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Daughters first time out hunting with me. In the hut with the heater. Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

This guys time was up after 7 or 8 encounters getting late in the season Sent from my LGL64VL using Tapatalk

Broke the ice and shot a doe at 3 pm . She dropped in her tracks. I love my 25-06 single shot. Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Ok Jay...I brought Carly for luck...no excuses now! Lets go Father and Daughter teams!

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A friend of my cousin found this absolute monster laying dead in his backyard yesterday afternoon. This deer was a local legend in the Bath area and several locals were after him. The DEC was called and came to investigate, no signs of a bullet wound were found so they issued a salvage tag. He was rough scored at 200 - 204, just a truely impressive NY buck!

Thursday, November 15, 12:15 pm. 11 yards, 15 feet up, stopped at my wind. I let the arrow fly. First buck I've called in. First deer I've called in for a kill. After seeing movement behind me, I used a single, light bleat, followed by a couple of quick grunts. He wandered for a bit, but came right in. I glassed the arrow from the stand, and it was bright red. I waited 30-40 mins, after having watched him bound out of site at 20-30 yards a rip. I never heard him crash, and lost his movement in the thick trees. @grampy kept my head in the game through a difficult track... I had a hard time finding blood past point of impact, and when I did, it was a couple of drops every few feet (see oak leaf in photo for example of blood trail), and then nothing for 15 - 20 yards, and then nothing at all. I searched for more blood for an hour, backed out, called deer search, and texted grampy to let him know and get his opinion on the situation. After a couple of hours, with a snow storm on the way, and a fella who was going to check in with his fiance before he could commit to bringing a dog over, grampy laid it out plain: "you gotta get out there." I stalked likely trails, and found a couple drops of blood by a pass in a stone wall. I walked across and straight for a while. It didn't feel right, and I didn't find anything. I doubled back, stood for a bit, thought about deer movement, and started walking the wall line, up the grade and towards a clearing. No blood, but about 60 yards up the way I saw the brown of his fur, back to me. In the end, he was either more quartered to than I thought, or the arrow deflected off a branch or a rib. Lungs, liver, and out through the stomach. Stomach contents plugged the exit wound. He ran a total of around 300 yards from point of impact, bedded down, and died right there, just like in the picture. Sad, but also kind of beautiful. Many, many thanks to grampy (unsure I would have found the deer without his extra push), his hunting buddy, Gary, and all the folks at Deer Search who were generous with their time and experience. I even received a phone call from John Jeanneney, the fella who wrote the book on finding wounded deer... For this adult-onset hunter who is still looking for a crew of hunting buddies, I was amazed and humbled by the community's offering of all they could to help, what amounts to be, a complete stranger.

With this buddy heater u can be in here with just your thermals. Lol my daughter trying on the ear muffs in case I shoot Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

I put a deer in my freezer last week and he hasn't moved since.... I'd say yes, deer activity definitely decreases the colder they get!

I recalled today that I shot my first buck deer on the day after Thanksgiving in 1966... That was 52 years ago.....He had a spike on one side and a fork on the other...I was so excited that I did not realize he had a fork, and kept dragging him by the spike for about 200 yards uphill...The spike kept slipping from my hand and I had blisters before I reached the top...It was not until I went to tie my tag on his antler that I realized he was a 3 point rather than a spike..

Negative. Saw 12 in all for afternoon sit. The spike , button , bunch of fawns , one decent deer walked right below my stand , one big body at 250 I couldn’t glass through thick brush and small tree tops. And then a doe hit the big plot at 175. We couldn’t be positive of how big and I was henming and hawing for ten minutes until a fawn hit the plot nearby and size comparison I said take the doe , she’s a shooter. Well she got to pretty shaky and couldn’t steady enough and be comfortable to squeeze the trigger. Doe eventually got back into golden rod. Was hoping she’d come back out but didn’t. She got very upset and shed a few tears disappointed in herself. I’m nor was not upset in the least. No dead deer but no wounded deer either. Told her regardless of 50th deer shot or about to and no nerves it’s time to quit hunting. We still had a great time , was warm without the heater ever turned on. Heard lots of shooting this afternoon. Our time will come. She’s got just a few more opportunities to go with me.

1 degree in the hilltops of 8T. Good luck to everyone this morning! I'm not out this morning, instead I'm running to Rochester and back to pick up our other 3 grandkids for the next couple of days. Our 11 yr old grandson will be hunting with me for our third Black Friday hunt in a row. Going to do the the Friday afternoon sit, and as much as he's up for for on Saturday. We got a doe together the last two years in a row, but this year I've got a buck tag left. If the opportunity arises, I may just be willing to take a buck that I'd normally pass on to send him home with antlers along with a pile of steaks. He's very involved with sports so it's getting tougher to get any time in the fall with him. I'm trying to set the hook so to speak for hunting before sports, girls, and high school sweeps him away in a couple years. Havent been out since Tuesday afternoon, so I'm ready! Good luck today!

My neighbor got his truck stuck in a 3' drift when I was walking out this morning. This guy let's me hunt it so I had no problem firing up the tractor and plowing his driveway for him, about a mile long. I gave some leftovers a good home, and now back in the stand. Beautiful afternoon.

Do you ride your skateboard to your stand with a path like that? LOL

How many points for a selfie with 15 turkeys under 20 yards away? Please excuse the dirty stache. It's for Movember and thankfully will be departing Dec 1 Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Daughter n I will be in the tower by 1 for the afternoon watch. Plots tend to be getting most action in the evening. I skipped first ever Good Friday morning sit. Been a long disappointing season since archery opener. Maybe tonight makes it all better. Fingers crossed

I agree shot placement is key, yet minor calibers without a doubt yield more lost dear . There is no debating that according to guys who’ve tracked thousands of them .

I got my first deer ever with the bow tonight in the pine bush. For some history, my dad introduced me to the sport of hunting when I was basically in diapers and I’ve loved it ever since. I got my hunting license and everything at 13 (although I may have partaken before that [emoji1]). So my first ever bow hunt at 13 years old I took a shot at a doe at 55 yds and missed low. Since then (I’m now 25) I have taken several deer with the gun, but each and every bow season I’ve gone without even drawing my bow back. Sure the years in college made it harder to hunt, but I still went a few times a year. After college I moved to the Capital district, which was just over two years ago. I hunted public land but work has got in the way of me hunting as much as I wanted to. Started hunting at the pine bush a few weeks back as I relocated from Clifton Park to Rotterdam. So today I went in for a mid-day hunt, and had to be home by 4 to start traveling back home for the holiday (Syracuse). I was starting to head out when I see a deer broadside at 20 yards. It’s facing away and I start to draw back and *snap* my string attached to my peep hole breaks, the deer doesn’t move (he was staring over a knoll which I think had a doe on the other side), so I do my best to put the sight behind the shoulder and let it rip. This was my first time shooting at a deer in 12 years with the bow. The deer runs about 10 yards, stops, and starts trotting over the small knoll before it sounds like it runs or crashes. Well s*** I thought I missed, deer didn’t act like it was hit. I walk over to where the deer was, no hair or blood, so I figure what the hell I’ll follow the tracks and see if I can catch up to him. I go about 20 yards following the tracks, and see this massive pool of blood. HOLY HELL I HIT IT! Then I look up and a foot away from the blood is the buck staring at me laying in a bush. Nearly jumped out of my pants! Did the old eye ball test and he didn’t budge. From shot to find was under 1 min. I started harvesting him (first time I’ve ever done this on my own), and found the disintegrated double lung and heart shot. Absolutely perfect, especially for the first shot in 12 years. Arrow went through and through but I hope to find it one day. I think I still have a little shake and adrenaline going now and this was 6 hours ago. God I love this sport. Patience always pays off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So on the final morning of a pretty miserable bow season this deer was slipping by me about 60 yards out. I grunted and he turned around and came in to 19 yards, guartering to but not severely. He piled up in just under 80 yards. Being unsure of the hit I have him three hours. Also Sodfather was hunting and I didn’t want to screw him up. For as useless as the grunt tube can sometimes seem it absolutely got me this buck You could say I was pretty happy! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Stump Removal - Awesome https://www.youtube.com/embed/2a1QISYNGHs?rel=0

What an Ass my neighbor went this morning and shot a 4 pointer at 9am.Calls me at 10 and asks if I would come pick up the deer cause he doesn't want to get his wife's car dirty.What the heck is wrong with this picture?Why go hunting/take her car if you're afraid of getting it dirty/bloody.Yes I did go bring his deer home

The deer in a canoe shot would be an awesome picture. Just saying. good luck

The temps climbed to 20F in 9f with an expected high of almost 40F. Was a pain breaking ice to paddle to my morning blind.

Not just today, this kind of nonsense has been going on since I started hunting 45 years ago.

I get what your saying , however, a book by the guy who stared leashed tracking dogs in NYS, and has been on over 1,000 tracking jobs, says he gets more calls for deer shot by .243 then all other calibers combined ! So to me that certainly , says something about calibers and there effectiveness.

Among us, it has always been whoever draws first blood, tags the deer. Doesn't matter where or how the first blood was drawn. Or who fired the final shot. I've tracked deer a couple times, I hit, that went off our property and was shot by someone else. I stuck out my hand and congratulated them. One, was a very nice muture buck, on state land, during bow season. I shot him, he ran, and bedded under the tree of a kid, I had no idea was there. He put another arrow in him. After following a good blood trail, a hundred yards or so, I came upon the young hunter, standing over "his first bow buck"!! I even helped him drag out his trophy.

here's a story this was a more than a few years back I was hunting with my 44mag seeing I had killed a deer with my bow. I was sitting on the ground I heard some shots above me on another property and a big doe came running strait at me looked like it was going to run me over. So I shot it hitting in the middle of the chest between the front legs dropping it 10 feet from me. I finished it off and was getting ready to fill out my tag when this kid came running down the hill all out of breath saying he just shot at that doe. When I saw the look on his face I told him I just finished it off so I wouldn't run down in the gully he said it was his first deer. I helped him field dress it I ask where were you aiming he said the chest. I sent him back up the hill to get help with his deer and I wait for his guys to come. The kids farther came over while I was packing up to move and thank me for helping his son then ask what I used to shoot the deer I told him a 44mag he asked how many times did I shoot I told him twice. He said this is your deer no it's your sons I said I could not take that deer after I saw the look on his face you can tell him what happen here after he kills his first deer. Sometimes you have to do the right thing.

Plus a monster round loaf of terranova bread; mozzarella knots, sun dried tomatoes Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You call that a STACHE ??.. Looks like PEACHFUZZ to me.....<< GRIN>>…..

Fork and six for twenty minutes S close as ten yards , till a snow mobile in the field 100 yards away some by . They ran out other side of woods . I hate hate them in gun season !

I figured I’d post this picture for all you guys freezing your nuts off in the stand Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Haha-what’s that old saying...two best days of fishing(hunting in this case) are yesterday and tomorrow!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My late breakfast

I think tomorrow will be the day, temps really going up and a small rain system coming through in the afternoon (that is forecast for cap district anyway) will make for a lot more movement

Came out if smoker last night. Apple wood smoked honey bacon.

What a couple years can do to a deer...

This is great, in the shack and my sons constantly checking out the windows while I enjoy the fire.

First, let me say I know I am stupid getting involved in this...<<sigh>>... However often a larger caliber with a heavier bullet does LESS tissue damage than a smaller , lighter constructed bullet at higher velocities... One of it's advantages is, that it is more likely to exit, making for a better blood trail... Often the smaller cailbers don't exit, and if it is a bad hit that makes for a tough tracking job...I don't think a .338 Mag hit center lung kills a deer any quicker than a .243 center lung... However a deer gut shot with the bigger gun probably will be easier to track..

Those look warm Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

I'm sitting in the easy chair this morning just reminiscing and chillin' out, and staying warm. Got one yesterday afternoon. Very thankful, as it's been super slow! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

A gut-shot is always fatal so my opinion is the guy did the right thing. The gut shooter ought to thank the dispatcher and give him a roast or two (maybe even a backstrap) for shortening his track (plus pay him for the bullet). The deer search guys probably love gut-shot jobs because they are smelly and easy for dogs to follow. If it were a non-fatal hit (like a leg), then the leg-shooter is SOL and the guy who kills it should get it, even if there is snow and the original shooter shows up on the trail.

It has been tough hunting since opening day of gun. Have not seen a deer!! Nothing! Until today. Had seen multiple decent bucks during bow. Passed a bunch of young ones, and even was second guessing myself about not taking a couple shots, I thought were iffy at the time. (glad I did) We had to keep up with the changing bedding areas, and feeding patterns, as the traditional ones along the swamps, were flooded out with all the rain this fall. So most all our spots were changed again and again. Opening morning came with a bunch of snow. We sat what we thought were our "best" options. Saw no deer. Day two, moved to a spot where they "had" to be! Saw no deer, and no fresh tracks at all. Day three, we figured if they weren't in the first two areas, well they MUST be in this one. Right? Wrong again! No deer or any fresh sign again at all! Was actually thinking have they left the property? Got a call last night from work, a machine was down, could I come in the morning, even though I'm on vacation. Sure, NP. Was out of there by noon. Ran home throw on my stuff, and started thinking where the heck could the deer be on our property! Heading up the hill, I decided to try the lowest end, with pines and some REALLY thick brush. After walking down the tractor access lane, I saw a few fresh tracks! Cool! Got to within 100 yards of a small ladder stand I was going to, and in the thick stuff to my left about 60 yards ahead, a bedded doe stands up! And I see another deer stand up behind her, and immediately see it's a good buck! But I have no shot, the doe is blocking him! The doe is giving me the stare down, but he is looking at her, not me. I knew whatever was going to happen, it would happen fast, as she was getting ready to bolt. She took a step left, right before she bolted, and there was the buck in my scope, thrugh a small window, quartering hard to me. He sees me now, and is looking my way too. I was on him, it's now or never, and trusted myself, and my 270 as I squeezed off the 60 yard shot. His front end dropped, he whirled to his right, and I lost sight of him in the brush. The doe bounded away, and as I watched her go, a bigger buck I never saw is on the other side of the lane!!! He bounds away too! Now I'm not sure of my shot. Did I hit him? Was that second buck him? If it was, how did he get there without me seeing him? So I decided to back out and give things, and myself a short time to calm down. As I turn around, a deer bolts across the lane! I'm on him. It's a spike! Don't shoot!......After threes days with not on deer seen, my hearts beating pretty good at this point. I call my partner Gary, he says stay there, I'll be right down. Sounds good to me. Now the doubt really sets in. When he gets to me I tell him I think I missed. I rushed the shot, as he was getting ready to bolt. We split the thicket, me on the side he ran to, Gary on the side of the shot. Shortly I hear a familiar whistle. And I'm crashing through the brush, to where the buck lays dead! He didn't go 20 yards! A quiet minute or two to give thanks, a handskake and pat on the back from Gary and my buck hunt is over this year. I'm so proud of this one! A lot of guessing, and moving set ups this season. Persistence and patience. Along with some luck. Just shy of 180 lbs. Nice three year old for my area of 4-H.

Blue jay alright....Sharp shins and Cooper's hawks love them and are very capable of knocking them right out of the air...

And you let him walk opening day hoping for one more year. I hope you learned a lesson here Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Eggs cooked in a pocket of bacon (bird in a nest), fresh ham and homemade cornbread.

When it gets really cold deer get very efficient about feeding. If they fed when it is the coldest they would burn more calories getting that food. So they tend to feed when it is warmest on frigid days. Being bedded keeps them fairly warm without exerting much energy/calories. At least that is what i think,and i am no expert,only in my own mind,haha.

Belo........I need sneakers and a new bow. and not necessarily in that order. Get on it will ya.

Turned out my burners are rusting (10 yr old furnace). The loose rust washed into the drain reservoir clogging a drain that should be pulling a vacuum but wasn’t due to the blockage. No vacuum wasn’t making the safety switch in the inducer and shutting down the burner. Up and running right again, but long term fix is to replace the burner which he is ordering to install next week sometime. Today’s charge and burner install service charge next week is zero dollars because I bought the service plan in April this year for $14.95/month - pretty pleased with that!! The exhaust vent was the first thing he checked. Didnt get to hunt today but glad we have a cozy house again with kids and grandkids here til Sunday. Service guy is a deer hunter. I tipped him well and told him to bring his gun when he comes to install the new burner. Wifey went to the tower for the afternoon sit and saw 9 does but no bucks.

A fatal shot, is one where the hunter that shot, walks up to a dead deer. Simple as that.