In recent years the PBS members have hosted a variety of membership hunts all over the country for various animals, such as Kodiak Island AK Sitka blacktails, coastal Georgia hogs, New Hampshire black bear, Blackbeard Island GA hogs and whitetails, Colorado elk, Virginia whitetails/turkeys/black bear, Utah elk and mule deer, Ohio whitetails, Alaska black bears, South Dakota mule deer, Texas hog and Javalina, Arizona deer and Javalina, and many more. There are also many "unofficial" hunts between members. If you are a PBS member, you are automatically invited to these hunts. Some are for just a few Bowhunters, while
others can have ten or more attendees, many of them TradGangers.
Right now, with the fall hunting seasons finally here, we are really cranking up our membership hunts. I hosted one for cow elk in Wyoming that finished up last week, and we have two going on right now: one for mule deer in South Dakota that I plan to join later this week and another for whitetail deer at LBL in Kentucky. Later in October we'll have one in Virginia for whitetails, turkeys and black bear, and in November we'll have one in Wisconsin for whitetails (hosted by one of our Canadian members, interestingly enough). The Arizona Membership hunt at the end of the year for Coues deer and Javalina finishes a pretty busy year for us, and sort of kicks off 2020 as well. We'll start all over in 2020 with some winter hog hunts.
In this thread I will provide some pics and stories from my WY elk hunt, along with updates from the current membership hunts as they unfold. Stay tuned! Many of the PBS members on these hunts are also TradGangers, so hopefully they will posts some pics and stories too.
Thanks Jeff.....I'm over due one!!!
I have heard such good things about PBS hunts. I am going to have to be part of one before long because they sound great.
Jeff is spot on. I have been on them, and hosted one. Hosting one was probably more rewarding than going on one, though that was great too! I hope to be attending more in the future, the hunt itself is just a small part of the experience.
David
I was on the Kodiak island hunt with Jeff. It was outstanding and it's really great to be able to hunt with like minded bowhunters. I intend to go on as many of the membership hunts as possible in the future. If only I didn't have to work!
I have hosted Memberships in GA, OH and WY, and attended about a dozen more all over the country. So much fun sharing a hunting camp with my PBS buddies!
I am working feverishly to complete my work duties before I leave on my next PBS Membership hunt, later this week. I will definitely post pics and stories before I leave (once I figure out how to post pics from my iPhone) - I just got some updates from buddies attending the SD mule deer hunt and the KY deer/ turkey hunt.
For those who can't wait on my slow fingers to read about my WY cow elk hunt (which was specifically for members looking for their first archery elk), click on my link for the PBS web site, then click on "topics" on the upper left corner, then "latest" for a bunch of pics and stories. If you poke around our web site a little, you can find pics and stories from previous membership hunts as well. Enjoy! I always thought that if you can't be hunting right now, the next best thing is reading about other bowhunter's hunts....
I need to look into these hunts. Between loosing my hunting buddy a few years ago and moving from Louisiana to North Carolina, I haven't hunted as much as I used to. Need to get back to it and these hunts with like minded bowhunters sounds like a good way to do so.
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I am at the Land Between The Lakes hunt now. My cell service is spotty but I'm hunting a spot tonight with a fair signal so I'll try this.
The picture is my view from the corner of a field which had at least 10 deer feeding in last night. Two nights ago a couple of them used this corner to enter. I've got a15 yard shot with a perfect wind of only they will try it again. :pray:
Good luck. I need to go back some time....use to hunt down at LBL quite a bit years ago. Last time I was in the area....drove through and saw that they had plowed though two of my favorite spots while redoing the roads.
One spot was a big old cherry tree that formed a natural blind that was just about 30 yards inside a small ag field/plot. Spent would more time in that "blind" than my college apartment in the fall.
I just got home from the SD hunt I had to pull out early as a huge blizzard is coming in with snow expected to be as much as 30 inches. I couldn't leave my wife at home with that happening and I will have to take care of my cattle . Very disappointing I only got to hunt 2 days and was expecting to hunt a week and a half . I also got rained out of my ND mule deer hunt in September so the weather hasn't treated us too well . Yesterday was 80 degrees in SD and I got sunburned , today it was snowing when I left, but I did get to see a couple of real trophy bucks !!!
Tim, sorry about the bad weather. Daniel and I were gonna drive out there tonight but now will delay our arrival a little...I think everybody bailed out because of the blizzard, but Paul and Mark are still hunting whitetails in eastern SD.
The guys at the LBL area in KY are hunting hard and looking to get some critters hanging on the meat pole. I understand that the food is fantastic so far!
Having trouble posting photos, hopefully these from my WY elk hunt will work. We had 5 hunters from 4 states: John from Iowa, Nathaan and Hunter from Indiana, Randy from Virginia and me from North Carolina. I have hunted this unit 5 times now, with one nice bull and several cows to my credit there. Its a hard unit to draw a tag, even for cow elk - originally about 10 PBSers applied for a cow tag.
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This bull came in the first evening - a good way to start the hunt, except that we all had cow tags...
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Finding shed antlers was fun...
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Lots of grouse here, and Hunter finally got one for a very fresh evening meal...
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I noticed this trout trapped in a mudhole in a tiny creek, and relocated him to a bigger pool...
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You never know when a shooting contest will break out...
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Or when you will need your favorite knife...
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I went on the PBS hunt last year at LBL. It was great hunting and camping with other like minded hunters. We had a good time, I wish I was with them now, but work got in the way :banghead:
I am starting to think that work is overrated :dunno:
Hunting here at LBL is excellent. But similar to what I often find when hunting a new area it takes awhile to figure out out. I've honed in on a long and narrow cut corn field that I've seen deer in every time I've been here, including a couple of nice bucks. So far I've been zigging when I should have been zagging.
Time is winding down fast but I'm hoping it comes together yet. All it takes is one.
If nothing else I have learned one very important lesson on this trip.
If chef Melvin Gregoire signs up for a PBS hunt do everything in your power to join the group, and don't be late for dinner!
That man can cook!
Whip, the first rule of hosting a PBS membership hunt is to have a good cook in camp, and Melvin is not just good, he's great! I have learned to always have Brad Hawkins (Biathalonman) on my GA hog hunts as well!
More pics from the WY elk hunt, before I leave for my next hunt:
Gotta have at least one wall tent in any elk camp...
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Adding grouse to the camp menu was a lot of fun...
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We had three tents when everybody was in camp....unfortunately this location didn't provide much protection from the wind, but there were elk nearby and we didn't care...
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We were hunting a mix of NF, BLM, state land and private ranches that were park of a HMA. there was a private ranch at the end of the ridge, NOT part of the HMA and definitely off limits to hunters, where we could see a hundred or more elk every day, sometimes several hundreds of elk with dozens of bulls, bugling and acting naturally...it was fun to glass and watch those elk.
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But the roads were terrible - this cow couldn't believe that John was taking his brand new Ram truck up on the mountain!
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As host I did my best to show the guys around and find some elk for them. This morning we spotted some cow elk feeding up a draw and got into position to intercept them, but they took forever to get to us and by then the sun had rose and caused the steady wind to swirl and betray us...
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This was classic spot and stalk country, and we glassed a lot. Once we located some elk, we'd formulate a strategy and make a move in the elk. I was into elk almost every day, often as close as 15 yards but without a shot...
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I played cat and mouse with this herd of 20 elk for 2 hours, working my way in past 2 sentry spikes and to within 15 yards for several cows, calves and a 6x6 bull. Was standing there, anxious because I knew that the wind would soon betray me. The bull was pestering a cow and causing a commotion, so I thought I could get several steps closer....wrong!
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Being 20 yards away from an alert cow is fun, but also frustrating when there is no shot...
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On this day, Nathaan Hunter and I located a bunch of elk, 4 different groups really, and had some serious excitement for a while. Here is Hunter moving in on a huge herd bull, his cows and several satellite bulls...
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I'm kind of jumping in the middle of Jeff's posts about the elk hunt and hope that isn't confusing anyone. But I think his intent was just to kind of show some of the many different membership hunts that are going on throughout the year.
My PBS hunt this year is for whitetails at Land Between The Lakes in Kentucky. But as Jeff mentioned earlier there are a wide variety of opportunities open to any PBS member.
The membership hunts are great in themselves, but even better are the friendships made along the way that lead to other opportunities to hunt just about anywhere your desires lead you.
Maybe I should have sprung for a turkey tag. I had a feeling this would happen.
I'm on my last stand for the trip and will be headed for home in the morning. Still hoping a deer will walk by and present the shot these turkeys did a few minutes ago.
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I have been fortunate enough to attend several of the P.B.S. members hunts... Utah, Wyoming, Georgia. I have also hosted some in Virginia and in the Blackwater Refuge in Maryland for Sika deer. I have met some of the finest bowhunters on the planet at these hunts and forged friendships that have allowed me to hunt areas that I otherwise may not have had the opportunity. I sometimes think that I get an invitation to go on some of these hunts as I am the guy with the wall tent and wood stove! :goldtooth:
I agree with some of the comments above. As much as I enjoy going on these hunts, I get a real sense of satisfaction from hosting the hunts. I live in an area of Virginia with a high population of deer, liberal seasons and bag limits and a good population of both bears and turkeys. I hosted a hunt here last year and we all had a blast camping for the seven days. Here are a few photos from last year....
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I was also on the most recent hunt in Wyoming. I had a blast and I have to say, chasing those blue grouse was a little addictive.
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I'm long over due to go on one of these. Looks like a blast.
JEFF.....will there be a list posted so we can make plans???
Terry, I think Jeff is off hunting with his son this week. The PBS website has a separate forum for membership hunts. They also sometimes get talked about on the Cyber Campfire forums as well.
Some hunts are limited as to how many can attend due to lodging or hunting area limitations. Others, like the Kentucky hunt I was just on have plenty of room for any number of members.
Thanks Whip, I am away hunting mule deer but found some WIFI and a little time for a post.
Terry, I will make sure that the PBS web site has both a list of past Membership hunts and more importantly, a list of future Membership hunts and the names of the PBS members conducting those hunts and their contact info. I think the upcoming hunt in WI may be full, but the AZ hunt has plenty of room for more PBSers. My coastal GA hog hunt will be the first week of February 2020. It's pretty full with 17 members signed up already, but I am making a waiting list because there are always people dropping out for one reason or another. There should be one or more early 2020 hog hunts in TX too.
Wrapping up the WY elk hunt, all five of us were into elk and had chances to arrow a cow elk. I had to fly back to NC for a few days towards the end of the hunt, to take care of family and work obligations. When I returned, I was hoping for one more close encounter. Unfortunately the other guys had finished their hunts and departed, partly due to increased hunting pressure/decreased elk sightings and partly due to the approaching snowstorm. I decided to try one last area that we had not hunted yet, and found some undisturbed elk on Friday evening. The weather was turning bad and I was getting anxious about getting off the mountain. I decided to try for them on Saturday before heading for home myself. It took a few hours on Saturday morning to locate the elk with the wind and rain, but finally I heard a bugle in the golden aspens and headed that way.
The bull sounded off in the golden aspens in upper left of this drainage...
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I moved in close to the herd of about a dozen cows and calves, plus a nice 5x6 bull..
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After the 12-yard shot, the bull still had love on his mind...but she wasn't feeling well. I hoped to see her go down right there...
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I gave her 3 hours after she slowly followed the herd into the woods, and took the time to move my truck around to the bottom of that drainage, for an easier pack out...the aspens were finally showing some color...
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I found her in the woods nearby - thank you Lord! Wish I had some help now, but I knew how to take care of her by myself...
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The pack out was less than a mile, downhill, so it was pretty easy. The hard part would be the 2-day drive home to NC solo, but having a elk in the cooler made that a little easier. Can't wait to hunt with my PBS buddies again! It was another great PBS membership hunt, although it would have been even better if one or more of my buddies had also tagged an elk. We got to hunt an interesting area together, eat good food, chase elk and grouse, test the 4x4 on our trucks, and most importantly have some fellowship as bowhunters. Fun!
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Great stuff guys!!!
That's awesome Jeff! Congrats! Looks like a great time!
Whip, can't you take 4 fall birds in Kentucky? Lol never fails!
Way to go sir! That had to be awesome! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Jeff, you know the last time I saw you was at the buckhorn saloon in Austin Texas. We need to hunt together next year.!!!
I agree Terry, let's make it happen!
I am returning from the SD Membership deer hunt now (will post a few pics) and will head up to the VA Membership hunt next week, not to hunt this time but just to see my buddies one night and mooch some fine grub...
Ok Jeff....I remember the 1st time we met....at the Buck Horn Saloon in San Antonio.....man how time flies.
I have the truck and trailer loaded up. Headed out to set up the wall tents and wood stove for about a dozen P.B.S.'ers in the Blue Ridge members hunt. Hopefully there'll be some good stories by this time next week.
Waiting to hear the tales.
Dang Jeff, you drove from Wyoming to No. Carolina in two days??? Your one tough dude!! I'm sweating my drive to the Arizona hunt!
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Ronnie, that drive gets tougher every year! I had planned to drive directly from my WY hunt to the SD membership hunt, but the early snowstorm approaching and the elk in my cooler forced me to go home instead. SD made some last-minute changes to their regulations which really effected that hunt, namely that NRs couldn't hunt public land until October 1 and we couldn't get the access pass for the NF land, which is easier to hunt for us eastern and Midwest whitetail hunters. Mark Viehweg from SD hosted this hunt, or at least tried to for the handful of bowhunters that included Tim from ND, Alvin from PA, Paul from IL, John from ? (Argentina?), and my son and me from NC (we arrived after everybody else had left due to the snowstorm). The reg changes and early snowstorm played havoc but we did get in some stalks and chances to arrow a mule deer.
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This hunt was a chance to spend some father-son time chasing deer, as my son is in graduate school with limited time available to hunt now. He hunts mostly with his compound, but my buddy Bill Dunn has loaned him an old Zipper recurve that Daniel had with us in hopes of arrowing his first deer. He had killed a nice mulie buck the previous year on this hunt, but a doe would have been an even better trophy with that old Zipper....
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Spot and stalk hunting in wide open country is not easy, but it is fun. We did get in some stalks, like this time when we located a group of does feeding along a river that was the boundary between public and private land...
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They were on our side of the river and we set up downwind to ambush them as they fed past us. Unfortunately as the deer approached our position, they crossed the river to safety...
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It was below freezing in the mornings with patches of snow on the ground, although towards the end of the week the temps rose up to the 70's. I guess that's why this fellow came out to warm up, although he wasn't too friendly...
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We had a good time in neat country, with several good chances to fill our tags, but we weren't good enough. Maybe next time. Thanks Mark for planning and hosting this hunt!
Great Stuff Jeff!!!
The VA Blue Ridge membership was the next week, hosted by Randy. Believe it or not, I actually have a job and work a little, so I could not join that hunt. That's a little ironic, because I drove 30+ hours for the WY hunt and 28 for the SD hunt, yet I couldn't get to the hunt just 3 hours away from me...
Randy is a great host and knows his hunt area very well. I have been there and it reminds me of the Allegheny NF from my home state of PA, where I once had a hunting camp and cut my teeth on traditional bowhunting. One difference is the great number of bears at this spot - it is an excellent place to arrow a bear on the ground or from a treestand. This lucky bear got a pass because it was only 150# and there are much bigger bears around. I would have shot him, given the chance...
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This fat sow, who was very BIG, was a definite candidate for the meatpole....
Randy was preparing to put a sharp Snuffer thru her lungs when her cubs appeared and saved her bacon...
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This hunt was primarily for deer, but somehow no deer were killed this time, although everybody had chances and I hear there might have been a miss or two. Luckily, Randy is a great camp cook and he's not bashfull with the meat...
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Nobody went hungry on this hunt...if you do, its your own fault!
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Deer steak and eggs for breakfast, anybody?
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Hopefully the TradGangers that attended this hunt can post more pics. Sometimes we put some animals on the meatpole, sometimes we don't. Doesn't really matter, because the fellowship, story-telling, getting to know each other better, planning future hunts and reliving past hunts are what make these Membership hunts so much fun.
Next up for the PBS - the Wisconsin rut hunt for monster whitetails at a super-secret public area. I will try to provide some updates as that hunt progresses. And it's only 3 months until my coastal Georgia hog hunt begins....
Sounds awesome!
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I keep saying I'm gonna stop in for the wi hunt as I am usually hunting nearby but am always still trying to fill the freezer.
We had a great time on the hunt last week! I think everyone in camp had shot opportunities that they either passed up due to it being too small or not having a tag (bear), or had a miss, or just plain blew the opportunity. A good group of guys to share camp with. We had a couple of days of bad weather, but no one was griping or complaining. Looking forward to doing it again!
We did luck out on the weather over all though. We were able to get in there Sunday and get all of the tents set up before any serious rain hit us. Then the next Saturday dawned clear and windy and we were able to pack camp up with everything being dry. That evening the skies opened up for the next couple of days.
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Camp life was great! Hunting in the mornings and evenings and then relax for a little bit mid day... sit around the fire telling lies or shooting a little bit on the practice range I had set up.
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Of course, one of these always makes camp better...
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We did have some pretty good meals. One day I grilled up a bunch of my home made brats. We had some of my home made sauerkraut, pickled peppers, dilly beans, etc. to go along with it and it kind of turned into a contest to see who could make the best brat concoction.
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Here is another big sow that got a pass because of a cub. We did see a lot of bears this week. I passed up two that were 125-150 pounds, just because I know there are several in the area three times that large. Every time I saw a large bear, it had cubs.
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Great thread!!!