Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting 2018 Hunting Plans - Guns - Trips

Guy, I like 'purty' in guns too. They say in the race world, "chrome won't get you home", but it looks GOOD.

I don't like UGLY guns, WIMMENS, trucks etc. That reminds me, I will not drive a TRD, short for turd, truck. -


In guns & WIMMENS, sometimes they look better than they PERFORM.
And "that's the truth !"

Jerry

Cool story! Was EHD/Blue Tongue the culprit?

No, nothing so drastic. Our season was/is 5 weeks (6 weekends) so it covered a fair amount of time. Our lease was not all in 1 block.
I don't remember now but the section I/we were hunting was +1000 acres. The first couple of weeks was near normal - except for me. I just could not get in the right place at the right time.

Later - it was a combination of things. The hunting pressure on that parcel was stout and the food source also changed. I found out very late in the season from local private land owners that the deer had 'MOVED' west OFF our lease on to private property. I never did figure out what that food source was but it was not locals feeding the deer.

The following year was 'near' normal so there was no disease involved. I say near, Christmas Day '99 we had a terrible ice storm that lasted MORE than a week. + on New Year's Day 2000 we had a big Snow storm. The paper co.s of S Ark lost millions in damaged trees. They harvested as much FOR pulp wood they could, then SOLD off lots of acres. During those few weeks we did lose some deer to starvation. The ice and THEN snow on top kept the deer from eating. - sorry, don't know how to rotate pix, yet.





Back to my hunting in '99. I moved N to another section of our lease. There was 40 acres of private land inside that section. We had a driveable R. O. W. / firebreak on 2 sides. I set up on the E side of that private land ON the r o w. The 2 deer came off our lease into the edge of the r.o.w. to feed. That was the ONLY deer I killed in the '99 season.

Jerry

Those friggin Remington brochures fueled my fire many many years ago. I'd loose sleep until I got to town for the latest copies. Weatherby was another. In the early 70s it was all about deep blue and high gloss. [bleep] gorgeous rifles.

As for the years plans.

Acquire a Montana in 280AI. Just because.

Diversify my optics a bit. Got my first Meostar recently. If it works out,there might be a couple more.

Cash in my Colorado deer points. 11 years of playing the game. It time to go.

Get the boat out more. All work and no fishing makes the old man cranky.

Survive back surgery. Looking into laser currently.

Bout it.

I heard THAT !

I tried hard to get Rem., Win., Ruger, & S-W "catalogs" they called them.

I STILL have several of those. 1981 was a VERY good year. Rem brought out the M Six-- & Win. brought out the XTR FTWT !!
I DROOLED and drooled --- COST me $$$$$$ too.

Jerry

-Spring Gobbler
-Load development for a few rifles
-New scopes (upgrades) have been fitted to a couple rifles, so some sighting in for those.
-The regular range sessions to stay sharp and have fun.
-Varmints
-Chucks
-Archery deer
-Bears next November with friends in PA

Hope to explore some new hunting grounds and put up another stand or two. Will be exploring for elk. I'd like to do a Moose trip, but probably not in the cards for '18.

No new rifles. Might sell a few...

Since we're talking about hunting plans in general and not just deer:

Chuckar next Friday and Sunday-maybe an easy quail hunt on Saturday since the dogs need a day a rest between chuckar hunts.
One more chuckar hunt at the end of this month.
I'll get some coyote hunts thrown in here and there.
Wolf in Montana next month.
Spring turkey in Montana.
Maybe spring bear here in Wyoming if I get the urge.
My normal elk and antelope hunts here in Wyoming.
Mountain and sage-grouse here in Wyoming as much as possible.
Pheasants in both Idaho and South Dakota are very likely again.


I'll be doing a lot of fishing this year, like normal:
In June I will be in Appalachicola Florida again for sea trout and maybe some reds.
In late July I will be in Ketchikan Alaska again for salmon and halibut plus whatever else wants to bite.
Lots and lots of local trips for trout.
I am sure I will get in some bass fishing somewhere and most certainly some Golden trout trips in the Wind Rivers.

I will go back to Colorado for elk again next year, back to the ranch that I have hunted for the last 20 years. Don't know about deer yet--both mule deer and whitetails are draw tags in New Mexico. The Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I will try for a Coues whitetail one more time. I was able to get around up in the mountains pretty well this year, so I reckon I should be able to do it again next year.

As far as the rifle goes, I am pretty determined to either buy or build one more. It will be a lightweight--either a 6.5-.284 or a .280 AI. If I get it done, I will probably carry it some on the elk hunt as well as on the deer hunt--but, I still need to kill a bull with the .338-.280 Howell that Ken gave me.

If your travels to CO take you through the 4 Corners area give me shout. Lunch is on me.

Well my plans have already been SKEWED !!

I HAD planned to hunt my 6mm & Swede. NOW I have a NEW to me Tikka T 3x in 7mm R M. I already have 2 loads that work good.
I «could » get a lb of Rl 22 or 26 to try BUT I have a stash of Surplus 4831 I need to decrease SOOO...

Now, I plan to start with the T 3, 7 Mag and then the 6mm, then the Swede. ? ? ?

What I might do is start with the 7, kill 1, then use the 6, kill one and then use the Swede. ? ?

There’s another possibility on the horizon..... so who knows ?

I might need help ?? I ain’t sure tho.

Jerry

I am in the process of rebarrelling a tang safety M77 to 7x64. The fact that I have a 7x57 and a .280 is beside the point. I have a few rifles chambered in European rounds and I thought the 7x64 would fit right in (6.5x55, 7x57, .303, 8x57 & 9.3x62). The barrel is stainless only because my gunsmith won't work with chrome moly so I will have to get it cerakoted. That will be a first for me. I am very traditional and like blued steel and walnut. The bluing on the old Ruger is just about 100% so I hope the cerakote finish can match the action. I should probably get the whole rifle cerakoted I suppose. It has turned into rather an expensive operation with having to order a reamer from the States. I'm getting it cut to 23 inches just because I don't have a 23 inch barrel rifle and plan to load 140 - 150gn bullets. I will start with the 150gn Ballistic Tips and my local powders (H4350 and H4831sc) and also Re19. I have a 20 year old Leupold M8 6x36 that will suit the old rifle.

Just to rub insult into injury, a Sako 85 in excellent condition, chambered in 7x64, has popped up on a local used gun site for about what this rebarrel job will cost. But I have already started the process so too late to pull out now. And somehow I think I'd rather have the old Ruger than a pretty Sako.

I haven't traveled to hunt deer in years. I live in a part of the world where people come from all over to hunt Coues whitetails and desert mule deer, and I have been hooked on hunting the little whitetails that live in our mountains ever since arriving here almost 30 years ago. However, I am thinking that I might try to plan a trip to eastern Nebraska this year. I kind of have an urge to try and shoot one more big farm-fed Nebraska whitetail before I have to quit.

My stepson's in-laws have a bunch of farm ground, and I have never visited without seeing a lot of deer moving around. I have wanted him to go with me. We used to hunt every year down here before he went off to grad school and met a Nebraska girl whom he married. However, he grew up on a ranch down here, prowling the mountains and glassing for whitetails and mulies. He hates to sit in a deer blind, which is pretty much the only way to hunt up there.

Maybe if I ask one more time he will make an exception for the old man and go with me this year. I hope so.

I'm hoping to pull a SD Black Hills tag this season. I'll be bringing my 7x57 M70 for sure. If my 6.5CM ever gets here I'll probably bring that as well. If not, the back up will be the RAR compact in .223 Rem.

Javelina and pigs in Texas in March.

Axis Deer in May

Nothing past that....yet....

May, Wyoming black bear hunt (again)
June/July, Texas exotics
Spring, Turkeys, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas
Fall/winter, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, deer
November, Wyoming deer (if I draw)
December, North Carolina deer and black bear.

My new Tundra will be working overtime.

Idaho spring bear - my son turns 10 and this will be his first big game hunt!
Idaho Deer Elk - playing guide for my son and maybe I get to pull a trigger after hes done.
Wyoming Antelope - applied for a tough draw unit so we will see.
Utah - In for everything, will draw nothing.

Forgot to mention September, Wyoming Antelope. But that's a tough draw, Area 50.

Pig hunting soon!!

September 15 .... I will be shooting video as my wife bow hunts deer in South East Missouri

October 6 .......... I will be shooting video as my wife hunts altelope and p-dogs in Eastern Colorado

November 3...... I will be hunting Mule deer in the mountains of Colorado

November 10...... I will be rifle hunting deer in North Missouri

November 17....... I will again be shooting video for my wife as she rifle hunts deer in Oklahoma

After all that's done I will have surgery on both of my eyes in early December