NFA-ADK

Only other thing I could think of was if you have those quick spin fletchings. They have a pretty sharp angle and make the arrow really spin but at 20 yards plus I would think the spin is just really getting started. That heavy spin might have an adverse affect on the blades as they enter spinning so fast that once they deploy the side presser on the blade is too much and causes a brake? Just a theory but if you shoot standard fletching at minimal angle offset this would have little effect at short distance as the arrow is just starting its spin at 20 yards.

To me this sums it up. I do not want to take opportunities away from my fellow hunter and more regulations will do this along with hunters leaving dead deer in the woods that are not "Legal". If AR is implemented over larger area's of the state it will make identification of your prey a must making it safer for all. Simply put that is all legislation will care about a safer hunting environment where everyone identifies prey before pulling the trigger with no adverse affect on deer with the exception of more doe take and better balanced buck to doe ratio.

Looks like a good shot, crazy! How far was the lake from the shot and how far where you able to track it? I understand being upset he is a really nice buck! Shame.

OK so I do not think it is to much or little poundage. Hmmm

I know you do need some good KE to get the blades to deploy. What poundage are you shooting, draw length? Ever weight your arrows and with speed find the KE? Like stated above it does need a bit extra to deploy the blades and this does result in slight lose of KE due to blade deployment. Supposedly...

My hunting partner Shawn, this will be our 30th year hunting together! I hope he calls me this year!!! Now that his son's are getting older I think they might get him out and into the woods more!

Scary!

Your description is amazing, you have me captivated! FYI : I do not consider myself an expert just passionate and knowledgeable. I always considered 3 plus year old deer mature as they really seem to wise up from this age on and have full skeletal development even though I know a fully mature deer is usually considered 5+ for full muscle development. I also know mature can depend on area as sometimes a 2.5 is all that is around. Getting knowledge from other more experienced hunters here is simply priceless and the depth of knowledge is always valuable as experience is evident. Last years spot sounds like another good location I would keep that and check other possible spots to set up. This second spot sounds like a great location where your bridge is located yet it also sounds like it is close to the bucks bedding area like you said. The rhododendron where the rubs are is another possible bedding area as they love the thick cover. This sounds like a spot you might want to avoid and try and hunt the outer area's to prevent detection, until the wind is perfect along with timing, sounds really hard to do and will be almost impossible if it is where he beds as stated before. Trail cams as stated would help otherwise you would need to scout it by posting or getting up in the stand early and late day just to see what activity is around. From what you have posted it sounds like you are passionate and have a good understanding of what is happening in the woods... You can read sign well! I would do as others have stated and try some other spots so you have options for different winds. Your speed scouting is working and it sounds like you have a good read on the sign, keep looking for more rubs or similar area to what you are describing now and you will find more "good" locations to hunt. Your experience is evident and your knowledge of these areas will only improve. Tactics and busting deer when entering in the dark. One of the best calling technics I have used is a return snort at any alarmed deer when entering in the dark and especially in cover. Simply put it settles their nerves and if you are not directly spotted often results in them coming to you. I push as much air as possible through closed teeth usually mimicking the snort or louder. If not in the location or stand I usually will do a swift run to the area mimicking a fleeing deer. This has worked well to keep deer in an area you need to get into undetected or detected as another deer I should say. It sounds like you do use a passive mode of hunting, find another spot you can try aggressive tactics. You might find something that works even if you have to penetrate an area like the bridge during peak rut with some doe in heat scent and some doe in heat calls. Sometimes taking a calculated risk can reap results. Don't be afraid to try something different especially during the rut as anything can happen. Love the topic, looking forward to your next report!!!

Yep that pretty much sums it up for me, perfect analogy!

Pretty cool, looks like a great spot!

What is his draw length? I have a MQ1 but that is not what you are looking for and I am not in your area but draw length is needed as some bows are not adjustable as others. Plus what poundage are you looking for?

We could debate this one a long time and I think it simply comes down to interpretation as stated above. The way I see it we are sportsmen and women and by that definition we chase our prey in the outdoors using weapons, hook line and sinker and follow a code of ethics. Is it a sport, I would say yes in that we compete against each other more than our prey and tend to measure each other on success when success should be measured on woodsmanship, personal achievement and enjoyment of mother nature. Instead we have Boon and Crocket, that confirms it as a sport to me but I really don't like calling it a sport at all.

Another rule that is not needed, has no scientific fact and is based off self interest of having more big bucks to hunt. Even as a self proclaimed big buck hunter I think this is just another law that is not needed. Could it make hunting safer, SURE and that is a big selling point for your representatives to push it through, otherwise I just feel it has no merit. Restricting hunters is a bad thing and NYS deer population has no major issues with how the season is working now. 2 Buck tags get the state more money because they are separate tags so their is your answer to that questions of why 2 buck tags and it is not going away because the state would lose money. Simply put I know many bad hunters who just want to shoot anything! Add more restrictions and it becomes a lesson in futility they end up giving up on. Restrictions make it harder on any hunter who is not skilled or is restricted to certain area or land. I would rather have happy meat hunters and inexperienced hunters than upsetting them because "no 8 pointers came in today but I saw 5 bucks. " Choices are better, restrictions suck, let them hunt!

Sounds like you are on the right path. Try to find rub lines, this is a good indication of the bucks core area, typically where he likes to bed and feels safe. Mock scrapes can bring in deer from a long distance, great way to invite the curious and with a cam you can tell what is in the area. Funnels: I tend to look for natural obstructions the deer would normally go around like a lake, steep ridge, road or any natural boundary they might go around or utilize like a beaver dam to cross an area. Swamps, entry and exit usually comes out to a narrow spot next to a ridge. Tracks: With all the snow still on the ground this is a great time to find core area's and simply just follow the track as long as possible to get an idea on where the deer likes to wander. His pattern will change but if you hunt pre-rut you might be able to get him before he starts looking for doe. Find the doe and where they like to bed, one thing is for sure big bucks will check this area, not just to see if doe are present but to scent check and see if they are starting to become receptive. This is where setting up a doe in heat drip can work great if done at the right time! Calling: Simply put they get smart after 3 plus years in the woods and sometimes need to be coaxed into coming by your area during the daylight. Doe calls, rattling and grunt calls all can work if done properly and at the right time, more is less! Don't overcall or they will pin point you and realize it is not a deer, deer move so one calling in the same location set off alarm bells for them. How I try to put it all together is through careful observation of the woods especially where the tracks are and what the deer are eating. Then I will try and find a good location to still hunt them in thick area or find a good pinch point for ambush. Or set up high for good observation and interpretation of how to hunt them. Next I start calling once I find a good spot to hide, fawn calls early season, doe and buck calls late October - December. I tend to get the best response from doe and fawn calls early mornings especially if you start before first light. Buck grunts and doe calls I tend to use midday to late day. Combination of doe in heat and buck tending grunt during the rut. Rattling works great if the buck is a dominant one but does the opposite if they are not regardless of size. Simply put some bucks are more aggressive than others, know what you have in the are can determine what calls you use. I tend to use a grunt call set to about a 2 year old buck and try not to make him sound older as this is a deer most mature animals can beat up and is little threat to a big buck. Otherwise like many have stated boots to the ground will give you the best information to come up with a good game plan. Play the wind to your advantage whenever possible. Focus on area with deer prints larger enough to be at least 3 plus years old and verify with rubs area's. Get up high when scouting it has been one of my best methods for finding deer, even if you have to use a stand pre season. Scout, I do not do much of this for other reasons but this is one of the biggest factors in guys who get mature deer almost every year, they line up more than one to hunt! Good luck! Hope some of this helps!

Schools are a germ magnet! Glad your both OK!!!

Wow great pics and video! Keep them coming!

Epic pics! Simply amazing shots, thanks so much for sharing! Awesome!

We do take care of our land for our use. We manipulate the land for food not only for us but our animals also. Do we have full control, no. Mother nature will always have the upper hand but that does not mean we should not attempt to make the land better for what we want, like deer and removing the predators that compete with us for the same food. FYI: Since the first settlers came and cleared the land for food we have been manipulating our resources. This is the main reason for whitetail deer thriving, we cleared the land! This is the reason deer are so successful and why we do manage the land, deer and population to the best of our ability. The higher authority you speak of is already in place and it is called Mother nature and we have no control over how warm, cold, wet, dry and what diseases will spread under those conditions. Do we have a handle on things? I would say yes but to think we have full control is just delusional. Most farmers and land owners who try to improve there lands know this already. For someone to think we have no control is another illusion that you would need to keep telling yourself so you believe it! Keep saying it, I have no control, I have no control, I HAVE NO CONTROL! LOL funny how troll is in the end of that! lol again!

I think everyone has some type of issues, we are human and no one is perfect and not everyone can handle issues as easily as most of us can. If you are having problems in life PLEASE seek help, sometimes we all just need a little bit of help to get by. Many of us have family or friends we can rely on but not all of us do! Know their is another way besides suicide. If you are having issues please call for help, you are loved, you might not see it but people love you so think twice before you get into a place you do not like. The light is at the end of the tunnel you just have a few more feet to go, make a call if you are having issue, please! tel:1-800-273-8255 Suicide prevention hotline. Prayers to the family. RIP

Observation and interpretation! VIP In all the years hunting this has been my most effective way to interpret what is happening in the woods. Never used a trail cam but they do look like fun and a great way to observe what is happening in an area. Reading sign is an art and has taken me a long time to learn it and I still have much more to learn. I like to compare it to be a police officer and being able to pick out every detail you see and then coming up with a game plan to execute a good hunt. EX: One spot in Moose River Plains has a good herd of doe that seem to go from a low area in the morning to higher elevation during the day. They like the river bottoms and tend to forage in these areas more as they have more food for them. Following a bucks tracks in the light snow found him running the same game as me to find the doe. He went from up high to the low spots the doe hang in the morning. He found them just before last light and they all left the area to go where the doe bed in a low lying area. Next morning I was able to get back to the area where they meet and saw them come though 15 min after first light. Missed the buck but the plan was almost flawless if I did not try to bring in other friends for a chance at this buck, now when I am ready in the morning I will not wait when I find a good buck is in the area! It will not always work out but the more you do it the better at predicting deer you will become! This is another reason I do not like to use cams, I love tearing the woods apart and trying to figure out what deer are doing and why, for me it adds to my skills as a hunter and make me think more about why how when and where. Granted this works much easer in the snow than on dry grounds but snow is not always present so doing it on dry ground will only make you a better hunter and snow will seem like cheating!

Welcome aboard! Great to have you! I am one of the host when we do our Hunters Rendezvous August 20th, come on down it is a great learning experience from skilled hunters with a wealth of information. http://suffolkarchers.com/august We host a few shooting events during the year which are great for getting ready for bow season! Come on down it's great fun! Again Welcome aboard!!! I am not mentoring anyone this year so far. If you are interested send me a PM and I can get you started with some good areas to hunt and show you some options on hunting clothes, weapons and gear.

Epic picture! Thanks for sharing!

Dog/Yote

Game cams and walking on a trail are not the same thing as a ground blind. Yes it can blend in but it will be notice by a mature alert animal. I would think by gun season in your area they are alert. Good luck either way.

Good luck Growalot, hope things turn for the better. Sent.