Five Seasons

lol. So you didn't fill any doe tags? But you don't want to see any antlered pics? Can we see that picture of you holding the heart again? I don't think I've seen it quite enough times yet. My freezer was full btw. A mature 9 point and 2 doe. I have no doubt the lord has helped guide me on my path in life. But I don't just say a prayer and walk in the woods and magically stuff happens either.

this horse has certainly been beaten to death. But you're wrong. Sure, a compound can be as accurate, but I need to train and spend time to become proficient. I cant shoot bullls with my scope and bipod crossbow out the box. Please also dont underestimate "keeping it cocked". We've all lost deer on the draw.

holy mother of mary. Did I just read that? Not one bowhunter has made any disparaging remarks in this thread about other hunters. In fact, we agreed we're all gun hunters too. Now you actually put up a wall against other hunters? pitiful.

You sir, are off your rocker. bow season scent is hurting gun hunters. that may be the best one yet.

i'm not saying you're wrong, but i wouldn't believe anything until I see it written in a reg somewhere

it's amazing what they can travel through. and even worse what they decide to crash into when they die. I found this guy only by crawling on my belly, then going back and getting pruners so I could get him out of the brambles.

i keep tags with meat until gone. I'm sure there's a rule somewhere but I don't believe you're required to keep it beyond then. I do believe the DEC would have your records in a database after reporting though. I think mostly it's a harmless issue but any "fresh" racks might raise an eyebrow if for some reason an econ officer visits your barn.

A couple of points. 1. Archery is almost all about muscle memory. If you golf or bowl or participate in any skilled sport then you know what I mean. The best skills are developed by repetition. But most importantly, by repeating proper techniques and not learning bad habits. A local club and even youtube will get you started on techniques. After that it's all about trying to shoot at least a few dozen arrows every night. Do not overshoot. You'll get sloppy and develop bad habits. 2. Archery target shooting is not difficult. Most guys will hit the block every time right out of the gate. The challenge obviously comes in grouping in that little circle and not just hitting the block. But a properly tuned and sited bow will get you 70% of the way there. Once you feel good, have a friend watch you. The added "pressure" can help simulate shooting a deer. Knee shaking, heart pounding shooting wearing full camo in November is much different than shorts and a t-shirt in the summer shooting at a target. 3. Archers are defensive. Not so much within our own group but within hunters. We get labeled as elitist we get labeled as the "wounders of all deer". So when we welcome a newbie to our ranks we really want to be sure he or she is ready to hunt. Wounding a deer with the stick and string is very easy and it's not good for the sport, the hunters ego and most of all the animal. So we just want you to make us all proud. Sometimes it just comes out wrong. 4. Don't worry about seeing a deer. 1/2 the fun of hunting is getting out in the woods and enjoying nature. It will come with time. If you're worried about being a buffoon then you're in the wrong sport. We all do dumb things and we all started at some point. Some of us are lucky to have had mentors and hopefully these forums can provide that for you, but be aware up front that many successful experienced hunters go days without seeing deer. It is certainly not a sport for those seeking immediate gratification.

My advice is a little different. Get near the thick stuff, but limiting your range to 10 yards wont yield great potential. Setup just outside that area. Great hunting can be had in transition zones. That buck will go into the thick stuff (or come out of it) to bed itself or find bedding doe. Being on the outside gives you better options. You don't always need 30 yard lanes, but try for some 20 yard shots and look for intersecting runs, not just one. In and out of the thick stuff.

I think it's more like areas that are just hard to get too. Take caution with making obvious approach trails and what not, but essentially when you and anyone else enters the woods to scout you take the path of least resistance right? So make a couple turns through some thicker harder to walk through areas. You still want to hunt an area with clear shooting lanes, but the trick is to find that spot that has the lanes but is hard to get through. On private land we actually cut some runs our own through the thick. Can't do that on most public land so make an effort to keep your approach and path minimal. You'll still need to get there in the dark and you'll still need a way to get the buck out... But you'd be surprised just how darn lazy some hunters are.

that's just as bad as saying the score that really counts is the antler. It's not just meat, and it's not just antlers and for some it's neither. Hunting success is defined by the hunter and that's it.

I already gave him a shot for this. Lets not turn him off. You can certainly get suited up and equipped quickly if you want. Then practice like hell over the next month and continue to practice in to the season. Too many guys warm up in September and stop shooting in October. As long as you know your limits as an archer you should have no issue taking a good clean broadside shot at 20 yards.

my favorite thing about someone attacking someones intelligence is when they use bad grammar and typos. I'm not sure I'd have handled it how wooly did, but there is certainly a requirement behind giving advice. If you don't have the harvested deer, years of experience or first hand knowledge to back up your advice, then it's pretty meaningless to me. I would take the advice of how to drive a racecar from Tony Stewart, golfing advice from Jordan Speith etc. Joe blow giving the same advice just doesn't mean as much.

Started public land hunting last year. It's certainly a change from the land I'm used to. But I was lucky to bag a mature 9 point. I will say this about the article. I don't see anything he recommends that wouldn't apply to hunting deer almost anywhere. Even pressure. Most of us have sub 100 acre parcels with neighboring pressure. Additionally thick stuff is always good for mature bucks on any property. What I've seen in my short public land career. 1. don't be afraid to hunt from 10 to 3. those hours resulted in me seeing the most deer. 2. Go deep and steep. weird, hard and odd to get to areas held great sign for me. I sweated more and cursed more getting to them, but I found most hunters in my area were pretty lazy. They all had quads and never hiked to far in. With nothing more than a cart and climber I achieved good success. 3. utilize roads and power lines to get deep, but don't hunt "on or off" of them. 4. the obvious use of google maps applies. But what really made the difference for me was a good handheld gps. Helped to mark areas and feel safer going deeper and exploring. If you're in an area with good cell reception and can carry a backup battery pack then there are good aps. But if you're not, spend the few hundred bucks on a gps and you will not regret it. i promise. Edit another tip I've learned is to look for garbage. We do a bad job in the south of leaving bottles and wrappers behind. So it may not be so bad in the north. But i've stumbled upon a few "good looking" spots before just to find a bottle and shells by a stump. These human signs are great to use when scouting in the off season. Additionally going squirrel or turkey hunting can provide some spring/post season scouting with a little bit more excitement.

Vanish is a strong word. However i don't disagree that they will help to diminish.

what this guy said. although i do view this as one of those "who am I hurting" rules. But if you get caught with a shed full or horns you better have tags to prove you didn't poach them... and also don't make a dangerous road hazard out there either.

it's funny how relative weather is. 82 here would be glorious, and on the flip side 40* winter days are glorious for new yorkers. I guess it's all what you get use to.

I bought carbon expresses offering a few years ago. had to exchange one off the bat. My thinking was that their nock would be the best fit for my arrow because they made both. I've never been super happy with them, but they do indeed work. Going to try someone new this year as I just broke a nock this weekend target shooting.

My advice is to not assume anything. The best way to understand if they're using it or not is to setup some trail cams. Don't check them every week. Leave them for a month or so unless it's very easy to slip in and out. If you can't afford trail cams, then it should be simple to tell the traffic by the runs. If it's muddy, a few deer can make it look well worn. Check when it's dry and if it's beaten down pretty good, then they're using it. If not, then it may be just a small doe group using it. We have trails on our property that look like herds have been through and usually that's exactly the case.

that stuff looks noisy as hell. swish, swish, swish.

I'd never let a pimply faced kid at dicks sell me a bow unless i knew exactly what I wanted. Not to mention the big box stores don't sell a bunch of the best brands. that being said, if you're measured right, you really can't go wrong with any modern compound. It's the accessories where it gets tricky.

a pile of apples

hard to tell from a pic. what are your concerns on why you wouldn't?

Please don't "fire" your bow at a moving deer.

Hoping you had your safety course. Can't get a license without it. Oh and get a rifle for Wayne. Tbh, you're a little behind if you buy a bow in August. But if you practice hard you'll be good. Check out guaranteed archery in Marion.