Ramping Up; what are your hunting season preparations?

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Same here, I love hunting with a rifle, but I try to inoculate myself from the rifle hunting "crowds" by sitting in my Jon boat; trying to fool ducks into landing onto my deeks. As long as hunters are legal & safe, I avoid the areas so they can hunt the way they want.

I have ZERO tolerance for poachers (especially-so on my land); I will record, photograph, and report them without regard to their situation.

I generally yield to youth hunters (doing the right things) on public lands.

have you had problems with poachers? what unit is your land in?

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

have you had problems with poachers? what unit is your land in?

Trask

Enough problems to believe there isn't a whole lot of respect around here for private property. It was particularly difficult to relax when I first bought the place; some people tried to argue using the "grandfather clause".

Amazing phenomena, the influence some people think they have over another person's property.

That's why I believe a zero-tolerence policy is the best way to help people learn to better-respect what does not belong to them.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

i bowhunt the trask unit. ive seen some sketchy people drivin around. infact, on opening day of bow season 2 years ago i was walking to "my spot" when all the sudden out of no where a guy walks past me im assuming to his truck and then, a few moments later unloads a mag from his handgun then drives off like a bad outta hell. pretty scary situation seeing as how i have no idea where those bullets were goin.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Picking a place to hunt does have several demensions; one year, I launched from an outdoor shooting area...thinking that people would shoot elsewhere if my rig was parked there....wrong.

I'm a behind the gates hunter now; less vehicular traffic usually means less people.

A wise hunter fully-expects other people to influence/affect a hunt, and he or she plans/intends to exploit whatever situation arises.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Dialed-in the 50 yard pin tonight.

Tried-out a home made archery target and it also works good.

* empty 35# bird seed bag (inside out w/vitals drawn).
* stuffed with 10 or 12 layers of cardboard.
* 2"of green foam used for floor underlayment (behind cardboard).
* sewed it close w/ speedy stitch kit.
* 24" para cord lanyards tied to the 2 top ends.

Stops arrows a little deeper than a commercial target; hangs onto them a bit harder too. 50 yard shots penetrate 3".

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

nice! i like to build my own targets too. good to hear youre gettin the longer shots dialed in! work on that 80!!

 

[mjbskwim]

Some guy on you tube just put a bunch of rags in a big box,about 2' square.Just too simple,worked great.
For me the wood cutting I'm doing at 7000ft is a bit of prep.Figure working up there will acclimate me to the elevations I may hunt at.
So Oath,are you going to paper tune your bow? Or do you bother? Some do and some say no biggie.
I would guess it's more important if shooting out to 50 than just at 20-30

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Some guy on you tube just put a bunch of rags in a big box,about 2' square.Just too simple,worked great.
For me the wood cutting I'm doing at 7000ft is a bit of prep.Figure working up there will acclimate me to the elevations I may hunt at.
So Oath,are you going to paper tune your bow? Or do you bother? Some do and some say no biggie.
I would guess it's more important if shooting out to 50 than just at 20-30

I'll paper tune if I have time; I spend most of the final days shooting used broadheads. Wood cutting is great training for hunting season. I never get enough walking and cycling in before opening day. Come August 29th, my summer chores have to be done because the rains can come early; so the mad-rush for me actually begins in March.

I drew the Oregon 217R tag (Stott Mtn) this year; it gives me a 2nd elk season (cow/archery) in late Nov through early Dec (if I can't fill my 1st season tag). That runs into duck season.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

what kind of broadheads do any of you guys prefer? i use 100gr montecs

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

125g Shuttles

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

nice i have some 100gr shuttles i have yet to try. do they fly the same as your field points? ive heard nothing but good things about them.

 

[Joe13]

Havn't been able to get ahold of the guy I'm "supposed" to be going hunting with for a couple weeks now...

Not having a solid hunting partner really blows.

My wife's pretty against it but I may be hunting alone this year unless I can find someone else looking for a partner this late in the year.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

nice i have some 100gr shuttles i have yet to try. do they fly the same as your field points? ive heard nothing but good things about them.

Yeah, real close; archers afield showed me a photo album of the success they have. I've been 100% Satisfied with the 125s. Wanna invest in 100g (less arc at 50 yards) one of these years.

Hey Joe13, the best some of us hope for is a couple guys who would answer the phone....aka request for help to pack out the meat.

 

[Joe13]

Yeah, real close; archers afield showed me a photo album of the success they have. I've been 100% Satisfied with the 125s. Wanna invest in 100g (less arc at 50 yards) one of these years.

Hey Joe13, the best some of us hope for is a couple guys who would answer the phone....aka request for help to pack out the meat.

Now thats a great idea there! I do have some friends who wouldnt go hunting or would clean the meat but they would come help if I called.

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Now thats a great idea there! I do have some friends who wouldnt go hunting or would clean the meat but they would come help if I called.

an even better idea is to tell them you tracked it for 6 miles from the other side of the mountain that way next season you dont see anyone in your spot

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Joe,

The idea that taking an elk can be a 2 or 3 day ordeal is a realistic one. If you are lucky-enough to have 1 or 2 able-bodied friends with reliable transportation, you could feel confident that a last-light shot (5 miles behind a gate at the bottom of some timber hell-hole) would not end up as a disaster.

It takes coordination; pre-briefs & pre-drawn maps or your friends, and finding the cell phone hot spots for yourself.

You could/should throw a pre-programmed $40.00 Baofeng ham radio in your pack; ok to use without a license during an emergency. There are repeaters all along the coast range and cascades.

A second radio would provide a listening station at home.

 

[Joe13]

I greatly appreciate all of the advice.

As a second year hunter who has yet to get an animal, I'm eager to learn any and all that I can.

These forums and people like yall are a huge help to folks like myself who do not have any previous ties to the Hunting community up here.

 

[mjbskwim]

Well this is just a 5th or 6th year hunter,like really hunting,but if it's as hot and dry as last year,it will be a slow year.
We will have temps in the 100s this week.Hope it cools off sometime before the hunting season

 

[gunfreak]

I've been going through my pack and truck narrowing stuff down. I put my camera out earlier in the year but will redeploy soon. I can't wait til September when grouse season starts.

 

[nwwoodsman]

Drew a cow tag, 3 1/2 month season starting Dec 1st Hardest part of prepping is knowing Weyerhaeuser borders and avoiding them. The rest is easy.