Outdoorsman Thread

[Dinadan]

Old Hunter - That is a fine looking rig! What is that, nineteen feet? My wife and I have a lot of fun fishing out of our fifteen footer. When we bought it a couple of years ago, I thought we would do more picnicking and river cruising, but instead we have mostly just fished! We were out last week and got a mess of small sand seatrout and one bull redfish which I released. The trout were not so lucky.

[zp4ja]

Nice fishing Dan.
Thanks for sharing. Regards, Jerry

[Old Hunter]

Nice fish Mel - they've been catching the big, spawning Drum in the Pamlico Sound here recently - all catch and release due to the slot limits. That is a nice one you caught. My boat is a 20' Lowe Roughneck - it was already set up, I bought it used from the estate of a buddy. I've got to make a few minor mods to the trailer accessories (my driveway is fairly steep and bottoms out at the junction of the curb and driveway). OH

[Dinadan]

Nice fishing Dan.
Thanks for sharing. Regards, Jerry

Thanks, Jerry!

Nice fish Mel - they've been catching the big, spawning Drum in the Pamlico Sound here recently - all catch and release due to the slot limits. That is a nice one you caught. My boat is a 20' Lowe Roughneck - it was already set up, I bought it used from the estate of a buddy. I've got to make a few minor mods to the trailer accessories (my driveway is fairly steep and bottoms out at the junction of the curb and driveway). OH

Thanks! Our redfish slot is 16" to 26" but we are allowed one oversize fish per angler. I never keep a bigger one - 24" is my personal limit. And I really prefer catching 16" to 24" reds too. The big ones over 36" are a long fight that gets kind of tiresome. I know some folks love catching and releasing them, but just one every now and then is plenty for me.

My boat is a Lowe too. My wife and I have really enjoyed it.

[treefarmer]

Greg,
What's the story on the double beamed buck? I did a double take on that one! That one is very unique. I'd love to have that one show up on Thanksgiving mornin' . I'd have to take a crack at him! The smaller buck looks like he is still in velvet. They must be enjoyin' that salt block.
Treefarmer

[Old Hunter]

Mel, I like the Lowe 16' and 18' and had looked at them for some time - haven't found a single person who said anything but good stuff about them. This one just became available and I took it as it is. I think for a first boat I would have gone a bit smaller if I was buying new, but in time this one will work out fine for the sounds (Albemarle, Pamlico, and Bogue) and rivers around here (New River, White Oak River, Newport River, Neuse River, and Pamlico River - we have a lot of choices downeast. OH

[gsmith7158]

Greg,
What's the story on the double beamed buck? I did a double take on that one! That one is very unique. I'd love to have that one show up on Thanksgiving mornin' . I'd have to take a crack at him! The smaller buck looks like he is still in velvet. They must be enjoyin' that salt block.
Treefarmer

Treefarmer my buddy has salt licks, cranberry blocks and corn out for them. He told me to get my camera out when I got there we would probably have a show . There was another buck and two does and a baby that showed up. Its a bow only county and his property is right next to a 1500 acre rock quarry, private property so they don't get much hunting pressure.

[btrwtr]

Man I've got to check in on this thread more often. Nothing better than a sharp knife and fresh fish and game. Some fantastic pictures here!

[orvet]

Nice boats guys.

I have a old 14" Mirro Craft made in about 1977. I bought it 20 some odd years ago. It has the 20 horse Mercury outboard on it.
That boat is chocked full of family memories. My boys argue about which one of them gets it when I am done with it.
There have been many memorable hours spent in that boat.

Tomorrow I am taking the boat down to my dads place. We are planning to do some fishing at Loon Lake on Thursday, my dad, my brother and myself. It has been about 20 years since we last had the three of us together on a fishing trip. Dad is 87 now and a guy never knows how many more fishing trips a fellow has in him. We are all three looking forward to the trip. This trip will be a day trip, unlike the last time the three of us went fishing.

It was about 20 years ago when my brother, his 2 boys and his buddy Chip went on a fishing/camping trip with dad & I. Also on the trip were my 2 boys, my youngest daughter and my fishing buddy Paul. We had my boat and Paul's bass boat and we ferried all our tents, camping gear & fishing gear to a remote area on the south side of Tahkenitch Lake. We camped there on the shore, where there were no improved campsites. It was primitive camping and every thing we packed in, we packed back out. It was a great week that our boys still talk about today even though they have kids the same age they were on that camping trip.

I think it is about time my dad, brother & I went fishing again, especially since my brother just moved back to Oregon, (not many fish in Phoenix AZ).
Hopefully there will still be a few bass around this late in the year; we have not had a huge drop in the temperature here yet.
I will let y’all know how the fishing trip goes.

[TripleF]

Man, that's good stuff Dale!
Hoping for successful fishing (I know you'll have a good time, even if the fish don't bite).

Mel......that's a monster RED, very knice!!!

[bighomer]

Great stuff dale ya'll have a great trip

[Old Hunter]

Dale, hope you guys have a ball out there fishing - get the big ones! OH

In view of what you wrote about your Dad and his age; this is a quote I like and copied into my hunting journal sometime ago - it's about bird hunting, but it applies to fishing too, it'd just be wetting your last hook.

“How kind it is that most of us will never know when we have fired our last shot.”
— Nash Buckingham Letters to John Bailey, George Bird Evans, 1984

[FRJ]

I hope you have a great fishing trip, Dale.

[orvet]

Thanks guys.

I thought that would resonate with many of you.
Excellent quote OH, it does apply to fishing as well as hunting.

[Dinadan]

Dale - Hope you and your dad and brother have some luck! I know trips are not just about catching fish, but the fish are a nice bonus to go along with family time. That camping trip you describe with all the family and friends sounds like mighty fine experience for everyone.

[zp4ja]

That's great stuff there hope good time was had by all. as hunting season is once again upon us, I was reminiscing about last year's memorable times. Some of the most memorable times of my life. A 3 generation father, Son and Grandson Antelope hunt. A buck tag that I filled 11 minutes into the season with my son. 265 yard 35-degree down the hill, heart shot.
The early morning golden bb from my 12 gauge that dropped a large Canadian goose like a sack of potatoes at 95 yards. My son's gun jammed and when that goose went down his jaw hit the floor.
My Christmas morning coyote hunt, where the snowy mountains and the desert was my church for 10 minutes of prayer before I switched to calling and the scope.
Stalking 200 mallards from a high river bank and watching them burst into flight from 15 yards away. If you can believe it I only nailed one. My buddy shot 2 and one dropped on the River Bank on the other side of the river. My dog had just gotten done with surgery. In 25 degree weather with a extremely cold flowing river my buddy stripped down to his boxers and retrieved his bird.
Reaching a rubicon in my Rubicon which culminated in 12 miles of the slipperiest mud on the planet while scouting For antelope.
40 miles from the closest Ranch House with no cell service at the mouth of Rattlesnake Canyon debating whether or not it's a good idea for me and my dog to go in. Figures they named it that for a reason so I decided that was not a good idea.
Waking up at 2 in the morning and firing up the barbecue to cook some Antelope or venison for the morning hunt.
Sharing said snacks with my faithful dog by my side as we sat on the bank of the river and looked at the scenery.

Many more stories come to mind. One in particular that I don't believe that I've shared.

Early one morning, my dog and I head out early to the river. We planned on going after some ducks and geese. Half hour before Sunrise, legal shooting time. It's still pretty dark and some days my eyes are better than others and they weren't too good that day. I see what appears to be fins or Flippers breaking the water surface about 10 yards away. I thought is that I have a otter or Beaver swimming just under the surface. He has to come up for air at some point and the plan was when he did so I would relieve him of his head with a 3 inch Magnum load of BBs. Soon enough, the head breaks the surface and I fire. Direct Hit. My dog and I head towards my newly-acquired fur for my coffee table. My lab went to the downed animal and then look back at me with a look of amazement and bewilderment. See the photo below.
Thanks for allowing me to share all. I'm really looking forward to more memories this year. I hope you all have a prosperous and safe hunting season.

Regards, Jerry

[Paladin]

Ha-Ha,, looks like bugle mouth bass to me.
Good memories and thanks for sharing.

Ray

[313 Mike]

Great post Jerry, thanks for sharing! Would love to experience some of those "out west " adventures you describe, a whole different kind of thing than the upper Midwest adventures I partake in around here.

[carrmillus]

.....good story, jerry!!!!........... ...................

[jerryd6818]

[Colonel26]

I agree Cuz!

There's room for all God's creatures, right next to the mashed taters!

[CheckSix]

Jerry,
That was a fun read! It also filled in some gaps for me on your experience. Ain't your first rodeo. I get it.
I could read stuff like that all day long. Loved the golden BB story on the 95 yd Goose. Helluva shot my friend!

My craziest big game shot was when the biggest Fallow Deer buck came running down a ridge on my right, with him leading the herd, 30 yds in front of me. They had to be moving at least 30mph... I had my scoped 7mmSTW in hand, saw him break out of the brush and for the life of me, I couldn't decide how much to lead him. So, I took a guess.... BOOOOM!! and missed. He then turned on the afterburners crossing through the saddle over to the next ridge on my left. I reloaded, picked him up in the scope again, galloping up the ridge and set the crosshair at the base of his neck while pressing the trigger... BOOOOMMMM!!!!!! I recover from the recoil, jack another round in and my Guide is yelling at the top of his lungs... GREAT SHOT!!, GREAT SHOT!! WHAT A SHOT!!! I'm watching the Fallow deer crumple from the a$$ end down into the dirt and roll on his side. He wiggles and kicks for a second or two and then is still. I guess shooting trap has some side benefits for big game hunting. Laser ranged 294 yds, running shot. OH!! the lead with holding on the base of the neck... the bullet entered the left hind quarter and ended up in the skin of the right front shoulder. The 140gr Barnes TSX went through 36" of animal. Destroyed the lungs and a bunch of other stuff too.

[TripleF]

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[zp4ja]

Glad you enjoyed it Ray, Mike, Tommy and Dave.

Mike, hope you are passing through at some point and I can take you out in the field. Possible with work I might be your way someday. Really love the woods you are in and your lake trips too. Every state has it's own beauty and outdoormen's activities, landscape and game. I'll take any of it I can get.

Dave,
Glad to share and thanks for sharing also. Yes, definitely not my first rodeo. Sounds like a great shot and the hunt of a lifetime. Interesting expansion on the bullet. We don't have fallow deer around these parts, just giant Mule Deer. Where was the hunt? Is that considered to be a big buck as far as the antlers and overall weight? Not being smart just not really familiar with the species.

As far as the question you posed on the gun thread a bit ago, my son and his buddys went to area 7 (same zones as my cow tag) for a Bull tag that one of them got (not my son's tag). They filled it today out in Jarbridge NWR. Second pic is of same area last year on another buddy's tag that he guided. Just a note, if you harvest a Bull in NV, ineligible to draw or accrue bonus points for the lottery for 10 years!

Oh another true hunting story...

3 or 4 years ago, down by the Humboldt River with my dog. Love that area, 10 minutes from the house, free and never see another hunter all day long. Bagged a few mallards. Walking along a river bank that is about 10 to 15 foot higher than the water. The river is like a snake with high banks so I have never set decoys, always jump shoot as long as you are careful not to snap twigs or make noise, the ducks and I surprise each other. As I am walking I hear some wings flapping hard to the side of me. I spun around to have a split second glance at 3 green teals pouring on the speed in flight formation at my shoulder height, all same altitude (side by side) with closest bird farthest back but their heads were only a couple of inches ahead of each other. I am sure you know where I am going with this now. I shoulder and point with a lead, did not swing thru at all as I did not have the time before they were out of range. BOOM!, all three teals went down with one shot to their heads from about 40 yards moving directly right to left of my shooting position. Again, the dog looked at me like "Dang man, what the heck was that? Good shot!" Funny as she does have a lot of expressions that are like humans. Sadly, this year at the river will likely be her last as she will be 10 years old in a few weeks. Lots of great hunts and memories with that dog. Getting hard to see her getting older and slower but she still has some hunts left in her as do I.

Jerry

[CheckSix]

Beautiful bulls Jerry! I know all too well how much effort it takes to result in photos like that. Not to mention the post kill work load too!

Ha!! the Green Teal perfect alignment shot for a 3 'fer 1... bet they'll never do that again while you're around! Don't you just love good bird dogs?!? They are a joy all their own.

That Fallow Deer was in South Africa, in the high velde region there, within 50 miles of Bloemfontein. It was big enough to be in the record book but not Gold class. The best ones have just a bit more palmation and a bit more point extension. But he's a good one none-the-less and was the main bull of the herd there. The events that led up to the shot and the shot itself is what made that one special. Normally, I would never fire a shot on running game but this one lined up to execute it, with reasonable certainty of a kill, because he was going pretty much straight up from my shooting position. This one remains my only running game shot kill.

On that same hunting trip, besides the Fallow Deer (the only non-indigenous species in South Africa, brought from the British Isles like 400 yrs ago. They didn't know there was food on the hoof there in abundance.), I also took White Blesbok, Mountain Reedbuck, Black Springbok, Blue Wildebeest and a Red Hartebeest. The White Blesbok was another tough shot. Actively stalked him for about 3 hours. The wind was raging at about 25mph, with gusts. We finally got the big buck to separate from the herd and got him isolated. He couldn't quite figure out what we were and was cautiously curious. Ultimately, that curiosity was his final undoing. Out in the open, in high grass on rolling hills, he would run a hundred yds or so and then stop and turn slightly to look at us. When he would look away, I would move up. My PH Guide finally laser ranged him when we had closed the gap as much as we could and he was at 287 yds. The howling wind was left to right, I again had the 7STW with me, which is a 3400fps m.v. cartridge. Quick flight time to 287. The White Blesbok was standing with his rump towards me but at an angle, with his head/shoulder slightly to my right. I got my rifle up on my shooting stick and tried to steady the rifle but the wind was pushing me around. I tried a few quick stance changes to help get a steadier hold. Concentrating on putting the crosshair on his last rib on his right side. At 287 yds, that is a dead-on hold for elevation, I just needed to compensate for windage and the last rib hold seemed reasonable. I increased trigger pressure and the rifle went off with a good sight picture. We all heard the THWACK!! and as I jacked another round in the chamber, the Blesbok took a step and wobbled... and then fell over. We all high fived! That was a tough shot because of the exposure to the wind. This animal is a gold class example... a beautiful trophy.