Hunting and Fishing Thread - With Poll

[Icy Mountain]

I went camping last week with my 8 year old daughter and had GPS coordinates to a Bear cave. We hiked out and the last mile or so was through the brush. When I showed the pictures to the people at work, they were appalled that I would take her on such a trek, but it is something she will remember for a long, long time. There have probably only been 3 or 4 people at that spot in the last 10 years, and I seriously doubt any of them were 8 year old girls.

I had 2 guns hanging on my wall when I was 12 years old. One was a 12 gauge shotgun. I got in fights at school, had arguments with siblings, went through breakups with girlfreinds and had teachers I could not stand. Using one of those guns in any of those circumstances never crossed my mind.
Carl-

I am catching up and had to respond. I took my boys, 12 and 10, on a 15 mile hike through the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky the week after Labor Day. I showed some folks at work the topographical maps and they thought I was nuts for "putting children in harm's way". On the other hand, my kids know how to respect a 400 foot drop on either side of a razor ridge, the importance of focus when you are 10 miles from a road, and the importance of watching where the next footstep is going to land. We camp probably 25-30 days a year and this kind of training carries over into daily life.

My boys both shoot the old Remington .22 with me. They know how to load, aim, fire, tear down, and clean it. They also know what it's for and where you point the barrel. I can't imagine either one using it for violence since it carries no more mystique than a toy boat.
-Ice

 

[wolfnature]

wolf, I have never been to Washington State, but isn't the deep sea fishing there pretty good? When I flew over Seattle a few years back, I was struck by how many salt marshes (if thats what they are) were on the coast. How is the fishing in them?

Heck, life is too short. Why not plan a trip NOW, and take it?

I am assuming you are referring to the Puget Sound. The whole area is great for fishing. Plus there are plenty of rivers and lakes hidden all over northwestern Washington. If you do consider taking a trip, I reccomend timing it during salmon season.

 

[Mike S.]

I took my boys, 12 and 10, on a 15 mile hike through the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky the week after Labor Day.
My boys both shoot the old Remington .22 with me. They know how to load, aim, fire, tear down, and clean it. They also know what it's for and where you point the barrel. I can't imagine either one using it for violence since it carries no more mystique than a toy boat.
-Ice

Hey Icy,

Long time no see. Hope you and yours are doing well. Sounds like you have some great kids there -- and I think I know why. You must be a rocket scientist or brain surgeon.

Lately my 8-year old daughter has been challenging me extensively on my upcoming deer hunt -- she doesn't want me to shoot a deer. In previous years she has been kinda oblivious. I'm gently trying to explain things, but it may take awhile. But she shows an interest in shooting "but I don't want to kill a deer" she says. I said no problem, I won't make you go hunting any more than I'd force you to play any other sport. I told her when she's a little older I'll take her shooting, and I let her handle my guns when I'm cleaning them, always using it as an opportunity to stress the safety and responsibility aspects. And as you say, it takes away the mystique.

Have a great holiday, Icy.

 

[Craig H.]

I showed some folks at work the topographical maps and they thought I was nuts for "putting children in harm's way". On the other hand, my kids know how to respect a 400 foot drop on either side of a razor ridge, the importance of focus when you are 10 miles from a road, and the importance of watching where the next footstep is going to land. We camp probably 25-30 days a year and this kind of training carries over into daily life.

I can hear them now:

"Gee, you are nuts for taking your kids out with the bears, deer, and bobcats. Just imagine all of the things that could happen to them."

"Why not drop them at the mall to hang out, unsupervised and unattended, with who knows who will be hanging around with them? What could happen??"

Frankly, in the long run, they are likely better off with the bears.


Many of us have long running Thanksgiving hunting traditions. Please, even if you don't hunt, be safe, be happy, and be thankful.

 

[Kevin H]

PA Deer Season

Pennsylvania deer season opens on Monday - I'll be out with my brother and his oldest son, now 13. His daughter, turning 15 in December has decided to pass this year, but has been out with us the 2 prior years. It's always been a family thing - starting with Dad taking us, and before we were old enough to hunt, after Thanksgiving dinner, we'd set a target in the field (we lived on a farm) and Dad would check out the rifle he planned to hunt deer with - early on, ususally a "sporterized 30-40 Krag". Later on, a sporterized 30-06 , '03 Springfield. We'd end up shooting it as well and when you're 8 or 9, an 30-06 seems to kick a lot. We'd often have one of my grandfathers along as well.

Good luck to all PA hunters on Monday.

 

[Carl Keller]

We kayaked out on the salt marshes just west of North Wildwood on Friday. We were on the hunt by 5:30 am. 28 degrees and WINDY! It was beautiful but that paddle out with icy water splashing up over the bow is HARSH! Two Mallards and a Merganser (we only hunted the a.m.) were all we brought home but it was well worth it.

NJ deer starts December 6th and there is a 10 pointer in the area that has evaded the bow hunters thus far.

Hope all you P.A. hunters are having a safe, bountiful hunt.

Carl-

 

[Wes Bucey]

Wildlife is practically tame!

I have a hunch "points" on antlers are calculated differently in the west than in the east.

Thus said, on Thanksgiving day we watched a white tail buck with 4 points on each antler browse in the lightly wooded area about twenty yards from our dining room window. He had a slight limp which could have been from an "event" with a moving vehicle or just from slipping on the treacherous ice when crossing a road.

We watched for an hour until we got bored and went into the living room for drinks and conversation. The only one still remotely interested was my sister-in-law's husky, who sat by the floor to ceiling window, watching intently until it got too dark to see, then the dog went to sleep under the dining room table.

Here in northern Illinois, no legal hunting is allowed in the counties surrounding Chicago, so the deer population is at nuisance level - cute to watch, but a pain in the backside when they nibble the ornamental plantings. Same thing with giant Canada geese and mallards who stay all year and don't migrate. Some days, navigating the parking lot at the shopping mall is like dodging landmines from all the goose poop. On an average day, I'll see 100-200 giant Canada geese and 20 or 30 mallards at the retention pond on the edge of the grocery store parking lot.

 

[db]

First Deer

My 16 yr old son got his first deer this month. A 4 pointer! Unfortunately, he did not get any pictures. It is so funny listening to him recount the tale. Tom does not ever so any dramatic emotion (he has an engineer's heart), so it is like it was no big deal. His description is more from a technical account, than anything else! I asked him if his heart was racing, and he stated, only when he had to drag the deer out of the woods! Some kid!

 

[Ken K]

I noticed there was an earlier post which mentioned the tragic shootings this past week in Wisconsin.

More information has been released since the individual was charged yesterday with 6 counts of murder and 2 counts of attempted murder.

Four of the individuals died of gun shot wounds to the back, of which one was shot 4 times. One died of a shot to the head and one died of a shot to the abdomen.

Investigators are also searching for a connection to a similar incident 3 years ago that left another hunter dead after confronting a trespasser on his land. The shooter was never found.

Unfortunately, incidents and encounters, although not as violent, like these are on the rise in Wisconsin. I suspect more can be expected in the future.

Sad, sad situation.

 

[Craig H.]

Unfortunately, incidents and encounters, although not as violent, like these are on the rise in Wisconsin. I suspect more can be expected in the future.

Sad, sad situation.

Ken:

I am afraid I agree. There are at least 3 factors at work here (maybe more). I am only speaking about GA, but there may be similar pressures at work elsewhere.

First, rising property tax rates, along with more fallow land, have resulted in landowners wanting their land to make money, to pay those taxes. Therefore they are charging higher and higher hunting lease fees. Here in GA, those can run from $8 an acre (very rare) to over $20 an acre per year. The average is likely around $13. If someone pays $13 and acre (plus the expense and trouble of food plots) they get pretty unhappy if someone comes and tries to steal "their" deer. This is made worse by the fear of liability issues by the landowners, resulting in even higher costs to hunters because of insurance costs. This makes them even more unhappy about poachers.

Second, while farmers used to like for hunters to come and shoot those lousy crop-eatin' deer, there are now fewer acres under cultivation for cash crops (at least around here).

Third, the unfortunate general decline in social behavior, as discussed in other threads.

Sad.