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Kid's sports shit getting in the way of spending time in the blind nursing whiskey. May have to just move the office out there next week. 

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  • This years opening weekend was a little bitter sweet as this was the first time going down since our "ranch foreman" had passed.    A little rough around the edges would be quite the understatement wh

  • CHIEF Jr. told me he really wanted my Book Auodad more than a 170+ WT. So yesterday morning we saw the biggest one (Number One) with the herd. Number two might be a little bit longer, but doesn't have

  • this old fella went down 10 minutes ago.     will post weight and green score after cleaning him up. 

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No shit. Daughter's basketball tournament just wrapped up. They won the championship but screwed all kinds of plans on going down tonight for a morning hunt tomorrow.

What y’all are saying is that I should only allow my daughters to play spring sports?

9 hours ago, hookemATL said:

What y’all are saying is that I should only allow my daughters to play spring sports?

Fall softball ends before regular season starts. We don’t do winter ball or basketball. Kids said they’d rather be at camp. Ymmv

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this old fella went down 10 minutes ago.  
 

will post weight and green score after cleaning him up. 

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12 hours ago, Anastasis said:

Kid's sports shit getting in the way of spending time in the blind nursing whiskey. May have to just move the office out there next week. 

That’s what I’m doing. CHIEF Jr. wraps up finals on Tuesday. Nieces college graduation is Saturday. Leaving for the lease and will stay until Christmas, come back, return, and stay till New Years. 
 

CHIEF

Edited by CHIEF

I’m off work 12/13-1/3. If I can’t get meat for freezer during that time I might just geld myself, join the local junior league, and take up crocheting. 

Good lord I need a cold snap. 68 degrees and 80% humidity at 7am is dumb. They’re starting to chase here in Milam county but it’s not on just yet. Need a damn cold front

Same. I’m waiting for weather change. Sweating in a blind during deer season seems wrong. 
 

*caveat That the “I have to take a massive shit but there’s tons of deer activity so I’m gonna hold it” sweats are in a different category*

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Weighed in at 224 lbs. 

Scoring after breakfast. 

For the record, I did not shoot this buck.  The oldest member of our camp has been watching him for 4 years now.   He lost track of him but I knew where the buck was and had him patterned.  
 

Got the guy out to the right blind and told him where he would come out and talked him through the shot.  

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Glad your old fellow hunter got that experience after watching him through 4 years. Very nice buck.

The warm front that sat in for 2 weeks has nothing moving now…

It’s been in the high 70s to low 80s and even at night it’s been barely coldish

Temps finally dropped last night out at the land so hoping things start moving again, we are headed out next weekend and I need a freezer filler

There will be a cold front come through tomorrow (Monday) but the long term forecasts aren't really "cold" until 10-15 days away. 

 

Edited by crimsonlonghorn
are NOT

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164 & 6/8”

7.5 years old per lower jaw pull. 
 

Dang nice buck for a low-fence free ranger.  

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Great buck! Glad you posted up the age, I was guessing 6.5 but hard to tell from the pics posted. He’s a hell of a nice deer.

2 hours ago, deadshank said:

164 & 6/8”

7.5 years old per lower jaw pull. 
 

Dang nice buck for a low-fence free ranger.  

074B255E-2893-4730-A925-EE8453F9A371.jpeg

Can you briefly describe the process it’s takes to get the skull to this point?  I’ve never seen it done and would like to give it shot this season. 

40 minutes ago, hookemATL said:

Can you briefly describe the process it’s takes to get the skull to this point?  I’ve never seen it done and would like to give it shot this season. 

Cut the head off the buck up high on the spine right next to the skull.   Use a caping  knife to cut through the hide and neck muscles to get to the bone.   Once the hide and muscle is out of the way use some good pruning loppers to get through the spine. Have someone hold the buck by the antlers so the head and antlers won’t crash to the ground.

 

Get a very sharp and small knife (I recommend an A. G. Russell Woodswalker. They are small, easily sharpened to very sharp and are very nimble.  I skin all my deer with that little bitty thing.  They’re inexpensive and can be purchased along with a leather sheath that fits into your back pocket.  It is actually a whittling knife) and turn the buck’s nose away from you.  Start slicing from the middle of the back of the neck toward the nose.   Once you get to the point that aligns between the burrs of the antlers go to your usual skinning stroke toward the burr of each antler and go around each burr.  This is the hardest part. 
 

Try to keep the head hide in one piece as you skin and peel.  One contiguous piece will give you more grip leverage as you pull, lift and apply your skinning stroke. 

Having someone hold the antlers to steady the skull during the process really helps the time spent peeling the cap.  
 

Keep skinning and turning the head and work your way down to and around the nose. 
 

Next, trim all the excess cheek meat and connective tissue.  

Pulling the jaw requires turning the skull upside down and working your way into the horseshoe shaped lower jaw and cutting away the flesh, tongue and connective tissue.  Once you feel it start to loosen you can pry apart the jaws and age the buck with the lower teeth now easily seen.  
 

This buck took 2 experienced guys 10 minutes to peel.  

Good luck and let me know how it works out for you. 

Edited by deadshank
Posted a pic of the AGR Woodswalker in post #1035

Thanks a ton!  I’m hoping to present my buddy with a finished skull/antlers since it will be his first ever hunting experience/deer. Hope we get lucky and he is able to get one. 

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Hit a beaver run going about 15 that I forgot was there. Is this bad? 8e6fa6e4c1ea9d245a56dbca8f105a6b.jpg

6 minutes ago, Both Tacos said:

Not if you are turning left a lot.

You just need to find NASCAR tracks that allow hunting.  Actually.....I'm nearly certain that some do.

5 hours ago, deadshank said:

164 & 6/8”

7.5 years old per lower jaw pull. 
 

Dang nice buck for a low-fence free ranger.  

074B255E-2893-4730-A925-EE8453F9A371.jpeg

This how you do it gents. Awesome. The FIL is prob dipping in peroxide as we speak. He is going euro as well. Great deer @deadshank

Hit a beaver run going about 15 that I forgot was there. Is this bad? 8e6fa6e4c1ea9d245a56dbca8f105a6b.jpg

As least it’s above water, so you got that going for you.
164 & 6/8”
7.5 years old per lower jaw pull. 
 
Dang nice buck for a low-fence free ranger.  
074B255E-2893-4730-A925-EE8453F9A371.thumb.jpeg.79609783d92ce64a78e53e2df76bdaf2.jpeg

No tags? GW Benny Richards would not be happy about that.
13 minutes ago, davidg said:


No tags? GW Benny Richards would not be happy about that.

Ha.  MLD tag was with the quartered meat in cooler.  
 

Benny is awesome

10 hours ago, Speedtrucker said:

The warm front that sat in for 2 weeks has nothing moving now…

It’s been in the high 70s to low 80s and even at night it’s been barely coldish

Temps finally dropped last night out at the land so hoping things start moving again, we are headed out next weekend and I need a freezer filler

Went today and it was damn slow.  Couple of small 8s and nothing exciting. Bring me winter.  

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Hard to follow deadshank but had a good sit this AM. Had a surprise visitor and decided it’s been too long since I have had the tamales, so she had to go. Only been seen 2 other times in the last several years by others. .257wby made short work, she went about ~35 yds with a completely liquified heart, somehow. 0 blood trail, which isn’t uncommon with nilgai. Obviously the quarter bore didn’t help. Had a hole inside her shoulder I could damn near put my fist thru but only my pinky on entry and exit. I had forgotten how much work they are to skin/dress. Don’t think I’ll forget this time.

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About 90 second after I shot, this dude comes charging in. He was running this doe hard, and neck was bursting. Earlier in the AM she was being run around by three young small bucks, but not as aggressive as this dude. Two that look like they may be something someday, and one that I sincerely hope doesn’t catch her. Several times they were less than 25’ from me, and I got a very upclose look at him. He’s scarred up, battle worn, decent 8. Big old Roman nose, and showing his age. I think he might be a management deer at the end of the season if he’s still around. He’s old with decent mains but short everything else. One of the young bucks looked EXACTLY the same, but you can tell was already outpacing this guy, just lacking mass. I definitely wanted him to catch the doe, and he’s safe thru the rut, from me anyhow.
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Saw this dude the day before crossing the road to the south around 1100, and caught him coming back to the nawf side around 1530. Dude was long and healthy af looking. Don’t know what he is, just know he’s one of the good ones.
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From the sounds of it, the neighbors crushed the quail. I mean All. Fucking. Weekend. Long. Deer never even flinched so I guess whatever.


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17 hours ago, markstanco said:

Hit a beaver run going about 15 that I forgot was there. Is this bad? 8e6fa6e4c1ea9d245a56dbca8f105a6b.jpg

Nah. Just needs a little alignment hygiene. 

Looks like a corn snake: image.png.84650a0c94b67ab25b4d12dbc5cb6d8a.pngCorn Snake Care Sheet – Reptiles by Mack

Edited by Mdhorn

On 12/6/2021 at 10:27 AM, Mdhorn said:

Looks like a corn snake: image.png.84650a0c94b67ab25b4d12dbc5cb6d8a.pngCorn Snake Care Sheet – Reptiles by Mack

Or maybe a rat snake?  The "pretend" rattlers of Texas

7 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Or maybe a rat snake?  The "pretend" rattlers of Texas

Like a lot of others, he was shaking that tail pretty good the first time I approached him. Was much more chill the second time.  Whatever he’s eating, he’s healthy af.  Probably picking off the mice around the feeders. 

11 minutes ago, fattyflattie said:

Like a lot of others, he was shaking that tail pretty good the first time I approached him. Was much more chill the second time.  Whatever he’s eating, he’s healthy af.  Probably picking off the mice around the feeders. 

Probably.  Mice, birds, eggs, even other snakes.  They are pretty snakes and cool to watch.  

I like having non-venomous snakes around.  So long as it is not where little kids are playing.

I kill every venomous snake I see.  Just a habit.

Our family place near Navasota for years had copper heads out the ass.  They would eat the cicadas in our flower beds.  Our caretaker would kill 50+ a year minimum just in the flower beds.  Got some cats and kept them around and now we rarely see any.  I hate copper heads because, while not aggressive, they are so damn hard to see.

17 hours ago, Johnny Sack said:

I like having non-venomous snakes around.  So long as it is not where little kids are playing.

I kill every venomous snake I see.  Just a habit.

Our family place near Navasota for years had copper heads out the ass.  They would eat the cicadas in our flower beds.  Our caretaker would kill 50+ a year minimum just in the flower beds.  Got some cats and kept them around and now we rarely see any.  I hate copper heads because, while not aggressive, they are so damn hard to see.

Cotton Mouths for me.  Hate them.  Only snake I go out of my way to eradicate.

They're just born angry

Cold front this weekend just might be my saving grace. I guilt tripped the clan about not getting a buck this year. Just little drops here and there. "Well I guess it just wasn't my year." I got out of the annual Christmas lights trip to go hunt. Going to hopefully change my luck. Solo, quiet and efficient.

This one that pushed in yesterday seems to have stirred things up. I’ve got a beautiful young 6 and an even better 8 that just showed up tonight at the house that I’ve never seen before in person or on the camera.

14 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

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Not a bad night to take the flask and sit out behind the house.

I'd have skipped the deer and shot that Alligator creeping in the foreground from right to left.....

15 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

0bef92aa7ef5fee23de10f6a7a3b01ce.jpg
Not a bad night to take the flask and sit out behind the house.

Cutting back?

Cutting back?

Nah this at my house. Not usually more than 12-15 at a time out here. The farm is where I regularly count 50+ in one wheat field.
2 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:


Nah this at my house. Not usually more than 12-15 at a time out here. The farm is where I regularly count 50+ in one wheat field.

Ahem. Whiskey intake. 

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Took this one 2 weeks back. Older buck but needed to get some meat in the freezer. Didn’t score but had plenty of fat on him.
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