The Hunting Thread

[Nicki]

Stealing @Manurack's idea from The Fishing Thread.

Prefacing this entire thread that we as hunters recognize that hunting is not for everyone. We recognize that there are many people who are vehemently against hunting. This thread is not for you, nor is it a thread for you to come and vent your opinions on why hunting is bad. This is a thread for outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hunting.

So to the fellow hunters: Come share your stories, find a new hunting buddy, tell us what you're looking forward to this/next season or tell us about your last season.

I started hunting about 6 years ago. I hunted with my uncle for 5 of those years hunting white tail deer and last year was the first year out on my own. I don't have any private land to hunt so my hunts are out on public/crown land. Thankfully, I now live in an area where hunting is allowed in the county forests and even though I didn't bag anything, it sure was nice being able to come home for lunch and take a snooze!

Right now, we're about to get into the spring Turkey hunt. I'll likely be going out by myself which I'm good with, but they will definitely be all day trips instead of closer to home like the deer hunting was. Looking forward to bagging a gobbler!

 

[jaxadam]

Best shot I ever made was a turkey at about 100 yards with a 22 mag

 

[Manurack]

Thanks man! I grew up hunting caribou, musk ox, moose, Canada geese and other wildlife back home in the Canadian Arctic.

My Inuit people relied on the land to survive for thousands of years before the modern world reached the high Arctic.

This is my kill back in June of 2012. Big bull caribou along the Coppermine River during the caribou herd's migration.

This is a young musk ox that I shot in March of 2014.

And last summer when I went home for a vacation. I shot a caribou cow, it was the only caribou that my older brother and I saw for 30 miles south of Kugluktuk, Nunavut.

I love subsistence hunting, that's how my people - the Inuit survived in the harsh conditions of the Canadian Arctic with 9 months of winter.

 

[Humbuck]

I actually just defrosted a pack of ground venison today to make some quarantine sloppy joes! I made venison chili last week from an old roast I found in the back of my freezer...got rid of the freezer burn and it was just fine if just a little smaller! Waste not want not.

I live around NYC but I hunt whitetail deer in northeast PA where I'm originally from and where I grew up doing it. I used to lease private land but I lost it to somebody else...that was the best. I used to get permission to hunt on some old private club land in PA but that's a thing of the past too. It's very hard to find hunting leases in the East. Now I hunt on state land which is far less productive and less fun.

I'd love to expand my hunting into northern NJ and southern NY State as well but I have no contacts...anybody out there? I'd be happy to go in on a lease with some like minded individuals!

Most people really don't understand what responsible hunting is all about...they have a sensationalized negative image of what they think goes on and they think you're only lying if you tell them any different. But that's ok..."most people" don't understand what it means to be into metal or hardcore or punk music scenes either, so that's nothing new. I'm used to it.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I haven't been hunting in years (no time and no land) but I have fond memories of shooting squirrels,rabbits and whitetails in N Wisconsin.
First buck I ever shot was a 6 pointer, and I got him in one shot (blew out both his lungs with my grandpa's .30-30).
Once I get some free time I'm going to try and do a feral pig hunt with some of my buddies down in texas.

 

[jaxadam]

First buck I ever shot was a 6 pointer

This is no shit... I was a kid when I shot that aforementioned turkey, and my neighbor was a few years older than me and didn’t know shit about shit. When I got back from West Virginia and we were standing at the bus stop I was telling him about it and he goes “Really? How many points was it?”.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

This is no shit... I was a kid when I shot that aforementioned turkey, and my neighbor was a few years older than me and didn’t know shit about shit. When I got back from West Virginia and we were standing at the bus stop I was telling him about it and he goes “Really? How many points was it?”.

lol
I think I still have some old tom beards lying around. I've tried bowhunting the fuckers before but never managed to get one that way, just with a shotgun.

 

[Nicki]

@Manurack Nice! I hunt white tail with my 30.06 and last year I went out with my 12 guage (controlled hunt). Haven't bagged anything in a few years but I usually hunt Pretty River Provincial Park and last year went out to the Simcoe County Forests. Got tired of getting nothing in Pretty River so needed a change of scenery. Lots of tracks in the snow in the forests I hunt so I just need to be patient.

I'm either going to hunt Pretty River for turkey this year or I'll head up to Midland on some crown land.

 

[Manurack]

@Nicki that's awesome. How do you guys skin and gut the deer?

I was taught to start cutting the skin at the calves of the animal and work my way towards the body and finish off at the neck.

My people also relied on the caribou skin for clothing too. This is an Inuit man from Nunavut, Canada wearing a caribou skin parka.

 

[Nicki]

@Nicki that's awesome. How do you guys skin and gut the deer?

Yep. We field dress, skin and butcher ourselves.

 

[Nicki]

Well, my turkey hunting season is over. Wasn't able to bag anything sadly. I hunted Copeland forest for the majority of the turkey season, but switch to a spot of crown land by Borden CFB last weekend with my uncle. We heard gobbling early in the morning, but couldn't get anything to show up. We did see a some deer and spooked 2 of them, both does. So at least there was a little bit of excitement