Meat Manager

I have Apples on trees that have not had them in the 6 years I've lived here...all along the roadsides you see piles of apples laying on the road. Maybe it will draw enough bears up to 7J to open it up...that would be cool.

Normally I would use the implement that would give me the best chance to harvest a deer on that particular day. Beyond the personal challenge and wildlife/outdoor aspects of hunting, I like to fill the freezer, and the amount of time I get to hunt has gotten to be less and less as my little son is getting older. However this year I leased and heavily posted a property to use mostly during gun season so I could avoid the orange army. Couple that with the fact that I harvested 4 deer this archery season and that most of the deer I have harvested with my smoothbore shotgun are under 30 yds (never over 60), I am considering keeping the lease Archery Only. There are also several state parks near where I hunt that are archery only throughout the hunting season, including Highland Forest near Tully, and Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca (Part of Tompkins DMFA).

My Cousin harvest a doe in PA with those to the same effect as the two blade...perfect double lung painted blood the entire 40 yds she ran. I believe the real key to two blade (or extreme) effectiveness is that the entry wound is a massive slice that pulls itself open by the tension of the hide, holding open a massive hole on the entry and exit if there is one. I could see the blood pouring out the entry wound of the 8 point I shot sunday, and the arrow was stuck in the opposite leg

Actually I think two of us already made the point that an occasional marginal shot (which I realize some of you guys never have and never will make) can thankfully result in an easy recovery with these broadheads, primarily because the entry wound bleeds like an exit wound almost anywhere on the deer. I would think that it would provide a significant increase in recovered deer that may have been quartering slightly toward and exited out the guts. As long as you hit a lung or an artery on the way in most times the animal will expire quickly and often with a large trail of blood. That said I would not take a quartering toward or otherwise questionable shot, but when something unfortunate happens its good to know you still have a good chance of recovering the wounded animal. Not sure what any of this has to do with Rage 2 Blade Entry Wounds

Switched to Rage 2 Blade this year and I am a believer after 4 archery harvests this season, here are the ENTRY wounds: A lung was hanging out of this hole when I recovered: This one deflected last second and hit her in the hind qt, she dropped in front of me 20 yds later: Plenty of blood for the 80yd trail of this double lunged monster doe: Arrow passed through the lungs but stayed in the opposite leg, no problem I watched him drop 60yds later: Here is a tree 5 yds from impact on the first deer and the arrow: Put a Rage in the Cage baby...um or the butt!

After only harvesting one deer and missing several last archery season I bought a new PSE Bowmadness XS, Rage 2 Blades and a Rangefinder...here are my results: 10/02 PM 7F Lease: 15 YDS Lung-Heart-Lung Pass Thru...40 YD Recovery 10/11 AM 7J Public: 20 YDS Tight, Deflected hit Femoral, 20 YD Recovery Dropped in Sight: 10/20 AM 7F Lease: 15 YDS, Double Lung Pass Thru, 80 YD Recovery: 11/03 AM 7J Public: Big-Bodied Buck, Short/Thick-Tined 8 Point, 10 YDS, Double Lung Stopped in Opposite Leg, 60 YD Recovery Dropped in Sight: My grandfather is dealing with some cancer so I am hunting for two this year, he has been appreciative of the meat, which is the primary reason I hunt, besides the enjoyment of it all. Tagged out of my own until SZ Regular, Still have my wifes 7J and 7F DMP's and may head to Ithaca to hunt some DMFA...otherwise I am not going to hunt too much until the 23rd. Nice deer so far everyone.

Agreed on gun safety and especially on orange, I come from PA originally, so I was brought up on it and I do wear the PA requirement in NY. 2 years ago I passed on a deer fleeting past at about 60 yds...about 30 seconds later I hear booom and then see a guy in SNOW CAMO get up less than 80 yds from me. Nice!

When I was a kid the old guys always used to say below the ears was legal, I used that as a good estimate, and these were well below...in fact first I thought it was a doe, and only when it got in real close could I see its tiny spikes. 2 3/4" was the longer spike that you can see all of in the pic, and that is measured from the base, the spike itself was only about 1 1/2", the other one was less than 2 1/4"including base, and when it ran under my cousins stand after I shot it he thought it was a doe...that being said I certainly would't publish it if I hadn't measured it and confirmed it was legal afterwords.

Right...though I didn't have my calipers out when I shot, the spikes were way below the ears and I was right on top of him so I took the shot...definitely glad I did considering its the only meat in the freezer so far, and that is primarily why I hunt.

So its been an active season, but I only scored once (in Pennsylvania, not NY) and I am starting to feel a bit of Stand Fatigue...this morning was the first time I was planning on hunting and the weather was good that I decided not to go. I think this indicates that I am calling it a bow-season and putting the bow down despite a couple more chances to get out. Here is how my season went: I missed 4 deer this season (all clean thankfully), 2 in the first week that were well in range but I think I just had deer fever and pulled up on both. The third was a bad yardage call (called 35, walked it out to be closer to 50), and the fourth was a tight squeeze shot that just went under him at 35 yards. Five shots one deer...yikes, feeling like a novice. The first week all of my primary stands produced good sighting and shot opportunities, but it wasn't until my third chance that I scored on this 2 3/4" spiker. It was close shot high angle slightly quartering toward, which made for a pin-drop recovery that went over 200 yards. It was a great feeling to recover that deer, but even my harvest was not a great shot, so recalibrating my shot-selection discipline will be priority one going into next season: The second week I got busted again (after missing point blank the week before) at my PM stand and that was the last time I saw deer there. I should note that I really only hunted about 6 or 7 evenings and they cut the corn early, but 2 nights of sightings was a disappointment, especially after 4 deer went right underneath my stand during the first 2 sits. My AM stand was another story, and I continued seeing deer every time I hunted it until just after Sandy hit, then I went two days without sightings, then went right back to seeing an average of a deer an hour. Unfortunately after the first week, all of these sightings were outside 40-50 yards and I never really got another good opportunity from that particular tree. So last weekend I switched that stand location and moved it up the ridge to the superhighway these deer had been circumventing me on. First thing the next morning I missed that little buck in the 35 yard tight squeeze. A few days later I set a stand about 150 yards back down the ridge in order to cover both escape routes on the top of my funnel. I was planning on hunting the upper stand this morning, but I had a nagging feeling that it would end up being more harm than good (considering I've already missed 3 deer in that area this season), as I really want this stand to produce on opening day and beyond through gun season. As far as rut, I did see lil' bucks on does in the first 10 days of the Season and then I did not see that again until right before Charlie's predicted times. Second year in a row I saw bucks on does right at Charlie's predicted cruise times. My dad got this doe on Saturday, just before Charlie's predicted time: Anyway, my preseason scouting seemed to be really good, my blood tracking skills still seem to be well on point and my deer sightings definitely went up from last season, probably just as much of product of cooperative weather as it was my abilities. On the con side, I shoot and shoot and shoot, and I never have problems hitting a foam target in arrow fracturing groups, but between bad yardage calls and pulling up to see like it was my first time shooting at a deer I have a couple issues to work out before next year. I am really looking forward to getting to use my new Xbow in PA next year. Alright, I'm ready for hunting season phase 2, hopefully I will fill tag 2 on Saturday.

Nice job deerpassion Not long after the sun and moon were in alignment...wish I could have been out then...total eclipse buck, sick!

I'm jealous just the occasional flurry here... We had downpours and a thunderstorm from 2am-330am.

In the lot, heading in 35 cloudy and fairly quiet. Lots of solunar overlap today, literally.

+1 sluggers and smooth, I currently use a fiber optic bead...I stay inside 60, but usually get much closer shots anyway. Only deer I've ever missed with a gun was the first time I hunted with sabots and a rifled barrel for my mossy 500 12g...it also happened to be the biggest buck I ever saw and was inside 20 yds. 12 gauge is too much power for rifling IMO. First deer gun was a break action 20g. I used to hunt .243 in PA...now I stick with the mossberg and sluggers in both states.

Went out around 1 and set another hang on about 100 yards down the ridge from my other am stand...definitely warm out there. I now have both main entrance/exits on the ridge covered, hopefully other hunters will notice and stay out of my funnel. It's never a problem in archery, but weekends in gun season, especially opening day is ugh.

Hey Phade, way to help him end that drought...what horton is your FIL shootin? Looks like my Horton Explorer, or maybe Horton Scout? Just got my dad a Horton TRT Ultra-Light for XMAS.

BGF with another true primitive harvest...good stuff! Congrats to all of the successful archers this season!

My Dad just scored this nice 2.5 doe with Lump Jaw this morning at our poconos cabin...I was in my stand at 530 and I thought I heard a group of gals moving next to me just before light... He woke up at 645 and shot this doe at 7am right after he got in his stand, double lunged at 20 yds, he's getting an xbow for xmas, so this was a good way to retire the hoyt (he only hunts in PA): 2nd deer scored from our cabin in only 4 hunts...looking good for rifle.

Ugh starting to feel snkebit here in NY. Got to my new location, in the tree I realize I'm missing my bowhnd glove...and I hold my bow the entire hunt. So I'm prayin for an early chance....and just got it on a nice 4-6 at 35 yds....my FOURTH clean miss in NY this season! Thank god for the poconos spike from the first weekend...otherwise I might have swung myself from this tree.

At the am parking lot, 28 clear and quiet....making my way via the creek to the new stand location.

Wife gave me her lunch break to get out and move my am stand 50yds up the ridge... Now im right on top of the the route they've been taking around me all season, and there's a stinky scrape in an open lane at 20 yds..hope it works out tomorrow morning!

That's why I have my bow sitting on the kitchen table...I'm stuck on daddy duty til Friday morning, so if one of the last stubborn apple thieves walks under the tree and into dining room range I'm ready! These casement windows have provided my only filled tag in a year on two separate occasions..

Was in the stand from 5:30-9:30 (for better or worse daddy duty trumps rut)...29 quiet and partly cloudy. As soon as I got in the stand I heard a buck crashing and grunting so iwas on high alert for about an hour before light. Nothing until about 745 when I caught a glimpse of a tail then a bald head out to my right. After I lost her I kept winding a deer than a minute later I would catch another whiff. Around 8 she came around front of me at about 65 yards, about 1 minute later a nice buck was on her tail. I watched the breeding pair play cat and mouse within 80 yards for about 45 minutes never get closer than 50yds. Eventually they headed out of sight and I had to head in shortly after that. I would say he was locked on right around Charlie's predicted time...back at it Friday morning barring a wife work miracle.

It is a trite but true adage.. "Any deer taken with the bow is a trophy." And you better believe ill take a "lil" trophy like that tomorrow if one steps in my lane...I got half a freezer left to fill. Congrats BK

The wife has given me tomorrow and Friday mornings, and I got all day sat and Sunday... I hope these cruise times are right and that the weather holds.