2014 Off Season Support Group Deer Season Thread

[Slappy]

LOL, you guys bring me much joy and happiness.  Yes Dave, I think a new thread should be started. :-) 

 

So hunting wise, I am really only working on setting up some turkey blinds in pre-scouted spots.  Last year the turkeys were NOT following their usual spring patterns.  The reason for this was the cool temperatures.  This made it nearly impossible to hunt them the traditional spring way by calling them in.  They were nearly silent! The people who were successful in hunting turkeys had them patterned.  They knew where they would be and at what time and set up in front of them.  Thats what I plan on doing this year especially if they are silent like they were last year.  

 

Deer hunting wise...I still need to clean my rifle!!  I am so bad about that.  As it gets closer to spring, we will be prepping our fields to plant a variety of things.  Soybeans, Cowpeas, Corn and maybe a sunflower field for dove.  So I am pretty excited!  I also want to hang a few new stands in some new locations.  

 

One thing I want to do this off season is to expand my effective range.  I want to set up targets at distances of 150 yards out to 300 yards or so and see if I can make ethical shots.  If I can, great, I just expanded my effective range.  If I cant, then I need to figure out whats wrong, but I will know how far I can shoot before I start making low probability shots.  

 

One thing I have noticed is how the deer all of a sudden start showing back up now that the season is over! haha, sneaky SOB's

[Luke E.]

I put a "new to me" rifle in layaway in preparation for deer and hog hunting seasons ahead. My plans are to move to Florida in late spring or early summer. The timing all depends on how long it takes S/S on my disability. I will be moving somewhere between Pensacola and Crawfordville, preferably the Port St. Joe or Appalachicola (sp) area. That part of Florida is over run with hogs! I plan on getting settled in, lease some property, put out feeders with motion detector lights and invite some of my TGO Brothers down for what I will call "Hog Fest"!! Oh yeah, fishing invitations will run 24/7!!!

Since deer season never ends, just the deer harvesting part, what off season plans do y'all have? Slappy...start that new thread!

Dave

Dave

Dave, we're in Graceville FL. at a camp right now and the trail cams show lots of hogs and even a group of 10 piglets. The property owner has said to kill as many as possible but they seem to be nocturnal right now. The wind has been brutal and seems to be keeping things bedded down. I got my third deer of the trip today. I was standing outside the trailer at camp and something caught my eye. I looked up and a doe hungry buck was strutting across the field. Luckily my rifle was hanging on a post between us so I snatched it up. The buck had gotten behind the well house so I ran and grunted stopping him shy of the tree line. Dropped him in his tracks. I've got a poor pic on my phone (Tim's dad had strung him up and skinned him before I could get a good one) we have little cell service but I'll try to get a pic up shortly.

[Luke E.]

Well I've created another photobucket account with my phone and uploaded the pics but I have searched the account from top to bottom for the photos and can't find them to copy the link. Anyone got any pointers? I'm on an iPhone but don't have enough service to download the app so I'm on the regular page.

[Luke E.]

Timthetoolman and I just did a night time pig stalk. Two were over a rise and couldn't see them but there stood one at the 50 yard mark. I waited until I heard Tim start to squeeze the trigger and I pulled 3 more a fraction of a second later. Needless to say the ol' girl dropped in her tracks with 4 300 blackout bullets in her. She had 3 piglets within a week of being born so we effectively took out 4 hogs so the owner should be happy. Pictures will be posted as soon as we hit civilization.

[DaveS]

Timthetoolman and I just did a night time pig stalk. Two were over a rise and couldn't see them but there stood one at the 50 yard mark. I waited until I heard Tim start to squeeze the trigger and I pulled 3 more a fraction of a second later. Needless to say the ol' girl dropped in her tracks with 4 300 blackout bullets in her. She had 3 piglets within a week of being born so we effectively took out 4 hogs so the owner should be happy. Pictures will be posted as soon as we hit civilization.

The Chinese and Vietnamese would pay good money for those piglets and ate the hell out of them! You can't sell them here but overseas they sell them. Gross!!!

 

Dave

[Luke E.]

Made it back to decent cell service so here comes a few pics.



This guy was in major rut mode with a very swelled up neck and walking quite stiff legged.

[Luke E.]

The Chinese and Vietnamese would pay good money for those piglets and ate the hell out of them! You can't sell them here but overseas they sell them. Gross!!!

Dave

I agree that is really nasty! What's kinda funny is I had made a head shot on one of them. I've got a pic but wasn't sure if I should post that one.

[Luke E.]

Here's a shot of Tim and I with the hog that we both gave a bit of lead poisoning.



This was my first hog and Tim's 2nd so it was an exciting night.

[Luke E.]

Here's a shot of all the meat (minus the 25# that we gave Tim's dad) we got off of my 3 deer.

[Wiljo05]

Looks like y'all had a very good hunt! Congrats! Now it's almost coyote time!!!

[Luke E.]

Looks like y'all had a very good hunt! Congrats! Now it's almost coyote time!!!

Thanks man, yea we had a lot of fun. Just getting away for a week with no real plans other than hunting. We got a bunch of meat and that was our goal.
I'm looking forward to the coyote time! I'm turning around and heading to NYC early Saturday morning and come back on Thursday but after that I should be back to normal schedule.

[rugerla1]

Luke, AWESOME pics! I know that was fun, glad you were able to partake in it and share the pictures with us!! Thanks for posting them up.

[Luke E.]

 We were also able to recover one of the 120gr Nosler ballistic tip bullets from barely under the skin on the exit side of the pig. I kept it but keep forgetting to take a pic and post it. it almost fell out the other side, when the hair was held back you could actually see the copper color of the bullet through the outside under then skin. I read or watched somewhere one time that Ideally you want enough penetration that the bullet passes through everything important that gets in its way but have as much expansion as you can get slowing it down enough to just barely fall out the other side. Now I don't know that this is the best information ever but if it is accurate, it was the perfect load/bulllet/caliber combo! I'll try to remember to through it in my pocket in the morning to show you and post pictures of it. 

[DaveS]

Luke; Awesome hunt photos! Once you get that first pig, you're hooked for life! To me there is no better rush than hunting pigs and bears!

 

Dave

[DaveS]

Here's the 300+ pound brute I got in Florida this past summer...what a Rush!!!

 

Dave

[Luke E.]

Here's the 300+ pound brute I got in Florida this past summer...what a Rush!!!


Dave

That's a nice one there! It was definitely a rush getting out there and stalking them at night. I learned several things about them while I was there so next time around I should be able to get on them better. That particular area's hog population has exploded over the last few years and kinda made me want to own a couple hundred acres around there!

[Slappy]

What did you shoot him with Dave?

[DaveS]

What did you shoot him with Dave?

7mm/08 120 grain in the neck behind the ear. That round dropped him to the ground and he kicked his legs a time or two and that was it!

 

Slappy; I plan on moving to Florida this year and I want to get set up so I can invite y'all down for some Florida Hog hunting! I hope it all works out. By the way, hog hunting in Florida on private land is open 24/7 and it's free!

 

Dave

Edited January 25, 2014 by DaveS

[Luke E.]

7mm/08 120 grain in the neck behind the ear. That round dropped him to the ground and he kicked his legs a time or two and that was it!

Slappy; I plan on moving to Florida this year and I want to get set up so I can invite y'all down for some Florida Hog hunting! I hope it all works out. By the way, hog hunting in Florida on private land is open 24/7 and it's free!

Dave

Well I sure hope it works out for you and mrs. DaveS to make the move. Seems like something you guys (or at least you ;) ) have been looking forward to! I'm always down for a trip to Florida especially in the panhandle down to central Florida area.

[rugerla1]

Here's the 300+ pound brute I got in Florida this past summer...what a Rush!!!

 
Dave

Holy crap! Nice'n brother!!

[Slappy]

7mm/08 120 grain in the neck behind the ear. That round dropped him to the ground and he kicked his legs a time or two and that was it!

 

Slappy; I plan on moving to Florida this year and I want to get set up so I can invite y'all down for some Florida Hog hunting! I hope it all works out. By the way, hog hunting in Florida on private land is open 24/7 and it's free!

 

Dave

 

Man that would be great!  I have never hog hunted before so I bet this would be a fun weekend for us all!  Very nice of you sir!  What part of FL?

[Luke E.]

Ruger it was good to meet ya this morning. Now there's 3 of us that know my secret to killin two hogs with one bullet without the bullet ever leavin the first hog ;)

[rugerla1]

Ruger it was good to meet ya this morning. Now there's 3 of us that know my secret to killin two hogs with one bullet without the bullet ever leavin the first hog ;)

LMAO! It was good to meet you too. My skill level is lacking since I don't think I could make that shot! HA HA I may go to OK Corral tomorrow if I can get some things done around the house in the morning. If I do head out there, I'll call you.

[Luke E.]

LMAO! It was good to meet you too. My skill level is lacking since I don't think I could make that shot! HA HA I may go to OK Corral tomorrow if I can get some things done around the house in the morning. If I do head out there, I'll call you.

Brother I'm about 4hrs outside of what I'm sure will be hell on earth (New York City). Was gonna run straight through but was getting tired and at least every other overpass was ice so I wheeled in to the Holiday Inn Express and an gonna call it a night. I'm about 110% I'll be wishing I were at OK Corral after about 5 minutes of being in NYC but my sister needed help moving and a load of stuff hauled up from home so I figured I'd put my dislike of large crowds of idiots aside to help take care of family.

[rugerla1]

Brother I'm about 4hrs outside of what I'm sure will be hell on earth (New York City). Was gonna run straight through but was getting tired and at least every other overpass was ice so I wheeled in to the Holiday Inn Express and an gonna call it a night. I'm about 110% I'll be wishing I were at OK Corral after about 5 minutes of being in NYC but my sister needed help moving and a load of stuff hauled up from home so I figured I'd put my dislike of large crowds of idiots aside to help take care of family.

Crap! I forgot!! Can ya tell I should still be asleep? Sounds like you made a good decision, get some rest brother. Don't be driving that tired. Y'all be safe and have a good trip back. We'll get down there one weekend...OK Corral, not NYC! LMAO!

I'm with you on disliking big crowds, but also, gotta help out the family when they need it. Talk to you soon Luke.