Deer Hunting With Milsurps 2014 Edition

[vintage hunter]

To my knowledge there have been no documented cases of CWD in South Carolina to date. This disease can remain dormant for 10 years and then turn up again generations later. This worries me because the SCDNR has busted two local canned hunt outfits in the last 5 years for smuggling deer in under the radar from Ohio and Illinois where CWD is common. The last and closest outfit is less than 10 miles from me.
During the 2012 season I killed a deer that had all the symptoms of CWD and reported it to the DNR biology department in Columbia with the offer to deliver the carcass for study but they weren't interested at all. The response I got was that there are no known cases of the disease here and the closest state to us where it is known to exist is West Virginia so they aren't worried about an outbreak here any time soon. Typical government mentality.
Nothing new to report here. Haven't been hunting much due to work, the weather and the moon phase. The cotton farmers are all but done with the harvest now so I'll have more time to spend in the woods as soon as the full moon decreases a bit more and the deer activity gets back to ''normal''.

[TDH]

Nice deer, after all, you can't eat antlers...

I've said for years there are only 2 things I have ever found to be consistent, i.e. things you can count on, in deer hunting.
1) I don't care how you try to fix 'em you can broil em or boil em bake em or BBQ them but you can't eat those horns
2) There is nothing else that is consistent in deer hunting.

I have found two ways though that does seem to call in the biggest buck in the area. Either lean back against a tree and take a nap especially if you snore OR drop your drawers and plop your backside over a log with your rifle or shotgun just out of arms reach. Works almost every time.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

i have found two ways though that does seem to call in the biggest buck in the area. Either lean back against a tree and take a nap especially if you snore or drop your drawers and plop your backside over a log with your rifle or shotgun just out of arms reach. Works almost every time.

Ain't that the truth!!!

[jmoore]

Took a week off work to hunt mid November and came back to find the company installed a new internet filtering system. So no frequenting most anything I find interesting during breaks or lunch. Finally got a used laptop at a favorite gun/pawn shop a couple of days ago and am trying it out whilst visiting in Tennessee. Haven't owned a computer in years! First laptop ever. But wi-fi at work doesn't filter the same, so hopefully this'll do for a while.

But did manage to get a deer with the 1-12" twist barreled AR carbine mentioned a couple of pages back. Standing shot at a lasered dist of 166yds. Didn't lead it enough as it was running up the opposite side of a draw that I had just entered. Caught it in the middle of the LH femur but the 55gr bullet not only pulverized a great deal of it, but managed to range forward enough to pierce a major artery forward of the diaphagm. Critter didn't go another 20 yards before plopping down. Did have to deliver a coup de grace headshot. The left ham was about 1/3 destroyed, maybe, as it wasn't so much bloodshot but ground up with bonemeal scattered thoughout. Weird how little blood was in that area, but the blood vessel damage forward may have had some affect.

Not much left to prove in my mind that the .223 with a good hunting bullet is way more than adequate for whitetail duties out to 200 yards. Seven years with the round in the deer woods have been hugely educational.

Liking the AR for it's light weight, adjustable stock, and lack of weather concerns. It's grand for wet weather hunts! Wouldn't mind a tiny .223 bolt-actioned rifle, either, but so far haven't found one handier than a lightweight AR carbine.

Had the Chinese SVD (NDM86) out some, and several other milsurps, but things have slowed a great deal. Finding the Japanese Type 99 sniper (4x) to be a favorite, though. Very practical rifle. Light, rugged, good trigger and good optics. Just a humongous pain to zero!

Again, happy to be back! This is the first thread I went to on return to the "interwebs" and found it a good read. Thanks, y'all.

[Badger]

Glad to have you back Jon....

I was starting to get worried about you and was actually thinking about calling to make sure everything was ok ...

Regards,
Doug

[browningautorifle]

I took two deer in a row one day with 55 gr softpoints. No issues there. One went right down and the other went a few feet and needed dispatching. All done with an M4gery...and an Aimpoint.

[vintage hunter]

Wouldn't mind a tiny .223 bolt-actioned rifle, either, but so far haven't found one handier than a lightweight AR carbine.

Have you seen the Mossberg MVT? It's also chambered in 7.62x39 which interests me a bit more than the 5.56.

Last deer I got was a doe I shot between the eyes with my SSA M40 3 weeks ago. Not much activity lately. I haven't been hunting since last Wednesday, the loggers kept me busy thru Friday then it set to raining Friday night and has'nt let up since and on top of all that I picked up a flu bug somewhere along the way. Got a week left yet but the weather prognosticators are saying rain with a possibility of sleet 4 of those days.

[browningautorifle]

chambered in 7.62x39

Always like the idea of the Ruger 77 in that cartridge. They seem to have disappeared though...

[jmoore]

0500 thereabout when finishing the last post and am just now getting back online. We had a huge feast in the works that commenced about twelve hours later. Three deer hams, two 20 pound turkeys, a piggy ham, even a bit of alligator showed up.

The rain about quit mid-morning, so ducked out for a couple of hours with the Model 52 Winchester and found a big pile of squirrels almost all in one tree. Got eight.

Came back and had to split time between undressing the critters with final food prep. Lots o hand washing! All the while early arrivals were put to work carving, etc.

Big crowd. Great Christmastime gathering. And now about pooped!

Of note, learned that I MAY have a semi-auto new production FG42 in time for next deer season. Probably in .308, but we ordered one in 7,92 as well, and I can't begin to guess which I'll eventually own. The 7,92 SA FG42 should show up in a week or less, but a friend will have it, for now! Whether he decides to keep it is the question. Granted, it's "milsurp fantasy rifles", but owning a real FG42 isn't going to happen, and the selector switch is frowned upon in the state hunting regulations anyway!

Merry Christmas to you! And good night.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

That's a FEAST and it couldn't taste better anywhere else.

This is my son Tony and me a couple of years back. We plan on bowhunting again this year.
Tony got a doe that day and he jerkeyed the WHOLE deer. Dehydrator running day and night.
Thought my garage would smell like smoke and terryiaki forever!