Hunters

howabouttheiris · Addict Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 677 City: Austin, TX

Maybe a little .... Smile

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Well, still no luck. We thought we would do well on the private property, but didn't. We have this weekend left in the regular gun season (which I probably won't take the boys because of the cold), and then we have a special holiday antlerless season in a couple weeks.

howabouttheiris · Addict Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 677 City: Austin, TX

I am going out to NW TX this weekend... Helping out on a friend's ranch with a trash buck / doe/ pig / varmint hunt. My 1st time to his property, but it is on it's way to becoming a certified managed property, so the hunting is apparently very, very good. I have seen the trail cams and they have photos and weights of all the animals that have come off the property.... pretty amazing. Just a long nasty drive today.

vette74 · Posted: Dec 06, 2013 5:55 am Post subject:

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

I may go out with a friend Sunday, but I'm not going to take my boys out in this cold.

NKCrider · Posted: Dec 06, 2013 7:37 am Post subject:

not too bad of a mornin

vette74 · Posted: Dec 06, 2013 7:37 am Post subject:

My son's first duck

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Awesome...glad to see that guys.

Hopefully this weekend's outing will be good for us. The area we are going in got rain/freezing rain then snow Thursday into Friday. Late Friday was sunny and it looks that way into the weekend. The cold temps are definitely going to be a factor.

NKCrider · Posted: Dec 06, 2013 6:59 pm Post subject:

gonna run the dogs tomorrow, ill keep yall posted

TnR6Rida · Posted: Dec 06, 2013 7:33 pm Post subject:

From a couple days this season.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Nice.

howabouttheiris · Addict Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 677 City: Austin, TX

Spent Friday night and Saturday in the blind. Less than 20F in Bronte. I had everything I own on.

Nothing moving until noon on Saturday, then it was very good hunting. It was pretty amusing to watch deer approach the feeder, step on ice, scare themselves, and run off.

Got tired of watching and finally took a doe at the back of the open field behind the tree line. 87lbs. (It was a management hunt, so no big bucks allowed, 4pt max.)

View from the blind (range ~70yds, on ridgeline with elevation ~7yds).

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Sounds like you were about as cold as we were...at least in the morning. I think we got up to a blistering 28 degrees.

We didn't see anything in the morning, but had some activity in the afternoon. There wasn't a good shot until it was almost dark. I was able to get a shot off at a deer that came out of some high grass about 50 yards away, but missed. It was pretty exciting to have my first opportunity to shoot. Man, the adrenaline really flows and it is hard to stay calm.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Well, our "Holiday Antlerless Season" starts tomorrow. We have a cold front moving in, along with some rain. We're hoping to go out Sunday as long as the weather is OK. It looks to be cold and may be fairly windy. I've read a few things about issues in the wind...any thoughts or personal experiences you can share?

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

Spent some time in a dry rice field last weekend hoping for speckelbellies. With the cold front early last week and the full moon it was tough hunting. The morning flight was pretty intense but for only about 45 minutes and we couldn't get any birds to come in.

We had several groups lock up, circle a few times but never even flirted with coming in close to shooting range. It was a pretty frustrating morning, but that's hunting.

TnR6Rida · Posted: Dec 20, 2013 12:50 pm Post subject:

It's been frustrating here since that last front. I'm hoping the one coming in Sunday will push so.e new birds down.

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

My timing sucked. Yesterday on the way into work I heard about a wind warning in the Sacramento Valley, I muttered to myself that it's probably be good hunting.

Here's the results from the same blinds I was in just 5 days earlier.

and the action from the evening flight.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

No luck here this last weekend. Headed to private lane again Thursday and Friday...taking one boy each day. The property owner said he is seeing lots of activity, so we'll see.

BrentC5Z · Posted: Dec 28, 2013 8:37 am Post subject:

This year: 10yr old daughter.

Last year: 7 yr old.

E.J. · Ladies Man Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 7597 City: Mogadishu

I'm not a hunter, but love these pics all the same.

How tough is it to dress out a duck?

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

Depends on what you want to do with them. If it is a choice eating duck like a mallard , pintail or teal it is best to pluck which can be somewhat of a pain, but there are great techniques to finish them off with some wax and have them looking great. It is well worth it to get the fat and skin.

If it isn't a great eating duck like a diver it is best to skin them which takes about 2 minutes per duck as you literally just tear it off.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

BrentC5Z, very nice! Where do y'all usually hunt?

We still didn't have any luck...tough year.

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

Okie, I hope you get one.

Pro tip: cut the backstraps out whole, grill to medium rare.....thank me later.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

We're done for the season. Hoping next year will be good at home, but we know we will be good in WY. We're planning a trip to the in-laws and the boys will be hunting with their "Papa". They'll definitely get a deer there.

That backstrap looks delicious.

TnR6Rida · Posted: Dec 31, 2013 7:35 am Post subject:

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

You need this book if you are just breasting them out.

http://www.amazon.com/Duck-Goose-Ultimate-Cooking-Waterfowl/dp/1607745291

pet575 · Posted: Dec 31, 2013 12:59 pm Post subject:

We've had a lot of cold weather lately and it has iced up nearly all of our ponds and reservoirs. Took a trip about 80 miles southeast of KC over the weekend and saw lots of ducks and Canada geese. There was still lots of frozen water so they were skittish. The geese wouldn't drop low enough to shoot at, let alone come in to land.

The ducks would come in only after working for several minutes and lots of coaxing with calls. Thanks to my buddy who is an outstanding duck caller we were able to get some to come down and try to land. Was my first time out in several years so I was rusty with the gun. Missed a couple of ducks early on and then managed to get 2 Mallards down.

Was a great time and it was my 8 year old son's first time duck hunting. We did goose last year but I spent all of my time calling and never got to shoot. My buddy missed his shots last year so this was my son's first time seeing birds get called in and shot and then a dog getting on them to retrieve. He had a lot of fun and learned how to breast the ducks, too.

Thursday night is duck night for dinner!!!!

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Awesome!

Nor*Cal · Ladies Man Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9479 City: Sac