wooly

I'm no expert on plot layouts, but I have a few opinions based on field encounters in similar situations. I personally would leave the trees. For one, sometimes it's hard to get drawn on a deer in a wide open field. By leaving those few scattered trees you can increase your draw options or better prepare for a potential shot opp as the deer moves around and is screened by the ground level cover. Secondly- when hunting wide open grassy fields/clearings like that, I'll sometimes snap a 4 or 5ft section of leafy sapling off in the early season and jam it into the ground within bow range. Something about that lone branch towering above everything else in the middle of nowhere draws every deer that enters the field in like a magnet. Most all of them come over to scent check the "new growth". A few young trees like those, left in the right position could turn out to be one of the landmarks every buck on the block checks out during the rut as soon as he enters the plot.

Even if my price on something is negotiable I ALWAYS list it high and FIRM! That seems to weed out some of the CL lowballer groupies who weren't really interested in anything more than a steal on an item anyhow. Once you got someone seriously interested on the horn you can finagle with prices some. I still get the occasional guys that want to meet me half way for pick up in Lewiston and NF,lol

Well, I think this skull got away from me a little bit. Ok, a lot bit,lol! The carve went well.., the burn went well.., but I started to run into some thin bone issues while hawging out the design. At that point I had no choice but to do a cut through design which I wasn't exactly prepared for. After I got it burned I realized the pattern just didn't seem to go together very well on top of things and I wasn't thrilled with it. After it's burned, there not much you can do to it from a carving standpoint anymore. Although it's still strong bone, taking a dremel tip to it is like trying to shovel a clean line in a sandbox with a teaspoon. Ain't happening. Seeing how I wasn't crazy about it, I figured I'd break out my 3 color paint kit and spruce it up a bit. That didn't work out so well for me either, and I still don't like it, but different strokes for different folks, so maybe somebody will,lol I'll have to redeem myself on the next one!

Email for this guy too. Usually pretty easy to tell by the 2'nd message if the potential buyer is serious or not and then do the phone # exchange to seal the deal. Nothing drives me crazier than some dumbazz asking 3 word text questions for two weeks straight every hour on the hour...... then they go quieter than a tom turkey by day #3 of season after wasting my time.

Mine would have to be a few years ago. I killed a jake, and on my way home I was followed through the woods by a little yearling doe. She kept photo-bombing all my field photo attempts and even stole my hat off the end of my barrel. No matter what turns I took she was right behind me all the way following me over a mile through the woods right to my backyard. Many pictures were taken that day. I think about that hunt every spring since then every time I head out!

Had a nice 1.5 year old come in lookin' for love this morning. Other than that.., nothin' else shakin'. Sis is calling it quits for the spring. We'll try again this fall. Good luck to everyone still chasing them, and congrats to all who have connected!

I've only had a few ticks on me over the years with MOST of the contact coming from handling deer carcasses post hunt. I've always heard ticks will jump off a carcass as it begins to cool, but I can tell you without a doubt that isn't always the case even days after hanging in sub freezing temps as I've discovered while butchering days later. Just this past weekend I was working with a small old piece of rawhide deer skin I had stashed away with the hair still on for a knife sheath. After I re-hydrated the skin in a bucket of clean water and began to work with it, I noticed two tick "skeletons" stuck to my piece even though that skin had been off the deer for well over two years. They've really never been of much concern to me until they started showing up on just about every deer I've killed in the last 5 years, and a few random hitch hikers while out on the summer trails. Not sure if they are just starting to boom in my area, or if I just never noticed them before. What I do know is that they seem to be becoming more common in this area I never had to worry about before.

And another bone dagger just for the hell of it. Skulls going into the flames tomorrow and hopefully I'll add some pics of it finished up.

Cool shot! Always like getting pics of critters doing something more than just walking in front of the cams.

Looks like a pattern on the background tree to me..... not an antler if that's what you were looking at.(because that's what caught my eye) Got another shot from this spot?

That day pic looks pretty darn nice! You could hang a calendar, a thermometer, and a coo-coo clock on a tree in front of it when you set it up and you'll be good to go. Heck, while your at it throw up a wind vane, a barometer, and a yardstick to measure precipitation and you'll have the ultimate trail cam,lol Just make sure you put it somewhere you can get to daily to cross off the date!

I ran out to pull my cameras yesterday after dinner. Saw some birds out in the field in front of the blind. 4 jakes, 2 hens, and a nice tom. Couldn't get any really good shots laying on my belly shooting through the grass. Hope he sticks around for sis this weekend. All was quiet up there this morning.

I appologize for forgetting who it was, but one of the guys here last year hooked me up with an ID of periwinkle for that. I looked it up, and sure as sheets, he was right.

Thanks guys! sbuff- between 20yds and 9 inches,lol.

Funny- I actually found the first fawn tracks on Saturday so that's why I was looking. I keep track of all the dates in my galleries so I can keep up with all the critters and when they'll be around certain areas.

The only thing better than finding my first fawn of the year is finding my first TWO fawns of the year together! Momma doe drops them in this area of the creekbottom every spring, but she never leaves them together like this. I assume that is so if a predator finds one, the other still has a chance of survival. A rare find for me today! Looking forward to watching them grow throughout the summer and all the photo opportunities to come!

#1- Gennesee #2- No. It makes your beer can slippery. #3- keep them out of the beer. #4- until my beer is empty and I have to set it down to grab another. #5- No- you should use the same safety precautions for your beer in any body of water #6-Depends on what time you start drinking. #7- Never use spoons while fishing. I drink through a straw.

Thanks guys, and no luck for sis yet grampy. We had birds roosted within 75 yds of us yesterday and this morning but I couldn't pull anything into the field for her. She'll probably only get one or two more cracks at it this spring, but we're not admitting defeat just yet!

Big 3 shroom score today! Won't be eating these damn things again until I figure out how your supposed to get all the sand out of all those knooks and crannies. I just gave them a good rinse but apparently there's more to it than just that. Great nutty flavor, Camel nut texture,lol

Sweeeeet! Helluva bird, hunt, and morning! Nice job man!

Thanks- and yes I did. Actually attempted to first wrap it in hydrated rawhide strips I have from last years deer but I just couldn't get it to look right to me. That's why I was considering the imitation sinew. (since I don't have any natural at the moment). You got any other material suggestions I'm all ears!

With cow bone blade. Been trying to find the perfect pair for a while on this one. Might get some imitation sinew and dump the paracord. That was all I had on hand to wrap the joint. Might add some serration to the blade too so it's semi functional.... but then again, maybe not. It'll stab, but I wouldn't try to gut a deer with it,lol

Looks like a match! Thanks Pygmy..... another first for me seeing this.

Yes it did. It would fly up and land a short distance away. First thought it was trying to lead me away from a nest, but it just continued on catching worms.

WTH is this thing? I had two guesses but both appear to be wrong. Found in the flooded grass on the edge of a pond catchin' worms last night.