Last hunt, still got Skunked!

[Ugly Sauce]

But there was sure no shortage of Moose. Walked up on a big bull, really big, but he walked off to the left, I went right. At first I thought it was some branches, or a tree root that looked like a moose...until it turned it's head. Anyhow, last day of ML deer (3-point or better) and elk. ("any elk")

Looking at the "Big Meadow' from a basalt up-thrust, which is private land, (on State Land, looking down at some private land) which the deer and elk "prefer". !!! Just on the other side of that rock is a good 75 yard straight down drop. The butterflies wanted out for sure.

Had some sunshine in the afternoon. Eating some snacks and waiting for something to walk by.

One of my favorite little-meadows to sit and watch. Fills up with water in the spring, but only a foot or so deep.

Some of the old fence lines out here are around 100 years old. Look how deep this wire grew into a big old tree.

Isn't Brown Rosie, Rose of Alabama pretty? Same tree that wire was almost running through the center. I took the TC out yesterday as I was expecting rain. I actually enjoyed using it. Doesn't have the feel and balance of the Jeager, of course, but it's really starting to grow on me. A 385 grain .500" slug over 80 grains of Swiss don't hurt my feelings either. So yeah, I'm liking the TC. But I LOVE my Jeager!

Coffee time! Been using the Swedish (Swiss?) cook-kit lately.

The Coffee kit packed up and ready to travel.

Unpacked and ready to make coffee. ! Well that's it for this year. Skunked again. Just as I was about 1/4 mile from the road, to get picked up and taken home, I'm going by this pond and there's ANOTHER bull moose approaching the pond for a drink. This one had much smaller antlers, but was not what I would call a "small" moose. (any such thing as a small moose?) I thought it was a moo-cow at first. I was going to walk by him, as he was on the other side of the pond, (small pond) but he started acting weird, I believe he might have thought I was "challenging" him over drinking rights. So, I had to back-track and take a mile detour around him. I'm not afraid of a bull moose hurting/killing me, as I don't believe one could get past my Jeager, but I sure don't want to shoot one, and have to go through all the red-tape and investigation with the game department. The moose here don't get hunted, and are getting way too tame. However, both them Moose say: "thanks for listening". That's it for 2023, unless I decide to do some cougar calling.

 

[WestKentucky]

I feel skunked. My main goal this year was for my middle daughter to get a deer. We have had plenty opportunity but she hasn’t been able to get a gun up without scaring deer away in the process. I got a doe, but I want her to make meat.

You have beautiful scenery to wander through. I have never seen a moose. I need to change that.

 

[22250Rem]

Doing an afternoon sit later today at my buddy's place, which will be it for rifle season for me. Gun season ends tomorrow, but I'm tied up with the wife's birthday. So I'm skunked for rifle & shotgun around here, (unless I score today). Although muzzle loading will be open Dec. 11th to 19th, and again from Dec. 26th to Jan. 1st and I can use the muzzle loader in either a rifle or a shotgun zone. This was the first year for the CVA Scout in 444 Marlin and I was hoping to fill a tag with it, but never got a shot. Maybe that will change later this afternoon. Not totally skunked for the year, as I filled two tags with two different rifles in S. Carolina back in September. Wound up skunked with the crossbow for this year. Looking forward to black powder hunting this year and hoping to break in the CVA Accura, which is also in its first season.

 

[Armored farmer]

I got my buck on opening day...#3 son also got his nice 9pt opening afternoon. He also got a nice 8pt with his bow the day before firearms opener......we're full of venison!(and ducks and geese)
I swore I was going g to fill every tag I had after the deer ate my soybeans down to the dirt this spring....
There's nothing like cooking a meal afield over the fire....eh @Ugly Sauce ?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I got my buck on opening day...#3 son also got his nice 9pt opening afternoon. He also got a nice 8pt with his bow the day before firearms opener......we're full of venison!(and ducks and geese)
I swore I was going g to fill every tag I had after the deer ate my soybeans down to the dirt this spring....
There's nothing like cooking a meal afield over the fire....eh @Ugly Sauce ?

I'm glad you have good hunting! Up North the wolves have taken over, and here locally we've had some "wasting disease" with the deer, so they are in decline. The elk population is good, but they are mostly on private land, and the ones on State Land (most of them) all beat it over to the wildlife preserve which is nearby, when they notice an increase in the people-critter sneaking around. (hunting season) So the last four or five years the hunting has not been so good.

Indeed, everything tastes better outdoors. Now that season is over, late ML is the last, I'm looking forward to hiking, snow-shoeing, taking some brats, and cooking stuff over the fire. With a good book of course.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I have never seen a moose. I need to change that.

Yes, moose are pretty awesome. We get them here at the house sometimes. The problem is that Washington state only issues a very few moose tags, and they are all for up North. Here where I live they have never been hunted, and they are getting quite tame which concerns me. I had to haze one off my property lately, he was eating my willow bushes/destroying them, and he did not want to go. At one point he raised the hair on his hump and came in my direction. But I stayed close enough to the house to run back indoors. !!

Out on the State land one day, I had a cow Moose, with a calf, do the hair raising thing and come towards me, but I backed off and she calmed down. So I'm not really enjoying the moose. And a big bull moose is pretty intimidating, they are so huge, especially when you accidently walk up close to one. Gigantic.

Like I said, I'm not scared of them, my Jeager or Bess will stop a moose in it's tracks, but I sure don't want to shoot one. Not only because of all the red tape it would involve with the game department, but also I just don't want to kill a moose, for being a moose. !!! Ain't a mooses fault for being a moose. So, I'm scared of having to shoot one in self defense.

 

[dh1633pm]

Thanks for the good story. Sorry you remained empty handed. Didn’t even get out this year. Out of commission until season start and then a trip to Germany. Be back next week.

 

[22250Rem]

Update time: I'm officially skunked in both rifle and shotgun areas around here this year. Almost connected on a small buck about 4:25 P.M. yesterday when he silently snuck in on my left to less than 20 yards away. Sundown was about 4:35 P.M. but cloud cover had moved in and the light was already starting to fade away. The recent snow had melted and the wet leaves made for silent walking. I was on my small turkey hunting seat at the base of a big tree facing west into a light breeze. Then he caught a slight movement when I shifted my hand on the rifle a tiny bit. Other than that I was motionless while he stared at me wondering what I was, and as he took a few more steps he was suddenly downwind of me and obviously got my scent. That's when he stamped one of his front legs and took off at a good clip in a direction I couldn't get a shot in. Wish I had seen or heard him coming sooner but that's the way it sometimes goes. It was exciting anyway and the whole encounter was probably no more than a minute or two in length. I can still redeem myself as muzzle loader starts tomorrow. If that doesn't work out I can console myself by thinking of those two deer I got in S. Carolina back in September, so at least this year wasn't a total bust. Here's what it looked like off to my left about 1:30 P.M. before all the cloud cover really rolled in. . He's still out there somewhere.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Great that you still have some season left. It's all shut down and over here, aside from maybe a couple of small "special" hunts in obscure GMU's that you have to draw for.

But now, I'm excited about getting a little more snow, (not excited about clearing my driveways and garage and parking areas!) and doing some hikes on the snow shoes, playing bush-craft, making a fire, cooking something up and some coffee, kicking back and reading a book with my feet to the fire. I think it would be rude to do that during the hunting seasons, having a fire and camping out when people are trying to hunt. With the seasons over, no one sets foot on the State Land. I have it all to myself, winter, spring and summer. !! My private bush-craft reserve.

And again, if I get inspired and feel like driving up North on the slick and icy roads I may do some Cougar calling. That last one sure tasted good.

 

[footwart]

kentucky 9 pointer

 

[Ugly Sauce]

The TC I took hunting the day before.