coonhunter

I am glad to see there are still hunters that feel this way. These days most of the good land is tied up in leases and posted up tight. It is tough for new or inexperienced hunters to find places to hunt other than state lands, which can be tough, as well as unsettling with all the shooting. I always try to take someone new out every year to try and get them hooked on hunting. Too often now a days, deer hunters fall into the me, me, me attitude. They forget all about what it was like to get started with nothing to go by but stories and magazine articles. I know I have good land to hunt, and I try to share it with others. So far, it has worked out well with hunters of all ages, male and female. No, they don't always get deer, but they almost always get opportunities, and even if they didn't, they got to see what hunting is about. It is a win for me because I always enjoy the excitement from others and the stories to be told for years. So, it is not all about being unselfish because of the enjoyment I get from the experiences.

I have a friend at work who is almost fifty. He has never killed a deer and had not even tried for probably 30 years. He was kind of indifferent to it until the the various gun laws were passed that made his legally purchased rifles illegal. This gave him a new desire to shoot and hunt. Last year he didn't have a lot of free time because it was new, and unplanned. This year he was committed to putting his time in. He has never had an experienced hunter to help him out, and I offered to put him in one of my spots if he was going to be able to sit and not wander around. He jumped at the chance and I helped him out with dressing for the cold. He already had joined a gun club, and we went and sighted in his rifle, and just plain shot enough bullets so he was comfortable and confident. Saturday came along and he was waiting for me when I pulled in. I told him to unzip his coats to keep his body from getting hot and sweaty because it is a long, uphill hike into the woods, and the temps were pretty chilly for someone not used to it. I walked him right to his spot so he didn't have to look for it when it got light. It is pretty thick with openings for shooting, and I reminded him to take his time, and wait for a clear shot if a deer came. I showed him the area I would be in my stand, and where he would be perfectly safe shooting towards. Then, I went to my stand. We had some early action with fawns feeding in the area. He had a doe tag as well as his gun tag, and I was emphatic that he could shoot anything he wanted. I kept waiting for him to shoot, but he never did and told me a few times on the radio that he had some clear shots, but could tell they were fawns, and he wanted a bigger deer. Well, a little before noon, I called him on the radio to tell him I hadn't seen anything in a hour and he said it was the same for him. But then he said he had deer coming and I told him to pick out a big one and shoot it. He told me they were all small again, but then he said," Oh wait! There's a big one." A couple minutes later he shot. I asked if he got it and he didn't know. I asked if it had horns and he said I'm sure i saw antlers on it. I told him to mark with his eyes exactly where he shot at it. Now comes the best part. He says, "I gotta sit down. I'm shaking and I can't hardly breathe" I climbed down and walked up to him and he showed me a stump where the deer was standing. We walked up to it and there are not even any tracks in the snow. He was sure the stump was in his sight when he pulled the trigger, so we walked further beyond it and found hair and blood. Now, he is getting upset because he thinks it got away. I said we just have to track it and it was no big deal because he was sure of his target, and I know he can shoot. 25 yards later we find a nice young spike laying dead. You would have thought I gave him a million dollars he was so happy. We took pictures with our phones and sent them to his wife and my wife. He couldn't stop talking or hold still. It was awesome, and no different than the youth hunters I take out. He gutted the deer by himself with a few tips, and then found out what it is like to drag a deer back to the road. I know this is a long story, but I wanted to point out some of the things experienced hunters forget about and often don't tell the guys with little or no experience. Back at work today he was still excited and can't wait to get back out this weekend to try and fill his doe tag.

That's a lot of blood, especially with no exit wound. Just slow down and take your time. I can honestly say that i have never had that much blood and not recovered the deer. Keep track of last blood so you don't lose it, and find the deer.

Curmudgen, we have Amish on the other side of the road. We have had no issues other than a few trespassing incidences. They did not allow us on their land for any reason, and the favor was returned. After a very cold start to neighborly relations, it has become much better. This year I helped an Amish boy out with an old set-up of mine, and he was able to kill a big, fat doe. He is a lifer for bow hunting now. They do a ton of shooting the first couple Saturdays, and then they go back to work. I have heard of other areas where the deer seem to disappear in a few years when they move to the area, but hasn't been an issue here.

Curmudgen, I am in 4F in the township of Edmeston. The property I hunt, and quite a bit of the surrounding properties have been letting the young bucks walk for several years. There are always at least 2 or 3 mature bucks in the area. These are by no means rules or mandatory. Just a bunch of hunters that have killed a lot of bucks over the years. Any youngster gets a free pass, as well as hunters that just want the meat. Fortunately, 4F is back giving out doe tags so they can get their meat that way if they so choose. The biggest drawback to having some nice bucks is that everyone posts up their land and more people quit hunting. My farm is not posted, but a lot of the other land is. I can't fault people for wanting to have good hunting, but there are a lot of properties that only have a couple guys hunting that could easily be hunted by a half dozen without crowding at all. In the end, not enough does get shot in a lot of areas, and the population gets out of hand. It's a tough call with posting property because we have all seen how some hunters are just too greedy and inconsiderate of the landowner and other hunters. I am fortunate in the fact that my woods are a long way off the road and uphill, so the numbers have never gotten very high. The farmer does not allow 4 wheelers at all, and this is the one thing that keeps it pretty quiet. I would like to say it will always be open, but I have never had to deal with the inconsiderate hunters that others deal with all the time.

Despite seeing a lot of deer crossing the road and even more in fields this morning, I saw zero from my stand. Wind put me down at a little before 11:00. It was a little warm, but seemed like a beauty of a morning. That makes three slow mornings in a row. Hopefully the evenings stay hot like they have been.

Brings back a lot of fond and sad memories. My dad has been gone for years, but I still miss the time in the woods we had for close to thirty years. He had cancer for the last 10 years of his life. It was slowed considerably by chemo, allowing him to hunt right up to his last year. He was stubborn and there was no telling him he might not be able to deer hunt. The last couple seasons, he could not handle the cold very well. I would tell him to call me on the radio when he was getting chilled, but he would never call until I had to almost carry him out of the woods. The next day, we would do it all over. Sounds like a pain in the ass, but I wouldn't have traded it for the world.

Vacation for me this week. Mornings have been slow for a couple days. This afternoon I saw a mix of seven does and fawns, a 4 point yearling, and 1 pretty nice 8 point. Probably should have taken the shot, but hemmed and hawed about 2 nicer bucks we have seen, and then he was in the thick stuff and safe. Still no chasing, and fawns still with mommas. I do have a scrape that was inactive for a couple weeks, that was reopened and as big as a small table top. I will be perched in the area of that tomorrow morning as well.

Just put some baking soda in your hand. Add a few drops of peroxide and just enough dish soap to make a paste. Rub it all over your hands for a couple minutes and then rinse. That should help you out.

That one is tough to understand for me. It is morally wrong for me to enjoy looking at deer and other wildlife at night, and to allow it on the farm I hunt? I guess I am morally corrupted thinking wildlife is for all to enjoy, and not just landowners and the lease holders. I am probably supposed to be especially mad at my neighboring property because they took two mature bucks last year that I saw on my land earlier in the season. Not. Deer hunting will always be a hobby for me that involves friends, family, and even people I have yet to meet. I have not shot a mature buck in two years, but friends and neighbors have, and we enjoy them together. I feel that the more hunters stress about the little things, the closer it gets to being just like a job. There has not been one post condoning shooting deer with a spotlight, yet you keep coming back to poaching. Big difference. Not every spot lighter is looking to hunt or shoot a deer. But, if you want to lose sleep over worrying about someone seeing your deer, be my guest. I'm proud of the fact that over the last 5-10 years, the experienced hunters in my area become comfortable letting bucks walk for the benefit of all. And, at the same time, let the youngsters and newcomers shoot what they want. Some years we shoot a lot of does to fill our freezers. Some years the luck is on our side, and a few will be fortunate enough to score on nice bucks. Guess I rambled on a little bit. I am just more old school than a lot of people on here. I have more fun hunting and comparing notes, sightings, pictures, etc with other people and property owners.

That is my favorite picture in a long time.

Two more in the books. I try every time, hoping this will be the time upstate can override the city.

My wife got a phone call of the same ilk on Sunday. When she was done speaking, some poor soul hung up with his ears burning. Needless to say, Astorino will be getting her vote in a short while.

I also enjoy spotlighting deer, and people spotlight the farm I hunt a lot. As long as no shots are fired, there is nothing wrong with it. Stay away from houses and camps and there is nothing illegal about it. I just like to see wildlife in general, and at night, it is a good time to see some bucks you haven't seen, and maybe even see a true giant that you didn't know was in the area. Friday night, my buddy ran his hounds right in the heart of my hunting area. I don't care one bit. The deer stay right there. Even though he shot a couple coons out, I still saw plenty of deer on Saturday, including a few bucks. TV, magazines, and just plain being selfish, has just about ruined deer hunting in my eyes.

Oh, I was wanting you to do it pretty bad. Jokes are always better when the people are helping you out. Then, you told me you could hear metal inside, and I was just as curious as everyone else. Sorry you didn't have a cool story and pictures to share. Just having a locked safe is pretty neat though.

Only my second and third sits today in 4F. Morning was slow in an old apple orchard with just two does with twins slowly feeding their way back to their bedding area. Afternoon hunt the wind had switched so I could get into one of my better areas. Deer were really on the move. I counted 17 and probably missed a few. They were all heading to feed in a green hay field. Absolutely no chasing or posturing. One really nice 8 that I would like a little closer look at. He is one I have not seen this year. Looked like a shooter, but was out at 80 yards moving through a lot of thick stuff. I love the beech ridges, but the darn leaves sure are stubborn, and they make a lot of noise in the wind.

I have two young ladies gun hunting with me this year. Both of them shot deer in the youth hunts the last couple years sitting by my side. I would put their shooting ability up against almost any hunter, and at a couple turkey shoots last year, did just that. Lets just say, they went home with a couple turkeys, and I went home with a couple $10 bills I didn't have when I got there. I agree with Jennifer in that a lot of men have a big problem with females doing outdoors stuff in general. God forbid they beat them at a turkey shoot, or go out and shoot nice deer. I don't understand the lack of support girls get from the hunting community in general. It is slowly coming around, and I for one, am glad.

130 gr power points for me. They are cheap and readily available. Have to take a little care with the tips as they seem to ding up pretty easy. Never has caused me to have accuracy issues in the field. I have my scope zeroed 1 inch high at 100 yards, and this covers me out to 200 with no aim adjustments.

Thanks. What you are describing is what I wanted to see. I have seen several live and mounted bobcats, but don't remember ever seeing a lynx mounted.

That is an awesome showpiece. Any way you could get a picture of this lynx with your bobcat just for a comparison in size, fur, and just overall appearance? I have never seen the two cats side by side.

All I can say is that I will take my chances. My perforations are all over the place so i cut them with scissors to make sure my numbers are there. Now, I have to worry about the ink coming off. A guy at work checked his today, and lo and behold, his are almost blank now. What a joke. I will not be spending more time getting more tags. I paid my money, I am on record, and I will put my tags, as is, on my deer. Piss poor attitude, I know, but I am sick of the crap that goes on with our state government and its agencies.

I killed a lot of deer with the mini blasters. Never had a problem with finding the deer. Seems like the price would come down with all the fancier mechanicals out there now.

Nobody has a young man or gal ready to go? Has been one of my most enjoyable weekends the last couple years.

Sat from 4 til dark tonight in a travel area between apple trees and a beech ridge. Still a ton of leaves. I didn't have to worry about sunset because it was too dark to see my pins when I climbed down, but when I got back out to the pasture, I could see them fine. Plenty of game movement almost the whole time i was there. Apples are almost completely gone, and we have not had a frost yet, so the beech are still holding a lot of nuts. Squirrels and chipmunks are unbelievable in numbers. I saw 11 deer including two young bucks well within range. Well above average for a first sit of the year. Need a lot safer wind direction to get in my traditionally better spots.

Seems so simple, but a couple times I have gotten myself all settled in and forget to nock an arrow and don't realize it until deer are coming. That puts a little panic in you.