The Engineer

I wasn't as clear sorry. Forget about the doe tags because on LI its 95% guarantee. In 4P not so much. With my bow tag I can get with either compound bow or crossbow not both. Also with the muzzle loader tag I can use that for crossbow for the last 2 weeks of archery season.

So. Now that I have my bow license and my gun and my black powder tag. How many deer does that let me take? I was going to use my compound bow on Long Island then many crossbow upstate the last 2 weeks before rifle season. Then gun upstate and black powder on LI. So my first question is can I get a deer with both compound and crossbow and still get one with black powder or will I lose that right? Sorry the only question not explained on the online course

Got mine the other day. I have been putting it off for years. Sitting on the couch a couple of nights was great. I told 2 guys at work and they taking it. One of them is doing the hunter safety course too.

The best bait to bring them to the surface or on the pond bank is BEACON trust me it's the best bar none. As a kid I would catch turtles from a local lake and sell them to pond owners in the neighborhood. One day I caught 22 in 4 hours. Tie a strip of beacon and swish it around and slowly bring it to the bank and have net under the water he'll swim right after the beacon. Scoop it up or shoot it.

I just picked up a Haban 61 inch tow behind with a 21 hp Briggs and Stratton. I have 48 inch walk behind Troy built sickle mower works great on 3' grass /brush up to an inch. I was just getting tired of doing the hills. So I went to Pa and grabbed the mower for 700 and 3 point 72" box scraper for the tractor. The pull behind needs a good time up and fresh fuel and 3 new blades. I'm going to start growing more clover on the hills over looking the pond. With the pull behind I'll be able to maintain the clover better. Plus more toys I'm tools honey to use

I spent 12 hours opening weekend of crossbow missed an 8. The following weekend spent about the same and got a 9. Opening day weekend 12 plus hours looking for the 8. Following weekend and week spent 6 hours per day for 6 days only saw a 100 doe a spike and 4 pointer. My neighbor it turns out gout my 8. This weekend out 4 hours and got a doe. A big doe I was targeting. I would show a picture but the only one took was after I skinned it. I also did the butchering on both so that was another 6 hours total. Which was very cool and a great learning experience. I have 1 buck tag left which I will use on Long Island next month. So lot of hours a lot of meat and an understanding wife. I'm sure its going to cost me

Yes I'm a little south from there. Good hunting because few people get the permit or go in there at least by me.

Hello Hank you gaining experience. No worries like Grampy said sit still and watch. I don't know if you have a doe tag, but just wait and watch. If your lucky enough to see deer watch what they do where they are doing it and what times they are doing it. Seeing bucks this time of the season is hit or miss. Doe are much more abundant and more day time creatures then bucks after the rut. On my property which is not huge from 6:30 to 9 the doe go from bedding in my neighbor's property through the back of mine and up the mountain for the day. At 3:30 to dark they come off the mountain through the front onto my property close to my cabin and go back to the bedding area. I learned this pattern just by watching quietly and you will learn too. Remember where's theirs doe will be bucks during the rut. Just watch and learn

I have the Milwaukee heated sweat jacket. I use it under my hunting jacket. Worked great even on opening weekend when it was 16 on Saturday and 11 on Sunday in a tree stand. I even bought battery heated gloves for $30. Put them on low and put on military mittens over them. I stayed out for 4 hours like nothing. Only went in because I wanted a 2nd breakfast. It works

I have always heard about it. Is it real? It makes sense not every doe can be bred when only a few bucks around. I saw an 8 point during early bow season actually locked down with a doe that my dam neighbor got. I was lucky enough to get a 9 with a crossbow. Other then a 4 and a sike I haven't seen any bucks. Yes I know there's more out there. I have a definite 7 resident doe on my property but this weekend while watching the 7, 12 came out of no where without a buck chasing them that I could see. So I'm was thinking not everyone could have been bred. I'm going back out this weekend definitely to take a doe as I have a tag. But I'm wondering is one still in the area waiting for the 2nd rut. I got my 10 point the last day of rifle season 3 years ago. He was just walking through the woods at 10:30 in the morning. Was he looking for love or just passing through

Nice buck. Curious was he following a doe, just walking by himself? Why I ask is on Thanksgiving morning I saw 3 doe and 20 minutes later a a 4 and sike walk right through and sniffed where they were laying down. Wondering if it was the 2nd rut or just chance

If your too tired to remember to take bullet out of your gun or separate your ammo from the gun then I don't want you driving on the road with me or my family. Then you're not safe. Take a nap and stay off the road. Regroup go through your checklist etc. And be safe. What other unsafe practices do you do when your in the woods with a fully loaded gun. I was pulled over once and I hung out with DEC for an hour. I had a 10 point on my roof and I wanted everyone to see it. Sure they checked my paperwork and checked out the deer. They asked about my gun. I told the the gun is in the trunk and the ammo and mag in the glove compartment. They never checked. I always feel and tell most people if you didn't do anything wrong it shouldn't matter

That's a great reason too Nomad

So I got back last night at 9 from hunting upstate. Telling my wife about the does and how it was 16 degrees on Saturday and 11 on Sunday at the cabin. She said quit simply why the hell would you go out it that. I thought about it for a little while and came up with this. I grew up on the water on Long Island but always loved the woods and the mountains when we would go up there as a kid. I like being in the woods and or in a tree stand and watching the critters all around me and never knowing I'm there. I like being ALONE with no one asking I need I want I gotta have. I like watching the deer and turkeys and see their movements for later on. I like making the food plots. I like the fun around the camp on opening day weekend. I like that we spend the whole of Thanksgiving week up there and have Thanksgiving feast in the woods. I like the fact in this country I can have a hunting implement and use on my land or on public land. Most places in this world you can't. Why the hell do you do it?

Like I say to my wife it's not about the size it's what you do with the meat. Congrats on the buck. Did you use the grunt call?

Welcome Enders good info on this. I wish you reached out on Thursday before opening day. I live on Long Island and have a cabin in the Catskills. Went up with 3 other hunters and had a mountain and a half to ourselves. 2 of the guys have been hunting for over 40 years. They are fathering type. If I wasn't going up next weekend with my wife for Thanksgiving Id have you up. First thing to do is sight in you rifle. Get used to it and see it's capability. Theirs a good range on eastern LI in Calverton. Its run by the town and the range officers are good teachers. If your rifle is a shotgun then go to NYDEC. Opening day on LI is January 4. Follow the instructions for hunting on LI as it's close to you. Good luck and stay in touch

This year I went with battery operated gloves $30 Amazon (rechargeable batteries) my military surplus Mickey boots with 2 socks and a foot warmers. 3 layers of clothes and a Milwaukee battery sweatshirt. And a full cover hat. I can go 6 hours like nothing in 16 degrees like today. I could have stayed longer but I had to pee and I didn't see anything all morning. Tonight 8 does all around me and I was fine until it was dark and I could hear the coyotes REAL CLOSE

Forgot my dam seat cushion. Used my surplus military mittens. Ass was warm but my hands got cold this morning

I'm the cook at my camp. The night before opening day is beef stroughov with the big fat egg noodles. Easy recipe and only takes 1/2 from start to sitting down. Then in the morning beacon, sausage, eggs, homefries pancakes. It puts everyone in a food coma out in the stands. So the deer walk past them right to me. With all that starch and protein everyone falls asleep but won't freeze to death in the stands

Great buck congrats. Great story too. Glad to see your boy hanging with you. So important to get the next ones into the tradition

On Saturday morning I was in the stand at 6:30 and man was it cold about 16. At 7:47 I was about to leave and all of sudden the 8 I had on camera was walking fast with 2 does behind him and looking over his left shoulder (I was to the right )never looked towards and kept walking to about 40 yards from me. Never killed with a crossbow and he never stopped I let him pass. Turns out my neighbor let a friend hunt on his property and he pushed them. So I went out at 2:30 to my afternoon stand got in my stand had a smoke and right when I was done a 9 came walking down the hill nose never came off the ground. As he was getting closer from 50 yards and coming in i worked on my breathing had the crossbow aimed in the close area. He stopped by a big tree where I could see most of his body but no head. Now the crossbow was up and the 3rd line on the scope was in the proximity of a kill shot. He walked 4 more paces stopped just a great well placed shot with a perfect non rushed setup. He jumped in the air but walked away. I heard the arrow hit the ground and land right under him. I could see the illuminknock. There he goes walking back up where he came. But something was different. His tail only went half mast then down. At 30 feet he was staggering, at 40 he was falling into trees by 50 feet it was over. The Rage did its thing. It sliced the back end of the lungs cut the liver in half and hit an artery. Barely any blood come out until the last 15 feet of his life. When I gutted him the cavity was full. Funny thing is he is not the same 8 as the morning this guy is new

Thank you all. It was a lot of firsts. First with a crossbow and first butchering. Crossbows are so powerful it went right through him at 30 yards. And butchering was bad. After some practice I'll be able to strip that carcass

This year I'm going 1943 Springfield match grade M1 Garand. I sited in to 200 yards iron sites to a 4" gong with with bullets I made. I hit 7 out of 8 on the gong. Not that really matters I can only see about 100 yards in the woods but its good to go

Saturday went out for the afternoon hunt sat at 2:30 a 9point buck down before 3. First deer with a crossbow. I was sitting for 10 minutes and a new buck in the area come through the woods with his nose down. Sniffed 30 yards broad side in front of me and he never made 40 feet. He was a big heavy bastard. My brother and I couldn't pick it up to put on the quad. Yesterday I butchered it up first time. The hardest part was skinning it. Taking the meat off wasn't bad and the grinder attachment from my wife's mixer work perfect. I have doe permit and a regular for next week so I will be doing it again real soon

I just received my Outdoor knife set and the grinder attaches to my wife's Kitchen Aid mixer. Thank God she will be working when I'm walking out the door with it on Friday to go upstate for an unofficial 3 day weekend that she also doesn't know about. As for a cutting board. My buddgave me a 2'x4' piece of stainless.