The deer.
Just getting ready to start cutting it up. I have the workmate handy, just in case I need to have a place to put my coffee cup.
I have finally reached equilibrium on my gear.
I have discovered that no matter how much money I spend on camo clothes, none of them are warm enough. I’ve bought some pretty spendy stuff but it’s all more or less the same, and I’m damned if I’m gonna spend $400 on a jacket I wear fifteen days a year.
So here’s the routine:
Layer 0
Underwear, teeshirt (long sleeve).Knee length purple socks (trust me on this)
Layer 1
Longhandled underwear (I prefer silk, seems to work best). Sweatshirt. Long cotton socks, underwear tucked in socks
Layer 2
Tight fitting jeans. Longsleeve oxford shirt. Long cotton socks, jeans tucked in socks
Layer 3
Camo pants (or loose fitting jeans). Day-Glo orange hoodie
Sorel boots. Carhartt coat.
I have gloves like these and a dayglo balaclava that round out the ensemble, and I carry a Jon-E warmer.
This allows me to sit perfectly quietly in the most miserable damned cold. I was like this friday, and if I have on three pairs of socks I’ve found that I only have to keep my fingertips warm to stay warm, and I was doing fine. I saw a couple of deer wander out of the treeline and RUN through the crunchy crusted snow to get to the end of the field directly in front of me, and I took off my gloves. I held the cold rifle in my now-naked hands, and rested it on the rail in front of me. I started to get cold toes, and I immediately had to pee.
But the deer was there, in front of me. SO I sighted, and waited.
I learned that I hate chasing after wounded animals, and you can shoot the heart clean out of an animal and it will run a half a mile, I witnessed this with my own eyes a handful of times. So i tend to try to shoot the spine out. No animal will move with his nervous system unplugged. I sight in on the spot above the sholder and drop him. He’s gone by the time I climb out of the stand, and I start breathing again. I apologize to him for not making it more instantaneous, and for the suffering he had, and glad that it’s over, I start dragging him back to where I can get him with the truck.
And now I have to put him in the freezer.
Here’s a pic.
21 comments Og | Uncategorized
Yep, thoughts of deer jerky and sausage are still running through my brain.
These coveralls rock to about 10 degrees above 0. Haven’t tried them below yet and hopefully won’t have to.
Shit, forgot the link. Fucking Alzheimer’s…
http://www.dickies.com/wc2/product.asp?cat=101&type=D&styd=TV251BD&pdscr=TV251+ARCTIC+SHIELD+COVERALL
I usually make lung shots; couple of inches behind the front shoulder. I’ve never had an animal take more than one step before dropping, and have never had to finish one when reaching it. Rifle hunting I use an ’06, pistol hunting a 44mag Super Blackhawk. All of our deers are mulies, so they are usually fairly stout deer.
It’s odd how the brain can come up with so many distractions during the moment of truth.
Good shootin’ there mighty hunter!
The dickeys are almost the same as the Carharrts, and both excellent cold weather gear.
A buddy has a vest that is electrically heated, with a rechargable battery. IIRC, he told me that it’ll run 4-6 hours, maybe more, on a charge. The heating surface is on your kidneys, so it tends to keep you quite comfy. His daughter got it for him for Christmas a year or 2 ago, and he loves it. Dunno what store carries it, though.
‘Way back before I was born, when Dad would take long motorcycle trips anywhere in any weather, he had a set of wool socks with heating elements that ran off 6v lantern batteries. I don’t remember for sure, but I think he made some leads for them that allowed him to keep the batteries in the saddle bags. He said they worked well. Might do in a deer stand as well.
Good job on the deer, Og.
I’ve got a friend that hunts East Texas deer with a .45-70. He says he blew the heart on frontal shot of a deer in Michigan with a 7mm mag and still had to track it down. He’s had much better luck with the .45-70. He says it may look like overkill but he’s getting too old to thrash about looking “dead” deer that have run away.
Good for you. I take it the suggestions about your muzzle-loader worked.
That’s one thing I miss about where I came from. My BIL was an inveterate hunter who applied for every zone and every season in a three state area around him, and usually brought home several deer per season. He always shared with family members.
I did have a consultant for a while who hunted, and I occasionally got a taste of his kills.
For all the shooting I do, hunting is just not something I’ve done much of. One of these years I have to hook up with a hunter who knows this area and learn the craft.
Just curious Og, why the little buck and not a doe?
This does it for me in COLD weather:
A hand warmer in each mitt and adhesive toe warmers in each boot.
Cheap and effective. Amazing how just the little warmth from those tiny warmers will stave off the shakes.
I don’t care how many times my Hunt Club pals call me a pussy. Warmers are worth it and I ALWAYS stay on stand longer than any of those “he-men”.
Rdennis, that’s what wandered into my line of sight first. I wasn’t waiting for a second chance.
Lose the cotton socks and replace with wool, and you might not need so many layers. Cotton can kill you.
Nice deer!
I have had bad luck with wool.
I use silk then cotton then top layer and aint too bad, even the wind don’t get thru. If your pants are right you can wear tops and bottoms in silk and cotton and be down right toasty.
There is a part of me that is laughing at the likes of people who, when Og is telling you, “With all of my testing, X works for me.” Come back with, “NO, you need to try Y, it is better. It does everything X does AND takes out the trash.”
I mean, it isn’t like he is asking for advice or help solving a problem keeping warm…
Why don’t you take the hide off the animal in the field neanderpundit?
I always thought of Sorels as a necessary evil. They are warm but hell to walk in if you have any distance to cover. Mine would always peel off my socks and they would wad up int he to of the boot.
You should take more pictures so us old guys can appreciate them. I had the best time of my life out freezing in the bush or ice fishing. Back in those days we always had a flask of poison to keep our bones warm when Jack Frost was up to no good.
I like to leave the hide and tallow on as it hangs, and i was able to hang him for a couple of days. Keeps the meat better, keeps it from drying out too much too fast.
I’ve some more pics I’ll post later this morning.
Well I’ll be damned.
IN Our gang we always got the hide off right after field dressing because we were taught that it is best to keep the animal as cool as possible. We also cut the legs off at the knee because apparently their are stink glands or something that can taint the meat.
I never thought about it, I just accepted it as gospel and did it that way all those years because that is what everyone did. Mind you we didn’t do much with deer, they got ground up into burger and sausage. We only bothered with the cuts on moose and elk.
This is all good stuff.
skin on, hang by the heels, and slice it up when it has hung for a day or so. At least at this time of the year you can let it hand.
I’m a big fan of the toast toes line of stuff. Chemical heaters that you can put inbetween layers to have heat in stratigic places.
I understand the first thing you see. I think I will get out with the bow maybe the day after Christmas. Then I have some tags for late shotgun. Maybe have one or two deer to give to worthy receiptients.
Ho, Ho, Ho.