A new venture begins

Well, our new venture yields its first bit of meat...............................


A body shot dove found by the path

The sight of it hit my daughter on the pity bone so fortunately it died on the way home I would have killed it when we found it but we were in an area where hunting is NOT ALLOWED!!!! So I wanted the "Found it hurt!" card if needed Granted we didnt have our guns but still................

We also learned hunting with children is a no go, they are simply toooooo noisy, even when being "REAL CAREFUL Mummy"

So tonight hubby is getting me my licence, ear muffs and ammo and tomorrow, after I drop the elder two kiddies off at school, I am off to try my luck on my own

Mr GB has even OFFERED to mind darling son number 2 while I try my luck :suspect: wonder what the trade off will be

Hopefully something enjoyable?

Well, THAT went well managed to get so turned round that I found the parking lot

I didnt come home totally empty handed though, brought home a wild orange

*sigh* reinventing the wheel again but will try again tomorrow with a compass to keep me going in the right direction. I didnt think I could go that wrong by walking into the sun but seemingly I could

Having a cuppa to warm up with and going to help Mr GB get teh boat back up and running. Oh, and must remember to check myself for ticks..................................

Mum just said "I count it a success because no one shot you!"

Poor thing, one child is starting round the world sailing, one flies small planes and I have taken up hunting no wonder she hasnt a dark hair left

GB wrote:
Mum just said "I count it a success because no one shot you!"

Rah for Mum. She is absolutely right. Any hunting trip in which no-one shoots you is a success.

Might it be an idea to do some unarmed reconnaissance to establish what prey might be found where and when before venturing forth with the blunderbuss again? Once you have found the game trails and established what is using them and what their patterns of activity are you might encounter more dinner-like critters you could stuff with your orange.

Quite glad to not get shot meself really

And the place is HEAVING with game, the ground a web work of game trails, all of them deeply marked with prints. Most of my problem was no visability, 50 ft AT BEST :shock:so I got turned round so many times I managed to get right back to where I started so when I got home I went to google map and have had a goooooood look at where I was and wanted to go so hubby (he is the best, had me checking in every half hour ) just got me a compass so I will try tomorrow to reach a more open area. We are also pushing to get the boat back on the water because the openish area can be reached by boat.

Teh big problem, the season for deer and turkey ends on Sunday so not only is the woods heaving with game, its got lots of hunters in as well!

Compostwoman wrote:so...any ideas?

Talk to your local butchers, apparently 'tis a growth market in Cornwall.
Failing that, mail order meat is becoming fairly commonplace.

Hairyloon wrote:

Compostwoman wrote:so...any ideas?

Talk to your local butchers, apparently 'tis a growth market in Cornwall.
Failing that, mail order meat is becoming fairly commonplace.

??

I think HL was refering to my asking for ways to get CM to eat squirrel? :scratch:

But not sure how his suggestion helps, tbh...?

I was wondering the same thing

Well, wish me luck cause I am off again to try my luck but having spent much of last evening reading about stalking deer I MIGHT have a better chance of at least seeing one. The jury is still out on weather or not I can shoot it and am DEFF. worried about getting ANYTHING I shoot out of the woods, tis a tad THICK

Unless he was suggesting you could sell your uneaten surplus on to butchers etc?

Good luck GB. Best way of dragging out a deer would be to gralloch it on the spot and bury the intestines (or bag them up and return for them if this is not allowed) then rig up a rough travois to drag out the rest of the carcass.

Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:Unless he was suggesting you could sell your uneaten surplus on to butchers etc?

Good luck GB. Best way of dragging out a deer would be to gralloch it on the spot and bury the intestines (or bag them up and return for them if this is not allowed) then rig up a rough travois to drag out the rest of the carcass.

Here in the States in most of them (all of them?) you have to take your intact deer to a "check in" station (in our state, they weigh them, so obviously must be still intact). But as Billy says, should be easy enough to drag a deer with a travois so just bring some lashing rope along to make one of those. A moose is another matter entirely! And elk (wapiti -- what you folks call "red deer") or wehstern mule deer also heavier than our eastern species. Rare for a "white tail" to reach 200 pounds even in those parts of their range they grow largest. Either up here or down in Florida would tend to be significantly smaller than that.

I would not try hunting them (to kill) until after you have gotten good enough stalking them (or patient enough at still hunting) to have gotten good at seeing them.

Well, home safe again but, once again, deer less

And its not the weight of the deer - an adult stag down here max-es out at 125 pound - but the terrain ugh, tis hard going just trying to get in myself. Today I managed .4 of a mile in when I found a HUUUUUUMONGUS swamp and masses of pig sign, WOW, some of the hoofprints were bigger than my HAND :afraid: so have marked the spot to return to but as deer season finishes in 2 days I am spending my time scouting and getting some clue on how to move round in sweet gum palmetto swamp in the hopes of finding somewhere to sit up for some deer.

Going back this evening to try my luck by the road, seems a bit odd but its the only place I have found grass and oak tree mast and, well, that I can see for more than 50 ft at a time and the game trails criss cross the spot I am aiming for and oh yeh, I cant get lost in the dark

Can you say learning curve

Compostwoman wrote:Now..if someone can help me in getting squirrel meat I have shot into OTHER PEOPLES mouths ( grrrr) ...I would be very greatful.....

Yeah, sorry I should've quoted that bit. Shall I try again?

Talk to your local butchers, apparently 'tis a growth market in Cornwall.
Failing that, mail order meat is becoming fairly commonplace.

If you're stuck, you can always send me some.

Ah...sorry...

I understand now..

Suspect all sorts of regs would stop that being actually do able..but worth a look at!

Thanks HL

Compostwoman wrote:Suspect all sorts of regs would stop that being actually do able..but worth a look at!

I'm sure there are rules, but there are certainly folk selling meat by mail order.

Indeed. You can even buy farmed red squirrel by mail order. Seems to utterly defeat the object of wild food but there you go. I guess since the Heston Blumenthal's of this world have made it trendy it is inevitable.

My inner hunter is a moron and my family has now started pep talking me, telling me its alright to go out 4 times and NOT see any thing to kill :suspect: methinks they know how frustrated I am getting at this knuckle walking drunken nit wits can do this so why am I having SUCH a hard time!

I WANNA KILL SOME

Well, my grumpiness has gotten the boat back up and running so wonderful hubby is going to try to drop me in the flood plain area today. Had a lovely chat with a hunter I encountered in the woods - while skirting a couple of machete wielding ideots - and he said the cold has pushed the pigs back to the lake side area of the management hunt area so a cause for a look see methinks and it gives the repaired engine a run to so win win

Oooooooooooooooo found a really COOL bit of kit yesterday when we stopped to stretch our legs from dropping mum at home - a 13 hr round trip, ugh - and went into a hunting fishing super store. It was a canvas chair with a light weight flip up dome blind attached. It was sooooooo comfortable and light and such a snug feeling sitting inside well, it was a neat bit of kit so thats on the wish list. Found snake boots GASP the PRICE of them About to look on line and see how much Kevlar cloth costs, if I just stitch in sharps rated Kevlar to the inside of my jeans it should work just as well and be heaps lighter............................

Of course if I later say hi from hospital you will know it didnt work

I would seriously consider the boots GB. Someone I know on another forum (who has lived around snake territory all her life) was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake last year, and was hospitalised for several months, nearly losing her leg and indeed nearly losing her life at several points during her hospitalisation. Snake venom. Not to be f***ed with.

Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:I would seriously consider the boots GB. Someone I know on another forum (who has lived around snake territory all her life) was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake last year, and was hospitalised for several months, nearly losing her leg and indeed nearly losing her life at several points during her hospitalisation. Snake venom. Not to be f***ed with.

True enough, and I think Mr GB will be getting me a pair of snake garters but I really do think my idea would work! Still, as little as I like the idea of spending the cash on yet MORE expensive kit, I like the idea of the horspittle even less. Fortunately its still freezing (well, its not good for the citrus farmers but you know what I mean) so the snakes will be bedded down snug out of my way and next week when I wont be able to get out it will be warmer so will wait to get the garters to go back out. Not too worried about rattlers but cotton mouths abound in the swamps I am going into :affraid:

Wish me luck for later, hunter man - never got his name as he talked so much I couldnt get a word in edgewise - said he had seen a freight train of pigs swimming past him earlier that day, "Musta been 40 pigs all in a line!" said he.

Bring on the train

Well, boat trip off, simply too cold to drag the kiddies out on the water will walk into the reserve this evening to where I have seen a spot the deer are crawling under teh fence - why under I wonder - and sit there for almost dark. Dont think it will get me anything except practice but thats OK, its getting me more fit too

And Ooooooo, I have recorded 11 episodes of hunting shows so off to watch and learn

GB wrote:

Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:I would seriously consider the boots GB. Someone I know on another forum (who has lived around snake territory all her life) was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake last year, and was hospitalised for several months, nearly losing her leg and indeed nearly losing her life at several points during her hospitalisation. Snake venom. Not to be f***ed with.

True enough, and I think Mr GB will be getting me a pair of snake garters

Do you mean gaiters? If not, please be sure to post a photo.

Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:

GB wrote:

Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:I would seriously consider the boots GB. Someone I know on another forum (who has lived around snake territory all her life) was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake last year, and was hospitalised for several months, nearly losing her leg and indeed nearly losing her life at several points during her hospitalisation. Snake venom. Not to be f***ed with.

True enough, and I think Mr GB will be getting me a pair of snake garters

Do you mean gaiters? If not, please be sure to post a photo.

I did, indeed, mean gaiters

Although snake garters might be an interesting fashion statement :suspect:

GB wrote:

Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:

GB wrote:

Wilhelm Von Rhomboid wrote:I would seriously consider the boots GB. Someone I know on another forum (who has lived around snake territory all her life) was bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake last year, and was hospitalised for several months, nearly losing her leg and indeed nearly losing her life at several points during her hospitalisation. Snake venom. Not to be f***ed with.

True enough, and I think Mr GB will be getting me a pair of snake garters

Do you mean gaiters? If not, please be sure to post a photo.

I did, indeed, mean gaiters

Although snake garters might be an interesting fashion statement :suspect:

Isn't that what garter snakes are designed for?

Concidering a garter snake once bit me 8 times in just under 2 seconds, not too sure I want one where a garter is normally placed

Considering a garter snake once bit you 8 times in 2 seconds, why are you quibbling the cost of anti-snake boots? Sell one of the rifles and buy the boots. You can only shoot one at a time anyway, and ya cain't shoot nuthin' if you daeid.