airedale

One of the most important tools for butchering is a set of good quality knives. I have a set made by Outdoor Edge, they work well but they do not seem to hold an edge long and need frequent sharpening. I have a really nice quality USA Cutco fillet knife that I also use for processing, one of the best boning knives I have ever used. Al

Never have used them myself, I have seen plenty of hunting videos where they were used, from what I have seen they work pretty well, they remind me of a tracer bullet. Al

For those interested in such stuff, this Deer season I used the 6.5 Creedmoor again for Deer hunting, last year I took a Doe with the factory 143gr EDL load which worked great. The Deer I took this year was with the 123 gr Hornady SST handload, one shot in the boiler room and again had very good results. This is a really good little cartridge for Deer hunting I think. Al

I got by with a fish skinning plier for quite some time but it does not compare to the dedicated hide puller above. Al

I have found these hide pullers to be of great assistance especially on a Deer that has hung for some time, it gives a real good grip to help pull the hide off making for an easier skinning job. Al

Just a quick photo of the Deer hoist on the job, works great for an old geezer like me. Al

Not much of a Deer hunter these days and usually from the middle of the season on, but last night I decided to get out the first thing in the morning. Got bundled up and grabbed the Howa Superlight 6.5 Creedmoor and headed out. A frosty start to the day and as the daylight started coming on the woods began to come alive. Walked to one of my favorite Squirrel hunting spots and sat down on a stump. Squirrels and Blue Jays were in the Beech trees gathering mast, I could hear Turkeys talking. Was not sitting for five minutes and saw a Doe walking through the trees, I have a permit but I let her slide. Then a parade of Turkeys appeared started toward me and low and behold a Buck was walking along in front of them. Put the crosshairs behind the front shoulder and shot, he hunched up and took off running but I knew he would not go too far. I walked back home and got my Airedale pup Ruff and brought him to the spot the Buck was walking when I shot. There was no visible blood but I put the pup on the track and away we went, not 50 yards and there he was deader than a doornail, A good introduction to Deer tracking for young Ruff, I believe he will handle Deer tracking quite well. Good part he was not far from a logging road so I got my tractor and drove close enough for an easy drag and flopped him into the loader bucket and brought him home to dress out. One of my shortest Deer hunts ever. Al

The Buck 110 is the first good quality knife I owned, it has been a work horse for over 50 years and still looks decent and does the job. A best buy on a quality American knife. Al

Sounds like you pretty much diagnosed the problem, I think you missed. Al

An Icon, the Buck 110 Folding Hunter and one I have used quite a bit down through the years.

I fooled around with a few different calls down through the years but never had what I would call success, a deer moving and getting them to stop for a shot is about the best I have seen. There are some that swear by calls so I do not completely discount them. Rattling is another technique I have had little luck with but have seen where others bring in some nice Bucks when things go right. Of all things, I have had better luck while varmint hunting using varmint calls bringing Deer into view, I think they come in more out of curiosity than anything else. Al

The weather has been absolutely beautiful, It has been quite a few years since I had a small game hunting season like this one, the small game population has been very good providing a lot of action. The Squirrels have come back in big numbers, have flushed several Grouse but have not taken one yet, knocked off a Cottontail Rabbit and made a heck of a shot with my Remington 541 on a Crow this week so far. The Crow's wing was busted and he hit the ground running into the woods, I went back to my house and got my Airedale pup Ruff and put him on the track, what a nice job he did tracking that crow and I was surprised on how far that crow ran before the pup caught him, blood tracking Deer will be like rolling off a log for this guy. Al

Do you just aim center both front to back and up and down ? Yes. Al

I have taken several with neck shots, all with rifles and they will drop where they are standing. That being said it must be a good clear shot and having a solid-steady rest. As for archery I do not feel I am a good enough shot. Al

One word, Inept!! Al

All of my Deer hunting in recent years has been in the northern zone, the cool weather stretch we just had was getting me in the mood to do some Deer hunting. Now I see we are going into another warm weather spell so I will put the Deer hunting off for a little while longer and continue to hunt small game. Al

Got my pack basket setup pretty well and it should work out OK, I like the plastic buckets because they can be washed out and they are a heck of a lot cheaper than the fiberglass pack baskets. The harness holds all my tools and lures-baits as it has a pouch built in. I think this thing can be used for a bunch of other activities like fishing and camping if desired. Al

We are becoming a society of lawlessness, no consequences for breaking laws, these days there are some that think it is their right to steal from others. Al

I agree, things should start picking up fast from here on out. I have a flock of Soay Sheep, they are a small primitive feral breed that have a seasonal Fall mating season that pretty much coincides with the Deer rut, the Rams have started butting heads and chasing the Ewes in just the past few days. Al

Looks like these Boys had a heck of an action filled day hunting small game. Al

If I had to make a guess I would vote for a Bear. Al

V

Humbled today, went out for a walk with the Traditions Davy Crockett Squirrel 32 cal rifle and whiffed on two shots, they were just a tad too far for open sights and my old eyes, going to check the zero just to make sure and give her another go. Al

Great story Stevie, I felt like I was there, again congratulations. Al