Tag Soup Anyone???

[D. Key]

Well, for the 17th year in a row, I have gone without a single Whitetail kill with trad equipment and have another pot of tag soup to eat.  Had one real shot opportunity early on but passed because it was just a yearling.  Had another encounter a couple of weeks ago with a 7 pointer at 10 steps but wasn't sure if he would meet the 13" antler restriction, so I gave him a pass.  I'm going to keep at it for Hogs and just maybe I will get lucky. 

Anyone else eating tag soup besides me?

[OkKeith]

Well... not a total wash for the year (2 big does in the freezer) but no buck again this year. My hope is to put one more doe in cold storage before season ends on 15JAN20.

I am fortunate in that I have a Lifetime Hunting and Fishing License here in Oklahoma. I don't have to purchase any tags so not filling one doesn't bite like it would if I had to buy each one separately.

For all the folks who are having tag soup... stick with it and good luck next year!

OkKeith

[Bchunter1]

I’m on my third year with trad bow . With antler restrictions and no does allowed in most areas i hunt I’m having soup again . Had some close encounters with deer but never dropped the string . I’ve lost 2 hogs last month so I’m bummed about that . Still will be trying for hogs . My son has 3 bucks down 1 doe and he got a fat hog yesterday so the freezer is full . He’s not a traditional hunter yet


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[Pine]

Tag soup is not as good as it was back when I started hunting.
The tags used to be heavy paper, now they are plastic with a very strong adhesive.
These tags now days are hard to cut up and hard to chew and that adhesive just makes the plastic tast even worse.
But I will add, back when my dad started hunting, they didn't have tags. They had metal bands with a led button that would attach the metal tab together around the antler.
I'm thinking that soup would be hard on your teeth.   

[Captain*Kirk]

No thanks, I'm full. Had a big ol' pot of Tag Soup already...
Like you, I had a 'gimme' on a deer not much bigger than Lassie...let her walk even though I could hardly have missed at 15 feet. Maybe next year she will have grown some.

[mcgroundstalker]

Going on 15 years for me without a deer down but still have a blast stalking & still hunting... Tree stands and store bought blinds are NOT part of my make-up... I would rather "hunt" deer then "kill" deer any day of the week... Many, many close encounters... Kinda like The Thrill Without The Mess.........

... mike ...

[Soonerlongbow]

So far. Not sure if I’ll be able to get out the last couple days of the season. Hit one buck in the void and lost him.

[ron w]

Tag soup........I could serve a tag all you can eat buffet....... 

[Petrichor]

6 years of tag soup haven't even got to draw back. Came close once this year But the shot did not present itself. Only been squirrels for me this far. Who knows maybe the hog hunt will save me. I'd take a clean miss at this point.  At least I'd get to shoot at something with an arrow

[Bisch]

I have one tag left out of 5 that came on my license. I hope I don’t have to make soup out of it. Doe and spike open for the next 12 days!!!!!

Bisch


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[Cyclic-Rivers]

No kills for me. Like Mike,I  had some fun and close encounters.  No regrets though. I agree I'd rather hunt than kill anyday. 

I am fortunate in that I have plenty of roadkill for meat around here. I'm not too proud to fill my freezer with free meat. On the upside I can let small bucks and does walk. I  don't need to kill for the thrill of killing.

[Orion]

Yep.  I'll be eating tag soup this year.  Where I hunt, you get one buck tag.  No doe tags.  I passed on a spike and fork, and blew an opportunity on an 8-pointer.  Didn't shoot.  Moved when i shouldn't have and that was it. Wasn't feeling worried.  Still had almost a week during the rut to hunt, but then had to cut the trip short due to problems on the home front.  That ended my season. 

Well, almost.  I did kill a nice buck during gun season so I'll be able to season my tag soup with some venison.   

Not a lot of deer in my neck of the woods, but I usually manage to kill a decent buck about every other year.  When you hold out for a mature buck, (when there aren't many of any age class deer around), the pickings get a bit slim, and sometimes you end up eating tag soup.  That's why they call it hunting.  I wouldn't have it any other way. 

[NY Yankee]

Anyone remember the old children's story of the "Stone Soup"? Look it up some time, it's a classic. 19th century I think, guy walks up to a house and asks for a meal. The woman says she has nothing. Guy says But I have a stone, we can make stone soup. He puts a stone in a pot and talks them into scrounging up just enough stuff to make a soup with. Feds her, the children and him. He takes out the stone, puts it in his pocket and walks away.

Maybe we could do that with our tags?  Tag soup.

[RJonesRCRV]

I have til January 31st.  The deer are pretty scarce on public land now, so I think this'll be year 5.  Glad I'm not the only one.  Being in the woods is great fun for me, but lack of success is a bit disheartening.

[Petrichor]

I have til January 31st.  The deer are pretty scarce on public land now, so I think this'll be year 5.  Glad I'm not the only one.  Being in the woods is great fun for me, but lack of success is a bit disheartening.

Same boat. I love just being in woods but lack of success hunting public is a bit of a downer.

[rraming]

I never took a shot, should have at least shot a coyote that came around but he was good looking so I let it walk.

[Howitser]

I've found a slow cook in a Crock-Pot, seasoned with a pinch of sand, generous cup of Crow and a few barnacles. At least 6 hours. Goes real good with buttered corn bread.

[slowbowjoe]

Same soup here. Only have had a tag for 3 or 4 years now (started at 61 or so), still hunting each season. Only saw one or two deer a season, and not close, until this year.
Last couple of hours, last day of late season, and I went for more of a rove than a hunt. Didn't see a single track in my area that is usually full of sign. Walking back home, I look up, and there's a pretty doe maybe 25 yards up from me. We were both in the open somehow, though these woods are pretty dense and brushy.

I froze, of course. She looked for a minute, browsed a little. I drew a broached to of my side quiver, nocked, got to half draw... she was now no more than 20 yards. Looked up once in a while, then would most around some. Had 3 perfect(!) shot opportunities.

Well while drawn, with a nice adrenalin flow going, I let down. Had been shooting often prior to season, and pretty well... but had traded bows recently, and the new one I was hunting with was taking longer to get used to than anticipated. Couldn't take the shot knowing my kill zone accuracy was only 50 or 60% with this bow.

Kick in the pants lesson about the bow timing (I knew this but the trade was too good to pass up), but my BEST hunting experience so far.