pawle76

yup red squirrels are the worst

I lost a best friend for similar reasons. My father hunted this property with his dad when he was 15 and they became close friends with the landowner. Fast forward a bunch of years and my father started bringing me to hunt on this property. I became close with the owner almost like a granfather to me and things were great. We had the run of the property and we were allowed to use the house. I eventually asked the owner if I could bring a friend in to hunt and he said yes. We all hunted there for years. My friend was accepted as one of the gang and it was great. I later moved to NC but still made the trip up to hunt every year. Unfortunately the landowner died and his Son took over the property. Come to find out my "best friend" became buddy buddy with him and now only he's allowed to hunt there. My father and I have done a lot of work to that house my friend never did a thing. But I guess that doesn't matter because he has the golden pass and we are on the outside looking in. Obviously I don't talk to my friend anymore.

There's nothing wrong with taking a doe. I also think if a hunter only hunts during rifle and can't get doe permits there's nothing wrong with taking a smaller buck but with the AR's now that's a thing of the past. My first deer was a spike with my bow and it was a wonderful experience. I learned how to track, field dress, skin and butcher all with that first buck. I still have the skull cap on my wall, while it's not my biggest by a long shot it's still one of my favorite and best trophies on my wall. I just want every hunter to be able to have that is all.

I totally agree with you. I think it's a good thing for a hunter to take a deer to keep their real world skills keen. Taking a smaller buck is a great way to do that. Targets and decoys only get you so far. It's having a living breathing target in your sights that really gets your blood and adrenaline pumping making you do crazy things that a target just can't duplicate. Bowhunting really lets a hunter experience those things and it gives a hunter a chance to fill his/her tag and still have another opportunity to get another deer. Not to get off topic here but that's why I have a problem with mandatory AR's. It can deny some hunters that chance to gain important experience with taking a smaller buck who want to. And Yes IMO it does make it easier to pass on a buck if you have some deer under your belt already.

I have yet to see how any AR improves buck caliber. Places that have had AR's in place for over a decade like in PA. can't say that it works or not from what I hear. So until they can prove that it works I'm against any restrictions period.

I would be hunting the mornings more than the evenings. Cooler temps have been in the mornings. Deer will be feeding before going to their bedding areas by mid-late morning.

sorry but I'm guilty of celebrating afield after a kill. I try not to be loud in case there are more deer in the area as I do hunt with other people. I see no harm in celebrating with out going overboard. Some of those bafoons on TV look like jack asses like Mike Wadell playing air guitar and screaming his head off.

NY = Libtard central.

Same thing I use them for. Real estate signs are even better

Marlin 336c in .35 Rem. Bushnell trophy 3x9 scope and Hornady leverevolution 200gr. ammo. I also use a Win. model 70 featherweight in .30-06 with a nikon buckmaster 3x9 scope. I usually shoot Federal Fusion 180 gr. or Fed. Vital shok 180gr. ammo.

disagree.

hello and welcome

I agree .45-70 is a great all porpose round. They certainly lovem in Alaska. 45-70 also makes great "bear spray"

they eat them where I hunt

great pics. That doe still has her summer coat, where are you ?

I couldn't believe how tough they are either. I had to sharpen my knife every 5 minutes

I agree. For some reason pred meat is just different

Pop Up blinds can be very useful. I use them every season and I've gotten 2 bucks and 1 bear from them. Like someone said it's a good idea to set up the blind a few weeks in advance. Also just don't plop it down anywhere. Try and use the terrain, rock walls, blowdowns, tall grass etc. to hide it as best as you can. Then brush it in. Take limbs, pine branches etc. to blend it in. Another tip for brushing it in is break up the outline by placing limbs and such behind the blind. Blinds will allow you to get away with some movement and I think they help to contain some of your scent. They will keep you dry and there is waterproofing sprays that can help with that. They do cut down on wind but as far as warmth not really. Ah scents and lures ! There are so many gimicks out there it's pretty funny. Yet I find myself buying the latest in deer secretions and scents every season. I personally like to have at least some form of doe estrus scent and some kind of buck urine. Does it work ? Honestly the best answer I can say is sometimes. Bringing me to your next Question..... De-scenting sprays, cover scents etc. I think these are very effective. I believe all the brands work for the most part. How scent free are you aiming for is another issue entirely. When bowhunting the extent some hunters go to be "scent free" can be scary. That said I do shower with scent frre soap andd shampoo, sf deodorant,gum , I wash all my hunting clothes with sf soap then hang outside to dry or I use the scent absorbing dryer sheets for the dryer. Day of hunt I use the field spray religiously. Now as far as using sprays with earth scent and such in them that's up to you. I have used them and saw plenty of deer and then there are seasons where I won't. Personal Pref. I guess. Where to set up is the big question. I read some good tips already posted for that. I like to look for rub lines as opposed to lone rubs. I'm not big on hunting scrapes unless you know with out a doubt it's a primary scrape. Like I said I like to look for rub lines close to food or bedding in a transition area. what I mean about looking for transition areas is looking for changes in the woods like where a swampy area meets hardwoods or where hardwoods meet a field, etc. Also look for ridge lines and more importantly secondary ridges. Dont' set up on the very top of ridges but come down the hillside a little ways. Then you could look for more subtle transitions like where old growth borders new growth. I love hunting where there has been logging done the year before. This opens up the canopy allowing in more sunlight and a lot of green new growth will grow on the ground. Deer love that. Like you also said look for oaks dropping acorns, apple trees. I've learned that if you find a little cluster of apple trees in the middle of the woods to set up there. Deer will feed on those little food havens before they go to where there's a whole orchard. I also learned that you have a better chance of catching them during daylight hours at the little apple tree cluster nestled in the middle of knowhwere than seeing them during the day at a row of apple trees along the road. Same thing goes for acorns. Look for that little oak grove where there are no oaks for acres and acres. those 5 to 10 oaks will be lit up when they start dropping acorns. You need to remember that you probably are not going to see 15 20 deer with 3 or 4 shooter bucks running wild the very first day. You have to keep at it. Give each area sometime. I like to hunt a spot at least 3 days in a row. You might want to have 2,3,or4 different blinds or spots ready to hunt. Like some already said there's nothing wrong with sitting against a tree or rock wall either. You can build a good blind in minutes using limbs and pine boughs. They sell blind material like burlap or nylon for cheap that is very useful used with tree limbs and such. Remember to be aware of what the wind is doing also and set your blind accordingly. I am by no means an expert but these are some things that work for me. Anoither thing to remember is sometimes learn from yourself. Trial and error. Most important is HAVE FUN ! I hope this helps you and I wish you good luck and be Safe !

Handsome rig you got there. I have a model 700 BDL in.308 with a 3-9x power scope like you. It's never let me down and I know it will give you many years of great shooting and hopefully lots of venison. I wanted to get another .308 BDL for my Dad but for some reason Rem. discontinued the .308 in BDL. Anyway Good Luck with your new set up !

that looked like it hurt ! I applaud your effort to help other hunters learn from your mistake. This is a very worthwhile topic to talk about as we all know every season comes with many horror stories of hunters meeting their untimely death because of something so simple as a Quality safety harness. I wish all of you luck in getting that dream buck but more importantly I wish all of you a SAFE hunting season this year.

I got one this past year and my experience with skinning it was not the most pleasant thing I've done. They are some smelly, greasy sons a B's. I let someone else butcher it and gave most of the meat to him. Kept some for stew which turned out pretty good. I was told to clean the meat of every little bit of fat you can find because that's where the gamey taste comes from. I won't kill another bear unless I have some one who will take a good deal of the meat. I'm the only one who will eat it in my family and I won't waste it just to say I killed another one.

nice rig you got there !

that is a sweet camp you have there. I wouldn't mind having something like that at all ! I assume there is some kind of vent or window in the center of the roof. ( I see the screw pole thing hangin there). Good luck with your bear hunt !

What should really sadden you is the fact that you are lucky to have a hunting season at all in NY with that Nazi you have as Governor. Between Cumo and Bloomberg NY has become the anti-gun nut headquarters.

"Obama will never try and take away our guns" Thats why the very next day after getting re elected they signed the UN small arms treaty. Lovely