NFA-ADK

Agree 100% Only issue on LI is they can use the rifle tag also so the person can take a button (Doe tag) a spike and a big 10. Still when someone gets any buck in the area I hunt I am happy for them even if it is one of our target bucks. Good thing about LI is their are always mature bucks to hunt just wish they came on public land more often! If the population was low I would want a one buck rule but on LI that is not the case. I also agree with considering age structure and doe to buck population. Some area's simply produce many young bucks this is where I believe micro managing your area helps. If all you have to shoot are young bucks most hunters are not willing to eat tag soup and want the meat. Considering most young bucks would disperse it would not really affect the immediate area. I understand the concept of having a hunter tag out on a small deer so you still have the 2.5 and older around to mature another year. Most people hunt this way already IMO, big buck hunters are not the norm.

Doe and bucks will both scrape the ground to get at the food buried in the snow. If it is done in a large area and not in one particular spot this could be what they are doing. Happy Thanksgiving to you also, and everyone else on the site! Good luck out their guys and girls, be safe!

If you are hunting state land and can get back deep, typically this means at least a half mile, then you will typically see better action and if you get hunters pushing they tend to do this closer to the roads. Like Steve stated you have to use them to your advantage.

Very cool FastEddie, congrats on your success!

Congrats on your first success! That is awesome! Good luck the rest of the season!

I understand the concept but I think it is flawed unless hunters are shooting all the 2.5 year old deer. (Almost impossible!) As a big buck hunter we pass most all young deer (treestand hunting) my buddy even passed a 3.5 this year. By passing all the younger deer including button bucks we give the other hunters who just want meat or any deer a better chance at tagging out. Buttons get tagged with a doe tag but we can't stop hunters from shooting them, by passing them we allow them to mature into spikes, 4's, 6's and even small basket 8's that many hunters are happy with. Many young bucks disperse into another area so killing them does nothing for your hunting spot unless your food for the deer is low. Same reasoning goes for doe, we do not shoot them in our big buck area because they are what draws in the big bucks! I have to agree with Trial153 if this was true we would be overrun with large bucks because many hunters shoot young bucks and then are done for the season. This is the exact opposite of AR. AR at least gives the deer a chance at getting older, if you shoot all the young deer in your area you would be eliminating future prospects if you hunt a large enough tract of land.

I find the latex make my hands sweat. I typically bring extra pairs to change midday if it is raining and that cold.

Keep at it guys and girls! Sometimes if I did not have other hunters with me I would say the same about no action. Sometimes you have to be in the right spot to see it! All to often I will have no action at all but my buddy 200 yards away sees bucks chasing doe for over an hour! Peak rut is now but doe that come into heat late can change things in an instant! Don't give up and good luck!

Nice buck! Congrats!

I second that awesomeness! Nothing like teaching a kid about the outdoors! The outdoors gives us direction and reconnects us to nature, nothing more pure than that! Hats off to you! Keep up the good work, I hope you get to trap some yotes!

Just a dusting on LI, all gone now. High winds kept me out of the woods for Monday and the wind was suppose to calm down today but where I was it was still gusty. Saw a few deer but in a thick area, first time so I need to check it out more, supposedly a big 13 pointer was taken from the same area.

Tracking in snow is the easy way to track and the most common. When you do it often you can track in heavy rain or after a heavy rain as the tracks stay for a while in the leaves. Not as easy as it is in snow but if you do it often enough snow will seem like cheating! For me this is the some of the best hunting when you get on a big buck track just because you know ahead is a big buck. When looking for big buck tracks a few things always get me excited. A big track! Big bucks weigh more than big doe and sink in the ground much more with larger tracks and gait. The shoulder width is also seen in the track and is a good indication of a larger buck. While tracking take note of how they go between trees this can give an indication of rack size. Big racked deer will go around small openings between trees. Tracking in snow: Depending on conditions will tell you how old a track is. I found a track this year that looked real fresh, well after a cough I found it was about 60 seconds fresh and the deer ran off. The older a track is the more it will cave in or have the imprint fade away. Like stated before much of this can be learned in books but to get a good grip on how old a track is the only thing that helps is experience. Larger bucks have tracks in the 3.5 inch or larger and tend to use the entire foot vs younger deer that walk on front part of foot. Larger deer tend to have the hoof spread more than younger deer. Large gait and spread shoulders are another good indication of a buck along with dragging their feet. Bucks tend to walk in a straight line and are solo vs doe that meander and usually are in a group. Checking your own tracks is a good way to determine track age, along with any other tracks you may find. EX: If a doe passes outside your back yard check her tracks, then recheck in one hour, then 4 hours etc. Experience is your best teacher in this aspect due to weather changes and temperature. You can do this with your dog or any animal you see in the area! Best advice I could give is to do it often as possible, the more you do it the better experience you will have and the better you will become at identifying a fresh track. Be diligent in your observation! If you find a big buck track take note of any imperfections, you will need this info when he comes into doe and you have to relocate where he went. Keep looking forward and to both sides when tracking, the deer tend to hook after they eat and are ready to bed and regurgitate to eat again. While this may be an easy way to find and locate bucks this is not an easy way to hunt and requires a keen observation and very good shooting skills along with vast amount of patience and skill at stalking. While I am no expert on the subject it's one of my favorite ways to hunt when snow is present and favorite ways to gain data on the deer in the area. No doubt tracking has improved my knowledge probably more than any other way of hunting! Good luck, hope some of this helps.

Rage, already did my rifle trip up North.

Very nice! Congrats!!!

It was a good time, wish I could have stayed longer. Shot was 15 yards with a 30-06, and people wonder why I use a 44 Mag. Not that you can't use the 30-06 but many times it just seems most shots are close. Overall a great trip with some good success. I think we now have a new permanent member in the hunting club! I think this was his second deer. I did not see any chasing or indication that the rut was in full swing. But I was told a buck was chasing a doe the week before so just because I did not see it does not mean it is not happening! I would imagine it is on up their now.

Real Brute! http://www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/2016/11/upstate_ny_deer_hunter_hits_world_class_buck_with_his_truck_on_way_home.html

Came back early from my ADK trip to work, joy! Great time with the guys. Congratulations to Dominick for getting his first ADK buck, the only one taken out of Moose River so far this year, according to the Ranger. Stories of a brute 12 point roaming the area had us in high hopes but I never found his tracks. No snow again makes this area very hard to hunt as usual. This was Dominick's 2nd year with us and he took the deer around noon and it was his first day! Awesome trip! My buddy Mike with his red war pain looks like a bad tan job, and my green war paint make me look like a horrible hulk, lol. Meet some old friends and had lots of fun! Buddy Shawn was the lucky hunter who got to help with the drag, left side of picture with me.

Been using it on LI for a few years now. No smell and the chemical in it is actually naturally occurring in nature so no need to worry about it. I would not enter the LI woods without it!

I think deer feel the same way!

If I am using a bow 25 mph is about my max and typically do not see as much movement when conditions are like that, not that they do not move it just seems they do not like when they can not use sight, smell or sound when it gets that windy. Gun I could care less about wind unless it is past 30 mph or really gusty to point trees are coming down. Then I just try to watch above and make sure when it does get bad I am not in an area with many large trees or widow makers hanging in the tops. Like stated above just because it is windy does not mean they will not move, it just seems like less movement to me.

Looks like a doe, they all pee on the tarsal glands even fawns.

LOL 2 Funny! Like and Like because I am out of them right now!

One of the main reason I did not shoot doe for years was I always thought they where the best bait for bucks! I really do not like to kill fawns as the meat provided is minimal. One reason I started to target doe was population control and I only do that on LI or area with an abundance of doe. Because our winters on LI are so mild most fawns will survive unless the snow gets deep for an extended period like we had last year. Besides predation snow I believe is the biggest killer of fawns. When it gets past their belly they struggle to keep up with mom and can get stuck in drifts causing death. Fawns have a 50% chance at surviving their first year IMO. So I have no issues with others taking a fawn. If it's a really bad winter they probably would not make it anyway, IMHO. Like stated before if the moma doe is taken I believe the fawns will connect with other deer and be able to survive if the snow does not get them. And I agree that by the time bow season starts most fawns are a few months old and are capable of surviving without mom. And TV along with movies has corrupted our minds into believing we are destroying a family. Sometimes you have to be a stone cold killer to hunt and part of hunting is population control. We are told it is our obligation to do this or they will keep using snipers like the 1000+ deer killed this past week by them on Long Island! Your choice, snipers controlling the population, or hunters!!!

Wow I could see the arrow stuck in him, owch. This is a pic from a buck taken on Saturday. This wound was just behind the shoulders this is a top view. Looks like a high hit. Misjudge of distance, bad shot or the buck ducked the arrow. Second pic is the actual kill shot.

Make your own with the surrounding material. Nothing wrong with fabricating your own also. Unless you need it to be portable this is the best route if you want to leave it out year round. Check out GhostBlind, if you can afford it this is the best blind on the market if you like to move around and hunt different spots. We don't use it often but when we do it is amazing how well it works! Otherwise as stated above I am sure the better ones will last longer and hold up better if you want to try a store bought one. They are easer to set up then making one I am sure but I would not leave them out year round or if a heavy snow comes in.