wooly

You sure had an action packed 3 days in town. Guess all these deer run down into the valley when the guns start going off. That doesn't surprise me. Will your brother be running any cams to try and keep tabs on that big racked buck durring the off-season? Sounds like a smart ol' buck that may run back up the hill to some of the fields this winter.

Sweet footage and pics Dave! You got a pretty good population of bunnies there. Hawkie would be on the thin side if she hunted these parts.

I feel what growalot is saying. It's not even worth it to get involved in half of these posts anymore. Too many guys here just don't know how to let anything go and take crap to the next level. It really is disturbing to listen to some of the computer savvy ego-maniacs. Truth is, I happen to get my point across sometimes better in type than in person. I know a lot of guys around the web that would blow your mind in a conversation face to face, but they don't convey those thoughts to type very well so not to offend the internet secretaries.

I don't sweat it too much Sam. I really don't find many antlers from bucks I have a history with from summer or fall. Right now I'm trying to get a head start on some public ground that I always run a little late getting to. If you don't catch them before they hit the ground here, someone else will. Sometimes, depending on time of year, I'll pull out of an area if bucks are still packing and holding to an area and will drop shortly. But right now I don't mind bumping them from feed or bedding areas as they will return or relocate to more favorable shedding grounds I prefer them to drop on. I do kinda pick and choose which areas I don't mind pressuring to some extent at any given time.

No new antlers to add to the total today, but I did find another dead young buck. Little 3pt laying just off the field edge. I'd normaly snap the head off, but this little guy was pretty ripe so I left him lay for a while yet to let the critters clean him up. That's the problem with this early winter shed hunting stuff. You can really pile up the deadheads before the antlers really get to dropping. With accumulating snow in the forecast, the scavengers will really start leaving lots of sign around these hidden carcasses making them easier to find. It's also gonna pospone any real antler hunting temporarly... Antlers- 2 Sets- 1 Dead bucks- 3 Dead doe and fawns- 0

"It's better to give than receive.." Ever give a complete stranger a Christmas present and walk away expecting nothing in return? Feels good I promise you!!!

Hmmmm......., I'll probably just "nuke sumthin"... Seems like the appropriate thing to do.

LOL- good to see some humor around here for a change!

Put me on the mentaly ill list after this disturbing visualization,lol!

I'm gonna give shed hunting another try... maybe get lucky.

They make up for the loss with profits from illegal salt blocks and mineral licks,lol

High fence, no doubt.

Maybe his pen ran outta ink! Just sayin'.. maybe!

I'd give you an "F".....................................................................for FANTASTIC! Good job on the essay Hunting3m!

I never even noticed that button untill now,lol.... cool!

WNY Bowhunter- are some of those antlers smoke stained or are they just yellow in color naturally?

I could go on and on about different terrain techniques, but in a nutshell......I follow the edges. Even on ground that appears to be void of any topographical features, there's always some "soft edges" that bucks will follow, therefore narrowing down your search quite a bit. It doesn't make sence to waste time in unproductive areas when you can focus on the high percentage spots you learn over time. In the country I hike, it's just a matter of connecting the dots. Slow down and take your time in productive areas and cover the ground quickly on everything in between. I'm not crazy about searching fields and I probably sacrifice a lot of antlers because of that. Put me in a thicket all day long and I aint coming out empty handed,lol.

Yup- nice to see some guys still feel that way! Nice vid!

I know what your sayin'. I was just trying to clear up any misconceptions, that's all. Anyone can right an article on antlers or anything else for that matter......that doesn't always mean it's 100% true! I need to write a book now that I think about it,lol

False....here's a 2 1/2yo drop tine I found a few years ago. Pretty developed for only his second set of horns.

My honest opinion..... it doesn't even matter, but if it makes ya feel better go for it. There's so many dead deer out there right now it would make your head spin. I wonder if the DEC even entertained the thought of hikers/hunters/outdoors enthusiasts reporting carcasses they find post season. I doubt it would be very accurate with some bodies getting counted multiple times, but it has to be better than the system they have now by guestimating. Don't they do something similar already where guys volunteer to log sightings of certain critters throughout the seasons to predict population swings?

Just some Dawn dish soap in the water will lift the grease.

Something tells me it wont be long before you're the proud owner of another 60+ inch antler,lol

Haha- get used to it.... and MATCH IT UP!

Awesome man! Gonna be a hectic early season with lots of competition out there if this nice weather doesn't break soon. Congrats on your first of the year!