What are your plans
 

Well folks, our beloved "Big Game" seasons are done for the year. Other than those of us that go after wild hogs throughout the year, what are your plans for the off season to prepare you for next seasons adventures? Archers, are you going to practice and refine your skills in the off season by way of 3D shoots and lots of range time? I would hope so! Rifle men, are you planning to hit the reloading benches for load development to tweek out that extra fraction of an inch in grouping? Look for that perfect combination of cartridge build that your rifle likes to eat? Sounds like a plan to me! Are you going to hit the ranges as well and practice off hand and field shooting positions like those you will have during the hunt? I would surely hope so! Lets not forget our beloved Muzzle Loaders! Are you guys going to hit the ranges to find that perfect load that combines both accuracy as well as reliability? Are we going to practice reloading for that follow up shot in case you goofed? Mistakes and misses happen, it's a part of life!

Are we going to go out and keep an eye on our deer herds? See how well they fared through the winter? Especially in those states that had an exceptionally tough winter. Take a look and see how well the fawning is going? See all the little scampers running around with their moms is actually fun to watch. Tons more entertaining than sitting around on the couch getting fat watching TV!

Lets post up your plans for the off season for scouting and such! Sharing ideas is what this site is all about! Maybe someone will have an off season idea none of us ever thought about doing! Let our young hunters know what they are missing in the off season!

Damage permits, Trout, Turkeys, Rattle Snakes and Snapping Turtles, More damage permits, Squirrel, Deer season Again. That about sums up my offseason I do my best to never have an "off season"!
-Jake

Food Plots,Mineral Licks,more Coyote Hunting....get the new Rifles sighted in,hang stands put out Fall Food Plots and practice with the Compound Bow before Archery Season! ;)

I go after wild pigs all year long. Am still trying to get away from the office sometime before the 6/30/2015 expiration date of my license and tag a nice porker.

We got some recent rains this weekend and that should bring out the piggies and make them easier to track and spot.

You have to tag wild hogs?? Pretty strange for an animal no one wants.

Fairly sure he meant "tag" as in nail one Oldtimer. Most states still require you to have a valid hunting license even to hunt hogs. Not a big game tag or anything like that, just a regular hunt/fish license.

Good job GTO!! Nice to see someone still thinks about PRACTICE! Most don't realize that about 75-80% of archery is muscle memory and that sort of memory gets pretty dang forgetful quick!

hks95134, Why not just go ahead and get 2015/16 license? That way you aren't rushed! Stay after them hogs! As the Marines so often say, "Killum all, let God sortum out" :happy0001:

In California The Land Of Eternal Summers, we DO need tags for them, yes.

Mo money for the state gov'ment.

Ahh didn't know you were in Cali. Gov. hands are always out!

I am going to work and earn some coin ,so that I can afford to play come hunting season

Going to work around the house, tend the garden, take some time off in the summer to go to CO and work on my place there. When the season opens in CO I'll go to an old family friend's ranch and shoot either a doe mulie or a doe whitetail in the canyons along the sand hills. I can take either species on the license I expect to draw since it is a private land tag. Last year it took me all of 22 minutes to fill the tag.

Then I'll return to TX and shoot a couple of hogs for sausage and roasts.

ill trout fish until it get too warm, then switch to bass fishing. during the summer ill take after the groundhogs.

Shoot as many coyotes as I can during dawn & dusk........... ground squirrels for target practice mid day !

Not much ....

The group I hunt with decided to cut back all the overhang and side grow-in along the edge of our fire breaks to make it easier and safer when we bush hog these this come September. There are approximately 47 miles of these roads. Each of us drew a 3 miles +/- section of these roads out of a hat to clear. My draw was not so good !! So far it has taken me 8 days to do about 2 miles of mine. Lot of overhead cutting with a power saw lopper. I am 66 and beleive me this is kicking my a$$.

Plus we are stepping up our summer food plot program. We have about 8 acres of perrenial clover going great guns already. Deer are hitting these plots hard. We are in the process of preparing about 15 more acres for annual crops .... Sunn Hemp and quail haven soybeans will be planted in about 12 acres. We are experimenting with two crops new to us .... Red Hemp will be tried in a 1 acre plot ... Teosinte in 3 plots totalling about 4 acres. What is killing us right now is all of the rainfall. It has been a wet spring and about 10 inches has hit the ground these past 10 days. Need some dry out before we can plant.

And just in case that is not enough .... an F1 tornado touched down breifly last week and wiped out 100's of prime oaks. There are several 30-40 inch diameter trees blocking some of our major roads and fire breaks. We are hopeful that the forester will salvage these out. If not we will be trying to clear these out of the way as well.

And the floor in our main camp house (a big old farm house) is collapsing (rotten). About 90% has been redone, but the other 10% has not. So that is on the agenda too. And in our club's house trailer where 4 guys stay, we have planned a total rework of most of the floor and part of the ceiling due to water leakage damage that has gone un discovered for well over a year.

And just maybe .... I can find some time to scout !

Oh ... and wife and I are building our "last house".

Mojo, you is just plain old lazy. Sittin around doin nuthin! :biggrin:

Hehe sounds like you need to make about 3 more of yourself just to get caught up son!

And one small question, Isn't red hemp illegal to grow? I know I know it's a stupid law but if my poor old memory serves me correctly it's an illegal plant. In the same category as pot. May want to do a little research on that before you plant something that can land you in the pokey!

Set up a bow and start practicing my shooting.

Scout for deer.

Fly fish.

"super hunt 54" .... Red Hemp is DEA OK. Contains about 16 to 20 times less potencey of THC than Colorado's favorite variety. Seeds are extremely tiny. Looks like bl;ond beach sand. Supposed to be high in protein. Crop is supposed to be hardy, fast growing and drought tolerant. We'll see how well it does on a rather sandy SE Alabama field. And if the deer and turkey take a likin' to it.

Mojo, I did a small bit of research and I found where Obama pulled it off the DEA list. You may find this article informative in where you get your seed as well as what type may grow well in your neck of the woods. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed...626-story.html

I do know from experience (from WAY in the past) that deer LOVE seedling pot plants. Not so much after they have about a month or two growth. Since Hemp and Cannabis are related they may like it as well.

My plans are for my back to heal up - Want to be able to drag those deer out next fall!

MZS, get you one of those roll up plastic deer drags. You unroll it, put your deer on it, tie up the ties, drag the deer. It makes dragging 140# field dressed deer feel like little to nothing. Helps keep the carcass cleaner as well. They weigh next to nothing, when rolled up take up very little room in your pack, and trust me, they really help. Take it from an old fart thats dragged hundreds of deer out of the woods. Your back will thank you for spending the 20 or so bucks.

Turkey hunt, fish, scout new areas, set up trail cams and check them periodically. Target practice, shoot the bow, five stand and sporting clays...

Thanks for that advice! I was thinking of using my big firewood plastic sled that is actually made for that as well. Do you think the sled would work as well? Of course I would not be able to pack out the sled like the plastic you mention.

I used a plastic sled once or twice in heavy snow when I hunted my farm in Pa. Just put my tree stand and gear on it and away I went. Made packing into my stand area much easier in snow. And dragging deer out. I wouldn't know how well it would do without snow on the ground but I would imagine it would be okay I guess.