Am I the world's worst hunter?

stagpanther · April 25, 2020, 05:47 PM

I've long told people that my reputation in the animal kingdom as a hunter is so bad that they often come out to watch me when I target practice. Today was no exception, and lately I can honestly say more than half the time I shoot-- deer and turkeys come out to watch. Today was no exception, and I was shooting my 300 Weatherby magnum with accubrake--not exactly what I would call a diminutive report when firing. So first to check out the ruckus were the hens--who naturally were followed by horny/indignant Toms. They typically taunt me by walking in clusters right between me and my target. To add insult to injury, a group of over half a dozen deer were standing on the edge of the pit I was shooting in looking down on me watching all the shenanigans.

I get no respect.

jmr40 · April 25, 2020, 06:14 PM

I'm right there with you. I really do spend a LOT of time in the woods hunting just about anything in season. But I don't kill a lot of stuff. Anymore it doesn't bother me too much. Hunting is a good excuse to get outside. At this point HOW and WHERE I hunt are more important than killing stuff.

And I've had the same thing happen at the private club where I shoot. I've had deer and turkey walk out onto the range before and had to stop shooting long enough to run them off.

stagpanther · April 25, 2020, 06:45 PM

That gobbler above is HUGE and dragging a long beard--him and two others walked right up within maybe 10 feet of me as if I wasn't there.

Makes me wonder why bother with all the Camo clothing scent cover etc.

jmr40 · April 25, 2020, 07:47 PM

They get used to the gunshots at a firing range and it no longer concerns them. Deer and most game animals are accustomed to living very near humans. They can tell the difference between a hunter, and someone just out for a walk by reading our body language.

jonnyc · April 25, 2020, 09:40 PM

We have a fat groundhog at about 95 yards on out 100 yard range. He has a hole in the berm just off the lane. The fat bastard likes to come out when we're shooting and taunt us. I once put one in the snow about 2 feet off his nose. He just gave me a dirty look and sauntered off.

SHR970 · April 25, 2020, 10:08 PM

Funny how they know when season is and then just disappear. Funny how they also know the out of bounds zones.

A head shot with that 300 Wea. and no pictures would have netted you and your family a nice dinner. But that is what seperates a sportsman from a poacher.

Colorado Redneck · April 25, 2020, 11:15 PM

Several different times when I've been walking through prairie dog towns shooting a 22-250 or 204 Ruger antelope have meandered around a few hundred yards from me. They sometimes have moved closer to check out whats happening. Hunting season opens and if antelope even see a pickup they haul a$$ with their tails on fire.

stagpanther · April 25, 2020, 11:40 PM

The coronavirus caused a change in the state's hunting rules--I didn't even know this until I checked yesterday. While deer hunting is still banned where I live (and yes, they've been known to mysteriously disappear anyway, though the penalty for getting caught is quite stiff if one of your neighbors doesn't like you) turkey season actually opened for juniors this weekend. I saw nobody out (except for the turkeys).

Double Naught Spy · April 26, 2020, 11:40 AM

One year at the Whittington Center in NM, we were shooting Barretts at 800 or 1000 yards when a herd of antelope walked out down range at about the 400 yard position and grazed. I sometimes have deer bedded down close to my rifle range in north Texas that we scare up when we change targets.

Animals can get used to noise just fine. If the sound is normal for the location, then they come to not fear it.

How many people fear thunder despite knowing it is just Zeus doing some lightning bolt plinking?

zukiphile · April 26, 2020, 12:45 PM

Quote:

I get no respect.

Yet, if the crows see me, they somehow know whether I have a round chambered, can reach them with the firearm I am holding, and whether I am thinking about shooting them.

Catchabullet · April 26, 2020, 01:03 PM

Don't feel bad, been hunting for a few years now and... They're merely nature walks w my favorite rifle at this point.

**44 AMP** · April 26, 2020, 03:25 PM

I don't know about turkeys but I know some deer can "read".

Once saw a deer walk down the side of a road, until it got to the Deer Xing sign, at which point it turned and crossed the road!!

I feel pretty sure there is a "secret" somebody in the Game Dept that goes out into the wood shortly before the season and "reads" the game regs to the animals...

They learn pretty quick to ignore you when they think you aren't after them...

Double Naught Spy · April 26, 2020, 04:08 PM

Quote:

I don't know about turkeys but I know some deer can "read".

Once saw a deer walk down the side of a road, until it got to the Deer Xing sign, at which point it turned and crossed the road!!

Donna was right!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFCrJleggrI

doofus47 · April 26, 2020, 04:33 PM

You, sir, will have to wait for me to die before you are the worst hunter in the world!!!

Last autumn, I was setting up elk camp with my friend and a mule deer doe walked right between us. She looked at us both as though we were trees, and wandered right out of camp. I swear Muley's have a nose so sharp that they can smell "human with tag" and "human with no deer tag."

I'm scuttled before I even start b/c I can't even pick my tags right!! That's how bad of a hunter I am. Then it's just hiking with a purpose and blister farming for a week on top of that.

Good luck out there this year! If you reach out and touch anything with that 300 Weatherby, you'll be good to go!

rykermcdermott · April 27, 2020, 06:25 PM

Turkeys are strange birds. I once shot one that was in a small group and all the rest scurried away about 10 feet and just sat there and watched me as I picked up their fallen companion. I felt like I was shooting a domesticated animal, so much for "hunting".

Prof Young · April 27, 2020, 10:34 PM

While it's never happened to me, I have buddies who shoot a lot at outdoor ranges, in the woods. They say it's not unusual for wild life to come watch.

Life is good.
Prof Young

joe45c · April 28, 2020, 07:10 PM

I'm right there with you guys. Had to take up target shooting just so i could shoot my guns sometimes!

DaleA · April 29, 2020, 02:37 PM

DNS---post #13. Thank you.

I occasionally shot trap at a range out in the country. This was a big establishment with many trap houses. There was a big clearing in front of the trap houses and woods beyond the clearing. It was not at all uncommon in the evening to see deer come out of the woods and graze on the far side of the clearing while trap shooting was going on.

10-96 · April 30, 2020, 06:53 PM

This thread made me realize just how much I miss Patrick McManus!

Scorch · May 1, 2020, 03:55 PM

Quote:

somebody in the Game Dept that goes out into the wood shortly before the season and "reads" the game regs to the animals...

I think you're right. A couple years back I went deer hunting in an area on the other side of the mountains. Two weeks before elk season, elk were everywhere but no deer. A customer of mine who hunts that area every year was there two weeks later for elk season. Same exact area. No elk, but deer everywhere!. I think they have the hunting seasons posted somewhere in the woods.

ThomasT · May 4, 2020, 03:36 PM

Once driving in to a place I like to Turkey hunt I looked out of the drivers window and about 6 Turkeys were walking right beside my truck. So I slowed way down and just enjoyed watching them for about 50 yards.

Then I set up in the woods and went to squawking and calling and needless to say never saw another bird.

At the Ft Worth Rifle And Pistol club the deer would walk out right in front of the 100 yard targets and stand there. You had to throw rocks at them to get them to move out of the way.

Crows know when you are carrying a gun. And they know the difference between a gun and a stick.

OneFreeTexan · May 4, 2020, 04:02 PM

But crows not so good and figuring the range of the gun you are carrying.

April 25, 2020, 06:14 PM	#2
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	I'm right there with you. I really do spend a LOT of time in the woods hunting just about anything in season. But I don't kill a lot of stuff. Anymore it doesn't bother me too much. Hunting is a good excuse to get outside. At this point HOW and WHERE I hunt are more important than killing stuff. And I've had the same thing happen at the private club where I shoot. I've had deer and turkey walk out onto the range before and had to stop shooting long enough to run them off. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

April 25, 2020, 06:45 PM	#3
stagpanther Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2014 Posts: 11,789	That gobbler above is HUGE and dragging a long beard--him and two others walked right up within maybe 10 feet of me as if I wasn't there. Makes me wonder why bother with all the Camo clothing scent cover etc. __________________ "Everyone speaks gun."--Robert O'Neill *I am NOT an expert--I do not have any formal experience or certification in firearms use or testing; use any information I post at your own risk!*

April 25, 2020, 07:47 PM	#4
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	They get used to the gunshots at a firing range and it no longer concerns them. Deer and most game animals are accustomed to living very near humans. They can tell the difference between a hunter, and someone just out for a walk by reading our body language. __________________ "If you're still doing things the same way you were doing them 10 years ago, you're doing it wrong" Winston Churchill

April 25, 2020, 09:40 PM	#5
jonnyc Senior Member Join Date: July 20, 2009 Location: PA Posts: 1,731	We have a fat groundhog at about 95 yards on out 100 yard range. He has a hole in the berm just off the lane. The fat bastard likes to come out when we're shooting and taunt us. I once put one in the snow about 2 feet off his nose. He just gave me a dirty look and sauntered off. __________________ 2024 PA Cartridge Collector Show; Aug. 16-17, 2024!!! Buy...Sell...Trade All Types of Ammunition & Ordnance PM or email me for 2024 show details.

April 25, 2020, 11:40 PM	#8
stagpanther Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2014 Posts: 11,789	The coronavirus caused a change in the state's hunting rules--I didn't even know this until I checked yesterday. While deer hunting is still banned where I live (and yes, they've been known to mysteriously disappear anyway, though the penalty for getting caught is quite stiff if one of your neighbors doesn't like you) turkey season actually opened for juniors this weekend. I saw nobody out (except for the turkeys). __________________ "Everyone speaks gun."--Robert O'Neill *I am NOT an expert--I do not have any formal experience or certification in firearms use or testing; use any information I post at your own risk!*

April 25, 2020, 10:08 PM	#6
SHR970 Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2011 Posts: 1,427	Funny how they know when season is and then just disappear. Funny how they also know the out of bounds zones. A head shot with that 300 Wea. and no pictures would have netted you and your family a nice dinner. But that is what seperates a sportsman from a poacher.

April 25, 2020, 11:15 PM	#7
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	Several different times when I've been walking through prairie dog towns shooting a 22-250 or 204 Ruger antelope have meandered around a few hundred yards from me. They sometimes have moved closer to check out whats happening. Hunting season opens and if antelope even see a pickup they haul a$$ with their tails on fire.

April 26, 2020, 11:40 AM	#9
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,717	One year at the Whittington Center in NM, we were shooting Barretts at 800 or 1000 yards when a herd of antelope walked out down range at about the 400 yard position and grazed. I sometimes have deer bedded down close to my rifle range in north Texas that we scare up when we change targets. Animals can get used to noise just fine. If the sound is normal for the location, then they come to not fear it. How many people fear thunder despite knowing it is just Zeus doing some lightning bolt plinking? __________________ "If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011 My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

April 26, 2020, 01:03 PM	#11
Catchabullet Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2008 Location: Arizona Posts: 317	Don't feel bad, been hunting for a few years now and... They're merely nature walks w my favorite rifle at this point. __________________ I may be a Scientist but....I never said I was smart.

April 26, 2020, 03:25 PM	#12
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	I don't know about turkeys but I know some deer can "read". Once saw a deer walk down the side of a road, until it got to the Deer Xing sign, at which point it turned and crossed the road!! I feel pretty sure there is a "secret" somebody in the Game Dept that goes out into the wood shortly before the season and "reads" the game regs to the animals... They learn pretty quick to ignore you when they think you aren't after them... __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

April 26, 2020, 04:33 PM	#14
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	You, sir, will have to wait for me to die before you are the worst hunter in the world!!! Last autumn, I was setting up elk camp with my friend and a mule deer doe walked right between us. She looked at us both as though we were trees, and wandered right out of camp. I swear Muley's have a nose so sharp that they can smell "human with tag" and "human with no deer tag." I'm scuttled before I even start b/c I can't even pick my tags right!! That's how bad of a hunter I am. Then it's just hiking with a purpose and blister farming for a week on top of that. Good luck out there this year! If you reach out and touch anything with that 300 Weatherby, you'll be good to go! __________________ I'm right about the metric system 3/4 of the time.

April 27, 2020, 06:25 PM	#15
rykermcdermott Junior Member Join Date: April 25, 2020 Location: Washington Virginia Posts: 2	Turkeys are strange birds. I once shot one that was in a small group and all the rest scurried away about 10 feet and just sat there and watched me as I picked up their fallen companion. I felt like I was shooting a domesticated animal, so much for "hunting". __________________ https://www.rykermcdermott.com/

April 27, 2020, 10:34 PM	#16
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,404	Not happened to me but . . . While it's never happened to me, I have buddies who shoot a lot at outdoor ranges, in the woods. They say it's not unusual for wild life to come watch. Life is good. Prof Young

April 28, 2020, 07:10 PM	#17
joe45c Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2012 Location: peru ny Posts: 218	I'm right there with you guys. Had to take up target shooting just so i could shoot my guns sometimes!

April 29, 2020, 02:37 PM	#18
DaleA Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2002 Location: Twin Cities, MN Posts: 5,313	DNS---post #13. Thank you. I occasionally shot trap at a range out in the country. This was a big establishment with many trap houses. There was a big clearing in front of the trap houses and woods beyond the clearing. It was not at all uncommon in the evening to see deer come out of the woods and graze on the far side of the clearing while trap shooting was going on.

April 30, 2020, 06:53 PM	#19
10-96 Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Tx Panhandle Territory Posts: 4,160	This thread made me realize just how much I miss Patrick McManus! __________________ Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day) I suspect a thing or two... because I've seen a thing or two.

May 4, 2020, 03:36 PM	#21
ThomasT Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 2,753	Once driving in to a place I like to Turkey hunt I looked out of the drivers window and about 6 Turkeys were walking right beside my truck. So I slowed way down and just enjoyed watching them for about 50 yards. Then I set up in the woods and went to squawking and calling and needless to say never saw another bird. At the Ft Worth Rifle And Pistol club the deer would walk out right in front of the 100 yard targets and stand there. You had to throw rocks at them to get them to move out of the way. Crows know when you are carrying a gun. And they know the difference between a gun and a stick. Last edited by ThomasT; May 5, 2020 at 11:02 AM.

May 4, 2020, 04:02 PM	#22
OneFreeTexan Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2002 Location: West, Texas Posts: 280	But crows not so good and figuring the range of the gun you are carrying.