[hunt1321]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #24998

Etter1 wrote: [quote=grumpy]But what town is the bear in?

I’m not sure of the town but does he S in the woods?

Most certainly! But not in his den!

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Lock on Treestands #24993

I like the rail steps myself. I thought about building a couple of the old wooden platform stands with 2×4 steps on my property. Could always just use five gallon bucket for a seat.

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Garbaging for Bears #23898

One thing that is extremely frustrating to me on my private property here in NE Arkansas is the lack of deer on my property when I do not bait. This is particularly true when hard mast is scarce such as this year. I own 130 acres and all of my neighbors bait in the fall during deer season. It is really sad because I’m almost certain that we are recovering from an outbreak of CWD which as most are aware is spread easily in mass concentrations of deer such as at baiting locations. I have noticed a substantial decline in the deer population in the last couple of years. I personally have no desire to harvest a bear but here in Arkansas the bear seasons are quota hunts and 99.9% of these hunts are either in the White River National Refuge which contains thousands of acres of mature bottomland timber where baiting is not allowed, or in the Ozark mountain region where I would say 99.9% of those bears are killed over bait. Much like North Georgia the mountainous forests of the Ozarks would be difficult to spot and stalk. When Frederick Gerstaker came to Arkansas in the 1840s as cited in his book “Wild Sports” he learned to hunt bear from the natives and backwoods frontiersmen who would wait until the bears went into their dens in winter and went in with torch, rifle, and Bowie knife. Of course they also hunted deer at night by building a fire on a dirt packed scaffold near a natural salt lick and sat underneath and awaited their approach. Unethical hunting is nothing new!

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Lock on Treestands #23617

Etter1 wrote: Sorry but I can’t offer much advice. We place a lot of stands here in the SE and leave them up for the season so I buy whatever the cheapest are. I have about 10 and I think most are from wal mart. As far as climbers, I have a summit bowhunter. It’s very light and quiet and really, pretty comfortable. If you want a climber, that’s my rec.

I hear ya. That’s what I’m figuring out! The $80 cheap lock on stands from Wal-Mart are just as comfortable as my Lone wolf. However the lone wolf is a good alternative for a climber if your a mobile hunter. I think after season I’m gonna invest in a couple when they go on sale and hang them in a couple of different spots.

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Lock on Treestands #22747

Thanks for the replies. Yes the lone wolf I have is nice but I think its number one advantage is weight. I honestly can’t tell a difference in comfort between it and the “Hunter’s View” lock on I have. I have looked at the millennium stands and they do look comfortable I may give those a try next year. I guess I’m just going to have to get use to them. My ole buddy that’s been hunting traditional for years always hunts of a “buck board” or just tree limbs.

[hunt1321]

in reply to: My First Traditional Kill #10423

MSARCHER wrote: Congrats! There is no feeling better than the first one. I’d love to hear some of the hunt details behind it. Great job!

Well a couple of weeks ago I missed a deer on a different stand. Shot just over the shoulder. I don’t practice from elevated stands as much as I should. I haven’t seen many deer this year so far and the bucks seem to be few and far between, I am hoping this is due to the crazy weather we have been experiencing lately,(low barometer) with the phase of the moon. It had been raining all day Thursday and Friday but quit about 2:30 p.m. I was fortunate to get off early and thought with the moon right they would definitely be moving. I was right! About 5:45 p.m A young doe and no doubt her first yearling approached my stand, both within 15 steps. I briefly considered shooting the bigger deer for the meat and the bigger target but I decided to let her live and continue to reproduce and take the yearling. I accounted for the height and aimed a little low and still hit a little high and back at about 11 steps. I wasn’t crazy about the shot. As fate would have it, rain began to fall immediately after I shot the deer. I thought I had really made a mistake but I immediately left the area. I was actually in my little chevy cruise that I drive on my weekly commute to work (fuel economy) so there was no way I was going to be able to transport the deer in my car, therefore I drove the twenty miles home and got the truck from my wife. On the way out of the woods Coyotes were yipping in the area and I knew that I had to try and recover the small deer that night. My mentor and friend who sparked my interest in traditional bow hunting concurred and suggested I take his gas lantern. I knew there would be no blood trail but the lantern does seem to work better than a flashlight. He and I also discussed the likely hood that the deer ran towards an old pond about 150 yds north of my stand on the property I was hunting. He couldn’t accompany me on the recovery due to other obligations but our assessment was correct and the deer was lying right at the waters edge of the old pond. She was still barely alive so I carefully approached and dispatched her with my knife. The arrow had gotten into the paunch but had also punctured the liver. Wasn’t a great shot but I’ll take it. I knew from experience not to push wounded deer. Fortunately it worked out. I did get a little excited prior to the shot and I contribute that to the bad hit. I know that’s the fun part but composure, I think, is very important in making lethal shots. I really believe had I been using a light arrow and broad head that in all likely hood I would not have recovered that animal. Thanks!

BTW: It was about and hour and a half from the time I shot and recovered the animal. I ate one of the shoulder roasts last night and today for dinner and it was delicious!!

[hunt1321]

in reply to: My First Traditional Kill #8708

Steve Graf wrote: Good Job! Looks like a tasty doe.

What did the cutie in the cowboy boots think?

Well she wasn’t crazy about the deer but she likes to take advantage of every photo opportunity that comes along! lol

[hunt1321]

in reply to: 2014 Hunting #49828

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Scouting and picking blackberries #14245

I’ve noticed all of the blackberries this year. Seems as if though I haven’t seen them for a few years. Mullberries were heavy as well. I hope your right about the early fall; I hate living here in the summer. Went to Doniphan today to current river to swim with the kids, it was almost too cool! Saw a couple of striped apes out there! 😉

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Had a great day on the farm… #53948

I see your from Poplar Bluff. I live in Pocahontas, AR! Not far from you. Nice to know there are others in the area. You guys do any shoots up there anywhere? I had a similar consultation from the Arkansas Forestry department and AGFC. It’s wonderful that we have those resources available to us; its also a little overwhelming when considering the amount of work that needs to be done.

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Failed "HUNT"… #23836

Glad you got to see the country here in North Arkansas and our neighbors to the North. Yeah lots of folks have chose to retire around those parts; particularly around the trout rivers. Wealthy sportsmen and particularly retirees from California and elsewhere have kinda drove the price of real estate through the roof. When you can by three times the home and forty acres to boot in Arkansas with what you sold your three bedroom home in California for it doesn’t take long to hike the price for the rest of us!

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Looking to relocate: AR or MO–Any help? #52330

It gets pretty warm in July and August this year September was hot. The humidity gets pretty bad, nothing like new orleans or the gulf coast. Those “mountains” near mt. View are cooler but you would have to get into northern mo to escape the summer heat. But the other three seasons are usually very mild and the fall and spring are both beautiful in the ozarks. I was stationed in co in the army and envy summers enjoyed by westerners!

[hunt1321]

in reply to: Looking to relocate: AR or MO–Any help? #52283

Might look at calico rock,ar as well as mt. View. Both communities are on the white river which has great trout fishing and vey near sylamore and leather woods of the ozark national forest. Good deer, turkey, and bear hunting. Southern mo near Alton, west plains,and cabool offer some of the states best turkey and deer hunting and are near large sections of the mark twain national forest. I turkey hunt there in the spring. The white river in north arkansas is cold year around even when our summer days can get mighty hot. Good luck!!

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