Hunting and Primal page 4

[justyouraveragecavemen]

I believe you on the "more to it" ... there is a whole bunch about hunting that seems to be unwritten and local. The funny part is that a lot of the "hunting their whole lives" crowd doesn't seem to know how knowledgeable they really are. They've known about hunting since childhood so they don't really appreciate the knowledge.

Hunting clubs and mentors are yet more mystery to me.

I hunted all the time when I was younger, then quit for a decade or so. Now that I've started back and started actually listening to people who know what they're talking about instead of thinking that I know best I've seen more deer this year than ever before, probably all my years combined. Sometimes in places I never would have thought to look. Actually, I think it's more rewarding to pass on a deer because you know it's the best thing for the area's population. It's very cool to watch one walk under your stand and see how they move, what they listen to/for, etc.

[not on the rug]

I hunted all the time when I was younger, then quit for a decade or so. Now that I've started back and started actually listening to people who know what they're talking about instead of thinking that I know best I've seen more deer this year than ever before, probably all my years combined. Sometimes in places I never would have thought to look. Actually, I think it's more rewarding to pass on a deer because you know it's the best thing for the area's population. It's very cool to watch one walk under your stand and see how they move, what they listen to/for, etc.

its a funny moment when you realize the old timers knew what they were talking about and your young ass didn't know a damn thing. those guys shot more deer and bigger deer than most of us could ever dream of. all while wearing denim pants and red flanel shirts, smoking their pipes and, using an old longbow or military rifle. they didn't have mossy oak, scentlok, climbing stands or bows that shot 330fps. they didn't need that stuff. they actually KNEW how to hunt. i learned so much from my dad and uncle over the years it still amazes me. yet as each new season approaches, i find that i just want to learn more and more. and as i've gotten older (i'm only 33) i find myself simplifying and using the old ways. i use woodsmoke as a cover scent instead of a fancy spray. i've learned to fletch my own arrows, and i tend to prefer the bow over the gun now. i passed on 7-8 doe this year, just because i wasn't 110% sure of the shot, because i thought a buck might be following the doe, or simply because i was enjoying watching the deer be deer. my dad was the ultimate outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman, and trapper. not to brag, but for the last 20 years of his life, he made most of his hunting and fishing equipment in order to make the sport more challenging. he was that good. i lost my dad about 2 1/2 weeks ago (he was 60) and i've committed to using his longbow for next year. that means infinitely more practice time than i put in to my compound. but it will be worth it. the closer i can get to nature and the animals i share the woods with, the closer i will be to my dad

[justyouraveragecavemen]

I'm sorry about your loss, Dude. My dad hunted when he was younger but hasn't been since I've been around. I learned small game hunting on my own and deer hunting from the guy down the road. I pick my friend's brain now as he is the best hunter that I know now.
Wood smoke as a scent? That sounds brilliantly simple.

[Him]

Yeah, sorry about your dad. Using his longbow sounds like a great tribute.

[brighthorse]

I love to hunt and eat game meat alot! Duck season is over now but I have a pig hunting trip planned for April. Wish me luck!

[not on the rug]

I'm sorry about your loss, Dude. My dad hunted when he was younger but hasn't been since I've been around. I learned small game hunting on my own and deer hunting from the guy down the road. I pick my friend's brain now as he is the best hunter that I know now.
Wood smoke as a scent? That sounds brilliantly simple.

thanks.

yeah, the wood smoke thing works great. some people go all-out and buy thie little smoker things that beekeepers use. you can pretty much make one out of a coffee can if you really want to. in the fall, i'll build fire in my firepit and then put my hunting clothes on an old wooden clothesrack on the downwind side of the fire. i store the clothes in a rubbermaid container or even a trash bag and the scent stays on them for a while. it reminded me of all the years we used to spend up at our old hunting camp. we heated it with a small woodstove and everything in the place smelled strongly of woodsmoke. and during all of those years i have some encounters while hunting on the ground where deer literally came withing 5ft of me, and never knew i was there, just sitting on my stool leaning up against a tree with a rifle in my lap. that smoke smell doesn't spook the deer and covers everything

[not on the rug]

Yeah, sorry about your dad. Using his longbow sounds like a great tribute.

thanks.

i'm really excited. i hadn't shot a recurve or longbow in years. it will definitely be a challenge. i plan on practicing with it all spring and summer. i hope i can hone my skills enough to hunt with it in the fall

[Orannhawk]

its a funny moment when you realize the old timers knew what they were talking about and your young ass didn't know a damn thing. those guys shot more deer and bigger deer than most of us could ever dream of. all while wearing denim pants and red flanel shirts, smoking their pipes and, using an old longbow or military rifle. they didn't have mossy oak, scentlok, climbing stands or bows that shot 330fps. they didn't need that stuff. they actually KNEW how to hunt. i learned so much from my dad and uncle over the years it still amazes me. yet as each new season approaches, i find that i just want to learn more and more. and as i've gotten older (i'm only 33) i find myself simplifying and using the old ways. i use woodsmoke as a cover scent instead of a fancy spray. i've learned to fletch my own arrows, and i tend to prefer the bow over the gun now. i passed on 7-8 doe this year, just because i wasn't 110% sure of the shot, because i thought a buck might be following the doe, or simply because i was enjoying watching the deer be deer. my dad was the ultimate outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman, and trapper. not to brag, but for the last 20 years of his life, he made most of his hunting and fishing equipment in order to make the sport more challenging. he was that good. i lost my dad about 2 1/2 weeks ago (he was 60) and i've committed to using his longbow for next year. that means infinitely more practice time than i put in to my compound. but it will be worth it. the closer i can get to nature and the animals i share the woods with, the closer i will be to my dad

Sorry to hear about your Dad. I lost my Dad in 2006, and my son took him on his last hunt less than two weeks before he went home to the Old Ones. He was a lot like how you describe your Dad.

[Orannhawk]

We've smoked clothes too ... and never, ever did we wash the blood off of our outer clothes during the season. I've watched my Dad and grandfather rub themselves down with crushed leaves from the scrubs where we hunted, and or mud ... we got dirty and inventive. No bathing while we were at the lease either ... LOL, no running water, no electricity, no frills.

I love to be on the ground when I hunt, especially because I like to rattle when they are in rut. And there is also the fact that I have issues with high ladders. I have a favorite spot where I hunt, right in a nice grove of mesquite trees ... have a great view all around me, near to the creek where they come in late in the day. I don't sit, I stand ... and I am there for hours, but I learned long ago how to stand without tiring, and move very, very slowly and only with the movement of the trees.
One afternoon I had an armadilla that ran into my boot, he backed up and smelled me, did it again, and then slowly and carefully walked across the tops of my boots. Granted, their eyesight is not the greatest, but they can smell ... but he was totally unconcerned with me. (And yes, I've eaten them too ... but not this guy, he was so just too fun to watch)

The next day I was in the same place, and I saw a little doe making her way to me, walking parallel with the fence and tree line where I was standing. I could see the movement out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't move my head to alert her. She didn't smell me or see me until she was even with me and literally less than four foot in front of me. She blew at me and jumped, ran up a few yards and jumped the fence .... I stayed put, because I knew she would circle around. She came back around behind me, as close as she dared, pacing and blowing. I was biting my lip to keep from laughing, she was so pissed.

Making me hungry thinking about hunting ....

[whitebear]

We've smoked clothes too ... and never, ever did we wash the blood off of our outer clothes during the season. I've watched my Dad and grandfather rub themselves down with crushed leaves from the scrubs where we hunted, and or mud ... we got dirty and inventive. No bathing while we were at the lease either ... LOL, no running water, no electricity, no frills.

I love to be on the ground when I hunt, especially because I like to rattle when they are in rut. And there is also the fact that I have issues with high ladders. I have a favorite spot where I hunt, right in a nice grove of mesquite trees ... have a great view all around me, near to the creek where they come in late in the day. I don't sit, I stand ... and I am there for hours, but I learned long ago how to stand without tiring, and move very, very slowly and only with the movement of the trees.
One afternoon I had an armadilla that ran into my boot, he backed up and smelled me, did it again, and then slowly and carefully walked across the tops of my boots. Granted, their eyesight is not the greatest, but they can smell ... but he was totally unconcerned with me. (And yes, I've eaten them too ... but not this guy, he was so just too fun to watch)

The next day I was in the same place, and I saw a little doe making her way to me, walking parallel with the fence and tree line where I was standing. I could see the movement out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't move my head to alert her. She didn't smell me or see me until she was even with me and literally less than four foot in front of me. She blew at me and jumped, ran up a few yards and jumped the fence .... I stayed put, because I knew she would circle around. She came back around behind me, as close as she dared, pacing and blowing. I was biting my lip to keep from laughing, she was so pissed.

Making me hungry thinking about hunting ....

I've actually had birds land on my bow while I'm holding it. Been face to face with a few squirrels as well. They get really excited when they realize where they are. My favorite close encounter was with two black bears while deer hunting. I was in a tree stand and the bears both crossed within ten feet of the tree I was in. I could literally smell them.