Hunting Thread

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Guurn

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Well I finally bought a new gun. An SKB 690 20 gauge with 26" barrels. Swings like a dream for me but the pull was too short. I added a limbsaver 1" recoil pad and now it fits perfect. Like too perfect. I can't wait to pattern it. I'm keeping the 870 for ducks in lakes, pheasants in big fields, and geese.
As an aside I finally got my red setter out on grouse in the thick northern Minnesota woods. The first time out was hot and no grouse were flushed. He also ran too big. The 2nd time he bumped one, still running a little too far out. I could have taken a really bad shot... But why. The third time he bumped 3, and then pointed 2 literally 5 feet from me. It was right at the end of the day. I couldn't see them and I turned away as they flushed, I'm an idiot. Hopefully it won't cost me. I'm going to try to get back out this weekend and get another 10 hours over him and some time with the new gun.

Deer hunting is off the table this year but I'm already set up for next year.
 
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Hoss

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I like cold weather, but to old for sitting still, in the dark,

You don't always have to hunt in the morning. Deer are often active in the middle of the day too. Especially if it was a clear bright night. They will have been out running around all night and bedding down for the morning. I mean, I get that that's part of it, I'm just saying the morning hunt is optional. I skip them a lot myself, but it's because I see shit in the shadows and get lost easily in the dark. Not because of the cold.
 

TheBeagle

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Spend money on a good base layer, throw the cheap shit on top of that. Peel layers off as it warms up. It's not rocket science.

Set up trail cams on some public land the past two weeks. Got my eye on a nice mature buck. He got within 15 yds of my blind Saturday but couldn't get a clean shot with my crossbow. Setting up a tree stand this weekend.
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Guurn

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It's amazing how many hunters have no clue about merino wool long underwear and socks. They are life changing. I'm all honesty my medium weight wool long sleeve shirt is my favorite clothing purchase of all time.
 
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LachiusTZ

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I've got nice socks, but shitty boots... Lol

So what are the good base layers to buy?

And some nice over the calf socks? Wigwam?
 

BrutulTM

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I don't really think the super expensive outdoor clothes are worth the money. I'm outdoors in the Montana winter every day year round and maybe in fancy clothes it will take you a bit longer to get cold but I don't think there's anything that will keep you comfortable in really cold weather if you're not moving. Especially your hands and feet. I wear fleece or flannel lined jeans, basic long underwear, two t-shirts, one of which is long sleeved, and then a hoodie, a vest, and a lined canvas shirt over all that. If it's really cold I'll swap a heavier coat for the canvas shirt. Wool socks and muck boots and lined leather gloves and a beanie or ear flap cap. No $200 items.

The most important thing is to keep moving. If it's 5° out and you have to hold still you're not going to be comfortable no matter what you wear. The only exception might be the battery powered heated clothes. I don't have any experience with those but I know people who like them.
 

LachiusTZ

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BrutulTM BrutulTM

I used to laugh at heated socks, but it might be the only way.

Because you are right, I can be outside working in 20 degrees, in jeans and a light jacket and not be really cold.

But sitting still, in the dark, with wind... I fucking freeze.

Might just say fuck it and buy battery powered socks
 

Borzak

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From tracking info deer will at least get up to eat/water every 4 hours. They may not go but a few feet but they will at least move enough to set the tracker off and browse for a few minutes every 4 hours. Before GPS trackers were common Temple Insland timber company which was the largest private landowner in TX with 2 million acres (now sold) had a 68,000 acre research area that they tagged a lot of deer and had put up poles to record the info over the entire area. Lot of good info came out of it.

I had an uncle long time ago that would still hunt, put on hush puppy slippers and sneak through the woods in east, tx all day. He killed a shitload of good deer that way. Never sat on a stand. I much prefer being somewhere I can move about like when I've hunted in WY or Alberta. In the past unless I had a recent burn super thick where the deer actually are.
 
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Guurn

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You can buy wool stuff lots of places. https://www.sierra.com/smartwool-bright-orange-merino-250-base-layer-top-merino-wool-long-sleeve-for-men~p~712ga/?filterString=s~merino-wool-long-underwear/&merch=prod-rec-prod-prod712GA

This is similar to mine. Mine fits snug. It might be smart to start with socks to check if it is for you. Just buy a pair of darn tough sucks and wear them for a couple days. If you like them then watch sales, they pop up regularly. Here's the thing, wool doesn't get cold when moist like cotton. Sitting still is rough in the cold without the right gear. Walking around is actually far easier unless the snow is deep.
 
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spanner

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Merino wool is like some black magic shit. As someone who works in -40F type temps in the winter, Merino wool is always touching every part of the skin. Hell, when am in 120 degree temps my balls are still being caressed by the finest New Zealand merino wool.
 
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TheBeagle

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I've found one of this guy's rubs and he hits it just about every night. Problem is it's archery only for the full season and these woods are so full of scrubby brush and understory that it's nigh impossible to set up a tree stand where he's at. Oh and he's smart enough to only move around at night.

I know lots of you probably get better bucks, but for Texas public land this is pretty nice.
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Hoss

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Just heard about this on a podcast called GunTalk Hunt. TL;DR ... a Professional hunter bought land in Missouri and built a cabin. One night he sees someone out in his field with a spotlight and they shoot at a deer. He gets the license and turns them in. Someone related to the poacher then burns his cabin down. He knows who burned the cabin down because while the moron took out his camera, he did not take out the cameras that were set up to watch the camera that was visible.

 
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Hoss

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On an unrelated note, I have deer in my front yard. I first saw them New year's eve so I set out a trail cam and some corn. I'm not planning to kill them because you can't safely shoot a gun in this area. Maybe if I bowhunted I'd think about it and probably still not do it. Anyway, nothing impressive. Mostly Does and 2 bucks. One is a forkhorn and the other is a spike missing a horn. I'm going to throw out some of that high protein feed designed to make racks grow bigger too and see what happens.

I'm also seeing a fox on the camera and I may shoot that fucker. Foxes eat cats and small dogs and a bunch of my neighbors have chickens. I just need to check the laws on that before I do it because I'll want to get it mounted for a friend.
 

Tmac

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On an unrelated note, I have deer in my front yard. I first saw them New year's eve so I set out a trail cam and some corn. I'm not planning to kill them because you can't safely shoot a gun in this area. Maybe if I bowhunted I'd think about it and probably still not do it. Anyway, nothing impressive. Mostly Does and 2 bucks. One is a forkhorn and the other is a spike missing a horn. I'm going to throw out some of that high protein feed designed to make racks grow bigger too and see what happens.

I'm also seeing a fox on the camera and I may shoot that fucker. Foxes eat cats and small dogs and a bunch of my neighbors have chickens. I just need to check the laws on that before I do it because I'll want to get it mounted for a friend.

There’s a guy that bow hunts around Atlanta in suburban neighborhoods. He posts the biggest bucks on his IG and just trolls neighborhoods to get permission.

I’d link him, but I only saw his stuff on my cousin’s phone.
 

Hoss

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There’s a guy that bow hunts around Atlanta in suburban neighborhoods. He posts the biggest bucks on his IG and just trolls neighborhoods to get permission.

I’d link him, but I only saw his stuff on my cousin’s phone.

I wonder what a deer tastes like when it's been eating petunias and roses all it's life.
 

Guurn

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Update time it's grouse season!

I've set long term goals since the wife made it clear that she wants a dog at home while I'm away. So a new wirehaired pointing griffon is in the long term plans now. Now to tell her.

6 days of hunting grouse so far, it's year five of the downturn from the ten year peak and looking bleak. It's started even worse than I expected. Literally no drumming anywhere. I still haven't heard any. It's weird. Talking to my hillbilly neighbor there isn't anything around. According to the DNR guy he talked to 30 hunters over the weekend and combined they had 3 flushes. I wasn't optimistic. I have spent some time at the range getting used to the new gun.

Day 1, evening. After massive upkeep during the day on the cabin I got out for an hour, 2 flushes. The leaves were all up, no birds taken. The next day about 5 hours out, nothing and the dog is getting sore and bored. I spent the final of the weekend on the edges of the cedar bog and in the 8 year old aspen, 18 flushes. It looks like the rest of the year is going to be spent near water and on the edge of very dense new growth.

The following weekend I saw nothing but timber doodle. Oh well, I'll switch to steel shot and add rivers for ducks. Might as well make sure I bring something home. One of my brothers will be joining me. Cribbage will be played. The dog is doing ok. By the time he pans out my wife will refuse to let me take him. Time to make that deposit.

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Borzak

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Hunt woodcock (Timber Doodle) while you can. They're in bad shape and have been for at least the last 30 years and the concern is starting to pick up. Could see a closed season in certain areas on the horizon. Changing land use has seen them drop off an edge for quite a while. More clearings, less thick stuff and such.
 

BrutulTM

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What area?

My bird hunters have been saying the sharptails had a bad year but that's not surprising since it's been a bad drought. Lots of grasshoppers to eat but not much cover.
 

blizzak

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Had to use my deer rifle in a defensive shoot this week while I was in my tree stand. An hour after sunrise a big fisher wandered by. I stayed still but he stopped and stood and sniffed around then eyeballed me and walked towards my tree. I growled and told him to get the fuck away and the little bastard ran behind me and ran straight up the tree at me. I stood and turned and fired as soon as his furry face poked around the tree but I missed. He seemed to have a change of mind about coming any closer, I was wondering if I was going to have to pull my knife on the little fucker. I didn't see any deer that morning and ended up going and tilling for next year's garden.
 
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