Hunters, Ready for deer season?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

It’s that time of year again, so here’s a deer hunting thread for those so inclined. Just curious about other hunters and your plans, changes for this year, etc. I realize the season’s already in full swing in many places (at least for bowhunters), but better late than never.

For me, this year marks quite a few changes, mainly due to the drought and the increasing invasion of feral hogs.

We’ve spent a considerable amount of time putting pressure on the hog population this year, with numerous hunts (and barbecues). We’ve even turned to professionals to help reduce, or drive away the beasts. Their methods and equipment are pretty interesting, and I posted about one of the hunts here (post #30). It seems to be working. We’re finding very little hog sign, at least in the areas where our stands are located.

I’ve changed feeder types also. The hogs were destroying any feeder they could reach, so we spent some of the summer installing hanging feeders. These are suspended from pulleys, so we can just attach to the 4-wheeler winch and lower them for refilling. They feed based on a photocell, and according to our game cameras at least, they are doing a better job than the timer-based.

We tried rice-bran last year, and every stand so equipped produced at least one deer. We’ve loaded the bran into small narrow trough feeders (anchored to the ground) in front of the stands. The narrow trough seems to defeat the hogs (the large ones can’t get their snout in it). I’ve removed the peanut-butter feed, since it didn’t seem to work last year. The PB was untouched the entire season. Other hunters are swearing by it, but I had no luck.

I tried a crossbow for the first time last year, and had some success. So I’ve moved “my” season up a bit to take advantage of both archery and modern gun seasons. Hopefully this will help me to fill the freezer this year.

Among other changes: My son now works in the NE, and due to the new job pressures, will only get to spend a day or two in the field. Thankfully there’s a landing strip near our lease so his travel time can be minimized. It’s a 750 mile round trip from our house, and we usually take turns traveling for cabin maintenance, filling feeders, killing hogs, etc. But this year I’ve had to make all the trips myself, which can be a little tiring. Also, I replaced my old truck with a smaller 4-wheel drive model early this year. I don’t know whether this will allow me to finally get all the way to my stands, or just get me stuck further from the road. :stuck_out_tongue:

So other hunters, tell me about what you’ve planned, what you’ve changed, etc. Always looking for ideas.

2

I don’t trophy hunt but usually take a doe or two for the meat from our places in Burnet and Junction. However, I’ve still got steaks and summer sausage left from last year so this time I think I’ll just work on the hogs. They’re a real problem for us too, damaging fences, feeders, the A.C. units around the house, etc. They have even torn up some of the dirt roads, wallering in the mud and making large holes.

My buddy shot Hogzilla last year, so apparently despite our best efforts they’re continuing to propogate and thrive. I can’t post the cameraphone pic I took of it but if anyone wants to put it online to share just PM me your number and I’ll send it over.

I’m not sure what conditions are going to be like yet. The Texas Hill Country is in the middle of such a terrible drought and things will be very different from years past. I’m looking forward to getting back out there and assessing the situation but at the same time am a bit fearful about just what I may find.

3

I don’t know anything about hunting, but I wish whoever is in charge would pull out all the stops when it comes to deer hunting around here. Yes, partly because last year, I hit one of the damned things on my way to work, but also because the sides of the roads are already littered with carcasses. To my mind, that translates to too many deer.

So raise the limit. Donate the meat to food banks or something. Just thin out the herds around here. You know it’s getting out of control when you look in your back yard and see a family of 5 deer noshing on your shrubbery…

4

Donation of the meat is my usual thing; I just don’t find deer all that tasty. But I’m pretty set and sure on at least two.

5

Mule deer for me. With modern muzzleloader. I have a place picked out where the deer were thick last elk season.

6

We’ve changed our elk hunting strategy drastically. We used to go into the high country and chase them all over. It was fun, lots of action but no shooting. Now we hunt elk out of our tree stand and we’re a lot more successful. I got a 5 point bull on opening day, first antlered bull I’ve ever shot. :slight_smile:

I think we’ll stick to the tree stand and try to get the old man an elk; cow season opens tomorrow so that makes the prospect of 10hrs up a tree a lot more palatable. I’m hoping for another lonely satellite bull to come down but I know my dad would be jacked to shoot any elk.

Dad and I have both passed up little bucks. We want to get out and do some hiking and rattling, maybe hit the high country and look for mulies. I’m sure we’ll end up back in the stand for the rut.

I got a dinky little fork horn with my dad’s muzzleloader last year which was awesome. With a freezer full of elk I feel like I can be picky about my deer. I might strap on the snowshoes for muzzleloading.

7

I love venison, but do not hunt.

A few requests:
[ul]
[li]Please shoot to kill. It sucks every winter to watch the deer in our yard that have a mangled limb or an arrow in the rump.[/li][li]Only hunt on property where you have permission. I hike on our property and during deer season I am armed. I will escort a trespasser off our property after taking their weapon. (I return it once they are off our land and the police arrive).[/li][li]Shoot only the species in season. Every year I hear stories about cows, goats, dogs, horses, etc being shot.[/li][li]If you are tracking a wounded deer and you follow trail onto posted property, get the landowners permission to proceed.[/li][/ul]

8

My husband hunts, I don’t. So please forgive this question…

When you kill the feral hogs, what do you do with the carcass? My husband just leaves it there, for other critters to dispose of. Mind you, this is on his own land, about 44 acres of West Texas scrubland. He and his brother and nephew and nephew’s friend are going out there tomorrow to get things ready for the season.

9

Lynn, if it’s one like Hogzilla we leave it for the coyotes and turkey vultures. It took 5 grown men to lift onto a flatbed. They’re nasty to clean and, if you ask me, not so tasty. The smaller ones though, they’re good eating. I’ll fix one up in camp and an excellent cook friend has left a standing order to bring one back for him anytime.

10

The hunting party usually consists of one or two grown men (with bad backs) and one or two teenage boys who haven’t attained their full growth yet. So generally they leave the hogs, which are mostly Hogzillas.

I like pork, but I really don’t care that much for game. It just tastes so…gamy.

My husband and his brother both have a feeder, with motion activated cameras. Apparently, the hogs like the feeders much, much more than the deer do. The hogs like to DESTROY the feeders, too, along with the deer stands.

Ay yi yi.

11

I don’t hunt [can’t hit the broad side of a barn with a brick] but I have friends and family who do. Folks, STAY SAFE out there. Even something as simple as not having white hankies or anything on your person that could be thought to be a flash from a deer’s tail.

And everything that kayaker stated as well.

12

Forgive an ignorant city girl, what is this “Hogzilla” of which you speak? Is it a species of wild pig?

BTW, I do like game. My cousins hunt and I’ve had venison, turkey and duck. The turkey was the best, but the taste of the wild duck spoiled me for plain, domestic duck.

13

The term “hogzilla” refers to an enormous feral hog shot in Alabama a few years ago. In our case, we’re just using it as a generic term for “unusually big hog”. I linked to a old post in my opening thread where I maintain this size is pretty rare (but makes for good TV footage).

I’m not sure where you hail from (and forgive me if you already knew this) but feral hogs are rapidly becoming a scourge here in the South (and Southwest). They are doing an amazing amount of damage due to their size, aggressiveness, and breeding rate. They are so problematic now that some landowners are rewriting deer lease agreements to ensure that hunters kill any wild hogs they see. I know of one case where the agreement states that hunters are required to shoot any hogs they see, and failure to do so will void the lease. My guess is it’s written this way to force the hunter to shoot even if he thinks it might spook his deer. Where I hunt there is no “hog” season and you are allowed, nay encouraged, to kill them year round. There is a law that prohibits “wanton waste” and requires hunters to gather the edible portions of all game and use or at least donate them. This law does not apply to hogs.

[Gollum] We Hates Them! [/Gollum] :slight_smile:

According the TX dept of agriculture page, they’re now giving “Hog Out” grants to counties based on the number they manage to kill. I wouldn’t be surprised to see state governments offer actual bounties for killing them before long.

14

My God, that is one big hog! I had heard that feral pigs were a pest in some regions, but I didn’t know they could get so big. No wonder owners don’t mind hunters going after them.

15

I’m in the coastal hills of NW Oregon and rifle deer season started on Oct 1st. Bow hunting season for deer and elk was from late August to late September and there is a one week break before rifle season starts. I was a bowhunter when I was younger and had more vacation time but I just don’t have the time to invest in the bow anymore.

The area here is large conifer forest. Big evergreen trees and lots of them. If you ever watched Axe Men on TV it is the same area. Not a lot of open country or farming fields to hunt. There are patches of clear-cuts in the forest that you can scope out.

We are not allowed to provide any type of bait or food to attract deer. It’s is buck only with a minimum of one forked antler. And we call it by the western count, a 3 point has 3 points on each antler, it is not a 6 point.

I have been hunting my own favorite spot in the hills. There is quite a bit of logging activity so you need to do a lot of pre-season scouting to chose where to hunt. But there are several hundred square miles of forest and open logging roads. I feel fortunate to have all of this in my ‘back yard’.

But like most parts of the country the cars take several times the number of deer that the hunters do. I am mainly interested in getting outside in the morning, high above the valleys and slumbering little towns below. And just enjoying the moment. I heard a trio of ravens last weekend making noises that I had never heard last weekend. That is why I get out there.

16

My husband went out to his farm yesterday, and checked the cameras on his feeders. Yep, lots of hogs, and some deer. And also lots and lots of cattle. Apparently the cattle enjoy the feed corn. He is royally pissed off at a couple of his neighbors, apparently at least one of them is leaving the gates open when they go through his farmland.

17

Lynn, tell him to practice saying the following:

“Gosh. I *thought *it was a deer. Now that you mention it, we did get a lot of meat when we dressed it out.”:stuck_out_tongue:

18

I’ve suggested something similar. I don’t like venison, but I DO like beef. And I figure that if Bill helped feed it, then he should be entitled to a chance to eat it.

19

My husband got a young doe last week with a Hyundai Sonata. Not a lot of meat, but it should be tender. :wink:

20

Sadly, hunting by car is not all that more or less expensive than any other means of hunting these days.