Is It Time to Start Hunting Again

[WALKERs210]

I quit hunting several years ago, mostly because of health issues. I have always kept a very nice collection of firearms just because I can now afford to. Around Christmas last year I made mention to the wife about a Cross Bow and how now with age and health I could legally use one, the next thing I know UPS delivers a very nice bow (gotta love this woman of mine). I live in a commuinty with a population around 500 +/- and we had a fairly decent herd of deer that grazed in my back yard at least twice a week. Man that owned jointing land sold timber off which resulted in the deer relocating. This week I was waiting for my coffee to finish and was looking out the kitchen window when there was Doe walking and grazing about 15 ft from the window. I went and grabbed a camera expecting that by the time I returned she would be gone. But instead the Doe's spotted Fawn came walking up behind her. So I am giving more thought about hunting again, would it be unsportsmanlike like to open the Dining room window and sit there with coffee in one hand and cross bow laying across my lap. Picture will give idea how close they are. And no would not even thing about taking the fawn.

 

[gonefishin1]

honestly I would love to be able to do that! that is my kind of hunting lol. my grandfather was known for hunting a similar way. he would wake up see a deer out the bedroom window and shoot it with a 270.

 

[WALKERs210]

I just had a conversation with the wife, told her I was going to have the crossbow sitting by the window and she could take the shot. BUCK ONLY were her remarks she don' know how tender a fawn would be. I've not used a salt lick for a number of years and somewhere I heard something about another lick other than salt. Anyone have knowledge of what that would be.?

 

[rcmodel]

Got a hunting license?
Is the season open yet?

Those would be the two deal breakers to me.

Other then not being able to watch the deer over morning coffee any longer!
That would be a deal breaker for me too.

All I have to watch out the window here is a cottentail rabbit and a few crazy squrrels.

rc

 

[WALKERs210]

RC I have reached point in my life that the beauty of the animal out weights the thought of venison. Also Hunting license not required, over 65, plus hunting on private land pretty much hunt when I want. Don't believe in taking Doe's unless the herd is too big, fawns are completely off limits

 

[MCgunner]

Do what you gotta do. My box blind and feeders are about 200 yards back in the woods behind my house. ALMOST like shootin' 'em off the porch. But, when I'm back there, it's me and the woods. I don't have much land and land is 10K an acre around here, wild as it is, it's in demand being it holds huge populations of wildlife and is 100 miles west of Houston. I got a good deal on it, HUD foreclosure. So, I plan to stay here until I die and so long as I can walk 200 yards down the trail to my blind and ride my dirt bike back to fill the feeders now and then, I'll shoot deer for the freezer and trap hogs. I may have to quit duck, goose, or dove hunting some day, but I have a nice office chair to sit in the woods with. My preference has always been wing shooting to deer hunting, but the deer are rather plentiful around here.

 

[MCgunner]

Don't believe in taking Doe's unless the herd is too big, fawns are completely off limits

That ethos has perpetuated to the detriment of the herds. A proper buck/doe ratio increases the health of the herd. Too many does and just any old runt can breed. The proper ratio insured competition and the best bucks get to pass on their genes.

There's too many doe around here and in this county, does are by land owner permit. You must have 50 acres for every 2 doe and, well, not too many places are 50 acres. One can take doe in archery season, but i'm too busy dove hunting to mess with sticks and strings. I tried archery last season, but never saw anything as the friggin' acorns dropped into the season. I settled for two bucks during the regular season, a spike and an 8 point.

 

[wgp]

When I let people hunt deer on our farm I require them to shoot a doe if they shoot a buck. I'd be happier if they shot two does. In our area (Kansas) we're past the idea of not shooting does. We are overrun with does that drop twins each year.