Hmmm....now that deer season is over???

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DakotaElkSlayer

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Well, last week the boy filled his deer tag(story posted down in the hunting section). So, I was kinda' wondering what you folks do with the old smokepoles after season? Are you shooting paper, chasing bunnies, calling 'yotes? Just looking for ideas for the son and I so we can mix it up a little when fishing this fall/winter.

Jim
 
Welcome aboard here.

Myself I enjoy just punching paper. Post season the temps are generally cooler and I will have the benefit of a little heavier clothing so poking holes in targets is way more enjoyable. Here in Minnesota's SE corner we have a late blackpowder season and since some rules were changed I am planning to get out during it for a couple day trips. Still the rifle range is fun for me. I shoot without any expectation and what comes of a morning shoot is what comes. Some days I can be hot. Others....well. We have cabin property in the northern part of the state too and once in a while we'll slip up for a couple days if its been warm. We have an abundance of crows and ravens there and they usually offer up some fun 100 yard shots. A 300 grain XTP does funny things to a raven at that range. lol
 
A little of everything depending on how much snow we get? And if i am able to get anywhere in it? The years i have been here you usually get shut out of the mountains about January due to snow (the Mountains are where i shoot) Personally I love to shoot paper targets!! It tells me what me and my rifle are capable of? Even with a proven load that I have shot super tight groups with OVER N OVER, and i fully trust the load, i stil like to see them on paper, To me Load development is never really done, I continue to test it, tweak it, etc. etc. no matter how good it is. I plan to build, or buy a good steel target for long range fun shooting, But my Go To is a paper target. If we have a Normal winter I get to do some Ice fishing with my Dad for Northern Pike (ive only seen 1 year here that the ice didn't get/stay thick enough)
 
Where i hunt muzzleloader season has been over for weeks now (mid to late september) after muzzleloader is over its time to get ready for rifle season. I rifle hunt a week in mid oct and a week in mid nov, when thats over its ice fishing until spring then get the smoke poles out and start getting ready for hunting season all summer.
 
I ended up buying another Tag so i can stil be out the Month of November, I am 301 dollars lighter over it, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE hunting these Whitetail, it’s a true passion of mine!! Nothing like the Whitetail Rutt, it is SUPER COOL to witness!
 
As mentioned, Virginia's MLer season starts November 4th, runs 2 weeks, a month of regular firearms season, and then another couple of weeks of MLer season. With a 6 deer limit in most of the state, there is a lot of time to hunt deer with a MLer. Turkey and bear run almost concurrently with deer, coyotes are fair game anytime, and there is no shortage of squirrels if you're so inclined.

Hunting WTs in the rut is the best time. :yeah:
 
Idaholewis said:
I ended up buying another Tag so i can stil be out the Month of November, I am 301 dollars lighter over it, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE hunting these Whitetail, it’s a true passion of mine!! Nothing like the Whitetail Rutt, it is SUPER COOL to witness!
$301 for one tag?? ouch! Why so high?
 
toytruck said:
Idaholewis said:
I ended up buying another Tag so i can stil be out the Month of November, I am 301 dollars lighter over it, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE hunting these Whitetail, it’s a true passion of mine!! Nothing like the Whitetail Rutt, it is SUPER COOL to witness!
$301 for one tag?? ouch! Why so high?

Here in Idaho we get 1 deer Tag at normal Resident price, if you choose to buy a 2nd Tag you have to pay the Non Resident fee, they set aside a certain amount of Non Resident deer tags, if those tags don’t sell out Us Residents can buy them as a 2nd Tag.

The Buck i ended up with is nice deer, Just not what i thought i had? Long story short, I was on a REALLY BIG Buck in a thick area, he was right on 325 yards, I didn’t have a shot. I lost track of the Buck for a little bit, finally picked him up again, i could see his body really good this time, some of his horns, and his nose, i held behind the front shoulder and i took the shot, i felt comfortable i had got him, He dove straight off in the deep brush after the shot. On my way over i Jumped a deer Within 50-100 yards of where I thought mine should be? My Gut Wrenched thinking the Worst, had i missed him? Was my shot to far back? I found the deer i shot, and it ended up it wasn’t the Buck i thought i had shot? There was obviously 2 bucks together But I only seen the 1 BIG Buck, I found the Track of the deer i Jumped and it looks like a Calf Elk! I have no doubt That was the BIG BRUTE i thought i had! I normally would NEVER shoot a deer like this unless it was the last few days of the season, Not to disrespect this Buck in ANYWAY, He’s a nice buck and Many folks would be SUPER proud of him, But this isn’t the Caliber of Deer i hunt. This mistake costed me 301 bucks
 
This one should be really good eating, it’s well before the Rutt (he’s all done up and in the freezer) So far I haven’t had a bad Whitetail, Even puffed up in the Rutt. I Grew up on Mule Deer, And Blacktail, When they were killed in the Rutt they were RANK/ROUGH! Idahoron taught me a method for that, Salt and Ice, If i end up with a Big stinking Whitetail in the End i plan to try it
 

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