Leaderboard

1030 this morning shot this 8. Broken brow, and ear torn in half. Crossbow on the ground

Just got woke up bye my chickens screaming I grabbed my shotgun and snuck outside and look who was out there trying to get in the coop...nice male coyote

Been very slow where I Deer hunt, not having a big Deer population to begin with my area was devastated by the Gypsy Moth caterpillars, they defoliated most of the hardwoods and especially the Oaks and Beech so mast production was seriously depleted. My favorite spots have an almost sterile look and other than something just passing through there is no wildlife activity period. So I moved to some different terrain still hunting and found a small mast grove that was relatively untouched by the caterpillars and had produced acorns and beechnuts as I was seeing Squirrels everywhere. I was sure any Deer in the area would be hitting this spot sooner or later so that is where I have been hunting. Still hunting produced three sightings but no clear shots, my sits I saw plenty of Squirrels but no Deer. Up until today all of my hunting has been in the afternoons until dark, today I decided to get in early and see if my luck would change. It was raining this morning and while I hate getting wet I heeded "Fred Bear's" remark that rain is an excuse to hit the timber and get after them. Well I was not in those oaks long and I spot movement, put the binoculars up and could see a Spike Buck moving through, from the direction he was going I knew if I cut him off he would be coming through an open area presenting a shot as long as I did not spook him, and that is exactly what happened. Now to the good part, the rifle I have been hunting with is a Henry brass frame 357 mag single shot that I picked up a couple of years ago, I did a writeup on it in the gun section of the board. The ammunition was handloads of a powder I have never used (Win 296)and bullets that were being used for the first time, (Hornady 140 XTPs), on paper everything looked good. So at about 75 yards the Buck comes into the opening presenting a broadside shot, the little Leupold 2.5X ultra light's crosshairs settled behind the front shoulder and kerpow!, everything looked perfect! At the shot the Buck took off in a sprint, I see him tearing through the woods for a bit and then nothing. So I went to where he stood at the shot and could see blood right off the bat, a little bit of tracking and there he was piled up. Totally happy with the rifle, the same with the handload and bullet performance. Now for a couple of more firsts, I used a new knife for the first time, a little bitty USA case stacked leather handle straight blade that performed the field dressing as well as anything I have ever used and better than most and after listening to Wolc's praises for the Buttout device I purchased it and Wolc is right on the money that thing worked like a charm. So no I did not kill a monster but I am just a meat hunter and am totally happy with the way the hunt went and with all this new stuff working so well. At 73 years of age I am getting to what I consider bonus time and don't know how many more hunts are in the future. Glad I got the Deer hunting over because them Squirrels are going to be catching Hell shortly.

Been really selective on a track I would take this morning. This time of year if you catch one wandering you can be in for a long day and never get close. I just got on a very big track that’s with a doe and I believe I jumped them because shortly after I cut the track they were running. I’m going to give them a bit to settle then get on it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Posted in Live from the woods that it's been a while since I've visited but wanted to share a success story with some old members and maybe some new ones. Every year I take Veterans Day off to bow hunt but this year I decided to take November 5th off instead as it was a Friday. My plan was to hunt all day as I had only been out with the bow once prior to the 5th and I did 2 sits during the youth hunt with my 15yr old son. I was in the stand by 645am and it was dark and a very heavy frost was settled on the hillside. I didn't bump anything on the way in which is a miracle and I settled in. Was a beautiful morning reminiscing seasons past and just enjoying being out in a tree. Lots of chipmunks and squirrels had me standing up and then sitting down. Around 9am I heard an unusually loud noise come from the thicket to my left. I scanned the area and didn't see any movement. 15 minutes later a doe pops out below me at 30 yards and was on the trail I walked in on. She turned and was headed on the same trail and would walk by at 15 to 18 yards. I never even picked up my bow and just watched her. She stopped where I turned to go to my stand and just looked around for about 20 seconds and then scooted to her left away from me fairly quickly. A few seconds later I heard a twig snap where she had come out and heard a low grunt. I picked up my bow and saw a racked deer headed on the same trail she just went by on so I started to draw and the buck stopped 20 yards down the trail behind a tree. I would catch a glimpse of his rack one one side of the tree and then the other. Surprisingly I was calm and not shaking but didn't know which way he was going to go. He turned right, away from the doe and was headed right below me. I was tracking his moves and he went behind a large oak which gave me chance to draw and he came out from behind it and stopped broadside at 7yards. I squeezed the trigger on my release and he took off running. 20 yards into his running I could see him stumbling and he continued to fall and snowplow for another 40 yards until he hit a downed log and flipped over it. A few kicks and it was over. I was shaking so bad I had to sit down as I've never had a bow buck fall within sight as they usually run into the thick stuff (or a pond, Haha) and I don't get to see them go down. What an incredible feeling that was to witness. I texted my wife and called my retired neighbor friend and he came to help me recover and drag. This is my first bow buck in 6 years since the pond buck so I was all smiles and still am. He was a fighter too as the tip of his main beam was busted off which would have made him a 9pt. I'm still working on the euro mount as it's a tedious process to finish in between work and everything else going on, bit looking forward to rifle season coming up and getting away to camp for a few days. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Got one down yesterday on my last day to hunt before gun season.

Took the wife out for her first sit of the season tonight while the kids were at the grandparents. An hour later she had her first and second deer tags ever punched! Made great shots on both.

Had a great weekend…my wife came up to visit me at camp for four days! She tagged along with me on my trap line despite the poring rain….with enthusiasm and a smile! The owner of one of the property’s I trap invited my wife and I for dinner (and left us with a very generous doggie bag…including five bricks of cheese and the largest bag of fresh cheese curds I have ever seen! Another property owner gave us some Elk summer sausage with jalapeño cheese and some ground elk from one of his hunts…incredibly good stuff!! I saved the bobcat backstraps until my wife arrived…it was a pretty hard no until she saw how good it looked and she heard my raving review after my first bite. She reluctantly tried a small bite…and liked…we both finished it off. The bobcat was aged in the cooler for a couple days, followed by a touch of dry rub and olive oil. I fried them up in my caste iron until they were barely throughly cooked. It had an extremely mild taste and had the texture of thinly cut pork tenderloin. Bobcat just move up to the top of the list, past beaver and deer testicles! Highly recommend trying it if you have the opportunity! Cooked up some nice breakfasts too!

I’ve never hunted in a swamp before…

They populate based on your server cookies….

Haha I guess hunting just reminds me of my days as a Force Recon Marine...

I think I might move to Kansas lol. A mega 198 dropped in camp last night. I passed a mid 40s buck two hours into my first hunt but wasn’t ready to end my week so early, especially with the caliber deer running around here. Gonna have a hard time going back to NY haha Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

…and a few more Picts from the weekend. Got my bobcat and one of the fishers sealed…enjoyed trading stories with the ECO…very nice guy! Also set a few more fisher and bobcat traps, and a couple bait sets for muskrats. I’m going to see if I can find a spot to set for mink tomorrow and try to catch a couple more weasels.

Nice male taken out with the new 12ga

11/14/21 #1 This morning Luna and I tracked a doe that a young lady shot with her bow yesterday afternoon. The shot had been too far back and they were smart about it and backed right out. Later, a friend spotted the lumenock from the driveway and they found the arrow 75 yards from the hit site, but went no further. Luna initially took me to a swampy area and worked it pretty good. After a while it became obvious she was doing more searching than tracking, so I took her back to last blood for a restart. This time she locked on, pulling hard all the way. We found the doe 450 yards from where she was shot. She had not stiffened up at all, so it’s good they gave her the amount of time they did. #2 The second track today appeared to be a brisket shot, based on the hair found. The buck was shot with 6.5 creedmore, 126 grain round. Of course he went into a swampy area where we walked over a mile, with no success. #3 The third track today was a buck also shot with a 6.5. 143 grains for this one. The shot was straight on, and hair was found, but no blood. The buck bounded away and stopped 50 or 60 yards away in heavy brush. The hunter took a second shot and thought he saw the deer react to the shot, but no evidence of a hit was found. We walked 1.5 miles through this swampy property, but never advanced the track. #4 I had a fourth call this afternoon. I told the hunter i needed to go home and change clothes and dogs before coming out. I fed the dogs, but Luna would not eat despite just doing three tracks because she saw I had changed into more tracking clothes. Kunox went on this one. This buck had been shot with a .270 at 2:00 pm, and we arrived at 7:00. The hunter had followed blood for 75 yards before it started to get very difficult to find and he called me. He had been carrying ribbon and did a great job marking blood. Kunox took us to last blood and continued on, showing us a little blood here and there. He went hot at one point and took me out 200 yards, but I never saw blood or the buck, so I took him back to last blood for a restart. This whole area is incredibly thick, and shortly after the restart, the hunters friend said there he is. The buck had been about 12 yards from us, but due to how thick it is, even being that close it was impossible to see how much or how little he was struggling as he left. We continued our pursuit and a little whileand saw him watching us from 20 yards away. I left Kunox with the hunter and went after him by myself with the hopes of getting a round into him, but he was gone. We hung ribbon, marked it on my phone, and then backed out. We’re meeting at 8:00 am to pick up the trail again.

We had lots of action on the trap line! Caught my first red fox of the trip, followed by a second red the next day. We some beaver traps and up with two very large beavers on separate checks! Also, caught a big male fisher and a few more boar coon as well as another muskrat (I only have one rat trap set, in a run, and I have been catching one rat every 2-3 days). Lots of skinning, fleshing, and putting up fur!

Hunted dark until noon and didn't see a deer. Went back to camp had a quick lunch and went out with my buddy to set a blind so we can bring our boys to camp so everyone can go out together Thursday or over the weekend. After setting the blind my buddy dropped me at a stand and headed towards the swamp. He said to watch behind me because that's where all the deer have been coming from this year. Well a little over a 1/2 hr. Later I hear couching coming from the west and then spot a deer in the scrub making its way towards me. She basically came in without stopping. I projected she was going to cross a shooting lane at around 25 yards yard so I drew back and when she hit the opening gave a quick meeehh and released the arrow. It all felt good, and looked good until I noticed the arrow hit a bit high and didn't pass through. She ran around 20 yeards and the arrow fell out and then another 40 was outta sight but I heard a crash. Waited and hour and found her dead where she crashed right on the arv trail. Eneded up being 21 yard shot so I clipped high lung and stuck the broadhead in the opposite shoulder. Had to be real careful while cleaning her out, and tried pullIng the broken shaft out with the broadhead but it wouldn't budge. Happy to put meat in the freezer and I waited as long as possible and she didn't have a single buck in tow. Sent from my SM-A716V using Tapatalk

What a week it’s been, went back to same location I shot my buck and doe Monday, was watching a wide 5 point with no brows across the field when this guy walked under my stand. He was sniffing the base of my tree, I was frantically wondering how I’d get My xbow off the hook without spooking him, all the time making sure their was no other bears in tow and that he was infact big enough. He stepped out to 10 yards and I put a bolt though his shoulders, he dropped immediately so I recocked and sent another insurance bolt on him. Haven’t shaked like that in along time. He has a broken nose wonder who he got in a fight with. Roughly 200 lbs live weight, 160 dressed.

Trip was a success, one in our group connected with a 5 point. The weather wasn't great and I couldnt stay and play in the snow that fell Saturday night. Did see a buck Saturday evening, but no opportunity for a shot or even a good glimpse of what was on his head. Back to the regular seaosn opener Saturday.

So youre going all out like that for a doe? I love it! #respect And thank you for your service

Fresh venison heart for lunch, sliced and soaked in cold salt water in the fridge overnight to pull the blood out. Making half smoked hickory honey and half garlic butter parsley both pan fried.

Tim put the finishing touches on the entryway, what a transformation Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Congratulations on a fine buck Al ! Great story. And it's not too often us "older" hunters get to have some "firsts"!!! Way to go my friend.

I caught him messing with a doe. Not a shooter for me. On to the next one Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What have you been googling? That’s what they are based on Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

We lost our cat last spring after 16 years . Wife had to have a new one. Im not a big cat person but as long as they mouse and don't try to cuddle up to me I tolerate them . I'm allergic and a cat in the house has me back on allergy medicine daily. This is Lucy. I dont know where the name came from but its the wife.

Found my broadhead opposite shoulder, this bear had almost no fat on it, I wonder if the broken nose had him struggling to find food.

It snowed for a few minutes today… that means it’s venison stew time!

I had an awesome day today . I drew back twice on an eight.. I couldn't get him to stop . He and a doe zipped by me 5 times before the finally went behind me and caught wind of me . What a day lost Count how many days I was out and seen nothing . I finally saw deer and drew on them . Just couldn't get hi. To stop I whistled and blah at him nothing he wanted that tail.

Ok so for those of you who have been on and hearing about my weekend here is the harvest story. It was probably my best weekend in the woods ever. Saw my target buck twice. Messed up the first opportunity myself, over called. The second one was messed up by another hunter who strolled through at the worst possible time. Besides that I was seeing deer left and right…. At least by my standards. Including the one i shot 9 antlered bucks In 3 days. The first 8 where from the same stand and I just couldn’t seem to close the deal. After consulting some other members I decided I was going to move stands for yesterday’s afternoon hunt. Honestly it made me a little nervous to move.. I am a big believer in don’t leave fish to find more fish. I felt the saying applied here but I felt I didn’t have much to loose and went to a stand I have been getting tons of doe pics. After 3 hours on stand i heard a noise Stright ahead coming through the swamp straight towards the creek. This stand is set up with lanes left right and behind and after 8 yards it’s too thick to shoot straight ahead. It’s really set up to target the main creek crossing 20 yards to my left. Well this buck decided to cross directly and front of me and popped up at 8 yards. The turned broadside and I could see he only had half a rack. I decided I was going to shoot anyway as he had a huge body and was probably a warrior which I though was cool. I tried to line up the x bow scope but with the sun directly behind me I was getting weird glare and could hardly see. I tried to move a little to cover the glare and he looked right up at me. We made eye contact as the reticle settled in behind the shoulder and I pulled the trigger. I shot and he took 5 leaps corssing the creek, I could see the bold buried in him all the way to the fletching . He stopped for a few seconds before mule kicking and taking off on what I was sure was a death run. I heard crashing and splashing and then a big splash and quiet. I texted some friends, one who felt the need to let the forum know a buck was down… and waited about 15 min…. I know this is too soon but I couldn’t take it. I climbed down and went to check the spot where he stopped. There was blood everywhere bright pink blood, there was a trail a blind man could follow and I couldn’t help but follow it. Blood spray on trees the swamp grass and leaves everywhere. After making it through the brush 10 yards or so I looked up and there he was 20 yards away in the deep water. What a awesome weekend and he was huge body took up almost my entire truck bed. When I got to the butcher…. Something I don’t normally do but wanted to give this guy a try. I opened the tailgate and his first response was holly shit that’s a big bodied buck… I wish I took more Pictures but here’s what I got Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had a really good day today. It is my son's 25th birthday, took the 8 this morning, and got a phone call from the board of elections that I won the town counsel seat. Now to get ready for gun opener on Saturday. I found a nice area, prior to taking my buck this morning to hunt with the gun once pressure is put on the deer. Figure I will hunt it 2nd weekend of gun

I had an old bottle of Tinks laying around so I decided to make a scrape with it in my back yard. I was curious to see what deer were around. Disregard the time and date as the camera went thru a flood but it still takes pictures.

Catching up on a couple days of rifle hunting in Vermont. It hasn't exactly been slow, but I'm not seeing any rut activity. I suspect the big boys are in lockdown, but what do I know... Highlight of the last few days was watching a doe and fawns at 4-5 yards. They were feeding on raspberry bushes and grass in the edge of a power line. I was 14' up in a cedar. The doe finally winded me and bounded off, but didn't blow. Saw an 80lb spikehorn that was out "cruising". Sat on my plot here at home this evening. No deer at all today. Cams are pretty slow. The good news is that I can hunt as much as I want. Quick sit here in the morning, then probably back to the farm for more hours in the ladder stands.

A high shoulder shot from a 7mm mag never requires tracking

you betcha...sometimes I think they just die knowing its coming

Headed up to Camp tomorow until Sunday for the first trip of the year. Haven't made it to camp as much in recent years for a variety of reasons, but hoping to get back into it next year as I am losing my close to home hunting ground. Excited to see the boys and put some miles on with the Marlin. A new camp is in the works and our property has been logged the last couple years and the cams are showing a lot more deer in the area. We usually start to see some seeking around this time as prime time is generally a bit later than down south. Good luck to all north and south!

I've always left the deer heart in the woods. I don't even particularly like pickles. So that doesn't sway me. But the rolled in seasoned flour, and cooked in butter with onions does. Will be taking the next deer heart home with me to try!

Reading a few articles that said aim above the front leg mid horizontal line..?

Im not expecting any giants, biggest reason is ill be sitting with my son. If one comes out its his.

You’re in denial. If it truly wasn’t you, then ask your wife Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Not necessarily nuisance, just a few off the farm. We always have a lot of deer and try to take at least a couple every year.

I guess Id have to ask the local coyotes how they prepare it, along with the liver and BALLS

Depends on the exact angle, more than anything else. Sometimes we overthink things. I try to avoid hitting the shoulder,so just behind the line. Large margin of error and will take out both lungs. I aim center line or a smidge higher...better than aiming too low. Heart shot deer almost always bolt and can run a good 100 feet or more dead on their feet.. the longer the shot the more likely I am to aim for center of the boiler maker for margin of error.

Winchester xr long beard 3 inch #5 12ga

Pickled meat is not for me so I slice, dredge in seasoned flour and fry in butter in cast iron…great flavor and not chewy like you may expect Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had 2 does and a fawn come by around 4:25 pm, but no bucks in tow. They behaved more like it was mid October. I was also surprised how tolerant they were. All 3 passed within 10 yards downwind of me and I was only about 12' up and wind was maybe 5 mph. Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

that's why I use a slug gun - only happy trails when they get hit with one of these babies i.e. lightfield slugs. this is the slug from my 10 pointer last year - never exited. Deer went about 15 yards. Never had a deer go more than 25 yards when hit with one of these babies.

I figured I would check in. It’s been a grind of a season let alone our rutcation trip. A lot of our NY and OH ground have had issues, from dog walkers to crazy lady coming out along her border daily, to an Amish guy with a centerfire rifle in bow season in the middle of one of our farms. Cows getting out of their pastures and into the apple groves. You name it. After the first two weeks in NY and one 50 yard encounter in Ohio finding a good buck in daylight had been hard. Ohio was 68-73 this past week and we had to leave for MO. As we left, the cold front came in opening things up. We drove through a horrible storm line and by Illinois the pics were rolling in from Ohio of bucks on their feet in light. My back has also been acting up fierce. I generally tolerate it but have had to resort to “taking it easy” at times. Going to be spending time with the doc soon. We rolled into MO Friday Midday in a snowstorm, no snow accumulated but it was snowing sideways in 30-40mph winds. We slammed two stands together got them hung and made it back to camp. Windchill of 15 degrees. Saturday was dry but same 30mph winds. Sun rose and I could barely pay attention with everything blowing and moving around. I heard a grunt ahead of me in a down wind moment and then it picked back up blowing things sideways. Well, after five minutes I realized the grunt wasn’t ahead of me but to my left and the wind was carrying the sound. A buck snuck in within 20 yards and was moving by quick. Shoot or don’t shoot. Assessed the first good buck in close range in daylight in a while in a millisecond. I let the weight of the season go when I rang his bell. He never missed a stride but I hit him hard with his front left leg locked up and he disappeared over a knoll. 15 min go by and I start to contemplate the choice. Good buck, yes. Should have I taken him? Things you think about in the stand I guess. Then the wind died and left us with a bluebird morning and the light switch turned on…bucks everywhere. Including a 150” that came within 30 yards. Ended up seeing 9 bucks during the morning. I was a bit bummed yesterday but I’m happy with the choice with some time elapsed and content that at the end of the day, we got on deer quickly in an area we have little history with. Now I’m in support mode as my partner gets the good spots lol. Missouri is a special place, I’m sure he will punch one. Good luck all.