jman22

http://chng.it/jKvMRPwVns Just noticed this was already posted by Biz. Anyways ...Go Bills!!!!

I'd also try to reach out to your regional nysdec fisheries biologist. They should have some good info and advice.

Check out Exodus too. New cams come with a 5 yr warranty from date of purchase that covers defects (100% reimbursement)and another 5 yr warranty that covers theft and accidental damage (50% reimbursement). Impressive! Coverts and brownings have also treated me well.

Don't till it. By doing so you will just cut the rhizomes into many small pieces which will then sprout and cause it to spread further.

Do a Google search of Ted Miller and horizontal rubs. He's the guy that came up with the idea I believe. He's got some good footage of bucks using them also.

Dinsdale, congrats !! What a hunt. Thank you for also posting the pictures! You make great points in your post. There are many people who are quick to judge and in fact know next to nothing about the animals your are hunting down there. Many misconceptions, especially involving elephants (and most other African game). Even more misconceptions about what these hunts pump into the villages down there (money and food). Amazed (actually not at all) that there are negative comments from your post. I'm sure there will be pics of yearling deer that get posted in the harvest thread that will receive praise, yet people are assuming you killed a juvenille elephant and knocking you for it. I'd just recommend people do a little research into African game animals, populations numbers etc before making assumptions. Or better yet, just ask Dinsdale! Anyways, Congrats again!!

Many, many factors to consider here. Deeper isn't necessarily better. Sometimes the most overlooked spots are very close to parking areas and roads. Scouting will help you determine if you have any of these spots. Look for sign (especially beds) to help determine if your property may have one of these overlooked honey holes where a mature buck may bed and frequent during daylight. Remember that a lot of buck sign is left at night also. If you can find a scrape that is being hit in daylight by multiple bucks you've struck gold. Also, sometimes you are just going to have to accept the fact that you will bump deer. If you know that an interior ridge on the property is hot with sign and deer activity, don't be afraid to bump deer in order to get back to where the action is. Sounds like your area is loaded with deer, so its going to happen. Just try to come up with good entry and exit routes that will allow you NOT to bump deer in the immediate area you are going to hunt, if that makes sense. If you don't have great entry and exit to these ridges, you are going to have a VERY limited amount of hunts before the deer are onto you. You say you have hills on the property as well. Hills can be tricky because you have your wind and you have rising and falling air thermals which can really mess with setups. As you mentioned, coming in downwind of bedding isn't always the best. In hills, a lot of deer (especially bucks) will actually bed with the wind at their backs, while facing downwind. So even though the deer isn't going to smell you, he is going to pick you off with his eyes as you approach. I never knew this until it was taught to me a few years ago, but its legit! It's nice that's it's only you and another guy hunting this property. Keep pushing the envelope and scout the heck out of it. If you run cameras, don't be afraid to sink a few deep in those ridges on perennial scrapes or funnels and just let them sit all season without checking them. They will give you valuable info for future years. Best of luck this season!!

To quote the great Beavis and Butthead..."Boing-oing-oing-oing"

He turned it off at a terrible time too!

Look into the Covert brand as well. No complaints from me.

I'll add another : Copperhead Rd - Steve Earle

That must've been a great concert! And couldn't agree with you more regarding that epic Maiden tune!

I can name a bunch, but 1st band that popped into my mind was Metallica!

Another forum I follow posted a link to this podcast. Its a good one if you have the time to listen to it. It paints a bleak picture, but I think it's also a good motivator to become more unified as hunters to keep our tradition alive for future generations. https://whitetailwatch.podbean.com/e/23-the-death-of-deer-hunting-part-1-wscott-vance-and-chris-willingham/

Wow. Extremely impressive!

You haven't lived until you've owned a pair of rustler jeans!

Cool. Sometimes as a buck gets older his core range can really shrink. Hopefully you ll be right in the thick of things this fall. Goodluck and keep us posted.

Great pull. Any history with that big boy? Hope you catch up with him come October!

Reminds me of The Great Outdoors and John Candy eating the ol 96er when I see this pic!

Agreed!

Nice 6. Looks like he's got some solid mass this yr.

Like others have said, I would also recommend hitting that with roundup and also getting a soil test done to see how much fertilizer and lime you need. I'd also go with the disc instead of the tiller. If you don't want to bite the bullet on a disc, you could burn off that plot when the roundup has made things dead and dry ( Do a little research as to the proper ways to do this safely or bring along someone who has done it before!). If you get a good burn and the soil is exposed, you can plant right on top of that.

Any bets on how many pages this post will hit?

Haha. Wow what an improvement! Looks great.

I'll add that my cams also act as critter detectives. Last yr I had a pic of a woodchuck 4 feet up a tree. Pretty comical.