Caribou Gear

Average Joe's 2018

I was pretty much out of commission and totally knocked off my feet last week due to an annoying sinus infection. It was not fun.

I was able to get out yesterday to walk around with a buddy who has a rifle cow tag for a nearby unit. It ended up being a rifle-hike as we didn't see anything, but it was nice to get out and breathe some fresh air (even though I really couldn't breathe through my nose.)

ea91899441c7bd6e98f3499418c86d47.jpg


b6800d8e0dd4428a2b0400d40ad96bcf.jpg


We followed some fresh tracks and jumped the elk off their beds, but we never set eyes on them. The snow and the tracks we were following were gone by midday.

542e6566b5fdaebb1227290d02b5fc35.jpg


I should be able to convince the wife to get out sometime this week for an after work hunt.
 
Two big things!

Tomorrow is Florida whitetail opener!

Second...
5b8dcc158de37a8124ff8a7d9b2f5e00.jpg


I am so so so so so pumped about this.
It’s an off limits - nonhunted military range. 72 hunters drawn a year and its spreads over 4 hunts. So 18 per! Then each person is assigned a zone so it’s plenty of room to hunt.
Archery only and there are some great deer out there!

Not to mention February is our rut down here. Wooohoo!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Today was a great first sit.

Went from hot and humid, to super hot, to thunder storms, to a good temp drop.

8a99dddbd5c095f10a2c55237b994fec.png


That’s what it was when I set up for my afternoon hunt!
It’s back down to 70 as I walk out from the woods.


I did see two deer. A legal spike and a young doe. They got the pass....
She was too small and I had fun watching them.

d763e4bf2b0f42832291ea74d0a151cc.png



Tomorrow will be a cooler day with great winds. I cannot wait.
 
Congrats on the special draw on military land! Will they let you scout before you hunt or are you going in blind?

We have a safety briefing on Jan 25th and then I get the 26th to scout, so that's pretty nice!
Should be lots of scrapes and rubs showing up then down here so I should be able to find some bucks. :D
 
Is that a special Florida hunt?

Yes sir! A great one too....

Rut timeframe.... closed area on a military range.... archery only!
Should make for a good time :D

Not many tags given out either so it wont be a giant fest of tons of hunters.
 
It's been a crazy busy month for me. I got news that there's a really good chance I'll be moving back to New Mexico either January or February. So instead of hunting, I've been cleaning and getting all of the to-do list items done so I can get my house ready to sell. I wanted to get everything done before I go elk hunting this weekend, so it's been a full schedule.

I also picked up my moose. It looks amazing, but sadly it'll be coming down as soon as I get the official word that I'm moving. Hopefully my next house will have a little more wall space.

e21352dcb7f06da3a0fe7792fc982162.jpg


76bee4d7913f4ae5ba64813137a8ae69.jpg


dfd08eec89df3de3ff0572c7d4738317.jpg


cb31512ba53e7b55b34ebb5af8611574.jpg


26ea757cd5b8b7ee8210b2fec774c6c3.jpg


11eb25c7617349c40d24c8ccc5c38427.jpg


It's amazing how fast life sneaks by. I was really hoping to get out to chase some mule deer with my rifle, but it looks like I'll have to hunt with my bow and wait till the rut. Dang... Sounds rough. ;)

Is been super slow for both Dan and I but it's about to pick up. Dan's got a ton of stuff lined up and I'm almost more excited for his hunts than my own.... Heck, I'm not even packed and I leave in a couple days!
 
Well everyone, the time has come!
I am hitting the road in the morning for a 17 hour drive to start my 17 days of fun.
First stop is Sedgwick Kansas, archery, private properties!

I’ve got a buck and a doe tag for this portion of the trip. I’ve been extremely antsy and I’ll probably be shooting the first good doe I see!

Temperatures are looking good and over the next few days there will be some good deer moving. I’m secretly hoping for a Halloween buck! I’ve always read lot of articles and books that say Halloween is a great day for bigger bucks!
I’ll be honest, I am going to struggle this trip. In one hand I typically don’t pass on many things. On the other hand this is the land of good deer! So instead of putting a magical “score” requirement for this trip, I’ll be shooting the first thing that gets my blood going! I cannot wait!

After Kansas I head to Tucamacari New Mexico for an any legal weapon mule deer hunt! If anyone followed us last year, you may recall the area I hunted antelope. It’s that same place! It’s a 50K acre ranch, hasn’t been hunted for mule deer in a while, and the land owner invited me out this year to hunt them! I am so excited!!!!!
Similar to the Kansas hunt, this hunt will be an interesting struggle. I’ve never shot a mule deer buck before, but this is also a pristine ranch that hasn’t been hunted in years. So we will see what ends up getting me excited ;)

After that I’ll head out to my stomping grounds in Oklahoma, archery, public land!
This is honestly one of my favorite hunts every year. I love Oklahoma and I’ve been hunting the same public land there for the last four years. It’s been so good to me and I cannot wait to get out there.

Then it’s back to Florida to chase some whitetail!




Ahhh!!
 
Thanks guys!

fe1e04f8bf6f408ca43dbabcb49a45c7.jpg


c4d07757d9a7aae28c1aba7bca6777d3.jpg


I miss having my truck already. Now I can’t carry extra crap that I don’t need.
I’m on my way to Kansas. I’m in Alabama and things are going smooth so far.
 
This was supposed to post last night, but I guess I didn't have good enough service.

---------

Well.... Made it up to the mountains with enough light to see that there's no shortage of hunters in the area. I'm surprised I have cell service, but not surprised by the amount of people in here. I'm hiking in a few miles in the dark and going to bivy on the side of the mountain. Hoping most of the other hunters are just going to stick to roads like they normally do.

a2aaea7935bbefd278460a11faa32678.jpg


Just like I'd hoped for, the weather is wet and cold. Extra misery for tonight. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
 
Back
Top