dave6x6

Geeze skillet, A hug and a mydol should help

Don't damn me canuck on that magnificant mainframe 6.. Only thing i did was help get him out of the truck and on the scale.. The real killer is on this site though. You know who it is and it is no surprise to you. Management 101. If three people can get in the picture with his antlers... Kill him.LOL

Having pretty good luck in the woods parallel to bean fields. Not on the edge of the field itself but 20yrds in. I'm just scoping out the herd, not really looking to formulate hunting strategies with the results.

I have.... But i agree with you Joe

Welcome to the site kgun. I agree with the 19. If i'm awake, it's on my hip. Well, even when i'm asleep sometimes..LOL

Skillets hit list...

Well for me, i love this time of year and i love to hear other peoples opinions and thoughts on deer hunting. To the original poster i would just say that your goals are certainly high but by no means unrealistic. There are many people in NY who have successfully changed their average hunting properties into extrodinary ones, and they have the racks on the wall to show their efforts were not wasted.. None of them appear to be "Burnt out" either. They are in many ways the most content hunters i know. Some on here believe your goals are not obtainable. I'm not one of them. I've been fortunate enough to live in that reality. 150" bucks are not a pipe dream. There are more of them on the hoof then most people would ever imagine. Killing them is the hard part. Or lucky part. But I know hunters that expect to pursue these types of deer every single year. Why can't you??

Must be something about lefties and the 25-06. My crooked(lefty) shooting father has been shooting and swearing by that round for 40 yrs. Whenever he tells people he shoots a 25, people just always seem to nod and grin. It's a sweet ride...A memory i will never forget was watching a big mulie in my binos as Dad drilled him from 300 yrds. I could see the impact clearly as the deer popped all fours off the ground and went down. He scrambled to his feet, only to make it another 40yrds and it was over. I can still hear that crack of the rifle going off in that Rocky Mountain canyon. Good memories. He has always been fond of the Rugers.

Killed deer with spitfire's mechanicals , rocket fixed and for the past 3 seasons with the G5's . Love the g5's . Really enjoy putting a new edge on them myself rather then swapping out replacements like in the past. Impact is exactly like field points. My first reaction to your delemna is that you have a tuning problem. Either bow or arrows. Don't try to solve that by banking on mechanicals to cover up a flaw in your set-up. Find out the problem, and correct it. Then you will have the much needed confidence in knowing that whatever is on the end of your shaft is going to do it's part..It may end up being a mechanical that you choose and thats fine but cure the problem first and your shooting will improve dramatically..

LOL.. the goal at this point (hunting and life in general) is to keep things trending upwards...

I would agree with split and Doe completely but it is so hard to do in reality. The mental discipline it takes to let 135" 3.5 yr olds walk is not easy. You think letting forks and spikes walk causes anxiety with hunters, try letting ny book bucks go until they make it to 4.5 yrs old.. That's hard.. Granted, it is a restriction we bring on our selves so we only have ourselves to blame but thats the game we have decided to play. My failures in this area are well documented and so thank goodness for hunting partners with a good sense of humor.. And for a few big deer to even the score..LOL

Now that we got most of the judgemental comments out there, I seriously think that this is what it boils down to. I don't know if this buck is as good as he's going to ever be but to me, it doesn't matter. He doesn't meet the stated goals so on our property he's a walker and sounds like yours as well so don't even give it any more thought. If the neighbors shoot him, good for them. If he lives next year and blossoms into a 140" dandy, good for you. Either way, it doesn't sound like you are lacking in good opportunities there on your grounds so leaving him is the only choice for me.JMO As for the removing him from the herd statement, As others have said, I think you are wasting time and mental energy even concidering this into the equation. It does not work in the free range period.. And lastly on this particular buck, I do not think he is anything more then a 3.5 yr old and does have some yrs ahead of him for growth. He walks in my book. Good luck with him and ultimately only you should make that choice.

Good stuff Jay, Thanks for postin' those great pics.

Better not shoot that deer with the Circle Jerk Ranch brand on it's hynder.. He's mine..

You brought up some good points E and thats part of what i was trying to say. I've been hunting on the same property with people, and after dark when we meet at the barn , i've asked "any action"? And they'll say No it was slow all day. And i'll say, I've had my release on the string for the past 4 hrs and wasn't able to sit down the hole time because the bucks were everywhere... I've also talked to neighbors who complained we never had a rut this year and i'll look at them like their crazy because i just went through 3 intense days of action.. My point being, i think there are just certain spots that rutting activity takes place in, and if your not there on the right days, then you'll never see the real thing. You'll just see aftershocks and suppose that that was the real thing.. Hope that makes sense.. I've tryed to get others to discribe the features of their best "frantic" rut stands to see if there are common things like my area and then be able to look for them on every property i hunt. No one wanted to share that secret info though..LOL

Great looking buck. He looks like he has it all. Plus the splitg2 as a cherry on the sundea..

Miz.. If you don't shoot him, The stupid neighbors will...LOL They wouldn't know a big deer if it kissed them on the lips..

That will be very enjoyable for some of those crappy days in the woods.

Ahh dont be scared you pansy,,, your gonna get insulted anyway so you may as well spill the beans on these kills and get it over with Nancy...LOL How was that LOL..

Erussell, are you saying the chase phase starts the second week in Nov. every year on your property?? Bucks fighting is not really an indication of a chase phase. Bucks will begin to spar as soon as their antlers harden, even sooner in some cases. It is very common to see some degree of fighting all archery season and into gun as well. I'm not saying this to be snarky, but some people have never really seen a full on chase phase. The kind where the biggest bucks in the woods are dictating the action. Last year and most years, the little guys can fool hunters into thinking were in the "chase Phase" when in reality the big boys know it's just not time. This is really just the seeking phase but the horny little buggers just don't know it yet. On my hunting land, there is no mistaking the real chase phase. It is all day intensity, Mature Bucks, with the 1.5 and 2.5 staying clear. And it almost always falls in the middle-late first week in Nov...

That will be the plan for sure. Don't push things early. If I have a buck or Doe on a feeding pattern then give it a go, otherwise take advantage of some easy access stands and don't screw anything up. I've been lucky enough to shoot 2 good bucks in Oct so we'll see. Of course last year was quite humbleing for me. Best laid plans went out the window and lost nearly the entire season to unforseen family issues. Going to make the most of every sit this year..

Some great looking bucks John. Just don't let your family start naming them. It's harder to pull the trigger when "Mr. Fluffy Fuzzyhorn" walks past your stand..LOL

Take the camera, keep the card and serial # so i can get a name from the manufacturer if he registered his warranty. Leave a note with Sheriff's # where he can pick up the camera and his ticket...

Dom, i would not blame the wind on your elevated shots. Sounds to me like a form problem. Your upper body must remain as consistant as if you were shooting on level ground. Bending at the hips is the best way to achieve this but it is not always as easy as it sounds. Awkward angles can often times cause your ancor to be off a hair without you noticing the slight change. Often times it is the amount of pressure your applying to the side of your face as you ancor. Also your grip can change slightly if your not careful. I would be very aware of your front shoulder as you come to full draw. It's easy to drop your front shoulder as you bend to get on target. Your wrist position may then be forced into a low position as well.. All these slight inconsistancies can lead to irratic shots.

Wow, that is an impressive list of iron Bill.. Welcome to the site. Would love to here some of the stories behind some of these deer kills. The memories must be amazing...