GETTING READY - ARE YOU?

[Bill Norris]

Got to looking at the calendar and realized it's time to get all the stand work done. Cleaned out my path and spruced up the hut a bit. Got the feeder in the woods at app. 75 yds. from the stand (A good shot with my M-7 30BR) and some left-over cob corn in it. Swapping over to shelled corn once that is all gone. Hung the camera so I can see the traffic. Hoping the rain will be mild this season so the swamp will stay kind of medium. Lot's of water makes it tough to operate. Nevertheless, it will be fun again no doubt.

 

[hogpatrol]

Been too hot here to be tromping around in the creek bottom but now that's it's been cooler, we'll be out clearing shooting lanes and checking tree stands.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Checked my budget deer watering station last week. Kids pool, 5 gal bucket with livestock float inside and garden hose to a 100 gal poly tank. I put some rocks and branches inside the pool to prevent stomping of the pool. So far it has worked, 268 deer,raccoon and coyote pics in 4 days.

 

[5spd]

Got my trailer hut set last week.
Cut a path in the willows where I unhook.
Trail cameras out.

 

[Charlie-NY]

I always hunt whitetails with an outfitter in NC or SC. The most difficult thing I've got to do is drive my lazy butt down there. Hopefully the lanes will be clear and the fat deer will be feasting on shelled corn for a few weeks before I arrive.

 

[Bill Norris]

I always hunt whitetails with an outfitter in NC or SC. The most difficult thing I've got to do is drive my lazy butt down there. Hopefully the lanes will be clear and the fat deer will be feasting on shelled corn for a few weeks before I arrive.

We feed them a lot of corn here no doubt.

 

[Gary in MD]

It’s starting to cool off here enough to make it interesting. Been shooting the crossbow, it’s time to try and get out in a tree. Checking the zero on the deer rifles.

 

[Bill Norris]

It’s starting to cool off here enough to make it interesting. Been shooting the crossbow, it’s time to try and get out in a tree. Checking the zero on the deer rifles.

Our bow season is in now. Black powder comes in around the end of Sept. and rifle/shotgun season comes in around the 15th of Oct. I like to start feeding early and watch the traffic awhile.

 

[Gary in MD]

The deer have been coming in to my bean field pretty good all summer. I’ve also been trying to sweeten them up with some pears.
Will probably get some corn out there soon.
Our bow season is also in but I haven’t been out yet, until the last few days it’s been too hot. Just used the last pack of deer meat from last year so it’s time

 

[K22]

Saw an enormous buck while ground hog hunting on 9/1, 10 points with a widespread. He was devouring soybean field.

However, he will never see my freezer because I don't have permission to hunt deer on this farm. Besides I had to give up deer hunting after double hernia surgery in 2020. I have a mesh holding my guts in place so I can't risk busting it dragging a deer out. I really can't complain, I had about 50 years of deer hunting and some memorable hunts in the big wood of north central PA and the bean fields in eastern PA.

But here's wishing you good luck this season.

 

[Bill Norris]

The deer have been coming in to my bean field pretty good all summer. I’ve also been trying to sweeten them up with some pears.
Will probably get some corn out there soon.
Our bow season is also in but I haven’t been out yet, until the last few days it’s been too hot. Just used the last pack of deer meat from last year so it’s time

Oh yea, it's been hot here too. Finally got a few cooler days in the last week or so.

I think what little is left in the freezer will go for sausage and start fresh with the new meat.

 

[JFrank]

Illegal to hunt deer over bait up here, to bad as we are over run with white tail. Fall Bear is open now, wife and I went out last night to look around.

 

[DRK]

Saw an enormous buck while ground hog hunting on 9/1, 10 points with a widespread. He was devouring soybean field.

However, he will never see my freezer because I don't have permission to hunt deer on this farm. Besides I had to give up deer hunting after double hernia surgery in 2020. I have a mesh holding my guts in place so I can't risk busting it dragging a deer out. I really can't complain, I had about 50 years of deer hunting and some memorable hunts in the big wood of north central PA and the bean fields in eastern PA.

But here's wishing you good luck this season.

I had a hernia repaired last year, 2022, and don't wish that non-sense on anyone. Good hunting to everyone.

 

[Intheshop]

No bait in Va either.... can't even use scent/lures. Bunch of deer though so it's not like it's hard hunting.

Will say,wifeypoo has been a very good scout this year. She's been riding a mnt bike 3 or 4 times a week regularly.... always comes back with game stories. There's a bruiser of a buck,and a 300+ lb black bear that well.... she's been almost within spitting distance of them.

 

[Knotwild]

I'm not getting ready yet. I'm on an island and it's still in the high 80's, low 90's. Best thing about it is I don't have to contend with neighbors. I used to do what my boss said and keep the ear corn piled in front of the stands. Then I learned that 90% of what he tells me is BS, and since he's too lazy to make the boat ride to visit, I can do what I want. I quit keeping corn on the stands full time and only put a day or two's worth when I do. In fact, I haven't even fed them one grain yet this year. Last year when I tried this program we saw ton's of deer. Plus, they are eating the peas, turnips, oats, or whatever I have planted in the food plots.

Where I am in the south, deer don't need corn for calories when it's warm. When it cools off, they have to travel and check to see if I fed or not. Otherwise, they can go anytime they like and tank up.

No, I don't use shelled corn and feeders, so I can't use timers and adjust what's put out.

 

[AWS]

Starting to hike, to get in shape as soon as the weather cools a little bit I'll head out gold prospecting and then it is coyote hunting when the furs prime a little.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Bush hogged food plots and plowed one for rye. The clover should come back good after bush hogging the other one. Crap, I agreed to work my part-time job on Saturday the 23rd which is youth day (any legal weapon). Hopey one of my kids can bag one after work. Ordered an HME hitch hoist so I can skin one anywhere. https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/hme...9yG4SZvn0IQ2KfTbH_BoCCQUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Intheshop]

Couple observations Bill,both of which got me off the couch,haha.

1st; reading about folks clearing shooting lanes,I weed wacked our 3D bow range(keep it mowed,just the weeds around the targets was bad). Over the next two evenings,there's been a very noticeable increase in the yard deer.

2nd; went on a bike ride with the wife yesterday evening. Didn't see the black Bear,although she showed me the location. Lost count of all the deer,and did see the bruiser buck.... he is "the man". Guess I knew it? But was reinforced,how durn close "our" deer will let you get peddling a bike.

 

[CharlieNC]

Bill, what about those giant swamp skeeters! Do you shoot them too?

 

[nakneker]

Fall is in the air, elk are bugling and the nights are cooling off. Soon the aspens will be turning colors and the beginning of my favorite time of year is happens. Unfortunately for me I didn’t draw any big game tags, fortunately for me my oldest daughter and wife drew late bull tags and my brother drew our favorite Couses deer area for the early hunt and his daughter drew the coveted December hunt in the same area. That makes three hunts I get to participate and help in which has become one of my favorite things to do.

We will start scouting the middle of this month for the Brother’s hunt. Bear will be open and we see a lot of bears where we hunt but we don’t pull the trigger unless they are big bears, smaller bears will get shot if they are an unusual color phase but no young bears get shot. It’s always good to back in the woods, I love sitting down for long glassing sessions in canyon country where the eye can see for a very long ways. It always takes a little while to get back in tine with glassing for the elusive grey ghost, the unit has been producing some big bucks, especially since they limited the amount of over the counter out of state tags given out. It use to unlimited.

Like AWS I’ve been hiking 3-6 miles a day with a light pack. It’s always good to be in shape for Arizona’s canyon and mountain back country.

Calling season starts for me when bobcat season opens, so next month unless the regs have changed. Fall is fun, lots of memories made fishing for big browns, hunting, hiking, cutting wood, camps - all of life’s sweet nuggets.