IronBucks

Thank you all so much for the replies! I’ve never hunted public land before. I am an Uber safe hunter and I have always feared sharing hunting grounds with people that I don’t know are as committed to safety as I am. With scarcity of access to private land around here maybe it is something I need to start exploring.

I have had bad luck with losing hunting spots every couple of years due to the land I hunt being sold to become housing developments. Any ideas on safe and uncrowded spots to hunt in or around Saratoga County NY or know of a property I could lease?

He stopped 50-60 yards away to check me out for a while. Too bad I can't hunt gun on this property because I had him at a perfect broadside shot for at least 45-60 seconds...but it was too far for my bow range. He hopped off and stopped again at about 100 yards then slowly walked off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Correct. He was walking straight at me for the entire time I saw him and I was hunting bow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's a long thin property with one way in. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was busted by a buck walking to my stand on a small 20 acre property in the suburbs this evening. He was walking straight at me and got within 15-20 yards of be before he scented me. He ran off a ways and stared at me for a bit. I only hunt bow there because of the proximity to houses. I can only do one sit tomorrow, do you think I should sit morning or afternoon? He's the only big boy I've seen and caught on camera there with a few doe. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I called the landowner and verified I'm the only one with permission. I told her what I found and she asked me to leave a note and take down the stand. She also have the ok to take the cam and leave my number to retrieve it. I guess I will double lock my stands in there... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll also note that the landowner said ice got exclusive rights and part of the reason she gave me permission was to help keep others off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My fear if taking it down was that it would cause the trespasser to mess with my stuff. The reason I took the cam was so at least I would have a record of who the trespasser is in case they sneak in again. Great pics in the cam! Lots of deer and a couple smaller bucks. The memory card was full. Dropped off in august and hasn't been back apparently. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last night I found a stand and camera on property I have exclusive rights to. I took the camera and left a note asking them to remove the stand and gave my number to retrieve the camera. The tree they set up in is the one I wanted to use. Is it ok to use their stand until they take it down? I don't want to miss the best shot because they stole the spot. I don't want to remove their stand and put mine up because I'm sure they will steal it or damage it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not true. I am sure many people on this site have shot spikes and by the time they told the story a few times that "spike" grew to be a "6 - 8 pt!"

To each his own and I wouldn't judge anyone either way. I used to shoot a doe with fawns until one year when I did and the fawns stuck around crying. I chased them away but they kept walking up while I was trying to field dress mom. They were watching within a couple of feet and ended up following me as I dragged her out on the trail. That being said, if anyone else wants to do it go for it and I don't have a problem with it!

Great read...thanks!

Thanks for the feedback! I did get the matte black for $199 at Dicks...but the Camo style is much more difficult to find at that price.

How important is it to have a camo pattern on your binoculars? I have been testing out a lot of binoculars and I like the Nikon Monarch 3 the best. The camo pattern is pretty hard to come by and the matte black has been on sale. I'm wondering if it is worth the extra effort...

I race triathlons in the summer so I'm an avid biker. I've thought of doing this as well on state land. Making the extra trip in case I bagged something didn't bother me...I was worried about building up a sweat on my way out to the stand. Let me know how it works out!

The shot was 20 yards out from about 15 feet up in a tree stand. Perfect broadside shot. Even thought the blades didn't open the shot went right through the heart and it only ran about 30 yards before dropping. Wouldn't have been so lucky if the shot placement was slightly off...

I finally decided to go back to broadheads after using Rage Mechanicals (I had a Rage not open on a shot last year). I decided on Slick Trick Magnums, but the guys at the shop were all about the Ramcat 100's. The owner said that they shoot just like his field tips out to 50 yards. Wondering if anyone else has experience with these. I watched some YouTube videos and many animals didn't even run off the screen before dropping.

So I am against baiting, ESPECIALLY using store bought, chem lab enhanced products. Last year I found a pile of something that turned in to white mold on a property I lease and I looked around and sure enough there was a trial cam pointed right at it. The whole area stunk and I had my only stand set up a few yards away. That aside, I do have to laugh at some of the arguments...especially when it comes to food plots / trees and using nature's bait for you. For example. Why is it that the man who has access to hunt near an apple tree and shoots a deer eating the apples will make it seem like he is a more skilled and righteous hunter than the person who doesn't have an apple tree and illegally dropped apples? That makes you a legal hunter, and in my opinion more ethical one. But don't kid yourself and say that you are a more skilled or righteous hunter. You both shot deer that were baited to the apples. One was just fortunate enough to have the tree on their property. This is coming from one of those hunters who is lucky enough to hunt a farm.

Sorry...didn't realize the pictures were all sideways...fixed it...

I caught a big bodied 8pt on camera a few weeks back but I didn't see him during bow season at all and I couldn't find much sign of him being around. Sunday morning I stumbled on a trail on a property that I had never seen before. I think I found the area where he has been hiding out. There is a small path with scrapes and rubs everywhere! There are probably 15 trees that are just shredded and a scrape every 20 feet. To the south of this path is just a big plot of very thick woods and brush. To the north is a thin row of trees and then an open field. Would you set up a blind or just stand against a tree and hunt along this scrape trail or set up in the field and try to draw him out by rattling and grunting? ***Updated with better picture views...

My honest answer is that I never have and I wouldn't even know what to do with it if I did!

This was my first opening day ever where I did not even see a single deer! I went to my leased property for the opener and we were watching coyote all morning long. They finally slowed down and then we watched a trespasser walk right into the swamp bedding area we were set up outside of and then he fired 3 shots about 15 minutes later. We were waiting for him to come out but he never did before dark so he may have exited another way. I went to a farm where I have permission on Sunday morning and I kicked up a bunch of coyote there as well. I have seen deer in that field every morning for a full week except for Sunday. It was also in the 60's here... Wondering how other people made out with the full moon and the weather? The coyotes were going crazy with the moon for sure...

If I don't get anything, I will sit until 5pm. I will bring a sub for lunch and then some protein bars, apples, cookies, and beef jerky for snacks. I also bring a thermos of coffee and some gatorade. May as well make myself comfortable for the long day!