AuburnNYC

What time of year do you go up? Making my first ADK excursion this weekend and was thinking about doing a little scouting while there "just in case". Do they timber harvest in the ADK's at all? I'd be focusing on 2ish year cuts if they do. A lot of my hunting in AL is on state land and you get a lot of activity around that stuff vs. the generic big woods. Is there any hunting pressure in the ADKs?

Awesome stuff. I've never aged a buck but may try now. My dad used to age beef himself - but I think he overdid it and I never liked it.

How do you properly age a big rutting buck? I'd like to try it for my next one.

How does this work in a truck or typical SUV without a traditional trunk? How do you hide the case from view with no trunk?

Saw a big buck in hard antlers on the PA side of the upper delaware this weekend on public land. He was relaxing on the lip of a small saddle and I watched him quietly slip up over the edge and presumably up the next slope.

I was up along the Delaware river over the holiday weekend and it seems like things are pretty dry this year - and saw lots of deer sign near water sources. Anyone have luck over water sources in these conditions? In the past I've seen a lot of does over water sources during a drought but not bucks.

This is an important point. I've had bucks several times wind me after I see them - and then just slink off without making a sound whereas does seem more likely to blow when you're detected. I'm sure some I never even saw.

It would be interesting if a cold front came through and I didn't have to buy a separate tag for it. I have a lifetime license and they still try to figure out ways to get me to buy more tags ha.

Going to caveat that I'm not Dan Infalt or anything. In my experience does will sacrifice bed safety for other things, like convenience to food sources. Bucks I've found generally bed in the safest, thickest, most remote terrain available to them in a given area. So for me some places (like Southern NY) that may be mountain laurel on the military crest of a point where they can look down the hillside in front of them and hear anything coming from behind in the laurel. In another place it may be cutover and in another that may be a spot of high ground in a marsh (though I've never killed a "marsh buck"). For example, on a piece of land I used to hunt does would bed basically anywhere things were moderately thick - even close to the camper trailer we stayed in. They'd even bed in open woods among blowdowns etc... I only saw bucks in person and on camera outside the rut in the thickest stuff on the backside of a series of fields during daylight hours. That area was thick enough that you couldn't walk through it without making a commotion, to the west was level ground and fields and to the east open woods with a steep downward slope. I suspect they liked it because they could visually cover the downslope with their eyes while anything coming from the fields would be easy to detect.

Hi - I know you posted this last year but wanted to see if you still have a spot open or if you have any additional information? Thanks!

Hi - did you fill the slots or is there any more information?

This. If you watch shows like The Hunting Public or other guys who hunt public land all over the country, their connect rate in places like New York/New England/Southeast or other eastern forest biomes on public land are very very low vs. hunts in other parts of the country. On most tracts of public land here, even finding a "mature" buck is going to be a lot of work much less targeting it specifically unless you're highly experienced, really know a piece of property well, and maybe have some unique access so you're hunting a spot others aren't.

Really like the look of this thanks for sharing. I mostly saddle hunt and when I'm on the ground I just wear an ASAT leafy suit and use whatever terrain is available.

I do a couple of things that I think help but at the end of the day if a deer is alert and sitting right downwind that's probably not going to be fixed by any amount of scent control. Isolate Clothes: Outer layers of hunting clothes have their own large plastic tote they stay in until I'm out of the car and putting them on Ozone: I have a cheap ozone generator in that tote that I run off an inverter in the vehicle. I run the ozone for a short period between hunts and over night. I'll also run it periodically in my hunting vehicles. Scent Free Health Products: I use scent free detergent, soap, shampoo, and deodorant during the season Caffeine Pills instead of coffee: Not sure if this actually does anything but figured I'm doing the other stuff might as well do this also

I've seen many bears (as many or more than deer) in NJ near the NY border, but as soon as you get out of the "neighborhood" types of areas they don't seem patternable to me. On the NY side of the border and further into NY I barely see them at all, maybe once or twice. I've heard the same thing as @wolc123 - that bears are absurd to drag out of the woods... so keep that in mind. One thing I'll tell you with bears is they can slip in/on/by you EXTREMELY quietly... in NJ I've been deer hunting and suddenly there's a bear peeking out at me from 10-15 yards away in a bush. Ironically it seems like the larger the animal the quieter they are. Squirrel > Deer > Bear

Need to try to figure out where he's bedding on those points. It's still summer so you don't need to worry about messing up a hunt. Also, if that crop is going to be gone by fall, there's a good probability those deer will be eating somewhere else. That 4 way intersection is likely a pinch point/inside field corner where deer are walking the edge of the field but avoiding the water (see red dots on below). Personally I'd try to hunt this in the evening as close to bedding on the western point as I could, but that inside corner could be good also. If there are does in the area, an inside corner like that could be fantastic during rut with bucks traveling between the water and field. Evening: Pretty simple - get close to bedding along trails on that western point. It gets darker earlier in the fall so movement during daylight now doesn't necessarily equate Morning: If there are bedding areas on the east point, you may be able to get a good morning hunt in if you can slip down along the river and avoid feeding areas or you could try the kayak if you're really quiet with it. It seems tough to hunt that western point in the morning without spooking deer.

You're not hurting fall deer movement patterns in the least scouting right now.

This 100%. Scouting this time of year you're not directly patterning deer. Can look for good bedding, transition lines, potential future food sources (for example noting a good oak ridge).

Suggest they buy clover seed and put that out instead if they want to see deer (or other appropriate "legal bait"). Maybe you'll get an unhunted free food plot next door.

Let's start with max terms on house and senate then start worrying about the SCOTUS.

Get any comfortable pair of boots you can wear very thick socks in with a wool liner and still move your toes. The wool liner is key IMO. When I decided to go to college in New England (From AL originally), I went to a Burlington coat factory and got a pair of enormous boots called "grizzly bears" with a very thick wool liner. They are the warmest things I've ever worn and my father and I use them whenever it is super cold out and we are hunting. They were on a crazy sale because who needs those in Alabama. I would recommend going to a Burlington or equivalent and getting an oversize pair of boots with a removable wool liner. You need to be able to move your toes even with thick socks or even stick a hand warmer in the toe. If the boots are too tight for you to move your toes you're going to get cold, period because the circulation gets messed up.

The thing that is so bad about stuff like this is that those kids will now be viewed by the general public as "Hunters". Can't believe the mom's response. Not a lawyer but took a quick look at the codes. I think you could make a strong argument that once they shot the deer and chose not to dispatch it under 2305 they are no longer protected by hunting privileges. Aggravated cruelty to an animal is a felony defined as "Torture: Inflicting severe and prolonged pain from burning, crushing or wounding." Could easily seeing them plea down to Cruelty to Animal (misdemeanor) and losing hunting privileges for life in order to not face a judge or jury on a felony charge. § 2305. Retrieval and disposition of killed or wounded game or wildlife. (a) General rule.--It is unlawful for any person who kills or wounds any game or wildlife while engaged in any activities permitted by this title to refuse or neglect to make a reasonable effort to retrieve, retain or lawfully dispose of such game or wildlife. (b) Penalty.--A violation of this section is a summary offense of the fourth degree. § 5533. Cruelty to animal. (a) Offense defined.--A person commits an offense if the person intentionally, knowingly or recklessly illtreats, overloads, beats, abandons or abuses an animal. (b) Grading.-- (1) Except as set forth in paragraph (2), a violation of this section is a summary offense. (2) If the violation causes bodily injury to the animal or places the animal at imminent risk of serious bodily injury, a violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the second degree. § 5534. Aggravated cruelty to animal. (a) Offense defined.--A person commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly does any of the following: (1) Tortures an animal. (b) Grading.- A violation of this section is a felony of the third degree. "Torture." Any of the following acts directed toward or against an animal unless directed to be performed by a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine acting within the normal scope of practice: (2) Inflicting severe and prolonged pain from burning, crushing or wounding.

Sorry I've been busy working and traveling so haven't been on here. In that snow - You could get some really good intel on their travel routes in and around the bedding area so that you can position yourself more effectively. Will answer your questions the best that I can: The scar - That could have been caused by a lot of stuff like a fight, a coyote earlier in life etc... if that was a direct hit from a broadhead or bullet the deer would be down unless somehow its left leg was way back and it somehow hit the shoulderblade, but seems doubtful. Rubs - hard to guess without seeing it in person. There's no reason a big deer wouldn't rub something smaller. It's really the other direction aka a small deer couldn't make certain rubs. Rub height in my view is a better indication than necessarily what is being rubbed - big tall mature deer with long antlers can reach higher. Also if there is stuff on the backside of the main tree getting rubbed or to the side where only long antlers can reach, you know it was the bigger deer. Bucks are easier to pattern in the early season and will become unpredictable during the time leading up to the rut and the rut. You can get random bucks on camera and have other bucks vanish forever during that time. Bear - I haven't had a problem with not seeing deer in the same area as bear - and I have seen a crazy amount of bear in NJ. Now if you have a bear sitting under your stand or something yes I'd doubt you'll see a deer but just being "around" isn't really an issue. Black bear are honestly not aggressive at all (usually) but I know the feeling. I walked into a spot in the pitch black once and after pulling a camera found out a huge bear was there about an hour before me. That said, I've run off bear more than once hunting in NJ.

Spot and stalk on a buck of that class on public land is just wild. Great show.

Above all be patient - the best part of hunting is getting back to nature. Remember that hunting on TV/internet is either (a) on land specifically designed for hunting where there is almost no pressure or (b) being filmed by someone with a massive amount of experience. Hunting is part art and part science but once you have experience things will start to "click" and you will be able to pick out "deery" areas much more quickly, and start seeing deer. You may be getting busted and not even know it is happening - hunting from the ground is much more difficult than a stand. When hunting from the ground I use an ASAT 3d ghillie, the clothes I wear never leave a plastic tub with a small ozone generator that I run between each hunt, and I still get busted sometimes on the ground. Beating a deer's nose and ability to detect movement with their peripheral vision is very difficult unless you're elevated. In a stand I've seen a deer hit my entry path, or hit my scent downwind, then quietly turn around and creep away. Other times I've seen them hit my scent, think something is up then back far away and loop downwind a couple hundred yards away. They confirm the smell then leave. From the ground I wouldn't have even known they were there. Are you seeing a lot of deer sign where you hunting beyond rubs? The reason I ask is that rubbing can often be done nocturnally, and unless done super recently, buck patterns can change a lot this time of year, the buck that was putting up those rubs two weeks ago could be a mile down the road chasing does. I've had more luck on scrapes than rubs in general, once the rut begins to heat up. Questions you should be asking yourself about your area: You said that you've been seeing droppings, are they fresh or old? - fresh droppings look very moist. Where the droppings are, are there still a lot of acorns or other food sources on the ground, or have they been mostly exhausted? Are deer trails apparent or are there funnels leading into and out of the area? When walking in are you making a lot of noise or walking through a thick bedding area where you may be pushing deer out before you even get there? Where you're sitting do you have a good vantage point so that you can see deer movement so that you can adjust your position in future hunts? Is the wind blowing your scent into "thick" areas where deer may be scenting you before even coming out to feed?