Kinda what I've been trying to do the last year or so trying to collect books and whatnot on the subjects. Would like to at least be able to some day build/assemble my own bolt gun. Done a couple ARs. I can switch parts out easy enough on about everything we own and shoot and like you said, to be able to support ourselves would be a goal. There's not a gunsmith that I know of within several hours drive from me. To work/apprentice under a good one would be priceless!
Ramblings and Such From Hunting Coyote
- Thread starter DSheetz
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Which part lol???
Gotcha. Yes normally winter is usually slower time for me. My situation is very unique. My main job is the day to day operation of the levee district. I have about 13 miles of levee to maintain, keep all the culverts clear in the drainage canals and pump water out as needed. I have 3 pumps. One 456hp 60" 70000g/m, one 250hp 36" 40000g/m, and one 24" that runs about 20000g/m. Roughly about 10k acres in our district but pump runoff off of about 15-18k acres. The 2 big pumps are ran by big electric synchronous motors that also with the pumps were built in the mid 1920s and still going strong. Basically it's my responsibility to keep my district from flooding from the inside or outside. There are times when I don't do much for several months and then there are times when I don't get anytime off for several months. My longest stretch has been 46 days straight pumping never leaving the building. When all caught up on my main duties I help spring and fall with the crops on one of the big farms here and also haul all the grain to the river terminals over the winter. I also help another friend and nieghbor haul and occasionaly operate his heavy equipment. I do get free time but it's pretty tough to plan anything in advance like a vacation or any kind of trip because it doesn't matter what holiday or time of year cause if the crap hits the fan you have to jump now and I'm a lone ranger lol. Only 1 other person even knows how to start these pumps lol.
We started out cool and with some good moisture . The areas all around us were pretty dry and stayed brown a lot still don't have the spring grass they should . I love it when we turn green in the spring all the animals stand out on the back ground then as we are brown most of the year and they are different shades that blend well with browns . I enjoy some of the newer digital camo patterns the light and dark do well blending with our colors even in the spring with the greens there are good green patterns as well as good 3 color brown patterns . The Navy tri color brown pattern works well here most of the year it blends well with the dry grass , sand stone bluffs and dirt for the most part . I tend to use brown duck clothing here mostly as when it's faded it blends as good as any thing it's just a bigger piece and not broken up as much . Mossy oak brush is another pattern that works well here blending with the sage brush and granite boulders we have in the mountains . If you are along a creek or river it blends well with the brush weeds ect . there also . In the heavy timber a good woodlands pattern or tiger stripe pattern works well . During hunting season I will have hunter orange on for my own safety as I normally blend in fairly well other wise due to the clothing that I tend to buy . Camo helps you to compensate for when you need to move but it still will not take the place of being immobile except for needed movement planning and executing your route in and out of your stand is still the best practice learning to make slow steady movements when you need to move is still your best friend .
I completely agree. MOST commercial camos out there are made to catch they eye of the buyer and not necessarily to hide from our quarry. Marketing. They look neat but if you look at almost any of Mother Nature, those animals have just a slight blend of dull colors that allow them to hide in almost plain site sometimes. No fancy twigs or leaves stuck to them lol. I think simple is better most of the time with this as you've stated. Back in 2015 we where in major flood conditions here. This is when I pumped for 46 days straight. 2 does with their fawns would come down the top of the levee to my pumphouse everyday for a month. The fawns couldnt jump over the pipes so the does would bring them down to the bottom not 20ft from my building and bed the fawns in the waist high grass on the edge of the yard. I took hundreds of pictures of them. The does would then cross the pipes and go out to the fields to feed during the day and everyday about 3PM they would return and the fawns would jump up from their nest and run up to mom and away they would go. The does knew they were safe there. Everyday I would go out and look, they laid in the within just a few feet of the same place everyday but you would NEVER see them even when you knew where to look. Just goes to show how good just a simple brown with a few spots can work!
Very true! Turkey hunters and bass fishermen are the first thing that come to mind, LOL. Several years ago I worked with a guy (turkey hunter) that wore nothing but mossy oak camos. Every time they came out with a new pattern he would buy everything to outfit him from head to toe. I killed way more turkeys wearing a mix of camo's than him and spent WAY less money.
One of the things turkey hunting taught me about camo is that if it starts to fade toss it and buy new. For me faded camo just as well be lit up with pink neon.
My favorite camo is ASAT, it's not mainstream like the stuff that guys on tv wear but it work for me.
mitebeck
Well-Known Member
LOL!
Over the years I have observed countless animals and studied them and they are mostly well camouflaged for their areas . They are set to a time clock all their own and will stay motionless for long periods of time . Watching cats and other hunters move in on their intended prey taught me not to make wasted movements or quick movements to plan my route but to be able to change it as needed for a verity of reasons . Slow is steady and steady is fast isn't just a catch phrase it has real meaning when we learn to put it into practice . I have watched many people turn in circles not being able to plan and execute simple things that they do over and over again . What do I need to do this task and bring it with me the first time . Will I be out for a little while or will I be gone all day or more . What will I need if some thing in my plans changes . You don't need your whole house hold full of things just be prepared mostly mentally for things to change stay aware of your surroundings and observe what the animals are doing make note of what and why they are doing what and when for the next event that has similar circumstances . We learn the most from when we ourselves make mistakes as we tend to remember them the most . But first we have to know that we made a mistake and admit it to ourselves then make an effort to learn from it not one of us can't learn or improve on what it is that we do or want to do . Hunting is just one aspect of our lives that is constantly changing the coyote is a very adaptable animal and they are always changing to their world and we teach them what it is that we do if we can't change ourselves and learn to not get into the same routine every time we go out to hunt or call them . Do I go to the same stands every time do I use the same sounds on my E-call at every stand over and over do I drive the same farm roads in the same direction every time am I that creature of habit that I shouldn't be ?
Several years back I had all of my equipment set out for control work on a large ranch . I got in a rut and was running it using the same roads going the same way in and out on every check . I thought that I was doing a pretty good job and had made quite a difference in the lamb crop numbers in a couple of years time . I had gotten some good numbers of coyote , fox and bob cats taken several dens and was pretty happy with myself . Then one day I decided to run my route back wards as it had been awhile since I had done that . I got near the end ,which would have been the beginning if I were doing it the way I had been doing it , I looked over to my left into a small draw only to see some fox pups setting on the den hole watching me go by . They were probably 5 or 6 weeks old and I had driven by them all that time not being able to see into that draw from the direction that I had let myself get into the habit of traveling . I had gotten lax and hadn't been looking for tracks or doing things differently I had let myself get comfortable with what I was doing and it was time for me to receive a wakeup call . I believe there is a saying about having egg on your face that fit this situation well . My mistake and a lesson learned they weren't close to any lambs but could have been . I changed my ways then and there .
I knew better then to get into a habit of doing things the same way over and over again . I had been taught that years earlier and had even used that against coyote , fox and other predators to kill them and did till I retired from control work . That day the point was driven home hard to me . I was so glad that there wasn't any damage done to me or the ranchers livelihood . I read an article a few years back where some of our troupes were wearing fit bits and running the same routes daily some how they were being tracked on their route by these fit bits and became targets in Afghanistan by being repetitive in their work out routine . A far worse out come then what happened to me but an example of the worse case scenario .
Deer seem to be on their feet longer probably filling up for a long wait all holed up.. I like calling right after a good snow storm
