Hunting...

farmerdude · #1 01-14-2005, 09:47 AM

continued...Didnt want to hog the other thread...

John...a turkey with a bow is an incredible challenge especially in the spring. I would recommend a blind with the shoot through windows. If not that, definitely some 3D camo. Those crazy birds can see you draw a mile away.
If you ever come to KC, let me know. We have over 1000 acres on the farm and those turkeys are everywhere.

Current setup is Bowtech BlackNight. I will prob get the Bowtech Defender this year. Plan to do some target as well.

Monte · #2 01-14-2005, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by farmerdude

continued...Didnt want to hog the other thread...

John...a turkey with a bow is an incredible challenge especially in the spring. I would recommend a blind with the shoot through windows. If not that, definitely some 3D camo. Those crazy birds can see you draw a mile away.
If you ever come to KC, let me know. We have over 1000 acres on the farm and those turkeys are everywhere.

Current setup is Bowtech BlackNight. I will prob get the Bowtech Defender this year. Plan to do some target as well.

Hunting turkey's with a bow is the definition of psycho!!

I hunt with a shotgun in far NW Oklahoma and it is the most challenging hunting there is, with the possible exception of antelope. I still can't imagine trying to get one of those with a bow....

As for my deer season, I was limited on the time I could go this year. I had the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and the weather was not cooperative.

It rained all day Tuesday and the bucks weren't moving. That evening it turned to sleet and snow, eventually into a blizzard warning for Ellis County. I was out there and had a BIG buck surprise me by walking up a ravine about 200 yards from me. He was downwind, and when I tried to shoot, my scope kept fogging and I was shaking so much from the cold that it was hard to shoot. When I did, my dad and I both heard the distinctive sound the bullet makes when it hits. It was almost dark, so instead of waiting, we went right down to get him, a rookie mistake I would never do if it wasn't getting cold and dark. I was sure he was down, but when I got about 75 yards away, he jumped up and ran over the ravine. Found blood but never could find him before it got dark, so the coyotes got a good meal.

Went again Wednesday, and it was snowy and windy, so I sat in a poplar grove where I had seen lots of rubs. Right before sunrise, an even bigger buck walked in about 75 yards away, but in thick cover. I waited, thinking he was going to get closer and in the clearing, but he walked straight through and I never saw him again. That evening, I went back to the place I went Tuesday night, and saw about 50 does within shooting range, but only 6 bucks, and all were 300+ yards away, and I kept waiting thinking I would get a better opportunity. Oh well, that is why it is called hunting and not shooting. I was on a place densely populated by deer and never got a buck. I did go back for bonus doe days in December, and got a fat doe, so at least my freezer is full again.

David Kaczorowski is also a hunter that is on this board.

Monte

Steve Killingsworth · #3 01-14-2005, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Sprague

Steve, we have a month-long spring turkey season coming up in May, and the boss and I are thinking of taking up gobbler hunting with the bow. Is there a shortlist of must-haves and must-learns that you would recommend to get us up to speed?

I'm with Monte. Anybody who takes a turkey with a bow is absolutely hardcore. Our local pharmacist has killed several (including at least one if not two Grand Slams) with his bow over the last few years.

The only real suggestion I would make is you will almost certainly have to learn to use a diaphram call. With a shotgun you can rest the gun on your knees while calling but not really an option with the bow.

As to deer, I took my 9-year old son, Seth, on his first hunt the day after Thanksgiving. We saw several bucks that didn't offer a shot when finally I saw a 4-point easing around behind the stand. I pointed out the deer and Seth tried to turn for a shot but his safety belt was too tight on the tree and he couldn't turn. The deer was coming right in to us so I started working the belt around the tree. Seth was breathing like a freight train and the deer heard him, then saw me wrestling with the belt. He started to run away so I used one hand for my call while twisting the belt with the other one. The deer stopped and Seth got him.

It was easily the most memorable deer hunting experience I have ever had.

John Sprague · #4 01-14-2005, 01:44 PM

Hey Steve that's a great story! Seth must still be walking tall from that.
My season wasn't so hot, I guess you'd call it a rebuilding year, since it was my first time back in the woods in probably twenty years. I let a number of does pass (waiting for bucks)
that I now wish that I had taken the shot on, and called in a few bucks that I couldn't get out of the thick. They just stayed in cover and snorted at me. In deer-speak I think it means "Hey guys, look at this idiot up in a tree".

Thanks for the turkey tips.

Steve Killingsworth · #5 01-14-2005, 02:14 PM

What is the bag limit in NY? Our limit (at least on does) is pretty liberal--3 bucks and as many as 6 does not counting quota and wildlife management area hunts. We usually don't have the monster bucks the north and midwest has but we make up for it in numbers.

Have you ever tried on of the can calls? I use a regular grunt call but have had quite a bit of success over the last three years with one of the cans. You might try one of them to pull the lurkers out of the thickets.

John Sprague · #6 01-14-2005, 02:59 PM

I was using a Lohman's keg, which at least got me a response from the brush, but had a tendancy to get sticky. It also came with a mini-grunt call, but seemed the pitch was too high compared to what I heard in the woods. I called in a buck with a rattle bag, heard him snort hard behind me, but before I could get a peek a woman came walking thru the woods with her weiner dog and scared him off. She then continued to pick up, unfold, and tuck under her arm my little folding chair that I laid on the ground under my stand. Think she was surprised when I let out a hardy "good morning!"?

Monte · #7 01-14-2005, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Sprague

I was using a Lohman's keg, which at least got me a response from the brush, but had a tendancy to get sticky. It also came with a mini-grunt call, but seemed the pitch was too high compared to what I heard in the woods. I called in a buck with a rattle bag, heard him snort hard behind me, but before I could get a peek a woman came walking thru the woods with her weiner dog and scared him off. She then continued to pick up, unfold, and tuck under her arm my little folding chair that I laid on the ground under my stand. Think she was surprised when I let out a hardy "good morning!"?

It is stories like this that just amaze me what y'all in the more crowded parts of the country have to deal with.

In almost 20 years of hunting, I've never even seen another human, other than an occasional rancher feeding cattle.

Come to Oklahoma and hunt!! While we don't have the most liberal bag limits, there are lots of places, lots of space, lots of deer, and some BIG bucks. A lot of those deer hunting TV shows are shot in NW Oklahoma.

Monte

farmerdude · #8 01-14-2005, 11:27 PM

[quote=Steve Killingsworth]
... Seth tried to turn for a shot but his safety belt was too tight on the tree and he couldn't turn. QUOTE]

Thats funny. It happened to me this year. I started wearing a harness cuz well...I'm skEArd of hights. I had a group of hens coming in, I went to draw back on the lead hen and could only go back halfway. Would have been a 10 yard shot. Finally the lead hen got nervous and took the crew out of range. It wasnt but a couple minutes later, the big boy shows up. All of a sudden he is 20 yards away, all I could see is his head and what a beautiful head. Huge thick 10 point 150s class about 20" wide. ...The only shot I would of had was the same spot as the turkey...I could have almost chewed that dang harness in two trying to get it loose with one hand...He then turns and walks away...I panic and reach for grunt...somehow it falls apart and half of it hits the ground with a crash...didnt bother the deer but almost gave me a heart attack. I then had the pleasure of watching him in a pasture for 15 minutes about 50-60 yards away until he headed back my way...I took a shot between my 30-40 pin at what I later measured to be 30. I shot over.
Had a good 15 minutes of the ole bow hunter's shakes after that one.
I met up with him again the following week. He came in from behind downwind and busted me. I could of had him down 2x if I had a gun but a buck like that deserves the respect of an archer.

farmerdude · #9 01-14-2005, 11:59 PM

More 04 farm deer. My cousin shot the little one.

farmerdude · #10 01-15-2005, 12:02 AM

brother-in-laws deer.

farmerdude · #11 01-15-2005, 12:07 AM

Trail cam.

dvmweb · #12 01-15-2005, 10:26 PM

I have two bird dogs. I love to hunt "upland" birds. It is almost religious. You get kind of a Zen. Your window that you can shoot the birds is about 2.5 seconds. Grouse, pheasants are a little slower. But you only get about 10%. of what goes up. You cannot think of anything else while you are doing this. You forget about about everything else. Sort of like groovin' on the bass.

I have hunted deer. i find that it is like going after a goat. Where I am able to hunt we use High powered rifles. No big deal if you ar a good shot.

Walt MI/UA

David Kaczorowski · #13 01-16-2005, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dvmweb

I have two bird dogs. I love to hunt "upland" birds. It is almost religious. You get kind of a Zen. Your window that you can shoot the birds is about 2.5 seconds. Grouse, pheasants are a little slower.Walt MI/UA

What kind of grouse do you hunt? Ruffed grouse is about the fastest gamebird there is.

I'm with you though about upland birds. My Dad started me as soon as I was big enough to walk through brush, I must've been 5 or 6 years old.

I just got my first dog in Nov. of '03, a black Lab named Apollo. It's been a great bird season so far. We started in October with a couple of woodcock hunts and have been hunting pheasants at least once a week since mid-November; we tried one quail hunt but were unsuccessful, probably due to the drenching rain. I'll celebrate Martin Luther King day tomorrow with a long pheasant hunt in the morning with Apollo, my Dad, and my 8 year old daughter who when she's not studying ballet (or performing with PA Ballet company as she did last month) can't stop thinking about when she'll get her hunting license.

Upland birds are zen-like not only in the shooting but in working and communicating with the dogs and the cover and the way you can feel a flush about to happen. Man, I'm already looking forward to October and this pheasant season isn't even over yet!

Marcus Johnson · #14 01-16-2005, 02:52 PM

Grouse is tricky, you really have to focus. Boy, is it worth it when they hit the dinner plate!

I went out grouse hunting with my Dad once when I was a kid, and we came back empty handed. When we got home, my Mom was standing in the driveway with two dead grouse; they had flown into our big picture window and ended it all! We ate very well that night, and she's never let us forget the time she outdid us that day.

Paul Warburton · #15 01-17-2005, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Grouse is tricky, you really have to focus. Boy, is it worth it when they hit the dinner plate!

I went out grouse hunting with my Dad once when I was a kid, and we came back empty handed. When we got home, my Mom was standing in the driveway with two dead grouse; they had flown into our big picture window and ended it all! We ate very well that night, and she's never let us forget the time she outdid us that day.

What a woman!

**Damon Rondeau** · #16 01-17-2005, 06:21 AM

Go for a hike around here and you won't have any trouble finding grouse. Years ago I was out in the bush messing with a bunch of pals, one of whom a lawyer acquaintance who happens to be a freak about firearms (the guy always creeped me out a little, to be honest; I'm not your typical guns 'n hunting guy.) I didn't even know the guy was packing a .38 handgun (the weapon was legally registered to him, but his carrying it and using it was totally illegal.) We're on an island, lazing around a fire enjoying lunch when this guy takes a little walk. Blam, blam!! He hit the bird with the second shot, didn't ruin it either. We already had the fire going, so 15 minutes later we were eating that bird. Nice not having to pick pellets out of it...

From looking at him you'd never think he was a pistol-packing honcho who could also sue your *ss if he needed to...

Devils Creek · #17 02-11-2005, 11:02 AM

Glad to see there's some other folks here who enjoy my other hobby.

Hungarian Partridge hunting in Alberta this fall.

I am a horseback field trialler with pointing dogs. Have raised Pointers (English) for over 30 yrs.

farmerdude · #18 10-13-2005, 07:55 AM

Any luck so far??? Been out a few times but no shooters yet.
The rut will start here in MO in a week or so.

Steve Killingsworth · #19 10-13-2005, 08:36 AM

Same with me. I have seen several little bucks but nothing ready for harvest.

I am pretty excited about a quota hunt I was drawn for on a wildlife management area in East Tennessee. This WMA (Catoosa) is known for its big bucks (the original stock came from Michigan). They have also had a quality management program in place for the last 8 years and now the place regularily produces monsters. We go in about 3 weeks.

John Sprague · #20 10-13-2005, 01:10 PM

Season opener in NY is this Saturday, and the scouting has been good so far. Scrape lines are heating up good, fresh rubs just starting to show up. I've got a couple of more properties to hunt this year, yes all 10-acre NY style hunting locations.