Leaderboard

So, I found this one literally on the same trail I walk every week during shed season. It is at least 2, if not 3 years old. I must have walked by / stepped over it no less than 20 times. Unbelievable.

Stopped to evalute what was clearly a bucks bed, hoping for his sheds i glance around, TINES through thou leaves! A half from last year and to my amazment the other side not 5 ft away, first set of the year, first time finding them so close together too Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

Venison steaks Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

4 egg omelet with crushed red pepper,red onion,ital. sausage and cheddar cheese.few splashes of red hot on top.wheat toast and hash.everything unhealthy but tastes delish

Rule #26 cubano sammich Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Got out again today for a quick hike. Found a set everytime I see them like this I can't help but think aaaccchhheeeewwww!!!! And off they came hate finding box turtle shells but it's getting very common these past few years.

Picked up a couple more yesterday. A nice 4pt with a small drop tine/flyer. The next was a year old,chewed up 4pt.

A better pic, a pretty thick six for sure Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

I bought a selfie stick for my wife at Tractor Supply the other day so she can take it on her trips . It was originally $4.99 but on clearance for 99 cents . Not a bad item . I was at Tractor Supply and bought another one . They had 20% off on clearance and then another 10% off on total purchase . I hunt alone most of the time and have no one to take pics so I thought this might be a handy item to put in the backpack . It's about 9" long and won't take up much room . Not bad for 75 cents !

Chicken fingers with ranch dipping, zucchini patties, butternut, Brussels, blueberry pie.

They won!

Nothing happened to the dog, it was only seconds till the other dogs got there, that was the young, fast dog. I can't believe that my buddy thought about taking a picture when all that was going on, I would have been a little more concerned about the dog

I've got a pheasant and a couple chukar in the crockpot covered in cream of mushroom soup Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

First shot today and first shot since archery season is the one that is high center on the target. The bow is sighted in for broadheads still so the other three that are all high left would have been right on the mark. This was only at 10 yards just to scratch the itch I've been having. Ended up shooting 12 at 10 yards and 12 at 20 yards. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Found another decent one today. Couldn't find the drop tine buck shed. Looked around for 4 hours yesterday and today

Just published this old hunting tale to my board and blog and thought some here may enjoy it. Al A condensed short story from Frank C Hibbon's Book "Hunting American Bears Rod Vance, Cass Goodner and I had been hunting bears the past two days. We had ridden hard the past two days, it is true the country behind the San Ysidro was rough in the extreme. The cliffs and canyons of that part of the mountains dissected and crisscrossed by fault lines that produced a disordered maze of ledges and protruding rocks. Douglas fir and pine protruded from the rough rocks along with pinyon and juniper. Into the rugged breaks and canyons of the San Ysidro the bear came in usually in the fall by the dozens. Of course it often seemed to us that these hardy animals by nature sought the roughest and rockiest terrain they could find. Cass had said on more than one occasion "it all looks level to a bear. On the lower reaches of Semilla Canyon this red rock gorge has some percolating water coming to the surface. Around these spots flourished groves of oak trees with graceful hanging clusters of delicious acorns. Long ago the Spanish rode their horses beneath these same oak trees and called the spot the Bellote or place of acorns. The bears of Jemez country well knew of the Bellotte and it's acorns and this is the stuff black bears used to lay on the winter fat when the time of hibernation was close at hand. On former occasions the bellote groves had been a sure place to circle for a bear track. We had ridden perhaps a half mile and entered the first of the oak trees. With a sudden flapping of wings a hundred band tailed pigeons swept out of the trees, they had been gorging themselves on the acorns. The three of us had grown silent after a half an hour riding, I swung low again to scrape my sombrero and shoulders beneath a low hanging limb weighted by last winter's snow, someone behind me said good god it's the dogs. I suddenly became aware that our hounds had gone crazy. Every dog we had was barking at the top of their lungs. It seemed like the pack was baying us which was preposterous for a well trained pack of hounds such as these. Even our horses were ill at ease in this strange melee. All of a sudden as they had begun the dogs were still. Every single hound stood near the head of my horse with ears elevated to the alert and nose pointing into the wind.Then we heard it too, it was a crash in the oaks off to one side of the trail, the swish of a heavy body of of young trees. The dogs all looked toward the sound and broke out anew, they were off like Beagles with a rabbit in sight. We knew it was no rabbit that made those crashing sounds. We spurred our mounts and hacked through the oaks in a reckless gallop and crashed on following the noise and confusion ahead. The dogs were growling and baying and some of their voices sounded muffled as though they barked with their mouths full of meat. My horse saw it first, as we cleared the last oaks this docile animal shied skittishly and I was thrown and dropped to the very edge of the wash. My mouth and hands full of gravel as I got up to look for my horse. Instead all I saw was the head and forequarters of a gigantic bear My horse with my rifle in the saddle boot had galloped off down the wash. At first all I could see was the bear's head and neck since his lower portions were obscured by the advancing and retreating hounds in front of him. Then all at once the beleaguered animal rose on his hind legs to fight off the dogs from that height. I was on my knees trying to remove my chaps and stared into the open mouthed towering bear beyond, it was a giant bear. Standing spraddle legged on his hind legs the furious animal plied his paws from both sides. The curved claws stuck out beyond his toes and looked as long as tines on a pitchfork. Time and time again the bear fell forward as some dog came close trying to gather an audacious hound between those frightful jaws. The light footed hounds would bounce warily out of his reach, he ground his teeth together and saliva flew in bloody strings from his mouth as he slung his head side to side to meet any onslaught. Cass was yelling over the turmoil "save the dogs" although I could not see how at the moment what we could do about it. Rod Vance came in from the side with his rifle in hand. I saw him raise the weapon once then lower it reluctantly as the dogs surged about their antagonist in a melee of moving tails and teeth. The bear in the middle of that hound pack suddenly bellowed like a bull and charged the dogs and ourselves as well. It was plain to see the bear was far to heavy to climb a tree even if there was a sizable one at hand. So ponderous was this huge animal that he could not even run for it to find refuge in the cliffs and ledges so close to us. None of us could keep our eyes from the flashing teeth and swinging claws, it was a battle to the death that we were witnessing and the only question was how many deaths there would be. Cass was screaming above the turmoil "quick shoot close in" To add emphasis he grabbed Vance's arm and jerked him toward the bear. Then I saw it! It was Poncho the Airedale, This remarkable dog was supposed to be a house pet but he had been on so many hunts with Cass that he undoubtedly considered himself to be the mainstay of the bear pack. Pancho was a peculiar duality he could be as gentle as a newborn kitten or a raging demon of flashing white teeth and hideous growls. It was Poncho with his Airedale temper that precipitated the end. The Airedale somehow worked his way behind the bear and in one sudden leap jumped clear onto the bear's back and seized the animal by the side of his face. In the swirl and surge of the fighting Pancho was an added lump of furiously clawing fur and feet on the very top of the bear's head. The astounded bear ducked as though a bee had stung him unexpectedly in an unprotected place. He raised both paws to his face and brushed furiously at the dog on his head. it would have been funny had we not known that Pancho's death was only inches away. For a second the audacious dog clung to one bear ear chewing that unprotected organ unmercifully and clawing the bear's face. Then one huge paw swung from behind. The hooked claws in unison caught behind Pancho's shoulders and swept him forward as inevitably as doom itself. For an awful second the bear held the Airedale between his paws like a squirrel about to crack a nut, then the huge head bent forward and those frightful jaws opened like the white rimmed mouth of hell. There was a sickening crunching of fiber and flesh and Pancho dropped limply and fell at the bear's feet. At the same instant a deafening blast of noise blotted out all other sounds. Rod Vance was among the dogs with a smoking rifle in his hand. Quickly he levered another shell and fired point blank into the bear's neck. A streak of fur flew out behind as the bullet carried through. The bear looked up surprised at this interruption. His little bear eyes seemed to focus for the first time at the forms of men. The eyes seemed suddenly darker as e stood there with his paws hanging useless in mid air. They then misted over like a hazy cloud drifting before the sun. The great body stood a moment more among the dogs reluctant to give way. Then without a sound the huge animal slumped forward and sagged into a heap of formless fur on the ground. Everyone seemed stunned by the abruptness of the end. Only Cass leaped forward to seize one of the gigantic paws and roll the carcass away from the Airedale. Pancho lay as lifeless as the bear and we carried him gently out and laid him on the oak leaves. Cass put his hand behind the foreleg of this fearless Airedale and we held our breath. Cass nodded slowly, Pancho's heart was still beating. In a few moments the jaws of the Airedale trembled a little and his red tongue out over his bruised lips. his eyes flickered open and he seemed to recognize friends, he licked our hands as we held him. Today Pancho has a patch of light colored skin on the side of his head where the teeth of the big bear had torn the flesh away from his skull. This Airedale is one of those few pioneer spirits to be scalped and yet live to tell about it.

Tortellini soup and meatball sandwhiches, the Mrs. never disappoints.

I think those two pieces of green pepper might put you over and give you food coma. Don't over do it buddy.

You could look at the $ as you don't need to constantly go into the woods to check your cams therefore saving gas money and reducing the chance of scaring deer . By not scaring deer you stand a better chance of killing one sooner therefore saving gas . Perhaps less days taken off of work equaling more pay therefore saving you money. Looking at the glass as half full And it's pretty slick seeing almost to the minute pics of as they are taken. P.S I don't own any but can definitely see the value

Sampling some beers at the International Restaurant and Foodservice Show at the Jacob Javitts Convention Center. Was there for work checking out POS vendors so I couldn't sample too much. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It depends if you use a blind it's not a big disadvantage at all. Doing it without a blind is a whole different game! I can't remember how many spring toms I have killed with a bow maybe 7 or 8 but I can tell you my success rate is pitiful! I am very fortunate to have great ground to hunt them and a lot of it so I can mess up a few ambushes a day and still have a chance. My best advice is turn your bow way down. Two reasons #1 shish kabobed turkeys don't fly well. #2 you may have to hold your draw a long time. If your not using a blind set up in a blowdown or behind a big tree to cover your draw then pop around it ready to shoot. I highly recommend it! It's a blast and a real challenge. I had given up turkey hunting for a couple years out of boredom until using a bow sparked my interest again. This year I will be attempting it with the longbow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We should probably clear up the crossbow issue first. But it does seem we are riding a slippery slope here. JMO.

Sent from my SM-S820L using Tapatalk

I'm going to broadcast it tomorrow, before the ground thaws again.. With the cold weather of the last couple of days I should be able to get the truck up to the plot without rutting things up..

That guy is a real stud . The other is someone wearing camo !

That dude has a face made for a hunting show, on the radio

I've gotten decent hero shots with the timer feature on the iPhone

I have one in my backpack, along with a gorilla pod tripod, works great for creative shots http://joby.com/gorillapod

Mr B likes them a lot...but he loves the zucchini patties. I'm so glad I spent a few afternoons making and freezing a bunch of packages of them last fall.

Not bad . Fish since it's Lent !

A little different then my normal tacos but I'll give them a try.

Wow! Red herring!

....and the meatball sandwich

Rule 26 must be good. It looks good. Enjoy

No . The pic was taken by some guys that were chasing a Yote near Atlantic Avenue and Wayne / Monroe County Line Road . I think the guy taking the picture shot the yote afterwords .

It is political. Just the timing of the no longer active bill should give some insight to those who think it's not. Sort of like how the Safe Act was passed in a secret room at a very odd time. Someone always has to be against someone, and someone always has to be right. That's the American way and it will never end. There will always be crusaders and those who don't agree with their cause.

Not really. I'm not asking for a reply to that point. Just pointing out how everything is political in this land these days.

Doing good! I have a little more time on my hands these days since all im really doing right now is the EMT program and running with the ambulance agency im with so ive had more time to pop in and see whats going on here on the site

Good man.........nice to see you coming around occasionally. How's mom, dad and your little brother doing?

Thank you very much ! Did you use phone as a hot spot ? I've heard of that but that's about it . Won't that eat up data ? ya think I got the antenna figured out , she's going to try in the morning after work.

Bottle of lemonade and a pack of Twizzlers lol

Today was the first day i left the house in a week (turned out to be upper respiratory infection) We took the the little man to swim class this morning . I guess ill do the work thing again starting tomorrow .

Larry if you still need help with the Chromecast message me. I recently set up my girlfriends Chtomecast to work with her phone because she doesn't have wifi in her apartment And yes to use an antenna like you described you have to scan for channels first

I cant wait for Biz to have kids he has too much fun.

That sounds like the same quote twisting that the fake-news media uses. I didn't read any of that into the response but let's twist it any way we need to support our anti-business agenda. It is so funny listening to all this anti-profit and anti business rhetoric from those that have no problem sucking up their share of business generated cash.

The biggest plus of getting them to 2-1/2 is that they are a much smarter animal than a 1-1/2 and more likely to make it further. The thought being if they make 2-5 a higher percentage are likely to make it to 3.5. And I can see and agree with that.

This gets better every freaking page. Statistics from one of the most well regarded biological programs in the country are thrown out the window in favor of Anecdotal observations on your back 40.

I fail to see your point? Yes those 2 1/2 yr old bucks would be legal but I'm willing to bet that you just like me have 10+ 1 1/2yr old buck pictures to every 1 of the 2 1/2yr olds. I am against any mandated AR but there is no doubt that they do save a majority of yr and a half old bucks. In my opinion once a buck reaches its 2nd year it has learned a bunch on how to stay alive and has a much better chance of making to to maturity. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good info. Larry. However, allow me to point out a couple things about my home State (Pa). #1. Foremost, In 2001 when AR was introduced, we had approx. 800,00 gun hunters. Previous to this point, our buck harvest consisted of 75-80% yearling bucks and upwards of 80% of ALL available bucks. Secondly, AR was 3 pts. to side (typical six point) for the vast majority of the state. Only a few Counties in the western part of the state had a (4) pt. rule. Current day AR is 3pt. one side for majority of counties and a (3) "UP" point rule for those western counties. A slight change but none the less more easily determined by hunters. Thirdly, Herd reduction was seriously needed in Pa. Our habitat qualities (winter habitat in particular) was being devastated with too many deer for a very long time. Winter severity in Pa is not like NY which over time results in lower overwinter kill but they depend on the same food sources (browse). Essentially we carried too many deer(doe) over from one year to the next and habitat suffered. AT NO POINT IN TIME was the management plan ever presented that killing more doe would result in more bucks. I'm not sure where you got that from? What was presented was, we need to reduce the overall population of our deer herd because they are devastating the habitat. And, we need better age structure in our deer herd for healthier breeding ecology by implementing AR to protect the "majority" of 1.5 year old bucks. Period. Many people have twisted this information to their agenda over the years. In the end, AR and HR were needed although many would argue the contrary. Our age structure was dismal prior to AR because yearlings were getting crucified every year. If you look at the stats now, yes, we reached "only" 59% of the buck harvest is 2.5 yrs. of age or older but that's compared to 20-25% prior to AR because there just weren't many out there. That's a huge improvement in age structure. Current day, we are actually in a herd stabilizing or herd increase mode for most of the State. They have reduced doe allocations almost state wide and reduced the number of days we can hunt doe in rifle season. We also have 300,000 fewer hunters which could result in yet more changes because of having fewer hunters to do the job. I anticipate a higher number of doe tags being issued and if our numbers continue to dwindle pulling back on AR some day OR allowing a second buck tag with AR in order to keep the herd from growing too much. In regards to "high grading", I would argue that killing 75-80% of yearlings every year is much more detrimental to a herd than targeting bucks that are 2.5 and older. We all know it's much easier killing 1.5 year old bucks than any older than that. AR is NOT a trophy plan by the standards set in Pa or would they be in NY. Allowing a majority of bucks to reach 2.5 years old doesn't mean you will have monster bucks. We have definitely seen improvements in our bucks from the perspective of body weight and antler but that's really only because of more reaching 2.5 years of age than before. I will say this: In regards to Ny, the dynamics are much different, as I said winter loss is much more significant in Ny. You have fewer hunters than Pa and as you have shown, the harvest rate is much more balanced by age group of the bucks than ours was many years ago. AR may not be beneficial to Ny like it was in Pa but maybe it would be. Only those who actually study the dynamics could really say what the probabilities are.

I had a couple of copperheads join me in a blind while hunting in NC. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk