NYBowhunter

Congrats , very well done. Happy Holidays!!

Oh almost forgot, welcome to the forum.

Oh almost forgot, welcome to the forum.

First i would plant the fruit trees off to one side , not down the middle. If you plan on turning that ground in the future and plant those trees down the middle you run the risk of pulling/cutting their roots. Also makes it easier to mow the plot, if trees are off to one side. For a 1/2 acre i would not even bother with a pull behind, get a five gallon bucket, use pelletized lime and spread by hand, same with the fertilizer. I have plots in the 1/2 acre range and larger and have spread lime and fertilizer all by hand, doesnt take long at all. Downside to having such a small plot in a predominantly wooded area is that you run the risk of the plot getting wiped out befote they can even establish. Think about putting in a cover crop like Pasja turnips, which rebound and can hold up to heavy browsing while also protecting the clover (go with a ladino white clover). I agree renting a dozer or having someone come in to take out all the debris and stumps will make for a much better plot, just ensure that your topsoil is put to the side and resurfaced once all is done. You want to minimize your topsoil loss. Hope this helps.

One more slickhead for the freezer, now wait for the muzzy season.

I had a mature buck few years back drop both his antlers on the last weekend of gun, later to find out when i shot him two years later that he had an injured front hoof. Usually if they drop this early and not from a break its mostly likely contributed to an injury or poor health.

Gonna be in single digits tomorrow, time to break out the Baffin Boots., all i need is just a thin pair of dress socks with those boots and im good.

Haha and i was basically told to chill out in that last shirt post because the mods had reached out to the site owner and it would be taken care of...lol..guess you all donated to the owners xmas fund. You know he has kids and is way too busy for this shirt business, arent we all. Ok rant over, just pissed that you guys didnt get your shirts yet after an awfully long time and money spent. Maybe the mods can try again?

I have a couple stands that hug close to pine stands that lead to food and bedding.

In deep snow deer in my area tend to hold up in pine standings, the snow depth can be substantially less under the pines. They will move from cover to cover and have seen them dig deep to get to clover etc.. in foodplots, will also nip at tree buds / branch tips of apple trees.

I know you posed the question to the OP but If the doe numbers are skewed you just need to kill alot of does and the bucks will have more reason to be on their feet . We have been killing a couple does off my land for last few years and seems this year there are more bucks on their feet and passing thru then in years past. In general, central NY counties such as Deleware, Otsego, Chenango are not monster buck producers, but does produce big bodied deer and some nice sized bucks. Habitat work, killing does etc..can change alot, just need to see what adjoins the property. Not gonna know until you get boots on the ground, maybe worth a look by @Chef

South Kortright is approx. 15 minutes from my camp. The whole area offers good hunting and good deer numbers but cant say im familiar with the watershed land. What road is the watershed on?

fresh or not, if a young deer is what your after for meat go after those tracks. Young ones dont wander that far and tend to stay in a general area day in and day out. Could be easy pickings.

Congratulations!!!! Just make sure that there are no regrets before you pull that trigger. Be thankful with any deer you harvest as its a blessing to be able to do what we do. I have taken my fair share of big bucks, but have no problem taking does or young bucks if i feel like i need extra meat. In the end that kill should ALWAYS make you feel thankful. Well done young man, you are off to a great start. And remember you dont need to explain yourself to anyone why you took a certain deer, big or small, male or female, as long as its done legally and makes you HAPPY. Have fun out there!!!! BTW great picture.

Great, thx Mike.

To be honest i would never doubt exteme snow depths in that area. Getting sparred is a rarity, glad the forcast was wrong. Thx for the info.

Really, thats good news because doewacker early indicated there was closer to 20". I really do hope its 8-10" like you said in the areas of harpersfield, and east worceater? Are you expecting anymore by end of this week?

Oh jeez, just hope i can get up the driveway. I like snow but not when it gets that deep.

Any totals so far for 4F, near jefferson and Worcester?

Absolutely not, im having too much fun...lol

This guys a real character, stirs the pot and his questions are just plain asinine. Asking me what i have done to rid this world of porch pirates, like its an epidemic...lol

That is creepy.

Get a life, really. Theres no logic to your inquiries, hence dont deaerve my response.

This joker that started this thread sends me a PM asking what i have done with these porch pirates? WTF. Get a life.