Weaponized Santa.

Iv'e done this, but usually include a dead deer.

Daily Deercam.

Does at the scrape and cam.

Funny business.

In the woods, everyone is a critic.

Corn spreading.


Little bucks on cam. I haven't seen a live deer in a week, though I got snorted at from downwind sitting in the bottom across the creek yesterday afternoon. All I saw was an armadillo and a few squirrels. A hawk had a shot at a squirrel in the brush. He missed but left the local woodpeckers and squirrels complaining for quite a while.

Octopus.

Like I said.

Daily Deercam.

There's a deer way in the back.

Crows flying from cam to cam eating corn.

Solitary doe out checking the scrapes. I'd bet she's in heat.

Bobcat out doing Bobcat things.

Doe checking out the cam tree.

Crows having an early Thanksgiving.

Little buck who is the son of the one I shot last year. Walking past the cam in a heavy rain.

Little buck at the scrape and corn pile just across the creek.

Not seeing any deer in person the last few times out. My impression is that they are across the creek. Haven't seen a shootable trophy buck on any of my cams all season, though I know they are out there. Rattling has had indifferent results: only one small buck actually came in to being rattled up, though I did panic some does a couple weeks back. Hard hunting but no results. Typical deer season.

Creek was up for a day but yesterday I marked a trail over into an area where I never go. Ought to put a tree seat up over there. Plenty of sign. Second rut cueing up. Rarely hear a shot from a deer rifle these days.

Zipped on my Swiss coveralls more than 20 times. Carried my new rifle once, relying on my old reliable Ruger 7X57. Fell off a wet bare pine log two days ago that I normally stroll along on when crossing through the pixie sticks- an area where a bunch of big pines died and fell a few years back. Spilled a little corn but didn't even give myself a bump. Certainly happens quickly. Before you can blink you are on the ground. Was wearing standard 5.11 boots. Just didn't appreciate how slick those pines can get. Corn mostly gone yesterday when I walked down the same tree. Creeks back down after the rain. All the trail sign is reset by the rain.

Deercam Mysteries.

Here's what you usually get with this cam.

Sat for a bit last night across the creek. Just some screw in steps and a green walmart chair in the fork of an Oak tree. Watches the scrape where I usually have a little corn shaken out. The cam has seemed to be a reliable cam. I hunted until I could see Jupiter shining in the East. It had gotten dark under the trees but I could still see a little with my scope. Crosshairs still clear enough.
Just as I decided to climb down, the gamecam flash went off. I put the rifle up to watch and it went off twice more. I couldn't spot anything but there are two big pine trunks between me and the actual scrape. Cam waited a minute and did three more flashes, 20 seconds apart. I waited a bit more and then came down in the full dark.

Something snorted at me but it didn't sound like much. No stampede. I went to the cam with my reader, pulled the card for a look.....and had NOTHING on the card. No files. For some reason the Moultrie didn't make a photo, though it fired the flash six times. Weird.

I didn't get blank files....I got NO files. Nothing on the card. Wonder how often this happens?

I at least expect THIS much!

In-town acorns.

Impressive for a year when you are 19 inches behind on rainfall totals.

Daily Deercam.

Little buck on the cam at 10:07.

I'm along at 10:13.


Walked a huge circle around the bottom checking sign and was in several places I haven't set foot in years. The drought still has the creeks very low and the deer can cross the creeks and tributaries where normally, they don't. Great trees down the bottom. There is a giant pine and an oak that would be some kind of a record. Need to move a few tree seats around and hunt the far side more.

Used a mapquest aerial photo printed off the net. It was very up-to-date. Photo taken in the last six months. The digital revolution is here. I want a drone with thermal imaging broadcast capabilities so I can find the deer every morning.

Deer moving at mid-day. I was six minutes behind a little year and a half old buck on the cam across the creek.

Took Sunday morning off and drank coffee at Cafe Tazza with my wonderful wife. 73 degrees. In the summer, this would be chilling. Feels muggy instead.

Royal Navy Field Gun Competition.

You don't see this kind of stuff every day.

Courtesy of Cousin Wallace.

Deerhunting so far.

Busy this beautiful cool morning but back out this evening. Up to 19 times out.

Lot of hours in the tree, trekking, hauling corn, downloading cards. Not any shooting. Yet.

AIM K31s and older Swiss rifles.

AIMSurplus has a new shipment of Swiss rifles. Seems like they have every model. Always wanted a 1911 but I do have many old rifles already. Hard to justify another one. My K31 has won all the vintage stuff that can be won, so I doubt I would switch. Fun to look at though....

The Walking Idiots.

Sunday, the Cowboys beat the Buffs...then we got another edition of the Walking Dead. Last week they were camping out on an anti-gun zealot's plantation. In the face of all reason and sanity, they disarmed. This week, the hot chick who wanted to off herself and couldn't be TRUSTED with a gun now has...um...gotten into it. She tries a prone 300+ yard headshot off the roof of the busted RV they drag from week to week, (wouldn't you have the latest, bestest, armored-up RV?), with a scoped Remington 700. No cheek weld, no natural-point-of-aim, no nothing but she actually grazed the walker....who turns out to be one of the team who has fallen off his horse, stabbed himself with his own arrow, come to with a walker eating his leg, hallucinated his brother and walked home.

Moral: When you come walking home late during the zombie epidemic, walk briskly!

Daryl's flashback showed white people to be stupid, ignorant, corrupt, manipulative, racists, but never mind that: The anti-gun headman who gives off stranger and stranger vibes has a locked barn full of zombies. I bet it makes milking time sporty.

Poor asian guy gets tasked with all secrets. He HATES secrets. He knows about the pregnancy, sex with the farmers daughter and now the barn full of shambling stiffs. Good deal.

Oh, the BIGGEST event of the whole series was the FIRST funny line of the whole script: The hot chick is blurbling about shooting Daryl in the head. Dale says "Hey babe, we've ALL wanted to shoot Daryl now and then."

Watching The Walking Dead is like watching the Cowboys. You better not expect much.

Busted Antler.

I think this is the bigger deer below. Broken antler from fighting. We haven't seen him in person yet.

Hunted all weekend. 13th outing was this afternoon in a T-shirt and 82 degrees of a Texas November. Just tree-sat. No rattling. Didn't see a thing. first time out I carried my newer rifle, a Remington 700 in .308. Sat until I could see stars. Big armadillo, squirrel action, late thrashing in the woodline like an owl taking a rabbit. Usual stuff. Jupiter up in the East. I could see four moons with my 10 power Nikons. Saturn up in the West and low. Clouds took it before I could get a good look.

Back out in the morning. Maybe 14 is the lucky number.

Daily Deercam

2 1/2 year old buck.

Another, slightly bigger 2 1/2.

Back to buck number 1.

Bucks making the rounds. The bucks don't go into rut until the does are in heat so it must be on but I haven't seen orphaned fawns or solitary does. Doe and two yearling fawns came past me twice this morning and didn't pick up any bucks in an hour and a half sweep of the ridge and creekbluff. I rattled and the does eased off. They didn't want any part of fighting bucks.

Yesterday at mid-day a nice 2 1/2 was at both ends of the cam line.

Daily Deercam

Nice buck just under the hill.

Another earlier nice buck. Might be the same one.

New profile photo for facebook.

Finally some rubs appearing on small trees. In fact, I am setting up the decoy in the middle of a bunch of fresh ones. Also have the first real shootable bucks on cam. Maybe things are picking up.

Heading out for 8th session. Probably going across the creek to rattle near a big scrape that is cameraless. Haven't been in that tree since last year.

Cousin Wallace surveys deer guns.

My 7X57 Mauser single shot Ruger in the tree.

Wallace put out an email asking about deer rifle selections. Here's the result:

Whew! This turned into a can-o-worms to keep up with...but it was fun! Some folks did an admirable job of listing all the details I had originally asked for, others left out a lot of stuff which made for a less than complete survey. Nonetheless, I gathered some interesting data to share with ya'll. A total of 38 hunter's info was collected. Several listed more than one rifle they intended to use so the numbers dont always come out right on my listings. Like I said, it got confusing. Some neglected to list the scopes they were using but it seems Leupold was the most often listed with 3 X 9 models also the most popular. Just about all other brands were listed with Nikon making a strong argument for being 2nd most popular.

Rifle action type was very one-sided bolt action (no surprise there) with a few autos, pumps, levers and a couple of single-shots too.

Rifle brands were likewise not always listed but of those listed Remington was the most popular with 19, of which 9 were Rem M700's. (Rem 721, 722, M7, 760 also listed). Ruger and Savage tied with 5 each listed. Only 3 M70 Winchesters (might have been more but they werent specified). Two Steyrs and one each for FN, TC, Mossberg and Weatherby.

As for calibre, not surprisingly the old .30-06 Springfield was tops with 11 listing it. The great old .270 Win was next with 9. The .243 Win was third with 6. Five hunters used the .223 Rem (a couple mentioned only for wild hogs in an AR15). Tied with 2 each were the .257 Roberts, 7mm-08 Rem, and .30-30 Win. There were a bunch of calibres mentioned only once. Those include: 6mm PPC, 6mm Rem, 6.8SPC, .250-3000 Sav, .25-06 Rem, 7X57 Mauser, .280 Rem, 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Rem SAUM, .300 Win Short Mag, .300 Weatherby Mag, .32 Win Special and 12 ga slug. Surprisingly, no one listed any muzzle loaders...and that's OK as I didnt ask for ML stuff.

Well folks, thanx for all the help and I hope ya'll enjoy seeing what others use in the happy hunting grounds. I was surprised at the lack of magnums. Although it's mostly silly to think you need a magnum to slay a whitetail, if thats what you like, then by all means use one. I know there are quite a few other folks out there using various magnums...or at least the 7mm Rem Mag used to be very popular. I also expected the .308 to be more popular. It too is used a lot, just not listed here. Variety makes for an interesting array of hunting rifles.

As for handguns, I got everything from 9mm Luger, .41 Mag, .45 ACP & .44 Magnum....no real pattern.

I tried to keep up & not leave anyone out. If I did, it was unintentional. As always, I welcome your comments and thanx again for your participation.

Wallace

Postscript: I love deer season because you get to DO something with a firearm. It is a lot like competition. You don't just have them to hang on the wall or stuff in a safe. You actually carry them around to USE. It's fun, going armed with some purpose.

Daily Deercam

Sitting in the tree while rainstorms blew in and out. I was on the dry side. That helped. Damp by the time I came off after 10. Nothing but some squirrel squabbling. The big squirrel wins. (Moral: Don't just support the right to arm bears. Squirrels need guns too!)

Bucks on the two cams near me. They are moving around. Nothing big enough to shoot but, like Bigfoot, they are out there, somewhere...

The decoy busy decoying. Nothing seen it yet, but every time they saw it last year they reacted. Maybe I should pull the horns.

In the rain.

View from the tree. You can see the big scrape. Decoy is under the oak at the top right. Decoy can be seen by a pasture I can't see.

Ruger in the tree. Had to pull the sock off to dry everything out when I came in today.

Little buck was at the gamecam when Sneed and I walked in Sunday morning. We saw the flash going off.

OK buck on the cam just off the hilltop.

Doe in the scrape.

Raining hard right now. Glad to be home and drying out.

Pickles. Ready-to-Eat.

P.R.E.s. I've had these. Not bad. Breda ran into them. Waterloo, Wisconsin.

Walking Dead anti-gun idiocy.

First, lets ban guns on our property because....well, just because we need to warn folks that we are mentally ill, even if we seem older, wiser, experienced, et. First they were rare and hard to find....(in Georgia...riiiiiight.). Now they are just....bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad guns. Never mind that they are the only tool...oh heck. I won't even continue that rant. Bad guns!

Then let's lower one of our most valuable folks on a hemp rope down a well containing a zombie to rodeo him out....somehow. It will work out.

Then let's continue all characters slobbering in introspection and existencial angst. No wonder the little girl split to hide out and eat sardines. It would take a week of that to get the taste of this bunch of losers out of your mouth.

Uncleanche! Thanks!

Seriously, when are we going to see the episode where they cross paths with the three chicks and one gay guy who set up machine guns on a roof, crank up the classic rock and strobe lights and mow down zombies while drinking tequilla shots and dancing all night, then climb their 4-WD Ramchargers over the mounds of bodies to do it again?

When asked why one of them, a spandex blonde who prefers a M249 belt-fed, blinks and says: "They're rotting to pieces in front of our eyes. This isn't going to last forever, you know!"

The one-handed guy shows up and the gay guy shoots him graveyard dead as he utters his first sentence.

This sorry sad sequel could ROCK, if the writers weren't mentally ill.

Sunday Night.

Across the creek to rattle and sit in a really terrible stand. Awful ergonomics. It's like double-left-handedness. Even the screw in steps up force you off to one side. Needs adjusting all over. Hard to get in and out and not comfortable when you do. Luckily, all the stuff to fix it is already in the tree. Board, hammer, nails. If I do.

Low batts so nothing on the cam but no corn left either. Great place to hunt but they have to come right to you. Site is right below the tree. Pistol range. Sat until darkness fell and waited until the moonshine was stronger than the night and walked out in the gloaming. It really IS a black and white landscape at night. You just see the big shapes and outlines. Traversed out of the thick brush across the bottom, treaded the pixie-sticked fallen pines and up over the old indian village. Jumped a deer off the other old camera site/scrape in the darkness and they thumped and crashed.

Saturday morning the neighbors shot once. Someone East of the Loop 49 construction shot twice, then once more. Probably a young buck circling back. They did the same thing this morning. A young, dumb buck AND an unzeroed rifle. Or yanking the trigger in the grips of buck fever.

4th hunt of the season. First weekend is over.

Not much.

A warmer morning. Donuts from the Filipinos and we walked in. Sneed spotted the gamecam flash going off. There was a little buck at the cam. Too many toys. Decoy, a board and hammer for the blind, clutters for some brush, rattling horns, forgot the little card reader. Too dang many toys. Sat through the morning with only a glimpse of a yellow coyote up the treeline and an acrobatic squirrel.

Back out this evening. It's typical deerhunting.

Cousin Wallace fires up the locals:

Arrived @ the happy huntin' grounds this morning and sat in my new blind. Saw a couple of young bucks and a doe. Nothing big enuff to shoot. Wind blowing a gale....

Didnt have too high of hopes this afternoon as the wind was hoopin' it up about 25 mph. Went anyhow. Fairly early I see a couple of spikes & watch them for over 30 minutes. Pass the time reading a Shooting Times magazine. I notice dust drifting by & look towards my feeder. HAWGS! Bunches of hawgs! I wish now I had taken a photo or at least tried to get a head count but I was intent of blastin' the nasty rascals.

I picked out a biggun and stuck the M700 ought-six out the gun port. Range was 109 yards. I sent a 150gr Win Silver-Tip through his ornery hide, just behind his shoulder. The pack exploded like a covey of quail. I rapidly cycled the bolt and sent another round but didnt connect. They were quickly in the thick liveoaks, never to be seen again. The big boar never showed any sign of being hit. I did not hear an impact. I immediately climbed down to go check for a blood spoor. Deep tracks were all I found at the point where he had been standing. No blood, no hair. Began to search the thick liveoaks in the direction he ran. Wished I had had my .44 Mag revolver w/me as the scoped bolt-action .30-06 didnt exactly make me comfortable should I have to shoot an angry wounded wild boar in close quarters.

I spent quite a while searching the thick liveoak & was starting to second guess myself as I had found no blood spoor and didnt have a good indication of where he went. I kept telling myself there was no way I could have missed & couldnt believe this rascal was able to run very far. Finally, after about 15 minutes I found him. He had made it about 75 yards. My bullet had struck exactly where I intended, he just was a tough critter to stop.

He sure was ugly! Not even sure his momma would have would have loved his face. About two thirds black and one third white. Shaped like a buffalo. Big shoulders & head and smallish hind quarters. Nasty tusk about 1.5" long and SHARP! Not something you would want to encounter if he decided to charge. After a few photos with the I-Phone I hoofed it back to get the Gator to drag him out of the area.

After I got back to my hanging tree I winched him up and weighed him. 190 pounds. Lotta hog! Good riddance! Too big to try to eat although he didnt smell bad. Smelled like maple bacon. The vultures & coyotes will eat good.....

Wallace

Deer Season 2011.

This doe was on my other cam near the house. He saw the cam and turned in his tracks.

Look how blocky he looks compared to the 1 1/2 year old youngster.

Tomorrow the tree-sitting and treeline-watching begins. Dr. Sneed is driving up right now. We'll be in the woods in the morning. Not much on the deercams but little bucks and does but I'm sure the big ones are around.

Panola is shooting the monthly Highpower match. Hate missing that. I'll only shoot once if I shoot at all. Over there they will get to shoot standing, sitting, prone, 200, 300 and 600 yards. Big fun.

Nothing this morning but some rioting does. Beautiful starlit skies early. Very impressive. I hadn't been in my pine tree since I shot a nice buck out of it last year. My pillow had been sapped on and the screw-in climbing lugs have sunk into the bark.

Back this afternoon. Nice buck on cam below the hill and across the creek. A lot of very alert looking does.

Deliberated over rifles.....finally packed my 7X57 Ruger single shot. Left the new Remington 700 leaning on the bookshelf.

Daily Deercam

Working the overhanging branch. Little scrapes ringing every tree that has overhanging branches. Those scrapes will consolidate soon.

Doe and two fawns from this year. They are leaving tracks running through the area. Looks like a deer stampede.

Two young dumb 1 1/2 year olds. They are not legal to shoot because of antler width. Let's hope that saves them. They look like they are ready to clack antlers.

Working a scrape.

Mature doe and two fawns from this year eating corn. She'll go into heat and leave them behind soon.


Data flowing in. Much activity, tracks, running tracks, does in packs, little bucks bopping around, coyotes. No trophy bucks at all. I'm sure they are around. Rifles are zeroed and set and a front is rolling in in the next day or so.

Remington 700 in .308 ready to roll.

Scope rail. Low scope rings. Cheekpiece. Camo sock. Cotton web USGI sling not attached. Zeroed 2 inches high at 100 yards.

Here it is from a couple of weeks back.

Limbsaver recoil barrel damper.

Anyone know if these things work? I've never seen anything like them on competition match rifles in highpower.