PBS Membership Hunts

[Jeff D. Holchin]

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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[Jeff D. Holchin]

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! 

[Terry Green]

Great Stuff Jeff!!!

[Jeff D. Holchin]

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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[Jeff D. Holchin]

This fat sow, who was very BIG, was a definite candidate for the meatpole....

[Jeff D. Holchin]

Randy was preparing to put a sharp Snuffer thru her lungs when her cubs appeared and saved her bacon...

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[Jeff D. Holchin]

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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[Jeff D. Holchin]

Nobody went hungry on this hunt...if you do, its your own fault!

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[Jeff D. Holchin]

Deer steak and eggs for breakfast, anybody?

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[Jeff D. Holchin]

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....

[varmint101]

Sounds awesome!


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[Cyclic-Rivers]

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.

[R.V.T.B.]

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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[R.V.T.B.]

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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[R.V.T.B.]

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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[R.V.T.B.]

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[R.V.T.B.]

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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[Terry Green]

Great thread!!!