# End of the season ...



## michickenwrangler (Sep 17, 2010)

For us northerners, what are your end of the riding/competition plans?

I have 2 more comp rides, one near Baldwin, the other near Munising in da U.P.

A friend of mine and I may go to Elk Hill if we get a decent weekend. Other than that, I'm just looking forward to giving my mare some time off and letting her fatten up a bit for winter.

I do love fall riding, just not getting shot at with rifles


----------



## apdan (Sep 17, 2010)

I have to be careful at my house right now! Live in mecosta county and from mecosta and south they have an early doe season and then right after that is youth hunt. So for the next couple weeks we are laying low! Hoping to get some last minute rides in during bow season though


----------



## rodriguezpoultry (Sep 17, 2010)

I've started getting marked down in halter because of Max's light coloring. (He's getting his winter hair in) so I've decided to stop showing until next year.  In color classes, he doesn't have a chance.

Probably gonna start stalling him during the day and letting him out at night.


----------



## ducks4you (Sep 17, 2010)

OMGosh--I tt somebody a couple of years back in Michigan, whose horse was hit by a hunter's bullet!!  Superficial wound, BUT it ran on the side of her gelding's face!!!!!   
The land behind us is private and we've seen the folks with permission to hunt it over and over again.  _I don't think they'll shoot in our direction_, especially because they might hit a homeowner.
I need to find out who has been practicing their golf drive in my north pasture, and redirect them to the vacant property north of us.


----------



## ducks4you (Sep 17, 2010)

Sorry--I'm prone to hijack.
We go to the our last 2010 CW event, next weekend.  We're invited to another in October, but it's fruitless, because Buster isn't ready to play, yet. 
"_Lick 'em next year (time)--_"hijacked US Grant quote, regarding 1st day at Shiloh.


----------



## michickenwrangler (Sep 17, 2010)

There have been quite a few incidents of horses getting killed by stray bullets during hunting season in Michigan.

Opening day of Rifle Season Nov. 15 is almost a bigger holiday than Christmas. Students get the day off school, traffic is bumper to bumper up north, gunshots can be heard all day long, diners open early and close late to accomodate hunters, kids sell firewood and carrots, we have our 3 "state deer hunting songs" too:

Fred Bear by Ted Nugent (probably should be new state song)

T'urdy Point Buck 

and

First Week at Deer Camp both by Da Yoopers.

I've been shot at by bow and arrow hunters several times but I don't dare go out on the trails during rifle season.


----------



## goodhors (Sep 17, 2010)

Our horses do not exit the barn until after 12P on November 15th!  And then they only go into the barnyards beside the barn for a couple hours, them back into the barn.

We are only 1 1/2 miles outside of town, houses not very far apart, but you NEVER know where the hunters will think they see a deer!

We are usually pretty safe after the second weekend of gun season.  Horses let out into the paddocks inside our own other pastures.  There are a LOT of deer in the neighborhood, so any they get I am quite happy about.  Blasted deer have taken down fence the last couple years in a row.  And this was a fenceline inside of THREE other fencelines beside the barn!!  Wretched beasts!!  About 3 have been hit alongside our riding arena on the road.  Our County has about the highest car/deer accident rate in the State.

I think if the hunters each could get permits for two deer, especially does, we could make a dent in the population.  They are pretty much vermin around here with the damage to crops and car accidents.  But seems like less and less hunters going out seriously than in the past. 

We are hoping to get in some trail riding and a couple picnic drives with the young horse.  He has not been out in public yet, and picnic drive is pretty low key for him.  He is not real fit, so not sure how long he will last!


----------



## michickenwrangler (Sep 18, 2010)

goodhors said:
			
		

> I think if the hunters each could get permits for two deer, especially does, we could make a dent in the population.  They are pretty much vermin around here with the damage to crops and car accidents.  But seems like less and less hunters going out seriously than in the past.


They're going out, they just like to come up north where they can use rifles. All the hunting magazines are now saying southern Mich has all the big bucks since everyone goes up north and ignores the bucks in their own backyards.

They need to have a bow incentive for the southern, more populated areas.


----------



## apdan (Sep 18, 2010)

It's horrible by my house!  at the end of my road is a hunt club, owns a ton of acres there. During the summer they give us permission to ride the horses on the trails, and when they come up for the summer their kids come down and see all the animals at our house, really nice people!  BUT... hunting season comes around and it sounds like a war down there! nothing but gun shot after gun shot all weekend! we keep all the animals together in the pen that is farthest from them and closest to the house! and we just don't ride on either trails or road! :/


----------



## apdan (Sep 18, 2010)

goodhors said:
			
		

> I think if the hunters each could get permits for two deer, especially does, we could make a dent in the population.  They are pretty much vermin around here with the damage to crops and car accidents.  But seems like less and less hunters going out seriously than in the past.


In mecosta county this year you can get up to 5 doe tags a day until they are gone! have over half a million tags this year!


----------



## goodhors (Sep 18, 2010)

apdan said:
			
		

> goodhors said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


WAY TO GO!!


----------



## Horsiezz (Sep 18, 2010)

Our boarding barn is located right on an organizations public bridle trails. They go through public hunting areas, but we still do trail riding during hunting seasons. Theres also a bowmens club right behind our pasture(they make sure not to shoot towards us though),where they own a large amount of land that they allowed the bridle trails to go through. A few times a month they close off the trail and put up signs,stating that they are using this area for target practice. Sometimes we go out on the trails and they already have the targets set up for the next day,and man,those horses do NOT like giant black bears,TARGETS OR NOT! Now my horse isnt scared of the REAL deer that are sometimes only feet away from us,but she is scared to death of those fake little target deer! 
BUT ANYWAYS, We just wear bright orange vests and make a lot of noise, and whenever we see a hunter we warn other trail riders,and we warn the hunters too of our presence. We haven't ever had any incidents,plus the hunters all know they are public bridle trails,since theres signs on pretty much every other tree along the trails. So far,so good I guess! We dont let them hunters scare us outta the woods! 
By the way, I think you would have to pretty drunk,senile,or out of your mind to mistake a horse for a deer.... dont you think? Well,maybe not. But they need to learn to look and verify before they shoot. Use some common sense people!


----------



## goodhors (Sep 18, 2010)

Horsiezz said:
			
		

> By the way, I think you would have to pretty drunk,senile,or out of your mind to mistake a horse for a deer.... dont you think? Well,maybe not. But they need to learn to look and verify before they shoot. Use some common sense people!


Well that description covers a LOT of the deer hunters I know!  Riding the trails is not worth dying over!

They shoot and sometimes it is too bad, got  pastured livestock, people, homes.  Could be ignorance, 'buck fever' and often drunk too.  

Many of what us southerners call trails are dirt 2-track roads thru the woods in the Up-North areas of Michigan.  You DO NOT confront a whacko with a gun!!  The farmer whose POSTED land is being trespassed on, is told NOT to confront them, take a picture with vehicle liscense number.  Call the Sheriff or DNR to come take care of the problem.  Even wearing blaze orange, horses with bells on, you are just not safe riding in the woods with hunters.  Down further south here, we usually don't even ride the roads during deer season!

Again, better safe than sorry, not worth getting shot over.  Guns are ONLY on for 2 weeks, then back to bows and musket season.


----------



## PonyGal (Sep 19, 2010)

I have one more show in October. Just a local one.......


----------



## ducks4you (Sep 20, 2010)

apdan said:
			
		

> It's horrible by my house!  at the end of my road is a hunt club, owns a ton of acres there. During the summer they give us permission to ride the horses on the trails, and when they come up for the summer their kids come down and see all the animals at our house, really nice people!  BUT... hunting season comes around and it sounds like a war down there! nothing but gun shot after gun shot all weekend! we keep all the animals together in the pen that is farthest from them and closest to the house! and we just don't ride on either trails or road! :/


Dang!  That throws ALL of your end-of-season training down the drain!!!


----------



## michickenwrangler (Sep 20, 2010)

Izzie and I took first at the Tin Cup Springs 25. We still have one more ride to go!

She's still going like a bat out of h--l and even at the end I was holding her back so she could slow down and get her heart rate down.

Saw lots of small game hunters

Horsiezz, LOTS of hunters don't know the difference between a deer and a horse. I have been shot at before and will not go out during rifle season and even during bow I use bells, I sing, wear blaze orange and stick to the roads instead of trails.


----------



## ducks4you (Sep 21, 2010)

SSOOO jealous!!  All I'm doing for training right now is keeping everbody calm.
**ducks4you takes a note:  Must execute a _PLAN_ to get another Arab...before I get too old to ride!!!!!**


----------



## michickenwrangler (Sep 21, 2010)

ducks4you said:
			
		

> SSOOO jealous!!  All I'm doing for training right now is keeping everbody calm.
> **ducks4you takes a note:  Must execute a _PLAN_ to get another Arab...before I get too old to ride!!!!!**


One of the endurance riders in Marquette, MI has a 15 yr old seasoned endurance horse for sale. She's asking $1200 for him.


----------

