New York Hillbilly

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.

Welcome to the site. Nice to see another deer hunter that is also a fellow beagler.

Hang tough, you'll no doubt get another whack at one, and next time be smiling as it's frying in the pan.

accman, LOL! I'm not sure what a "mooch" hunter is but if it's a guy who sits still while others push deer all over hells creation then call me the "king". I really don't know any other way because that's how I was taught as a kid and how I have had my success in taking deer every year. As a kid my uncles would take me hunting even for squirrels and stick me someplace and say "now don't move till I come get you". I guess I just did what I was told because I knew what would happen if I didn't". LOL! I like guys on neighboring farms driving deer because every year it's the same thing here. Once the deer get tired of the chasing, running and being shot at, they come hang out on my land where it's quiet. On my land it's like bow hunting with a gun. For the most part the deer waltz around unbothered and when one does get shot it is most likely under 50 yards, standing still, and a one shot one deer proposition. I have taken some deer at longer (much longer) ranges, but have still been at quiet deer and one shot deals. I like deer drives, just not on my land or by me.

Doc, The deer here are sure not nocturnal yet. I had to take this morning of to do some work around the house before my family all come home for Thanksgiving, but for the first three days the deer are walking all over with very little sign of concern. I have passed thus far the same four pointer twice, four different spikes, and countless does. What is surprising to me though is with the number of deer I have seen, that I have not seen a more mature deer yet. Maybe they are the ones that have gone nocturnal. I'm puzzled!

wdswtr................we see things the exact same way. Well put!

On my way to work this morning I stopped to glass my fields and there was an eight point chasing around a smaller buck, they locked horns briefly then the big guy jabbed the little guy in the side as he tried to run away. After a few minutes the little one was still just milling about but the eight point turned his attention to a doe and her fawn and put his head down and quickly followed them into the pines and out of my view.

shawnhu, That's the idea! And as far as the hunting goes on my property goes.......honestly......fantastic. The bonus here is, even though I never wander off my land during deer season, I can if I want to because I am in between two state forests. In total the two add up to about seven thousand acres I think.

Maybe it's a good idea to brush your deers teeth before taking them to the butcher. LOL!

I own and live on my property, the same land I hunt. It took lots of work and saving to get here but t's what i always wanted. Like everything else in life there are good and bad points. In the end I really only pay lots of money for taxes, up keep and maintenance for land that can be taken away from me the first time I don't pay or if the government decides it wants it through eminent domain. The up side is though I call the shots about when, who, and how people gain access and as a result I have never felt unsafe. I've been thinking this year though, that perhaps there should be a thread to link up landowners with other hunters who might be interested in some type of barter arrangement rather than shelling out money they might not have, for the opportunity to have access to excellent hunting ground . Something like for example: "non drug using, law abiding, responsible hunter with carpentry, plumbing, electrician or some other skill, is willing to exchange knowledge, supervision or work on your place - for friendship and access to good hunting property with similar type/compatible landowner." Just a thought.

My 37th opening day without ever missing one. I have literally quit jobs in my younger days over the threat of not being able to go hunting, and it caused me lots of grief from teachers in high school. LOL! I worked all year covering everyone's vacations, personal days, etc. to save my time for gun season and now it's my turn. Today was my last day of work until December 10th. It was hard earned and I didn't think I could make it at times, but yeeeha......I made it! Good luck and be safe everyone.

Welcome! I live just north of where you guys hunt.

Welcome to the site. I have family up your way. And for the record, I don't care if they wear camo and drive 4x4"s, or wear little black suits and drive horse and buggy. They would get no pass from me!

Thumbs up!

I grew up in Utica and now live 15 miles south of the city. I think it's more likely it escaped from the Utica zoo or perhaps some hunting preserve in the area. I think there are a couple pay and shoot operations in the area, and if my memory is right there is one that sells russian boar hunts.

Going to spend my season with my grandfather's Savage .300 Model 99. It became mine last year when my 80 year old uncle, my hunting partner for the past 30 plus years, came to the house and surprised me with it saying, "I know you always wanted grampa's rifle and I think it's time for you to have it". This rifle has not been in the woods since the old days when my grandfather used to go with his buddies, and pack supplies by mule and wagon back into the Adirondack's at McKeever. To the best of my knowledge he only killed a couple deer in his lifetime and only with this rifle. He was always so busy working hard to take care of his family it left precious little time for him to pursue the sport he loved so much, hunting. Nothing would please me more this season than to take a buck with his rifle. Grampa........this one is for you!

Have 7J will swap for 7m.

Yup............Waterville is my hometown and neighbors say bears showing up on their trail cams,

Sogaard, I hope someday you get to live out your dream and retire up here someday. Heck, I would be happy to even show you around or buy you a cup of coffee if you decided on this area. And, you are right that "vise versa" part. But where I don't agree is backed up by the very population fact you correctly point out. 2010 Census numbers (according to my quick check just now of Wikipedia) reports about 64% of New York is in the five boroughs which means "all in favor say aye" and the rest of the state has no way of ever being represented. So in my humble opinion what we have up here is the good old taxation without representation. Anyway, enough about the political side of life and back to more important things like hunting talk. Good luck this season, bag the big one!

Dakota Dog, "And our one hour of driving is not 4 city block neither it is 40 - 55 miles woundering if a deer will run out if front of your truck. " Yeh this always cracks me up when I hear the talking heads on tv business shows on the weekends saying it doesn't matter, and people don't care if gas goes to 5 dollars a gallon. Their reasoning is: "well in Europe it has been 5 dollars a gallon for years". Hey news flash you jerks, in Europe you drive a couple hours in any direction you end up in another country. Here we drive two hours and get to Walmart! Theres nothing worse than a bunch of NYC business people/tv celebrities who have no clue what it is like to live in "real upstate" dictating how we should live or how much we should pay to survive. I'm all for as many from NYC as possible moving up here so we may eventually have enough swing in population that we might even realize what it is to have a vote that counts. This state is the classic example of the tail wagging the dog. On the other hand, I have heard all the wise cracks about "the guys from the city coming up here" and doing all kinds of stupid things like shooting cows, goats and each other, and can tell you some of the best guys I ever met were from "downstate". The issues I've had over the years have been with local people, not hunters from "the city". The best neighbor I could ask for for the past 15 years is from NYC. He is a real quality guy and I wish all my neighbors were like him.

Yup!