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Sako’s & Game Fall 2023

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Spaher

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Jumping the gun a bit as off-season & bit early. Prospects/outlook for Sako field exercises in our country (S Tx) report.
Out of 3-4 year drought as El Niño did bring spring rains which help with fawning as most born in first 10 days of July & high grasses help against predators & cooler in shade as trees limbs full. A large contributor to antler growth are mesquite beans & currently the best crop I’ve seen in 10 years. Deer do not have to travel to eat as the trees & ground covered with them. Scientific estimates for dense mature trees bean pods yield is 4,000 to 10,000 kg per hectare. On the low side it would be ~8,800 lbs per acre. Photos show blooms, green & mature bean pods. Nutrition estimates attached & great for lactation & bigger fawns for the future as a great head start. I’ve seen 3-4 different crop yields over April thru September in past affected by summer rains (a prayer here).
So, my prediction is that 2023-2024 season may be one of the best ever. Enthusiasm abounds in anticipation.
I’d be sighting a few Sako rifles in now but the high humidity & temps from 105-116F is miserable & can wait. IMG_7810.jpeg IMG_7806.jpeg IMG_7834.jpeg
 
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Spaher......
Yep..........it's hot.......up here in the Cross Timbers area.
It was 110 degrees at 5pm today........and the heat index reached 120 degrees a couple of hours earlier.
A bit warm........especially with the increased humidity........even for us. :(
 
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We’ve had afternoon showers for the past two months! I have never seen it so verdant up here. As such, I havent been exercising the moose gun/s.
 
Spaher, I've never tried them, but I'm sure that mesquite beans can be boiled and turned into an edible for humans. I've read of the Native Americans of South Texas and Northern Mexico subsisting on mesquite beans, or at least using them as a diet supplement when other food sources were limited.

I'll bet that deer digest them better than cattle. Cattle will eat them, then spread the undigested seeds all over creation in their manure. There's no better place for a new mesquite to sprout than a pile of warm, wet, natural fertilizer!

By the way, I took a city boy from Houston dove hunting one time in West Texas. He knocked a dove down in an arroyo choked with mesquites. When he came back from retrieving it he said that he had never seen so many dried black-eyed peas as were in the bottom of that wash!
 
Kevinig & gowyo, my 2 cents on current record heat (day & nite). About 6 years ago I attended a deer/ungulate research conference (not a hunter meeting) & heard Dr. Perry Barboza, Australian education product, discussion on the effect of heat & nutrition on caribou. They like WT deer do not perspire but dissipate heat like dogs by panting with heat stress a body condition factor affected by protein extremes in their rumen/stomach. There is a tipping point when they lose their ability to adjust to environmental changes.
I then tried to apply that to WT deer as there are many reports, both scientific & anecdotal, of extreme heat & drought resulting in fawn survival crashes as does walk away from their babies primarily due to nutritional impacts. I don’t think this will happen when drought is removed from this equation but a reason to never stress these animals during extreme heat periods, usually the 40 “dog days” running from July 14 through August 24. Supplemental feeding can exacerbate stress in the rumen if the protein levels provided are high as grain used to up the number also raises the temperature of the rumen with a negative impact on body condition. So if supplementing via feed or mineral the less protein the better.
A crude analogy being when I was told of a ranch in our area calling a game warden to investigate why several of their biggest deer disappeared & found dead. The game warden told me he informed the ranch that there was no poaching as the dead deer all had their skulls and antlers (in velvet) but had been killed by a camera. That is, using a helicopter during hot temperature and chasing the better deer seen to video or photograph them from 1 to several minutes. Most have seen photos of deer with their tongues hanging out as they are chased, a probability that they may not recover or survive. Coming full circle,extreme record heat impact is a concern to all WT, elk, mule deer, etc. populations but we can make it worse with good intentions.
***Only relation with Sako’s topic being aware of the impact to hunting & field use for our beloved rifles.
 
Spaher said:
Jumping the gun a bit as off-season & bit early. Prospects/outlook for Sako field exercises in our country (S Tx) report.
Out of 3-4 year drought as El Niño did bring spring rains which help with fawning as most born in first 10 days of July & high grasses help against predators & cooler in shade as trees limbs full. A large contributor to antler growth are mesquite beans & currently the best crop I’ve seen in 10 years. Deer do not have to travel to eat as the trees & ground covered with them. Scientific estimates for dense mature trees bean pods yield is 4,000 to 10,000 kg per hectare. On the low side it would be ~8,800 lbs per acre. Photos show blooms, green & mature bean pods. Nutrition estimates attached & great for lactation & bigger fawns for the future as a great head start. I’ve seen 3-4 different crop yields over April thru September in past affected by summer rains (a prayer here).
So, my prediction is that 2023-2024 season may be one of the best ever. Enthusiasm abounds in anticipation.
I’d be sighting a few Sako rifles in now but the high humidity & temps from 105-116F is miserable & can wait.View attachment 30418View attachment 30419View attachment 30417
Click to expand...

Spaher said:
Kevinig & gowyo, my 2 cents on current record heat (day & nite). About 6 years ago I attended a deer/ungulate research conference (not a hunter meeting) & heard Dr. Perry Barboza, Australian education product, discussion on the effect of heat & nutrition on caribou. They like WT deer do not perspire but dissipate heat like dogs by panting with heat stress a body condition factor affected by protein extremes in their rumen/stomach. There is a tipping point when they lose their ability to adjust to environmental changes.
I then tried to apply that to WT deer as there are many reports, both scientific & anecdotal, of extreme heat & drought resulting in fawn survival crashes as does walk away from their babies primarily due to nutritional impacts. I don’t think this will happen when drought is removed from this equation but a reason to never stress these animals during extreme heat periods, usually the 40 “dog days” running from July 14 through August 24. Supplemental feeding can exacerbate stress in the rumen if the protein levels provided are high as grain used to up the number also raises the temperature of the rumen with a negative impact on body condition. So if supplementing via feed or mineral the less protein the better.
A crude analogy being when I was told of a ranch in our area calling a game warden to investigate why several of their biggest deer disappeared & found dead. The game warden told me he informed the ranch that there was no poaching as the dead deer all had their skulls and antlers (in velvet) but had been killed by a camera. That is, using a helicopter during hot temperature and chasing the better deer seen to video or photograph them from 1 to several minutes. Most have seen photos of deer with their tongues hanging out as they are chased, a probability that they may not recover or survive. Coming full circle,extreme record heat impact is a concern to all WT, elk, mule deer, etc. populations but we can make it worse with good intentions.
***Only relation with Sako’s topic being aware of the impact to hunting & field use for our beloved rifles.
Click to expand...
Hi all!
Soon will be heading out to pick up .270 Sako Battue. but must comment on the heat & Mesquite production. The mesquite is in the same family of trees as the Colden ( Argintna ). Acacia ( Africa ) & like the Mesquite needs to be ingested & cycled thru digestive system to be reseeded. Just like you & I when it's hot we feel not so inclined to eat a lot so go wild creatures. I thought about trying to get the seeds to grow on our farm, but did not feel good about my part in the planting requirements! My Dr.. & wife have forbid me to go to the farm alone anymore, due to health issues & the 5 pm. temp. here on the porch was 100F. so I guess the weeds will take over ?We have, like many areas i the country have gotten much rain & all is green. Our peak fawn birthing time has past & here in our neighborhood the groups of bachelor bucks abound. Keep cool all & stay well! B/T
 
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Here in southern Arizona the local Indians have consumed mesquite beans for time immemorial. The beans are ground and used as flour. Mesquite flour is most commonly used to make tortillas. I have bought mesquite tortillas at farmers' markets and they have a nice, slightly sweet, nutty flavor. Mesquite also makes a good pancake mix, generally mixed with wheat and corn flour. You can make mesquite pancakes and dress them with agave syrup for a complete Southwest/Mexican brunch.

Various local cacti are also food items. Both the pads and the fruit of prickly pear are edible. Preparing the pads, called nopales in Spanish, requires some skill, since you want to be sure the spines are completely gone. The fruit is purple on the inside and can be squeezed for juice. I find the taste to be overly sweet, but it makes a nice addition to lemonade or iced tea. The Native people also harvest saguaro fruit for food. They knock it to the ground with a long stick and pick it up. I don't know what it tastes like, never tried it.
 
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Im so happy we have above average precipitation this year. Our drought conditions have contributed to several EHD / bluetongue outbreaks over the past few years. Our open invitation WT areas were curtailed, sadly. It will take some time for them to make a comeback.
 
Follow up on above mesquite bean crop & prospects for 2023 season, a buck in early growth eating beans. We don’t run cameras until late August, but put some out at a lower height to try to get Jaguarundi or Ocelots on camera but this buck showed up. Our area is a historical diverse cat habitat with an occasional sighting of these rare cats. Plenty of mountain lion as they travel along riparian areas. IMG_7259.jpeg IMG_7934.jpeg IMG_5883.png IMG_1621.jpeg
 
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I believe the B&W photo shows an adult Jaguarundi based on smaller head, shoulder height & length with the basket dimensions serving as a good measuring tape. Pretty cool I think…
 
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Here's what Wikipedia says about their size: It is about twice as large as a domestic cat (Felis catus), reaching nearly 360 mm (14 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 3.5–7 kg (7.7–15.4 lb). So, not too different from a bobcat, but with a tail nearly as long as its body.

Other sources may show it a bit larger. They range through out Central and South America and are listed by ICUN as "least concern" in terms of species survival. However, Texas (and possibly NM and AZ) represents the extreme northern extent of their range, making them extremely scarce in the U.S.
 
stonecreek said:
I prefer to call it the ".204 Jaguarundi". Necking it all the way down to .17 would result in the ".17 Tomcat".
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STOP! I was successfully treated for the 20 cal Wildcat Fever & have been symptom free for several years. Posts like this can cause reinfection, which can be very expensive. I fought off the 20 cal bug by building a 19 cal, then it went into remission. Finding someone that makes a chamber reamer for it could send me over the edge.
 
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