Any Hunters

[Horse]

General hunting season over here,was wondering if any hunters had good luck ,on here besides sheepwheat. I didnt get any draws so just whitetail deer ,got 2 ,I realy like a deer steak cooked over a wood fire ,we can get 3 tags, seems to be a lot of deer and quite a few moose around. Now I guess its time to go fishing the water is hard enough.
Very little for chores and with pandemic going to be a long winter,looking for something to do.

[Guest]

They’re having another elk season here in Jan if tag not filled
Lots got moose around here
Have never saw so many deer , must be at the peak of their cycle

[woodland]

I don’t do any hunting myself but the usual guys on our place got 2 moose, three elk, and 6 deer that I know of. Probably way more than that got taken since more guys trespass than ask permission. Never seen so much wildlife and hunters at the same time.

How thick is the ice? I haven’t checked but with the snow cover and warmer temps I’d be leery. Should do some ice fishing here this winter as the kids are old enough now to enjoy it.

[Sheepwheat]

Gotta keep the thread alive. Just an observation regarding populations of wildlife. One has to b careful to not have backyarditis in this regard. I have a new hay field this year, and if that is all you looked at, you would think the deer numbers were a record. The truth is, that deer were moving hell and high water to get to this field, as they preferred it to anything around, five year old hay land wasn’t good enough.

It also of course depends on the habitat blend. Animals need cover, travel corridors, feed, etc. If those things are missing, it is simply coincidental if one sees wildlife. Animals LIVING in an area, is different from simply being seen there.

If someone drove a certain road, and a herd of fifty elk happened to cross in front of them, they could easily think that the area was thick with elk. In fact, it just happened that the elk were on one of their long three week long loops, and just happened to be there, and be seen.

The more one hunts, the more one learns about animal behaviour and patterns. And every year it is different I swear!

A good example is coyotes. I see coyotes once in a while, sure. But the actual population ALWAYS turns out much, much higher in reality, once you start snaring them.

Bottom line, is it is ridiculous how much life an area can sustain. It is equally ridiculous how many complete dead zones there are getting to be, where wildlife simply doesn’t exist anymore. Went to town to buy up all the soya sauce, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke to make a million pounds of deer jerky, and guess what? Another six or eight acre bush and old yard site is down. Never will there be diddly for wildlife there again and forevermore. Just the way it works. When they next ask for permission to hunt, they will get a loud laugh from me. At the rate bush is going down, I will soon own the only habitat left. Which is bad, because relying on one small area to sustain the diversity of wildlife is dangerous.

And I’m talking not just big game. Songbirds, rabbits, squirrels, weasels, there is a huge impact. And same for plant life that can sustain, the hazelnuts the many berry varieties, the mushrooms, the myriad of other potential human life sustaining free food that is out there.

Ack, now I’m talking to much again. But when your passionate...

[Horse]

There was 7to8in ice last week I walked out 50to75 yds all was good but no fish,only stayed 1/2 hr as wind came up.Try again tomorrow if wind stays away.
Yea its a shame every little bit of brush has to go but I guess when you own it you can do as you like ,mabey if life would have taken a different twist I may have crashed all my bush also,as is I get more enjoyment from my trees than I would get growing more crops.