[William Warren]

in reply to: Sitka deer in Maryland/delmarva?!?!? #57479

Greatree,

I hunted Sika deer on the Chesapeake side of the Delmarva near Easton and we were entering a swamp through private land. I believe this was next to a wildlife refuge but can’t remember the name. The diminuitive Sika deer are not native and were brought here from Asia. They are related to our elk and have a similar antler structure and they bugle during their rut! It is an erie sound down in the swamp! There is also a population at Assateague Island in Virginia and I know of a very decent buck taken in Hyde Co NC. The Sika loves the swamp and will remain in flooded timber and go nocturnal if pressured. Your best chance is to set a portable stand in flooded timber along travel routes to adjacent fields and try to waylay them on their way to feed just before dark.
If there is public land near Baltimore there should be hunting for whitetails too.
Duncan

Edit: BTW you will need some hip boots or knee highs to hunt these Sika deer.

[William Warren]

in reply to: How much bow and arrow for hogs? #57463

Thanks Hiram,
I’m shooting 45# right now. I was having difficulty with my usual 55# bow so I dropped back in poundage and am shooting much better now. I may be back in shape by early spring and can feel confident again with the 55# bow for hogs. I’m most interested in the little piggies for the BBQ but I will shaft a boar if the opportunity comes.
Duncan

[William Warren]

in reply to: Gun Season with a Bow? #57445

I’ve also had good luck hunting private and public land that abutts residential areas. The neighbors can’t hear me bow hunting and the gun hunters mostly avoid these areas for obvious reasons. But getting into these areas can be challenging unless the locals welcome hunters. The best spots I have had were where I had friends that would let me park in their yards and enter the public land through their land. Never saw another hunter for years!

[William Warren]

in reply to: Campfire and friends #57409

That is an excellent Tipi! Always wanted to sleep in one.
Here’s a shot of my deer camp on wheels that I built myself. Can’t see the stars though. Sure wish we had some “chickens” around here.
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[William Warren]

in reply to: Gun Season with a Bow? #57065

NC has lots of Archery Only Game Lands. Once gun season starts guess where all the mature bucks go. To the Archery Zone, Safety Zone, and Residential areas. Unfortunately there is no hunting in the Safety Zone.
Archery is allowed on private land during Muzzleloader and public or private during Rifle. It is wise to pick your strategy carefully and it helps to have a knowledge of deer escape routes. Deer sanctuary can be found if you take time to look.

[William Warren]

in reply to: Whitetail-turkey smorgasbord video #57051

I enjoyed your video. Sorry you did’nt get a turkey or a deer but you had fun right? That was a nice buck. Would have been sweet if you could have gotten ahead of him.
Duncan

[William Warren]

in reply to: Not a trad kill but….. #56388

Traditional enough for me too. Passing it down is what its all about. Congratulations to you and your daughter.

[William Warren]

in reply to: Target Panic #56286

Well said Steve. I find my struggle with this is worse when I put off shooting or don’t shoot regularly. I’ve started over again at ten yards many times but it works. I’m currently having to drop back to 45# from my usual 55# draw. I was having trouble with the 55# bow after neglecting my shooting this summer. Too many projects going on.
Duncan

[William Warren]

in reply to: Gun Season with a Bow? #56259

Don’t know if I will ever be truly bow only. I still love the smell of burned black powder early in the morning. Side locks only. It is a traditional weapon in its own right. And if I’m hunting with family that does not bow hunt I may break out one of the rifles. As they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do.
Duncan

[William Warren]

in reply to: Bow Refinish #54228

I’m a proponent of not changing the “character” of my bows unless the damage threatens the integrity of the bow. Unless the finish is in really poor condition I would use a polishing compound to smooth scratches by hand and then apply a coat or 2 of wax. I just think your bow will be worth more with the original finish intact despite the occasional dings. But if you are seeking to restore a bow to its original condition maybe the manufacturer can help you with the original finish material or they may do it for you better than you could do it yourself. Just my thoughts.

[William Warren]

in reply to: short bows #54204

Snuffy,
You won’t embarrass me, Snuffy is a great handle.:D

Standing Bear,
thanks for sharing those pics, that is a beautiful bow and with the redwood from Jay Massey, that makes it truly a special bow. I’ve not seen one with redwood before.
Duncan

[William Warren]

in reply to: short bows #53812

SB,
I know you were addressing Dave but please do post some pics. I’ve enjoyed reading about Jay Massey over the years in TradBow and other publications and would love to see it too.
Duncan

[William Warren]

in reply to: Stick and String Squirrel hunt 09 video! #53803

Greatreearcher wrote: [quote=snuffornot] Back then there was no open season on them. Hope the population has rebounded now.
Duncan

Still closed, never have seen one myself, I have heard storys like that, out west we dont have them!(Delmarva obviously) But we do have some big ole foxes out here, like rabbit sized, ooo yea!

The fox squirrels in NC are about the same size and are almost black. They also became scarce in the 60’s and 70’s and they had to close the season on them. But the population is rebounding and the season is open in select counties with a restricted bag limit. I think it is only 2 per year. I took a trip to Illinois once to duck hunt on the Illinois River. I stayed at a house high on a bluff over the river. I soon noticed they had fox squirrels and they were a dark red color. Made me want to forget the ducks and go squirrel hunting. My host said nobody hunts them there.

[William Warren]

in reply to: Birders? #53048

StandingBear wrote: For some reason, I really like the blue jay, I remember seing many in my past, makes for good memories.

SB

I like the blue jay too. Nothing like sitting quietly and listening to a troop of jays working the pin oaks. I’m not a regular birder but I have gone out occasionally with the binoculars to specifically observe birds. We have a variety birds here to enjoy. One bird that I have come to love is the Hermit Thrush. They show up in June to raise their young and can be heard morning and evening teaching their young the Thrush song. They will absolutely bust you if you are out still hunting in the early season through mid October. Once they have spotted you its over, you might as well show your self and get it over with so they will leave.

[William Warren]

in reply to: short bows #53032

The shortest hickory flat bow I have built was 60″ Unfortunately it eventually crysalled on me. I think it was due to the peice of wood more than anything else. It was shagbark hickory and was very figured. Real snakey looking. It was pretty fast and it did have some stacking but it was not too bad.
My Bear Grizzly qualifies as a short bow and is a great shooter. Just got one of those Volcanos by Greatree which is 52″. Could not resist the price. I set it up and shot it all day today. It is very smooth and accurate for an inexpensive bow. I got good arrow flight on my first try! Took it to the woods this evening for squirrel and deer. Did not see any deer today.
Speaking of Shrimp, had me some fresh NC Shrimp on Thursday night. Good Stuff, short bows and shrimp!

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