New York Hillbilly

Being so close to Christmas and with lots to do, this morning I got down at 10am. When I did I noticed the first scrape this season in this spot. It was less than 15 yards from my stand and it was fresh. In the low light when I went to my stand this morning I never saw it. So I figured I would put a camera over it in the afternoon before I climb into my stand, and that is what I did. I had only been in my stand for the afternoon about a half hour, when and adult doe and a this years fawn came headed straight towards me, and behind them was a really big doe who kept looking back over her shoulder. They were basically walking single file ad were going to walk right in front of the camera I just put up. I had my gun in my lap and they were so close I new I would be busted as soon as I moved. Seeing the fawn was with the first doe I was not having any second thoughts about shooting the big doe bringing up the rear, and was not gambling a buck would show up this late in the season. In hindsight, it was not my finest hour of hunting the way it went down, but as it resulted in a successful and interesting hunt so I'm satisfied. I knew it was gonna be tricky not only because they were close, facing me, and three different sets of eyes and 3 noses, but also because I figured out this morning my eye glasses are so old and cloudy it's like looking through a bottle of milk. And,my glasses have become sort of settled so when I'm looking through my scope I need to push my glasses up with my thumb so I am looking through the distance part of my bifocals. I let the doe and fawn get really close in order to allow the big doe to clear brush and give me a shot. Then I basically told myself one, two, three go, and raised the gun, quickly put the scope on the big doe while thumbing up my glasses trying to get the cross hairs centered on her, and as I did the first doe and fawn spooked and took a couple quick jumps. I pulled the trigger and at the shot the big doe went down. But, it was not ideal. I won't share the less pleasant aspect of this as it was unsettling for me. What I discovered after though was she would not likely have gone far, but in the moment I could not be certain as she was trying to get her legs under her. With her trying to escape; even though my mind was racing, heart pounding, my hands were shaking like a leaf, and I discovered the end of my ram rod was now missing, I still reloaded faster than I ever though possible. She momentarily lay still and I was able to put the second shot on her to put it to a merciful end. Even after the second shot, just in case I reloaded again. The other does only bounded off after the second shot and when I started to climb down. Tomorrow I will pull the card from the trail camera and see what was captured, because much of this went down in front of it. It could be interesting. See the trail camera in the scrubby little tree to the left of the deer.

I’ll post the story after a bit in another thread. It was pretty interesting story.

Just took a big doe with muzzle loader. Three came in and only two left. : ) Picture is from my stand.

7m. Around 36 degrees, slightly overcast with some patches of blue, slight breeze, and wet snow covered ground. Very pretty but this far no deer. Quite a few shots off in the distance.

It continued to rain right up until I went to bed last night, and I woke up to about 3 inches of snow. That figures! It is exactly the way my entire season went this year. I spent many hours out there this season and it was the most uneventful I can remember. Other than the little spike I passed about three times, a small doe, a momma with her medium sized fawn, and what I believe was a nice buck who escaped being shot thanks to heavy rain, fog and low light making it impossible to get him in my scope, it was a deer desert for me this firearm season. I think I may be done for the year. If I have not been able to even get a deer within rifle range since bow season, I don't expect things to change and have me get within bow range, and I have almost zero confidence with my muzzle loader so I always restrict it's use of that to bow, or at the most shotgun range. One thing is certain. If I do not decide to sell my place by next year, I plan to totally brush hog every acre of field next year and return it to what it once was. Also, I may finally try to find myself a new hunting partner. Since my Uncle who had been my hunting partner since around 1976 when he returned to the area after he had retired from the Army passed a few years ago, it just has not been the same for me. I still get out there and hammer it pretty hard, but it feels like just going through the motions. Good luck to those out there today in the snow.

Good luck Wolc Been steady soaking rain all day here. Fog is rolling in now. Same conditions as the day I had deer up here high on the hill last week. Fingers crossed they show up. Wind is really picking up too!

After driving 2 1/2 hours to get home last night at 12:30am, I woke up late but still got out and played in the rain from 7am until 11am, and saw no deer. Couldn't keep the rain off my glasses or scope so I came back to the house. Still down pouring out there and I'm debating going back out for the last couple hours. Anyone else out in the rain?

I forgot I had to drive to Rochester this morning for my grandsons Christmas concert and his birthday party. So hunting was off the table for me today. But, I’ll definitely be back home and in the woods tomorrow. On my way here I saw a couple deer hunters along Canandaigua Road hunting small wood lots The other night I squeezed in the last hour when snow was on the ground, and when I went to my stand there was about a dozen deer in my neighbors corn field about 75 yards the other side of my line. All I could do is look at them and they at me as I headed in the opposite direction. Great job to those still scoring!

Those burgers look great! I’m coming to your house for dinner.

I thought I would share a couple pics from my stand I was in the other day. This was my view the other day from my ladder stand. If you look in the distance in the first pic you can see the island with my trash heap blind. If you enlarge the pic you can actually see the blind. The deer were in between these two stands. The second picture is another view from the stand overlooking my hill and across to the rolling farm fields across the road. I’ll hit the same spot Saturday morning.

Whelp.... that was a bust. I must have forgot to send out the invitations for the deer to show up to my party!

Ok folks I’m getting to throw a Hail Mary! I got soaked to the skin crushing down golden rod with my wheeler, on the uphill side of my trash heap blind, where the deer were last night. I’m snuggled into my ladder stand to get a much better view. If they step out in the same place tonight I might be able to score. Good luck to you all out there in the rain this afternoon.

Great timing to coincide with our country’s bicentennial! A declaration of freedom from tyranny! I believe divine providence led me back in time to help my family get through the war on Covid. Which in my opinion was/is actually a war on our country that nobody will admit. As much as I love the beauty of Upstate NY, because of the political corruption that has all but destroyed this state, it’s economy, and way of life, I doubt there is anything other than my love for my family that could have driven me back to NY after I escaped.

Hey Grampy. I think they see this as the second best way to get guns out of our hands. And, they have already been successful at the "first best way" which is to get our "votes" out of our hands. Yes it is sad. And scary!

I’m in the exact same situation with my grandfather’s rifle. I have not found ammunition for it in over a year, are regret terribly not buying as many boxes as I could get my hands on when I first inherited it. If I do stumble over any out there I’ll be quick to let you know!

What a tragic story to see what NY has become over the course of my lifetime. Upstate New York citizens and their way of life is at the absolute mercy of Down State philosophy and policy. Driving Remington out of NY will celebrated with dancing in the streets by those who wish to destroy the right for citizens to keep and own firearms, without any concern for the lives of those who will be negatively impacted by it's closing. When I was just a young guy, I was a State certified welder and pipe fitter. I worked on many of the boilers and HVAC systems in factories including Pettibone, Rome Cable, Revere Copper and Brass, and others, many that eventually were left vacant shells when they were eventually closed and moved away. I even worked on the Remington boilers spending days with an air needle scaler removing rust getting things ready with our crew for an insurance inspection. The impact of these closings over the past several decades is profound on these small communities and it's people, with their spirits left as broken as the factory windows over time. I know this both from personal and professional experience.

A little after 4PM, several deer rolled into the opposite side of where that picture I posted is pointed. If I had been in one of the 2 ladder stands I have set up overlooking that field I may have had a shot. But, in the "blind" I was in all I could do is watch them bound in circles in the chest high goldenrod chasing each other in the fog. One eventually made it way so close it must have got tipped off something was up, because blew/snorted so loud it made me jump. If I had my scoped rifle I may have had a deer, but I had the shotgun with a red dot. So no shots for me, but at least there were deer.

Sitting in a literal trash heap. Brushy island where they cross a lot over the years. Took a few from here and never remember to bring in the old chairs I sit on, or unfortunately one of my ground blinds I forgot and left out. The blind is ripped all up and the little poles hanging loose. So I have it rigged up with twine to saplings and the top held up with strands of electrical tape. Haha. What a pro!

I too came in when the rain started again. This gives my great comfort that I am now thinking like a deer, and it only took until my 48th deer season to accomplish. lol

This! Or, on second thought, why can't people just police themselves? Before posting; why can't people ask themselves if what they are going to say is meant to be something helpful, positive, even simply sharing, or meant to be an A-hole to someone else. I for one don't care what anyone chooses to post, how often, why they post what they do, or why they come to this site. If it is something that is not all that interesting to me I just scroll by and find the stuff I do enjoy, from those I know I like to read what they post. To the best of my memory I have never been intentionally nasty to anyone here or previously here. But, I have been on the receiving end of some pretty offensive stuff in the past, amazingly for absolutely no reason other than expressing my thoughts and sense of patriotism to our country while others were all jumping on the, "I'm a Ukrainian bandwagon" and banging the drums for war, and from the self proclaimed medical experts and Trump haters throughout the 3 year Covid nightmare. Oh..so how did these situations all play out in the end? For the most part I really enjoy this site and the people who post here now. From past experiences reading peoples posts, I know those I would invite to hunt with me in a heartbeat and those I would never turn my back on in the woods. It should be pretty simple really. Move on, don't be nasty and disrespectful to other people, scroll past what you don't like or are not interested in rather than find fault, pick and choose who you enjoy reading from and responding too and go for it, and if anyone is so bent out of shape about this or any other site, the simple fix is to start your own.

Thanks for the laugh! That was the best deer report I have heard in a very long time! hahaha

Looking forward to it!

Happy Birthday fellas!

Bummer! Finally got snow yesterday evening and I had to be back to work this morning. Based on past history, with the sunshine today it would have been a great morning to be out there. I sat for last 2 or 3 hours in the snow storm last night and it was fun, but not productive. On the way out I crossed several fresh tracks around the stand I was not in of course. I love the snow because it really reveals a lot of information. It will be Saturday morning before I get back out and the snow is supposed to be gone by then. Good luck to those lucky enough to be out there today.

Doc, you are right on the money. I think the days of "orange next to every tree" is a thing of the past. Strange now to look back and realize the reason I bought my property originally was because of this very thing, and wanting to have a safe place for me, my family, and the occasional friend I might invite. The landowner properties that border me on all sides are my age or older, and I think they quit hunting a long time ago for a variety of reasons, including poor health, or were just not into it to begin with. I suspect in the case of my one NYC neighbor just stopped making the trip up for his annual "deer camp" after his kids, much like mine, grew up and either moved away or got busy with their careers and/or kids of their own. The NYC guy had quite a big crew of guys coming up for years, and the shooting they did really kept deer on the move. Some of his guys were much older than me and may have died off or moved South to warmer weather. I have not heard one shot this year from that direction. And, as far as that goes, I think I have only heard one or two shots semi close in any direction since opening day. There were lots of hunters on all the properties around me years past, and it was really exciting. Now, just distant memories. I agree Doc, it is depressing. It's like a ghost town!