so who hunts.

[wngsprd]

Jstpssng, I'm envious of your grouse populations. We have very few grouse in our Virginia mountains, at least in the places I've searched. I go a couple of times a year, and a good day means I flushed a couple. I'd love to try it further north sometime.

 

[Bill 55]

Eddie I have wanted to hunt hogs, but fortunately we don't have them here. They can be terribly destructive. What caliber do you use on them. I have several inline muzzle loaders that I use for deer. I have wondered if my .243 would be adequate for hogs. I know the .308 and the .06 would do it.

 

[/pine]

Jstpssng, I'm envious of your grouse populations. We have very few grouse in our Virginia mountains, at least in the places I've searched. I go a couple of times a year, and a good day means I flushed a couple. I'd love to try it further north sometime.

You might find it interesting to Google "roughed grouse cycle"...They have a 10 year cycle that is not fully understood by wildlife biologists...

 

[EddieWalker]

I got home last night and into my blind with about an hour left of light. It had been raining the day before, all night and into the morning, so I was hoping to see something. Five hogs came out of the woods to my left, where I took a couple pictures of them. It's a small opening that they pass through pretty regularly on their way to the feeder. I didn't even grab my rifle because I knew where they where heading and that I'd have an easy 150 yard shot once they got there. He's in the 200 pound range.



Eddie

 

[wngsprd]

Eddie, great shot on that hog. Do they do a lot of damage out your way? We don't have them here where I live, but I've seen the damage that they do in southern Virginia Beach in the Back Bay area. They have a lottery hunt there to try to control them.

 

[GBOUTDOORS]

First off let me say Eddie I am so jealous I love hog hunting and the dinners after are great. But I do have some great whitetail hunting in my back yard and at the farm I over see for my company. I got to go on a hog hunt in Florida last Dec. and we had a GREAT time and fantastic meals from the hogs we shot. Jane and I have not bought beef for years now I fill the freezer with venison, hamburger, steak tips, roasts. Here are a few pictures of this years deer so far. First was from Nassau N.Y. Second from Dartmouth Mass. Third from Pawtucket R.I. Then a few hogs I shot the first day in FL. And the buggie they used for hunting the hogs.

 

[wngsprd]

I finally got a chance to load a couple of photos from my phone to this computer so I can share them.

Both show deer that followed me to my tree stands while bow hunting. The first is a doe from last month that actually seemed to be licking the lower step on this metal ladder. The second is a little buck from yesterday - you can see the wooden ladder/platform in the lower left. Both times I used doe urine on my rubber boots. I've used urine before, but never had this dedicated reaction by the deer to find me. It happened one other time last month, but I didn't have my phone cam. They both seemed disappointed when the pee trail seemed to end in thin air at my stand. They looked around a while and then wandered off.

 

[/pine]

I realize this thread is about hunting in general but the point I relate is applicable to any game...

First off...my intention is to not insult anyone...regardless of how long some may have been hunting whitetail deer...
...Given that...this post about the care of (whitetail deer) game meat from the woods to the table...

I have hunted deer for 30 years and the first five of those years I did not know what I was doing when it came to taking game from the woods to the table in a manner (taste) most non-hunting families are used to...

...For me the realization came after I was given a copy of this book:
Amazon.com: care of game meat and trophy's: Books

...OK...now to the point...IF your deer meat has a wild or gamy taste it is your fault...not because it's wild game...it's because the meat was not properly cared for after dropping...(This is in disregard to poorly shot deer...i.e., gut shot with a belly full of soy beans etc.etc...)...

...To have venison for the table that is comparable to retail red meat it is paramount to begin the "cooling process" immediately or ASAP...I urge every "meat or trophy" hunter to read the above mentioned book...

...If properly cared for...venison should be very much like beef only with a finer texture and just a slightly sweeter taste...if the meat is properly cared for most folks (who are not familiar) should not know the difference that they are eating venison and not beef...!
Personally I like to field dress deer where they drop and I use cheese cloth "socks" to cover the carcass while dragging and or transporting to a meat cooler...where I like to hang them head down with the hide on for at least 7-10 days..depending on the deer...longer for old bucks etc...

IMO...Hanging (aging) a deer after it is skinned is a waste...A deer hung skinned will dry out the meat etc...skinning a deer after it is aged all the meat is nice and pink...no need to skim off the outside...again it's my personal preference to bone out the entire deer (minus the ribs) and cut steaks and roasts...

...So again I say...if your meat is gamy...you might want to try changing the ways you were brought to know...

...The best steak house's know how to age meat...and IMO every hunter that hunts for the table should realize that the care of the meat is paramount...

 

[Complete Turf Care]

I just got back from my annual hunt in Concho County Texas. I got 4 whitetail, 1 axis and 1 hog.

Last year I was lucky enough to take a huge axis. He ranks #26 in the SCI record book for free range Axis with rifle. I'll have to see if I can find a pic to post here.

 

[Jstpssng]

I just got back from my annual hunt in Concho County Texas. I got 4 whitetail, 1 axis and 1 hog.

Last year I was lucky enough to take a huge axis. He ranks #26 in the SCI record book for free range Axis with rifle. I'll have to see if I can find a pic to post here.

Congratulations, sounds like a successful hunt! :thumbsup: