Dream Buck

Was out last evening at a Buddy's farm. This place is known for huge bucks, and he charges thousands for hunters to try for one.

I help him manage the herd, and thin out the dinks. It's a tough job, but someones gotta do it! Anyway, I always have a problem at a stand called the Rockpile stand. I can't seem to kill anything there. Don't get me wrong, I see lots a deer. Last night 2 mule sized does walked right in front a me. My problem is that I pass up the dozens a deer coming in and out of that field. Here's why...

It was 2 years ago, the pre-rut was just getting under way. I'm lying on the ground, the stands aren't set up yet. Out in front of me at the far end of the field walks a buck, later to be named the brow tine buck. I'm tellin ya, the rack on this buck was unreal. It had 4 or 5 points on each side, but what really made the rack was the incredible length of the brow tines. They had to be a foot long! Lookin straight at him, all the tips looked like the same height.

He was about 280 yards in front of me, walking straight towards me. The wind was perfect, but I wasn't gonna take the shot till he stopped, and since he was walkin twards me, he was cuttin the distance with each step. You know what I'm gonna say next. Something caught his attention in the next field over while he was behind a slight rise, and he was gone.

Now I'm not much of a trophy hunter, but I have dreams about that buck. My buddy wonders why I didn't take the shot, he's seen me take further. I guess I figured the only thing worst than not shooting was shooting and loosing that animal.

So that's why I pass up on every other deer I see in that field. I guess I'm waitin fer something...

Here's a pic I found on google of a similar rack. A shed hunter found huge sheds with long brow tines in the area. I'm tryna get a picture, if I do I'll put it up.

Stalking black bears

Yeah, the kids are gettin real good at it...

That time of the year...

Fur trappin season is gettin close. So much to do, so little time! Got to dye and wax traps, sort out gear, send in my orders for replacements, etc., etc, not to mention deer bow season opens in this area today. Then there's goose n turkey huntin, scoutin, patchin boats, tuning 4 wheelers and snowmachines, nuisance animal control, dog training....aw hell, maybe I'll just go fishin!

Ya, I know what yer thinkin: add "clean up the yard" to that list!

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Well, it's the only turkey pic I got...

Winchester XP3s...I like em!!!

Here's a pic of a nice freezer doe I shot last night. She dropped within a few yards with a heart shot bout 150 yards out. The exit passed through the shoulder bone and bled like a stuck pig. I was using 150 grain 30/06 xp3s, shootin a Savage 111.

I went with these bullets because I lost a buck last year. I was using ballistic tip type rounds. Not a drop of blood! I never had a problem with these rounds in the past, they were very accurate, but always found they didn't leave a good blood trail. This is due to the design of the round, which rapidly expands and expends all its energy inside the animal. In theory, this makes alot of sense, 100% of the bullets energy is expended on the animal. In practice though, you only have one small entry wound, with no exit. As you all know, sometimes this gets plugged up with hair or fat, or clots up. And if you hunt in the thick stuff or swamp, you need a blood trail or else the wolves get a free meal!

As you can see by the pic, these xp3's petal out at the tip rapidly, then they also have secondary expansion in the middle of the bullet. This bullet I recovered from a buck last year. The animal dropped in its tracks from a frontal neck shot. I thought it was weird that I couldn't find an exit, till my oldest son spat it out after a bite of backstrap! It went through the front, and drove through along the spine for bout 8 inches! Wow, that's holdin together man!

Another thing I like is the ballistic type tip on them. Their trajectory is pretty near that of ballistic tips, so I practise with my handloads, which saves me lots a money!

Check em out here: http://winchester.com/products/catalog/cfrlist.aspx?bn=16&type=69

Coon Hound

Finally! A day with no skunk calls. Gave me some time to work with Juba, my young Plott hound. Well, his dam was a bluetick, but he favours the Plott.

Juba is four n' a half months old, and is coming along well. I started him on a drag, then live trapped a coon. It was a little dicey at first, he howled like the devil but was scared to approach the cage. After draggin the cage home (with Juba trialling it) I shot the coon and let it fall out. Lil Juba was still too scared to go after it, even after watching Max, my Airedale mix tear into it. Persistance paid off though, as he started worrien it after me coaxing him for 45 minutes!

Now he goes nuts on that skin, which I now use as a drag. He's even starting to bark tree!

Forcast good for coon...

Was at a trappers rendezvous this weekend, and a feller from fur harvesters auction was there. He sez to go hard on the raccoons, and to get them in for the early sales. Prices are very high, but the market may be flooded by the later sales and prices could drop. He also says he wouldn't even bother setting for coyotes this year....

Skunk Whisperer

So I tell my funny story to an old feller this weekend. He sez "I been trappin' skunks for 60 years, and haven't been sprayed in the last 20".

So whats yer trick I say

"Well, I guess you don't know how to talk to them...."

Skunked!

Now, not what you think! Got a call this morning from a guy in town. Seems he trapped a skunk in a live trap and wanted me to come down and remove it (my reputation precedes me...).

No problem I sez! Easy money! See, I've got the skunk handling down to a science: I quietly approach the trap holding a blanket high up in front of me. Pepe can't see me....just a wall approaching him. When I get to the trap, I slowly lower the blanket on top of the trap. When the blankets covering the trap you can lift it no problems.

Well, I should have known something was going wrong when the wind started blowing the blanket like crazy. The critter started gettin real agitated, stamping his feet and such, but I wasn't too worried, the cage was too small for him to turn and lift his tail. Then it happened. From the corner of my eye i see the yellowish stream of liquid shootin up. Wind catches it and, well, I guess I'm sleepin outside tonight!

By the way, a good wash for skunk essence is: green dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda. Get it into a good lather, and rinse it off. Works pretty good. Well, good enough to be allowed in the house, anyways!

No deer, but....

A couple a geese instead...

Junior loves his goose hunting, so we set up at a nearby pit for some pass shooting. After shakin off the rust we were doing fine. Both of us use 870 super mags with 3 &1/2 inch shells. We find the added power of the 3&1/2 inchers make up for the steel loads, required up here for migratory birds. Yeah, we can really reach out and touch em....

Deer season opens today....

October 1st, leaves are changing, geese are flying, and deer archery season is open!!! Be nice this year too, as we've had a killing frost...no bugs!

Been real busy so far this fall renovating, haven't done much scoutin...guess I'll go sit in the ol' reliable stands.

Ya know, come to think of it, I haven't even been goose huntin yet...and the seasons been open a couple a weeks! Thought I was kinda low on hamburger meat (I grind all my geese, taste pretty near to sirloin burger!).