Pond in the foothills

[j.w]

Nice looking dogs!

 

[MitchM]

Thanks jw, those are our kids.

 

[j.w]

Oh ok then nice looking kids and the younger one looks just like you :biggrin:

 

[callingcolleen1]

My hubby friends got a moose and we got a bunch of the meat, the dogs ste very very well last night, nobody had to beg for food, food was just everywhere as hubby was busy for hours cutting and bagging the meat up. We will all eat well for a long time now! Just think of all the food you have up walking beside your house Mitch, you won't ever have to starve!!

Very fat porkly Poppy chops and a bad Bear, where too full to move last night and passed out beside my bed.....

 

[MitchM]

I know, Colleen. I'm not really a hunter though. To me the fun ends as soon as you pull the trigger.
I don't mind the idea of killing an animal for food, it's when you kill the animal you then need to track it down, cut it up, haul it out of the forest, clean it.
I have been thinking about trying it though.
We try to make as much food here ourselves as possible.

 

[CountryEscape]

I love deer meat, but not buck deer meat. I know how to completely butcher one, too. Have never skinned one, but have watched, and am confident I could do that as well. My son got me a nice doe 3 years ago, but not one since, darn it! I have my "order" in with him, but he tends to shoot one doe and his dad keeps that one, because he's hunting on his dad's property, but then I get the next one, and he never gets that next one last couple of years. Maybe this year. I think it's better than beef, myself, and anyone that says they hate deer meat has probably never had GOOD deer meat. In other words, they have probably had buck meat, which is gross. I don't even put it in my freezer for the dogs! Oh, well, yeah I could, but why when I can buy a huge bag of beef bone for them for $1. Why keep freezer running for meat they should not have so much of. Anyhow, I've put my request to the neighbors again, if they have an extra deer and also a a friend from the car dealership where I used to work. He may just come up with a doe for me, actually! I have a place to hang it locked up so no critters can get to it, too.
Mitch, I suspect other predators would come and steal your kill if you hung it in your woods! That cougar would be very thankful for a fresh deer or moose kill for him to just stroll over and have a feast on! How do you keep that from happening? And, I'm with you. I enjoy eating deer, but don't think I would ever be able to shoot one. I would love to sit in the woods and say I was hunting, though, just to have the stories my son has of the wildlife he sees while hunting. :blueflower:

 

[MitchM]

That's the thing, CE.
I couldn't leave it out. I would have to completely process it right away. Maybe if I had someone to go hunting with that could help out, it would go faster.
There was a hunter near here a couple of years ago that went hunting on his own. As he was bringing his kill back to his truck a grizzly caught up to him and killed him. The authorities later caught and killed that grizzly not too far from our place. I don't think hunting on one's own is a good idea.
I think a gunshot is like a dinner bell to some predators. We frequently have hunters kill an animal and leave the gut pile close or dump the remains in one of the ditches that run along our property.
I found a dumped carcass on Wednesday by our wildlife pond, so I set up one of my trailcams next to it. I'lll check in a week or so to see if any predators find it.

 

[sissy]

here in VA they are to loose on guns .I was at a flea market in Eden NC and a NY truck was parked in front of me and I saw him come to the truck as I was getting out with 3 guns and he hid them in the back of the truck and I watched him at the flea market buying more guns .I got on my cell phone and called the police as we were parked way out in the back section of the flea market it was hard to explain to the police so I waited for them and told them out were I was parked and I described the guy and sure enough they waited and next I knew there were police cars every where and he got caught with 30 + guns hidden in the truck ,they said it looked like he was down here as a gun runner and he was arrested and it was on the news that night .To easy to buy guns at flea markets here and in NC and that was 4 years ago .

 

[MitchM]

I agree sissy. That kind of thing only keeps people on edge and you can never really relax.
Waaaaay too many guns around.

 

[CountryEscape]

Nope, definitely not safe for you to hunt alone there, that's for certain. Around here, hunters usually field dress deer, gutting them in the woods to leave part of the weight and waste behind. Those piles are there for the taking, but we only have coyotes and fox and they are not human predators. In your area, that just entices the big game to come pretty close to where you live. People don't stop and think of others, obviously. When people come from the city to the country where I live, and dump stuff, they have the mentality that "it's just a ditch" when they dump their trash. Well, that ditch maybe empties into my pond! Same with dead animal carcasses. I think it was last year someone dumped 4 coyote carcasses. Why would you shoot an animal and then not use it? Maybe they were preying on their livestock, but it's still stupid to dump the carcasses for that reason.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes, shooting just to kill very wrong, but if you plant to eat it then that is good. Moose is very good to eat, like a cow if it is hung right. I would not go out hunting alone either, just way too scary where you live Mitch. I still think you should have a loaded gun handy where you live, what if a bear comes close to the house and causes trouble. At least get a can of bear spray with you at all times.

Sacred for your life!!!

 

[MitchM]

Not to worry Colleen. I always have 2 cans on hand.
Did you know that you have to register when you buy bear spray? Each can has a serial number that is recorded along with your name and address.

 

[callingcolleen1]

My husbend bought them for me, so I don't know, but we have them too....

 

[MitchM]

Another beautiful but chilly sunrise.

 

[CountryEscape]

WOW!!!!! I needed something to brighten my morning, Mitch, and that pic sure did it. Gorgeous sunrise, thanks for sharing. :blueflower: