Chicago deer

I just saw as many deer while taking the dog to the dog park in chicago as we saw in SD. Some of them were a little farther off at about 50 yards. But about 6 of them we walked up to about 30 yards to take this picture (with a camera phone... sorry for the quality) (did you bring your bow Chris? :-) We saw 9 total, 6 in this photo, although you can only really see 2 right by the bill of Patricia's hat. Several people with dogs walked by about 10-15 yards from them.

Mountain Lion

GFP reported a farmer shot a mountain lion on December 3rd in Miner county. For those who don't know, Miner is the county just south of Kingsbury. The news release can be read here.

Just something to think about next time you're walking through a slough in the dark to your deer stand...

Florida Connections.

The guys had a fantastic pheasant hunt last week. they wanted a cold weather hunt, and they got one.

Most of the guys that came were from Florida, They had never been hunting with a shotgun, and had never seen snow. Temps were about 5 above zero, and about 10 inches of fresh snow.

They had a lot of gun problems, their automatics and pumps did not work well, but even then, they must have each fired about 3 boxes of shells. They figure that they must have seen about 1000 pheasants the first day.

One of the guys was a commerical and charter fisherman from Clearwater Florida, his web site is (T-Kat.com). Tom brought a bushel of fresh crab legs, we stood around the fire ring outside the house, cracking and dipping crab in hot butter, when it was about zero outside. If you set your beer down for more that just a few seconds, it started to freeze. Did you know that commercial crab fisherman catch the crabs, just cut off the claws, and throw the crab back, and it grows a new set of claws. I brought about a dozen back for Terri, she really liked them. Tom is available for a charter almost any time, depending on the season, check out his website. Phil, how far is Clearwater from you?

Looking forward to seeing some of you in January.

Gary

Food plots

Phil and I talked about financing some food plots for next year. He talked to several of you and it sounded like a good idea so I talked to Dad some and he has talked to the Pioneer seed guy about options.

There is a corn variety that is shorter (they call it maize?) that is roundup ready. He asked about grain sorgum and they don't have any that is roundup ready.

We're looking at roundup ready so that it will require less tillage throughout the year. Some weeds are ok but the intended food needs to not be choked out.

Anyone want to do a little research on other food options? Or just make some suggestions?

Deer stand plans

Here are the basics of the plans that dad and I put together while we were in SD for the hunt.

The basic dimensions are 4x6. Small enough that you can see in all directions without moving around to much but large enough to be able to swing your rifle around.

The entry will be through a trap door in the floor that you can close and then stand on (makes it so you don't have to deal with a full size door on the end) Hinges will be against end wall? and a few inches from the wall so the door will stand on it's own. How do we want the ladder to flow to make entry easiest?

Side windows dad already has and I believe they are 54" wide and about 14" high. We'll mount them about 36" high (so that you can rest on the sill) The windows will hinge inwards and up so that you can hook them out of the way to shoot and be able to clean them from the inside.

End windows are small sliding windows should give about a 12x12 opening to shoot through.

Sides and roof are tin, floor is made of either plywood or 1"x lumber (which we have some of already)

I wanted to get some feedback on these if anyone has ideas. Also, if someone has free time and wants to they could create a better set of plans

Pics from the hunt

Here are some pictures that Phil took from the hunt.

On the road

No, I'm not actually posting this from my phone or anything. I did however just talk to Pat and he's on the way north. My stuff is all loaded and I'm outta here as soon as class is over today. As far as I know, Phil and Ryan will be up tomorrow. Good luck to all....

Gary on radios

Cabella's has a set of 4 Cobra LI 6000-2 WX VP for $159.95 listed on their web page

I checked at Walmart, they don't have that model, but they have a LI 7500-2WX EVP (set of 2) for $69.95 ($140 for 4) It has all kinds of features, including 2200 monitoring combinations of frequency ( I think that was what the package said. It has a range of 25 miles, so it should at
least reach across the slough well.

Unless I hear different, I will probably purchase 2 sets (4 radios) from Walmart. That should be a
deductible tax item for the farm.

Food.

I am glad no one is getting too excited yet, I have only been on the phone with my brothers about 90 minutes a day this week.

Anyway, I thought it was time to open a thread about eating. I think the entire gang will only be there Friday and Saturday nights, so two dinners would be good. Lunches, Breakfasts, Braunschwager, who wants to bring what?

Also, for those who are getting into the butchering side I highly recommend this site:
http://www.best-venison.com/visual.html

Two-fer

I love this pic... I call it "Two-fer".

Latest from the farm

Gary says, "Hello again, my pheasant hunters had a fantastic week, they went home with full limits and not nearly as many shells as what they came with. If they don't shoot better on the streets of Peoria(they were mostly cops), the criminals should be safe. They did get their limits the last day in 28 minutes, but only after having to load their guns a couple of times.

The corn should be all picked in our area by next weekend, that has really made the deer more visible, if the rut gets going strong, it should be a great hunt. We have seen a nice 7 point down in my slough, does anyone have a buck tag?"

Mobile refrigeration...

This is in response to SB's comments under the "crystal ball" post.

I like the idea. Maybe in at a future date. I think right now the plan is to butcher as they come in. Time is a major factor for Pat and I this November.

I bet PP could build us a box like the one in this picture on top of a trailer bed. Like SB said, all you need is some thick ass foam (not ass-foam), some FRP, (industrial kitchen/bathroom paneling) and a condenser/fan. I like the ones in the picture 'cause they're tall enough to stand in. You could hang meat in the back, and have side-door access for butchering in the front. In fact, I'd put fold-down tables on the front and side walls, so you could have more table room as you emptied it. Great idea for early hunts.

I actually like the exact opposite of this idea for January. The problem there is not cooling the meat, but keeping it from freezing. We could easily take either SB's or OGH's little trailers and put a milk-house heater or a kerosene heater in it.

My crystal ball speaks...

Many eviscerated deer will be hanging on the Akkerman farm in two weeks time.

What do deer think?

You have to love Uncle Ted...

WHAT DO DEER THINK...?

Ted Nugent, rock star and avid bow hunter from Michigan, was
being interviewed by a French journalist and animal rights activist. The
discussion came around to deer hunting.

The journalist asked, 'What do you think is the last thought
in the head of a deer before you shoot him? Is it, 'Are you my friend?' or
is it 'Are you the one who killed my brother?'

Nugent replied, 'Deer aren't capable of that kind of thinking.
All they care about is, 'What am I going to eat next, who am I going to
screw next, and can I run fast enough to get away. They are very much like
the French.'

The interview ended at that point . . .

Going Hunting - Tay Ninh Province, RVN 1964

Now boys, let's talk about "hunting".

Akkerman Farm Map Updated

I forgot to put the topo layer in the last one.

Akkerman Farm Area Map

Here's a fun map. It's a mighty big file.

3rd draw

Well, it looks like the results from the third draw are in, I assume everyone got the tags they were looking for. If anybody wants any leftovers here's whats left (10/31) and they are first come first serve:

40A19 TWO ANTLERLESS WHITETAIL
JERAULD CO 19 $25 $80

42A03 ANY ANTLERLESS
KINGSBURY CO 55 $15 $55
42A09 TWO ANTLERLESS DEER
KINGSBURY CO 8 $25 $80

Radio info reposted

Per request I am reposting radio info.

Pat and I each own two Cobra LI 6000-2 WX VP radios. I think they may have stopped making them though, even the manufacturer is out of stock and Cabela's doesn't sell them anymore. Any 2 way GMRS radio should do (Cobras would probably be the most compatible). Look at Cabela's then search the net. They usually come in pairs.

The way I see it we have four radios and this many hunters as of now that I know of:

Akkerman (R, Gary?) =1 or 2
Gronewold(C) = 1
Phillips(C)= 1
Stone (N, P, P,) = 3
Willcut(R) = 1

That puts us at 7 or 8 hunters. (If there are others that i didn't list, let me know)
Either way it'd be good to have 8 radios.

Tree Stands

Well, I am still bored, so I think I am going to build a tree stand. I found this product on the net and decided that it is far superior to drilling holes into a tree for steps.

If I make it with each step 8" wide it should be pretty usable.

Each section will be 3' long so it is packable too.

It needs a tree stand to go up to, but that is pretty simple.

What do you all think?

Post from Gary

Going to be heading up to De Smet this weekend, did you get a blog comment I send to Nelson regarding the deer blinds? I was wondering how many "houses" we should buy supplies for initially.

I ran across a really nice 4-wheeler this morning, It is an older (98?) Arctic Cat, 500, 4wd, 5 speed,. According to the speedometer, it only has 250 miles on it. It is set up really nice for hunting, it has a hard rifle "scabbard" case, on one side, zipper cameo storage pouches on both the front and rear luggage rack, and a winch on the front. They want $3000 for it, would any of the crew be interested? Would you want to go "halves"? Why don't you post this on the blog, I haven't figured out yet how to do that.

The Great Gun Controversy

Nope! I like it and that and a ladder rack will give me one "hell" of a war wagon. OK every one help me think this through. Thompson Center Fire Encore. I am thinking 50 cal black powder and then maybe a 45-70 or 308 or maybe 30-06 as a heavy caliber single shot. Here is the link to TC http://www.tcarms.com/firearms/encore.php

Is this over the top?

So we are currently mounting the show "Our Town" which is a show that is performed on a bare stage. This means that I have a full metal shop and a lot of time on my hands.

What do you think of my deer hoisting boom?

If it works, I know what everyone's getting for Christmas.

Lesson Re-learned

Last night, duck hunting... First hour: 2 mallards fly over low from behind me at mach 2, not interested in my spread. Second hour, some Canada honkers fly in low and check me out, no goose hunting in this WMA, I stay legal. Third hour, unknown ducks check it out from a distance, but have been pecked at for four weeks by jerks like me and aren't interested. Fourth hour, tired of sitting here... I'm going home. Put down the shotgun and go in the water after the dekes, get about half of them in the bag when a Ringneck comes in and says hello, shakes hands, and leaves slowly with a dance. Me swearing loudly at the marsh. Then Willcut's voice in my head: "Always take your gun... I don't care if you're going out to take a shit, take your gun...". Damn... we had pizza last night.

Important! Final deer tag drawing upcoming!

Non-residents or anyone else who does not have a tag yet. The second drawing is complete which means that its time to put in your applications! You have until October 26th, but if I were you I'd do it RIGHT NOW.
The county designators and available tags are as follows:

Kingsbury - 42A03 - 100 Licenses - 1 antlerless ($55 non-resident)
Kingsbury - 42A09 - 104 Licenses - 2 antlerless ($80 non-resident)

Communications

Last year Toph and I invested in decent radios. We bought these and had pretty satisfactory results. They cost us about $60 for a set of two.

I reccomend that someone else buy another set (giving us pretty much enough radios for every hunter to have one). This exact brand and model is not really necessary, but you need them to be FRS/GMRS band.

Technically this band requires a license which one simply purchases from the FCC. I bought one and it covers family, including inlaws. Since Toph is married to Becca and Ryan is a cousin, and CP is married to our other sister [insert name here], I guess we can all operate on my license.

I did a lot of research on these radios last year, so if anyone wants more information let me know.

I just gotta say

How 'bout them Vikings! There is a rookie in the NFL, you might have heard of him, Adrian Peterson. Yeah, he's pretty good.

Love,
Chris

Gotta Advertise

Nice meat wagon there Topher. But look at what Phil and I will be pulling up in. We won't have to look for deer, they will call us asking to be shot... I bet Catherine's customers haven't thought of it this way. :-)

Schedule

Hey I was wondering what is the schedule for the hunting season. When do you guys plan on the Kingsbury trip? And are any of you going to apply for a Jerald county application. All I know is that I am going to kill!!!! And kill some more!!!

As per request... my new meat wagon.

Anyone want to buy a '91 Honda Civic Hatchback? Maybe we paint it camo and mount a .50 BMG on top...

New deer death pills...

"Accurate. Deadly. Dependable." Now thats a corporate logo I can get behind!

Getting a Jump the Working Stiffs

So I am sitting here looking at my calendar and thinking about killing things. The school has been nice enough to cancel classes the day before Thanksgiving, and I canceled shop in the afternoon on Tuesday. Now it occurs to me that if I cancel class on Tuesday morning (just Grad students) and shop on Monday afternoon I could be hunting by sunup on Tuesday.

Now if I only had someone to guest lecture my Monday 12:30 I could actually make opener the weekend before, and have my deer hung by the time you all get there.

So, any one feel like guest lecturing? Any topic you choose. I'll even lend you my tweed jacket with the corduroy patches on the elbows.

Please?

Response to Phil's comment under "Public Land"

I think you're onto something Phil. I measured, and it's 230 yards from the closest point in the trees to the watering hole. Check out the low draw that runs along the east side of the farmstead and goes north-east. We've seen deer use low draws like this as concealed movement corridors in Jerauld. I think if you put someone in a stand or blind on the northwest corner of the shelterbelt around the house you might see some action. Both spots are pretty close to the house, but if we stay quiet in the morning we might have some luck.

Public land

I've just finished my morning procrastination, and digitized and compiled all the public land in Kingsbury County. Maps soon!

Summary statistics are as follows:

• There are approximately 17,000 acres of public hunting land in the county (some of which is underwater, much of which is mud and cattails).
• ~10,000 acres are SD GPAs (Game Production Areas)
  
• ~6500 acres is USFWS WPAs (Waterfowl Production Areas)
• There are ~44 GPAs in the county.
• There are ~33 WPAs in the county.
• This year there are NO "Walk in Areas". Throw out your old hunting atlases, for some reason many landowners have withdrawn their land from this program.

For comparison's sake, the Akkerman and Kruze land is about 960 acres combined and is all contiguous.

Like I said, there is a lot of mud, water, and cattails. There is also quite a bit of upland, shoreline, and foodplots. There should be plenty of great spots to ambush Bambi on...

New War Wagon

Tofer I think you should post a Picture of the new war wagon.

Deer stand

There is a deer stand which is on the corner of our property which is the westernmost corner of the southern property line. Depending on how much water is in the slough you may have to come in from the south to get to it. The stand is pretty nice. Dad put it up a couple of years ago. It is about 15 feet high and fully enclosed (I believe it has sliding windows) I'm not sure of the dimensions but it is easily big enough for 2 people. Dad has also talked about putting up a couple of others similar but I'm not sure exactly where.

First Drawing Results

SD had the first drawing for deer. Bucks went fast in Kingsbury. I drew a 2 doe license. Here's whats left:

LICENSE TYPE KEY:

03: One Any Antlerless Deer
09: TWO Any Antlerless Deer
License: Number Left:

42A03 148
42A09 169

Should be plenty for the non-residents.

Notice the designation antlerless "deer". Whitetail is not specified like it is in some counties. Anybody know if there are any other deer in Kingsbury? I doubt it.

I drew a 2 doe in muzzleloader too. Guess no horns this year. Well, in SD anyway. I think I may try my luck in MN one weekend...

Land Anyone?

So if anybody has like $40,000 laying around that they'd like to buy some land with, I found this 16 acre plot in Aitkin County MN that would make a great hunting shack spot. I was looking for duck hunting spots when I ran across it. Its near loads of public land (adjacent to over 7000 acres of unmarked county forests/wetlands) for hunting deer/ducks/grouse and bear. About an hour and a half from the cities and only minutes from Mille Lacs lake. Various hardwood cover and a clearing by the road that was a timber harvest landing. Oh yeah, you'll need 10% of the auctioned price by the 28th. I'd be happy to be someones auction rep. if they can't make it. Just send me a check....

Ahh, where is my secret rich benefactor when I need him/her?

New Boots

I just ordered my new boot. This year no cold feet for me or for Pat since last year he gave me his to wear.

Deadlines

From the East River Deer Application:

EAST RIVER DEER Application Deadlines
First Deadline - Residents only: Paper applications must be postmarked not later than Friday, Aug. 31. Apply online by 8:00 a.m. CDT Tuesday, Sept. 4. One application may be submitted per person for this drawing. Results available online by Sept. 21.

Second Deadline - Residents only: Paper applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, Oct. 12. Apply online by 8:00 a.m. CDT Tuesday, Oct. 16. Residents who do not have a license may submit one application. Results available online by Oct. 19.

Third Deadline - Residents and nonresidents: Paper applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, Oct. 26. Apply online by 8:00 a.m. CDT Tuesday, Oct. 30. Residents and nonresidents may apply for additional licenses (5 maximum for this season). Results available online by Nov. 2.

Leftover Licenses - After the third deadline drawings, licenses remaining are pooled and will be issued first-come, first-served to both residents and nonresidents that either apply online or by mailing in a paper application.

Online applications will be available after the drawing from the previous deadline has occurred. it would be wise to check the status of the previous drawing before applying.

Logistics

This post is in response to Soldier Boy's comments on "SD residents mount up!". This would be good place to share ideas about logistics. When you'll be hunting, things we need to bring ect...

rla sent me a great Google Earth outline of the Akkerman and Kruze property. Looks like they've got about 960 acres contiguous. The farm is 8.5 miles north of the intersection of US 14 and 25 on the east side of the road(about a mile east of Spirit Lake)There is a ton of public land around there too. I have data from SD GFP about state lands that I can make maps from, but I'm working on getting USFWS data too (like pulling teeth although it is public data). There is a lot of "Waterfowl Production Area" nearby that will hold deer as well . Someone in SD should get a hold of about 10 of this years hunting atlases.

itchy

The itch got me so bad, I went and bought this new T/C Omega. Its still over three months from muzzle loader season!

Deer Skinning

Pat found this video for a way to skin deer that looks very effective. We had heard of this before, but until I saw it I didn't know what we were missing.

Laser Peta

At the risk of turning this blog into a repository of unfunny internet crap, I leave this link to an article on meat cutting that i think we need to keep in mind for this year.

The Itch

I know it isn't technically even September yet, but I hope everyone is getting excited.
I know Phil and Topher are. Yesterday Phil opened a conversation with me by saying "you are driving on Wednesday right?" As if he were talking about next week rather than three months from now. The only sad part was I understood exactly what he meant.

Oh, Thanksgiving, come quickly!

Bagged and Tagged

Get your tags Folks!

County Designation

Kingsbury is designated 42A.

SD Residents Mount Up!

Time for SD residents to buy your tags. As in TODAY if you want to hit the first drawing. You have the choice of "1 Any Deer", "2 Antlerless", or "1 Antlerless". Non-residents will need to pony up by October 26th. There are a total of 1600 licenses available for Kingsbury County, and if I recall correctly, Kingsbury was the only county that had leftover buck tags last fall. I don't think anyone should have a problem getting licenses, but you should get on the stick just to be sure.

Muzzleloader apps are due today for residents as well if anyone wants to get in the buck pool. Keep in mind that They only issue 400 buck permits statewide. If you're not interested in shooting bucks, doe tags are limitless in availability (and no application deadline) and are good statewide from 12/8 - 1/30. I put in for a buck just for kicks.