Re: Re: The Fishing and Hunting Thread With those temps you are fine, I have shot deer and not been able to find them until the following morning, butchered them and it was not a problem. They did have a slightly stronger smell compared to a fresh kill but I believe that's normal just because of the time difference.
Re: Re: The Fishing and Hunting Thread I agree with the above. I've shot many a deer that had to sit overnight, because I couldn't find them till morning or afternoon the next day. With the cold temps described, and the fact that it was a clean lung shot, you're fine. If it had been a gut shot, or if ANYTHING in the gut had been ruptured, I'd share your concern, even at those low temps. I've also noticed that sometimes the gamey smell of venison can seem "off" compared to beef so maybe that's what you're noticing.
Im kind of a hypochondriac. I was freaked yesterday a little after we got a rabbit and cleaned it and I read about rabbit fever. Smelly deer just has me off a bit. It'll probably be fine, smelling the tenderloins this morning I didn't detect what I thought I did last night.
The tenderloins would be the part that would concern me the most as they are in the chest cavity and all that shit from the kill shot had a chance to peruclate on them for 24 hours, but I would probably trust my nose in that case. If you let an elk sit ungutted for 24 hours skin on, the meat is done and I would not touch it.
Well I cooked a tenderloin up tonight. Used Emeril Lagasse's creole seasoning and wrapped it in bacon. Sautéed onions and mushrooms with it. If I go out on this I'll go out a happy man. I tried skinning tonight but the deer is frozen solid. I closed the garage which I had cracked to keep it cool. Hopefully it'll warm up enough to work tomorrow. I want to get it all done rather quick. I've aged my last few deer and it waste quite a bit.
Fished in Cabo for a few days this week, fishing was slow by cabo standards but did manage to bring home the 50 pounds of filets I could travel with this bull being one of them. Caught a lot of yellowtail one day on bright orange butterfly jigs and did not take any pics because it was wide open for.
I spent the last 3 days walking and driving around the desert looking for Javelina, of course I found none but did manage to find elk and deer. Yesterday I looked in an area that had the right cactus but saw no sign so I made a 6 mile move and walked 2 miles into a canyon stopping every once in a while to look around. About 430 I saw something standing under a tree that looked like a javelina and I sent him to the light. Of course being by myself I had to gut him and carry him the 2 miles out, his rear quarters were gone from the first shot so it was only 45 pounds of dead weight.
I am turkey hunting for the first time soon, here in Minnesota during the first weekend of May. What's the lowdown on camo for turkeys? Any recommendations for first-timer calls too? I'll be hunting the an 80-acre that I did some deer and small game hunting on last fall and was constantly bumping into turkeys, I was able to figure out the hillside where they were roosting while deer hunting (at least then). I have an XX-Full choke for my Remington 870 and a handful of #4 and #5 shells, both 3" 1 3/4 oz. and 2 3/4" 1 3/8 oz. loads so I'm curious how they might pattern differently. My shoulder is not looking forward to that trip to the range. I was also completely unaware of these things until today... and now I want one very badly: Basically the bass boats of the prairie without sparkly paint
I use Preston Pittman mouth calls and Magnolia Game Calls glass/black walnut calls. If I were a better shot, with my turkey gun, I'd have a freezer full of wild turkey.
Thanks... and I'm glad I've shot a lot of slugs through my 870 so I'm familiar with actually aiming the thing. Keeping my shit together with game in range may or may not be a whole 'nuther story.
Good luck. I don't even flinch when deer come out but let tom come out strutting and then let out a gobble... fucks me over every time. I am much better when I don't have time to think about the shot.
The deer I shot this past fall was the first one where I was composed and calm the entire time. Granted, less than 10 seconds expired between me seeing it and pulling the trigger but there was no heart pounding and heavy breathing to throw me off as I sat down and rested the rifle against a tree. I get excited when I hear waterfowl responding to calls, I can't imagine what a turkey will do. At least I probably won't feel much recoil, those 1 3/4 oz. loads kick like hell.
I don't know how much difference it makes but I have always been told to not shoot one that is strutting.
I haven't sat and watched them within shooting range before, will they pause for you or can you freeze them with a call (like whistling at a deer or barking at a coyote)?
Just wait for them to stop strutting. Don't whistle or call with them in range, they will zero in on you and haul ass the other way.
The last turkey I shot was a couple years ago and he strutted in all the way. When he turned to face the decoy (I face my hen decoy towards me so he will face away when strutting) he heard me lift the shotgun and popped his head up and looked straight at me. Luckily I was ready for him and dropped him where he was standing. I believe I was using #4 shells. I tried a couple turkey loads but they didn't pattern tight enough in the gun I was using, so I just used normal ones that did the trick.
I bought a pack of diaphragm calls with a CD yesterday. It took me a bit to figure out how to hold them with my tongue but I'm getting the hang of it. Now the practice starts. I'll try some lighter 1 1/4 oz. game loads I have around when I take the shotguns to the range for patterning, no reason not to. I bought a Carlson's Turkey choke for my brother's Mossberg 835 that my buddy will be borrowing for the turkey hunting, it is insane compared to the Modified choke that was in the barrel.
*spoilered for the large picture A buddy and I headed out into the marsh in our kayaks in search of some redfish to fill the freezers. The day started off windy and really slow. As the temperature rose, so did the bite. We ended up with 7 redfish and 1 spec. The fishing was hard, but a day in the yak is worth the effort.