Typical deer hunt in Georgia tree stand.

Nice area James! I miss the great deer hunting in Montana and North Dakota!I don't care what anybody says,deer hunting in western Oregon SUCKS!!! LMAO.....

You need to trim "death alley" better for more confidence in the take.

Just the shooting lanes. Nothing more.

Well said Scott. That 80 acres is next to me and has been bank owned for 20 years and i have had my way on putting shooting alleys on it the whole time. That alley is an old one so i will have to cut 4-8 inch trees over 150 yards distance. and cut them into small pieces so i can throw them into the woods so i can keep it mowed once a year. That would be a about a 15 pound weight loss in a weeks worth of work:). You stated a cold hard fact. Poor chain saw, looks like Scott is putting us to work. I take kids up on that stand because you can just about shoot a deer an hour out of it. Have trained one nephew and one niece out of that stand. I think Mallory hunts to this day. We use it for meat deer which are does and genetic spikes.
Mallory got married about 4 years ago. I'd say she grew up

Too bad you got nada this morning, James, after braving the cold.  Brrrrr!   My feet are getting cold just thinking about it.  We'll get a little taste of the cold in the Cadys this weekend, but not that cold!  Low temp 37 degrees (they are forecasting), could be a little chilly in a tent.

Yeah, I think you got some trimming to do, to give you better chances for a clear shot.  More work, more work, more work.  It never ends...

Fifteen to twenty deer in the freezer?  Awesome!   In Cali, F&G would probably have a cow if you had more than one.  I don't know what the limits are, but can't possibly be more than a couple.

Isn't so much poor deer population as it is people overcrowding in areas available to the public, and too many crazies. My son and I were walking out on a little road, stopped to say hi at a roadside camp, and some guy raised his rifle and threatened to shoot us. This guy was serious. I told my son whichever of us he shoots, the other has to get him. At that point I guess he figured his odds weren't good, dropped his rifle down, and told us to get the .... out of there. Later, in discussion w/a forester at the mill I used to work at, that bunch was being closely watched by the cops for poaching. Most people I know that are getting deer now are hunting on private ground, but you have to know somebody. I've counted 11 deer in my back yard, but here I don't dare shoot them. A friend that still lives near where we grew up, and that area has turned into a developed nightmare [that's why I got out of there], says the creek bottoms are now full of deer. When we were growing up, one could bag them, none to be seen. Smart critters.

James, you are too funny! I'll take warm, anyday. Y'all know I don't like to put on extry clothes, lol!

Just after 9am, and already 71 degrees here.  S'posed to get up to 90 today, woo-hoo!  (Eat your heart out, all you poor, cold souls...)  James, it will only be chilly at night in the Cadys.  They're saying highs 66 and 64 for Saturday and Sunday, and 5 - 10 mph winds.  Oops, now they 're saying breezy Saturday night.  Oh well, ya can't have everything go your way.  As long as it doesn't go over the 15-25 they are forcasting.  But the temps are perfect for picking rocks.

James, are you going to go out and try again later today/tonight for your trophy buck, or wait until morning?  Or both?  I wish you the best of luck for a wall hanger.  Go get 'em!

Got this in an email this morning.  Probably a safe bet to say a lot of the states look like this:



Where is Bill at??

Jean, that had me goin' for a sec.


James, yes I grew up in a hunting home. Literally never saw beef in the folk's house, ever. When I was a wee tyke I would stand on a chair in the front hall leering out into the dark watching for the familar glow of my Dad's Wagoneer. Then, when he pulled into the driveway I would run outside to see if he had signs of blood on his hands.

I think Whitetails and Mulies each have their specialties, as far as being smart goes. You are right, much of Montana is sagebrush. I grew up in the mountain valleys, and we never went hunting further east than the edge of the prairie which is about an hour and a half away.

One thing that suckers a Mule deer more often than a Whitetail is whistling a deer to a stop when they are running away. Many times the Mulie hears it and has to stop and have a look. The big bucks live at / around treeline and are masters of selecting a bed from which they can see hear and smell most anything creeping up on them.

Another big difference is that a Whitetail will live in the bushes by people's houses, but a Mulie needs space. In many parts of the state they have been pushed out by increased human population, and the encroaching Whitetails.

I started hunting big game when I was 12. I got really lucky and drew a moose permit. My first year I got an antelope (we call them prairie goats), a Mulie buck and a big cow moose. I was hooked.

Since then I have shot many antelope, deer and elk. Never have drawn another moose permit, and have never shot a bear. I had a good chance at a nice cinnamon with a white chest once, (and had the fortune of having a bear tag too) but then he stood up and was scratching himself on a tree. I sat and watched him, he was enjoying himself. I could not shoot him. I love bear meat, Dad shot a few. He smoked the hams, best breakfast ham in the world. Mom rendered out the fat, (he took fall bears only) and made lye soap from her mother's recipe.

I have not hunted in several years, work and then my parent's decline, demise and then handling their affairs put me behind on many things. I hope to be back at it by next fall. I miss it very much, as you say, the outdoor time is a tonic like no other.

Maybe I need to come out and put in some sweat equity on that shooting lane. Then maybe, just maybe I can earn a few days in the chair. Jim, you live in paradise.