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I can’t do pictures from my laptop. So here are the pictures from the phone and I’ll give details in a little while. Update: Ok...so now on my laptop. Here's my attempt at a sort version. I climbed up into my half finished elevated stand late at 3:15, because wife's sisters came over for a belated Thanksgiving dinner. About 4:15, I watched a medium sized doe and her two fawns browsing around a couple hundred yards away. Then a couple minutes after that I saw a big bodied deer way up the hill from me and thought it was a buck. That deer kept looking up the hill clearly watching another deer. Then as if on cue, all the deer in the fields began running around like they were playing tag. The big doe I thought was a buck came running down the hill toward my stand and I put the scope on her just as she slipped into the golden rod. I kept watching to see her pop out on a trail I mowed in front of the stand, but all at once she was totally to the right of where I was watching and I could not swing my rifle I had pointed out the window enough to get on her. With her not more than 40 yards from me now, standing broad side, I pulled my rifle back in and stood up from my chair and put the cross hairs on her vitals. She knew something was up, but before she could decide to bolt I fired. She went running into the thick stuff again after I shot, opposite direction from where she came, and I watched to see if she crossed the next mowed spot. I never saw her cross the next mowed area so I figured she either died or bedded down. Even though it was now passing sunset, I waited a bit rather than get right down. When I did get down I went to where she was standing and there was hair but no blood. Then I circled over to where she was headed and walked back in line with where she had been standing. I found her laying in the goldenrod about 50 yards from where I shot her. I walked over and got my 4 wheeler for the light to gut her, but all of the sudden several coyotes started howling and raising hell in the gully just below me. I'm talking really close, and I said no way was I messing around in the dark in blood and guts with them right there. So I left my wheeler running next to her, and went back to my stand to get my tractor to put her in the bucket because she was too heavy for me to lift on the wheeler. I couldn't even roll her into the bucket until I got my tractor down hill from her and get the assist of gravity. Once I had her loaded in the bucket I had to fool around a bit to get the tractor out of the gully we were in, but at least on the tractor I was not afraid the coyotes were gonna get me. lol I left my wheeler back in the field for the night and brought the deer back to the house in my tractor with no lights to gut her and get her hung up for the night. She's a big son of a gun, and if I can find my scale tomorrow I'll try to weigh her just out of curiosity. Mowing the fields like I did really made a difference, as I was able to see them finally. I know there was a buck in their chasing those does the way they were running around, and the one I shot actually smells rank like a buck. Now, I will try to see if I can find him!

One of the hunting party shot a freight train of a doe last night, she's as big as some of the bucks I've seen taken. Don't have a scale but she's massive. Pic below is gutted.

LOL...... It did! I just got in from taking care of a seriously BIG doe I shot tonight. I'll try to post pics and write a short recap of how it went down. Very exciting hunt for me tonight. Happy! : )

Throughout my adult life I have been dabbling with a modest collection of knives I have accumulated down through the years. I stick with mostly American made pocket knives as they were about all I could and can afford. I was introduced to the knife collecting world as a young fellow on an Elk hunting pack trip in Colorado that me and my Dad went on many years ago "1970". In our group was a gentleman named Ralph Bone, he was from Lubbock Texas and by trade a custom knife maker. I thought I was a high roller with my brand new Buck folding 110, old Ralph brought me down out of the clouds showing me some of his creations that cost 10 times as much as my Buck. He went on to explain why a custom knife cost so much, in a nutshell a ton of hand forging, fitting and polishing the finest materials available. Ralph was an original member of the Knifemaker's Guild which in itself has a lot of notoriety but he also went on to become master engraver and custom gun maker. The best thing coming out of meeting Ralph was he sat me down and showed me how to properly sharpen a knife with a stone, I still use that method today so many years later. So I have long been on a quest to own an original Ralph Bone knife, any made directly by him were way out of my price range until a little while ago. I struck paydirt from an old collector that bought one directly and personally from Ralph out of his shop in Lubbock many years ago. We did a bit of haggling on the price and made a deal. The knife pictured below is used but in mint condition, has the belly zip hook along with the original Johnson sheath. I will use this knife and hope to make old Ralph proud.

Trespassers/thieves dont care.. i hate them..

I finally have the East wind I have been waiting for to hunt my pop-up blind at home. The only glitch is, I seem to have misplaced my shooting sticks. The last time I saw them was Thanksgiving morning. I did not use them for the 50 yard shot on the “dmp spike” buck that morning, but I may have left them in my natural blind on the other side of my “tiny tine” turnip plot. I’ll check on my walk out at lunch time. After my bad shot on a half-rack probable 2.5 yr old buck up north yesterday morning, I’m going to need a damn steady sight picture to fire on any deer today. I can see 500 yards down the gas line from one window, and 200 down my range from another. Resting on my elbow, I can hold pretty steady at about 150, so hopefully a deer shows up closer than that. It must have been very windy the last couple days because I found the blind on its side when I got back here. I got it straightened out and held down with 3 stakes. Rain is supposed to start around 10. The last day I hunted this blind was during the September early Antlerless season. If I had my Marlin scoped bolt action shotgun or my scoped T /C ML that day, I’d have had a nice 175 yard shot at a doe, down the gas-line. This wide 8-point walked down my shooting range that day, after locking horns for a bit with a smaller buck, and licked that side of my blind. I opened the window and took this picture as he turned and walked away. It would be nice if he tried that again today. My guess is that he is already dead, or shell-shocked and hunkered down somewhere until dark.

I could not agree more. It speaks to a bigger issue in my opinion. There is a sense of entitlement, passive aggressive bully BS, and how can I act like an A'hole and get away with it that seems to afflict many people these days. It's like people get their rocks off being jerks!

Absolutely! This describes my property perfectly. Unfortunately, what I started to protect fawns and turkey nests by allowing my fields to overgrow also made my deer hunting even more challenging. I let the fields overgrow to make it tougher for coyotes to locate young wildlife in the Spring, and to try and improve rabbit cover. I think it worked in that regard, but really changed the face of hunting for me. I can sit up on the farm opposite mine and glass my whole property, and have done it for years. When you do that you are looking straight into the brushy fields and can watch the deer walking around and chasing each other all day long. The tough part is when you are actually on the hill hunting you will not see them and they know it! Once the deer start seeing, hearing and smelling humans in the woods, they just take up residence in the brush.

Oh yeah, about 10 years ago I was hunting state land that bordered an abandoned farm. There was a 100 acre brush lot with varying degrees of thickness, mixed open goldenrod to very thick stuff and it melted down into the state land with similar habitat before it met more open woods. No one ever hunted it or pushed it. Once gun season got going and I wasn't seeing deer I decided to put a stand in a tall pine overlooking the brush. I saw all kinds of deer and a few pretty nice bucks. I'd see them at all times of day and had a blast glassing the deer. I hunted that spot two seasons and though I could only hunt it with a se or south wind, I couldn't wait to get up in that tree. Well, then that land was sold to a guy from out of the area who buys large acres of land and then rents it out to farm. As soon as I heard that my heart sank. This guy is responsible for largest area of wildlife habitat destruction in Livingston county ever. Soon the bulldozers came and leveled the 100 acre brush, all the hedge rows and grass fields surrounding the brush. Anyways, I seek that brushy habitat out.

Back when I did a lot of rabbit hunting some of my favorite habitat was exactly like the overgrown brush filled orchard described above. Turn a couple of Beagles loose in that stuff and you will see Deer come flying out in all directions. Al

Great day in the woods. Didn't see a thing today.....lol Can we start talking about the second Rut!

Our avowed communist AG has spoken! Keep voting for these un-American reds you fools. Robby

Yes it is. He looked like a doe, ate like a doe, and was fat like a doe. It took me a while, after skinning him last night, to trim off all the external fat. Hopefully, there’s not so much inside. I’m cutting him up and grinding tonight. I wasn’t sure we had enough vacuum bags left, but it looks like we do. I always just zip lock the first deer each year, because we go thru it so fast, vacuum sealing would be a big waste of time and money. This one (#2) needs to get vacuum sealed and won’t get eaten until after we finish up what’s left from that big one last year. All except for certain “special parts” some of which I am enjoying for lunch right now. I can’t recall having any that were tastier. Maybe that Whitetail Instute “tiny tine turnips” he had for his last meal are worth what they charge for them.

That’s a nice looking knife. I love the belly hook. Reminds me of my favorite factory deer hunting knife, the Schrade Sharpfinger. I always feel compelled to use an old Buck 110, while I’m up in the Northern zone, because my father in law gave it to me as a Christmas gift. Using that up there sure gives me an appreciation for my Sharpfinger, which I always use at home. A one piece design is light years ahead of a folder, when it comes to cleanup after use. My belly hook was starting to get a little dull, but I sharpened it up good, using the little white stone that came in the sheath of another, larger Schrade knife. It worked great again after that, for “unzipping” the hide from a little buck that I skinned last night.

Sorry in advance for the short illustrated novel, but its very slow out in the open fields during late gun season today, waiting on a deer: Our place is similar, but I only let about 1/3 of the fields (the less fertile ground areas) overgrow, and left the the rest open for foodplots. I also have a few acres of hardwoods on the back corner. That was mostly ash, which is all dead or dying now, but there is some red oak, white oak, and maple in there. There’s also quite a bit of oak in the hedgerows, which are mostly thick brush. The fields are small, mostly 3-5 acres in size, and broken up by the hedgerows and brush patches. After the first few days of gun, the daylight activity always winds down, outside of those brush patches. I only go in them to recover carcasses. I’m hoping for a straggler this morning, but not expecting much. I finally have the right wind (east) for my pop up blind. It should be nice in here during the rain that they are calling for later today. It’s very slow right now though, and I’m already looking forward to “wolcottsburg whitetail surf-and turf” for lunch, in a couple hours. That will consist of fillet mignon and oysters from Thanksgiving morning’s turnip plot dmp buck harvest, killed just 15 yards from my current location. My parents place, on the opposite diagonal corner of wmu 9F, is a much different layout. That’s mostly a big L-shaped chunk of mature hardwoods. They have about 60 acres total over there, and we have about 40 here. There is an overgrown brush patch, on the inside of the “L”, that is owned by a friendly neighbor. He allows no one else to hunt his land, but he has given me carcass recovery rights, and my parents have granted that to him also. In front of the long side of the L, is a big open hayfield, that another neighbor rents from my folks. At the end of the long side, is a long narrow clover plot, that is visible from my parent’s dinner table. In the middle of the short side of the “L”, is a brushy swamp. I have this little hang-on stand in the woods, near the inside edge of that swamp. That’s where I am going this afternoon (with my tree umbrella). The swamp is entirely in my parents woods, and they have a narrow strip of mature hardwoods beyond that, along the short side of the “L”. I have another little uncomfortable ladder stand, on that outside edge of the swamp, but that ones too close to a trailer park to use a gun in. I’ll know I made the wrong move, if my parents call me while I’m up in the inside edge swamp stand this evening, and say that there are deer feeding out on the clover plot. That has happened during late gun-season on several occasions, but is way more common during archery, and late ML seasons. Most years, I only hunt that uncomfortable little stand for a couple hours, on opening day of gun season. I missed that this year, thanks to the Buffalo blizzard of November 22. I think my odds of getting a shot at something from there this afternoon are greater than 50/50. I’ll give myself about a 2 percent chance of that happening before 11:00 am quitting time, from this pop-up blind that I’m in right now. My enclosed cab, 4-door side by side is parked in the barn now, but is ready for action, if a carcass needs to be hauled: That jobs going to be a lot wetter, if I need to use my dad’s open-cab Ranger, over there this evening:

Trying your heart recipe this morning.

Still smoking fish in my old stone age "Little Chief" which it seems I have had forever, it has held up well. Al

Congrats, that is big doe, wondering what she would weigh

I think the game plan is to spend the night at the lodge the night before and be on watch about a half hour before day light. Then Hunt till noonish. Come out for lunch then put on a few drives. Then sit the last cpl hrs. Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

This single doe walked past at 60 yards, 15 minutes before sunset tonight. I stayed out till 10 minutes past sunset, but no buck followed. The fiber optic sights on my Marlin 336BL were only visible until sunset, so a buck would have to have been at point blank range, for those last 10 minutes. I won’t be using that gun for another evening hunt unless I have to. It was drizzling rain most of the time, so I didn’t use my father in laws scoped 336. The Marlin scope on that, three of my Redfields, and my Weaver 1.5x are all still functional 20 minutes past sunset, especially with snow. I’m heading to my northern zone (wmu 6c) buck hotspot tomorrow morning, for a couple hours, then we are driving back to wny. Our meat supply is pretty good right now, so an Adirondack buck will need at least 2 points on a side to trip my trigger (they count double to me up here). Back home on the flatland, I’ll need at least 3 points on a side, to punch my buck tag. I’ll be thankful if I can get a 3rd deer this year. I have two more dmp’s for home, so hopefully that happens yet during gun season.

Sounds interesting enough to give a try. Thanks for posting the recipe! Sent from my moto g fast using Tapatalk

I picked up a second deer heart this morning, and this one is in good shape. My 12 ga sst slug passed thru a few inches above it. I blew the top off of my other one this year, on an early antlerless-season doe, with my ML. Hopefully, I’ll end up with a few more hearts before the end of the Holiday ML season. If not, my brother in law says he has (4) beef tongues for me. Pickled tongue is very good also. Those on whitetails are just too small to bother with. The recipe is the same, and I almost always supplement my deer heart supply, with some beef tongue.

I am going to alter my recipe somewhat...I have always used a very simple recipe. Simmer the heart with a bayl leaf until done... Allow it to cool in it's own broth... Slice the heart..Layer it in a nonmetal container, layer of heart, salt&pepper, layer of sliced onions, etc. Cover with a brine 50/50 water and cider vinegar....Keep in fridge.. I do like tthe idea of the cider/sugar mix and the pickling spices....

Touched off a few handloads with the 44 mag revolver the other day making sure she is hitting where I aim. Got to thinking about the father of the 44 Mag Elmer Keith. I used to subscribe to Guns and Ammo and read his column every month, also have two of his books which for me were entertaining as Hell. The ultimate big bore fan old Elmer's idea of a Deer rifle was a 458 win mag. Gone but not forgotten. Al

My philosophy is hunting time is limited, and there arent any deer in the cabin. I have taken some of my best deer in the most miserable conditions. I have to admit I love to hunt the slop. That said, I do not go out with high winds ...risk of falling branches, etc. I wont say I enjoy goint out in the crappy stuff, but you do what you have to do. That said, I would much rather hunt the calm right after the storm.

This photo was taken about 75 years ago and put into a backlit wooden frame and hung behind a bar in an upstate pub. It resides in my home now.

Ammo shipments end up in NY probe’s crosshairs Joe Mahoney CNHI STATE REPORTER ALBANY – State officials say they have put a crimp in the shipments of ammunition purchased online by New York customers. A total of 39 ammunition dealers have received cease and desist letters from the state attorney general’s office. The alleged violators face no charges now but were warned they will face “serious legal consequences” if they continue to ship ammunition to New York addresses. “Shipping bullets to New Yorkers’ doorsteps is illegal and ammunition sellers that ignore the law will face the full force of my office,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Online sales of ammunition are dangerous and could end up in the wrong hands.” James said direct sale shipments of ammunition to New Yorkers are a violation of the 2013 legislation known as the New York SAFE Act, a measure best known for restricting the sale of certain semi-automatic rifles and bans the possession of a magazine that has the capacity to hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. However, the state sowed confusion among ammunition dealers when in 2015 the administration of then Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed off on a memorandum of understanding with the state Senate, suspending a plan to implement an ammunition database and requiring sellers to determine if buyers were eligible to purchase ammunition, said Thomas King, president of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association. “When the deal between Cuomo and the Senate happened, some people thought the prohibition about the shipping of ammo went away,” King said. “But it didn’t.” King said he is skeptical the enforcement action announced by James will yield any public safety benefits. With the database going unenforced by the state, some sellers believed they could ship ammunition to New Yorkers, King said. “I have not heard of one crime involving someone purchasing ammo from out of the state and having it shipped to their homes,” he said. The penalty for the illicit sale of ammunition is a fine of up to $5,000 for each individual violation. The state could also seek to recover all income resulting from the illegal sales, according to the attorney general’s office. The sellers found to have violated the law were directed to preserve all records relating to the sales, state officials said. Sellers of ammunition are required by law to maintain a record of every transaction in New York, with the age, occupation and residence of the person buying the product included in the data entries. When the SAFE Act was passed just weeks after the massacre of 26 people at a school in Connecticut, Cuomo trumpeted the fact it was the first legislation since the killings to expand gun control. Two years later, the Cuomo administration cut a deal with Senate Republicans to block the ammunition database requirement. The agreement was signed by then Senate President John Flanagan and James Malatras, then director of operations for the Cuomo administration. Critics of the ammunition background checks argued it relied upon unproven technology and that creating the database would have cost taxpayers up to $100 million. Meanwhile, the state’s move to create new restrictions and requirements for pistol permit holders is snarled in ongoing lawsuits. U.S. District Judge Glenn Suddaby ruled the new law is flawed by “unprecedented constitutional violations.” Gov. Kathy Hochul and James have not yet signaled whether the state will appeal.

Passed by a pine tree tree I had set up with screw in steps to saddle hunt out of, someone took the steps. It was private property. I have photos of who did it. I'm pissed, it's not the $10 in steps I'm mad about, it's that this mother fucker drove his atv onto private property, stopped, and stole my hunting equipment.