Outdoorsman Thread

[treefarmer]

Nice pic of the girls, tree.

Girls are about all that is showing up and a few rag tag spikes and fork horns. The big boys don't usually play loose until the rut starts in earnest around the 3rd week of January. If I run across a big boy or a rag tag, as long as he's legal, I'll take a crack at him. Love them big antlers but not enough to pass up backstraps and sausage on a legal fork horn.

I went to the lease this afternoon and right before it was really time to start lookin', I got to thinking, "If I kill one tonight, I'll have to dress him and it's getting colder....." I'd have felt more like shootin' one here at the house where I could go pick him up with the tractor. It's gotten to be a real big deal for me to load a deer in the back of my old Ford, age is catching up with me. I used to carry two 2 X 6 X 6' in the back of another old 4 X 4 Ford just for the purpose of a ramp to pull the deer into the bed with a rope. I need to come up with so sort of red neck loader if I'm going to hunt by myself on the lease. My messed up right shoulder is from loading a deer up on to the top of a Jeep Cherokee back in 2000. Dumb stunt, I got her done and have paid for it ever since.
Trddfarmer

[Colonel26]

Nice pic of the girls, tree.

Girls are about all that is showing up and a few rag tag spikes and fork horns. The big boys don't usually play loose until the rut starts in earnest around the 3rd week of January. If I run across a big boy or a rag tag, as long as he's legal, I'll take a crack at him. Love them big antlers but not enough to pass up backstraps and sausage on a legal fork horn.

I went to the lease this afternoon and right before it was really time to start lookin', I got to thinking, "If I kill one tonight, I'll have to dress him and it's getting colder....." I'd have felt more like shootin' one here at the house where I could go pick him up with the tractor. It's gotten to be a real big deal for me to load a deer in the back of my old Ford, age is catching up with me. I used to carry two 2 X 6 X 6' in the back of another old 4 X 4 Ford just for the purpose of a ramp to pull the deer into the bed with a rope. I need to come up with so sort of red neck loader if I'm going to hunt by myself on the lease. My messed up right shoulder is from loading a deer up on to the top of a Jeep Cherokee back in 2000. Dumb stunt, I got her done and have paid for it ever since.
Trddfarmer

I know what you mean. I haven't had to drag a deer out since we've moved to this place. A tractor and a boom pole make deer hunting a whole lot more enjoyable!

[Doc B]

...a front end loader, makes life soon much easier...especially with aging creaky joints!

[1967redrider]

Nice pic of the girls, tree.

Girls are about all that is showing up and a few rag tag spikes and fork horns. The big boys don't usually play loose until the rut starts in earnest around the 3rd week of January. If I run across a big boy or a rag tag, as long as he's legal, I'll take a crack at him. Love them big antlers but not enough to pass up backstraps and sausage on a legal fork horn.

I went to the lease this afternoon and right before it was really time to start lookin', I got to thinking, "If I kill one tonight, I'll have to dress him and it's getting colder....." I'd have felt more like shootin' one here at the house where I could go pick him up with the tractor. It's gotten to be a real big deal for me to load a deer in the back of my old Ford, age is catching up with me. I used to carry two 2 X 6 X 6' in the back of another old 4 X 4 Ford just for the purpose of a ramp to pull the deer into the bed with a rope. I need to come up with so sort of red neck loader if I'm going to hunt by myself on the lease. My messed up right shoulder is from loading a deer up on to the top of a Jeep Cherokee back in 2000. Dumb stunt, I got her done and have paid for it ever since.
Trddfarmer

tree, have you seen the hoist setup that hooks into the hitch receiver on your truck? They look like they would work pretty well, even make smaller ones for ATV hitch receivers. Not sure how much they cost though, can't have other things cutting into knife purchases.

Doc, that's a good setup.

[treefarmer]

1967rr, I've seen those receiver hitch booms and if I was still working, being the tightwad I am, I would build one.
Last season we brought deer to the house 3 ways:

In the back of the truck.

In the loader bucket.

And if the tractor wont start, drag him to the house behind the cart.

With help, I don't have to drag them, we can tie 'em to the cart.
(This was the season before Hurricane Michael struck)

Treefarmer

[bighomer]

I may have told this tale before, anyway this ole boy was married to my niece and quite the deer hunter, for meat not trophy. My neice had two young boys from a previous marriage and they had a baby boy of their own. He would get licenses for all of them , and would kill 10 or 12 deer a year , kept his freezer full of meat. Anyway he ask me if he could hunt on my little farmette, and said ok but bow or shotgun only no high powered rifles. So he comes knocking on my door after dark on a Sunday evening and wanted to know if I'd help him get this nice doe he'd killed with his bow to his truck, of course I said yes. I had a couple of 2x4s on the back deck left over from a project I'd been doing so we got one and some rope and off we went. We tied that thing to the 2x4 and off we took tote'n that thing out off the woods , finally got it home and loaded in the truck, I turned to him and said, Jerry that's reason I don't hunt them things I'm scared I'd kill one and have to drag it to the house if you are gonna keep killing these things, you need to get a 3 wheeler with a rack on it.( it was a long time ago)
I've had the pleasure of watching these babies grow up they come every day and I think that's their momma. Something spooked Momma the other afternoon and she ran off the yearlings looked up and went back to eating. I was talking to my neighbor over the fence and he told that they bed down under some pine trees in his back yard. He has a automatic feeder and enjoys watching them with his two little boys.

[TripleF]

Good stuff Philip!!!

Look at this jaw I found yesterday. Deer I'm guessing....

[doglegg]

Sweet knife and photo. Always fun to find bones and antler drops.

[bighomer]

Ole horny head came up and ran the gals off.

[cudgee]

Sweet knife and photo. Always fun to find bones and antler drops.

Do you find many antler drops?

[doglegg]

Never a lot. I am not in the woods much anymore.

[Old Hunter]

Hunting yesterday day afternoon in a swamp just off the river. Shot this 95 lbs doe in the heart (chest entry) with an old Ruger 44 Carbine. I had to drag her out of the swamp- about 130 yards to the lane and load her in my truck. I’m definitely getting too old for much more of that! OH

[garddogg56]

Good job OH them manual deer drags are not the way to go at our age

[Old Hunter]

Good stuff Philip!!!

Look at this jaw I found yesterday. Deer I'm guessing....

Scott, That looks like a deers jaw to me. My son decorated his table with two shed antlers (one I found while turkey hunting in a swamp several years ago and one my buddy found in Missouri). OH

[Old Hunter]

Good job OH them manual deer drags are not the way to go at our age

Dogg, You got that right brother! I pulled her to my stand and got back up and hunted (rested!) for another hour. I didn’t want to bother my hunting buddies for help but I was afraid if I didn’t get her out of the swamp the bears would claim her. Bruce

[doglegg]

Hunting yesterday day afternoon in a swamp just off the river. Shot this 95 lbs doe in the heart (chest entry) with an old Ruger 44 Carbine. I had to drag her out of the swamp- about 130 yards to the lane and load her in my truck. I’m definitely getting too old for much more of that! OH

Congrats OH, nice doe. And shot with that classic Ruger!

[desmobob]

Nice job, OH. I really wish I had bought one of those Ruger .44s back in the day.

[Colonel26]

That’s some fine eating right there OH! And that rifle is A OK! I used to have a Marlin 1894 44 mag for a short time. Sold it for a good profit and now where I hunt I wish I had it back. I bet that Ruger is some kind of sweet!

[treefarmer]

Good job, Bruce! Keep stackin' 'em up!
Treefarmer

[Old Hunter]

Thanks gents! That Ruger was a gift from a buddy several years ago - each year I would promise myself to take into the woods or swamp where short distances are typical and shoot a deer with it. Finally did it yesterday - wondering why I waited so long! Probably go one more time Phil, the MON-WED before Christmas and then switch to ducks until the end of January. Too many good things going on - got to fit in some more Speck fishing too! Merry Christmas to you guys. OH
Ps Wade, the stand in the swamp was right near a Fox Squirrel nest - seen a bunch of huge Fox Squirrels last two days - was wondering what a Fox Squirrel stew would be like!

[Old Hunter]

The Specks (Spotted Sea Trout) have been good to me lately. Caught three yesterday evening, kept two, iced them down and just cleaned the two for our dinner tonight. Getting ready to grill them in a minute. Probably got another six weeks to catch them for dinner. I only eat them fresh, so I just keep enough each time for the next meal - I don’t care for them after they have been frozen. OH

[treefarmer]

Good job, Bruce. There is definitely a difference with fish, fresh caught or frozen. I like your plan, catch enough for supper, come back in a day or and do it all over again.
Treefarmer

[cudgee]

Our ancestors only hunted or fished what they needed, fresh and plenty for everyone and sustainable. One thing i hate is seeing greedy individuals taking more than they need, and we all know-fresh is best. Have a good weekend everyone, and to those of you going hunting or fishing, good luck and stay safe.

[Old Hunter]

Thanks gents. It really works out well - with only two in the 16” to 19” range they will feed the three of us one nice meal. Only having two fish to clean makes the job pleasant and not onerous, lets me rotate my fillet knives every few days, and gives me a reason to head to the dock! Have a great weekend folks, OH

[jmh58]

Congratulations Bruce. Nice score.