The official 2012 deer hunting thread.

[Chopped54]

Shot too far back or just a tough sob?

Tough SOB, we were finding lung where he had been coughing it up....

[dee]

Tough SOB, we were finding lung where he had been coughing it up....

That sucks, I've pretty much switched to Accubonds and started breaking shoulders for that very reason.

[jyro]

I hunt at San Saba and it's all grown up

There it was a wet spring, 4' of growth everywhere. we will have to mow to see under the feeders. The deer won't have to move anywhere to eat. If there is a fire, it will be bad. Usually it's scrub brush and sand or rocks, right now, you can't even see the ground.

[Saleen781]

I haven't been since 2009, when I lost my 660 acre lease in W TX. Got a buddy that runs a 14k acre ranch outside of Granbury and he said if the herd is decent he'll let me take a cull buck. His culls are like trophy to me, he's had a breeding program out there for years and his bucks are incredible. good hogs too, and ive even seen a large covey of quail....from an old Beretta shoot years ago. Somehow they've survived and have grown huge.

[Sleeper]

I lost a doe that way last year. All the blood that was on the ground i dont see how she made it. I didnt pressure her at all. She went and layed down in a alfalfa field. I went home and waiting until dark, a good 12 hours. That bitch waited until dark and hobbled a 1000 yards back to the wildlife refuge. Never found her, but she is still alive and i see her daily.

I drilled her shoulder with a 308 under a 100 yard shot. Only problem was some messed up scope mounts made it hit high and left of poa.

That bitch should have died.

[Pewter Y2K Z28]

F deer season, dove season is less than a month away!!

[Sleeper]

Oh im all over dove too, but i dont have access to a hunting ranch like you do for deer and all the other fun stuff.

[dee]

We've been seeing tons of white wings up this way hopefully they stick around. Hoping I'll have another shotgun to try out as well when season rolls around.

[Sleeper]

It was a hard hunt last year for dove. The cold snaps drove them south. This year they are everywhere. It should be easy as cake to limit out every day.

I also applied for a permit to hunt a piece of land for deer this year that two state records have came from.

[Roscoe]

Anyone have a lease they are willing to give up for a weekend hunt for 2 people? If so, where, what size is it, and how much??

[Sleeper]

Ill let you shoot a couple does in Kansas. No bucks tho i am greedy for a few years

[Silverback]

I've got three places for dove in south Texas, my dad's house which is 40ish acres, .5 miles out if the city limits, in Petronia we have 10+ acres of grain farm as part of a large family plot of well over a couple hundred acres, and in Agua Dulce our family land is leased to a farmer to farm, and I dont think anyone has hunted it in 10 years. I used to go all the time in high school after school.

The biggest problem is its 6-7 hours away. But I'll be down there for opening day this year for sure.

[Roscoe]

Ill let you shoot a couple does in Kansas. No bucks tho i am greedy for a few years

Your generosity overfloweth...

[Sleeper]

Come work for me a year and ill let you shoot a buck. They cost me about 5k a year at the least in damage.

Plus i only have 4-5 bucks but 40-60 does depending on the cold of the winter.

[Gtracer]

So I have a question and do not want to hijack so if someone has a simple reply then maybe this wont sidetrack the topic.

I have an offer to go deer hunting this season and I have never been. Growing up my dad went hunting but I was never old enough and they did not trust me with a gun. Well, my stepfather has some land up around Amarillo and offered to take me with him this season for rifle hunting. He has several rifles I can chose from but I see this as an opportunity to go out and buy myself one, only problem is, too many to chose from.

I know the standard calibers i.e.: .308, .270, 30-06...etc but am not sure what caliber would be best for medium to long range hunting. He has plenty of land so distance is not something to worry about but I do have about a $500 budget so I am assuming used will be my best bet.

I see a lot on THF that come with scopes and bi-pods already for decent "package" deals but as stated before, not sure what caliber would be best without 'overkill'. Any advice is appreciated, I would ask him but I guess this is my way of learning something without letting people know I dont know...lol