End of season clean up

[9x56MS]

The marlin 336 and BLR 358 both having made meat have been cleaned and put away until their turn in rotation comes up again. Now comes the sorting cleaning and packing away of bow season and gun season clothing items and the getting out of cold weather muzzle loading clothing and rifles. Now comes muzzle loading season until 12\30\21. Then comes burger and sausage making before finally closing this years deer festivities. This is the first year in my section of NY to be able to hunt after Christmas. Looking forward to that and Christmas. Merry Christmas and good health to all.

 

[Chuck R.]

I started yesterday, cleaned my M7 in .350 (although my son might still shoot a doe with it) and started putting away the rest of the deer hunting stuff. I'll clean my .270 before the weekend's over. We've got 9 days of late doe season starting 1JAN, but I'm about out of room for meat.

Now I'm going back to hunting coyotes and squirrels with another pheasant hunt planned for JAN.

Merry X-Mas to you too!

 

[lightman]

I just put a Deer in the freezer. The rifles have been cleaned and them, the binoculars and range finder are in the safe. The clothing and shooting gear can stay in the truck until after Christmas. (per bosses orders) I'll wash the ice chest out as soon as it quits raining. Our season is not quite over but I'm probably done for this year.

And Merry Christmas to you guys too!

 

[Thomasss]

At least you know the arrows load, shoot, and hit solid, right. lol

 

[9x56MS]

Just finished cleaning up after my wife and I made3 dozen ginger bread cookies and 5 dozen sugar cookies along with a big bowl of Chex mix. Then wrapped the first batch of gifts and put them under the tree. Time to sit down with a glass of bourbon and branch water and contemplate all the things I have to be thankful for. I have been truly blessed. I hope you all had a bountiful season and have remained healthy. Enjoy your families and remember the reason for the season!

 

[earlthegoat2]

I’m not starting this process until Feb as out season ends in late Jan. I’m hoping to get one more for some jerky.

 

[WisBorn]

A successful season in Wisconsin. I didn't fill my tag but enjoyed my time in the stand. I saw several small bucks which gives me a good feeling for next year. My new hunting buddy made some good choices. She passed on a shot because she wasn't sure. She is excited about next year already and hopes to get out one more time this year. The trip from SC to WI is a little long for a weekend hunt. Next year won't be as bad. I'm going to relocate back to WI next year.
I hope to get out and hunt for pigs this winter in SC.

I was reflecting on old hunting buddies that I/we have lost in the past few years. The friendly razing of which is better 30-06 or 308. And why in the world would you need a magnum. Yes a bunch of ribbing, but always there to help drag and dress out the deer.

Our community of hunters and shooters are some of the best people to know.
The community at THR are those people always ready to lend a hand.

Merry Christmas to you all!!

 

[FL-NC]

We hunt deer well into Feb. here, so cleanup won't happen for a while. Our rut don't even start until about 3 weeks from now. I already put away the Xbow and related gear. I need to fire off the load in my inline BP rifle tomorrow when I go to the range, then clean that thing. Once season is over, the modern guns will get cleaned and put away, hunting clothes (except what I use for spring turkey) will be put in the big rubber made container and stuck in the attic, harnesses and other related gear will be put away, popup blinds will be cleaned and collapsed along with the stools and tripods inside of them, and whatever corn is left in the feeders will be emptied out for whatever wants to eat it. I will also disconnect the motor assemblies from the feeders and put them in the barn (I don't leave electronic items in the woods if they aren't being used) and the batteries will be placed in a wooden box and stored. So far, I arrowed a doe during archery season and Mrs. Fl-NC got a buck Saturday. I get another doe on that farm new years weekend, and a week later I go to a 3 day hunt sponsored by state forestry for disabled veterans, so I'm not even close to done yet.

 

[22250Rem]

Currently doing some unplanned end of season cleanup. With a chain saw. The first of our last two wind storms brought down a large dead tree that was about 20 yards behind my pop-up blind. It came down right on the blind which luckily was unoccupied. Was out there the other day trimming away limbs with my electric chain saw. Just had to trim some of the upper tree limbs and most of the tree will remain on the ground behind the blind. The blind is over 5 years old and was getting pretty ratty from being set up year round last 3 years so it was almost time for a new one, anyway. At least my 5 gal. bucket with the padded swivel seat top survived by being in the right place in there to avoid getting smashed like the small patio table in there that got destroyed. Sometime in the near future I'll get around to cleaning and storing the rest of my hunting gear. Here's the blind back in April.. ... then early Dec. .. clean up time:.. .. I can pop it back up again but there's so much damage to the outer fabric & window openings that I don't even want to try duct taping it all back together. The bright side is that there are no more large, dead trees standing anyplace near there so the new blind is going up in the same spot in the spring. Never thought I'd be doing this kind of end of season clean up.

 

[Chuck R.]

We went through the same thing a week ago, probably the same storm. Multiple trees down, one of the cupolas on my barn is messed up, my wife's dog training obstacles went to the neighbors and a couple of my range barricades went into the ditch. Worst damage is my 12' jon boat, flew up from the pond 40+ yards, snapped a 4' red bud tree in half and now has one heck of a dent in it.. Spent last weekend and today cutting up trees, splitting, and hauling brush.

Last night we observed an owl sitting by the pond edge, thought he might be injured, but left him alone in case. He was still there this AM so I caught him, and he has a broken wing from probably the same storm. My wife transported him to a wildlife rescue facility about 20 miles from us, where it was taken into surgery. So if it lives I'm now sponsoring a barn owl's rehabilitation. With my luck they probably live an amazingly long time in captivity, just like the rescue rabbit we somehow adopted 5 or 6 years ago.

 

[9x56MS]

We have a major issue with dead trees after the emerald Ashe borers got done killing all of our ash trees a couple of years ago. Now every new wind storm brings more down I have to take my chain saw up and clear all the trails. Will have lots of wood to split for the cabin wood stove anyway. Lots of arm exercises in my future.

 

[Armored farmer]

We went through the same thing a week ago, probably the same storm. Multiple trees down, one of the cupolas on my barn is messed up, my wife's dog training obstacles went to the neighbors and a couple of my range barricades went into the ditch. Worst damage is my 12' jon boat, flew up from the pond 40+ yards, snapped a 4' red bud tree in half and now has one heck of a dent in it.. Spent last weekend and today cutting up trees, splitting, and hauling brush.

Last night we observed an owl sitting by the pond edge, thought he might be injured, but left him alone in case. He was still there this AM so I caught him, and he has a broken wing from probably the same storm. My wife transported him to a wildlife rescue facility about 20 miles from us, where it was taken into surgery. So if it lives I'm now sponsoring a barn owl's rehabilitation. With my luck they probably live an amazingly long time in captivity, just like the rescue rabbit we somehow adopted 5 or 6 years ago.

When I was a boy I found a kestrel (sparrow hawk) chick. My parents let me raise it to adult. It would sit on my shoulder while I walked the cattle pasture shooting grasshoppers for him with my bbgun. He soon learned to glide off my shoulder and nab them himself....much to my displeasure. It was like having a bird dog that wasn't steady to wing and shot.
By the end of the summer he was on his own...free as a bird.....
We saw him on occasion but became wild.

 

[Gooseman69]

Our season is done all equipment cleqnrdxoiled and put away 5 states 4,species 24tags filled
(4 whitetails ny)
(,4,whitetails MN)
(2,wt whitetails pa)
( 2 WT 2,md 4ELK MT)
(2,elk 2wt 2antelope wy)

ALL 7, freezers are full
Extremely good year

Next year will be colorado ,maine utah ,ny, nh

 

[Armored farmer]

Our season is done all equipment cleqnrdxoiled and put away 5 states 4,species 24tags filled
(4 whitetails ny)
(,4,whitetails MN)
(2,wt whitetails pa)
( 2 WT 2,md 4ELK MT)
(2,elk 2wt 2antelope wy)

ALL 7, freezers are full
Extremely good year

Next year will be colorado ,maine utah ,ny, nh

Wow, that's impressive! Congrats...

Just you? You and a buddy? Whole family?

I think you should post a detailed report!

 

[Armored farmer]

Speaking of cleanup..
Last night I was retrieving some summer sausage from the freezer in the man cave and noticed my old Hawken was still standing on the workbench loaded from muzzleloader season last week. The sun had already set, but I had time to clean it so I trudged out to the bench in my crocs and fired off my home cast. 530rb that I had high expectations for when I rammed it home 2 weeks ago.
To the untrained eye, the field behind my shed looks like it is strewn with junk. Actually the two empty 134a pigs are strategic 25yd and 50yd targets. Then there's a 300yd gong and a 100yd target stand and a couple of large used hydraulic filters here and there that are being 'perforated' so they acceptable for the landfill.

With the gun now empty I returned to the workbench for the cleanup process with hoppes BP bore cleaner and more ballistol, T-shirt swabs.
I'll repeat the process again today while I tend to the nearby smoker with Christmas ham and turkey.

 

[Armored farmer]

Currently doing some unplanned end of season cleanup. With a chain saw. The first of our last two wind storms brought down a large dead tree that was about 20 yards behind my pop-up blind. It came down right on the blind which luckily was unoccupied. Was out there the other day trimming away limbs with my electric chain saw. Just had to trim some of the upper tree limbs and most of the tree will remain on the ground behind the blind. The blind is over 5 years old and was getting pretty ratty from being set up year round last 3 years so it was almost time for a new one, anyway. At least my 5 gal. bucket with the padded swivel seat top survived by being in the right place in there to avoid getting smashed like the small patio table in there that got destroyed. Sometime in the near future I'll get around to cleaning and storing the rest of my hunting gear. Here's the blind back in April..View attachment 1046908... then early Dec.View attachment 1046909.. clean up time:..View attachment 1046912.. I can pop it back up again but there's so much damage to the outer fabric & window openings that I don't even want to try duct taping it all back together. The bright side is that there are no more large, dead trees standing anyplace near there so the new blind is going up in the same spot in the spring. Never thought I'd be doing this kind of end of season clean up.

Well, I'm glad you weren't in it.
Treat yourself to a big roomy blind with a decent chair. I keep a 5gsl bucket in mine for a coffee/binocular table and dry storage of a heavy blanket. It gets cold in late season hunts.

I'm glad it wasn't your house that tree fell on. So many Americans KY and Tennessee had tornado damage.

 

[Gooseman69]

Wow, that's impressive! Congrats...

Just you? You and a buddy? Whole family?

I think you should post a detailed report!

My wife & i

 

[22250Rem]

Figured I would revive this thread from last year since I recently removed one of my pop-up blinds last week before the recent high wind & snow event that hit western NY state. I was concerned about it in high winds as it's not as sheltered as the other pop-up blind. That one got replaced last year after a dead tree fell on it, as shown back in post #7 of this thread. Here's the blind I took down; photo taken a few weeks ago... .... Was out there today swapping SD cards on trail cams and discovered that another dead tree had come down right where that blind was located. Looks like it would have caught the front corner of the blind if it would have been still up, or else just missed the front corner and would have hit the guy rope. Either way I'm glad I got the blind down before the storm hit. That makes two Decembers in a row that a blind was in the vicinity of a falling tree. ... The other blind is about a 3 minute walk from there and is sheltered from the wind better and fortunately no trees fell on it this year... .. That one stays up year round because it's well shaded in summer when the other blind would be getting exposed to summer sun too much and the material on it gets sun damaged and faded. So that's pretty much my end-of-season clean-up for this year. It was a lot easier than last year.