Deer Camp 2023

[Cdub100 3,835]

Gonna have the whole crew (8 of us) for a week. We leave Monday morning to set up camp in Da UP Eh! Boom boom stick opening day is Wednesday

It's gonna be way too warm with temps in the 50s during the day and 30s at night. I do not expect a good hunt this year.

 

[Drizzay 698]

Sounds like you'll need to drive.  Nothing worse than a 50 degree sunny day for deer hunting.  They will find a briar patch and lay down all day.  Only way to get them moving is to drive and hope you scare them in the right direction.

 

God, I miss it.

[Cdub100 3,835]

1 minute ago, Drizzay said:

Sounds like you'll need to drive.  Nothing worse than a 50 degree sunny day for deer hunting.  They will find a briar patch and lay down all day.  Only way to get them moving is to drive and hope you scare them in the right direction.

 

God, I miss it.

It's legal to bait in the UP so I'll put down a bunch of corn... I hope the squirrels and blue jays enjoy it.

Either way it'll be great with plenty of beer, bourbon, cards and a chance to unplug. We stay in a MGPT Army tent. I'm pretty sure we are one of the last group of people who rough it like this.

[bostonlager 2,664]

Our guns season here in Buckeye land isn't until 11/27. Have fun, buddy and hope you and your crew bag some. 

[Cdub100 3,835]

1 minute ago, bostonlager said:

Our guns season here in Buckeye land isn't until 11/27. Have fun, buddy and hope you and your crew bag some. 

You too! Last year everyone got multiple deer. This year we shall see.

[WhiteWonder 2,675]

1 hour ago, Cdub100 said:

 

Either way it'll be great with plenty of beer, bourbon, cards and a chance to buttplug. We stay in a MGPT Army tent. I'm pretty sure we are one of the last group of people who rough it like this.

Sounds like a blast

[wiffleball 4,788]

That's a 800 lb tent!

[Gladiators 1,964]

17 minutes ago, WhiteWonder said:

Sounds like a blast

It is for those of us who don’t hunt. Widow’s weekend is the best.
 

Enjoy your time with the guys Cdub!

[WhiteWonder 2,675]

3 minutes ago, Gladiators said:

It is for those of us who don’t hunt. Widow’s weekend is the best.
 

Enjoy your time with the guys Cdub!

I cougar hunt all the time 

[wiffleball 4,788]

Don't

 Hunt to

With

Darth Cheney 

[Pimpadeaux 2,404]

Gonna be a lot of Yooper butt sex in the UP!

[Voltaire 5,183]

The Second Week of Deer Camp by Da Yoopers.

[BunnysBastatrds 2,310]

1 hour ago, Pimpadeaux said:

Gonna be a lot of Yooper butt sex in the UP!

 Haha…Somebody is going to their wife after feeling like

 

And since you can bait, they use malasis here. Deers apparently have a sweet tooth. 

[Dozer FBG 324]

Here in rural Missouri it’s been gun season for a while. I’ve probably heard a dozen shots this morning.

Saw a HUGE twelve pointer yesterday evening!

I don’t hunt, but it’s cool living amongst the deer. 
 

Good luck with your hunt!

[Cdub100 3,835]

Heard about 3 shots but I've only seen blue jays eating all my bait 

[supermike80 1,803]

I dont hunt so curious, why if the temps are warmer does that mean less opportunities to bag one?

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

6 minutes ago, supermike80 said:

I dont hunt so curious, why if the temps are warmer does that mean less opportunities to bag one?

No snow, so no tracks, or at least much less obvious tracks.  Also snow makes for good color contrast.  Deer are the color of dried grass and brush, but stand out against snow.

[tubby_mcgee 700]

North Dakota here.  We used to "walk/push" for deer.  All growing up, as far back as I can remember, like 1980 through early 2000s....it was walking.  Walking corn, sunflower fields in the 80s with large groups of us.  Walking shelterbelts (long rows of trees, usually either 1/2 mile or 1-mile), sloughs, rivers, etc.   We'd walk like... I dunno... 5-8ish miles a day.  All carrying walkie talkies to communicate amongst the walkers and the cappers.   Landscape is different here than for many of you.  It's trees, sloughs, etc surrounded by wide open land.  You kick a deer out of shelterbelt that you walk, and the deer has to cross a large area of open land to get the next area of cover.  That's why walking/pushing works.   Walking in (exploding) cattails is the worst. For those that have done it, you know why. 

Then, everything started getting heavily posted.  Couldn't really hunt many places.  Dad would always say when we were kids "It's gonna get to the point if you don't have your own land, you won't have a place to hunt." It's gotten to that point now.  Dad has 2 - quarter sections of land plus another 25 acres.  We put up the first heated deer stand in the mid 2000's.  Now we have 6.  Food plots planted surrounding them.    They are about 18-22 feet off the ground.   Insulated.  Giant windows.  100lb propane tanks on ground below them feeding the heaters inside the stands.   We usually go in them around 30 minutes before legal shooting hours and stay until about 9:30 or 10am.  Then we go home, visit, go out for lunch etc. Then go back in the stand around 2:30 and stay til legal shooting hours. 

It's different. That's for sure. My best memories and best stories come from the "walking" days.  But with that, came more wounded deer, shooting deer that weren't quite big enough (you have to make a split second decision when one gets up as to whether you are shooting or not).  

Sitting in the stand, is quiet.  You can visit with the other person who is with you. You're 20 feet up, and deer approach from a ways away, so you have plenty of time to change to a whisper and get the windows open to shoot.     The thing that's better is, you can clearly judge the size of the deer before pulling the trigger.

 

Also here,  we don't call deer "12 pointers, etc".  We would say "5x7" or "6x6". 

Here is my son's 4x4 he shot this past Saturday evening.  We got in the stand at 2:30. Shot the deer at 4:05.  It was 47 degrees F.  So don't think deer don't move just because its warm out.  They still need to eat.  And if they are rutting, bucks are moving all day and make some really, really dumb mistakes.  But yes, as some have said, tracking, contrast are factors with snow.  Snow on the ground when you're in an elevated stand makes deer stand out soooo much. 

Shot at roughly 110yds with a 6.5 creedmoor.  Lung shot.  Ran about 50 yds, then folded.  He was following a doe just prior to getting shot. Broken brow tine, but I still counted it as a point.

https://i.ibb.co/19Jrxqq/20231111-164358.jpg

[supermike80 1,803]

2 minutes ago, Engorgeous George said:

No snow, so no tracks, or at least much less obvious tracks.  Also snow makes for good color contrast.  Deer are the color of dried grass and brush, but stand out against snow.

Thanks...Kinda what I thought but wanted to be sure

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

Looks like there will be venison on the Thanksgiving table.

[Mike Honcho 5,096]

On 11/10/2023 at 9:45 PM, Cdub100 said:

Gonna have the whole crew (8 of us) for a week. We leave Monday morning to set up camp in Da UP Eh! Boom boom stick opening day is Wednesday

It's gonna be way too warm with temps in the 50s during the day and 30s at night. I do not expect a good hunt this year.

 

Really? I haven't hunted since my Dad died in 2007, but in Wisconsin if it was a warm November, the rut would go on longer and the hunt was usually pretty great.

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

13 minutes ago, Mike Honcho said:

Really? I haven't hunted since my Dad died in 2007, but in Wisconsin if it was a warm November, the rut would go on longer and the hunt was usually pretty great.

I like a warm and still day after a good dusting of snow.  After hunting the same land for 50+ years tracks are not all that imprtant (Land is near Tomah, all our farms in the south are now sold but we kept this 80 acres).  I pretty much know where they will be so I appreciate a bit of warmth.  I know where the dead fall apples are, where the acorns are heaviest, where the rose hips are, where they like to enter and exit the neighboring property's corn field, and where they bed down both day and night.

 

My mother and grandmother once came to the property.  As women do they decided they should plant some flowers around the blockhouse.  We told them we would never see those flowers because we don't get up there until November.  They did it anyhow.  Some semblance of those perennials lasted for 20 or more years.  The deer loved them.  For a time it acclimated them to approach the blockhouse for a good browse.  The last remnants of an historic apple orchard still produce on the property.  The deer love that.

 

Some 25 or 30 years ago we had some elk move through the property.  There was a brucellosis scare at the time.  i have not seen any since that one season.

 

Elk camp out here in Colorado is different.  Lots more walking and stalking, far less poker and drinking.  I am getting too old for it now.

[WhiteWonder 2,675]

i would also have assumed that warmer temps and no snow fall means they don't have to roam around as much for food. ... but i'm no hunter and would suspect if you know the land really well, that would actually benefit you as the hunter...

.  My father and grandfather were big into it. Grandmothers basement looks like a prepper's wet dream. For a little while after my grandfather passed, my dad would still go out to PA to deer hunt but lately he sticks to pheasant. My brother is into it a little bit but I think its mostly to have something to do with my dad.   I just stick to fishing / crabbing and golfing with him. 

[Mookz 1,337]

Very cool of you to organize this every year. 

How many deer have signed up so far? 

[Cdub100 3,835]

42 minutes ago, Mookz said:

Very cool of you to organize this every year. 

How many deer have signed up so far? 

I don't organize it. 

Team got 2 opening morning

[Cloaca du jour 2,147]

Bring extra lube.

[Alias Detective 1,389]

4 hours ago, Engorgeous George said:

No snow, so no tracks, or at least much less obvious tracks.  Also snow makes for good color contrast.  Deer are the color of dried grass and brush, but stand out against snow.

No sh!t Sherlock! 

[Cdub100 3,835]

Just got a visit from DNR. All seemed to be good

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

7 hours ago, Alias Detective said:

No sh!t Sherlock! 

Just answering the man's question.

[Flipper 60]

8 hours ago, Cdub100 said:

Just got a visit from DNR. All seemed to be good

How far up into the LP did you get?  ETA: I just saw the early post - UP

[Mookz 1,337]

9 hours ago, Cdub100 said:

I don't organize it. 

Well, you and the other counselors.  

[League Champion 1,896]

Come to SC, let's kill some Hogs. Next month it's the big Bucks! 

[tubby_mcgee 700]

On 11/15/2023 at 7:56 AM, Engorgeous George said:

Looks like there will be venison on the Thanksgiving table.

I got 80lbs of meat from that deer in pic.  And he was "small" compared to my brother's deer.  My brothers field dressed at 231#.  I didn't weigh mine, but it was well under 200.  He got 74lbs of meat.  Mine was processed at a professional butcher.  He cut his own meat off his deer.   Hopefully that explains the difference.  I'm sure they do a better job.

But still, 80lbs... somewhat scary because well, uh.... where did they get 80lbs?

I got 100% sausage made.  (50% deer + 25% pork +25%$ beef).  160-1lb packs is what I ended up with.  $560 bill.   If I'd have known there was going to be 80lbs...I'd have gotten some burger made.  Deer sausage makes good gifts around here. Looks like I'll be giving some away. 

[tubby_mcgee 700]

18 hours ago, Cdub100 said:

Just got a visit from DNR. All seemed to be good

For what reason?  Just checking license, etc? 

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

17 minutes ago, tubby_mcgee said:

I got 80lbs of meat from that deer in pic.  And he was "small" compared to my brother's deer.  My brothers field dressed at 231#.  I didn't weigh mine, but it was well under 200.  He got 74lbs of meat.  Mine was processed at a professional butcher.  He cut his own meat off his deer.   Hopefully that explains the difference.  I'm sure they do a better job.

But still, 80lbs... somewhat scary because well, uh.... where did they get 80lbs?

I got 100% sausage made.  (50% deer + 25% pork +25%$ beef).  160-1lb packs is what I ended up with.  $560 bill.   If I'd have known there was going to be 80lbs...I'd have gotten some burger made.  Deer sausage makes good gifts around here. Looks like I'll be giving some away. 

My grandfather and my dad were both extremely capable at butchering a deer.  They would take the backstrap for grilling and some thigh amd shoulder muscles for roasts (usually one of those would appear on our thanksgiving table along with some Turkey, geese and pheasants form that years hunts).  The rest they would jerk or have made into sausage.  There was an old german guy down the way who would make the sausage and then we would smoke it.  Me, I can field dress a deer, antelope, or elk competently, but I take them to a lincensed butcher shop for processing.

 

Grandpa use to tan the hides himself.  He was pretty handy. 

[tubby_mcgee 700]

2 minutes ago, Engorgeous George said:

My grandfather and my dad were both extremely capable at butchering a deer.  They would take the backstrap for grilling and some thigh amd shoulder muscles for roasts (usually one of those would appear on our thanksgiving table along with some Turkey, geese and pheasants form that years hunts).  The rest they would jerk or have made into sausage.  There was an old german guy down the way who would make the sausage and then we would smoke it.  Me, I can field dress a deer, antelope, or elk competently, but I take them to a lincensed butcher shop for processing.

 

Grandpa use to tan the hides himself.  He was pretty handy. 

The further we evolve, the less handy society gets (tanning hides, butchering deer etc).

Jerky is the MOST expensive thing you can have a butcher do. 

I had the backstraps ground up also. Probably shoulda had them cut them out and give them to me. 

We used to skin them.  Hang them from the tractor by the tendons in the their hind ankles. Cut around each hind foot.  Keep pulling downward and cutting until hide pulled down to neck. Then use hack saw or chain saw to cut the head off.  Then take to butcher shop. 

This years, I just field dressed, then drove straight to butcher (Saturday). Meat was done on Tuesday. 

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

11 minutes ago, tubby_mcgee said:

The further we evolve, the less handy society gets (tanning hides, butchering deer etc).

Jerky is the MOST expensive thing you can have a butcher do. 

I had the backstraps ground up also. Probably shoulda had them cut them out and give them to me. 

We used to skin them.  Hang them from the tractor by the tendons in the their hind ankles. Cut around each hind foot.  Keep pulling downward and cutting until hide pulled down to neck. Then use hack saw or chain saw to cut the head off.  Then take to butcher shop. 

This years, I just field dressed, then drove straight to butcher (Saturday). Meat was done on Tuesday. 

Grandpa used a bay in his garage to hang them and bleed them.  Generally we finished our family hunt the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  We would generally have 5 deer, all hung from block and tackle in the garage rafters, field dressed, bleeding out through nose cuts into coffee cans.  Generally it was pretty cool that time of year so this was effectively refrigeration.  After a few days it was time to skin them. We boys would pull while dad and grandpa did the cutting.  We would scrape the hides to remove fat and fascia, stretch them over a loom and place them outside and return to work on the next deer.  As a family we could get through 5 deer in a little over an hour.  Granda and dad would then do the butchering.  They had a table, knives, and saws and a butchers paper role with cutter to wrap the meat.  We boys were supposed to label each package and place them in the deep freeze or into canvas tarps with ice for transport to our deep freezes.  After they got the meat we would eat as steaks or roasts it was time to drive the rest of the carcass down to the german guy for processing.  I once stayed and watched he and grandpa work.  They cleaned those bones in no time.  The meat went into a grinder while I turned the handle.  They put in strips of pork, mostly fat, some spices, I remember coriander and pepper, and a bit of rolled oats.  In those days the product was extruded into washed pig intestine, twisted and hung until they were done.  The old german guy got half the sausage and we took the rest back to grandpa's smoke house for hickory smoking.  During those times I got to know my grandfather.  We also fished together as a family on opening weekend, my grandfather, our family of boys, and my cousins family, uncle and boys.  Those traditions die with me as I had no boys and the girls had no interest.

[tubby_mcgee 700]

3 minutes ago, Engorgeous George said:

Grandpa used a bay in his garage to hang them and bleed them.  Generally we finished our family hunt the Saturday before Thanksgiving.  We would generally have 5 deer, all hung from block and tackle in the garage rafters, field dressed, bleeding out through nose cuts into coffee cans.  Generally it was pretty cool that time of year so this was effectively refrigeration.  After a few days it was time to skin them. We boys would pull while dad and grandpa did the cutting.  We would scrape the hides to remove fat and fascia, stretch them over a loom and place them outside and return to work on the next deer.  As a family we could get through 5 deer in a little over an hour.  Granda and dad would then do the butchering.  They had a table, knives, and saws and a butchers paper role with cutter to wrap the meat.  We boys were supposed to label each package and place them in the deep freeze or into canvas tarps with ice for transport to our deep freezes.  After they got the meat we would eat as steaks or roasts it was time to drive the rest of the carcass down to the german guy for processing.  I once stayed and watched he and grandpa work.  They cleaned those bones in no time.  The meat went into a grinder while I turned the handle.  They put in strips of pork, mostly fat, some spices, I remember coriander and pepper, and a bit of rolled oats.  In those days the product was extruded into washed pig intestine, twisted and hung until they were done.  The old german guy got half the sausage and we took the rest back to grandpa's smoke house for hickory smoking.  During those times I got to know my grandfather.  We also fished together as a family on opening weekend, my grandfather, our family of boys, and my cousins family, uncle and boys.  Those traditions die with me as I had no boys and the girls had no interest.

 

 

Good times, good experiences, good memories.

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

I'm smiling right now imagining what my neighbors would think and do if they saw a deer hanging from the rafters of my garage and me skinning it.  I imagine i would get a visit from the cops and get ticketed for  processing it at home.  Something to do with health codes and disposal of offal.   The neighbors would be horrified.

 

 

[Engorgeous George 2,126]

2 minutes ago, tubby_mcgee said:

 

 

Good times, good experiences, good memories.

Indeed.  As grandpa aged he still liked to hunt.  Our family hunts were less well attended but I always went with him.  We still generally had enough attendance to get a group tag so we could take an additioanl buck or one doe beyond the number of hunters.  Grandpa usually got that deer in addition to his own.  His last hunt was just he and I.  He got his.  I carried it out for him as he could never had done so at his age.  We kept hunting.  He could not figure out how I didn't get as shot as I always got my deer.  While resting he looked in my gun.  He saw I was not loaded. I was just there for a final walk with him.  He got my deer as well as his own.  We had a nice walk.  He did not make it to Thanksgiving that year.