New York Hillbilly

Judging from the activity this morning, I think the deer on my hill forgot to look at their calender. lol!

WOW, I have lots of them over the years. Some resulted in me just not shooting, once or twice a miss, but normally I keep it together and make the shot. Because of my years of bow hunting I for the most part hunt the same way with gun and they are usually very close when I'm shooting even with the gun. And when deer are real close to me the adrenaline pumps like crazy whether I'm going to shoot or not. LOL! I was bow hunting a bunch of years ago and had a tracking string on my bow at the time. I had been introduced to the tracking string by a outfitter in Bathurst, New Brunswick, when I went bear hunting for the first time. Anyway, I was in my tree stand and a high rack six pointer came slipping up on me and was looking straight at me. I don't think he saw me but it was unsettling with his gaze on me. I waited till he looked down to draw back, knowing he would then either take a step forward on the trail or turn to leave an expose himself to a real good shot. I was pumped at that point but in control. When he looked down I raised my bow, and with my bad technique I have a habit of raising my bow skywards, drawing and then lowering, aiming and shooting. It is something have always done,like a I said a habit. Well, I also was using the release that my cousin had given me before he died, and although it was getting old and beginning to fail mechanically on occasion, I struggled with the idea of not taking it with me. So, I tip my bow to the sky, draw back and at about three quarter draw the release lets go and sends my arrow through the tree tops with about a mile and a half of this blaze orange tracking string in tow. Now draped through the tree tops is all this orange string. To my amazement the deer just stood there. NOW..........my mind was racing..what the hell......heart pumping.....confused...now what do I do....what happened........is he gonna take off.....c'mon get a grip..... Ok! With the deer still there and still seemingly unconcerned, I pull another arrow from my quiver, cut the still attached orange string with the broad head, loosen the broad head, twist the string around the arrow, tighten the broad head to secure the string, stand up, attach my release, point to the sky, draw the bow and................twang...whoosh........off through the trees again goes my second arrow and string. This time again at three quarter draw and the release lets go. To add insult, or I should say "assault" to injury, this time when the release let go I pop myself in the mouth and almost knocked myself off my tree stand. Ok.....that's it, I'm done! I felt totally spent. I stood there at that point and all I could do was laugh, as I watched the deer calmly just turn around and exit on the same trail he came in on, as if totally unconcerned about my antics, and as I looked at the seemingly endless amount of this blaze orange string decorating my tree tops. Once he was gone and my legs stopped shaking enough I could climb down without falling, I got down. I pulled as much string as I could get free from the trees and had to leave the rest a testimony to my fiasco. I did find one of my arrows and the other as far as I know remains someplace up in a tree. I retired the release and stopped using the tacker string that day. Both remain in my pile of "stuff" and whenever I see them I think of my cousin "Doug" and that "high rack six point".

I was out for a couple of hours this morning but wow was it busy. It was cold, still, crunchy, and very pretty as the sunrise greeted me in my tree today. First here comes a medium sized doe and her little fawn from behind me, and I let them quietly walk by. Momma taking a few steps at a time, stopping and looking around checking the area for danger, and baby trailing close behind moving only when her momma moves and clearly totally relying on the doe at this time. Next from across the hill in front of me, out of the hemlocks and through the tree tops left by loggers two years ago, comes two bucks walking together. They looked like brothers, with the first one on total hyper alert mode. The lead buck was smaller in body size but was a basket six point. The one following him was bigger bodied, with a rack very similar to the first buck but he only was a four point. Like the fawn with the doe, the four point was clearly just following the movement of the smaller lead six point. He looked kind of clueless and only moved when the lead buck moved and stopped when the lead buck stopped. They turned on the hill and walked down, then broadside to me at about 25 yards, with both of them having the crosshairs on their kill zone as they slipped into the brushy bedding area. Next, I watched a small doe picking around in a blowdown for a long time. I thought she was going to bed there, but she finally hopped out and walked in front of me and into the same bedding area as the other deer this morning. Finally, a big doe and her two nice sized fawns came across the hill on the same path the bucks had been on and also passed by me and into the bedding area. I decided to call it quits for the morning even though I would have liked to have stayed. With my vacation time quickly slipping by and winter almost here I figured I better get some more of the "honey do list" out of the way. It was a great morning in the woods and I just thought would share. Oh..and another neat thing today was I saw the same black mink I have been seeing this season, and for the first time this season also saw the fisher I have seen the past couple of seasons on my hill. I was happy to see he is still around. He is a great big, fuzzy fellow. What a great morning!

Update? How are you making out finding your deer?

Welcome to the site Hunter7mm-08. I was in your neck of the woods over the summer, visiting friends. My family is originally from up that way. I live just south of Utica, lots of deer and unfortunately......coyotes.

Sorry about the spelling I'm in a tree myself at the moment. "hint" was "hunt", and "fun" was "gun". It's a little tough with wind blowing snow in my eyes. Lol!

Tyman I grew up in Utica but haves lived most of my adult life in Waterville. There are thousands of acres of public hinting here and in Brookfield. Other than opening day and the first weekend of fun season you can have most of it to yourself. It's not like the old days with a hunter behind every tree. Good luck finding someplace that feels right to you, and happy hunting.

Looks to me more like a high hit one side/one lung and out the brisket. My cousin hit one like that a lot of years ago and we tracked it on hands and knees in the dark with a flashlight we had to keep hitting to make work. In the end we (me first) crawled within feet of it as it was bedded and laying there looking at me. It looked real angry and I felt real NERVOUS. We quietly crawled back out on the same trail with me just waiting to feel that little six point rack in my backside. Went back the next day and it had moved a few yards and was still alive. It jumped up and I put it down for keeps. We didn't have near the blood you have though and judging from your past picture, I bet if you go back again he will be pretty close and dead in his bed. Good luck. Keep us posted. I'm headed for my stand now.

Congrats on your deer. And as far as shooting to get a deer moving "your way", what a joke. The more likely real deal is that he "missed", was feeling like crap, saw you with the deer that you shot that he missed despite him hijacking your favorite spot, and was too embarrassed to just say nothing, so he got down to put a bandaid on his injured ego and provide it some desperately needed damage control. Then on the other hand maybe he just wanted to see what a deer looks like close up. LOL!

OK I admit it. I must be as tacky as you think the paint job is........lol...........I love it........especially the gas tank. Maybe not so much the hard saddle bags because the deer look a little "cartoony." (lol...new word) But the gas tank gets thumbs up from this tacky Hillbilly.

I can just imagine the hunter just texted his buddy; "Hey buddy.........I'm telling you they MUST be close, I swear I can smell em!".

That should make news if the deer falls. "Hunter killed by deer dropping!"

We'll have to agree to disagree on this one I guess and that's ok. I hold my opinion that one acre of land is not safe to be hunting with firearms. And, as far as knowing what beyond, that should be no problem because unless your sitting smack dab in the middle of the lot and are over your head in brush you should be able to see a coupe hundred feet without any problem. LOL! Lastly, even on big acres the thought of having a round traveling across onto another's property is a scary thought to me. That is why on my land all my stands are placed so that we fire into my property and never towards my neighbors land. I would rather be overly careful than risk someone getting hurt.

All settled in, quiet and still this morning. Things not awake yet. Only sound is distant roar of tires on the highway and hum of the corn driers.

With an acre equaling a lot approximately 209' x 209', a person must not be thinking to clear to try an hunt such a small parcel for deer, or anything else for that matter. Discharging a firearm on a one acre lot is reckless and looking to kill someone. Who stops the bullet or slug if you miss your target? And even if you hit your deer, unless you hit it in the head, neck or spine it is not likely to drop in it's tracks. No deer on earth is worth any human getting injured or killed over.

Nope, you're not alone. I'm the same edge of field but little different spot. Pretty, snowy day without the brutal wind of yesterday, that threatened to flip me off my tree stand. Today I stay on terra firma (sp?).

Put a new ladder stand together today, put it up overlooking golden rod fields and with total view of farmers corn fields next doors. Have been sitting in the blowing wind and snow for two hours so far. The magic hour approaches as my hands are mixed numbness and sharp prickly pain. My eyes are tearing non stop, nose running like crazy and my mind starts to wander. Ah a day in the life of a deer hunter. Lol! C'mon deer!

Congrats!!

I wasn't trying to be a grammar cop or make the forum a tough place. I simply asked an honest question after being confused by your post. It sounded like you were trying to harvest another buck after shooting your seven pointer and I did not know how that was possible. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

Am I missing something here? It's good to hear somebody have as much deer action as you have had, but am I reading this wrong? You "shot a nice seven pt in the morning", but are still out there to let a "big spike", "walk", in the same day. What choice did you have than to let him walk if you already filled your buck tag? And, now you're "going back tomorrow"? Are you able to take more than one buck during gun season in your area?

Did somebody ask for windy, cold, snowy weather? Here I am sitting in it....wow...blustery!

For me it's all about respect or better stated the level of disrespect people have towards others in general.

Lots of big gray squirrels, couple of red squirrels, chickadee flock attack, three distant shots, now time for the house, family, visiting and then dinner.......ahhh......Thanksgiving Day 2012.

I don't much care who organized the dinner. I'm always up to a good meal with friends.......but...pleeeeeease, I'm begging....don't make me sit near Elmo again this year!

noodle one, Funny you should bring this up at this time. I have been wrestling with this for the past couple of years and this season seems to be the worse for me. Anyone who knows me in this area can tell you I have had a reputation of being one of the more successful deer hunters in my area. I literally quit jobs that posed a threat to my hunting time, and for me the passion has at times bordered on obsession. I have NEVER missed an opening day of any deer season since age 16, bow, muzzle loader or gun season. I have never held myself out as a marksman by any means but I have been extremely proficient at killing deer to fill the freezer. Any tags I did not fill were almost always not for lack of opportunity. This year was no exception as far as working all year covering everyone's vacations, etc., so I could have 26 straight days off to hunt. However, this year I have passed every single shot opportunity I have had at a deer. I could have easily killed at least 8 bucks since opening day, all four pointers and spikes, and I can't even count the number of does I have let pass. Many of these deer have been under twenty yards and a few just a matter of feet away. At 7:30 this morning I just sat watching a big fat spike buck as he wandered past me. I even pulled up on him, put the bead behind his shoulder, and in my head said to myself "bang", as I watched him go about his business totally unaware of his good fortune in my letting him pass. I don't get it. I think the unimaginable has happened, I've lost my edge.