IS IT JUST ME OR WHAT?

[revolvercranker]

If there is anything that curbs my esthusiasm to hunt it's my AGE!! I may be an old dog, but I still can hunt.

[sixshot]

Reading all these stories reminds me of a father & a mean little kid I met one time when I was antelope hunting back in the very early 70's. I think it was maybe 1971, not sure, but I had drawn an antelope tag for the unit around the old Gilmore ghost town south of Salmon, Idaho. My 2 kids were just babies at the time & I was hunting alone in the high desert country around the old historic ghost town.
Getting there kind of late I threw out my bed roll, actually a Woods brand sleeping bag & started counting stars, somewhere around the 2 million mark I fell asleep. I always sleep good in that cool mountain air, dreaming about an upcoming hunt. The next day I drove several miles glassing small herds of antelope until I spotted what I was looking for & I quickly dropped into action, right underneath my old GMC truck. I can't remember why I crawled under it but I did.
The buck was pushing the doe's towards a fence on an angle across in front of me & the doe's starting popping under the fence, antelope will rarely ever jump over a fence. 4,5,6, doe's went under the fence without even breaking stride & I wondered if I would get a shot & then he stopped, right at the fence line & I sent a 100 gr Hornady spire point through both front shoulders. I have that buck mounted in my basement.
As I was skinning him in the shade of a mountain mahogany tree I could see a truck approaching off in the distance. After a couple of minutes a man & a young boy about 10 years old drives up & walks over & the man said, wow, it looks like you got a dandy, sure wish I could get one like that. The kid said, dad, you never get anything, you always go hunting but you never get anything!
The guy said, I've shot at 2-3 this morning but my gun must be off, I'm about out of ammo, my wife's going to kill me because I've spent all this money coming up here & now we have to go home empty handed. And the kid starts in again! Dad, you always say the gun is off, we just never get anything, how come we never get anything. The dad was taking a beating from his own kid & was actually almost in tears & I was almost ready to beat the kid! And then the guy says..... could you help me out, my wife is going to kill me. He said, I know where there's some antelope but I know I can't hit one & I'm about out of ammo. And then the kid starts in again.
I finish skinning my antelope & then I lower it on my plastic sled & pull it over to the creek & wash it off in the cold water & then I gut it & rinse it out really good with cold mountain water, everything is clean. Then it's into the coolers with a bag of ice in each cooler.
We drove back down to where there used to be an old railroad line coming down from the ghost town, the tracks were long gone. We sneaked up & peeked over & the guy was right, there were some antelope in a little wash out of the wind with a buck in the bunch. This was years before rangefinders. I ask the guy how far they were & he said some crazy distance, something like 500-600 yds. I said, they are less than 200yds. He went home with an antelope. I don't know what kind of story they told momma when they got home, that kid was a brat!

Dick

[x101airborne]

We eat deer meat all year long because it substitutes our income. It is almost a necessity. My Father owns around 1500 acres total and I take care of all of it. I spend all year working and feeding on this land so I know where to find a deer. Our shots are long, rarely under 100 yards and handgun hunting is hard although I have tried several times. Hogs here are not as spooky as deer and I have handgun hunted hogs with some success. Most years between 6 of us we kill around 16 or so deer. This year has been the worst. With me getting run over and trampled by a cow causing serious spinal damage, cows needing feeding and Dad being in and out of the hospital it has been a short season. I enjoy sitting and watching all the animals so a day without a deer is just as good as getting one.

I do admit to "farming" for deer as well as cattle. If the food plot (5 acres) gets a little hairy I turn the cattle in on it for a couple days then pull them out. The food plot usually seems to grow back well. We are all low fence and a couple of my neighbors and I work together monitoring growth, choosing bucks to pass on, counting does, etc.. I leave certain areas of brush and even have a "sanctuary" that we dont hunt (22 acres) that has water year round and lots of hardwoods for food. I even limit herbicide use to leave the little forbs that seem to attract deer but there is nothing stopping them from heading out of our place and some neighbors have noticed our bucks have gotten a lot bigger in the last several years. I always think "Well duh!" but I dont say anything.

I will hunt till I cant but I only take what I need. If the next season comes around and we still have meat I will pass on most of them but I am still hunting. Now if old "Moss Back" comes out he is probably going to get dropped but I am not in a hurry. If the freezer is empty I kill deer till I fill it. But it is only what I need. Kinda odd that a beef rancher doesn't kill a steer but eats deer year round. I also have a duty to teach my kids about hunting, tracking, aging on the hoof, processing and cooking. Never know when the WalMart is going to hit the fan and where are you going to get meat then? That is my duty as a father and as a conservationist and I take it seriously.

[45MAN]

IT IS JUST THE Mrs. AND MYSELF AT HOME AND UNFORTUNEATELY SHE IS NOT INTO GAME MEAT, HOW I WISH SHE WERE BUT SHE ISN'T SO MOST OF MY DEER MEAT IS GIFTED.

[revolvercranker]

Jan 16, 2024 11:48:45 GMT -5 45MAN said:

IT IS JUST THE Mrs. AND MYSELF AT HOME AND UNFORTUNEATELY SHE IS NOT INTO GAME MEAT, HOW I WISH SHE WERE BUT SHE ISN'T SO MOST OF MY DEER MEAT IS GIFTED.


Two of the best meats in the country, Venison and Bison! I'm not discounting Elk and Moose and the rest of the species we hunt and enjoy eating.  I've been told Mountain Lion is very tasty.  I never knew that. 

[junebug]

Them cattle stomping's are damn painful, and they sure know how to do the stomp! But when we mess with big animals everyday sooner or later they are going to get their licks in. An old guy I used to work with said I was crazy to set out in the cold hunting. When he wanted a deer he just put the 22 rifle on the tractor when he went out to feed the cattle. Said just push in the clutch let it slow to a stop heart-lung shoot the deer he wanted and drive on. Said they would just crow hop a little not knowing what hit them, and be laying within 20 yards or so when he came back thru from feeding. No deer for us this year freezer was full.

[sixshot]

x101, I read that twice, really enjoyed it! A few years ago one of the local ranchers got pinned up against a loading chute & got worked over really bad by a mad cow, he didn't make it. Hope you heal up soon.

Dick

[revolvercranker]

Jan 16, 2024 13:23:58 GMT -5 sixshot said:

x101, I read that twice, really enjoyed it! A few years ago one of the local ranchers got pinned up against a loading chute & got worked over really bad by a mad cow, he didn't make it. Hope you heal up soon.

Dick

When I was a teen I got to ride one of the many Palomino horses that Poncho on the TV series The Cisco Kid rode.  I was told don't use the reins to control him, just tell him what to do, left, right, stop, etc.  They said that if you don't he will stop and just roll over real quick with you on him or something else.  Well I must have done something wrong. He stopped and turned his head and bit my upper left leg!  Damn this that hurt.  You can imagine the bruise I had. I got off him fast. 

[rangersedge]

With the exception of big bucks, it is not so much hunting as shooting any more on our land. There are lots of deer. At one point, this past season, my son (11 years old) and I had 14 does / small bucks within rock throwing range of our blind for hours. He was holding out for a big buck. I thought all those other deer should put any big bucks at ease and tempt them out to play. No dice. Wound up not shooting any. Don't eat much venison. Give away about all we shoot. Almost went out last anterless only season. Neither wife nor son were interested. Would have just about been guaranteed could have shot a couple within a few minutes. Wasn't worried about the 0 degree temp or the 30 minute frostbite warning; but couldn't get enthused about the field dressing. Realize that, for me, it is now more about my wife and son shooting / being excited about it than myself. I've shot enough and can shoot plenty... Gotta find my MOJO again.

[harold89]

First, let me say that I really enjoy eating venison - loins, roast, hamburger, sausage, all of it. My family does too. If I didn’t, I’d mostly be hunting with my binoculars or helping my kids or siblings. I’m not sure when or where it started, but the older I get, the less I like the killing. I’d rather sit and watch deer than shoot them. I’ve been through about every phase of deer hunting at some point. These days I have almost zero interest in rifles and much prefer a bow or handgun. A truly big buck still turns my crank. If someday in the future I only watch deer, feed them or give them names, well, I wouldn’t be totally surprised…

[reflex264]

Interesting thread. I am a whitetail deer nut. If I lived in Africa I would fly back here to hunt whitetail deer. I love chasing hogs with a handgun but anything other than whitetails and turkeys is more of a great distraction than a replacement. There is nothing like outsmarting a true mature buck. Getting it into open sighted handgun range is icing on the cake. Of course there are hunts that I want to do. I still put in for elk tags and I am working on a moose hunt but it just can't replace deer. I killed my first deer in 1978 so not quite as old as some of you but I truly cant see me changing my mind.

[hunter01]

Jan 16, 2024 10:13:03 GMT -5 x101airborne said:

We eat deer meat all year long because it substitutes our income. It is almost a necessity. My Father owns around 1500 acres total and I take care of all of it. I spend all year working and feeding on this land so I know where to find a deer. Our shots are long, rarely under 100 yards and handgun hunting is hard although I have tried several times. Hogs here are not as spooky as deer and I have handgun hunted hogs with some success. Most years between 6 of us we kill around 16 or so deer. This year has been the worst. With me getting run over and trampled by a cow causing serious spinal damage, cows needing feeding and Dad being in and out of the hospital it has been a short season. I enjoy sitting and watching all the animals so a day without a deer is just as good as getting one.

I do admit to "farming" for deer as well as cattle. If the food plot (5 acres) gets a little hairy I turn the cattle in on it for a couple days then pull them out. The food plot usually seems to grow back well. We are all low fence and a couple of my neighbors and I work together monitoring growth, choosing bucks to pass on, counting does, etc.. I leave certain areas of brush and even have a "sanctuary" that we dont hunt (22 acres) that has water year round and lots of hardwoods for food. I even limit herbicide use to leave the little forbs that seem to attract deer but there is nothing stopping them from heading out of our place and some neighbors have noticed our bucks have gotten a lot bigger in the last several years. I always think "Well duh!" but I dont say anything.

I will hunt till I cant but I only take what I need. If the next season comes around and we still have meat I will pass on most of them but I am still hunting. Now if old "Moss Back" comes out he is probably going to get dropped but I am not in a hurry. If the freezer is empty I kill deer till I fill it. But it is only what I need. Kinda odd that a beef rancher doesn't kill a steer but eats deer year round. I also have a duty to teach my kids about hunting, tracking, aging on the hoof, processing and cooking. Never know when the WalMart is going to hit the fan and where are you going to get meat then? That is my duty as a father and as a conservationist and I take it seriously.

We rarely eat beef here either even though the fields are full of them. With such a strong cattle market, it’s hard to keep one back for yourself! We had enchiladas last night and I noticed the store bought hamburger thawing in the sink. $4.70 a POUND! I was livid. Deer and hog make as good of enchiladas as ANYTHING out there. My wife isn’t 100% “country” even after 25 years of marriage, but I keep trying! I did make some deer/hog summer sausage this year that she really enjoys and some breakfast sausage that is as good as any so we are making a little progress I guess. Next time she brings home $5 hamburger meat, a cow is taking a bullet to the skull and she is helping me process it! That might put an end to that. 🤦🏽‍♂️

[revolvercranker]

Jan 18, 2024 14:32:21 GMT -5 hunter01 said:

Jan 16, 2024 10:13:03 GMT -5 x101airborne said:

We eat deer meat all year long because it substitutes our income. It is almost a necessity. My Father owns around 1500 acres total and I take care of all of it. I spend all year working and feeding on this land so I know where to find a deer. Our shots are long, rarely under 100 yards and handgun hunting is hard although I have tried several times. Hogs here are not as spooky as deer and I have handgun hunted hogs with some success. Most years between 6 of us we kill around 16 or so deer. This year has been the worst. With me getting run over and trampled by a cow causing serious spinal damage, cows needing feeding and Dad being in and out of the hospital it has been a short season. I enjoy sitting and watching all the animals so a day without a deer is just as good as getting one.

I do admit to "farming" for deer as well as cattle. If the food plot (5 acres) gets a little hairy I turn the cattle in on it for a couple days then pull them out. The food plot usually seems to grow back well. We are all low fence and a couple of my neighbors and I work together monitoring growth, choosing bucks to pass on, counting does, etc.. I leave certain areas of brush and even have a "sanctuary" that we dont hunt (22 acres) that has water year round and lots of hardwoods for food. I even limit herbicide use to leave the little forbs that seem to attract deer but there is nothing stopping them from heading out of our place and some neighbors have noticed our bucks have gotten a lot bigger in the last several years. I always think "Well duh!" but I dont say anything.

I will hunt till I cant but I only take what I need. If the next season comes around and we still have meat I will pass on most of them but I am still hunting. Now if old "Moss Back" comes out he is probably going to get dropped but I am not in a hurry. If the freezer is empty I kill deer till I fill it. But it is only what I need. Kinda odd that a beef rancher doesn't kill a steer but eats deer year round. I also have a duty to teach my kids about hunting, tracking, aging on the hoof, processing and cooking. Never know when the WalMart is going to hit the fan and where are you going to get meat then? That is my duty as a father and as a conservationist and I take it seriously.

We rarely eat beef here either even though the fields are full of them. With such a strong cattle market, it’s hard to keep one back for yourself! We had enchiladas last night and I noticed the store bought hamburger thawing in the sink. $4.70 a POUND! I was livid. Deer and hog make as good of enchiladas as ANYTHING out there. My wife isn’t 100% “country” even after 25 years of marriage, but I keep trying! I did make some deer/hog summer sausage this year that she really enjoys and some breakfast sausage that is as good as any so we are making a little progress I guess. Next time she brings home $5 hamburger meat, a cow is taking a bullet to the skull and she is helping me process it! That might put an end to that. 🤦🏽‍♂️

I made breakfast sausage from my deer I harvested this year.  I'm in the TN mtns and deer here are very gamely tasting. I love deer meat, but I don't know about the deer here.  I guess they are limited to food that grows in the mtns which isn't corn, soy beans, beans, and alfalfa. Basically what they have are acorns, apples, and what they browse on. Now when I was in Ohio, those deer there are like rib eyes steaks except better, no gamely taste whatsoever.  My now gone wife was a Tyrannasausus Rex meat eater, she loved deer meat, rabbit, squirrel, and bull frog legs. Couldn't get her to try turtle soup. She didn't like wild turkey either. 

[hunter01]

Jan 18, 2024 14:49:22 GMT -5 revolvercranker said:

Jan 18, 2024 14:32:21 GMT -5 hunter01 said:

We rarely eat beef here either even though the fields are full of them. With such a strong cattle market, it’s hard to keep one back for yourself! We had enchiladas last night and I noticed the store bought hamburger thawing in the sink. $4.70 a POUND! I was livid. Deer and hog make as good of enchiladas as ANYTHING out there. My wife isn’t 100% “country” even after 25 years of marriage, but I keep trying! I did make some deer/hog summer sausage this year that she really enjoys and some breakfast sausage that is as good as any so we are making a little progress I guess. Next time she brings home $5 hamburger meat, a cow is taking a bullet to the skull and she is helping me process it! That might put an end to that. 🤦🏽‍♂️

I made breakfast sausage from my deer I harvested this year.  I'm in the TN mtns and deer here are very gamely tasting. I love deer meat, but I don't know about the deer here.  I guess they are limited to food that grows in the mtns which isn't corn, soy beans, beans, and alfalfa. Basically what they have are acorns, apples, and what they browse on. Now when I was in Ohio, those deer there are like rib eyes steaks except better, no gamely taste whatsoever.  My now gone wife was a Tyrannasausus Rex meat eater, she loved deer meat, rabbit, squirrel, and bull frog legs. Couldn't get her to try turtle soup. She didn't like wild turkey either. 

Sorry to hear about your wife. The deer here are gamey. They eat a lot of wheat in the winter that makes even beef “sour” tasting. Other times of the year it is browse. We don’t have any corn, soybeans, or alfalfa since it’s primarily dryland. They do eat a lot of cotton plants earlier in the year. I find that mixing with beef fat masks the flavor a lot better than pork. You may give that a try with those mountain deer and see how it does. I used to get beef trimmings for free from a local grocery but with prices so high, they charge me $1 a pound now. Even still, they could be selling it as $5 a pound hamburger!😂
Turtle soup and alligator gar are on my list of “must tries”. I’ve heard there are 7 different kinds of meat on a turtle.

[revolvercranker]

Jan 18, 2024 15:27:08 GMT -5 hunter01 said:

Jan 18, 2024 14:49:22 GMT -5 revolvercranker said:

Sorry to hear about your wife. The deer here are gamey. They eat a lot of wheat in the winter that makes even beef “sour” tasting. Other times of the year it is browse. We don’t have any corn, soybeans, or alfalfa since it’s primarily dryland. They do eat a lot of cotton plants earlier in the year. I find that mixing with beef fat masks the flavor a lot better than pork. You may give that a try with those mountain deer and see how it does. I used to get beef trimmings for free from a local grocery but with prices so high, they charge me $1 a pound now. Even still, they could be selling it as $5 a pound hamburger!😂
Turtle soup and alligator gar are on my list of “must tries”. I’ve heard there are 7 different kinds of meat on a turtle.

My friend in Idaho said if there was only one wild game meat to it, for him it would be mountain lion.  I didn't even know people at it, I know the Indians did.  Then again my dad told me about this guy that lived in the downtown section of the town I grew up in that would give you 50 cents for a housecats. Maybe cats are tasty.  You know anything about that?