The hunting/fishing thread!

[muddy75]

Good luck to you

Thanks!!! It’s a bit chilly up here today!!! We’ve been informed that we have to be off property before 6pm now due to the Christmas decorations in the yard that means I’ve got to get my toocus out of bed early especially after the time change

 

[duluthralphie]

Terrible time for time change.

 

[muddy75]

Terrible time for time change.

Yeah my entire routine has to change…..I hate winter!!!!!

 

[duluthralphie]

I blew the first shot of the season. I blame it on Covid and Minnesota laws.

We have a law that forbids the shooting of rifles or shotguns with slugs 10 days before the first firearm season. Our first season was youth season Oct 17.

On October 7th I was nearly bed bound so I didn’t get to fire my gun. This is shotgun and slug only area. I hadn’t looked at my slug gun for a year.

I saw the dear a little after 7am. But it is as pretty dark, pitch black actually. I could make out the outline of something but was not sure if it was a deer or pocket gopher piles. At 7:30 I could tell it was a deer, but it was in the shadows of the pines and I could not make it out well. I would put my scope on it and I could hardly see it through the scope. It was east of me right in line with the rising sun.

I became impatient at 7:50. I still could not see it well in the scope. The deer was 140 yards away. A long shot for a mere mortal but not me. It was very hazy in the scope. Then I thought it was because I didn’t have my reading glasses with me.

It was not full daylight yet. The sun rose at 8:01 this morning. But the deer was getting twitchy. So I figured it was now or never.

I lined up as best as I could through the haze. I also knew there was just dirt behind the deer. And fired.

The deer jumped and looked around the ran 30 yards into some wild plum and stood there. I could see it well enough to shot safely with my naked eye but through the scope it looks as fuzzy again. I shot and it didn’t move through the scope I thought it had laid down.

When I lowered my gun it took off for the swamp. And was never seen again.

I did not find blood on the first shot and could not see it where the lead hit. I could see my lead strike in the dirt on the second shot. I was low.

I went and got my reading glasses from the house. When I got back in the stand it was full daylight sunny day.

I looked through the scope and it was still fuzzy. Further examination lead to the discovery the scope was dusty. Still further examination lead me to find the. Eye relief had been turned. I keep it at almost 3. At that I don’t need glasses as the correction is made for me. It was below zero!!

I think someone monkeyed with my gun. Considering the WW is the only one that knows the combination to my gun safe besides me. She has some explaining to do.

I am now ready if I see another. I am hoping this little fellow forgets he was shot at here and comes back tomorrow.

even now you can see how dark it is at the base of those pines.

Had I been able to sight my gun in those troubles would have been resolved.

 

[Little Chicken Mama]

Hey y'all just wanted to share the buck I shot this past weekend during youth opener!

 

[duluthralphie]

I had a second chance at sunset. A small button buck walked up to my stand and asked to be supper. His wishes are being fulfilled. His tenderloins are on today’s menu.

Not a lot of shooting this morning yet.

When a deer desires to feed us, there are consequences for all. This is what a plastic window in my blind looks like after shooting a deer through it.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

heading out later this week for a few days of deer hunting. going to try for a white tail this time. (still got to get my mule deer doe but my tag is not valid for this zone)

sighted in my gun, (30-30) and turns out the scope or scope mounts must of be broke. can not get it to hold zero. its all over the place. so am going to leave the 30-30 at home and decided to take the sks out. (thing shoots better then me) so guess that is the gun am using.

 

[duluthralphie]

I haven’t updated in a couple days.

We got two deer Sunday morning. My hunting partner shot and I figured he missed as a deee ran by me. I shot and hit it.

he texted me and asked WTH you doing? I texted back, “ I shot the seee you missed”.

He replied “ bs mine is laying here”.

Then us. Two old codgers figured out there were two deers.

We gave them time to die, then field dressed his. Then went to get mine. It was leaking dinner plate size blood spots every 10 feet or so. Small drops of blood between. We tracked that silly deer over a half mile through swamp and across an open forty. It died on the far edge of the forty.

I thought I had a gut shot, except what looked like lung pieces was in the blood piles.

When I field dressed it the left king was hamburger but the right lung was whole. I have read they can run a long ways on one lung. First time I saw it.
I was shooting downward towards the deer on a dead run. The billet entered high on the right side missing the right lung but destroying the left lung.
Both deer were young bucks. His had a antlers of 4 inches, so he was forced to use a real tag. Mine had antlers under 3 inches so I could use an bonus tag.

I am out again. It’s cold I am in full cold weather gear. I can see my breath. The heater is going full blast but not doing much to warm it in my stand.

I will be opening the windows in about 15 minutes. Then it will get even colder in here.

I am hoping for another anterless deer today. Hopefully a large doe.

I want to save my real tag for a big buck. We have 5 more bonus deer to go.

time to hunt

 

[duluthralphie]

Another day ends. Only saw blue jays and crows today.

 

[duluthralphie]

As luck would have it, I had a deer walk out 4 minutes before hunting closed for the day.

So as you know it was pretty dark. I could tell it was a BIG bodied deer. I am guessing buck because it was a lone deer.

it was about 70 yards out. I needed a scope on my gun. But nope it was not there anymore as I had removed it since discovering it was shooting 8 inches low…But I being the eternal optimist, decided to take a shot.

So I decided which window to shoot it out of. I had to pull the pins from the window to lower it. I pulled the top pins. And used the bottom pins as hinges. (Because the person who designed these windows is a genius) Everything went fine. The deer watched me for a few seconds but went back to eating.

I poked the end of my gun out the window using the window as a shooting rest.

I carefully tried to line up the front and rear sights. There was a minor problem. I could not see the front sight and where I was on the deer.

It was still legal shooting hours.

I was shooting down hill from a high stand. So I guessed the amount low I needed to aim would be offset by the amount I needed to elevate the shot for 70 yards.

I took a breath and exhaled a little, held my breath and squeezed the trigger.

It was obvious immediately that all my calculations were so far off I could be confused for a blabbering idiot

When the bang was heard by all, the deer bounded off unscathed to ruin my life again another day.