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I haven't gotten one in 30 years of turkey hunting.

I'm sorry to hear about this for the people that are affected by it. They left me alone here for the time being, but It's right on my doorstep.

Thanks for the reminder, I forgot about it.

I had to laugh when I read that. I do the same thing.

We freeze a lot of our garden vegetables, but I still like to can some beans, beets, and some pickles. We usually do quite a few tomatoes every year, but the year before last, they got the blight, so we only ended up with a few to eat fresh. About every other year, I'll can a whole deer, minus the tenderloins, back straps, and the heart. Like you said, pickled heart is good, but I like it better cooked the same as you do. I used to can a bunch of beef, and chicken each year too, but I haven't done any in a while. Yeah, there's a lot of satisfaction in doing things for yourself, and it always seems to taste better. Thanks Rob.

Don't forget a bow saw,and an axe or hatchet for firewood, and a good sleeping bag and pad.

I'll second what Daveboone said. A compass and the ability to start a fire, are your two best friends in big woods. Since you're relatively new to deer hunting, finding a trail that the deer are using, and watching it from down wind may be a good option. I have a pet spot in some spruces along a beaver pond, that any does in the area always seem to travel. I've never seen a buck there early in the season, but from about the 10th of November on, there's no place I'd rather be. Find the does, and sooner or later a buck will be along to check on them. I always loved to still hunt, but my knees are shot, and until I get them replaced, most of my deer hunting is done sitting on my butt these days.

I wouldn't call hunting frogs with an air rifle childish. I always thought it was a lot of fun, and good practice. If you want to get laughed at, show up for a frog hunt with a longbow. I don't usually kill as many frogs as my buddy does, but I know I have more fun.

Rob, I used to shoot a lot of frogs with an air rifle. Like skillet said, head shots are best. They're a lot of fun to hunt, and like you said, TASTY! Good Luck Rob, and have fun.

I get them on my lawn every summer like that, tons of them. I've been seeing them for a week, or better now. They're good for the garden, and they keep the cats entertained.

I tried add the page for you NeverSeenNorHeard, but it didn't work. A computer whiz, I ain't. I think you can download it by clicking on it.?

G-Man, I'd never heard of that site, and just checked it out. Lots of good info, including the B.x Swift, thanks. Collins Pt. 1.html

I've never hunted any place that I could just walk into the woods at any given time and shoot a deer, and I wouldn't want to. What challenge would there be in that? For me, It's about the hunt, not just killing deer. I grew up in, and have hunted the Adirondacks for over 30 years, and I earned every buck I've taken there. None of them came easy. I've always enjoyed bow hunting, and I've used a bow for pretty much all of my hunting for the past twelve or fifteen years. During the early bow season where I hunt, the deer are as relaxed as a wild whitetail ever gets, but I still wouldn't consider it easy hunting, nor would I want it that way. And once gun season opens, It's that much more challenging to get within 10 - 20 yards of deer that have been chased around, and shot at. I guess to answer your question, for me, It's more about the hunt, and getting close to deer undetected these days, than anything else. If I choose to shoot a particular deer, I have to wait for the shot I want, get the bow into position, draw, anchor, pick a spot, and make a clean release on an animal that's wired for instant action. And do it all at a distance where the slightest move at the wrong time blows everything. It's a rush that I don't get from anything else. That's the main thing I look for in a deer. An up close and personal encounter with one of the most beautiful animals in the woods. Everything else is secondary. Trophy hunters, meat hunters, or whatever we choose to hunt with. We may all get something different out of the experience, but IMHO, the important things are that we hunt legally, ethically, and that we stand together as hunters.

I've been reading some of the older posts, and I came across your thread. I hope nobody minds me bringing it back up. Just wanted to say congrats on your first with a bow. Looks like a nice doe to me.

I'm no big bear hunter, but I've killed two. One was just under 250#,and the other right at 150. They'd both been feeding on beech nuts and they were tasty. The back straps were awesome, and if you like liver, don't waste it. It's very similar to pork liver, one of my favorites, and I think It's even better. I don't know what the current laws are regarding the gall bladders, but I sold mine to my fur buyer for more than I would have thought they were worth. If It's still legal to sell them, tie it off where it connects to the liver with dental floss, or some other strong, thin string, and cut it away from the liver, leaving just a little of the liver attached to it. Butchering them isn't really any different than any other game. I love roast bear, so I cut mine into mostly roasts, and some steaks. I usually hunt alone, and the first one was a killer to get out by myself. It was like dragging a 250# sack of Jello. I bought one of Cabela's Mag Haulers, and it made it a lot easier to get the second one out. I could have cut them up in the woods, but I wanted to bring them out in one piece. Good Luck with the bears, and have fun.

I shoot year round too. I don't have a basement, so I pass on the really bad days in the winter, though. I have bad rotator cuffs, and if i push it, they put me out of commission for a while. So I'll shoot an arrow, do something else for a while, shoot another, etc. And I agree with you in regard to making that one shot count. Shooting that one arrow at a time, has eliminated the fatigue, and sloppy shooting I used to get towards the end of a long shooting session too.

Those are some pretty arrows, and the Razorheads have been getting it done for a long time. I shoot Gold Tip Traditional 5575/400's. 3 fletch, 4" parabolic, left helical, with 125 gr. original Woodsman broadheads. I use the same fluorescent yellow hen feathers, with a black cock feather. The yellow really shows up well for me.

The only thing I'd add to the great info above, is to pattern your shotgun with the loads you intend to use, at the ranges you intend to shoot. Just in case you don't already know it, there can be big variations in patterns between different loads.

Cool! I've got a buddy that has one, and he loves it. Nice gun,and It's accurate. It should be a small game killer. I'm glad to hear that your friends are taking the hunters ed class, and I agree with you about small game hunting being as great way to get people involved in hunting. I like the fact that you said "and everything else that comes with it", too. There's so much more to it, than just shooting game.

I should have known that, lol. They do sound good, and I love garlic. I don't mean to hijack your thread, but everybody else is throwing different ideas out there, so how about some canned/jarred venison? I can't get enough of it. lots of different ways to do that too, and they're all good. This thread is making me hungry.

Sorry to hear about your peppers Two Track. I had problems with mine last year. They'd blossom, then the blossoms would fall off, re blossom, etc., but I didn't get a single pepper all season. I've never seen it before, and I don't know what caused it. The black raspberries are doing great here this year too. We're going to pick some more this evening when it cools off a little. Should be a good year for the black longs too.

Nice! I built one like it for my little hunting shack. Same idea, only I built the high side against an outside wall, so the water would run off and left the front open. It holds about two and a half face cord. Keep us updated on your progress.

I agree. There's a lot of satisfaction in doing things for yourself. Those pickles sound awesome too, by the way. We do dill, and sweet, but we've never done any garlic. I'll have to give them a try, thanks.

The farmers here are way behind with their first cutting this year due to all the rain, but they're making up for lost time now. My buddy was finally able to cut and bale a couple fields by my house, so I got out for the first time a couple days ago. I got one, and couldn't get close enough to a couple others for a shot with my bow. It's the first hunting I've done since turkey season, and it was nice to get out. I'm looking forward to getting back out when the heat lets up a little.

Congrats on your new rifle Santiago. What specifically did you get? Hunting with a beagle is my favorite way to hunt rabbits, but I've done a lot of hunting without one too. I used to do quite a bit of still hunting for rabbits with a .22, once there was snow on the ground. I'd sneak around in good cover, and try to spot them sitting. It's fun, but I got more shooting opportunities by kicking them out of brush piles, blowdowns, and and other heavy cover, and shooting them on the run with a shotgun. Like some of the others said, two or more people hunting together, driving, or walking side by side in good cover, produces too. My favorite way to hunt squirrels has always been to sit quietly on a beach ridge, or along the edge of a cornfield somewhere where they're feeding. I pay close attention to where they fall when I shoot one, but stay where I am. Any others that are around, will get over the scare before long and go back to feeding. Good luck, and have fun.