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Found a pic of mine. May not be everyone's cup of tea either but I like it

Belo I very much like it. I went the hanger route for now. It's on a basement wall but with a mount , flat screen, and now this sticking out from wall, it's getting crowded .

Had a quick, textbook hunt this morning. Saw this guy strutting out in the field last night with 3 hens. Set up a blind and dekes in the field this morning. He started gobbling at 5:15. I didn't call to him until he hit the ground. My calls got a hen fired up and he went crazy. Within a few minutes a hen came down and headed for the decoys. He came out running in 3/4 strut. I could see his stubby beard but he had a full fan and definately wasn't a jake so I clucked on the mouth call to stop him...he stopped and looked around and I leveled him. Game over at 5:45!!! Got screwed in the beard department. My last gobbler had 5 beards so I can't complain too much. Fourth kill of the season with the Halloran Metal Mouth...love this call!!!

Happens every year around Memorial Day. Does are alienating last year's fawns because they are getting ready to have a new set of fawns shortly.

That's a good question. Some only shoot what they would mount, others anything wider then the ears ,so say 17 inches ( and that could be a 2 1/2 ) . Myself last year in bow I took a 17 inch wide 6 pt but a very solid body and a cake shot at 10 yards , then I passed a similar buck ( 8 pt 25 yards with my .270) the second day of gun , as I would only shoot much bigger for a second buck . We have no set rule other then try to,pass the young ones , so ideally that would be pass all up,to 3 1/2 and some would say those as well. But there are a number of farms and hunters involved and nobody can force anything upon another farm , our farm , it's outside the ears , yet some only will shoot a buck they would mount . Some have monsters on the wall , and they go years sometimes between bucks . Others are after a certin one . Not me , in bow I don't mind hunting a lot and passing , but if it's a cake shot and what I feel is a good hunt , that first big enough buck is going down . Although this year knowing what's there , and having a pile decent bucks in the basement ,I may hold out . I change year to,year it seems..... Just a passing 1 1/2 and most 2 1/2 , banned driving and walking around , having areas off limit has made a big difference . I don't read books about deer hunting or go to seminars , plant food plots, we just pass up.younger bucks and oddly enough they become older bucks .

Here you go ..........

Show? I thought you were referring to the 7 guys and two thrones at work in the morning. Your show is probably more entertaining.

It's never in the glass for long so I don't taste a difference. Guess I'm not a beer snob

My handy work for last years buck.

THAT WAS YOU!!!???

should have lit up a crow call or gobble call lol.

Well just had a jogger pass me at ten yds .... Should have seen the confused look on his face when my Avion X jake didn't budge an inch when he passed by , never saw me ... Oy vey Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How exactly is Cuomo "in tune" with hunters? He has the occasional letter in the DEC magazine? He poses with a deer hunter for a photo every now and then? Cuomo is a politician, and barring any extensive backwoods experience he may have (which I've not heard of, but then again I haven't researched much about his past) his "support" for hunting seems to only go so far as is needed to bring in the rural, blue-collar votes (as is the case with many other politicians). I won't get into the back-and-forth on the SAFE Act other than to say that most hunters I know are pro 2nd amendment and don't like it, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. As for fishing for red herring, it's funny that you bring that up. Your signature talks about building support for dove hunting, while you don't seem to have any problems with trashing other people's ideas/opinions that differ from your own on issues like firearm legislation or bear hunting. I realize others on here have been side-tracking this thread with overtly political comments, but you've also been doing a bit of pot-stirring yourself, far too much of it in my opinion to be calling other people out. As for how we reframe trophy hunting, I think education is a good approach. Educating hunters on proper game management (truthfully, I find that the average hunter already knows quite a bit on the local wildlife and their ecological role in the region vs the average non-hunter) and educating the public, who by and large know very little about hunting, wild-life management, land management, ect. If non-hunters are using HSUS and PETA videos to learn about hunting, then of course they're going to get a very one-sided narrative. Government wildlife agencies and hunter conservation groups should at least provide information to the public, engage in conferences, public meetings, ect. to explain how hunting takes place and is managed for long term sustainability.

My greater point would be that... what hunters sometimes call deer management has nothing to do with managing overall deer herds... it's more of a cherry pick of the parts they would like to see managed... many hunters talk about antler restrictions and food plotting as if that is all that managing whitetails consist of... the same goes for one buck rules and shorter deer season ideas... narrow minded ideas that forget about all the aspects of overall deer management. Getting bigger bucks and more of them, if that is what we're talking about, is as simple as ... stop killing young bucks... not really rocket science... overall optimized deer management vs. the different NY habitats is a little closer to rocket science.

Anybody noticing what looks like a significant spike in dead deer along the highway? I have also noticed deer wandering around all over at mid-day.

friday and saturday hunts were fun ( well except for the rain saturday) but was in birds both days letting a few 2 year olds walk. no hunting here on sunday so I got more scouting time in first thing in the morning and again late morning and evening. in between all the scouting I worked on digging out the dirt bank along mom and dads house so we could build the barn stone retaining wall as a preparation step for me to form up and pour her cement patio. monday morning I was walking away from the truck at 3:30 am under clear starlit and moon light skies, Finally I was going to get on the ridge above a neighbors barn, I had seen a longbeard up there almost every time I scouted his farm but could never put spurs on him even with the spotting scope. it had rained sunday night till about 10 pm so I figured the fresh planted fields would be hit hard. With the hay being about mid thigh height it didn't take long to be soaked. I had listened to this bird a number of days and knew where he liked roosting. with the bright moon light and 0 wind the last 300 yards was tricky I tried staying under the overhanging limbs of the fencerow trees and moved at a snails pace as I knew that I was in plain sight of the gobbler and his hens, even at 4am it was bright enough I could of seen a turkey on the ground easily at 100 yards. I had already picked out a likely set up tree through the spotting scope but just needed to verify it once I got to the massive old oak tree. It seemed to take forever for the first crow to start up, heard 5 different gobblers anywhere from 300 yards to a mile away, filed all the locations away in the memory bank. by now the temps had taken a big jump and the fog was really building. Finally a hen starts up and he gobbles at her directly across the field from me, but sounded like he was back off the field 50 yards or so. I did a loud flydown with the wing breaking some branches before thumping the ground he bought it hook line and sinker when he double gobbled at me.... he sounded good, I hit him with some soft yelps and clucks and barely got the bomber back in the vest pocket and my hands on the gun when I see him sailing in like a b-52 and he touched down 15 yards from me! I dont think he had 2 toes on the ground before he was in full strut. didn't take me long to see that he was going to get a pass... another lovesick 2 year old. the hens finally flew out to the field and he went strutting down the edge to the vocal hen. once he went over the rise I was on my feet and motoring to one of the other birds that had a decent sounding gobble. we played cat and mouse for a bit but he was with a hen and was not gonna leave her. I backed out and started trolling the edge of an old strip mine when I get blasted by a gobble, I hit the pine tree next to me just as the first bird came into view.....the leader of the rat pack.... 6 jakes. let them all walk away and back on my feet again. did some more trolling and working back to the truck I was up on the high ridge above where I parked and a buddy from ny had sent me a text saying he was headed down wed. night. and wanting to know how it was going. was typing the text when a bird hammers way out in the neighbors field. I eased my way that direction clucking and yelping as I walked the logging road and he was hitting every call. I get set up when I felt I was close enough and he gobbled steady along the edge of the field making his way to the logging road turned right and walked right to me where I had set up in the old log landing area. He too was sporting sub inch spurs so I let him walk away, I get another text from my buddy and text back another 2 yo gotta find a good bird. back at the truck and it was 9:45 I knew where I was going! I get to the farm and sure enough the silage thief is off his little island. there is only 1 little spot to see him from and its almost a mile walk down the creek bed to get to the little strip of trees which run along a near vertical bank of nearly 100 foot rise up to the grain fields. I parked the truck as the farmer was going by he stopped, we chatted for a bit and when I said where I was going and I was after the grain thief he said his brother was there that morning and never heard a gobble. I said if I can get him to gobble after 11 he may get a ride in the truck. he told me I better get moving since he knows my route, and told me he would stay out of there till my truck leaves. I jokingly said I will be back by noon..... down the creek I go get into the finger of trees and work my way along the bottom till I can just barely make out the upper inside corner of the upper field. I unload the gun and literally on hands and knees start scaling the hillside using small trees to pull myself up and using them as basically steps all the way to the top. I get to the old sheep fence the farmer has along the hill to keep the cattle out of danger with the hill and I ease over the fence and set down against a big black walnut tree, I am drenched with sweat its now 11:25. I get all situated slip the bomber out of my vest and do my cluck and yelp series and he cuts me off, thats 1, wait a few minutes yelp into clucks and he cuts me off again thats 2, I wait 5 minutes call again he hits me again a lot closer, thats 3. I wait another 5 minutes call again...nothing time to put the call away and get ready. seems like an eternity before I hear him do his where are you cluck about 30 yards in front of me and then I see the grass waving back and forth coming at me. twice he stretched way up but could not verify it was him. he has slowly weaved through the grass and is now at 20 yards, he periscopes up, still cant verify its the thief, his head looks big enough to be him but I want to make certain its him, I know chances are it is because he has never allowed another gobbler to be with him even through the winter he was alone. Finally he drops into about 3/4 strut with his fan up and its confirmed! no mistaking that tail! I ease the safe off even though I can only see his fan above the grass, finally he periscopes up again and I ease off the safety, crosshairs right on the tip of his beak,,,,,,,,, literally blew him backwards with the shot. I get up walk up to him and fully confirm its the silage thief. we have had some fun hunts the last few years, passed him at 2 & 3 years old, didn't get a chance to hunt him last year but kept tabs on him and then I turned up the heat on him this year and finally it all came together yesterday. filled out my tag, took some pics at 11:45. over the shoulder he went and out around his island and down the tractor path walking past the silage bags. I get down to the road and as I am walking back to the truck I hear the farmer coming up the road on the tractor, he stops and says I don't even have to ask if thats him I see the skinny tail its him,,, well he aughta be good eatin that sumbit did nothing but tear holes in my silage bags so he had easy eats... and by the way you said you would be gone by noon you have 2 minutes to get to your truck as he laughed and drove away. lightweight at 15 lbs. beard 10 1/2" spurs 1 3/8" only 11 tail feathers, his wings were so beat up from fighting I don't even know how he flew up to roost, not worn from strutting, broke off or completely missing wing feathers. he musta been a southpaw cause the left wing was really bad, if he could fly and distance it was probably in a circle.

Only heard a few gobbles in the distance this morning. Was cruising along a logging road and came across a big pile of fresh bear crap...100 yds later I came up on the bear standing in the trail!!! Looked pretty big, I just backed off and went back up the trail the way I came.

Treasured family heirloom ..... Grandparents brought home from FLA. It's stamped Cuba. Needs a good cleaning , and some glue on his toes , that are getting weak .

That's the impression of a DEC released mountain lion dong as he sits down. Jeesh, you guys don't know anything

Depends on how much land you'll be hunting whether you sit and await a gobble on roost and try and close the distance or run and gun using locator call. If you're hunting a large parcel run and gun maybe the best choice especially if no scouting was able to be done. Hit owl call/owl hooter as you meander thru the woods and listen for gobble on roost or eventually after they hit the deck. Try not turkey calling as you walk as birds have been tight lipped this year and you may walk right into them. When you do use turkey call, call softer than you think and then cut that in half. Last few times out I've (we've) called hens in and haven't heard them until they've gotten to 30-35 yards. Tom will hear the softest of calls for a loooooong way . No wind providing. Turkey call every 15-20 minutes. Purrs , clucks and quiet 3 note yelps may be the best. Be in the woods by 4:30 am the latest. And BE CAREFUL trying to sneak up on birds on public land . "Turkeys " you may hear are other hunters and "you" may have other hunters try and sneak up on you as well. Enjoy the woods. Nothing better than listening to the woods wake up in the spring. Take all my info with a grain of salt as I'm on the schnide this year. Keep us posted regardless if you kill a bird or not. "Live from the turkey woods 2016" is fun to post up on and see how others are doing that day.

Not many will give up a spot, much less a spot the last weekend if they are still hunting. Been a tough year for a lot of turkey hunters. Scouting ahead of time is the best way to go, but you don't have that option, so you have to scout as you go. Researching isn't that tough here in NY. Google Map the area's you want to hunt. I am guessing that you will be staying in a hotel or camping. Be nice about it and ask the locals. They might offer some information. Figure out what kind of call works best for you, and practice with that as much as possible. Have a crow call or some form of shock/locater call. Make sure you have at least run a couple rounds through your shotgun to pattern it and know where you shot is the most dense.

Got busted by two birds that were already down at about 520.. ?? It was light enough but it still seemed kind of early to me…Couldn't get anything going. I have yet another plan for the morning…I think this is like plan # 75 for the season…..Did see 2 big bodied deer about 60 yards out. No headgear. Watched them for a while then one suddenly stopped and gazed right in my direction. I was hunkered in and all camped up. I think it smelled my Deep Wood Off and the coffee I spilled all over my shirt, before I left the house. 2 good looking deer tho..

Damn Jeremy.... When I start thinking the bear here have learned how to swear..I'll stop going out at all!...lol

What's your husband drink.....JK

I have had this happen this year, the birds I worked would roost anywhere in a 200 yard circle. Most likely they will be very cautious but will return to the area. If it were me I would try to set up where they work off too but not to close to the roost because of what happened today.

On the plus side I had two yearlings feed right up to me , could have reached out n touched the little buck with his 2 inch fuzzy's Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I had three close calls in one early morning 3:00am trip to Canadice with deer. Two of the three I was VERY hard on the brakes, the third I saw standing on the shoulder and I didn't even have time to slow down. Never saw the eyes glow on that one..... The past week though it's been dead coons, they are everywhere!

Hold Door... really... really

Yea got lots of action on cams. This is the only cam I currently have out, cell cam. I'll add a few more in August. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Actually, I'm not all that fussy.. I'll bet that surprises the hell out of most of you...<<wink>>....

I know a guy who makes a good one.

people in general only see and appreciate what's in front of them. they have to experience how hunting deer with older bucks is first hand. with DEC claiming that biologically the herd is as great as they claim, passing young bucks is currently to them a social issue only and therefore everything is voluntary. despite their disowning the biological benefits of passing yearling bucks, DEC still has to own their statement of encouraging those to pass yearlings. DEC is slow to do anything without majority the public pushing for it. so move on to us and forget DEC... first everyone has to know what the heck a yearling buck looks like that includes non-hunters that are willing and care too. it has to be put out their so much that indicators of a yearling buck start to become common knowledge. to back that up, after harvest there's nothing to say hunters' shouldn't itch their curiosity to know if what they took is a yearling or older. looking at their teeth it's not hard to tell if it's a fawn, yearling, or older based on their teeth. at those very early stages it's not subjective or based on wear. a tooth is there or not. a tooth has this many cusps or not. if I can teach multiple elementary school kids within 20 minutes, the general public learn it. next people always ask why. some basic items based on antler increases, hunting experiences observed, and biological benefits should all be put out there. you might value a particular benefit differently than the next person, but I assure you there's something their for anyone to appreciate. people will probably forget all but the one or two their that really appeal to them. still ok, as long as the general understanding remains that it's great to pass yearlings. we've got to ditch the state of mind that my needs should be your needs, outside of what's good for deer. subjective reasons for not passing a yearling are still okay. every yearling doesn't and won't live but anything short of an honest effort will lead to too many being harvested to help the situation. although subjective we need to understand that our peers will get over any reason they can understand. first time hunters, youth, the old man that just wants to take one buck close to the homestead just to stay in the tradition that is our sport, to maybe the guy working three jobs with little time to hunt, or the enlisted being deployed. the biggest part of any of those is the person pulling the trigger has to be sincere and own the harvest. DEC doesn't manage the deer. we do. if there's any doubt, regret, or lack of an honest effort then be ready for your peers to give you crap for it. i'll say it again. DEC owns their statement and we respectfully own the honest trigger pull. the last question... start using trophy as more of an accomplishment versus something better than the rest. even so, in my opinion ditch the use of the word trophy so much. still use it but not as often. if someone didn't understand the context of something you said, would you keep saying the same thing and hope it'll work itself out? no. you rephrase, use a different word, or tack on something brief to elaborate. maybe even do the latter to begin with. my opinion Rob.

I'm a sucker for cool looking bottles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The soil is good with lots of crops. But my point is something as simple as passing on the young ones , more or less can bring success as far as an older age class . We have no over all master plan other than letting young bucks live . No ratio or deer per square mile , no one buck rule, don't know anyone with a " food plot " .I've hunted the ground 30 years and just doing this one thing has really changed things .

I don't know much of the ins and outs of qdm and the like. The large farm I hunt and many surrounding though have a complex set of hunting rules ,kill as many does as you wish and only bucks wider then the ears, and that scale kinda slides a bit for bow..... and first timers get to shoot what they want , and "mistakes" seem to happen as well . Here's what we got ( a small sample ), most of the trail cam ones were killed as well . And no.

Have the same issues.....Chipmunks!!! Caught the first one of the year about an hour ago in a trap with good ol' peanut butter!!!

LOL turkeyfeathers. It might be. But, when we had the skunk issue they would set off the motion light in the back yard, that's how we knew what they were.

I'd worry about that more at camp...then again...they may be upset when they find their plants gone...with a thank you note nailed to a tree..or taped to a 5 gal bucket ... .

Some sort of pale ale . After work yesterday ( which was my Friday ). Sitting on Park Ave watching girls jog By .

Chris just something to think about. Birds are up or just about up at 4:45. No faulting you but they seem more sensitive to noise n prone to blow up by that time. At 4:45 you can hear the songbirds so in essence the birds are up. If you've seen them awake they don't instantly gobble or yelp. It's all just some things to consider. A few weeks ago I was arriving at my spots around 3. Maybe excessive but Id rather sleep in the woods after taking time in than start a morning off not the way I wanted. An option to try if it's close enough for you is roosting them so you know where they are. Either way best of luck rest of season

I'll throw this out there. Anyone perhaps interested in loading TSS turkey loads in 20 gauge or 12 gauge ? Guys love toting a 20 gauge jacked up with these and they out perform 3.5 " 12 gauge loads at 40 yards. #9's are supposed to be great but NY doesn't allow anything under #7's I believe. We could all throw in to get the shot, hulls and such . Just a thought for you reloaders. Would have to meet up to get such ammo from person who reloads as wonderful Safe Act and all. Apparently my current loads and daughters are defective as they don't make any noise so far this year

No lights is how I go or teach others going in. You go real early n when you get close just a step at time like deer. You're slow so you don't need light imo. I often see birds roosted in dark n some of the cows farms my daughters n I hunt we walk right under even climbing fences. Now that's 3 of us 2 young. It works. We even sometimes set blinds n we can see birds. All about stealth.

Thanks everyone!!! Actually, the gun is a buddy of mine's...he just bought it for $175 and wanted me to break it in for him. It throws a great pattern, now I just need him to sell it to me!!!

LOL........... Aviators BEFORE they were cool.

Those are some sweet looking calls you've made there alloutdoors ! I made these for the hell of it in the early 90's. They sounded good , but wasn't happy with the volume.

Oh EAB = Earn a Buck. I thought it was Emerald Ash Borer.

I've made some wingbones. With an almost 5-year old and now a 5-month old I haven't had the time to make any recently but will again at some point.

Ive got too many, lol heres a few

I haven't done anything with my euro from last year...we don't have mounts and the house is small...but I found this guy,figure 2 years in the woods from moss and the chewed rack. Found him while looking for sheds and my arrow from last years buck down in the swamp...I must have walked by him a half dozen times over the last 2 years and didn't see him until February... thinking of hanging him over the door of the new blind...Too bad he was and would have been a really nice deer. Well the kids were over last weekend and we'd forgotten about him hanging off a hook near the kitchen....After all the "redneck" jokes I figured he best find a home somewhere...lol

Got into my stand early as i was hunting state land and it's first one in gets the spot....took a drag rag soaked in tinks.By 715...had only seen a small doe and squirrels. ..decided I would use my grunt call ...just lightly. I then checked my phone for peak times and it said 7:41 am til 10:50am....looked at clock on my phone and it read 7:41...IT WAS THEN....I heard a branch break directly behind me. . I slowly turned what seemed like forever to see antlers ..now I have to put my phone away and get my glasses on without this buck who is 10 yards behind me seeing any movement...I used the trunk of the tree for cover then clipped my release on my bow string and began slowly turning again.... He is looking for the grunt call he heard.. He starts to walk away quartering perfect at 15 yards ... I drew back my bow.. Picked my spot and waited and as he reached my spot I stopped him with a "mah"....released my arrow to see it hit him perfectly in the shoulder and he ran out of sight with the arrow sticking out just barely.... After an hour of waiting I got down and while searching for blood I heard someone say HEY...... I looked up and said where are you ? Another hunter waved his arm in a tree 60 yards away.... He says your deer is right in front of me where have you been come and get him...I jumped with exitement... Funny part was ...i never knew the other hunter was there he was a hunter from Maine who heard me stop the deer heard the bow release watch the deer run right towards him and died in front of him what an experience... Sorry so late with story