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September 29th, Deer archery season opens, hopefully after the football games & soccer games i'll be able to hit the woods for awhile.
To all the hunters out thier, be safe and have fun....
Ask any hunter this question, and you’ll get a different answer every time. We do it to bond with our family and friends. We do it for the intensity of the pursuit. We do it to feel closer to past generations. And we do it because when it’s on, there’s nothing like it in the world.
Hunting gets you out of your home or office and into the wilderness. It bridges generations. Take away the GPS, the digital camo, and other modern gear, and you’ve got an experience remarkably like those of your grandfather’s father. These days, that’s hard to find.
A challenge like no other
On a hunt, your senses are sharpened. Awareness of your surroundings is heightened. This is more than observing the environment – it’s active engagement. Hunting challenges the mind and the body. It demands skill, knowledge, and patience.
An important part of conservation
Hunting in the United States is highly regulated, which helps make it a safe, sustainable, and highly popular activity. The sale of hunting licenses, permits, and stamps provides much-needed funds to wildlife research and management programs. Hunters care about the environment — we know that without proper conservation, our wild spaces could be lost.
A role in ecological balance
Ohio hunters play a critical role in the control of deer and other animal populations, which are carefully studied by the Division of Wildlife. The length of hunting seasons and other regulations are directly related to the need to thin or extend species numbers in the state. Without the help of Ohio hunters, uncontrolled deer populations could devastate crops and create hazards to drivers on roads and highways throughout the state, to name just a few risks.
Why hunt in Ohio?
That’s an easy one. Ohio offers dense woods, sweeping grassy plains, miles of wetlands – and healthy populations of deer, birds, and other game that live within them. Hunters love it here because they’re often so successful.
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Very well put. Nothing like grabbing your gun/bow and busting some boot leather in the woods to find the game. I love getting to the stand, being still for a while and then listening to the woods come alive. I haven't hunted in a few years, but this thread makes me want to at least dust off the 10/22 and go get some squirrels.
Doesn't it make you sick to watch those hunting shows where they ride their 4 wheelers to a decked out, heated stand over a planted, baited field....and laugh and joke around sitting in comfortable chairs while trying to pick out which of the hundred deer in the field they're going to shoot?
"That 10 point is a little narrow in the beams, that other one 6 deer over is a little thicker....wait, his drop tine is cracked in the tip. Let's see what's in this other group coming over to the food plot".
Those idiotic shows have a whole generation of kids thinking that's what hunting's all about. Same with those fishing shows.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
#GMSTRONG
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Sad thing is, here NE Ohio where I live; we have been losing more and more green space to housing developments for suburbanites wanting to get further away from the city. More and more I'm seeing acre after acre being cleared for large cookie-cutter homes.
I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch......
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Why hunt deer? Well, not to be simplistic, but DANG it tastes good. Last year we didn't have the loins and backstraps off the deer more than 45 minutes when we threw 6 "steaks" on the grill - anyone that tastes that is going to want more.
We've had deer roast 3 times since last season. Great stuff, although re-heated later (leftovers) were not as good as beef roast leftovers.
We cube a bunch of the venison, can it with just a little salt, and we use that the same way people use ground beef......Fry it up to put in burritos, make deer and noodles, whatever.....tastes great!!!
I hope there's another one out there with my name on it this year. (but I don't bow hunt - for a number of reasons, the main ones being I don't have a bow, and if I did, I wouldn't put the time in to become proficient with it - so, no sense getting one)
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Quote:
Doesn't it make you sick to watch those hunting shows where they ride their 4 wheelers to a decked out, heated stand over a planted, baited field
LOL...you got that right....I 99.9% of the time bow hunt, i'll take the 12 gage out for a couple days but nothing like sitting in the stand with a bow, I have to walk 2-3 miles to get to a place i hunt, carring a back pack, bow, and sometimes a blind, so I've passed on a tree stand for the last couple years and have hunted from the ground, hunkered up beside a tree, it brings a whole new challenge...your down on the ground with the deer, movement needs to be very slow, ya learn alot about the instinks of a deer hunting on the ground. Those shows really dont show what huntings about, wonder when the last time one of those hunters on the show gutted thier own and drug it out of the woods, on a drag string. LOL
hopefully will get a good freeze or close to it this weekend and kill off a few mosquitos...LOL, cant wait to get back into the woods. 
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Call me crazy, but I'm not a "trophy" hunter. I also think the younger deer are more tender, which means better eating.....last year, 45 minutes after I went out, I had mine on the ground, gutting it. There were 4 running out in the field, about 200 yds. out. As I watched them running south, while I was looking east, I knew it was nothing more than me "seeing" them - no shot.
Lo and behold, in the middle of the field, they stop, pause, and head STRAIGHT at me. I get the gun up and sit perfectly still (I was on the ground, not up in a tree). They were coming BIG time - straight at me - and when a deer is running it's tough to shoot, but when it's running directly at you, it's almost impossible - they aren't wide enough to give you a shot.
As they got to about 30 yds. away I moved (well, I panicked, actually, thinking they might run over me). It was enough to get them to stop, they turned broadside, maybe 20 to 25 yds out, boom, down, cutting it up.
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Awww man why you have to go and say all of those things . Now I gotta bust out some of my last remaing bags of backstraps and grill em up. I hunt for all of threasons listed in the article but for me spending time with family and friends with no responsibilities pulling me away for the entire week of gun season. The Big Buck contests between us , laughing at the deer my Dad missed because he was asleep at the stand, moaning about how far you have to drag the one that you did get, listening to every detail again and again where everyone was at when you got Mr.Pointy or how they drove it to you  in order for you to bag it. Man what a great time it is no matter what the weather.
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hopefully will get a good freeze or close to it this weekend and kill off a few mosquitos...LOL, cant wait to get back into the woods.
And hopefully pushes them into rut a little faster this year; seems like its getting later and later every year before they get into it.
But I’m right there with you Clay; Pennsylvania’s starts the 29th as well. I bought a new bow this year and have been plugging away at the target for the last month and a half.
Its to the point now that I'd rather bow hunt than rifle. Most people I know can use a big ass scope and put down a deer; it takes a lot of practice and time using a bow.
Everyone has an opinion; few have the solution.
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LOL!! I had the same thing happen to me. Two deer got spooked and were running directly at me, I missed three shots, the last one was about twenty yards. I should have waited for them to turn. Man, did I take some verbal abuse over that one....the rest of the guys were at the truck on the other side of the field and saw the whole thing.
And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. - John Muir
#GMSTRONG
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Come on fess up. You hunt, so you have another excuse to get out of the house and drink beer while enjoying the piece and quiet 
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Quote:
Come on fess up. You hunt, so you have another excuse to get out of the house and drink beer while enjoying the piece and quiet
I know you weren't talking to me, but I have to reply. I have my wife believing that it takes 3 or 4 guys roughly 5 nights to skin and cut up a deer. We do it in my pole barn, and we milk it for all it's worth. Now, don't you go spreading this around, cause I and the guys would hate for our wives to know that it only takes a couple of hours. 
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Hell it use to take me five days to skin a squirell 
I AM ALWAYS RIGHT... except when I am wrong.
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Hell it use to take me five days to skin a squirell

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I don't hunt, I have no problem with hunters as long as they eat what they kill. I would like to see hunters make their own weapons and go out there with that. Turn a rock into an arrowhead, make a bow and go to town. Use what nature gives you. That is what hunting is to me. Man against animal. Use what nature gives you. Not some factory. Survival skills. I would think that you would be much more appreciative of the kill that way. Just my .02.
How in the world can you fix something... If you don't know how it's supposed to work?
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Well i don't deer hunt much anymore, but i've bagged a few. My hunt of choice is waterfowl. I really like being in the marsh before sun up.
There's something about looking out over a marsh with a clear moon lit night.
This yr i will be bringing my 5 yr old grandson with me. Of course he won't be hunting, but he will be enjoying the experiance. I get my joy now from hunting with my sons and now grandsons and sharing what i know and passing it on to them.
Most of the time i do all the calling and primarily just shot back up. I really enjoy calling. About the only time i really work at it is if the wife says it would be nice if you brought home a duck or goose for dinner this weekend.
But for me it's about spending time with my sons and grandsons. That's why i hunt.
nordawg
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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i never got why hunters go to great lengths (tree stand, doe-in-heat urine, camo, ect... i can drive down any country road in TN/KY/OH, almost hit a dear, stop get out, shoot him in the face.
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shoot him in the face.

Been toying with the idea of getting a bow and going after feral pigs here. Doubt if i ever get around to it though......but you can never tell with the lure of the bacon. 
#gmstrong
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I enjoy that first sip of coffee on a frosty morning, be in in a blind, stand, or just sitting under a tree. Listening to the quit and watching the rising sun crest the horizon.
There is a solitude and sense of anticipation that is hard to find in any other circumstance.
It is almost like being 5 years old again sitting on the living room floor at 4am on Christmas morning, staring at the presents Santa laid out, in total silence for fear of awaking your parents.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn. GM Strong
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I enjoy that first sip of coffee on a frosty morning, be in in a blind, stand, or just sitting under a tree. Listening to the quit and watching the rising sun crest the horizon.
There is a solitude and sense of anticipation that is hard to find in any other circumstance.
It is almost like being 5 years old again sitting on the living room floor at 4am on Christmas morning, staring at the presents Santa laid out, in total silence for fear of awaking your parents.
Well put, well put....There is nothing like it,
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i never got why hunters go to great lengths (tree stand, doe-in-heat urine, camo, ect... i can drive down any country road in TN/KY/OH, almost hit a dear, stop get out, shoot him in the face.
theres really no skill in in running a deer over with your car, and have you ever seen the damage a deer can do to your car, so when it's all said & done what we spend on cammo, bows, you spend of car repair & insurance.
I do hear alot of people say i'll wait & get a deer after it's been hit by a car, well that can be ok, but keep a few things in mind, 1. Bone splinters, when a car hits a deer it crushs the bones and these tiny pices of bone can get into your meat. 2. when you hit a deer some of the meat can get ruined becuase the intestines rupture and go all over the meat, or the bladder / stomach ruptures and runs all over the meat, among other grass, dirt ect that can get into the meat during a wreak. So if you know what to look for or what your doing than go for it, but if not, you may wanna stay clear of hit deer.
One must be 200 yards off the road to legally shoot a deer, so stepping out of your car and firing away can get ya in a little bit of trouble. Not saying I've never done it in my wild young age, but just to let ya know.
and really to me it's not totally about the weapon, gagets , (Which I dont use & i have old deer antlers for rattlers) or even getting a deer every year, its about the chase, the moment of truth, how the hunt unfolds, it's sitting hunkered up to a tree in October with the sun coming up, red, gold, green, brown, orange leaves all around, squirrels running around a silent woods, sitting there still for 3-4 hours and hearing that snap, & russel in the distance followed by a snort, seeing two antlers moveing in the brush coming your way and you know he had no clue your there, than it's you against him, and your in his house... 
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hopefully will get a good freeze or close to it this weekend and kill off a few mosquitos...LOL, cant wait to get back into the woods.
Me and my son went out for squirrel on opening day(Sept 10 and holy crap the mosquitos were horrible. We have had a few nights in the 40s recetnyl so I am hoping they are dying down. I think we are going to go out again next weekend.
Any good tips for a beginner??
KING
You may be in the drivers seat but God is holding the map. #GMSTRONG
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It is almost like being 5 years old again sitting on the living room floor at 4am on Christmas morning,
Man, that is so true. I can't even sleep the night before the season opens and in the morning I am so tired that I have trouble not nodding off. It also never ceases to amaze me how peaceful the woods really are. I go to West Virginia every other year and it is almost a spiritual feeling for me to be in the deep woods that haven't changed all that much in the last 500 years. If you don't hunt then these posts will not make much sense to you but if you do then I'm sure you've smiled at alot of the things we hunters say...and to think we haven't even started stretching the truth yet about all of the big ones that we should have bagged. 
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Any good tips for a beginner??
My son & I would plant ourselves about 20 yards from a big old big barked hickory tree, Old hickory tress are squirrels favorates, not only do they love the nuts but they can burrow in the bark and live, We'd get thier before sun up and hunker up against a tree as the sun came up so did the squirrels, we'd positon ourselves early to where we could shoot without having to move to much, those darn squirrels are sharp to movement, I use to kid my son, he saved up money and got a squirrel call, he used that thing around the house and I kept making fun of him, telling him that thing will scare away squirrels not pull them in, well we went out one day and he took the call and that darn thing woke up squirrles and they all came running to see what it was, we had 6 each within 2 hours....I ate crow all season for that...So if ya can hit wall mart and get a cheep squrriel call you use your mouth with....Man squirrllen with a .22 on a saturday morning...thats fun..Let me know how ya do 
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i understand all the things you stated clay. just making the point that some hunters take it pretty far as if it were extremely difficult or something
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Quote:
Any good tips for a beginner??
I don't know ... don't use a bow and arrow? 
I've never actually hunted, but my "camping resume" would probably surprise you. I've made shelters out of everything from trees, to sticks to snow caves. I've taken classes on how to shoot both bows and rifles. I've skinned, gutted and cooked my own fish before. Heck I'm an Eagle scout ... but never have taken the time to go hunting.
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So if ya can hit wall mart and get a cheep squrriel call you use your mouth with....
I have one. Last pring at the sportsman how I bought one. Its not the mouth type though its the type you hold in your hand and hit the littlle accordian looking thing on the end. I am not letting my son shoot yet so I told him for now his job is to be my eyes and ears and do the call when I tell him too. Hes been so excited all summer he has been out in the front yard calling all the squirrels in the neighborhood. I am kind of hoping to get a few next time out because I dont want him to lose interest. Thanks for the tips
KING
You may be in the drivers seat but God is holding the map. #GMSTRONG
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I've never actually hunted, but my "camping resume" would probably surprise you. I've made shelters out of everything from trees, to sticks to snow caves. I've taken classes on how to shoot both bows and rifles. I've skinned, gutted and cooked my own fish before. Heck I'm an Eagle scout ... but never have taken the time to go hunting.
I have a few friends that are exactly like that, and thats cool, we both enjoy the same thing, being outside in the woods, enjoying nature, there's times when i hit the woods without a gun or bow, just head back to enjoy the qiet and check out deer tracks, movement, migration paths, but mostly to get away. when I was younger I was in the cub scout, but they kicked me out for eating Brownies....LOL..I know you've heard that before
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My Dad and I have been scouting areas for a month or so now around Erie. Game lands 161, 163, and 143... a couple private spots, etc. This is my first year hunting and my Dad hasn't hunted in 20 years. Just sighted in my new savage key hole stock .270 and savage long barrell .22. Bought them in the summer with my Browns season tix money. The drive to Cleveland and the performance on the field just wasn't worth it anymore to us. So we decided to spend the money on a new hobby, and watching the games on TV w/ the ticket. Going out in the woods and walking around looking for rubs, tracks, dropping, beds, hickory/oak trees, etc has been great so far. Actually would have had a nice doe the other day. Also while spotting from the car the other night we saw 4 deer... were doing our homework right now for the following months. Got some spots we want to try and some others that we don't. For me the best part is getting in the woods with my Dad listening to all his stories of hunting as young man.
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I am kind of hoping to get a few next time out because I dont want him to lose interest.
That is soo cool, that right there is what hunting is all about, my son's a jounoir now and between work, girlfirend, ect we dont go out as much as we use too, but we still talk about things that happened when we went, funny things that happened, squirrels we shot, it's all about being together, and let me tell ya make time to go, because time goes fast. well get out for some deer bow hunting and maybe shot gun a couple days, but we'd go alot when he was young, now he's got other intrests and other commitments, he's growing up.
when my Son & daughter were around 5 or 6 I took them out hunting and quickly realized chances were any animal we hunted was gonna see a 5 -6 year old boy & Girl that cant sit still, so I didnt consintrate on the shooting part, we'd walked around checked out under logs, under stones, i'd make them sit and be quiet so they could hear the sounds of the woods, I ask after about 5 minutes, what did ya hear they'd say something was knocking, I'd tell them that a red headed wood pecker, or did ya hear the turkeys, ect, the sounds were cool but they didnt mean much to him at that age, but my son & daughter & I were talking a couple weeks ago about bow season and they both said dad ya know I cant wait to get out to the woods to hear it...They remember, they even brought up times when we sat in the woods deer hunting and laughted about things so loud and all day there was no chance a deer was come around, he said looking back it wasnt about getting a deer was it, They know, enjoy the time, squirrels and big bucks come & go every season, but the one thing that will always stay is the momories you and your kids make. 
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For me the best part is getting in the woods with my Dad listening to all his stories of hunting as young man.
your a bright young man...Thats what hunting is all about...good luck, let me know how ya do.... 
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It's pretty hard for me to get out and be "one with nature" these days. First I live in San Diego ... so it's like a good hour drive to get to anything that resembles nature, another hour drive to get to anything that resembles actual trees, and another couple hours to drive past the state line where I can actually do some true camping without a permit.  Plus there's the whole wife and kids thing now, which prevents pretty much everything.  I always thought I'd be a good candidate to sneak onto the Survivor show. I could sell myself as a "city boy from San Diego" who works as a computer scientist. I'm sure they'd love it that I'm a city-dwelling computer nerd ... but then a quick background check would probably reveal my history as a kid growing up in Ohio and Idaho, learning every survival skill on the way to becoming an Eagle scout ... and they'd blacklist me in a second. 
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For me the best part is getting in the woods with my Dad listening to all his stories of hunting as young man.
AMEN Brother ! All too soon the time will come , at least for me, when the old man won't be around so I cherish the hunting that we do. My wife actually wants to go hunting squirell with me...we'll see how that works.
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I actually bought my Ohio Hunting license 2 weeks ago. I'll be driving up Thanksgiving day to stay with my Dad in Strongsville. We're planning on sitting in the woods with our bows and then hitting the gun season for a few days. Been looking forward to this all year long.
Been too long since dad and I got into the woods together. He keeps telling me about the 10 pointer he got last year. Heh, I told him to plan on filling the freezer this year too.
KeysDawg
The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. - Carl Sagan
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My wife actually wants to go hunting squirell with me...we'll see how that works.
LOL....I took my girlfriend out to the range with me once and let her shoot my .22 Now thats all I hear, She's a heck of a shot & loves it, She couldnt shoot a squirrel if she had to but it's fun having her out thier.....ONCE AND AWHILE......
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