bikeoutback

I know everyone here is stating that eating venison every night gets old BUT you could also always take that 3rd deer and then either donate it to a processor that will process it for the food shelves thus helping those in need of food OR learn to turn it into other things. This may sound greedy on my part but I eat everything I shoot but do attempt to shoot a lot of deer in my hunting party. We then make summer sausage, breakfast sausage, snack sticks and I make jerky all the time. I'm also going to look into brats and a few other things this year. Most of this stuff then goes on camping, ice fishing, backpacking and whatever is left next years hunting trips. Again it sounds a bit greedy when I type it but we are using all the venison and only due to my work schedule and not being home as much this was the first year I carried venison in the freezer from one year to the next and it was about 8.5 pounds was all. Essentially nothing goes to waste and we are taking legal number of deer per the regulations and tags allowed.

I got busted last night drawing on a buck that I rattled in, screwed up big time. I'm going to go search for a doe I gut shot last night again tonight to give it the full effort I feel I need to give to recovering her and then practice shooting to get my confidence back and try and make it automatic to draw and shoot but thinking I gotta get back in the saddle. Do I hunt the same stand again and rattle again or switch stands and rattle again? I can move to the next stand over on the 40 acres I'm hunting, basically same parrallel on the property but move from west corner to Eastern middle part. Would I be better going over to the next stand and trying? Thinking tomorrow giving it one last shot, then friday let the woods sit and saturday gun opener. Also should I rattle late morning saturday morning? I've never rattled one in like that so I'm not sure how to approach or what my plan of attack for him should be?

I've read rubber boots and insulated rubber boots but I wanted a hunting boot for rifle season. I got Rocky BearClaw 3D Insulated GORE-TEX® Hunting Boot cause the store had them mis marked on the display and I got them for 50% of the original price and couldn't pass it up. 1000g thinsulate is a little much for early bow but these cold days this year I've been out I've had no cold feet. They are slighly heavier than I wanted. Early bow I wear my backpacking boots when warmth isn't an issue but will look at rubber boots one day here. Just heard rubber for scent control.

Status: unrecovered I'll go back after work and look more but the blood trail just ends completely so I can't figure out which direction she went after that. Really kicking myself, considering hanging up the bow for the rest of the season and back to practice shooting to get my confidence back.

Forgot one other detail to the night. Right after I got on stand since I don't hunt this stand much bow hunting, typically rifle I did draw down that front shooting lane to see how it would feel and best way to do it with the shooting rail there. I accidentally as I was adjusting pulled the trigger, yep sent an arrow with broadhead up into the trees never to be found again more than likely. Like I said somehow I just thought it was gonna be one of those nights and then turns out see two deer within a half hour, crazy how that works.

Ha Ha ha, noticed in my pic that was when my salt lick was still hanging too high. Apparently I thought deer are much taller than they are, after that picture I went out and lowered it a lot.

I worked till 4pm and then showered, jumped in the camo and hit the stand by about 4:20. I live where I hunt and work out of my house so I go out in the evenings alot. I got my bow last year and shot last year and all summer, can group 5 arrows in a 1" circle at 20 yards, am comfortable taking an ethical shot at a deer at 30 and won't shoot one at 40 yet. I also have my shooting lanes marked. Just some back story on me as a hunter. About 4:50 I had a doe come in, since I've only shot one other deer with my bow also a doe I said if she gets in a shooting lane I'll take her since she was decent size. She came in from my left, I'm a left handed shooter so she's not in my shooting lanes so it's gotta fall right for her to come around. I did get stood up as this is a homemade stand wtih a shooting rail so I had to stand to turn and get a shot out the front shooting lane. She was in the shooting lane 45 degrees to my left licking salt quartered toward me and continually looking up at me. I'm holding my bow stood frozen, this goes on for 10 minutes. I wasn't at draw just holding the bow in my hand hooked up. She then crossed in front of me straight out in front of the stand and I drew and took a shot. I think I made rookie mistake and rushed it, I don't recall checking the level before I let it fly but I had it level at full draw I do remember looking then. I sat back down figured I either hit her or missed but could see my arrow. To make it short arrow covered in hair and some green, worst feeling ever!! I found blood 20 yards away and an hour later tracked it 50-60 yards where it went dry and I got snorted at <- rookie mistake #2, I think I bumped her. I backed out will do circles and a grid search tomorrow, I marked the blood trail, feel horrible about the badly placed shot. BUT gets better. I didn't get down to track until after experience #2 I had in the stand. After shooting the doe I decided to try and rattle as I'm not good at it and what do I have to lose. I've still got one open tag can use at this property so I hit the rattle bag for a minute and set it down. About 5-10 minutes later I hear another deer coming in to my right this time, sure enough here comes a deer and IT'S A BUCK!!! He comes in to my right and will cross a shooting lane that I can shoot down sitting in this stand and it's directly to my right. His crossing point is exactly at a tree I marked last year at 15 yards. Heart pumping, adrenaline flowing, trying to calm down but here he comes. He gets just to the edge of the lane and sticks his head into it and I go to draw as his head was down. I tried to draw too smooth and careful and drew about 25% and my arm gave and it recoiled. I caught it so the arrow didn't fly at all but it did bounce in my whisker biscuit chattering like teeth and he looked dead at me. I tried to hold steady but he stopmed and snorted and then I must have moved... hard to tell shaking that much but he turned and white flagged me. About 20 yards later he turned and snort wheezed a few times and then took off I'm 85% sure this is him from my trail cam picks earlier this month. I've only had him in nocturnal pics: Doe - I feel horrible but will try my best to track her down tomorrow. Buck - WHAT A RUSH but I had buck fever badly. I've never shot one gun or bow. To tag out in one night would have been a definite crowning accomplishment but oh well. Hopefully I can put one in the freezer. Will the buck come back or is he gone for good now? I'm hunting just a 40 acre property, should I try that stand again tomorrow and rattle again or switch stands and try rattling again? Or give up on him and move on with my season? I plan to be back out searching for that doe extensively but after that I'll get back on the horse and back in a stand and hope not to make so many rookie mistakes in one night. Sorry this was so long by the way.

Here is the thing the money savings is $12 on a set of 4 tires. The tech at FF said the ATR were C rated so it's not as if I'm jumping into an E rated tire. My dad says for the same price go with the LT tire as they would be a better tire so I'm leaning that route as one poster here did mention lots of gravel roads with snow and the switch to LTs was beneficial. I'm just worried about how much stiffer will it ride than the current P rated tires. Although the current low tires with low tread seem to ride not that great any longer anyways.

I have some Dayton All Terrains on the truck now that I put on 40K+ miles ago and according to my tread tester they are still in the green and legal but barely. I could tell last winter they were not as they were the previous winter, more slipping than I was used to on and off the lakes. The now vs wait is simply buy now or wait till a little closer to winter but I'll be replacing before winter this year. Will they go on sale again essentially? I am currently looking at Cooper tires, heard nothing but good on them from other people who have them and they are on sale. I can get a set of 4 Cooper AT3 which are P rated for $175 per tire. They also have a set of 4 Cooper ATR LT rated tires for $178 per tire. Drive a 1500 Crew Cab Silverado 4x4. I do tow a utility trailer here and there and move furniture and what not. My heavier loads would be a load of wood here and there in the truck but otherwise it's typically loaded up with hunting, fishing and camping gear. I do drive gravel roads regularly as I live on one to start and travel them to get to places alot but do a considerably high amount of highway travel also. Should I consider the LT or just stick with P tires?

First year I owned my SM 8" auger I was out with two buddies with a 2 man pop up type fish house. They were in the ice house and I "added" a tarp onto the ice house with bungee straps. To keep it up I drilled my auger into the ice half way and put the tarp over it and down to the ground making a simple 1 man added room. Tossed in my lantern and fished till late evening. Didn't realize that the condensation ran down the tarp and ultimately donw the auger blade and into the hole. We tried for hours to chip away with tire irons. Even tried pouring boiling water down the hole but never freed it up. All we could do was mark it with bright orange and I bought a new auger blade the next week.

I too learned to ice fish with tip ups as it was much more about the social aspects of it than actual fishing when I started. Put 15 people on a private 50 acre lake in WI = 45 tip ups out, add a bonfire and beverages and what a great time. I still use them today, 1 out and jigging in MN, 2 out and jigging in WI or if just going for Pike then all tip ups. Found really like baked pike and ground pike made into pike patties. Those guys can have their walleye, I'll take my northern pike any day.

I have never had a headache or any of the other symptoms of CO exposure when using either my buddy or big buddy heaters in my portable BUT for a mere $25 this year I bought a battery operated CO detector with digital read out (you can pay less for one that just alarms without read out) so I can see exactly what the level is in my portable. I more got it as a safety when I use the heater in my 4 season tent in late fall but it was warm during our trip this year so never used the heater thus never used the CO detector but will have it in the portable as I'm curious and I own it anyways. I worry more when I'm sleeping and wouldn't be able to notice the headache vs in portable but better safe than sorry especially for $20 plus occasional battery replacement.

I started out tip up fishing with some guys at one of their cabins... for less than $20 I had 2 tip ups and the stuff to rig them pretty much. That was all I had for the first 3 years I ice fished.... my biggest expense was beer, ha ha ha. Be warned, it's addicting!!! d've got the vexilar, the portable house, the auger, the winter suit..... I still think I've spent more on beer Best part of fishing is the people out there and that part is free as long as your respectful of others and the outdoors. If your a hunter and enjoy being outdoors hunting there is a good chance you'll enjoy ice fishing.

Hope I'm not violating any rules but Otter Outdoors has a line called Team Wild and they make ice fishing sleds. I have the one smaller size that I got on sale at the orange farm store for $30 I believe... I know it was less than $35. I've used it 2 seasons for ice fishing now and one summer of hauling wood and rocks around behind my tractor on my property. All in all it's held up great, it's dirty from the summer but otherwise no holes, punctures.... even the rope it came with has handled the added summer abuse fine. I have a team wild ice house also platformed on the larger team wild sled and it's going on it's 4th year no problems.

I was hitting my arm when I first started shooting this summer to the point i was using an arm guard. When I rush a shot practicing I still graze my arm. I bet I hit my coat. I did practice with every combination of clothes I'd be wearing: Hat, winter hat, full face mask, gloves, warm gloves, layers... everything but I did change out a midlayer unexpectedly this week for a warmer and just little thicker one. I did stop right before my shot and thought bend arm slightly, check the sight level, relax and then I immediately shot so I'm sure it was more like: bendalevelax FIRE but it ran through my mind. Arm thwack makes sense and with adrenaline and the outer coat being a knock off camo canvas type coat probably wouldn't have felt a thing. Oh well live and learn, I'd rather one of two scenarios, clean miss or clean hit so I'm glad there isn't an injured deer running around dying somewhere out there.