Stoking the fire

[BrentD]

Wife: I am over these squirrels and how aggressive they are on the bird feeders!

Me: quite feeding them

Her: I'm not. I'm feeding birds!

Me: there's a large grey bird with a fuzzy tail stealing your suet cake right now.

Inventing new ways to thwart squirrels is kind of fun, but this guy that makes obstacle courses for them, really gets the most out of his yard wildlife. I believe he has 4 iterations of this on line now.

 

[Ben Lamb]

That kind of cardio would kill these squirrels.

 

[BrentD]

That kind of cardio would kill these squirrels.

Your wife could make it her mission to whip them into shape, thereby improving their quality of life and improving their flavor in the frying pan at the same time. Just sayin' garlic, butter, and a few onions... sauté gently.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Your wife could make it her mission to whip them into shape, thereby improving their quality of life and improving their flavor in the frying pan at the same time. Just sayin' garlic, butter, and a few onions... sauté gently.

I asked. She said...

I often wonder about the concept of the good lord letting you find things when you are ready, or that the lord places things in our paths when we can finally appreciate them. About 1/2 mile on a small track I've previously ignored for no good reason other than I walked a small part of it a few years ago.

Funny what happens when we let ourselves just wander.



Tons of fresh scratchings and a few purrs & clucks. Water on site, grains and mast close by. Even found a couple new covers for grouse (moved a female out of a tree about 50 yards from the truck). Lovely spring day out in the woods. The dogs are muddy and tired. Buddy has a first week tag, I have a second week tag. Pulling cameras on Friday and spraying the heck out of some clothes. Swinging by Sportsmen's today to grab a box of shells and a call. Figure I can master turkey calling in two evenings, right?

 

[BrentD]

What kind of calls? You need two, imo.

 

[Ben Lamb]

What kind of calls? You need two, imo.

Prolly a bull elk and a rhino call.

They'll never have heard those before. it's like taking candy from a baby.















































































Kidding.

Likely a box and slate call to start.

 

[Sytes]

Over the last 5-10 years, my joy in hunting big game has been largely non-existent. I've had a few fun hunts, but I wasn't really into it. I got a bird dog, and that consumed a lot of time along with running a small business, family health, etc. I've just kind of lost the joy of big game hunting. I feel myself getting softer on killing things, and root for squirrels, possums and skunks, etc. Roosevelt once said something to the effect that the hunter tends to put down the rifle and pick up the camera as they mature - that the killing just becomes too much. I've heard the same sentiment from one of the hardest SOB's god ever made. I think there's some truth to that. but I also think that each person's hunting is an adventure on it's own - that everyone has to come to the place where you recognize that killing things is part of you are, and that's ok - even if you have a soft side that roots for the underdog, or for the coyote to outrun the pursuer.

I've been doing a lot of exploration of new chunks of isolated state land close to me. It's been an interesting few months (Not much snow here in the northern lower), and ticks are out, so make sure your clothes are sprayed & the dogs are covered. What I've found, along with new covers that I likely wouldn't have even guessed exist - is a new joy in the scouting of game. I've got a 2nd week tag for turkeys and while there are a gang of about 5-6 Toms that use our property it kinda feels like cheating, so...

In the last two months we've been finding tons of grouse, lots of new deer hunting spots with minimal human presence detected and we were impolitely escorted off a piece of state land by a very unhappy and protective coyote. There's a joy of being outdoors looking for wildlife that hasn't been there (except for upland) for quite a while. The exploration, pouring over maps & data points, comparing forest overlays, even placing cameras on some public land. I've been fortunate enough to get selected for an enhanced hunter ed school in early May, which I'm eager to do and learn to shoot better, and most importantly - to be a better hunter overall.

Maybe it's being in closer proximity to accessible lands (rural versus urban) but the fire feels like it's back. Maybe it's changing perspectives or removing myself from situations where hunting felt more like gate-keeping, or like there was an air of exclusivity around it - the elite hunter model that seems to have infiltrated all things hunting related. Maybe it's just finally letting go of all that shit and enjoying myself in the moment, not caring what anyone else thought of how I did what I was doing, or why I was doing something.

Maybe it's living in the moment, and not getting wrapped around the axle of every triggering thing I see and maybe it's being in proximity to the impending death of a loved one yet again that helps keep my eyes open to all that is still amazing, beautiful, wild and accecssible.

I don't know. I just know that the off season here is getting $*)Q!#@$ ugly, and we should get some focus back on what makes us all part of the hunting community beyond cartridge size and broadhead weight.

View attachment 322229



View attachment 322230

View attachment 322231

I hiked the heck out of the Bob under the premise I was "hunting" reality? I love to explore, no RV generators going day and night, away from it all. My hunting companion Scout passed and he made the sled haul all the more enjoyable! Not sure of our new dog (wife's pick). She's a blue nose pit. GREAT young gal though I don't see her managing Griz the same as Scout.
Maybe it's just not the same w/o him...

Still though. The hunt, while still value the elk and bucks, I pass on so many unless it really fits the tag punch. Something about the solitude and millions of stars.

Dogs are pretty flipping awesome hunt companions if willing to accept they have a propensity for spooking the game.

 

[Ben Lamb]

First season starts tomorrow. A friend is coming up w/ a tag. I just pulled the cameras I had set on some state land. Well, 2 of the 3. One has walked away, which sucks and my moms has already told me I can't buy anymore, so I'm down to 2 cameras. /Kicks dirt

That was sucky. And the camera that was left I had high hopes for as it's a nice little spot next to a pond, but after 6 days, only a couple of deer, a porky and a good looking song dog. The spot that the camera got taken from is now high on the list of places to be over the course of the season, if only to make sure my gun is patterning properly.

But then I got to the next spot and once passed the kelly hump, saw fresh scratching from that morning, and about .25 miles later I bumped a couple of does. Then I popped up to a field, and a coyote was out sunning himself in the field. Got to about 15 yards before he realized the jig was up and he gave me a pretty good side-eye on his way out.

Tons of deer on the camera, so likely going to be in there for deer season, but no turkeys.

Called the neighbor last night to let him know we'd be set up on the property line as well, as the yard birds are back. Apparently we have permission to hunt his place as well. 2 nice Toms and 3 Jakes last night crossed the road from his to ours, and then roosted right behind us. They were answering calls and making a rukus.


These are not turkeys:

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNnKgCRs1PqZaxV3YMvi1c_f6ACPQt7Tp55CQIt
My tag starts next weekend. Rain is forecast for the first three days, so likely will be set up in a blind somewhere. I'll use the week to explore across the way and find some roost sights that are deeper back, and less likely to have a school bus driving by when I let loose a load of #4's.

 

[Infraredice]

well timed.

need more pics.

my life is unfortunately insulating me from the outdoors right now, so i need more of this on HT.

I feel that, would love to get out more

 

[Infraredice]

I hiked the heck out of the Bob under the premise I was "hunting" reality? I love to explore, no RV generators going day and night, away from it all. My hunting companion Scout passed and he made the sled haul all the more enjoyable! Not sure of our new dog (wife's pick). She's a blue nose pit. GREAT young gal though I don't see her managing Griz the same as Scout.
Maybe it's just not the same w/o him...

Still though. The hunt, while still value the elk and bucks, I pass on so many unless it really fits the tag punch. Something about the solitude and millions of stars.

Dogs are pretty flipping awesome hunt companions if willing to accept they have a propensity for spooking the game.

My dogs not a good hunting dog, but shes great ro bring with for company, and shes good at not scarin em off as long as i take her for a run first

 

[Ben Lamb]

We put 7 toms to bed this evening. Have permission on 2 of the 4 properties they can scatter too.

@BrentD sent a lovely cherry wood box call & we got 3 of the toms to respond from the roost. The boys are horny.

The hens all seem annoyed.

7 hours till the alarm goes off.

As God is my witness, I hope turkeys fly our way.

 

[BrentD]

They are coming for you. Shoot straight!

 

[Ben Lamb]

Gobble gobble

 

[BrentD]

Fantastic! Now, the story.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Fantastic! Now, the story.

Not mine to tell.

 

[BrentD]

Not mine to tell.

Well hand him or her a beer and get to typing!

 

[Dougfirtree]

First season starts tomorrow. A friend is coming up w/ a tag. I just pulled the cameras I had set on some state land. Well, 2 of the 3. One has walked away, which sucks and my moms has already told me I can't buy anymore, so I'm down to 2 cameras. /Kicks dirt

That was sucky. And the camera that was left I had high hopes for as it's a nice little spot next to a pond, but after 6 days, only a couple of deer, a porky and a good looking song dog. The spot that the camera got taken from is now high on the list of places to be over the course of the season, if only to make sure my gun is patterning properly.

But then I got to the next spot and once passed the kelly hump, saw fresh scratching from that morning, and about .25 miles later I bumped a couple of does. Then I popped up to a field, and a coyote was out sunning himself in the field. Got to about 15 yards before he realized the jig was up and he gave me a pretty good side-eye on his way out.

Tons of deer on the camera, so likely going to be in there for deer season, but no turkeys.

Called the neighbor last night to let him know we'd be set up on the property line as well, as the yard birds are back. Apparently we have permission to hunt his place as well. 2 nice Toms and 3 Jakes last night crossed the road from his to ours, and then roosted right behind us. They were answering calls and making a rukus.


These are not turkeys:
View attachment 323494
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNnKgCRs1PqZaxV3YMvi1c_f6ACPQt7Tp55CQIt
My tag starts next weekend. Rain is forecast for the first three days, so likely will be set up in a blind somewhere. I'll use the week to explore across the way and find some roost sights that are deeper back, and less likely to have a school bus driving by when I let loose a load of #4's.

That buck does not look like a shrimp...

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Fantastic! Now, the story.

Well it began the night before with a raucous frat party

 

[BrentD]

Today, I have had friends in Iowa, Nebraska, and Minnesota (I guess that was yesterday actually), and now Michigan kill gobblers. I'm living large - vicariously.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

@BrentD

Ben and I put the birds to roost in a group of pines. The next morning, coffee in hand, realtree bathrobes cinched tight we stumbled the 27.5ft to our makeshift blind.

#huntinghard #bootsstrappedtight #privatelandwarriors

The birds were full of piss and vinegar and responded loudly to our sultry hen calls.

After about on hour of flirting with the toms, Ben and I were starting to get doubts on our plan.

Were we doing something wrong? Why were they hanging up?

So like western boys in the east we said F-it blinds aren't our thing let's go stalk them.

We waddled through the woods towards the sounds of the birds...

...G-dam$&...

Birds were still in the roost, and as we approached they jumped to the ground.




Which should come as a surprise to no one....

The turkey's trotted off to safety.