FALL 23/24 DAYS AFIELD THREAD

[highangle]

^^^Sweet rant. What threw you off? 78-1 or OTC?

I could really trigger you and tell you that you can ethically harvest an elk with a 6.5CM.


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Well, at least the gentlereader can see you're hunting Mt Zion, like the Bob Marley song. Prob get your tags from the Deseret Dept of Wild Beasts & Fowl.

But it's these snidey motherfuckers think someone in Wendover gaf about their LBC to DPN29-f they might can spare points 4 if HGTCPS-801749-C don't got enough P&K to produce an HX rating of >217.8 on IG and no one knows what fucking country they're in, much less US state. "Good for you. Post pics."

[John_B]

The search function sucks balls. I'm off to delete my duplicate thread.

It was my first time waterfowl hunting and I had a dang good time. Fortunately both of my buddies are better shots than I am! It's crazy how much more meat there is on a yearling goose compared to upland birds.

I'm looking forward to a season of deer, bear, elk and maybe some waterfowl.

[MiddleOfNight]

The search function sucks balls. I'm off to delete my duplicate thread.

It was my first time waterfowl hunting and I had a dang good time. Fortunately both of my buddies are better shots than I am! It's crazy how much more meat there is on a yearling goose compared to upland birds.

I'm looking forward to a season of deer, bear, elk and maybe some waterfowl.

Looks like a good haul - how much meat on those birds?
re: waterfowl - I've only ever hunted duck, and sure not much meat on the birds around here.

Heck yeah .. getting excited, <5 weeks to 1st elk rifle!

[Hopeless Sinner]

Plenty of elk around and they are moving, however can't quite give archery hunting a daily effort yet though. Perhaps as the moonlight fades movement will persist into the morning hours.

[John_B]

Looks like a good haul - how much meat on those birds?
re: waterfowl - I've only ever hunted duck, and sure not much meat on the birds around here.

Heck yeah .. getting excited, <5 weeks to 1st elk rifle!

Two breasts is 1.5 pounds. I didn't weigh legs but I'd assume they are about another pound per bird.

[The Reverend Floater]

Shit a few grouse on opener, then managed a limit of doves the next day. Game on!

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[Phall]

Nice work team. Missed a spike at 50 the other week with a mean case of target panic. Completely froze on a cow at 50 yesterday. Then it rained a lot so I bailed out. Lots more hunting to come.


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[Creeker]

Just got back from 5 rough days in Mendocino County and connected on a little Blacktail as we were leaving the zone. A full moon, warm weather and a mountain lion on camera mid day shut down the animals.

[Hopeless Sinner]

Just got back from 5 rough days in Mendocino County and connected on a little Blacktail as we were leaving the zone. A full moon, warm weather and a mountain lion on camera mid day shut down the animals.

Congrats!

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

They were fired up and vocal as hell yesterday but couldn't get any bulls to commit to a fight. Oh well, super nice day out.

[Talisman]

The bugling around me just started a few nights ago which is almost a month later than usual. I am just starting to see herds of cows when hiking. It won't be long now...

They were fired up and vocal as hell yesterday but couldn't get any bulls to commit to a fight. Oh well, super nice day out.

[Hopeless Sinner]

Hunted 8 mornings saw a spike on the first day and called in a lost calf on the 8th morning which I shot - the only 2 elk I saw. I did want a bigger pile of meat w intentions of giving it away, but the minimal amount of meat and it's superior appearance is a huge incentive to keep it.

One side note on an earlier hunt I ran smack into an adult lion heading down the river (downwind) as I headed up to my spot. It was before dawn, no headlight, on a sandy beach. I saw a silhouette in front of me that had me thinking "that deer has a really long back and awfully short legs" when I got the "low close quarters rumbling growl" about 3 times. (https://pictures-of-cats.org/mountain-lion-sounds.html) The cat was probably no further than 30'. I raised my walking stick over my head and growled back at it. The lion hesitated for a second and darted off into the brush. That was my second lifetime lion encounter.

Later that morning as I was getting ready to climb down from my tree stand I hear a strange sound coming towards me. It kept coming closer and eventually a juvenile cougar comes out of the brush repeatedly making that same call and it eventually walked right under my stand. After it walked off I could hear the calls for another 15 mins as I got down out of the tree. The episode caught me completely off guard so I was not prepared to shoot the cat or take a picture or video. Pretty strange to have 2 encounters like that on one day.

[yeahman]

^^ That's pretty crazy. Only seen one lion, running away from me. Definitely would shit if I had one growling at me.

Congrats on the calf. I shot one once and it was great eating.

[crashidy]

First blood with the season for me. Was setting up new stand and kept hearing this guy. Nice sized ruff grouse.

[Grange]

We had a good hunt on opening weekend in WI. We only hunted a couple hours, but we had 6 grouse contacts and put one in the bag. My brittany (on the left) pointed the covey and the middle brittany, who is about a year old, found the grouse.

[Phall]

Awesome! I took some feathers off a ruffed’s back last week with the bow. Have had a rough elk season but they can’t all be easy.


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[The Reverend Floater]

I've got my buddy out here on leave from the Navy. He's a seasoned whitetail archery guy but not a ton of elk experience. Good news is he's a obsessive type and runs full tilt.

Day one and we were within 50, but couldn't get the bull to close; covered 11 miles . Day two was quiet and we did 9 miles. Day three and I called in a nice bull to 40. My buddy was at full draw but the vitals were covered, then he bolted; 12 miles. Today we had three different bulls within 50 but no opportunities; 10 miles. The elk have been exceptionally quiet this year--only bugling when bugled at, and soft replies at that.

He's really getting the emotional rollercoaster that is archery elk hunting. Tomorrow looking like a weather day...my feet could use the break.

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[yeahman]

^^ Damn, that sounds fun but pretty brutal. My archery buddy has had a slow season as far as elk encounters and is getting a bit burned out, so I went out with him after work yesterday to rake branches and stomp around and provide company. No bugles but lots of super fresh rubs, probably from the day before and probably from a big bull he saw on his game cam. Felt great to be in the elk woods again.

[Hopeless Sinner]

^^ The elk have been unusually quiet and probably quite widely dispersed with water and food available at all elevations. Wx has been been steady and mild, again no impetus for any kind of seasonal movement. My neighborhood is usually covered up by 3-4 bulls and their cows but very few elk have been seen and almost no bugling at all and absolutely no responses. Throw in the cat problems and the ~7500 cow tags over the last 3 years and we've got a 2nd slow season in a row. In fact my buddy quit hunting w/out seeing an elk after 10 days.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Man we have gotten into them the 3 times I have been out. We called one in to 75 yds today and he spooked. Damn. It's like a jungle out there. So much feed from this insane wet spring/summer.

[Phall]

Found some studs this summer in a unit with 90% fawn mortality. Muzzy hunt opened Wednesday and the basin we hunt had sheep in it up to a few days prior. Glassed an ok 2pt the night before season, then of course there was a guy side hilling across the basin at first light. Did a huge loop, and a ton of glassing, and could not turn up a buck.
This morning was surprised to see 2 pairs of does with fawns giving me some hope for the unit. Zero deer in the trophy basin, but the bulls were going crazy down hill from me. Managed to not get tempted to go mess with them(elk is closed on this unit right now) but decided to check a basin where I had heard a shot the day before and know has some decent deer too. Got to a glassing knob and was just about to get the tripod out when I see a butt moving along the ridge away from me at 315. Made moves and chased him down, but lost sight. His tracks were distinct amongst some doe tracks and I had an idea where he was headed. He popped out at 95 on the far side of an avy chute, and I spined him. Through the muzzy smoke I could hear tumbling, and he piled up. I quickly reloaded and good thing because he ended up trying to stand, but had issues with his fronts. Another round in the vitals ended things. 93% weight retention from an inexpensive t/c shockwave 250gr was impressive. Happy with this for northern Utah this year given the lack of deer I’ve seen in other units. 1000 yards down and over to a dirt road, where I could get the truck.





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[yeahman]

Nice job with the muzzy, Phall!

[Norseman]

Agreed

[The Reverend Floater]

Found some studs this summer in a unit with 90% fawn mortality. Muzzy hunt opened Wednesday and the basin we hunt had sheep in it up to a few days prior. Glassed an ok 2pt the night before season, then of course there was a guy side hilling across the basin at first light. Did a huge loop, and a ton of glassing, and could not turn up a buck.
This morning was surprised to see 2 pairs of does with fawns giving me some hope for the unit. Zero deer in the trophy basin, but the bulls were going crazy down hill from me. Managed to not get tempted to go mess with them(elk is closed on this unit right now) but decided to check a basin where I had heard a shot the day before and know has some decent deer too. Got to a glassing knob and was just about to get the tripod out when I see a butt moving along the ridge away from me at 315. Made moves and chased him down, but lost sight. His tracks were distinct amongst some doe tracks and I had an idea where he was headed. He popped out at 95 on the far side of an avy chute, and I spined him. Through the muzzy smoke I could hear tumbling, and he piled up. I quickly reloaded and good thing because he ended up trying to stand, but had issues with his fronts. Another round in the vitals ended things. 93% weight retention from an inexpensive t/c shockwave 250gr was impressive. Happy with this for northern Utah this year given the lack of deer I’ve seen in other units. 1000 yards down and over to a dirt road, where I could get the truck.





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Dude, that's a beaut, P! Well done!

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[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

Nice work, chasing bucks in the high country is the best.


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