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Finally got one with the muzzleloader. 8 Pointer, 12/14/14 @ 4:20 PM. Decent late season buck! Not one of the big boys but I'm happy with him. I think I passed on him a couple of times during bow season.

The Southern Tier Opener was picture perfect weather this year, cooler temperatures and about an inch of snow on the ground. The deer were very active, passed on 3 smaller Bucks throughout the day and killed a Mature Doe around 11:30 in the morning. About 3 pm, this Buck was just cruising thru and offered me a shot at about 100 yards. My bullet clipped a branch in front of him and grazed his belly on the first shot. To my surprise, he ran closer to about 75 yards and stood broadside. My bullet hit it's mark this time and piled up within 50 yards. 2014 was a very successful year for me, a nice 8 pt with the Bow (story in the Archery Harvest Thread), this 135" 9 pt with the Rifle and 2 Mature Does with the Rifle. Seems as though our Management efforts are paying off and those All Day sits are helping too!

I got the best gift of all. My first grandchild was born at 7:16 pm Christmas Eve. Hands down the best Christmas ever. A baby boy 8 pounds 14.9 oz 20 1/2 in long. Better score then any buck taken by anyone ever. I want to nick name him Christmas because he came so close to the actual day. My sons likes it but everyone is against it. What do you guys think. I mean no disrespect to anyone or anything with this nick name just thought it would be the right nick name. Thoughts?

Very exciting! They are fast little buggers

Ok, so does will walk along dribbling too .... I didn't know that. These dribblers (I came across 4 of them) were dripping straight brown urine, or at least that was the color when I got there. I saw some of the one-spot puddles that were yellow or quite red and those were single spots that were a couple inches in diameter. This kind of stuff is interesting, and that's why I started this thread. We don't spend a lot of time on sign reading and interpretation. These are things that would be good on some of these hunting videos and TV shows if they really were interested in putting on quality shows. Ah, but that's another topic .... lol.

If you get a hen to answer, mimic her as best you can. I've had a couple occasions where the hen gets all fired up and charges in followed by a gobbler

My earliest deer hunting video memory is "Bowhunting October Whitetails" by the Gene & Barry Wentzel along with their huntig buddies. That was about 1987 or so.

It's not really the emotional reactions that count. I mean hope and encouragement are great things but it really is a science that has yet to withstand the scrutiny of further research. yes, we do hope that it turns out to be something that can have positive results in the bigger picture as it develops.

The shoes didn't fit so my daughter scarfed them up for work as SHE needed them too, the pants were a super dark blue, she wanted black....... BUT..........I insisted that she at least try them on and lo & behold she'll keep them! The gift cards were great, clothes rack was a HUGE success and the perfume didn't happen, yet. Oh, holy cow I forgot to mention THIS.......I got her a DNA test kit from Ancestry.Com I saw something about it on another web site I frequent. It looked very interesting to me after reading some of the replies from other guys. Some very revealing things and connections to other distant relatives if you did deep enough. She thought it was pretty cool. We didn't get the kit yet as I just ordered it the 22nd. I printed off the emailed confirmation. They had a xmas special; 10.00 off the regular price of $99.99 It isn't something I'm that interested in but my wife and son are into it.

Learn to pattern hunters. Guys move from the parking lots into what they consider their favorite areas and they do so with consistently repetitive movements throughout the seasons every year. Certain trails and easier climbs and paths around obstructions (multi-flora rose .... lol) will funnel hunter movements into repetitive annual patterns of movement from parking lots to stands and back. Knowing likely spots where deer will be just before daybreak, and what the likely deer escape routes from those areas when hunters jump them can put you into a very repetitive and predictable annual locations of some very productive spots.

OHHHHH that looks awesome. Pair it with a side of mushrooms and wash down with a nice IPA!

Every year about this time, I give some of the neighbors & co-workers jerky & smoked sausage; this time I took pictures. My good deed for the year.

My son's buddy bought himself a Savage AXIS-II. He opted for 7mm-08 (7 milimeter-oh-eight, not ought-eight ) on my recommendation. He's a 1st time hunter & is going to join my son & I deer hunting next year. His Dad gave him $500 to purchase a deer rifle. He got the rifle/scope combo & a box of Federal Fusion cartridges all in $500 tax included. 1st off, the "Chinese Weaver" 3-9X40 scope is $hit. I would much rather see the gun sold for $100 less W/O scope & mounts or even $50 less with just the rings/mounts which seem decent. I have a Leupold VX-II of a similar flavor that I am going to try to talk him into borrowing for the sake of the deer. That piece of crap will most likely let him down at the worst possible moment. The optics are horrid & the reticle is a BDC (TBS would be a better moniker) reticle that is hard to see in brush & confusing. Anyway. Let's get back to the rifle. Short action magazine length: One of the 1st promising signs was the magazine box length. While Remington M700s have a SA magazine box that restricts cartridge OAL to SAMMI spec of 2.80", the Axis magazine box was a generous 3.20". That's almost exactly the same length as an intermediate length LR M98 or SR M93/96 Mauser action! Lot's of leeway for loading the ogive just off the lands" for maximum accuracy. Chamber dimensions: Aside from being quite possibly the ideal deer cartrifge, one of the reasons that I encouraged the 7m-08 was the fact that I have over 200 cases, dies & some bullets left over from when I had a 7mm-08. I never full length resized the cases for my M700 to reduce excessive working of the brass. I found that the die setting I used for th M700 chamber left the resized cases way too big for the Savage chamber. I had to screw the die almost all the way down to the shell holder to get a good easy bolt close W/the Savage. Savage seems to have cut the chamber right on the spec & case life should be very good. The fact that the Savage barrel lock-ring set-up allows precise headspace setting also contributed to this I'm sure. Barrel throat: I use a stiff spring in a fired case with the bullet to be utilized to gage the throat. I 1st place the ramrod with a flat end screwed into it against the bolt face W/the strker in the cocked position. I then slide 2 collars against the muzzle & tighten the set screw of the collar farthest from the muzzle. The case/spring/bullet is then chambered & the ramrod is gently pushed against the point of the bullet. The collar closest to the muzzle is then slid against the muzzle & the set screw tightened. A measurement between the collars then reveals the COAL that will have the ogive in contact W/the rifling. One then subtracts .010" to .015" from that to get the ideal COAL for maximum accuracy. This measurement reveals that a COAL of 2.850" for Hornady 139gr SST or Interbonds will be ideal. No wonder these rifles have a reputation for shooting well right out of the box! Love the acu-trigger: It was a bit heavy (4#) as it came from the box. A quick YouTube search found a video that showed me the proceedure & 5 minutes W/a jewelers screwdriver had a nice crisp trigger breaking cleanly at just under 3#. The only things I didn't like: The "tupperware" plastic stock is pretty flexible. The trigger gaurd arangement is tacky. To be fair though, word has it that most "factory synthetic" stocks full under the tupperware catagory. The young man has seen my stock handiwork & wants a laminated wood stock. For a little over $100 we can get a Boyds laminated classic stock with a triggergaurd which should further improve accuracy potential. Over all impression: Aside from the crappy glass, a great value for someone that wants an inexpensive tool that is very capable. For a few $$ more it can be transformed into a great rifle W/some decent optics for little more than the price of a bare bones plastic stocked Remington M700 or Winchester M70 alone. It will more than likely outshoot either. We're taking it to the range on Saturday. I need to get busy prepping case, working up some loads & loading up some cartridges

......and many more years in the woods collecting sheds, chasing deer & turkeys & taking those great photos! 42, huh..pretty soon it'll be time for one of those mid-life sports cars? lol Enjoy the day!!!

I use small master locks on my pelican case, you keep the keys, no one has access to it except you

Is your neighbor doing this because he wants you to stop hunting, or do you think he'd do it regardless of who owned the property? It's an important point. If for some reason it's about you personally there's probably some wiggle room regarding his stance if you make the effort. If he's a complete anti-hunter your only real hope is to somehow convince him that you're doing a good thing with your land in the broader scheme of things. Either way, without changes of attitude on both sides nothing will change. I wish you the best.

A vaccine that works 20% of the time after 8 boosters in 11 months is simply something that FAILED. Having been part of a lot of scientific animal research, the data set is insignificantly small. It's even possible that the animal was somehow naturally resistant to CWD. It is a fact that the deer farming industry primarily facilitated the spread of CWD. It may not been the end of the world and neither is HIV/AIDS, but it would have been better if these diseases had stayed where they originated.

I use a keilbasi recipe, the only difference being I use 32-35mm /Italian sausage style casings. It can be either heated up or eaten cold, it's already cured, cooked, & smoked. Recipe: 4 lbs venison 1lb pork backfat 5 lbs pork butt (neck/shoulder) Grind 1 time through the fine plate on your grinder. Mix with: 1/2 cup cold water 4 oz non-iodized salt 1/2 cup soy protein powder 2 teaspoons Prague Powder #1/ sodium nitrate Pinch of sugar Good shot of garlic powder, cracked black pepper, and marjoram (I never measure, just eyeball) Mix well, Stuff as tightly as possible into casings as possible, and tie into a ring. Pop any air pockets with a pin or knife tip. Cook in smoker with light smoke at 160 degrees until desired color is acheived and internal temperature is over 150, usually 12-15 hours.

Thanx grow. A couple others have suggested Nick as well. I just don,t like nicknames that are also common first. His uncle is named nick. Grandbabys name is Noah.

"Woolster"...........................Happy Birthday my man! I hope you have a great day and get to spend it with those you enjoy.

That is were most of my experience lies, southern tier tracking. I have said before, you almost always have to kill the deer the first time you see it. When I track around here I move at the same pace as when I still hunt. Slow and deliberate.

Don't forget to download the $50 rebate coupon. http://www.savagearms.com/promotions/ The savage rebates page also has a link for rebates on federal ammo. $25 rebate if you buy $50 worth of Federal Premium ammo within 30 days of the savage rifle purchase & before 12/31. The 140gr NBT loads qualify. http://federalpremium.com/downloads/promotions/OT822_2014_FederalSavage_Coupon.pdf

Pygmy, don't you mean Ithaca 'thump'? LOL In the early 1980's I did test firings and sight-ins for a gunsmith friend of mine in exchange for 'smith work. Having a dozen slug guns to sight-in at one sitting was not, repeat NOT, an enjoyable part of that job. The model 37 was the worst offender by a fair margin, and there were always a few in the to-do pile. I still have mine though, and wouldn't part with it for anything.

Santa aka my wonderful wife of 30 years totally surprised me this morning with the savage axis in 7mm-08. I really had no idea she was going to do this! She even contacted my best bud and hunting partner as to the caliber and all. I still can't believe he didn't slip up and tell me! It is my first actual deer rifle and I can't wait to shoot it. I'll take wildcat's advice and upgrade the glass and perhaps a timiney trigger in the future. But even as it is, it's a big jump up from my old deerslayer ll. Going hunting for ammo tomorrow, and from the info on this thread the 140 gr Federal ballistic tip should be a good round for this gun, if I can find it. Right?

I got a pretty good haul Gift cards for DICKs , Walmart , Tractor Supply and Dunkin Donuts . Some cash and a couple of checks . A book by Jim Boheim , box of hand warmers , a hoodie zip up sweartshirt with some cool logo and a Samsung Galaxy S5 smart phone with a OtterBox case (got the phone early). I started getting gift cards instead of the useless stuff that I would end up putting away in drawers .

You would think ..... lol. It all just points up the kinds of pressures these TV hunter-heroes are put under to produce. To them apparently it is no longer hunting, but just another job that has to meet the bottom line in terms of productivity. It is a shame that they have bastardized the sport to that extent, but this is not an isolated event and it shows how people react to peer pressure and how peer recognition and acceptance can drive perfectly normal people to do exceptionally bad things to achieve that. When we start measuring hunting success in inches of antler, this is a natural outfall of that mentality. Those participants are at fault, but likely some of the fault lies with the viewers who promote this sort of exploitation in the name of cash and hero-worship.

I was told it was a done deal and should be law in 2015.

Can't ship to NY if I recall correctly. I tried ordering from Cabelas earlier this year but they can't ship to NY. Thanks for the heads up.

The point wnybuckhunter I believe was trying to make was that a study cannot be proven to be true with only one in the sample set. Once they test it on a larger sample size say 1000+ deer and they all are free from cwd after being exposed, then and only then can people really start to convincingly state that such a vaccine is viable on an actual population of deer. So please before you jump down anybody's throat please keep in mind the scientific method which requires repeatability before something can be proven law Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

all good advice so far. I love my bow hunting for deer but I eat breath and sleep turkeys! I do far more hours scouting than hunting, but I am looking for a specific feature on birds I want to hunt. SPURS. by the time may 1st rolls around I usually have 60-70 longbeards located but only a handful of those are birds I am interested in hunting. one thing that really needs stressed is SAFETY. for whatever reason people seem to loose their minds when a turkey is gobbling and there are a number of issues each spring. hunt defensively. never assume you are alone after a gobbling bird. always assume that the noise of something approaching is another hunter until you confirm otherwise. even on heavily posted and patrolled ground you can have someone sneak in on you. be aware of your clothing, not just your camo but whats under it. white, red, blues should not be worn, even under your camo so there is no chance of it being visible. I am extremely careful myself since I have pretty light colored hair and my beard is fairly white, even while walking I try to remember to keep my headnet on because of my white hair. I always try to set up with a tree that is as large or larger than the width of my back. i like the woods to be a little more dense with not more than 50 yards of visibility. I do not and have not used decoys in years, not even a hen decoy. I would never use a gobbler decoy. my go to call is a burrville bomber made by Tim Fralick out of watertown, its a longbox but it is absolutely deadly on gobblers. i carry 3 or 4 box calls, 4 pot calls, mouthcalls, and a wingbone in my vest. but hands down that bomber gets it done time and again. knowing what to say or more importantly what not to say will pay dividends, the 2 most common mistakes made by hunters is 1. set up location 2. calling too much. pay attention while scouting, wild hens don't waltze around the woods yapping non stop, they have learned that noisy birds get eaten, same goes with gobblers. I have noted far less gobbling over the last 5 years as the coyote population has increased, I have also noted an increase in predator kill sites involving turkeys the last few years with a large increase last spring. I have killed more birds with 3 or less series of calls than doing an excessive amount of calling, don't get me wrong there are times and birds that you gotta hammer with the call but generally speaking soft calling will yield better results especially on heavily pressured birds. I rarely ever call to a bird thats still on the limb unless I am right where I know he wants to go, then I will do a wing fly down with a quick soft cluck/yelp series. a lot of times he will pitch right to me. if he moved and is in a different tree and does not have hens with him but wont respond once on the ground I will let him move off and then go to the tree he was roosted in and set up right there and then hit his with the calls. I have killed a number of mature gobblers doing this, since its how its supposed to happen in nature, the hens go to the gobbler not the other way around. as far as the gun goes, just about any gun will do as long as you know the effective range. it takes some range time but you should be able to find a suitable choke/shell combo to have a 30-40 yard gun. I would recommend as others have said, some kind of sighting system, either rifle sights, or scope. I have a dedicated turkey rig thats topped with a scope, I have done a lot of work to that gun to get it where its at but i am a turkey nut so I can justify it good luck, and I kinda feel sorry for ya knowing that its quite possible that the first time you call in a gobbler and you see that big black beach ball with a neon lightbulb walking towards you that you will be ate up on turkey hunting.......its a GOOD addiction!!

Glad you were able to subdue the Christmas gift-giving angst Lawdwaz. Peace be with you. On another note, I gave myself the most wonderful manicure today. A moisturizing soak that lasted almost two hours, including 10w-30 fully synthetic tractor oil that was a bit too hot at the start but finished beautifully, a brief spritz of carb cleaner to evict the mice that were in the intake canister of said tractor, a generous application of hydraulic fluid when the log splitter spit up on me, and I finished up with some EPA-approved biodegradable bar and chain oil. The shape and buff treatment was accomplished when I got sloppy and careless with the angle grinder sharpening mower blades for next year. This happens sometimes when you're trying to hold a beer in the other hand late in the afternoon. Thankfully there was no manscaping today, but I'm cutting firewood tomorrow afternoon so I'll be sure to let you folks know if anything like that happens! Then again, maybe I won't mention it. All in all I had good day, but ymmv. Merry Christmas to everyone. Be well and be happy. Mark

Boyds stocks make this gun shoot much better my 223 is sub half Inch at 100 and 308 is around an Inch.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all. Thought you folks may like this…...

I've seen lots of people that could't shoot offhand that consistantly with a CF rifle.

A doe hoof print is typically more slender and pointed at the tip. Doe tracks usually accompany other doe or fawn tracks. A hoof print from a buck is a touch more rounded at the tip and a more wide and longer hoof print overall. If the buck is 2.5 or older, those characteristics are more pronounced and tend to peak my interest quite a bit. They also tend to be a lone track, but not always. If you were to find that track early in the morning and start following it, you can see where the buck traveled over night. You'll notice he was checking out areas that hold does and searching for one to breed. You may see where he passed by a scrap to lick the branch and sniff around, they don't always rake the ground. And of course, they are hitting the prime food sources in their travels. For me it takes the right amount of snow to see a track clearly. An inch or three of that nice wet snow is the best for viewing tracks. Bare ground, soft or muddy soil where deer passed through is always a good place to look as well.

I always write notes and place in my back tag for next year of things that I want to do. Like new stand locations or just thoughts on hunting strategies , just notes to myself , I seem to forget as the year passes and get busy with other things ...

I've mostly hunted state lands for 30 yrs, and can sum it up easily - Go deep or go steep. Most hunters on the public lands I hunt don't seem to want a long or hard walk, so use your topo and look for the steepest hillside you can find and get there early. Most everyone else scouts, walks, mountain bikes, or sets up in areas that are easier to get to, so if you get on that hard to reach hill side, the deer will head there. Just ask the Letchworth guys with the ropes and pulleys If there's no steep hills, go far in, or at least where no one else will head to. One deer in camp this year was almost 1 3/4 miles in on a easily walked logging road. No one there and lots of deer moving around. One place I hunt crosses a flooded area that has ~ 150 yd walk through 8 inches of water. Have seen hunters walk to the edge and turn away. Lots of deer there, as they learned they don't get bothered back there Now is a great time to scout for next year. Good luck

I hunt lots of state land... Use topo and sat maps....Google maps is a good one Be willing to walk in further than most others.... Be in woods when others are walking in or out for lunch/arrival and departure.... Scout if possible....my major downfall I don't scout.... Don't get discouraged I'd not successful right away.....and as said above try and find less used areas in and out

At your age I get it... I lived it... thought it all seemed important then too... then my son got leukemia at 14... we nearly lost him to a pneumonia caused by a MRSA infection during his treatment... other parents we got to know weren't so lucky with their children... believe me... there is nothing that has to do with your work that you can't handle during work hours... for all you young guys that are burning the candle at both ends... stop and take some time to think about what is really important in this life... it isn't money, It isn't that big promotion at work, it isn't the acceptance of other people, it isn't who has the biggest or most stuff... slow down and enjoy the things and people you love... you really don't have much time to enjoy those things... I was 30 yesterday, I blinked... and now I'm 55... and now I never go anywhere or do anything without stopping somewhere along the way to smell the roses. I've learned that I have never had a bad day in my life... some are just not as good as others... when I thought I was having a bad day... I would think about those parents that lost their young child and realized my day wasn't really that bad at all.

As funny & stupid as the above comment may sound, it is true! Long barrel length & super full chokes are a trade-off. Give really dense & tighter (small) patterns at closer distances, but give suitable patterns at longer distance. As you've seen from most members, a shot size of #5 or 6 is prefered. I personally use the #5/6 combo as my gun likes it! Think I've purchased most every turkey call ever made over the years. Part of my gobbler hunting ADD..! Never could seem to master the slate/glass calls, just me! Had a ~30yo Quaker Boy box call that seemed to never fail me. Distance, tone, call varieties, etc. Could even hold it backwards and give a 1/2 a$$'ed gobble. Cheap box calls in the big box hunting stores are mass produced from cheap, less desirable woods. Thus, the tone is not great on most. FYI - Not promoting this, but on ebay you can get a great box call that's handmade out of more preferable woods and sometimes even etched with designs for ~$50. For the beginner, definitely a slate or box call to begin with, but you'll eventually want to get proficient with a mouth (diaphragm) call for close-up, hands-free calling. Set-up is paramount! Meaning, for example - if you're s/u in an open area calling & the Tom doesn't see the hen, he'll lose interest. Or, if in thicker cover, they can come in silent & be in your lap when you're not prepared to shoot! Also, there's a fine balance between over calling and not keeping the gobbler interested. All part of the frustrating learning curve of hunting gobblers. Fun, addictive and frustrating, all at the same time! TV shows depicting turkey hunting are ....misleading, at best. Most are in areas where turkey populations are very high. Like others have mentioned, a 30min show has been edited from hours/days of hunting and make it look almost too easy! Best you can hope to gain from watching them are the basics. Wish I could point you in the specific direction, but the very best one I've ever seen was video of just the turkeys milling around & their sounds (calls) with no hunting. May have been on YouTube..? Do NOT use actual turkey calls when scouting in pre-season!!! Lot of the reason why public land gobblers are so hard to hunt. When hunting, as you'll find out, shock calls like crow, woodpecker, bike horns (??), etc sometimes get a response gobble. If they are close, these calls give you a better chance to s/u. If you've located a nearby Tom with a turkey sound, he may already be on his way in and it becomes a WTF scenario. lol BTW - If you don't own one, get a ThermaCell. Nothing more distracting than trying to "talk turkey" when the small black flies are swarming around your face mask! Not to mention, getting eated alive! The first one you get after he's come in to your calling, all fanned out, strutting, feverishly gobbling, whether a 4" or 10" beard......YOU'LL BE HOOKED!!!!

If you hear really bad calling in the woods it's almost ALWAYS a real hen

Thinking about work???? Maybe you are more numb than I thought... that's insane buddy!! The stand is suppose to get you away from that stuff... us older guys need to have a long talk with you.. young man..

I'm sure there is plenty of time during your many 8-9 hour sits in the woods throughout the year... you'd have to be numb from the neck up not to give it some thought when you're in the midst of it all... and I'm thinking you still have some feeling up there.. you're still young!

Very simple...There is never anytime when I feel so FREE from life's everyday worries and woes than when I am hunting or fishing.. My mind is occupied with what I am doing, whether calling a turkey or finessing a smallmouth with a hair jig..

I will try to make this short. It's not a simple question. My mother and Aunt were hunters and I thought that was so cool. Of course there were plenty of guys in the family who hunted but what is cool about that? I never really hunted until I had too. I was only successful at getting deer when I hunted with someone. Now that I hunt alone I am not so lucky at it. I say I squirrel and rabbit hunt but seem to just walk and sit around. I learn something every time I go out. I am also a calmer person. A few years ago I noticed earth waking up and the sunrises, both are worth getting out of bed for.

There is so much to it all that Its hard to figure it all out. But it all has to do with what makes a hunter vs. what makes a non-hunter. How much of it is the in-born predator lurking inside of us, put there my centuries of evolution where we are simply being what we really were meant to be ..... meat eating predators? How much of it is simply a test of our independence and self-reliance? How much of it is all tangled up with our history, culture and heritage? I think it all plays a part for me. I come from a rural upbringing at a time when hunting was simply an expected part of life. The appreciation of nature was simply built into every day, and hunting, trapping and fishing was all part of that. Those lifestyle impacts never really do leave you. As Wheelieman said, it becomes a part of you and has come to define what I really am.

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!

Shot this buck this morning with my Dad's .300 Win Mag. First deer I've killed with it since he passed away. Figured I'd blow the dust out of it for him...