2022 Season Plans

[nhenry]

I grew up south of Wichita, on a farm outside of Belle Plaine. I have driven the I-70 corridor and I-35 more times than I can remember

I have some friends in that area. That's real neat

 

[DrMike]

Kansas boys sure bring back memories of my misspent youth. I grew up in southeast KS and finished college in Emporia before leaving for graduate studies in NYC and later in Dallas. Growing up in KS, I never saw big game. Visiting family back there in recent years, I was stunned at guiding services in my natal home town with whitetail and turkey. Never hunted for anything in KS beyond squirrel, cotton tail and dove. I'm proud of what has been done with big game there.

 

[Slimfinn]

Well my daughters did draw their Antelope tags, they have either sex for the Madison Valley in SW MT.
Oldest has a 243 or a 6BR to shoot, I would just need to work up a hunting load for the BR if she wanted to carry it,
Younger, also with the deer tag, has a 260 loaded with 129 ABLR.

 

[nhenry]

Kansas boys sure bring back memories of my misspent youth. I grew up in southeast KS and finished college in Emporia before leaving for graduate studies in NYC and later in Dallas. Growing up in KS, I never saw big game. Visiting family back there in recent years, I was stunned at guiding services in my natal home town with whitetail and turkey. Never hunted for anything in KS beyond squirrel, cotton tail and dove. I'm proud of what has been done with big game there.

I about went to college in Emporia as well. Unfortunately, they didn't have a drafting program like I wanted to do.
The opportunities for big game are there if you take the time to look. If you have permissions for certain places in the state, you can even hunt elk. I'm a very proud Kansas kid.

 

[TackDriver284]

Assuming you live TX?
For some reason hunting nilgai and oryx doesn't sound boring.
Sorry to hear about the lost lease.

Yes, Texas. Oryx and nilgai are tough brutes, and its my first option on my next hunt if its available. Will be using the 300 Win Mag and 180 Accubonds.
I decided to opt out of deer leases after the property was sold 2 months ago. This lease was the best deer lease I have ever been in. Most deer leases I hunted in the past are overhunted, too many hunters and other hunters / neighbors shoots everything that moves and are not managed properly. If I wanted a top notch deer lease which is managed, I would look at 5k to 8k a year with a nice cabin. The current leasemaster was strict on rules and feeding year round with protein / corn. I made a tally on costs from feeding protein and corn mixed year round at the lease which is almost 150 miles from my house where I stay for 3 days roughly a week or once every two weeks depending on weather. I like cold weather hunting, and during the rut on the 2nd week of December till January. I used one 850 lb gravity feeder ( protein ) and two 55 gallon spinning feeders. The leasemaster was strict to make sure all feeders are filled monthly. This year protein went from 13 bucks a bag to 20 bucks, corn from 8 bucks to 12 /13 a bag, diesel from 2.60 roughly to 5 bucks, food hike, necessities, cost of the lease per year. My cost per year was roughly 6.5k per year before the hike. Currently it should be over 7.5k easy. I thought to myself, only 2 management or 1 trophy and 1 cull buck and 2 hogs, no does. Hmmm. Mostly I get one management buck each year, I used to get 2 a year the first 4 to 5 years, and and I have seen big bucks there, but neighbors always shoot anything they see moving and that is a turn off. I can get cheaper prices looking for day hunts for bigger game and more meat. The red stag cows i shot back in 2020 and in 2021 cost me only 500 bucks each at a private ranch where I did a spot and stalk. They were delicious and it was fun. Of course hunting 3 months at a lease each year is more fun with the experience from day to day while being there compared to one day or a few days a year.
I decided not to pursue another deer lease this year. I just sold my RV, deer blind, all my feeders. Many leases are overhunted, too many hunters and other hunters / neighbors shoots everything that moves and are not managed properly. I have seen immature idiots in our group at another lease 11 years ago who was rowdy, smoked dope, get drunk and talk loud at night at camp, and brought friends over when rules states no guests except family. During that time, one of the drunk guys came banging on my door at 11 pm while i was trying to sleep and told me to come outside and party, and my reply was " No thanks, I'm trying to sleep to get up at 5 am for the hunt" Coming back from the hunt, I saw nooses being placed on the fencelines. Two of those guys used steel nooses rigged on fences where nilgai or deer crawls through openings and I had reported them to the Texas Gamewarden. At least 5 wardens showed up that night and took care of those guys while they partied. They got slapped with heavy fines, riles seized along with 8 -9 nooses plus booted from the lease. A week later we had 3 less hunters in that group. The Parks and Wildlife laws are made for a reason, to manage breeding / populations of game otherwise you will only be hunting field mice once game is depleted by immature idiots we see from time to time..
I will try to get 2 or 3 day hunts a year at private ranches and free range spot and stalk. Maybe I'll learn how to get tags, I am new at that.

 

[salmonchaser]

I didn’t apply out of state this year because we went to Africa at the end of March. Africa was great but I’m kinda regretting I didn’t apply at least for Montana. That being said I did draw an Oregon elk tag but once again blanked on mule deer. I’ll also get a bear and cougar tag. The dogs are getting old but have a couple of 1/2 day hunts left in them for Chukar over in Hells Canyon. Thats probably all I got left in me too.
During Oregons second Elk Season Catherine and I are going to Washington DC. I’ve never been to the Capitol, We’ve booked tours of the White House etc and we arrive on Election Day., that could be interesting. We are staying in the district so everything will be within walking distance.

 

[KinleyWater]

Got my spring bear, so that leaves just deer.
Archery either sex
Archery doe
Gun either sex
Gun doe
And, like Guy, I've a hankering to use leverguns this season, so, it looks like the 1894 and Henry all-weather will be getting a workout. Plus, if I don't fill up (I won't) on my tags, I will be handgun hunting in the late season.

 

[IdahoCTD]

I didn’t apply out of state this year because we went to Africa at the end of March. Africa was great but I’m kinda regretting I didn’t apply at least for Montana. That being said I did draw an Oregon elk tag but once again blanked on mule deer. I’ll also get a bear and cougar tag. The dogs are getting old but have a couple of 1/2 day hunts left in them for Chukar over in Hells Canyon. Thats probably all I got left in me too.
During Oregons second Elk Season Catherine and I are going to Washington DC. I’ve never been to the Capitol, We’ve booked tours of the White House etc and we arrive on Election Day., that could be interesting. We are staying in the district so everything will be within walking distance.

Being in DC during elk season just seems so wrong. Those are complete opposites. I did take the kids to DC last year when we went to Maryland for a Sika deer hunt. It was a long day but we got to see a bunch. My feet were worn out after walking all over the "complex". It was cool to see, although I doubt I'll go back anytime soon.

 

[salmonchaser]

At least I get to hunt first season

 

[hunter24605]

Not sure why, but I have really
Been looking forward to squirrel hunting this year. Got the mark II-F dialed in with SK-standard Plus ammo.

 

[IdahoCTD]

At least I get to hunt first season

True that.

 

[JD338]

Those SK Standards really shoot well!

JD338

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Not sure why, but I have really
Been looking forward to squirrel hunting this year. Got the mark II-F dialed in with SK-standard Plus ammo.
View attachment 17316

One of my favorite types of hunting. Dan.

 

[cloverleaf]

Still waiting on draw results for this year. Will get back to you. CL

 

[CEG17]

I have my Washington black bear tag and will start getting out when the weather gets a bit cooler. I also drew a South Dakota Waterfowl permit and will be heading there in October for a week of pheasant and waterfowl. I may swing through Oklahoma for a "blast and cast" weekend to try and tag a whitetail before returning to help out on an Oregon elk season (I'm going as the "weak mind and strong back" to help haul out any game that gets tagged).

 

[hunter24605]

Not really my plan, but kind of is. One of the guys at our Charlotte shop has black bear fever, and he's making the 200 mile trip up here and I'm going to show him where we routinely see and take them. I know of a bruiser thats been cruising around one of my stands, hopefully he'll connect with him.

 

[3 Meter Para Bellum]

Well, I guess I will admit I have never hunted before, and that is actually why I ended up browsing this forum. Glad I did. Hunting wasn't something in my family so I never had the chance to, at least not with the lifestyle we had chosen and I willingly followed. That's not to say that my family had anything against hunting, it just wasn't something considered important enough to pursue. I am hoping that will change soon now that we have moved. We had the realtor that sold us our new house offer to let us hunt on his lease, so that could possibly be the opportunity I need to get into it for the first time. Probably not this year though.

I am probably one of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic individuals about hunting that has ever not hunted though because of you all! You can learn quite a lot here!

 

[DrMike]

I hope you get the opportunity both to enjoy a hunt this fall and to be successful in your efforts. Everyone should have the opportunity at least once of enjoying a fine meal of venison, or elk, or moose, or black bear, or... This is especially true if the individual and family are enjoying the meat of an animal he or she shot and cut up.

 

[hunter24605]

Well, I guess I will admit I have never hunted before, and that is actually why I ended up browsing this forum. Glad I did. Hunting wasn't something in my family so I never had the chance to, at least not with the lifestyle we had chosen and I willingly followed. That's not to say that my family had anything against hunting, it just wasn't something considered important enough to pursue. I am hoping that will change soon now that we have moved. We had the realtor that sold us our new house offer to let us hunt on his lease, so that could possibly be the opportunity I need to get into it for the first time. Probably not this year though.

I am probably one of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic individuals about hunting that has ever not hunted though because of you all! You can learn quite a lot here!

Hopefully you’ll get to experience that moment when you spot your game and your heart leaps to your throat and you can hear your heartbeat and you have to calm yourself for the shot.

 

[JD338]

Hopefully you’ll get to experience that moment when you spot your game and your heart leaps to your throat and you can hear your heartbeat and you have to calm yourself for the shot.

Feeling the "Rush".
Nothing better.

JD338