Deer Hunters?

[Guest]

Out of curiosity, are there any other deer hunters on this board? If so, where do you hunt? My group hunts in the NW corner of Waupaca County, great deer country. Last year we had a terrible year though, 6 guys got one medium 8 pointer, my spike, and a doe. **** warm weather, it better be cold for hunting this year.

[Guest]

Rooffisher,

I'm also looking forward to this year's season. Last year I hunted public land in unit 36. I filled my tag at 6:45 a.m. with a fork buck.
This year I'll be hunting up in unit 6. I had a nice 10 pointer walk to within 7 yards of me during the t-zone season. Murphy's law at its finest!!
I'll lay 10,000 to 1 odds that I won't see him on opening day, but you never know.
Good luck to everyone this year.

[Guest]

I'll be hunting opening weekend in the Suring area. During the week I'll probably be hunting up in the Lakewood/Townsend area in the national forest. Can't wait......

[Steve Foss]

I'll be hunting with my rellies outside LaCrosse, my hometown, in unit 74A. I've got an uncle with a deer camp on a really cool farmer's land there, and the farmer and his kids hunt with us too.

It'll be a doe tag or two for me. Maybe a couple will have heart attacks near me and I'll tag 'em when they drop.

It's been pretty lean with the bow up here this fall near Superior, so it'll be nice to get with the family and have fun.

Of course, what are the odds first ice will come Thanksgiving weekend, when I'm on the hunt. Pretty good, I'd bet.

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Steve Foss
Superior, Wis.
[email protected]

[Xplorer]

Hey Steve, didnt know you were a LaX'er too! I'm from there originally also, was just down last weekend taking the son down to see grandma and grandpa. Man was it warm on Sat, 66 degrees. I used to go down and hunt just east of lacrosse off of 33, but it got to be like cheating, if you didnt have venison by 10am I was disappointed. Now when i hunt i go over to the in-laws around Hurley and hunt 28 (i believe)
You ever hit lake onalaska at all for big gills? Lots of good fishin down that way. I used to spend every new years day doing a "cast and blast" southeast of coon valley. I'd grouse hunt and brown trout fish in bohemian valley on a friends hobby farm, it was one great way to start off each year.
Good luck down in Lax (tho i doubt you'll need it)
Xplorer

[Steve Foss]

Xplorer:

Well, LaX cheesheads are a brand of our own. Ever get those fresh cheese curds at the Ferryville Dairy south on 35? Spent my summers on the grandparents' dairy farm outside Prairie.

I heard from the uncles it was that warm down there. They better knock that **** off if we're going to have good ice and good hunting.

I moved away from LaCrosse to N.D. when I was 10. When we drove up out of the Mississippi River Valley and saw the open country I thought I'd gone to hell. When I finally hit the pool-table-flat Red River Valley and eventually Grand Forks, I was sure of it. So I never got in too much on the good hunting/fishing around LaX. Been back as often as possible since to visit. Fished the Mississippi with the uncs, and I've got one uncle in particular who is retired but works part time for Gander Mtn down there and ice fishes Lake Onalaska for gills. He loves it. All my uncs and cousins stayed around LaX and have a great time hunting and fishing there. Coupla cousins fish trout there. Nice to get back now and then to join the fun. Can't wait for Thanksgiving and the beer (I mean hunt).

We should hook up and trade stories. You mostly fish Minnesota and post on the BWCA-Duluth board, right? Shoot me an e-mail if you want.

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Steve Foss
Superior, Wis.
[email protected]

[Guest]

Gee LaX Coon Valley, man that be close to my hunting grounds in Viola. I hunt just west of Viola in the Kickapoo Valley. And think I remember being in LaCrosse quite a few times. Problem was usually remembered going just not leaving. That was a long time ago when Octoberfest was a true wild time.

I will be heading up that way this weekend in preparation of Opening day. My cousin has a cabin tucked up in the hills and we just have to clean things up every year before we use it.

[Steve Foss]

Ah, deer camp. Not much better in life.

[Xplorer]

Steve,
Only one "Xplorer", actually live near Esko now. Lived in LaX from 8 to 22, so I got in on some good river fishing. Even caught a paddlefish one day (one ugly fish) Used to stop at the cheese factory just east of St Josephs ridge every time i went out that way. Have done some deer hunting in the Cashton area a couple of times, but there were so many deer in the bluffs behind my folks house there was no need to travel. I havnt gotten a WI fishin lisence the last 2 years cause the inlaws have been gone alot (retired, lucky bugger. he spent all last summer in Alaska fishing )We'll have to hit the ice some weekend and swap talk, like how many brewery tours we've done back in the days when Heilemans would let you sit in the brewhouse and swill after a tour til you fell down!! Maybe we can get lundman a/k/a 1600 stinger /ST /northlander/poutslayer out and hit the crappies on the river sometime. Chris

[Steve Foss]

Xplorer: It's a deal. Weren't you in on the BWCA-Duluth board ice meet last winter, the one Stinger (formerly Lundman1701) and I also planned on going to but had to back out of for various reasons? I'll make good this year. Promise.

Roof: I'm a shotgunner these days too. Used to use a 50-year-old model 99 Savage lever action in .300 Savage when I lived in Colorado mountains (great deer cartridge, and a great saddle gun, because they have an internal rotary magazine and no external hammer). Now I've got a Mossberg 12-gauge, and so far am shooting standard slugs out of an improved or skeet choke with no scope. So that's OK out to 50 yards, which is fine since I'll be pushing, not posting, when we hunt this season. Just saw a nice rifled slug barrel for the Mossy with the cantilever for $169. That's going on the Christmas list. Like the idea of the scope staying with the barrel when you switch them out.

Good luck.

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Steve Foss
Superior, Wis.
[email protected]

[Guest]

Yeah, a couple years ago I tried to put a scope on with a saddle mount and it would always move around, and I've heard a lot of other people say they have problems with them too. So last year I decided to save up and get a rifled cantilever barrel. Another option for people who don't like either of those is to bring it to a gunsmith and have a mount fastened directly to the top of the gun where the scope would normally go, although that's kind of permanent. Last year, my uncle's cantilever fell off when he went to sight it in. So there he was 3 days before deer season with no cantilever and thus no scope. He had the gunsmith fix it to the top of the gun and it works just fine. That's the only time I've ever heard of a cantilever falling off the barrel. Oh, and as long as I'm talking about rifled barrels, if anybody else has a hastings barrel for an 870, have you ever tried shooting federal hourglass-shaped copper sabots out of it? I tried those last year and all 3 that I tried jammed in the barrel and I couldn't pump the gun open. I had to take the barrel off and pry the empty shells out of the barrel with a knife. So I stay away from those now. But I shoot Winchester 2 3/4 BRI hourglass sabots no with no problem. Had me nervous for a bit though.

[Guest]

I'm so pumped just to go out this weekend and fix up my stand. Would have like to do it sooner than the weekend before the season, but didn't have time with school and part-time work. I can't wait! I'll start another topic to talk about. What kind of gun do you guys use? I'm in unit 62B, which is a great unit but it just across the line for rifle country. So it's a shotgun for me. But I don't mind, my stand is in some really thick **** so I can't shoot too far anyways. I use an 870, last year I bought a Hastings rifled barrel for it with a cantilever and put on a Leupold 2-7X33 shotgun scope. Needless to say, I fell in love with the gun and can't wait to use it again.

[Guest]

Catfish , I hunt with an old 300 Savage when I'm lucky enough to make it north to rifle hunt. Otherwise it's the 870 with a rifled slug barrel. I hunt with the Remington copper sabots and have had good luck with them but have a few buds that hate em.
Anyways , With luck I'll be hunting my 40 between Ladysmith and Prentice near the town of Kennen.If I can't get off work I'll be huntin some kick *** public land nearby.Unit 76A.
Any of you guys muzzle load hunt ?

[Steve Foss]

Geeman:

Sure do miss that old Savage. Saw an original model 99 Savage, built in 1899, the year for which it's named, in .303 Savage caliber at the pawn shop on the north end of Bemidji on old Hwy 71 right next to the lake. That was less than a month ago. He only wanted $325, and I almost popped for it. But try finding .303 Savage shells anymore. I'd automatically have been in the reloading business then, and I don't have the time. The gun was in great shape. It had a crack on the top of the stock behind the receiver like almost every model 99 does, but the barrel was clean, the rifling good, there was no rust and all it needed was rebluing. I'm seeing the freaking gun in my dreams. Of course, Mrs. Catfish knows of my agony, and who knows what might show up under the Christmas tree?

Good luck on the hunt, everyone.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 11-14-2002).]

[Guest]

Catfish , That Savage is a BEUTY deer gun it is ! Mines been in the family since the 40s and handed down through the years. I'll bet it's taken 80+ deer through the years. I shoot reloads a local gun shop dude makes for me.

325 bones for that pawn shop 99 aint too bad a deal dude ! A TRUE classic gun there ! IF you can find the brass have a local gunshop whip you up some reloads if you don't have time to do your own. The local dude here charged me $12 for a box of reloads with balistic tip bullets a couple years back.

[dan in webster]

northern burnett county (home) deer hunter here. also venture up to the camp between hayward and clam lake on occasion.
dan

[Steve Foss]

Twas the night before deer season, blah, blah, blah, you know all the rest.

Seriously. I wish everybody the best season. While you're firing the guns this weekend, I'll be searching for fishable ice (hunting comes next weekend for me).

So, fishing or hunting, LET'S BE SAFE OUT THERE!

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Steve Foss
Superior, Wis.
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 11-22-2002).]