Author Topic: Opening Day(Firearm) around the corner (Read 883 times)

jschance · « **on:** November 13, 2003, 01:41:01 AM »

Here in Sunny

Indiana opening day for deer season is this coming Saturday, so I'm doing the annual "Where'd I put all my stuff" dance, looking for various pieces of insulated clothing, gloves, ect.

The gun's ready, has been for a while. I'm busy putting together my 'goodie pouch' (gotta have food out there, don't ya know) and trying to decide if I should buy a new thermos.

But bottom line, I'm getting excited to get out there and spend some quality time in the woods.

Anyone else scrambling to get ready?

ghostZ · « **Reply #1 on:** November 13, 2003, 02:26:54 AM »

I am in the same boat! I am just fighting with myself as to use the ML or the contender....mmm I hope I figure it out before saturday!

jschance · « **Reply #2 on:** November 13, 2003, 05:38:56 AM »

GhostZ,

I am a died in the wool handgun hunter, and I'm usually in the woods with a Contender in 45-70, but I haven't time to practice with it this fall so I'll just use the shotgun.

SingleShotShorty · « **Reply #3 on:** November 13, 2003, 09:07:22 AM »

Our Rifle Season opens November 22nd here in Oklahoma and I'm already getting so pumped that I have trouble sleeping at night. Besides that they are going to give us 16 day's this year.........I CAN HARDLY STAND THE PRESSURE!!!!!! :-D :-D :-D

good luck guy's

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** November 13, 2003, 09:37:54 AM »

Here in Bama as in OK the gun season opens Nov. 22. Unlike in OK it don't end until Jan. 31 tho. I can't imagine a hunting season lasting only 16 days. :eek:

GB

grouper sandwich · « **Reply #5 on:** November 13, 2003, 11:11:46 AM »

The Georgia gun season opened on Oct 18 and runs through Jan 11. The Florida season, NW Region, opens on Thanksgiving day and runs until February 10 with muzzle loader lasting until February 29th.

ghostZ · « **Reply #6 on:** November 14, 2003, 04:24:37 AM »

Our season is pretty short as well...I don't think it is over 3 weeks.

I went and put a few more rounds thru the contender(.35 rem) lastnight to see if I was going to use it on Saturday....well I am not! It really bugs me but to be a good hunter(both for the deer and my freezer) I am taking out the muzzle loader. The good thing about this is it should be a walk in the park with it.

THE#1hunter · « **Reply #7 on:** November 17, 2003, 12:40:36 PM »

Even 16 days would be a treat, here in Pa the season starts Dec. 1 and it ends the 13, You guys are lucky!!!!! Good luck

01magnatec · « **Reply #8 on:** November 17, 2003, 03:35:01 PM »

I'll be thinking of all you guys sitting in the cold while i'm in bed;)

Graybeard · « **Reply #9 on:** November 17, 2003, 06:18:06 PM »

Yeah well now #1 Hunter it ain't all that bad up in PA. I have a friend there I correspond with daily and he has already taken two deer.

You guys have already had an early bow season and an early muzzle loader season. You'll soon have a firearms season and then the late traditional muzzle loader season and late bow season. If you hunt them all you get in a lot of days of hunting each year.

GB

pa ridge-runner · « **Reply #10 on:** November 18, 2003, 01:23:50 AM »

Hi Greybeard,
Just wanted to add a little? to that hunting season in Pa.If the hunters here dont start killing alot of these deer off soon,the pa game commission is going to come up with more and more extended seasons and new opportunities.I read an article saying that "more doe need to go".Last year pa hunters took over 300,000 antlerless deer(some were button bucks too).Mr Alt claims that deer in pa are defoilating the forest and need to be trimmed down for a healthier herd.
These new game laws and hunting opportunities are only the start of a new mindset the game comm. has here.The article was elaborating on some of the ideas that are coming up to do this,such as doe season starting in October and running through january,also crossbow use may be legal,more extended youth and senior hunts etc.In other words to get the harvest they want they must give the hunter more time to do HIS job.I have been hunting in Pa now for over 35 yrs and have never dreamed stuff like this would ever happen here!! The face of deer hunting here is changing rapidly,the old days are gone for ever,and only time will tell what happens.Pa has been in the top 5 in the U.S. for as long as I can remember(license sales and deer population)and I'm sure alot of people will be watching this very bold move.In my mind I think it will be nearly impossible to regulate the deer herd as they invision.Why?because some areas here are so thick that they dont get hunted well enough,other areas are overhunted.I have seen alot less deer in the woods now and I do believe some areas are worse.Open woods areas,big forest areas and public lands are being depleted faster than the thick cover areas and private lands.Its confusing ,and a tough guess as to what will happen.Our deer herd was supposed to be 2 million back in the 70's 80;s and 90's but now its down to about 1.6 and dropping.If the game comm. gets its wish this year another 300,000 antlerless will be killed.I think the deer hunting opportunities will get more time but it will be harder to score in the future.Thats my 2 cents worth :roll:

freddogs · « **Reply #11 on:** November 18, 2003, 03:53:31 AM »

Here in WI our season opens Nov. 22 also. It lasts 9 days but the week afterward you can hunt with muzzleloaders. I have 5 tags however, since they want to thin out the deer. Plenty of deer where moving around the 1 st of Nov. hard to tell what it will be like this weekend. I'm not sure if I should use contender, muzzleloader, or shotgun.

SingleShotShorty · « **Reply #12 on:** November 18, 2003, 05:52:29 AM »

Just three more days and season opens, I went over to my hunting lease last weekend and the Bucks were chasing the Does hard telling me the rut is on. Man I can't hardly wait, have you guy's notice how the days just before season seem to have at least 48 hours instead of 24.
I hope that all of you have a safe and very productive season and may God send you all the Buck of a lifetime.

Graybeard · « **Reply #13 on:** November 18, 2003, 06:18:09 PM »

pa ridge-runner, here in Bama in the southern two thirds of the state the area is so over populated with deer and the buck to doe ratio so out of balance they've now opened doe season for the entire modern gun season. It already has been during archery season which always starts Oct. 15. Both run thru Jan.31.

Now with bow all season long you can take two deer per day as long as no more than one is a buck. Same for gun season during doe days. So in 2/3 of the state (not the part I hunt in) you can legally shoot two does or one buck and one doe per day from Nov. 22 to Jan. 31 this season.

In spite of this the population continues to grow and the buck to doe ration only seems to get worse.

Now where I hunt the buck to doe ration is way out of whack due to all the years we could only shoot does with bow. Now we still don't get enough days to get the job done right as the over all population isn't so high but the ratio is all out of whack. Each year tho more doe days are offered in more of the state.

GB

howie1968 · « **Reply #14 on:** November 18, 2003, 06:57:45 PM »

ours began Nov 1st ive just about filled my 4 deer limmit 2 does and a spike saving the other one for the big one 45-70 sure works good on these deer

ghostZ · « **Reply #15 on:** November 24, 2003, 09:36:13 AM »

jschance how is your season going?
After the 1/2 week of rain my hunting spot flooded!

We ended up rigging up a boat to get to our spot. The problem then was at the high of the flood ALL of the area around my stand had been under water and it changed the pattern the deer take.
Persistance did pay off in the way of a big doe last eve. A guy on a atv scared her my way and in a rushed shot I got her in the neck and she fell where she stood.
I hope your luck was better than (or atleast as good as) mine.

jschance · « **Reply #16 on:** November 25, 2003, 01:18:08 AM »

GhostZ,

So far, I've had plenty of luck, all of it bad. I had a large buck walk under my stand just at or slightly before legal light. It was just light enough to see all those little pointy things on his head. I decided since he was so close and I could see him, I'd take a shot. As I shifted my weight to bring the gun up, the stand creaked just slightly and he took off like I'd stuck him with a branding iron. He ran out about 30 yards, but it was still dark enough I couldn't see him clearly enough for a shot (it was light enough so I could tell he was there, but not enough light to get a body outline), so I had to watch him wander around for about 10 minutes until he slipped into the brush and disappear.

The rest of my season can be summed up in another posting entitled "A lost Deer". That was the last deer I've seen so far. I'm planning on getting out this coming weekend, so maybe my luck will change.

pa ridge-runner · « **Reply #17 on:** November 26, 2003, 01:39:34 AM »

I'm happy to say that the Pa deer season opens on Monday.I have 2 doe tags and can also take a buck,so here's hoping I can get a shot.Sometimes the biggest problem is seeing a deer.I have gone out numerous times and havent even seen a deer.I hunt 99% of the time on public land which is a big difference than private land.The time to get one is early on the first day before they get pushed off onto private lands.Sometimes it is good to have other hunters around though.Other hunters moving around can kick up a deer and put it your way with some luck.LUCK...I hope I have some with me on Monday,if so I will post a picture or two.To the rest of you guys still hunting,GOOD LUCK too.PA R-R