Request: Deer hunting tips

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Fri Dec 23, 2011 10:33 pm

I may go squirrel hunting tomorrow, so I've been researching it online.
While I was browsing I found a guide to field dressing a deer:
http://www.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/deer/field-dressing

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:02 pm

Shot one in one shoulder.
I thought it was doing a death crawl so I figured I'd let it bleed out as it crawled down a ravine.
Then it went into the base of a small tree.
What I didn't know what that the tree was hollow.

I hiked home, but my old chainsaw wouldn't start and my good one is at my in-law's place, so I grabbed a hand saw and went to work cutting about 18" up (I figured it was only hollow for about 3').
Boy was I wrong.
Once I cut it and pushed the tree over, I rammed a 5' branch up the hole, and hit nothing. Ugh.

I sawed through it again, and snapped it over the stump, which peeled a lot of it.

That bit in the foreground is the middle chunk I cut out.

The squirrel stayed in the top part of the tree (there's a hole there).
I couldn't push him out with a stick. He just squealed in protest and dug in with his claws.

I was able to get a view of his head so I pointed the gun at point blank range and fired to brain the little bastard, but he moved so I only took a chunk out above his left eye.

I was sweating from all the sawing so I finally just jammed the gun up and pointed at his vitals... blammo!

That did it.

3 shots to kill that mofo.

Then I followed some Internet directions to skin and disembowel it because I planned on making a squirrel stew.
Unfortunately I totally butchered the job. The thing was a mess. I cut too deep, tore too much, and got fur everywhere.

I felt guilty about wasting the meat, but I ended up just chucking it in the woods.

Post by **thibodeaux** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:14 pm

I'm literally LOL. That was a lot of work for a squirrel.

Every deer hunter hates squirrels, I imagine, since they sit in the tree and laugh at you freezing your butt off waiting for a deer. But there's just not enough meat on a squirrel to eat. They really are tree-rats.

Post by **thibodeaux** » Sat Dec 24, 2011 12:15 pm

Paul wrote:I rammed a 5' branch up the hole, and hit nothing. Ugh.

That's what SHE said.

unkbill · Post by **unkbill** » Fri Dec 30, 2011 9:41 pm

Hoping to go muzzle loading weekend after this one.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 4:47 pm

For fun I bought a trail cam and set it up in the woods. (And a cable lock to keep trespassers from stealing it)

I scattered a bunch of corn in front of it to attract wildlife (which my dog ate a bunch of).

I'll check it on Monday and see what happens.
If there's anything cool I'll post pics.

I haven't seen any deer sign lately, and I don't think the squirrels are big enough to set it off so I might not get anything.

It's be cool to get some pictures of deer and turkey and Sasquatch stuff. Worst case scenario is THIS and I never ever go in the woods unarmed again.

unkbill · Post by **unkbill** » Sat Jan 14, 2012 10:13 pm

My buddys all have trail cams. They can be very useful. He gave up his one area to us. All his pics of bucks were after midnight and knew opening day someone would have to push one to you to get it.
We scored 2 more muzzle loading season. Brings our yearly total to 25. I shot but misfired. Maybe I will clean my gun now.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:54 am

I need to move the camera lower.
But in my defense, I hoped the deer would be taller.

I have several pictures from this time and one of doe ears the following night at 9:15.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:42 pm

I returned the SD card and decided to lower the camera, but I lacked the key to the cable lock.
I went back to the house, got the key and took down the camera.

The tree I was on was too thick at the bottom, so I moved to another tree that is facing the opposite direction, and locked the camera into place (I use a cable lock).

Unfortunately after locking it I realized the key was no longer in my hand, so I searched my pockets and the forest floor, but found nothing.

I drove to my in-laws' place and borrowed their metal detector. Then I went back into the woods and searched around. On the trail I found an old rusty nail with the metal detector.

I combed all around the tree where I must have dropped it, but found nothing so I went home.

That's where I found the key in a pocket in my jacket. I checked all of the pockets multiple times, but I guess the key is magic.

unkbill · Post by **unkbill** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:24 pm

Oh the small ones are the tastiest. When muzzle loading the bucks were rubbing there horns on trees again. They must be starting to hurt them and it is about time to drop them.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:43 pm

Last night a solo doe showed up.

Then some banditos show up.

At a quarter after eight this morning there were two does.
At 9:00 my dog investigated the area.
At 13:60 four does showed up in the rain (blurry pics) and stayed for about 30 minutes.

I'm having a blast with this camera.

There was still corn out there so I didn't add any more today, but I did ad a salt block and I put some sort of block topper on it (a powder and a molasses-like topping) to see if I can get the critters to dig into that.

I still haven't seen a buck on the camera yet.
I'd really like to see some turkey though. The reason I picked this spot for the camera was because we heard a turkey in that area, and saw where turkey had turned over a bunch of leaves.

Post by **GORDON** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:51 pm

Mount a weapon on that camera platform.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:49 pm

GORDON wrote:Mount a weapon on that camera platform.

Paul wrote:At 9:00 my dog investigated the area.

I also make appearances on the camera.

unkbill · Post by **unkbill** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 9:06 pm

Here at the start of bow season up til Thanksgiving they sell 25 pound bags of carrots, apples, sugar beets and corn.

Post by **TheCatt** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:18 pm

Paul wrote:I also make appearances on the camera.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:39 pm

The squirrels keep trying to get my nuts.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Wed Jan 18, 2012 9:48 pm

Since last time my cam has captured:
A group of four raccoons
Several squirrels
My dog
A bird
A mouse (I think)

No deer though. I put out a salt block for them (with some molasses-like coating that is deer are supposed to like) but I guess they thought it was a trap.

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sat Mar 10, 2012 8:36 pm

Lots of deer, lots of raccoons, lots of squirrel, some birds, the occasional possum.... then this:

Sweet!

My daughter and I found a dead raccoon in a creek, so I used sticks as tongs to carry it up to the trail cam.
Deer sniffed it, raccoons sniffed it, a possum dug into it multiple times, and I guess this bobcat came by to see what the possum had left.

Edited By Paul on 1331429937

Paul · Post by **Paul** » Sun Apr 22, 2012 7:39 pm

I went turkey hunting out back, in the woods. I've only seen turkey there a few times so I knew it was a long shot. (I usually have the dogs with me though, so they'd chase them off way before I could ever see them)
Sure enough, no sign of any turkey.

When I finally got up both legs were asleep.

Last Sunday I went to my friend's farm so I could scout out a location to hunt turkey.
We went to a field that I thought looked great, then a turkey popped up and flew away. Cool!

My GF and I went back there yesterday but it was cold and drizlly. We saw very few song birds and didn't even hear a turkey.
We gave up after freezing out there for a few hours.

This morning I went back to the same site, set up the turkey decoy, and waited.
Without the rain there were a lot more song birds.
The sun peaked through the clouds for a bit, which was nice, but the wind was really biting so when it blew I got a lot colder than yesterday.

After a couple hours I moved back into the trees so they'd protect me from the wind.

I'm sure I suck at calling, but I'd try the slate turkey call about every 30 minutes. I got no replies. So yet another day with no sign of turkey.

My GF and I will go back out in two weeks, during the last weekend of turkey season, weather permitting.

I might go back some weekday morning before then if the weather is nice and I have no morning appointments.

unkbill · Post by **unkbill** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:25 pm

I have seen the best turkey hunting done in deer season. I come to the garage to a pile of feathers. I know only need to ask "**** got board again? Turkey wouldn't leave him alone? We need to eat the evidence soon?"
Then I am on heating the oil. Really surprised deer slugs don't tear them up to much.