Daveboone

Oh, man, if that is like the thornapples I have on my property, they can be a serious problem. A few years back, I had a branch snap back planting about a 3" long one in my left forearm, snapping off, leaving it just under the skin. It was near a nerve, and anytime I moved my arm it was like an electrical jolt. I had to have it surgically removed at an ED! When I got home, as I was showering I found another of the damned things in my L bicep! That one with some help from my wife, I was able to hook with a small bent fishhook, catching the swelled base of the thorn with the barb....might try that?

I had seen this fellow several times starting opening w/e, and since early fall on my game camera. Last sunday he wandered past me looking for some girlfriends.

Oh my! What a splendid animial. At least you found him, and now he will be remembered.

I am not sure what temp. urine freezes at....urine is salty, but I am sure like all liquids it evaporates more slowly in cold temps. I tend to use urine more along trails I am watching, to catch a bucks attention as he is passing through to offer a better shot. It worked to a T sunday. A little spray of Tinks #9 along a trail, the buck was cruising along and would probably have only offered a shot at a trot, but slowed right down to check it out. Tag filled.

They should be fine. Modern ammo components are stable as a rock...exception if there was any chance of them being stored damp. I would only err on the side of setting them aside for practice/ range rounds.

I think it depends a lot on other factors too...the wind, precipitation, etc. On a cold snap like Thursdays, I would certainly be keeping a close watch on the sunny hillsides. the deer will move to those, and then probably earlier in the evening than normal to get to food sources. They will still need to drink, also.

There are absolutely exceptions, just as plenty of the guys who shoot only one deer do not always take them legally. I admit I in the past had taken three legal bucks (regular, ml, archery, and lets not forget that for a few years deer management permits in certain areas were for either / or). I decided for myself, despite being able to purchase AND legally shoot three bucks, it was excessive. I have a number of acquantances and friends who are excellent skilled hunters who (unfortunately now in my eyes) can and do take three bucks, legally and ethically. Myself, I look at the ML/ archery season as only a way of stretching the season, not making it more productive.

Without looking it up, I recall the statement that the deer legally goes to the hunter who "fired the killing shot". Technically, even a lower leg wound/ gut shot is going to kill it eventually (infection, etc), despite the potential argument that amazingly some recover, but lets face it, the hunter who fires the shot that put the deer down for good has best claim.

sharpies are a good thing to keep in the bag for that.

I always thought the easiest and best way to that end, was to make a one buck limit per hunter a year. I know many hunters who (legally) take a buck with bow, muzzle loader then in regular season. I guess nothing wrong with what they are doing except being a bit of a game hog. That could be two more successful buck hunters out there, / two bucks growing older.

I love heart pickled, I usually try to get a couple of them before I do, but it is super simple and quick. I was really bummed last week when I shot lower than I anticipated and vaporized a big does heart. (them made the wife grumpy when I left the liver on the ATV seat).

It is exactly that taste/ texture that I recall from the several times I had done it. I think most of that is from the fat/ tallow though.

Huh, that recipe for stock does sound good. Guess I need to try it again.

So where is our long awaited trip report? Ya had half of us included in on the planning, you be owin'!

? Why is that a problem? my Remington 87o Winchester slug gun and Ithaca Deer slayer love Winchester Sabots, and shoot them best.

Over the years, too much to mention! Probably the most missed item was my hat! Only Saturday though, I kneeled down to gut a deer, to find that my knife wasn't in my pocket in its usual spot. I had bad vibes when I realized the zipper on the pocket was open.... Luckily it was only ten minutes to the cabin for my spare and back, and even better my missing knife was on the floor.

As of last week end, snow at the camp! Arriving in the early am howling wind, bringing in the snow laden front, I was blessed to have a doe and fawn wander by within minutes of getting in my stand. Only minutes later, I spot a very heavy buck cautiously following, coming in to within about 35 yards, but he is too cautious, and something the other side of him sends him bounding. I later find him on my game camera, a very high racked heavy based four point, frequently in company with an 8 ptr, big, but not as big. He is the other side of some scrub, without offering a good shot. Later in the day, wind is dying down but the snow is kicking in, I wander back to my stand after catching a break to spook a large deer out from underneath my stand. Rats. Time passes quickly on stand. With the wind whipping and flurries flying, the squirrels and birds are in a tizzy. I love hunting the sloppy weather, and am loving it. Geese are flying low overhead, and the chickadees are innocently landing all around and on me. that sunday a.m. I am in the woods even earlier, hoping not to spook any critters. No doing. Again I spook them away from my stand area (Wild apples along side an overgrown food plot). I am happily watching the day start, when I realize the noise, thought to be squirrels, is a little too regular in rhythm. I look behind me to see my big buck running uphill behind a doe , about 100 yards out. Undoubtedly heading into the cedars along a swale the other side of my neighbors. They will be safe at least for today. He isn't hunting this w/e. All sorts of woods in between him and me, he is safe. As I slowly turn back to my front, I am amazed to see the other buck from my game camera rubbing away on some tiger maple below me in a swampy area! Son of a gun! Only about 80 yards maybe, but no way am I taking the shot through the spider webs of alder, scrub, etc. in between. The morning couldn't be better. This week end, I am driving up to the camp at about 5 am through Panther Lake, to find a beautiful 8 pointer on the edge of the road, seemingly judging the threat from me to the new snowbank the plow has put up. Word has spread to him not to worry about me apparently, The camp is on a seasonal road, not plowed. Luckily the 4wd is up to getting me up to the camp, with about one foot of newheavy crust on the ground, all accumulated since Friday a.m., but rained on. All the snow around looks like a cattle pen....deer track every where walking in . The wind is from the west, with intermittent snow pellet squalls. NIce and crappy, just the way I like it! I spend another morning enjoying all the seasonal woods activity, but it appears the deer were busy last night and are staying snug this a.m. after a can of dinty moore for lunch I decide to get back up in my stand, but move to one a bit more westerly, to ensure keeping the wind in my face. AT 1:30, it already seems to be twilight. The birds and squirrels are acting like they are on meth still, and time is going quickly. My ability to last on stand lengthens as the season does, and the weather gets crappier (doesn't make sense, but I like the slop). The day is getting near ending, and I am considering checking the time when a couple of blobs work through the brush north of me, before coming out into the opening. A foolish fawn is in the lead, with his much more patient gray faced mom behind. She isn't paying any attention behind her, so I am thinking it is a safe bet no followers. I have a doe tag, and passed several earlier in the season. I have four days off next week end, but if the weather continues, I may not be able to get to the camp.... Sorry sonny, but mom is on the menu. I prefer to shoot lone does, but there are plenty of others for Junior to tag along with for some guidance this winter. She is a beautiful mature doe, who drops quickly to the heart shot ( I am annoyed I shot a bit low....I like the heart pickled). I have to shoo the fawn away from mom, who isn't responding to its bleats. My faithful 8mm Mauser (previously Dads) is as dependable as they come, with my handloads, after along series of upgrades from its original 1933 configuration. After giving thanks to the doe, I reach into my pocket for my Sharpfinger to first realize the pocket was unzipped, then that my knife isn't there! Damnation! I travel light, so in the fading light hot foot it back to the cabin for my spare. I have a guilt trip from the fawn who is still hanging close by, as they often do , not experienced enough to process what has just happened. I am getting wimpy, so I fire up the atv which is just able to fight its way down through the snow and woods to the doe. Damn thing isn't warm, so it keeps stalling. Damn headlamp wont stay on! WTH? So as not to kill the battery on the light, I field dress in the dark. NIce thing to know how to do, but you, shall we say, tend to get tickets for learning how to. Luckily circumstances change. It is nice that there is a lot of fresh snow all around, which I fill the cavity with several times, then wipe clean with. I remember to get the liver for my wife, for whom it is a great delicacy. the heart unfortunately is smithereens., I don't have a plastic bag for the liver, so put it on the back seat of the ATV. Day is done, hang the deer for tonight with the plan to skin/ quarter, wrap in plastic until next week end when I will have more time. DAMMIT! I left the liver on the ATV seat! Wife is giving me hell!

Meat! NIce fat gray faced doe. Nothing fills the freezer better. What did you use?

At one time they were allways kept for boiling for stock, no one was going to throw away all that nutrition. Nowadays....I think they make poor stock, the tallow does not impair a good taste, most recipes recommend using beef stock instead.

Jeesh, I like the concept, but I have tough enough time hauling em out, then loading on the atv/ into the truck, usually in the dark (side note....most of mine are shot in the late afternoon, dark by the time I am out). Maybe...cut just a bit of slack and take a boy scouts honor it was shot on state /public land, and the forest? I guess on that note, my best bucks off state land are all on old 35 mm pics, not digital. How did the ADK trip work out Storm914?

second side note after re reading you initial letter... I not too long ago read in one of the outdoor magazines about sighting in woes...including symptoms like what you talk about: shots being very erratic, not responding to adjustment. I had a newly scoped rifle that was doing the same. The article mentioned that it is possible to unevenly torque a scope tightening it. Cheap unlevel mounts can do it, or unevenly torqued down. I pulled the scope off, rechecked and leveled the mounting, and replaced the scope being very careful with the torquening. problem went away.

Several things to help eliminate issues: First, like has previously been said, make sure all mounts /wood is tight. My preference for my rifles is to site it in first with the open sites before mounting a scope. Ya never know. At modest ranges (my 30-30s) I site them for fifty yards, and can keep a rested group of about an inch and 1/2. If you can keep a tight group with the open sites, you know for sure it isn't the barrel, which is doubtful unless heavily fouled anyway. If you are experienced/ know what you are doing,Take the scope and mount totally off and remount it. Make sure the bore is thoroughly scrubbed, cleaned and wiped dry. Is it a quick detacheable mount? if so they are notorious for being poor for accuracy. Make sure you are sighting from a rest, but not hard blocks. You want stability but a hard rest can make it jump. Don't worry about distance. Start at fifty yards or so, with a big wide poster back drop so you can see where you are off. Shoot a group....at least three shots without changing anything. that is your control. Unless the scope is junk, you should have a reasonably tight group (how tight? tough to say, but two inches out of an older well used gun at 50 may be acceptable....you know you have to limit your distances and pick your shots though, as the group will open up / roughly double as you double the distance). If so, you should be able to zero in the scope. IF the shots are still all over the place, probably the scope is no good. It was very common to throw a cheap scope on a lot of 30-30s, for many years they were pretty inexpensive themselves, and usually had a likewise cheap scope tossed on them. What is the gun? I am guessing a Marlin or Winchester 94. Marlins could be a real solid platform. Older model 94s needed an offset mount before they angle ejects came along...and that wasn't a very good set up. My preference for a 94 is to put an aperture (peep) site on it. With practice, excellent accuracy can be had with practice, within a given range. These are just my experiences, and suggestions.

If it is sighted with a scope, I would think it shouldn't make a difference. With open sights, it is a lot tougher...folks hold and sight very differently, many are in the bad habit of using the front bead as a dead center hold, obscuring a huge amount of the target, as opposed to using a true six oclock hold, which can give you a very fine line.

venison steak/ chops and eggs for breakfast. Dinner is usually a big beef stew, or maybe a real thick hearty chicken noodle soup/ Italian sausage soup. Lasagna is also great. most all of them can be prepared ahead of time. the w/e after Thanksgiving is normally turkey noodle soup.

My first choice for my first bear hunt was a 300 win mag, as I was strongly instructed was necessary by a couple of other bear hunters. The only bear I saw that week was a small bear at last light the last day. the shot blew through the poor thing leaving half its guts behind and a section of three ribs. the bear still ran about 60 yards. I was horrified, and retired the gun on the spot. I then went to a 45-70 for my next five hunts, all resulting in one shot knock downs. Mind you, not necessarily knocked off their feet, but they collapsed on the spot without the horrible excess trauma (all following bears were mature bears).