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Old July 20, 2012, 08:11 PM   #1
Mayor Al
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What Style Hunting situation do you choose?

As I have grown older, and relocated around the USA, I find that that my preferences for hunting have changed as well.

For years i lived in the Mojave Desert area of SoCal. My hunting there was mainly small critters taken on walking exercises not far from home. Then as the no-shooting rules expanded beyond my walking distances, I would head out into the empty lands near Ft irwin to do the same sort of rabbit/coyote shooting. For Deer I would pay the out of state price for a Utah Mule deer about once every other year (when I could afford it.)

Skip over to modern times, Here we are in Indiana. I use a blind and a 12 gauge slug for Whitetail, and 22's for the little critters around the house.

Last year we did our first pig hunt in central Texas. We had a good time and got 5 hogs to bring home for Pork. BUT, the accomdations were pretty primitive and the place charged us fees for every little thing, making the total cost pretty steep, while having us sleep in Home-Depot style tool sheds and leaving us unaccompanied in the blinds each day and night.. Total cost for 3 guys was $3000 including gas and motels to and from.

This year wife got a doe in her garden with a 22 short. She now has the fever and will be ready and better armed for the coming deer season. We will do another hog hunt this Fall. This time we are using a Missouri ranch with full-time guides who really help you get what you are looking for in the hog herds. In addition we will get an Axis deer as part of a herd-culling operation. since I am losing movement in my legs, I will make use of the 'limited mobility' services and hunt from a 4x4 and rail-brace. Not as much fun as chasing thru the bushes, but it works for us.

Our deer season in Indiana will find us in a patch of about 200 acres of forest across the street from our home, in woods that we know house a number of whitetails. No treestands for us, but a blind may be in order and wait'em out is my style...while she chases hers down .

So what are your preferences? Stalk'em, run'em down, TreeStands? Free land or pay to hunt? How many of you hunters make use of the game ranches or semi-closed areas on "Pay for Hunting"?? Not much open land here in Indiana for hunting without owners permission, but it can be found here and there.

Last edited by Mayor Al; July 20, 2012 at 08:17 PM.
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Old July 20, 2012, 08:22 PM   #2
PawPaw
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I'm a member of a lease, about 800 acres on an active oil field in central Louisiana. There are 10 families on the lease and each of us have about 80 acres of exclusive hunting land. I have a box blind on my portion of the lease overlooking a known crossing, but I'm not adverse to busting brush when I'm bored with sitting in the stand. The land also has a nice squirrel bottom along a creek where I slip off to sometimes.
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Old July 20, 2012, 10:04 PM   #3
jmr40
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I cannot stand to sit on a postage stamp parcel of land in a stand. Most of my hunting is on public land here in Georgia. If I cannot get at least a mile from the road I'm not interested. I prefer to set up a camp on some of the National Forests or larger Wildlife Management areas and still hunt from camp each day. If I find a good spot I sit, if not I keep moving. I have been known to just spend the night in the woods rather than have to walk back to camp and return to the same spot the next day, but I'm not as young as I used to be. Haven't done that in years.

I could kill more game by sitting in a tree. But wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much. My best trophy was a 260 lb bear taken this way. It was 3 miles from the road and I put in 15 miles up and down mountains getting it out that day, and into the next. It was after midnight before I got back to camp.

On some of the smaller areas with lots of hunters to keep the deer moving I do sit more and walk a less. But on the larger public areas with few hunters there is nothing to move the deer and no way to pattern them.

I've never paid anyone to hunt on their land. I do have some friends that own 20 or so acres with tree stands. If it is getting late in our 4+ month long deer season and I haven't taken anything I may break down and sit in a tree and shoot a doe or small buck for the meat. I don't really consider it hunting, more like grocery shopping. I retired 2 years ago and FINALLY was able to be off in the Fall long enough to hunt Colorado. Once again it was unguided on public land. Going back in October and will to try to go about every other year as long as my health and legs hold out.

I guess we are lucky to have lots of good public land to hunt on here. There are even several beaver ponds deep in some of these places where I've done quite well duck hunting. But you have to be willing to walk several miles to get to them.
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Old July 20, 2012, 10:24 PM   #4
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Naked!
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Old July 21, 2012, 03:17 PM   #5
bswiv
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Slow walks throug the woods with rifle in hand are now the preferred way......not that I don't sit a stand but would rather wander slowly.

Not as productive as sitting a stand but I like it......
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Old July 21, 2012, 06:27 PM   #6
Art Eatman
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My legs cheated on me and went and got old. My back did even worse. At least I'm still looking down on daisies and not up.

Think lazy and comfortable, nowadays for me.
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Old July 21, 2012, 06:33 PM   #7
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I lazily sneaky snake around as best I can while throwing a squeak or cry squeals in hopes a yote or feline will answer or come in...

Probably a little less productive than bswiv's style...

Brent
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Old July 22, 2012, 11:24 AM   #8
RevGeo
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I slowly walk towards what looks like a good place to sit. Then I sit. If nothing shows up I walk slowly towards another place to sit.
I have killed animals while walking and while sitting.
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Old July 22, 2012, 11:36 AM   #9
Brian Pfleuger
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I don't get to choose. I hunt small pieces of land, likely not in excess of 50 acres, with multiple other hunters. We hunt from tree stands or stationary on the ground.
Any body who thinks stand hunting isn't challenging either has too much game or has never really done it. It ain't like tv.
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Old July 22, 2012, 11:44 AM   #10
Mobuck
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I question the legality of "getting a doe in the garden with a 22 short".
Since I own and manage several hundred acres, I have almost unlimited access to deer hunting. Since this land is surrounded by leased hunting land, it is not to my advantage to go stomping around on my side of the fence chasing deer onto other properties-so I don't unless absolutely necessary. Most of my deer hunting is done from established, proven stands which have been in place for years. Some are shorter range suitable for kids or amateurs while others require shooting out to 300-400 yards and wind plays a role in stand choice.
There are times when I do feel the urge to move around which I do occasionally when other hunters are not as likely to be afield. Here again, I use the many years of experience on the same land to decide the best avenue and approach to the hunt I'm making.
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Old July 22, 2012, 12:01 PM   #11
Mayor Al
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Duplicate post, sorry. AL

Last edited by Mayor Al; July 22, 2012 at 12:08 PM.
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Old July 22, 2012, 12:08 PM   #12
Mayor Al
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MObuck,

In our state folks with orchard/crops can file a 'Prevent Crop Damage form' with the State to get permission to get rid of critters, including deer, that are damaging their crops. The State sends an inspector to check out your property and see evidence of the damage done, then approves (on not) your request. We have a fruit orchard and sell the results at a farm market. Usually we can scare the deer with bottle rockets or other noise-makers. This year the climate has apparently made the deer more assertive in going after 'easy food'. Thus when a yearling would not leave our strawberry beds, it became "lunch", with the blessing of our D N R. We could keep our freezer full of these deer if we wanted to push the limits a bit, but in all fairness, we give up a lot of fruit to the wildlife...Except crows...no mercy for them.

Technically, the 22 caliber was not legal, but the intent was to scare...when the deer continued to feed, she put a round thru the ear, and that ended the destruction of her crops.
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Old July 22, 2012, 12:28 PM   #13
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Kind of depends on what I'm hunting. Age and COPD doesn't allow for a whole lot of walking in the mountains.

For Antelope I find a spot where the cross from their bedding grounds to where they feed on hay fields.

I set up right in the middle of it, fix coffee with my little MSR WhisperLite stove and wait. I might have to move around a bit to get a shot within range, but not much.

Last year I was home with my buck within an hour and a half of starting my hunt but I rather set up my little tent and spend the night, gazing at stars and listening to coyotes.

Elk is different. I use a horse and ride along ridges giving me views of medows. The horse makes it handy for an old man to pack the critter out.

One of the best elk hunts I had was setting in camp doing nothing but drinking coffee and watching my granddaughter build snowmen.

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Old July 22, 2012, 01:23 PM   #14
snuzzo29
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For deer I hunt in a tree stand or on ground. I also do a lot of upland hunting and that is a lot of walking. Sometimes in fields and sometimes in thick woods.
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Old July 22, 2012, 01:39 PM   #15
arch308
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I'm on a 1000 ac. year round lease. Have known the land owner and family since high school(I graduated in "73). I have a raised shooting house with a heater and glass windows that sits over a well established feeder about 120 yds off in a mesquite thicket while on my other side is an open field with a few old oaks. I've been hunting this stand for 6 yrs now and have had pretty good luck.
Now and then I still like to get down and do a little still hunting but have found over the years that the more I walk around on my chunk of land the less dear I see. So I spend the majority of my time on stand.
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Old July 22, 2012, 02:28 PM   #16
Buzzcook
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What I'd prefer is to walk through old growth looking for Bambi. I doubt there is any old growth to hunt in anymore.

What I do is sit behind a fence in an apple orchard.
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Old July 22, 2012, 02:48 PM   #17
farmerboy
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I sat in the house I live in now for the past 17 years , took of screen in living room and shoot my deer out windows. I know it's Redneck but it works. I do have stands outside but on real cold or rainy days inside sure is cozy next to wood heater.
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Old July 22, 2012, 03:25 PM   #18
MagicAnimal
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Run and gun. Ok, shuffle and gun, my runnin' days are pretty much in the rearview mirror.

Don't care for venison, but I may knock a few down this year to thin the herd and feed the dog. He prefers his raw and he's not fussy about gutting, quartering, etc.

I like hunting just about anything with the exception of antelope and sheep. I will crawl on my belly no more, forever...
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Old July 22, 2012, 04:13 PM   #19
Jack O'Conner
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I prefer spot & stalk for mule deer and antelope. But here in the east, sitting in a tree waiting and waiting and waiting some more is productive.

Jack

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Old July 22, 2012, 05:10 PM   #20
Art Eatman
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Easing along through the woods doesn't seem to bother deer all that much. Years back at the old home place outside Austintatious, there was one really nice buck that would trail along watching me as I ambled through his "home turf". I'd keep on going down the woods road and he'd turn back to his bedding area.
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Old July 22, 2012, 05:23 PM   #21
buck460XVR
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For deer hunting, some days I walk/stalk, some days I sit. Depends on where I'm at(small private parcels as opposed to large public tracts) and if the weather is conductive to bein' sneaky. Sometimes I walk just to see old spots I ain't been to in years or to relive a old memory. Wild Turkeys I love to run and gun, but have been known to sit all day iffin I expect an old adversary to appear. Upland birds are always hunted behind a good dog.


Quote:
I question the legality of "getting a doe in the garden with a 22 short".
.......things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
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Old July 24, 2012, 01:02 AM   #22
BIG P
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I hunt a couple of large farms with light hunting pressure,Power lines & cutovers are My kind of places.I'm a comfort hunter for deer,A nice folding chair & a tripod for my rlfle. Set up & watch works great for me,looking over about 500yds with a big cup of coffee & a couple bambie & biscuits.

Now thats my kind of hunting & it works pretty well also.
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Old July 24, 2012, 06:13 AM   #23
Mayor Al
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Buck 460...
See my explanation of the circumstances, a couple of posts further up this thread.
The deer seem to be attracted by the noise of us working the orchard...or in this case of target shooting off the back deck. Here are a couple of youngsters who came rather close last week as we did spinner targets less than 50 feet from where they stood. We don't mess with them when they 'watch'...but when they chow down we try to move them on.

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Old July 24, 2012, 02:33 PM   #24
Husqvarna
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I do like the stalk but mostly do the flushing kind.

I do do some baiting of pigs and fox but have a hard time with this sitting still so I can't really stand stand hunting, i fall asleep it is so nice and quiet

some geese hunting.

the old man is growing older so I might take over his dog for moose hun ting duty, gotta get in shape first because when hunting with the dog you'll walk, walk and then walk some more but it beats sitting in a stand
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Old July 24, 2012, 04:03 PM   #25
ZeroJunk
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The most enjoyment I have ever had was bow hunting elk. In 1985 a friend of mine had a heart attack and I got to go on a guided hunt in his place. I killed a rag horn the first morning at daylight.

We asked the outfitter if he had ever taken anybody bow hunting and he had not. So, the next year we came bow hunting. He had a couple of guides. They were good old boys, but just as clueless as we were.

So, we cut a deal with the outfitter that we would come in Sept. when he was setting up his camp. We helped with the chores, but for the most part we didn't bother him and he didn't bother us.

It took us a couple of years to figure it out, but we got to where we could get in to the elk about every day. I think I have been within 100 yards of enough herd bulls to fill a transfer truck. Of course, getting within thirty or forty is harder but a rush like no other when you do. We hunted this way for about 10 years until that outfitter passed away. The new ones want to watch you like a hawk. Liability concerns I guess. I have a stack of photos. I should buy a scanner and post some of them some time.

As far as deer hunting, I do it about any way depending on the mood I am in. But, I spend more time bow hunting. It is pretty cool to sneak up on one close enough to kill it with a bow. But, I don't care much for this attitude some have that their way is somehow superior. The ones I have shot out of a stand taste about the same as near as I can tell.
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