This Rodent Life

[blueridge]

When do you head to WY?

 

[Pucky Freak]

When do you head to WY?

11/3. I am checking weatherstreet daily for snow depth in my unit - right now 0" Hoping for at least a couple feet in the high country to push the animals out of the wilderness to where I can hunt them. Also planning on hitting the rifle range each of the next three weeks to get some practice in.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Tues headed to the outdoor range. Made up a “1 minute drill” - bag on the ground, prone, rack a round, get in position and get a controlled shot on the target. Most of the time was spent on getting a natural zero and the correct eye relief. Lowest of 5 shots @100 yards was right on the money, while the rest grouped a bit high.


Weds got to 20 yards on 10 turkeys but was 3 mins past sunset. Did bag a squirrel.


Headed back tonight for a second try on the turkeys and no dice. I guessed where they’d approach the roost, but was off - closest bird was 70 yards, and then they all busted when I walked out.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Probably my favorite way to hunt whitetails is sitting out in the open on the ground, archery, public land. Headed out early this AM to a little honey hole I discovered last year. It’s a small grove of mature oaks abutting a bedding area. Raccoons, squirrels, turkeys, and chipmunks also congregate there for the acorn feast.

First deer I spotted was a spiker at 150 yards walking right towards me. He entered my scent cone at 60 yards, but was more curious than alarmed. He paced back and forth, stopping broadside at 50 and 45 yards. He eventually ran off to harass a doe, and pushed her towards me. She came to 25 yards but with nothing blocking her eyes I could not draw. She hit my scent and took off like a rocket with the buck in tow. Her two fawns jumped out of the way and stopped at 30 yards, facing away. I finally had my opportunity to draw. One fawn was directly facing away and the other was sharply quartering away. This isn’t a shot I ever plan to take, but in the excitement of the moment I let an arrow fly. I should have waited for something between 45-90 degrees. My immediate following thought was that was really stupid. However, the fawn looked hit hard. She slowly walked 20 yards, bedded down, and died a few minutes later.

While waiting 30 minutes just to make sure she was dead I counted 5 squirrels. I’m headed back tomorrow to try and bag a couple.


In inspecting the deer I threaded the needle on a target about 3” wide. Arrow nicked the rear leg, passed through the paunch, one lung and exited just behind the opposite front shoulder - never found it.


My little helper got to sleep in today, but she jumped right in to help me cut up the carcass and label the packages.

 

[Pucky Freak]

 

[Pucky Freak]

Tues night sat for birds and only found deer (bottom left of pic)


Tonight back on the rifle range, and my zero was definitely off, maybe from my spring bear hunt.


A few clicks to correct and final 3-shot set was dead on and could cover with a nickel, 100 yards from a hot barrel.

 

[Nick87]

Probably my favorite way to hunt whitetails is sitting out in the open on the ground, archery, public land. Headed out early this AM to a little honey hole I discovered last year. It’s a small grove of mature oaks abutting a bedding area. Raccoons, squirrels, turkeys, and chipmunks also congregate there for the acorn feast.

First deer I spotted was a spiker at 150 yards walking right towards me. He entered my scent cone at 60 yards, but was more curious than alarmed. He paced back and forth, stopping broadside at 50 and 45 yards. He eventually ran off to harass a doe, and pushed her towards me. She came to 25 yards but with nothing blocking her eyes I could not draw. She hit my scent and took off like a rocket with the buck in tow. Her two fawns jumped out of the way and stopped at 30 yards, facing away. I finally had my opportunity to draw. One fawn was directly facing away and the other was sharply quartering away. This isn’t a shot I ever plan to take, but in the excitement of the moment I let an arrow fly. I should have waited for something between 45-90 degrees. My immediate following thought was that was really stupid. However, the fawn looked hit hard. She slowly walked 20 yards, bedded down, and died a few minutes later.

While waiting 30 minutes just to make sure she was dead I counted 5 squirrels. I’m headed back tomorrow to try and bag a couple.
View attachment 244659

In inspecting the deer I threaded the needle on a target about 3” wide. Arrow nicked the rear leg, passed through the paunch, one lung and exited just behind the opposite front shoulder - never found it.
View attachment 244660

My little helper got to sleep in today, but she jumped right in to help me cut up the carcass and label the packages.
View attachment 244713

View attachment 244714

@ElkFever2 are you just sitting at the base of a tree or behind a fallen tree for cover ?

 

[Bullshot]

Wish I had fox squirrels. They are worth the effort, not like my gray squirrels.

 

[Pucky Freak]

@ElkFever2 are you just sitting at the base of a tree or behind a fallen tree for cover ?

I sit or stand in front of a tree or deadfall. With my profile broken up deer look right through me. The challenge is staying statue-still and only moving when their eyes are obstructed. When I take my daughter with I’ll tuck her chair in some grass or brush since she moves around a bit.

I used to hunt behind trees or make a makeshift blind but found that just blocks shot angles and makes it harder to draw.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Wish I had fox squirrels. They are worth the effort, not like my gray squirrels.

A good one weighs about 2 lbs! I grew up in MN where we had red squirrels and they’re really not worth the effort. Just a mess of hair and hardly more meat than a dove.

 

[Nick87]

I sit or stand in front of a tree or deadfall. With my profile broken up deer look right through me. The challenge is staying statue-still and only moving when their eyes are obstructed. When I take my daughter with I’ll tuck her chair in some grass or brush since she moves around a bit.

I used to hunt behind trees or make a makeshift blind but found that just blocks shot angles and makes it harder to draw.

Interesting, never hunted whitetails with a bow from the ground. However during gun season I prefer to sit on the ground in a dead fall or makeshift blind. Hate those pop up blinds unless I've got one of the kids with.

 

[duckhunt]

Interesting, never hunted whitetails with a bow from the ground. However during gun season I prefer to sit on the ground in a dead fall or makeshift blind. Hate those pop up blinds unless I've got one of the kids with.

I like to use my turkey lounger chair.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Early AM headed to a reliable turkey spot I haven’t hunted this season yet. Everything was there eating acorns except turkeys. Lots of squirrels though! Time for a thread title change.

A juvenile I let be




Late AM headed for a spot that’s normally underwater and I’ve never been to. The drought made it accessible by foot.



Beyond was a shady cool ravine with water in the bottom, adjacent picked corn field, and oak-covered hilltops. If I were a turkey, I’d be right there. Sure enough there were a half dozen birds, but 10 yards over the fence on private.

Did find a neat consolation prize on the way out - I don’t have much of an eye for these but the white on black made it stand out.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Maybe last day of the year in the 80’s, my daughter asks on the way home from church if we can go fishing. Then at home she asks if we can hunt. I say well, which is it? She says this afternoon we can fish, then hunt turkey, deer, and elk I said why don’t you pick one, and she says fish…no, hunt. No…I changed my mind. Fish.

We play a game where we both guess the first animal we will see on public land. Usually we’re both wrong, as there are a lot of animals to pick from. But where one of is right, I’m down 0 to 3. The first two times she guessed “a duck” when going to the timber and she was right both times. I picked a woodland animal…go figure. Today she guessed “turkey”


Hook ‘em and cook ‘em!

 

[Pucky Freak]

 

[Pucky Freak]

Going for Billings by nightfall, and 1111 miles to camp tonight. 76 degrees here yesterday and forecast says 3 degrees for Friday AM scouting. I’m excited to try and turn up some bulls. 17” snow hitting the high county and looking great to see some animals on the move

 

[tarheel]

View attachment 244783

Well done!

 

[duckhunt]

Good luck

 

[Gellar]

Travel safe!

 

[steveshuntn1]

Good luck!