# Fellow hunters, how's your season going?



## Actual Transphobe (Oct 30, 2019)

Wondering how everyone's hunting season is going so far? If you're not going out this year what has been your prized kill? Or what's your most entertaining story?

I've only been out for turkey, and deer. I've helped gut and butcher a doe and yearling, and cooked squirrel legs. Going out again soon, have a few nice bucks on cam, but we'll see what happens.



Edit: date and times are screwed on my cams, this was from a couple weeks ago


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## Papa Adolfo's Take'n'Bake (Oct 30, 2019)

I've only just got my spot picked out. Going innawoods as soon as I get off work Friday and clean my .308


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## Pocket Dragoon (Oct 30, 2019)

There's been a nice buck & his does out in my front yard nearly every night/morning now, after I was finally able to burn all the dead wood & ground cover that's been piling up all summer. 

They work around the edges of the burn pile, I think eating charcoal & the green shoots that are coming up with these rains.  Wherever they've been foraging, raspberry & blackberry have been coming up quick, so that's nice.

Anyhow....  he's got the cleanest looking 8pt spread, and none of 'em give a fuck when I step outside for a smoke, we take out trash, or have to let cats in/out.  I've got our cameras set up on other angles for unwelcome visitors, but next time I hear 'em out front, I'll try to catch that buck with the flash camera.

So I'm not going to take any deer around my place, but at my in-law's upstate they're thick like mice, keep tearing up the garden plot, and generally being a hazard to traffic.

At their place you gotta either be drunk or plain suck, to miss anything 50-100m from the elevated back porch, which is a method of hunting that I don't particularly care for.  
But I've had my eye on a decent Kentucky smokepole kit (or a repro Springfield trapdoor), and I think if I pick one up and have it finished within a reasonable timeframe, then I'll probably try taking a deer this year.


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## waffle (Oct 30, 2019)

Rifle season doesn't start here for two more weeks. I don't know how anyone can have a job where they actually make money, and also have time to bowhunt - so fuck that noise. 

Went squirrel hunting already this year, was a pretty good day. Want to shoot some snow geese this year, but who knows if I'll have time.


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## SmileyTimeDayCare (Oct 30, 2019)

Bow season was as mentioned elsewhere a drag. Rifle season should yield a good amount of meat.

There are some hogs around so hopefully I can bag one or two. I met a guy who said he'll butcher them and make sure anything I don't want is put to good use. According to him even older males can be used for sausage but they are shit for ham steak or pork chops. I dunno we didn't have hogs where I grew up so I'll defer to him.

This is my first full season on my property so it is pretty wild. I've always hunted on someone else's land(with their permission of course) but now it is mine and it is neat. Of course I'm dreading the day I come across a meth lab or some squatter but for now it is a blast!


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## Actual Transphobe (Oct 30, 2019)

Pocket Dragoon said:


> There's been a nice buck & his does out in my front yard nearly every night/morning now, after I was finally able to burn all the dead wood & ground cover that's been piling up all summer.
> 
> They work around the edges of the burn pile, I think eating charcoal & the green shoots that are coming up with these rains.  Wherever they've been foraging, raspberry & blackberry have been coming up quick, so that's nice.
> 
> ...


I have to say I'm pretty jealous you have a non skittish 8 pter so close. The biggest I've gotten on cam was a 9 pt but I havent seen him since he had velvet sadly...hoping I see him again.
Edit: if you ever get his pic I'd love to see him.


Spoiler: 9 pt














SmileyTimeDayCare said:


> Bow season was as mentioned elsewhere a drag. Rifle season should yield a good amount of meat.
> 
> There are some hogs around so hopefully I can bag one or two. I met a guy who said he'll butcher them and make sure anything I don't want is put to good use. According to him even older males can be used for sausage but they are shit for ham steak or pork chops. I dunno we didn't have hogs where I grew up so I'll defer to him.
> 
> This is my first full season on my property so it is pretty wild. I've always hunted on someone else's land(with their permission of course) but now it is mine and it is neat. Of course I'm dreading the day I come across a meth lab or some squatter but for now it is a blast!


If he's butchering them for free that's awesome, wish I knew a guy. From what I've seen hog hunting looks like it's a hell of alot of fun, I hope you get a good yield. Also kudos on having your own land that's always better imo.
Also, I only crossbow hunt, my Barnett is my prized possession. But I totally understand peoples preference to rifle season.


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## SmileyTimeDayCare (Oct 30, 2019)

Actual Transphobe said:


> If he's butchering them for free that's awesome, wish I knew a guy. From what I've seen hog hunting looks like it's a hell of alot of fun, I hope you get a good yield. Also kudos on having your own land that's always better imo.
> Also, I only crossbow hunt, my Barnett is my prized possession. But I totally understand peoples preference to rifle season.



I'm sure he wants to hunt on my land as trade and if he wants a few bucks I wouldn't gripe.


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## Pocket Dragoon (Oct 31, 2019)

Actual Transphobe said:


> I have to say I'm pretty jealous you have a non skittish 8 pter so close. The biggest I've gotten on cam was a 9 pt but I havent seen him since he had velvet sadly...hoping I see him again.
> Edit: if you ever get his pic I'd love to see him.


They're hunted pretty heavily on all the adjacent fields & farms, but I live above the creek they use as the neighborhood thoroughfare, and they figured out quick where they can loiter safely.

And I think they like our cats?  My wife & I have caught several deer playing with them at night.



> Spoiler: 9 pt
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sweet 'ol buck, man.
Of all the technological wonders we've been graced with in the past 10 years, game cameras are one of those that I both love & hate.
Personally don't like using them to actively hunt with; they make things too easy, I enjoy finding their sign and stalking them, picking the right animal, for days if I have to.  Sitting in one spot, waiting for the deer to come to me, is also mind-numbingly boring (and possibly why I only enjoy fly-fishing).  
And game cameras kinda take away from that moment when the first time I really see the deer up close is when I can finally touch it.....

Except for when they're in my front yard, I can't watch em all the time.



Actual Transphobe said:


> If he's butchering them for free that's awesome, wish I knew a guy. From what I've seen hog hunting looks like it's a hell of alot of fun, I hope you get a good yield. Also kudos on having your own land that's always better imo.
> Also, I only crossbow hunt, my Barnett is my prized possession. But I totally understand peoples preference to rifle season.


If you're _looking_ for pigs, prepare to be frustrated. Those bastards know how to stay hid unless you bait 'em, or there's just that many (at which point you have a pig problem).

My wife has a Parker, excellent women's/youth crossbow.  I prefer it to my Barnett.  Still won't hunt with 'em though; bows don't kill quick enough, for my own peace-of-mind.


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## Actual Transphobe (Oct 31, 2019)

Pocket Dragoon said:


> They're hunted pretty heavily on all the adjacent fields & farms, but I live above the creek they use as the neighborhood thoroughfare, and they figured out quick where they can loiter safely.
> 
> And I think they like our cats?  My wife & I have caught several deer playing with them at night.
> 
> ...



You've got some brave ass cats lol

I see your point about the game cameras, I just love seeing what's going on in the property. I've gotten a bear on the same cam and I'd rather know he's there or not. I dont know how confident I'd be with a crossbow vs a bear, but I know it's been done.

Nah, no pigs where I'm at! Meant wish I knew a guy that would butcher my deer meat. I won't mind doing it myself, but I don't get as much meat that way.

I've never shot a Parker, but they look pretty solid. What model Barnett do you have? I have the Whitetail Hunter STR, and I'm gonna make sure it's sighted in today, weather permitting. I hope to someday afford a Ravin, but unless I hit the lotto it ain't happening anytime soon. 

Going out Sat morning 5 am sharp, wish me luck guys


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## Pocket Dragoon (Oct 31, 2019)

Actual Transphobe said:


> You've got some brave ass cats lol



I think a large part of it is these deer grew up with them.  Ever watch rabbits playing/chasing each other?  That's how they do.



> I see your point about the game cameras, I just love seeing what's going on in the property. I've gotten a bear on the same cam and I'd rather know he's there or not. I dont know how confident I'd be with a crossbow vs a bear, but I know it's been done.



Mostly I just walk the treeline every morning, gives me a good enough idea of what's going on as far as wildlife is concerned.  There's enough activity that the memory cards were filling up quick with a lot of the same animals; those deer, pigs, wayward goats, owls, cats, etc.

So our cameras have been put to use watching for feral two-legged animals; of which we have several varieties, all of them larcenous and/or destructive.

However, I did recently catch the fox that comes up to visit.  I've stepped outside late one night and seen it sitting with our Maine Coon; I thought it was another cat until it looked at me.



Spoiler







Cat for scale









> I've never shot a Parker, but they look pretty solid. What model Barnett do you have? I have the Whitetail Hunter STR, and I'm gonna make sure it's sighted in today, weather permitting. I hope to someday afford a Ravin, but unless I hit the lotto it ain't happening anytime soon.



Solidity & simplicity is a big reason I like the Parker (hers is a Challenger); the scope it came with has been dead on from Day 1, and nothing on the bow had needed to be adjusted or fucked with (which definitely hasn't been coddled).

Mine's also a WH STR, but what I've found is that Parkers are better balanced for my liking than Barnett crossbows; which feel like Lebels in comparison, with way too much going on out front.



> Going out Sat morning 5 am sharp, wish me luck guys



Fwiw, I've always gotten the best shots around dusk, when the deer are returning to their bedding spots.  AM hunting is for suckers (or ppl with too much energy and/or free time).


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