This years deer hunt

[762X39]

I have been back for a couple of weeks from this years fall deer hunt and have not seen many postings on fall hunts so I thought I would post mine.The weather was mostly warm at the cottage this year but the ground was very wet.We have a 25 acre spot on Manitoulin Island and I always get a doe tag in the lottery so I have my choice.Some years we can get 2 tags but for the last 2 years it has only been 1. I was up to the cottage (about 400 miles from my house) 3 times between Sept and the rifle hunt (16th of Nov for 1 week) so I knew what was poking around the back yard and I set my tree stand up 2 weeks before the hunt.On the monday when the rifle hunt opened I walked up to my tree stand (a lovely aluminum model by Warren & Sweat that cost almost $300 about 12 years ago) about 45 minutes before sunrise and enjoyed the moment.45 minutes later I saw my first deer but held off.A few minutes later 3 does came by (I had seen them 2 and 4 weeks before the hunt) and chose the largest of the 3.I estimated the distance to be about 175 metres so I was quite confident of my shot.She dropped like a stone and I waited a good 10 minutes before I got down to tag her.The shot was true and my 1942 Swede had done its job yet again. I measured the true distance and it was only 145 metres but the 6.5 doesn't quibble about these small details.

 

[Mercedesrover]

Nice doe. We're hoping to get up to the 'Toulin this summer on a trip out to Thunder Bay.

Hunting has been SLOW around here this year. Too warm and a huge acorn crop has kept them planted and fed. Nothing moving at all. Got his one behind the house last week on (American) Thanksgiving with my Tikka T3 in .270. I have 10 tags still to fill....Gotta get going!

PS. Speaking of 7.62x39, I bought a CZ Carbine in 7.62x39 this summer. It's an awesome little gun and lives behind the seat of my truck. I took it out to the stand this morning (though I didn't see anything). If you're a fan of that round they're worth a look. The single-set trigger is awesome and cheap ammo makes it a good range gun. Federal makes proper 0.311 ammo for it and Hornaday just came out with some as well. The Hornaday is in Russian steel cases but uses their V-Max bullets.

 

[762X39]

Since I was finished 45 minutes into the season I decided to hunt Grouse for the rest of the week and practice my wing shooting (I may may be hot with an old rifle but my shotgun skills suck)The doe was 115lbs dressed weight and my brother cut it up at the end of the week (I like to age the meat before packaging it).

 

[762X39]

So this is what happens when the hunt is over.The real work begins...

 

[7wt]

Since I was finished 45 minutes into the season I decided to hunt Grouse for the rest of the week and practice my wing shooting (I may may be hot with an old rifle but my shotgun skills suck)The doe was 115lbs dressed weight and my brother cut it up at the end of the week (I like to age the meat before packaging it).

Nice grouse. Man I haven't been grouse hunting in a couple of years. Too long if you ask me!

Nice looking Thanksgiving harvest Jim!

 

[Haggis]

Congrats to all of you on your harvest. The Clan is currently in the middle of fuzzy head season and it's been abit slow. Drizzly rain and the lack of snow is keeping the deer movement to a minimum. But we are having some success. We'll post up some pics here or in another thread soon.

 

[Wander]

You guys need to come down to NC-especially eastern NC as our deer population is high. I'm seeing far too many on the side of the road alive and dead. I haven't been out in years as I lived away and just didn't get the chance to hunt those new places. Now that I'm back I think it's time to get back out. It's too late for deer this year (season is over half over) but maybe next year.

 

[Black Dog]

My deer season was a dud for me. I had a real nice doe about 40 yards in front of me opening day, but I knew that about 150 yards or so behind her there was a house so I didn't want to shoot at her. Then another day I was driving along a forest service road and saw a huge buck in the trees, so I figured I'd step off the road to be able to shoot legally. But by the time I got my rifle out and loaded the deer was on his way up the hill. And another day I had a small doe (yearling or a fawn maybe, too small to shoot) walk up to within about 18 or 20 feet of me before she smelled me and ran off. The only other animal I saw the rest of the season was a small cow moose, but I didn't have a license to hunt her. I'm hoping the spring bear season will bring me better luck.

My 14 year old cousin shot a monster buck in his back yard. They saw a doe run across their property from their kitchen window, so my cousin grabbed his rifle and hopped on the atv and went out back to wait. About 15 minutes later this buck came bounding through, and my cousin said he shouted at it and that made him stop long enough to get the shot off. He dropped him cold dead at about 110 yards. When we skinned him that evening we started seeing lots of wounds and scars and bruises all over his body, so he was a fighter. Then the next day we butchered it and got at least 60 pounds of meat on it. The back straps and tenderloins were the biggest I've ever seen, and we got a few really nice roasts off the hind quarters. So at least my cousin had a good season!

 

[Wander]

That does sound like a big one, what was the point count and spread?

I saw the head of a very large 18 pt taken by a local guy that went up to Michigan last week-the head was headed to the taxidermy that afternoon. They sure do get big up there.