Average Joe Hunting Adventures with Dan and CJ

[semperfidelis97]

Tagging to follow along.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Tagging to follow along.

Thank you for following along!

 

[sn.outdoors]

Yesterday, I was visiting with a landowner who used to let me hunt turkeys on his property before I moved away. I did a quick walk and sat around listening for turkeys. I didn't see any sign of or hear any turkeys, but I found this crusty old elk shed.

He said he hadn't seen an elk in the property in over 10yrs, and I'm guessing this shed was from around that time.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

With the summer beginning we start the toughest part of any year for me..... my "hunting lull".
I have no scheduled hunting until Sept 1st other than a potential OTC barbary sheep hunt in July.
Normally when I was back in New Mexico this time was filled with scouting trips, shed hunting, and other prep.

Being in Florida I am slowly learning that it's not as easy to do that.
Yesterday I went out for a shed hunting trip, and it was a disaster.
92 degrees, 82% humidity, mosquito swarms, and the worst part of all.... spiders.

Now you may be chuckling right now, but I'd rather hike in cougar and bear country any day over mosquito and spider country.
For those of you who are not familiar with Florida spiders.....

The area I hunt is thick vegetation. Between almost every single tree is a giant spider waiting to eat you.
What makes it worse is their webs are anywhere from ankle to face level.
Perfect, invisible, heart attack causing webs....

As you slowly navigate through the woods you can take a wrong turn and you're face to face with a 3"-7" spider who is ready to eat your soul.... REALLY I SWEAR.
It won't keep me out of the woods, but you bet I'll be moving a lot slower than normal.

No worries, I've got plenty of shooting and training ahead of me to keep me busy. This year will be totally different because I'm now a "flatlander".
So I need to be extra prepared for when I go from 0 to 10K feet.

My training has hit a whole new level and I'm honestly beyond excited with the results.
A little back story....
When I found out my wife was pregnant and that I was moving, I used that as a crutch to be LAZY!
I enjoyed every single second of it... we ate out more, we only walked daily and stopped our cardio/gym routine, and I was just.... LAZY!
I went from 185lbs being in solid shape pre baby to 200lbs of yuck post baby.

Since I got off the lazy train I have been motivated to get not only back to where I was, but better.
I'm 30 years old and know how important it is to be in good shape. Not only for myself and my hobbies, but for my family!


Well.... 3 months in and I am now 180lbs and killing all my exercises and cardio.




I am not stopping. In less than 90 days I will be hitting the New Mexico mountains in the best shape of my life....
Feel bad for those elk everyone because they don't even stand a chance!


See you soon New Mexico....
















I CANNOT WAIT

 

[daved270]

Congrats Dan!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Congrats Dan!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you!!!

How did your draws go this year?
Dont forget to apply for the TX controlled hunts here in July.... maybe we can both draw the Palo Dura hunt together

Speaking of which.... I'll be in your neck of the woods late July and mid November!


I hope all is well!

 

[daved270]

Thank you!!!

How did your draws go this year?
Dont forget to apply for the TX controlled hunts here in July.... maybe we can both draw the Palo Dura hunt together

Speaking of which.... I'll be in your neck of the woods late July and mid November!


I hope all is well!

I drew a bull tag for 2nd season in Colorado!

That would be awesome Dan! I would love to go back to Palo Dura again.

Give me a shout when you come through, maybe we can grab lunch.

I bet you are busy with the new addition to the family! Enjoy every minute of it. They grow up fast!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I drew a bull tag for 2nd season in Colorado!

That would be awesome Dan! I would love to go back to Palo Dura again.

Give me a shout when you come through, maybe we can grab lunch.

I bet you are busy with the new addition to the family! Enjoy every minute of it. They grow up fast!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats on the CO tag!!! I can't wait to see how it goes.
I would lose my MIND if I drew the Dura hunt... I'm trying to put one of those magical rams on my wall like you have

I'll let you know when I'm in town! I've already been researching public land around the base for November, haha.

 

[sn.outdoors]

I have my work cut out for me on this moose hunt. A simple google earth survey before I applied for the unit told me everything I needed to know, but seeing it in person is really putting it all into perspective. The draw odds for the unit are high for good reason. Its steep, thick, and foot access is.... ah... poor. That's putting it lightly.

Since most of my hunting buds are also military, I can't assume I'll have help with the hunt. Therefore, all of my planning is based on the assumption that I'll be solo. Common sense and a quick google search says solo moose hunting is not ideal, and usually not recommended.

I suffer from a condition many of us roksliders are familiar with called "gotta-see-whats-on-the-next-hill-itis," and in this unit that might not be a good thing to have. Though I have a lot of experience rucking around the backcountry with a heavy pack, I can't say I've done anything as seemingly daunting as carrying a moose off the side of a cliff covered in old growth and deadfalls. As one of my old trainers once said, I better start doing some 8-count mind benders to get mentally prepared.

I did find another chalk shed to add to my growing collection of them. If I have an eye for anything, it seems to be for chalks.

The biggest takeaway from the scouting trip is the realization I might spend 20+ days hunting my butt off and not kill something. I found decent amounts of moose sign, but my limited experience with moose tells me they're really tough to pin down in terrain like this. I will give it my all, and leave it all out there. All I can do now is study, research, push my fitness to the next level, and dial in my gear. I also need to solidify my schedule for the fall. (By solidify I really mean draft as many plans as possible to account for all of the unknown unknowns Uncle Sam could throw at me.)

 

[Duckgitr]

Following along. As for your camera being stolen on base. Base may not allow trail cameras to be placed on it for security purposes. Im stationed on Fort Lewis and they have a no trail camera policy.

 

[sn.outdoors]

Following along. As for your camera being stolen on base. Base may not allow trail cameras to be placed on it for security purposes. Im stationed on Fort Lewis and they have a no trail camera policy.

Thanks for following along!

I can't speak for Eglin Range, but I do know trail camera policies aren't universal across the DoD. I hunted Ft. McCoy quite a bit before I joined and once while I was in, and you can run cameras as long as your name and WIDNR customer ID# are clearly visible. I think military ranges and bases offer some of the best "public" land hunting out there. If you can get access, it's usually worth the effort.

 

[Duckgitr]

I figured it had a chance of being different. I hunt on base mainly for ducks as I have access else where in the state. When I was stationed on Camp Pendleton I use to hunt deer on base. There are some big bucks there.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Thanks for following along Duckgitr!

Eglin didn't have anything posted in their regulations, so I made sure to check with Security Forces, Game and Fish, and the agency that runs the Eglin range's hunting before hanging them.
I'd post more on this, but the camera being stolen incident uncovered some more not so good behaviors on the base.
I.E: baiting, hunting unauthorized areas, etc. They are doing an investigation right now and they have an idea of who it is!

I hope they catch the guy!

 

[Duckgitr]

Nice. Hopefully they do. It'd be nice if they recovered your camera.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I tried something new this weekend and it was a great success.

Ground venison, ground Cajun venison sausage, onions, spices, and publix rolls.
Mixed it all up, set it in the smoker for 4 hrs and 45 minutes @160 and it came out AMAZING!!!!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

This was a nice relaxing weekend here is HOT....HOT... Florida.
I was able to have some awesome gym sessions, some great runs, shot my bow, and tried to fish a new pond.

I'm feeling great and this elk hunt cannot get here quick enough. 75 days!!!!!!!


As far as draws go:
Maine moose was a no go, but I kind of figured that.
Florida quota results MAY release this week.
Wyoming results will this week and we will see if I drew the super, unrealistic long shot units!!!!

 

[sn.outdoors]

After being gone for a few weeks I had a pretty low key weekend. I did a little reloading, shooting and took my daughter fishing again.

(Note: All of this is simply what I have and a little bit of my thinking as to why I have it. I'm not an expert precision rifleman nor an expert reloader. I am mostly self taught with the exception of having worked with a few top notch shooters who were willing to run me through their courses. This is also not intended to be a sales pitch for anything. I don't really care what anyone uses, so long as they are good at using it, and it meets their needs.)

A couple weeks ago, much to the chagrin of my wife, I bought a new rifle. I admit, this gun purchase was not a need, but its not something I did on a whim. I already have a 7RM, but its heavier than I care to lug around (13.5lbs fully equipped.) I decided to go with the Bergara B14 Hunter in 7RM because I already have all the reloading components for it, and it's the only factory rifle I know of that comes with a 1:9 twist that's less than $1k. Other pluses, it has a 3.65" mag box (should be long enough for any bullet) and it's a rem700 blueprint, so I have a lot of options for upgrades of I want.

I'm going to see how it likes 180vlds, 175sgk's, 175 & 160 partitions, 160 accubonds, and maybe 120 ballistic tips loaded down for my wife to use. As I always do, I let the rifle make the final decisions. Whichever loads shoot best are the ones I'll go with, but I gotta make some moose medicine, so I'm hoping the 175 game kings or partitions work well.

It's 9.5lbs loaded, which is what I was aiming for. I could easily shave 1/2lb with a lighter scope, but the Burris veracity has been good to me. I'm also familiar with the reticle and don't want to learn a different one.

After barrel break in was done. I shot 3 of my other 7RMs favorite load. This was 168 Berger classic hunters in front of 7977. It seems like this combination was specifically intended for the 7RM. This will give me a good starting point.

I loaded a new lot of powder and bullets for my 308, so I sent a few rounds to make sure nothing had changed. Other than forgetting where my elevation turret was, it's still shooting pretty well. Great for a $400 rifle! If anyone is looking for a super cheap rifle that shoots great, I recommend looking into the savage 12fv that Cabela's is giving away. Get rid of the crappy stock and you'll have a great shooting gun. I got mine on sale and received a $100 rebate. All in with scope, stock, and accessories it's around $800. No, it's not on the same level as a custom rifle, but it's about as Average Joe as you can get. It's going to be my deer rifle this year, but only because it's been sitting in the safe crying to get out and play.

---break---

I took my daughter fishing today. If you think fishing is a good way to practice patience, you need to try taking a 3 year old fishing. I don't know how my dad did it without losing his mind, or at least not letting me know he was losing his mind. If her line was in the water for longer than 10 seconds without getting a hit she lost interest and asked, "why are there no fish here?" "When are we going home?" "Why do fish take so long?" Why why why why why... Such is life at this stage I guess.

Anyway... We found a small school of young smallmouth hiding out in the shade. It was hilarious to watch as my daughter had at least a dozen of them on the hook without being able to land one. Of course as soon as she cried and quit, she handed me her tiny fishing pole I got a good hook set and was able to land it with her help. At least for a moment, my daughter's tears were wiped away with excitement.

The challenge of hunting is nothing compared to the challenge of raising a family. But with most things, the greater the challenge the greater the reward.

I missed home a little, so I busted out the shore lunch and some Lake Michigan walleye. I added some shiner, and fried it up in bacon grease. It was amazing. I'll be going back home to WI in July and I have at least one fishing trip lined up.

Father's day weekend is the books, now it's back to the grind at the office. Hunting season is just around the corner.

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I'm going to have a big year





Drew another quota tag for down here in Florida.
Crossing my fingers that I draw a WY deer tag tomorrow

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Snuck out to a quiet little pond last night with a buddy.

Nothing beats elk on a Colman stove, fishing, and watching gators swim around.
It was a nice night!

 

[sn.outdoors]

Last weekend I had the pleasure of shooting a few arrows at the NW Mountain Challenge with a buddy. Good times were had, I only broke one arrow, and I made a couple really good shots. So I'll call it a victory.

The course did not lack great views or steep shot angles. It was all great practice.

At first I thought this was an old pack trail, but I couldn't find any maps or other signs indicating such. Should be a good place to remember for later.