Hunting ‘23/‘24: Bag ‘em and Tag ‘em

[BabaYaga 15,288]

11 hours ago, RMac5 said:

The bucks in Mills County are chasing the does for sure. Saw a great buck a week or so ago but didn’t see him this week. Trying to kill him with a bow and couldn’t get a clear shot at him, I’m afraid the neighbors with the boom stick will shoot him this weekend. He didn’t get big by being dumb, hope he stays on our place.

 

@BabaYaga guess where I ate lunch today? It was so damn good too.  Needed something hardy after sitting in a cold blind for three mornings.

Talk to me goose!  Looks fantastic.  I'm still hungover from the Rangers last night.....

[Storm the Field 5,294]

On 11/1/2023 at 1:14 PM, Storm the Field said:

Just a little over 60 hours until feeders go off on Opening Day of rifle season. I'm already struggling to focus at work.

[ImissWallyPryor 9,046]

So, I headed out to our cabin for my elk hunt on Thursday 10/19. My wife came along to hang out at the cabin while I hunted our other land over the long weekend.

She realized she had forgotten something medically related that she needed, so I took her back home (a 7+ hour RT) on Friday and delayed my hunt a day. She told me to stay as long as I needed. No huge deal, right?

While I was on that trip, I received trail cam pics.

 

That particular trail cam only seems to catch deer, elk, etc. moving through a draw, but never hanging around. That was the last sign of elk for almost 2 weeks. I tried bugling and cow calls trying to draw them back, but no luck.

The rancher who leases our land as well as others says he most often sees elk herds on ranches with water. Our pond is bone dry:

 

I was going to ask permission to hunt on one of those ranches to the south, but I found out that rancher died in August. Having never met her, it would have been awkward asking his widow.

There is a spot where I can see most of our land and beyond. I never saw a herd.

Well, wouldn’t you know, they’re back, complete with cows begging to be fucked (sound on). 

P.S. The season ended 10/31. FML. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by ImissWallyPryor

[HOOKEM4 5,036]

Had an uneventful trip to the ranch. I should have known that was a bad omen. So far I broke the front door window from a rock while mowing and then the mower flat stopped working. It's like the brakes are just engaged and won't release. 

Oh well, all of that is for Sunday. 

Sitting in the blind waiting for the terrorist...errr pigs to show up. 

Not gonna let bullshit bring me down.

[RMac5 1,551]

Still beats working.

[686 3,447]

Brought 4 guests out to our place. Sat for pigs tonight but no luck, hoping to slaughter some does tomorrow AM.

Rented a no-till drill and am planning to plant ~ 5 acres of oats, peas and clover mid day. Then hunt PM and cook dove, venison, and steaks. Should be a good day.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,975]

Good luck this morning, gentlemen. I have a soccer game to coach, so I will have to wait until this evening to sit in my Suegro's blind with my sxs 12 gauge muzzleloader loaded with buckshot in the left and a .690 (495 grains) round ball in the right.

[cab948 69]

Foggy morning here south of Victoria towards Tivoli. Have about a dozen deer out that I can see but waiting for a little more daylight to actually see what I have. Didn’t get a chance to set out cameras this year so we are going into the season blind.  I think I kinda like it. 
 

Whole family made it down so we are a bit crowded in the house but it’s nice. Also nice to have some extra hands around to help with projects we have been putting off.  My son has been ate up with feeding the deer when we go out and been itching to sit back in the stand after I took him a few times last year.  Did suprisingly well for a 3 year old last year so excited to get him on the stand this evening. 

[fattyflattie 4,639]

9 minutes ago, cab948 said:

Foggy morning here south of Victoria towards Tivoli. Have about a dozen deer out that I can see but waiting for a little more daylight to actually see what I have. Didn’t get a chance to set out cameras this year so we are going into the season blind.  I think I kinda like it. 
 

Whole family made it down so we are a bit crowded in the house but it’s nice. Also nice to have some extra hands around to help with projects we have been putting off.  My son has been ate up with feeding the deer when we go out and been itching to sit back in the stand after I took him a few times last year.  Did suprisingly well for a 3 year old last year so excited to get him on the stand this evening. 

I made a drive thru there a couple weeks ago during golden hour.  The amount of antlers just off the county road was impressive.   Got ~15 pigs outside the pen, can hear turkeys and some coyotes close. No deer yet. Huh.  

[HOOKEM4 5,036]

I still have a few weeks until things get active. Deer are all very chill right now. I have 7 2-3 year old bucks vacuuming up all the corn. Doubt the doe will go anywhere near that sausage fest.

Last night I had 8 doe come in after sunset. Only saw them because the hog light went off on the feeder.  My luck needs to turn around. I was hoping they would be here this morning. I want a doe this weekend. 

[deadshank 24,652]

1 hour ago, HOOKEM4 said:

I still have a few weeks until things get active. Deer are all very chill right now. I have 7 2-3 year old bucks vacuuming up all the corn. Doubt the doe will go anywhere near that sausage fest.

Last night I had 8 doe come in after sunset. Only saw them because the hog light went off on the feeder.  My luck needs to turn around. I was hoping they would be here this morning. I want a doe this weekend. 

Not a great day for activity 

 

[Herbie Hancock 7,345]

How y'all feel about weirdos?

[RMac5 1,551]

They eat good!

[USCATX 1,078]

Slow going with one very mediocre 7 point and a bunch of does this morning.  Now I’m roasting my ass off in shorts in a blind like it’s bow season. Nice views, tho.  

[Brisketexan 105,075]

Got home from the game about 20 mins ago, and our resident big boy was chasing ass. He was rather fixated. He’s limping, though - can’t see what’s wrong, but it’s rugged country. Could be twisted, could have been clipped by a car.

He’s plenty stout.

[Herbie Hancock 7,345]

Cousin shot that one on the family land just east of O'Brien. Or west of Weinert for the uncouth and ill-repute.

[deadshank 24,652]

40 minutes ago, Herbie Hancock said:

How y'all feel about weirdos?

We’re here, aren’t we?

[cab948 69]

Just glassing. If anything sticks around for longer than 5 minutes I’m happy.  

[markstanco 12,571]

For those of you in Town of Cow, this is badass!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyRwHl6s1I3/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Brisketexan 105,075]

More of our big fella, who is HELLA focused on a doe. Letting me drive and walk right by.

[HOOKEM4 5,036]

I haven't seen shit all weekend. Hoping the pigs come by but with all the shooting odds are they don't show. I have three more beers and I am heading back for strong drink.

[HOOKEM4 5,036]

Ask and you shall receive. That is a heads shot eater boys.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

Shot a mgt 11 I’ve been watching for last few years. Those hogs that were messing my hunt up this AM going to be hurting in AM.  

[686 3,447]

We crushed it today. 9 does between 5 of us. Got the food plots in. Used a rented no till drill for the first time, just need some rain now. Filled feeders, football, wild game and steaks on the grill.

[fattyflattie 4,639]

13 hours ago, deadshank said:

Not a great day for activity 

 

Do you mind sharing what app is this? 

[tx 3 putt 76,873]

1 hour ago, 686 said:

We crushed it today. 9 does between 5 of us. Got the food plots in. Used a rented no till drill for the first time, just need some rain now. Filled feeders, football, wild game and steaks on the grill.

[deadshank 24,652]

8 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

Do you mind sharing what app is this? 

Here you go.  It has some mapping features and distance calculators.    
 

Easy to use.  

[deadshank 24,652]

8 hours ago, 686 said:

We crushed it today. 9 does between 5 of us. Got the food plots in. Used a rented no till drill for the first time, just need some rain now. Filled feeders, football, wild game and steaks on the grill.

Nice start to the season!

[Storm the Field 5,294]

Welp, came back empty handed, but that was what I expected. This was really more of a scouting trip to see if we were getting any action. May have mentioned before that this place has been completely neglected as a hunting lease the last 2 years or so, and we only very recently started feeding again.  Also, I was out there solo, so would have had to come across something no sane hunter would pass up to think about shooting. 

Saw a nice young 8 point, 2 doe, and a spike between 3 hunts. Fairly encouraging, considering we currently have a grand total of 2 feeders that have only been running for 2 weeks. Nothing ever came out to chase those doe, so guessing still a while until the rut starts in my neck of the woods.

2 annoying things:

1.  Wednesday-Friday would have been perfect hunting weather, but or course season started on Saturday, just in time for it to get unseasonably warm again. Made a nice fire Friday night, woke up to temperature around 45 on Saturday morning. Warmed up a good 35 degrees over the course of the day. I was sweating my ass off until sundown. This morning started out warm and overcast and then got so foggy you could barely see.

2. Feeder timing was sub-par at best. Fed way too early on Saturday morning. Was still pitch dark for a good 30 minutes after going off. Also, Dad texted to remind me to adjust the feeders to account for DST starting today. I thought I had, but must have fat fingered the control panel on the one I hunted this morning and set it back 2 hours instead of one. Feeder went off exactly 1 hour after I was expecting it to, just as I was climbing out of the stand. D'oh!

Double checked that everything's in order with both before leaving today, so that should be a one and done issue.

Edited November 5, 2023 by Storm the Field

[BabaYaga 15,288]

Daughters friend popped this toad over the weekend.  Had a scrimmage yesterday, some girls talking about boys and shopping, not this one.  Good on her!  Pops was super proud and you'd expect.  Now it's our turn

E.Texas

 

[BabaYaga 15,288]

On 11/4/2023 at 5:11 PM, Brisketexan said:

Got home from the game about 20 mins ago, and our resident big boy was chasing ass. He was rather fixated. He’s limping, though - can’t see what’s wrong, but it’s rugged country. Could be twisted, could have been clipped by a car.

He’s plenty stout.

Is that a fence for ants!!!

[Brisketexan 105,075]

1 hour ago, BabaYaga said:

Is that a fence for ants!!!

Yeah....it's a decorative spider web for my wife's halloween setup.  Buck don't care, because he was in pursuit of the booty.

[Storm the Field 5,294]

Not great photo quality, but here's the 8 I saw Saturday morning.

Never got a good broadside view due to all that overgrown brush in front of the feeder. Most of that shit seems to have sprang up after recent rains, b/c it definitely didn't look like that when we set that feeder up 2 weekends ago.  Went out around lunchtime and cleared a bunch out. Probably made too much noise, b/c that evening hunt was the only time I didn't have anything come to the feeder. 

[deadshank 24,652]

On 11/6/2023 at 11:03 AM, Storm the Field said:

Not great photo quality, but here's the 8 I saw Saturday morning.

Never got a good broadside view due to all that overgrown brush in front of the feeder. Most of that shit seems to have sprang up after recent rains, b/c it definitely didn't look like that when we set that feeder up 2 weekends ago.  Went out around lunchtime and cleared a bunch out. Probably made too much noise, b/c that evening hunt was the only time I didn't have anything come to the feeder. 

What’s all the white stuff?  You hunting by an aggy jizz jar?

[hookemATL 11,704]

Cum Thistle.  Hate the stuff.  Gets real crunchy and yellow when it dries out.  Makes it hard to move in the woods without making noise and attracting South Austin's mom.

[Cajun 11,705]

Canyon Lake today.  Pussy is still undefeated…

Edited November 8, 2023 by Cajun
Never seen either of these guys before the rut. The dude in the video was the definition of hot & bothered.

[4th and 5 4,914]

Let your nuts hang, player!

[Cajun 11,705]

4th & 6 in the deer world.

[Matagorda 118]

My 14 year old got his first bear at our place in Arkansas.  It was about 280 pounds, nice boar.  

[fattyflattie 4,639]

2 hours ago, Cajun said:

Canyon Lake today.  Pussy is still undefeated…

 

That’s a really good looking buck. 

[Cajun 11,705]

@fattyflattieConcur.

Most of the bucks I usually see out and about around here are young and/or "inferior" antler-wise.

Now that the rut has begun in earnest I'm all of the sudden seeing the older gentlemen making their presence known.

It probably doesn't hurt that I've seen a handful of neighbors throwing out protein in their yards instead of corn.

[Cajun 11,705]

I'll get some more pics in the days to come.  They've really come out of the woodwork this week.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,975]

2 hours ago, fattyflattie said:

That’s a really good looking buck. 

Ain't that the truth.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,732]

Fart.  Heading out this weekend with my 2 meathead buddies and forecast is for a lot of rain. 

[Cajun 11,705]

Sounds like somebody’s gonna get boogered.

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2,732]

Sounds like somebody’s gonna get boogered.

Es verdad.

[huge 3,793]

Strange bedfellows when we are complaining about rain after the summer we had.

[HOOKEM4 5,036]

I am going to enjoy the rain and skip the ranch this weekend. A full week after that big rain and it was insanely sloppy still for opening weekend. It was like walking on a sponge everywhere.

[Cajun 11,705]

Excellent “problem”.

[Cajun 11,705]

Just a few minutes ago…