dbHunterNY

the family farm isn't setup very well. drives/pushes for deer usually means you're pushing to adjacent cover that's the neighbors. so we discourage it. just the lay of the land we've got cover on the outside and fields in the middle. one swamp in the middle of the property is used as a sanctuary.

the idea is where the hole necks down to wood chuck width. just don't go shoving your hand way in there. it might get bit. I've also used dried twigs forming an "x" across the whole. just has to be something that won't blow away but can be easily pushed out of the way by the chuck. trail cam on field scan mode attached to a post far enough away would work perfect. the camera click or noise if right there close might freak them out at first. I've always been meaning to try it for off schedule chucks but when I can get out is when I can get out. my schedule doesn't really change that often.

if it's just one hole in your back yard take dry grass and cover the hole, pushing it in just enough to not get blown away by the wind. check it throughout the day when you're around and that'll give you an idea of when it's coming out or if it's a male and basically left to go seek out a female.

those are generally the best times.... right now they're waking up and seeking each other out. so they're a little less visible. kind of like the "October lull" for deer hunting. once june hits little ones are running around and they all have they're own holes and are eating like mad. they can come out more off times like mid morning and 3pm. once you find out when one comes out it tends to stick to the same schedule.

when I was in highschool and college I did more actual scouting and didn't use trail cameras at all and now I do much less actual scouting and more use of trail cameras. dictated by time really. back then I'd find a buck and keep it a secret. now I just share any info I've got. I've learned and continue to learn more about deer biology and why they do what they do. involved in more deer and hunting associated organizations. also I'm now coordinator for a 11,000+ acre co-op. seems I hunt much less for myself and do more for others hunting now.

I don't like to and think it's more humane to shoot them but you can smoke bomb the holes. it's like $6 for a package of four or so and only takes one.

best times are early morning (hour after day light), late evening (hour or two before dark), and around noon if it's not too hot outside. also they won't stay out in the rain, so if it's rained all day and it stops that's a good time to catch them. if you see it out right away and it runs into it's hole, wait it out for 20 minutes. it'll more than likely come right back out unless it's fed for a while. also if you shoot and miss the same applies. my uncle just Sunday morning around 11:30 shot at the same one four separate times within a half an hour with his 22-250. he was on his own as I didn't have my setup with me.

i like doing it, I can feed my family, I've got good memories with family and friends from hunting, like the challenge, and it gives me a release. after long stressful days at work, i don't have to think about anything else. never have a headache while on stand and if i do going in, it goes away.

yea I can't speak for PA. I've read sure but don't have first hand experience down there. I completely agree as a hunter gets accustomed to shooting doe versus say a yearling buck they'll very readily shoot a doe. I haven't seen where if they think numbers are low they will still shoot, but that's a good portion of only 4C. hard to say what the mindset is down there without hunting and being down there. just because I haven't seen it here doesn't mean ARs couldn't contribute to the low numbers down there. I do think that with ARs protecting young bucks they could curb their doe harvest and bring numbers back up quickly and either ditch the restrictions or try something different with along with then from then on.

I've head shot many with a 30-06 150gr jacketed lead deer loads like Remington Cor-lokts and Federal Fusions. I won't post aftermath pictures of those head shots but yea they were pretty humane.

working on one to best my record that'll be over 427 yards with a 223 Rem chambered rifle. heat mirage is tough with my 18x scope mid summer during hay season so I'll having to do it soon.

my biggest set back is I only hunt the family farms (which I live 20 minutes from) and trying to find time to get out. last halfway decent take was 82 a couple summers back but haven't had numbers as close since so I think I finally got ahead of them a little. of course others joined in the fun and I stepped aside to help spot and what not.

yea basically a polychoke and cylinder setting for smooth bore slugs.

yea use your rake and don't burn.

for many farm properties even within the co-op I'm a coordinator for are using it for just that. hunters on some farm properties pass on deer after deer to shoot a buck and the farmer is annoyed because they want more deer shot because they're eating their crops. they're for ARs only if they can and do cause more doe to get shot. those farms being involved is the only reason are co-op even took off. i think the reason what you said can often be true is that there's a disconnect even with many hunters using so form of AR don't think of. in many areas where ARs are used the properties are being managed to some degree by those that have jumped on the deer management band wagon that just have the mindset of hammering doe without reservation based on opportunity instead of a controlled harvest. I've seen it translated that way through TV hunting shows and when knowledgeable deer experts words are taken the wrong way during seminars. "just shoot doe" is not a good answer. this along with the fact that everything in nature is cyclical is one of the big factors in the reduction of deer herds throughout the nation, so I've heard and what I've thought. the concept of deer management in the past 30 years has grown in jaw dropping fashion. we're blessed in NY to be without the problems of CWD or EHD that would only add to need to keep your finger off the trigger and add a piece to the puzzle. regardless of ARs or what deer is in front of a hunter they should be thinking about the effects of them pulling the trigger every time if they intend to hunt in the future. don't have to be a biologist but have to have an open mind and listen to what's going on around your deer woods.

coyotes can and so can bear. if you hear a lot of coyotes and see bear then know they're eating something and not just berries, bird feeder seed, grass, and squirrels. you only see them around often if there's plenty of food. on heavily managed QDM properties where people have plenty of them around they encourage gutting deer elsewhere and not just out on the property where you shot it. how often do hunters in NY do that? not often, including us actually. down south regardless of size deer are usually dressed back at the shed or camp. my brother and dad have witnessed a sow and her cubs show up out of the blue hitting piles of entrails from harvested deer in wide open fields. I've seen a couple coyotes running deer across multiple fields many times. if one coyote can take a walk and find a fawn that can't run 35 mph and has nothing else to defend it then there going to happily eat it without hesitation opposed to running one down an adult deer or getting hoof boxed. bear don't have to worry about boxing matches but don't exactly have the forest gump mentality either.

ARs aren't for every area and in some might not even be relevant and show any effect. they can be used in different ways for different reasons. many understand the outcome but not the why or how, so that's why you get vague/bs answers. if you have very little deer and habitat can hold more ARs help can protect younger bucks and a lot of them to help the population rebound quicker assuming you're not hammering doe and have chances at better bucks than what you're used to seeing. in areas where there's ton of deer and little quantity of bucks ARs can make the hunting action experienced more enjoyable, promote needed doe harvest and freezer filling, and have chances at better bucks than what you're used to seeing. in areas where hunting pressure is very high (more than normal) saves plenty of bucks to maintain earliest possible and efficient breeding of doe which indirectly helps herd productivity to keep lots of deer hitting the ground to replace the ones being shot. I don't know why so many think one buck can take care of ridiculous numbers of 20+ doe every season as well as be perfect fat and happy going into winter months when he's only eating mostly woody browse with very little nutritional value.

it depends on how big the hay field is and what equipment you have and can get to the field. without tilling it up you risk not having an enough seed to soil contact and are then wasting money toward seed and stuff that won't germinate. unless you have plows, heavy discs, and the means/help to pick the baseball sized rocks out of the field it maybe hard to break up and through the sod and plant right away. you may just want to spray with selective (to kill just grass) or non selective herbicide then let things break down and dry up. then go over it with cultivators or drags multiple but going back separate times. make sure you have a means to mow the clover to keep it that without weeds springing up in spots with less germination. frost seeding in very early spring (not now) can be productive but you still have some loss.

no here in NY any land Posted or not is considered public but by law all private land unless completely untouched and not Posted is considered to be inaccessible without permission.

I've often glassed birds working in a direction then burned boot rubber to get ahead of them, setup, and call them into where they're already generally headed. I've rarely had good luck straight up stalking a bird. they just see too darn well. more of an ambush like you said but I think using a visible decoy with calling in that sense seals the deal. I've had toms come through bar ways blind to the decoy and be literally a few yards from me. too late for them though. I've tried the same thing without a decoy and at times they can't see so they just holler back not close enough to be in range or clear for a shot and expect me to go to them. that's the natural way things happen with a real hen that's interested. from there it's follow the leader unless she goes to nest.

not saying you don't know what's going on. if you don't communicate with your neighbors though and others in the area openly there's little hope of knowing what's truly being taken. many see and pass on a deer that then crosses the boarder and minutes later here a shot. they then assume it was that deer and it died. other times they here a lot of shots and assume deer are hitting the dirt. the big bad neighbor is shooting all the deer is the mentality when nothing is comfirmed. maybe neighboring land pressure inhibits travel patterns onto your land and there's shooting but that doesn't automatically mean things are dieing. if the conditions are what you stated you may want to communicate with everyone in the area more than normal. not saying try to sway their harvest decisions. just seek knowledge of what's going on or verify what actually has been taken. from experience I've found many assumptions about what neighbors take or intend to take can be shockingly off. too it may alleviate concerns the neighbors have with you. even if you get along there's always concerns.

I see that behind my house as I have a lot of cedar.

I didn't say many were faster. IBO or ATA speeds are what they are. got to equate to some spec for a comparison. bows these days are usually capable to hit their IBO or darn close to it in my opinion and from what I've seen. there's some much competition that if they didn't they'd sink really quick. I agree some bows slightly better than others hold comparative IBO speed when setup with a certain draw weight, draw length, etc. in the last handful of years most maybe even all bow manufacturers have made a compound with comparable paper specs rated at something close to 350+ fps IBO. strother, elite, obsession, bowtech, PSE, Bear, Hoyt, and Mathews all included. it comes down to fit, feel, finish, and what specs cater to your personal preference.

people of all walks of life leave cans and trash in the woods. doesn't make sense and very poor thing to do. we do an annual highway clean up near tomhanock reservoir every year and it's unreal the trash that comes from there.

yea they love nibbling on those Furs. there's a reason we've got tall white pine and spruce with no furs at my parent's farm. shooting doe is a touchy emotional subject for many with that mentality. that's what I'm dealing with out this way. did you or are you going to share that picture with him? I know the possibility it won't make a difference, but something you work at a little at a time.