Hunting and game posts

jaxs

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Jun 22, 2023
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I was on a trophy hunt with 3 others that could take one whitetail each. One guy that was a taxidermist used his tag on a doe. When asked why he used his tag on a doe he said he became angry when she pawed a smaller deer so he shot her.
 
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Trapper Bob

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Jan 17, 2022
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This buck may have gotten his behind kicked. Maybe kicked some. Either way, he is out of ammo.
IMG_9267.JPG
 
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skeets

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Many years ago, I was an assistant scout master for the Explorer post out of the sportsman's club. And we took the boys up to Benezette Pa to cut browse for the deer and elk. We were staying in a local camp and about day break an elk started to make lots of noise, it was hard getting those boys out of there sleep bags every other morning,, but not that one,,, lol
 
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FreezinGator

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So one of the kids got a pretty nice 8pt the other evening - with the minivan... I think this might be it for the old girl - it is deer number 5 and that the car has either hit or run over. Anyway, the deer was pretty big and in good shape other than a broken front leg so I had the trooper tag it for me. I dragged it over to my vehicle but could not lift it in the back - way too heavy. I usually drag them out with my ice sled and just put the front of the sled on the tailgate and lift the back and push them in but my sled is sitting by my middle treestand... Anyway, we were only about a mile from the house so I had my daughter drive me home once we got the van towed and I fired up the BX and drove it back to the deer, rolled it into the FEL bucket and brought it home. We live out in the sticks so a tractor rolling by isn't too unusual other than being 11 pm at night. I am sure I got some interesting looks and maybe a head shake or two from the few cars that passed me 😃. The deer is still aging in the fridge but I took some of the neck meat and made roadkill chili for dinner. Life in the country is pretty good 🦌
 
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jaxs

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Jun 22, 2023
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I fired up the BX and drove it back to the deer, rolled it into the FEL bucket and brought it home. We live out in the sticks so a tractor rolling by isn't too unusual other than being 11 pm at night. I am sure I got some interesting looks and maybe a head shake or two from the few cars that passed me 😃. 🦌
Seeing dogs and pet deer asleep in fel buckets 😮 is fairly common most places.
 

Trapper Bob

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Jan 17, 2022
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Don't bet on it, the missing points could be self inflicted to make the clever old buck less attractive to hunters.
You may be right! If so, I’ll have to tag him. I can’t have those genes passed around. 😜
Oddly enough, there was a buck last year with the same problem.
 

jaxs

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You may be right! If so, I’ll have to tag him. I can’t have those genes passed around. 😜
Oddly enough, there was a buck last year with the same problem.
I went back for a closer look after you said you seen one like it last year. Danged if it doesn't look like the antlers grew that way. Notice how those short tines come to a point rather than looking jagged as if broken off. Noooow the $64k question. Do you harvest him as a cull or let him walk on the assumption he is a non-typical yearling that will look to be carrying a brush pile when he's 4? If it's important a game biologist can tell with certainty if you have one or two broadside pics of whole body. This reminds me of a story I wrote for my 9 year old grandson (he's 26 now). We lost a lease where we had pursued an unusually large 8 point nicknamed Grill Guard proceeding two years. The boy was really down over not having another chance at the deer so I wrote a story to boost him. When couple of poachers headlighted GG and took a shot,he went down in his tracks and was hurriedly thrown in bed of truck and sped away. While poachers were driving home 200 miles away old GG jumped out of their truck and ran away as they slung lead at him. The original bullet hit his left antler knocking him unconscious and when he regained himself he bailed out running for his life. The remaining antler was shed and a new pair even larger than before replaced it. One cold Autumn morning GG caught sent of a kid that reminded him of one he once knew on his previous range. I made many hunts with the boy since and still look forward to invitations to go along. I have other grandsons and a son I enjoy camping and hunting with but they can't compete with this one when it comes to campfire stories. Four generations will celebrate Thanksgiving this year at hunting camp. My fireside story this year involves their inhertance. Everyone has known for years I promised my creator half of what I own if I live to see what all my grandkids amount to. I plan on telling them I change the pact so my creator gets it all if I live to see what the greatgrand kids amount to. 😋
 
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ayak

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RCNX1637.jpeg

This went on for 20min
 
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ken erickson

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I went back for a closer look after you said you seen one like it last year. Danged if it doesn't look like the antlers grew that way. Notice how those short tines come to a point rather than looking jagged as if broken off. Noooow the $64k question. Do you harvest him as a cull or let him walk on the assumption he is a non-typical yearling that will look to be carrying a brush pile when he's 4? If it's important a game biologist can tell with certainty if you have one or two broadside pics of whole body. This reminds me of a story I wrote for my 9 year old grandson (he's 26 now). We lost a lease where we had pursued an unusually large 8 point nicknamed Grill Guard proceeding two years. The boy was really down over not having another chance at the deer so I wrote a story to boost him. When couple of poachers headlighted GG and took a shot,he went down in his tracks and was hurriedly thrown in bed of truck and sped away. While poachers were driving home 200 miles away old GG jumped out of their truck and ran away as they slung lead at him. The original bullet hit his left antler knocking him unconscious and when he regained himself he bailed out running for his life. The remaining antler was shed and a new pair even larger than before replaced it. One cold Autumn morning GG caught sent of a kid that reminded him of one he once knew on his previous range. I made many hunts with the boy since and still look forward to invitations to go along. I have other grandsons and a son I enjoy camping and hunting with but they can't compete with this one when it comes to campfire stories. Four generations will celebrate Thanksgiving this year at hunting camp. My fireside story this year involves their inhertance. Everyone has known for years I promised my creator half of what I own if I live to see what all my grandkids amount to. I plan on telling them I change the pact so my creator gets it all if I live to see what the greatgrand kids amount to. 😋

I have been watching a buck with similar traits to Trapper Bob's buck all summer. Not to the degree his is but the short truncated tines definitely grew that way.

I suspect he has shared genetics with my first buck off my land. This big bodied buck sports what you call a "brush pile". lol, :)


72046467604__80A35F58-F22A-49DE-9908-C9574B695168.jpeg
 
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Siesta Sundance

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So gun season starts this wknd and of course the hogs are starting to give me hell again. Minimal impact to my food plots so far. The deer usually steer clear of the feeders when the hogs are around. I'm gonna have to get a couple hunters at all the feeders to put pressure on them. My farm neighbor is leaving this wknd for a few days, so he probably is not worried about setting his figure 6 walk in trap.
 

rc51stierhoff

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Great question. Mature bulls, spike bulls and even cows will bugle as far as I know, or at least call, but spikes and cows don't compare to the sound made by a mature bull. I was woken up by an elk sound so it's very possible that it was a cow or spike making a sound that sounded like a bugle. I've only heard the really impressive and eerie sound of a mature bull off in the distance. Once was in Utah and the other times were in the Highwoods area near Belt, MT. Come to think of it, I heard elk bugling at my place last year that sure sounded like a mature bull.
Good day. Those are some great photos. That must be a treat to live amongst those majestic animals. What do you (or other locals) do, if anything with the buglers?

I was lucky enough to go on an elk hunt once and even luckier to harvest a small herd bull…I cut the buglers out and had some jewelry made for my spousal unit…I was not sure what to do but wanted to do something…it was the least I could do since I went on a hunting trip with out her on our anniversary🥶…true story I actually harvested the animal on our anniversary date. Anyway I wonder what you / others do with the ivories?
 

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jaxs

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Jun 22, 2023
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IMO the #1 problem standing in the way of reducing feral hog population in Tx is greed. Say wutt,hogs are greedy? No some, landowners and trappers are greedy. While one landowner is paying trapper to take hogs off his place the trapper is hauling them some place else and selling them to a landowner that charges people to hunt hogs. Fining people caught transporting live wild hogs $500 per head could slow that down.
In the event it comes up for discussion in your state,antler restrictions did wonders for quality of deer in Texas. Only two bucks are legal, with at least one unbranched antler or has 13" or greater inside spread. Whereas I recall when 25% of bucks harvested were spikes and 6 points were something to be proud of, the harvest now is equal in number with most being 8 points with over 13" spread. Hunters resisted to the bitter end but are now happy.
 

jimh406

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Mule Deer doe making sure the Coyote doesn't get too close. Sorry that I didn't digiscope and video it. The Coyote is down the hill to the left. I had fun watching the Coyote catch Voles. It wasn't at all interested in going after even the yearling Mule Deer.

Also, you can see the size difference. No wonder the Coyote ran each time the Mule Deer doe went toward it. :D

IMG_1679.jpeg
 
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Siesta Sundance

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IMO the #1 problem standing in the way of reducing feral hog population in Tx is greed. Say wutt,hogs are greedy? No some, landowners and trappers are greedy. While one landowner is paying trapper to take hogs off his place the trapper is hauling them some place else and selling them to a landowner that charges people to hunt hogs. Fining people caught transporting live wild hogs $500 per head could slow that down.
In the event it comes up for discussion in your state,antler restrictions did wonders for quality of deer in Texas. Only two bucks are legal, with at least one unbranched antler or has 13" or greater inside spread. Whereas I recall when 25% of bucks harvested were spikes and 6 points were something to be proud of, the harvest now is equal in number with most being 8 points with over 13" spread. Hunters resisted to the bitter end but are now happy.
I don't charge hunters for shooting hogs(as long as that person's ballot is marked in the same color as the blood). I had a couple of Active duty Air Force guys last year come out serveral times to hunt. Some nights they would stay in the blinds all night.

BTW, If you know someone are transporting wild hogs and then releasing them, report it to the GW.

You can transport wild hogs to someone who is licensed to process them. https://texasfarmbureau.org/market-opens-feral-hog-meat/# once I get a figue 6 trap in place, I plan on hauling and selling them off as well.

As for the buck restrictions, in Texas it varies by the county/region. For the most part those restrictions in certain counties have helped with antler development/quality, but I have yet to meet a person who eats those bigger antlers.... lol
I have no restrictions in my area. I can shoot 3 bucks any size every year in South TX. I do have a cull list, those bucks with missing/no brawl tines are on top of the list.
 
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Siesta Sundance

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Hogs came up to and near the house last night and were eating up the acorns underneath the oaks. Neighbor said he spotted 40+ running across his pasture.
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I made a DIY video for making hog lights, using solar led motion lights. Far much cheaper than buying hog lights.

 
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WFM

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Not one single gut pile in this thread to gross out the weak...lol

My hired man lives across the road from a small horse farm. He said the owner came over and asked him to give him a hand.
Your not going to believe it he said
A beautiful buck caught in the fence and has been dead for several days.
What a waste.
 

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Siesta Sundance

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Hogs came up to and near the house last night and were eating up the acorns underneath the oaks. Neighbor said he spotted 40+ running across his pasture. View attachment 115106
View attachment 115105
I made a DIY video for making hog lights, using solar led motion lights. Far much cheaper than buying hog lights.

I shot 2 smaller hogs last night.
I got a couple friends coming down this wknd for a little bit of force protection, hopefully to put a temporary dent in hog population.
Maybe start on a figure 6 hog trap too.