Update since QDM

[Bullwinkle]

This is my first post since the QDM forum shutdown. I had a fun year and the progress on my farm continues. Here is an update

1. The new 40 I bought 3 miles from my main farm has been a ball. I like bringing new folks into hunting and #48 new hunter took his first deer with a bow, a spike buck, the first sit out there. The rules are to have fun and it's great to have a place I can have guests and not worry about messing with the goals on my main farm. The property is filthy with deer and turkeys. I've already had 3 people approach me to buy it and one offer $20K over what I paid. That doesn't happen often

2. I got lucky and took a 135" straight 8 on a Texas hunt

3. A customer took me hunting on his private lease in Austria for Chamois and red deer. I got 2 Chamois and passed a tail shot at a red stag. I was the first American to hunt his lease (he's leased it for 40 years) and figured a Texas heart shot is not something us Americans need to be remembered for. This trip was a huge cultural experience

3. I got one 5 acre oak regeneration fence up. Weather prevented getting the other 3 acre fence up. I'll get this up this spring. A wolf chased 6 deer through the fence and they all busted holes in it. This last month I've had one tree fall on it and repaired 10 holes. The deer seem to finally be adjusting to it. The DNR wanted the pen up before logging because of the great acorn drop last year and the huge maple regen we had 3 years ago. Hope to log next winter. I'll post pictures over the next 6 years to share with you the impact of deer

4. We had a nice rebound of does and fawns. We ended up taking 5 does. The neighbors pounded them so I think we will have a nice balance. I have 6 acres of standing corn and I'll use how much leftovers I have to determine if I have too many

5. Wolves found my farm. They pass through routinely - every 2-3 weeks.

6. My 5 year wait to hunt Giles Island is in a couple of weeks. I am looking forward to that hunt

7. 2 learnings- I started using 2 ozonics when I bow hunt. The results have been outstanding guys. Also did Winfred brassica head to head against rape. Winfred wins hands down. No more rape with turnips for me

 

[wbpdeer]

Man you should take a typing class since you had six months without any keyboard action. Ha Ha

Welcome, glad you are with us. A great deal has been accomplished on this forum.

Good luck on the Giles Island trip and we look forward to your update for that trip.

Glad to hear about your new farm.

Wayne

 

[dogdoc]

Hey stranger-great to heat from you and happy all your plans have come together. Keep us updated on your Giles island hunt.

Todd

 

[Native Hunter]

Bullwinkle, I'm glad to see you made it here. I always liked the way you came up with so many different ideas for new topics to discuss. We need you to keep us on our toes and keep things interesting.

This was a great update on all the things you have going on. I especially like the idea of the extra property, and that sounds like a fine success. Good luck on the upcoming hunt.

 

[E_308]

Sounds like that Austria hunt ought to come with some pictures? Wish I had customers like that! Welcome aboard, good to see more familiar names from the old days

 

[Bullwinkle]

This was an adventure from the start. Landed at Salzburg Austria at 10pm. Driver picked me up and drove me into the mountains. Met my guide at 1130pm and he looked at me and said he didn't speak English. Then said beer? I said yes and he went in the cabin to show me around. With sign language and broken statements he gave me a tour, showed me how to use his double trigger (sets hair trigger) rifle and set up wake up times. He then locked me in the cabin. I didn't sleep much. The next day we hunted alone till my customer came up. We got close to a couple Chamois and passed some red deer. Heard a bunch of barking and groaning from the red deer. It's a wild sound

My customer showed up and they found me a Chamois at about 400 meters. We stalked to within 210 meters. I nailed it. It was so steep it took us 20 min to get up there. My first was a nice trophy. 8 year old

 

[Fish]

Glad you're here, Bullwinkle. Sounds like you have plenty to share with us in 2017!

 

[Bullwinkle]

I love the Austrian traditions.

Right when we got up there, before he dressed the deer, he broke off two branches of spruce. He wipe blood on one and stuck it in my hat (sign of success). He took the second one and put it in the animals mouth (last meal). When we transported the animal he was placed in a bed of spruce for comfort

When we got back at camp we laid the animal on a bed of spruce for 1 hour at the chapel (backyard of camp). This lets the animal find peace with the lord. We ended it by celebrating with a shot of homeaide schnapps.

 

[Bullwinkle]

This is an example of the terrain we were in. It was filthy with animals. Highest elevation about 8000 ft

 

[Bullwinkle]

Here is my second Chamois. 2 year old

We spotted him about 1/2 mile away. There were 3 of them. We had a heck of a stalk up the mountain. Took us about 1 hour. I was dripping wet with sweat

 

[OkieKubota]

Glad to see you make it here Bull...

 

[lakngolf]

An old friend has come home. Glad to be able to follow the Bull. Got any more good recipes?

 

[W33kender]

Great to have you here, Bullwinkle. Have fun at Giles Island. I'm envious!!

 

[Bullwinkle]

Thanks for the welcome guys.

Recipes - yes my recipes have grown this year and so have I. Smoking a pastrami today in fact - it's been curing since Friday. I lean southern and spicy.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

This was an adventure from the start. Landed at Salzburg Austria at 10pm. Driver picked me up and drove me into the mountains. Met my guide at 1130pm and he looked at me and said he didn't speak English. Then said beer? I said yes and he went in the cabin to show me around. With sign language and broken statements he gave me a tour, showed me how to use his double trigger (sets hair trigger) rifle and set up wake up times. He then locked me in the cabin. I didn't sleep much. The next day we hunted alone till my customer came up. We got close to a couple Chamois and passed some red deer. Heard a bunch of barking and groaning from the red deer. It's a wild sound

My customer showed up and they found me a Chamois at about 400 meters. We stalked to within 210 meters. I nailed it. It was so steep it took us 20 min to get up there. My first was a nice trophy. 8 year old

Ah beer the universal language! Congrats on the trip that would be an awesome adventure.

 

[Triple C]

The Bull is in the house! Glad you made it over here. Always enjoyed following along on your quest for better habitat and bigger deer.

 

[lakngolf]

Thanks for the welcome guys.

Recipes - yes my recipes have grown this year and so have I. Smoking a pastrami today in fact - it's been curing since Friday. I lean southern and spicy.

I have used your pork/ back strap rub often. Got some grandsons who love it. Nine year old got his deer from processor. I need to give rub recipe to his mother

 

[Bullwinkle]

Ah beer the universal language! Congrats on the trip that would be an awesome adventure.[/QUOTE
It was fascinating for sure. I saw first hand how the hunting in Europe is a rich mans sport. My host told me if you own over 600 hectares you are required to hire a professional hunter/manager to manage the game. Otherwise the state does it for you. My professional hunter was really cool although he didn't speak English. He got a college degree in hunting to be certified. He also had to have a certified tracking dog that we took on each outing. He built all these look out blinds in the mountain and the dog sat there with us. More than once the dog smelled the animals before we saw them

The 12,000 hectares my customer leased had so many red deer that the state said either shoot them or feed them. He decided to build 2 50 acre pens designed to catch the red deer in the winter. His buddies on adjoining leases did the same. This way they wouldn't over browse. The professional hunter job was to feed them all winter then let them go in the spring. Let me tell you it took some men to build these pens in that steep terrain

I was lucky. Chamois are hard to get and red deer are easy. I had one red deer stag at 300 meters but we couldn't shoot it. The state has a slot size of 4-8 year olds (or something like this). This is their way of QDM. The antlers form the crowns after 8. The one I was saw was a 5-6 year

I got invited back next year with my wife to shoot a red deer and then he wants to take me to his farm in Hungary which is loaded with roe deer, pheasants and rabbits. He has to shoot 100 roe deer a year on this farm or the state will take over!!!!

Bow hunting is illegal. Not considered ethical for killing an animal

Each year the county has a big mass, party and celebration of the trophies taken. They also get together and do a special hunt. I forget what it's called but the starve a big bunch of dogs then 100 guys take stands around a big block of timber. They let the dogs out in this big block of land and animals come out. You should see the piles of animals they shoot. Then they have a mass and big party. I wish I had pictures of this to show.

Below is my PH and dog dragging out my first Chamois. They dress really formally. I felt weird in my camo.

 

[Bullwinkle]

I have used your pork/ back strap rub often. Got some grandsons who love it. Nine year old got his deer from processor. I need to give rub recipe to his mother

Awesome. Love that recipe. We have it on a pork loin the Friday before gun season. Leftovers make awesome sandwhiches

 

[Bullwinkle]

The Bull is in the house! Glad you made it over here. Always enjoyed following along on your quest for better habitat and bigger deer.

Thanks. Missed the interaction and learns from guys like you

It's a fun game as you know. Every year gets better. We had a year of a bunch of close calls. The deer won but next year .... hopefully will be a different story. What I've learned is with developing property. Shooting a small buck becomes really, really easy. Shooting a 5-7 year old is really hard for me and still haunts me and drives me to get better