Rod & Rifle Rag™ » Deer

Fall.. The Nostalgic Season

Jeff Howard — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:24:09 +0000

Anyone who loves the outdoors could announce the arrival of fall without ever consulting a calendar. Just think about it for a moment. Don’t the winds and cool evenings of early September have a certain briskness that brings visions of trees in a riot of colors and flocks of birds hording in groups in preparation of a long flight.

Fall is a time for reminiscing. Now, more than ever, you will find folks sitting in a sun warmed spot, maybe with a silly little grin on their face, and staring at absolutely nothing. Someone who doesn’t know better may think these people to be vacant headed fools, but someone who understands knows what is going through their minds.

In an unofficial poll, Minnesotans named fall as their favorite season. The reasons for this preference are many and varied. Perhaps it is because fall is a relaxing lull between the hectic summer and long winter ahead. Or, maybe it’s because a warm day in the peak of fall colors shows the northland in all its glory.

I personally enjoy fall for many reasons. Similar to the people mentioned earlier, I enjoy reminiscing. Some of my fondest memories were spent tramping through the woods as I hunted. Now I realize that you don’t have to hunt in order to enjoy the autumn out of doors, but hunters do tend to get more out of the season and see fall in a more intimate way.

While writing this, my mind easily slips back to the first time my father took me hunting ducks, my first grouse harvested and the exciting times spent with relatives and close friends.

The other day, while visiting my folks, my mother insisted I remove a box containing some old scrapbooks and various collectables I had horded in my younger years. Buried in the papers and notebooks was an old three ring binder where I had kept a record of some of my early hunting and fishing escapades. At one time I had read that it’s a good idea to keep track of any successful campaigns against fish and game for future reference.

I’d forgotten how serious I took that advice. Each account was surprisingly thorough and vivid. I read again about the first duck I had harvested and how our black lab, Lady, found it under a log. Then there was the first time I used the shotgun I purchased with 65 hard earned dollars. Of course, the account of the first deer I harvested was in there, along with a few embellishments to make the story better than it really was.

Now I feel very fortunate that every fall since then I’ve been able to add happy memories to draw upon as each new fall arrives. I’m glad that I can’t think back on bad times where I’ve wasted game or been unsportsmanlike.

So if you happen to bump into me some early fall day and I seem a little drifty, don’t worry. I’m only struck by the spell of fall and reliving a few old memories!

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Preparing for Fall Hunting Season

Jeff Howard — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 10:00:24 +0000

I have discovered, the last few weeks, hunting catalogs in my mail box. Yes, if you look down the road, fall will be rounding the corner, walking at a brisk pace that will bring it quicker than you think.

If there never was a calendar to tell the date, I would know fall is getting closer. I seem to suddenly find more interest in the circling flocks of ducks or geese than the walleyes I’m fishing for. I usually dig out my duck call and see if I can still make it sound like a mallard. Each deer along the highway is closely studied for antlers. My shotgun is removed from the closet, cleaned and brought to the shoulder a few times.

These indicators are not missed by my wife. In our first years of marriage she would declare that it was enough to spend my time fishing all summer, but now this hunting stuff? Lately she just rolls her eyes and laughs at me.

Rather than just dreaming of upcoming shots at decoying blue bills or a monster buck leaping across an opening, start doing things now to make fall hunting even better.

Make it a yearly habit to get your decoys out and give them a thorough check. If they need new anchors, heads replaced or a paint touch up you’ve got plenty of time to get/order the items and complete the job.

Take some early trips to your favorite duck holes or deer stand and investigate some new spots. You will notice where the ducks are plentiful or see some deer sign now rather than on opening day. During these leisurely strolls keep an eye out for grouse coveys.

Shoot a couple boxes of shells down at the trap range or get an inexpensive hand thrower. Dusting some clay pigeons now will help when those first few teal come zipping in over the decoys or the hunting dog flushes up that grouse for the first time. The same goes for your deer rifle. A shooting range is within reach in most areas, so zero in that rifle. Your confidence will be boosted if you know it is sighted in to hit right where your aim is.

Be on the lookout, via online or by visiting your nearest outdoor retailer, for registration dates to apply for antlerless deer permits and any other special licenses that require preregistration.

One of the greatest benefits of early preparations in the woods is it gets you in shape. Many people do nothing to prepare for rigorous hunting, yet attempt to romp through the woods like the deer themselves. Heart attacks from over exertion are a major cause of deaths during hunting season.

Fall hunting is a super time of the year; why not make it more enjoyable and safer by preparing now!

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2010 MN Deer Harvest…

admin — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:06:22 +0000

The time of year has come and gone for most, some still enjoying it though, the 2010 MN Deer Firearm season. The weather was incredible here in MN on that opening weekend. Some would say too warm for deer movement. The strategy for some was to get out into the woods, fields & groves and stir the deer up in order to have some success. The MN DNR is reporting a increase in deer harvested this year in comparisonto last years totals. That’s great for the Rag community of deer hunters in MN.Well, there should be plenty of tales to be told on the Rod and Rifle Rag blog site, don’t be shy…let it out. Enjoy putting it out for others to read.

The Rod and Rifle Rag, The Sportman’s Journal has been sent to some as a complimentary gift. The feedback has been very constructive so far, with us looking forward to ’11 and make some tweaks to the product. Check out the store side of the website for the Rag as a little something for yourself or as a gift!

I’d like to congratulate my uncle and cousin, Terry and Derek, with a successful harvest this year. Nice work guys!

Prez. @ Davis J. Hennes, LLC

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2010 MN Deer Hunting Opener…

admin — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:28:57 +0000

The boyz here at Davis J. Hennes, the parent company of the Rod and Rifle Rag, would like to extend a handshake to all Deer Hunters in MN this weekend. The handshake represents friendship, conducting a safe hunt, enjoying the outdoors and wishes for a successful harvest. The time in the stand, posting on a drive, or any other time you may have on your hands this weekend are ones of reflection and thought. This time of year always open that conversation, some may be more passionate than others, in regards to previous years harvests and memories.

This is an exciting time of year for us here also, at Davis J. Hennes. The Rod and Rifle Rag, The Sportman’s Journal, is so close to being distributed and able to purchase online. The Blog side of our website, www.rodandriflerag.com/, is ready to take a serious hit after this weekend. The Rag community of hunters out there in the great American wilderness telling us about the stories of their hunt. Can’t wait to hear some tales of success, maybe some failures and some comical experiences.

Prez. @ Davis J. Hennes

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Nice One!

Guest Poster — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:25:31 +0000

While perusing through this wonderful site many different stories come to mind. Thoughts of hours stranded in a boat with no juice in the battery to start the motor, stumbling through the woods to find a deer right in front of me, or even shooting a deer three times with a muzzleloader! But, even some of the less frustrating/exciting stories are worth noting. The entire approach that has been taken by the founders of this site is amazing and should be used to humble everyone taking part in the story telling process. “Grandpa, I thought you said it was a thirty point buck? This thing looks like it has 8 with a couple nubbins on it.” “Nah those nubbins are over an inch which makes them ‘Legal’.” While it is nice to stretch stories past it is also nice just to relive the stories.
With the changing of the season I am anxiously awaiting ice time. I am sure I will share some more stories with every one of the interesting excursions had by the Spencer family!

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The Deer is Two Miles From Here

Guest Poster — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:00:14 +0000

Opening day of the deer hunt is always filled with excitement and anticipation, even more so when it’s your first hunt.
I had already hunted for some years with my husband before our oldest son joined us. This season would be the first hunt for our second son, Steven. Since we hunt in a MN state forest, we are a little apprehensive on opening morning if some other hunter will be in the area we’ve scouted.
All is well as we approach our stands this November morning. We wish each other success and a safe hunt as we disband, each to our own stands.
It’s an overcast morning with average MN November temperatures (cold). The darkness slowly subsides and the dawn breaks. I take in my surroundings and am thankful to be in the woods on this calm, peaceful morning.
There are occasional shots in the distance but none close enough to be one of my fellow hunters. It is late morning and I’m cold and stiff when I’m suddenly jolted by a single nearby shot. YES!!! It’s from Steve’s direction. I calm my excitement to sit quietly, watchful in case a deer heads my way.
After a time, I make my way down from my stand and head in Steve’s direction. His stand is a distance from my area, on a very wooded, slight hilltop with the ground covered in moss…hence the nickname we use, Moss Ridge. As I approach, Steve is standing in his deer stand with his rifle casually laying across his arm.
“Where’s your deer?” I ask.
He replies “I figure about 2 miles from here by now” in a very disappointed tone. He relates the story. Four does, on a nice trot, passed right in front of his stand, quiet on the mossy hillside. He got a shot off at the last one as it passed him. I chuckle silently to myself at the visual of his story.
“Well, come down Steve and we’ll check it out”. When we get to the area where he thought the deer was when he fired, sure enough, sign of a hit.
As we follow the faint blood trail, I’m hopeful my son has bagged his first deer. Suddenly, the deer jumps up in front of us. Steve confidently brings up his rifle and fires as the deer is bounding away from us. The shot drops her in her tracks.
The thrill and excitement of my son’s first hunt culminates in his bagging a nice doe. He has since taken many deer, including a couple of nice bucks. But nothing can match the memory of being a part of his first deer, standing alongside of him as he takes down that doe.
Posted in honor of Steven’s birthday…Happy Birthday, Steve!

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I swear they were there!!

Guest Poster — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:22:29 +0000

I was standing a good trail that led from the swamp below up through some oak trees into planted pines. We were a small group: My Dad, his buddy and my brother. Oh, and Homer, the beagle. Homer was a crack deer dog, only he didn’t bark much, so you really had to pay attention. I took a spot behind a low oak, but as the sun came up I was facing directly into it, peering down the trail. About thirty minutes after good sunrise, Homer barked twice down below, his yelps echoing in the thick cypress. I squinted against the sun for a while, then relaxed and looked to my right for several seconds, then swung my head back to the trail. My movement caught the deer’s attention, and it dropped its head to get a better look at me. I froze. The rack on this deer was enormous! It had to be 10 points or more and the thick body was amazing, probably the largest deer I had seen up to that point in my young life. The deer looked left and right and snorted, then Homer barked again. When the deer swung its head around to view the back trail, I raised my Remington 870 Wingmaster in 12 gauge and sent 1 load of #1 Buck to the target, just 10 yards away. The deer went down immediately. I shucked another round and held ready, but the damage was done. I had just killed the biggest deer anybody in my family had ever seen! Imagine the shock and disbelief when I walked up on the biggest doe anybody in my family had ever seen! What? I ran my hand over the smooth head again and again. Yes, it was a doe. We finally figured out that when she dropped her head to see me better, she had lowered it beneath a woody bush with no leaves. The rack and tines I saw were wood limbs and twigs, now hanging in shreds where my buckshot had ripped through!! I had killed the deer, but I killed the bush too!

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Deer Hounds in the Deep South

Guest Poster — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:50:10 +0000

I grew up in south MS and my father was a hunter. Years ago we used hounds to run deer. It was the way to hunt in the old South,…accepted, legal and exiciting for the hunter and from memory, quite stimulating for the deer too. The strategy was to select a section of timber bound by logging roads and “stand it off”, placing hunters far enough apart and strategically where they didn’t pose a risk to each other. When the hunters were in position, which could take 30-40 minutes, then the dog man would release a set of hounds. Ok, ok,…hounds might be a generous description of the canines we used. Some hounds, some ‘yard dogs’, some strays we picked up,…all they had to do was bark and run the deer.
One particular hunt remains etched in my memory. I was the dog man. After releasing the dogs I fought my way through saw briers and pine tree tops in a logged out area. My dogs jumped a deer and took off hammering him over the hills and hollows. I continued on walking and with the sun high in the sky I got hot wearing a layer of insulated clothes. When I got too hot to walk, I decided to take off a layer and sat down on a big pine stump to strip down. When I got my pants and insulated underwear off I looked up to see a small buck running straight at me. Standing there in only my Hanes Whitey Tighties, I reached back and picked up my Winchester .30-.30 to take a shot. When I picked him up in the sights he stopped behind a 2 foot diameter pine tree and I lost sight of him. As I leaned to the right to see him he stuck his head around the tree and looked straight at me as if to say “What???” At that point he didn’t hesitate long, deciding those bright white legs just weren’t his cup of tea, wheeled and headed back into a thicket. I fired a shot, but cleanly missed. Afterwards, I lost it laughing out loud, trying to imagine what that deer thought he had seen.

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