Small Game 2017-2018

[snagged in outlet 3]

16 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

Got a question. Would any of you go after rabbits this early in the season? Went out on the 30th to hunt bushytails and bumped at keast three rabbits. I have always went after rabbits after the first hard frost and often not until after deer season. If I were to drop one, what should I be looking for in terms of possible disease? Spotted liver?

We always waited for at least two hard frosts.  But mostly for us it is a winter affair.  Preferably with snow and the ground.

[Johnsfolly]

After dinner,  my Bettehalf and I went out to hunt some small game and the elusive fall fungus. In this part of the national forest land there could be squirrels, deer, and/or turkeys in this woodlot (approx. 12 to 15 acres in size) right up to where I typically park. We got out of the car and got our gear ready and closed the doors as quietly as possible. We got about 40 yards into the woodlot and I clucked and yelped on a diaphragm call just in case there were some turkeys around this evening. We didn't get a response. We found some wood ear mushrooms and got them harvested and Sue motioned that there were a couple of squirrels within 40 feet of us and headed our way. The closest one didn't give me a shot at first since it was creeping under the rose bushes. Then it climbed a small tree and it was the last thing that it did before coming home with us.

 

We headed deeper into the woodlot. I made a couple more clucks and yelps and got a response on the far end of the woods. Since I did not have my gun set up for turkey and I did not bring my fall turkey permits, not wanting to spook this turkey we started to back out. We got about halfway back to where I had shot the squirrel when a hen flew up into a large oak tree about 45 yards from us. She looked us over and not sure what we were she flew deeper into the wood lot. As soon as she flew off another hen came in from our right and flew into the trees near us. I don't think that either of these hems knew what we were and I don't think that we spooked them out of the woodlot. Unfortunately I have meetings all morning. So I will have to try to get after these birds Friday morning. Hopefully they stick around. If they do, I'm sure I may be posting on the turkey forum.

[Johnsfolly]

Got out again on Sunday to hunt for squirrels and fall mushrooms. I was also hopeful that I might bump into some turkeys. I have hunted them on this national forest land many times in the spring, but hardly see them in the fall. Just in case I did bump some turkeys I brought ammo and my turkey choke. It was one of those great cool autumn days and I was excited to be out in the forest. I got into a woodlot that I had found lots of oyster mushrooms in the past. No luck on this trip. I did get the attention of a barker / squealer while looking for oysters or any edible mushrooms. As I set up on that vocal squirrel, another began barking close behind me and I dropped that one.

 

Most squirrels that get that vocal usually get shot. I got another squealer not long after shooting the first squirrel.

MoCarp had mentioned selling squirrels tails, these are close to prime condition. I hiked and hunted for a couple more hours. I did find a fresh giant puffball, but did not harvest it since I was heading deeper into the woods. Placed the shotshell next to the mushroom to provide scale of the size of this puffball. I passed a hiker on the trail and he must have picked it because it was not there when I headed back home.

I made sure to visit an oak tree that I found a large hen of the woods mushroom last year. Nothing was there this year not even evidence that one had come up earlier this fall. I shot a couple more squirrels. Bumped a big deer. No turkeys seen nor heard during my time out. Still had a great and productive day.

Not all mushrooms are for eating. Some should just be admired.

 

[Ketchup]

Nice report and pictures.  Love hunting those small isolated woodlots.  

[Johnsfolly]

47 minutes ago, Ketchup said:

Nice report and pictures.  Love hunting those small isolated woodlots.  

Thank you sir. Still haven't picked up the bow for hunting, yet! Hope that you are still on those bucks that you had on camera. I had a friend show me a 200+" non-typical that he had on his cameras several days during shooting light that he will be going after this weekend.

Just put some perspective on that last mushroom photo, look at the barbed wire in this photo

[Ketchup]

Old stuff there.  Hidden treasures that someone worked their tail off to build years past.  Well the bucks went nocturnal. Almost every picture of over 1000 from cards i pulled yesterday were all at night.  They will be forced to move daylight hours as the days get shorter. Love our extended bow season here in Mo.  Lots of chances to get in the woods. 

[oneshot]

Not able to Deer hunt so I shot these by the house. Actually the Squirrel wasn't any Good. The Rabbit was ok.

 

oneshot

 

 

[fishinwrench]

During a very lean period my eventual first wife and I ate gray squirrel, eggs, and potatoes almost exclusively for 3 months (couldn't kill a deer because we didn't have a fridge or freezer).  And the only thing we had to drink besides water was warm grape Kool-aid.  When we finally dug ourselves out of the financial mudhole we had buried ourselves in I swore I'd never eat another squirrel as long as I lived.  But 10 years later I did, and it was good.  My favorite way to prepare them is to bake them with butter, salt& pepper, pick the meat off the bones and mix into scrambled eggs, and put it on a bisquick bisquit.  Fried taters on the side.   

So..... What's the poorest you've ever been and what did you eat to stay alive?  

[BilletHead]

25 minutes ago, fishinwrench said:

During a very lean period my eventual first wife and I ate gray squirrel, eggs, and potatoes almost exclusively for 3 months (couldn't kill a deer because we didn't have a fridge or freezer).  And the only thing we had to drink besides water was warm grape Kool-aid.  When we finally dug ourselves out of the financial mudhole we had buried ourselves in I swore I'd never eat another squirrel as long as I lived.  But 10 years later I did, and it was good.  My favorite way to prepare them is to bake them with butter, salt& pepper, pick the meat off the bones and mix into scrambled eggs, and put it on a bisquick bisquit.  Fried taters on the side.   

So..... What's the poorest you've ever been and what did you eat to stay alive?  

           In the dark ages when Mrs. BilletHead and I got married we ate very little. She could not cook . So mostly grilled cheese using Velveeta and a lot of newlywed love .  I remember the first meal she cooked for my parents. It was called fried chicken. What was supposed to be gravy had the consistency of pudding /concrete mixture. You could stand anything in it straight up and it would not fall over. 

  BilletHead

[fishinwrench]

That was obviously before goose fajitas had been invented.