Outdoorsman Thread

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Old Hunter
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by Old Hunter »

As mentioned above, the Shad are coming in a few weeks early this season, got my first one in the Trent River yesterday, 13” Hickory Shad. OH
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Deep in the guts of most men is buried the involuntary response to the hunter's horn, a prickle of the nape hairs, an acceleration of the pulse, an atavistic memory of his fathers, who killed first with stone, and then with club...Robert Ruark
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treefarmer
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by treefarmer »

There is always the 1st one of each season! ::tu::
Sure enjoyed those days back in the 60's when my dad and I would go. Good memories.
Amazing to know those fish were over 150 miles from the Atlantic making their spawning run toward the headwaters of the 300-mile-long St. Johns River.
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by bestgear »

Old Hunter wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 11:34 am As mentioned above, the Shad are coming in a few weeks early this season, got my first one in the Trent River yesterday, 13” Hickory Shad. OH
pound-for-pound those hickory shad are amongst the finest gamefish I've ever had the pleasure of playing tug-of-war with especially on ultralight vintage tackle - great picture Bruce! ::tu::
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by 1967redrider »

SwedgeHead wrote: Fri Jan 27, 2023 10:40 pm Good times!

I bet that was fun . . . and tasty! ::welcome:: to AAPK if I haven't said so already.
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by Old Hunter »

Thank you Phil and Tom. I’m looking forward to getting back to the river on Saturday, hopefully they will arrive in numbers by then. OH
Deep in the guts of most men is buried the involuntary response to the hunter's horn, a prickle of the nape hairs, an acceleration of the pulse, an atavistic memory of his fathers, who killed first with stone, and then with club...Robert Ruark
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

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Friday morning on the 1st Cup Diner I mentioned I had an unfortunate hunt yesterday afternoon (Thursday) and that I would mention it here on the Outdoor forum.
I went down in the woods to the shooting house which is on the north side of some clover and oats, just right as the wind was from the south. At 5:20 a small buck came out of the woods from the west and was meandering toward a feeder located in some planted pines. I lost him in the underbrush and as I kept glassing, I thought I had spotted him, but it turned out to be a different deer, a larger buck ahead of the 1st one. I got a good rest and took a quartering away shot at him. He went down, got up and stumbled over in some weeds and disappeared. Kept watching nothing moved except the small buck came to where I last saw the buck I had shot. He kept looking at something and then ran away. Seeing this I figured the buck was down right there. Went back to the house and got the dog and rode back into the pines to allow her to discover the downed deer. Nothing turned up, no blood at the point where I shot at him, nothing in the area where I last saw him, the dog never got interested in anything. Walk and rode up and down the pine rows looking with a light seeing nothing but old down pine tree trunks from Hurricane Michael. Every bare tree trunk, missing the bark, looked like a white belly on the ground!
Around 6:15 I gave up the search and started for the house. I noticed a dim light back toward the house moving around. I said to myself that's Miss Joy trying to see what happened to me. I had to cross one ditch full of water and then drive the road next to a pond that is under water. When the cart came up out of the bottom of the overflow and the light pointed up the hill, I realized Joy was all wet. "What on earth are you doing, ol gal?", I asked. She said she was worried and was coming to check on me since it never takes this long to bring a deer to the house. She had somehow slipped and fell down in the overflow of the pond. Getting up she slipped again and fell back in the water. She was wearing rubber boots that had filled with water, she looked a mess! After getting her up on the cart seat, she explained that the 2nd time she slipped, she saw a snake swimming toward her. she had gotten her flashlight out of the car and was using it to see the road and it revealed the water snake coming at her. She said she also had a walking stick and used it to scare away the snake then she wanted to know why I hadn't answered my phone? We made it to the house and then we discussed the afternoon's happenings. At one point she said, "Baby, we're getting too old for this!"
I felt good about the chance of finding the deer the next morning right after daylight and then recalled several times I had to go back and recover a deer the next morning. That brought to mind the 3 or 4 times I had actually lost a deer over the last almost 60 years. From listening to others, I feel like I've been blessed not to have lost very many deer. Some folks seem to knock 'em down and never find them. It usually makes a long night waiting for morning light to start the search again. The worst feeling is to imagine leaving a crippled deer to die. Things happen but it is not a pleasant ride.
I remember one morning maybe 15 years ago, I shot a buck in the early M/L season early one morning. He was feeding in a patch of Rye grain. Boom! Down he went, hurry and reload, watch, deer laying in plain view. By the time I climbed down out of the shooting house he was gone! A big pool of blood and a good blood trail. Followed it till I lost it, called an acquaintance with a trail dog, no luck. Terrible day! Two or three more instance flashed across my memory, all were terrible days. Not knowing what happened. Of the deer I have lost, I only recovered one. I found the complete skeleton in the pines the next season. Friday morning's search back and forth along the pines rows and along the canal bank did not produce the deer.
I have great respect for the White-tailed deer, we are very thankful for the excellent meat we enjoy and most of all they are a real pleasure to observe in the wild, either live or by the many captured pictures of the game cameras. Deer season never really ends, it's a year round happening. We've already started freshening up the fire line to allow us to control burn the remaining section of planted pines, hopefully providing some fresh green for the deer to eat and at the same time keep the understory clean enough to see Bambi's daddy next season. After all it's only 9 months till opening day!
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by Quick Steel »

Treefarmer, thank you for a very interesting read. I hope the great majority of hunters share your ethics making a serious effort to recover lost game. May I ask what caliber of firearm you usually use?
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

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Quick Steel wrote: Sun Feb 19, 2023 2:09 am Treefarmer, thank you for a very interesting read. I hope the great majority of hunters share your ethics making a serious effort to recover lost game. May I ask what caliber of firearm you usually use?
Garry, I switched to a .243 from a 30-06 in 1999. My 1st 2 deer were taken with a 12 ga. 00 buck in 1966. From then on until Father's Day of '99, I shot the '06. From then till now it has been the .243, 24 years. I also shoot a 50 caliber Knight muzzle loader when the season is restricted to M/L's.
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by 1967redrider »

Hanging out in my old hunting hut on the mountain, with some EDCs. Pretty quiet and peaceful. That's Cumberland in the valley through the trees. A better bird's eye view of town from higher up the mountain.
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by garddogg56 »

Nice setup RR ::tu::
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by 1967redrider »

garddogg56 wrote: Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:44 am Nice setup RR ::tu::

Thanks, gard. ::handshake::
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by doglegg »

Knice sunrise on our bird walk this morning.
20230220_070658.jpg
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by 1967redrider »

Very tranquil picture, dog. ::tu::
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by Unk »

Nice pics, Rider and Dog.
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by doglegg »

Thanks rr and Unk
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by 1967redrider »

Unk wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 4:35 pm Nice pics, Rider and Dog.

Thanks, Unk. ::handshake::
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by treefarmer »

RedRider, I wouldn't know how to act or navigate such a steep place. One thing about it, y'all can see between the trees in your woods.
Floyd, you need to be flippin' a top water plug out there on that calm water and watch it explode. :) Beautiful sunrise!
We've had a fairly busy week here at Starvation Plantation. Monday afternoon I killed a little 4 point with my muzzleloader on the lease. I thought about showing the entrance wound made by the .50 cal. but thought it might be a bit too graphic for some folks taste.
Used my cane to drag him into the truck bed after I  backed into the bank of the old claypit.  Dodn't have to pick 'em, just drag him to the top and slide into the bed.
Used my cane to drag him into the truck bed after I backed into the bank of the old claypit. Dodn't have to pick 'em, just drag him to the top and slide into the bed.
I chose to use one of my Buck 110s to dress the deer.
The Buck 110 felt good in the hand, I wonder why I don' use them very often?
The Buck 110 felt good in the hand, I wonder why I don' use them very often?
Some of you fellers will recognize this tool, I found a new use for it while dressing Bambi. It'll latch on and pull some pieces and parts that are normally to slick to hold. :)
I've had these Cresent brand fencing pilers for well over 50 years.
I've had these Cresent brand fencing pilers for well over 50 years.
Wednesday we made bulk/patty venison sausage, 25 pounds.
2nd grinding, ready to vacuum seal in 2-pound bags.
2nd grinding, ready to vacuum seal in 2-pound bags.
Thursday, I fluffed up my fire line around the planted pines adjacent to the food plot hoping to have the right wind and an okay from the Forest Service for today. Got my permit number this morning and the fire started before noon.
Getting started
Getting started
Fire line doing its' job.
Fire line doing its' job.
Good clean controlled burn, no pines were damaged, only under story and downed pines from the hurricane 4 years ago.  We'll be cleaning up for a long time.
Good clean controlled burn, no pines were damaged, only under story and downed pines from the hurricane 4 years ago. We'll be cleaning up for a long time.
A pile of storm destroyed pines started to burn, didn't get it all but it's a start.
A pile of storm destroyed pines started to burn, didn't get it all but it's a start.
Going to try and make 2 more hunts this season, who knows ol' Big Boy might come by! ::tu::
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by doglegg »

Philip you've been busy!
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by Old Hunter »

Red Rider and Doglegg, nice outdoors scenery. Phil, I can get wore out watching your pictures! Been bird hunting this past week with a customer, always good to be out hunting quail, even if it is way too hot for February. OH
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Deep in the guts of most men is buried the involuntary response to the hunter's horn, a prickle of the nape hairs, an acceleration of the pulse, an atavistic memory of his fathers, who killed first with stone, and then with club...Robert Ruark
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by cudgee »

Old Hunter wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 9:44 pm Red Rider and Doglegg, nice outdoors scenery. Phil, I can get wore out watching your pictures! Been bird hunting this past week with a customer, always good to be out hunting quail, even if it is way too hot for February. OH
::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu:: Beautiful looking dog, and quail are some of the best eating you can get. ::nod:: ::nod:: ::nod::
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by garddogg56 »

OH nothing like a bird hunt over dogs ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
TF good job ::tu:: ::tu:: ::handshake::
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by doglegg »

garddogg56 wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 12:16 am OH nothing like a bird hunt over dogs ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
TF good job ::tu:: ::tu:: ::handshake::
Agree
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by Old Hunter »

Thanks gents! Back after some Shad today, took a mid-day work break and bank fished the Neuse River, Hickory Shad on Gold spoons and Chartreuse curly tails was the business today. OH
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Deep in the guts of most men is buried the involuntary response to the hunter's horn, a prickle of the nape hairs, an acceleration of the pulse, an atavistic memory of his fathers, who killed first with stone, and then with club...Robert Ruark
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by Dan In MI »

If it wasn't so cold here, I'd be chomping at the bit to do some fishing!
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Re: Outdoorsman Thread

Post by treefarmer »

Great pictures, Bruce. Shad and quail, both species are out of reach for me. Bobwhite quail have all but disappeared from our part of the county for several reasons and there ain't no shad in the fishponds here at Starvation Plantation. I don't think the American shad makes any runs on the Gulf side of Florida, just on the Atlantic side and that up the St. Johns River.

Want to show a couple of pictures concerning our controlled burn last week.
Doe standing in the winter killed Bahia grass. Fire line had not been freshened up at this time.
Doe standing in the winter killed Bahia grass. Fire line had not been freshened up at this time.
Checking out the burn the morning after, same spot as above.
Checking out the burn the morning after, same spot as above.
Same spot, this morning, 5 days after fire, the Bahia grass is coming back to life
Same spot, this morning, 5 days after fire, the Bahia grass is coming back to life
The reason the camera is in this particular spot, there was an active scrape under the small Southern Red Cedar tree next to the wood line.
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