Deer hunting with my single shot NEF 12g

swamp man · #21 02/15/08, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jared

That sounds sneaky and illegal. My old pastor is preaching down there, but since the Baptist Assoc, owns it, I'm not sure who I'd ask. Also, I'm not sure if it's in city limits or not. Either way, I've never deer hunted before, so I'll stick to dad's place. I'm sure if I build a blind and let them get used to it, I can get pretty close. I grew up going to that farm every weekend for most of my life. I know where the deer come out of the woods at and where they feed. I paid attention because dad always griped that they were eating his cow's grass and desperately wanted people to kill all the deer. Too bad i wasn't into hunting then. I'll stick with my 12g and a close range for now. If I don't kill one, oh well. I've got 32 years so far without killing one and the sun still seems to come up every day. I'm not a trophy hunter (but a big rack would sure be cool) and I'm not a food hunter (even though I'll eat what I kill). I'm hunting to learn how to do it so someday I can build a small cabin and try this whole mountain man thing for a summer or so. Dad's got a huge 2.5 acre pond that he keeps stocked with bass, catfish, bluegill and perch. So I've learned to fish and clean fish, too. Thanks for all the advice. I think I'll seriously look into the accessory barrel program, even though I can't afford it right now. If anybody wants to talk about the kinds of things I'm dreaming of, feel free to send me a message. I'll take all the advice I can get.
Jared

Congrats on your new...er...."education".....Good for you!
Sounds like you're off to a good start, what with knowing the patterns the deer are using. Finding where the'yre going, and how/when they're gettin' there can be the tough part.....once you've got that much figured out, shootin' one ain't all that hard.
Just a coupla' tips.......If you can use an elevated stand, do so. If not, really, really be meticulous in constructing your blind. Take note of the tendencies of wind direction on your huntin' spot, as obvoiusly, you'll wanna' be downwind of the tasty critters....the wind will tattle on you quicker than anything else.
If you're dressing and skinning the deer out yourself, have your stuff together beforehand....knives, saws, buckets, a place to work, etc. It's not ABSOLUTELY necessary, but if you haven't done it before, it sure helps to have someone experienced around to help you do it.
Ya might ask around your area about how best to handle your venison before butchering.....it can make a huge difference in the flavor, but standard practice varies in different areas/climates. It may be too warm in your area to hang and age a carcass. Thats the case where I live, so I generally just rinse the meat best I can with fresh water, quarter it, and pack it in ice in a cooler or two, changing out to fresh ice every day for a few days.....works pretty good.
Practice your shooting, keep your shots inside of your comfort range, and you'll be grillin' up some backstraps in no time. Good huntin'.

Jared · #22 02/15/08, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swamp man

Congrats on your new...er...."education".....Good for you!
Sounds like you're off to a good start, what with knowing the patterns the deer are using. Finding where the'yre going, and how/when they're gettin' there can be the tough part.....once you've got that much figured out, shootin' one ain't all that hard.
Just a coupla' tips.......If you can use an elevated stand, do so. If not, really, really be meticulous in constructing your blind. Take note of the tendencies of wind direction on your huntin' spot, as obvoiusly, you'll wanna' be downwind of the tasty critters....the wind will tattle on you quicker than anything else.
If you're dressing and skinning the deer out yourself, have your stuff together beforehand....knives, saws, buckets, a place to work, etc. It's not ABSOLUTELY necessary, but if you haven't done it before, it sure helps to have someone experienced around to help you do it.
Ya might ask around your area about how best to handle your venison before butchering.....it can make a huge difference in the flavor, but standard practice varies in different areas/climates. It may be too warm in your area to hang and age a carcass. Thats the case where I live, so I generally just rinse the meat best I can with fresh water, quarter it, and pack it in ice in a cooler or two, changing out to fresh ice every day for a few days.....works pretty good.
Practice your shooting, keep your shots inside of your comfort range, and you'll be grillin' up some backstraps in no time. Good huntin'.

The first time I go, I'll probably take my brother with me. He's been hunting since he was 11 or so, I just started recently. At dad's farm, there's a 32x40 shop that we can work in to stay out of the wind and hang the deer up with a come-a-long. Right beside that is my brother's trailer that the family kind of uses as a weekend getaway now that he's married and lives with his wife. So, I've got a brother to help, a shop to slaughter in and a house with a fridge to store meat in. All I need is a dead deer!
Jared

Beef11 · #23 02/20/08, 03:49 PM

I have a NEF 12 gauge that i have killed three deer with (in Idaho its 1 deer a year). I have shot rifled slugs through the thing but it was real inconsistent at anything over 50 yards. We had a 410 there and it was solid up to about 75 yards. I've shot buckshot but it is easy to ruin alot of meat with. In short my NEF 12 works but i don't like it and won't use it again.