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

[Dignan 381]

17 hours ago, Storm the Field said:

Welp, putting in work at the lease in East TX over the past 2 years finally paid off on Friday morning.

First buck I've shot since I was in high school. Just started deer hunting again last year.

Kinda funny story. I shot him right under the feeder and he took off running. Went down there and all I saw was a tiny little splatter of blood under the feeder. I trudged off in the direction of where I assumed he had run and couldn't pick up any trail whatsoever other than a few tufts of hair. No blood trail at all. After about 20 minutes of looking around, I got convinced that I had whiffed a rather easy shot and just grazed him. Bout that time my Dad pulled up to help me search. Within about a minute of getting out of his truck, he pointed out a shape underneath a bush 90 degrees to the right of where I was walking. Deer had collapsed not more than 40 yards from the feeder. I guess I had tunnel vision of where I thought he had run and just never even glanced in that direction. Rather than a graze, it was pretty much a textbook shot right behind the shoulder. Surprised he was able to go any distance at all seeing the damage it did to his heart when we were cleaning him.

Had my Dad drop off the head with a guy in his neighborhood to prep the skull for a Euro mount. Just gonna put it on a basic skull hanger in the cabin at the lease.

Where is your lease? I have a place I can hunt (lady lets me use her land) in Tyler. Very convenient, not the best hunting, but they are there. Nice buck!

[686 3,460]

This is GREAT! I have tried for years to get my son out with me but he just won't do it. He has a few times but isn't hooked. I'll keep trying. 

Some things that helped my kids:

I set up a little steel silhouette target “game” and let them shoot 22’s at it - they’ll burn a couple hundred rounds on that. Make it fun.

I shoot the bigger rifles first so they can see what it’s going to be like. Suppressors and tripods help a lot.

Sometimes they are scared to shoot at an animal, so I’ll shoot a deer or armadillo or something to break the ice and then the my are less intimidated.

I let them play on their iPad or Nintendo in the deer blind. I don’t like this, because it’s not at all like what hunting was like for me growing up, but if we make it too boring they just won’t be interested. I actually played one of the last Texas games on my phone in the blind so we could watch while waiting for deer/pigs to come out.

[BabaYaga 15,528]

Buddy's kid took a decent 10 at our place over the weekend.  Massive body, well over 130lbs.

[BHMCruiser 1,828]

13 hours ago, 686 said:

Some things that helped my kids:

I set up a little steel silhouette target “game” and let them shoot 22’s at it - they’ll burn a couple hundred rounds on that. Make it fun.

I shoot the bigger rifles first so they can see what it’s going to be like. Suppressors and tripods help a lot.

Sometimes they are scared to shoot at an animal, so I’ll shoot a deer or armadillo or something to break the ice and then the my are less intimidated.

I let them play on their iPad or Nintendo in the deer blind. I don’t like this, because it’s not at all like what hunting was like for me growing up, but if we make it too boring they just won’t be interested. I actually played one of the last Texas games on my phone in the blind so we could watch while waiting for deer/pigs to come out.

Agree with all of this. You have to let them come to it at their own speed. My 17 year old wants nothing to do with it. My 10 year old shot his first deer this weekend (first time shooting at any animal so I was nervous for him). But he put it right in the bread basket. 

[BabaYaga 15,528]

1 hour ago, BHMCruiser said:

Agree with all of this. You have to let them come to it at their own speed. My 17 year old wants nothing to do with it. My 10 year old shot his first deer this weekend (first time shooting at any animal so I was nervous for him). But he put it right in the bread basket. 

It's all about exposure.  Give them time.  It's about spending time together.  Took my son to the ranch this weekend.  He left with athletic shorts and slides, wound up buying a pair of jeans at the store and now he wants boots (getting repeatedly poked my mesquite will do that to you).  

[Horns99 172]

Good weekend up in N Central TX for us last weekend. Guess, I’m lucky my 11 yr old is obsessed. He wanted a pig in honor of us beating the hogs

[WithoutAClue 15,990]

[686 3,460]

@Horns99 great buck and nice hog! What does your son shoot? Did he get any buck fever? What county?

[Horns99 172]

[mention=2714]Horns99[/mention] great buck and nice hog! What does your son shoot? Did he get any buck fever? What county?

Buck was mine, he’s working his way up to that level. Last year was his 1st year shooting a animal. He’s got pigs & does so far on his resume. He’s shooting a savage axis youth model .243. He loves it. It’s dropped everything so far. We are up in Young county, north of Graham, moved up there after losing the deer lease by Stonewall.

[Ted Dantzler 157]

On 11/20/2024 at 7:55 AM, BabaYaga said:

Pheasants are hard to hunt without a dog.  I remember my first hunt, Texas panhandle, and I just started chewing Red Man.  I was in my mid-teens maybe, and one of those SOB's flushed straight up a few feet from me.  Made all the racket in the world, and "gulp".  Down the hatch.....giant plug of tobackie.  Spent the rest of the morning in the truck, green and sick as a dog.  

When they get buried down in the grass they don't want to come out especially if the weather is bad. One time it had just snowed a dusting and I was hunting the edge of a corn field and CRP area. I saw some tracks lead into the CRP and followed them about 20 yards until they ended...Nothing, followed them back again and ended up in the same place. The dog didn't pick up anything and was milling around a different area. 

After about 30 seconds of pondering where the bird could be I decided to take a piss and the second I pulled my zipper down a bird flew up from about 1ft away and almost knocked my hat off with it's wings. I missed that one out of shock as well.....

[otisdog 365]

4 hours ago, Ted Dantzler said:

When they get buried down in the grass they don't want to come out especially if the weather is bad. One time it had just snowed a dusting and I was hunting the edge of a corn field and CRP area. I saw some tracks lead into the CRP and followed them about 20 yards until they ended...Nothing, followed them back again and ended up in the same place. The dog didn't pick up anything and was milling around a different area. 

After about 30 seconds of pondering where the bird could be I decided to take a piss and the second I pulled my zipper down a bird flew up from about 1ft away and almost knocked my hat off with it's wings. I missed that one out of shock as well.....

Yeah, they'll do that. I've had at least two bust out when I've stopped to piss - already opened the O/U and laid it down, so just watched them fly away holding my DIH.

[crimsonlonghorn 2,313]

Anybody have any ideas? This is one of my cameras near my house in Scurry County. 

My wife told me about a year ago that she saw an "ocelot" out in the pasture and I told her she was full of it because we are a long way from where those are in Mexico... but this sure doesn't look like a house cat. But maybe it is? But I have never seen a house cat anywhere near my place. We don't have one and none of the neighbors do either. 

Maybe it's a bobcat, but that looks like a long tail and it doesn't seem squatty enough. 

Thinking about sending this to the game warden next week after my brother is done hunting there this weekend. 

 

[crimsonlonghorn 2,313]

We also got this picture earlier this week of a coyote (left) following something (right) next to the feeder. I thought it was just another coyote and maybe it is.

[Kennythetiger 9,583]

Cool pictures. 

[Brisketexan 106,596]

Anybody have any ideas? This is one of my cameras near my house in Scurry County. 
My wife told me about a year ago that she saw an "ocelot" out in the pasture and I told her she was full of it because we are a long way from where those are in Mexico... but this sure doesn't look like a house cat. But maybe it is? But I have never seen a house cat anywhere near my place. We don't have one and none of the neighbors do either. 
Maybe it's a bobcat, but that looks like a long tail and it doesn't seem squatty enough. 
Thinking about sending this to the game warden next week after my brother is done hunting there this weekend. 


 

Sure looks like a fat feral house cat. You’re WAY out of Ocelot range. And doesn’t look like a bobcat.

[Spaulding Smails 1,610]

Agree with @Brisketexan.  100% a house cat.  Looks just like our big fat house cat named Willie.  

My BIL sent me this pic from his lease in Lampasas County.  He was thoroughly convinced it was a juvenile mountain lion.  He said it was "obviously way too big to be a house cat".  They next weekend he saw it in person.  At least he ate crow and fessed up that he was wrong.  With no perspective on size, it's easy to think they're something else.  But, it seems like if there's ever a doubt, it's most likely just a regular old house cat.  

[Al Czervik 1,259]

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. 

The departed has arrived to its final destination via Klein’s Smokehouse in Johnson City and Hard Times Taxidermy in Blanco. 

[HOOKEM4 5,151]

I have been waiting to shoot something all season. Too damn hot. I came home for the inlaws Tday and decided to stay home till tomorrow. Well, I finally got something besides the 20 doe at the feeder.

Heading out first thing tomorrow. We will see. Big dude for my low fence spot.

 

Edited November 29 by HOOKEM4
ousux

[Frank Drebin 5,822]

Thanksgiving morning buck my son (15) killed in deep East Texas while hunting with his grandfather.  He has killed quite a few deer before at our place in south Texas. This is the smallest by far.  But none as special as this one.  Since he was two, he has hunted on my wife’s family’s land that his grandfather grew up on and that had been in their family for generations.  He was hunting with his granddad, who is 87 years young, thanksgiving morning when he shot this buck.  He ran about 100 yards despite a perfectly placed shot.  He followed the blood trail and recovered the deer.  

My son and my father in law have hunted together countless times for over a decade — yesterday was the day it finally paid off after numerous close calls, passing on deer who weren’t wide enough to be lawful, and plenty of hunts without seeing much.  Typical East Texas hunting  

I’m so proud he was able to get a deer with his grandfather.  It reminds me of hunting with my granddad, which are some of my best memories I think about often. So this makes me smile.  Hunting isn’t about the harvest.  It’s about everything else.  But this is a great bonus and will be a core memory for him.  

At 87 I’m not sure how many hunts my father in law has left.  So in my book it’s a special deer.  16 inch inside spread.  Broken g2 on right side.  Young deer. 2.5.  But I’m going to euro mount it for him any way.  

Edited November 29 by Frank Drebin

[Spaulding Smails 1,610]

Passed on this fella this morning.  Pic is from a few weeks ago, but this was the first time I laid eyes on him in person.  Had my son in a blind on the other side of the ranch chasing a cull whitetail that he saw last night running a doe and couldn't get him to stop broadside long enough to get a shot.  Texted him and he high tailed it over to where I was hunting.  He stalked his way in and got there about 90 seconds after this guy walked back into the brush.  

Unfortunately, he had to head back home to get to work, so I'm here solo tonight and tomorrow.  Gonna be hard to let him walk again if he shows up tonight, but I'd sure rather my son or my dad take him.  I have zero experience aging axis on the hoof, but he looks pretty old.  

[USCATX 1,087]

I’m in Mexico and this guy is modeling at lunch time in front of my camera.  

[Storm the Field 5,357]

On 11/25/2024 at 7:50 AM, Dignan said:

Where is your lease? I have a place I can hunt (lady lets me use her land) in Tyler. Very convenient, not the best hunting, but they are there. Nice buck!

Tyler County, just south of Lake Rayburn. Closest "town" is a little shithole called Colmesneil.

[Dignan 381]

On 11/29/2024 at 4:20 PM, Storm the Field said:

Tyler County, just south of Lake Rayburn. Closest "town" is a little shithole called Colmesneil.

Oh yeah, I know Colmesneil! Glad you got one!

[ABZ 71]

Just got back to Texas from a 10 day trip visiting my buddy who lives in Montana. Drew a deer tag this year and got a nice, mature 5x6 mule deer. Deer weighed over 250 lbs on the hoof and had a ton of mass. 

We also did one afternoon goose hunt in a snow storm. We got 6 greater Canadians. Goose leg/thigh gumbo was delicious.

We also did a lot of pheasant, grouse, and Hungarian partridge hunting. All public land/public access, other than goose hunt where we knocked on farmer's door and asked for permission to hunt field. 

Wishing the trip wasn't over.

[CHIEF 5,196]

My mom has been around big deer quite a few times. She told me she saw the biggest buck she has ever seen outside of a high fence standing in her driveway. She hung up and ran back out to snap a picture. Her phone is old, so it isn't high resolution. She lives in my same subdivision. I'm gonna estimate him to be over 25" inside spread with some tines as big around as my wrist. At first, I told her I couldn't see his rack, just those dying cana leaves behind him. Thats when she told me, "those aren't cana leaves, that is his horns." easily a 200" B&C buck.

CHIEF

[hookemATL 12,228]

[CHIEF 5,196]

32 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

He has his head tilted to the left eating the grass along her fence. She did everything but an army crawl to get a better picture, but it was too dark. I've been scouring or NextDoor page this morning to see if anyone has a picture. The closest high fence place is about five or so miles NE, which would be my bet, as to where he came from. But, we have a firefighter friend that owns a five acre place in the middle of a big ranch about 4 miles SE of where we live that has seen multiple 200"+ deer at his place. So its not like we are completely devoid of those kind of genetics.

This whole area gets overlooked for hunting, most people assume it is too wide open, and too close to DFW. A lot of what most would consider "suburban deer." But you can watch some monsters being killed in suburban neighborhoods on YouTube, so anything is possible.

CHIEF

[BabaYaga 15,528]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:15 AM, crimsonlonghorn said:

Anybody have any ideas? This is one of my cameras near my house in Scurry County. 

My wife told me about a year ago that she saw an "ocelot" out in the pasture and I told her she was full of it because we are a long way from where those are in Mexico... but this sure doesn't look like a house cat. But maybe it is? But I have never seen a house cat anywhere near my place. We don't have one and none of the neighbors do either. 

Maybe it's a bobcat, but that looks like a long tail and it doesn't seem squatty enough. 

Thinking about sending this to the game warden next week after my brother is done hunting there this weekend. 

 

Hhhmmmm.

Couple of things.  Coat doesn't look like an Ocelot, but maybe it's the distortion of the pic?  I "think" I see a longer tail, so that rules out a bobcat "if" that shadow is a longer tail.  So maybe it's a big ass feral cat.

[BabaYaga 15,528]

On 12/1/2024 at 6:03 PM, ABZ said:

We got 6 greater Canadians. Goose leg/thigh gumbo was delicious.

GOOD!  Fuck those mean ass, cobra chickens!

[hookemATL 12,228]

4 hours ago, BabaYaga said:

GOOD!  Fuck those mean ass, cobra chickens!

I was walking along the waterfront on way back to my hotel in Boston on a work trip, and I swear to Christ, a group of these fuckers bowed up to me, mean mugged, then gaggled in a way that felt derisive and insulting as I rerouted and walked away from them.  They just exude mean/I will immediately go into beserker mode energy at all times.

[jkates 336]

My 11-year-old daughter took her first whitetail from our place in Cat Spring (Austin County) this past weekend. 80-85 yard shot with an AR-15 chambered in .223.

She has sat in a blind with me, my son, or my father maybe a dozen times over the years, but this was her first time to shoot. We were after does and she took one with a heart shot. 

 

[BabaYaga 15,528]

9 minutes ago, jkates said:

My 11-year-old daughter took her first whitetail from our place in Cat Spring (Austin County) this past weekend. 80-85 yard shot with an AR-15 chambered in .223.

She has sat in a blind with me, my son, or my father maybe a dozen times over the years, but this was her first time to shoot. We were after does and she took one with a heart shot. 

 

[HOOKEM4 5,151]

This is really annoying. I sat 3 times while this fucker had a doe penned up breeding her. I know he did because a mature doe that comes in with her twins everytime the feeder fires off stopped coming last weekend. The twins came in but no doe. Now she is back and so is he. We have a full weekend and work is insane right now. I am going to try and sneak out for 2 sits Friday night/ Saturday morning and get back for a birthday party Saturday at noon. I am 100% not missing the Texas game one way or another.

This is a great buck for our little low fence place. Everything this mature gets shot by the neighbors. I pray he doesn't get shot or snag another doe and dissappear for 2-3 days while I am up there.

Edited December 4 by HOOKEM4
ousux

[CleverNickname 1,345]

Son got an antlerless up at the ranch with my father in laws LH savage 7mm-08. Not sure if it was really legal, but I'm sure it looked like a doe to a 12 year old and a 72 year old geezer. Im not a hunter myself - I just drink bourbon in the woods without that excuse, and sleep in on those 33 degree mornings. Holes are more my vice. Son is getting a savage axis II in 7mm-08 for xmas; he really wanted a wood stock, so that is what I found.

[Frank Drebin 5,822]

19 hours ago, CleverNickname said:

Son got an antlerless up at the ranch with my father in laws LH savage 7mm-08. Not sure if it was really legal, but I'm sure it looked like a doe to a 12 year old and a 72 year old geezer. Im not a hunter myself - I just drink bourbon in the woods without that excuse, and sleep in on those 33 degree mornings. Holes are more my vice. Son is getting a savage axis II in 7mm-08 for xmas; he really wanted a wood stock, so that is what I found.

When you say anterless, do you mean a fawn buttonhead?

[DalTxHornFan 3,130]

38 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

When you say anterless, do you mean a fawn buttonhead?

I shot one of those 30+ years ago when I was a newbie.  Caught lots of well-deserved shit.

[Anastasis 23,699]

My sons first was a yearling spike that his spotter misjudged as a doe. Clean shot with an AR in 5.56, big smile on his face, but the spotter still feels a little bit bad about it. Spotter now has binoculars. 

[hornmpa96 2,651]

My first deer was a yearling spike. My dad told me to shoot that doe and when we walked up to it, it had some tiny antlers. I still have that rack in my home office.

[CleverNickname 1,345]

[BabaYaga 15,528]

48 minutes ago, CleverNickname said:

[Ragde 258]

I saw him in person during bow season and felt weird trying to explain how wide he was in camp.

[Spaulding Smails 1,610]

4 hours ago, Ragde said:

I saw him in person during bow season and felt weird trying to explain how wide he was in camp.

That's a REALLY cool buck.  What part of the state are you in?  His ears are back just a tad, but I'm still guessing that's a 24" inside spread.  You gonna try to let the air out of him?

[Ragde 258]

26 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

That's a REALLY cool buck.  What part of the state are you in?  His ears are back just a tad, but I'm still guessing that's a 24" inside spread.  You gonna try to let the air out of him?

I hunt SW corner of Arkansas. 20 minutes east of Broken Bow Oklahoma, in the Ouchita mountains. He is 100% a target. Have until the end of February for bow season. 

[Dignan 381]

I’ve only had two bucks show up while I’ve been at my place this year. Both too small. East Texas man. The one “big boy” I’ve seen on camera has gone missing. I did get a doe couple of weekends ago.

[CleverNickname 1,345]

16 hours ago, Ragde said:

I hunt SW corner of Arkansas. 20 minutes east of Broken Bow Oklahoma, in the Ouchita mountains. He is 100% a target. Have until the end of February for bow season. 

this buck and these exact coordinates will appear in a new Turnpike Troubadours song in 2025. "The Bow Hunter"

[Ragde 258]

44 minutes ago, Dignan said:

I’ve only had two bucks show up while I’ve been at my place this year. Both too small. East Texas man. The one “big boy” I’ve seen on camera has gone missing. I did get a doe couple of weekends ago.

We were in Center for a couple of years and it was terrible hunting. Arkansas has been much more enjoyable. Out of state license sucks but land prices are affordable. 

[HOOKEM4 5,151]

On 12/4/2024 at 4:45 PM, HOOKEM4 said:

This is really annoying. I sat 3 times while this fucker had a doe penned up breeding her. I know he did because a mature doe that comes in with her twins everytime the feeder fires off stopped coming last weekend. The twins came in but no doe. Now she is back and so is he. We have a full weekend and work is insane right now. I am going to try and sneak out for 2 sits Friday night/ Saturday morning and get back for a birthday party Saturday at noon. I am 100% not missing the Texas game one way or another.

This is a great buck for our little low fence place. Everything this mature gets shot by the neighbors. I pray he doesn't get shot or snag another doe and dissappear for 2-3 days while I am up there.

This dude was around all week. Came in Friday morning. What does that mean? Well when I show up and sit last night and this morning, he is gone again. Oh well. Can't get back up until after Christmas so I am positive he will leave and get shot. Dammit.

Turkey photos for fun.

[Herbie Hancock 7,452]

Don’t think either guy in pic 2 is the one from the first one. Haven’t seen any of these before that day nor have I seen them since.

This fella looks old and ripe for the pickin’

[4th_and_18 709]

I took my fourth doe of the season this evening with my bow; four arrows, four kills. Took me a long time to learn how and where to shoot to actually make a good kill. Was really happy with today’s shot. She went about 30 yards and poured blood the whole way. 110 lb Rocksprings doe. Now only 100 more to go to fix the “doe problem” in our valley. I’m not sure what the problem is because I’d rather fight the crowd of does than the idiots at the store.

[TexasHooch 5,166]

A buddy of mine just asked about duck hunting in Cameron Parish, LA in January.  Any thoughts?  I know nothing about that area at all.