Daveboone

Good to know. I have used the spikes, but not consistently.

I rarely shoot two bucks in one year. About 2007, I was lucky enough to shoot a nice four point with my muzzleloader on my inlaws farm. I was quite happy with that, but still had my regular season tag, and a long season. Best of all worlds, I happily continued to hunt whenever I had a chance, but has happy in knowing I had meat in the freezer. The week end after thanksgiving, a couple friends called and asked me if I wanted to join them that Saturday hunting on their families land outside Cazenovia. Sure thing. That morning was cold, brisk, clear as a bell with about 12" of fluffy snow having fallen over the past few days. I decided to bring my in line mL again. First thing in the morning, I was posted overlooking a hardwoods, with a lot of track going through it. I didn't see anyting, but it was as beautiful a day as you could imagine, sun shining on me, the fresh snow sparkling like diamonds, and plenty of squirrels and chicadees scurrying about to watch. I didn't see anything, but still was enjoying myself. About 9:30, Jack wandered over, and took me to a new place overlooking a couple stone walls intercepting in an open hardwood. Again I settled down on my little stool, leaning back against a tree and was perfectly happy to contemplate a nap, when I caught movement out of the corner of my right eye. Sneaking along the stone wall parallel to where I was, a nice buck was busily following a scent, as evidenced by his busy nose stuck way out in front. I instantly saw he was bigger than my earlier four point, so I brought up my rifle and as he was passing between two trees fired. after the smoke cleared, I could see him still trotting about fourty yards strait ahead of where he was, then pile up. Walking up to him, I was surprised with his size, but his antlers were buried in the snow where pitched head first. I grabbed an ear and lifted his head to find a fine high tight 11 (maybe 12) point, face andneck swollen from the rut. An absolutely splendid buck. Although I had shot bigger and more perfect, he is by far my most favorite, largely due to that splendid day. Thank goodness I had plenty of help dragging him out! He was aged at 4 1/2 years, wt 218 (dressed). He is the only buck I had mounted.

The DEC regs describe exact management area borders, usually roads, etc. No doubt a management area could be split in that way. Just like if you were hunting private land, better be sure your permit is appropriate for where you are actually hunting. If you park in one area, wander into another(which can happen right behind my house) you are in violation.

More of a personal "honey do" list. Actually I have an ongoing note on my cellphone of stuff that is needed or needs to be done at the camp: groceries, chores, maintenance etc. so I can set the money aside. The unwritten list is where trees need to be cut/ brush lines moved back, etc.

I may use a squirt of doe pee on a trail to slow/stop a buck. It has worked a number of times.

How long did it take for you to get fruit on the chestnuts? I planted 8 about four or five years ago, and another Dunstan this past spring, none yet.

A great buck! As much as the rack, the ancient grayed face mask! Not all areas produce the same, and there is no doubt that guy has been around.

Awesome for the kid, but that gun is still shiny new by my standards!

Coming from a long time rottie owner....and someone who is very critical of chainsaw work, as around here everyone with a homelite thinks they are an artist...…….. That is great! Wonderfully well done. I made the mistake of showing the wife …..

Heck, if it is coming with a scope, you are paying for it...may as well give it a try. I like good glass, but earlier this year my Leupold scope on my .308 fritzed on me and wouldn't hold a group. I had a VERY inexpensive 4 power shotgun scope in hand, so I tossed it on it. It held a zero and group just fine. I will get the Leupold repaired (great warranty service ) but I am confident for this year. Cheap scopes nowadays are waaaaaay better than cheap scopes thirty years ago.

I think a tree stand is going to make a huge diff, sounds like you are earnestly trying to do what you need to do. It is amazing how getting off the ground helps you out...helps with scent, visibility for you, cuts down on your visibility to the deer, you are able to see a larger area more effectively and see deer further out....but you are smart to be careful about what you get. I have no doubt you will get a tree stand eventually. If it is a climber (easiest and probably best for public land) practice with it plenty at home until you are comfortable with it. Use a safety belt! I don't heave cell phone service where I hunt, but it is a good safety protection if you do have service. I by far prefer and now only use ladder stands, but they are on my property (mostly), and all have some sort of "shooting rail" or bar across at least the front, which helps keep you a bit more secure. I have to admit I do have several tree stands on public land, but they are very discreet and off the beaten path (and inexpensive if someone rips em off).

Do you use a tree stand? Are you keeping in the shadows? Often we make the mistake of trying to watch too much area, instead of a more focused area. How early do you get there? How long do you sit? How still can you sit? A good friend of mine got exasperated when he wasn't seeing deer year after year, but I couldn't get him to understand that dammit, he had to get into the woods EARLY, and don't be afraid of the dark leaving! Stop pigging out the whole time he was on stand, and dammit, leave the toys at home and HUNT! I once read, and believe, that the average buck is only sighted for 3-4 seconds before he is gone....I believe it. The warmer you are, the more still you can be. I hunt every chance I can throughout the season, most week end days morning and evening, as well as a 9 day week at the end of the season. Most days I don't see anything. Some I do. but each year I make meat, and it is more important for me to be out in the woods than to tag quickly.That makes for a horrible season for me.

Some of my earliest memories were of me begging to go with dad hunting. He never did much, at that age mainly some bird hunting, and some half hearted deer hunting. There probably is no real explaining it....I have to be in the woods to smell the turn of the season, hear the geese overhead,, the chill of the north wind.... I love the venison, love the first glimpse of an ear or tail through the trees, planning where I need to be for the wind and light...the friends gathered, the silence, the frost on the leaves... I guess I hunt because it has more purpose than anything else I do, and I KNOW why I hunt. So much of the rest of life I am not so sure of.

No matter the situation, if I see it go down I am going to confirm it close up. I have seen more than one downed deer get up and take off again. No matter the situation or weather though, I am going to get the deer gutted out and cooling as soon as possible. That thick coat holds a lot of heat in, even if lying on snow. Two reasons....first, the sooner the meat is cooled, no matter how cold out, the better, 2nd, it makes me barf to gut cold deer. Afterwards if I am morning hunting and tags depending, I will keep hunting, and on several occasions have shot another deer.

Gangrene you will smell immediately, and will be very obvious....think a wound that looks like rotting blackened road kill. I have cleaned a number of road kill deer, and injuries/ bruising, is very obvious once you skin it out (not allways obvious with hide on).

It had some sort of irritation there and rubbed it down

Both my Ruger 77s I replaced triggers with a Timney. piece of cake to do on your own, you might need to remove some wood around it(pretty sure I did). Even though the Timneys were both adjustable, I was very happy with what they were set at and didn't change a thing. You want to make sure that the safety stays in place and funcitons correctly. If you aren't used to this kind of work thought, absolutely have smith do it. The triggers themselves only were about 50 bucks.

I wish I had one....I can remember in hunting camp in the late 70s one of the guys had one. I have no idea what caliber.

The puppies will stay with mom through the winter, but after hibernation Mom will kick them out before she becomes in heat. If she doesnt, there is a good risk of the boars killing them. Mom is nice fall fat, but not particularly big. In early bear season (spring) a couple times I have seen the cubs trying to tail mom, and she is willing to wallop them a fair bit to get the message across.

About ten years ago near dusk, I was amazed to see what appeared in profile to be a big cat, but in the same instant I knew it wasnt. It took me a moment to realize it was a damn big otter wandering through the woods. (keeping in mind low light, etc). With the big strong tail, slanky body and small head (but no ears I saw at the time) I became sure that for some folks not so in the know, a big otter could be mistaken for a mountain lion. Obviously the sawed off legs, small ears, etc. are a dead giveaway but for folks not used to looking at either....I was probably happier to see the otter than I would have seeing a panther.

Somehow I doubt that...Where the hell did they learn the Macarena ? MAYBE down state....maybe.

Venison saurbratten with fried noodles, my lasagna soup,

On a rare occasion....My 45-70 is a telephone pole of a Browning falling block. HEAVY and LONG. the round is great, my rifle, just too damn big and heavy to tote much. I have shot 4 bears with it. I have to haul it in, but then I was sitting still in a shack or blind for about 8 hrs after, so the length and weight were immaterial. Be aware that the round is loaded in a number of intentions...traditional arms, relatively historic low pressure, some for mid strength modern rifles, usually lever actions, and the full house rounds that are designed for modern single shots. Any of them will kill a deer well enough, but the milder rounds actually are more than enough for anything but western bears, African critters, etc. they have a rainbow trajectory, so know what it does at a variety of ranges.

I used to carry my Super Blackhawk. I decided to carry it one day to slowly work across a cedar swamp up north. Just after I started, I saw the largest buck I have yet to see sneaking through the browse toward me. I thought to myself...I am about to shoot my best ever buck, the first day carrying this....at that point the buck snorted, saw me, elevated 12 feet into the air and about faced, didnt touch down for about 300 yards. At that time I looked at the Ruger and said knowingly to myself..."If I had any of my long guns, i would have had him...." well, maybe... At any rate, I decided then and there that if I was serious about this sport, I should be using what I shoot best, and havent carried a handgun hunting since. At one time I carried either the blackhawk or my model 28 but decided there was absolutely no reason to carry all that extra weight.

Outstanding!huge kitty. who needs a mountain lion with bobcats that big around?