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Dec.3..This mornings hunt I had plans to hunt doe and I knew I had to beat them to the blind area.. Didn't work out so well for by 5:30 everyone was either there or on the way, when I pushed them walking down the road...I was snorted at just as I reached the blind so the last steps I used the grunt tube then took a stick and beat a bush at the bottom of the ladder before climbing...I glassed a doe in the laneway feeding my way at about 7am ...I watched her as she headed my way very slowly.....Oh man 22 mins please please please..nope 7:10 she moves into the slashings behind my blind and heads up hill... Now you have to understand doe are harder to hunt than buck here...always have been and I was mad.Next thing I know I see what I thought was the neighbors dog, I about flipped until I glassed it and it was a nice sized yote...Hhhmmm snorted at, pushed deer,doe left,and not seeing many turkeys..This hunt was ruined.... I draw down on him about 80 yrds Bang!.miss and he's now running at me for he has the fence on one side and brush piles on the slashing side...bang! I see the slug hit just past him WTH! am I blind ! He stopped at the last shot and I shoot one more time and think I clipped his foot he was close and I was trying not to shoot over him.....Off he goes running funny into the neighbors swamp after rounding my fence.. Talk about feeling down 3 misses in a row! I'm sitting there beating my self up and now it's 7:25 and I see deer...Well those shots were like some sort of call because there are deer at the end of the lane way and filing out of the swamp across the fence...I glass and all 8 are fawns!...I just laughed and grabbed my apple to eat, when I look up.....Here comes the buck charging out of the swamp...I can't tell how long the tines are because he's close to my fence and it's now snowing pretty good...I grab my gun and get ready...he jumps the fence and before he barely touches the ground half way across the laneway,he lunges into the saplings and stops...I reposition in another window not even looking at him...The slashings are so thick and hes around 70 yrds out...I settled on a small brown patch on a trail I'd cleared this fall it was my only shot and then he broke.... the second he hit that trail I squeezed off the shot and he never kicked just went on a full stretched out run...I never even followed him the trees were so thick and I was sure I had missed yet again...about the time those thoughts raced through my mind I heard the crash!...glassed out the back blind window to see white belly...Mind you my Browning only holds 4 3" shells and I had forgotten (in my frustration) to reload...So I literally had just one shot....Now this one I could handle...unlike the bow buck......... he hung on the scale at 105...and has very little smell...so I'm sure will taste great!

Well this was one crazy hunt and bitter sweet..but dang not complaining...I went to the blind at 5:30 with plans of beating everyone...nope pushed deer going down and just as I got to the blind the neighbors swamp went wild snorting at me...so I got out the grunt tube and grunted every so many steps until I got to the blind...then I took a heavy stick and beat the crud out of a bush at base of ladder..I'll tell therest in the harvest thread...but here he is:

at 7:378pt down...happens to be the one I wanted to make it ...but wow what a crazy crazy hunt in such a short time...going to get him now picks later....72 yards perfect shot he went 50yrds and piled...I actually can not believe I hit him...just one small opening thorough the slashings and he wasn't slowing down.

Today as usual I had no one around to help...and hey. not a youngin any more. So loading the deer up into even the Gator bed can be a challenge...but I saw a trick that works with trucks as well...I pulled up to a tree very close. Centered it on Gator then took the long rope I brought and tied one end to the tree as High as the roof line. I then swung it over the roof of the Gator in the center. I pulled the deer up as high as I could making sure the rack and head were well above the lowered tail gate...Now on the Gator I have an auto lift bed so this made it easier, but I tied the rope around the deers neck...got in and slowly backed straight up toward the deer...You need to do this in stages. I had to go back and tie the legs up to get shoulders above tailgate ...then it was easy going from there. Backing toward the buck was like putting a spatula under a grilled sandwich and lifting. I didn't have to do a bunch of heavy lifting.

75 degrees and sunny in Florida...patterning gators this afternoon.

Let me try this again. and I am talking about general SZ seasons. (NZ and the communist controlled areas down south not include...lol) you buy bow privilege and you get an either sex that is valid for early special season OR late special season WITH A BOW. this is your first special privilege. Then you buy your ML privilege. and you get an antlerless only tag that is valid in the LATE SPECIAL SEASON with a ML. Or is you are having a really good early season then you can will it with your bow in the early season. OR since you now have ML privilege you can fill them both in the late with the ML (or bow if you choose since you bought BOTH privileges and you can hunt with both weapons in their respected seasons.

Near my house there is a very small sliver of posted land bordering a state park and a stream. I have no idea who owns it. I don't know how long the property is but it can't be more than 100yds wide. There has been an F150 parked there everyday since the gun opener. Day, weather doesn't matter. He is there dark to dark. I have scene this truck in years previous but never more than once or twice, usually the gun opener and a couple days after. Last night I drove by there about 10pm and caught what looked like a big deer on the side of the road. I slammed on the brakes and backed up swinging my headlights to the side of the road. This deer was the biggest deer I have ever seen. A 12pt with tines at least 12" tall. I was in aww. He stood there for maybe 30 seconds then hopped back into the thick stuff. The deer must live in the State park where you can't hunt. I can't stress how huge this deer was....I should have tried to take a pic with my phone but I was just sitting there with my jaw wide open. Whoever you are in the maroon F150....I hope you get him...I assume that is why you are putting so much time in.....

I went in with Kim, carried a camera and helped him scout. We shoot archery together on Weds nights. The gun and ammo worked flawlessly, and I was amazed at the accuracy. When we got up to 13,000 ft on our way in we stopped the truck before the final hike in, and Kim wanted to check the gun, and make sure that the major change in elevation didn't affect anything too much. He fired two rounds at 100 yards at a chew can sized target. He placed both shots well within the target at the upper half - about that 1" high at 100 yards. It was Monday afternoon before Saturday opener of HC Rifle. We had 1 evening and 4 full days to scout. It was beautiful country, not my first time out there and we saw lots of bucks and very few of what we were looking for. We were out there specifically for a 200 inch buck. We worked all year before hand so we could recognize what a 200 inch buck looked like. We saw 1, and that was the second day of hunting. Here's camp. No good pic of 200 incher - he was 3 miles away. Our next best buck was this one. I saw him Thursday before Saturday opener, right behind camp, He got as close as 150 yards from me. We scouted Friday elsewhere, staying out of his bedroom, only to have an Elk hunter move in Friday night behind us in camp, and start still hunting down through his bedroom. We never saw him again. Sunday afternoon Kim saw the 200 incher, and we set up a plan to go after him Monday morning. We covered 4.7 miles of hiking to get to set up for him and never saw him, or his does. It was a double cut, and he wasn't in ours. We didn't want to push him, so stayed put for the day and watched for him. The only thing we saw was a bunch of sheep including one nice ram. We headed back to camp, and on our way to camp we passed a new campsite with 5 guys. Asked what they were after and they said "Sheep". Uh-oh. Well you guessed it, the next morning we headed back up to where Mr Big was, and passed the guys still in camp well before daylight. We got set up in the same canyon cut, and saw nothing. Mid-day we decided to move up into the other cut, and the entrance which was only about 40 yards wide was blocked by two of the guys. We told them we wanted to head up in and take a look for the buck, and they said they had a hunter up there, a Dr., who had waited 17 years for his tag. We informed them that Kim had also waited 17 years for his High Country draw and they told us that if we went up, we would be interfering with a hunt which was against the law in Colorado. If we came within 150 yards of their hunter. We then asked where they had come up through and why we hadn't seen them, and they told us they came through below us. Yes, 80 yards below our shelf we had been glassing off of. They were even as bold as to tell us they knew where we were and didn't want any issues. Seems a guide can get within 150 yards of you hunting, but not vice versa in their minds. I realize that guy paid big bucks for them to guide him, but a tag is a tag. It was a bad situation. Anyways, our hunt was ruined, so we backed out and headed back for camp. The only buck in our hopeful range was gone. Wednesday we woke and decided to once again split up to glass. Kim headed back for the glassing spot where he had seen the 200 incher, and I headed for a nearby ridgeline above our basin. I told Kim I would make signals to him with my hat if I saw anything. I glassed the opposite side of my ridge and spotted 3 deer, with one being a smaller buck, and one larger, but I needed to move to get a better look at him. I turned to look at Kim and spotted 3 bucks in our basin. He was on the far side of the basin. The 3 were above him. I looked below myself, and 5 bucks were below me by a creek I had crossed. Our Basin was a big meadow, and they were all feeding. Below me, the group had one buck that wasn't horrible. Probably in the 140 range, not like the 170 above, but better than a tag sandwich, and I signaled to Kim there were bucks below he should take a look at. I scoped the bucks and put my binocs on Kim. He had a doe standing 15 yards below him staring at him. I was watching him and the doe, and she takes off, and then I hear the shot. I switch to the scope to see the buck down. He wasn't anywhere hear what we were hoping for, but a fine first buck, and far better than a tag sandwich. As far as Antler Quest goes. I have hunted with them twice, and he knows where the game is. BUT - both times I hunted, we dealt with people. Other hunters and hikers. When you're hunting muley's, the hikers don't really bother them much, so that's not a big deal. You have to also keep in mind that Jeff Coldwell has to do the scouting by himself. And he has alot of ground to cover, and has to be able to tell the hunter how to get there. So, he's not going to really get too far off of main trails. I would expect to see game, and see shooter animals. We were 1 for 3 last year with Muzz for Muleys, but we all had shots, and I hit a 170 in no mans land, stupidly forgetting about the fact that I was on an extremely steep hillside, and he was 150 yards, but shot like 100. I hit where I was aiming. But - expect to see people too. More than he tells you you'll see. I will use his service again. It's worth it. If you go with a couple of guys you split his fee, and he scouts for you. If you're unable to get to Colorado to scout for yourself for $800 (or a portion of that if you're a group), then I would use him. I'm heading back this year for Elk, first rifle with my buddies. Taking the 308, and hoping Pygmy can work me up a load. This year archery and gun was good to me. Maybe it was Karma from going with Kim and busting my butt. I don't know, but I don't expect another year like that any time soon. Both NY bucks. One in Livingston County and one in Allegany.

I like to grab the front legs with one hand and the back legs with the other and then use a spinning throwing motion like a hammer or shot put. Much more easily done if you kill small deer or "suit case" deer as one friend calls them. Watch out for antlers as you start the spin.

That gray fox looks amazing on my air board can't wait too send it out Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Nasty gray skin or crusty bone spots .. rubbed will not change skin condition Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Thank you guys..what a difference this one 105 hanging and the bow 174 hanging....So I'm going to be honest...this ones was sorta much more enjoyable to have gotten...and he doesn't smell bad and I think will taste great...Though bitter sweet..would have liked to see how he matured..but I don't regret taking him...Especailly after missing that yote 3 X's and way closer than he was

It really is overthinking. Buy boxes of the rounds you are interested in, and shoot them. Any empirical or situational evidence (pics of targets from other hunters guns) is pretty useless for you. What the gun throws well to your liking and is made of a competent structure, is what you should go after. People can split atoms when it comes to loads, bonded vs. not, etc. and so on and so forth. Chances are if it hitting the bullseye and grouping well for you over the scenarios you'll be using it, it will kill the deer.

good job hanging in there.

The way I was taught in school was make a stock with bones and vegetable trimmings first, strain it, take all the fat off, then add meat and vegetables to make soup. But it really doesn't make a big difference. The most important factor is simmering (rather than boiling) the bones, and simmering for at least 4 hours. Good stock should be like jello once refrigerated.

The Demarcate, Liberal Progressives, are tearing down the very fiber that this country was founded on. Freedom insured by The US Constitution, and people willing to Protect & die for it. They say there the party of diversity They are Not. They say they are for Women They are Not. They say the are for Freedom & America, They are Not. Today they are downing Prayer, they want to infringe on our 2nd Amendment Rights. They are leading this Country into the toilet. I don't think America can take anymore of there Leadership or Lack of. I think people in our country have the right to Speak, Pray or Not, and the right to bare arms. Protect ourselves and our Family, and those around us that need protecting. Everything I stand for They DON"T.

My next purchase will be a 4' brush hog... my zero turn just isnt enough to mow down fields haha. Tiller is definitely the way to go. I have a 4' king kutter and it works great. You definitely want to rid any big rock from the soil before hand. saves breaking a tine or your pto if the slip clutch is to tight. my slip clutch nuts only have a 1/4 to 1/2 turn on all of them, anymore than this would be way too tight. and the clutch wont slip. i also have a set of disks i pull behind the tractor for the plots with more rock than dirt... with my tiller i set it to only dig 2-3" deep.

Shawnhu, I believe there is only one bow privilege/tag and one muzzleloader privilege/tag for a license year. There are no separate tags/licenses for early vs late season bow or muzzleloader seasons.

Hope your day is filled with family, friends, good food and good times!

I know 2 local processors that cut, grind and wrap each deer separately. Really not that hard to do.

I finally signed up. Sorry it took so long for me to join these guys, it seems like they're really on the ball. For anyone interested, they have a deal right now where it's $20 for a year (instead of $25). Every member counts.

Correction. A gun each month except August and the is a customized Quigley Ford Scope.

Now I know ,if I ever owe you 10 bucks that you'll settle for nine. Congrats on the nice buck.

You tell me????

This morning it was my turn????

Opening morning 8pt. Was chasing does behind some blowdowns before he followed one out about 120yrds heading toward the swamp. This was a buck I had never had on camera until i checked them that day he was on both from the week prior.

My first with a rifle. Savage Axis 7mm-08 Nosler BT. Been real slow this season in my area of 4 H. Very happy to take him today! 8pt. 189 dressed.

I was asked to help my friend learn to hunt , after 3 years of close calls and some small game she was able to connect on a beautiful 10 pt opening day, she wanted to learn to gut it herself.as well so with some instruction she dove right in!!!

sounds easy coming from a guy built like a linebacker....

Another reason why I would rather bring it to a butcher vs MY house.

Is this the buck you shot today?

I am not 100% sure on that Shawn. I thought Bow privileges included both early and late season and then MZ is only late season and a separate cost.

Was it like this? http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/12/02/kenton-county-police-deer-video-vstan-orig-pkg-aj.cnn All joking aside glad to hear she was ok. Knock on wood I haven't gotten one with a vehicle.

BUMMER ! Glad to hear that your lovely bride is OK...

Setting up to be a great morning for hunting tomorrow.

Yeah it wasn't too far off the road thankfully, walking the shelfs on the lower side.

3 rats today 1 yesterday Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

It may sound silly, but being physically fit plays a huge role in staying warm, as does diet, and simply being acclimated to the temps. I'm gradually becoming old and just a bit fat and I have a much harder time staying warm than when I used to do hard physical labor outside every day of the year. Clothing will keep the heat in, but if you're not physically fit and eating reasonably well your body won't produce the 'right' kind of heat for the clothes to keep in.

There is nothing you can buy that will keep a deer from smelling you, if they are downwind. So you keep the wind in your face as much as possible and set up so the deer won't like to be behind you ie, an open area. ravine, water, rocky drop off or some type of obstruction. Set up downwind of where they are "likely" to travel, to give yourself the best odds. But no setup is foolproof. And that's why it's called hunting! Getting busted by deer is part of hunting! No matter how careful you are or what you buy, you won't beat a deer's number one defense, their nose. This is where experience and woodsmanship helps boost your odds in the deer woods.

I always wonder if making noises and alerting them and drawing attention to myself and putting them into a spring loaded condition is really what I want to do. So, I have never tried it. It just seems so foreign to everything that I have ever learned about hunting. I know ..... I have seen it on TV. But I also have to wonder how many deer have they not shown that simply bolted out of the situation without ever offering a shot.

Meat producers go to a lot of expense and trouble to get their beef to have generous marbling and fat content in their meat. Now you take a stinky old goat that has been ramming around the woods for a few weeks, and I'm surprised that more of our most aggressive bucks don't come up a bit short on the taste test ..... lol. I always compare my meat flavors against the finest beef that I can afford, and I will say that for my tastes, venison is a poor substitute. But that's just me. I'm not a big fan of farm raised mutton either. I eat what I kill, but that is more out of a sense of responsibility than any illusions that venison is my favorite meat. Give me a good angus porterhouse any day.

Milk will definitely help you with your problem. It will indeed take some of the gamey taste away. I fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it have never shot a real old buck and his this problem

I am in the same boat. What makes it worse is since I have decided to hunt and do everything on my own I have not gotten one. This year i was somewhere new and in the woods. I did not do any work this year at all, only approved the tree for my stand. I know I have learned a few things and plan on learning more there and cleaning some stuff up. Season not over so good luck.

11/28/2015 We went on a track this morning that the hunter reported he had white hair and good dark blood on. At the hit site I found white and brown hair and a decent amount of bright red blood. Luna quickly advanced the track past the hunters point of loss, and we found a bone fragment early on. The blood varied from a tiny drop here and there to larger areas where the deer stopped. I believe we were tracking a leg shot deer and weren't too far behind it. All the blood we were finding was very fresh, and several times Luna's excitement level drastically increased. A good half of this mile and a half track was through thick prickly ash. I was definitely slowing Luna down as I tried to fight through it. We ended up in a swamp, and it got to the point the water was too deep for Luna. I'd carry her and when we came to an intersection I'd set her down long enough to show me which trail to take. It eventually got too deep for us humans too. We walked around the deep part and checked every trail coming out, but never got back on it. I believe it stayed in the swamp. I consider this a successful track for Luna and felt bad that she didn't get her reward at the end. I did share some venison jerky with her on the drive home.

It only took 8 weeks but I was finally able to connect. Sat in my ground blind tonight. She came out at 3:20 walking through the tall grass. Was at 10 yards at one point but I had no shot. She finally cleared and turned broadside at 36 yards. The Obsession bow and Rage broadhead did the rest. She ran about 40 yards and piled up from the double lung shot. Glad to finally get one on the ground! Let's hope it's all down hill from here. She dressed out at 105 lbs.

Buck we called Basket 9. Shot Opening morning at first light, doe was down 20 minutes later.

11/7/15... Around 4:45pm my father shoots his first deer/buck with archery equipment this a 10pt chased a group of doe to 10yrds and thanks to Hellrazor broadheads and the shot placement the deer only runs about 40yrds! (first buck picture) 11/17/15... it was my turn, 9:20am this 7pt with a broken brow tine (would be 8pt) was dogging a yearling doe into 15yrds but offered no shot opportunity and eventually made his way onto a neighboring property. i was feeling cursed at that point, i worked very hard this off-season and the days leading up to the 17th for a shot opportunity at a shooter buck and was so close but he had slipped away. Around 9:30am this buck reappears in some thick stuff in the neighbors property but i can tell he was looking to cross the line to continue on through my property. At this point he was behind the stand and i was unsure which side of the tree he would approach on if he was to even come into a shooting lane. I decided to try usng the primos estrous can, turned the can twice and here he came to about 29 yrds quartering away and i was able to slip a Easton FMJ and a Grimeaper broadhead in and he expired within 60yrds. (Last two pictures) So ultimately two bucks were taken out of the same stand just 10 days apart, needless to say we are pleased with our small 28 acre piece of land. Who knows what could happen during gun season!

My cousin and I doubled on eight pts this am. 4B.

165lbs

11/4/15....First kill using the Rage Broadhead, it just about cut the lungs in half.........