1. A hog will find a way to empty ANY brand of feeder, if given access and time.

2. Putting up a feeder - of any design - is an absolute waste unless it is in a hog-proof feeder pen.

3. Purchasing 210 hog panels hurts your feelings - pounding a few hundred t-posts may cause the need for shoulder surgery.

3. I absolutely hate hogs and would not be one bit sad if I never saw another one on a hunt in my entire life.

They are cute when they ae little.

Learned that with a bit of patience and help from Youtube, processing my own deer for the first time can be less frustrating than I thought. Also learned that my .270 groups the Hornady Precision Hunter 145 ELD-X very nicely and ended up getting a doe with it opening weekend.

I love that new 270 load. Both of my 270's love it too. Grouped better than the 130 SST. It is hell on pigs too. Flat out drops them.

i got a new job at butcher shop that processes deer and learned the following.

1) lots of people can’t shoot, and need to spend more time behind their guns in the off season
2) lots of people have no ideas how to properly clean/ take care of animal after shooting one
3) there’s more people in the “if it’s brown it’s down” category than what I ever thought.

Cut up a yearling doe today that 4 quarters, 2 back straps, and 2 tenderloins yielded 13 pounds of meat, with none discarded due to bloodshot.

Haven’t dropped a pig with it yet, mainly because they’ve been staying nocturnal and my thermal is on an AR platform. But after this last cold spell, I’m seeing hogs on camera during the day so might get the chance in the next month or so.

Your post makes me sad. I thought I had a bad view of mankind before I read this now I know we’re screwed.

Truth.

Honest question....Do you really think that will work to bring in bigger deer?

Any size you think is ideal?

Absolutely....every time I go to the processor I take a walk through his cooler....I'm shocked at the deer some people kill. Saw a fawn hanging that couldn't have weighed more than 40 lbs dressed. Terrible. Also, several that were not 13" wide.

After hearing several all on here telling me to enlarge my pens, it will bring in more deer, they'll feel less threatened, bigger deer don't like to feel jammed up in a smaller pen, I'm willing to see firsthand if there's any truth or wisdom to it, worth a try and lower dollar risk....Verdict is out, proof will be in the pudding I suppose....

There is nothing wrong with killing fawns. It can tell you a lot about your deer herd. It is a mouth in the scheme of things in many areas that have to many now. I know of many ranches that killing doe fawns it how they control the population. 13" bucks are legal under MLD. There are still a lot of counties that have no antler restrictions also. Some people today still struggle with the idea that many hunters still hunt for meat only, not for antlers. I am going to be on a ranch this weekend where they are killing all the doe fawns off this year. They have their doe numbers where they want them and they have learned that doe fawns late in the season that come into estrus prolong the rut. This puts a lot of extra rut stress on already rut weary bucks. Some still think of a fawn as Bambi. This time of the year they are considered a yearling.

I see nothing wrong with killing fawns, but that seems odd to me. I improve my Ibex by every year selling off the oldest females because the younger ones have the genetics I am striving for. If I got rid of the kid females each year I would be keeping the same genetics I am trying to trying to get rid of. But there are folks in business out there that are a heck of a lot more versed on this than I.

I believe it will help for sure. For bucks especially during daytime. I would go no smaller than 9 panels DQ.

Cows are curious, calfs are noisy and loud. Had a group of calf’s check me out while inside the blind. Big calf’s kicking my blind. Cows are in the way. Mooooooooove cow! Lol

Brow tines

I agree. If you're going to take a doe, age doesn't matter.

I thought that and it doesn't work in North Texas with low deer density unless you are talking like you use 4 panels. I get 6 does in 7 panels regularly. And 3 to 5 bucks when they actually eat corn that one time a year. What really works is moving stands around we have found. They still don't jump in but mix it up for them since curiosity kills them looking for does. My favorite 7 panel pen has more mature bucks cruising than any of our setups other setups with 10 or 12 panels and that just means I see more due to its location.

Another way a bigger pen can be helpful is if you make it big enough for two feeders. In some areas, a dominant doe or buck with rule/ruin a single feeder no matter how large the feed pen is, but add an extra source of food and the extra size makes a huge difference.

That somehow the old, dated, 30-06 and 270, will still knock a deer flat. And that you don’t have to shoot a deer at 1,426 yards.

Yeah, my 300 WM, the 270 and the 22-250 have accounted for six deer so far. All that were shot at were retrieved. No animal shot with more than one bullet. I just don't know how much longer those old standard calibers can last.

I've shot some axis this year with a 7X57. 'Still need to kill something with Dad's .30-40 Krag. 'Surprised they still fall down from these ancient rocks.

Funny!

Stxranchman, I am so glad to hear you say this. I've kept quiet on this subject because I try to just read the forum and stay out of the sensitive subjects, but coming from someone that obviously has a ton of credibility, it is nice to hear. You are right, There are still a lot of "meat hunters" out there and just because they are meat hunters, it doesn't necessarily mean they shoot everything they see. And if someone shoots a young deer, it may be the first deer they've killed and their first hunt to be on. A trophy hunter might look down on that, but for that person, that may be a great accomplishment. I'm rambling now, but I used to hunt a place, and knew the people that leased the land next to my little 80 acres. Anytime I would shoot, they would be waiting for me at the front gate to see what I shot and they'd tell everyone that I shoot everything that walks and act like I was an outlaw. I think I shot 3 deer off the place in 4 or 5 years, but one of them was a small button buck. I shot it because my 4 year old son was with me and I wanted him to experience it. Boy, I caught hell.....I finally had enough and we had an understanding at that gate one evening" and they stopped getting in my business. I say all that to say that not everyone is in the business to raise monster deer. I'm still pretty selective, but my trophy buck is for sure different than others. Keep it legal and ethical and shoot what makes you happy!

I remember walking through the locker at Broadway Lockers in San Antonio on many occasion as a young boy. It was a treat to see the massive bucks brought up from south Texas (before any high fences). I went in there to admire other's bucks, not to judge other hunters.

I figure you "confirmed" that as opposed to just now "learned" it.
Real good thread DQ.