2nd season opener in central Illinois

[PreglerD]

Hi Jethro,

nice story and nice doe! :thumbsup: Waidmanns Heil from over the pond!

The GPR looks nice, too!

Regards

Kirrmeister

 

[Skychief]

Thanks for sharing Jethro...now,GO GET THAT BUCK!

 

[jethro224]

Now you are obligated for next year to post a story and photo of you taking that big boy!

I've still got two more days this weekend and 3 more next weekend to try and take that biggun'. With a bunch more luck I'll get another crack at him this year. :grin:

 

[jethro224]

Nice hunt. Great post. She looks to be about 175 lbs. live weight, and 120 lbs. dressed. She's only 1 1/2 years old, looking at her muzzle. Good sized deer that is typical for corn and soybean country. Congratulations. :hatsoff:

I don't know Paul, she looks older in person. I'm no age judging expert but she had a lot of gray hairs and a big nose...
Since they did away with the check stations I'm just guessing at their ages. I don't know how or what they figger with the face measurement but she was 144mm between the corner of the eye to the nostril.

 

[rabjr]

Our shotgun season opens tomorrow and bad weather coming through, might get our first snow. Got a buddy willing to drive me into a spot and drop me off next to a tree sunday if theres no snow. Got my meds changed so I think I can load up the smoothie and sit for a couple hours, we'll see but it would be nice to get out for a couple hours. :thumbsup:

 

[jethro224]

Good luck to you if you can get out Swampy. :hatsoff:

We had another windy day today. A few flurries but no accumulation. The deer weren't moving much today with the stiff West wind. Only saw 4 this morning at about 150 yards and 3 right at the very last legal minute tonight. It was only about 50 yards but already too dim to get a good sight picture so I didn't shoot.
Had to hurry back to town anyway and pick up my check and get to the High School Band Boosters Fish Fry / Silent Auction. Woulda been late if I'da got another chance at one of them bigguns. :wink:

 

[Finnwolf]

Snow's supposed to start here in PA at noon (comin from the south). Get out there in the PM Swampy and take advantage!

 

[luieb45]

Nice job Jethro!!! :thumbsup: I went hunting today and went to a new spot in the morning with my muzzleloader. At about 7:45 when I'd barely hunted an hour my grandpa had had a guy do some bull dozin' on the place but the guy said he was done with all of it but he wasn't so he comes in and starts working within 100 yards of me clearing this pasture ground that is going to be planted next year. So that screwed up my morning. Then when I was walking I found the 3rd dead deer on the place and this time it was a pretty big 10 point. The animals had done quite a bit of work on him and he smelled pretty bad. Then this evening I went to a small tree stand that looks over a gate that deer like to go through. At about 4:00 a doe and two fawns come in at 25 yards and right as I lifted my gun they had their noses in the air and caught wind of me. I was even wearing one of those chemical suits that doesn't let air through. It's one of those army surplus things that they use for gas spills and everything. At this point it looks like I'll be eating tag soup. I won't hunt tomorrow morning since I have a basketball game but will hunt the evening. Then Sunday I might hunt the morning then do a deer drive in the afternoon.

 

[jethro224]

Too bad you got busted Luie. I'm a firm believer in the powers of the whitetails nose. You just can't beat it even with the suits & sprays. Better off just playing the wind and saving the $$$. Better luck next time out.

 

[rabjr]

Snow's supposed to start here in PA at noon (comin from the south). Get out there in the PM Swampy and take advantage!

I just hope to get out for a couple of hours of fresh air, don't really care if I see anything, just want to sit there with my gun across my lap instead of laying here in bed all the time.

Luie, not sure if your hunting a farm or what but deer get use to machinary. I know I hate noise too but I seen to many times deer aren't bothered very much by farm machinary.

And shots...one time I was setup, I know this sounds dangerous, but just behind and to the left of a 200 yard range on private property. Even though I was behind it I was lower and the range got little use, not many knew about it. Well wasn't I surprised to find some yahoos spraying the place at 7:00am with what had to be an AK. manure was hitting the trees about a 100 yards to my right up on a hill, I was below the hill and probably a 100 yards buffer between me and the top of the hill where the 200 yard targets were. I wasn't happy and actually hollared in between reloading, to no avail. Well they finally leave and as I'm trying to figure out what to do because as far as I'm concerned my hunt was over....when here comes this 6 point walking slowly down the hill were the two hundred yard targets are! He apperantly was bedded behind them and like me had had enough and decided to get the hell out of there.....right into my lap.

We are taught from day one noise is bad but sometimes, they just aren't as bothered by some noise as we think they are.

 

[luieb45]

I was hunting that area thinking that the deer would be moving around through those cedar trees and that bull dozer was taking them down. The deer are used to the combine but not that dozer when it was in the places they normally are hiding. Also I had another misfire today. I couldn't have shot those deers if I wanted because the gun went pop not bang again. I haven't gotten the ball pulled yet. I know the gun wasn't dry-balled. The only thing I think may have something to do with it is I fired my load from the morning and cleaned the gun, dried it, and put bore butter sealing the bore. Then waited a couple hours and snapped a cap off and then hunted.

 

[rabjr]

Well thats to bad, what are trying to make some money with cedar fencing or just destroying and clearing the cedar habitat? :shake:

Bucks will roam but deer are born, live and die in generally a small area. so if one safe haven is being destroyed, they will seek out another close by they feel safe in. You need to find that and stop all these misfires.

 

[luieb45]

There are a BUNCH more cedars on that place. There is about 70 more acres of pasture that has been taken over by cedars since he got rid of his cattle.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You need to flush the barrel with alcohol to get out even bore butter, Louie. A cap fired only puts priming debris in your flash channel.

 

[gmww]

I've found that if you put a patch on the end of your ramrod when you snap a cap, it will show you the crud and how much spark your getting. A patch with a nice large burnt hole is what I look for.

That patch also catches the oil and debris that make it into the barrel. :thumbsup:

BTW we are talking unloaded gun. :grin:

 

[rabjr]

Well I have no idea how my percussion guns shot every time for the 20 years I used them before using Flintlocks, without using alcohol. :idunno:

 

[larry wv]

Learn something new here everyday. Have you tried the patch deal on a flinter? Larry

 

[larry wv]

You are right about the scent Jethro. I don't pay any attention to how I smell. Just watch the wind. It was blowing sideways and got an inch of snow today. About froze this morn and eve. Hope its warmer for you guys. Larry Wv

 

[jethro224]

Wind wasn't bad here today. We had 18 frosty degrees this morning and 31 when I came out this evening.

Only saw 14 deer today. 7 of 'em were all at once. Just one buck and he wasn't the one I was after. I was huntin' the biggun today. Had a doe and a bambi pass by at about 5 yards this afternoon. Might shoot another doe tomorrow evening if I get a chance. Tomorrow morning I'm still after the big bucks only.
If I don't fill my firearm buck tag tomorrow it changes into a antlerless-only late winter tag. ML buck tag is still good next weekend. :thumbsup:

 

[rabjr]

Snowing here now and it's a no go for me tomorrow. Totally forgot I have a visiting nurse coming at 2:00pm so that ruins tomorrows possible hunt for me.