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Got lucky with this one on the last day of rifle... Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

As many know I was contemplating heading up to camp this past Friday because of the snow but with some of your convincing I headed up 6am on Friday and got to camp at 9:30am. Let's just say that when I called a local agway to see how much snow was at camp they were spot on, we got dumped 2+ ft. of snow. I had my dad and mom with me, both over 80. My pickup was not gonna make it up the hill. Left mom and dad on road in the heated truck as I treked up the driveway in snow past my knees. The driveway goes uphill then turns right and is 150 yards or so long. Got into camp after digging out the door so that I can get the fire started for my parents. Gotta be honest the hardest part was digging out the tractor from the barn, with snowdrifts the barn doors were blocked with 3ft of snow. Once out the tractor made fastwork of clearing the driveway. Within a half hour my parents were inside a warm cabin. Next task was getting to my treestands, the first trek to each stand was the hardest but each time I went to the stand it got easier as I was packing the snow down. All in all in the last 4 1/2 days of hunting I had seen atleast 20 does and button bucks. Didn't want to cut my trip short, so I opted to wait to kill this big ole doe on the last hour of the last day, today. Made a nice 90 yard shot with the ML as she was feeding in one of my plots with another doe., I still can't believe she actually went 100 yards before she dropped.. Let's just say it was not easy getting her to the road by myself. Much easier with the jet sled but it was still very ruff, pulled her about 150 yards on a logging road, then had to drop down 40ft into a ditch, cross a stream and pull her back up the ditch on the other side. She's all butchered and in the freezer thanks to the help of mom and dad. Truly blessed, 4 deer, 2 bucks and 2 does. Was another great year, Merry Xmas all and stay safe.

My cousin started hunting this year. Thought it would be easy. After no deer during the regular season he borrowed a muzzleloader and got his muzzleloader license. He got it done on the last day. Got a big doe at 3PM. Meat in the freezer!! He is happy!!

I figured I would end the season properly with a full success story... Enjoy! With a baby on the way, then a newborn, and work that is heavily impacted (busier, more stressful) by the pandemic, hunts were certainly limited this year. I still got out for some hunts, but they were only for an hour or two at a time. October came and went, and I saw some deer but never sealed the deal. My son was born on November 6th, and after a Friday and Saturday in the hospital, I was able to sneak down to my property to check cameras and see that just like in past years, the big bucks were moving in daylight. I also got pictures and video of a big new 8 point. He was on 3 cameras on the property, two days in a row. I got a nice early start on Saturday November 14th. It was a beautiful November morning, a little warmer than normal, about 36 degrees. I was in a stand on the top of a small ridge, facing West, the direction that bucks normally approach, and there was a slight wind in my face, perfect for this stand. About an hour into the hunt I heard leaves crunching behind me, and I suspected squirrel, but then they really started sounding like footsteps. He busted out of a treeline about 60 yards away, behind me, but a little to the North, so he couldn’t smell me. I could tell it was a nice deer, it looked like a small bodied deer with a big, wide rack. I knew if he gave me a shot, I was taking it. As soon as he left the treeline, he ran to within 30 yards and stopped to my right, slightly downhill. He was undecided on which way to go at that point. He started walking directly away from me, then stopped, spun around, and started back in the direction that he came. Luckily, he paused, turned again, made up his mind, and started walking on a path that angled toward my stand. As he got closer, and passed behind a tree I shifted in my stand and took the safety off my crossbow. He was at a fork in the trail that would’ve led him right in front of me (broadside at under 10 yards), or away from me at a sharp angle. I didn’t want to roll the dice and let him head away. He was stopped downhill from me, looking in my direction and slightly quartered-to at 25 yards. Aiming a few inches behind his left shoulder, and about 2/3 up his body, I squeezed the trigger. He kicked his back legs up so high he almost flipped over and sprinted over the ridge. It was a quiet morning, and as soon as he left my sight, the loud crunching of leaves stopped. I waited a few minutes for my hunting partner to come over. It turns out the deer had walked under his stand on its way to me. He didn’t have a clear shot, but he got a good look at the rack. His first words to me were “You are the luckiest guy I know… that’s a huge buck”. We quietly checked the arrow and saw great blood. I pointed in the direction that I saw him go, and as I started to say “Let’s give him some time”… We saw him, only 30 yards away. He was bedded down, facing away from us, with his head up. As we debated either waiting it out, or sneaking around to take a second shot at him, we heard a loud crash. His head dropped down and he was done. As we walked up to him, we saw he was a big deer, with an even bigger rack. I had just killed my best buck yet. Quickly, cleanly, and almost stress-free, it was done, and the hard part was about to begin. We dragged him halfway out, and decided to finish the rest using the jet sled, which was grossly undersized for him. He weighed 205lbs and had 9 points. The 9th point was small and on the inside of his right side. Turns out he was the “new big 8 point” that just started showing up on my cameras. Examining the shot, I had hit a little bit further back than I intended, maybe because I misjudged his size, or maybe I pulled the shot a bit. And luckily, he was not quartered-to by very much. I used a Rage extreme 4 blade, which is a hybrid broadhead. It functioned perfectly, taking out his left lung and just about cutting his liver in half. I was excited about the timing, because I knew there was cool weather in the forecast, and I’d be able to hang the meat to age it. Since I knew he was my biggest buck yet, I decided to get a shoulder mount done. I caped him out, and reached out to @WNY Bowhunter. I was pumped when he told me he could do it, and I met up with him the next day. It was great to meet him, see his shop, and even learn a little about the taxidermy process. (And see a few other member’s impressive racks). Jason gross scored the buck at 139 5/8 inches, which as expected, beat my former personal best, a wide 8 point, by almost 30 inches. This year will be memorable for a lot of good and bad reasons, but I certainly can’t complain about my deer season. We still had a decent amount venison from last year’s great season, and were able to add another doe to the freezer. So even though my deer sightings were down, and my hunts were limited… to have my first son born and to take my biggest buck within 8 days of each other led to a truly incredible 2020 season.

WOO-F’N-HOO!!! Can’t believe it!! First deer I’ve seen since Nov. 16th!!! Hunted my ass off too!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Baby Jack got a sneak peek at a gift from Santa. And if it’s from Santa... Mom can’t veto it!

Still hunted her, 75 yds heart shot Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

Now that season is finally over, it's TAXIDERMY time once again. My first attempt at a backpack...all finished up minus a few personal touches from the hunter. ****For all you internet ECOs, the tag is green because the deer was taken in 2018.

I got bambi. Mark me down for another doe

I got wild -n-crazy this morning and used regular/scented soap and shampoo this morning! I’m really cutting loose!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

42 and windless in 3S. Haven’t been up here all year due to lack of acorn. Passed a bunch of beds so we shall see. Better than sitting in the couch smelling cookies I’m not allowed to eat yet! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My hunting partner Gary's first buck. Late 70s. A buck I shot with Gary. Early 80s A mid 80s bounty for us both. Time sure flys when you're having fun!

sigh.....I miss hunting.......

... Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

Super happy with my new 6.5cm rifle doe. 130yds through the woods did major damage and my CVA Accura V2 doe Monday. That’s my second year with this muzzy. 2 shots/2 deer. Awesome weapon for late season. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well that was a hell of a lunch break. I got a call earlier that my FIL's cousin shot a small buck last night and needed help finding it. He only lives a few minutes away so I drove over. Found the deer, dressed it, and dragged it to his garage, and home to eat lunch in under an hour. Happy for him that he finally got one. He's missed a few times this year. His eyes aren't the greatest as he gets older. Great way to close the season. Merry Christmas everyone!

I will not tell anyone what they should do. I will simply mention that my wife is in ICU right now battling COVID. She had an already reduced immune system from a very difficult war with cancer she has been raging. We did everything possible to avoid COVID, including my son stopping work for weeks to avoid contact with others and me working from home for months. Most likely he contracted it from a grocery store (only place he visited)while shopping for us. It then spread though the house as one is most contagious for the 3-4 days before they have symptoms. In other words, we could not have known until it was too late. From what I have read, no vaccinations have ever had negative long term effects. And by being vaccinated, I may just save the life of someone like my wife that I may into contact with at a time when I might have been contagious and not even known it without the vaccine. Maybe not as they still don't know if it stops one from being contagious, but I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for spreading it to a third party unknowingly even with the best of intentions. I will do what I can to avoid that. For someone whose job it is do deal with very sick people each day like some first responders, I would think that would be a serious consideration. And notably, the argument that the immuno-suppressed population can be vaccinated to avoid COVID isn't always true. I seriously doubt my wife could have been vaccinated due to the chemo she was undergoing - meaning she would have to rely on the care others took to avoid being contagious. I wasn't going to post but I think its worthy food for thought.

If the deer was for me, I might have thrown in the towel by now! Every year, I give my brother the first deer I get. He doesn’t hunt, but loves venison. I make sure he’s set, before I put meat in my own freezer. This year, I was expecting a good gun season with new property to hunt, so I wasn’t worried about getting him one later! Boy was I wrong!! I’ve hunted my ass off and this was the first deer I’ve seen since Nov. 16,when I scored with my bow! VERY thankful to get this meat for him!! First deer killed on MY property too! Just moved in 2 weeks ago! Also, first kill with the new muzzleloader! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I swear the deer can read a calendar. First deer I’ve seen all season and unfortunately in my backyard just now.

Lot's of misinformation mixed in here. The Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine provides ~70% efficacy after the first dose and ~95% efficacy after the second dose, which is given 21 days after first dose. This vaccine works exactly like every other vaccine. It exposes your body to an antigen so that your immune system will recognize as foreign and build antibodies against it. In the past, that antigen has been the killed virus itself or an attenuated (weakened) live virus. This vaccine is utilizing mRNA protein from the virus as the antigen; not the virus itself. The emergency use authorizations are based on having the appropriate amount of data to statistically prove efficacy and have 2 months of safety data. Small studies take longer to gather the required amount of data. Massive studies gather the data in a shorter amount of time. The studies were not rushed. They were scaled up to reduce the time. Whether you choose to get vaccinated or not is a personal choice, just like with the flu vaccine, but please make that decision based on facts and science rather than misinformation, opinions, or internet conspiracy theories.

Good thing we didn't have "anti-vaxxers" in the 1950s. We'd still be fighting polio and smallpox. We were loaded up on buses at school and taken into the city for vaccinations. I don't remember anyone protesting then.

Not vintage but my first 2 bucks. 3 point with a bow and 1st deer ever. Spike is first gun buck and 1st stateland buck. I was 17 with my bow and 18 with the gun. The flannel in the gun picture was my grandfathers also wore it when I shot him.

Smoked, steamed, sliced and packaged. So juicy I had to use the pulse function on the vac sealer or it would pull the juices into the sealer.

Not long after deer season is over, and I’m home more, mine says , “ isn’t there something you can go hunt ? “

Since you are the only one out we are all relying on you to rep us well!! Don't fuk it up!!

I’m filling out cards for my employees, so you guys get one as well! (And of course these are the cards I give!) Merry Christmas!

I understand peoples fear/concern of long term side effects. But personally, I know Iv done far riskier things in my life, with much less to gain.

I believe in science I'll leave it at that . My wife ,a school teacher just tested positive. This is a 44 year old women in tip top shape, runs marathons and goes to the gym daily. She has been locked in our bedroom since Sunday she can barely mustar the energy to get out of bed to use the bathroom or shower . I'm not looking to get in a pissing match with no one, but if you think your invincible think again .

It's been pretty ...no REALLY slow since the property we have been trapping was under about 10-12 inches of snow since the storm (not counting drifts). Then with above freezing temps during the day and below at night we were considering pulling everything this weekend. Well on todays check we finally broke the drought. This was a pipe dream set, 4 coil dogless bridger #2. Bedded in waxed sand. it still pushed through the crust to make the catch. This is snipped out of a video but I have no idea how to do a video on here.

So if I run my stimulus check through a dominion voting machine at 4am... Will my $600 turn into $100,000? Asking for a friend...

Can’t speak for this hunter, but I asked Jason to do one of these mounts for my gun buck this year. I just wanted something different. I packed him out on an ATV but that wouldn’t really fit on the wall.

Beauty of a morning....light wind and all settled in. Hope they are moving this am.....can hunt till mid morning hoping to capitalize on the new extended late season in the southern zone. P.S......thank you DEC for giving us some extra time hunt. Had to go with new powder after the misfire last night.....so I am ready and waiting. Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

It's not the immediate side effects I'm worried about, it's the long term damage that this could potentially due. With a 99.5% survival rate, there's just no way I would take it. If the airlines were require it, I wouldn't fly.

Well this sh!t show is over .Saw two doe one buck as I was walking out . Crazy year and perhaps a good re set for me . I always just assumed taking bucks was a given , good spot lots of free time , the two biggest factors by far . I don’t do land improvements , food plots, cell cameras , I don’t pre season scout for the most part . My hats off to, guys who take deer in areas of low deer populations , and may not have a lot of time to hunt , they may very well be the best hunters on here . Well the freezer is full partly due to friends , and I just got a supply of food from Patriot Supply ( 25 year shelf life ) so we’re good .

Just wanted to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas!!

My dad was my hunting mentor. I used to always wait to get home from school on opening day of gun to hear about his day. Loved hearing his stories of his Adirondack bear hunts. He only harvested 2 bucks in his hunting career. Not for lack of trying but he wouldnt buy a good gun for himself and put his money towards the family first. Even sacrificed his only 8pt so I had a set of rattling horns which i used to rattle in my 3pt. Also making sure I had a great gun to start with a savage 270. He showed me how to read the woods and taught me very young to enjoy the woods and the time I have in them. To make memories with the ones I hunt with because they will last longer then remembering the deer I take. When I was a teenager he got out of deer hunting not by choice just work and 4 kids. His big hunting love was grouse which is what got me into it as well and why I make sure I go a couple times a year. Him working so hard allowed me the opportunity to hunt as much as I could. So I asked my mom to dig out some pictures. I took my first deer and deer with a bow a little 3pt,and my first gun/stateland buck a little spike. The skull caps were busted so I cut them off found a muzzy broadhead which is what I used for my first bow kill, and a 270 round I had laying around. Glued them all to the barn board box I got from walmart. On the back will have the tags from my biggest bucks with a note on it as well. He was diagnosed with dementia last year at 58yrs old and is going down hill fast which is killing me inside so I try to keep him involved in my hunting as much as possible.

To everyone on the site and your families as well.

"Son, 2020 was the greatest year of my life. I shot an absolute slob. Let me tell you the story ..... Oh yea, you were born too which was cool."

True - but I was also pointing out that others could unknowingly harm others by refusing the vaccine if they spread COVID due to not being vaccinated. It can be a chain effect. Not trying to be a downer or mandate anything but something that should be considered.

Best of luck and prayers for her recovery.

No, it will spit out another 100,000 Biden votes.

Atta boy...I didn’t know you were in 3S!!! It was the White Castle pic that prompted the drive wasn’t it!!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gorgeous morning , no action yet. Cmon deerz

Dont do it. As soon as I got one the deer I killed got smaller lol

Has nothing to do with being an “anti-vaxxer”, myself and my kids have done all other vaccines, no issues with tried and true vaccines. I’m just not comfortable being injected with something that is a brand new type of vaccine that has had zero long term studies. If it was a virus with a much lower survival rate, my opinion would most likely be different.

My father in law got me started with deer hunting . My wife has never given me any crap about the time I spend doing just that . We have been married for 58 years .

Early studies are showing @Biz-R-OWorldblood is 99.99% effective at preventing Covid. But the side effects are horrendous. Fear of tree stands, loss of taste for delicious doe meat, and a love for Redsox. I’ll take my chances with the 95% effective Pfizer.

Way to go for all those who scored today and way to hang in there to the rest of us who put in one final effort. Great to come home to a roaring fire and a cold beer. Foothills Brewing out of Winston Salem, NC. Jade black IPA.

For me it's tough to describe this season. I'd like to say it was bad but looking back at it was it really all that bad? The bow season could have flipped a complete 180 if I didn't mess up twice. Once on a doe when I miss judged distance and once on a nice buck when I wasn't ready for him but I should have been as I had plenty of time(I'm still beating myself up over that one). Deer sightings per sit where down this year but I did see a few big bucks on there feet in person just to far out of reach. Then there was the opening weekend of bow when I went out with a youth and we where surrounded in deer and he took a little buck, his first buck with the bow. Gun season came and I took a small doe opening day just before sunset only the second deer I saw that day pulling a dark to dark sit. Sunday of opening day's weather sucked but my daughter came out with me and we enjoyed our time together in our new enclosed and heated tower never laying eyes on a deer the entire day. Thanksgiving produced the 2nd largest buck I've ever taken and once again my daughter was out hunting with me in the tower so that made it extra special and the second year in a row with a thanksgiving day buck with her. Little did I know that after that buck I would only see one more deer the entire season. I spent probably the most time I have ever spent in the woods in a year. During bow I was out 76 hours and Gun I was out 49 hours for a total of 125 hours in the woods. I also spent a lot more time just up at camp from early September through the hunting season. So while I feel like the season wasn't that great how can I really complain about getting out in the woods hanging out with friends and family and taking a couple of deer as well? The answer is I really can't and I'm sure a lot of people would have switched season with me and been super happy about it.

Well considering, the wife and I have lowered our debt load considerably. We paid off our half of our oldest boys collage loan , a equity and car loan and we’re a few months away from paying off our half of the youngest sons college loan. Our house has been paid off for some time. So the plan is buying hunting land next year.