Outdoorsman Thread

[carrmillus]

..fished it one time back in the '70's with my neighbor who had relatives down there, we borrowed his friend's 10 ft. alum. boat.he warned us to stay in the main channel, so if we got lost they could find us. never saw so many snakes in my life!!!.lot more snakes than fish!!!........... ................

[carrmillus]

Thanks, Scott. Unusual for sure.

Larry - I grew up about five miles on the east side of the river. These days I live a bit further east in the outskirts of Mobile. I still kayak on the Escatawpa River occasionally. Here is a photo my daughter when we were out two or three years ago.I know that my grandfather drifted and fished the Escatawpa, as did my father, so my daughter makes at least four generations of my family to have enjoyed that river.

Great bear photo! I always hope to see wildlife when I am out. I have never seen a bear in my area, though I have seen sign.

.......dinadan, have you ever fished on the TCHOUTACABOUFFA river???........... ..........

I'm pretty sure that if I'd ever tried to pronounce that out loud grandma would have washed my mouth out with soap just in case.

.....col., the "north miss." pronunciation is "to shoot a ka boofa"!!!.......... ...............

[jerryd6818]

That's easy for you to say.

[carrmillus]

..........one thing that sticks in my mind about that trip was when we were pulling the boat out my neighbor remarked to an old guy standing on the bank dressed in overalls and a straw hat that we didn't see a lot of snakes, and he spit out a big wad of tobacco juice and said "snakes are about gone, alligators ate 'em"!!........ ......................

[treefarmer]

Here it is not even summer yet and I'm already thinking about deer hunting. Actually it is a year round job if you allow it to be. Food plots, game cameras take up time that should be devoted to the "Honey Do" list.
Late last week I mowed the food plot just below our house and realized there is a pretty good stand of White Ladino clover under the taller weeds from last fall that surrounded the Rye grain. Looks good enough to keep it growing. Also started mowing the junk that the controlled burn didn't completely destroy in the planted pines.
On our walk yesterday after a rain we spotted a deer near the mail box, turned out there were several and they crossed the road leaving lots of tracks, coming and going.
Fall will be here before we know it.
Treefarmer

[jlw257]

Very nice TF After seeing your food plots, I got a lot of work to do to make mine look that good.

Larry

[treefarmer]

Thanks Larry, that particular plot is almost 2 acres and I have been planting it for many years. We have had soybeans, field corn, clover, oats, and Rye grain in it. This past year when I had my knee replaced in June, I had disked the plot in the spring and wasn't able to do anything after that. After knee surgery I planted a "Z" shaped pattern in the plot to Wren's Abruzzi Rye about a month before hunting season, leaving the high weeds as cover. Killed a deer the 1st afternoon, Thanksgiving Day and then killed another deer early in February after hip replacement surgery on Dec. 15.
Since the clover from 2 years back is still growing, I'm planning on trying the "Z" pattern again, a lot less work and expense, only needed one bag of Rye and a few bags of 10-10-10 .
Treefarmer

[313 Mike]

Looks good TF, thanks for sharing! You are right about deer hunting being a year to understand kind of thing...the wily whitetail is never far from my mind either.

[TripleF]

Same thing as my last post last week, we just added some hobo meals (bacon, sausage, egss, homefries).

[treefarmer]

Hey Scott,
I see a bottle of Worcestershire sauce on the table, y'all do everything 1st class . Wish our "grands" were close enough to enjoy more than 2 or 3 times a year.
Glad you get to enjoy them in the great outdoors!
Treefarmer

[garddogg56]

Oh ya Scott that when it taste best

[TripleF]

Love some LEA & PERRINS !!!

[muskrat man]

Been wanting a bedroll harness for a long time. The true temper tomahawk in an 18" handle tucks in there nicely too. I'll get to use it this fall hopefully when i'm mended up.

[treefarmer]

That's pretty slick! That round bed roll somehow reminds me a rolled up shelter half with an E-tool hanging off the pack . Got my fill of campin' over 50 years ago, love the woods, hunt and fish but like to be in my bed when it's time to sleep .
Those Mason jars caught my eye, we have a display of them over kitchen sink, the light shines through the shelf from the bottom. Ball is the most common around here.
Back to the bedroll and axe, you know you're on a lot of prayer lists with lots of folks prayin' you'll over this issue so you can be back in the woods and doin' what you most enjoy.
God bless you Kaleb!
Treefarmer

[carrmillus]

......ditto to treefarmer's comments muskratman, from a fellow "laid-up" AAPK member!!!!.............. .............

[muskrat man]

I have no doubt fellas, it's just the waiting that's the hard part

[zp4ja]

Great game cam and deer plot pics!

Nice roll and axe Kaleb! Hope you are doing better!

So we have a big game lottery system here. I had 4 bonus points (either no draw or you can buy one) for Pronghorn Antelope-Horns longer than ears and Antlered Mule Deer. Each bonus point is squared +1 for total numbers, so each beast I had 17 numbers on this year. Up to 4 zone hunts in order of priority and they go down the list. Some people don't draw at all as I have done for the last 5 years except one Elk tag.

Anyway, I drew both tags. Antelope first hunt pick in a zone that starts about 10 minutes from the house and goes for many, many miles. NV zone 035.
The mule deer tag was my second hunt pick. Decent zone but not my first deer zone choice. I am choosing to turn/forfeit that tag and get a bonus point so I can have 26 numbers next year in a trophy Mule Deer zone that state records have come out of. If I don't draw, I will keep waiting till I get that zone with more numbers squared each year. More on that when I draw one.

So Pronghorn Antelope for anyone that is interested...

Not a true antelope and it has horns that shed (or at least the outer covers do), not antlers like a buck. The females also have horns but they remain short and the male has some black markings on his face and neck that further identify the sexes.

These creations of God are the second fastest land animal behind the Cheetah but with way more stamina and endurance. Some studies say 55 mph for a half mile or about 25 mph for about 4 miles.
They have interesting eye sockets and eyeballs that allow 320 degree of vision and ability to see up to 4 miles. When spooked the hair on their rear end raises kind of like an irritated dog and supposedly, other Pronghorn can see the alert from 1 to 2 miles away. Read many sites beyond Wiki for this info. If someone knows otherwise, please feel free to correct me. Still studying but that is what I read...

Tag does not open till August 22 thru Sept 7th only. I have already started researching and buying some additional gear for what will likely be a very long range shot depending where we see them and where we hunt of course. Might be between 200 to 600 yards or beyond. Bought a Leupold RX-1200i Compact Digital Rangefinder that does ballistics, angle compensation, the whole nine yards, 1200 yard range this week for a reason. Will post a link over to the gun thread with all my new gear if anyone is interested when I post there. Lots of long range shooting practice to do also. Dad's 30-06 with new scope, rings and assorted gizmos that a possible long range desert hunt requires.

Thankfully, my son is an excellent non licensed guide that helps all his buddies (and now hopefully me) fill big game tags of all species around here. Very excited to enjoy the time with him. The planning, scouting and prep starts 2-1/2 months before the season starts. Lots of work but well worth helping the chances to bag one.

Post some pics soon of my solo hunt zone scouting trip soon that I went on today. Just a small portion of my hunt zone. It was a pretty hairy experience/crappy weather and road conditions, may get stranded 20 miles from no one, but I made it home in one piece, then the beer flowed. Family had my coordinates but got blindsided by weather and unfamiliarity with the area I was visiting (thankfully).

Regards All, Jerry

[TripleF]

Congrats Jerry! Very happy for you!! Good luck!

[FRJ]

Jerry, this sounds interesting. I would like to read and see more of your progress.
It's great you're going to be with your son.
I think it's pretty cool you chose the 30.06 cartridge. I'd like to know about your bullet and loads.
I don't know much about that stuff, but I find it (ballistics) very interesting.
What about your dads rifle?

[313 Mike]

Wow Jerry congrats! Sounds like a lot of fun and a great adventure...I am very much looking forward to following along, please try to keep us posted!

[zp4ja]

Thanks Scott, Joe and Mike. Really looking forward to it. A lot of fun, research scouting and work occur prior to the first day of the season.
I will keep you Gents posted on my progress and tasks leading up to the hunt. So far it has been getting the right gear, learning how it works and lots of internet, google Earth and maps, figuring out my GPS, etc.
I'll post a separate reply on my first scouting trip yesterday. It was interesting to say the least.

Joe,

As far as the Dad's gun goes...

I need to post over in the Gun thread to see what year it was made but it is a SAVAGE 110E 30-06 made at the Westfield, Mass plant so I know it is post 1960'. I think he had it since the 80's but would like to know when it was made. Between 60' and 80ish I believe.
I choose that rifle for a few reasons...
1. Dad's gun and tradition means a lot to me. It also fits the hunt.
2. Additionally and more importantly if I actually plan on hitting something, it fits the game, terrain and possible long distance I may encounter. Quite a lot of powder (and kick) behind a 30-06 which gives almost 3000fps at the muzzle with an 150 grain bullet. It will vary but close to that somewhere (~200 fps).
3. I have a .243 that my Dad and I made the stock for for my first dear hunt 37 years ago that I told the story of in the Gun thread. Great gun with lots of sentimental value but not enough power/range for this hunt.
4. My AR-10 in .308 hits consistent to 400 yards but is a heavy SOB for lugging around on this type of hunt. Will likely bring along as a backup gun in case I am in the middle of nowhere (literally) and have issue with the 30-06.

I have attached a few pics below. 2 years ago, we were hitting the 12" steel plate at 400 yards using holdover consistently with the 30-06. My Dad had a Bushnell Banner scope (over 30 years old I believe) that had MOA adjustment for windage but for elevation, it has a little peep window on the turret that has 50 yards increments on it instead of an MOA dial. Never seen nothing like it before. Did not feel very solid and it did not trust it or the rings. Left it home when I went Elk hunting the next 3 days.

As to ballistics...
I replaced the old scope, now retired, with a new Vortex Viper 4X12X40 with "Dead Hold" BDC recticle. Basically, with the ammo I will use, zero at 200 with a hash marks in 100 yard increments out to 600 yards without any elevation adjustments or crosshair holdover. That is the THEORY and hope anyway. I need to get out to the range because it depends on ammo and a lot of other factors.
As with most scope manufacturers now, most offer ballistics calculators. Vortex calls theirs "Vortex Long Range Ballistic Calculator". Basically it is a program that you can enter any type of ammo into and it will spit out a detailed ballistics report. Bullet aerodynamics, weight, muzzle velocity, elevation, temperature, humidity, wind, etc. Out the other end spits this report I mentioned. After the range trip, based on some variables, you can tell what actual muzzle velocity is and recalculate. Real scientific. At long range and with ammo cost ($1 to 2 bucks a round), I prefer to try to get a good idea of what to expect besides the range results.

The ammo...

Some wicked stuff. Hornady "American Whitetail" 150 grain "Interlock". The Interlock bullet has some pretty amazing expansion to put a pretty nasty wound channel on game. At 150 grains, pretty perfect for the size of an Antelope and not to heavy too cause excessive bullet drop. 180 or 165 grain would have been overkill and bullet drop would be excessive.
Bought all the had, 220 rounds at $22 a box which is a great deal.

No ballistics expert here but I also find it fascinating.
According to the Hornady 30-06 ammo box sticker...

100 yards +1.8"
200 yards ZERO
300 yards -7.9"
400 yards -23.5"
500 yards -48.7"

Not sure about kinetic energy at different ranges yet. Will share the ballistics report when I run it and have a range trip.

Jerry

[FRJ]

Thanks, Jerry. Looking forward to more of your progress.

[zp4ja]

Thanks Joe. I appreciate you and the others taking interest in my hunt and activities leading up to it. Lot of work but fun, exciting and hopefully it pays off.

Sorry the last post may have had some remedial info and was long winded. Helps me etch to memory when I type or write things.

I will be starting a small, durable field book to bring with me to note ballistics, MOA yardage clicks, recticle drop marks, animal sightings and GPS locations, general notes, etc that I can refer to if needed in the field.

The hope is to have a fine buck already picked out and stalked before opening day. Hopefully my work schedule will cooperate.

Regards, Jerry

[Dinadan]

Jerry - that pronghorn hunt sounds like a lot of fun. Your state is one of the few I have never visited. I have wanted to see the basin and range area ever since I took geology in college, just never made that far when I went traveling. I always like seeing the pronghorns when I am in their range.

[zp4ja]

Thanks Dan! Very beautiful country rich in minerals and ore. We have a yellow opal mine not far away and some type of low quality ruby that you can find in the desert. Old obsidian Indian arrowheads, etc. I've had the pleasure of seeing some pretty interesting and amazing landscape.

They mine all sorts of stuff around here. Probably the second biggest industry besides gambling and hotels.
Hope someday you make it out this way.

I have seen in the winter a herd of about 100 Pronghorn running thru the sage brush and 2 feet of snow at a high rate of speed like it was nothing. Pretty amazing site. Normally dependent on the time of year, (mating season) they break out into smaller packs and the usual fighting over the women occurs.

Regards, Jerry