[HAS ANYONE SEEN THIS]

Not much meat in there.........

No mention of a primitive muzzleloader season.   Also, my area in the ADK's of 6J lost antlerless muzzleloader season privledges....

[Trapping in the ADKs]

I just got my trapper's ed course.  I'll mainly be trapping on logging lease land.

There's a few beaver ponds.

However, my main thing will be coyote and fisher / mink trapping. Hoping to keep the snowshoe hare population good.

 

Mink I think will be easy.  Plenty of trails.  Do these trails go straight into a beaver pond and out?  I know they go alongside a creek or stream.

I will be making tempting scent posts for coyote on the trail intersections.  I have been told to get a burnt log and put it up for the critters to catch their eye.

 

The conibear boxes.....  any good places to set them you like.

 

Any concern about bears. There are not many.

 

Also, the common lures and scents....  Are there one's the animals don't know well.  Like Skunk?

 

This is all on exclusive leased land, so little worry about theft.

 

[Ticks in the ADKs]

I'm not sold on chicsl protection. ....

Seen many dance on deep woods off deet.

Seen many dance on me with permetherin.

 

I do mechanical protection.  I buy bug guard clothes from cabelas.  It disconitnued.  Basically spandex.  I also have tick gaiters.   I strip down right in the parking spot.  Put the clothes in a bag.  Wash them right away. 

 

I mainly stand hunt before goid frosts.  Stalk hunt after.    Big moose area of ADKS is my free place. No worries so far.  Pheasant hunting is not worth the bother i am very sad to say that.....

[Is there really such thing as a brush caliber?]

I'm on a small hunting forum with some very experienced hunters elsewhere.

The consensus between most of them is like you said, don't spray and pray.  wait till you got an opening.

However, their solution.  A fast cartridge with a close zero.   Like 7mm mag, .270, or 300 win mag.  Zero the gun at 75 yard.  Get a good power scope.  Only shoot supported.  Basically make a ninja gun.  The bullet can be aimed through real small opening with minimal deflection.  And the gun's scope can see the brush.

Plan B, if you don't shoot supported / in a spot where you know the brush well.  Have a gun that offers good followup shots.  Low recoil, little barrel rise after the shot, lower power or iron sights, quick to reload or automatic.

My solution evaporated on me with Homo's gun ban.  I was building an Ar-15 with an eotech 512 chambered in 458 socom.

However, I don't really shoot like that.   My plan is a stout gun with a stout bullet.  It'll deflect, but a big bullet with a bad shot is a touch better than a bad shot with a smaller bullet.  Atleast I may get some more blood on the leaves.  This is my browning BLR in 450 marlin.

A little unorthidox, but I wam building a chinese early type 56 SKS for adirondacks hunting.  Hormady softpoints in 123gr.   A lyman 66 peep sight.  I am hoping to find a tritium front sight for an AK that be changed over.  Gun is really light, 2" groups at 100 without a peep sight with these bullets.  Gun is very reliable, easy to clean if it gets wet,has a huge and quiet ambidexterous safety, and has a large charging handle if it doesn't cycle for whatever reason.  If it shot 358" bullets, it would be ideal in my book.  Ideally, I'd love a BAR in 30-06, but I started trapping this year, bought an ATV in the fall, and I'm building a new food plot on a new property.  So, it'll have to wait a year or two........... 

[Shoulda Planted Waterchestnuts.......]

So, my old apple orchard turned lawn, turning to food plot is underwater for 2 weeks.  The old rows of apple trees are above water by a few inches.  My 1/3 acre plot is 3 row wide.

I rototilled down to 3-4 inches and put about a dozne bags of pelletized lime back in November right after rifle weekend.  

Do you think most of the lime got washed away?  Or did it do something to the soil?  It's been in there over 5 months. I spread the lime then tilled.

The stuff that's above the water line is real mushy.  

I got a 50lb bag of oats I can spread.  What would you do, and when would be the limit before doing something else.

My plan was to spread 1/2 the bag with a touch or turnips with a bag of 6-24-24 , then spring harrow it in a bit.  Then top it with 2lbs of a red clover mix with some arrowleaf clover and chicory in it.

Part of this plan was to surround the plot with a row of red dogwood, a row of praire willow, then a row of arborvitae.  They come in april 21st.  The willow and dogwood wont mind it too badly, but the arborvitae might not like it.  3/4 or better of the shrubs will be in the lower sections underwater.  Where I plan to put the shrubs, I frost seeded with dutch white clover.

 

The tilled up lawn sod maybe has a 20% survival rate.  Or so it looks like it now.  It was a bit wet in november right before the winter frost came in, or what of it initially.  

I got other places to put the shrubs, but these 250 to 300 planting were to make the plot private.   

[What they are eating...]

Nice.

 

How far are you upstate?  We've had the wild chive / onions going for 2 weeks now.

 

[Ticks in the ADKs]

Anyone find ticks on them up there?

Was scouting the PA forests in Delaware River area this weekend, pulled a few ticks off of me.

That's what I love about the ADKS, but it might be a matter of time.....

[Getting everything out]

I also have a ice fishing sled.  Works great.

[I see the nys budget passed, so now we have AR's?]

Guess the slob hunter will be learning to cut up their spike horns..........

[Getting everything out]

I use a Cabelas Alaskan frame Pack.  I think mine is the model 1.

Maybe I get ahead of myself,  but If I am going in and out the same route, I usually bring it in a ways, then hide it.

I bring a pair of lopping shears, 2 ratchet straps, a disposable tarp, gloves, knives, a headlamp, some rope and a few garbage bags to put the meat in.

IF the deer is big, I take the front legs, straps, neck meat, and head.  I go back for the hind section.  I hang it up in a tree with the rope, so coyote cant get to it.  I put the hind legs a bit upwind of the gut pile if possible.

 

That frame pack is wonderful for making remote food plots too.  I use it to move stuff in and out the woods like climbing stands.  I put a kitchen garbage can on it and use it for carry traps in and out.  I bought a 4 section 12ft portable ladder stand for hunting PA forests.

[New food plot equipment]

Love that stump ust slowly vanishing in the tornado.

I sure wished that was used on my lease.   They wrecked the place.  Cant even find parts of the trails.  Just buried in tree tops.

[Wetlands on private property. What can you do?]

Go and ask the DEC.  

What I recall with adirondack loggers is not so much the trees are in wetlands.  It's what machinery can enter these wetlands.

[stalking/still hunting]

I love my lever guns.

However,  when I got the gun wet.  There is nothing easier to clean inside and out than a bolt action rifle.  I could clean 4 or 5 bolt guns good for the same amount of time it take to get a marlin lever gun guts clean.  And, marlin is the easiest to clean.

[stalking/still hunting]

Not sure if you have your pistol permit or not.  However, many long island area ammo dealers won't sell pistol ammo to non-permit holders.  I heard several complaints from folks who visted the calverton range.

I think you'll do better with the 30-30.

 

However, a 85 or 100gr .243 is just as good as a 30-30.  The trick is to get the right bullets.  sometimes those "premium" bullets are meant for elk and not deer.

[stalking/still hunting]

On 4/3/2017 at 7:16 PM, Core said:

I got within shooting range (bow) first day I ever hunted, alone, by just walking around looking for deer. Dumb luck.

I've tried to reproduce that many times since and I have spooked tons of deer and I only ever see them after they hear me and start running with one exception: I walked up on two deer who seemed as surprised to see me as I them. I couldn't get ready and they bolted.

So, I suck at it. Some things that work badly when still hunting:

1) Doing it in an area pressured so heavily there are no deer left (I've done this a LOT)
2) Doing it on a still day, no wind, and tons of fresh scrunchy leaves (lol I've tried this a lot, too)

 Few things on this.....

The wind! Many forget about it.  If I get sensed, but the wind isn't going to them.  I've seen them disregard the bit of noise or sight they saw.

3 things that help me.....

Windicator.  Talcum powder to see mild wind currents.

The other 2 things camo on you hands and face.  Get a long sleeve t shirt too incase it's real warm.   If not covering my cheeks with a full face hat, I use some black face paint.   When it's warm I use very light camo gloves.

I have one shiny gun I use sometimes.  It's a marlin 336 with scope.  I rub furniture wax on it, but don't rub it out.  Leave a dull sheen.

Learn how a buck uses wind in the rut.....

 

Far as 300 yard shots.  I've seen some 200-250.  They're not rare.  Yeah I see something, but I don't shoot.  I try to get closer.  I'm a kid, I like to play with my food.  I'm proud of how close I shoot a deer.  Not how many horns are on it. 

[Wooden Box for Conibear Trap]

I'm new to trappong, but been told to set up these boxes before season.  No trap in it yet.  

If your traping mink or fisher, they'll make it part of their route.  Same goes for hole in the side of a bank sets, or if you make a cubby set out of a few logs.

[stalking/still hunting]

wolc,

You were upset you missed a 300 yard deer.  When shooting through woods, it's close to impossible to make it past 100 yards without hitting a branch.  People get away with it,  but many would consider it unethical.  That 300 yard one gives you mptivation to go out the next time, maybe he'll be closer.

If you do go the 30-30 route with a scope, zero it at 150 yards.  It will shoot and cleanly harvest a broadside shot at 200 yards.

The standard 22 inch gun is just fine.  It's still light and easy to carry.  That extra bit of weight and muzzle blast reduction will be appreciated by young kids.  The noise makes people think it kicks.  Some do says 223 kicks more than other guns because it's loud.  when you start going 3000fps, it's too loud for my liking.

Remington makes reduced recoil rounds.  they work great.

I'm not a big fan of 22-250.  However, a very experience and successful hunter using that gun deer hunting.  He limits himself to 150 yards, and he harvests deer.  The exit hole wasn't too bad.  The meat did the typical fast bullet bloodshot mess in the area.  Heart was beat to a pulp like my 30-06 does....  you could use that for now.  

 

[Too early for cereal grains?]

When I came home with the oats, the asnwer presented itself........   Galf of the food plot is under 3 inches of water.   This summer I am going to use the tractor to clear some drainage channels.

 

If the puddles dont settle down in a week or two,  I will plant in the higher spots.  This is a old apple orchard converted to lawn.   The tree rows are maybe a foot higher.

[stalking/still hunting]

No need for the big loop.  When you hunt on foot your movement keeps you warm.

Instead of the 243, look into a 270.  Recoil is not bad with 130gr heads.

That 3030 wold be ok.  444 marlin, 35 Remington, or 4570 would be better.

Buy I hunt on foot with a peep sighted 3030.  It works.  A few deer regret I came that day with that gun. 

I advise against fancy 3030 loads.  Soft cup and core unbounded bullets work great with the energy 3030 has.  I've done well with 150gr remember corlokts. To boot it's the only bullet that worked well in all my 3030s.

[Anyone starting to seed clover?]

If you have an easy way to till up your plot, just put in oats and red clover.  Till it up august 1st, then till it again in a week or two later to kill young weeds that germinated.    Then do a perennial clover and wheat plot.

If you got clover already, go ahead and overseed.

If you spray your food plots with herbicide, then wait until early may.  Let those weeds grow up a bit, spread the clover seed, then spray the herbicide right after.  A few days later mow it for mulch for the clover seed.

[Anyone starting to seed clover?]

My go to plot is the one above.

 

I frost seeded a month ago during the warm spell.  I seeded a few spots I removed brush on.  I cleared brush, spread lime, fertilizer,  and winter rye.  Then I set my tiller to 1.5 inch depth and tilled it lightly.  Then spread Dutch white clover.  Then ran it over with the ATV.

Frost seeding is done.  

Spring weeds can be a real handful when you add fertilizer.  However,  I am pro weeds in my plot.  Deer eat them.  Weeds animals do not eat get out of hand if you don't control them via mowing.

I mow not based on height, I mow based on when the more troublesome weeds are into ssed production phase.    Many annuals can be killed just by mowing them in this phase.  Hit the right time before the seeds are mature enough to be viable. 

[My take on antler restrictions]

Ok.  Local towns farmland, might be tougher for some.

What about public land, the catskill and Adirondack mountains too.  It's tough enough with not shooting does, not loggin to improve hsbitat, now you want to make someone pass a small buck.......

State forests will be deserted.  Folks who havery trouble finding good land to hunt will quit.

 

Then what about the country folk.  Them city folk ain't telling me what to do.

 

I've seen it already folks just aren't buying into the legal thing.  Not buying tags, shooting whatever because someone made an arbitrary law that does what.....  

Nysdec, if you can't offer DMP tags or close an are to doe muzzleloading, what sense does antler restriction have.....

[Picture of modern day bowhunter]

What it changes to the sport is people giving up.

 

They think it's not worth their time if they cant have all these things or an amazing place to hunt.

Ive seen people turn from hunters to hunting show watchers.  Same goes with other hobbies I'm into to, like old cars.  Only hobby I've seen it actually helped was woodworking.

[Help on value of 2 guns]

Why not be a hustler..

 

Ofeer him a little more for the 1100 28ga, then gunbroker it.    IF he has trouble selling them, go to a local trap meet.  Those are well regarded skeet guns right there.

[gun broker?]

I've done well on armsliat.  Howevwr, that was blackpowder arms and no ffl needed.  But abuse from miscare is very high on blackpowder arms.