dave6x6

I shoot at all my deer left handed inside 30 yrds to make it more of a challenge.. Or i'll just let them walk out to about 40 and give them a whistle just before i let her fly.

Yea, been hearing about this buck all day at work. Couldn't wait to get home and see the pics. Awesome deer. Bergen is certainly known for producing giants every year. Congrats Jake. Also saw pics today from a giant taken in Alabama NY. Haven't checked all the posts yet so sorry if it's already up here somewhere..

Way to go Wildcat.. You'll remember that buck forever. Great story.

Usually i would agree with the fellas who like to keep it quiet this time of yr. but for some reason over here in the fingerlakes there is something in the air right now. We've seen bucks on does all week long and not just little guys. Grunted in a beauty 8point on Sat night from 300yrds away. Also neighbor called in and shot a nice 3.5yr old Sun morning. So i've been a bit more agressive so far this yr than i normally would in the third week of oct.

That was my first thought . Great idea to look for that arrow one more time with the metal detector. Good luck cummins. Hope it turns out well..

Went back to same stand this AM to see if i could catch that big buck i saw sunday return to bed. No luck but saw two 6's and couple does all out of range. Topped the day off in the PM with the 130ish 9 point that i posted cam pics of putting on a classic show. 15 minutes of rubbin, scrapin, lickin, and showin off just 30 yrds in front of me. Knew it was him from the first glimps and because we already put him on the future Booner list, i didn't even raise the bow and instead just enjoyed the show. May regret letting him walk. He looked even better in the flesh.

Had a chance to hunt with Chuck Adams a couple times. (just luck of the draw, i don't have any connections or anything) and he told me that he never carries a piss bottle and thinks nothing of squirtin' off his stands. Has always done it and always will. Not to start a big debate here but if it's OK for Chuck Adams then it's OK for me.

I'm seriously going to start in the morning near one of my ground blinds to see for myself what happens. Not quite ready to experiment on the prime locations until i see it for myself. The one ground blind is only set up for emergency bad weather and for miserable gun days so it will serve as the ginea pig spot for now. I'll keep you up to date..

Shooter, Welcome to the site and congrats on the buck. When you sleep in you can only dream about deer but you went out and put the smack down on that buck.. Great job..

I love it.. I'm a big fan of wizin' in the woods. Guess i should just start making mock scrapes off the downwind side of every stand i hunt. LOL

I also do all my own meat.. Not gonna lie though, it's not my favorite part of hunting but i've seen others gut their deer and i really don't want any part of their hack-jobs. Can't get enough of the homemade jerky and have been experimenting with other things that some people feel only the butcher can do. Things like sausage, sticks, ect. Gotta try to get some advice on the process of putting the cheese in the hots and sticks and stuff..

hahahahaha.. Boy you are really showing your age NY with the Christie and Farrah referrence.

That my friend is a beauty.. Thats why the legend of the adks will continue. Big, mature, heavy mountain monsters !!

LOL, Those deer were just visiting for the weekend.. All part of the new qdm whitetail exchange program we've implimented in section 8. Its all in the dec sylabus if you want to learn more about it. Not sure who's property they are scheduled to be on this week??

I'd shoot them all with a shotgun. Tough bow shots so probably waiting on that. 33canuck, are you letting them all walk til next yr when they'll be real studs?

Awesome job big buck.. Congrats ..

Great pics bud. Cant wait to see you put one on the ground.

Another crazy day today on our managed property. 5 bucks. A six chasing a doe, three 3.5 yr olds and then a brute that i only got a glimps of but thats all it took. He has my full attention now. Weekend totals 13 bucks almost half 3.5 and older. 7 does. Before qdm it was 30 does and 5 bucks.

Another awesome day. Morning was slow but had a 6 chase a doe right past my stand. The PM rocked.. Three 3.5's and something special thats staying a secret . Neighbors might be buggin this site. LOL Think he might be special !! Great weekend over all. 13 total bucks, at least five 3.5's and mister special who know has my attention.

Way to go Bubba.

Yea that does suck.. Goin' fishin' and not catching anything comes in a close second. My business partner had a vision for his properties, I came on board to help manage his properties as well as my families, and now it's at a point were not only do we expect to see deer, but we expect that every sit will be successsful. Today , no blood was spilled but on that success scale, it was way up there. Challenging conditions, deer sightings and lots learned for the future.

This may sound like a contradiction to some who have debated the food plot issues with me but it's really not ..I do practice qdma and i do it for the benefits it brings to the hunting and particularly to the hunting of big bucks. My possition is different because in my opinion, you can put all the food plots in you want but it may not help your hunting one bit if you don't couple it with a sound , multi-pronged qdm program. Although food plots are a part of most qdm plans, it doesn't have to be for every piece of property. And Its benifits to the hunting are not nearly as significant as the rest of the plans that people have already talked about. I encourage every hunter i talk to to at least let the small bucks walk and appreciate the state encouraging it but i don't think it should be forced on NY hunters. By the way, Today was one of the most miserable opening days in recent memory and yet i saw 8 bucks and 5 does, all in bow range. Oh and the bucks were sniffin every doe the saw including the 3.5yr olds. Thats what qdm will do on a well balanced piece of property.

Only in hunting can you be totally miserable for hrs and still have the time of your life. Pretty exciting first day . 1 spike, 2 forks, 1 5point, 1 6point, 2 8's and topped it off with an awesome encounter with a dandy 9 point that i had at 15yrds with his nose up a does butt. All the bucks i saw were in bow range too. Also saw 6 does. Bucks were sniffin, and checking any doe they saw. Even the mature 9 which was very surprising..

Well boys, it's time to go huntin' Weather we agree or not doesn't matter tonight. Look forward to discussing this down the road but for now i hope ya'll have a safe and successful hunt. Hope your arrows fly true !!

Doc, I apologize, I mis-read the original post which was wondering whether deer avoid ridges or hilltops and prefer to hang out in the valleys. I mistakenly replied thinking he was wondering bout hunting strategies or stand placement choices. After re-reading, I completely agree with your statement that the deer you see in the valleys are the same ones you will see on the hilltops. They travel up and down pretty much daily with ease. Sorry again ..