"OFFICIAL 2013 HUNTING THREAD"

[booey50]

m4 madness is a deer killing God...

Want to be just like him

 

[HICKMAN]

spend from about noon to 5 today scouting and getting stands set up for the boy and I for firearms season.

Not being able to hunt on Crane this year sucks, but I'm lucky to still have a little bit of woods that belong to the family.

 

[Dargasonus]

I don't use my ground blind very often, but it's nights like this that it's worth its weight in gold!

Saw one fork and a box turtle decided he wanted to come in out of the rain, who was I to say no!

Ha! My father and I got in my blind last thursday and there was one huddled up out of the rain as well

 

[vwarren]

Hickman have you got to get back to crane since the shutdown ended?

 

[HICKMAN]

Hickman have you got to get back to crane since the shutdown ended?

Most at Crane weren't affected at a the 15% gov shutdown. I think the cops/fireman were, but they'll get backpaid.

Contractors can't hunt out here this year, but I hear we may be able to again next year.

 

[HICKMAN]

Bummed a crossbow from a buddy and decided to hit the woods this afternoon. My plan was to sit in a field edge ladder stand I placed last weekend.

I decided to get there early for an evening sit so that I could trip up a couple of branches.... to find the tree I had locked the ladder to empty...

This is private property owned by my uncles and this crap just pisses me off. I know the area I hunt there is visible from the road, but I had tucked the ladder back a bit thinking it wouldn't be seen, guess I was wrong. This is the same area we had a deer poached late last season.

After I settled down from fuming, I relocated to one of my stands that's down in a bottom, usually pretty good when the rut is on.

Didn't see any deer until I got back up to the truck that was up in the just picked soybean field, saw a young buck and a couple of does just after last light.

Lots of squirrels and even a couple of raccoons. If anything, I'll get some of the action before gun season.

 

[hammer24]

At home sick this weekend, but a couple of hunting buddies both saw bucks chasing does tonight. One of them watched a 2 1/2 year old chase a doe across a bean field 3 times.

 

[mjpell]

Bought a Mission Crossbow this weekend, and shot a doe with it tonight! Pretty good day!

 

[RGriff69]

Bummed a crossbow from a buddy and decided to hit the woods this afternoon. My plan was to sit in a field edge ladder stand I placed last weekend.

I decided to get there early for an evening sit so that I could trip up a couple of branches.... to find the tree I had locked the ladder to empty...

This is private property owned by my uncles and this crap just pisses me off. I know the area I hunt there is visible from the road, but I had tucked the ladder back a bit thinking it wouldn't be seen, guess I was wrong. This is the same area we had a deer poached late last season.

After I settled down from fuming, I relocated to one of my stands that's down in a bottom, usually pretty good when the rut is on.

Didn't see any deer until I got back up to the truck that was up in the just picked soybean field, saw a young buck and a couple of does just after last light.

Lots of squirrels and even a couple of raccoons. If anything, I'll get some of the action before gun season.

That sucks! I had a stand stolen last year. Aggravating!

 

[whitetailbowhunter]

I had a spike come into the foodplot yesterday morning and he was looking hard and sniffing harder. He was walking away when he got right downwind of me and smelled the estrus I had out. He b-lined back immediately and came within 12 yards of my stand. (you could tell he was looking for a doe) It got rainy/windy/very cold so I got down to do a little spot and stalk in some thick cedars and I was stalking a deer on the top of a ridge when I closed in on two coyotes. They both ran across a deer trail and I made a little whispering sound and one came back to check out what was going on. He was staring directly at me at 20 yards for about 30 seconds as I was holding the pin on his chest. I let her fly at took my second coyote of the season. Man they are everywhere this year. I've been out 5 times and have seen deer and coyotes 4 of 5 times. I'll be back at em tonight.

 

[rkesar]

I shot a nice doe this morning at 20 yards, shot it with rage hypodermics and tbe blood trail was insane.

 

[whitetailbowhunter]

Saw my first Bobcat ever this evening. It came in behind my stand and was stalking a squirrel. It was very interesting to actually watch it hunt and all of a sudden another squirrel started being very vocal up in a tree over the bobcat (the squirrel continued to chirp for about 25 minutes, very annoying haha) from other pictures that I've seen but it had a light brown coat, white belly with spots all over, bobbed tail, and pointed black ears so i'm positive it was a bobcat. Very cool evening even though the only deer I saw was a tail.

 

[jburris]

View attachment 22585View attachment 22586
Was in my stand over a cut bean field at 7:45 this morning. At 8:10 this bad boy fell prey to my barnett jackal. Hit him with a nap spitfire at 28 yards. First buck for me and first crossbow kill period. Gonna go back out in a couple of days and try to find a doe.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

Hickman - it's not just contractors that were kicked out this year, it's retired employees as well. The new NAVFAC commander reinterpreted the rules and made the call. It wasn't the Natural Resources director or any of his crew. I know quite a few contractors that hunt and even more retirees that hunt - not fair - not fair at all. In my opinion retired and active duty military should be allowed to hunt as well, and not jammed all up in 1A either. I hope it gets changed before next year.

Other changes - only one state gun hunt this year - that's why so few people were drawn for Crane. That one was due to the numbers falling off in estimated herd size. We also have seen the season bag limit drop to two (one buck) for archery and gun. Also, gun hunters must submit to a background check. Your CCW doesn't count. If you work at Crane and hold clearance - doesn't count. The check must be done every year. That one's here to stay.

 

[HICKMAN]

yeah, i know a few guys I work with are hunting in 1A.

I think their herd size #'s are bogus, all of the gun hunts last year were terrible, think it stormed 3 out of 4 different hunts.

Oh well, I'll just keep waiving at the deer on the way in and out ever day.

 

[JeremiahJohnson]

I sat through most of those. Ha. Lot of warm days too.

Hope they at least let the retirees back - that's total BS.

Funny thing is the contractor numbers weren't very high at all. The vast majority of hunters during bow season last year were still federal employees.

 

[HICKMAN]

Yeah, in our area it's a pretty good mix. Many of the guys are retired mil and go home to hunt.

I took advantage of it because I could get up a tree faster, lol. Sign in at lunch and haul ass to the woods right after work.

 

[HICKMAN]

who's in the woods this weekend?

I plan on sitting with my son in a 2-man with a xbow along a scrape line. Would love to get him on film getting his first buck.

Tomorrow I plan on being in a tree all day and have already taken on off next Thurs-Mon to hunt as much as I can.

 

[Hookeye]

Busy today, maybe tomorrow.
Out to sling a few from the Blackwidow, keepin' old muscles in semi workable form

 

[whitetailbowhunter]

saw a little buck last night. He came into my scent line and reworked the mock scrape I had just made and then left. Sat for 5 hours this morning and saw nothing.. I hate those mornings. I'll be out tonight and all of tomorrow.