Zem18

Odd year for me. I spent 5 hours in a tree stand for the entire bow season and shot a busted up 9pt and then Opening day in the Catskills at camp I was in the woods on the ground for an hour and 5 minutes and shot a 7pt. First time I can remember filling both buck tags in a season but I suffer from CRS. Unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to be out and enjoy the outdoors. Wish my son had made the trip to camp with us as this could have been his first deer but at 15 yrs old, girlfriends are just as important as WiFi [emoji2357]. Hopefully I can post with him later this season. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Posted in Live from the woods that it's been a while since I've visited but wanted to share a success story with some old members and maybe some new ones. Every year I take Veterans Day off to bow hunt but this year I decided to take November 5th off instead as it was a Friday. My plan was to hunt all day as I had only been out with the bow once prior to the 5th and I did 2 sits during the youth hunt with my 15yr old son. I was in the stand by 645am and it was dark and a very heavy frost was settled on the hillside. I didn't bump anything on the way in which is a miracle and I settled in. Was a beautiful morning reminiscing seasons past and just enjoying being out in a tree. Lots of chipmunks and squirrels had me standing up and then sitting down. Around 9am I heard an unusually loud noise come from the thicket to my left. I scanned the area and didn't see any movement. 15 minutes later a doe pops out below me at 30 yards and was on the trail I walked in on. She turned and was headed on the same trail and would walk by at 15 to 18 yards. I never even picked up my bow and just watched her. She stopped where I turned to go to my stand and just looked around for about 20 seconds and then scooted to her left away from me fairly quickly. A few seconds later I heard a twig snap where she had come out and heard a low grunt. I picked up my bow and saw a racked deer headed on the same trail she just went by on so I started to draw and the buck stopped 20 yards down the trail behind a tree. I would catch a glimpse of his rack one one side of the tree and then the other. Surprisingly I was calm and not shaking but didn't know which way he was going to go. He turned right, away from the doe and was headed right below me. I was tracking his moves and he went behind a large oak which gave me chance to draw and he came out from behind it and stopped broadside at 7yards. I squeezed the trigger on my release and he took off running. 20 yards into his running I could see him stumbling and he continued to fall and snowplow for another 40 yards until he hit a downed log and flipped over it. A few kicks and it was over. I was shaking so bad I had to sit down as I've never had a bow buck fall within sight as they usually run into the thick stuff (or a pond, Haha) and I don't get to see them go down. What an incredible feeling that was to witness. I texted my wife and called my retired neighbor friend and he came to help me recover and drag. This is my first bow buck in 6 years since the pond buck so I was all smiles and still am. He was a fighter too as the tip of his main beam was busted off which would have made him a 9pt. I'm still working on the euro mount as it's a tedious process to finish in between work and everything else going on, bit looking forward to rifle season coming up and getting away to camp for a few days. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Been a long while since I visited virtual deer camp here but glad to see it is still alive and going strong. Life gets in the way sometimes but we seem to fall back on the things we love even if we can't spend as much time as we'd like to doing those things. Got out for my second bow hunt of the year this morning and what a beautiful morning it was. Someone was looking down on me for sure. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Sounds weird but I've started a small fire on a rock in the Catskills at my camp and the smoke drifts in the direction of the wind and I've had doe and fawns come in close to investigate the smell. Never a buck though. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

One more point for Team Weak. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Buddy and I just doubled up on does. Shot the 7th one out of 8 seen. Dreading this drag. Smaller than I thought too. Meat for the freezer Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

NYS DEC.com tells you it is the 22nd. Check it out Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Took 30 minutes to walk 150 yds into my bow stand through 40" of snow. Not sure what I was thinking but I'm out here. See some belly trails 50 to 60 yds out so they have been through here. Hoping but not expecting much if anything. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

I'm just West of Binghamton in Apalachin and we got between 40 and 42 inches. Way more than the blizzard of 93. We r buried pretty good. Not a single plow has passed by since 830 last night. 17/86 is one lane heading East currently and they are rescuing stranded tractor trailers. We'll be lucky if we get out by Saturday. Was looking forward to hunting the weekend and took Monday and Tuesday off too but can't imagine shooting one and then getting it out let alone trudging through 3+feet of snow. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Where is camp? We had 40" to 42" fall here and we are buried. Plows aren't coming through and 17/86 only has one lane open and they are rescuing stranded tractor trailers. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Cool thread idea. I hunt my buddies camp with him and the guys and they have a ton of stands mostly named after the people who set them and others based on Location. Here are the ones I remember: Yellow ladder Michael 1 Micheal 2 Clarks Docs Jim's Hairpin 10point Twin Maple Stonewall Slouse Buddy stand Arrow stand Marks Gene's Blow down stand Corner stand Crows nest Bear stand Orchard stand There are more but we don't sit most of them so I can't remember the names. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Sorry for your loss NYtracker. It's been 2 years since my mom passed and I think about her often while out in the woods. Excellent place to free your mind and say what is on your mind. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

I'm sick to my stomach right now. I shot an un alert buck which was at least an 8pt at 933am this morning and cannot find him. I have never lost one with the gun. The shot seemed perfect, just behind the shoulder, mid body, and he kicked when hit. Shot was 30 yards with my .243. Watched him run a short ways uphill and stumble and then hunch a little and he disappeared. No blood until 75 yards into the track and we followed that bright red blood for at least 1/4 mile til it disappeared. Never bumped a deer the entire time either. I left a message with a local member of United Blood Trackers to see if he would like to come out but for now I am home and just thinking this deer is dead. We followed so much blood and he had to have some building up inside as well. Thanks for reading my vent session. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Fantastic bucks Don and Treeguy. Congratulations to you both Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Just tried Space Cake last Sunday. Excellent DIPA Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk