The hunting/fishing thread!

[muddy75]

Went fishing again yesterday. Same lake bank fishing. Fewer fish this time. Tried another lake that has been good in the past. No keepers. It seems every bank fishing spot the spawning beds are fished out. Not just picked over. Crossing that lake off my list of places to go.

We haven’t gotten to fish at all this year due to the move/homestead expansion. We have family on Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley that claim the fishing there is awesome this year! We hadn’t caught much there for a few years now.

 

[The Birb King]

Went fishing last week and caught 3 trout and a small bluegill

 

[itsasmallfarm]

anyone get drawn for any big game? friends and family got drawn for elk and mule deer.

 

[User105877]

Hate to wish time away, but can't wait for fall to get here

 

[muddy75]

Hate to wish time away, but can't wait for fall to get here

I'm on zero hurry! Still trying to enjoy spring in the summer heat and fall just means countdown to winter and associated preparations

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

New toy. A Sitemark Wraith Mini Thermal scope. Its only slightly larger than the Aimpoint I had on my AR and much smaller than my ATN 4k Pro night scope on my .308 airgun. I got it for trespasser patrol, but should be fun for hunting as well. I put an aftermarket QD mount on it and it goes back to zero when I detach it and move it between guns. It saves the zero for 5 guns.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Dog at 43 yards. 2x magnification. White heat.

About 5 yards. Black heat.

Footprints on tile floor. Red heat.

 

[troyer]

Dog at 43 yards. 2x magnification. White heat.

About 5 yards. Black heat.

Footprints on tile floor. Red heat.

Is the footprints residual heat?

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Is the footprints residual heat?

Yes.

My AR’s bullet holes in cardboard glow for about 30 seconds, and my air gun projectiles glow for three or four seconds.

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

First harvest with the thermal tonight. Used a .30 carbine air rifle shooting a 45 grain ballistic tipped pellet.

The thermal is a game changer. I saw the coon slipping through thick brush long before I would have been able to see it with traditional night vision. The wind was swirling and when it stuck its head through an opening, sniffing, I took the shot. I don't think I would have had that shot with my normal night scope.

BTW, this hunt was chicken-related. For months I've been running a half-acre electric paddock down in the woods and rotating chickens in and out. It's been a while since I've had chickens down in the woods. A limb fell on the electric net and I neglected to check the net for a while. When I found the limb and fixed the next, I became suspicious that some varmints had moved in and sure enough, there was at least 2 coons and a possum behind the net and coming to the feeder when I checked the trail camera this morning. The two coons were eliminated tonight, and I think I'll get the possum in a live trap.