Snow Hunt - Joe n Jeff

[longislandhunter]

Well, me and Joe got out on another hunt today.  You can tell Joe's got the huntin bug bad cause he drove all the way out to my house this morning on ice covered roads that would've made a figure skater scared to step foot on em.  Joe showed up ready to hunt and that's what we did....

We started out in my favorite sections of squirrel woods and we slowly covered most of the woods without seeing so much as a tree rat running the other way.  It was a cold day today, around 25 degrees while we were hunting and there was a constant, slight snowfall coming down, so I think the critters just decided to stay in their nice warm dens and nests today cause we really didn't even see any tracks or sign in the snow, at least not in this spot.  After scouring the woods unsuccessfully we decided to head over to another section of woods near my house.  This spot has some nice pine trees as well as a power line access road bordered by a nice row of old growth maples and oaks.  We figured for sure we'd see some action here.  

As soon as we left the truck and entered the brush leading to the woods we began to see good sign.  There were some fresh looking rabbit, squirrel, quail and deer tracks in the snow.  We were encouraged by this so we pressed on and headed for the power line access road and began to work our way down the row of old oaks and maples.  Well, by the time we reached the end of the tree line we still hadn't seen any critters so we decided to head out into this large overgrown field on the other side of the trees and see if we could find some rabbits.

Joe and I slowly worked all the log piles, thickets, tall grass and thick sapling patches but try as we might we never did find any bunnies.  As we neared the end of the field we did flush a good sized covey of quail so Joe and I made several attempts to stalk within range of the quail, but they busted us every time and flushed well before we could spot them on the ground for a shot.  We pushed that covey of quail 3 or 4 times, and got pretty close, but we never could pick out a bird on the ground and get a shot.  

We hunted our way back to the truck and you could see Joe was getting the hang of identifying the tracks, as he easily spotted and identified rabbit and deer tracks meandering through the honeysuckle bushes.     Joe and I covered a lot of ground today, through some tough terrain and I gotta say,,,, for a Brooklyn boy Joe did an outstanding job....  We  got back to the truck with empty game pouches but it was a terrific day in the woods with a good friend,,, and it just doesn't get any better than that  !!        I'm already looking forward to our next huntin trip.....

We took a bunch of pics during our hunt to document the trip and to share the beautiful winter scenery with our fellow GTA hunters.  I would've posted them earlier today but I had to resize them all and lighten them up a bit (my camera isn't the best) but they came out pretty good and the scenery is just beautiful.....

Jeff

[dave2288]

great story!  maybe next time for the critters, huh?

so, what gun did you have, jeff?

[longislandhunter]

Hey Dave,,,

Joe brought a Talon and I believe an SS

I brought a rifle that I hadn't shot in quite some time,,,,, it was the first air rifle I bought a a couple of years ago when I was bitten by the airgun bug,,,,, it was my GAMO Shadow .177 that I got from Walmart,, and the rifle is wearing a BSA 3x12x50 mounted in a BKL 260 mount.  That rifle is incredibly accurate.  It shoots a variety of pellets really well but right now it's sighted in for CPL's and at 30 yards it will literally stack one pellet on top of another.  That was the rifle I started shooting at the duck farm with and I can't even count the number of starlings I picked off with that rifle.  Anyway, when I went to the gun safe this morning to pick out a rifle I saw her sitting there and she just called to me.  

Jeff

[Timmyj1959@yahoo.com]

Jeff/Joe,,, me & Gene been waitin all day for this post,, was worth the wait!!  WOW!! simply AWSOME pics. That is so beutifull!! Even though I dont like cold weather,, I do love snow & can certainly "man up" for a day of huntin in it. Would have LOVED to have been there with "Yoose Guys" today!! :p  Empty game bags are no problem. Memories of a great time afeild with a good Buddy are priceless. Im so happy to see Joe getting so into hunting,, and the fact he has such a good mentor like you Jeff. Just tween you & me Jeff,,(dont tellJoe,I would not want to hurt his feelings) Ya think you could wean him off of the "Red Flame" beanie cap?? I kinda doubt Ed wears stuff like that in "white conditions"! He He!! (Kinda stands out if Ya know what I mean) Glad "Yall" had fun. Thats some mighty fine lookin huntin grounds Ya got there Jeff. Thanks so much for sharing the awsome pics. & story of a great day afield with Joe. Yer down south (70 degrees today) Huntin Buddy,,Tim.

[Bhawanna]

jeff, its that flaming camo joe wears that scares everything away!!!.....he looks more like a skate-boarder than a hunter..ha!!!....guess he is trying to make a "fashion" statement.  the snow is beautiful and thanx for the pics.....next time make joe wear his south carolina hat i sent him and see that works!

[longislandhunter]

I think that orange flame knit cap is his favorite but little by little we're gettin Joe all "camo'd" up  

Another couple of hunts and Joe will be invisible when he stands next to some brush or a tree  

Jeff

[Bhawanna]

it will have to be a BIG tree...joe is a BIG boy!...ha!!!  MERRY CHRISTMAS JEFF!

[longislandhunter]

Merry Christmas to you too Roger  

Jeff

[Gene_SC]

Fantastic outing you guys. Like Timmy said, we have been waiting patiently for you to post your results. You may not of gottin any cridders but you sure did catch some beautiful scenery. Thanks guys for sharing with all of us. Now I know what Joe Joe needs for Christmas...

[3n00n]

Or is thatNY blaze orange?

[Jaymo]

Merry Christmas, y'all. I'm glad to hear that Joe has gotten so into hunting. Score one for the good guys. Ya know what they say. A bad day hunting is better than a good day working. And we all know there's just about never a bad day hunting.

[shadow]

As I look at you two out there in that perfect hunting location,,,,, I want to be right there with you guy's . That is some superb hunting ground's Jeff and the hunter in me was looking looking at the brush piles and tree's, there's gotta be critters there! hehehe. FANTASTIC PIC'S !! Jeff and it really look's like you two had a blast just getting out there and spending sometime with Ma Nature. Joe look's like he's getting into this hunting thing , it's as addicting as getting another airgun joe.   and the more you get out there the more Ma Nature reveals her secret's on where the game lays wait. Joe's probably planing his tactic's for the next hunt, ok there were track's in this area so I should check the hot spot's here and there hehehe. Joe's slowly going camo and splash some white strips on that flame camo and he's in. If the cap brings good luck then wear it, it may be a hypnotic thing for the critters, their watching the flames dance as the scope and barrel below line up for the killing shot.   I got out yesterday myself, my stepson showed up yesterday to visit and I dragged him out since he had said that he wanted to learn the hunting way's.  It was a sunny day and I gave him a lesson on shooting airguns before hand. I took him over to Squirrel City and there were nutters everywhere. We took only one shooter, the snow camo Powerline since I was playing guide.   I showed him how to read game tracks and trails, he wanted to take randem shot's at nutters lol, hunt fever hehehe but I explained that you want a clean clear shot at em. He had a great time but only lasted about a hour in the chill and deep snow. No harvest were taken but he's got the hunt bug now too. I wish I would have taken the camera along also, it was a beautiful day. Thanks for sharing the hunt and pic's with us guy's, fantastic and joe's probably looking at ghillie suit's now for the next hunt hehehe. Ed

[TCups]

The first thing I thought when I saw those pictures -- quail live here.  The next thing -- there's the big guy in his signature flaming red wool cap.  Pretty pictures.  Snowy landscapes and woodlands are always so scenic.  I can just hear that sound that always sent my heart racing -- a covey of wild quail on the rise after being busted -- and in my mind's eye see those chubby little bullet shaped birds rocketing in every different direction.  I'd probably have to throw the air rifle up just in reflex.

I think maybe it was that big shiny thing on the barrel of Joe's Talon that frightened the game.  I know it frightens me.  Looks like you guys had a good time hunting in a lovely spot.  Hope you had a thermos of hot coffee with a healthy dash or two of brandy and foot warmers to go with it.  Tell Joe to start working with the Akitas to see if he can get them to point and retrieve.  

[longislandhunter]

Thanks fellow hunters    

Yup, Joe definitely has the hunting bug and with each trip he learns more skills.  In no time he's gonna be a seasoned small game killer

Those 2 spots we hunted are great for hunting.  They have a mix of habitat that provides ideal cover for all the small game species.  The first spot we went actually borders the salt water bay and there is great duck and goose hunting there also.  To bad you can't shoot the waterfowl with the pellet rifles cause there are 2 ponds in those woods, 1 salt water and 1 fresh water, and both of em hold ducks all the time.  With the cover available around the shore of the ponds it's quite easy to sneak within air rifle range, but it's not legal so it's a moot point.  

Anyway,,, I was very proud of Joe yesterday,,,, the hunting conditions were tough and yet he kept on hunting with enthusiasm and never got discouraged,,,,,,,  a sign of a true hunter.  

As for the orange flamed hat..................... we're workin on it   :emoticon:

Jeff

[JOHNNY QUEST]

Sure looks like ya'll hada good time..  those pics are great..  and there is nothing wrong with Joe's hat.
Its hunters orange...