Trad Gang

Well I got bored today and decided I needed to do my part in keeping the urban varmint population under control.

Today's equipment consisted of my 54# Blacktail recurve,HighNoonHunter quiver and assorted carbon and wood arrows tipped with Hex heads and Judos points.

(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/1-1.jpg)

(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/2-1.jpg)

What a beautiful bow!!!

I was hunting the really thick stuff today..stealth and sent control needed to be paramount.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/6-1.jpg)

(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/7.jpg)

Mike how ya been buddy...sweet!!!   :saywhat:    :wavey:    :thumbsup:    :notworthy:    :clapper:    :goldtooth:

First varmint found was the hated "Paperback Guzzler" I showed him no mercy.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/3-1.jpg)

Then as I approached a small rise I heard a noise and saw one of these yuppie sport type varmints.
He couldn't escape the swift flight of my wrath.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/9.jpg)

Life was good at this point and I thought I'd sit awhile and take in the song birds and try my hand at calling. I broke out my trusted "squeaky ball bearing" call and gave a couple soft calls.
Within minutes this guy shows up, I let him slowly approach and when he gets in my deadly 10 yard window I let one fly. A neck shot made the oil trail simple to follow.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/4-1.jpg)

After that I walked some more to see what else might show it's ugly urban face.
This "Milk Tortoise" took off running from under my feet and I sent a Flu Flu his way. He didn't make it very far.
 (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/11.jpg)

This drunken "Can Toad" had to be taken out of his misery.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/8.jpg)

I really didn't expect to run into any big game today so I didn't have any single bevel $40 heads with me but when this "Barrel Bellied Buffalo" busted out of the bush I couldn't help myself and I had to send a few blunts his way to teach him a lesson. I got zero penetration but I bet he will be sore tomorrow.
 (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/12.jpg)

I soon tired after my last hill and decided to save some varmints for tomorrow. I was able to get my bag limit today in a short period of time and had fun doing it. If we all did a little "Urban Varmint Hunting" every once in awhile our inner city woods would soon be rid of these vile creatures.

What would really be fun to do is to rubber blunt those who introduce these exotics into our woods.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/13.jpg)

bohuntr..thx & I won't argue with you on that. I love her.
  ;)

Hiya Mark! It's always good to read you.
  :wavey:     :thumbsup:

Mike, that looks like a great time! I sure miss that green stuff on those shrubs. I'm sick of the cold already this year.

What a great hunt and a super idea

nice going that is a very nice set up you have there beautiful gear

Great hunt!!
Some real fine trophies there.
Kudos to ya.
Good luck with the Barrel Bellied Buffalo, I hear that hide is pretty tough even with Broadheads you don't get alot of penetration.

QuoteI sure miss that green stuff on those shrubs. I'm sick of the cold already this year

Me too! I'm dreading coming back to your neck of the woods. It must be about 65-70 here today.
We had frost yesterday morning though. I know "Poor baby"
Looking forward to seeing you at the IN.Bunny Romp.
  :campfire:

What do you guys think?....Euro. mount?
  :D
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/14.jpg)

Sweet hunt dude!  Thanks for the thought and effort put into the pictorial!  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thx for the props folks..I'm glad you enjoyed my satire and the message.

The woods were loaded with "StryoJacks" this one kept letting me shoot at him and never moved till I finally connected.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/10.jpg)

"The Killing Fields"...loaded with disgusting varmints. I was able to pull a triple here.
One ran out of the picture frame but I was able to track and find him.
(http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a170/aaaabbbbcccc/5-1.jpg)

Mike, I agree on both points.  Good job.  I pick up a bag like that on the gravel road that parallels my 80 acres every spring.

At least you did the deed ehticly, lol; looks like a good time.

WOW Mike,

What kind of woods are in that bow?

Puts a whole new spin on stump shootin.

QuoteOriginally posted by deertraks:
WOW Mike,

What kind of woods are in that bow?

Riser is Massacar Ebony footed with Cocobolo and Bloodwood accents. Limbs are flat cut Zebrawood.

What kind of seasoning and how long do you cook a "StryoJack"? I heard they taste like chicken.
 :bigsmyl:

Too cool for words   :thumbsup:  Thanks for the huntalong.

Best thread I have seen in a while. We all ought to do a little more of that!! Shawn

Thanks MikeW I enjoyed that  :thumbsup:  Oh & thats some purdy wood in that blacktail you got there!!! like that HNH quiver too!

you had a blast  :thumbsup:    :cool:

Awesome loved the pics and narration

Scott

Great post Mike! Who makes the quiver on your bow, I've been looking for a new one for my Predator and that one's really nice.
GLENN

There Ya Have It! A day of good clean fun!

... mike ...

Incridible idea and looks way fun.

Cool thread!  Nice bow by the way!

What a great way of getting rid of urban varmints.

Cool post -- most unique one yet!

Good Stuff, You have made the Trad community proud today!

I really enjoyed that!.....

Looks like your area is overrun with these beasties, My inlaws live in Stephenville, not too far from you. If you want a really target rich environment, go down there and hunt the city park along the Bosque River; it is overloaded with these critters. You would think that the town pride would rid the area of the varmints, but they don't seem to care. When I visit there, I always wonder why someone doesn't clean the place up. In Wyoming, we have some of the same problem, but not to the degree that the more 'civilized' areas seem to have.  Good job on doing some cleanup, and a great post.

Excellent shooting- Plus doing your part for cleaner woods- wish I had been there. It's 10 degrees here with 8" of new snow.

Bill

Best urban varmint bowhunt I've ever seen. Great post. Loved the narration and the photos.

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.  :thumbsup:

QuoteOriginally posted by MikeW:
I really didn't expect to run into any big game today so I didn't have any single bevel $40 heads with me but when this "Barrel Bellied Buffalo" busted out of the bush I couldn't help myself and I had to send a few blunts his way to teach him a lesson. I got zero penetration but I bet he will be sore tomorrow.
 

A Judo will do an amazing job on that buffalo.  I was shocked at the penetration when I sent a test shot at one.  Had to gut the beast to get my arrow back.

(Great report -- enjoyed it immensely!)

This has to be one of the funnier threads I have ever viewed!   :bigsmyl:  

My wife and kids (generally non-hunters) loved it!!

Very Good. . .

Dan

:clapper:     :clapper:    :clapper:

:clapper:    :clapper:   Way to go Mike. Your right,if everybody did this once in awhile our urban woods and waterways would all be far better off for it. My son and I cary 30gal. garbage bags with us whenever we go trout fishing and stump shooting. It's amazing how slobish some so called "outdoorsmen" are.

Great and humorous post.  And beneficial too.

Mike-
I must have missed your thread here - I got a new one going on this subject, but will move to this one. You did a far better job documenting your hunt.

What do you reckon would make a good game bag? A garbage bag doesn't hook well to your belt, but a mesh decoy bag would let the syrupy juices of newborn cans leak all over your pant leg.
I was unprepared for the bountiful harvest and only had room to stick three of the varmints in my pockets.

Thanks for your expertise!

great writeup!

HAHA, not what I expected but that was great!  After a day like that I expect you will be writing an article for TBM?

Good thing the trash warden didn't catch you, you are definetly over your limit! LOL! Good job!

Good on ya!

A+

Thx again for the kind words folks,I'm glad ya'll enjoyed it. I find it a lot more fun than shooting at clumps of grass and stumps.

QuoteMike-
I must have missed your thread here - I got a new one going on this subject, but will move to this one. You did a far better job documenting your hunt.

What do you reckon would make a good game bag? A garbage bag doesn't hook well to your belt, but a mesh decoy bag would let the syrupy juices of newborn cans leak all over your pant leg.
I was unprepared for the bountiful harvest and only had room to stick three of the varmints in my pockets.

Thx guy please feel free to jump in with your "Urban Trophies" Yeah the trash bag is a bit of a pain. Some kind of light canvas bag would be better.

QuoteGood thing the trash warden didn't catch you, you are definetly over your limit! LOL! Good job!

Funny you should mention that. I was out doing the same thing a few days latter and when I came out of the woods there was a police officer there waiting to talk to me. She happens to live a few doors down from me so she's seen me many times but we have never talked before. I'm actually doing this inside a city limit in a nature/trail walking area,I think it's actually classified as a city park. I knew it was illegal to shoot a bow in there but I never go on the weekends when there are lots of folks. During the week the place is a ghost town and I've been out there stumping a 100 times. Well someone called in on me and said I was hunting.(I've never shot at a real varmint in there) Anyways she said what I was doing was admirable(I came out with an other bag limit)but was against the law and if there was a "next time" she would have to do something about it. I showed her my blunts and explained I wasn't shooting at any animals in there. She was really pretty cool about the whole thing and she was just doing her job. So it looks like I lost my Urban Varmint hunting grounds.
It's some messed up times we live in.
 

Mike,

I've enjoyed following along, but your closing comment about "non shooting areas" was in my mind as to how things would be here in these parts.

Even along our Shi$$ Crick, the Conestoga, there are areas now designated by the power company as "parks" and you can't even shoot carp! No shooting allowed! And bows are specifically listed with firearms and such.

A chap I met lives in a rural development, in N. Lanc. County, in the middle of farm fields...and there are "covenants" (?) in that development stating it is illegal to "launch any projectile..." so even behind his high wooden fence, he can't shoot his bow in his own backyard!

I think I'd drive around videotaping people throwing freesbies and playing ball till I got that nonsense changed...but they'd just make it about "shooting bows, airguns, slingshots, etc." specifically, so nothing would be achieved.

Tis indeed "messed up" time...and promises to get worse! Send the municipality a bill for "trash collection."  :)

QuoteSend the municipality a bill for "trash collection."

There ya go!..LoL
  :readit:
Yeah I think it's the same where I live. The law used to be you could not shoot a bow inside the city limits but it wasn't really enforced if you were in your backyard but they could if they wanted to. Now I think the law reads it OK in your backyard as long as the arrow doesn't leave your property.

There has been some threads on this but even on public land where hunting is allowed, here you can't be "target shooting"(stumping)you have to be hunting something. Luckily here in Texas something is almost always open(hogs)even if there are no hogs I'm hog hunting.
  :D

Good on ya!

Mike that was real good of ya!

I may go on one of these hunts in the near future. A real low cost alternative, that can only improve the surroundings!

Glad to see the quiver is treating you well.

hnh

Nice job Mike. I'll be doing the same soon as some snow melts and reveals all those hibernating urban exotics.

Great hunt and photos. Must have some large bag limits.

I enjoy that kind of hunting "almost" as much as in season stuff, except there is no season on Urban Varmints.  Good way to tune up for 3-D season which is just around the corner.  I would have done some of this the last few days but here in NW Arkansas we have lots of ice and no power.  Kept busy staying warm and finding fuel to stay warm.  And I also had to find time to work, since I work at a hospital and they don't stop for bad weather.  
Good pics Mike, enjoyed them...Mike (Ark)

It is guys like you that make me sick. Because of global warming do you realize how few free roaming pop cans and plastic bottles are left in the world???????? LOL! Good shooting!

:archer:

A stunning blacktail to boot!

you may have set a new standard-gr8 idea

MikeW,
What a great post. I was sitting on the edge of my chair wondering if you were going to be charged and possibly mauled by one of those critters. Once warmer weather returns to PA I believe I might toss some of those critters out in the woods at my club, and organize a contest as to who can get the most and bring them back cleaned and ready for the barbecue.

:thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:  


Nice job!!

:clapper:    
WOW that was great...Hilarious. If everybody where to play a part in cleaning up the "urban varmints" from their local woods it would make for a cleaner hunting environment.

Such a great hunt I had to read it again!!!!!!!!   :jumper:

Mike, that was very fun and I think you planted a lot of seeds among us.

hmmm...shooting a bow AND recycling kills! I like it. That may help our image in the treehugger circles! LOL
You've truly inspired me Mike. I am going Urban hunting soon. Can't wait to post my "trophys"!
I do have a racoon that keeps coming through the yard and digging the flower beds up! I wouldn't mind sticking him. But he comes around before I wake up.

That looks like too much fun!