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Patience pays off. Hadn't seen a decent buck all archery season and so far this gun season but luck changed this morning. Made a perfect 1 shot kill on 8 pointer. valoroutdoors.com

11/25/19: while I was at work dad hunted. He seen 5 deer together at 9:45am. Looked like a few ran down towards the stream about 125 plus yds. The closest one was about 75 yards and was a 3 pt. that He has seen before. He could only see one other deer now which was about 130 yards away. He could see he had antlers and was a shooter. He watched him for about 5 minutes and tried soft grunted and after that the bleat called, but the buck wasn't moving much but then just before 10am he started walking fast heading towards the stream. When the buck came through a little opening angling away Dad shot at his left side at 125yds on the move with his shotgun. He aimed high and knew He hit him because he dropped right down. Bur he kept trying to get up. He watched him for a few minutes and watched the 3 pointer start walking down towards him. He then decided to sneak down keeping trees blocking him. When He got to about 30 yards the buck was in a kneeling position but not looking at my dad so He shot him again in the left shoulder. He than dropped for good. Right after the shot Dad noticed about 30 yards three other deer took off heading away further but couldn’t see heads. Buck weighed 138lbs dressed at the butcher. A woman DEC biologist was there and they were taking the head/brain to Albany to check for CWD. She told my dad it was a 2.5 year old, which seems right. Dad only has a flip phone so these are the only pics I have for now until I see him in person with his digital camera. Another buck we did NOT have pics of. When dad told me he shot a buck I thought it was the high rack buck we have pics lately but it’s not so hopefully I’ll get a crack at him. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Should be a good day out before the front moves through the area, hoping to get out of work a little early and sit for 2 - 3 hrs before sunset. On a side note, I've known for a few months now that I'm going to be a grandpa for the first time. Absolutely thrilled about it, but lastnight I received an ultrasound image of my grandbaby, which really made it all feel so real and I'm just beaming, so I had to say something. Looking forward to introducing him or her to the amazing world of hunting!

Brother in law shot this buck at my camp on Saturday. Take a look at his rear leg, just above the foot. I think it's a scope cap. He musta stepped through it. Didn't seem to be causing him any discomfort.

My favorite holiday! No presents just food and family and friends. And being 56 I remember watching the March of the wooden soldiers every year! As a kid it was spent at Grandmas house. We would walk in to Grandpa peeling potatoes! Now we start traditions with our kids! Have a great Thanksgiving!

I concur with NYBowhunter that land improvement is key. In the three and a half years of owning and improving our land the deer density and quality have made it all worthwhile. Added a pond, put in food plots, let a hay lot go to 6 foot high goldenrod. We stay out of the cedar swamp/bedding area. Results this year...

I’ve gotten a bunch of questions and there seems to be some interest around here on tracking. While I sit around on my thumb with no tag until muzzleloader I figured I would try and answer some questions and try to pass on some information to those that are interested. Everyone please feel free to add to this as well! First off I’ll start by saying I am not a good tracker, I’ve killed my share of bucks while tracking but most of those bucks died because I can shoot not because I can track. I continue to learn everyday I’m out there. Growing up my father hunted the big woods and I loved it. When I got old enough to hunt I sat in a lot of tree stands and I enjoyed it but I always looked forward to our trips up north. My father always said that tracking didn’t work and the only way to kill deer in the big woods was to still hunt or do drives so that’s what I did but I always tried to track if I had the chance. I killed my first buck tracking when I was 16, it was a nice buck that I shot in his bed but I now know I did everything wrong on that hunt and just got lucky but it lit the fire. At 18 I went into the Marine Corps and always saved my leave for hunting season but my father no longer hunted up north and we started going to Ohio and doing more and more stand hunting. Although I love any kind of hunting I was bored quickly even tho I was shooting some nice bucks. After 8 years in the Marines and a handful of deployments hunting didn’t do it for me anymore I still hunted but I didn’t have the drive I had before. One day I decided to head north by myself and caught a good track, I tracked him all day but never saw him. I then realized I had found what I had been missing. The adrenaline rush and the hyper focus that I thrived on in the military was found again in tracking. That day also made me realize that I was fat and out of shape. I also realized that some of my mental and physical issues I was dealing with that hindered me while sitting in a stand didn’t bother me while tracking if anything they helped me. While I’m tracking there’s only one thing on my mind, the depression and physical pain never crossed my mind while I was tracking. Tracking is one of the easiest forms of hunting, all you have to do is find a track then catch up to him. Anyone can track, its way more about mental focus and mental toughness than anything else. Staying on the track not worrying about getting lost or how far from your rig you are is the hardest part for most people. Tracking also requires the least amount of time. You don’t need to scout, you didn’t need to plant food plots, hang stands or setup blinds. All you need is some snow and the determination not to quit. We are lucky to live in a state with some huge chunks of public land that we can hunt. Tracking also requires the least amount of gear. All you need is dry boots, comfortable clothes, compass “that you know how to use”, map, maybe a gps. A small survival kit is a good idea as well. I’m going to start on gear and if there is interest I’ll go into other aspects. Gear- As I already said the gear list is very small. The most important thing about tracking is being mobile I carry very little while I’m tracking just the bare essentials that fit in a small fanny pack. I never carry a backpack because I think they make too much noise and slow me down too much. Really I could carry everything I need for a day of tracking could fit in my pockets but I like to bring a couple sandwiches so I wear a small fanny pack. For boots I wear Lacrosse 18” grange if it gets down in the teens I’ll wear the 18” Burlys with the air grip tread. The Grange have no insulation and are like wearing slippers. I always take the little foam insoles out because I want to be able to feel every branch under my feet. The burlys are a little heavier and stiffer, they’re harder to feel things under your feet but do have a small amount of insulation, I also take the insoles out of those as well to help with the feel. For pants I wear wool, I have tried a lot of different pants because wool pants are heavy but I haven’t found anything else that works as good as wool. Wool is quite especially when you’re walking through small whips that “slap” off synthetic material. For shirts I’ll wear fleece flannel until it starts getting cold then I switch to a wool shirt. The fleece is nice because it’s lighter but gets cold when wet. It’s very rare that I get cold enough to wear a beanie but I usually have one with me just Incase. I usually just wear a baseball hat. If there’s snow on the trees I always wear a very light fleece neck gator not for warmth but it prevents snow from going down the back of my neck when it falls off branches. For base layers I wear Marino wool. If it’s above 20 I don’t wear a base layer under my wool pants colder than 20 I wear light Marino wool. On top I have a couple different weights usually wear the lightest one unless it’s real cold. Unless it’s down around zero and I add a vest I only ever wear 2 layers. Socks are one of if not the most important article of clothing for a tracker because you need to keep your feet warm and they also have to stay up on your legs while walking. There’s nothing worse than when socks are sliding down your feet while walking. I wear smart wool ski socks they are knee high and never move, they make them in two different weights. I usually wear the lighter ones unless it’s real cold. I will only hunt with them for one season then they become work socks because the elastic wears out and they will start to slide down your foot. Guns- I’ve probably carried 30 different guns while tracking and still haven’t found the perfect one. My favorite are the Remington pumps but they have their flaws as well. The important thing is to be able to shoot what you choose and be able to tote it all day without it tiring you out. One of my good buddies is an excellent tracker and he carries a browning Abolt in 7mm mag with a 26” barrel with a big heavy scope. It’s not what I would call ideal but he’s comfortable with it and has killed a pile of bucks with it tracking. Me personally I want short and light this year I killed my buck with a Remington 760 in 35 Remington. But I’ve killed deer tracking with autos, bolts, levers and pumps and they all work if you do your part. Sights/ optics- I go back and forth on this constantly, this year I killed mine with a peep sight but while I was shooting I was wishing I had a scope. It’s personal preference they both have their pros and cons. The two biggest cons to scopes are their weight and keeping the snow out of them. Peeps or open sights are awesome to carry because they weigh nothing and don’t catch snow and branches while walking, but they are harder to shoot accurately with and they don’t help you seeing the branches/trees between you and the buck like a scope does. As of now I hunt with both a low powered scope with as close to 1X as possible is my preference but when there’s snow on the branches or if it’s snowing I carry a gun with a peep sight. One thing I’ll add is that while tracking inevitably you’ll have to cross a stream or river. One thing I do to help this is I blouse my boots. I use a heavy rubber band and tuck my pant legs under the rubber band above my ankles on the outside of my boots. This does two things it keeps the bottom of my pant legs from freezing into clumps of ice it also keeps water out if I’m crossing water that’s higher than my boots. With wool pants and my boots bloused if the water is below my pockets and I hurry across my feet stay dry, my pants will be wet but not enough to run into my boots. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Man can we just start another thread for this BS? Real pain in the ass for those trying to see how guys are making out. Seriously!

Live from the woods!!!! Changing it up this morning and going #from the ground.

It’s like being able to read what a fart would smell like every time he posts.

Most gunsmiths would look at that POS and say...." Save your money and buy a quality gun ".... There is a very old saying...." You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear ".....

Didn't notice it. Thinner than a pencil. Must be a 170"

We had Thanksgiving last Thursday when the Delaware daughter and family was up for deer. Turkey, the traditional sides, apple and pumpkin pie. This Thursday wife and I will greet the sunrise together in the tower blind. We're going to hunt the morning, settle in for football the rest of the day - go Bills - and put a prime rib in the oven for an early dinner. Friday morning we'll be picking up the three Rochester grandkids for the long weekend, and 12 year old grandson and I will do our traditional Black Friday doe hunt.

Holy crap. When you check the thread and think the 5 new pages meant some deer were hitting the ground. Nope! Seriously, stop feeding the troll fellas.

Smoked half tonight, will do the rest tomorrow Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bingo, absolutely. I literally know a 1000 acres piece by me that does not hold a candle to my 40. Im not bragging, but like anything else location, location, location and to give myself some credit i bust my hump to improve the land just a little bit more each year.

Okay, it’s been 15 minutes. Where the hell are all the deer?

To make matters worse, I just learned that I lost the title of sexiest man alive .... AGAIN! Curse that John Legend.

I agree. Can we all agree to this?

Alarm chimes at 3:15. Golden retriever then plops down between wife and I. I cover us all up better then make the decision no bueno on hunting today. Good luck to all

32 degrees light south wind over slept heading back to where I saw all the tracks a few days ago. This is the last day for me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No=know and duck=duct for those trying to follow.

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Yesterday afternoon I was headed out for the evening sit......the south wind had me pondering where to go but I settled on one stand close to a bedding area. Before I got to my stand, I heard and then saw two deer busting out at a good clip. They were quartering away and I knew I had to get to a tree for a rest PDQ if I had a remote chance at the second of the two. The first buck passed through an opening and I quickly got a rest on the side of the tree and focused the cross hairs on the opening then let my left eye cheat over and see the second buck coming to the opening. I brought my left eye back to the scope and let 'er rip, tater chip. The entire sequence didn't take more than 5 seconds from the first I heard them till the buck was down. Although he was down, he wasn't out. I chambered another round and as he wiggled around I had to wait for an opening to get another round into the vitals, within seconds the coup de grace was on the way. The shots were from about 100 yards, maybe a touch more? My rifle is a 7mm-08 shooting 120gr Ballistic Tips, handloaded. He went 175lbs on the scale and has 9pts. I am getting him mounted and asked the taxidermist to hang onto the lower jaw as I'd like to get an age on him if possible.

I just wear a body cam 24/7

Yes, but happy wife = happy life. I told her you are only sending it if i continue to go to WNY 2 times per year for the next 10 straight years

everytime this thread gets derailed with stupid @$#% I'm gonna walk outside touch the nearest tree and post it "Live from the woods" or im just gonna stop opening it and just move on.

Not trapped gas, transfer of kinetic energy. it's the same reason when an asteroid hits the ground and leaves a crater or when you throw a rock into sand and the sand bounce upwards.

I’m working on my restraint, didn’t get sucked in!

Thin blue line represents my guess of the bullet path and the white cloud is the debris/hair field it created.

Wow, a duct taped on sight for shotgun hunting. Never heard of such a thing. Why not tape a toilet paper tube on (for a scope) to extend your range?

No , but at six I knew to end a question with punctuation. Your posts are moronic and I truly hope that no new hunters read and put any value into your hunting techniques, if you actually even hunt. You are either an evil genius trying to get a rise out of ethical hunters or possibly the dumbest person in the woods.

Dont get sucked into the vacuum. Don’t do it. I implore you Rob.

Killed 6 3yr old bucks on the same 30acre parcel this season. Surrounding lands make a huge difference.

Not correct. Sexual harassment to touch someone who does not want to be touched. I think Ill complain next time someone tries to shake my hand. Keep your hands to yourself, afterall.

Congrats on the buck Charlie! Very nice!

You should get a membership at the niagara county sportsman club ,I think I pay 80 for the year . Archery range ,50 yard plinking range ,300 yard rifle range ,indoor pistol range ,outside pistol range,combat course ,bass pond.

At docs now for a tick. Retreat those clothes boys and girls. Good thing my wife returned from Puerto Rico last night. She usually helps with post hunt tick check. Wasn’t around this last weekend. No way I could see this tick in the middle of my upper back. And you don’t feel a thing.

Dick ticks are bad! Always helps to have a dick tick picker, to remedy the situation!

I ended up sleeping in. I stayed home and did work around here. I'm getting pretty good with light fixtures....electrical stuff. Good luck everyone

Good Luck hope it ends with a Bang!

Wake up boys let's get out there and find me a big buck . Lasso it and bring it to my house please. Live from work . hohopefully I get out in a few hours and get one . Good luck to all going out hunting

Kudos on the effort for a recovery. I'll say this, having an actual picture of the hair would mean more than any high def video or slow motion. "brown hair" is a very generic term in pin pointing shot placement. A deer is 70% "brown hair". If you go back, and it's still there, grab as much hair as you can and bring it home. Take some high def pics and let's see what we see !! By no means am I trying to put you down, just trying to let you know I am a firm believer in using hair as the first step in starting a recovery. And if you have never plucked hairs from all over a deer and compared them, you won't believe the differences you will find in the "brown hair". Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

I have a great idea is there a way for all of us normal folk to just band together and ask that this creep be banned Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think your both right so relax. It really depends on the area. The more acreage you have the better your odds should be. Less pressure, less chance of a neighbor harvesting it, so on. And yes you can make great things happen on smaller parcels but you have to have great surrounding as well, neighbors are non hunters, mass ag crops and so on.

Well I cut a track this morning,but it went both ways was actually stepping in the same track so I followed it up the mountain then down and up another it cut around the top of the second mountain and headed down that was it for me. I wasn’t sure I’d get out before dark without dragging a deer. It was pretty cool seeing how it moved through the woods. I felt like it was going to pop out any minute the whole time. You can see the other track on the left. This is from the top of the first mountain looking back at the swap we started at. He went down there. That’s when I called it off. To say it was intense is an understatement. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Couple does came in and at 75ish yards I squeezed one off with the muzzle loader. When the smoke cleared I thought I missed her! She just stood there while I calmly and coolly reloaded (opposite of that) then she started walking toward me, I looked down to put the primer in and when I looked back up she was down. Perfect double lung shot Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Doe came up the hill at 7:30 and got hit with a 6.5 Grendel bullet at 70 yards. She went 50 yards and fell over. Pass through great hole. Had a lung chunk 20 yards into blood trail. Officially tagged out, until my neighbor signs over a second doe tag to me.

Shot this 8 pointer Tuesday afternoon at 3:30. Been passing quite a few small bucks all season because I knew there were a couple monsters in the area. Saw this guy about 80 yards moving at a steady pace towards one of my shooting lanes. Had to make the choice real quick and he looked a little bigger through the scope but I'm happy with him. Had a pretty incredible season. Got a Maine bull moose, a 34lb coyote and now an 8 pointer. Can't complain! Sent from my SM-J327T using Tapatalk