Hunting?

[Nitro]

Any of y'all do any type of hunting, such as deer, turkey, waterfowl?

[Mossdancer]

Dont have to hunt after you reach a certain age, they hunt you.I dont shoot them anymore. However if they dont quit eating the roses I may take drastic steps.

W.B.

[Hukk]

I used to hunt, deer, pigs, and bear as game animals with rifle and bow. I did some turkey and quail hunting both the valley quail and mountain quail we have here. Dove shoots were fun as were wild pigeons - bandtails as they are known. In California, waterfowl is far too expensive, $10,000 will not get you a blind in some places.
My hunting has been underwater for the last 15 years. I'm a free diver; I dive without the use of tanks, breath hold only, for some species such as abalone, tanks can land you in PRISON, not jail, PRISON, the big house. I have speared many kinds of fish, mainly halibut, cabazone, rockfish species and Ling Cod. But there are so many rules and regulations about fish that I will give up spearfishing. When you look at a fish underwater and can't figure out if it is the right size, am I supposed to shoot it, time to give it up. The coast is watched closely by many agencies, even the lifeguards wear bullet proof vests and pistols. I even got a $100.00 ticket for filling my abalone card out at the truck instead of "as soon as I got out of the water." YES that REGULATED. The questions I get all the time:
I have been 90 ft deep in the cold waters of Northern California and 140 ft in the nice warm waters off Maui - neat to hear all the Humpback whales down there. All while free diving. I know how deep I go because I wear a wrist mounted depth gauge, in Maui the captain used his depth finder in the boat.
I have seen sharks, many blues, and 3 Great whites, 1 off the town of Gualala was 12 - 14 ft long and about 15 ft under me. (yeah, it looked a whole lot bigger at the time) I am going where they live, I enjoy playing with Harbor Seals, lot of fun and the food of big sharks.
I am a premeir diver, in the top 1% of what I do for fun. I do not recommend that anyone visiting the rugged coast of Northern California get in the 55 degree water, let alone swim, we get 5-6 drownings every year and it has a lot to do with the shape of the beaches up here. If you plan to visit Sonoma County, email me for a list of safe beaches that I recommend to folks with children. A short but safe list it is.

They say you need a GPS, a biologist and a lawyer to safely fish this area, some species are fishable by your GPS co-ordinates, a 1/4 mile can mean the difference between a ticket and a fun day. The tickets here are not true tickets, in this area it is a summons to appear before a judge, who will then decide how much your fine is.

[sunburst]

Ahhh hunting...It used to be one of the main reasons I got up everday when I was much younger. I have slowed down a lot from how much I hunt compared to what I did years ago but I still love to hunt but much more for the love and freedom of being outside to appreciate the beauty around us.

At the moment I hunt white tail, wild hogs, turkey, quail, dove and the odd coyote & gator (with a licensed trapper). My 14 year old son is just getting into the hunting seen so he has revitalized my desire to get up at wild hours of the morning. I have the luxury of managing 3,000 acres of land that adjoins other large acreage so we continually trap wild hogs off the property and see deer all year long. We also have about 500 acres on the property made into resevoirs with incredible largemouth bass fishing and the usual bluegill & crappie mixed in there somewhere.

I have to admit though even with access to all this property, I spend between 10 - 12 hours a day there managing a farm investment so most days of the week I really just want to make the 45 mile drive home, get out of the heat and be with my family.

I am already planning on planting a dove field around the fourth of July to be ready in time for our first phase of dove hunting...If any of you ever find yourselves in my area this fall, let me know and maybe if the dove field comes up we may get to do a little dove hunting..

Thanks for the topic,

Sunburst


Hey Hukk,

Your explanation of free diving and what you have seen is incredible...I have waded with gators & hopped onto the backs of bulls at rodeos but I would have a heart attack seeing the things you shared...

[Hukk]

Hey Hukk,

Your explanation of free diving and what you have seen is incredible...I have waded with gators & hopped onto the backs of bulls at rodeos but I would have a heart attack seeing the things you shared...

I have seen amazing things at the ocean, many once in a lifetime events and I feel as if I've been richly rewarded.
While in a boat, I watched a pod of Orca's and 1 Great White Shark feed on a dead Gray Whale. I watched a pod of Orca's not 50 yards from the shore, exactly where I had been diving not 15 minutes before. I had been diving off a place called Jenner point when all of a sudden I saw a Gray Whale rise to to the surface for a blow, only 10 yards away, I could look into her baseball sized eye.
I have seen a couple other great white sharks while in the water, but the one in Gualala takes the fear prize (definite heart stopper). I was 3/8 mile offshore and had swam out there. No place to go, if that shark wanted me, I would have been gone, so they are not the evil killing machines most people think that they are. I stayed where I was and finished diving for abalone. The main reason is that place has a huge rip going south and out away from the beach and it can take 4 times as long to swim in as it does to swim out. While swimming in from there, I would tack, like a sailboat does with the wind. So, I would zig zag in, those that would try to go straight in were actually going backwards and further out to sea. RESCUES
I used to go out 3 times a week, nothing makes me feel more alive that being in the ocean, it's a rush. Typically nothing exciting happens, I've seen more because I have more time in the water than most. I would love to live closer to my ocean. I love to hunt in the ocean, much more than the land and I always enjoyed that.

[Nitro]

I mostly hunt whitetail deer and turkey. I agree that just being outside and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors is one of the finer points of hunting.

Hukk, you might just be my new hero!
Thanks for the stories.

[Hukk]

Thank you for your very nice comments. When I first began diving many years ago I was afraid of the ocean. I do not like to be afraid of anything, so, a diving I went. On my first dives I am sure I looked like a dying Seal, or Sea Lion, pretty bad. As time went on and I live just 45 minutes from my first dive site (I have many) I just got better and better at it. After many years I found that the water was theraputic. I could arrive at my dive site all stressed out, but as I dove and got out of the water, I found that I left all those things behind. I'm no hero, but a guy who conquered his fears and got really good at what I do throgh a lot of practice. There are many of my buddies who think I swim like a Seal, really I am just very comfortable in the ocean and since I have spent so much time there I have a wealth of really great stories and good memories. The only negative impact has been that my hearing has suffered. Going from 1 atmospere to 4 atmosperes and back to the surface has taken it's toll on my hearing. Still, there is no other hunting that gives me what I get from the ocean.

[Aaron]

Nitro,
You talking about one of my favorite things. Nothing better than being in the woods, no one else there to bother you.I get to read , meditate,and most of all just being out there.

Seasons start september with dove, mid sep. with squirrel and then permit elk(only about 15 permits). October opens with deer, turkey, bear archery seasons, moving to muzzle loading late october. I guess I could go on and on, but I'd just get all worked up and still have three months to go .
I picked up hunting at 20 and that's been 27 years ago. The passion is still just as strong now maybe more than then. Hopfully it'll never die down. AD

[Nitro]

Aaron,
The elk have done real well here in Eastern Kentucky after being reintroduced, I'm pretty sure the number of pemits will be well over 100 this year and roadside sightings are fairly common.
Last year I was lucky enough to be within 30yds of a huge 6x6 while deer hunting, they are a awesome animal to see in the wild!

[Mossdancer]

Hey Nitro;
Did they transplant rocky mountain or roosevelt species. Just wondered.
W.B.

[Aaron]

Nitro,
I had to look at Arkansas Game and Fish to check my facts ,but here they transplanted Rocky Mountain elk. The background they give says that the eastern elk was killed off by 1840. The elk we have now were stocked between 1981 and 1985 , 112 at the time.
The agfc reports est. 400-450 in the herd now in the Buffalo National River area. I have never seen any in the wild as of yet,But I have seen some a man in our area had on 40 acres. That was the first time I had heard one bugle. Raised the hair on the back of my neck.
My brother-in-law has had the chance to bow hunt elk in New Mexico several years ago. AD

[Gr8Scout]

Hunting is life itself for me. As I get older, I concentrate more on small game. Love hunting squirrels, and trampling the bush is great exercise for me when I go after rabbits. I do bowhunt for deer, firearm as well and I get lucky and bag a pheasant once in a while.
Phil

[Bryan]

I LOVE to hunt. Squirrel hunting has always been one of my favorites. Season starts August 1st and runs to Dec. 31 here. Early season is always more of a challenge due to mosquitos, horse flies (they are the worst when they are thick), leaves etc, but it's well worth it. Also love to hunt deer, rabits, doves.

Most enjoyable part is being out there in the woods or brush or field with good friends and family. I also love to eat the above mentioned critters. I'd take a backstrap from a deer over a T-Bone steak pretty much any day. Squirrel gravey is THE best. No one can argue that... If you think you can, you need to stop by and sample my step mother's squirel gravey.

I also go after snapping turtles. Not sure if that would be hunting or fishing. Those are some mean reptiles. They are very time consuming to skin, but it's hard to beat good turtle soup, and fried turtle is very good as well.

I just realized it's time for lunch

Bryan

[Bryan]

Hey Hukk...

How long can you hold your breath?

[Hukk]

Hey Hukk...

How long can you hold your breath?

Hi Bryan,
I don't really know. My daughter timed me once and she said 1 1/2 minutes in the Pacific Ocean off Northern California and 4 minutes sitting in a chair. I did feel that in the warm water off Maui, I could stay down 3 to 4 times longer and I did not need a wet suit. Off our coast here the water averages about 55 degrees. I have seen it as low as 46 (yikes) and as high as 67 (sweating in wetsuit, get me out of here) during the El Nino. I wear a single piece wetsuit that is 6mm thick and a hooded vest, 6mm thick also and the front of the elbows and back of the knees is 4mm thick for greater mobility.
What most people do not realize is that the cold water off our coast will rapidly sap your strength and stamina, even in a wet suit.
Not matter how much conditioning you do, long hikes, lift weights, it's like starting all over when you jump in the ocean. It's a different kind of conditioning. Many of my favorite memories have been in the ocean.
NOTHING tastes better than abalone in my opinion. However, the last time I talked to a resturaunt manager, he told me he was paying $145.00 a LB for it wholesale. That is why abalone diving is so strictly enforced, with PRISON TIME and tens of THOUSANDS of dollars in fines for those foolish enough to try to sell it. In addition they will confiscate money, vehicles, boats, and houses if they arrest someone for selling. It is referred to as Conspiracy against the State of California and can carry 3 years in prison, in addition to fines. I think these are the toughest Fish and Game laws I know of.

[Nitro]

Hey Nitro;
Did they transplant rocky mountain or roosevelt species. Just wondered.
W.B.

Rocky Mountain, Mossdancer.


Bryan, you've made me hungry now!

[Bryan]

Very interesting Huck. Very interesting indeed.

Sounds like fun, but the punishment for misconduct sure is harsh. With my luck, I’d violate one of those hidden fine print rules and get thrown in the slammer no doubt. If you turn up missing for 3-5 years I guess we’ll know where you are. ...kidding

I think the Case knife company uses some California coast abalone shells on some of their handle scales (or they have in the past anyways). I’d guess other manufacturers have also. Wonder what the shells bring?
Abalone is among my very favorite handle materials.

Bryan

[Bryan]

Bryan, you've made me hungry now!

Yea, I just went and had to settled for a sandwich for lunch. I'm going to have to go raid all my friend's freezers for some squirrell (we're out). I have a serious taste for it now. We always freeze it in watter. It keeps for a long time that way.

Bryan

[Hukk]

Sounds like fun, but the punishment for misconduct sure is harsh. With my luck, I’d violate one of those hidden fine print rules and get thrown in the slammer no doubt. If you turn up missing for 3-5 years I guess we’ll know where you are. ...kidding

I think the Case knife company uses some California coast abalone shells on some of their handle scales (or they have in the past anyways). I’d guess other manufacturers have also. Wonder what the shells bring?
Abalone is among my very favorite handle materials.

Bryan

They are harsh indeed, but they need to be to deter crime. It is illegal for a sport diver to sell any part of the abalone including the shell or the gut for bait. I have been offered $300-$500 for my trophy shels, over 10 inches, I still have them. I don't like the free room and board after you pay the fine.
The commercial fishing for abalone in California has been banned for the last 6-7 years, there was only a fishery in Southern CA. which almost wiped them out down there. Case may have gotten abalone shell (red or green species) from California in the past, but since the ban, New Zealand (Paua) and Mexico (Red or Green species) or Oregon (Red only) have been the only commercial source of shell. Only an estimated 1% to 2% of all shell is suitable for knife handles. I saw so much shell in the past, I used to hate it, now it has becme a favorite again.

[crush]

Use to do it all, hunt, trap, fish. We practically lived in the woods. Through the years and theres been a few, I was 8 when my dad bought me my first 12 gauge, mossberg single shot (I'm not saying how long ago that was ) it seems that all the places we used to do those things went by way of the land developers for housing plans and golf courses, that and all the people coming from the city made it so that all the farmers and large property owners post their ground and you almost have to beg them to hunt.

[Gr8Scout]

I know, sounds like blasphemy here in a knife forum, doesn't it? Now I do take a knife along when I hunt, sometimes a couple. Always one stuck in my boot and or hanging on my belt. But for cleaning small game... a knife? Naw.. give me a game scissor any day. Here's mine, a Gerber Fiskars. Had it, used it for years, will probably last forever. Only had to sharpen it once. Quick and easy and safe. The notch is indispensible.

I would not feel disadvantaged if I was faced with field dressing a deer with this scissor. Great for fish as well.

Hanging my head in complete and utter shame for not using a knife,

Phil

Tempted to skin my damn cat with this thing, she always tried to horn in on my pics. But after sixteen years of good times and bad, I put up with her and likewize.