ridgerunner88

First time using trail cameras and got my first notification tonight. Pretty exciting, I can see how this can get addicting. I am guessing this is a younger buck. Any insight from guys? How do I estimate age and that kind of stuff? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! I was leaning towards coyote but the short haired coat made me question it. That tail though is too long for a deer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Started a journal to track my hunts. First entry complete! https://bighuntstories.wordpress.com/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is my first year turkey hunting and this morning I missed a big Tom. It was a really hard pill to swallow since I felt like I let my brother who spent 4 mornings acting as my guide down. He is basically the reincarnation of Fred Bear, he is an amazing outdoorsman and it hurt bad not to seal the deal on all his hard work. The few hours after the hunt I was pretty low and couldn’t get the sting of the missed opportunity out of my head. However to my surprise while mowing my lawn, I was able to finally take some time and get my mind right. After that 45 minutes of yard work I felt a relief because I realized that missing today was the second best thing that could happen to me with regards to my hunting development. I focused on determining the root cause of why I missed this morning. I started by asking why… Why did I miss? Well technically I didn’t miss, I actually either grazed him or shot him the breast and he just ran off. Why did I hit him in the breast? Because that is where I was aiming. Why did I aim there? Because he was broadside and walking, I wasn’t confident to shoot the smaller area of the vitals/neck. I just wanted to guarantee I hit him. Why wasn’t I confident? Because I was using a crossbow I didn’t own and had only shot a few times to site in. I had never shot a moving target and didn’t understand the difference that movement would make on how I needed to aim. That is the point where I realized this was a blessing in disguise. If I were to have made a perfect shot and killed that bird this morning. I would have gotten away with not understanding my target animal’s anatomy and not taking the time to become skilled enough with my weapon of choice to have the confidence to attempt the required shot. I just purchased my first compound bow two weeks ago and look forward to taking it deer hunting this fall. Today was a wakeup call that reminds me the amount of preparation I am going to need to take this summer in order to be prepared for the fall. If I would have been successful this morning, my ego and false sense of belief in myself would have led me down a bad path and potentially to me wounding a deer because of my lack of skill. Now with this new found reality check I am in the right frame of mind that will lead to me taking the steps to improve my abilities, not rest of my laurels. Today still stings but the pain is good! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pattern at 30yds with 3” Shell non TSS. Had no problem taking down a turkey at 65 yards and a coyote at 35 yards. I added a Red Dot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have about a box of 7mm-08 left. Do I have any hope of getting more before next deer season? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just to the west of Canada Lake south of 29 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes that is correct… we are gonna be a little more NE in 5J Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Its Northern Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

3 buddies and myself are planning a camping/hunting trip for opening weekend of early muzzleloader. The spot they picked is technically in the ADX but on the very southern tip a little north of Little Falls in 5J. Now 5J is huge and I dont think the 2020 DEC Harvest Report can paint a realistic picture of what expect in terms of deer numbers. Do I approach this area like an ADX hunt or the standard northern zone public land style? I have never hunted the ADX and see that it is a different style. I am happy to try it out but just want to get an idea of what to expect. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Giving it once last go up here in the northern zone.. gonna take a nice little hike and try to get lucky.. good luck everyone I look forward to seeing some downed deer on this feed later! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

North portion of Clark Hill, Buck Hill and Penn Mtn State Forests are where I primarily go, I have been to Jackson Hill with some friends but not solo. I like the hills as a ground hunter because I can see better as opposed to the flatter areas south of Rome. Unless you have a better recommendation to hook me up!

Is the proper way to say it "YO-TEE" or "Yo-Ta" like Moat? All joking aside they are beautiful creatures despite their negative impacts

Yeah that does sound like a good idea... here is are my initial thoughts and I may be overthinking things but hey this is a chance to get some feedback from a veteran... the wind is suppose to be blowing to the NE.. the ridge I was eyeing would mean me parking to the south of it and walking in (about 1.5 miles) and setting up... about mid/late morning I would start making my way back to the car by walking directly west from where I am sitting to check out a potential bedding areas (based on satellite images) and then heading back to the car... the afternoon I would drive to another to park that will be about 1 mile from a spot my brother mentioned showed lots of sign and is located near a field that is privately owned.. potentially setup between it and catch one going out to eat in the later afternoon

Joined almost a month ago.. I have enjoyed checking on how everyone is doing in the woods and have learned a bunch.. I grew up in PA and hunted there then joined the Air Force which prevented me from hunting for 11 years.. moved to NY 3 years ago and got back into it and love the deer hunting up here... been pretty lucky and been able to bag at least a deer each year but no monsters yet (although that is not my goal).. been 100% a ground hunter but plan on taking the next year to learn and get comfortable with a tree saddle which will be a fun learning curve. Keep the stories and updates coming, it makes my work day in the office a little better!

6K hunter here.. I am working today and tomorrow and got the honey pass to head out Wednesday.. it is looking pretty good with a few inches of snow hitting the ground the night before.. looking for anything with horns to make it number 3 in the freezer I am a public land hunter with no treestand/saddle so I am relegated to the ground... what would you guys suggest as a strategy... i am hunting some state forest that has some pretty good elevation changes... should I go find a ridge and sit tight downwind and hope the second rut will kick in (judging by your posts the past week it looks like the first rut is officially done) or try and be super aggressive and try and walk up on an unsuspecting buck and hope to get a shot off before I spook them

We used those field stands for my daughter, she shot a doe when she was 7 and then a button buck this year as a 9 year old.. love them!

I saw the bottom buck on my work's big buck contest.. think he is gonna win!

First post ever! I have enjoyed this forum since discovering it two weeks ago. Grew up hunting in PA and joined the military and did not get to hunt that much. Now that I am back in the northeast for good it has been nice to get back into the woods! First day weapon is a Stevens 7mm-08. I won the thing three years ago at a local fire department gun raffle. The thing has been great and taken down 8 deer! Myself 2 does and 6 point, my 9 year old daughter a doe and a button buck and my brother 2 bucks and my sister in law a doe. I hunt northern zone so I already took a doe down last week with it and hope to get my buck tomorrow morning, it is suppose to be super cold so I am hopeful. Based on how close and the type of terrain I have been getting these deer at I am looking to switch to a 30-30 or 45-70 sometime in the next few years.. other than my daughter's deer which were shot in PA during the mentored hunt days all of them have been taken inside 100yds. Need more of a brush gun as opposed to my sniper rifle. Good luck to everyone going out for the first time this Saturday!