Hunting Deer With My Flintlock – NYTimes.com

Seamus McGraw

Bushkill, Pa.

SHE took me by surprise. Though I had been stalking her through the dense undergrowth for about 40 minutes, I had lost sight of her as the afternoon light began to fade. It was getting late and I was about ready to call it a day when, just as I hit the crest of a shadowy depression in the mountainside, I caught a glimpse of her, a beautiful doe, the matriarch of a small clan that foraged behind her.

She saw me, too.

She stepped out from behind a shagbark. Even in the spreading dusk I could see her eyes as she glared at me. She stomped out a warning on the rocky ground.

I had to admire her guts. I dropped to one knee, fumbled in my pocket for my old brass powder charger, freshened the powder in my frizzen, and pulled back the hammer on my .50-caliber flintlock. I took a deep breath and then I drew a bead on her.

An instant that felt like an hour passed before I squeezed the trigger. The hammer fell, the powder in the frizzen flashed, startling me even though I was prepared for it, and a heartbeat later, the whole world exploded with the thunder of 90 grains of black powder erupting in fire and blinding acrid smoke from the barrel of my gun, sending a lead minié ball rocketing toward the doe at a lethal 1,400 feet per second.

In the smoke and the confusion I couldn’t tell if I had hit her. And then I saw that I had. The impact of the bullet had knocked her to the ground, and as the rest of the herd high-tailed it over the ridge, she struggled to stand, staggered a few yards and then collapsed again. I had hoped for a clean kill. But I had failed. I knew what had happened — I had flinched when the powder in the pan went off. Instead of hitting her in the heart or lungs, which would have killed her instantly, I had mortally wounded her. Now I would have to finish the job. Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Hunting Deer With My Flintlock – NYTimes.com.

Patience Pays Off For Kentucky Hunter Who Took 180-Inch Buck | Outdoor Life

By Travis Faulkner

When you’re a father and hardcore deer hunter, it can be extremely difficult to juggle a demanding work schedule and family commitments with fall hunting. This is exactly the dilemma that Josh Hunt found himself facing during the magical month of November. In addition, Hunt had promised his 7-year-old son that he would get the first shot during Kentucky’s annual modern rifle season.

Needless to say, this guy was really feeling the pressure to tag-out with his bow. As a result, he decided to take the second week of November off from work and hunt from daylight until dark. Hunt’s perseverance and dedication was finally rewarded during the last day of his vacation. Here is how his amazing hunt unfolded.

During the first part of Hunt’s vacation, he was seeing a lot of deer activity near his treestand. He was setup directly between two bedding areas with thick cover, which allowed him to catch bucks cruising back and forth for receptive does. In fact, Hunt almost shot a 150-class bruiser the weekend before his vacation started, but the buck busted him when he was drawing his bow. At the time, Hunt felt like he had been gut-punched and that another opportunity would probably not present itself before the opening of gun season.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Patience Pays Off For Kentucky Hunter Who Took 180-Inch Buck | Outdoor Life.

Winter Musky Hunting in Tennessee- WFN.com

Mark Bilbrey

While bass fishing in a small lake last summer my wife and I made an amazing discovery. We witnessed something that has not been seen in a Tennessee lake in many years. As we paddled our canoe to the back of a creek we saw some violent explosions in the water ahead and as we crept closer to see what was going on we saw Muskie! We counted six of the beast near the forty inch length and they appeared to be in attack formation like a squadron of fighter pilots heading into a dog fight, as they herded baitfish into the back of a creek to feed.

Musky also called Musky or Muskellunge, are among the biggest freshwater predatory fish found in Tennessee. Thanks to the efforts of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and Anglers over the last ten years, the fish has been restored back to its native waters in this state. Musky have a reputation for being extremely aggressive and hard fighting. In the 2011 Tennessee Fishing Guide, a Musky takes the cover shot and a featured article about the legendary fishing being restored to Tennessee. The article features Will Renfro with a 49 inch Dale Hollow beast. The state has done a remarkable job restoring this fish.  Click Link Below for Full Story!

via Winter Musky Hunting in Tennessee.

Alaska Guiding Legend Joe Hendricks Charged With 34 Felonies | Alaska Dispatch

Craig Medred

One of Alaska’s oldest and most respected big-game guides has been charged with 34 felonies related to illegal hunting in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, most of them alleging that he allowed another unidentified guide to use his exclusive guide area. Joe Hendricks, reached by phone at a winter home in Kentucky, said he couldn’t talk much about the lengthy indictment handed down on Dec. 14, but seemed mainly worried about what it would do to his reputation.

“This is going to mortify my daughter,” he said.

Hendricks’ business, Fair Chase Hunts, has been guiding big game hunters to trophy Brooks Range sheep and monster Kodiak Island grizzly bears for more than four decades. “I’ve had an impeccable record for 45 years,” he said. He hinted that it might have been tarnished now by one of the people with whom he has been doing business in the Arctic. “It’s pretty much assistant guide stuff,” he said.

Alaska has a complicated guiding system that parcels out hunting opportunities to a select handful of master and registered guides. They are then free to hire state-licensed assistant guides to work for them. As it now exists, the system is similar to limited entry in the commercial fisheries off Alaska’s coast. The idea behind such systems is to ensure viable incomes for the people who work in them and, theoretically, to enlist the help of these businessmen to protect public resources as wise stewards of Alaska’s resources.   Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Alaska Guiding Legend Joe Hendricks Charged With 34 Felonies | Alaska Dispatch.

Massachusetts Hunter Takes 13-Point Double Drop Tine Buck | Outdoor Life

by Marc Alberto

Chris Alberini was excited for the upcoming hunting season in Massachusetts. “I had a ton of good bucks on my trail cameras and it looked like I would have a couple “slam dunks” on some good bucks,” he said.

As the season got underway, Chris had plenty of does and small bucks walk by his stand, but the big ones that he had captured on trail camera were nowhere to be found. Frustration was beginning to set it, but Chris stuck it out and continued to spend as much time in the tree as he could.

With the bucks not moving during shooting hours, Chris changed his focus to the does and decided to take a few off the property to put some meat in the freezer.

By the second week of November things started to change and the bucks were becoming more active. Chris’ trail cameras captured several bucks as they cruised through the area in search of hot does.

While on the stand one evening, Chris heard a commotion coming from the swamp to his right and watched as a doe busted out of the thick cover. Trailing right behind her was the big nine pointer that Chris had been after. Light was fading and it was now or never for Chris. With the buck at a mere fifteen yards, Chris let his arrow fly and watched in horror as the arrow sailed over the buck’s back and buried into the mud. He was crushed.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Massachusetts Hunter Takes 13-Point Double Drop Tine Buck | Outdoor Life.

2011 Deer Hunting Season Disappointing For Many – ANNARBOR.COM

By Rick Taylor

The 2011 whitetail deer hunting season was fruitful for some and highly disappointing for many. I’ve heard the same story of disappointment from a multitude of hunters in our area and across the state.

So, what happened to all the deer this year? Some farmers say they’re still here living and feeding in the standing corn yet to be harvested. Other local farmers say they haven’t seen many deer at all this entire year. Matt Koenn, a local farmer saw so few deer this year on his farm that he didn’t apply for a “Crop Damage” permit this summer. Periodic phone calls to Matt only verified the low deer numbers on his farm.

Is this bad or good news for Matt and farmers like him? Well, it’s all in the way you look at it. Hunters will certainly be frustrated by low deer numbers but farmers like Matt will have less crop damage leading to higher profit margins for a change. I’ve often written about my Dexter “Honey Hole” over the years and how it consistently produces deer. Well, this year has proven to be amazingly unproductive. I haven’t seen a single deer the last 4 times I’ve been out there this fall.

Furthermore, there isn’t a rhyme or reason for this. There are very few hunters in the area, the weather patterns are similar and their food source remains unchanged. If you take anything away from this article then remember this; “there’s a reason why the DNR needs an accurate accounting of harvested deer in your area”. I strongly believe that hunters need to let their local DNR office know harvest numbers so they can more accurately forecast deer numbers the following year.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via 2011 deer hunting season disappointing for many.

Kentucky Hunter Takes 18-Point Monster Buck | Outdoor Life

By Travis Faulkner

Sometimes in life we don’t always get our first choice, but that’s not always a bad thing. For example, recently a hunter named Greg Allen decided to go ahead and cash in his one Kentucky buck tag on a deer that was actually not his first choice. However, it would be pretty difficult for any serious whitetail hunter to let a giant 18-point buck walk in order to hold out for something bigger. Here is an inside look at how this amazing hunt unfolded in Washington County, Kentucky just a few weeks ago.  Click Link Below For Full Story!

via Kentucky Hunter Takes 18-Point Monster Buck | Outdoor Life.

Hunters Take Four Black Bears During Kentucky’s 2011 Season

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Hunters took four black bears during Kentucky’s third season for the bruins, held during the weekend of Dec. 10-11.

Neil Perkins, of Hallie, Ky., took a 350-pound male bear in Letcher County that is the heaviest bear taken since Kentucky’s first bear season in 2009, said Steven Dobey, bear program coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. Hunters took two bears in Letcher County and two in Harlan County.

Snow and ice storms created difficult hunting conditions during Kentucky’s two previous bear seasons. A total of six bears have now been taken in three seasons. Hunters purchased 484 permits for the 2011 hunt.

Black bears moved into Kentucky by natural range expansion from West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee. At the present time only three southeastern counties – Harlan, Letcher and Pike – are open to bear hunting in Kentucky.

“Our highest bear densities are on Pine Mountain, which runs through Harlan and Letcher counties and extends into Pike County along its southeastern boundary,” said Dobey. “Harlan and Letcher counties border Virginia, which has had a fall bear season for decades.”

Hunters are required to register their harvest online or over the telephone through the state’s Telecheck system. Hunters are also required to bring the bears to a check station so biologists can collect information on the bear’s age, sex, weight, body measurements, and the presence of tags or tattoos used to mark some animals.

Perkins’ bear had some history. “We had captured him in May 2010 in Hyden, Ky., in Leslie County for nuisance-related behavior, and released on Hensley-Pine Mountain WMA,” said Dobey. “At that time he weighed about 200 pounds.”

Dobey said the bear likely weighed more than 400 pounds before it was field dressed.