Hunting ‘23/‘24: Bag ‘em and Tag ‘em

[CHIEF 5052]

Well, this certainly made me thank my gut for telling me to get off of the Benjamin lease:

2024 F-250 Platinum, loaded, 1800 miles. Totaled. This crossing used to be about 24" deep, now it has washed to over 5". You can usually see every rock on the bottom but it was murky. I guess lesson learned.

CHIEF

[fattyflattie 4636]

On 7/23/2024 at 8:04 PM, Da Fino said:

It depends. There are parts of south Texas that are total att dead zones but great for Verizon. And vice versa. If nothing works well in the area you might be SOL. 

Some work with any provider. Not sure about tacticam 

[Horn75 193]

Have never seen this buck on camera. One neighbors hunters are good about management and letting deer grow and other shoots often. What do yall think about pulling trigger on him this season? His right G2 is split so he’s a 9 (looks 3.5-4.5 years)

[DalTxHornFan 3074]

2 hours ago, Horn75 said:

Have never seen this buck on camera. One neighbors hunters are good about management and letting deer grow and other shoots often. What do yall think about pulling trigger on him this season? His right G2 is split so he’s a 9 (looks 3.5-4.5 years)

Nice buck.  Looks young.

[Ragde 244]

Pulled a card i have down on a creek bed on my lease in Arkansas. Was quite excited to get a pic of a baby. This is the 1st pic ive ever gotten of one that looks this young.

[Handcruser 2805]

What cellular game cameras do ya’ll recommend? Somewhat affordable 

I use SPYPOINT. I like them.

I have 4 LM2 and 2 of the newer ones that do video and connect to multiple cell providers. The LM2 are ATT only.

Their app is pretty good. I can control everything from my couch.

For $99 per year I get 250 pics from each camera every month.

I’m happy with them.

[ImissWallyPryor 9044]

On 7/23/2024 at 9:48 AM, Horn75 said:

Will the camera still function if placed in area with questionable cell service? 

My Tactacams pick up a better signal on our land than it does at our cabin about 20 miles away. That is true for both AT&T and Verizon at the “land.” (I’ve also had both carriers for my iPhone). However, I can’t get a reliable connection for iPhone or Tactacam using either carrier at our smaller cabin acreage. I can sometimes get enough signal to text, but not call or get pics from my Tactacam. Both properties are no bar to sometimes one bar on my iPhone, but for some reason I get 2-3 bars on my Tactacams at the larger acreage. It’s frustrating, but I’d say that the Tactacams are better at connecting to the cell towers than my iPhone. YMMV. 

Edited July 30 by ImissWallyPryor

[markstanco 12464]

Will the camera still function if placed in area with questionable cell service? 

A lot of cameras have an option with an external higher mounted antenna on Amazon or eBay. Where my camera is I have nothing with my phone, but the external antenna I have 2 of 4 bars and miss nothing.

[Speedtrucker 2063]

Ok so finally getting around to replacing my cellular dead stealth cam.

Solid camera but the $20 monthly unlimited during hunting season is a bit much when looking at other cams.

It looks like 2 of yall here use Reveal Tactacams, thinking about it and the unlimited plan is $13 a month. Which camera do yall have?

I’m thinking the reveal x 3.0

[Da Fino 2715]

10 minutes ago, Speedtrucker said:

Ok so finally getting around to replacing my cellular dead stealth cam.

Solid camera but the $20 monthly unlimited during hunting season is a bit much when looking at other cams.

It looks like 2 of yall here use Reveal Tactacams, thinking about it and the unlimited plan is $13 a month. Which camera do yall have?

I’m thinking the reveal x 3.0

I think the 3.0 was released a month ago. It’s brand new, but the reviews have been good. 

[Brisketexan 104241]

Went out and scouted our dove lease to see what conditions are like. Pipeline company took out a couple of tanks, so we lost some water - those were good spots. BUT…in the meantime, our sunflowers have gone nuts. I kicked up hundreds of birds in the middle of the damned day.




First month of season should be pretty fun.

[markstanco 12464]

Pro Drive just came out with their Flat Bill Edition hunting rig.

[Frank Drebin 5616]

On 7/5/2024 at 5:17 PM, Herbie Hancock said:

Lost close to 140 pounds of venison, 4 briskets, 4 racks of ribs and two pork butts. October 1st needs to hurry up and get here.

I was in Montana almost all of the summer.  I probably have 200 plus pounds of Elk and Axis.  I thought for sure I would lose it all and have a mess to deal with.  Everyone in our neighborhood except for my little cul de sac lost power for a week or more.  We never did.

[686 3383]

Behind my company’s office on 360. Would be fun to sneak in on a weekend with my bow




Heading to Colorado tomorrow to scout a new area for elk hunting this fall.

[Pato del Muerto 52243]

Question that may be better in the general gun nut thread, but it’s mostly hunting gun related. I have a rifle that needs some work and now that I’ve moved up to the Seattle area I don’t have a gunsmith. When I google maps my local area, I get hits with names like Uprising Arms- that appear to be some guy that decided to do some working his garage. 
what resources can I use to find a reputable person/company that I can feel comfortable handing a couple of rifles over to?  
related, what kind of range should I be looking for to sight in a 30.06?  Son wants to hunt so I’m trying to learn on the fly. 

[hornmpa96 2597]

8 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Question that may be better in the general gun nut thread, but it’s mostly hunting gun related. I have a rifle that needs some work and now that I’ve moved up to the Seattle area I don’t have a gunsmith. When I google maps my local area, I get hits with names like Uprising Arms- that appear to be some guy that decided to do some working his garage. 
what resources can I use to find a reputable person/company that I can feel comfortable handing a couple of rifles over to?  
related, what kind of range should I be looking for to sight in a 30.06?  Son wants to hunt so I’m trying to learn on the fly. 

When Harvey hit Houston, I ended up with some water in my gun safe and had to take a couple of rifles to a gunsmith. I ended up finding one via google looking for one with the best collection of reviews. He did a good job cleaning the guns up and installing new scopes.

As for the range, I would look for a 100 yard range to start. I always sight-in at 100 and then work on longer distances.

[Reagan1k 3005]

9 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Question that may be better in the general gun nut thread, but it’s mostly hunting gun related. I have a rifle that needs some work and now that I’ve moved up to the Seattle area I don’t have a gunsmith. When I google maps my local area, I get hits with names like Uprising Arms- that appear to be some guy that decided to do some working his garage. 
what resources can I use to find a reputable person/company that I can feel comfortable handing a couple of rifles over to?  
related, what kind of range should I be looking for to sight in a 30.06?  Son wants to hunt so I’m trying to learn on the fly. 

What kind of rifle and what kind of work - That'll drive the search.  

Gunsmith is as generic a search as "mechanic".  We talking D10 dozer, lawn mower, or 1936 Bentley?  You need scope rings installed or a barrel replacement and bedding?  Valuable rifle or composite stock Savage?

[Reagan1k 3005]

Does anyone have the latest Boone and Crockett Chronicles that list the records and scores for porcupine?

I've got one on camera that has now made (I'm counting) 213 consecutive nights of gorging himself at one of our protein feeders and he's enormous.

Won't be too much longer before I start to worry his weight will damage the fence panels as he climbs over every night.

Scoring him will be a prickly situation.  Will probably take hours putting quill to paper to add him up.

[Pato del Muerto 52243]

17 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

What kind of rifle and what kind of work - That'll drive the search.  

Gunsmith is as generic a search as "mechanic".  We talking D10 dozer, lawn mower, or 1936 Bentley?  You need scope rings installed or a barrel replacement and bedding?  Valuable rifle or composite stock Savage?

Scope rings on basic savage.  And a thirough cleaning and look over of a .22 rifle my grandfather gave my son that’s not been touched in 20 years. 

Edited August 8 by Pato del Muerto

[Reagan1k 3005]

Let your fingers do the walking and find a full fledged gun shop - probably one that caters to hunters.

Run in there and ask them who they'd recommend.  They might have someone in house if they deal in long guns.

[686 3383]

@Reagan1k a full mount porcupine is bad ass

[Reagan1k 3005]

5 hours ago, 686 said:

@Reagan1k a full mount porcupine is bad ass

@686  I'll shoot it if you'll skin it!

[Storm the Field 5268]

Brother and I decided to take a quick trip up to our lease tomorrow morning, mostly for shits and giggles. Gonna clear out some brush and put a few sacks of corn in the feeders at the new stands we set up back in June, but otherwise just gonna drink beer, ride around in the UTV, and enjoy the countryside. Have a proper work weekend scheduled for mid-September where we'll head out with some of other guys and get everything else ready for the Fall and also do a little dove hunting since the watering hole actually has water for a change. 

Edited August 9 by Storm the Field

[mooseoutfront 3640]

Caribou season starting soon

[Handcruser 2805]

Question that may be better in the general gun nut thread, but it’s mostly hunting gun related. I have a rifle that needs some work and now that I’ve moved up to the Seattle area I don’t have a gunsmith. When I google maps my local area, I get hits with names like Uprising Arms- that appear to be some guy that decided to do some working his garage. 
what resources can I use to find a reputable person/company that I can feel comfortable handing a couple of rifles over to?  
related, what kind of range should I be looking for to sight in a 30.06?  Son wants to hunt so I’m trying to learn on the fly. 

I gotta guy. I’ll pm you when I find his number.

[Handcruser 2805]

Question that may be better in the general gun nut thread, but it’s mostly hunting gun related. I have a rifle that needs some work and now that I’ve moved up to the Seattle area I don’t have a gunsmith. When I google maps my local area, I get hits with names like Uprising Arms- that appear to be some guy that decided to do some working his garage. 
what resources can I use to find a reputable person/company that I can feel comfortable handing a couple of rifles over to?  
related, what kind of range should I be looking for to sight in a 30.06?  Son wants to hunt so I’m trying to learn on the fly. 

Ok my guy isn’t really the right fit.

We do a lot of business with Rainier Arms - I look at some of their services and they can probably help you. Big outfit and we do a lot of business with them, though not me personally.

[solamente73 1130]

Sorry for the delay in updates, but life has been busy since getting back a month ago.  

Day 3 was a day of both success and disappointment.  Spoilered for longcat.

Spoiler

The Safari, Day 3:  Sometimes you just have to take what the bush gives you.

We started Day 3 with bushbuck on our minds.  Bushbuck are shy and elusive, spending most of their time browsing the thick bush rather than grazing the open fields.  While we searched for bushbuck, we knew that there would be other opportunities.  That day, it would be impala.

We began by returning to an area called “the rugby field.”  It was a lush field about 1400 yards long surrounded by hills and thick brush.  The evening before, we had seen eland, impala, warthog, and blue wildebeest in and around the field, and as the daylight waned, I had been downscope on a really nice blue wildebeest; however, a herd of eland and the rest of the wildebeest herd conspired to block my shot.  Eventually, we called it a day as taking a 318 yard shot off sticks at last light was to risk losing a trophy in the bush after dark.  The next morning we decided to return to the rugby field to go after the impala that we had seen the evening before… and to keep looking for bushbuck.  

We hiked and glassed the entire area, and the abundance of life that we had seen the evening before was absent.  On the way back to the bakkie, though, we crested a ridge to find the impala herd we were after huddled in a small clearing, and they immediately fled into the dense trees.  They had been there all along, but we just didn’t know it until it was too late.

With no bushbuck sighted and impala spooked, we loaded up the Cruiser and began making our way to what they called “the cattle farm” - a rich valley, surrounded by densely forested hills, where they actually raised cattle.  The owner’s 10 year old grandson and another young man were along for the ride, helping us spot animals.  About halfway to the cattle farm, I heard a sudden loud knocking on the cab’s roof - the boy spotters in the back had seen something.  “Impala” I heard the young man say.  The PH grabbed his binocs, took a look, turned to me, smiled, and said “get your gun.”

We hopped out and got our gear together.  I chambered a round and set the rifle to safety.  The PH, his tracker, and I lined up and began to make our way towards where the impala was grazing, leaving the youngins behind with the cruiser.  There were several dense groves of trees scattered across the valley floor to provide cover, and we moved from grove to grove, the PH periodically peeking around the grove edges to see what the ram was up to.  

Eventually, we ran out of cover, and the valley opened up.  I looked across the expanse and saw the impala grazing through a grove of magnificent trees.  I’ll never forget that golden ram framed under the tree’s expansive branches.  The PH set the sticks and I went downscope on the impala.  “One hundred and sixty two yards,” my PH whispered.  I put the crosshairs on the ram’s right shoulder.  “I have him,” I whispered back.  The ram took another step forward, grazing right along.  His head was now obscured by a bush, but the shoulder was still clear.  I decided to take the shot.

Breath just right, rifle steady on the sticks, crosshairs where I wanted them, I squeezed and waited for the boom.  And while I waited, the impala took yet another step behind the bush.

Boom!

Thwack.

I chambered another round.  The “thwack” told me that I’d hit him, but where?  I couldn’t find him in the scope, and I feared he’d moved into the brush.  “Where is he?” I asked.  My PH replied, “He is down, Sir!  Well done!”

The grass was high and I couldn’t see the ram, but I knew to take the PH’s word.  We gathered up and made our way to where the impala last stood.  As long as I couldn’t see it, there was just a hint of doubt in my mind, but that doubt evaporated as soon as I saw that golden coat laying atop the lush grass.

With the ram’s last-second step forward, I ended up spining him and dropping him right where he had stood.  

The boys brought up the cruiser, and upon hopping out, they congratulated me.  I thanked THEM, as it was they who had spotted this very nice ram.  Since my two little boys were half a world away, I was particularly happy to share that moment with those boys.  I asked them to be in the trophy picture to commemorate our team hunt, and they obliged.

In planning this whole trip over the past year, it seemed that Impala were almost an afterthought when it came to South African plains game.  People always go on about kudu, springbok slams, wildebeest, etc., but I find impala to be beautiful in both hide and horn.  This was my first impala, and hopefully it won’t be my last.

That was a great morning.  The rest of the day, however, would be frustrating, and that was becoming a theme when it came to chasing bushbuck.  We hiked several promising areas; however, we only found tracks and dung.  We didn’t even see a single ewe, which surprised the PH as he said that we would have at least seen SOME where we had been hiking.  The elusive bushbuck remained, well, elusive.

After a long day in the field, it is tradition to gather around the campfire and relive the day’s hunts, usually with an adult beverage or three (such as “policeman’s coffee,” a local favorite that is brandy mixed with coca-cola).  

The next day?  More searching for bushbuck, of course… and taking what the bush gives you.

TL;DR:  While continuing to search for the elusive bushbuck, I was fortunate to come across this gorgeous impala.  162 yards, DRT with a spinal shot.  Capped off the day with a couple of “policeman’s coffees” around the camp fire.

 

More to come…

[686 3383]

@solamente73 beautiful impala and great story, thanks! I’ve been refraining from nagging you for more details : ) Beautiful country you were hunting, and always special to hunt with the rancher’s family.

[sith_horn 2366]

On 8/8/2024 at 8:48 PM, Reagan1k said:

@686  I'll shoot it if you'll skin it!

LOL. Off-topic but this reminds me of something my pop once said with a grin, "Son, I've got a deal for you. If you dig the hole for the septic tank, I'll fill it."

[686 3383]

I had a good weekend scouting trip to CO. Found a great looking spot 5 miles up into the wilderness, but it’s a tough hike; starts at 8600’, ends up at 10,800’ with lots of elevation up/down along the way, and 17 water crossings (some really minor and some you have to be really careful rock-to-rock or you’re going to go over your boots). I slipped once and did get water in my boot. Both boots got soaked through eventually and never could dry out between the water crossings and rain. Camped at 9000’ feet and had a massive un-forecasted thunderstorm roll in at 11pm and kept me up most of the night. Soaked a lot of my gear. Did 13 miles Saturday checking other spots and getting out, had to hike ~2 hrs in the rain. It was a little bit more of an ass whip than I wanted it to be, but I saw some pretty country. Saw a cinnamon colored black bear about a cute as Winnie the Pooh on the way in. Couldn’t get a pic before he saw me and scrammed. Lots of waterfalls along the way.

[DalTxHornFan 3074]

10 minutes ago, 686 said:

I had a good weekend scouting trip to CO. Found a great looking spot 5 miles up into the wilderness, but it’s a tough hike; starts at 8600’, ends up at 10,800’ with lots of elevation up/down along the way, and 17 water crossings (some really minor and some you have to be really careful rock-to-rock or you’re going to go over your boots). I slipped once and did get water in my boot. Both boots got soaked through eventually and never could dry out between the water crossings and rain. Camped at 9000’ feet and had a massive un-forecasted thunderstorm roll in at 11pm and kept me up most of the night. Soaked a lot of my gear. Did 13 miles Saturday checking other spots and getting out, had to hike ~2 hrs in the rain. It was a little bit more of an ass whip than I wanted it to be, but I saw some pretty country. Saw a cinnamon colored black bear about a cute as Winnie the Pooh on the way in. Couldn’t get a pic before he saw me and scrammed. Lots of waterfalls along the way.

That sounds like a lot of work.  Glad that I can drive my truck to the deer blind in West Texas and drink some bourbon in my coffee as the sun comes up!

[686 3383]

That sounds like a lot of work.  Glad that I can drive my truck to the deer blind in West Texas and drink some bourbon in my coffee as the sun comes up!

I like Texas whitetail hunting and love deer lease culture/spirit as well, but getting on elk in the wilderness is just amazing to me.

[686 3383]

@solamente73 are you getting the blesbok and impala shipped back / mounted?

[solamente73 1130]

18 hours ago, 686 said:

I had a good weekend scouting trip to CO... It was a little bit more of an ass whip than I wanted it to be....

Masochist.  

17 hours ago, 686 said:

I like Texas whitetail hunting and love deer lease culture/spirit as well, but getting on elk in the wilderness is just amazing to me.

^This right here.

17 hours ago, 686 said:

@solamente73 are you getting the blesbok and impala shipped back / mounted?

All 12 trophies will be euro mounts (that's my style) and the hides will either be fur or leather product; I'm still working out what I'm going to have made (rifle cases, ammo carriers, wallets, etc.) vs. what will be "rugs."  There are two additional "cull" animals that I'll use for leather product and for barware.  Karoo Taxidermy out of Graaf-Reinet is doing the work.  I toured their facility and it was an incredibly impressive operation.  They seem to successfully scale volume, quality, and specialization.  I had met the owner back in January and had communicated with staff prior to flying over, so I had pretty much made up my mind before the safari.  Even then, I encountered no better option before, during, or after the trip.

 

___________________________

If y'all want to see what a South African taxidermy outfit looks like, here you go.  I probably focused more on the skulls than the shoulder/full mounts because of my interest.  Reminder - this is NOT my taxidermy, just my taxidermist.  Spoilered for the pics:

Spoiler

Welcome area:

Salting/prepping skins:

Prepping skulls (against the wall are elephant skulls(!))

Where the "mounts" happen:

Packing and shipping:

Carved giraffe leg bones destined for Denmark: 

 

The spoilered above looks like chaos but every single item, no matter how large or small, is labled/tagged and tracked from receiving to shipping.  The half-day was worth it to learn how it all worked.

 

 

 

Edited August 13 by solamente73

[solamente73 1130]

^That post is a tad borked.  Edit time ran out.  Apologies.

To make amends:

 

[Herbie Hancock 7296]

In a previous life, I had a client that took his two boys hunting for a college graduation present for the eldest. Of the several tags they filled, one was a nile crocodile. Doing the legwork was a pain in the ass, but it ended up paying quite well to help them turn two crocodile hides into 3 pair of boots, some belts, and a purse and matching wallet for momma. Always thought that would be incredibly cool to be strutting around in a pair of boots knowing I had hunted the critter to make them.

[Al Czervik 1228]

The euros from the 23-24’ season. Post earlier up thread. 

[USCATX 1065]

Just got back from the lease and the four Amazon solar panels I put on feeders/cameras last year have all shit the bed.  Are these disposable or is there an actual reliable option out there?

I also second the Spypoint LM2s, they’re cheap to run and the plans are pretty solid as well.  I just do unlimited during season and it’s my favorite thing to check while I drink coffee. 

[686 3383]

Just got back from the lease and the four Amazon solar panels I put on feeders/cameras last year have all shit the bed.  Are these disposable or is there an actual reliable option out there?
I also second the Spypoint LM2s, they’re cheap to run and the plans are pretty solid as well.  I just do unlimited during season and it’s my favorite thing to check while I drink coffee. 

West Texas Feeder Supply stuff is really good:

https://westtexasfeedersupply.com/product-category/solar-chargers/

I also have enjoyed the Spypoint Cameras and their ap, getting photos, etc. I got my dad two cameras for his b-day and set everything up for him and logged in on my phone as well. Fun.