Hunting Goal for the year?

[atchman2]

I've becoming horribly addicted to air guns since last summer.  My friend Jim talked me into looking into them one day and I MADE him buy one too! Now I'm 6 guns into it!  

It has also brought back something I used to do all the time as a kid-hunting.  I used to fish the spring and summer and just couldn't wait until the first day of squirrel season.  I'd come home from school, grab either the .20 gauge or the Sheridan and be off to the woods!  Usually the Sheridan because I had to pay for my own ammo.  

So after reading a post from Shadow about his Night Patrols, I wanted to see if you guys had hunting goals for the year?  Here are mine:

1) Get ready for the Spring Turkey season!  I've never shot one but after watching the Sportsman Channel it is something I think I can do!  

2) Spring Squirrel Season in Tennessee.  Not only do I want to hunt, but I want to scout for the much longer fall season. I think Tennessee has the longest squirrel season in the US as it is only closed a few months out of the year.  

3) In June I get to go to my wife's home in Herndon, KS (find it on a map, it isn't on most of them).  The RWS 350 will again go prairie dog hunting!  I'm so excited I can't wait to go!  A secondary goal is to try and get some coyotes.  I'm hooked on Predator Quest, and as I watch it I practice my calling (I know that sounds silly, but I think it will pay off).  

4) This fall I'm going to go on my first deer hunt ever.  I've got a compound bow so I'm going on the early season.  I've found a bunch of great spots while looking for squirrels.  Sometimes it is easier here to find deer than concentrations of squirrels.  

I'm also looking forward to my other passion-trophy catfishing!  My kiddos are getting old enough to go with me which will be nice.

[Furseeker]

Randy those all sound like good goals. Sadly, Utah doesn’t have a squirrel season and I don’t even know if the ones we have in the mountains are ones that can be eaten. I guess they can all be eaten, but I don’t know if they should be eaten.

I would like to take some larger vermin, now that I have guns like the 350 and the B28. I’m thinking something along the lines of Cotton tail rabbits or even some Jack Rabbits. I haven’t made it out yet this year but I hear their numbers are down, so finding them could prove to be difficult. The local population of Raccoons should support some good shooting this year.

I would also like to harvest some of the Starlings and Eurasian Collared Doves in higher numbers this year. The weather is starting to warm up a little around here and with the dairy farm operational again I think there will be more ground squirrels and some big nasty rats to shoot.

[longislandhunter]

My hunting goals for the year are to give the woodchucks a bit of a break this year and spend more time targeting the starlings and especially the pigeons at the duck farm.  I'm especially looking forward to some long range pigeon shooting with the .22 Condor.

I'm also looking forward to getting in a couple of turkey hunts on my property up in the Catskill Mountains during the upcoming spring season.  We have a good turkey population on the land and in the area but I've always been to busy with other things.  Now that I'm retired I'll finally have the time to spend a few weekends up there trying to bag a turkey.....

Oh yeah, I forgot,,, I also want to spend more time this year doing some freshwater fishing with my small boat and electric motor setup in some of the local ponds and lakes.  We have phenomenal  perch, bluegill, catfish, carp and trout fishing.  For some reason for the past 4 years I haven't been freshwater fishing like I used to.... oh wait,, I know why.... because I've been playing with my BB guns all the time    This year though I'm gonna get out on those lakes and ponds..... my favorite is bluegill fishing with my flyrods using small poppers and of course my all time favorite rubber spiders  

Jeff

[atchman2]

I love fishing!  Here is a picture of my wife and I a few years ago with a BIG Blue Cat!

[1377x]

my hunting goal this year is to get as many prairie dogs as possible

[longislandhunter]

Nice cat !!!!    

We don't have catfish here anywhere near that size but I sure wish we did.....

How are those big cats as far as eating ??  Just as good as the smaller version

Jeff

[atchman2]

I usually eat the smaller ones and just take pictures of the big ones.  You can only keep one big one a day I think, but since I don't keep any it is just catch, weigh, and release.  

That one spiked my 50 pound scale so I'm not sure how big it was.  

My friend John's son Mark is my Godson. I promised him I take him fishing to catch a fish as big as he is.  We did!  I have a picture of him laying on the ground next to it.  I had to take over the pole because I was afraid of him getting pulled in the water.  We use medium action saltwater stuff for the most part.  30# test line is about the minimum I would use on the big ones as they want to run for cover once you hook them.  

A fish like that would easily have 20 pounds of fillets!  Since I MAYBE it 10 pounds of fish a year it isn't worth trying to keep one of those.  Now if I ever caught an 80 or better, I'd have to keep the head for a mount.  Then I would put the rest in the fridge for racooon bait

[airiscool]

Find a farm that's got Woodchuck problems .....and no kids wanting to shoot them !!!

Paul.

[shadow]

Nice whisker fish bro, miss catching the big ones when I lived in South Dakota. This year's plan of attack is to catch up on the Squirrel hunting and once the State Land is closed for nutters I will hit my private reserve of land stocked with nutters that I have left alone since the season opened. I also plan to bag more G-hog's, low count last year but made up for it by bagging a truck load of Bandit's and Country Rat's. I'm still going after the Bandit's etc. this spring but got free run on some private land that has yotes and Foxes, a must on my trophy list and been gearing up for month's now to take them on. I got the call's and gear for them and the Hunter 1250.22 will really earn her keep with one of those Predators. Jeff says he's cutting back on the G-hog's hmmm they'll call to him and he'll go after em lol. Ed

[atchman2]

longislandhunter - 2/9/2010  2:22 PM

My hunting goals for the year are to give the woodchucks a bit of a break this year and spend more time targeting the starlings and especially the pigeons at the duck farm.  I'm especially looking forward to some long range pigeon shooting with the .22 Condor.

I'm also looking forward to getting in a couple of turkey hunts on my property up in the Catskill Mountains during the upcoming spring season.  We have a good turkey population on the land and in the area but I've always been to busy with other things.  Now that I'm retired I'll finally have the time to spend a few weekends up there trying to bag a turkey.....

Oh yeah, I forgot,,, I also want to spend more time this year doing some freshwater fishing with my small boat and electric motor setup in some of the local ponds and lakes.  We have phenomenal  perch, bluegill, catfish, carp and trout fishing.  For some reason for the past 4 years I haven't been freshwater fishing like I used to.... oh wait,, I know why.... because I've been playing with my BB guns all the time    This year though I'm gonna get out on those lakes and ponds..... my favorite is bluegill fishing with my flyrods using small poppers and of course my all time favorite rubber spiders  

Jeff

I need to get a cheap flight and come up!  I SO want to shoot a woodchuck! My Pastor's dad has a woodchuck problem according to him so that may be my best "shot" at getting one or six!

[only1harry]

1. Shoot a fox this year
2. Find a farmer that will allow me shoot Groundhogs or pests on his property

That's not asking a lot, is it?  Nice and simple.  I got all the guns I need.  All I need is the critters!  60 dead G-hogs and 70-80 dead squirrels later, I got nothing left to shoot in the backyard.  My goal is to "expand" my hunting grounds.. Oh and get 1 fox.  That's all.  I didn't say 3 or 5 foxes, just one itty bitty fox... that's all I want!!  or like 3-4 coons in its place since none came this year.  Even the coons are abandoning me!    hehehe

PS.
The season is ending 2 weeks early this year for furbearer - Feb. 15, so this is my goal for the coming Fall, ie: next season.

[jake]

my hunting goals are,
get this dang coon!
get this dang skunk!
 and get a deer with my bow  

[gamo2hammerli]

Talking about airguns....I'll try to nail 12 to 15 Starlings, Grackles or Crows this year.  That's my average since I started nailing them two years ago.
Hopefully get some bunnies, racoons, woodchucks etc....maybe a Crow or two with my .22lr rifle.  It would be my first time hunting with a couple of new buddies.