Scraping together enough equipment to go hunting

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MCgunner

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Well, all my stuff, all my hunting ammo and most of my clothing is in storage. We sold the house in Corpus in late September and have YET to close on our new home in the woods. We'd expected to at least be moving, but latest is that we close next Tuesday. No hunting knives, have a set of deeks and a call and some cheap stocking foot waders if I wanna go duck hunting, which I might later in the week. I've got all my firearms locked in our 18 ft travel trailer and my van and we're living in the trailer until we can move, going stir crazy. We're in a RV park in Port O'Connor 12 miles from my land. Wife's cousin has killed a buck in Pennsylvania that scored 220. His son saw 4 bucks this morning, didn't take one, on his dad's place in Seguin. I'm sitting here whining to the wife that all these people are hunting and I'm stuck with nothing to hunt with, all in storage.

We had a little 2" Puma folder in the trailer, so I put an edge on it. Got it to shaving arm hair. So, there's me a field dressing blade if I need it. We have all the kitchen knives in our trailer, quality stuff, and I do have my 120 quart ice chest. My freezer is at a friends house 30 miles away with the remains of the sausage from last year. I told him to help his self, so there might not be much left, LOL. I have THREE rifles for which I have suitable ammo with me, my two SKSs, and my little Rossi 92 lever carbine in .357 magnum. The 7.62x39 ammo, old handloads, for the SKSs is packed back in the van, but the .357 was easier to get at, so I dug out a box of 165 grain SWCs and I'll do with that. My feeder is only 60 yards from my stand. I could get a shot as far as 150 yards from that stand, but most I've ever had from it is 90 yards. The gun is good for 100.

So, screw it, I'm goin' huntin' in the morning! :D
 
lucky you... i have a 1030 with the squadron commader tomorrow for some ops crap.....

heck i dont even have a license yet....... i need a dang vacation. ive only shot twice since march....
 
I might've opted for one of the SKSs IF it was properly configured for hunting and I had good softpoints. Still, sounds like you have the basics. Good luck!
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Nah, the ammo is fine, shoots fine, have a SKS rifle set up for hunting, but thought I'd like to take the little lever gun. Both guns have ONE deer each to their credit. :D But, I've taken a couple with a Blackhawk in the same caliber and a couple of hogs, too. The rifle puts that load out at about 1800 fps. It's plenty to 100 yards. I think I just like the little rifle, well, and the aperture sight vs the standard SKS sights.
 
Good luck MC. I remember a time when deer season came around, all I had was a surplus $25 M1917 30-06, 3 shells and a orange rag safety-pined to my jacket to make me legal. Still got the same enjoyment(and success if I remember correctly) as 40 years later with multiple guns, fancy Gore-Tex clothing and whatever else I could stuff in the backpack on the way to the heated blind.
 
Well, I didn't go this morning, way too cold. I don't have any long johns out of storage. We hadn't thought it'd get cold before the move. :rolleyes: I bought a jacket at Wallyworld before the last cool snap, but no long johns and I don't know that the jacket would have been heavy enough. I'll go this afternoon. It'll be much more comfy. :D
 
I've been reading all the lists of gear hunters need to take into the woods. Hundreds of items in multiple categories and, no doubt, several makers to choose from.

Hmm. Clothing. Check. Almost anything will do as long as you're used to the temps.
Gun. Check.
Ammo. Check.
Knife. Check.
Toilet paper. Check.

Done. Go hunting. All the stuff I've backpacked for nearly 40 years is really redundant. Sure, a thermos of hot coffee on a frosty morning is nice - but our ancestors didn't get any. Optics? Nope. Compass/GPS? They knew their hunting ground, they lived in it. Camo? Red and black buffalo wool plaid, it actually works. Cover your face and hands, hunt with the wind.

The daypack is staying home for colder weather, it's going to be 70 degrees opening day, and we're going home at lunch. I likely won't miss all the junk.

Just need a good seat for old knees. Working on that.
 
Hunted an afternoon and a morning. Didn't see deer or hog, but it was very cathartic to get out of the trailer for a while. We are told it's probably going to be another two weeks, they didn't accept the 2008 dated survey of the place and after the survey is done, HUD (it's a HUD foreclosure) requires 5 days. DANGIT!

Going to get cold again Monday, they say, so I stopped at wallyworld today and bought some more thermo underwear. I think I can handle it with that. If not, I'll get out of the stand and go for coffee. LOL! But, now, I'm in full hunting mode. :D Tomorrow morning will be warm, probably not much movement, but I always enjoy the other wildlife. I heard the first squirrel on my place, back in a heavy oak mot, that I've heard in 25 years of owning it. You'd THINK there'd be squirrel all over it, but the owls and the bobcats (infested with bobcats) and hawks maybe keep 'em down, not sure. Like to see 'em get established on the place, though. Hopefully they will. Lots of acorns for 'em. Lots of flights of ducks, some dove trickling in, heard quail breaking covey, sandhills are back, and the hogs rooted up a wallow right in front of my stand, nearly fell when I stepped off in it in the dark, I swear 2 feet deep. I could set my trap down there and have a hog in a week, I'm sure, but I'm going to drag it up to the new place when we get it, can set it up there and run it every day even in hot weather when I need pork and the hogs own THAT place, too. This is Texas, ya know. laughing-smiley-001.gif

I've been reading all the lists of gear hunters need to take into the woods. Hundreds of items in multiple categories and, no doubt, several makers to choose from.

Hmm. Clothing. Check. Almost anything will do as long as you're used to the temps.
Gun. Check.
Ammo. Check.
Knife. Check.
Toilet paper. Check.

Done. Go hunting. All the stuff I've backpacked for nearly 40 years is really redundant. Sure, a thermos of hot coffee on a frosty morning is nice - but our ancestors didn't get any. Optics? Nope. Compass/GPS? They knew their hunting ground, they lived in it. Camo? Red and black buffalo wool plaid, it actually works. Cover your face and hands, hunt with the wind.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well, I've hunted the mountains of New Mexico, public national forest up there, and I do understand what those threads are talking about. I always carry some stuff in a belt and day bag when I hunt areas like that or big areas of west Texas even. But, I'm just driving down to my little chunk of paradise, parking the car, and walking to my stand. I wear snake boots, but even if I got snake bit, I'm only 40 minutes from a hospital. I'm in the boonies down there, but it ain't true wilderness. :D I never taken anything other than on your list and I leave the TP in the car. laughing-smiley-001.gif

I have some cheap stocking foot waders with me, shotgun and steel shot. I need to call my SIL and get my old carry lights (decoys) from him and I will take a trip to the marsh soon. Duck hunting looks to be rockin' good from what I can tell, at least what I can hear out on the bay from my deer stand. Sounds like a war fought with 12 gauges out there every morning. LOL!
 
Well, hell, might be here the rest of hunting season as the house closing is delayed because the friggin' frackin' survey was rejected as it was done in 2008, as if the property lines moved or something. :rolleyes: I'm getting real wound up over this, but heck, I'm near my place. I think I'll buy some coveralls. Gonna get REAL cold next week. :banghead:
 
Yeah, picked up some Walls coveralls I kinda needed anyway, well insulated. I'm just gonna forget about moving in and go huntin'. Best therapy for ME, not so much for the wife, but heck, I get home in the morning and she is barely woke up, so ain't like I'm missed in the mornings. LOL

Tell ya the truth, I look forward to the front supposed to be here tonight. The skeeters are bad down there and back of my hands got ate up, been itchin' for 2 days. Don't have my thermocell...:banghead:... and don't like using Off, it stinks, when I'm deer/hog hunting. I'll be chilly, but the cold might knock the skeeters down a notch.
 
If it's the same front that just crossed AZ, it shouldn't be too bad. Chilled things off pretty good, but it isn't really that cold. At least, not down where we live. Haven't even started the furnace yet.
 
Being from Minnesota I'm wondering where it gets too cold to hunt in Texas. Those packets that you shake and put in your boots or gloves or pocket are great. Hunting is way better than not hunting. I just bought a HUD house too.
One problem after another but it finally worked out. I did not get to hunt so I'm glad you did. Good luck.
 
It hasn't gotten that cold, was supposed to get down in the 30s, but hasn't. My problem is ALL, and I mean ALL, my cold weather gear is in storage because we didn't expect to be without a home that long. We thought we'd close way before now.

So, I've bought a camo jacket from Walmart, a pair of Walls overalls, insulated work type, and some long johns top and bottom. That should be enough. Didn't get gloves, but haven't needed a pair, yet. Just keep my hands in my pockets. It gets cold when the north wind's blowing, it's in the 40s, and your sitting still for hours. Can't just go in a T shirt and jeans and that's all I brought in the trailer.

I was thinkin' last night I don't have a saw. Well, to get the legs off, I thought, my wife just bought me an Echo chain saw for my birthday.....
devil-smiley-018.gif
I can get some sort of saw if needed, but I can break the legs at the joint, too, same for the neck.
 
What you going to do with the deer if you shoot one? Sounds like freezer space may be at a premium. Stay warm. Don't step in that hole.

Good luck. HUD is slow as molasses on foreclosures. But when they want you to do something for them.... hop hop hop!
 
A friend is keeping my freezer for me in his shop about 30 miles from me. I'll cut and wrap and run it over to his house. :D I figure I'll just bone most of it to grind later, keep the back straps and tenderloins here for supper, should I get one before the move.

So far, haven't seen anything to shoot, but it keeps me from being too bored and out of trouble. :D
 
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