Fox Collectors

My oldest and I will be doing a little tank hopping for ducks in the morning. If we happen across the Gambles, then so be it. Then it will be back to the house to help with all the cooking.

No doubles but deer for me with my 45-70

As I was preparing the turkey breast this morning I realized I made an error in my earlier post, concerning the seasoning. It is Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, not Cajun seasoning.

https://www.tonychachere.com

MY bad, SRH

Jeff S wrote:Thursday morning I'll be smoking venison for the kids. Friday morning it's be back to the deer stand. I love deer hunting (especially with my daughter), but this season has been very slow. I know that there are a few still out there. Good luck to the rest of you. Jeff

Thanksgiving is a special time to be with family, and in the past I have really upset my wife by going hunting and then coming in late for the big feast. Since my daughter and her boyfriend are visiting from Cleveland, I figured I should just stay home and help prepare the meal. However, I did get up at 5:30 and sit in a little pop-up blind, in the landscaping, next to my house. Even though I'm on 10 acres, it is residential, so I was holding a crossbow rather than a firearm. Well, at 7:22 I drilled a small 8 pointer. He's not a monster, but it makes a good Thanksgiving day story.

Good deal Jeff any deer is a trophy in my opinion.

That reminded me of a special Thanksgiving morning hunt many years ago. My youngest son, who farms with me, was about 14 at the time, and we had a tradition of going squirrel hunting on T'giving morning. I was hunting squirrels at that time with a .36 cal percussion longrifle. Loaded with a patched 000 buckshot and 25 grs. FFFg, I could head shoot squirrels out of the tallest yellow pine in the bottoms. That particular morning was very windy and we walked for a couple hours without seeing the first squirrel. We were a good ways from home and walked up on a beaver pond, as the morning sun bathed it in a warm glow. I stood there thinking what a great spot it would be to shoot woodies at first light. All of a sudden, on the other side of the pond, a deer busts up out of his bed and begins to run to the right, downstream, across the pond from us. My son hollered "Shoot him Daddy, he's a good one!". All in an instant I remembered I had only 25 grs. of powder loaded, and knew that only a head shot would anchor him. As I brought the rifle up I brought the hammer to full cock. There was already a cap on the nipple. As I shouldered the rifle and the sights aligned I led him about two feet, as he was running, and touched off the set trigger. As the smoke blotted out my view I remembered seeing him lower his head to go through a hole in a big briar patch. I reloaded and told Jonathan that I doubt if I had hit him, but that we would cross on the next beaver dam and go look closely. As I crossed over I heard a slight rustling in the leaves, moved toward the sound, and saw the buck kicking his last. The ball had taken him through the neck, as I hadn't led him quite enough, and had dropped significantly in the nearly 80 yards it had traveled to him, with that puny charge of powder. I finished him off, and we had fresh venison to take home. I could never make that shot again in a hundred tries, probably, but at least I had bragging rights to it once ........ and a witness! A good Thanksgiving Day hunt memory.

SRH

Stan Hillis wrote:That reminded me of a special Thanksgiving morning hunt many years ago. My youngest son, who farms with me, was about 14 at the time, and we had a tradition of going squirrel hunting on T'giving morning. I was hunting squirrels at that time with a .36 cal percussion longrifle. Loaded with a patched 000 buckshot and 25 grs. FFFg, I could head shoot squirrels out of the tallest yellow pine in the bottoms. That particular morning was very windy and we walked for a couple hours without seeing the first squirrel. We were a good ways from home and walked up on a beaver pond, as the morning sun bathed it in a warm glow. I stood there thinking what a great spot it would be to shoot woodies at first light. All of a sudden, on the other side of the pond, a deer busts up out of his bed and begins to run to the right, downstream, across the pond from us. My son hollered "Shoot him Daddy, he's a good one!". All in an instant I remembered I had only 25 grs. of powder loaded, and knew that only a head shot would anchor him. As I brought the rifle up I brought the hammer to full cock. There was already a cap on the nipple. As I shouldered the rifle and the sights aligned I led him about two feet, as he was running, and touched off the set trigger. As the smoke blotted out my view I remembered seeing him lower his head to go through a hole in a big briar patch. I reloaded and told Jonathan that I doubt if I had hit him, but that we would cross on the next beaver dam and go look closely. As I crossed over I heard a slight rustling in the leaves, moved toward the sound, and saw the buck kicking his last. The ball had taken him through the neck, as I hadn't led him quite enough, and had dropped significantly in the nearly 80 yards it had traveled to him, with that puny charge of powder. I finished him off, and we had fresh venison to take home. I could never make that shot again in a hundred tries, probably, but at least I had bragging rights to it once ........ and a witness! A good Thanksgiving Day hunt memory.

SRH

Aaaaah! That sounds like a good memory.