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Got it done today guys and gals! Bagged an 8pt!!!! I walked into the woods at 730am. I went in this morning hoping to fill a dmp tag, but instead this guy showed up. As i walked into the spot where I saw 2 giants during bow season, i decided to take a gamble and go in to the exact location, but upon entering the location, a guy was in a tree stand 10 yrds off to my right so i backed out. I said under my breath a bunch of choice words that were inappropriate and not like myself. So I waved and walked away. Upon leaving the first spot, I radioed my pop and told him i was going to go to the top of the mountain where he harvested a 4 pt about 1 week ago from today. He said okay, be safe and good luck since it was a little slippery due to the snow fall. So as i got to the top, i saw tracks and rubs everywhere and said this is going to be a good spot and decided to sit on a COLD AS HELL rock and text my dad i am in a prime spot and will walk down to him at 10 to get him. The wind today was whipping around like no other and at the same point i said to myself today is too windy and i would not see anything. So after 30 min of sitting my mom texted me to get milk on the way home, and asked if i see anything. So being a good son i said sure, and that it was super windy and was not expecting to see anything today. After 2 min of sending the message this guy ran the ridge right to me, ending up to be 30 yrds from me and came to a full stop. Him and i ended up having a staring contest for what seemed to be forever! so i slowly grabbed my 06 and put the cross hairs on his shoulder, I squeezed softly and boom he buckled and ran 100 yrds to my left up on another ridge. under my breath i said dang did i miss? so i waited 5 min and walked to where i shot him, immediately i see a blood trail! i said hell yes thank the good lord he allowed me to harvest a great animal and now its time to put in the work. As i followed the blood trail i got with in 20 yrs and saw he was laying down. So to be safe i put another round in just in case. As I took anther step he jumped up and ran 5 yrds and stopped, that is where i took the safety off and put another round right through his lungs. He then ran another 100 yrs to the base of the mountain. I radioed my pop and told him i shot a buck and its at the base. He said he would be right over with my brother to help me drag the big boy and get him out. after gutting him and dragging him out of the woods it was 1pm! we all looked at eachother and realized crap, we need to get home and still get milk for our mom. Today was a successful hunt, and we were all excited to get the big boy home and get ready for the big feast! As for tomorrow we wont be going out cause we have to process him and get him to the taxidermist! good luck everyone! they big boys are still on the run!

Heres my 2013 Regular season buck! Hes not the big boy I was after, but Im happy with him and have a good story to go with him. Earlier this year at work, I met a girl, Sara, that is from Cypress and goes to one of the local colleges. She was doing an internship at one of my client's offices. We developed a good friendship, and in talking, I mentioned to her that I hunt. She told me she has always wanted to go hunting, and that she was thinking of getting her safety course done and buying her license this year. I helped her with all of the info she needed, but she never had a chance to take the course, with her busy schedule. A coupl of weeks ago, I was talking to her and asked if she would like to come along with me on a hunt this week, since I was on vacation, and she had Thanksgiving break from school. She said yes, and we planned it for this morning. She got to my place at 5:30 this morning, and I got the truck loaded up and we headed out. We were in my newly placed double ladder stand before daylight and sat there talking a bit and enjoying the woods, and great scenery. Around 9:30, my hunting partner, Mark, gave me a call and told me he was going to do a still hunt, and asked where Id like him to go, so if he bumped anything out, it might head toward us. I told him where I thought would work well and he said he would see us soon. I explained to Sara what was going to happen, and told her that if Mark disturbed any deer, they would either go one of two ways. One way would put them right in our laps. Less than 10 minutes later, I see a deer heading across the field, right toward us, so I nudged Sara to show her the deer. I decided that unless it was a small buck, I would take the deer if given the chance. As it crossed the field, I noticed it had a very nice, big body, so we watched as it approached the edge of the woods. It stopped before entering the woods, and stood there, looking around. As it entered the wood line, I noticed it had a rack, so I put my scope on him and saw he was outside the ears. That was the last I looked at his rack, and I looked his body over. He was a tank, so I started concentrating on a shot. He got onto a horse trail that goes by my stand at 30 yards and started trotting toward us. I got my gun ready, and accidentally made a noise on the blind material. He stood there looking at us, with his vitals behind a tree. After 30 seconds or so, he continued down the trail and I got my muzzle loader in position for a shot in the first shooting lane. As he stepped into the lane, I gave him a quick "mehhh" and he stopped, slightly quartering to us. I put my crosshair right on the front of his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. I heard the impact and he dropped his tail and head and started on a dead run. After giving him 2 hours, and a 100 - 125 yard track, we found him piled up in the old apple orchard. Hes a great 2 1/2 year old with 8 scorable points, but he has a 9h small point and you can see where a 10th small one had broken off. BTW, I have a ton of trail cam pics of this deer, including a series of him fighting with another buck. Ill post those in my hunting journal later on today.

Got it done today guys and gals! Bagged an 8pt!!!! I walked into the woods at 730am. I went in this morning hoping to fill a dmp tag, but instead this guy showed up. As i walked into the spot where I saw 2 giants during bow season, i decided to take a gamble and go in to the exact location, but upon entering the location, a guy was in a tree stand 10 yrds off to my right so i backed out. I said under my breath a bunch of choice words that were inappropriate and not like myself. So I waved and walked away. Upon leaving the first spot, I radioed my pop and told him i was going to go to the top of the mountain where he harvested a 4 pt about 1 week ago from today. He said okay, be safe and good luck since it was a little slippery due to the snow fall. So as i got to the top, i saw tracks and rubs everywhere and said this is going to be a good spot and decided to sit on a COLD AS HELL rock and text my dad i am in a prime spot and will walk down to him at 10 to get him. The wind today was whipping around like no other and at the same point i said to myself today is too windy and i would not see anything. So after 30 min of sitting my mom texted me to get milk on the way home, and asked if i see anything. So being a good son i said sure, and that it was super windy and was not expecting to see anything today. After 2 min of sending the message this guy ran the ridge right to me, ending up to be 30 yrds from me and came to a full stop. Him and i ended up having a staring contest for what seemed to be forever! so i slowly grabbed my 06 and put the cross hairs on his shoulder, I squeezed softly and boom he buckled and ran 100 yrds to my left up on another ridge. under my breath i said dang did i miss? so i waited 5 min and walked to where i shot him, immediately i see a blood trail! i said hell yes thank the good lord he allowed me to harvest a great animal and now its time to put in the work. As i followed the blood trail i got with in 20 yrs and saw he was laying down. So to be safe i put another round in just in case. As I took anther step he jumped up and ran 5 yrds and stopped, that is where i took the safety off and put another round right through his lungs. He then ran another 100 yrs to the base of the mountain. I radioed my pop and told him i shot a buck and its at the base. He said he would be right over with my brother to help me drag the big boy and get him out. after gutting him and dragging him out of the woods it was 1pm! we all looked at eachother and realized crap, we need to get home and still get milk for our mom. Today was a successful hunt, and we were all excited to get the big boy home and get ready for the big feast! As for tomorrow we wont be going out cause we have to process him and get him to the taxidermist! good luck everyone! they big boys are still on the run!

No deer yet, but another fresh buck rub. Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

A little doe management

All my posted signs are on a plywood board, which is nailed to a tree. The nails are not driven all the way down to allow for tree growth. I went to separate boards because of the tree growth which would pull the nails right through the aluminum sign, leaving the sign on the ground, perhaps under the leaves and pretty much useless and even in some cases lost. I also have a self-imposed rule that when standing at a sign, I am able to see at least one sign before and at least one sign after. They are well within the required minimum distance and no one can claim that they didn't see the signs. That kind of care eliminates any and all arguments about mistaken trespassing. When someone enters my property they are willfully and undeniably aware that they are breaking the law and trespassing.

Well this is more like gun season ! Have not seen a deer since Tuesday Pulled card from one spot and my buddy is still around Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Headed out... Temp is 0 deg... If I'm not back by noon come looking for me Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk

Guess its true... http://www.sc-democrat.com/sports/2013November/26/sports.htm

Tip #2: Tag along with Wooly.

As much as I love the video, and the theories and tips, man its not really applying much around my hill country. One clue as to why is the number of deer in Wisconsin where they filmed it. One scene shows a farm field with 6-7 big bucks ( and thats just bucks, others show 30+ doe) running into the woods. I showed my dad the video who has hunted the same Catskill Hills for 30+ years. He wanted me to throw that video in the fireplace lol. Back to hill country tomorrow. Good luck to everyone this weekend. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Tuesday, Nov 26th... All I had on Tuesday was the morning hunt, as I had to pick my kids up in the afternoon. It was a chilly, windy sit with no sightings. I left mid morning and took the day off to relax and spend time with the kids. Wednesday, Nov 27th... I got down to the farm and started with still hunting, as we ha the snow storm with about 6 or 8 inches of snow over night. I tried my hand at tracking a deer by its fresh tracks, and ended up bumping it before I could get a shot. I continued to still hunt, and ended up taking an off hand shot at a doe at 60 or 70 yards, and I clipped a branch, sending her running with 3 others that were in the thicket with her. 10 minutes later, I botched the shot on another doe, about 125 yards out. For the evening, my buddy offered for me to use his Remington 870 12 ga. I accepted and we headed out to do a ground sit. We sat about 400 yards apart, on either side of a standing corn field. Right before sunset, I had 2 does come across the field edge. Both met their fate before they could reach the corn. 2 does down, and 2 DMAPs filled for the farmer! A great evening! Thanksgiving Day... Thanksgiving is a day that we start out with drives and keep going with them until everyone has to head to dinner. We ran drives on 3 different properties and ended up with 2 does down, and a few misses at the end of the day. 2 more DMAPs filled. I left at 2 and headed home to dinner and stuffed myself. Fell asleep on the couch. Friday, Nov 29th... Let me back track. Earlier this year at work, I met a girl, Sara, that is from Cypress and goes to one of the local colleges. She was doing an internship at one of my client's offices. We developed a good friendship, and in talking, I mentioned to her that I hunt. She told me she has always wanted to go hunting, and that she was thinking of getting her safety course done and buying her license this year. I helped her with all of the info she needed, but she never had a chance to take the course, with her busy schedule. A couple of weeks ago, I was talking to her and asked if she would like to come along with me on a hunt this week, since I was on vacation, and she had Thanksgiving break from school. She said yes, and we planned it for this morning. She got to my place at 5:30 this morning, and I got the truck loaded up and we headed out. We were in my newly placed double ladder stand before daylight and sat there talking a bit and enjoying the woods, and great scenery. Around 9:30, my hunting partner, Mark, gave me a call and told me he was going to do a still hunt, and asked where Id like him to go, so if he bumped anything out, it might head toward us. I told him where I thought would work well and he said he would see us soon. I explained to Sara what was going to happen, and told her that if Mark disturbed any deer, they would either go one of two ways. One way would put them right in our laps. Less than 10 minutes later, I see a deer heading across the field, right toward us, so I nudged Sara to show her the deer. I decided that unless it was a small buck, I would take the deer if given the chance. As it crossed the field, I noticed it had a very nice, big body, so we watched as it approached the edge of the woods. It stopped before entering the woods, and stood there, looking around. As it entered the wood line, I noticed it had a rack, so I put my scope on him and saw he was outside the ears. That was the last I looked at his rack, and I looked his body over. He was a tank, so I started concentrating on a shot. He got onto a horse trail that goes by my stand at 30 yards and started trotting toward us. I got my gun ready, and accidentally made a noise on the blind material. He stood there looking at us, with his vitals behind a tree. After 30 seconds or so, he continued down the trail and I got my muzzle loader in position for a shot in the first shooting lane. As he stepped into the lane, I gave him a quick "mehhh" and he stopped, slightly quartering to us. I put my crosshair right on the front of his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. I heard the impact and he dropped his tail and head and started on a dead run. After giving him 2 hours, and a 100 - 125 yard track, we found him piled up in the old apple orchard. Hes a great 2 1/2 year old with 8 scorable points, but he has a 9h small point and you can see where a 10th small one had broken off. Pics from todays hunt...

Another great evening in westchester with the bow-all I need is some four legged,delicious company! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

I just finished up 9lbs. of jerky. I use burger and make the flat slim jim style with the gun. I buy my seasoning kits at Bass pro that comes with the cure and seasonings. I can't stand the rip your teeth out jerky made from the steaks. Another great thing to try. I had my processor make sandwich steaks for me. olive oil and some garlic in a pan. High heat. brown both sides and throw it on a sub roll with cheese and other desired toppings.

Call the DEC for trespassers not the sheriff- there are differences in criminal trespass and encon Also- tags trees w paint on your lines- had a neighbor that loved to pull signs...it made for easy remarking. The sam e neighbor was in my backyard hunting- the dec's first question to me was the property LEGALLY posted, then if I had asked the guy to stay off- I replied yes to both and was surprised to see how serious they took it from there. 5 or 6 years now with out a single problem.

No I just removed the stands and put them on the other side. When i posted about this last year I got attacked for being selfish and a cry baby. This year I bought the corn field and green field lol

I look by fence lines because bucks will jolt them loose when they jump over a fence. Bedding areas are also good places to look. Find the food sources and begin there (such as standing corn) and then walk the deer trails as far as you can follow them. I would start looking in February if the snow isn't too deep. A much easier way to find antlers is to build a feeder that is separated by vertical sections of wood. Starting in mid January fill it at least every other day with a bucketof horse feed. A doe will be able to fit its head in the opening but when a buck tries to get some feed they'll knock off their antlers. While we're on the topic of finding antlers I have to tell the story of when I visited a friend in Georgia a few years back. He said "Let's go look for antlers" and I thought "yeah, right, okay" Well after an hour and a half and with three of us looking we found 19 antlers!!! Georgia must not have any critters that eat antlers like they do here.

Good post! Hope to hear lots of tips and hotspots!

Shot it yesterday!

Never really made it a point to look for sheds before, but id like to try it this year. What are some tips for a beginner? Where should i start looking? When? Help!

I usually start getting excited when I see nice bucks make it through Thanksgiving weekend. I'm a little early with this guy, but hoping he pulls through the rest of the season so I can get my hands on those antlers in a few more weeks!

Do all hunters have tiny little balls? Twice a day I'm butt naked in my garage while the temperature is well below 32. The hunting garb that kept my nuggets nice and warm on the earlier hunt has now had plenty of time to refreeze in my scent free bag. There has got to be a better way. Even storing the bag inside to keep the cloths warm would be a step in the right direction.

I went for routine CT Scan yesterday of my lungs, and I received e-mail from my Oncologist today. He told me the CT Scan was stable and no sign of cancer return. Its been almost a year since they took the lung lobe out, and I'm holding my own!! That's news to be thankful to hear!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Just dropped one a half hour ago... 65 yds out getting down now, can't wait to get my hands warm.... The earned way!

We weighed him when we got home last night he came in at 135.5#. I took a deer 2 yrs ago almost the same spot. That deer weighed 168. I have him mounted. The taxidermist said roughly a year wait for a finished product. Soo as soon as I get it back you guys will see.

Weather channel says 30 here. I will tell you they are LIARS!!!!

Simple as that! You and Doc have taken a lot of the unecessary confusion out of it for everybody! I don't understand why some guys have such a hard time with that, and then get all bent out of shape when the solution is that easy. Saves everybody a bunch of headaches right from the get go!

Tim you should remove that picture, seems so wrong. Not funny at all

Damn John,That bear was right down the road from us! Btw,across the border in Pennsylvania, a 722 lbs bear was taken on 11/26 in Lackawanna County.

Also deer were nice enough to leave tracks all around the stand I am in now from yesterday when I was not lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The rut occurs the same time every year. Moon phase has absolutely nothing to do with it's timing. When buck shed their velvet in late August early September their testicles descend in to their scrotum and they are ready to breed. Mother nature keeps the family jewels tucked away safe until it's time. Breeding is determined by the female, ie doe. Sound familiar? As the photo period decreases buck produce more testosterone where as doe produce melanin. When a doe's level of melanin reaches a certain level she comes in to estrous. Not all doe come in to estrous at the same time. Young of the year, doe fawns won't enter estrous until they obtain a body weight of 80 pounds. In Pennsylvania records have been kept for decades involving fetus studies of road killed doe. The fetus are aged and conception date is determined. In Pennsylvania the peek of breeding occurs between November 2nd and November 9th. It hasn't changed in decades despite what date the moon is full. The time period I see the most buck activity during shooting hours is the 3rd and 4th week of October. The buck are ready and few if any doe are respective. This is when buck will be scent checking doe. As a buck's level of testosterone increases he will become more aggressive in his search. Once doe begin to enter estrous a buck will hole up with them for 24 - 36 hours breeding her every time she stands up. This usually takes place in a secluded thicket but I have seen buck lay with doe in small patches of trees out in the middle of an ag field. There are five phases of the rut. 1 Rut preparation. Rublines, territorial scrapes, and sparring with other buck. 2: Seek phase. Actively looking for a doe in estrous. 3. Chase phase. Running a doe that is in estrous or soon will be, to separate her from her fawn{s} and other deer. 4 Breeding. self explanatory 5 Post Rut. Conserving energy and focusing on food to regain body weight lost during the rut..

Exactly. Land doesn't need to be posted. You can still press charges if you have trespassers. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

Few pieces are done already..mmmmmm its good! Going to try and use apple cider vinegar next time. Its sweet and has a little bite to it.

Coyote season is more than just March. You should check the regs you're telling people to check. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

Good luck man! I've never found a shed in NY in my life. Found 1 in PA once, pic attached. Then I went to Wyoming for 5 days and found 9!, pic also attached. Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

Sorry to hear about both your guys stuff being stolen. Rest assured that these pieces of dirt always get what they have coming. The world works in mysterious ways. Years ago when I was still a kid our house was robbed while we were out having Easter dinner. And when I say robbed I mean f*^%ing robbed they took everything. Long story short we knew who did it but because of a few disagreements my father had had with local pd they wouldn't do anything. Well 6 months went by and one night on local news wouldn't you know these same assholes got caught mid burglary by the wrong guy and he beat one of them to death. And I didn't feel the least bit bad for the dickheads either

Guys- the deer density doesn't matter. How bucks use the terrain, how thermals work, where bucks bed because of wind direction, etc. are all big time take home messages. Extreme, yes. Does it work, yes.

Muck for me. They keep me warm and are lightweight for walking. They are a little bulky for still hunting, but I can keep nice and quiet with minimal effort. While sitting I have no problems keeping my feet warm in them with wool socks.

Incredible deer but not sure it beats Hansen with all the kickers.

First time I ever shot my shotgun with a slug, I was 16, getting ready for deer season. My dad instructed me on how to hold the gun so I didn't jerk the shots, as it would kick harder than I was used to with my turkey shells, and I sort of misunderstood him and barely held on on the front. The scope cap was the kind that has the little red pushtab to pop it open quickly and it came right back and gashed down my forehead and nose. Blood everywhere! I woulda been fine, injuries are not something I get upset about, but he started laughing at me, and that was it. I thought I disappointed him-- that did it and I broke down like the emo teenager that I was. I still get teased about it 16 years later. It was pretty funny!

Finally the stubbornness pays off. Filled a doe tag. Still leaning toward crazy though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Only had one poop blow out so far but it wasn't bad. Just a small amount. Have been sprayed though but it was my fault. I forgot 2 of the rules of diaper changing gun safety. 1. Treat all babies as if they're loaded. 2. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction at all times.

All of those deer are shooters for me. Any buck bigger than my biggest is a shooter. To each there own. Good luck all Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

On a side note.. Some of you need to chill out a bit, jeez.

Took this 8 point buck on Tuesday the 19th. I was sitting on the ground against a big old mossy stump, near the edge of a patch of hemlock. I had just looked at my cell phone to check the time, because I knew it was getting late. The time was 4:02 PM. Figured I would sit until the very last few seconds of legal light. It was going to be my last day of rifle hunting of the year in NY. Before I put the phone back into my pocket, I look up and see movement. I immediately see a good sized rack about 120 yards away. The deer is moving at a good pace, from my right to left, not just tip-toeing through the woods. I knew I had to make a move and fast, or he would be gone. I threw my phone onto the leaves to my right, and I jumped up. I moved forward about 5-10 steps to get behind a big hemlock. I rested my Marlin 30-30 on a broken branch to the left side of the tree. I look for a shooting lane he may pass through, and wait for the buck to come into view. Within seconds of getting my rifle rested, I see the buck come back into sight. Another second or two later the buck was in the shooting lane I was hoping he would move through. I made a loud bleat sound by mouth to get the buck to stop, he didn't hear it. I try again, this time very loud, almost just yelling, and he stopped in his tracks, broadside, and swung his head to look in my direction. I placed my crosshairs on him quickly, and squeezed the trigger. He didn't run far, first about 15-20 yards in the direction he was going, then spun around and started running back the way he came, maybe 30 yards. He paused for a second and I was about to fire another round, but he tipped over and fell. He weighed about 130 pounds dressed. He's also a red head! When I took him off the pole, he was frozen stiff and standing on his own...

Opening morning after my 11 hour drive from NC. I put my climber up near the same spot where opening day last year a 4pt walked by. We are in a 3pt on one side area. So this guy comes in from my right rear and I'm watching him over my shoulder but he's walking in the exact wide open path I walked in on. He looks up at me and I am frozen. I suspect he sensed something he turned and started to walk behind me. I straightened my head and waited hoping he would come out on my left. Then I heard him snort. I stood up quickly with my gun and turned hoping he just jumped and looked back...which is exactly what he did. And my 270 went clean through with unbelievable blood trail for 20 yards. Sent from my SPH-L300 using Tapatalk

Well, made it out for what was the last sit of the season with my course load gettin pretty hairy, thesis, and finals takin up all my time until end of season , unless my redneck kicks in again n says f it im goin ... But had this guy startle the crap outa me as I was creepin through the thickets in the swamp, ran 70 yds or so gave em a baaa, stopped n looked back an wammo with the 12 ga...doesn't surpass the bow buck by any means but a cool little buck on an orange army public land , trophy in itself lol... Counting down the days for what 2014 bow has to offer

After sitting in my stand for about 1 1/2 hours Saturday afternoon (11-16-13) at about 4:00pm I hear what I thought were antlers crashing about 100 yards behind me. I hit my rattles and blow a few tunes on my grunt call. 15 mins later I hear crunching coming from behind my tree stand. Thinking it's a squirrel I don't pay it much mind so I start glassing the corn field. A minute or so later as I'm glassing the field behind me the crunching gets louder and louder. As I put my binos down I see a buck coming out from the brush behind me. At first I only see what appeared to be a four point. Then I see 3 on one side. As I consciously make the decision to pass on him he comes out a bit farther all the while he's looking at me. Suddenly I see 4 points on one side and my adrenaline started pumping. I slowly put my binos down moving ever so gently as he continues to stare at me trying to figure out what I am. He looks away and I finally get my binos down. He's starts looking at me again. Now I see 8pts. He turns away and I get my hand on my Remy that was hanging on a tree hook. He turns back to me. I freeze for what seemed like an eternity with the stock of my Remy on my thigh. He turns away and starts walking away from me at 35 yards from my tree. I get my Remy down and the scope to my eye and safety off in a matter of 3 secs. He stops quartering away and I squeeze the trigger. Just as I squeeze the trigger he starts to turn further quartering away and the next thing I see is his rump go down and he drags himself into thick brush. My heart sinks. I felt like throwing up. I waited 20 mins and then I get down to start tracking him thinking I wounded him and I'm going to spend hours looking for him. I start tracking him in the thick brush. I chamber another round just in case but I come upon him about 20 yards into the thicket and he's already expired. I kneel over him and thank our good Lord for the second time today. Here he is in the field after dragging him about 50 yards and waiting for my BIL to come with his tractor Here he is capped out.

Got this 8pt ten after eight 11-16-13. Him and another 8pt came in chasing a small doe, stopped perfectly broadside at seventy five yards.

8 point killed Oct. 3rd 15 minutes before dark at 30 yards. Used a Rage Hypodermic...did a nice job...heart shot...only went 40 yards.