Gave a look at the deer, what a tangled up set of antlers. What the deer weigh, didn't catch that.
2016 Deer season thread
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Gave a look at the deer, what a tangled up set of antlers. What the deer weigh, didn't catch that.
OP
roadhunter
Elite Member
Well opening weekend has come and gone here in Nebraska. I packed in my camp about 3 miles in some moderate terrain on Friday morning and did a little scouting that evening before the opener. I prefer to hunt in the roadless areas to get away from the crowds and into more deer. Camp consists of a tarp as it is still really been warm with nights still in the 30's.
Some of the country.
I saw a couple of nice mulies on Saturday morning really early but never got a shot. All and all I saw lots of deer this year passing on many smaller mulies and a bunch of whitetail including one pretty nice heavy 8 point. But I ended up settling on this 24" wide 4x4 today just after noon.
I finished the pack out this evening at about 7. My pack weighed 85 pounds coming out with the deer and I carried the head. Total walk for the weekend was just over 20 miles in some fairly rough country with some dead blowdown. It's certainly not for everyone but Western hunting can be a lot of fun if you are in good shape and enjoy a challenge. Now for the real challenge trying to get my wife a deer. Fortunately I am taking her to one of my neighbors alfalfa fields so finding the deer and packing out will be a breeze compared to public land hunting but she will still need to make the shot.
Some of the country.
I saw a couple of nice mulies on Saturday morning really early but never got a shot. All and all I saw lots of deer this year passing on many smaller mulies and a bunch of whitetail including one pretty nice heavy 8 point. But I ended up settling on this 24" wide 4x4 today just after noon.
I finished the pack out this evening at about 7. My pack weighed 85 pounds coming out with the deer and I carried the head. Total walk for the weekend was just over 20 miles in some fairly rough country with some dead blowdown. It's certainly not for everyone but Western hunting can be a lot of fun if you are in good shape and enjoy a challenge. Now for the real challenge trying to get my wife a deer. Fortunately I am taking her to one of my neighbors alfalfa fields so finding the deer and packing out will be a breeze compared to public land hunting but she will still need to make the shot.
OP
roadhunter
Elite Member
Looks like one of those genetically modified pen raised deer that escaped from a high fence hunt club.
coobie
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EddieWalker
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I forgot there where mule deer in Nebraska. Nice to have a choice between the two species. I like hunting Mule Deer a lot more then whitetail, but find that whitetail are easier to eat.
nybirdman
Super Member
Yes;the rut is just starting to kick in.We are quite far North(right on the Canadian border).Heard of several bucks being shot in the area this last week end.Nights are lite up with this unusual moon and warm weather (for Nov.) is going to make it tough hunting.
This deer is definitely being mounted;it's my second largest rack and second heaviest deer.
OP
roadhunter
Elite Member
We are fortunate to have a wide variety of game here in Nebraska with mule deer, antelope, and elk in the Western half of the state. We even have several herds of bighorn sheep in the panhandle. We usually just make burger out of the whitetail and mule deer I shoot. I prefer eating antelope. I have found that diet seems to make the biggest difference in how good an animal tastes. Corn, wheat, and alfalfa fed wild game is usually pretty good IMO where the animals that east wild grasses are usually not as tasty.
Has your wife had any luck?
OP
roadhunter
Elite Member
We have also had some really warm weather that is disrupting the rut. The mule deer are doing some chasing but the whitetail seem to still be in a summer pattern. I ran into a bachelor group of whitetail bucks yesterday and that never happens this time of year. They should be chasing does and trying to kill each other not hanging out with each other. We get some cooler weather Thursday so i'm hoping that will get things going. The moon has been amazing the last couple of nights. I didn't' even use a headlamp walking out in the dark because you can actually see pretty well.
Congrats on a nice buck. Definitely worth mounting.
Thomas
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Indeed a dandy...BIG congrats.:thumbsup:
Rut here just about kick in,gotta find mature Does which aren't moving much,like signs of rubs and scrapes this year.
CalG
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I just got in from helping the neighbor pull in a 9 point buck from the woods out back. A healthy animal, might go 180#
It was at dusk when taken.
The phone rang as I was sitting down to supper, but the call didn't go through. I figured if it was important, he would call back. After supper, I returned the call thinking it was not like Bill to call in the evening.
Sure enough, when he got on the phone, he was short of breath and quite animate. Saying "I got a buck and I'll call if I need help". Well, I couldn't contain myself after the supper dishes were put up, So I dressed for out doors and clipped a flash light to my pocket and headed out into the woods, not really knowing where, but out back...... somewhere. I started into the woods.
Fortunately the "super moon" made enough light to negotiate the forest even though the overcast clouds were coming in..Well, it's a steep grade up hill to anywhere out there, so as I came to one of the several old stone walls that run through the area, I just headed UP with an all fours uphill scramble. It was good fortune that I saw a flash light less than 80 yards ahead. (That's still UP
A hoot confirmed it was the neighbor, and when I arrived (winded from the climb ;-) . He was still quite excited to show me his prize and the position he had taken for the hunt.
The buck was a good one, 9 points. Already gutted and ready to drag.... the half mile back! It was up hill all the way there, so downhill dragging back, But I might have forgotten to mention all the dead falls and grape vines and thorns on the way. Hard work in the dark!!
Well, the clouds came in and shut down the light of the moon. But we got the animal back to his place and neither of us perished in the effort (*though one man sure might have).
I went home and got the Hurlimann so we could have a loader to lift and hang the carcass. There was a bit of clean up to do in the body cavity and so we needed to hang the animal first head up and then head down. I quickly made a "hock spreader " out of a 1X3 with a couple of cuts on the band saw to aid the work.
All went well, the carcase is hanging, It's 39 degrees air temp just now, good for cooling meat. The neighbor will check his deer with the local game warden in the morning. There is a family in need that welcomes the meat and a processor all lined up.
We had a couple fingers of good scotch to mark the occasion, then, the Hurlimann went back in the shed ;-)
I enjoyed the entire episode,
That from the perspective of someone who has not eaten meat in over 40 years ;-)
It was at dusk when taken.
The phone rang as I was sitting down to supper, but the call didn't go through. I figured if it was important, he would call back. After supper, I returned the call thinking it was not like Bill to call in the evening.
Sure enough, when he got on the phone, he was short of breath and quite animate. Saying "I got a buck and I'll call if I need help". Well, I couldn't contain myself after the supper dishes were put up, So I dressed for out doors and clipped a flash light to my pocket and headed out into the woods, not really knowing where, but out back...... somewhere. I started into the woods.
Fortunately the "super moon" made enough light to negotiate the forest even though the overcast clouds were coming in..Well, it's a steep grade up hill to anywhere out there, so as I came to one of the several old stone walls that run through the area, I just headed UP with an all fours uphill scramble. It was good fortune that I saw a flash light less than 80 yards ahead. (That's still UP
A hoot confirmed it was the neighbor, and when I arrived (winded from the climb ;-) . He was still quite excited to show me his prize and the position he had taken for the hunt.
The buck was a good one, 9 points. Already gutted and ready to drag.... the half mile back! It was up hill all the way there, so downhill dragging back, But I might have forgotten to mention all the dead falls and grape vines and thorns on the way. Hard work in the dark!!
Well, the clouds came in and shut down the light of the moon. But we got the animal back to his place and neither of us perished in the effort (*though one man sure might have).
I went home and got the Hurlimann so we could have a loader to lift and hang the carcass. There was a bit of clean up to do in the body cavity and so we needed to hang the animal first head up and then head down. I quickly made a "hock spreader " out of a 1X3 with a couple of cuts on the band saw to aid the work.
All went well, the carcase is hanging, It's 39 degrees air temp just now, good for cooling meat. The neighbor will check his deer with the local game warden in the morning. There is a family in need that welcomes the meat and a processor all lined up.
We had a couple fingers of good scotch to mark the occasion, then, the Hurlimann went back in the shed ;-)
I enjoyed the entire episode,
That from the perspective of someone who has not eaten meat in over 40 years ;-)