New York Hillbilly

So my goal of making memories over meat was a success. lol I sat staring from my ladder stand at the distant scenery of rolling farmland and wooded hills and pondering. The fog rolled in around 4pm and it was like someone turned off the lights. Then at 4:40 I caught a quick glimpse of a deer beginning to enter he field about 150 yards from me at an entirely predictable, if not likely spot. I could catch just a flash of his rack as he obviously became alarmed, spun, and bolted back into the scrub apples. I couldn't figure what triggered him to react so quickly. The wind certainly had turned to his favor but the breeze was light and being uphill from him and in a ladder stand I questioned how he could have scented me. He got out of there so fast I wondered if he actually saw me move. Minutes later I saw him crossing the field in the direction he had wanted to go in the first place making his way to the now cut cornfields. I couldn't see his rack at that point but his large body cruising across the foggy field was unmistakeable. Had he not bolted and crossed the field in front of me, he would have been broadside at about 75 yards. An easy shot for me, and one I have made many times resulting in one shot one deer. Calling it a season I gathered my stuff, climbed down, and headed to my four wheeler I had parked in a brushy island. It was then that I discovered what tipped him off! Like a knucklehead I had parked my wheeler hidden from me, but in plain view for him. Basically, he had walked up my tractor trail and was about to enter the field, and came face to face with my wheeler less than 50 yards from where he was standing. That was all he needed to to tell him to make a hasty exit. I goofed up and he won! I'll think about him during the off season and hope we cross paths again next year. : ) I will try to put him and a few other of my trail cam pics in the proper thread on this site for those interested. I'm really not that good at this so will enlist the help of my resident IT expert, my wife.

Congrats on the score!

In and sitting in the last ladder stand I put up a few weeks ago. I wrestled with going for the most likely to take a deer versus the one with the best view for my last day of the season. After the past couple of years I (we) just had I chose making memories over making meat! A deer would just be a bonus to the view from where I am sitting. It’s moments like this I reflect and remember how much I love this country and our way of life, and how I pray we do not ever lose it for our children and grandchildren to know and love too. If my recent close call with a real possibility of dying has reminded me of anything, it is how fragile life is and should never be taken for granted. Good luck to all still out there. And Happy New Year to all of you!

Good luck! Im headed up the hill now myself. Here we go!

And this is exactly what our enemies counted on and successfully capitalized on. People's hatred for Trump! Remember the saying about the enemy of your enemy being your friend? I guarantee China and the others who openly threaten to cause us harm remembered it! I firmly believe the more people continue to fixate on Trump; the more controlled and manipulated they will be by their hate for him by others with a bigger agenda. Just like hunting deer early in the morning before light enough to safely shoot. Have you ever experienced seeing something your eyes and mind are trying to convince you, "it's a deer over there", but you would never point at it or God forbid shoot at? Then when the sun comes up, or it gets light enough to finally make out, you chuckle to yourself now seeing it being a bush? Unlike this analogy though; I won't ever see what's happening to us now as anything I will ever find amusing. I think in time the light will finally bring into view the real picture, and Americans I pray will finally see who as been zooming who, then come together again as "we the people", and hold to account those who for whatever their motivation decided to divide us. Sadly, including not only foreign enemies, but also those who we have elected to represent, serve, and protect us.

Last evening sit I went to my stand with all the deer pics (almost overnight according to the pics) and guess what? They never showed up! lol. That's ok though because at least I did not run into the bear on my way out. hahaha. I will admit; after seeing the pic of that big bugger of a bear, I left just a bit earlier than I normally would have so I did not bump into him in the dark if he did show up.

With these statements here, are you not afraid of being lumped in with all the rest of us so called tin hat wearing conspiracy theorists. News flash! This has been a political hit job from day one. I believe history will prove it to be true that it was never a Biden versus Trump deal, rather China versus Trump/America, as they openly, publicly admit they seek to replace us as the dominant world power.

Was out this morning until 11am. Only saw 1 small doe sneaking through about 75 yards downhill from me. Pulled two of my cards from cameras near the stand I plan to hunt tonight. There are a ton of pics of does, about 6 different bucks including two really nice 2 1/2 or 3 1/2 year olds. The bigger bucks were between the 15th and 25th of December. The does have been there just about every evening during shooting time mostly between 3pm and dark, and then throughout the night. Also got a raccoon, gray fox, and the best pic of all is my first bear. It is a BIG one! I'm pretty good at judging bears because I hunted (and shot a few with bow and gun) them all over Canada in the 90's. I'm headed up to climb into this stand in a few. Fingers crossed!

After getting drenched in the rain last night, there was a battle over heading out into the wind and cold or climbing back into my toasty warm bed and going back to sleep. Toasty won this morning! Good luck to those out there. I'll give it my last sit this afternoon, and probably call it a season.

From what I understand, some here believe there at least 50 Shades of Gray! lol

Sat in a spot overlooking the mowed area I have seen deer in almost every time I watched over it. I picked up my chair from the now missing field blind and kicked out a really cool spot in the middle of a brushy blow down. Sat from 2:30 till almost dark and got SOAKED to the skin, as well as forgot to bring anything to wipe the lens of the cheap scope that came with the muzzle loader. Thinking to myself as I was getting drenched but committed to sticking it out...when will I grow up? : ) Saw nothing other than a white bounding tail when I was almost back to the house.

I was on stand earlier today than I have been all year. Not on purpose actually, it just worked out that way. My plan was to sit until 1000 and then return to the house to try and stay on my difficult current medication, fluid, and (very little) food schedule. The snow and wind changed that though, because I did not have a brimmed hat on and could not keep snow and wet off my glasses. So, I lasted until 0915 in the stand, got down and still hunted my way back while pulling a few cards from the cameras I finally got around to putting up last week for the first time ever. Just before I climbed down, I did see one deer, not sure buck or doe, ghosting steadily along through thick saplings as it was snowing. It was the only deer I saw this morning. My hunting season this year was screwed up two weeks before opening day when I ended up in the hospital in the middle of the night needing emergency surgery, coming very close to my end. It was only at the tail end of regular season restrictions were lifted, and I became less frightened if I did shoot the recoil was not going to bust something open in me and put me back in the hospital. Hunting alone mostly since my uncle died two years ago, and my son grew up and moved away; this season despite not being able to shoot, or drag a deer, or climb into a tree stand until the last part of regular season, I still went out and sat in pop-up ground blinds in a chair basically site seeing and getting out of the house just to keep from losing my mind. Many times this season I had my crosshairs on deer, does and bucks, including one real slammer but all I could do was say "click" in my mind and them walk. The big buck, I let him walk three different times. Once at 40 yards, broadside! Urghh! The big guy was shot by my neighbor the very next morning after the last evening I saw him in my crosshairs. The neighbor shot him and he was a very big bodied 9 point with a 19" spread. I'll head out for the afternoon enjoy the last weekend of this years season for me. On a rather confusing side note; my favorite ground blind I sat in all season is nowhere to be found. The bad wind storm last week seems to have blown it far away and hidden on my property someplace. All that remained in the spot was my chair, my shooting stick, and my little pink rubber pig! lol

I can't wait to finish my day tomorrow, and hit the road for my 2 1/2 hour drive back home, so I can be up and hunting Saturday morning. Deer or no deer I need to be outdoors!

You don't need to preach to me. I have been taking care of people face to face everyday since this shit started, not home sitting on my ass typing words of self proclaimed wisdom and knowledge, whining, annoying and/ or attacking people on social media as so many have been doing. I don't need to ask anyone anything about this freaking virus, I know it on a very personal level. I have never seen so many self important, self proclaimed medical experts shoving so much BS down everyones throats as I have seen over the past 2 years. Many I suspect while hunkering down and collecting lots of free money. There is no need for me to ask anyone anything about this virus and what it has done. I have bit my tongue and refrained from calling out those here who have been spewing utter nonsense the entire time. The reason quite frankly has been because I have not had the time or energy to be drawn into debates with those who know so little but make like they know it all. You entirely missed the point of my previous response. It was not meant to be restricted to the narrow issue of the vaccine. And yes, in that regard, standing on principle, I will "enjoy the view from that hill!"

Everyone has to die someplace! As far as I'm concerned; Better to die on a hill of principle than a sheep in a pen led to slaughter. But, to each his/her own!

There's hope for you yet when you start quoting President Trump! See, he did have a positive influence on you! Welcome aboard! : )

It is not amazing to me. It is entirely predictable! There are some here who seem to sit on the edge of their seats just waiting for something or someone to pounce on. Hate-mongers are easily triggered and quick to respond with negativity. Again, predictable!

My head almost explodes when I see the prices being paid these days. I'm always on the fence about selling my place because I know it will never be possible for me to have the same again in my lifetime. When I see what homes with big acreage bring though it is awfully tempting.

I'm jealous! I made pickled heart this year and LOVE it! Grew up eating pickled beef and lamb tongue but never had heart pickled. I'm hooked!

Again...ditto! With just one small modification, "our" way of life. At my age (especially with the very close call I had a few weeks ago) I am more worried about the destructive changes that my now adult children and their children will need to deal with, more than what will happen to me.

Given your post was to Al in response to my post, it seems a back door approach to refer to me a "simple minded" as much as him. For that reason I feel compelled to also respond. Having friends and family with differing political views is a reality of life, and I would argue is healthy for thoughtful discussion and our country as a whole. It is also something you and some others here clearly seem to struggle with, as demonstrated by the sometimes passive aggressive and other times blatant in your face name calling and attacks against those who will not subscribe to the hate Trump mindset. That is not healthy for anything or anyone in my opinion. So in response to your question: When it comes to this simple minded man; respectful debate with others is always welcome, whereas deliberate disrespect and meanness from others I avoid at every opportunity. While we don't get to choose family we do get to choose our friends. In both cases, I know who to avoid because of the negativity and strife they bring to my life. So if that makes me simple minded, I happily accept being guilty as charged.

What strikes me the most absurd about this is the "starts on Monday" part. lol. Wouldn't one think in an emergency you would want to act immediately? It's like saying the house is on fire but let's go back to bed and we will agree to call the fire department and worry about getting out in a couple of days.

Ditto!

Well then consider me confused. I don't understand the meaning behind the comment. I was hopeful the intent and motivation was based on actual concern. Sadly; with all the nasty, childish back biting that goes on here anymore, my initial instincts lead me to suspect the later. I try to think the best of people; but thanks at least in part to a core gang of members on this site and their behaviors/comments, led by their seemingly adored ring leader, it has become increasingly difficult for me. It blows my mind that the people who constantly profess their profound hatred for our previous president for his so called rudeness, name calling, mean tweets and posts, and alleged know it all attitude, demonstrate those exact same behaviors on a daily (some all day) basis. I'll leave it to others to decide if this is the result of a lack of personal insight, personality disorder, hypocrisy, or just plain ignorance, meanness, and hate. If this political section has been useful for anything at all for me it has been to reveal to me those here who would hate to be around me in any setting and vice versa!

I have not been following and therefore not up to date on the EHD situation. Is EHD a problem where Grouse lives?