wooly

Man, I need a farm that holds bucks like that! Sadly I only have one cornfield to hike, and as you know, that's tough shedding. Awesome antlers!

Not really.., that was on a different forum with a few Kentucky boys that came to NY for a turkey hunt with us. Never a good day when somebody gets shot at intentionaly.

Some nice shots 132 eight pointer! I like that last one of the bedded buck in the yard! Tough shot of the snow bed deer through the brush, especially in auto focus. Keep on clickin' and thanks for sharing!

Your welcome Red! Too bad we didn't score a horn today, but we'll get on 'em soon I promise you! Sorry you had to get your saw all stinked up on that lil 3pt, but I appreciate it. Which reminds me, I better get them outta my pack. Joe, the snow is starting to lay down some here but it's still pretty deep in the open woods and fields. Under the pines and hemlocks we looked through today, there was about 8" which is considerably less than the surrounding drifted areas. Burty- I've always been more of a loner when it comes to this stuff. It was nice to hike with a partner who had such a high excitement level! Great to know there's still guys out there that enjoy the outdoors, even if the goals set forth for that day aren't reached. I've had some VERY bad experiences with internet forum members in the past. I was happy things went different this time!

I can't believe you just suckered me into playing that Burt,lol 1 minute 43 seconds of my life I'll never get back. Catchy jingle though!

Yes sir! GO SABRES!

Well seems like it's been forever since my last antler so decided to suck it up today and head out to some public ground never mind the snow. Todays hike was a little different than any other I've been on before. Today I had company of forum member Red! I met Red here, and his enthusiasm about shed hunting got my attention so much that I wanted to be part of him finding his first real shed antler. I wont bore you all with the meet and greet details, but let me say he's a stand up dude I enjoyed hiking with ! I forgot to get some pics of the GIANT bear skull he brought for show and tell. Awesome! On to todays hike.... our first find was a shed dead head. Nothing crazy. I assume not much more than a spiker or forky. This kill was VERY fresh. I believe winterkill already. We kicked the snow around a bit trying to uncover his headgear but no luck. They are there close by but too much snow to waste any time on them right now. Hiked a few more spots for a total of 5hrs or so but not a shed in sight. Sign was spotty, so we focused on those areas where we at least found some. Didn't take long, and another dead head lied before us. Another VERY fresh 3pt. My biggest fears heading into the season are starting to come true. Winter appears to be taking a toll on these deer in this area. Antlers- 2 Sets- 1 Dead bucks- 5 Dead doe/fawns- 0

Three toed sloth..... with 6 fingers.. one eye.. and a misquito bite behind his left ear. Rare catch! Send that pic to Nat Geo!

I hunted with my recurve a few seasons back. I thought I was ready for the extra challenge of going totaly instinctive. I had decided to keep any shots within 15yds, but preferred inside 10yds. One thing I learned, is how many compound shot oppertunities @ 30yds eventually turned into oppertunities I felt comfortable with at point blank ranges. While I did get an arrow into a doe that year, I was never able to recover her. As the traditionalists say "Aim small, miss small". I didn't quite have that concept figured into my practice routine with my recurve. I was content to put my groups in an 8 inch circle and accept the fact I would have some "fliers" simply because I didn't have a sight. As I watched that deer run off with my shaft sticking out of her paunch, my heart sank and I really began to question my own ethics about pursuing game in a manner I had such limited experience with. In hindsight, I realize now how much dedication goes into trad archery, and how little I put into my endeavor. I plan on picking it up again some day when I have more time to dedicate to it in the off season. That very same night, after returning home from that hunt, I made a trip to the pro-shop and purchased my current compound set up.

Very cool! Nice rack on that girl! Any idea on her age?

Licenced plumber here. I do mostly new home construction, basements, remodels, and service work.

Funny- I thought I was the only fool who does this! I've been going out of my way lately to cut trails through this mess to the dinner tables. Sure doesn't take long for deer to start using and maintaining them on their own.

Way to get it done in the late season! You guys gotta be running on fumes at this point! Congrats!

That is a nifty looking piece. Just afraid I'd lose most of the parts switching between chores. I'm usually pretty organized with my gear before I head afield, but have a tendancy to missplace vital parts and pieces once I get busy. Simple is better for me I reckon.

Have a good one Doc! Happy B-day!

Sure that's got a usefull purpose for someone, just not what I'm looking for. Not a big fan of serrated edges. Soon as it gets dull I'm SOL and back to square one. I doubt it's zombie killing attributes will be put to much use,lol. The more I look at this stuff, I'll probably go with one of each and pac along whatever one will suit the situation best that day. Thanks for all the input and giving me a few different options to consider.

That got my attention.... untill I read this. Sounds like a disclamer for lack of ruggedness,lol. Pretty cool though!

That's kinda what I'm thinking. The extra weight of a hammer style tool may come in handy for tent stakes, trap stakes, or just busting up ice on gear this time of year. Endless possabilties I suppose. I usualy have two knives for general cutting, but thought a nice long swinging blade would be nice at times. Might raise some eyebrows if I hit a main road toting a 18-24" blade on my belt.

Getting my pack filled for some serious winter hiking again. I'll be adding one of the above, but not sure which one yet. Curious what some of you that head out into the backwoods this time of year prefer? I'm leaning more towards a compact hatchet at this point, but I see some advantages to having the big azz blade instead. I'm trying to keep my choice as light, durable, and functional as possible without carrying both. Up to this point, I've relied mostly on my bow saw for small cuts... but that's getting to be more of a PITA than it's worth, and sometimes I find myself needing more of a "tool" for other tasks. Make up my mind...

Be carefull, we have a strict code of conduct around here. I'd hate to see you say something you may regret in the morning,lol. Happy New Year all!

Just a flesh wound...lol

That's pretty slick! I'd like to see one of his antler pens too.

Way to stick with it John! That's a great buck any day of the season, but extra special in the final hours! Congrats.

Pretty- but I've seen enough already,lol If ya start running low, just hollar! I got no use for this stuff!

Not so good Red! WAY too much snow right now to even bother hiking very far. Just been running around with my cams trying to find a few bucks to keep an eye on close to home, but they've been laying low lately. Hoping the antlers will be pretty concentrated if this cold spell keeps steady and the snow stays for a while yet. I'd go look for some deadheads, but it pretty tough hiking for even that right now. I'll be in touch when things start looking better!