Just a thread to shoot the breeze . . . whatchy'all got on tap for hunting this week and next?  
 
Anybody have to change your normal routine for the first day of rifle season with a Saturday start?  Still going 'mup camp or hunting local the first week, and waiting for concurrent seasons to hit camp?
 
Anyone doing anything other than deer hunting in the week ahead?
 
As for my boys and I, the 16 year old and I are gonna hit a new to us duck spot on Thanksgiving morning.  A T-Giving morning duck hunt was a tradition for me with my first lab Hank, that I put away for a few years till our new boy Rocky was ready to hunt last year.  BTDT hosted us last Thanksgiving morning on his little slice of Penns Woods but . . . stupid ducks.  And despite my begging him not to, he sold his place so he could hit the road in his new big rig.  Hope yer having a grand trip buddy!  
 
Got an invite from a guy I met recently to hunt a spot on his property in the Northwest Zone, which we're really looking forward to.  He showed me the spot a few weeks ago, and it looks promising.  Said he's been seeing lots of ducks around, although he doesn't hunt 'em and has no idea what species they are.  
 
Friday is up in the air.  My tradition for the last several years with both boys is to go steelhead feeshin, but a friend fished yesterday and this morning and said it is dismally slow.  So maybe we'll hunt ducks Friday morning too at a spot TBD, or see if we can find any left over game lands pheasants.  But knowing my boys, they'll wanna give steelhead a go no matter the conditions.  
 
No idea where we'll hunt deer Saturday.  Got 3 options - 2 local, one about 60 miles away, but haven't decided yet.  The oldest will be using his bow, which he's done in gun season for the past 2 years.  He's weird.  The 9 year old will be behind an old .243 Winchester my late uncle's wife gave me after he passed.  Sweet shooting gun that both boys have used to kill some deer.  
 
Our school district is still off Monday.  Probably do some local hunts Monday AM and then Monday evening, with a few things to do in between hunts.  
 
How bout all yinz?
 
 

Typically I hunt game land pheasants on Thanksgiving morning. On Black Friday we do a preserve pheasant hunt. But that won’t be happening this year. It has been a month since I got rear ended by a drunk driver and I still don’t have my vehicle back. Parts have been slow to come in because of the GM strike and the rental contract strictly forbids animals in the vehicle (don’t blame them for that). I missed the entire pheasant season. Two 1.5 year old boy pointers and a 4.5 female have been waiting to go and it’s sad they haven’t been able.

As for the opening of the general deer season, I don’t know what is happening yet. I work the traditional Monday opener with no chance of parole (can’t take a vacation day), so I’m good to go on a Saturday. But, I have my retired trooper friend using my blind (it’s going to get windy gear for a few days, so it goes up Black Friday).

The last five archery trips I never saw a deer. Not just no bucks, no deer. Haven’t had a buck on camera in a month (haven’t looked for this past week yet). And the weather dudes are trying to decide if it’s going to rain, snow, sleet, blow, or schat. And it’s going to be on the hairy edge of 30-32.

Watching the OSU/Michigan game might be the deal.

 
Chasing turkeys Thursday & Friday.
 
PT2

DarDys that sucks about the vehicle man. Bet those dogs are ready to run! Doesn’t your wife let you put the dogs in hers? Haha.

Been hearing a lot of guys saying trail cams are pretty empty lately. Talked to an acquaintance who had 10-12 shooters on his cams in October but they’ve been ghosts the last week or two.

PT, I’m not a turkey hunter so I don’t keep up with the seasons. Are they in in all WMU’s this week or just certain ones?

Good luck to all and I hope all younz all have a safe & sucessful season.

Dave thanks for the well wishes and sorry about the duck hunting thingy. Tell your two boys I'll be rootin for em this season. Be they huntin or feeshin. Special pat-on-the-head for Rocky, he's a good doggy.

As for me, wife & I will finish this week visiting our daughter and son-in-law in Oklahoma. Then, God willing and the rivers don't rise arrive in Alabama this coming Sunday.

Monday will likely find me hunting in a Walmart cause, somebody forgot, to pack his stupid fishing pole.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and remember to heed the advice of a wise old bird🦃, Eat More Chicken. 🍻

R,

I’m lucky she lets me in her car, let alone the hairy critters.

I haven’t been deer hunting on opening day for 4 years.

pheasant tail 2
 
Chasing turkeys Thursday & Friday.
 
PT2

I‘d like to do the same as there have been 25+ hangin out in the yard for the last couple of weeks but this WMU doesn’t have a late season. Guess I’ll have to chase tree rats with the bow.
Mike

The Saturday start messes up our normal routine a bit but it looks like we may have a few more hunters in camp for the opener, which is a good thing. 
 
Everyone arrives Friday afternoon to get settled in. Washington County. Saturday is the hunt followed by a big bonfire and adult beverages and cigars. Sleep in Sunday then watch some football while enjoying a few more beverages and some good food. A few plan on leaving Sunday but 4 of us will be staying to hunt Monday and Tuesday. 
 
Since I tagged a buck in Archery, I plan to sit with my 22/250 for coyotes with my furtakers license. 
 
Weather looks horrible for the opener in the SW corner of the state with steady rain. Maybe folks in the central and eastern part of the state will luck out and have decent weather for the opener. Monday and Tuesday's weather looks much better. 
 
Good luck all! 

dpms, sounds like a great couple of days.  Hope ya whack a yote.  
 
John, I hope you and the Mrs enjoy your time in Oklahoma, and when the wind comes sweeping down the plains, it doesn't take your RV with it!  Seeing tons of reports on social media in Mississippi and Louisiana of some insanely good redfish and speckled trout fishing right now.  
 
dardys, my wife and I switched our normal vehicles a few weeks ago.  I drive the Honda Pilot and she drives the Honda Fit most days, cause she does a lot of driving for her work.  Happened to be a day I had planned to hunt pheasants, and I had strict orders to put some old blankets down so I didn't get dog hair all over her car.  But at least she let me do it.  
 
Mike, if I recall correctly, didn't you used to post some in the waterfowl forum back in the olden days?  Are you still into that?  Enjoyed reading your accounts of chasing deer with the old long bow.  Back when I archery hunted, I had a compound, but almost always hunted on the ground like you.  Probably a good reason why I only ever killed one deer in 16 years with a bow.  lol.  

5 day vacation started today. Haven't had that many days off in a row for a long time so I'm planning on keeping myself busy with hunting.

Gonna go run Nina later this morning once ghe rain passes thru, then maybe plink a few squirrels layer on.

My dad and I had a tradition of squirrel hunting on thanksgiving morning that I will continue on with Thursday. Niece and nephew will be here, so I'm hoping they want to go for a hunt with me. Gonna be pretty cold though, so we'll see how that works out. Friday will be more of the same with the treerats and ditch chickens.

Tagged a buck in archery, so there will be no hunting for me on Saturday. Did a walk thru at my place last weekend and found some extremely promising buck sign, so I'm thinking about setting up in the climber for a few hours just to see what I see and maybe get some pics of a biggun.

Sunday planning on.......oh wait, I still can't hunt on a Sunday 😞.

Good luck to you all no matter what you're chasing and have a happy thanksgiving!