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I had my best year in the SZ since I started hunting over 40-years ago. I scored a nice 8 with the crossbow and topped it with a decent 10 on the 2nd day of the gun season. I attribute luck and minimizing my scent. I was in the right place at the right time and will take it every time.

Took 4 doe in Ny off 3 properties, got a nice buck in PA. Son got a big doe youth hunt pa. Dad got a small buck. Good year, not my best but freezer is full and we gave some meat to people, and had a damn good time doing it.

If like to thank the administrator(s) for adding the 2024 onto the title of this thread. Your effort is appreciated by me, and I know by others on this site for all your efforts.

The best meat that I have ever had was domestic rabbit. We raised a bunch of them, and they were delicious. I have had wild rabbit also, but there is no comparison. Wife breaded and deep fried the tame ones just like colonel Sanders would do it, And to this day I still remember that flavor.

Big doe down

Well the 2023 season is now a wrap for me. I again found a hit list of 3 of the top bucks in my hunting area of one of the greatest places in the state in Letchworth and it was one of those three or bust… Unless an even bigger buck showed itself. Was lucky enough to keep track of the three and harvesting one of them until the rut carried them off to yonder lands. He green scored 127 plus. Once guns started banging my standards are lowered to nothing but a mature buck regardless of size. The 2nd 8pt was a fighter for sure. Cut ear, holes in his hide on his forehead and an infected puncture wound in behind his front leg. Filled a couple freezer queens to keep things in check.

Buddy of mine went to Texas and shot a couple blackbuck. Friggin fantastic.

Just finished up processing the last 4 doe our group got this weekend. Glad it's over, but yet going to miss it Ya, I know... Squirrel, trout, turkey. Just not the same as deer season.

We had a pheasant one time that was spectacular. The only problem was the few lead shot pellets that we missed. I had a mallard that came out pretty good. i don't know the recipes that made those taste so good. My wife comes up with the cooking techniques, and she's damn good at it. Another meat that might surprise people is deer liver and onions. To me that is the best part of the deer.

Ruffed Grouse

1900

Beautiful afternoon so quiet but crunchy in the woods. Didn't see a thing until about 4:45. Two yearling eating grass under the power lines on my leased property. Stalked up to about 50 yards and bid them a good winter. lol

Couldn't close the deal tonight. The quest continues for a keeper buck. All in all, it was a great season. Can't wait to look for sheds.

Doc is right about domestic rabbits, they are very tasty and their meat is not as dry and as tough as wild rabbits. I do wild rabbits like wolc, low and slow in a crockpot, cream of mushroom soup is great for flavoring so is alfredo sauce. Slow cooking the meat off the bone and making vegetable soup or stews, slow cooking them in a good tomato sauce is pretty good also. I used to be a fanatical rabbit hunter and if I had a dollar for everyone I ate I could buy a pretty nice side by side double. Al

I’ve always just cooked them in the crockpot on low with cream of mushroom soup, the same as I do squirrels. Wild cottontails are ok that way, but grey squirrel is considerably better. Starting next weekend; I’ll be getting out after them. I’ve never had tame rabbit, but I suppose I’d cook them up the tame (same) way. Maybe they would rival the wild squirrels a little more than the wild rabbits do.

Well we started out the New Year with a bang, actually quite a few bangs. The cold weather had the geese flying good this morning. My lab Waylon couldn't have been happier. Happy New Year everyone.

1920's

Had a Fisher cat run right up to the base of my tree stand this am. He had his front two paws on the bottom step of my climbing sticks. I waved at him. He showed me his teeth. I showed him my crossbow. He reluctantly trotted off. Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

Bull moose then during the bow season an 8 ptr and the biggest doe I’ve ever taken. Every available freezer is stuffed, wife’s not thrilled.

Michigan Bear hunter Art Jackson and his 1943 record Black Bear. State game managers measured the beast at 6' 6 1/2" long and 5' 7" in girth. Its hind feet were 9" long and 4 1/2" wide. and its front feet were 8" long and 5 1/2" wide. Reports say the bear weighed 873 pounds. Art killed 109 bears during his 70 year hunting career.

Went out yesterday evening to fill my doe tag and was successful. Got a nice fat doe that will fill my freezer to the brim as the third deer going in it this season. I'll also be able to present a few friends with some venison to try for the first time. If (when) they like it, I tell them they will have to come hunt with me to get some more in the future. It was a good year for me. I'll be enjoying tenderloin and backstraps for quite some time in 2024. Now I start getting serious about hunting yotes.

Merry Christmas my good friends!

I think my neighbors and I killed 16 buck and 20 Doe. I'm going to map out the area hunted so I can come up with square miles. I'll get back to you guys, we are all interested to see how much land we all hunt.

I got a decent doe during early muzzleloader and a smaller doe a few days later with my bow. The regular gun season here in the northern tier was horrible all I seen for bucks was a handful of spikes. Overall not my worst ever but certainly not one of my better seasons. Going down for Christmas to NC to see my boys I'm hoping to get a few hunts in with my youngest down there. Sent from my moto g power (2022) using Tapatalk

I had a good season killed two does. the place I hunt now has lots of does from years of shooting only bucks and letting does walk. so, there are lots of small bucks but not many good bucks. We are now trying to manage it better the downside. the land is in 9P so it's hard to get doe permits we are working with the landowner on getting DMAPS for the next few years.

After a disappointing archery trip to illinois, my nephew and I were able to redeem ourselves. I killed this heavy bodied target 8 on my new land in the NZ and my nephew connected with a beautiful 9 in the SZ. Im much prouder of these NY deer than I would have been with an Illinois kill. So overall, we had a great season.

I'm looking to do the same with my dogs this year. I'll be back from a trip to see my girls for Christmas on the 3rd. If I don't get a doe tonight Ill try then.

I had a real nice Fall hitting the timber almost every day for both Squirrels and Deer, I just enjoy being in the woods. Was semi disappointed that I saw no Bucks but I was seeing Does almost every time out and that is what I ended up taking near the end of the season. One Deer is all the wife and I can utilize so that is all I will take. Hunting is far from over for me, as long as the snow does not get too deep I will be small game hunting with one of my dogs which I actually enjoy more. Al

Buddy got a 5 point on my land opening day and I tagged a nice 8 point the day after Thanksgiving. ML season has been a bust. Still going to hunt the Holiday hunt to try and fill my doe tag.

Nice deer for sure. We hit it well with 2 10 pts a wide 8 and a small 7. I will give it another shot tomorrow afternoon for last day. Still have a buddy that would like another deer. Ne thinks the corn field tomorrow may be the place.

Two in the Freezer .... Nuf Said !

None of this will stop "straw purchases" of ammo by people able to pass a background check who want to sell it to criminals for a profit. Ammo has no serial number and cannot be distinguished from any other ammo of the same make and caliber. So criminals will still get the ammo they want by using straw purchasers that will make money doing it. This law will probably create a huge black market for ammo purchased in other states and sold face to face in NY. Ammo sellers in NY are the ones that will suffer the huge loss of revenue. NY will also suffer the loss of tax revenue from ammo sales. Another example of how dumb Democrats are.

I never made it out today I just did not have it in me. The weekend was a mess. Saturday morning when I left my house I accidentally left my toiletry bag at home which I didn't realize until after I took my contacts out and tossed them. So Sunday morning instead of hunting I went back to bad because I cant see a damn thing without glasses or contacts. Then the slide motor on my 2020 camper took a dump so I had to crawl under that and manually bring it in. Not a huge deal but annoying none the less. My wife was with me at camp but we both had our vehicles their so she drove my truck with the camper hooked up and we went back today to get her car. It was a fitting end to a crap season. Tag soup for me.