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Hunting
Sept 1, 2009 16:28:10 GMT -5
Post by Rebel on Sept 1, 2009 16:28:10 GMT -5
On the windshield thread I made a comment about hunting and have kind of sidetracked that thread so I thought I'd stop that and just come over here to talk about hunting.
Dove hunting was the distraction. I was raised in a desert in California, the Imperial Valley, it is very hot there and the dove seem to love that. Dove flock there every Summer and the dove season is a very productive one for the first day or two, until the little birds learn that they need to fly high enough to stay out of range of the shotguns. I know people that will go out and illegally kill several limits in one day, a day with well over 50 birds is common, sometimes they will get 100 each.
I'm really not advocating that, I'd hate to get somebody in trouble because I said it was OK to shoot so many birds in one day, especially since I don't think it is a worthwhile game bird, those are just too small, but if you are hungry if you have enough of them they will satisfy a hunger.
When I was a kid, before the BLM shut off the desert, for recreational use out there, we also would go quail hunting. A large population of desert quail roams out there, we could get in our sand buggies and drive down washes (FYI if you don't know that is what we called dry river/stream beds) and we could jump up covies of over 100 birds. The quail would disappear fast, we could usually get off a few shots and claim a few each those were good eating. An occasional rattle snake would be part of the take too, and that tastes really good too. I've heard people say that rattlesnake taste like chicken, I don't agree, it is much more like frog legs, but I've heard some people say that taste like chicken too, again, I don't agree, it has a different texture, more like some fish I've had, but certainly does not taste like fish.
The desert did not have a native population of pheasant, but the fish and game people planted them for the season. These were farm raised birds that often times had to be kicked to get them to fly. It was still fun to go out and hunt the birds, they were always in season just before Thanksgiving so we always had pheasant as well as turkey on that holiday.
Many pleasant and not so pleasant memories of hunting as a kid.
One less than pleasant memory came when a new guy went pheasant hunting with us. Back then when we got a pheasant we were required too tag it with a little paper tag. It had punch out circles that were for the date you got it. Well this new guy got one. He was going down to get the bird to tag and had his shotgun under his arm, it slipped, hit the ground and fired off another round. It blew out his arm pit. I ran back and got one of the guys Ranchero and drove it out on the field to pick him up, then we hauled him to the local hospital where they put him back together again, he never hunted with us again. That same day another friend had his receiver on his automatic shotgun come apart and he got a few pellets in his face, but he kept hunting.
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Hunting
Sept 1, 2009 17:02:58 GMT -5
Post by astroprof on Sept 1, 2009 17:02:58 GMT -5
OK Doug - you started a new thread. That's fine - we need the business. Like you, I'm down on partners. My old partner got transferred and my son move to Pittsburgh so I'm without. I'm at that stage where I'm getting a little old to be out by myself. My neighbor owns some land that was once strip mine. Since I'm retired, I have time now.
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Hunting
Sept 1, 2009 17:06:22 GMT -5
Post by Rebel on Sept 1, 2009 17:06:22 GMT -5
so is that an invitation? I'd need time to to make plans.
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 6:05:58 GMT -5
Post by astroprof on Sept 2, 2009 6:05:58 GMT -5
Doug - Archery for deer comes in around Oct 1st. Long gun season opens the Monday after Thanksgiving and darn it, I have Monday class at noon. Half the students won't show up. Fortunately, I'm off on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There's been a lot of talk lately that there are fewer deer. The truth is they've moved. Most guys like to hunt the big woods and with clear cutting and maturation of the northern forests, the deer are in small pockets near the suburbs. They've actually become major pests in the suburban counties outside Philly.
Mrs - send JR out with a BB gun. Pop off a couple and make dove pot pie.
I have an old friend who decided he'd take up goose hunting. By the time he was done with buying equipment, renting a blind etc he had a small fortune in it. He figured his first Canada cost him about $50 a pound.
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 10:57:52 GMT -5
Post by 90GTVert on Sept 2, 2009 10:57:52 GMT -5
I've never really been into hunting. I like shooting, but not hunting. Shooting at targets, skeet, bottles, whatever, is fine by me. I don't even do that much. I've got some S&W .500 magnum ammo lying around that I'd like to try out sometime though.
My grandfather used to go raccoon hunting and won some trophies along with his coonhounds in competitive events. I grew up helping him skin coons and taking them to the fur trader. We ate raccoon a couple of times a month. Just never impressed me. It doesn't bother me, but it's not my thing. He hunted dove, pheasant, deer, muskrat, trapped, fished, you name it. I used to go fishing probably 3-4 times a week in the summer months when he was living. I did it to hang out with him more than anything. I haven't even been fishing since he passed away 14 years ago. Some friends invited me to go fishing with them a afew years back. I just went and hung out while they fished. I think I did catch a crab with a chicken neck... then we made him pinch one of my firends and sent him back on his way. lol
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 12:35:33 GMT -5
Post by Rebel on Sept 2, 2009 12:35:33 GMT -5
shooting is good too. Problem is finding a place you can go pop a few rounds off at. Ranges seem kind of boring to me so I just use those as a place to sight in a scope.
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 13:47:14 GMT -5
Post by astroprof on Sept 2, 2009 13:47:14 GMT -5
90 - talk about overkill. LOL. My son thinks I'm a wimp because I shoot a 9mm. He has a .40 Smith and .45 ACP Springfield. No thanks. I packed a .45 when I was in the MP's and thought they were vastly overrated. I worked on the state Disaster team and regional counter-terrorist task force before I retired. Figured if I ever had to borrow ammo, 9 was the way to go.
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 13:59:10 GMT -5
Post by rockhound on Sept 2, 2009 13:59:10 GMT -5
Rebel your opening post reminded me of my pre military days!! When wasn't working in the fields you'd find me hunting or fishing!!! Raised as a meat on the table hunter, times barley could afford beans and taters!!Possum too greasy,young jack rabbits good any way you want,old ones stews! Young coon, fried or roasted with sweet taters(if we were lucky).Armadillo, roasted with taters & onions, tasted like pork, only not greasy!! Loved frog legs soaked in salt h2o for 2-5 days & fried!Dad hated them.Catfish (blue, mud,yollow) fried,till a bone caught in my throat!!Mom loved perch. LOve that quail!!(not the San Quintin kind, hehe!!, scaled & bobs)Wasn't allowed to shoot doves, God's special bird!!!Tried duck once, a teal, not good,we didn't know how to fix it!! Trapping skunks ended my trapping carrear,had to bathe out side in #3 tub in 25* weaather! All the kills were with a .22 single shot.Generally 1 shot one kill, .22 shorts cost money, 45 cents! Those were the days just ask and you could hunt & fish on almost anyones land!! Same land today, $100-1000 a gun to hunt!! That's a lot of burger meat!!! Do I approve of what I did ? NO!!! The only thing I am proud of , help put meat on a meatless table of family & a few fond memories of watching & learning wildlife habbits!!! Rambled too much, sorry guys.rh
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 14:40:25 GMT -5
Post by astroprof on Sept 2, 2009 14:40:25 GMT -5
rockhound - as far as fishing goes, I'm mainly catch and release BUT - you can't beat a nice 2 pound cat out of a clean farm pond. Grill em up with butter and beer - YUM!
FYI - when I have the chance, I'm a hound too. Not many minerals around here but we do have some good Devonian & Pennsylvanian fossils.
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 15:45:51 GMT -5
Post by Rebel on Sept 2, 2009 15:45:51 GMT -5
I don't know about other states but if you are hunting to put meat on the table in California, the license and all the tags/stamps you need will buy a lot of meat now.
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 15:48:14 GMT -5
Post by astroprof on Sept 2, 2009 15:48:14 GMT -5
Same here!
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 16:03:09 GMT -5
Post by Rebel on Sept 2, 2009 16:03:09 GMT -5
90 - talk about overkill. LOL. My son thinks I'm a wimp because I shoot a 9mm. He has a .40 Smith and .45 ACP Springfield. No thanks. I packed a .45 when I was in the MP's and thought they were vastly overrated. I worked on the state Disaster team and regional counter-terrorist task force before I retired. Figured if I ever had to borrow ammo, 9 was the way to go. 45 might be overkill with a person but I picked up a 45 long colt revolver to have for hiking in the mountains in case I had to company of a bear or mountain lion. the revolver load can be loaded up to a magnum and really pack a punch. Otherwise the 45LC is pretty easy on the recoil and feels a lot more like a 38 than anything else I've shot in a handgun. I once did go hunting with some guys from the hospital, never went out after that with them because they didn't meet my standards, we got to our campsite and they were "sighting in" their rifles, shooting at a long about 150 yards away (they all missed it by a long way). They asked me if I wanted to check my rifle out after they knew how theirs were. I had sighted my scope in long before we went out to begin with and knew it was dead on so I said naw but I'll shoot at that with my pistol. I pulled out my ruger blackhawk 45 LC with a 6 inch barrel. Stood there holding it with both hands raised up a good bit high squeezed the trigger and a loud pop went off. Just as everybody started to laugh because they thought I missed it, the 45 LC travels at about 800 feet per second, the end of the log shattered. I had a lucky hit that day. They stopped laughing. These guys went hunting to have an excuse to go out and have a drink at the end of the day so that was the last trip with them for me.
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Hunting
Sept 2, 2009 20:19:40 GMT -5
Post by 90GTVert on Sept 2, 2009 20:19:40 GMT -5
shooting is good too. Problem is finding a place you can go pop a few rounds off at. Ranges seem kind of boring to me so I just use those as a place to sight in a scope. That's mostly why I don't get out shooting much. When I was a kid my grandfather owned 60 acres all around us. I could load up my rifle or shotgun (usally a .22/.22mag or .410 pump) into his truck, take it across a field, and lay down some targets. Now it's a whole ordeal to fire off a few rounds. As for a .500 Magnum... Overkill, check. Badass, check. ;D I'm a big dude, and the bullets still look huge in my hand.
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Hunting
Sept 3, 2009 1:01:01 GMT -5
Post by Rebel on Sept 3, 2009 1:01:01 GMT -5
OK, now those are some cartridges.
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Hunting
Sept 3, 2009 17:28:31 GMT -5
Post by shescoots on Sept 3, 2009 17:28:31 GMT -5
Being that I am a RedNeck womanI have loved to hunt since I was 8. I shot my first deer when I was 9. But in Ga. " Dove Bird " day is a big deal. Matter of fact I remember when I went into labor with my daughter, all the men in my family asked me could I wait til the next day to have the baby sonce that day was the opening day of Dove Bird season. My Dad, step brother ( ex) husband, brother and my 2 nephews, all came in the labor room wearing camo. I still have the little hat ( now 22 yrs later ) that says Future Hunter of America that my Dad brought to my daughter. Ok, now how bout a fishing thread? ;D
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