MuzzleLoader Season Opens Saturday

[KahrMan]

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[KahrMan]

small spike feeding below my stand. 

[Sunfish]

Going to be even warmer today. I'm going to hunt a little early and clean up around my stand with a chainsaw and loppers. The temp is headed down after the rain comes in. Be safe

[Quavodus]

Warm weather sucks for deer hunting. I didn't nothing Yesterday. Going again here in a little while.

[rugerla1]

Good movement for the day (yesterday) for as warm as it was. I had 5 does come in to check out the decoy around 7:45. First one blew at him and bounced a few steps, then calmed down. Second and third one checked him out for a while and hung around him. I think they were mad he wasn’t trying to flirt with them haha.  Had a button buck come in at 8, he stomped at the decoy and walked right under my stand. Button buck was bouncing around and showing off for the does. Then he and one doe bedded down 25 yards from me for 3 hours. That sucked, I was hungry, thirsty, and had to pee and they were both facing me and had no idea I was there. Then at about 3 I had a decent 6 come in at 10 yards. Just didn’t want to take him out. Seen him 2 weeks ago too. All in all a good day, but all day sits hurt more every year. It was 60 degrees when I got up, so I laid back down. Planning to go out this evening but wife keeps planning things, so we’ll see how this evening goes. Good luck everyone!

Edited November 5, 2017 by rugerla1

[KahrMan]

It is hard to pass on a nice 6 but think how big he will be next year. 

[bersaguy]

51 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

It is hard to pass on a nice 6 but think how big he will be next year. 

Since I was a meat hunter a lot more than a trophy hunter back in the day I would have taken that 6 pointer and went to the house. If I am going to hunt in these type of weather conditions and there is meat on the hoof and in good range meat is going home with me. I sure hope I get a chance to test drive that new 243 on a 6 pointer on opening day of gun.........JMHO

[n0rlf]

10 minutes ago, bersaguy said:

Since I was a meat hunter a lot more than a trophy hunter back in the day I would have taken that 6 pointer and went to the house. If I am going to hunt in these type of weather conditions and there is meat on the hoof and in good range meat is going home with me. I sure hope I get a chance to test drive that new 243 on a 6 pointer on opening day of gun.........JMHO

This ^^^^

I have been fortunate enough to bag some very big deer in my hunting days. Both bucks and does. The largest was a 247 LB, 11 pointer whose rack is hanging outside my office door. (Wish I had mounted the entire head). I never hunted for trophies so meat on the table is my first requirement. Of course management of the herd has to play a part as well. I love venison so for me it is the meat. I butcher it, process it, grind it (The right parts of course), mix it with Pork, stuff it, smoke it, wrap and vacumn bag it, and freeze it all myself. That is ppart of the fun I have had teaching the entire family. I guarantee that if the world falls apart my family will not starve for wont of knowing how to kill and process their own food!

Besides, Vensison pepperoni sticks are right up there with Baacon. Ok, almost!

[10-Ring]

I've been sitting in my blind for 30 minutes, it's hot!  Thinking I'll call it, not because I don't think I can get anything necessarily, but because I don't want to process one in this heat.  I'm working up some loads in my .45 muzzleloader using .357 horny XTPs.  May go work on that.

[KahrMan]

Hot and windy, great deer hunting weather. Lol. 

[rugerla1]

49 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

Hot and windy, great deer hunting weather. Lol. 

As bad as I wanted to be in my stand, I couldn’t get a good feeling about how it would go. So I stayed at home. Watch, tomorrow I’ll pull my card and there’ll be a shooter in front of my stand at 8am lol

[KahrMan]

30 minutes ago, rugerla1 said:

As bad as I wanted to be in my stand, I couldn’t get a good feeling about how it would go. So I stayed at home. Watch, tomorrow I’ll pull my card and there’ll be a shooter in front of my stand at 8am lol

That’s the way it always goes. Lol

[RED333]

In Mt Juliet I have not heard a shot fired, most days I do hear a shot or 2.

[KahrMan]

23 minutes ago, RED333 said:

In Mt Juliet I have not heard a shot fired, most days I do hear a shot or 2.

Now that you mention it I did not hear one shot yesterday from the surrounding properties.  I usually hear two or three shots on opening day.

[Howler]

This has been the worst start to a season yet. 

[rugerla1]

25 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

Now that you mention it I did not hear one shot yesterday from the surrounding properties.  I usually hear two or three shots on opening day.

I didn’t either and I’m hunting Mt juliet as well

[rugerla1]

Definitely bringing my rain gear in the morning. Supposed to move out mid morning and stay cooler then more rain coming in tomorrow evening. Sounds like a good combo. 

[rugerla1]

14 hours ago, KahrMan said:

 

Edited November 6, 2017 by rugerla1
Double tap

[rugerla1]

I pulled in the driveway this morning at 4:45. As soon as the truck turned straight on the gravel I saw one of my big bucks that I’ve been seeing on camera standing 10 yards from my truck eating, then he took off across the yard and into the side woods. My heart sank. Not sure if it had been better to see him at all, but I was glad to see him on the hoof instead of camera. No movement yet, not even does since him. Rained on me for a while and had really cooled off since yesterday. Good luck y’all and wear your harness!

Edited November 6, 2017 by rugerla1

[n0rlf]

Well what a way to start a season. Big 5 point this morning. Got it with a Toy 55. More precise one of the neighbors did. Car is trashed but she is ok  Either way he is going in my freezer. 

[KahrMan]

They will do some damage.  My truck is in the shop right now getting fixed from hitting a deer a couple of weeks ago.  The bill is up to 6k so far.

[n0rlf]

6 minutes ago, KahrMan said:

They will do some damage.  My truck is in the shop right now getting fixed from hitting a deer a couple of weeks ago.  The bill is up to 6k so far.

Her entire front end is trashed. This was a big deer. I wish I would have weighed him. Never thought about it. Needed to get him dressed and hung so I could get to work. Now I need some pork and I can make Sausage!  

[Omega]

26 minutes ago, n0rlf said:

Her entire front end is trashed. This was a big deer. I wish I would have weighed him. Never thought about it. Needed to get him dressed and hung so I could get to work. Now I need some pork and I can make Sausage!  

Nice, at least it won't go to waste, and the antlers can be used as well since they are not broken.

[Ronald_55]

35 minutes ago, Omega said:

Nice, at least it won't go to waste, and the antlers can be used as well since they are not broken.

Speaking of not wasting, any of you guys tan the hides? My father-in-law keeps the antlers, but tosses the hide in the dumpster. I wish I had time and space to tan a few of them. 

[Omega]

23 minutes ago, Ronald_55 said:

Speaking of not wasting, any of you guys tan the hides? My father-in-law keeps the antlers, but tosses the hide in the dumpster. I wish I had time and space to tan a few of them. 

When I was stationed at Ft Bragg, the post had a shed they let us use to field dress/process our deer.  They would collect hides for the Scouts who would tan the hides and use them for their projects.  I've never tried it though I have read up on it, sounds easy enough, procedure wise.