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Three years rifle hunting and only seeing small bucks this seven point gave me a shot at 40 yards. I am very happy with my first buck with the rifle. Chris

Shot this wide 8 pt yesterday not long after getting in the stand around 9:30am. He was grunting and following a group of does. He walked into a clear lane at 30yds and I let a 125gr Sonic head fly, hitting him right behind the shoulder with a complete pass through. He gave a slow short run before stopping and falling over. This wasnt his 1st time having an arrow flung at him as you can see the huge gash along his left side belly, took a nice chunk outta his rt leg too. Didnt slow him down a bit. Hes now my best buck to date with any weapon as he beats my 2010 bucks 18" inside width by over an 1" The sharp rear molars tell me hes most likey 2.5 yo. Local: Rockland co. Bow: Martin Nemesis 35

I've been hunting the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge for a couple bow seasons now, and finally put it together. In my tree all morning, only seen 1 doe run by, and I finally see a deer moving slowly about 35 yds away. Where I am that's about as far as I can see in any direction. It slowly feeds it's way towards me, and at 20 I can see its a buck. It lifts it's head up and stares in my direction for a good 30 seconds, then starts walking right at me. By now I have my bow in hand, but haven't had a chance to draw. He comes in to 15 yds, watching me, and doing the head bob, and I think he busted me. Can see he's an 8-point. He doesn't spook though, just turns and walks behind a big ash tree, and turns back straight at me again to watch from next to it. After a 60 second staring contest, him probably wondering just how that fat guy got way up that tree, he slowly walks past another big ash, and I finally can draw. He comes out from the tree broadside, 15 yds looking ahead of himself, away from me, and that's where he got a rocket through the lungs. Ran a wobbly 30 yds, went out of sight, and heard the big crash a few seconds later! It's a pretty unique place to hunt, but I definitely will be back now!

Second of the year with my Matthews in 7R. Hardest shot I've made so far ever in my third year bow hunting. He was angling from my right to behind my stand out of range. As he was finally close enough I had to stand up, turn to about 5 o'clock (not fall), draw, stop him walking, aim and shoot in just about one motion. Found him down 80 yards away.

So im 15 and this is my first year hunting ive been out 10 times and today was my second shot at a deer. I was heading out and in the last field i saw a buck chasing a doe so i sat kneeled down under a pine tree and grunted at him he starts coming up the hill twoards me, then i rattle at him and he came straight to me at 35 yards i grunted he looked at me broadside and i let one rip right over his back! Even tho i missed that was the coolest expieriences of my life

8 point in 8G First swamp buck! 1030 AM this morning

Are you serious? Why not! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not prior to the hunt but at the actual time the deer come around my stand. My best kill shots were when the deer came in and there wasn't a lot of time to think.

Killed this deer in PA, not NY with a crossbow earlier this week. I switched over to crossbow here 10 years ago when they became legal. If this is NY only, I'll take the post down.

http://www.spiedie.com/ Go to the site above. Place an order for the state fair spiedie sauce. Marinate some venison for 2 days in the fridge. Fire up the gas grill and go to town. You won't be disappointed. Or check your local stores.

3 point 11/2 at 420

Took this buck with my Carbon Express Crossbow Monday morning 3 November. It is my first cross bow deer. I initially resisted the move to a cross bow but felt I was an interesting piece of weaponry and liked what I heard about its reputation for clean kills. I hunted two very enjoyable days in the ADK's last week but Monday was my first day hunting in the Southern zone this year near our present home. Got my butt into the woods early in morning in spite of 15- 20 degree F chill factors, NW wind 12 -15. Climbed into my tree stand at 0630. Didn't see a thing, 1000 hours came and went with no sign of deer and I started thinking about coming out of the tree stand and heading down to the house to dig some potatoes for supper. But told myself " the deer could be moving this morning because it is cold, you lazy comfort loving son of gun, you are going to stay in this tree at least another hour!" At about 1030 I saw a medium sized doe moving coming toward the stand. She looks back over her shoulder. Suddenly a buck emerges! He is on her trail! He proceeds closer to the stand but is moving quickly. At 20 yards I made a "verbal buck grunt". He stops. I fire an arrow into his rib cage and hear a "thwack". The buck runs to the west and I see him slow down as he goes out of view. I wait 10 minutes and get out of my tree stand. I locate the arrow that I fired and determine it has passed completely through the animal. I believe the arrow took out both lungs. I walk to where I saw him last and find him there only about 35-40 yards from the shot. I said a prayer of thanks for the animal and the way it all went down so quickly for the deer.

First archery deer / buck. Been hunting for about 17 years and had a few opportunities but could never connect. I started hunting a new property last year which is almost 70 acres mostly wooded with one big swamp and one small swamp. Saturday I counted 5 different bucks, something I never encountered. First two bucks were a nice basket six and a beautiful ten behind him. They were about to come into a shooting lane but winded me and took off. One hour later another six snuck up on me while I was watching some turkeys and I was able to stand up and take a shot but misjudged the distance and it went under him. Went home for lunch by 12 and came back in by 130. Nothing in site all afternoon then out of nowhere off to my left walking along the swamp came a spike with a six behind him and literally came within 7 yards. They came in so fast and so close that I wasnt even going to attempt a shot because I figured they would see or smell me immediately. The spike spotted me and ran out in front but the six got distracted for a second by the spike and gave me a chance to draw. Unfortunately as soon as I released the deer jumped forward and my shot went further back than I would have liked. Arrow didnt pass through and I watched him running with it for about 50 yards behind the rib cage. Of course he ran into the swamp and I couldnt hear him anymore. I let an hour and a half go by then got down and started looking for blood and of course could not find any. I went to the last spot I saw him and found my arrow with some blood and what looked like intestines. We briefly searched the swamp but it is near impossible at night so we decided to pull out and head back first thing in the morning. Long story short he made it through the swamp and found him on the other side with a gut/liver shot. First archery deer/buck. No monster but it felt great. Lots of big bucks under my belt with a gun but this one feels more accomplished.

Oh ya just got home...3 inches of snow and wait for it.....The corn has been cut!!!!!!! still snowing and a bit breezy...going out after I eat lunch

20 deer in a season is not a trmendous feat................................when you see on average 12-18 on any one sit on stand. Lots of guys around here shoot that many and more every season. The perception of an exploding population that is expanding it's range has alot to do with overdevelopment of existing habitat.The deer will adapt and seek out new habitat as the old is developed. Land access is not that hard....................if you put in the time and try. #10 was shot in a small woodlot surrounded by vineyard...........................75 feet from a house.(right now there is a monster bedded with a doe 45 yds. behind my buddy-the waiting game begins........) That's suburban hunting.It's alot different than the gun hunting I grew up with in Columbia County. Again...lots of misconceptions on this thread.

They cut in the 20s here last week. One field was over 30. Thats alot of propane.

If you can hunt 7j I'll gladly pass on a doe tag so you have a reason to keep going out.

I been doing this along time. I don't get nervous about a hunt excited yes but never nervous. As long as you are prepared there is no need to get nervous.

We've used deer carts,and plenty of man power ,other times we've brought rope systems and set up a 4 to 1 to haul them up. But my friends from out west laugh at us dragging deer out,they cut them up on the spot and pack out the meat . Really a couple guys could just put the meat on their backs and walk out . My friend Jay is Moose hunting in Wash. State this week, he got 1 of 50 tags. He'll pack the meat out by himself , but plans for two days to do just that. Here a buddy from Montana with his elk shot 1.6 miles from camp,4 tips to pack out the meat ,hide and rack again by himself took a day. Us flat landers need to tough n up!

Had this coyote come by me this morning. He was headed in the opposite direction, so I lip squeaked to see if he would come back. Within seconds, I saw him bounding back! He kept stopping to look and listen, then would come a few yards closer. He was on a trail coming at me head on and I was concerned that he would bust me, so I took him through the chest. He was 25 yards away. He went about 8 yards and collapsed! First blood with the crossbow! The bolt went through him and you can see the end of it sticking out his hind quarter.

That has a thumbhole stock....is that one of them there Assault crossbows?

Saw that this morning. Starting Wednesday of next week only in the 30's for highs. Snow/snow showers Saturday.

Hes a great taxidermist! I dropped off the 10 point I have in my profile and he did a great job on it. He was very professional and the turn around time was exactly as he told me which was pretty darn quick.

Is that a horn or a thorn???

Awful big body to only have a spike. Maybe it's a doe??

I am going to add my completely unqualified comments to this topic. I have not (and will not) travel through NY with firearms - too many horror stories. What I find a bit scary is that you are planning to travel with an unregistered handgun and an unregistered "assault weapon." Not only are you planning to do so in NY state, but in NY city - which makes NYS look like a walk in the park. NY does not honor handgun licenses from out of state. NYC does not even honor licenses from inside NYS. That means your handguns are technically illegal to possess. You could cite the federal "safe passage" rules, but that may not apply once you open the case for required inspection at the airport. I know it is a catch-22, but there are recorded cases of people who have been caught in that trap. The AR is also scary. Unless registered, completely illegal to posses in NY. It would be interesting to see what happens at a NYC airport with one of those. I fully understand how you are are supposed to be fine by following the rules. I also understand that NYS and especially NYC likes to have its own set of rules. Domestically, I would suggest shipping to your location. Internationally, I don't think that is an option. Best of luck. I hope you end up being one of the lucky ones.

I have fished with Shane and can highly recommend him and his service.

A couple of friends of mine "lease for the day or weekend" a private stretch of the Salmon river. No combat fishing. Might be something to look into. IMO, no guides really needed.

i wish it was dumping snow in 3s, i have the next 4 days off will be hunting northern 3s hard, i will keep an update for you westchester and putnam guys.

Guys get tortured on this site for taking a shot at a deer at a bad angle lmao.. I cant believe theres actually someone out there that didnt even wait to see if the deer had 4 legs

Planting may have been early, but it seems the maturing was a little late this year. Then the rains delayed the harvest a little more? Two weeks ago I did some scouting where I gun hunt every year, and then spent the afternoon helping the landowner fix one of his tractors. The farmer who leases his tillable acreage does about 2000 acres of corn and beans and was just starting to harvest his other leased areas, and we're last on the list. Hunting could be a little tough this year if the corn is still up.

Someone started a thread about hobbies. My hobby is wildlife behavior. I just want to ignore politics for a bit. I need to discuss something else. Most of you spend a lot of time watching wildlife, all kinds of wildlife. Please share your first hand experiences on the most puzzling or interesting wildlife behavior you have seen. Back when my ears worked well, I was somewhat expert at bird identification. DEC hired me as a contractor to survey birds in some wild areas of the Dacks. Below is a old listserve post from that period. Even If you have no interest in birds, read the italicized paragraphs. For those of you who are interested in the area, the land SW of Lake Lila is private - Nehasane and Brandreth Parks. I had permission to access both areas only during this time. 6/18/05 I spent from Tuesday to Friday working in my Atlas blocks southwest of Lake Lila and in another isolated block further west in the Five Ponds Wilderness. I could have done with less rain and bugs but there were some good moments and some I will never forget. Bird highlights included numerous Olive-sided Flycatchers, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers, Tennesee Warbler, Palm Warbler, confirmed breeding by Black-backed Woodpecker and Gray Jay, and Merlins at a nest. Unexpected birds in this area - unexpected by me at least - included the numerous broods of Canada Geese, several Red-tailed Hawks and a Veery. The first day I worked my way down the the tracks from Keepawa, out of my 3 contiguous blocks, to Beaver River Station. There, late in the day, I made boat arrangements for crossing the reservoir into the Five Ponds block the next morning. While I ate supper, I watched a female Merlin chasing dragonflies. This year the Merlins are nesting in a tall pine right next to a camp. On my way to the boat Wednesday morning, I bumped a crow off the ground. It flew too close to the Merlin nest. Two very aggressive Merlins were on it in a flash. As the three of them went out of sight around a pine, I heard the crow scream. It sounded as if talons pierced flesh. The rest of Wednesday was routine Atlas work in a difficult to access block. Thursday things got interesting. I was off early towards Little Rapids and back into my contiguous blocks. Along the reservoir I encountered a pair of Osprey, one of which circled over me calling repeatedly. This is a good sign. I've seen individuals there but it's been 30 years since I know of a successful nesting on the reservoir. Further on I found a Veery - the first ever for me in that area. It stopped singing when I neared and started with alarm calls. A Loon was sitting on eggs on the edge of the water. I dropped my pack where I had staged my mountain bike earlier and rode a logging road towards the big bog with the Palm Warblers. The moose and bear tracks in the road were very fresh. At the beginning of the skidder trail (from the salvaging of the '95 blowdown) that leads to the bog, I left the bike. I walked about 100 yards when I saw something running at me, fast. It was a large bear. I suspect a Doppler effect here - the bears running at you always seem larger than those that are running away, the faster the bear is running at you, the larger it appears - however, this was really a big one. It was probably the second largest Black Bear I've seen - out of about 30. This skidder trail is edged by slash and brush. It has some light brush growing in it. Getting off it wasn't an option. Running wasn't an option either. I can't run that fast. I can't even ride my bike that fast. I yelled and hooted loudly. About 60 yards out, the bear hesitated and slowed to a walk. I kept yelling. The bear stopped at about 50 yards and looked at me through a bush. It stood up and stared. Picture this, two bipeds staring at each other, one scrawny and yelling, the other massive, furry and confused. At moments like this, you lose your sense of time. I'm guessing the whole experience was probably 2 minutes but it felt much longer. Finally, the bear dropped and moved off the trail. I gave it several minutes and then passed where it had been, hollering the whole time. I've speculated about why the bear was running. It seemed curious, not afraid. The ranger I met at the Lake Lila parking area suggested it heard something that attracted it. Maybe it was the squeal of my wet bike brakes. As I entered the bog, I found a family of 4 Gray Jays. The 2 young were great. One received a lot of attention from a Blue-headed Vireo until it flew off to beg from its parents. Inside the bog things were much different than the last time. It was now very wet and hard to move around. In late May it was much drier and firmer. The large numbers of Palm Warblers were gone. Twice I heard singing from out in the bog but I did not bump any out like I had in large numbers 2 weeks earlier. A female Black-backed Woodpecker became the first of 2 I found in that block. I left the bog and headed back down the road on my bike. My bear experiences weren't over. After about a half mile, I met a small bear in the road. I hollered. It moved off to the left. Good. I started again on my bike. What I didn't know was that Momma Bear was hidden on the right shoulder. What a shock it was when a running bear ran across the road 2 bike lengths in front of me. This was my second close encounter with a bear in an hour and a half. Further down the road there's a screen of alder growing on the shoulder. I was moving along at a good clip when I spotted a huge dark hulking body through the vegetation. My immediate reaction was "not again," but it wasn't a bear this time. It was a bull moose up to its knees in the water. I got to watch it for about 5 minutes while it slowly moved out of sight. After these multiple encounters with megafauna I was confronted by an aggessive and disturbed Ruffed Grouse while babies flew off in every direction. It was a day to remember. I headed NE up the tracks into another block to camp for the night. Friday morning I went into the bog near Keepawa where I found several Palm Warblers earlier. This was more successful. Without much work, my pishing brought in an agitated Palm Warbler to join 2 Lincoln's Sparrows and a White-throated Sparrow that objected to my presence. I was wearing high rubber boots this day so I could get out further into Partlow Flow. There, from a comfortable distance, I watched a small bear foraging. Out in the flow a Black-backed Woodpecker was drumming. Identical drumming was coming from a bird I couldn't see in another direction. Shortly, the male I couldn't see flew about with a female. They interacted for a minute or two before the female disappeared into a tree. Late that morning I found a singing male Tennessee Warbler in a regenerating area at the edge of a mature forest. I'll go back in July.

I just found out today that i will actually be able to get out for opening day. I dont care if theres snow on the ground, as long as theforecast temps hold up, ill be happy.

Nice. Congrats brother. I saw that you said it was morning was it later in the morning or still early?

Well done! Hard earned buck for sure........

They drove right past a deer farm on their way. We are about 45 miles away.

I count down to hunting season all year. ..as soon as it ends I'm upgrading rigs and working on plans for next season....unfortunately for me more than likely this will be first year in my 16th gun season I will not be hunting with my dad as he's been pretty sick in and outta hospital for last few months....i hope and pray I'm wrong but it's not likely....but I'd rather him get better now and miss one than not have many more after this....good luck all the guys and gals out there and let's see what this season brings to our tables and walls... ????

Congratz !!! Passed up a real nice 2 y/o 8 out there last weekend at 10 yds , hope I don't kick myself for that one.... Some big bucks out there though, some 4 n 5 year olds I've got pics of, haven't seen em yet but time will tell, Congratz again !!!

"X"-cellent shot! Now quit messin' around and go kill something with antlers!

Happy B-Day

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!

You want suburbia throughout the rest of the state? On LI you mostly have bowhunting only, and very little access for hunters along with NO natural predators. That is the ONLY reason the bucks get big there. Do you think hunters really want to see the same scenario throughout the rest of the state? I don't think so.

While pulling in the lane this morning, a nice buck was chasing a doe around my clover plot. I watched them for what seemed like 2 min. They were only 50 yards from me! Actually felt bad for the doe! Every time she looked at my car it was like she was thinking, "Can ya help me out here?" LOL I'm hunting in a stand 75 yards from where this all happened. Its right next to a bedding area. Thought it was going to be an exciting morning, but I haven't heard or seen a deer yet! Did see a coyote earlier. Lip squeeked it in. Its now piled up 30 yards away!! Sent from my VS980 4G

Olive oil and a crust of Montreal, then walk by the grill with them and they're done! Had these last night as we butchered

yes that is silverskin in both.. use a filet knive goes fast silverskin face down on cutting board like your doing a fish ... remove as much as you can from steaks/roast. not nessary to get too picky, you'll learn the more you do.

Not a monster by all means but after many years being disabled happy to see my husband drop this 4 pt with his 10 point crossbow

Congratulations to your husband for not only making the effort but also for succeeding! Also congratulations to you Lisa for supporting your man and understanding his quest for the greatest game anima on the planet..

both replies offer good advice. also wear lots orange

Tagged out this morning with this fat doe..shot her at 30 yards and she dropped within 50 yards..this now ends my bow season having taken my 8 pointer last week. Freezer is nice and full.

Come on guys, as stated in the original post, as it is every year, this thread is meant to post pics and stories of YOUR harvests, not to comment on the pics, or post your buddy's deer. If thats what you want to do, feel free to start your own thread. Thanks.