Average Joe's 2018

[Lostinthewoods]

I think I read somewhere along the line that yall were up in Eglin? If you are......be safe in this storm up there!

Hey Ray P,
You’re spot on... we evacuated last night.
My house got hit by a tornado earlier this year so I don’t mess around with weather. Especially Cat 4 hurricanes.

I live in the yellow.


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[Lostinthewoods]

Hurricane is gone, my house seems to be fine, and now I’m 9 days away from a season finally opening. I can’t wait!


Bigger Kansas bucks are finally starting to show up too.

Still many more from last year that we know made it through.... just waiting for them to show up.

Here are three specifically I want to see.

I’m going to go check my game cams today or this weekend to make sure they survived the hurricane.

 

[Ray P]

Great news! Those are fine bucks! Looks like Tyndall and lots of places east of you were decimated! Glad everything is good with you.

 

[sn.outdoors]

Tyndall and Panama City took a direct hit from the eye of the hurricane. The damage to the base is immense. Several of my friends have lost almost everything. Very sad, but thankfully they're all safe and they all have insurance. They'll all be in my prayers for the next few weeks.

Great news! Those are fine bucks! Looks like Tyndall and lots of places east of you were decimated! Glad everything is good with you.

"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Great news! Those are fine bucks! Looks like Tyndall and lots of places east of you were decimated! Glad everything is good with you.

I feel horrible for them. Definitely lots of support teams staged up here to help out.
We were in work today launching our aircraft to aid with search and rescue.

Here in a couple days when the roads are open we will be sending teams down to help even more.

 

[sn.outdoors]

I was pretty much out of commission and totally knocked off my feet last week due to an annoying sinus infection. It was not fun.

I was able to get out yesterday to walk around with a buddy who has a rifle cow tag for a nearby unit. It ended up being a rifle-hike as we didn't see anything, but it was nice to get out and breathe some fresh air (even though I really couldn't breathe through my nose.)

We followed some fresh tracks and jumped the elk off their beds, but we never set eyes on them. The snow and the tracks we were following were gone by midday.

I should be able to convince the wife to get out sometime this week for an after work hunt.

"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Two big things!

Tomorrow is Florida whitetail opener!

Second...

I am so so so so so pumped about this.
It’s an off limits - nonhunted military range. 72 hunters drawn a year and its spreads over 4 hunts. So 18 per! Then each person is assigned a zone so it’s plenty of room to hunt.
Archery only and there are some great deer out there!

Not to mention February is our rut down here. Wooohoo!!


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[dirtclod Az.]

Go get lost in the woods...Bring us back a keeper!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Today was a great first sit.

Went from hot and humid, to super hot, to thunder storms, to a good temp drop.

That’s what it was when I set up for my afternoon hunt!
It’s back down to 70 as I walk out from the woods.


I did see two deer. A legal spike and a young doe. They got the pass....
She was too small and I had fun watching them.

Tomorrow will be a cooler day with great winds. I cannot wait.

 

[sn.outdoors]

I swear... If you shoot anything other than THE big buck in that spot... I'll have to re-evaluate our friendship.



"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe

 

[rooster440]

I love following you guys on here!


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[Lostinthewoods]

I love following you guys on here!


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We appreciate you following along!

 

[sn.outdoors]

It's been a crazy busy month for me. I got news that there's a really good chance I'll be moving back to New Mexico either January or February. So instead of hunting, I've been cleaning and getting all of the to-do list items done so I can get my house ready to sell. I wanted to get everything done before I go elk hunting this weekend, so it's been a full schedule.

I also picked up my moose. It looks amazing, but sadly it'll be coming down as soon as I get the official word that I'm moving. Hopefully my next house will have a little more wall space.

It's amazing how fast life sneaks by. I was really hoping to get out to chase some mule deer with my rifle, but it looks like I'll have to hunt with my bow and wait till the rut. Dang... Sounds rough.

Is been super slow for both Dan and I but it's about to pick up. Dan's got a ton of stuff lined up and I'm almost more excited for his hunts than my own.... Heck, I'm not even packed and I leave in a couple days!

"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe

 

[Lostinthewoods]

Well everyone, the time has come!
I am hitting the road in the morning for a 17 hour drive to start my 17 days of fun.
First stop is Sedgwick Kansas, archery, private properties!

I’ve got a buck and a doe tag for this portion of the trip. I’ve been extremely antsy and I’ll probably be shooting the first good doe I see!

Temperatures are looking good and over the next few days there will be some good deer moving. I’m secretly hoping for a Halloween buck! I’ve always read lot of articles and books that say Halloween is a great day for bigger bucks!
I’ll be honest, I am going to struggle this trip. In one hand I typically don’t pass on many things. On the other hand this is the land of good deer! So instead of putting a magical “score” requirement for this trip, I’ll be shooting the first thing that gets my blood going! I cannot wait!

After Kansas I head to Tucamacari New Mexico for an any legal weapon mule deer hunt! If anyone followed us last year, you may recall the area I hunted antelope. It’s that same place! It’s a 50K acre ranch, hasn’t been hunted for mule deer in a while, and the land owner invited me out this year to hunt them! I am so excited!!!!!
Similar to the Kansas hunt, this hunt will be an interesting struggle. I’ve never shot a mule deer buck before, but this is also a pristine ranch that hasn’t been hunted in years. So we will see what ends up getting me excited

After that I’ll head out to my stomping grounds in Oklahoma, archery, public land!
This is honestly one of my favorite hunts every year. I love Oklahoma and I’ve been hunting the same public land there for the last four years. It’s been so good to me and I cannot wait to get out there.

Then it’s back to Florida to chase some whitetail!




Ahhh!!



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[sn.outdoors]

Well.... Made it up to the mountains with enough light to see that there's no shortage of hunters in the area. I'm surprised I have cell service, but not surprised by the amount of people in here. I'm hiking in a few miles in the dark and going to bivy on the side of the mountain. Hoping most of the other hunters are just going to stick to roads like they normally do.

Just like I'd hoped for, the weather is wet and cold. Extra misery for tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe

 

[rooster440]

Looking forward to reading about these hunts!


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[Lostinthewoods]

Thanks!

I miss having my truck already. Now I can’t carry extra crap that I don’t need.
I’m on my way to Kansas. I’m in Alabama and things are going smooth so far.

 

[sn.outdoors]

Pretty tough conditions this morning. Rain, fog and clouds weren't helping, and no elk walked past me that I know of. I could only see a hundred yards or so for most of the morning.

Saw a lot of hunters on foot and horseback so I packed up and relocated to a different area that doesn't have a camp with 4 or more vehicles every 1/2 mile. I feel pretty good about this spot.

Saw a couple deer on the way over here too. Maybe it's a good sign.

"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe

 

[TheCougar]

It's been a crazy busy month for me. I got news that there's a really good chance I'll be moving back to New Mexico either January or February. So instead of hunting, I've been cleaning and getting all of the to-do list items done so I can get my house ready to sell. I wanted to get everything done before I go elk hunting this weekend, so it's been a full schedule.

I also picked up my moose. It looks amazing, but sadly it'll be coming down as soon as I get the official word that I'm moving. Hopefully my next house will have a little more wall space.

It's amazing how fast life sneaks by. I was really hoping to get out to chase some mule deer with my rifle, but it looks like I'll have to hunt with my bow and wait till the rut. Dang... Sounds rough.

Is been super slow for both Dan and I but it's about to pick up. Dan's got a ton of stuff lined up and I'm almost more excited for his hunts than my own.... Heck, I'm not even packed and I leave in a couple days!

"Never follow your passion, but always bring it with you." ~Mike Rowe

That’s awesome! I just finished a hunt out there with Ryan a couple of weeks ago. NM is quickly replacing Arizona as my favorite state to hunt... when I can get a tag! There’s good people in Alamogordo... I’m jealous!

 

[Lostinthewoods]

I got in to Kansas this morning around 1AM, “slept”, and my buddy woke me up at 5 with some treats his wife baked me the night before....

Am I hunting or at sandals?

This mornings stand

This morning was unreal. I saw a spike, three solid bucks, and about 12 does.
It was the most deer I’ve ever seen in a sit and the three bucks were all 3 year olds, so good Kansas bucks, but not monsters.

The spike gave me a shot, but he got the pass. I’m filling my antlerless tag on a fat doe and I’m still not sure what will meet my buck needs. We will see when I hit the release!

There was one moment when I had 7 does within 7-55 yards of me and all around. Naturally one sensed something was up and sent all her friends home.

Spike ^



So now we are about to eat some BBQ and then head out for the evening hunt!


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