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Long-tine no see fellers! Hopefully everyone is ready for another exciting SHED SEASON!!! Normally I like to think that when I find an antler it means that the buck survived another season and I have something to look forward to the following year. That ain't gonna happen with this guy,lol. On 12-9-14 this buck gave the ultimate sacrifice. He gave me his fresh flesh to chew on, and as if that wasn't enough, he "threw me a bone" in the form of an antler! I got caught up in the excitement of the kill and never snapped an ATL of the antler alone so I had to crop one of the field photos it was in where he dumped it. I started getting this skull cleaned up today and I have plans to incorporate my opening day 8pt skull with this one in a different kind of euro..... we'll see how that works out. I should probably wait until ML wraps up before I start hiking, but I'm gonna have a hard time not getting out there tomorrow to see what's laying around. Well, here is horn #1 for 2015 for me! Good luck to all the shed hunters this season, and keep those cameras handy for those unexpected encounters! Antlers- 1 Sets- 0 Dead doe/fawns- 0 Dead bucks- 0

Todays morning sit was the last and no deer...rain coming and I need to get the doe taken care of... I hunted pretty hard this season considering the knee and torn calf muscle........ no luck in gun or early bow but late bow( last 2 weeks of early) got me the 6pt and yesterday got me the doe in picture... I heard her come in behind me and was afraid to move...finally I slowly had my head turned to see her and thought crap another fawn...I'd only been in the stand 10 mins and it was 3:40....made scense She was all spooky and on alert...then she walked through brush under my stand and headed straight away from me at a good pace toward the soybean plot...I then realized she was and adult...got the cross hairs on her and prayed for a stop and turn....at 20 yrds she did, but it was a sharp quartering away...I have to release an arrow every night into a 8in. wide target and was confident in the shot placement...squeezed the trigger and she jumped 3ft and ran...5 seconds and 40 yards later..if that.... she was done and still...biggest blood trail I've ever had...went in ribs behind rt shoulder and exited where her neck meets the shoulder on left side...lungs and arteries ...found the bolt 5ft past where she stood...thanks WNYBuck hunter for mentioning G5's so often...took both deer with them and they left short recoveries dropping well in, not only sight but shooting range...lol Correction typed time wrong ...3:40 not 3:10

We got him! We hunted him several days last week with no sightings. Saturday morning, I went to hunt a different property with my son, & my girlfriend hunted the stand at my uncle's. On her way out after the morning hunt, she noticed fresh tracks in the snow with an obvious drag mark, leading up into the bedding area. She called me, & we decided to go after him. The plan was that she would post at the end of the thicket, and I would ease through, trying to gently push him to her. My son went with her because it's illegal for a kid to drive, and I wanted to be as sneaky as possible. I slowly worked into the thicket, zig zagging back and forth toward her. The snow was soft, and I made very little noise. About 1/3 of the way through, I looked up to see him watching me from his bed, 20 yards from me. I cocked the hammer and killed him with a neck shot. He never got out of the bed. Walking up to him, I realized what a mess he was. I'm pretty sure it was a gunshot wound on his shoulder. I could smell his wound from 15 feet downwind, it was full of gangrene. His neck was nothing but skin and bone, His shoulders & hips were thin and his spine was sticking out. It was sad to see such an animal in that shape. When I went to pull him out, the antlers both pulled off with very little force. She said that a stressed or injured deer will lose their antlers early. It definitely wasn't any kind of hunt to be proud of, but I know we did the right thing. I'm glad he's not out there like that anymore. This was a real reminder for me of what can happen when we make a poor shot. Obviously the meat is no good, but that's not important on this one. He's definitely not a 10 point like I thought, but like I said, he was in very thick brush when I first saw him. I don't care at all about the rack anyway. Thankful my killer girlfriend was paying attention, and that our efforts paid off.

Took this doe sunday AM... poked my way up a pine knob suspecting a deer to be bedded down. Sure enough I saw a head looking at me. She stood up and I pulled the trigger. Took out heart and both lungs and still ran 50 yards. I thought it was perfectly broadside but she had an exit wound under the front shoulder. I had one day to muzzleload hunt and it paid off.

It appears that way. My first season hunting as a 22 year old former Marine I was at my father in laws cabin with his 13 friends from work. My brother in law and I were with a couple of guys on our trail when one pulled up. We saw the buck and he shot and the deer took off. He said, "damn, I missed" Not knowing any better I started walking away when my brother in law grabbed my arm and said, "Hang on, I want to make sure that deer wasn't hit." We waited 10 minutes and went to where the deer was and there was a bunch of hair and little blood, but he'd hit the deer. We tracked for about 200 yards finding more blood and where it laid down. We went about 30-40 yards and the deer stood up and my brother in law, who was in front of me shot it killing it. By the time we got it field dressed and dragged to a trail it was well past dark. The old guys were eating dinner when we got back for the bike and my father in law asked where we'd been. I took out the heart from my pocket (in a baggie) and put it on the guys plate that shot it telling him that the liver would be in there too but that was where he'd hit it. He never came back. I was fine with that

Buddy just took this in 7s

Curmudgeon - Lots of folks on this site disagree with others. Most of us are civil. MR MVP usually presents his opinion and facts. I guess he points out that he believes those that disagree with him are lacking in intellect. But your suggestion of moderate read / approve some ones post before they are posted is a classic example of what is wrong in our society. I’d rather hear all sides. I see no need for censorship

I think it should be posted everywhere. I think the embarassment is a far better deterent than a $200 fine is. If they could add a points system, like drivers licenses, with suspension or revocation limits, then we might be getting somewhere in detering people from breaking the laws.

Well said Mr VJP. Together we stand, divided we fall. It's as simple as that. It's really sad to see a post like this.

I'd proabbly weigh your opinion more if you were able to read numbers. 6:22...or 6:41? Making the 30 minute rule change topic valid. Thus, not a troll thread.

Words don't cover it.

I got to stand at 3:30...3:45 she had a G5 go thru her at 20 yards..ran 40 and dropped ...Talk about last min.....

One photo of him.

luck on the last afternoon! I've been reading on here for quite a while thought it was about time to join and start posting. Good info here - thanks to all

I'm done.........I hunted hard yesterday and this morning and have nothing to show for it. Yesterday was a full day in Canadice/Lima and I should have killed a doe in the afternoon. I had 5 doe/fawns in a field with a couple small bucks. They mingled around for ten minutes and I was trying to sort out the doe from the fawns with my binos. I'd pick out a doe, put the glasses down and pick up the gun, she'd move and I'd start over. Then a buck would go behind her or a fawn would be in front of her. After a bit they fed over about 30 yards further south and my shot was screened by some brush. I had her dead and dressed, just waiting on them to feed another 20 yards further south when all of a sudden they all spooked off and never stopped until they were 240 yards away! My best shot and it should have been a gimme was at 140 yards and I had a perfect rest. That was it. It was 4:10pm and I was left holding a wish in one had and my________in the other hand. This morning I hunted East Aurora for a few hours and saw zip.......................... The Fat Lady has sang her song and the curtain has fallen on another great season.

I'm trying to figure out who would say no and why....

Going home to fry up some spam and 5 tags for dinner

Who do little for gun rights...

This is like asking someone why they like life. A true hunter can't really explain why they love it. I have never considered hunting a "sport", It's a part of who I am. There's just no simple answer to this question. Many of us would need a book to explain it.

I agree with the portion I made red here. It is what it is though, we just have to get over it. The orange? I have owned, been an Admin/Global Mod/Mod on many sites and forums. Being staff and being an OWNER are two very different issues. I have owned a few sites, still own a current site, with about 4 sub forums/sites.. We do not put anyone on the "Mod" list. I warn, if the warning doesn't decrease we delete the members account, but allow them to return if they keep within the rules. If they come back, and still act like an idiot, we ban their ISP, IP, and email ( if you don't own a website or understand what it really takes to own and run a site, not just drop on the web and go, you might not understand that ). But, we would never stop a member post from going out. I agree the Mods here should get more involved, but a site with this much activity, approving the posts from all the people with different "opinions" would take all day for 5 people. Not censorship, but a bit more moderation. I have to agree here. the NRA is mainly a political force that's supposed to help gun owners rights. It doesn't always work out the way we want, but it's better to support them then do nothing.

I think a "points ststem" would be a deterant. Accumulate points for bad behavior, lose points if you keep your nose clean. Just like a druver's license. As far as the fine & costs being too lenient? My cell pone bill is $70 a month, I buy my own phone & it cost me about $50. A one time expense. All I use is talk & text. My wife & daughter pay $50 each for data because they have smart phones. They pay their own way on that. My phone, DSL & DirectTV bills combined are less than $300 a month. (I'm getting raped on DSL due to lack of competition) All of the $$$ I have spent on stands, hunting clothes, guns, etc will give me years of service. I do not run out & buy the latest tecnoloy when what already have serves me well. Probably less than $20 a month amortised over the life of useage & my guns will serve my son for his lifetime if he takes care of them. One of them is already 115 years old & still is plenty accurate & lethal. I am on a fixed income & my wife's salary is only modest. My income is about 30% of what it was 5 years ago. $300 out of my monthly budget would be very hard to squezze out for a on etime expendature that would have no lasting usage.

They deserve the embarrassment for committing a crime. Maybe they will think twice before doing it again. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know if that one counts Wooly.. Kind of like referring to the mother of your children a milf.. Lol

No, there is no litmus test for this forum that involves anything to do with the NRA. However, I do have a problem with not supporting the largest and most effective pro-gun/pro-hunting national organization in the U.S. I understand that not everyone agrees with every one of the principles and goals of the NRA. But, I also understand that it is not necessary to support 100% of any organization to recognize that the over-all results of what they do are in keeping with my ideals and goals. That is the one thing that keeps us from being a viable political force as gun owners is that we find any excuse, to the point of nit-picking, just to keep from joining. It becomes a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. If you are waiting to find a gun/hunting organization that you have absolutely no issues with, then I guess you have resigned yourself to never becoming a part of the pro-gun lobby. As for myself, I know the required power of being organized to safeguard shooter's rights, because those who would remove those rights are highly organized and highly financed and have become highly effective at whittling away at our rights. You cannot take on a well organized opponent without being well organized yourself. Those who refuse to be organized are simply tag-a-longs who are willing to let others carry the load so they can free-load off their backs. As to the 20% figure that you quoted, while not taking that number as gospel, I will simply say that if that number is anywhere near correct, you have just highlighted the amazing level of apathy among gun owners. As for me I choose not to be part of the apathetic. Your choice is your own.

Nope not even the one who took an illegal deer off of private property. Our fines do nothing to deter people..

This is a great question and all the above are great answers... Let's see, first and foremost " I don't know". I can't explain why I love it so much... Obviously, the time I spend with my Brother and Dad is incredible, time away from the everyday struggle and craze of life, time to truly be alone and think through life's questions. Am I being a good Father, Son, Brother, Husband and so forth? Also, I do enjoy the meat, the competiveness, the work involved. To quote Tom Hanks, "It's supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it." Finally, I really believe it's built in us humans to be successful, especially Males. For lack of better words, I think it's testosterone and are determination to "provide", even though today it isn't necessary for most of us. I would sincerely and genuinely love for the ladies to respond to this question.... Not to sound cliché or too deep but it has made me a better person. I've learned how to be more patient, I've learned there are times to be soft and gentle but that there are also times when severe and harsh actions will be necessary. It illustrates true meaning of life and how to respect it. Most anti-hunters would never understand this and come to think of it, that's probably why I don't personally know any.

3:45 big ole doe doe 40 yrd run and drop....

One more

Crossbows were legal implements during this season, but we used something else. This Adirondack buck (town of Fine) was the heaviest and probably the oldest buck I have ever taken. The 8-point rack was decent, but not huge. The teeth were so worn, that most of the acorns stuffing his belly were barely chewed. I will ask the taxidermist for the exact age when I talk to him next. I probably would not have gotten him mounted were he not the first buck and my in-laws new camp, and all the "special" help I had in the harvest and recovery. For the second consecutive time this season, the good Lord guided the shot to exactly the right place (diagonally thru the rib cage from about 300 yards, just below the backstraps to not ruin any of the "good stuff"). The 150 grain Federal 30/06 bullet out of the Ruger M77 put him down in his tracks.

12-9-14 Late season success on the timbered edge of a goldenrod field. I sat on my stump daydreaming about shed season and all the antlers I'd be scooping up from the field behind me in the coming months. I had a sudden snap back to reality at 3pm when all of a sudden out of nowhere movement woke me up 25yds in front of me. This guy was casually following behind a young doe fawn and she led him right by me at 15yds before the ML swept him off his feet. He piled up about 40yds away, and when I arrived at his carcass I discovered he knocked an antler off when he crashed. I grabbed a few quick picures, and with sunset fast approaching I made a quick run home to grab a sled to make the drag out a little easier and protect his antler that was still attached. At home I realized I had this bucks antlers from last season which I included in these pics, and that I killed him just over 100yds away from where I had found those antlers last spring. This was the kind of hunt that made me thankful I could appreciate some of the finer points of the hunt without the size of the antlers clouding my excitement over him!

I don't know if this has been covered at all but I am wondering if anyone here shoots a diamond bow, I bought my carbon cure over the summer and love it. Also just wanted to say I'd recommend the carbon cure, so far so good.

Just because a hunter might be "new to the forum" doesn't mean he's a "new hunter". I started hunting in 1964 so I don't think you are intitled to some kind of hunting seniority rights that demand subserviant behavior from "new hunters". As far as I know, we are all equals here. I show respect when it is reciprocated. Excuse me if I forgot to bathe your feet.

Internet bullying is a crime these days. So, yeah, you can be sued. AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 To get back on track.................................. NRA? Support or no?

It took me about a year and a half but I leave for the corrections academy on Sunday

I would prefer a points system. I don't think someone should lose their privileges for life for a minor violation. I do think they should for major and also repeat offenders. I do not believe they should lose their guns. We have the point system for driving cars, no reason we can't do something similar.

I like to give guys the benefit of the doubt, so I'll just add that maybe this deer was already wounded and suffering from an encounter with someone else earlier in the season. The "accused" hunter may have just killed this one and left it lay due to no antlerless tag. I wouldn't leave my boot prints near the deer after having to do that either. I got no problem with someone assuming a "clean miss" in that situation.

Good for you man! That would be more rewarding to me than just killing any other ol' buck. Glad you decided to target him and finish what someone else couldn't. THAT has got to make you feel pretty damn good at the end of the day...., but doubling my load and charge recipe may have been a little overkill,lol Display those antlers proud bud!

Belo --- I interpreted your "so stupid" post as implying that I or anyone was stupid for obeying the law ......... which got my dander up

It isn't exactly a secret that the majority of hunters oppose green ammo. As a matter of fact I have posted links in this thread which include data collected on the attitude of hunters toward green ammo. That isn't even a complete list of the social studies done about this... The reason for these social studies is to confirm what is already known (that's how biologists operate, they don't assume, people just say they do). That confirmation might be used to justify outreach or gauge the "readiness" of the hunting community. Unlike the hunting community,conservationists and wildlife biologists support use of green ammo. When presented with the data, the public majority which is neither is pro conservation, pro hunting, or anti hunting; will side with them, not the hunting community. . So will most politicians, in most regions. When anyone, anti hunters or hunters, in an effort to bolster their political agenda; denies or refutes well-documented findings, it undermines the outreach of wildlife agencies and NGOs. This undermining is a huge drain to federal and state conservation funds. Regarding lead ammo, organizations representing hunters take this beyond absurd. They don't merely refute science, they promulgate that no scientific evidence exists which supports a lead ammo ban. That is a pure lie and it destroys the credibility of hunters and suggests that they are extremely stupid. Several states have already required non toxic ammo on public land for well over a decade.. If California did not previously have this restriction on public land, than they are actually a late comer. Anyone reading this use twitter? This forum has a twitter button on the bottom. Perhaps we should start using it and re-tweeting. Otherwise we are investing all this time to entertain people who will not be swayed in their opinions and will continue to misinform others...

Are you referring to the idiots on the government's side?

said it before and i'll say it again and I don't care if I get flamed for it. Putting any animal out of its suffering is the right thing to do regardless of the law.

Debunked? Sorry pal. How many hunters are shot each year? How many get hurt from stand falls? If you're about hunter welfare pursue the one that will make a much bigger difference not what fuels your agenda. "You're saved" not "your". Boy I better watch my forum posting because you just got me. "You're exactly what you were called out as" is the proper use of context. Versus "your points are all you want to hear or believe". It is liberal logic to think by mandating a coat color you will be safer. There is no guaranteed safety in hunting. As for other game seeing color; I know. That was my point. Left thinking again. Let's ban the bad guns and only good guns will be remaining. Ever wonder why it's the same guys who post on here? Because some folks act like arrogant trolls when their opinion is confronted to the point of discouraging participation. I am as sorry for disliking your point as you are mine. I do not want anyone to get hurt in hunting nor do you. Why do you want orange? Because you must hunt around idiots (which is pretty much inevitable in NY). Go the route others have and give in to finding private or leaving the sport. If the DEC passes a law its to write fines in the one in a million chance one of the 10 ECOs is there.... It won't save you or me. I am done. Kick my corpse all you want on this thread which I would bank on happening. Thanks for tearing me down on all my points and making the world a better/safer place. Your my hero. Cheers

I don't know if I can put my finger on the real reason that I hunt... I'm sure it has something to do with the challenge... especially the 1 on 1 challenge with a mature buck on his turf... but I also enjoy the comradery of hunting with my buddies as well... I have always loved the outdoors and shooting too... I guess it's a combination of things that makes it so interesting and fun. The serenity is a huge factor as well... time to think in peace... getting away from the daily grind and enjoying all the beauty that nature has for us... pretty cool really when you think about it.

I shot this buck last Thursday 11/13/2014 at 9 am in Suffolk County. He came in following 2 does. I canned at him and he came in to 15 yards. Day 4 of my 5 day vacation.

Two doe tags filled! Passed many 2.5 y/o and younger bucks, still waiting for the big guy!

I have inlaws who live/hunt there(Baudendistel Rd). They're always getting nice deer & bear

Got this six pointer Saturday morning at 11am. Drove through the night from Long Island for a one-day hunt. Had a doe come right to me at 7:30, passed. Saw a few more deer in the distance around 9am; and a bunch of turkeys. Then, this guy came up the main trail headed toward the corn. If he turns left, he'll come right to me. He turns right. I let an arrow go and miss low- I guessed 30 yards, he was 36. He jumps into the hedge row and mills around for a few minutes. He then crosses the main trail and heads in my direction along a rub line I'm set up over. I knocked another arrow. He gives me a broadside chance at about 30 yards and I let it fly. Felt like a good shot. But, the deer doesn't react at all. He stood still for a few seconds. At this point, I'm confused. I was pretty sure I made a decent shot. He starts to turn back and head slowly down the ridge. I knock a third arrow and notice his rear end starts to dip a bit- not sure if he was gonna pee in a scrape or just tip over. He gives me a quartering away shot at 40 yards and I let the arrow fly. WHAM, the arrow sticks in the back shoulder and the deer jumps in the air. Waited a few minutes and tracked him about 75 yards and jump him- find a pool of blood and my second bloody arrow. Back out and wait another half hour, track another 75 yards and find him piled up. Best part was that he ran almost directly back to my truck. Never heard of a deer sticking around to take a second arrow. This was only my third time hunting my new land and I couldn't be more thrilled with the action so far. Turns out that the first arrow was a decent hit, just a few inches back. The second shot stuck in the back shoulder and was laying in the blood pool at the spot where I jumped him.

My husband took this buck last Thurs night

Biggest to date... gonna fit right in on the wall ! Story to follow