ foot trailer, but it would be easier to bend the wood. My all in was about $220.

Got a 16ft’er I need to do- how’d you get last few boards in ? Bend them with a jack ?

[markstanco 12501]

Yep.  Used that large wood block in the first pic and a jack.  I used 9ea 2X8X12 and one 2X4X12, so I did the 2X4 last since easier to handle. 

[General Specific 3231]

Yep.  Used that large wood block in the first pic and a jack.  I used 9ea 2X8X12 and one 2X4X12, so I did the 2X4 last since easier to handle. 

And by handle, we see the sledgehammer in the pic! Gotta provide a little attitude adjustment! Still, nice job.

[markstanco 12501]

BFH!

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

Pulled the memory card from my camera this weekend and went through all the pics on it. By the look of things, this guy probably sired half the fawns that hit the ground this spring.