New York Hillbilly

Here’s how it went down this morning. I posted on this site I was headed for my stand. The drive up the hill on my wheeler had to be slow because water was being thrown everywhere from all the rain. Still, from the house it takes little time for me to drive up, walk to my stand and settle. I was in and just ready at 7:05 when my phone started ringing from my wife’s phone which is totally not like her. I didn’t know if it was her or my grandson playing with her phone so I called them back. I was talking as quiet as possible and they were not responding so I hung up and texted them at 7:06. My wife responded to my text, and we made sure each other was ok, and I asked to not be called again unless it was necessary. As I was putting my phone in my pants pocket without dropping my bow that was in my lap while sitting down, I just glanced up to my left and there is a deer totally broadside standing there. My immediate thought was that it was a big bodied doe, I was without question going to shoot if possible, and being around 20 yards wondered if it had seen me. I never actually looked at its head and instead focused on where I wanted the arrow to hit. The deer just stood there as I raised my bow, aimed and released the shot. I knew immediately it was a good shot because I heard the thwack but not the dreaded crack sound of hitting a shoulder. I was pretty sure it was a pass through shot. The deer bolted about 30 or 40 yards uphill and just stood there. Then for one of the few times of my bow hunting experiences the deer went down in view. At 7:13 I texted my wife I just shot a big doe and had it down. When I climbed down and went to the deer I discovered it actually was a spike on side presenting to me and a fork on the opposite.

This morning was a success, an interesting hunt, and the shortest sit I have ever had deer hunting. I'll post details and a picture in the proper thread in a little while. : )

Ok folks. Headed out the door. Let’s see how long it takes to be seated in my stand.

The plan was to be on stand by 3:30. Then couldn’t find my truck keys( still can’t) so I had to dig the wheeler out of the garage. Then couldn’t find my release and had to hunt for that. Finally got in my pine tree stand and the sky opened up again and getting drenched. Now it’s just a constant drizzle and windy. Not sure if I’ll stay or head back to the house and hang out with my 6 year old grandson. When will I grow up? Hahaha

Yup, I have a call in my cellar. Calling moose is making a long drawn out (again the way I hear things) "mooooahhh" which is a cow saying she is looking to breed, and to alert a bull "hey..I'm over here and looking for some luvin". Then taking a branch, piece of antler, or even a plastic jug with the bottom cut out you try to simulate the sound of a bull making a rub on a tree, scruffing against the tree and breaking branches. When making the rut sounds you also make the whoof whoof sound. The idea is it gets a bull to not only come to the cow sound, but also to make him more excited over the idea there is already a bull with or after her further causing him to come to the sounds. It can get pretty dicey depending on the bull, where he thinks he stands in the pecking order, and his mood. I never shot a moose because where my house is on the Kenai there is a really tight antler restriction criteria and they do not tolerate those who even screw it up on accident. It results in heavy fines and loss of license for a period of time. You need to be REALLY good at judging antler width down to the fraction of an inch to be legal. If I remember correct it had to be either a spike bull (not even the start of a fork) and/or 60 inches between the widest points of the antlers. You need to check in each moose you shoot with the authorities like at a deer check station here when they have them. I was never confident enough of my antler judging abilities, so was satisfied enough just to try and call them in and to watch them. Also, my house there is quite small and does not have the ceiling height to allow for such a massive and expensive trophy.

Seeing moose never got old for me and my wife from the first time we saw one. Once early on I watched from my window as a moose was eating the little neighbor kid's Jack O Lantern on his porch. The kid was in tears watching from his window as I watched from mine. After work the same day I stopped at the local grocery store "Fred Myers" and boutgh a new pumpkin and left it on his porch. I never said anything about it to the neighbors, and just let them think it was like the pumpkin fairy. lol I have pictures of moose on my porch, moose standing and looking in my front window, and still remember the sound of them rubbing against my house scratching their back and sides.

Frustrating! Weather was beautiful all week when I was out of town. Then I wake up this morning to an absolute downpour. There was no way I was going to go sit in that and risk getting sick. Plus, in my past, shooting a deer in that sort of rain is almost guaranteeing a nightmare scenario with trying to track. I don't need that sort of aggravation and heartache, and the woods don't need another wounded and lost deer. By the way. Is anyone with cameras out there seeing any uptick in middle of the day activity?

Very good guess in my opinion. I have never run across moose in NY yet, but almost daily in Alaska. Most of our property there (much of Alaska same way) is pine, and they are loaded with dead, dry branches (big time fire hazard), and so close together it is almost impenetrable. When moving through more open areas they are ghost like quiet and can startle you when the just appear in front of you. But, when bulls move through the thick stuff, the snapping, breaking, and clacking of there racks against the branches sounds like a tank going through. And, when they are in rut they are vocal like a whitetail buck making tending grunts. The sound bulls make as my ears hear it is sort of a cross between a low guttural "whooof, whooof, whooof", "errahhhha, errahhha, errahhha".

Just back home after 5 days away at a training. Fingers crossed for the morning!

Not sure where 6N is off the top of my head, but reminds me of where I used to run my beagles as a kid up around Happy Valley.

Wowzer! Good luck!

Looks more like he got caught by the trap while stealing the bait! lol

And, weak minded voters elect weak leaders.

Good enough shot to kill the deer and be recovered. Congrats!

Hey… a bear with a bare ass!

Just had three does tear ass running down the hill in front of me. Wasn’t sure if I spooked them or being followed by a buck. Couple minutes after here comes a medium rack 8 point tending grunt every other step after them. Too much crap between him and me until he was about 50 yards downhill. Could have easily gotten him with crossbow. Tried to use my rubber pig to turn him back to me but he was not breaking his concentration on the does. Rut is on!

7M is cool, breezy, overcast this morning for anyone interested.

You no sooner posted this and 6 does showed up around me. Lol. Three of them passed broadside about 36 yards which is outside my comfort zone Plus it really was too dark for my liking and just I knew would have turned into a nightmare. I wish the “magic hour” was much earlier. Lol

And, so called “adults” are to blame for what this country and the children have become.

Beautiful pictures!

I would even be happy with his little cousin. Like a knucklehead I volunteered to do a last minute 2 week training for our hospital to be able to officially train other staff. Screws up two weeks of my bow season. Hopefully I will make the best of the little time I’ll have during bow and make it up during firearm season. No more volunteering for me after this. Time to let the younger folks do it.

Back in the saddle again. Crunchy crunchy crunchy leaves. Even the chipmunks may sound like a deer this afternoon. Lol Other than a deer I listened to trying to wind me for about 15 minutes straight at around 10:30, nothing else this morning. Im thinking it must have been a doe because I’ve never had a buck hang around that long blowing.

7m is Cool, overcast, no wind, and so far nothing moving except birds and squirrels. They must have pooped themselves out last night running around.

Very long hours at work this week. Glad it’s over. Time for coffee and tree sitting. Deer were all over the roads chasing last night on my way home in the dark. Had a couple close calls. Should be an active morning. Congrats to those who were successful this week! And good luck to those going today!

Holy crap! Lol. Consider me motivated! Good luck on getting him!