[SWO1]

Went this morning and cleaned it out. Amazing how much can pile up over the summer. Squirrels, Mice, Chipmonks, birds, insects, ect. Checked out the fields of fire with a new do-dad I picked up at Acadamey Sports. Its a rifle rest that goes over a window sill or stand rail. My stand has 5.5" wide sills so had to make a rail from 2X4 to have it sit right. Here is the .35 and its just the right height from my swivel seats. The sill was a little to low. I have two of em made, one for each seat.

 

[greyhawk50]

Great idea. A country boy can survive. And make due when the need arises.

I see that you put T Blocks on each end. Wouldn't want the recoil of that monster .35 to rip the 2X4 off the sill. wink - wink.

 

[hombre243]

I got a new ladder stand and didn't get it up in time...now my deer season is over. Maybe I can use t for coyotes.

 

[SWO1]

I got a new ladder stand and didn't get it up in time...now my deer season is over. Maybe I can use t for coyotes.

..... sorry bout that hombre. Is the season over already in Iowa ?? or just for you ... ?

 

[SWO1]

Great idea. A country boy can survive. And make due when the need arises.

I see that you put T Blocks on each end. Wouldn't want the recoil of that monster .35 to rip the 2X4 off the sill. wink - wink.

I can slide the gun way back in the rest and brace my shoulder against the back wall ...... That should keep it from doing any damage to the stand ......

 

[hombre243]

..... sorry bout that hombre. Is the season over already in Iowa ?? or just for you ... ?

Over for me...unless I can travel into unknown territory to hunt in less than prime counties.

I had an early muzzleloader tag and hunted 4 of the 9 days. But the best tags are sold out. I think the late muzzleloader and late shotgun seasons are still available but I usually don't try (anymore) to get those tags because my little gitmobile just hates snow. I tried the first year I bought it (2008) and used those cable chains on the tires. Worked like a charm until the cables broke and almost tore my front fenders off my new car.

So I just settle for what I get in the first season. Makes me want to head to a warmer clime. But I hate moving and I cannot afford high priced non res tags.

 

[SWO1]

Turns out I'm a week early .... Regular season opens the 15th of Nov, and not this Saturday. And the temps were gonna be JUST RIGHT starting tomorrow. Oh well, time for more leaves to get off. Maybe it will snow by then, I hope so.

Not seeing many deer out in the fields like last year. A bumper crops of acorns this year so they are staying in the timber ..... thats good for me. Same pattern by others in the area also.

 

[SWO1]

With another week till THE DAY .... took the chain saw and cleared out some sprouts and small trees in the deer harvesting area. One tree I had been meaning to take out for a few years now ..... its gone. More leaves gone today and can see real good from the stand. Also took off some low hanging limbs on the edges that were creeping out into the main shooting area. Now I need to go back and put up some more yardage markers. They come in handy.

 

[SWO1]

Preperations for Saturday will continue today. Will break out the Blades and sharpen em all up. Also will run down and get our land owner tags (free). Will have to buy Carson (the oldest) an any deer tag and a doe tag as he hunts with a buddy at his place, and here he is next door at a stand over there. The Bawana huts with me as he dorked around all year and didnt get his required hunting class to be able to hunt alone. He had it scheduled twice and didnt make it both times.

Also will break out the containers from back of the closet with all the hunting garb, Orange coats, hats, insulated under garmets, gloves, scarfs, those great full feet heating pads. I picked up a whole box (24 pairs) at Wally Mart as soon as they came in a few weeks ago. With insulated boots they work great. If my head, feet and fingers stay warm Im good for all day. The propane tank is full for the double burner heater in the deer stand.

This is better than Christmas .......

 

[SWO1]

Have the tags. Sharpened up the knives.

bottom is my Old Timer lock blade. Had it for 40 years. Cleaned a lot of deer, turkey, squirrel and Rabbit. It carbon steel. Takes a little more to put on a good edge but holds one longer than stainless. The Gut Hook blade, stainless but only used for opening the body cavity without nicking guts. A pair of Western blades, medium and small, again carbon steel. A cheap pair of made in China I got with something I bought for free, you get what you pay for, stainless edge may last for 1 small deer. My hand saw that I use to break open the sternum of deer without dulling my knives.

While getting the tags at the station down the road the two brothers who run a gravel hauling and fertlizer business there also told me they had picked up another 110 acres that run in back of me. Said I was welcome to hunt it if I wanted. That gives me about 280 acres of timber right in back of me, with another 580 across the road. I will probably stay in my stand kind of right in the middle of it all as a lot of them seem to travel thu there.

 

[greyhawk50]

Thanks for sharing. I love to share in others pleasures when it comes to deer season. I haven't hunted deer for a few years now.
Kinda lost the desire to kill things although I still love the idea of the hunt. Getting permission to hunt any good properties around here is not easy. Some of the better properties have either been leased or bought for private use.
My son had stated that he wanted to hunt with me this year but when the time got near he kinda backed off. I'm thinking that he and his 2 buddies have reduced the herd numbers over the past 3-4 years at the 3 spots that they have and don't want the extra pressure right now??? There are a couple properties that I used to hunt but the results were poor at best due to size or pressure.
Unless something pops up, I'll be glad to enjoy your stories as long as you keep posting them.
Thanks and I wish you much success.

 

[SWO1]

I feel bad for you and those that have a hard time finding a place to hunt. Everybody around here has their own and even tho I have been invited to hunt other properties Im lucky that I have my own place. Most of the 'Not locals' hunt the conservation land, 2 tracks of 3000+ acres each. Lots of games there but I would rather not put up with unknown people and their methods/habits.

Most who hunt the big open fields say they arnt seeing as many deer as last year. But those of us who hang out in the timber are seeing MORE than last year. Bumper crop of acorns this year so they arnt venturing out into the open.

Noticed this week most all the soy bean fields are being combined so might be some out in those. Corn is long gone and the stalks have been combined for silage and fields turned over.

As you stated its all about the hunt and not the shooting. You can sit there for hours, and days without seeing anything and its ENJOYABLE. Then from out of nowhere there they are ....... Shooting one has become almost an Anti-climax.

 

[SWO1]

Carson, the oldest said last night he is gonna hunt on our property Saturday. Will put him in the East STand. Its 20' up and has sides and a top. Swivel seat and the rails are padded. Went up a little bit ago and checked out the view. Im a thinkin for this location the .35 Rem would be a better gun than the .308. It isnt as open as the others and most lanes are 50-60 yards. Here are the four views from it.

1. to the South: Off to the right and up about 200 yards is a pond. To the left a little is an open field, again about 200 yards thru the timber.

2. To the East is the longest lane. Nothin but over a hundred Acres of Timber that direction, but there are lanes i have brush hogged.

To the North: A good game trail that leads to the Deer condo about 1/4 mile away.

To the West: A clear lane with a pond at the end, about 80 yards long. They like to cross about 60 yards up.

I have taken deer at all four points, The two biggest bucks ever in the South and East.

 

[Bucky]

SWO1

Have you got a Lansky Sharpening system, or something similar ?
That system is awesome, and it you follow the instructions correctly, then all knives remain "spot on", except for the ones I do for SWMBO. they all only remain sharp for 1 week.
Dunno what she does, but she is good at it (hehehehehe)

Cheers
Bucky

 

[SWO1]

SWO1

Have you got a Lansky Sharpening system, or something similar ?
That system is awesome, and it you follow the instructions correctly, then all knives remain "spot on", except for the ones I do for SWMBO. they all only remain sharp for 1 week.
Dunno what she does, but she is good at it (hehehehehe)

Cheers
Bucky

I have an 8" motor with 5/8" arbors on each end. Use the Grizzley Sharpening Wheels. One is a wheel with embedded REAL FINE grit. The other is a stropping wheel that is dressed with their rouge. The Wheels last about 3 years. The kitchen knives and her sissors need resharpining about every 10 days. they are all crappy stainless. A set of wheels with dressing is about $30. The Real Good wheels used by the pros run about $90 each.