airedale

There is a lot more than 2 or 3 that left, many of them were sneaky and did not want to expose themselves. Al

I have been hunting the same property for almost 40 years 90% of the time, hunting Squirrels early helps me formulate a Deer hunting plan as I can read their sign and figure out a plan where to be for a Deer hunt when I decide to go. I am not picky and just take them as they come. This year I have seen very little Deer sign and thought there would be a good chance getting skunked but I got lucky the first morning and had a buck walk right into my lap. And then there was a year I think I hunted just about every day and saw zero bucks, on the last day in the last half hour of daylight I had a buck show himself and I scored, you just never know. Al

I have noticed this too, missing shots and poor hits are most times the result of poor marksmanship. I know there are many hunters that do not even check the zero of their firearms before season. To be good at anything requires practice and "PLENTY" of it. I know ammo these days is very expensive, but one can get all the practice they need with rimfire firearms and even good quality airguns and become good shots. Also a well hit Deer can travel unbelievable distance, too many throw in the towel early. Each animal is a story of it's own and you can expect the unexpected some days. I shot a spikehorn buck a few years ago with a 45-70 firing a 350 grain bullet at 25 yards, I had to track him through thick woods for a good 200 yards before finding him. The bullet placement was perfect and the bullet went through his heart., I had a hunting partner with me tracking and he could not believe the Deer went that far. A couple of years ago I shot a duplicate spikehorn buck at close to 100 yards distance with a 357 mag with almost the exact bullet placement, he only went 25 yards and went down. So here you have one Deer shot with a cartridge that can probably kill elephants tearing off to parts unknown and one shot with a cartridge that many would consider marginal that piles up almost immediately, go figure! For me one thing is for sure, if the crosshairs are where they are supposed to be when my gun fires I know I have a dead Deer and it is up to me to find it. Al

I have killed a half dozen Deer with a neck shot and they all dropped right where they stood. As for the ethical part several factors come into play. Distance is a big one, I use the neck shot for relatively short shots, under 100 yards. A firearm that is capable of precise bullet placement with a good hunting bullet. A good steady rest with total confidence in my ability to make the shot. I aim for the center anywhere on the neck, I think it is a fairly big target and an easy shot to make when one has the right circumstances. Al

I do not use trail cameras, I like being surprised, I grew up in a different era, old timers, books and magazines is where I learned about hunting techniques. There were no food plots, tree or ladder stands or enclosed purpose built blinds with heat and all the comforts of home. Most folks did not even have scopes on their guns. A sprinkling of stand hunting, drives, still hunting and tracking were the methods most used back then. It was all about learning woodscraft, reading sign and animal behavior. It is those skills that define hunting for me and I still use those methods today. Al

Hit the timber for the last couple of daylight hours, zip for Deer, saw two gray Squirrels and one Red, that was it. Al

Come on, if it was easy it would not be any fun. I would say you have done alright for yourself. Al

A portable version of the skinner I have, this one can be taken into the woods when hunting and used to dress out Squirrels as they are taken. They skin much easier when they are freshly killed. Al

To be honest I think it is pretty much impossible to stay warm sitting still for extended periods on cold windy days without being bundled up in somewhat bulky clothes. Sweating and getting your base layers wet from it will be a big problem. You can get by with sweating so long as you stay away from cotton materials period, good poly or wool next to your skin for any base layers. I have always had decent luck staying warm in real cold weather wearing high quality wool from top to bottom. While it is bulky and heavy I will take that over freezing my ass off. Al

If I have a good sight picture and believe I can make the shot the trigger will be pulled. Al

Many times I carry a small folding saw and a set of compact brush shears in a belt pack, especially early in the season when there are a lot of leaves. I move around a lot and am constantly pruning limbs and branches when I set up to give me clear sighting. Al

He never knew what hit him. Al

Personally I would have no problem getting in there and clipping some of those obstacles, just clip them and let them lay and leave. Al

Give us the horny details Eddie! Al

Congrats, a beauty!! Al

That foot finally healed up?

Have a good one sharpshooter!

These days my opener is the northern zone, I sure do miss the old days of slug slinging in the south, had some real good times and killed plenty of deer. Been over 35 years since hunting the south zone. Almost all of my old hunting companions are gone now. Good luck to those hitting the south. Al

Personally I was never a big time Turkey hunter, after I killed a few I kind of just lost interest in hunting them. Looked out my kitchen window this morning and there was a good size flock in the pasture, two big Toms strutting around like it was spring. The Turkeys around my place have become so used to seeing me out and about doing chores they hardly pay attention to me or even my dogs, killing one would be not much of a feat. I did enjoy eating the ones I took, but like now I see Turkey on sale in the market for 88 cents a pound ready for the oven so if I get the yen for a Turkey dinner I will just buy one. Hell I have a small flock of domestic Turkeys down in the barnyard and I have yet to eat one LOL. Speaking of Turkeys does anyone know what happened to Bill the Karate expert-Turkey expert that used to post here, he did most of the Turkey hunting threads, never cared much for his trouble making posts but I hope he is alive and OK. Al

A 22 with high velocity ammo is all you need to take out Coons, I hunted them hard with Airedales and Hounds for many years and took a lot of them. When I was by myself I would use my S&W model 17 revolver, when I had a partner I would carry a Remington magazine fed nylon 66 rifle. The key is same as hunting any other game "good shot placement". Al

You can add me to the group, these days I prefer going out in the afternoon and hunting until dark. Al

I have had zero problem taking Deer while on the ground, in all the years I have hunted I have only taken two Deer from an elevated stand. Ther first one was out of a tree I just climbed up in and the second was out of a ladder stand. Al

My Dad when speaking about tree stand safety, "it is not the fall that will kill you, it is the sudden stop at the end" Al

I am pretty disappointed in anything made using Gortex, billed as being waterproof I have found it to be anything but! Be it a jacket, pants or boots they all were far from being waterproof, better than nothing I suppose but not by much! Al

Going to start calling you the "Deerslayer" Al