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Took my 14 Year old son out for the youth hunt. Saturday did an evening hunt due to him having a football game in the morning. Sat until dark with no sightings. Went down to a friend's place in Tioga county on Sunday, 4 am wake up long drive and we got there about 6:15 am. One of two four wheelers would not start! My friend had another 15 year old with him, so I drove them up the hill to their spot and by the time we got to our blind it was 6:58 am. Got in the blind and saw NOTHING til about 10:30 am. 3 Jake turkeys go by at about 6 yrds and that pumped my son up. Then about 10:50 am I hear a twig snap behind me. I look out the blind and a buck is coming down the hill towards the blind. My son and I have to switch sides in the blind. My son looks out and sees the buck but has no shot. He waits and ends up losing the buck in the thick brush. I calm him down and find the buck in my binos standing broadside at about 60 yards looking hard at the blind. My son finally finds him and shoots. The buck goes down in a pile, rolls down the hill and is done. It was his first deer and the first kill with my new Howa in .270. I still cannot wipe the smiling off his face! I am pretty proud too. The deer died on top of a shed that I grabbed. Now I am looking for that deer.

Took my son out and he got a 6pt Saturday afternoon, we had a great time, I hope this youth hunt becomes a yearly event..........all the whining by those against it was for nothing, because as most have seen, it was no busier than usual in the woods and will have no impact on the remainder of the archery season.....the only good to come out of listening to all the complainer's, was it got me to cancel my membership with NYBowhunter's.

Hey guys, After seeing a post earlier i have to say this, I am an avid small game hunter, I currently dont have my archery tag as i couldnt get into a course this year(my fault i waited too long). But as i was raised and hunted with my father and grandfather growing up i was taught to respect any and all hunters in the woods. that means if im hunting small game in the early season and i see that there may be other hunters in the woods you pay even more attention and respect their hunting area, i personally have never walked up on another hunter in the woods and try to steer clear of them if i do happen to see them. but the woods are fair game for all of us and we should all be respectful of each individuals pursuit of their choice in game to take at any given time assuming it is in a legal manner. Now to what i read, you die hard archery guys that are complaining about the youth hunt and small game hunters ruining your day in the stand, wake up and remember it is those youths and small game guys and gals that help keep hunting a sport we can all enjoy. Now i also understand not all hunters have the same respect when they see blaze orange in a stand 100 yards away, i personally am not going to pull up to pick off a squirrel if i see an archer in stand. thats just not right, there is alot of game in season this time of year and we all need to be able to respect and enjoy the sport we have to spend so much money on to enjoy. sorry for going on and on but it pisses me off when i hear people talkin bad about the youth hunts and small game hunters "ruining" a day in the archery stand.

Let's start one thread showing all the successful kid's....I'll start with my son's 6 point taken on Saturday....

I caught a logger on our property a couple of years back.I asked him to leave since I knew there was no way whats so ever he had any ok from the owner he left and that was that I thought.Caught him marking trees on the other of the property a week later,he said he had permission and I should mind my bussiness.I assured him he was in a bad spot now and being from the Bronx I had no problem burying him where we were.I have not seen him since.

Well that pretty much wraps up our annual, and sometimes bi-annual food plot/baiting debate... Good stuff..

I went over to camp around 6pm. I heard three shots one was a semi remington 742 in 30-06. the second was an encore 7-08 26 inch barrel and the third was a ruger m77 308. All were exactly 157 yards from me due east. Damn kids.

Now, to a good story about the youth hunt. My friend's daughter has been anxious to shoot a deer for a couple years now, but she was not old enough to be anything but an observer until this youth hunt came up. She is fifteen and an active outdoors woman enjoying fishing, small game hunting, camping, and lots of shooting. Yesterday morning she sat through the rain and cold, windy weather all for naught. She was chilly and frustrated, still full of hope. Yesterday afternoon, I invited her up to hunt in my area because her dad had to work. She jumped at the opportunity and we enjoyed much nicer weather and a lot more action. We were set up on a field edge of cut corn that I knew deer were already feeding on before dark. She had a forked branch stuck in the ground for a shooting stick and was all ready for a shot. She was really wanting to shoot a buck because her older brother has gotten one his first two years of deer hunting. But, no way she was going to pass up a doe if it came right down to shooting or not shooting. By 4:00 we already had several does, fawns and a couple small bucks in the field and she was a bag of nerves because they were close to 300 yards away from us and feeding parallel to us. I told her we had lots of time and there were more deer in the area. Sure enough, a nice, young spike came out at a little under 100 yards offering a beutiful shot. Unfortunately, buck fever set in pretty bad, and she just couldn't seem to calm down enough to hold the scope steady. I got her to breathe deep through her nose a few times and she was able to get her breathing under control. By now the buck is quite a bit further away and she doesn't know if she can still hit it. I reminded her that we were not trying to hit it, she was going to drop it. I ranged it at 160 yards and told her all was well with her shot and to just hold right where she wanted to hit. A couple minutes later he turned broadside, and I told her to take the shot when she was rock steady. It wasn't more than a couple seconds and the rifle went off and the buck dropped where he stood. I had to keep her there for a few minutes while I explained to her about making sure the deer was down for good, and then, that the gun was empty and the bolt open. That is just one of my personal rules. I like to know without a doubt whether a gun is safe or not. We got up to the deer and she was just a jumping up and down. It sure did me good to see a hunter showing the sheer joy of getting a buck. I did most of the field dressing, but she did get bloodied up helping. Then the 1/2 mile drag started. We made it, and I sure was glad she was there to help. This was done in 4F in the town of Edmeston. She used an old .270 Remington with a Simmonds Pro hunter scope(I think that is what it said. ) Perfect high shoulder shot just like she saw in the hunting shows and the deer never took a step. She couldn't thank me enough for getting her a shot, but I feel I was the real winner here because in this day and age you just don't get many opportunities to see such pure joy in anyones face like I got to see. Thanks for reading, and i apologize for not having a picture to post.

And the NYS legality of food plots was answered as soon as some one posted the link to the DEC website covering them. Pretty much everything posted since then has zero to do with the legality but rather how some want to judge other hunters.

I recently went to Wyoming on a Mule Deer & Antelope combo hunt hoping to bag my first of each species. My Dad had only an Antelope tag. I flew NYC to Denver and then a small prop plane from Denver to Sheridan Wyoming. I was seat 1C right behind the co-pilot (see pic). I have been on some small planes in the past but this puddle-jumper was the smallest so far. While driving many back roads and walking many miles, we saw tons of game every day including Mule Deer, Antelope, Whitetail Deer, Merriam Turkeys, Coyotes, Badgers, many species of birds, feral cats, etc. We hunted 10/1-10/5. The weather went from 70-80 degrees the first 2 days to snow the last 3. On Day 1 (10/1), we spotted a nice buck antelope with 7 does about a mile away. We drove within 1,000 yards then ditched the truck to get a better look at this buck. We then played the wind and snuck within 280 yards. We crawled another 20 yards to 260 yards where I decided I wanted this buck. I love non-typical racks even though I don’t have any yet. Anyway, this buck had horns very close together, almost touching. My guide said he was 13”+ on his good side and a little less on the other side which was slightly broken off. He told me it was a pretty unique buck with good mass. I decided to take a shot, when the buck antelope spotted us. This buck immediately started heading right towards us. 200, 150, 120, 80, was the last number I heard my guide said. Just under 80 yards he turned broadside and I shot him with my Dad’s Weatherby 7MM Mag. He stumbled 30-40 yards and down he went. He was 13 ¼” on his better side with a nice ivory tip. He was an old antelope with a black face and pot belly. I was very happy with this guy. I shot him in a town called Recluse, population 7. On Day 2 (10/2), after passing many bucks again, at 540pm we spotted 2 bucks and 3 does off in the distance. The 2 bucks were bedded down. The bigger buck, according to the guide through his spotting scope said it looked like a nice 4x4 with brow points and about 25-26” wide. I told my guide if this is true, I would take this buck. My expectations were a 4x4 and at least 20-22” wide. I had passed on quite a few nice 3x4’s and many 3x3’s and smaller. We attempted to drive closer when both bucks got up and ran over a hill. We got to a good spot to ditch the truck and walk a good distance till we spotted them at 525 yards. At this point, I got a good look through the binocs and wanted this buck but daylight was running out. We literally ran to another hillside and crawled the last 40-50 yards. We got a spot where we couldn’t go any closer. We were on the edge of a hill watching the buck from across a canyon. He was now with 2 other bucks and 5 does. The guide ranged him at 330yards and I shot him with my Dad’s Weatherby .270Mag at 610pm. I hit him and he ran another 110 yards away. The guide ranged him now at 440 yards and I put a little daylight between the buck and my crosshairs and let it rip. I hit him again. This time he put his head and walked into some brush and collapsed. We found him at 640pm just in time for some pics before dark. These were the 2 longest shots I have ever taken in my life. The Buck turned out to be a 4x4 and 26” wide. He has brow points on both sides and then 2 extra points, making 12 total points. On 1 side he has double brow points, on the other side he has a drop-tine brow point that is about 2-3” long that goes down & backwards. It still has velvet/hair on it, I assume because the deer couldn’t rub it off. The guide said he had never seen this before in his 10 years guiding in Wyoming. He estimated the buck at 5-6 years old and 240lbs. I shot him in town called Ucross, population 25. Both animals exceeding my expectations. It was an awesome trip. Additionally, my Dad took a nice Antelope on Day 4 just before dark. Also, shot in Recluse. It was 13 5/8” on 1 side and 13 ½” on the side. 5.5” cutters and scored mid 70’s if I remember correctly. Day 5 we shot some prairie dogs out to 400+ yards, and I shot one with a .22 handgun as well. Lastly, while out hunting for 5 days, I found 9 sheds and brought them all home.

well decided to get out there this evening as the temps were dropping tonight, and it was a pretty eventful evening... first had a skunk come waddling by, then some squirrels... and then two doe that im guessing were playing with each other, they ran past me four separate time, stopping and darting all over the place.... no amount of baaaaa, heeeyyyy, or whistles would stop em... was at full draw three times, but they just wouldnt stop... finally with 15 min of legal light left one come back from behind and finally settles down, and walks right under my tree ever so slowly.... guess my coon urine on my boots worked like a charm cause she was feeding and walkin right where i had walked to go take a leak before i climbed up... and to answer your questions about takin a leak from the tree... i took another one in that direction about an hour before,, she never got nervous!!! so let er rip lol.... i know i took some flack for not finding the doe i shot opening day, and im sorry for that, stuff happens sometimes, and thats NOT how i wanted to start the season... but without further ado .... freezers full, and good new s... Dont have to eat chef boy ardi anymore backstraps for this guy tonight....

WOW thats some deer!

Ditto Dave!

Sounds like a lot of wasted meat that he just flew over the deer taking off the easy big chunks. I reccomend going somewhere else

Got into the stand an hour before light on Saturday morning. It was cool and a little breezy. At 7am I had a nice 6pt come behind me with a doe. He was about 50yds out in some thick stuff so there was no shot at him and I wouldn't have shot him anyways because i knew I had better deer on the property. At 7:30 a doe came in, she kept looking over her shoulder and ended up taking off. hmmmm... wonder why she did that I asked myself?? I found out about 2 minutes later when an 8 pointer shoowed himself at 45yds. Nice 8pt out to his ears so I slowly picked up my bow and got ready for the deer to come in under 40yds and present a broadside shot. As I was getting ready I noticed he kept looking over his shoulder. That question was answered about 30 seconds later also when the deer that I have been hunting steped out in front of him!!!! Nice 8pt that I have trailcam pics of and really wanted to shoot. I named him "BLADE" becasue of the left side of his rack. I put the rangefinder on him and he was at 37yds broadside. I drew back and let one fly! The deer ran to the middle of the field and just stood there. I thought to myself did I really just miss the deer that I have been dying to shoot? NOPE not when I saw the hole that the rage two blade put through him! Suddenly his legs got really wobbly and he could barely walk. He stumbled into the headrow and died. He wlked a total of about 40yds from start to finish. I was super excited and so happy that I shot this deer! Biggest buck with the bow for me!!! YES!!!

Ever wonder what it would take to orchestrate a statewide cover-up. Imagine the volume of DEC personel that would have to be sworn to life-time secrecy. Imagine trying to control that information and contain it from all of NYS. Let's face it, this is not the CIA that we're dealing with .... lol. And of course there is the motive ... what could that possibly be?

Another one......

I hunted north all weekend and didn't see a soul... After reading this a week ago I was expecting armagheddon the way some guys were talking... surrounded by a bunch of little rug rats... dressed like pumpkins... having to duck around every corner to escape the hail of bullets ... I saw a bunch of kids fishing though on my way home.. I hope they weren't bothering any bowhunters...

Paula.... if I misunderstood ...my bad and an apology The neighbor was clueless because it's a vacation property that he does not live on...The logger apparently sold him wood paneling...some how he took that as an OK to trailer a 4 wheeler.... drive 20 miles during the week knowing the guy was working..... and tour a wood lot he had no business in...Plus tried to access our place to boot...but I surprised him.. The neighbor is a good guy but indicated as soon as ppl found out he owned land here they've been coming out of the wood work...he's had to go buy cams and post them around the property...told me he's about to get more seeing every time he comes up...there are new tracks in the grass driving to his woods We are now a block of 4 owners trying to keep an eye out for each other...

You definitley did more than most hunters would have in that sutuation searching that many hours.These things do happen and as a hunter that respects all animals it is not easy on us.Keep you head high NYBuck50!...

Nice trip Jim..... I am glad you guys got away and the trip was a success.......

Wow! Well I had an awesome weekend. It was slow at times, then busy at others. Unfortunately I did not score a deer. HOWEVER, I did see a bear for the first time. That was just amazing, he stood up and I got the shakes a bit... About 5 feet tall or so, it was just amazing. I saw a ton of does, fawns, etc. Nothing was really in range, until Sat evening. I was sitting in my wood stand, which is about 300 yards from the fields. This deer came in straight ahead at me, looked like a good sizes doe. I got ready and then once I realized it was a spike I put my bow down and watch him browse for about 45 min. All of a sudden he looks behind me and freaks out... So I look to my right and there is a HUGE doe, mature, big body. I slowly stand up, grab the bow. Then I hear these noises further behind me. Sounded like a light grunt, then a nose clear. I look back and there is a large 6 staring in my direction (Really I think at the spike), then to the left of the 6 was a absolute monster 8 / 8 +. Wayyyy outside the ears... No joke it looked like a freaking horse. It was hands down the biggest deer and rack I have ever seen in the woods. My leg immediately started shaking. I was freaking out a bit. He stayed there for about 20 min, and this was about 6pm. He was not moving towards me. At this point I tried a light grunt two times... He picked his head up looked, and went back to browsing... He stayed there till after 6:30 and then moved on his way by 6:45. The entire time I was surrounded by deer, at least 8 of them... 3 bucks, does and fawns. I'm surprised I did not get busted. It was awesome. Wish he came closer, but man this deer was a beast! So much fun, hopefully run into him next time I get out. Its just exciting to see a true mature buck.

Wishing i was in a cold stand and not a hot truck.... they should be moving this mornin!! Somebody stick somethin!

Where are the squirrels? They're right here. Decided to take a little break from the archery season to do a little squirrel hunting. shawnhu and I toko down 6 this afternoon and found another deer spot at the same time. Very productive day.

A guy that was a year ahead om me in school used to hunt squirrels for food with a 306 cal rifle . He would shoot them when they were on the tree trunk by barking them ( hitting the tree next to their head ) . He would then walk over pick them up and wring their neck . It was the only gun the family had .

i am close, i can help...meaning i have room in my freezer

ah the college life just have the dinky little freezer that came with the apartment... lookin into gettin a little deep freezer... I must, because where is that buck gonna fit

You might not understand the process for obtaining nuisance permits. Any one can apply, but none - especially 1st time - are simply given without a determination of real need and limitations for quantity. Like many things, more permits seemed to be used on the internet then in real life.

No - from what I have seen, it is only a small % of bowhunters who had a problem with it.

Early -- I guess you don't consider your numerous negative views on most of your posts as whining . I got news for you . You're whining . I started bow hunting in 1994 and have only ever encountered 1 ( one ) small game hunter in all the years I have bow hunted . As for the Youth Hunters , I don't care that they are out there . I put on some Blaze Orange and get in my treestand and hope that they will drive the deer to me . Now , quit your whining !

I expect that in some cases small game hunters have "made" an archers hunt, whether the archer knew it or not.

A hunt can be "ruined" by any number of factors....and, SO WHAT? When is a successful hunt crucial to life?? A "ruined" hunt today, might be a successful hunt tomorrow. So, buck up ;hunters...particularly you whining bowhunters...live with what life throws your way; make the best of each day. Small game hunters...bowhunters...hikers...mountain bikers...are all equals. Treat each other as such.

Ah yes, another random slap at bowhunters. Don't be painting with such a big broad brush there fella, unless you are just looking for something nasty to say about bowhunters like so many are so fond of doing these days. Personally, I congratulate the young guy on his accomplishment and also congrats go out to the mentor who I assume master-minded the hunt.

I hadn't looked at it that way but you're right; one fully mature buck, a couple of really nice 3yr olds, more 2yr olds, and some yearlings. The only thing missing is more yearling bucks, but there are at least 2 other yearlings not in either of those videos.

When I interned with the DEC, you would not believe how many "cougar" sigtings and trailcam photos ended up being bobcats or even housecats at a distance. When there is no easy size reference, a big feral tom a long ways off can look much bigger than he is. I once saw a trailcam photo where people were arguing... some were 100% sure it was a cougar, and then the owner showed a size reference of themselves in the next shot and you could see it was clearly a domestic cat. A lot of people really just don't know what they are seeing and their imagination gets the better of them. How many times have you gone to your stand or entered the woods in the dark, and every little sound seems like it could be a bear? Haha-- I'm guilty of that one too. I am not saying that everyone that's seen a cougar is crazy, not at all. I think that it's possible that there have been a few in our state in the last few decades. The one was confirmed, after all. But I think a lot of it is mistaken identities of other animals, and a few hoaxes. As a scientist, I like to see some reputible evidence. The DEC "fessed up" to wild boar because they were able to prove their existence in the state with reputible evidence.

Or maybe they were shooting coyotes, they are in season and I know of some guys that have been after them since the 1st

Squirrels are determined little suckers where im at. Just saw one lugging around a full cob of corn.... except the closest corn field is 300 yds away or more lol

Greyish coat is their winter coat. 100% normal.

I posted this in another thread, but I figured it can't hurt to add it to the official Bow Hunting harvest thread. Yesterday morning I realized one of the biggest lessons ... preparation pays off. Last year I spent countless days in the woods without even seeing a deer. I did no pre scouting and in turn, spent many an hour sitting against a tree just 'hoping' a deer would wander by. I made sure I had things in order this year. Working to gain access to some private land, putting trail cameras out, scouting for deer trail/sign, and practicing every single night with my bow. This morning it all paid off. Was hunting a small piece of semi-private land in Rockland county this morning. I was about 3/4 of the way up a hill, working the edge of a hedgerow where the deer had worn a trail through. The trail cameras gave me a good idea how many deer were coming through. At 8 a.m. I started to hear some activity off to my left in the hedgerow. I had been waiting there since 5:30, trying to catch them coming out of their bedding area. A four point buck stepped out along the deer path and began working his way to my stand. He stepped out, I gave a quick grunt to stop him and let the arrow go. He had just started to turn towards me when I shot, so what I thought was a perfect broadside shot, turned in to a quartering-towards shot. Arrow hit right behind his front leg, right on my mark, and exited out his side, taking the liver on the way out. He ran for about a 100 yards and I heard the big crash. When I recovered him I was afraid the arrow had exited too far back, but there was no gut whatsoever in the cavity. Certainly not a trophy class buck, but it's my first bow kill and my first buck! Video:

A man, Bob, and his friend Joe went out hunting. This was Joe's first time ever hunting, so he was following Bob's lead. Bob saw a small herd of deer and told Joe to stay in the exact spot he was and to be quiet. After a few minutes, Bob heard a loud scream. He ran back and asked Joe what had happened. Joe said “There was this snake and he slittered across my feet, but I never screamed. Then there was this bear that came up to me and snarled, but I never screamed.” “So then what did make you scream,” Bob asked, exasperated. “Well,” Joe continued, “two squirells crawled up my pants and I overheard them say, ‘Should we take them home or eat 'em now?’

all good tips pretty much what i do look for the food and wait. i also find it helps to be deer hunting....

THEY MAY TAKE OUR LIVES, BUT THEY'LL NEVER TAKE OUR BACONNNNNNNNN!

@Elmo Thanks alot for the information, unfortunately this is enough to deter me from getting into hunting, I need to get out of this state.