JALA RUT

I saw a woodcock hiking in Durand Eastman Park last weekend. Never saw one there before. Neat looking birds!

Congratulations on a great career and the retirement!

Thanks for the replies guys, very helpful! Now, come on May 1st!

For my pot calls, I use a scotch-brite pad to buff up my slates and a fine grit sand paper to buff up my glass. Are these Ok to use and what grit sand paper do you use?

13 acres with about 4 acres dedicated to the house and yard. The rest is wooded with a creek running through it and a decent sized pond. Good neighbors to my east and west, neighbor to the north not so much but we keep it civil, although at least I seem to get along with him better than everyone else around the area...LOL. Do most of my hunting walking out my back door but my cousin also has a camp on Italy Hill in the southern tier. Do some hunting up there on his property and the state land down the road.

Went for a hike yesterday, 3/10/18, and saw two bucks still holding on to their antlers. I saw another deer that I think was a buck that had already dropped his antlers but not completely sure if it was a buck or a big bodied doe. Here's a pic I got of one of the bucks.

I like the thrill of working lures and the amount of water and cover that can be covered when using lures instead of live bait.

Sod, I used to fish quite a bit through high school and college age but not too consistent after that until about three years ago I started to get back into it more, especially really hard last year. I started keeping a fishing log again last year and ended up catching 93 largemouth bass and 31 pike, all catch and release except 1 pike that swallowed the spinner too deep and wasn't going to make it and 2 largemouth for a nice meal. The large majority of the pike were caught on spinner baits and the bass were on a combination of plastic PowerWorms Texas rigged, Spinner Baits, and a few on top water soft bodied rubber frogs. Last year my biggest pike was about 41" (Caught on a Spinner Bait) and my biggest largemouth last year was 4.17 pounds (caught on a Texas rigged PowerWorm). The pike was caught from a kayak and was pretty cool. He was dragging the kayak around until he hunkered down in the weeds. Tough to get a perfect measurement on him in the kayak but we did our best before releasing him...the scale showed him at 11 pounds but he weighed a little more because even holding him as high as we could while seated in the kayak to weigh him on the scale, part of him was still dangling in the water. Can't wait to get back out there fishing this spring and summer! Good luck out there this year!

Wow, that looks AWESOME!

Good news Eddie, continued prayers sent!

Loved watching that show!

Seems like bucks in my area are still holding, I took this pic last week on a hike.

Yes I would and I have had that happen. I have a ladder stand that is about 55 yards from the property line, partially bordered by a stone wall. Deer travel along both sides of the wall, sometimes on my side and sometimes not. Over the years, I have had some shooter bucks that I have passed on that were walking on the wrong side of the wall a number of times. I got a 9Pt quite a few years ago that was walking on the wrong side of the wall that I managed to call over to my side of the wall. I gave him some grunts and he ended up jumping over the wall looking for a fight...he met a 12Ga slug instead. If he didn't jump the wall to my side, he would have gotten a pass.

Never have but over the last few years have been wanting to try one just to see what it's like.

A few years ago, muzzleloader season 2014, I hit an 8Pt the last hour of legal light with muzzleloader. Had decent blood in the snow and my neighbor joined me to track. The buck ended up crossing property lines North of me where I don't have permission. So I tried finding a phone number on the posted sign, no number listed. By now it was dark so I knew that I wasn't going to mess up anyone's hunt and by the amount of blood I figured the deer wasn't far onto the property, so I decided to track a little into the property, figuring that if I didn't find the deer in about the first 50 yards that I'd back out, find a phone number for permission, and resume tracking in the morning. Well, we found the deer prob a little less than 50 yds into the property. Dragged the buck off the property to gut it. The following morning, I found the phone number on line and called to advise of the deer retrieval because I didn't want anyone to find tracks and think someone was hunting on the property. I explained that the deer only traveled about 50 yds into the property and that I tried to find a phone number on the posted sign, as well as that I would have backed out to call in the morning for permission if the deer traveled further. Well, to put it mildly, the guy was still furious and threatened to have me arrested for trespassing. I told him to do what he needed to do and still managed to end the phone call civilly, half expecting the police to show up at my door. They never did and I never heard anything further. The following season, while lastly checking my stands a couple weeks before the bow opener I heard someone putting up posted signs at the border so I went over and introduced myself shaking hands. First words out of his mouth, were I remember you, you're the trespasser and he followed that with if you even step a foot onto my property again, I'm having you arrested whether you're a cop or not...Well, I bit my tongue again, and remained civil. He explained that he's had other issues with people trespassing year after year and he's sick of it. I assured him that I've had the property since 1999 and that was the first time that I've had to retrieve a deer off his property so I'm not the people that he's been having a problem with. He said that regardless, he's not giving permission to anyone to retrieve deer off his property. I told him that I have his number and will call if by chance that happens. Then, I told him that if he has a deer come onto my property to feel free to retrieve it and to call me, explaining not to check on him but only because I like hearing about the deer taken off the properties and that if I'm home I'd even head out to give him a hand. He said that he wouldn't need a hand and we haven't had to call each other since. We talked a little more about deer hunting and turkey hunting parting on civil terms. He said that I seem like a nice guy but he's still not giving permission to anybody. I told him that hopefully, it'll never be needed but I have his number. Hopefully if I ever need to call, permission is granted. If not, I have to admit, that I'm not going to waste an animal. I will still retrieve in the dark so I don't mess up anybody's hunt and deal with the consequences. I know that I'll get bashed for that on here but it is what it is, I follow all the Encon laws but I'm not going to kill an animal to just let it waste.

I keep them out until about the end of February early March to see which bucks made it through and to see when the majority have dropped their antlers. Then I refresh all with new batteries and put them back out again at some point during the first week or so of Turkey Season in May to watch antler development.

I think I have a trail cam pic of the 8Pt I got opening day of gun. I'll have to double check.

Out of work and back on stand for the final sit of the season. The snow is almost all gone except for scattered patches and the wind is really cranking, but we'll see.

Last few hours of work, then heading out to be in my stand by about 1230 for the last day...Good Luck to all out there trying to get it done in the late season.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong that's making some of my pics post sideways?

Love late muzzle with the snow. Seen a bunch of does but no bucks showed up. Did have a bunch of turkeys roost around me some of them less than 50 yds from me.

Those same 3 doe from yesterday came back today, pretty much to the same spot as yesterday. Hopefully the bucks will be on their feet too.

I agree, they look awesome with a snowy landscape background. I took this pic with my phone of these 3 doe yesterday at about 10 yards from my stand.

Home from work and just made it to the stand for a PM hunt. Hoping that the buck from yesterday shows up again today.

That nice buck that came by never presenting a shot yesterday did walk in front of my trail cam, so I pulled the card last night...he was a real nice 8pt! Man, so close...I'm working a half day today so hopefully get lucky later today.