Wanting to learn from experienced hunters of all game!

Full-choke · September 17, 2007, 07:06 PM

Okay, so I am young as a rifleman and hunter go. I haven't experienced much and still remain wet behind the ears. I love learning off of older more experienced people and listening to stories (True or tall tales

). I would like to hear stories good, bad, indifferent from everyone. Any game goes, waterfowl (I'm really getting into that now), deer, elk, pronghorn, sheep, goat, mountain lion, elephant, rhino, anything!

Any story will work, any amount of knowledge. I would like to learn as much as possible as I truly enjoy the outdoors. More then stories as well, things I should need to know, hunting techniques, calling, anything and everything...pile it on this thread!

Thanks a bunch guys!
Full-choke

Rembrandt · September 17, 2007, 08:50 PM

No sense in re-inventing the wheel, my stories would probably put you to sleep.

Many books already available with superb stories and techniques. Beware of articles written by someone endorsing a particular product, probably slanted towards that item. For Africa a must read are any works by Robert Ruark. Old timers like Jack O'Conner were some of the best.

jrothWA · September 17, 2007, 11:13 PM

where about in Ohio. Used to live in Cleveland, and hunted NE Ohio to SE. Especially loved the October to end of February Grouse season.

Basically, just go anjoy yourself outdoors, get a reliable buddy that his only reason to go out with you is the the both of you will never have an idea what going to fly next, literally & figuratively. e.g.: walking down an old high back in SE Ohio with sleet coming down, someone say "Don't slip" and the same someone does, accompaning by the report of the shotgun going off as it hits the ground. (NOTE: as this point of time ALL PERSONNEL, are menatally going throught the inventory checklist of: fingers , present, check 10, toes,etc. legs 2) you get the idea.

A good critter to start hunting is the squirrel, a hunter can carry some many implements to hunt with, shotgun, .22 rifle or handgun, slingshot etc.
A ttrick for squirrel is when it lays-out on a brach, to get it up and RUNNING, especially if it a 10" or less diameter, it one person goes and kicks the tree, while the other is covering (shotgun is best at this point. The critters take OFF when the tree vibrates from a kick.
For extra flavor, add a dog, Springer or Britanny.
Hope this helps.

ottsixx · September 18, 2007, 01:39 AM

Howdy,back in the Mid 70s when I was in High School,an old buddy of mine stopped by the house one day and told me he had this cassette tape of a squeling rabbit that was supposed to call a coyote in and he had this old piece of beat up junk cassette player to play it in,He was a little worried about doin this by himself and wanted to know if I would go with him and I instantly headed in to get a rifle an opted for adventure,we picked a place just off the hiway about a mile just outside of Auburn Kansas,walked a short distance thru the woods until we came upon an old rock fence overlooking this little meadow of about 5 acres that was completely surrounded by timber,I climbed over the wall and set the player up again a tree pointing the same direction we were looking,I hit the play button and proceeded back over the rock wall,in a minuute or so the tape player started whaling away the dire sounds of something screaming for its life,Mike Koci was on his knees with a 30-06 bolt rifle at hand and I beside him with my 25-06 as we very patiently peeked thru the rocks in the top of that old rock fence,all of a sudden off to my left I caugt a movement and when I looked over I saw this big beautiful coyte on a dead lope coming out of the timber on the opposite side of the meadow,I was au-struck,I reached over and tapped Mike on the leg and pointed at the Coyote wich was coming right at us and wasting no time in doing so,Mike instantly reached for his rifle so I went for mine not wanting to miss out on any of the action,Him an I came up over that rock wall at almost exactly the same instant,as fast as we could lock & load we emptied two 06 bolt rifles,i dont think we hit anything but trees on the other side of the meadow and all I remember seeing was that coyote sailing thru that timber like he had been shot out of a cannon,But on that early fall day back in 1976 has set the stage for the next 30 years of my life and hopefully for as long as my health will allow me to do this thing,Ive hunted elk and shot scads of whitetail and I absolutley love to pheasant hunt and shoot prairie chicken,Ive been a hunter since I was a little kid and love to hunt all kinds of game,But Ill tell ya for sure there isnt anything that stokes my fire and cranks me up like watching ol wiley coyote come to that call,i dont even know how to find the words to describe it to you,but it is absolutley the greatest high and the wildest rush I know of,i took a friend out coyote calling one day back in the winter of 1986,Id called this same place every year for several years in a row and it always produced at least one coyote if not two and they almost always came from the same area every year,on this particular day no coyote showed up and i just thought for a second,that was kind of strange,Have you ever been sittin around and all of a sudden you get a funny feeling that your being watched,Well I was sittin there on the back side of this little plumb thicket looking over this horseshoe canyon and out across a vast range of prarie or kansas pasture,and all of a sudden I got that feeling I was being watched,my head covered kind of a ghillies bag that looks like a bush,i turned my head around very slowly to see this coyote standing about 10 feet behind me just standing there starring at me,not moving a muscle,I very easily brought my model 7 remington around and just pointed the little 223 at him from the hip and eased the saftey forward,coyote still standing there not making a twitch and my hunting buddy sitting 5 feet to my right with no clue about any this,I touched off the little 223 and the coyote slammed to the ground like he had been hit by a freight train,my buddy about came out of his boots at the bark of the rifle,maybe even leaked himself a little,we both jumped up and stepped over to the coyote standing right over him,no blood to be seen,coyote didnt appear to be breathing,just lying there what appeared to be graveyard dead,and I was explaning the situation to Bobby while we unloaded out rifles and all of a sudden like he had awaken from a nightmare that coyote sprang to his feet and set sail down that steep hill into an arroyo and was gone befor we could even think of grabbing a round out of our pocket,I still to this day have no clue about what happened on that day with ol wiley there 21 years ago.We were on a pheasant hunt back in about 1988 at Smith Center Kansas,On Sunday morning when the rest of the bird hunters in our party went to breakfast early,I went coyote calling by myself and went to this big rolling hill pasture scattered with big hay bales all over it and sat down in front of a big bale and waited a couple minutes then proceeded to blow the call and in less then a minute and a half I had 10 coyotes coming on me from all directions i picked the one I wanted and lit him up like a christmas tree and the rest of them vaporized at the bark of the rifle,Its the most awesome sport Ive ever known a friend of mine has done it most of his life and he has traveled and hunted big game and dangerous game grizzlies and all and he told me one day,I would drop em all just to go coyote calling,you ought to try it out it is badd to the bone,If you ve never done it you ought to find someone who does it and ask them to take you,Ill promise you this it will be something that you will never forget as long as you live,words cant get you too that state of high ,I think the only way there is just to go check it out.I could sit and tell you stories about it for days on end ,Later Mike..........

USNairman · September 18, 2007, 06:58 AM

Learn what your hunting and learn what your hunting with. If you know your game and it's habits and you have a lot of confidence/skill in the use of your rifle, shotgun or bow then you are already ahead of the game.

bswiv · September 18, 2007, 03:11 PM

Storys are easy, the ethics are the hard part.

Remember a few things:

Hunting is not the same as killing. Some folks never lear this, which is their loss.

Sharing the success of your hunt is more rewarding for everyone if the person listening is munching on some fresh fried venison.

Sharing that venison with a non-hunter is one of the best ways to protect your right to hunt.

Gun safety!

There's more, but if you abide by these, and truly work at learning the sport, your own stories will be what folks will ask to hear.

jhgreasemonkey · September 18, 2007, 05:19 PM

Ive had some funny run ins with deer. The last one I shot I was walking out of the tree line and into a clear cut when I spotted 3 deer feeding about 70yds up. They saw me right away and were startled but hadnt started running yet. I didnt want them to bolt into the trees before I even looked them over. I remembered an unusual thing I had read in a book so I tryed it out. I wasnt sure it would work. I ducked down into the high grass where they couldt see me and I couldnt see them. I waited a few and slowly looked back up. Sure enought they had gone back to eating. From there I was able to go right into a kneeling position take a quick observation, found a shootable buck and Just as they were looking back up I fired, got a broadside shot through the vitals.
Another way I have kept deer from running away before Ive had a chance to look them over or take aim is when they are trotting away whistle really loud. Sometimes they stop in their tracks and look at you presenting you with a shot.
We cant stand hunt here with rifles so most hunting is stalking and we have some jumpy deer with the western blacktail and muleys. Plus the woods are very brushy so its hard not to make a lot of noise. Sometimes you only catch a glimps of them as they take off. So it can be hard to set up for a good shot unless you get the deer to stop or if you are a better hunter than I and can sneak up on em.

Also we hunt in 3 pt minimum areas sometimes so getting a good look and making a decision is crucial and takes a few seconds.
I have never been lucky enough to find that dumb deer that just stands there with out a care and looks at you while you shoot it. Some hunters do though.
And I have often tried to wait for the deer to come to me at waterholes, etc. but I must stink cause it hasnt worked yet.

Hopefully my luck will change this year.

davlandrum · September 18, 2007, 05:51 PM

The best stories are the ones you will gather yourself. Find someone that you like to hunt with and they will share those stories. While I was in the Army for 20 years, I would make it back to Oregon to hunt every 2-3 years and with my buddy, it was like I had never been gone.

Some of your best stories will provoke calls of "BS", were not seen by anyone or provable in any way. While bowhunting by myself, I go into a bush shaking match with a bull elk. He was on one side of a huge rhodadendron (sorry, not spelled right) and I was on the other. Guys who have hunted west side Oregon and Washington know how big these bushes get. He was blowing snot, stomping, and raking the bush - I kept trying to rake and shake and stomp and bugle. Finally, I made a dive trying to get through a little crawl hole in the wall of green and he winded me. Absolute pure adrenalin for 20-30 minutes as we danced trying to get an advantage. Absolutely the coolest time I have ever had in the woods.

Full-choke · September 18, 2007, 07:48 PM

Once again, awesome stories and tips everyone! I'm taking every word to heart and hope I get some of the same experiences that you have.

F-C

fisherman66 · September 18, 2007, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Howdy,back in the Mid 70s when I was in High School,an old buddy of mine stopped by the house one day and told me he had this cassette tape of a squeling rabbit that was supposed to call a coyote in and he had this old piece of beat up junk cassette player to play it in,He was a little worried about doin this by himself and wanted to know if I would go with him and I instantly headed in to get a rifle an opted for adventure,we picked a place just off the hiway about a mile just outside of Auburn Kansas,walked a short distance thru the woods until we came upon an old rock fence overlooking this little meadow of about 5 acres that was completely surrounded by timber,I climbed over the wall and set the player up again a tree pointing the same direction we were looking,I hit the play button and proceeded back over the rock wall,in a minuute or so the tape player started whaling away the dire sounds of something screaming for its life,Mike Koci was on his knees with a 30-06 bolt rifle at hand and I beside him with my 25-06 as we very patiently peeked thru the rocks in the top of that old rock fence,all of a sudden off to my left I caugt a movement and when I looked over I saw this big beautiful coyte on a dead lope coming out of the timber on the opposite side of the meadow,I was au-struck,I reached over and tapped Mike on the leg and pointed at the Coyote wich was coming right at us and wasting no time in doing so,Mike instantly reached for his rifle so I went for mine not wanting to miss out on any of the action,Him an I came up over that rock wall at almost exactly the same instant,as fast as we could lock & load we emptied two 06 bolt rifles,i dont think we hit anything but trees on the other side of the meadow and all I remember seeing was that coyote sailing thru that timber like he had been shot out of a cannon,But on that early fall day back in 1976 has set the stage for the next 30 years of my life and hopefully for as long as my health will allow me to do this thing,Ive hunted elk and shot scads of whitetail and I absolutley love to pheasant hunt and shoot prairie chicken,Ive been a hunter since I was a little kid and love to hunt all kinds of game,But Ill tell ya for sure there isnt anything that stokes my fire and cranks me up like watching ol wiley coyote come to that call,i dont even know how to find the words to describe it to you,but it is absolutley the greatest high and the wildest rush I know of,i took a friend out coyote calling one day back in the winter of 1986,Id called this same place every year for several years in a row and it always produced at least one coyote if not two and they almost always came from the same area every year,on this particular day no coyote showed up and i just thought for a second,that was kind of strange,Have you ever been sittin around and all of a sudden you get a funny feeling that your being watched,Well I was sittin there on the back side of this little plumb thicket looking over this horseshoe canyon and out across a vast range of prarie or kansas pasture,and all of a sudden I got that feeling I was being watched,my head covered kind of a ghillies bag that looks like a bush,i turned my head around very slowly to see this coyote standing about 10 feet behind me just standing there starring at me,not moving a muscle,I very easily brought my model 7 remington around and just pointed the little 223 at him from the hip and eased the saftey forward,coyote still standing there not making a twitch and my hunting buddy sitting 5 feet to my right with no clue about any this,I touched off the little 223 and the coyote slammed to the ground like he had been hit by a freight train,my buddy about came out of his boots at the bark of the rifle,maybe even leaked himself a little,we both jumped up and stepped over to the coyote standing right over him,no blood to be seen,coyote didnt appear to be breathing,just lying there what appeared to be graveyard dead,and I was explaning the situation to Bobby while we unloaded out rifles and all of a sudden like he had awaken from a nightmare that coyote sprang to his feet and set sail down that steep hill into an arroyo and was gone befor we could even think of grabbing a round out of our pocket,I still to this day have no clue about what happened on that day with ol wiley there 21 years ago.We were on a pheasant hunt back in about 1988 at Smith Center Kansas,On Sunday morning when the rest of the bird hunters in our party went to breakfast early,I went coyote calling by myself and went to this big rolling hill pasture scattered with big hay bales all over it and sat down in front of a big bale and waited a couple minutes then proceeded to blow the call and in less then a minute and a half I had 10 coyotes coming on me from all directions i picked the one I wanted and lit him up like a christmas tree and the rest of them vaporized at the bark of the rifle,Its the most awesome sport Ive ever known a friend of mine has done it most of his life and he has traveled and hunted big game and dangerous game grizzlies and all and he told me one day,I would drop em all just to go coyote calling,you ought to try it out it is badd to the bone,If you ve never done it you ought to find someone who does it and ask them to take you,Ill promise you this it will be something that you will never forget as long as you live,words cant get you too that state of high ,I think the only way there is just to go check it out.I could sit and tell you stories about it for days on end ,Later Mike..........

Welcome the TFL. You win run-on sentence of the day. I enjoyed the story, but it left me out of breath.

jrothWA · September 18, 2007, 10:41 PM

use your ears first, then eyes second. Its amazing how a deer sounds like a human walking thru potato chips of freshly fallen leaves.
If you and a deer meet and it doesn't wind you, stand still, then slowly move your hand (off-gun one, of course) getting his attention, then do a one-handed shot.

Turkeys are the most obliging bird for hunting, when they spot you, they tell the WHOLE world (putt-putt)!!!!

When you get your dog, make certain it knows who feeds it, the wneh you pull a boner, the dog won't say a thing. (But will still practice dirty looks for free)

Art Eatman · September 19, 2007, 06:43 AM

If you're gonna sit, figure out how to sit still, without wiggling around or scratching your nose and all that giveaway-stuff. Some people take a pad and sketch, which doesn't require a lot of motion. I often take a paperback, alternating between watching the country around me and reading only a few lines.

If you're gonna walk and stalk, learn how to do it as silently as possible. I commonly glance down to figure where I'll step for the next two to four paces, and then go back to watching around me as I walk. And don't ever walk with a rhythm; you're sneaky-snaking, not marching off to war.

And spend as much time as you can out in the boonies, around sunup and sunset, just sitting and watching.

Art

September 17, 2007, 07:06 PM	#1
Full-choke Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 617	Wanting to learn from experienced hunters of all game! Okay, so I am young as a rifleman and hunter go. I haven't experienced much and still remain wet behind the ears. I love learning off of older more experienced people and listening to stories (True or tall tales ). I would like to hear stories good, bad, indifferent from everyone. Any game goes, waterfowl (I'm really getting into that now), deer, elk, pronghorn, sheep, goat, mountain lion, elephant, rhino, anything! Any story will work, any amount of knowledge. I would like to learn as much as possible as I truly enjoy the outdoors. More then stories as well, things I should need to know, hunting techniques, calling, anything and everything...pile it on this thread! Thanks a bunch guys! Full-choke __________________ TC Encore -6mm Rem Rifle; Ruger 10/22; Ruger 10/22 Ultimate; Stoeger Condor 20; ; Remington 1100 12; Stoeger 22 Luger; Taurus PT1911; Ruger SR40c God gave us the gift of life. It is the most precious gift ever. To be unarmed is to be helpless to protect that gift; that is outright irresponsible. - Ted Nugent

September 17, 2007, 11:13 PM	#3
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	Hello Fullchoke, where about in Ohio. Used to live in Cleveland, and hunted NE Ohio to SE. Especially loved the October to end of February Grouse season. Basically, just go anjoy yourself outdoors, get a reliable buddy that his only reason to go out with you is the the both of you will never have an idea what going to fly next, literally & figuratively. e.g.: walking down an old high back in SE Ohio with sleet coming down, someone say "Don't slip" and the same someone does, accompaning by the report of the shotgun going off as it hits the ground. (NOTE: as this point of time ALL PERSONNEL, are menatally going throught the inventory checklist of: fingers , present, check 10, toes,etc. legs 2) you get the idea. A good critter to start hunting is the squirrel, a hunter can carry some many implements to hunt with, shotgun, .22 rifle or handgun, slingshot etc. A ttrick for squirrel is when it lays-out on a brach, to get it up and RUNNING, especially if it a 10" or less diameter, it one person goes and kicks the tree, while the other is covering (shotgun is best at this point. The critters take OFF when the tree vibrates from a kick. For extra flavor, add a dog, Springer or Britanny. Hope this helps.

September 18, 2007, 05:51 PM	#8
davlandrum Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Lane County Oregon Posts: 2,547	The best stories are the ones you will gather yourself. Find someone that you like to hunt with and they will share those stories. While I was in the Army for 20 years, I would make it back to Oregon to hunt every 2-3 years and with my buddy, it was like I had never been gone. Some of your best stories will provoke calls of "BS", were not seen by anyone or provable in any way. While bowhunting by myself, I go into a bush shaking match with a bull elk. He was on one side of a huge rhodadendron (sorry, not spelled right) and I was on the other. Guys who have hunted west side Oregon and Washington know how big these bushes get. He was blowing snot, stomping, and raking the bush - I kept trying to rake and shake and stomp and bugle. Finally, I made a dive trying to get through a little crawl hole in the wall of green and he winded me. Absolute pure adrenalin for 20-30 minutes as we danced trying to get an advantage. Absolutely the coolest time I have ever had in the woods. __________________ U.S Army, Retired Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. -Potter Stewart

September 18, 2007, 07:48 PM	#9
Full-choke Senior Member Join Date: May 10, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 617	This stuff is awesome guys, keep it coming! Once again, awesome stories and tips everyone! I'm taking every word to heart and hope I get some of the same experiences that you have. F-C __________________ TC Encore -6mm Rem Rifle; Ruger 10/22; Ruger 10/22 Ultimate; Stoeger Condor 20; ; Remington 1100 12; Stoeger 22 Luger; Taurus PT1911; Ruger SR40c God gave us the gift of life. It is the most precious gift ever. To be unarmed is to be helpless to protect that gift; that is outright irresponsible. - Ted Nugent

September 18, 2007, 10:41 PM	#11
jrothWA Senior Member Join Date: November 11, 2006 Posts: 2,519	For deer hunting, ... use your ears first, then eyes second. Its amazing how a deer sounds like a human walking thru potato chips of freshly fallen leaves. If you and a deer meet and it doesn't wind you, stand still, then slowly move your hand (off-gun one, of course) getting his attention, then do a one-handed shot. Turkeys are the most obliging bird for hunting, when they spot you, they tell the WHOLE world (putt-putt)!!!! When you get your dog, make certain it knows who feeds it, the wneh you pull a boner, the dog won't say a thing. (But will still practice dirty looks for free)

September 17, 2007, 08:50 PM	#2
Rembrandt Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2002 Posts: 2,108	No sense in re-inventing the wheel, my stories would probably put you to sleep. Many books already available with superb stories and techniques. Beware of articles written by someone endorsing a particular product, probably slanted towards that item. For Africa a must read are any works by Robert Ruark. Old timers like Jack O'Conner were some of the best.

September 18, 2007, 01:39 AM	#4
ottsixx Junior Member Join Date: September 17, 2007 Posts: 4	Howdy,back in the Mid 70s when I was in High School,an old buddy of mine stopped by the house one day and told me he had this cassette tape of a squeling rabbit that was supposed to call a coyote in and he had this old piece of beat up junk cassette player to play it in,He was a little worried about doin this by himself and wanted to know if I would go with him and I instantly headed in to get a rifle an opted for adventure,we picked a place just off the hiway about a mile just outside of Auburn Kansas,walked a short distance thru the woods until we came upon an old rock fence overlooking this little meadow of about 5 acres that was completely surrounded by timber,I climbed over the wall and set the player up again a tree pointing the same direction we were looking,I hit the play button and proceeded back over the rock wall,in a minuute or so the tape player started whaling away the dire sounds of something screaming for its life,Mike Koci was on his knees with a 30-06 bolt rifle at hand and I beside him with my 25-06 as we very patiently peeked thru the rocks in the top of that old rock fence,all of a sudden off to my left I caugt a movement and when I looked over I saw this big beautiful coyte on a dead lope coming out of the timber on the opposite side of the meadow,I was au-struck,I reached over and tapped Mike on the leg and pointed at the Coyote wich was coming right at us and wasting no time in doing so,Mike instantly reached for his rifle so I went for mine not wanting to miss out on any of the action,Him an I came up over that rock wall at almost exactly the same instant,as fast as we could lock & load we emptied two 06 bolt rifles,i dont think we hit anything but trees on the other side of the meadow and all I remember seeing was that coyote sailing thru that timber like he had been shot out of a cannon,But on that early fall day back in 1976 has set the stage for the next 30 years of my life and hopefully for as long as my health will allow me to do this thing,Ive hunted elk and shot scads of whitetail and I absolutley love to pheasant hunt and shoot prairie chicken,Ive been a hunter since I was a little kid and love to hunt all kinds of game,But Ill tell ya for sure there isnt anything that stokes my fire and cranks me up like watching ol wiley coyote come to that call,i dont even know how to find the words to describe it to you,but it is absolutley the greatest high and the wildest rush I know of,i took a friend out coyote calling one day back in the winter of 1986,Id called this same place every year for several years in a row and it always produced at least one coyote if not two and they almost always came from the same area every year,on this particular day no coyote showed up and i just thought for a second,that was kind of strange,Have you ever been sittin around and all of a sudden you get a funny feeling that your being watched,Well I was sittin there on the back side of this little plumb thicket looking over this horseshoe canyon and out across a vast range of prarie or kansas pasture,and all of a sudden I got that feeling I was being watched,my head covered kind of a ghillies bag that looks like a bush,i turned my head around very slowly to see this coyote standing about 10 feet behind me just standing there starring at me,not moving a muscle,I very easily brought my model 7 remington around and just pointed the little 223 at him from the hip and eased the saftey forward,coyote still standing there not making a twitch and my hunting buddy sitting 5 feet to my right with no clue about any this,I touched off the little 223 and the coyote slammed to the ground like he had been hit by a freight train,my buddy about came out of his boots at the bark of the rifle,maybe even leaked himself a little,we both jumped up and stepped over to the coyote standing right over him,no blood to be seen,coyote didnt appear to be breathing,just lying there what appeared to be graveyard dead,and I was explaning the situation to Bobby while we unloaded out rifles and all of a sudden like he had awaken from a nightmare that coyote sprang to his feet and set sail down that steep hill into an arroyo and was gone befor we could even think of grabbing a round out of our pocket,I still to this day have no clue about what happened on that day with ol wiley there 21 years ago.We were on a pheasant hunt back in about 1988 at Smith Center Kansas,On Sunday morning when the rest of the bird hunters in our party went to breakfast early,I went coyote calling by myself and went to this big rolling hill pasture scattered with big hay bales all over it and sat down in front of a big bale and waited a couple minutes then proceeded to blow the call and in less then a minute and a half I had 10 coyotes coming on me from all directions i picked the one I wanted and lit him up like a christmas tree and the rest of them vaporized at the bark of the rifle,Its the most awesome sport Ive ever known a friend of mine has done it most of his life and he has traveled and hunted big game and dangerous game grizzlies and all and he told me one day,I would drop em all just to go coyote calling,you ought to try it out it is badd to the bone,If you ve never done it you ought to find someone who does it and ask them to take you,Ill promise you this it will be something that you will never forget as long as you live,words cant get you too that state of high ,I think the only way there is just to go check it out.I could sit and tell you stories about it for days on end ,Later Mike..........

September 18, 2007, 06:58 AM	#5
USNairman Junior member Join Date: March 2, 2006 Posts: 421	Learn what your hunting and learn what your hunting with. If you know your game and it's habits and you have a lot of confidence/skill in the use of your rifle, shotgun or bow then you are already ahead of the game.

September 18, 2007, 03:11 PM	#6
bswiv Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: NE FL....... Posts: 1,081	Storys are easy, the ethics are the hard part. Remember a few things: Hunting is not the same as killing. Some folks never lear this, which is their loss. Sharing the success of your hunt is more rewarding for everyone if the person listening is munching on some fresh fried venison. Sharing that venison with a non-hunter is one of the best ways to protect your right to hunt. Gun safety! There's more, but if you abide by these, and truly work at learning the sport, your own stories will be what folks will ask to hear.

September 18, 2007, 05:19 PM	#7
jhgreasemonkey Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2006 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 2,238	Ive had some funny run ins with deer. The last one I shot I was walking out of the tree line and into a clear cut when I spotted 3 deer feeding about 70yds up. They saw me right away and were startled but hadnt started running yet. I didnt want them to bolt into the trees before I even looked them over. I remembered an unusual thing I had read in a book so I tryed it out. I wasnt sure it would work. I ducked down into the high grass where they couldt see me and I couldnt see them. I waited a few and slowly looked back up. Sure enought they had gone back to eating. From there I was able to go right into a kneeling position take a quick observation, found a shootable buck and Just as they were looking back up I fired, got a broadside shot through the vitals. Another way I have kept deer from running away before Ive had a chance to look them over or take aim is when they are trotting away whistle really loud. Sometimes they stop in their tracks and look at you presenting you with a shot. We cant stand hunt here with rifles so most hunting is stalking and we have some jumpy deer with the western blacktail and muleys. Plus the woods are very brushy so its hard not to make a lot of noise. Sometimes you only catch a glimps of them as they take off. So it can be hard to set up for a good shot unless you get the deer to stop or if you are a better hunter than I and can sneak up on em. Also we hunt in 3 pt minimum areas sometimes so getting a good look and making a decision is crucial and takes a few seconds. I have never been lucky enough to find that dumb deer that just stands there with out a care and looks at you while you shoot it. Some hunters do though. And I have often tried to wait for the deer to come to me at waterholes, etc. but I must stink cause it hasnt worked yet. Hopefully my luck will change this year.

September 19, 2007, 06:43 AM	#12
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	If you're gonna sit, figure out how to sit still, without wiggling around or scratching your nose and all that giveaway-stuff. Some people take a pad and sketch, which doesn't require a lot of motion. I often take a paperback, alternating between watching the country around me and reading only a few lines. If you're gonna walk and stalk, learn how to do it as silently as possible. I commonly glance down to figure where I'll step for the next two to four paces, and then go back to watching around me as I walk. And don't ever walk with a rhythm; you're sneaky-snaking, not marching off to war. And spend as much time as you can out in the boonies, around sunup and sunset, just sitting and watching. Art