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Post by onebentarrow on Dec 2, 2023 18:59:27 GMT -5
Buddy got one tonight. Couldn't get out much with work. Put meat in the freezer
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Post by onebentarrow on Dec 1, 2023 22:04:41 GMT -5
Talked to a couple of Taxis in my area, $750-$850 for a shoulder mount this year. I paid $650 for my last buck from the 2021 season. I get that they have to make money but wow, seems a bit steep. At this rate I will be doing euros only. I have dune some taxidermy for my self. I was not extremely fast or slow but from the time I start to finish I had about 20 hrs in a deer. That was over a period of time;not all at once. You bring it in then I have to finish capping out head then split ears nose and lips. Right there I had 3 hrs. Then I have to flesh the hide removing all meat from between lips ears around nose and rest of hide(another hour) then salt hide. If you don't tan the hide you pack,ship,pay shipping,pay tanning,pay return shipping (easy 100 bucks) if you tan your self add 2 hrs in time + cost of tanning supplies. I used a liquid tan that is $120 a gal now. 5 deer max per gal. You can cut your cost by useing a dry chemical tan but it is not as good and will deteriorate a lot faster than a wet tan product. Now you order your form,eyes,ear liners.manican prep(sticky stuff that sticks to the slick form to help glue hold hide inplace) and pay shipping on that which has gone thru the roof. You should have hide glue,bondo,clay,pins,superglue,epoxy,special thread,special 3 sided extremely sharp needle and some other odds and ends. Now you prep the form to put hide on it by snading and cutting nose holes,lip slots putt eyes in with clay and form eyebrows and make it look right. The eyes alone can take 45 min easily. Once all prep is done it took me min 3 1/2 hrs up to 6 hrs if the deer fought me in every thing(makeing the nose look right,lips look right,eyes even and Semitrical ears correct, horns correct all parts of hide in correct posision and hair laying proper. Now sewing the hide and makeing it as invisable as possible. This is a short list. After you have it mounted you have to check it every day for 3,4,5 days to make sure as the hide drys it does not pull or move in a manner that screwes up the eyed,nose,ears,lips or any thing else. Now it is dry you do finish work to make it look great. 1 hr there. So it is mounted you have overhead (lights,heat,water(believe it or not I used a bunch of water. I washed and wrenched each hide a minimum of 4 times) and you pay full fica tax and fed tax and county tax and state tax and tax tax. Granted I was not fast at mounting critters but I did my best on every one to make them look alive. It will take me a bit but I will post some I have dune 20120525_191522 20140601 The bear had 10 foot of stiching. The fawn had 8 feet of stiching and very delicate because of short hair requires lite thread which breaks easily. The fawn and bear were 12 hr days to mount with every thing prepared as much ahead as possible. The fox,coon and coyote were solid 8 hrs to mount Onebentarrow
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 30, 2023 21:51:26 GMT -5
Nephew text he got a nice 7 point last night. If I get pictures I will post.
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 28, 2023 16:32:33 GMT -5
I get a laugh every time I see or think of this
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 28, 2023 14:12:48 GMT -5
Indiana Deer Harvest Data as of 11/27/2023 7:00:26 AM 96,217……..going to get to 100k easily this weekend Look's like to me it's gonna be a struggle to get to 115,000 at this point. ( Muzzy generally produces around 7 to 8 K), and many counties also have lower antlerless tags this season, a couple -0-. Talked to my local processors in Ripley Co. and he said they are down about 25% currently, and I know Switzerland Counties total harvest will be down as well. Not really surprised with EHD outbreaks in many southern and western counties last year. Got a call from a buddy Tuesday after opening in the Wells Co aera and he stated that 2 of the processes there had stopped takeing deer because they were full. Do not know if that has continued thru the season there.
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 28, 2023 14:06:03 GMT -5
We went grocery shopping the other day and I looked at a roast. It was a eye round roast. I about fell over it was $37 and change it would have been maby 3 meals for us. so I went home and got to figuring just what the value of the meat from the buck I took was. I tried to air on the low side of prices from what I have observed in the past and not over estimate the poundage of the meat I accully got.figured tbone and porter house at $10 ribstake at $7 hamburger at $4 all roasts at $7 round stakes $7 and did not include the heart, tongue or meat I boil off bones I use for bbq or Venice and noodles. I do all butchering my self so no cost there. My figures came up over 8$400. Granted I got a large buck with great body weight but never thought that deer was worth over $400 in equil meat at the store and I got a good hunch my figures are on the low side. I know to some $400 is not a lot but to us that is a good hunk of change and we are so thankful to have the meat. It will give us the opurtunity to eat cuts of meat we would not buy in a store. Do not fret. We EAT GOOD ! I supply a lot hunting and fishing and we buy/ watch for sales or bulk purchases. I hunt because I enjoy it. The meat has just been a bonus. I know after putting these numbers on paper I will look at that deer laying on the ground in front of me just a little differently. I have always look at them with respect and reverence and been thankfull but now I wil be even more thankful for what I recieve from hunting.
Onebentarrow
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 27, 2023 20:26:37 GMT -5
There is a guy on youtube called ranch fairy that has a lot of good info on broadheads. I am not saying he is the be all end all but his thought process,experance in live animals and he has measured blade thickness and strength along with other things will give a guy a lot to think about. He will bring up things a lot of guys won't think about. Like angel of shot and just what is required to get to vitals,ease of penatration of the broadhead in and thru bone. You will problly need to watch a couple of his vedios to get the information. I personally agree with most of what he sais except shooting extremely heavy arrows and only because of trajectory,so I have opted for a lighter arrow and will take my chances on a little less penatration.
Onebentarrow
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 27, 2023 11:47:08 GMT -5
You can't save'em up like money. If you want one, shoot it or your neighbor will. You can save money? Wow
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 26, 2023 18:06:32 GMT -5
That is a great 6 pt. I would shoot that any day
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 26, 2023 13:35:30 GMT -5
I have to I just never seen someone shoot their own dog then haul it to truck and not take it home …… Thanks for clarifying things. A Friendly reminder to Dog shooters never hurts… I understand. To clarify, some houndsmen will not tolerate dogs running deer. They will shoot the dog, take the coller off and leave the dog. I've never done it but have seen it done twice. I too have witnessed this too
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 24, 2023 13:57:36 GMT -5
My buddies deer. Taken opening morning. Took a while to get a picture and I am slow at posting it. He is restricted to ground blinds because he can not climb any more. Hope I am still doing that good at 78. Said it weighed 145 lbs
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 22, 2023 17:36:07 GMT -5
I was in school and the teacher announced to the class. Share messed up my birthday party.
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 22, 2023 12:01:52 GMT -5
At least the skin is crispy
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 20, 2023 21:11:53 GMT -5
If I don't kill any more--- 1
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 20, 2023 18:46:49 GMT -5
Great story and good read. Thanks
Onebentarrow
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 20, 2023 11:53:43 GMT -5
There is the normal stuff,birds,squirrels,deer (I hope) maby turkeys. Then there is the less normal. Halk catching pray,bird landing on your stand. Halk landing in the tree next to you. Then there is the unusual. That is what I am going to subscribe that happened Sunday. I was sitting in my stand looking around and saw a squirrel climbing a tree about 35 yrds in front of me the tree was about 10 in in diameter. The squirrel went up about 25 feet and just dissapered in to thin air. No hole did not go around tree just disapered. I could not figure out where it went. I kept looking and saw it about 12 feet on up the tree. About that time I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye left of the tree and it was a swurrel climbing in another tree. I watch it and noticed that each time it moved the first squrrel moved too. As I studied the situation I discovered that the first squrrel was the shadow of the second squrrel projected just perfect on the first tree it looked alive and moving. What are the odds? The sun had to be just perfect, no leaves on the tree,live squrrel had to climb tree at just the perfect spot and time to cast shadow on second tree, I had to be in exact spot to see it. I was amazed. That shadow was so perfect that it really looked like a live squrrel. I just sat there and smiled at what I had just seen. Another time years back I was sitting in a stand on a morning facing east over a 10 acre alfalfa field. There was a super heavey frost that night and as the sun came up the field looked white. As the day warmed up the frost started to form water drops on the alfalfa and as the sun shined on them they reflected the blue red and yellow colors of the rain bow. It looked like some one took a million little twinkely Christmas lights and spread them all over that field. It was awsome. Yes I remember the deer I took and how some were more eventful than others but it is the other things that fill in the dead space that makes hunting so enjoyable and relaxing. Remember when you are out there to stop and smell the roses. don't over look the small things that can enhance the experience and make that hunt memorable.
Onebentarrow
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 20, 2023 3:37:19 GMT -5
I really liked this
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 19, 2023 11:54:44 GMT -5
Live from the bed. Lol! Second day of firearms season doesn't excite like it did 25 years ago. Lol! Good luck, guys! Every day still excites me like 25 years ago JUST can not act on that excitement like I use too. Mind sais I want to go! Body sais no your not!!!
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 18, 2023 22:54:01 GMT -5
Please add an 8 pt to team luckey 5 freezer fillers. If you need a better picture of the sticker on the base let me know Onebentarrow Here is a better picture of the kicker point
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Post by onebentarrow on Nov 18, 2023 20:38:50 GMT -5
Got on the stand about 245. Had not seen any deer until I saw a deer walking down overgrown fence row in picked corn field 200 + yards out about 400. My stand is 100 yrds from W and S side of woods where the woods makes an L and continues on south. I watched that deer and soon saw another one. I but binocks on them but could not see horns so figured they were does. They took thier time feeding toward the L. About 15 min later I see a bigger deer join them from the same direction. They have now moved to about 125 yrds. I finally got a good look at the bigger deer and saw he had good head gear and was going to shoot if I got a good shot. My smoke pole is good to 200 but there was just to much stuff to shoot so I pulled out the grunt and pushed the button for young buck and grunted. He paid no attention. I kept scanning all three deer and realised all 3 were bucks. A 4pt a 6 pt and the 8 pt As I watched them for about another 15 min the 8 started walking south out of range so I figured I had nothing to loose so I grabbed the grunt tube used adult buck and gave 3 loud grunts. Next thing I know that 8 point is heading for my wood line. Did not even figure it would work. Never had befor.He comes in all puffed up like he is looking for a fight. He did not run in he just moseyed it took him 15 nine to cover the 80 yrds. He would walk stop and look then same. Every time he stopped he was behind a tree,too thick,poor shot angle something. I was becoming a nurvice reck pumped up on adrenalin. My legs were wobbly and I was trying to control the shakes. He finally walked in to a good opening brosd side at 50 yds and I bleat to stop him. At the shot he just piled. up. I was afraid he would get up and run so I started trying to reload the smoke pole just in case boy what a fiasco that was! Got it dune and had to sit down to collect my self befor I fell out. The shot was at 509 so I watched those deer over an hour. After about 30 min I got down and went to see and boy was I surprised. I got ground GROTH! he was a lot bigger than I thought. I think he is going to go north of 180 lbs. Second biggest deer I killed. I was so excited I did not notice he has no brow tine on one side but he has a 1 inch sticker on the base so still an 8 pt
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