Windycityfishing.com

by **charliebravo77** » May Thu 30, 2019 1:31 pm

It's been pretty quiet in here so I figured I'd post some photos from hunting and fishing trips from the past few years with my buddy and I. I am a terrible fisherman so they're going to skew heavily towards hunting and the general outdoors :oops:

Some IL fishing, IL turkey hunting, NE turkey hunting, NE mule deer, AZ coues deer, AZ elk, IL squirrel, assorted hiking trips. Enjoy!

Driftless IL by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Canada Goose by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Gunnar by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Bingley vom Herbstmond by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Urban Critters by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_6713 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Tikka T1X Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_5680 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_5179_hires by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_5045_hires by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_5058 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

by **joetrain** » May Thu 30, 2019 1:48 pm

Outstanding. Post some more.
~JOE~

by **polishfly** » May Thu 30, 2019 2:06 pm

That farm shot with the hunter walking is awesome nice stuff!

by **Phil6** » May Thu 30, 2019 2:22 pm

Great shots, really enjoyed checking them out. Was that antler coming off or is that a mutation?

by **charliebravo77** » May Thu 30, 2019 2:35 pm

Thanks all - Phil, that deer was shedding its antler. Surprised I managed to get a shot of it since it was just barely hanging on.

by **Rambler** » May Thu 30, 2019 2:53 pm

Absolutely killer photos. That first one really speaks to me. Guessing the muley was shot in the Sand Hills?

by **charliebravo77** » May Thu 30, 2019 3:00 pm

Rambler wrote:Absolutely killer photos. That first one really speaks to me. Guessing the muley was shot in the Sand Hills?

That's a real good guess

The first one is from this year's turkey season up in NW Illinois. Seems the gobblers didn't like getting 4 inches of snow dumped on them overnight.

by **badger75** » Jun Thu 06, 2019 1:01 pm

Very nice photos. Yes, we would all enjoy any more you care to share.

by **urbanHog312** » Jun Thu 06, 2019 4:19 pm

inspiration city! nice muley too.

by **HEDDONFROG** » Jun Sat 08, 2019 11:00 am

Excellent stuff!!

by **charliebravo77** » Jun Sun 09, 2019 9:26 am

Thanks all! Here's some more.

Fish-related (caught these at Costco, since I am an awful fisherman it turns out):

IMG_1340 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_1397 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_4447 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

IMG_4469 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Robin Dinner by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Robin Dinner by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Busse Woods Elk:

Busse Woods Elk by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Canada Goose by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Sage by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Urban Critters by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Some zoo pictures from MN:

Minnesota Zoo by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Minnesota Zoo by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Bonus car show photos:

Car Show 9-16-2018 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

by **CBatt2** » Jun Sun 09, 2019 11:30 am

Very nice! Thanks for sharing.

by **badger75** » Jun Tue 11, 2019 12:38 pm

Nice work

by **charliebravo77** » Aug Sat 31, 2019 9:15 pm

Went back to CO on vacation a couple weeks ago, figured I'd share some more photos:

CO/SD/WY 2019 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

CO/SD Snapshots by charliebravo77, on Flickr

CO/SD/WY 2019 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

CO/SD Snapshots by charliebravo77, on Flickr

CO/SD/WY 2019 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

CO/SD/WY 2019 by charliebravo77, on Flickr

I did manage to catch a fish too, just a small brookie but I'll take it.

CO/SD Snapshots by charliebravo77, on Flickr

by **vman01** » Sep Sun 01, 2019 12:21 am

Your very gifted use of the camera and some excellent subject matter is appreciated here. Thanks for posting these.

by **joetrain** » Sep Sun 01, 2019 5:04 am

WOW really great.
~JOE~

by **Woohoodude11** » Sep Sun 01, 2019 7:58 am

That night sky shot is GORGEOUS.

by **Rambler** » Sep Sun 01, 2019 9:08 am

More outstanding shots. Thanks for sharing.

by **charliebravo77** » Sep Sun 01, 2019 11:54 am

Thanks all, if anyone wants me to follow them around with a camera on a fishing trip I'm always looking for new material!

by **catchafew** » Sep Tue 03, 2019 6:13 am

Beautiful pictures. We need more posts about hunting.

by **charliebravo77** » Sep Tue 03, 2019 10:36 am

catchafew wrote:Beautiful pictures. We need more posts about hunting.

Thanks! I'm heading back to CO next week to follow a buddy around on an elk hunt, so hopefully there will be a pile of new photos and stories soon!

by **HEDDONFROG** » Sep Wed 04, 2019 2:29 am

Damn I missed the middle pics. Love the Cobra interior shots. I photograph autos for a living and used to shoot at a ton of car shows as well, so I recognize a great interior shot. The rest are beautiful, thanks for sharing

by **charliebravo77** » Sep Fri 20, 2019 3:21 pm

Can't believe I have lived right by The Grove for 3 years without checking it out.

The Grove by charliebravo77, on Flickr

by **billebob5** » Sep Fri 20, 2019 3:57 pm

Squirrel Porn! My favorite!!!

by **charliebravo77** » Sep Fri 20, 2019 3:58 pm

billebob5 wrote:Squirrel Porn! My favorite!!!

Something for everyone

by **HEDDONFROG** » Sep Sun 22, 2019 1:34 am

Always love seeing your photographs. Muskrat covered in duck weed is my fav. Keep em coming

by **Phil6** » Sep Thu 26, 2019 11:29 am

HEDDONFROG wrote:Always love seeing your photographs. Muskrat covered in duck weed is my fav. Keep em coming

Agreed on the muskrat pic, looks like something out of a disney movie or planet earth doc.

Lost it at the squirrels :lol:

by **charliebravo77** » Sep Thu 26, 2019 11:59 am

There's actually a bit of a series to the squirrels:

Wildlife by chrisbrennerphoto, on Flickr

by **polishfly** » Sep Thu 26, 2019 1:54 pm

Nailed it!

by **Yankoo** » Sep Mon 30, 2019 4:38 am

You have some great pictures, congratulations!

This picture was taken in Italy, I had a holiday there this summer in a property in lake Como here and went fishing almost every day. Really beautiful place to be and enjoy time, I loved it there.

by **charliebravo77** » Oct Tue 29, 2019 12:03 pm

Finally snagged a good shot of a local buck. I think I feel good enough about this photo to finally do a limited run of prints maybe.

by **badger75** » Oct Wed 30, 2019 1:57 am

Nice!

by **McChou** » Oct Wed 30, 2019 12:02 pm

This is an amazing collection of photos. Very impressive! I think picking up the camera is on my short list of things to tinker with. Keep up the good work, thanks for sharing!

by **Rambler** » Oct Thu 31, 2019 11:11 am

Outstanding shot! Puts me in mind of a 'mental' shot I took years ago.

A buddy who'd just gotten out of the Army & I were driving from the Grand Canyon to Arches in Dec. 1974. We were on US 191 coming up from The Valley of the Gods onto White Mesa when we saw a heard of mulies standing on the west side of the road. It was sunset. The scene was so unbelievable that I pulled over. Unfortunately my camera was stashed in the back of my '72 Subaru wagon so I couldn't get it without getting out which would have probably freaked out the deer & made them run off.

The bucks stood there looking at us. Their racks were outlined in the alpenglow on the peaks of the Sierra Abajo. Absolutely amazing. Didn't get the shot but the image is still with me.

by **mike son** » Nov Sat 02, 2019 11:39 am

Wow, these are great!

by **charliebravo77** » Nov Sun 03, 2019 6:47 pm

Thanks all, here's some more from today. I really ought to be hunting instead, but so little time and so many things to do.

by **charliebravo77** » Nov Wed 06, 2019 11:24 pm

Let's do something cool for conservation and public lands. I've been debating what I want my first "real" prints to be of and I can't think of a better way to unveil them. This 12×18″ limited number “Conservation Edition” print is professionally mounted and framed, numbered and signed. $25 (100% of net proceeds) from each sale will go to your choice of a donation in your name to Backcountry Hunters & Anglers or the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership or a United States Federal Duck Stamp (sent to you with the print). Support wildlife and conservation efforts while decorating your hunting cabin, living room or office. Only eight available, first come first served, limit one per person. I'll hand deliver to anyone here from the Chicagoland area with a giant thank you.

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers:
https://www.backcountryhunters.org/mission_and_values

Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership:
http://www.trcp.org/mission/

Federal Duck Stamps:
https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php

https://chrisbrennerphoto.com/product/e ... ht-points/

by **charliebravo77** » Nov Sun 17, 2019 6:11 pm

Went to go look for some squirrels this morning. Had a pretty calm day with only 4-5mph winds and no precipitation. It was overcast which wasn't ideal but I figured it would be better than sitting at home wishing I was outside.

Got to a state wildlife area just over the border in WI and explored part of the unit. Hiked about a mile back in past a few cut corn fields and found a big stand of oak trees and what I thought surely would be prime squirrel habitat.

Ran into a guy pheasant hunting with his dog who said he's been hunting this place for years and is lucky if he sees 2-3 squirrels in an entire season and that they've been overhunted here. I took it with a grain of salt and hiked into the oaks and up a hill with a decent vantage point. Found some rabbit tracks but no sign of the rabbit that made them. Kind of hard to see in the photo, but I found one squirrel nest and leaned up against a tree for a while.

After sitting there for about 20 minutes, plus the my requisite woodspoop I hiked around some more hoping to find some kind of sign of squirrels but didn't locate anything, even with a few distress calls. There was plenty of food around, between acorns and corn left over from the harvest, so maybe he was right about the area being overhunted.

Wandered around for another half hour or so before driving over to another section I wanted to check out. This one has a class III trout stream I will probably revisit soon.

Probably would have been a decent place to duck hunt, too if the lake/pond hadn't been frozen over. No sign of squirrels here, either, but I have a feeling the giant man-made eagle nest probably didn't help things.

Found some deer sign in the form of fresh droppings and a very old rub.

Maybe I should try trapping beavers instead?

Overall not a bad way to spend a morning wandering the woods with a .22 and camera. Both of which (Tikka T1x and Fuji XF10) I grew to appreciate a little bit more on this hunt, even if one got more use than the other.

by **badger75** » Nov Sun 24, 2019 1:14 pm

Very nice

by **KankRat** » Nov Mon 25, 2019 8:37 am

Nice shots. That platform is for osprey to nest on.

by **charliebravo77** » Dec Mon 16, 2019 2:08 pm

Went camera hunting again, snuck up on some bedded deer, wandered into some others and squirrels.

Wildlife by charliebravo77, on Flickr

by **charliebravo77** » Dec Wed 18, 2019 11:28 am

Turned a Nebraska deer into a meal last night. I was being filmed for a video on hunting, wild game and cooking for the IDNR and grabbed some of my own photos before hand and of the finished product.

Venison w/ Blueberry Sauce by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Venison w/ Blueberry Sauce by charliebravo77, on Flickr

The recipe is Icelandic Venison with Blueberry Sauce from Hank Shaw's Buck, Buck, Moose cookbook.

by **badger75** » Dec Fri 20, 2019 3:02 pm

yummy

by **Rambler** » Dec Fri 20, 2019 6:56 pm

I'm not a hunter but that looks positively mouth watering.

by **charliebravo77** » Dec Sat 21, 2019 8:29 pm

Thanks! It was tasty.

Did some pheasant hunting with friends today.

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
Anticipation

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
Orange Army: Upland Batallion

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
Gunnar is the first out in the field

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
*Tries to take a picture of me when I set my camera down and doesn't know how back button focus works*

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
Frankie's turn

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
Break time

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
Accidentally unlocked my lens from the body and the light leak resulted in a totally intentional artsy blown out shot

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
De-briaring

Pheasant Hunting by charliebravo77, on Flickr
Some other group's bird, but lookit them colors :crazy:

by **grems** » Dec Mon 23, 2019 1:19 pm

More beautiful shots, thanks for sharing!

They are beautiful birds, even the hens. Looks like the DPCA, I used to hunt there often until I lost my lab. She was a terrible house pet, always hunting for food, garbage, what used to be food, and making messes, but she was solid gold in the field. She spoiled me and now I won't hunt without a dog. There's nothing like watching a good dog work a field, lock on a point and flush the bird, it never gets old.

by **charliebravo77** » Dec Tue 31, 2019 11:24 am

grems wrote:More beautiful shots, thanks for sharing!

They are beautiful birds, even the hens. Looks like the DPCA, I used to hunt there often until I lost my lab. She was a terrible house pet, always hunting for food, garbage, what used to be food, and making messes, but she was solid gold in the field. She spoiled me and now I won't hunt without a dog. There's nothing like watching a good dog work a field, lock on a point and flush the bird, it never gets old.

Thanks, you are correct on Des Plaines. I would really like a dog but I spend most of the day at work or commuting and I'd feel real guilty leaving one at home that long.

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