Buckstopshere

From my book: Whitetail Bowhunting...I took the photo when the DEC had them at a whitetail show, back in the 1980s. These are both the original capes. I understand they both have had a makeover...new capes. Taxidermy has improved a lot, but still nice to see wild deer.

Nope.

Yep, in some areas. The rule, as I understand it is three on a side to be legally harvested. But southwest of me, below Jamestown, three on a side, not counting the brow tine, which this guy doesn't have. ? Different rules in different areas of Pa. Four points to a side in far Western Pa. and three points to a side in the rest of the state.

Nah, he's a six. But if he was a 5 pt, illegal in Pa...but he's a few miles north of the border so I can shoot him.

I hate to say it, but breeding bucks for the most part are hanging around does in what I call a "breeding nucleus." Little guys are still out there...chasing does. But all the does I see now, in the last few days are the ones with nursing fawns. That holds back the estrous cycle...but they will fuel the second rut peak Thanksgiving week. I am only really serious now with these warm temps in the morning hunt. I hope to kill one tomorrow.

Bucks smarter than me. But the big boys for my neck of the woods are on their feet in the daytime. With these warm temps, have to get it done in the am. For your viewing pleasure. These are big bucks for my neck of the woods. "9Y Allegany County." And they are running in the daytime, under the waning Blue moon. The daylight times are correct, except for Nov. 1 bucks. Not switched to daylight savings.

Scrapes blowing up in the snow last night and today. Bucks on their feet in the day too. One near noon on Sunday and another today midmorning. Activity seems to be peaking in my area. 9Y...Allegany County.

Thanks man, yeah, same here, except now some of the big boys are coming out to play in the daytime.

'Course anybody can get a good photo of a good buck on excursion. And it doesn't prove much, right? But here are a selection of bucks coming into one of my zip-tied scrapes. The times and dates are accurate. Other bucks hit it at nighttime.

Time to be in the woods! As predicted, mature bucks are starting to be on their feet in the daytime. A few days ago, spike bucks were running does...all the excitement seems to bring the old guys out.

Researchers say that up to 20% of the doe fawns studied come into estrus during that third rut peak. And they also say that the fawns born so late to young mothers have a poor chance for survival.

All the best man. These times are tough enough, and you are getting an exponential dose. You both are young and strong and smart and will get through it.

Cool. I hunted with a recurve back in the late 60's and 70's before compounds and filled a bunch of archery tags. I think that as I look back... those days with a recurve not only taught me how to hunt deer, but the process of instinctively shooting a bare bow (no aiming) was a major contributor to this lifelong passion for bow hunting deer.

Not as big as Underhill's bucks...but for my neck of the woods, this 10 pt. was near my stand this morning. And it's plenty of incentive for me. Still on terra firma. Smarter than me.

More in-season eye candy. Things are gonna pop soon and I'm getting itchy to let an arrow fly!

Just starting to happen here in 9Y...should really pop in about a week. Had small eight pointers under my tree, Saturday and Sunday, two different stands and hunting properties. Saturday night, just at dusk a big buck trailed a doe past my stand just out of range. Gotta love this time of year! Nothing like it!

Nah. I disagree. North central Pa. is a wasteland for deer hunters. Sure, there are a few big bucks. But having hunted Pa. since 1970 every year until recently, with bow and gun, the buck population there is a joke. If anything, NY bucks flood into Pa. and increase their stats. Pa. doesn't want deer, it wants timber.

I've passed on a few good ones, bigger than some of my mounts. Can't pull the trigger yet with some of the top level bucks I have on cam...20 yards from my stands. The best is yet to come! Soon the big boys will be running in the daytime.

You can google it. But it’s snipping the overhanging branch off a hot scrape and transporting it to another mock scrape. Zip tie it to the mock scrape's overhanging branch.

I’m in 9Y. Wellsville. Just a bit north of the Pa. border in the Genesee River valley and surrounding hills.

Yep...keep enhancing it. More overhanging branches from other scrapes.

This guy finally showed again. Got him in velvet...and then the other night at the same zip-tie scrape setup...First photo is in the fog when he was in velvet. Now...he's hard horn...and a good one for my neck of the woods. I'm not in his core area because I have not seen him since. But there's always hope!

The big boys are finally on their feet in the daytime down here by the Pa. border. Starting to get daytime photos of big bucks at scrapes... this buck is super-psyched! Just gotta be in the right stand. Three different cameras, same buck...about 15 minutes from the first to the last frame of the third camera.

Been seeing rut action, as predicted, starting just after the full moon last week. Two nights ago, three older bucks were rutting behind a doe and her fawn. They were scraping, and intimidating each other. Quite the show. Posturing, ears back, low grunts and moans. etc. Lucky they didn't scent me, so close. Starting to hit my zip-tie scrape setups in the daytime. Seen other bachelor groups beginning to break up, the big boys finally on the move, but mostly at night. Expect to see this action tail off soon though, and then start ramping up again as we get into November.

A few good bucks starting to show up at the zip-tie scrape setups. And tons of smaller ones too. I really like the one with the split G3.