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Hunting 24/25: big bucks and a lot of ducks!

markstanco

By markstanco
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Storm the Field

Storm the Field 5274

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Anastasis said:

 

Looks like I will be taking the AR with me when I head out to the lease this year. I am getting pics like this at both feeders. 

PICT0607_202410300142HoLJK.jpg?X-Amz-Expires=86400&X-Amz-Date=20241030T135308Z&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=AKIA4TENZYKLZ2QLZNPE%2F20241030%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Signature=f3fe840e8e49eec9412bea38d0253d90861fc165a89c9c9cf2760e4fc3bc0480

 

Crew of about 7-8 on my camera at 9:45 last night, including 2 absolute tanks that were much larger than the rest. I'm heading up Friday afternoon for Opening Weekend and might try to get in a nighttime hog hunt if I can get there in time and conditions aren't too sloppy following the rain. None of the other guys getting there until Saturday so don't really feel like getting stuck in mud, in the dark, all by my lonesome.

We had the same solid buck (by East Texas standards) show up at a different feeder at 8:10 last night, exact same time as the night before. I swear to god we're dealing with vampire animals out at our lease. They only come out at least 30 minutes after sundown. I haven't seen any daytime feeding action on the cameras since that last little 48 hour cool front 2 weeks ago. 

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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15238

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1 hour ago, Storm the Field said:

Wish I could have got a body view so I could get a better idea on size and age. Thinking he's pretty damn close to the camera and it's causing a bit of forced perspective to make him look bigger than he probably is.

Looks young(ish) to me.  Thin beams obviously, but he doesn't have that pronounced Roman nose many of the older bucks get.  I'd say 2.5 to 3-ish maybe?

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Storm the Field

Storm the Field 5274

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46 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Looks young(ish) to me.  Thin beams obviously, but he doesn't have that pronounced Roman nose many of the older bucks get.  I'd say 2.5 to 3-ish maybe?

Sounds right. This is East Texas, so decent bucks rarely make it to a "mature" age in our neck of the woods.

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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15238

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, Storm the Field said:

Sounds right. This is East Texas, so decent bucks rarely make it to a "mature" age in our neck of the woods.

Yeah, I get it.  Shoot now or your neighbor will.  Same issue with us for years.  I finally leased it out to some good guys that have the resources to invest the time/money into significant feeding, food plots, and other things to help manage the "herd".  They are also bow hunters, so there's less pressure on the rest of them.  It's also a 4+ hr drive, so I can't get out there as often as I'd like.

I'm good with the fact that they are growing big bucks and I get cool pictures - then I take my kids out late in the season and let them pop a doe or two for meat.  

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Reagan1k

Reagan1k 3017

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Posted
On 10/28/2024 at 3:27 PM, BabaYaga said:

CZ 557 American

This above or Howa makes a M1500 Super Lite Short Rifle 7mm-08 Remington.

I'm tempted to buy one for myself to have as a blind/truck rifle.

If it's not loaned out (which it frequently is) my +50yr old cut down Rem. 788 in .243 is my favorite rifle to tote around.

I might need a fill-in when my steady is on loan. 

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686

686 3406

Posted
Posted
This above or Howa makes a M1500 Super Lite Short Rifle 7mm-08 Remington.
I'm tempted to buy one for myself to have as a blind/truck rifle.
If it's not loaned out (which it frequently is) my +50yr old cut down Rem. 788 in .243 is my favorite rifle to tote around.
I might need a fill-in when my steady is on loan. 

The Howa Mini Action and Super Lite are interesting little guns. Under 5 lbs, Stocky’s carbon fiber stocks, precision action with no superfluous length. IMO they would be perfect youth or women’s guns if the length of pull could be adjusted. As they are, probably the handiest little bolt guns I’ve fondled at a gun shop. There is a good video review from Randy Newberg on their site:

https://www.howausa.com/howa-super-lite/
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PTINS

PTINS 3442

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Posted (edited)
On 10/28/2024 at 2:35 PM, Spaulding Smails said:

  We might need to scrap the 2 hour drive to the ranch and hunt from the front porch this weekend.  

IMG_2938.jpeg

Saw this bad boy Monday afternoon, at the house, before we went out to the ranch. I see bigger deer here at house than almost any deer we've ever seen at the ranch.

DSC_0089.JPEG.595576bec77bf82a8db66778926dc8b5.JPEG DSC_0092.JPEG.87ea161d7c1e96d70f8d6ebb3f4ec0a5.JPEG
DSC_0084.JPEG.349c13a3b7ad1a96a45e9b61adbd4d6b.JPEG

Edited by PTINS
typo. text.
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HOOKEM4

HOOKEM4 5033

Posted
Posted

Wtf is that? Looks...uhhh...interesting.

 

Sitting in the heat waiting for a boar that has been coming in all week. Little dude doesn't want to shoot the 308 so I am on the hook tonight. Pig only night till manana.

 

20241101_175404.thumb.jpg.fd0eee49483b9cdad63d219049240946.jpg

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hornmpa96

hornmpa96 2598

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Arrived at the ranch tonight and pulled some camera cards. In that process, we stumbled upon a hog who didn’t care we were driving up to the feeder. My son had his pistol and dispatched that corn stealing SOB. The boar weighed 191 lbs live weight.

We checked out the camera cards and sure enough both trophies we are going after this year have started showing up at different feeders. It’s game on tomorrow.

Good luck to everyone this weekend!

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cab948

cab948 69

Posted
Posted (edited)

We are live in Victoria county. Didn’t get a chance to put out cameras this year. It’s fun having no clue what is gonna show up next. Lots of activity with the bucks getting ready to start chasing the does.  Best we have seen so far is a heavy 11 and a nice 10.  I’ll be just meat hunting this year and scouting for my dad.  Not really mad at them this year outside of wanting few does for sausage meat.  
 

My 5 year old had a blast picking up birds this year dove hunting and loves watching the deer so it’s shaping up to be a great season. 
 

 

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Edited by cab948
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Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock 7315

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Posted

Motion to outlaw all youth sports on opening weekend? Do I have a second?!

Leaving the house this morning headed to the ball field I saw the guy in the second pic. Went to pull the card a few minutes ago and was looking at the one in the first pic that was roughly 20 minutes earlier and I feel like they’re different deer, but obviously the angles and picture quality leave that open to interpretation. What say y’all

238ac24c45331856bae766b923a0339d.jpg


5965c9bf534bfa99114c2b2b49ee9c1f.jpg

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Storm the Field

Storm the Field 5274

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Weekend went about as expected out at our place based on camera action the last few weeks. No deer or hogs active during the daytime except for a group of doe that show up to one particular stand every morning and evening. One of the guys hunted with his daughter and took one of the bigger ones yesterday evening. I helped with a late night deer harvesting session for first time in years. 

Uncomfortably warm and muggy all weekend out at the lease. Poured buckets on my drive home and now it's hot and steamy outside. Just doesn't feel like deer season yet. 

Cameras picked up some good-looking bucks passing by on both Friday and Saturday night, well after sunset. Until the weather cools down and/or the rut starts, I'm not expecting to see much during shooting hours. Was looking back through the photos on the camera linked to my account and the last time I picked up any daytime feeding action was back in mid-October when that brief front passed through and it dropped to the high 40's. 

Planning a return trip 2 weekends from now, so hopefully it's at least in the 60's by then.

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CHIEF

CHIEF 5072

Posted
Posted (edited)

Attachment-7.jpg

We have this heavy ten coming in regularly. We talked to the guys just south of us to see about letting him have a year on protein to see what he can turn into. They agreed, there were some guys about a mile further west. When the guys just south of us put out protein one year, on that side of their lease, the guys further west shot anything they saw. There isn't any hunting to the east or north of us, so we are gonna put a ton and a half out on Dec. 1st.

We hunted in shorts and t-shirts every hunt.

CHIEF

Edited by CHIEF
weather
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BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15238

Posted
Posted
On 11/2/2024 at 8:19 AM, cab948 said:

We are live in Victoria county. Didn’t get a chance to put out cameras this year. It’s fun having no clue what is gonna show up next. Lots of activity with the bucks getting ready to start chasing the does.  Best we have seen so far is a heavy 11 and a nice 10.  I’ll be just meat hunting this year and scouting for my dad.  Not really mad at them this year outside of wanting few does for sausage meat.  
 

My 5 year old had a blast picking up birds this year dove hunting and loves watching the deer so it’s shaping up to be a great season. 
 

 

IMG_0034.jpeg

IMG_0041.jpeg

IMG_0039.jpeg

IMG_0054.jpeg

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IMG_0044.jpeg

LOVE those chocolate horns!  Something about them.  Indicative of certain mineral impact in their diet, couldn't say what, but that is what I was told.  

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Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock 7315

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Posted

Got eyes on the ones in my pics above. Definitely two different deer. Big boy is thiccc as the younguns say. Skinny boy is actually significantly wider. Passed on big fella but I may take my rifle with me tonight and not walk away this time. Pulled the card this morning and seen these goofy twits.

ba19aec8e3aea7147e5a3b1c28a31ac0.jpg

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Al Czervik

Al Czervik 1229

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The Sunday afternoon sweat in Blanco County lead to this guy showing up at 5:00pm. Thankful to have a friends with ranches that don’t hunt and just need someone to check on the place once in a while. Solid mass and healthy body. 
Property is low fenced but backs up to the river and another several thousand acre ranch that wasn’t hunted the pass few years until this weekend. Several shots were heard in that direction Saturday. 
Going to give Klein’s Smokehouse a try at their new location in Johnson City. 

IMG_5422.jpeg

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Anastasis

Anastasis 23404

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Posted

Hey wouldn’t it be fun to work in a weekday hunt and take a few calls from the trailer in between. Yeah sounds great. Flash flooding ensues, get to watch a lightning strike a walmart literally as I walk out the door with some supplies, driving sideways across the hay field in the dark slanging mud. On bright side, the rv isn’t leaking and there is bourbon. 

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Spaulding Smails

Spaulding Smails 1551

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Posted
On 11/4/2024 at 9:52 AM, Al Czervik said:

The Sunday afternoon sweat in Blanco County lead to this guy showing up at 5:00pm. Thankful to have a friends with ranches that don’t hunt and just need someone to check on the place once in a while. Solid mass and healthy body. 
Property is low fenced but backs up to the river and another several thousand acre ranch that wasn’t hunted the pass few years until this weekend. Several shots were heard in that direction Saturday. 
Going to give Klein’s Smokehouse a try at their new location in Johnson City. 

IMG_5422.jpeg

Dude.  That's a fantastic Hill Country buck.  What part of Blanco county?

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Al Czervik

Al Czervik 1229

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Dude.  That's a fantastic Hill Country buck.  What part of Blanco county?

A little West of Johnson City and on the South side of the river. Ranch is surrounded by 2 giant ranches that haven’t been hunted since I’ve been out there. Saturday morning we heard 2 shots that were very close and my brother looked at me and said ‘someone just shot that deer’. Had to venture out Sunday hoping he was just avoiding the trail cams. Sure enough he came out looking for the ladies, worth the 3 year wait after seeing him for the past 3 seasons. 
Wanting to see more pics posted of other Surlites and their hunts. 

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Horns99

Horns99 155

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Posted
Damn, would love to have a place near Johnson City or Stonewall. 

Had a lease outside Stonewall, by Albert for over 25 years. All the big ranches by us have been subdivided & sold off in 10-15 acre tracts. Our old place is about to be for sale - under 200 acres for 6MM. Didn’t have any big deer, but decent & a bunch of axis.
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