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Congrats to all the hunters that were fortunate enough to harvest something this weekend! Here's some better pictures of the buck I harvested Friday evening. Unfortunately his body was just a little too long for my weight station set up with my hoist, but I was able to get a reading of 220 lbs (before field dressing) with his head and antlers still on the ground so I'm going to guess a live weight of 240-250. Ended up with about 90-95 lbs of meat which still needs to be boned out and trimmed after dry aging but most meat I've ever got off a deer. His body was much bigger than his antlers that I scored at 127"... nice 20 to 21" beams but no mass with his bases measuring 4 to 4 1/2" and everything else in the 3s. That said, I'm happy as hell with him, I'll take a big body over big antlers any day. I've been passing 3 years olds all year including a nice 130-140 class 8 point I saw maybe an hour before I shot this one and I can't say 100% this buck is 4 but he had a long body and nice saggy belly so despite having the antlers of a 3 year old I think he was 4. Even if he's 3, he came out of the woods chasing a doe with his mouth open, nose flared and grunting like crazy which is something I will never forget and that's what counts! I'm also pretty sure he died quickly despite me backing out and giving him time and there was no coyote damage so all around very successful hunt. The neighbor had shot a big 10 pointer Wednesday (he got put up on NY Big Buck Club so I'm sure some of you have seen it... beautiful mid-150 class) that I had 7 encounters with during bow just as I was getting out of my stand so I had been a little bummed out but I got back after it Friday, set up a home made ground blind in some thick brush piles and ended up taking my buck within 100 yards of where the neighbor shot the big ten. Just goes to show you, stay after it and good things happen! FWIW, I figured Friday was going to be a good day to catch some bucks cruising because it was the first south wind after several days of brutal northerly winds that brought temps down to single digits around Rochester. Cold fronts are great for October and first half of November, but I find once we get past mid-November the deer just hunker down during them and the best time to hunt them is either the first day the winds shift to the north and pressure just starts to rise or the first south wind when pressure starts dropping and temps warm up. I've spent many lonely hours freezing my ass off in the stand thinking the cold would get them moving but they don't appear to like it anymore than us. It's been a pretty reliable formula I've used to see a lot of bucks so hopefully that helps one of you put one down too!

Got this huge doe yesterday at 3:28. I was sitting under a huge cherry tree in the middle of an orchard waiting for the group of doe to come out. A couple filtered through earlier, but for some reason I couldn’t seal the deal on them. At least 6 came out but they stayed at the top of the hill in line of a house so I couldn’t shoot. When a couple finally were in a safe spot, I took the first good shot I was given. It was about 140 yards and a perfect shot. It ran maybe 15 yards before crashing. Couldn’t see it go down, but I heard the thud from 140 it’s away. Number 3 for the year so I’m definitely doing well. Still have plenty of deer in the area and have a doe and buck tag left so I’m hoping to fill one more of those. Definitely has to be either my biggest or with in the top 3 doe I’ve ever shot. Definitely a mature doe, with a hump on its shoulder and everything Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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This might be a few posts in the thread....net' issues for some reason. LOL Spent a week fishing over Thanksgiving fishing in the Amazon basin of Brazil (and yes I blew off Deer season opener for the first time ever in 28 years) This trip was lodged based on the Rio Travessao, a steam that eventually feeds to Rio Negro and then the Amazon at Manaus, Brazil where I flew into from Miami. Conditons ranged from 85-95* with high humidity and occasional thunderstorms. Rained sometime on 5 of 7 days and this is their dry season. River gained and lost visible depth during our stay by about a foot. Equiptment; you are responsible for all terminal tackle and outfit supplied up to date rods and reels; A light spinning with Shimano 2500, a casting with Shimano Curado , heavy spinning catfish/chunk bait Ugly Stick with Diawa 6500 (100lb braid). I chose to additionally take a TFO 3 pc casting rod and Shimano Curado K reel just to have something familiar in hand; but it wasn't necessary to bring. Casts are frequent and rapid; Peacock bass here are fast and aggressive; I was under prepared for the technical aspect and this ain't no chuck and duck trip for smallies. Nothing for a 6lb Peacock to straiten a 2x heavy 2/0 treble. Bent the Ugly Stick all the way doubled on more than one occasion on multiple fish. I was one of the only first timers of the group of 8, 5 of whom had already been Peacock fishing on another river for a week before changing to this camp. All where super helpful and I was assigned to a boat/cabin with a guy who was on his 15th Amazon trip all with this outfit. He was terrific partner to get me on fish and we shared a great experience, I hope he feels the same. Bird and vegetation were spectacular, a real treat to see untouched wilderness. The fishing is by agreement with local indigenous reservation who gains employment and currency for exclusive fishing rights. Guides are VERY respectful of catch and release and are expecting anglers to be the same. But most folks just like pics....so here are a few and some comments. Red Tail Catfish; best one for the week in camp; Bait; Chunked Piranha Peacock bass.....holy crap these guys can fight. Multiple jumps and runs. Always watchful Caiman looking for some lost bait scraps; Record class Black Piranha; these guys got serious teeth and require careful handling; Wolf fish....Trairao.....35 lbs (best in camp was my partner at 38 lbs minutes after this one). Caught many of these on chunk and big lures from 16-24 lbs. 20 lber Last day of last light and the reason I went fishing here; Paraiba catfish....64" and about 100+ lbs; 40 minute fight to land; And Francisco expert boat handler and guide; The end. Link to more pics;https://imgur.com/a/IrU2Rnf

Opening day of gun, 3:30 in the afternoon I am in a two-man stand and see a deer off to my left coming up from behind me. I got the scope on it and it looks like a doe... maybe 90 yards or so. It works its way in and now it is about 75 yards out and just to my left. Lined up on her and took the shot. Tracked it for about 70 yards before I saw and big blood... just a drop or two here and there. As I followed the tracks along, the bloodbath started unfolding and there it lay. I express my disappointment when I discover it is a spike with the left side missing and the right side horn was 4 inches long. Bye-Bye regular season buck tag. Good for the freezer though!

So this morning I decided I was going to sit in "my" stand since i haven't been seeing much of anything since gun started. For the first time this year we had some corn and beans on the opposite side of the lease so i had concentrated most of my time closer to the food. This was leading to tons of deer being seen during bow but as soon as rifle started the deer I was seeing dwindle to almost nothing. So about 8:30 I am once again seeing nothing and I am thinking about how much i miss bow. Out of nowhere I catch movement in the ravine and see a deer then quickly realize there are two. The 2nd deer is a buck and as I find him in the scope I am trying to determine if he is a shooter. ( self imposed 6 or better lease rules) I see he has 2 on each side and catch a brow tine also and decide I am taking the shot when I can. He moves to a spot where i have a nice slightly 1/4 away and squeeze the trigger. He doesn't flinch so i shoot again with my autoloader and down he goes. Was pleased to see he was a small 8 when i got to him. My 3rd biggest deer...all from the same stand. Super happy to have him.

Another fun hunt with my brother. A nice close shot she came in at 35 yards and we weren't even in the blind for 10 minutes!!! My shot was perfect and she ran 75-100 yards where we found her dead right where he said she would be! Another great hunting memory for the books!!!

Had a good afternoon as my youngest son and I scored on a doe each. Venison for the freezer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have no cell service on the lease so this is tape delayed photos and story Decided I was going to head to the lease around 9:30 and sit midday to dark, wife and son decided to stay home . I knew I wanted to sit on the dug road as it had been loaded with tracks the last few hunts. I decided to use the same oak tree that my wife had seen deer out of opening day of firearms, it had a really nice pine right next to it that offered great cover. At about 11:00 had 3 hens walk under my climber and then at 12:30 I hear deer coming up behind me. I stand, turn ,cock the hammer on the super redhawk and turn on the red dot . There’s 6 doe walking up the hill about 50 yards, the two lead doe’s are behind some heavy brush , no shot. I look and the 4th was just as big as the lead. Rested my arms against the tree and waited for the doe to come into the ok shooting lane that I noticed. Touched off the 44 and she donkey kicks as I see her kick I see a branch fall. She runs about 75 yards and goes down, I watch her and she gets back up and runs down the hill and I loose sight of her . At this point I am thinking oh no I hit that branch and it deflected the bullet. I wait half hour and I climb down and walk over to where I watched her go down. The blood was every where, I am thinking how did she get back up. Found her about 100 yards down the hill. The bullet did deflect some and hit her a little back. All in all the 240 grain xtp did its job. Very happy to have some venison for the freezer..

Late post. Phone died as I tried to get updates on the brutal Giants game. Doe and Fawn came in hauling ass before 4pm. Mom was looking over her shoulder so I was hopeful something would be following her. They stopped about 20 yards from me and slowly made there way browsing to me. Seemed like hours, but was probably a few minutes. Nothing was showing behind her and legal light was getting close so I made the call to fill the dmp. Waited for her to step into open and let an arrow fly. Good shot, double lung. She hauls out of there, Fawn shoots off in opposite direction. She starts to get wobbly, leans while she is running and runs smack into a tree. Drt. Never saw anything like it. Back to another the thread, I think my shot was fatal but cause of death was blunt force trauma to the cranium from the tree. Quite sure the tree wasn't going to stake a claim, so I felt comfortable filling out the tag. Sent from my Moto E (4) Plus using Tapatalk

So this morning I decided I was going to sit in "my" stand since i haven't been seeing much of anything since gun started. For the first time this year we had some corn and beans on the opposite side of the lease so i had concentrated most of my time closer to the food. This was leading to tons of deer being seen during bow but as soon as rifle started the deer I was seeing dwindle to almost nothing. So about 8:30 I am once again seeing nothing and I am thinking about how much i miss bow. Out of nowhere I catch movement in the ravine and see a deer then quickly realize there are two. The 2nd deer is a buck and as I find him in the scope I am trying to determine if he is a shooter. ( self imposed 6 or better lease rules) I see he has 2 on each side and catch a brow tine also and decide I am taking the shot when I can. He moves to a spot where i have a nice slightly 1/4 away and squeeze the trigger. He doesn't flinch so i shoot again with my autoloader and down he goes. Was pleased to see he was a small 8 when i got to him. My 3rd biggest deer...all from the same stand. Super happy to have him.

Mom brought some pics up to camp and when I ran across this one it brought tears to my eyes. I had shot a nice 8 point with the bow the evening prior to this hunt and shortly after I killed a Jake. I allowed the birds to fly up and snuck out at dark so I could get dad to be there while I tracked my buck even though I watched him drop. We found the deer gutted him and before we headed down the hill I told dad I wanted to flush the birds so I could bring him back in the morning. Got a good scatter and we were back before the tree talk started in the morning. I started them up with a fly down into an assembly call. Soon there were birds talking every where and a hand full were closing the distance. I saw this Jake sneaking along the hill kee kee calling as he came in. When he got to 20 yards I told dad to shoot him first chance BOOOOM he got. Lol. This was his first ever turkey and sadly his only 1. The following fall I had scattered birds came and got dad. Went back set up and I had birds talking all around us. I heard something sneaking in behind us and when I turned around there was a guy with a shotgun shouldered pointed right at me....to say there was a profanity laced statement made would be an understatement. The guy had the balls to say you sound just like a real turkey with that call. Dad said he was done hunting and when we got back he said please don't ask me to go again as after this incident I will never turkey hunt again and he never did. But he never forgot his only bird and often told people about the hunt. Sent from my LGL58VL using Tapatalk

The experience and harvest from a first timer's view. This is the write up that Tanya sent me. " On Sunday, November 18th I went on my first hunt. I’m 42. The daughter of a retired Massachusetts State Trooper, I was introduced to guns at an early age. Five years ago, I decided I wanted to shoot a deer. First, I needed to get comfortable with a gun again. I took a junior rifle class at my range. I applied for and received my pistol permit. I bought a .22 pistol and trained with a few friends. A few years went by, and I acknowledged that I wasn’t making any progress with hunter education, learning to shoot a larger caliber gun, or finding land to hunt. When Field & Fork had an outreach table at the Rochester Public Market, I knew it was an incredible opportunity. With the help of QDMA and a team of mentors, I have been learning about hunting and how to shoot larger caliber rifles since September. We spent about 12 hours in the classroom and two hours in the range. I tried a .22 rifle, a 30-30 and a .30-06. The mentors patiently answered a zillion questions about shot placement, field dressing, deer behavior, and how and when to get a hunting permit. On hunt day, the second day of the rifle season, I suited up into my (brand new, purchased the night before) camo coat and pants and orange vest. I drove an hour south of the city where I live to Springwater, NY. My mentor, Mike Edwards, was waiting for me outside his house. We hiked down into his land. As we walked in, he got a text from his trail camera that a fawn was eating in the field. It was gone when we arrived. We settled into the (heated!) enclosure just before noon and talked quietly. The enclosure sits on a hill on the edge of a forested area adjacent to a field of soybean, clover and apples (see photo). There was a light snow falling. We reviewed how his .30-06 worked, where a deer might come from, and how we would communicate about a shot. We watched a group of eight turkeys come into the soybeans from across the field, wander to the north and back into the woods. The toms were circling and bickering. We talked about Mike’s family's childhood hunting camps and how many people take the whole week of opening season to stay in the woods, play cards, hunt and eat with their friends. The field was peaceful and the experience felt restorative to me. It did not feel like we had been in the enclosure for two hours, but I took out a book close to 2:00PM and read a paragraph at a time. I had a sense that reading would summon a deer. I continued to scan the field and the forest edges every few minutes. Around 2:05, a buck stepped out into the soybeans directly across from us. Mike saw him first. He was 110-120 yards away. We opened a window and I fumbled with the binoculars for a minute and then decided to watch the buck through the gun scope. Keeping the safety on, I put the muzzle out of the enclosure and got into ready position. The buck was facing us. I could see through the scope that he had six or eight points. I recall thinking that he was beautiful. We waited silently and expectantly. The buck took a slight turn and ate for a few minutes. I followed him with the scope. It was tiring to stay still and ready as the minutes ticked by. I was conscious of my nerves, but it was not until the buck turned broadside that my body started to shake. When Mike gave word that I could take off the safety and shoot, my excitement and anxiety shot up. I tried to settle into the rifle. I could not do it. I was too nervous. I lifted my head off the stock, looked at the ceiling of the enclosure and took a huge breath. I exhaled fully. I breathed in again and exhaled halfway. Mike reminded me to pull the trigger steadily. I settled back into the gun, found the buck through the scope, took aim, and pulled the trigger. I don’t remember the recoil being hard, but I rode through the shot with my cheek on the stock of the gun. I watched the buck leap into the air through the scope. He took off into the woods across the field where he had first emerged. I pulled the gun back into the enclosure and asked if I could hand it to Mike. He acknowledged and took the gun from me. I knew we had time to sit and wait and I was thankful for that. All the emotion swept over me. My legs and hands were shaking. My head was pounding with blood. I was in disbelief. We discussed the shot and what we each saw. We knew I hit the buck but we weren’t sure where the shot landed or if it was fatal. Mike looked through the binoculars and saw blood on the field. We discussed whether we should get the tractor, which was up at the barn, then or after we tracked the deer. We decided to sit and wait. We were happy with what had happened. I texted a few people, including my dad, to let them know I had taken a shot. After about 15 minutes, we wondered aloud if we might see another deer. As soon as we said it, a fawn walked into the field from the south and started eating soybean. He pranced over to the apples and started eating those. We inspected him, assessed his size and age, and decided to let him be (see photo). A little after 2:30, we left the enclosure and walked through the soybeans to the spot where the deer was standing. The fawn, who was previously unaware of our presence in the stand, bounded off into the woods from the apple trees. We found bright red blood in the field in the snow and on the soybeans. Some of it was clotted. At some points, we didn’t see any blood for a few feet. We followed the trail into the woods with Mike leading the way. About 40 yards from where I took the shot, the buck was on the ground face down. Mike saw it first but let me see it on my own before he said anything. We hugged and walked over to the deer. He confirmed it was dead and I kneeled down in the snow. I touched its wet fur head. I talked to it. We rolled the buck over and found the shot and the exit wound. I had hit the shot a little low but had likely damaged the heart and lungs. We dragged the deer over to flat land, put it on his back, and I cut open the stomach. We found its stomach had been punctured by bone from the shot. He called his friend John who brought down the tractor and some rubber gloves. Somehow it was after 3:30 by this time. John field dressed the deer for us because I had only seen one video about this process. The undigested food from the stomach smelled wretched. John took pictures of Mike and me with the deer after the field dressing. We loaded the deer onto the tractor and rode up to the barn to hang it next to a doe that Mike’s friend shot on opening day. I drove home extremely happy but also in a stupor. That night I was exhausted but slept soundly. I have felt a great sense of pride over the last two days. Tonight (Tuesday 11-20), I will butcher the deer with my other Field to Fork classmates, two of whom shot bucks on opening day. I feel lucky to have had this experience on my first hunt. I could not have done this without QDMA, Bob and Mike. I’m proud of myself for the shot, which was far for me, and for handling a .30-06 with confidence even though I had only used it once before. I’m hooked on the experience of hunting. I need more time in the woods. I enjoy the primal nature of the sport. I love shooting. I know I will enjoy the venison that we will eat this winter. And I’m the city girl who will be proudly wearing camo whenever I get the chance. After Sunday, I believe hunting will become part of my culture. My 13-year old daughter is expressing an interest, and my dad is sending a .22 rifle at Thanksgiving for her to learn how to shoot. Thank you QDMA, Mike, Bob and Terry for being so gracious with your time and for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm with us. This experience has been life changing for me."

Oh for crying out loud, some of you guys need to step down off of your high horses.

A snatch block ?? I don't know what it is, but I'd like see a picture of one...

Turned out ok size, got heart and both lungs . Came home because I can’t get deer across drainage ditch, friend from behind my spot got deer with his ATV . So since I can’t get to most stands or bring deer across without swimming ,I’m home cleaning gear ,drinking beer and thinking deer.

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.

DO NOT attempt to catch piranhas with your bare hands. Ask Bionic if you dont believe me

The slug you are holding in your hand is a Brenneke, the box you are picturing is for Winchester Foster slugs. Looks like someone put Brennekes in a Winchester box. Al

Peanut Butter Porter with Peanut Butter Pie [emoji95] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bobcat

I was after this guy all bow season, but I only saw him on trailcam pics. About 9:30am on opening day, I saw a deer trotting ~300 yards to my right, head almost to the ground, and coming right at me!!! I put the scope on it and saw it was the big 8pt that I had been after all bow season! If he continued on the same path, he would have been 25 yards in front of me! I kept the crosshairs on his chest the best that I could and was ready, incase he decided to change direction! He was on a mission and kept closing the distance! At ~150 yards, he must have picked up the does scent that I saw there earlier, because he started to veer off into the thicket! BUT, between him trotting side to side and me not having a rock steady rest, (OK, and me shaking ) I just wasn't comfortable risking a shot! I knew the .300 Mag was fully capable, but I wasn't confident . Part of me was screaming SHOOT!!! But I was too afraid of missing, or worst yet wounding him, so I decided not to shoot!! He disappeared into the thicket and I had no idea if I would ever see him again! I was tormented by my decision, but in my heart, I knew it was the right thing to do. I was bumming, feeling like I may have blown my one and only opportunity at him. I tried giving some estrus bleats to get him to come in my direction, but nothing! I figured he probably picked up the doe's scent from earlier, and followed her out of the back of the thicket somewhere into the corn. About 5 min later, I looked into the thicket and could make out a deer walking. I sure hoped it was the big 8pt! It was so damn thick and I could just see enough of the rack to confirm it was him!! It looked like he was back tracking the doe from earlier! I scanned in front of him and found one hole about 75 yards in front of me that I figured would be my one and only opportunity for a shot! I put the crosshairs on that hole and waited for him to step into it!!! I kept peeking over the scope to keep an eye on him, so I knew when to expect him! As soon as I saw his shoulder in the scope, I squeezed the trigger! He took a couple jumps, but it was so thick that I had no idea if I hit him or not!? AHHHHH! To make matters worse, although it was only 75 yards away, a deep ditch/creek was between us that I needed chest waders to cross! I had to walk back to the truck to get my chest waders, walk back to the stand, put the waders on, and wade the creek (~4' deep!), before I would even know if I hit him or not!! Well, once I got over there, I saw blood splattered all over the fresh snow! I was so relieved!! He might have went 40 yards, but was piled up along the edge of the thicket! I was grateful to have killed the buck that I was after, but even more happy that I did it with my Dad's .300 Win Mag. That gun was his baby! I know he was smiling down...

Shot this buck on my land in Cortland County on Saturday morning. Got in my stand @6:37am, and at 7 I see a big doe walking toward me. I'm getting my gun up, and I start to hear grunting, look back on the trail and this guy is following her grunting like crazy. Shot him at 7:05, and when I get up to him I'm amazed at the body size. Buck ended up having 19" inside spread, and field dressed at 207 pounds. This has been a tough season for me, as I had 104 hours in a tree stand this year and only shot 1 doe during bow season. Took me over an hour to get him to the closest logging trail 100 yards away, where I was going to try to get my 4 wheeler in. With over a foot of wet snow, I wasn't sure my 4 wheeler would make it, but it did. I'm a happy hunter right now! John

My impression is that the snort wheeze is a long fffffff ffffffff ffffsssssssssssssssssss. The buck is exhaling air through his nose. It is done when the doe is ready to breed and the buck is all worked up and he is warning any other buck to back the F off. I called in a buck a few seasons back that was walking outa my life and would not listen to anything else I threw at him. I snort wheezed and he stopped on a dime. Did it again and he came stomping back in and ended up with my tag on him. One of my most memorable hunts. Very cool to say the least.

Back in the day the areas I hunted in the Southern zone mandated the use of slugs, I tried them all looking for the best possible accuracy. It was before the use of rifled slug barrels and most shotguns fired open choked smooth barrels to get the best accuracy. I have not used slugs in years as I have been hunting the Northern zone for the past thirty something years. This thread got me poking around through my ammo and I found a bunch of different slug brands laying around that I have tried. I noticed that I have both the Brenneke style wads Stormy pictured, the 12s have the pedestal and the 20s a solid wad. The best shooting traditional slug I found was the old 7/8 ounce Remingtons, my Winchester Super X1 would lay them on top of one another at 75 yards, they discontinued them in the late 70s and went to one ounce slugs which did not group as well for me in my slug gun. Al

sort of the reason for this thread. So some of the posts eased my fear, but maybe they're just messing with me because i live in dicksville?

ive done them weeks later, never been an issue

Been out all day, hunkered under the umbrella! I hate rain!! So far, I've only seen one deer at about 10:30 and it was so far, that I couldn't tell what it was! Got a friend that is in need of some venison, due to his wife having some health issues, so he's been unable to get out and hunt. Told him I would do my best. Still have time to fill a couple DMP's... Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Pumpkin balls were even before MY time !! They were cast undersized so they would go through a tight full choke , and were notoriously inaccurate, or so I heard.. I shot my share of paper shells...I can still remember when Remington first started making plastic shells, in fact I have a few of the early production in my " collection".... Remington ran an add that if one of their new plastic shells failed to function, they would send you 100 shells free...Sure enough, I had a 16 gauge shotshell that misfired...Bad primer, I guess, because the firing pin put a deep dent in it and it did not fire...I sent it in and Remington sent me four full boxes of shells..That was a pretty good supply for a kid with a 16 gauge single shot..

Yes, Thanksgiving morning it was minus 1 when we climbed into the tower. Hour and 20 minutes we had it headed to 70 degrees with a buddy heater. No wind, contains sound Daughter would have froze out very quick just sitting in the woods. We both agreed it was waiting and not completely hunting And we enjoyed every second of it I want land with one now !

Its definitely different than sitting in a stand. For this area though, it helps a ton with swirling wind issues, as the blind contains the vast majority of your scent. Its great for gun hunting, but I dont think its going to be all that great for bow. It is perfect for taking kids out.

When Airedale and I started hunting, the only slugs available were Foster stlye and Brennekes... Many old timers referred to Brennekes as " Them GERMAN slugs"....Hehehe....

That’s a snatch lock silly

I do thirds. Cast iron pan tonight and they were wonderful Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Chicken, peppers, red onion, garlic, and cow massage dry rub! A little sour cream, mighty taco hot sauce, and cheddar jack on top! Yum yum. thank you TF! I enjoyed it

Nice job ApexerER. So,is that land posted behind you ....... he sure likes posted signs .

Yea after missing I put the rifle away. Brought out my favorite. Out behind the house this morning in the far stand and he strolled by at 7:30 at 40 yards. 70 yards red spray paint trail. 140 pounds dressed 2.5yo. Other antler broke off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I posted this in the live from the woods thread but wanted to put it in its proper place here. Let me start off by saying in my 21ish years of hunting I’ve never seen a buck this big alive in the woods. My biggest buck to date is a small racked 7 pointer. I was already having a pretty decent opening day. Saw a doe early then a spike around 12 and another small 4 pointer around 12:30-12:45. Things went quiet around 1pm. Around 2:30 I decided to have a pee then get out my lucky skittles and settle in for the last 2 hours of the day. Right around 3 I hear a few shots go off 200 or so yards away followed by very heavy crashing. I figured what ever the deer was is going down in some thick nasty stuff and I’d be helping drag out a deer after sunset. Just in case though I grabbed the gun stood up and waited. That’s when the surprise kicked in. This buck with a big rack comes smashing through the thicket with a broken rear leg. At this point a completely forget about the rack and settle the gun on the vitals and follow him waiting for him to hit my shooting lane. Now he’s not moving very fast because of the broken leg. He gets through my first shooting lane as I still follow him cross hairs on the vitals. He gets into my second lane and I squeeze the trigger. He folds up in 20 yards head facing away from me. That’s when I remembered Holy Crap! This dude had a rack on him and a big one! When I finally got down to check him out I was in complete shock! In fact I think I still am!

Shot him at 10:47 a.m. 11/18 State land, 1/2 mile off road DEC Biologist aged him at 4 1/2 years old 100 yard shot. Shot in upper quadrant of heart, ran 50 yards.

Opening day 9pt. First minute or two or legal light. Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

6 pt in Moose River Plains Nov 10th. Spot stalked then tracked this guy in the snow for a few hundred yards before catching up to him on the second day of a three day hunt. Story is here.

It was a very good day. Dressed weight 160 pounds. Been hunting deer 48 seasons now. This year hunting alone, dragging it out and hanging it in the shed by myself. I guess at 63 years old, I'm not that old after all.

Bleated this buck in this morning at 9:30 in unit 4A.

Elephant Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

So here goes my opening day story. I have jmp5008 drive me by road to the back end of my land to hunt the ridge top stand. I get in the stand at 5:45 and settle in. At around 6:30 about 15 min before legal I see a doe come running up the funnel between me at the neighbor. I know by which was she is headed she will be going right in front of his stand. I look the direction she came from and see another deer making its way up the hill. I’m pretty sure it’s a buck but it’s thick over there and I can’t make it out. Finally I get him in the scope and I can see antlers but can’t make them out. Ar’s in effect here. It’s now like 10 min to legal I’m following him in my scope he looks big but it’s thick and I can’t tell for sure. Between that and the time I let him walk. 2 min later I hear it. Boom the neighbor shoots twice. My heart sinks he was so close and the shot so loud I feel like I’m not going to see any more deer. About 45 min goes by and I’m scanning all directions. I notice a deer coming down the hill behind me. A small doe. I take a selfie with it and watch her walk away. As I turn back around I see another deer coming down the hill In front of me. Looks like a buck but I’m not sure. I get the scope on him, see the antlers with a obvious 3 points on one side. I settle the scope behind the shoulder and pull the trigger. The deer kicks and takes off running up the ridge but downhill from the neighbor. That’s when the texts start my buddies want to know what I shot. I answer that I’m not sure I hit him. That’s when@jmp5008 chimes in and says you got him I see it rolling down the hill!! I walk Down go recover the deer when the neighbor and his grandson show up. I ask if they got the one from earlier in the day. They said no we missed, but it was a very nice 8. I make a little small talk with them then start the long drag downhill thank god, to where I can get a quad in and get him back to the house Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk