Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

Tell us your Traditional Bow Hunting experiences
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stumper
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#31 Post by stumper »

Looks like a good blind to me.
Nothing clears a troubled mind like shooting a bow.

Captainkirk
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#32 Post by Captainkirk »

I will sure give that some thought. The problem I have right now is that my spot is a full mile back into the woods with no ATVs, etc allowed so everything I take back there is walked back in by hand.
My present setup (portable stool and backpack) allows me to get everything, bow included, back in one trek. That's one of the reasons I leave my tree stand and climbing sticks at home. Too much stuff, too far in. A blind would have to be mighty light to walk it in, and would require an extra trip in (another two miles). It might work better if I stayed closer to the parking lot.
Aim small, miss small!

Captainkirk
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#33 Post by Captainkirk »

Well, walked in shortly after noon and pitched my chair in the usual spot behind my V-trees. Wind was out of the southeast, off the lake, and quite brisk at times, which helped with the mosquitoes immensely although the back of my head feels like lumpy gravy from the bloodfest they had on the walk out...little vampires! I had to stop about halfway out, put down my gear and bow and take off the backpack to get at my DEET spray. It left a wet film all over my hands that I didn't want to pick up my bow with (repellent will cloud or take the finish right off these old bows!) so I picked up a handful of dirt and wiped my hands, then shook them to get the dirt off. It worked, but in the process, my wedding ring flew off down onto the dirt trail with a 'thud'...ruh row!
So there I am on my hands and knees with swarms of mosquitoes buzzing around my head, searching to no avail. Fortunately there was still some light to see by (more on this later) but I couldn't find it anywhere. I was ready to give it up after 10 minutes...the trail was dusty sand and covered with sticks and leaves. Perfect camo, you might say. Now the last time this happened I was doing yard work and it dropped into a pile of bush clippings. Same thing; ready to give up. I had breathed a silent prayer, "Please, Lord...let me find this thing"...and instantly, there it was, right in front of my face. Same thing this time. Man what a relief! But neither time, until I asked for help. Funny how that works.
Now, the reason it was still light is because I had gone to the link provided by the Illinois DNR for sunrise/sunset tables and had written down the time for this day, October 8th...17:21. Now, in Illinois, you are allowed to hunt 30 minutes past sunset, which would be around 17:50, but seeing as how i had remembered to bring everything except a flashlight (D'oh! How STUPID can you get?) I decided I would walk out at sunset as I had seen a huge chuckhole in the trail on the way in, big enough and deep enough to snap an ankle, and I wanted to be able to SEE it when I got to it. Of course, as I walked the trail, I noticed I could still see the sun, a dazzling orange orb hanging just above the horizon. It wasn't until I got home that I Googled sunrise/sunset Chicago and saw that sunset wasn't until 18:22...how that online chart got mucked up is beyond me, but a glad it did, as I was ready to call it a day anyway. My back was acting up, I'd forgotten my light, skeeters were beatin' the snot out of me, and with the whole ring thing...yeah. All's well that ends well. Besides, had I got a 'Hail Mary' deer I didn't have a light to gut it by anyway.
It was a gorgeous fall day, and I got to see and hear plenty of wildlife, a chipmunk stood three feet from me trying to figure out if he should be skeered o' me, and a squirrel was gathering acorns not ten feet away. Lots of jays, redwings and butterflies, thankfully no crows like the last time out! The jays were beating up on some poor critter, and I recalled Maurice Thompson's not-so-kind discussion of jaybirds...
I did not see another human from the time I left my truck until the time I climbed back in. In fact, the only way I could tell I was near civilization were the occasional boat sounds from Lake Michigan, and the train sounds from the tracks a mile or so west.
I was right glad I had listened to James and Dave and bought a Thermacell to keep the bugs down, because the winds calmed around 4 o'clock and the little vampires came creeping in. It did an admirable job of keeping them at bay.
We'll see how the rest of the week goes, but if today was all I got, I'd call me satisfied.

The little wooden bridge on the trail shortly before I turn into the woods to my stand site

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K-Mag on duty

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View from behind the tree trunks

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Aim small, miss small!

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Grizzly
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#34 Post by Grizzly »

Very interesting spot.

I love the ring story. Yes, it is amazing how that happens.

That blind has it's own bag which I'd sling over my back, but the combined weight of your gear also would require the strength and vigor of a young and fit Army Ranger.
Jesus replaces the old covenant and speaks to the believer the moral code of God by His Spirit directly to the heart. He is the eternal, everlasting revelation of God to mankind. In Him is both the knowledge of righteousness and the power to live right.

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Graps
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#35 Post by Graps »

Flashlight? :?
Buy the way, two flashlights with extra batteries.
Learned that the hard way several years ago. The light just quit working and the batteries were good. :|
"Maybe the truly handicapped people are the ones that don't need God as much." ~ Joni Eareckson Tada

Captainkirk
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#36 Post by Captainkirk »

Graps wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:37 pm Flashlight? :?
Buy the way, two flashlights with extra batteries.
Learned that the hard way several years ago. The light just quit working and the batteries were good. :|
Yes, I have two flashlights. I didn't want to point out that I left both of them home.
Aim small, miss small!

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Grizzly
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#37 Post by Grizzly »

I left my hunting knives home once. Discovered you could dress a deer with a small pocket knife.

Speaking of flashlights, one of those contraptions that clips to the bill of your hat is an amazing help when dressing out a deer.
Jesus replaces the old covenant and speaks to the believer the moral code of God by His Spirit directly to the heart. He is the eternal, everlasting revelation of God to mankind. In Him is both the knowledge of righteousness and the power to live right.

Captainkirk
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#38 Post by Captainkirk »

Grizzly wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:33 pm Very interesting spot.

I love the ring story. Yes, it is amazing how that happens.

That blind has it's own bag which I'd sling over my back, but the combined weight of your gear also would require the strength and vigor of a young and fit Army Ranger.
That little clearing has a trail leading right up to it (and through it) and is full of acorns, deer dropping and hoofprints.
They probably came by right after I left. 8-)

I might be too old to keep walking in a mile with gear. I FEEL old tonight, dang...maybe I should set up a blind right by the parking lot :?
Aim small, miss small!

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Grizzly
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#39 Post by Grizzly »

I keep my small rechargeable flashlight on a lanyard tied to a front belt loop and in my front pocket. Always handy and accessible and hard to forget that way.
Jesus replaces the old covenant and speaks to the believer the moral code of God by His Spirit directly to the heart. He is the eternal, everlasting revelation of God to mankind. In Him is both the knowledge of righteousness and the power to live right.

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Grizzly
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Re: Captainkirk's 2019 Hunting Thread

#40 Post by Grizzly »

maybe I should set up a blind right by the parking lot :?
My wife and her Aunt would always love telling me how they saw deer feeding next to my vehicle while I was in the woods :roll:

Or sometimes when I left my wife in our van in a field or clearing where I was hunting, the deer would walk right by or sometimes feed all around her. Since then, I had her upgrade her disability so that she would be allowed to hunt from the vehicle. But, we never did take advantage of that. It really wouldn't seem right, but then again, it might for her. She just enjoys seeing them.
Jesus replaces the old covenant and speaks to the believer the moral code of God by His Spirit directly to the heart. He is the eternal, everlasting revelation of God to mankind. In Him is both the knowledge of righteousness and the power to live right.

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