# Hunting for food.



## Turkish

How many of you guys hunt for your food? Do you hunt for deer, birds, what?
And also where do you hunt at usually?


----------



## Narsil

I hunt for beef and chicken, mostly at Costco or Publix.  You'd be amazed at how quickly you get tossed out of a Publix when you're all camo'd up, carrying a shotgun, low crawling down an aisle, and sounding a chicken call. 

I'd like to go deer or hog hunting but I've never done it and haven't found someone both able and willing to take a newbie and show him the ropes.


----------



## gds

I hunt year round, there is almost always something to hunt. Deer, tree rats, dove, duck, goose, chucker, quail, rabbit, frogs, pig, ****. Then there is the fishing, that supplies plenty of good eats.

"And also where do you hunt at usually? "

Wherever the above food is.


----------



## Jack

I hunt when ever possible 

it saves money tastes great and keeps you sharp

i cureently have a corned silverside in the fridge 

4lbs

but its the only store bought meat in the place and i have maybe 30lbs in the freezer

loved corned beef eh.. never got it quite right myself so i buy that

got some excellent roo haunches ( throw the tail away its all fat and sinew only liked by starving black fella's )

now its spring here i will go looking for deer , enough got away in the 70's from people starting up deer farms ( thought 6 an 8 ' fences would hold em)that theres quite a few wild ones about now

i got 2 nice red does last year leave the bucks to breed up 

nice meat bugger to clean up though

cheers 

jack


----------



## gds

Jack ol mate,
I got a few tree rat haunches I'll trade ya for some Roo haunches.


----------



## spittinfire

I hunt year around as well. There is always something to shoot at and serve up with a side of potatoes. Also, I don't shoot anything I don't plan to eat unless it's attacking me or it's a pest, aka rat, ground hog, something that destroys my property. 

I try to hunt on private land as much as possible but when I dont have anywhere else to go I go to state game lands. If you're hunting only for food it only make sense to stick to larger game, ie. deer, turkey, bear. I'm on the east coast so thats about all we have here.


----------



## SimeaseDream

What are haunches and tree rats and chuckers?


----------



## Bearman405

Love the wild meat. Will take it every time over farmed stuff.

Hunt deer, elk, black bear, turkey and mountain sheep when I can get it. Sheep ribs cooked over a ash wood fire...........beau.............. Buy buffalo when I can find it.


----------



## gds

SimeaseDream said:


> What are haunches and tree rats and chuckers?


 Haunches: hindquarters.

Tree rats: another name for squirrel.

Chucker/ chukkar,? (Not sure of the spelling) its a game bird similar to a quail or pheasant. Its about 2-3 times the size of a quail and a little smaller then a pheasant.


----------



## JeepHammer

Turkish said:


> How many of you guys hunt for your food? Do you hunt for deer, birds, what?
> And also where do you hunt at usually?


I hunt, fish or trap about all seasons to one extent or another.
I'm slowing down as I get older.
Mostly really small game here, the largest thing we have locally is Whitetail deer, and we only get 3 or 4 a year legally.

(Bow Season, Muzzle Loader Season, then you get a 'Fire Arms' tag that covers Handgun, 'Cowboy' Calibers in rifles and shot guns with slugs, land owners get a bonus tag for free, and you can apply for more tags in lotteries or 'Special Hunts' but those are costly to apply and risky... You can't count on your name being drawn.)

There is also Fishing,
Fish, eels, turtles (my favorite!), 
AND,
'Upland Foul' (Quail, Pheasants, Doves, Turkey) 
and 'Water Foul' (Ducks, Geese, the occasional Black Bird!  ) seasons here.

I grew up on game meat, and I still like the taste of it.
The fact that it stretches the food budget and gets my fat a$$ off the couch doesn't hurt anything either!

Small game is VERY inexpensive since most of it comes at the point of a .22 LR or .22 WMR rifle while I'm out walking for exercise.


----------



## justinpcox

*hunting for food...*

Eels.....how do you catch eels?

Deer, doves, tree rats, rabbits, duck, goose...all good eatin....

Make sure you get a deep freeze!!!!!!

mushrooms are great too....


----------



## Jerseyzuks

justinpcox said:


> Eels.....how do you catch eels?


Usually they are a bycatch when you are fishing for other species.

We used to catch fresh water eels when fishing for catfish, especially at night.

We often catch salt water eels when fishing around the docks or piers, also usually at night


----------



## Denny

I've never hunted, but would like to someday to learn what to do once I kill whatever it is I'm hunting.


----------



## Smithy

You and I are in the same boat. I consider it a needful skill in my set, but one I don't currently have. Gotta find a hunting buddy and go get busy, I guess...


----------



## gds

Denny and Smithy,

Both of you are in ideal places( not iraq, TX, not DC, PA, and WV) for plenty of hunting. 
Walk into a local hunt club, shooting club, or whatever you have and ask someone to show you. Get online and do some research, I know that's not the same as having someone there to show you, but at least you will have some knowledge.
My acquaintances are a rough lot, ex cons, and veterans. All willing ready and able to make things dead, but all of them with the exception of one would welcome a new hunter and take them under their wing and teach them what they know. Find a group in your area. Most hunters are willing to help and educate if you ask, You have to ask!
Your state conservation agencies should have work shops and how to classes. They have websites, so look into that also.
Happy Hunting


----------



## desert_tom

i hunt duck in the desert! along with quail, chukar, jack rabits and cottontails. you would be surprised how many ducks there are in the desert oasis' in southern nevada. ducks and geese both can be very plentiful. chukars are an SOB to hunt, as they live in rocky outcroppings at 5000 feet or better. qauil is easier to hunt, it lives in mesquite thickets and washes. rabbits you can find anywhere by walking down any wash you might see. oh i forgot doves... the month of september is dove season here, and we hunt those near rivers, hiding under big open branched trees. after the doves eat they like to land in these trees to take a break, we sit under them in chairs, or standing, and just pluck them out of the sky as they fly by. its like a never ending supply of flyign targets! you can use small foam decoys clipped to the branches if you want, but thers no need. find water, find trees, there will be doves! 

hope this helps without giving away all the secrets...

-thomas


----------



## Jezcruzen

I hunt for the enjoyment, not for food. In other words, I'm not a subsistance hunter. I do, however, eat what I kill or donate it to charity...it doesn't go to waste.

Oh, I enjoy deer hunting most. I will occassionally hunt turkey. I enjoyed having deer and turkey season coinside in the fall, but the Wild Turkey Federation put an end to that, whinning that too many turkeys were being killed by deer hunters. How sad....boo, hoo.


----------



## bonanacrom

What's wrong with PA ? I think of all the places I have ever hunted it's the best.


----------



## The_Blob

bonanacrom said:


> What's wrong with PA ? I think of all the places I have ever hunted it's the best.


pretty certain he meant 'not DC' & that WV & PA were great places to hunt (they are!)


----------



## Jack Aubrey

I hunt for meat.Deer,wild hog,doves,squirrel. I have a good wife and two little mouths to feed. There are some WMA's around here where I hunt.I take my canoe in real deep into the woods to avoid other hunters. Like to fish as well. I did not come from a hunting family.Oddly enough,I had a desire to hunt and fish...I always fancied myself a Grizzly Adams sort at heart,Lol!Well,I read everything I could about hunting,watched those dvd's and one day I met Pete.Pete was an accomplished hunter and fisher.He taught me how to do all that.Became my best friend,he did.Now he's my brother in law,Lol! Best regards,JA


----------



## sailaway

I've fished Lake Erie since I was young and it suppliments the food bill. I always wanted to hunt and have started small game hunting and bird hunting with friends who are experienced. We go on private land where we have the owners permission or on leased land. I have been known to get a bird or two that fly out in front of me when I'm out making sales calls. Over the years I have seen lots more wild turkeys and phesants around. I want to learn deer hunting next, especially dressing one out.


----------



## Offthegrid

I am a lifelong outdoorsman, my definition is, Hunt fish and trap. Nothing goes to waste. I readily share with freinds and family, and love to be able to help out a neighbor in need.
My main focus for stocking the freezer is Deer, usually taking does over bucks due to the population explosion, and they tend to taste better. Here's a picture from last years muzzle loader season, 3 tags filled in under an hour.
I am also big into the salt water fishing with Stripers being number one on my list. I make most of my own tackle, all my own rods, and take folks out all the time.
Nothing goes to waste, what I don't eat, goes to compost.


----------



## Canadian

I'd like to hunt. Just have to get my license and all. I'll do it next time it rolls around at the gun club.


----------



## Expeditioner

I have been hunting and fishing since I was 6 years old. The thing I like about both activities is that no matter how good one thinks they are there is always something new to learn.

I am a much better fisherman than a hunter probably because I devote more time to it. I fish mainly for trout. Brook trout are native to Georgia and our DNR has introduced browns and rainbows to many of our creeks and streams in the northern part of our state. 

Most of my hunting is for quail and deer as both are abundant in my state. I have been hunting for elk and bison.

I am working on my archery skills for the upcoming bow season for deer. Did not get a clean hit last year and had to track the wounded deer for almost 45 minutes. Not fun in thick woods and hilly terrain and only prolongs the suffering of the deer.


----------



## UncleJoe

What ? Whitetail deer and turkey for me.
Where ? Mostly from my back porch. 







This flock is about 20 yards off my porch. As long as there are no horses or goats behind them - Dinner is served.


----------



## youpock

spittinfire said:


> I hunt year around as well. There is always something to shoot at and serve up with a side of potatoes. Also, I don't shoot anything I don't plan to eat unless it's attacking me or it's a pest, aka rat, ground hog, something that destroys my property.
> 
> I try to hunt on private land as much as possible but when I dont have anywhere else to go I go to state game lands. If you're hunting only for food it only make sense to stick to larger game, ie. deer, turkey, bear. I'm on the east coast so thats about all we have here.


Wow they let you hunt bears? Ha that's pretty hardcore


----------



## northernontario

youpock said:


> Wow they let you hunt bears? Ha that's pretty hardcore


Lots of places have a bear hunt. In Ontario, years ago they eliminated the spring bear hunt... now there is a serious blackbear problem, especially in Northern Ontario. But of course, the legislators won't bring back the spring bear hunt! Instead they arrest people and confiscate firearms when people deal with nuisance bears themselves.

Bear, moose, deer, turkey, partridge... everything has it's season.

I started beekeeping this spring... I've already experienced the problems of bears destroying beehives to get the brood (they don't want the honey, they want the brood... PROTEIN!). Forget to turn on the electric fence around the hives... immediate bear problems.


----------



## UncleJoe

youpock said:


> Wow they let you hunt bears? Ha that's pretty hardcore


We have a bear season in Pa. also but I never had an interest in bear hunting. I'd have to be *real* hungry to take a bear.


----------



## SnakeDoc

Hunting as part of a shtf plan is iffy even where I live. I reside in a town of 1200. If every one in town went out to hunt in the local forest all the game would be run to Montana by the end of the week. Use of snares would be possible but would be in violation of game law if you are targeting non furbearers.


----------



## kyfarmer

Hunt,fish,trap,wildcraft,ginseng,camp anything to do with the forest or water i like to do. Spending time in the wood's is a must, just to get through this mess of a world. If ya can't find the center out there, ya will never see it. If i kill it i eat it. That's why i never shoot skunk's, a little on the tough side for me.


----------



## TechAdmin

You forage for Ginseng?


----------



## SnakeDoc

kyfarmer said:


> Hunt,fish,trap,wildcraft,ginseng,camp anything to do with the forest or water i like to do. Spending time in the wood's is a must, just to get through this mess of a world. If ya can't find the center out there, ya will never see it. If i kill it i eat it. That's why i never shoot skunk's, a little on the tough side for me.


I only shoot them because they want my chickens and Roxie the wonder boxer seems not to mind being sprayed.


----------



## kyfarmer

Just dig it during the season after berries turn red. I,am out looking for wildfish,poke,creesegreen's and tangel gut as soon as spring pop's out a little.


----------



## Jason

What is poke? I ask because we have pokeberries here in PA. The berries are toxic, so I've heard, but they stain everything they touch a really pretty magenta. Is this the same plant? If so, what do you do with it? I'm guessing make a dye but I may be way off.


----------



## rwc1969

I hunt public land, mostly oak hardwoods, swamps, thickets and old field edges. I hunt for a wide variety of mushrooms, wild plants, squirrel and deer. I also fish for all varieties of sunfish, catfish, crappie, walleye and pike.

I sometimes hunt for rabbit and fish for trout and salmon as well. I used to do a lot of pheasant hunting, when they were around, as well as duck and pigeon. When there was a season I hunted mourning doves as well.

In the past 20 or so years our area has went from mostly checkerboard farmland to subdivisions, industrial parks, stripmalls and golf courses.

I only like to take what I eat and don't believe in killing strictly for sport.


----------



## UncleJoe

rwc1969 said:


> In the past 20 or so years our area has went from mostly checkerboard farmland to subdivisions, industrial parks, stripmalls and golf courses.


 Don't I know it!!!  I can see civilization encroaching from my field now. Hopefully this little economic crisis has slowed it down some.


----------



## TechAdmin

kyfarmer said:


> Just dig it during the season after berries turn red. I,am out looking for wildfish,poke,creesegreen's and tangel gut as soon as spring pop's out a little.


How do you use it. I ask because I take it from time to time and have wondered about it's uses in a shtf situation. How do you store it keep it?


----------



## kyfarmer

In the spring poke when frist comes up. About 2-6 inches tall. I pick the young leaves and wash, drain good, dip in egg and cornmeal and fry in bacon driping. The small young stalk's are also real good. I have picked it, the small stuff up to june and fixed it by then it can get bitter. Some fry it up and then scramble a egg in it that's purdy good to.


----------



## Sonnyjim

Anybody hunt and eat squirrel? We have lots of them here and I am considering tanning some Black Furs but don't want to just go out and kill them. I know there are lots of recipes for squirrel online and in some books I read in the library but it seems kind of hick to me but I'd be willing to try it.


----------



## Jason

Never had squirrel myself but DW says it's really good. It may be "hick" but it's a meal for the cost of a couple .22 shells.


----------



## NaeKid

From talking with friends, it is best to trap, not shoot the critters - too much meat is wasted when shooting. Skin several and cook as a stew - watch for the little bones.

I haven't had a chance to try it yet - but - I really would love to cook up some tree-rat.


----------



## rwc1969

SonnyJim, sqirrel are real good eating. only take head shots and that will avoid wasted meat. The rear legs and back are best. the front legs are good too, but small. They can sometimes be tough so boiling is best followed up by your method of choice. 

I've made casseroles, stews, fried squirrel, etc. Whatever you use chicken for squirrel can be substituted. The flavor is not like chicken though, possibly better.


----------



## Sonnyjim

Maybe I'll give it a try then. I have the stuff to tan the skins and all but I just would feel bad taking the skin and leaving the rest. It's hard when you've grown up with pre-conceptions on things, even that first bite I'll probly have the idea already that it'll be gross. But just like any other wild meat maybe it'll grow on me.


----------



## TechAdmin

I hunt squirrel and I love it. I've kept the pelts in the past but I know a guy that will grind your meat for free if you let him take the pelts. I have since got my own grinder but then I haven't been hunting in years.


----------



## rwc1969

If the taste don't immediately appeal to you try soaking in salt water overnight or milk. I soak all my squirrel in salt water overnight unless they are going straight in the freezer.


----------



## kyfarmer

I like to soak my treerat in salt water over night to. Then i drain and put them in a crockpot ( 4 of them ) 1 cup beef broth, all day or untill fall off the bone, drain get the bones out, put back in crockpot with hickorysmoked barb. sauce for a couple hour's. Like pulled pork but a lot better.


----------



## Sonnyjim

I can get away with alot in the marraige like brewing my own beer, hunting, some video games, a bunch of weird collections, drinking my beer whenever I want, spending the nights with the boys, but for some reason the eating squirrel doesn't fly with her. I could always keep the skin in my drawer and make a 'surprise' slow cooker dinner' .


----------



## NaeKid

Sonnyjim said:


> I can get away with alot in the marraige like brewing my own beer, hunting, some video games, a bunch of weird collections, drinking my beer whenever I want, spending the nights with the boys, but for some reason the eating squirrel doesn't fly with her. I could always keep the skin in my drawer and make a 'surprise' slow cooker dinner' .


Just don't tell her that it is TreeRat - just call it goose or duck or deer or elk or moose ... or turkey or chicken or tuna or salmon ... :dunno:

Or, just call it stew or chili :beercheer:


----------



## TechAdmin

Sonnyjim said:


> I can get away with alot in the marraige like brewing my own beer, hunting, some video games, a bunch of weird collections, drinking my beer whenever I want, spending the nights with the boys, but for some reason the eating squirrel doesn't fly with her. I could always keep the skin in my drawer and make a 'surprise' slow cooker dinner' .


Really that's what does it! I can barely do any of those things.


----------



## Sonnyjim

Well she did say 'Not in the House'. I brew my beer outside, I tan hides outside, maybe I will cook and eat it outside........


----------



## GREASEMONKEY

Sonnyjim said:


> Well she did say 'Not in the House'. I brew my beer outside, I tan hides outside, maybe I will cook and eat it outside........


I have to cook all my deer, birds, tree rat, *****, and coot outside! The grill does wonders even with stews ect... My wife swears that they all stink up the house, she even makes me use my own cheap pots from walmart! 

I hunt every thing that moves! I hunt & eat deer, quail, duck, squirellz, turtle, ****, and hog's. The only thing I hunt but wont eat is cyote's, and beaver. I guess they could be eaten in a survival setting, but I would not do so unless I needed to.

I was wanting to sort of add to the hunting conversation, by asking what you hunt with. Do you use traps, snares, bow, rifle, pistols, ect...?

I recently purchased a Ruger mini 14, and was thinking of the usefullness. It doubles as my home security weapon, and hunting rifle. Well....all according to what I hunt that day, but with well placed shots it's capable of big game as well as small game. I shot a beaver with it the other nite, and it really was not messy from a salvagable meat point of view! Clean head shot, and left the animal intact.


----------



## Jason

We used to have an old African-American preacher hunt groundhogs on our farm and he cooked and ate them. He loved them. I don't remember now how he cooked them, but he's the only one I ever knew who ate groundhog regularly. As for us, we eat deer, duck, goose (I don't like goose) pheasant, whatever we hunt pretty much. My wife got a button buck yesterday, which was the first day of the rifle/shotgun season in PA.


----------



## UncleJoe

Jason said:


> My wife got a button buck yesterday, which was the first day of the rifle/shotgun season in PA.


Uh, Jason, This might not be something you want to spread around too much. :sssh: The following is copied from the Game Commission web site.

In 2002, the Pennsylvania Game Commission changed the antler restriction to harvest an antlered deer. Prior to 2002, the antler restriction was 2 points to an antler or a spike at least 3 inches in length. Since 2002, the antler point restriction (APR) has been 3 or 4 points-to-an-antler depending on area of the state. A swirling of myth and reality has followed. Here are the facts about Pennsylvania's antler point restrictions.
The primary goal of APRs was to increase the number of adult bucks (2.5 years of age or older) in the population. By doing so, benefits of a more natural breeding ecology, an older buck age structure, and greater hunter satisfaction might be realized. To achieve this goal, APRs needed to protect most yearling bucks (1.5 years of age) from harvest. This required two different APRs: a 4-points-to-an-antler restriction in western Pennsylvania and a 3-points-to-an-antler over the rest of the state (excluding junior hunters).

I don't know exactly where you are, so here is a map that tells you the minimum size buck you can take for various areas of the commenwealth.

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/...ting_-_antler_restrictions_-_v13_20090806.pdf


----------



## TechAdmin

Sonnyjim said:


> Well she did say 'Not in the House'. I brew my beer outside, I tan hides outside, maybe I will cook and eat it outside........


Why not? I envy you sir.


----------



## kyfarmer

GREASEMONKEY said:


> I have to cook all my deer, birds, tree rat, *****, and coot outside! The grill does wonders even with stews ect... My wife swears that they all stink up the house, she even makes me use my own cheap pots from walmart!
> 
> I hunt every thing that moves! I hunt & eat deer, quail, duck, squirellz, turtle, ****, and hog's. The only thing I hunt but wont eat is cyote's, and beaver. I guess they could be eaten in a survival setting, but I would not do so unless I needed to.
> 
> I was wanting to sort of add to the hunting conversation, by asking what you hunt with. Do you use traps, snares, bow, rifle, pistols, ect...?
> 
> I recently purchased a Ruger mini 14, and was thinking of the usefullness. It doubles as my home security weapon, and hunting rifle. Well....all according to what I hunt that day, but with well placed shots it's capable of big game as well as small game. I shot a beaver with it the other nite, and it really was not messy from a salvagable meat point of view! Clean head shot, and left the animal intact.


Well son if ya didn't eat that thang, ya don't know what ya missing. Beaver's some good meat. Makes killer chili. :beercheer:


----------



## sailaway

My wife only eats what comes from Krogers and roughing it is a mint on her pillow. Kind of weird:scratch when we were just dating she ate and did almost anything with me.:dunno:


----------



## GREASEMONKEY

kyfarmer said:


> Well son if ya didn't eat that thang, ya don't know what ya missing. Beaver's some good meat. Makes killer chili. :beercheer:


I may try that. Never thought of using it for a chilli sause. Thanks!



sailaway said:


> My wife only eats what comes from Krogers and roughing it is a mint on her pillow. Kind of weird:scratch when we were just dating she ate and did almost anything with me.:dunno:


The old bait & switch! :welcome: to my world.....
Another man been hustled by a woman!


----------



## TechAdmin

sailaway said:


> My wife only eats what comes from Krogers and roughing it is a mint on her pillow. Kind of weird:scratch when we were just dating she ate and did almost anything with me.:dunno:


Sounds Familiar.


----------



## marlas1too

jack heres something i picked in nam-the villagers would catch minnows and cook them in rice -as bad as that sounds its very good as ive ate with them ---never count a food out because what it sounds like untill you try it


----------



## HozayBuck

I still hunt, mostly deer and Elk, problem is Elk don't live in bad knees country, I hunt in MT, but am now in E TX and our acreage has hogs running thru it as well as deer and of course the tree rats are thick, I kinda leave them alone as they will be easy meat when TSHTF... I have a 10-22 with a can on it .. all ya hear is the bolt cycling ..

I grew up hunting and my Mom would always cook anything I brought in, bless her heart! she did one day tell me to let the rabbits get out a ways before 12 gageing them...lol...

I used to hunt cotton tails and sell them cleaned and ready for the skillet for $0.25 each..box of 22's was 50cents ...

I remember going out one Friday about dusk with a box of 22 shorts
( 35 cents) and a single shot 22 and spot lighting, got 49 with 50 shots, spent damn near all night cleaning rabbits, sold them all and took a good looking girl out on a date Sat night, I didn't tell her how hard I worked for the money to sit in the drive in with her..., but in them days you could go out on 3 or 4 bucks and have a real good time..

I process all my meat, grind up almost all the deer add pig fat and seasoning for the best breakfast sausage you'll ever eat , also makes the best meatloaf..

I ain't wild about deer or elk roasts, but the lady of the manor is really good at fixing them so they ain't dried out like when I fix em...

Backstraps and eggs and spuds for breakfast!! great!!

I ate monkeys and snakes and god knows what in my youth, snake is good, monkey sux! but it'll keep ya alive..

The best wild meat I've ever eat is...Mtn Lion, bar none! I never killed one, never wanted to, but a buddy hunt em, and man he fixes it like fit for a king...

Oh well this was about hunting not eating!!  sorry got carried away...now I'm hungry!


----------



## mosquitomountainman

GREASEMONKEY said:


> I was wanting to sort of add to the hunting conversation, by asking what you hunt with. Do you use traps, snares, bow, rifle, pistols, ect...?


I use them all.


----------



## sailaway

I'm shotgun and black powder. I would like to learn traps and snares. I do have a 30-06, but can't use in Ohio, only for nuescence deer, haven't seen any yet, but hunt my friends farm with his permit.


----------



## sailaway

I'm shotgun and black powder. I would like to learn traps and snares. I do have a 30-06, but can't use in Ohio, only for nuescence deer, haven't seen any yet, but hunt my friends farm with his permit.


----------



## survivalboy12895

I hunt deer,rabbit,grouse.Whenever your walking around the woods,carry a .22 pistol.You'd be suprised at what you'll see,by just walking slowly thru the woods.


----------



## allen_idaho

If I needed to hunt, I could just walk about 100 feet into my pasture with either a shotgun, springfield M1A, or remington .22 and wait for the first quail, pheasant, turkey, or deer I see. This usually takes about 30 seconds to achieve.

Although, I don't shoot the deer anymore since I raise cattle. I usually just take out skunks, coyotes, and the occassional quail.


----------



## Expeditioner

For deer I use either a 30-30, 30-06 bolt action, or a a bow. For quail, turkey and dove I use a shotgun. I have done some trapping but not enough to be very proficient (working on that).


----------



## marlas1too

haven't hunted for some time but will be hunting this fall as ive been drying food to store up and i want to do a whole deer as jerky


----------



## GroovyMike

I've hunted from Alaska to Africa, but mostly near home in upstate NY.
If you have hunting questions, I'd be happy to answer any you've got.

Here's a story with my number one tip:

The Most Important Lesson:
Mike Skelly

Like most, as a young hunter I longed for my first buck. I didn't take a deer the first season despite numerous sightings. The deer were there. I just couldn't seem to get a clear shot. I saw only tails, or running deer instead of deer standing broadside waiting for me like I thought they should. As the second season opened, I wondered if I should take shots that I was not 100% sure of. I had a tag for antlered deer only, so I would at least have to make sure that the deer was a buck before I pulled the trigger. I resolved that I would take the first shot at a buck I saw. No more waiting for the perfect broadside pose. If I could just be sure it had antlers I would pull the trigger no matter what.

I had one glimpse of a departing tail opening day. My hunting companion bagged a nice six-point (eastern count) opening morning and so after that I was on my own, pitting my wits and knowledge of the terrain against the wily bucks I knew were there. The next day I saw three does trotting across an open field, but could not legally take them. By the afternoon of the third day I had buck fever. I thought I could see antlers in every clump of brush. Every fallen log was a buck in his bed to my eyes. I hunted away from home all morning. Without much thought, I crossed onto the next farm about noon. I did not doubt that access would be granted if I took the time to ask permission. We were on good terms with the neighbors and the area that I planned to hunt was cropland bordered by woods and a brush-choked stream bed well away from any livestock.

It was this stream that drew me over the fence line. I knew that any deer feeling pressured could duck into its gully to skirt the open field on one side and the open hardwoods on the other. I took a position overlooking where the gully ended. Any deer walking that brushy corridor would emerge into my view and either cross the field of corn stubble before me or work up the slope of open hardwoods on the far side. If a buck walked either of those routes my investment in cold toes and fingers would be well worthwhile. I chose to settle in for a long wait, watching the shadows grow as the afternoon wore on.

Just about the time I was thinking more of my damp seat and cold toes than watching the hedgerow, I became aware of something moving in the gully. A bird flew up at the far range of my vision. Then a moment later, the sound of a snapping twig reached me faintly over the gentle sound of running water. Long minutes passed without revealing the wary buck and I gradually became less alert, lulled by the gurgling stream and the motion of gently swaying saplings. The dappled leaves still holding to them occasionally drifted down to mingle with the berry bushes separating the watercourse from me.

Minutes had passed without any sign of life when a crackle of breaking brush at the near end of the gully shot adrenaline through my veins. There was something unmistakably moving just out of sight and coming my way! I saw the top of a sapling move as something out of sight brushed against its trunk. The falling yellow poplar leaves drifted against the thick hedge of briars below. The form under the saplings moved closer. Yes, I could see it now. The unmistakable gray of deer hair glimpsed between silver saplings and the screen of red berry stalks. A sneaky old buck must have walked straight down the streambed. The noise of his approach had been covered by the gentle gurgle of running water and muffled by the wall of brush.

My breathing became ragged. My heart pounded in my chest. I could feel every pulse in my shoulders and throat. My palms begin to sweat as my thumb reached for the safety on the rifle that lay heavily in my lap as the animal moved toward me. Oh if I could only see antlers! 
I tightened my grip on the cold stock. I could see the shape of his body now. It was about 3-4 feet long, soft gray, 3 feet off the ground and moving slowly, and steadily my way. He was nearly free of the saplings, which at that point, had a few low branches. We were only separated by the screen of thick blackberry bushes. I thought about the powerful cartridge in the chamber and knew that the briar stems could not deflect the bullet from its intended target. I would click off the safety, throw the rifle to my shoulder, and fire the instant I saw antlers. I contemplated the devastation a shot raking from chest to tail would create. Without a doubt the buck would slump in his tracks and I would have to drag him up the stream bank and out of those thick thorn bushes. Perhaps I should let him step clear? He was coming the right way. I realized that I was holding my breath. Then I saw the antlers.

I could not help but pause at the sight of them. I had dreamed of this moment for so very long. This was going to be my first buck, and oh what antlers they were! Powerfully thrusting through the thick berry bushes, the antlers shoved through the briar screen and broke into the open. With raking motions the rack moved toward me. I saw three long tines on each side and thick brow tines sweeping ahead of a gray hulking body almost as tall as the low sapling branches. I heard the briar stems breaking. I could even hear his breath and began to raise the rifle.

I never fired. I never finished clicking off the safety. In fact, I never even raised the rifle from my lap. I sat stone still with the kind of chill in my soul that I hope I never feel again. Long minutes later I was quite alone at the edge of that field. For what I saw as that matched set of perfect antlers was thrust clear of the briars, was that they quickly split apart and fell earthward when the man who held them stood up. This hunter, with rifle slung over his shoulder, had bent at the waist to move under the low branches and held his rattling antlers in either hand to push thorns away from his face as he climbed the stream bank. He never knew I was there. He never knew how close his tree bark camouflage had brought him to being a terrible statistic. As I look back now, more than a decade later, I do not recall seeing any red or blaze clothing at all. What I do recall is that my hands shook as I took them off the unused rifle and silently thanked God that I had learned the most valuable lesson of hunting without tragedy.

I've taken more than a dozen deer from that same area over the seasons that followed. But two years ago I went deerless. I heard my buck working a rub, and caught glimpses of his gray hide moving away through the hardwoods in the last light of the last day of the season, but I let him walk into the shadows with my tag unfilled. I was 99% sure of my target. But 99% is not sure enough, because years before I had learned that when you are hunting, safety is the most important lesson of all.

Mike Skelly lives and writes in his log home in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains of upstate NY. You can reach him at [email protected]


----------



## Rugged1

..........


----------

