New York Hillbilly

I finished my weekend at work, went home, chopped the wife's car out, packed the car and got out of Dodge (Ogdensburg). I drove 35 to 40 miles an hour all the way to Watertown, then no more than 55 the rest of the way to Rochester. Thoughts and prayers to those still up there.

I'm impressed with your patience and persistence. Give us you take on how many of these deer so well hidden you would consider them unrecoverable. Also, cause of death would be interesting , ex. bow, gun, motor vehicle, etc. Happy shed hunting and thanks for an interesting thread.

About an hour away from Watertown,in Ogdensburg.

looked like alligator to me.....hahahaha

Uh...so what'cha tryin to say Grow? I gotta tell my wife to stop now? Hahaha

Very cool....congrats!

One on my uncles used to say boys pee write words in the snow and the girls are supposed to dot the "I's". hahaha

Ok so without trying to remember who asked what let me just answer some of the questions. When I was a little kid I was always intrigued with the hunting stories my grandfather and uncles would tell when I went to my grandparents to visit, and wanted nothing more in life than to spend as much time with them as possible hunting and fishing. Growing up without a father was tough, but I was blessed with a fantastic grandfather and his son's, my uncles. They took me under their wings and instilled a love and respect of the outdoors that has been lifelong. Unfortunately they did not own land so our time was spent mostly on "state land", or behind a quarry we knew well. Perhaps the "afraid to get shot" thing got it's start listening to others (not my family) talk about guys getting shot out of tree stands, "the guys from NYC that mistook a cow for a deer and shot it", talk of people taking "sound shots", and a long list of others that were probably BS but certainly planted "a seed". Now add the this my actual experiences. The" state land" was pretty wild sometimes, but nothing compared to hunting behind the quarry. Initially is was a lot of fun, and we did manage to take a few deer, but when a group of local people decide it was "theirs", things got ugly. They flattened all four truck tires once when we were in the woods, screamed and yelled at me for being in "their hunting spot" and threatened to shoot us, when my cousin Doug was dying of pancreatic cancer and in his tree stand for one of the last times he hunted with us and clearly a weak sick man, one of the "our place gang walked up to the base of his tree, looked up and unzipped his pants and pi$$ed right on the ladder. These guys would race through the fields with guys in the back of the truck and shoot at deer from the truck bed. I got caught between the crossfire of several of these guys once and watched them empty their guns on a tiny doe as it unfortunately ambled between them and it ran/stumbled directly towards me as they continued the barrage. These goofs were hooting screaming and hollering "is it down....is it down" and then saw me and launched into yet another verbal assault, and I quietly just left. I have several other spooky close encounters but you get the drift. Why did I hunt there? It's where my family took me when I was to young to hunt on my own and could not drive yet. It is where I did have a lot of good, positive experiences until it went sour. As time passed my uncles moved away, my grandfather died and I began to hunt alone or with one of my cousins. With no place to hunt where I felt safe I finally bought my first house in the country with 15 acres and finally had someplace peaceful and safe. Fast forward a couple years. Opening morning the fire whistle goes off, my stomach feels sick, and my neighbor stops by my house and tells me the horror story that he had taken his work friend and his friends son hunting and the son was shot and killed. It was less than a mile from my house. My neighbor telling the extremely graphic, horrific, sad and senseless story was etched into my mind and my wife's as well. My wife said if I was ever to take my kids hunting, I had to sell the house, buy a bigger piece of land and "post the hell out of it" That is exactly what I did! Am I still paranoid that I might get shot. No. I stay on my own land, do not have stands on the boundaries. I leave my neighbors alone and they know enough after twenty years to leave me the hell alone. I invite only those I know, trust, care about to hunt with me and make sure 'they" and "I" know where they are at all times. I will add however since that ugly day years ago when that poor young man was killed hunting, there was another man shot and killed by a family member on opening day just one road over from my property, and a fellow I know was shot in the face when an idiot snuck up on his turkey decoy and shot him. Three people shot within a very small geographic area over my hunting lifetime, and these are only the ones I personally know of, is way to many.

Pretty and quiet morning. Thankful for no wind for a change.

is it me or does his right rear knee joint look screwed up? watch when he walks.

About twenty years ago, before I owned my own land to hunt, I was one of those hour before light, get settled in, hunters. In my case it had nothing to do with the deer and everything to do with deer hunters. As much as I loved hunting I can honesty say. I feared getting shot. No joking!! The build up leading to opening day was intense with all the stories, scouting, blind building, etc., but it was also intensified at least in my case by the fear that some idiot might send a shot my way. The old days for me meant there would be tons of guys stumbling around the area I hunted, mostly under prepared, potentially still as loaded themselves from the night before partying as the guns they were carrying. All (in my mind) of them gung ho to kill a deer before nightfall so they could all meet at the local hotel/gin mill, park their vehicle and show off their success. This actually was a nightly occurrence throughout deer season in our town. Many a morning I would see the woods come to light and there before my eyes would be red/black checked jackets, green wool pants, or varying displays of blaze orange, and the knowledge that there were also camo folks I was not able to pick out. My uncles always took me in under the cover of darkness an hour before, parked be in a spot with my back towards the widest tree, and with a good vantage spot for viewing others walking in, and wish me "good luck" and "be safe". When the shooting started I would sometimes actually lay down and snug up to the tree to try and stay safe. Like many of you who have been doing this a long time, I can tell lots of horror stories, but I won't here. I just wanted to give the reason why I was one of the early birds, and it had nothing to do with the deer.

Good luck on the yote. Man I hate those things!!!

BIL just texted and ticked off. Got busted by a real nice eight point who was following a doe. Says past right by him and stopped at fifty yards but not long enough to get on him or her. They can't all be easy. Lol!

I was once told, " Marriage is a great institution. If you're ready for an institution!" Not sure who to credit with this one, but take it for what it's worth. lol

Welcome to the site. 7M native here.

Congrats Grow! Now I have a question. Exactly what do you suppose was going on in that deer's mind that it died with a smile on it's face. Look close and see if that isn't the most peculiar thing that your deer has a big smile. lol!

Brrrrrr. My last day on stand then my long drive north tomorrow and work on Monday. This has been a very weird season to be sure!! Cold windy and quiet out here today.

I would be suspicious of the doctor because he probably is also a hunter, knows where you hunt, has recently seen a slammer there and he has the next four days off. Hahaha. Get well soon!

As hard as it is to admit, me too! Feels like I caught a cold, asthma since I was a baby giving me fits, and guess I'm just plain pooped out. Could it be I'm not as young anymore? Naw..that ain't it! Hahaha In the morning I'll do my best to chase the big one across the road to you nybuckboy. And you can return the favor.... Lol!

You have to stir the pot or stuff will stick to the bottom!

Thanks Bubba hunter49, The visibility is excellent because you can unzip three sides. I only unzip the one though because I have it positioned in a way that I take advantage of the biggest (no pun intended) window of opportunity. I know how the deer travel for the most part after twenty years of hunting the same farm and use that to my advantage. By opening only the one window it really cuts the wind to a mere nuisance at it's worst. That is unless the wind is coming from that direction an then it's like being in a car wash with your windows down. LOL!

Very good news............congrats!

Bubba I not only agree with the "swapped hunt" idea but actually proposed/offered it at one point on the DMP swap thread last year. Instead of all the swapping of tags why not just offer a chance to have others walk a mile or sit 8 hours in your boots/stands. I think it would do several things really, build a sense of hunting community, provide new hunting experiences, and add a lot of insight into what it's like to be the other guy/gal. Granted not all people will mesh, as personalities and hunting styles need to be compatible at least at some level. But I think people can usually get a sense of who they might hang out with or be comfortable around based on the vibes they get from the posts they read. There would be no guarantee however regarding the actual experience I guess because it would be like a blind date with guns....hahaha!

Hey and for those who need a laugh ( at my expense....permission granted) let me show you my stand from this morning. I call it my "tree tent" or my "buddy stand". Not because I take anybody up there with me, but because I actually have one of those small propane "buddy heaters" in it. I haven't turned the heater on yet this year because ... Uh ... Well... I'm afraid it might be seen as a bit if overkill. Hahaha. Or, more honestly I'm afraid the tent might fill up with propane and when it sparks the whole mess might go up in one quick.... Whoosh!!! And then I'll go down in local lore as the hunter who flash fried himself in the top of a pine tree. Hahaha!!

Thanks folks! It's nice to be able to share the experience with others who "get it". I was just thinking that one of the reasons I actually pulled the trigger today was because my nephew was there to share in it. It was fun to see him smile and his eyes light up! Have a Happy Thanksgiving all! Oh and you're right First-Light, they pretty much stay put when you put the shot there.