Leaderboard

Well..... I just shot a spike..he looked tasty! I happen to be sitting on my own/family property that I've hunted my whole life... I have never shot a buck on it.. I have seen and passed untold #s of 1 1/2 year old bucks over the years. Meanwhile my family and all the neighbors shoot piles of them... So I decided , what the neck, if I cannot beat them I might as well join them... I was really lucky.. he stepped out at 20 yds ...and click! Dam ! I forgot to put primer back in.. I managed to sloooowly get one out of my pocket and into my gun while he is looking everywhere but up..( good thing I wasn't on the ground)bam!! One shot in his neck...and there he is, the brown spot next to true trail in the pic.

I always believed there was no such animal as a truly "BIG 6pt" until I found these on my hunting grounds. I got a little more interested in 6pts after this. Never set eyes on him before or after this find. 8" gnarly bases, and some of the deepest vein canals I've ever seen on an antler around here.

This is the biggest 6 I ever saw.. Got it with the bow a couple years back... The very long brow tines are actually split main beams on both sides...

Me left moog5050 right.

Knife I had made for me by Denn Handmade Knives in the ADK's... every part of the knife is from NY... ADK deer antler.. hand forged and finished blade.. the handmade leather sheath even has a stamp of a deer hoof made form a 100 year old ADK railroad spike.

Certainly not as big as some of the 6pts seen above but this is my coolest 6pt. Some of you might remember these pics from two (IIRC) years ago. This buck was a stud, 182lbs (IIRC) and aged at 3.5 by the DEC but I kind of doubt it. This is one buck I should have had aged the scientific way, after I did the European mount on him I could see even more interesting characteristics in him. His skull was wider in girth than any other buck I've killed and did a European mount on. The glands and facial structure were much more pronouced also. He has mass and width but lacked tines! 18" inside........ Honestly, he is one of the coolest bucks I've ever shot.

This guy would have scored pretty well for a 6 if he hadn't broken his g2 off. Still a solid buck. Everyone seems to like the prototypical 8s but a big 6 is pretty darn cool.

Sounds like the Liberal distribution of wealth ........ pay for those that can't afford it . Don't do the crime if you can't pay the fine !

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!

Picture doesn't do him justice . He is a big 1 1/2 year old north country deer.. 135#s all day.. the bucks don't have to go far here in farm country to find good feed and all the does they can chase with very little competition.. the buck to doe ratio is terrible.. And now I joined in ....Lol.... It is fun to shoot deer regardless, though....[emoji3]

Ha, many many years ago I was crossing a beaver swamp. Ice had nice coat of snow on it. Well I found out the hard way. Beavers had wore ice thin right in the middle of their run. I'm quickly in 4 feet of water wearing snowshoes. Dang scary ! We were trapping muskrats. Gloves were soaked trying to paw my way back out. I skinned 2 muskrats and wore them fur side in as mittens. Had a good mile and a half trek back to car. I laugh now but what could have been wasn't so fun at the time

I was leaning against a tree this morning in north central PA, hoping a buck would walk by...I saw a bird flutter down to the snow near me and then fly back up to a nearby tree..It was an eastern bluebird..Then I saw another, and another...Soon I was in the middle of a whole flock of bluebirds.. 30 degrees F and 8 inches of snow on the ground and I was surrounded by what was certainly a migrating flock of bluebirds. This is latest I have ever seen them this far north. I have no idea what they were eating, but they were flying down to the snow covered forest floor and getting SOMETHING, and then flying back up in the trees..They stayed around me for about an hour..It gave me something to watch, because the deer weren't moving much. Saw a big momma doe and two fawns, but she was safe from me since I already filled my PA antlerless tags.

I must say Ive been truly blessed in 2014...started off with a nice limit of geese over cut corn on 9/13 followed by a beautiful bear on the 14th.... bowhunted hard in oct with no luck on a buck, but did get a decent gobbler from the stand to christen in my new Martin Nemisis...after seeing nothing but groups of does for 5 weeks I scored on my best bow buck to date, a 19"wide 2.5y/o 8pt.... no luck on opening day of gun but the next day I scored my 1st handgun kill with a nice doe at 70yds(missed 2x @ 50 lol) with my S&W 29... Nov 30th I killed my best gun buck, a heavyish 3.5 y/o 8pt ......with the freezer busting at the seams I was feeling greedy and gonna pack it in, but yesterday I decided to jump in the stand and score a little "give away meat" with a transferred dmp. Got busted by a FAT doe with 3 fawns around 9.. at 10 I almost decided to pack it in when a group of 3 mature does came into range and I double lunged the biggest one at 20yds very enjoyable late season bowhunt with snow on the ground ....I gotta say this was my best season in my 15 years of hunting and still cant believe my luck, but what Im most thankful for and proud of, was that all kills were quick and clean and required zero tracking.

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 wouldn't call it a fascination, but I like big 6's too. Here is my biggest 170lbs. dressed

http://www.newzjunky.com/record/dec_violations.html read the next to last one.

Checked a couple of cameras today that were set up on some oaks, had 6 bucks on camera since Thanksgiving... Of note: Wannabe (3.5 year old) is still kicking around... Last pics prior to gun season... Monday morning... Daylight, only 15 yds from my groundblind!!! My favorite 2.5 yr old, 11-pt. I'm super excited to see what he turns into this next year!!! Sunday evening...

Sears has a heated camo jacket on sale 159.0 marked down to 49.0 but battery and charge not included....just letting any cold hunter out there know.. heres a link... http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_009VA78665912P#reviewsWrap

For years I have had this fascination with big 6-points... not the no brow tine kind of six, but the typical 3x3 with brow tines and G2's only... if I have one dream in hunting it would be to kill one... not sure why I'm so drawn to them, maybe because they are so rare. I have two buddies that have taken a big six... but I have never even seen a live one in the woods... does anyone else have the same fascination? My buddies with their six points

Last day and see fresh tracks just have to hope one walks by. Good luck to all it been a good season!

Dave --- No problem unless you were speeding on the way home .

From the start of the process....... Gutting: I've been using this Kershaw Gentleman's Folder for a few (?) years now and it is perfect for the job, IMO. The nice long slender point gets the a-hole done without any fumbling around. I don't know how many I've dressed with it since I got it but I'd guess 15-20. Skinning: Whatever I haven't used in a while could get the job here. I enjoy all my knives and they ALL get seat time. Here are a few that were used this year. (Geno Denning on top and next two down are Gene Ingram, the third is for boning out in the field and another Ingram) Boning out: These are all from a knife sharpening service that supplies the local restaraunts, meat markets etc with weekly sharp knives. Typically these are sold after they have been sharpened to a point that they aren't worthy of rental anymore, I get them for a couple bucks each and are sharp when I get them. Note the knife 2nd from the bottom, it is my favorite by a mile. It has a slight upward sweep to the blade and is has a very thin blade adding in flexibility. The rest are almost worthless........... All knives are sharpened on a Spyderco Sharpmaker as soon as they need it and they come back FAST with this set up. It doesn't scratch the blades, you can't cut yourself, works fast and is highly portable if your taking a trip. Remember: a sharp knife is a safe knife.

The mora knives may be the best bang for the buck. Used a mora companion to gut yesterday. Sharp, right length and easy to clean. Hard to beat for $15.

It really is a hoot when the conditions and the time is right. Not that I've done THAT much snowshoeing but when I have I usually enjoyed the heck out of it. You can do it in Amherst with the family.......... Or treck down to the wilds of Arcade with a friend.......... You don't always need 2' of snow either. A fire on the other hand is a necessity. .

I guess I shouldn't make posts after coming home from a Christmas Party, Sorry.

Good for you ncountry! That is what it's all about IMO. Shoot what YOU want, when you want. More pics when you have time!!

Are you sure you are putting the pellets in the correct way? On end is darker and that is black powder on them to make the pellet ignite. Dark end goes in first.

Apparently not making myself clear - so for the 3RD time - YOU DO NOT USE THE 1/8 DRILL BIT TO REMOVE METAL!!!!! It doesn't go in a drill - you turn it with your fingers to clear the built up carbon that can be formed in the flash channel. Many times soaking, air, bread tie etc is NOT enough to get it all out and back to factory. Factory for TC and at least the older Knights IS 1/8" - just verified on my new never used Triumph back up plug. If you can't get the bit though easily, soak it and then do it. Goal is to get back to bare metal and that is 1/8" with TC. Partially blocked channel is a huge contributor to hang/slow fires and a major reason for accuracy issues.

here is an article somebody wrote that plays into this topic... http://www.humansandnature.org/hunting---jed-meunier-response-121.php

Spring Turkey season is a great time to take little ones out because the weather is warm. Same thing for squirrel season. When Josh was about 5 or 6 I took him squirrel hunting. We lived in Southern Indiana & it's quite balmy in late August when the squirrells get to cutting.. We heard some Grays cutting in a cherry tree. I had Josh stand still while I slipped around the base of the tree. Soon I spotted a squirrel & dropped it with the 22rf. I looked over at Josh & put my finger to my lips to signal him to stay quiet. A few minuutes later I spied another Gray & nailed that one too. It fell out of the tree between us. He couldn't be quiet any more after all that excitement. That was all we got that morning. I showed him how to make a forked stick to carry them. About a week later he came home from school with a picture of those 2 squirrels hanging from a stick with the biggest smiles on their faces. There were also 2 stick figures, me & him. The stick man that represented me had a beard.

I guess one would not know a coyote problem until one had a coyote problem. Coyotes will decimate a deer population on a piece of property, one way or the other.

Unfortunately, there always has been and always will be some people in any sport who have no conscience or integrity. It amazes me to hear people say "they filled their wifes, grandfathers, daughters, etc. buck tags", or to hear shots an hour or more before or after legal sunset. Personally, I could not do those things and any deer harvested in such a way would haunt me the rest of my life. It is one thing to take some risk of wounding an animal with a long shot, etc. In more than 30 years of hunting I can think of only two shots that I knew I would make with 100% certainty and my gun misfired on one of them. It is quite another to blatantly disregard the law and label one's self as a poacher.

He made some laps around the property and past our tree stands , this doesn't go fast but it rarely has to stop and change direction.

To those in this thread that recommended the Havalon piranta ....... Thanks!!!!! It really is a great knife

Wife made this tonight, was amazing. Cooked ground venison up in bacon fat with onions and carrots, added broth, peas, corn, red wine. Cooked, covered in mashed potatoes and baked. Yum.

Don't forget the velcro gloves

One thing that should be remembered is that the coyote sits at the top of the local food chain in most parts of the state. Other than disease and the occasional vehicle, there is nothing to control these critters. It certainly doesn't hurt anything to have humans intervening and at least performing some level of control where otherwise there would be none.

As someone who speaks to hundreds of people each year about scavengers, I don't think you give the public enough credit. Actually, I think the general public very easily grasps the need to control certain populations, e.g. deer, sedentary geese, bears in NJ, etc. They understand these human wildlife conflicts. What they fail to understand is why "population control" is used as a rationale by hunters who are obviously self serving. I think Doc said he never thinks about controlling deer populations when he goes hunting. I do because it is a personal priority. In my youth, I heard it at the gun club all the time but it never motivated me. When you discuss coyotes and crows, the general public does not see conflict. They see persecution. And, with coyotes, all the science supports this public perception. Killing coyotes does nothing to reduce their numbers and may actually increase them. Much coyote killing is done out of ignorance and fear. (I'm not talking about those who are doing it for income, or a combination of income and sport.) Read the recent thread on someone killing his first yote. There are quotes like "another dog down" and "another fawn will live". These attitudes show me that much of the hunting public fails to grasp ecological concepts. Since the science shows that coyotes have little impact on deer outside the forest preserve, killing coyotes to improve deer numbers is folly. It may make some feel better but it doesn't help the deer.

I honestly wonder why there is so much controversy over shooting hours. Have we gotten so darn desperate that we cannot abide by a very simple rule? It is amazing what peer pressure and a need for the acceptance of fellow hunters can force people to do. Most do a lot of self-control acts, like being super-selective in shot selection, looking for minimum personal standard in size/age of what they take, etc., etc. So what is the big deal about adding one other restriction ..... ensuring that we follow the law. Is that really a big hardship? Why is that one so hard to incorporate into our hunting ethics?

PBR...........in a pinch! No deer.........bummer!

14 squirrels. jake turkey, trapped 18 coon, 3 possum, first buck with bow, a spike, 8 pt and 2 does with shotgun, and got tomorrow off and 5 days of m/l left.

It was my worst season ever when it comes to number of deer seen, but best ever in terms of meat in the freezer. My buddy gave me a big, 200 lb field-dressed 2-1/2 year 8-point near the end of bow season. I didn't start hunting until crossbow opened and saw only 4 does and 2 bucks during the 2 weekends of that season. I did manage to get an arrow thru the heart of the second buck, a fat, 165 lb field-dressed 1-1/2 year 6-point. That was the first of three opportunities at any deer that I had this year. The best one was the last one, up in the Northern zone over the long thanksgiving- weekend. I passed on a scrawny little 4-point at home, the week prior, and that was the only deer I saw in the Southern Zone during gun season. In 12 years, all I had seen up North were loads of does. This year, not a one. Other years they would walk right past me, almost taunting me, knowing they were safe, in the area where only bucks may be taken. I had saved my buck tag in hopes of one of them big mountain bucks I had heard about but never seen. My father in law, who doesn't hunt, had been visiting a big group of does and fawns up on a pine covered hill top, every day for a week before our family got up there Thanksgiving day. They were gone when he took me up there the next morning, probably sick of the harassment in the desolate area. The next morning, I set up on a high ridge, about a mile downwind of that bedding area. My mother in law makes a mean breakfast, and always serves between 9:30 and 10:00. By 9:15, the sun was hitting the creek below, causing the ice to crack, and I was getting ready to pack it up. I thought that the breaking ice would deter any deer activity in the valley below. One last look up the creek-bed, and I saw an approaching brown shape, at a range of over a mile, along the creek to my left. It was moving slow, and frequently disappearing behind the thick underbrush. When it crossed an opening a little closer, but still far out of range, I saw horns. It was then out of view for a long time behind heavy cover, and I thought it may have taken another trail. I positioned my chair for the best angle at an opening along the creek that would put it the closest to me, if it did continue on course, at a range of about 300 yards. I cranked the scope all the way up to 9x. It did appear in that opening, but did not fall at my first, well-rested shot. Nor did it fall at my second, hurried shot from an offhand position. I followed along the ridge, and it paused in the next little opening, just as I was able to rest against a tree. I held steady, right below the back-line and just behind the shoulder. It just "disappeared" after that third shot. I watched for about 5 minutes with no sign of the deer. I noted a big, lone pine tree along the creek-bank near where he had stood. I said a short prayer, that I would find the deer, then set out on the long hike back down the ridge, to the gravel road, across the creek, and back up the other side, into the thick pine forest. I left my bright red chair up on the ridge to help get my bearings from the other side. It seemed to take an hour to get to a point where I could see that chair from the other side. Then longer to finally see that pine tree along the creek. The brush on that side was so thick that visibility was less than 10 yards. When I did get that close to the pine, there at the base was the big 8-point. He was on his side, sprawled out, with eyes wide open. I stuck the muzzle of the loaded rifle in his eye and he didn't blink. There was not a drop of blood on him or on the 4" of fresh snow. I rolled him over and no marks or blood on the other side either. When I gutted him, the stomach was jammed full of acorns, most of them not even chewed. The lungs were all red mush, and a single 150 gr bullet had broken the second last rib, dead center and passed diagonally across, lodging inside the hide, near the arm-pit on the opposite side. Until I skinned him a few days later, I thought all three may have hit as there were two other holes, next to the broken rib, visible from the inside. They must have been cause by bone fragments. I called my Father in law on the cell phone and he got as close as he could with his ATV, but it was still the most difficult 1/2 mile or so drag, and by far the heaviest deer I have ever taken. We had no scale up there, but the rib cage, thrown on the same waste pile at home, dwarfs that of the 200 pounder my buddy had given me earlier. My 6-point almost fits right inside of it. I finally got around to breakfast around 1:30 that afternoon. The antlers are decent, but not overly impressive, compared to some I have taken in the Southern zone. I am guessing he had some years on him, and I am sure the taxidermist can give me a good estimate from the teeth. They must be pretty worn down by the looks of all them whole acorns in his stomach. I don't have a whole lot of motivation to get out there now, but I still have 3 antlerless tags to try and fill during ML season this weekend, so I will give it a go. I like that crossbow a lot and that is what I will pack. Maybe a doe or fawn will finally get within range for me, which has not happened yet this year.

Fake boobs don't feel the same as the real thing and most of them look like they are over-inflated by 50psi. Pamela Anderson looked a helluva lot better when she had natural C" cups. Pitty the man that has never had natural Cs or Ds hanging in his face.

First season ever at the age of 45. 1 pheasant and one buck. Couldnt be more hooked on hunting. Butchered both on my own thanks to this website and youtube. Both taste awesome. Totally rewarding experience. Thanks to all for your posts.

My season has been great so far. 3 deer in the freezer, passed a bunch of young bucks that will be bigger next year, passed on a mighty good 2 1/2 year old buck in the hopes he will make it, created great memories with friends and family, and had the honor of helping get a couple of wounded vets out in the field. Still have another weekend left too!

Great season. My young female mentee shot 2 does - see the thread Mentoring Young Women. My 80 year old Dad shot a doe and a buck.

he left after I pissed out of the tree.

I'm a TC guy. The ProHunter FX is pretty hard to beat.

Number 2.

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...