Anybody planning any interesting hunts for the next year?

[mannyspd1]

Brant and Rdnck,

How are those Texas buff hides compared to hides from further north? Do they still get a "winter coat"?

Manny

[rdnck]

Manny--I really can't give an answer to that except to say that I honestly don't know. My guess would be the farther north you go, the better the hair would be. Speculating again, I would think that they would be better in the winter that the summer for a given latitude. Shoot straight, rdnck.

[Dan O]

Scott I was at Big Timber and saw Kate sitting in the rack. Pictures don't do her justice she is purty in person.
I was in there a day after rdnk was there. Been there a couple of times since also. When your in the neighborhood ya just gotta stop and say hi.
Dan

[Scott Tschirhart]

I don't get up there very often. But I always enjoy the people I get to see while I am there!

I'll let you know next time I get a chance to visit, I was being kind of irresponsible in June and decided to chase around the country a bit.

[mannyspd1]

Rdnck,

I have been reading the first two volumes of the Encyclopedia of Buffalo Hunters/Skinners, and the old time buff hunters talk about the differences in hides depending on the time of the year (winter vs. summer) but so far, I haven't found anything about the quality of the hides being different between the Southern and Northern herds. I am just curious if there is or not...let me know if you find out!

Manny

[Brant Selb]

[quote="mannyspd1"]Brant and Rdnck,

How are those Texas buff hides compared to hides from further north? Do they still get a "winter coat"?

Manny[/quote]

Manny,

I'm not sure how the TX coats compare with the Northern Plains winter coats. I lived in West TX for awhile and it got cold enough in the winter that without a "winter coat" a buff would probably freeze, I know that I damn near did!

Brant

[Chris J. Flynn]

This is actually about a hunt I WON'T be taking -- I'd be laughing too hard. Despite living in Northern California, I've never pursued the wild pigs that inhabit the foothills near my home, but have heard of their rather fearsome reputation when cornered/wounded. So when in Belgium recently, I was rather skeptical about an invitation from a local game keeper/forester to accompany him on his nightly rounds to "manage" the wild boars that are hunted on a former royal preserve, especially when the "management" included a couple of tubs of feed corn in the back of his jeep. Soon, however, we entered a forest meadow and were greeted by a herd of about 100 pigs, including a couple of sizeable boars with great ugly tusks sticking out of their mouths. Next thing I know, we're out scattering the corn amongst the flock, tickling the ears of the cute (striped, no less) babies and kneeing the boars out of the feed buckets so the rest of the crew can get their share. These "wild" pigs were less obnoxious than a lot of domestic swine I've seen, although I was assured by the game keeper that they can indeed get nasty when shot, but even the big boars didn't mind having their ears scratched!! These pigs were true European wild boars, not feral hogs, but it's easy to see how our ancestors managed to tame down and domesticate the line into what we see as the "other white meat" today. I'd have been tempted to adopt one of the little porkers if I hadn't seen what Daddy grows into. The pigs, by the way, are eventually shot by a local count (really) and his friends who own the preserve, but having scratched their ears, I think shooting the pigs might bring to mind the shooting of corralled bottle-fed bison. Given what's happened to hunting rights in most of Europe, I will treasure the rights and lands we enjoy on our side of the pond as long as they continue to be available. Bests, Chris Flynn

[rdnck]

Tell you what, Chris. I'll furnish the bottle and the milk so you can feed these bison. Just give me some notice so I can sell tickets to the event. rdnck.

[mdeland]

I'm thinking about a float hunt again this year. As I get older this appeals to me all the more as it's a great time of year to be on the water, eating out of my dutch oven and letting the raft do the work of hauling meat.
Been thinking about maybe taking another blacky this fall for the meat claws, teeth , oil and hide. Moose will be the main critter to get but I always have the mixed feelings when they go down of glad for the meat and oh my what a load of work ahead.
I have killed two in the water in swamps and that is a bad deal anyway you want to tell it. Ideally close to the river bank and early in the day gets my vote.
I don't use a single shot or BP for hunting here in AK as it doesn't make much sense to me in bear country. The tang and globe sights on my competition rifles are no good for it at all especially in the rain and fog.
I used a .338 mag for years until recently switching to a .280/.338 imp Mauser and synthetic stock I made up to my liking. I have a 1x4 Luepold quick detachable scope and flip up peep underneath. I like the 210 grain Nosler partition for all around hunting.
I just plain like rafting and camping so when we do get a moose which is not to often anymore since the 50 inch rule, it is a real bonus. MD

[Brant Selb]

[quote="rdnck"]Tell you what, Chris. I'll furnish the bottle and the milk so you can feed these bison. Just give me some notice so I can sell tickets to the event. rdnck.[/quote]

rdnck

Why don't you send him out a little corn so he can practice some of his hand feeding on some of the wild pigs a little south of Redding; I suspect he'll be doing his bottle feeding with the stubs where his hands used to be. I already bought my ticket for the bison feeding event, just have him there about the first week in Dec. I was gonna volunteer to bring the popcorn, but he'll want that to hand feed the pigs with!

Brant

[Chris J. Flynn]

I have no illusions about the demeanor of bison, whether free-range or farm raised, but I think we'd all agree that there are hunts, and then there are "hunts." I don't disrespect those who avail themselves of the opportunity to collect some tasty meat under other than fair chase conditions, but that won't replace the experiences gained and remembered when the quarry is truly wild. (I know I'm preaching to the choir here -- just clarifying my point of view.) Now if Rdnck supplies the right kind of bottle, I could probably be talked into getting into the corral, but at my age, I'm afraid the customers wouldn't get much of a show after round 1!! Bests, Chris Flynn

[mannyspd1]

Chris,

I am building a house on 87 acres 25 miles east of Redding off of Hwy. 299. I love it up there...having a problem with bears getting into stuff though.

Manny

[Chris J. Flynn]

Dear Manny: Your choice of terrain should be excellent, if the Fountain Fire of '92 didn't clear your property for you. I'm out east of Redding off of Highway 44, and keep my fingers crossed every fire season.

Reference your question of hide condition, I played gunbearer for my brother-in-law on a pasture shoot of a bison several years ago, and had the hide tanned for a keepsake. My grandfather had a big cattle ranch out of Likely (my own experience as a stockman involved more personal interaction with hay hooks than with a riata) and my mother used to ride into school in Alturas in the back of an old Model T while wrapped in a buffalo robe, so I couldn't resist collecting the hide. The hunt took place in northeastern Washington state in mid-February, and although the weather was still cold at nights, the hair wasn't as prime as it was in November/December, per the ranchers who raised the animals. I was a little concerned about slippage, but the hide turned out great in the end.

I've not been bothered by bears (yet) though they sometimes wander through, as has an occasional mountain lion. I do hand feed the deer and turkeys that have adopted us, but we're a little high for pigs. Just as well, I guess. Bests, Chris Flynn

[hatchet]

Scott,
I was in Big Timber on Wed., if I knew your gun was there I would have
taken it home and held it for you till you got back up here.
I am thinking about another Shiloh, they are addicting. I do have a mare though named Big Nose Kate.

[highwallbo]

I have finally received after 25 years of applying a Tule Elk tag here in CA, yes we have elk, 3 kinds to be exact. Roosevelt, Rocky Mtn and Tule Elk.(only state to have all 3 species) I have scouted and there's a pile of them out there, smallest herd had about 60 animals with a giant 6X7 running the show. Our Tule elk started rutting a week ago in 110 deg. heat! I can see desert bighorns in the White Mtns. from where I spot the elk.My season starts 8 Sept. woohoo :