2022-2023 Hunting Thread

[jofus 2266]

Tell us more.  County?  Private land?  Public land?  Details.  
 
also let us smell your fingers.  

Houston County, Private family land. Perfect shot.

Good example of letting a deer grow up. He was a good buck last year, but we let him walk and he added a ton of mass this year.

[deadshank 24651]

46 minutes ago, jofus said:

Houston County, Private family land. Perfect shot.

Good example of letting a deer grow up. He was a good buck last year, but we let him walk and he added a ton of mass this year.

How old was he?   Did you pull the lower jaw and examine?   

[Reagan1k 3016]

3 hours ago, jofus said:

Boom! First deer I saw this morning.

Helluva buck!  Congrats.  That’s how you do it. 

[Brisketexan 104585]

My half brother in MN is out this weekend too. They do drive hunts, then stands. On the drive hunt today, they didn’t kick up any deer, but said they kicked up a big-ass black bear that ran right by his position and sure as shit got his attention.

Meanwhile, I’m in an stand with the wind blowing like hell, me drinking beer, and pissing in a bottle. Good times.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

You gotta put one of those oil change funnels in the corner of your stand that pipes down either to the ground or to an empty milk jug depending on how you feel about whether or not the scent will spook them.

Also,

8 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Friend didn’t shoot an 8, it was a chonky 7 - good cull.

That's not exactly a cull. Way too young to know what it will turn out to be, and it's already knocked up plenty of does. Plenty of does that contribute half of their DNA to the genetic pool with no way of determining what their progeny will turn out to be. Culling only works on closed populations and only if done intensively. But don't tell your friend that. Hand him a drink and tell him how proud you are of him.

[Brisketexan 104585]

You gotta put one of those oil change funnels in the corner of your stand that pipes down either to the ground or to an empty milk jug depending on how you feel about whether or not the scent will spook them.
Also,
That's not exactly a cull. Way too young to know what it will turn out to be, and it's already knocked up plenty of does. Plenty of does that contribute half of their DNA to the genetic pool with no way of determining what their progeny will turn out to be. Culling only works on closed populations and only if done intensively. But don't tell your friend that. Hand him a drink and tell him how proud you are of him.

We figured he was 3.5 by the teeth. Not very old, but not too young. There are a lot better bucks out here.

[Horns99 155]

In the stand outside of Stonewall, listening to the Horns. Haven’t seen any Horns with a damn this morning. Lots of axis, decent one just walked out, but think I’d rather watch the horns & Stros than deal with cleaning a deer tonight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Brisketexan 104585]

Doe down, meat for the freezer. Now, back to the house to clean her and watch some baseball.

[USCATX 1067]

Back at it in a different stand this morning.  Maybe daylight savings time will help?

[USCATX 1067]

This doe came to within 15’ of the blind acting all crazy, then a young 6 popped out chasing her. Just a couple of kids having a good time. 

[deadshank 24651]

35 minutes ago, USCATX said:

This doe came to within 15’ of the blind acting all crazy, then a young 6 popped out chasing her. Just a couple of kids having a good time. 

Why you no shoot doe?

[fattyflattie 4636]

I’ve officially got a pig problem.  And a cow problem.  And a everything is green af problem.  Haven’t seen a single deer on my end, but put down a boar last night, and have a hair trigger on another in a minute.  Rest of the ranch is sort of seeing deer.  

[USCATX 1067]

2 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Why you no shoot doe?

I’m not really sure why, but this place isn’t really overrun with them like the rest of the hill country.  We usually see 1:1 with bucks of not more bucks.  We shoot a doe out here every year, but it’s usually a bigger/older one than that slim little thing. 

[hookemATL 11609]

Headed out to check cams and fill feeders. No hunt opening weekend but I will be playing hooky from work at least one day next week (“cough cough yeah this flu is really bad right now bosss hack hack hack”). 
 

congrats to all those with deer down🤘It was a good weekend!

[Kennythetiger 9334]

2 hours ago, deadshank said:

Why you no shoot doe?

How would you have felt if someone shot all the horny chicks in your high school??  

[deadshank 24651]

16 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

How would you have felt if someone shot all the horny chicks in your high school??  

Get the doe shot before the rut and get your ratios right.  

[686 3404]

Got my 12 yr old daughter on her first deer yesterday. We sat the morning looking for does or pigs. Had a pig really early, but not enough light to shoot, then saw four bucks over the next two hours, but no does, which is weird as we have a lot of does. Anyway, we head back to the house at around 9:30, and on the way we see some does. She wants to try for one, so we stop the mule, hop out and put a little stalk on. I’m constantly telling her to go slower and make every step quiet. We get to a fence gate that is a good spot to watch from and rest the rifle on, but the does start moving out.

About the 4th candidate for a shot finally stands still watching us for too long. She was quartering on hard to us, but I had gone over shot placement with the kiddo in the blind and just told her to aim halfway up the body inside the shoulder. It was at least a 100 yard shot, maybe 120. We talked through squeezing the trigger slowly, and as she was lining up the shot, I knew the safety was on, but I wanted to watch her trigger pull/flinch to gauge if we needed to calm down and reset, as she was breathing hard. There was zero flinch as she realized the trigger pull wasn’t resulting in a shot and the safety must be on. Very cool, made me feel like we had a good chance at a clean kill.

She slid the safety off, re-lined up and put a shot on the doe. I heard the hit and saw the on-side shoulder malfunctioning as the doe spun, and she was down in ~40 yards.

Kiddo was stoked. I mean like really stoked. “I am achieving things!!!” Lol It was great.

Later she asked me if I noticed her breathing hard before the shot and I said yes, and she said it was because she was tiring of standing on her toes to get the rifle lined up. (The top rail of the gate was a little too high of a rifle rest) Buck fever was evidently not a factor.

She had only shot this rifle (300 BLK) off a heavy tripod with subsonics, and I had put in some supers for hunting and now wasn’t using a tripod. I was hoping she wouldn’t notice any difference with the changes and I didn’t mention them as I didn’t want her distracted. Worked great.

She really wanted to make it happen, and she did.

[jofus 2266]

How old was he?   Did you pull the lower jaw and examine?   

He was a 5.5yo. Hard for us to get them to that age because of heavy pressure around us. Even with 600ac, the deer still wander off and die on foreign properties during the rut.

Turns out I was lucky. Out of 5 hunters, that was the only mature buck any of us saw this weekend. Not much movement at all. Shot him at first light, around 7:15, 5-minutes into legal shooting hours.

[DalTxHornFan 3085]

I'm back in from a Menard/Schleicher county hunt on a big ranch.  There are plenty of deer out there, both bucks and does.  The bucks are showing obvious impacts of the drought in their antlers.  Even solid mature deer are having trouble getting antlers out past their ears.  Many of the younger deer are "slicks" -- no brow tines.  

We plan to extend a lot of grace before we shoot anything that we might have considered a "cull" in past years.  As they say, "Past performance may not be indicative of future results."  Let's get some rain and see how they grow up.

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by DalTxHornFan

[fattyflattie 4636]

12 minutes ago, DalTxHornFan said:

Many of the younger deer are "slicks" -- no brow tines.  

Have seen this a few times already this year.  Good deal, slick brows. Haven’t had much of that in the past. 

[hookemATL 11609]

No time in the stand but had my blind inspection done by a couple professionals and got all the winter wood splitting done for my dad, who has had a rough couple months with various ailments. Sore as fuck but happy to get some shit done. 

[williemackgarza 1826]

Sat looking over wheat and 2 feeders east of Taylor this evening with the boy. Was hot and humid and the wind stopped. Kept a good face for the boy. Only saw a couple of does and a small 8 was chasing. Good teaching moment of hunting and not killing l. Mexico had him spoiled.
At least earlier we got to get the thermal sighted in and kiiled our halloween pumpkin with the .243.
Was fun being with the boy. He was all smiles.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

What part of Mexico do you hunt?

[williemackgarza 1826]

Right near colombia bridge northwest of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas.
Been going for 15-20 years now.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4968]

What are the restrictions like for bringing rifles over there and bringing game back? My father in law has a little land in Guanajuato, but I don't know think there are much if any deer out there because it is right on the edge of a little village. He does, however, have a lot of friends who have pretty significant amounts of land in the mountains nearby.

[williemackgarza 1826]

Gun permits obtained by the ranch owner allow 2 firearms and 100 ea per hunter to be imported into mexico. Rifles or shotguns, your choice. Hunters meet the mexican military (whom are always stationed at the colombia bridge) at the bridge and guns and permits are presented. All permit info, serial numbers and ammo is checked. Then military official,signs your permit. In like flinn. Rifles/ammo is transported to the ranch. Ammo must stay at the ranch but rifles can be crossed back and forth across the border, with the permit in your possession. USA side will run serial numbers ea time. Mexico just verifies you have the signed permit. Permits are good for up to 6 months depending on how long your ranch owner puts on them. Ant time prior to the last day of the permit expiring you present the rifles/remaining ammo at the bridge and declare youre canceling the permit. Official signs and cancels the permit and gives you acopy and you drive back to USA. Weve been checked at a few checkpoints when we drove farther in but a quick look at permits and on your way. Its actually pretty simple unless a lot of coon asses are in line at the bridge when you get there. Some of the nicest folks but their paperwork is almost always fucked up.
Plus they travel 10 hunters to a single cab pickup. Inbred fuckers.

[Brisketexan 104585]

So....anyone got a good processor in Austin?  I have used Texas Sausage company on the E. side for years, but apparently, they have had a landlord issue, have moved out to Pflugerville, don't have their fridge yet, etc.

I have a cooler with a doe in it that I need to take somewhere today.  I'm downtown.  I'm thinking Hudson's - I haven't taken a deer there for at least 10 years, but as I recall, it was good enough.  Any recommendations other than Hudson's?  And if I go there, any recommendations for something good/new/different to have them make that Hudson's does well?

Thanks.

[DalTxHornFan 3085]

35 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

So....anyone got a good processor in Austin?  I have used Texas Sausage company on the E. side for years, but apparently, they have had a landlord issue, have moved out to Pflugerville, don't have their fridge yet, etc.

I have a cooler with a doe in it that I need to take somewhere today.  I'm downtown.  I'm thinking Hudson's - I haven't taken a deer there for at least 10 years, but as I recall, it was good enough.  Any recommendations other than Hudson's?  And if I go there, any recommendations for something good/new/different to have them make that Hudson's does well?

Thanks.

Hunter's Creek is a great processor, just not that convenient to downtown Austin.  Just north of the intersection of Highway 29 and US 183.  24 hour drop off. 

https://hunterscreekprocessing.com/

[huge 3788]

See if this shows up then I will edit with details

[huge 3788]

Ok. We have 120 acres in Hempstead that my uncle has started to bow hunt on. Waller county is restrictive so he only bow hunts so he can actually take a doe.

Well someone in the area is missing something off their high fence set up.

The other morning that thing was 15 yard from in in the pitch black (according to game cam) and was gone by day light.

He is consistently hitting the cam.

Fingers crossed

[tx 3 putt 76345]

On 11/5/2022 at 7:19 AM, Brisketexan said:

In the blind north of Brady. 45 degrees, so the right kind of chilly. Wind calmed down, thankfully. Coffee with boozy creamer to keep me warm.
Second year in a row to hunt without the boy with me, while he’s overseas at school. Kinda bummed that we’ve passed the era where he is around to hunt with me. He’s grown into a guy who’s cool to have around the campfire telling bullshit stories.
Good luck, fellas. Hoping to put a fat doe in the freezer. Always looking for the big girls…like Vic Mackey.

im available for rent 

[Noogman 161]

5 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

So....anyone got a good processor in Austin?  I have used Texas Sausage company on the E. side for years, but apparently, they have had a landlord issue, have moved out to Pflugerville, don't have their fridge yet, etc.

I have a cooler with a doe in it that I need to take somewhere today.  I'm downtown.  I'm thinking Hudson's - I haven't taken a deer there for at least 10 years, but as I recall, it was good enough.  Any recommendations other than Hudson's?  And if I go there, any recommendations for something good/new/different to have them make that Hudson's does well?

Thanks.

I've heard good things about Klein's in Pflugerville. I haven't taken a deer there yet, but I know of someone who has used them for years with no problems. They do make Andouille sausage as well. 

 

Looks like they're open today until 6pm.

[Brisketexan 104585]

44 minutes ago, Noogman said:

I've heard good things about Klein's in Pflugerville. I haven't taken a deer there yet, but I know of someone who has used them for years with no problems. They do make Andouille sausage as well. 

 

Looks like they're open today until 6pm.

Thanks for the recs.  I shot a small doe, and still have meat from last year in the freezer, so I'm just getting some sausage and snack sticks made, went to Hudson's over lunch.  I'll see how it turns out.  Good to know there are some options out there now, though.  Hell, I drive by the one in Liberty Hill on my way back from hunting -- would be an easy drop off, and not a bad pickup.

[Reagan1k 3016]

1 hour ago, huge said:

Ok. We have 120 acres in Hempstead that my uncle has started to bow hunt on. Waller county is restrictive so he only bow hunts so he can actually take a doe.

Well someone in the area is missing something off their high fence set up.

The other morning that thing was 15 yard from in in the pitch black (according to game cam) and was gone by day light.

He is consistently hitting the cam.

Fingers crossed

I think I'd be doing two things......

1) gently and sporadically do some light rattling - not full bore heat of the rut type (unless / until it is really ON), but mimicking some sparring of younger bucks.

2) Shake the shit out of a coffee can with two handfuls of corn in it and see if he comes running. 

Either he's a local monster who's not going to come out to feed in the day (why he's that big) and rut curiosity is all that will kill him, or he's someone's breeder buck and he's laying around waiting to be hand-fed.

Good luck - Keep us posted.

[huge 3788]

13 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

I think I'd be doing two things......

1) gently and sporadically do some light rattling - not full bore heat of the rut type (unless / until it is really ON), but mimicking some sparring of younger bucks.

2) Shake the shit out of a coffee can with two handfuls of corn in it and see if he comes running. 

Either he's a local monster who's not going to come out to feed in the day (why he's that big) and rut curiosity is all that will kill him, or he's someone's breeder buck and he's laying around waiting to be hand-fed.

Good luck - Keep us posted.

One thing is for sure.  Not native genetics.

[Reagan1k 3016]

1 minute ago, huge said:

One thing is for sure.  Not native genetics.

Only one way to find out - 23andMe ground-check!

[Brisketexan 104585]

20 hours ago, huge said:

One thing is for sure.  Not native genetics.

That's a weird way to tell us that some dude in Hempstead fucked a doe, but....I've spent time in the area.  That theory checks out.

[CycleTex87 2953]

Pretty close to collie station.

[Lazarus Bocanegra 303]

Headed down to Whitsett last Friday night.  Ominous start to the weekend when I ran over a deer carcass in the middle of 59 outside Victoria.  I don't recommend it.  I don't have night vision so I stayed in Friday night and headed out to the blind in the morning.  Didn't see much that morning.  Set up on the range and checked the zero on my 30-30 at 100 yds.  Running around pulling cameras and filling feeders mid-day Saturday, caught a coyote down the sendero and tried an ambitious 200 yd downhill shot but missed.  I saw on the cameras there were pigs coming out to the main feeder around 4:45 the last couple of days, so I finished up my chores and got into the blind around 3:00.  They didn't show, and the deer were fairly unimpressive, but towards dusk a group of four large pigs crossed the sendero about 250 yds out, marking the first time I've seen pigs live, and in daylight, since we got the place last year.  Much too far out and moving too quickly to attempt a shot, I'd hoped they would loop back around to the feeder but they didn't.  Closer to dark, I was watching three doe at the feeder when two got spooked by something to the right and ran off into the brush to the left.  A moment later, a coyote comes looping through after them.  After that, another pops into sight, eyeballing the remaining doe, but I can't get a clean shot at it.  First it lingers behind the leg of the feeder, then it moves to the left so that the doe is directly between us, then it's gone off after its running buddy.  Waited till dark, bagged it in, and went back to the house and drank E.Craig while making dinner and listening to the last couple hours of Heat 2.  

Planning to make an early break Sunday, as I was still uncertain of the extent of the damage to my car and facing 250 miles back to Houston, I went out to set the clocks on the feeders back an hour for DST.  We have one feeder near the house in a field of several acres we cleared last fall, so I headed to that one first.  Grabbed my rifle on the way and as I passed the barn, I thought about grabbing my shooting sticks but didn't.  Coming through a clearing into the house field, I rounded a corner and there were pigs down past the feeder, 100-125 out.  I took a knee, but couldn't get into a prone position because I had my binoculars on my chest and the sounder was now looking straight at me and were right alongside the edge of brush.  I didn't want to risk waiting on them to turn broadside, so I picked a face out of the group and took a shot steadying the rifle on my knee.  Missed that one too, but it's good to finally lay eyes on some pigs after all this time.   And a weekend at the ranch trying unsuccessfully to shoot swine is still a weekend at the ranch, even for a hungry pilgrim.  

Heat 2 was badass.  I recommend it bigly.  

Car damage was $1500 and counting.  

/CSB

[Kennythetiger 9334]

Have any of you south Texas guys ever seen an American Ocelot?  I was flipping through the channels and caught a bit of a PBS special on them. 

[Anastasis 23393]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:59 AM, Brisketexan said:

So....anyone got a good processor in Austin?  I have used Texas Sausage company on the E. side for years, but apparently, they have had a landlord issue, have moved out to Pflugerville, don't have their fridge yet, etc.

 

Damn that sucks.  I've used them to source out some big cookouts, but never for processing.  From their website:

At Texas Sausage Company, we can help with all of your deer processing needs from November to February. Please bear with us as we are in the middle of relocating to our new manufacturing facility and unable to accept deer orders just yet.  We are on track to be open and ready to accept deer by opening weekend of gun season.  Our new drop-off and pickup location will be in Buda, TX On S Loop 4. Address will be posted soon.  We understand that this may be an inconvience to some and want to appologize ahead of time.  Unfortunately this relocation was not a choice and we chose the best location we could secure with such short notice from our landlord.  Check out our menu options below, and then stop by our shop today to learn more!(prices subject to change)

[deadshank 24651]

38 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Have any of you south Texas guys ever seen an American Ocelot?  I was flipping through the channels and caught a bit of a PBS special on them. 

Never seen one.  Their range is way down in the RGV and on into Old Mexico.  
 

Never seen a jaguarundi either for that matter  

Have the Texas Ocelot PBS special  DVR’d    

 

[Judge Roybeanbag 11809]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:59 AM, Brisketexan said:

So....anyone got a good processor in Austin?  I have used Texas Sausage company on the E. side for years, but apparently, they have had a landlord issue, have moved out to Pflugerville, don't have their fridge yet, etc.

I have a cooler with a doe in it that I need to take somewhere today.  I'm downtown.  I'm thinking Hudson's - I haven't taken a deer there for at least 10 years, but as I recall, it was good enough.  Any recommendations other than Hudson's?  And if I go there, any recommendations for something good/new/different to have them make that Hudson's does well?

Thanks.

You could try JohnnyGs down by my house.  Or, if you want to do it yourself, I have the equipment, you just need to have the will.  

L

Edited November 10, 2022 by Judge Roybeanbag

[williemackgarza 1826]

Pretty close to collie station.

As for processor around austin, Ive used Kleins in Pville, good folks and good processing.
Also use Cole at Hunters Creek a ton. Hes a cool guy and processes pretty quick, slim jims are great.
Also,brizendines in Bertram is good but they only take gutted deer with skin on, no quartered deer. Says he gets too much hair in quartered deer. His bucksticks are top notch.

[deadshank 24651]

8 hours ago, williemackgarza said:

they only take gutted deer with skin on, no quartered deer. Says he gets too much hair in quartered deer. 

Wanna see deadshank lose his mind and go on a rampage?   “Help” me skin my deer and proceed to get hair all over the meat.  This goes beyond trivial.  
 

If you can’t skin a deer without covering it in its own hair then have someone else do it for you.  

[Herbie Hancock 7303]

Green’s in Zabcikville started requiring they be skinned about 4-5 years ago because they were getting slammed with so many. When that didn’t slow down demand enough they did away with after hours drop off last year. It physically pained me to have to go somewhere else.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11809]

10 hours ago, williemackgarza said:

As for processor around austin, Ive used Kleins in Pville, good folks and good processing.
Also use Cole at Hunters Creek a ton. Hes a cool guy and processes pretty quick, slim jims are great.
Also,brizendines in Bertram is good but they only take gutted deer with skin on, no quartered deer. Says he gets too much hair in quartered deer. His bucksticks are top notch.

I'll second Kleins - my buddy has taken his there a few times.

[BabaYaga 15210]

2 hours ago, deadshank said:

Wanna see deadshank lose his mind and go on a rampage?   “Help” me skin my deer and proceed to get hair all over the meat.  This goes beyond trivial.  
 

If you can’t skin a deer without covering it in its own hair then have someone else do it for you.  

Challenge accepted

[BabaYaga 15210]

12 hours ago, deadshank said:

Never seen one.  Their range is way down in the RGV and on into Old Mexico.  
 

Never seen a jaguarundi either for that matter  

Have the Texas Ocelot PBS special  DVR’d    

 

Saw a Coati once.  Cool looking things. 

As a kid, I camped at the animal "sanctuary" (or whatever it was) next to Deep Eddy pool.  Animals that could not be returned to the wild.  Had a Coati, bunch of raptors.  Even a pair of bobcats we'd feed.  Pretty cool place for a kid.  My favorite was this raven that was "doing time" for stealing shiny stuff.  People would lay all their gear on the big hill by the pool, so this turd would steal glasses, car keys, anything that caught his attention.  

[hookemATL 11609]

I am taking my first run at butchering/processing whatever deer I bag this year.  Have field dressed and quarted previously (and removed backstraps) but never taken it all the way through the process.  Not looking for anything fancy as an end product, just some sausage, jerky, steaks, and I guess stew/burger meat.  As a noob, I am looking for any of the basic tips or tools/etc. that will help make this a success.  I know there are a lot of off the shelf options when it comes to jerky/sausage kits etc., but I am hoping to tap into the collective culinary knowledge of surly's greatest wild game bouchers/bouchère.