Doc

Yeah, that's what I am hoping. If the guys make a lot of noise coming into the woods and stink the area up real good, the nocturnal patterns won't matter. But I thought it was kind of interesting that I had all kinds of daylight activity all summer long until the leaves dropped.

Well today was the first card-pull with a three-day spread of only nocturnal deer. That's bucks and does. I thought that was interesting. I've been noticing a slow shift ever since the leaves came off. Before trail cams, I never realized that there was a slow shift toward nocturnal movement and eventually now total nocturnal activity, even prior to gun season. I know rut has an effect, but I always thought that the additional activity brought on more daytime sightings. That doesn't seem to be the case with my trail-cam results. Anybody getting any daytime pictures of deer or is this anomaly just a local trend?

Be careful ..... it won't be starting out at 50 degrees. Layers guys. Big trick will be staying awake after 10:00 am.....lol.

The last time I tried to tough-it-out in high winds, there was crap falling down all around me from the trees. And on my way home, there was a huge tree down across the trail that I walked in on. I would rather spend my time watching for deer than looking up for heavy falling debris ... lol.

Great views and rifle rests all around. view from old road at 20 yards Cluster of oaks that have been enhanced a bit. It provides a 6' wide wall. This one has been very productive. This is my version of a food plot .... lol. Basically it is simply a remote part of the yard and was established completely with a lawn mower .... lol. Old oak at the edge of what used to be a field That tree is a bit more than 4' in diameter View at 20 yards. No, you probably can't really see it, but then, that is the object....lol. It is exactly dead center in the picture. I've never been caught by any deer in this one. It pretty much can't be done as long as I get the wind right. I have yet to take a picture of my one and only tree-stand. It is about 10' off the ground, has an aluminum ladder, has railings all around and a 5' X 5' platform ....... And I still have trouble letting go of the tree to shoot. I'm not real fond of heights.

I'm sitting here listening to the wind just roaring out there. What the heck ..... is this bow season going to blow right through to the end? That's ridiculous. Unfortunately I haven't really practiced shooting deer that were tumbling along, being blown across the ground. And you poor guys in the treestands, I hope you have practiced up shooting your bow one-handed. You'll be hugging your tree with the other. Sounds like a good day to get out and clean out my ground stand for Saturday.

The problem with warm temperatures is that everybody finds a nice comfy place to sit and stays in one place all day long. Nobody moving deer.

Did they cape it out or just hack the head off at the neck? If he ever does get it back, it may not be suitable for mounting. I would be surprised if they had the gonads to take it to a taxidermist, but that is exactly where I would start looking. I would report it to the DEC also. They may come across disposed of remains. It's real hard to figure out what gets into the minds of these dirt-bags. What could possibly possess anyone to do that?

Wow! That was a great shot. Where did the other shots go ..... lol. Seriously ... That is some great shooting.

The snow is a great story-teller. It might even change your mind about where you want to be Saturday. I went out yesterday, and was amazed at just what deer there are in areas that I had written off. I have a couple of other areas that I want to check out today. Here's the deal. A hunter walking through an area does not drive every deer from the area. Chances are with small game season having been in effect for weeks, they are only mildly irritated that you came along and within a couple hours won't be giving it another thought.

Even when you think you have done everything right and are successful, be careful about too much detail. Any little thing that can be picked apart will be eagerly attacked by some of the buzzards that get into a feeding frenzy here....lol.

Exactly the same thing that I have observed. Even as a kid, before I was old enough to hunt, I remember waiting for the bus and hearing an almost constant barrage of shooting. And yet they claim that there are so many more deer these days than there was back then. There certainly seemed to be a lot more hunters in the woods. Today there is a flurry of shots from well before legal shooting hours until around 9:00 or 10:00 and then it really starts to get quiet. And like you said, once the opening weekend is over, state parking lots are almost deserted. I don't think we have a shortage of license holders, but we do have a shortage of dedicated enthusiastic hunters that are out hunting hard and as often as they can. The bad news .... there are always just enough guys out to keep the deer in a survival mode, so nothing gets any easier as far as finding deer out in their normal daylight patterns. Not enough guys to keep the deer moving, but enough to keep them spooked. It will be interesting to see how the addition of rifles in our county will effect the participation. I have been hearing guys from all around the valley sighting in their rifles (at least I hope that's all they are doing .... lol). So there might be a brief re-birth of enthusiasm this year.

If there is anyway that you can get an experienced loader to sit down with you, by all means, do it. There are so many things that can be read wrong, or mis-understood that someone watching or instructing you could head off for you. I did all the reading first and then had my Brother-in-law sit down and watch while I first reloaded, and he gave me some tips that weren't in the books, or that were in the books but I hadn't really understood them right. He saved me messing up a lot of components and perhaps even creating some dangerous loads.

First time out with a rifle? ..... You bet I'm psyched! I had deer all bow season that have been just out of bow range. Boy do I have a surprise for them. There is a lot of pressure to figure out exactly the right spot for a stand. I have several real good spots that have been traditionally pretty good. But opening day is a very special time in the season. It has to be done right. A mistake of choosing the wrong stand could make the difference between getting a good buck or not. Yeah, there is a lot of luck involved, but that opening morning stand selection can go a long ways toward putting that luck on my side. My thoughts and energies are starting to slip out of archery mode and into gun mode right now.

Anybody ever consider that this might just be another case of a deer "jumping the string"? From video that I have seen, there is no doubt in my mind that it is a very real possibility. Especially a deer turning and dropping to flee.

I'm passing on this morning's stand and am going to use the snow to figure out where the deer are hanging out. From what I saw last night, there ought to be some pretty darn good tracking snow. It's time to get schooled.

Ha-ha .... older deer are smarter deer. I've been looking at pictures of an incredible 8 point that shows up pretty regularly at 1:30 in the morning. AR or no AR, nothing is going to make them stupid. They quickly figure out the safety of nocturnal habits. A little related side-question: I have to wonder how many of these critters succumb to the battles when bigger and older bucks start crowding each other's territories..... not only outright lethal battle wounds, but also the excessive physical exertion from too many violent fights just before the rigors of winter set in. Has anyone ever checked those kinds of mortality losses. Just a little thought that I have always wondered about. Anyway, anyone who expects that AR will produce common sightings of book-buck everywhere, has probably been watching too much Saturday morning TV on the Outdoor Channel .... lol.

Well, I know I sure wouldn't want to get hit with the thing, but I guess I'm just getting the pre-season jitters. I hate to mess-with-success, but I just had to get into the rifle thing this year since it's now legal in Ontario County. But as usual, with change comes a bit of uneasiness. Thanks for the reassurances.

I am amazed again this year at the scarcity of rubs and scraps in our area and yet my trail cams are showing that there are a pile of bucks of all sizes around. What the heck is making these guys so darn bashful? I saw this last year too. Compared to years ago, the rut sign is almost non-existent but the quantity of bucks seems to be more than ever.

Ok, bear in mind that I have never shot a deer with anything but a 12 gauge slug, and this is my first year with a rifle. So I am looking at a 12 gauge slug in one hand and my little .270 cartridge in the other, and some obvious questions pop into my head. At 60 yards and under, when I shoot a deer with the shotgun and hit just behind the shoulder, the deer either drops right there or takes off on a dead run for 50 to 100 yards and skids chin first into the dirt. What reaction can I expect when I make the same shot with my .270? Looking at that tiny little hole in the target starts some nasty little questions rolling around in my head. I'm just looking for a bit of first hand experiences from those of you that have taken significant numbers of deer with rifles, particularly with the smaller calibers.

Isn't it funny that we have no problems shooting wild canines like coyotes and foxes, but when it comes to a domestic dog doing exactly the same kinds of behavior and with much less need, we get all wimpy and worried about the dog's welfare. Frankly, if some of these owners would just show half as much compassion about their animals in terms of keeping them under control, there wouldn't be anyone considering shooting them. You all want to worry about the welfare of something, just consider the fate of the deer that these dogs are chasing. It has to be quite a horrible death to run the gauntlet over considerable distance, having chunks of meat pulled out of your hindquarters until you finally fall down from exhaustion and have the job of being eaten alive completed. I saw it once, and it was a pitiful and completely unnecessary sight. We worry about the results of an errant bullet or arrow that wounds and eventually kills a deer and yet, completely down-play this prolonged torture inflicted by dogs allowed to run wild.

Any deer as big or bigger than a beagle will chase deer if unattended. It is just in their nature. They are not doing it from hunger either. Yes, labs have that same chasing and killing urge as any dog. Our years of sheep farming taught us that......no rabies required...lol.

All day there has been a constant roar of the winds, and I pity anyone who is trying to hunt out of a treestand today. It basically would be all moving shots even if the deer were standing still.....lol. That is if you could shoot while having one arm wrapped tight around the tree.

Don't underestimate how much the game laws are influenced by state history, tradition and hunter opinions. The various game management agencies from each state have to take into consideration the politics of their decisions. Right or wrong, hunters are their primary population control tools, and the agencies have to pay attention to many of the old institutionalized techniques. Imagine walking into Texas and telling them that baiting is going to be outlawed. I think they would have a rebellion on their hands. Each state has to do what it must do and that doesn't make any of them more right than the rest, and the decisions are not always based on a biological basis, especially if the outcomes are judged to be insignificant. As far as the more restrictive laws that we have, I have no real problems living with them. I have spent a lifetime hunting under them, and to me none of them are any real hardship. I don't want or need my every hunting need to be coddled, and I think the challenge here is just about right.

Yes, I put that "standing still" qualifier in there because I pretty much don't take any shots anymore unless the target animal is standing still or walking very slowly. A man's gotta know his limitations .... lol.