November "I FORGOT MY MANTRA" Low Content chit-chat thread

[Fishwhenican]

Not nearly as dramatic as Katy's work issue but for what it's worth I filled my buck tag Saturday night. Got a nice 4X4 whitetail just before the end of shooting time. He is going to be very good eating!!!!

Tomorrow I head to the ranch to play cowboy helping to gather and sort cows for shipping. The weather is supposed to be really nice so it will be good to do something different than being stuck in an office with no windows working on the PC all day! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[SoloAJ]

Fish,

I'm really really sorry if you answered this already, but I have no idea how I would go about searching for it if you had (without lots of effort).

Anyway, how often do you go hunting? Like every weekend only? Every other night?

[Fishwhenican]

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Fish,

I'm really really sorry if you answered this already, but I have no idea how I would go about searching for it if you had (without lots of effort).

Anyway, how often do you go hunting? Like every weekend only? Every other night?

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No Problem. No need to be sorry. I don't know that I've ever said anything about this.

Anyway, I go out when I can. During bowhunting season, shich starts the beginning of September I will sometimes go out in the evenings after work and then maybe a day or two on the weekends. Once rifle season starts, towards the end of October until the sunday after thanksgiving I will go out when I can which is usually on weekends since we are losing daylight now to hunt after much after work although I will occasionally go out after work before the time change. Sometimes we hunt all weekend sometimes not. Usually Saturday is the big day but it just depends on whatever else is going on.

Sometimes I will take a week or two off during rifle season. Sometimes we will get a bunch of us to go out west elk hunting up in the mountains sometimes we just hunt around here since this is actually a really good area too. The only "problem" with hunting around where we live is that we have to draw a permit to hunt elk in the largest place where we have public land and a bull permit is a long draw. Out west there are places where we can rifle hunt bulls with just a general elk license.

When we hunt around here it is pretty laid back. We will figure out where we want to go and usually walk in a ways and then when we are done in that area we will drive somewhere else and walk that. Some days we are done after the morning hunt and some days we go for three or four of these walks. Just depends on how things go

This year my wife and I both got elk on opening day so we are not really under any pressure to fill the freezer so there is not as much "need" to get out hunting as hard. Now t is mostly for fun, find a nice buck and when there is an easy dry doe we will take one of them for sausage or I am sure there will be a lot of deer meat that we will give away this year too. we have a couple of tribal elders we know who will be really happy to have a deer and a couple of other people we know who are going to be able to use the meat as well.

After big game season is over we will do a bit of bird hunting until that closes and after that we will hunt coyotes, which is a gas as well. We call them in and it is pretty exciting when a coyote is coming in thinking they are getting a meal and we mess that up for them. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I have had some times when we have had coyotes come in pretty darn close before we open up on them. First one I ever shot was at about 8 yards at a dead run right at me when I shot.

We don't hunt quite as often after big game season is over but we go out when we can. It is usually an all day thing. We will go out and take a grill along and take a break for lunch and grill up deer steaks and shoot clay pigeons and have a really good time. Lots of fun.

[daveT]

So, at certain times of the year, you are allowed to bow hunt and at others you can use a rifle? Why is this?

What do you do with the coyotes?

How many animals does it take to feed you for the year. It sounds like you don't need much if you are content with one elk.

[Fishwhenican]

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So, at certain times of the year, you are allowed to bow hunt and at others you can use a rifle? Why is this?

What do you do with the coyotes?

How many animals does it take to feed you for the year. It sounds like you don't need much if you are content with one elk.

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Bowhunting starts earlier than rifle season, with the exception of "back country" places which are usually pretty remote area where you need to pack a camp in with horses. But bowhunting is very different than rifle hunting. You are trying to get as close to things as you can wearing camo only and no orange. Rifle sunting takes things out to many hundreds of yards and you have to wear orange for safety. Why are there two different seasons? Safety, different opportunities, it is much harder to shoot things with a bow so not as many animals are harvested so a longer season is fine that way.

Coyotes are hunted for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is population control. Especially in our part of the world there is nothing to keeo the population in check (no wolves for instance) so they can become quite a problem for ranchers and other wildlife. Other reasons can be for money, although they are not worth much now there was a day a guy could get $100 for a coyote. Some times, if the coyote is in really good shape, we will skin them out and have the hide tanned. They can actually be really beautiful if they are done right. I have one that we did hanging on the wall that is just beautiful

Actually what I said (or at lesat meant to say) was that my wife and I each got an elk on opening day. That is a lt of meat! We have/had tags for 9 deer and an antelope each. We could not possibly eat that much which is why we would be giving some away to folks who could use it. I am not sure I can answer how much it would really take. We usually just get what we can until the freezer is full and even then will end us giving some away as well. For what it is worth, as well, an elk is a pretty darn big animal and we get a lot of meat from one, several hundred pounds.

[katyseagull]

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Coyotes are hunted for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is population control. Especially in our part of the world there is nothing to keeo the population in check (no wolves for instance) so they can become quite a problem for ranchers and other wildlife. Other reasons can be for money, although they are not worth much now there was a day a guy could get $100 for a coyote. Some times, if the coyote is in really good shape, we will skin them out and have the hide tanned. They can actually be really beautiful if they are done right. I have one that we did hanging on the wall that is just beautiful



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ewww [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Why oh why can't you leave the little coyotes alone? Are you sure they are coyotes and not just starving skinny dogs? (and btw, what does a coyote taste like?)

Do you get up in trees when you are bow hunting? In the midwest our hunters perch in the trees. I think they are crazy. It sounds very awkward and uncomfortable.

[Conspire]

One reason why im happy to be back in Michigan is because Im gonna be eating venison bratwurst and chewing on venison jerky real soon.

[Fishwhenican]

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Coyotes are hunted for a couple of reasons. The primary reason is population control. Especially in our part of the world there is nothing to keeo the population in check (no wolves for instance) so they can become quite a problem for ranchers and other wildlife. Other reasons can be for money, although they are not worth much now there was a day a guy could get $100 for a coyote. Some times, if the coyote is in really good shape, we will skin them out and have the hide tanned. They can actually be really beautiful if they are done right. I have one that we did hanging on the wall that is just beautiful



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ewww [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Why oh why can't you leave the little coyotes alone? Are you sure they are coyotes and not just starving skinny dogs? (and btw, what does a coyote taste like?)

Do you get up in trees when you are bow hunting? In the midwest our hunters perch in the trees. I think they are crazy. It sounds very awkward and uncomfortable.

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I'd have to be starving to death to eat a coyote and I mean just about ready to die. Coyote hunting is nothing more than predator control, well, besides being a lot of fun. Around here, other than man, coyotes are the top of the food chain. Nothing to keep them in check. Coyotes will eat young deer, well really young anything, and can put quite a hit on animal populations if their numbers are not somehow reduced. You hear stories all the time of coyotes in urban areas taking peoples dogs and cats. This is because there are too many of them there and they are not afraid of anything since they are not hunted. So next time you think of a coyote, think of it killing a cute little puppy or a beautiful newborn baby deer.

Yes, when we bow hunt we will sometimes use a tree stand. It is really a very effective way to bowhunt. Gives the hunter a much better chance to be close without being detected. It was a little unnerving the first time few times I went up a tree and I still get a little nervous climbing the first few times but after that it is not so bad. Actually sitting is easy. A stand is used that has a seat and a platform to stand on as well. Only part that gets uncomfortable is my butt after sitting too long.

Funny though, the only deer I got with my bow this year was on the ground and most of the animals I have been able to get with the bow have been on the ground. It's actually very cool to be up in a tree watching things and seeing the day turn into night or the morning darkness turn into day. You see a lot of stuff you wouldn't normally see from the ground too. Very fun!

[Fishwhenican]

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One reason why im happy to be back in Michigan is because Im gonna be eating venison bratwurst and chewing on venison jerky real soon.

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MMMMMM, ya. Eating is one of the best parts! We use antelope for sausage and jerky and it is really good too. I am going to experiment with making my own sausage this year so that will be fun and interesting as well! So far I am planning on some breakfast sausage, some summer sausage and pepperoni sticks.

[SoloAJ]

Fish, glad to hear more details about it all.

I definitely wish I could try this out (or even tag along on something) sometime in the future. If I haven't figured out a way to do so at some point, in a few years I might be making a trip out to SE Montana for a Loungers special. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]