Catskill Hunter

Not sure why the word " meat " has to go in front of hunters that don't like the taste of antlers ! why cant a hunter hunt for the memories and enjoyment like the old days ? If I am in deer camp and see a legal buck that is not a trophy, shoot it and enjoy the hunt isnt that what hunting should be about ? I pass up young deer too but mostly because I have a specific buck I am hunting that I saw on the camera. But during the rifle season in the catskills if it's a legal buck I will most likely shoot it, Meet in the freezer, getting to sleep in while everyone else has to wake up :-) and just the memory of the hunt. Thats what it should be about. If shooting a monster is what its about for someone then they have the right to wait for one to show up. Just my opinion My only pet peeve is shooting a yearling, but thats me

Something to be proud of, very nice

3 1/2 days in camp hunting, saw one doe. Starting to see some scrapes show up. Still a lot of noise from all the camps on my road. Everyone sighting in and cutting firewood for the rifle season. Taking my climber in next weekend and going to try to get away from all the commotion.

I wear multi focal contacts ( one for distance one for near ) and they stink in low light, everything gets blurry so I hunt without them but I still don't wear my glasses, Can see ok for distance without.

What about the " bucks still nocturnal " theory ? Is this the common trend for most this time of year ? I have a steady flow of does in the evenings but I have not seen horns during the day yet. I do see bucks on my camera at night but nothing within the first hr after last light. Even with all the doe movement am I in the wrong spot ? I pretty much need to hunt within 100 yards of my plot or I am treading into bedding areas. Everything is uphill form my foodplots and the deer are bedding on the ridges above.

Getting a lot of doe movement but the bucks in my area are still pretty much nocturnal.

So after my 4 days in camp hunting, listening to about 300 rounds of ammo being shot off by neighbors. people screaming and yelling, car doors slamming, chainsaws cutting and warm weather I saw 7 doe's and 1 button buck, Who said the Catskills is wilderness ??

live from my jeep :-) heading north to camp for 4 days of hunting. I hope the weather cooperates. will post results if I have a signal. good luck everyone this weekend. Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Forum Fiend v1.0.1.

I try to hunt uphill from my plots in morning, everything is uphill from my foodplots. hunt staging areas off the plots in evening. I have a few stands set up. depends on wind which one I hunt in evening. Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Forum Fiend v1.0.1.

Thats right on !!

I'm not sure you can get that without living it! It's about memories, being in deer camp every season with good friends and just sitting in a tree or in a blind watching what happens out there, that most of YOU will never see except on the discovery channel. I'm not sure a non hunter can ever understand it without experiencing it. For most of us it's not the killing, it's everything that happens before the kill that means anything......That's my opinion anyway.

yes it is a super sportsman. DW I read it cover to cover and figured that was the case. just wanted to make sure . thanks Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Forum Fiend v1.0.1.

Now I am really confused lol

ok, I kind of figured but just wanted to make sure. thank you Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Forum Fiend v1.0.1.

So basically you can shoot a total of two does OR one buck and one doe during the bow / muzzleloader seasons combined ?

So I can shoot another doe during muzzleloader if i shoot one with the bow however once i fill the bow/muzzleloader tag with a buck during the bow season I cant shoot a buck during muzzleloader ?

I usually end my hunting at camp by Thanksgiving, Now that I have some foodplots in I want to hunt muzzleloader this year. I have the non resident sportsmans licence. If I read it correct, if I shoot a buck or doe during the bow season I can not shoot one for the muzzloader ?

3 years and 2 deer ? thats pretty good for a new hunter, it took me a lot longer than that to get my first deer. I think you need to slow down and enjoy the hunt, It's not so much the killing of a deer for me, it's just the preparing, planting food plots and spending time in the woods that makes me enjoy it so much, but it took me a long time to grow into that. Be patient and enjoy the view :-)

Won't go off the ground without one. thanks for posting, I hope a lot reads this and gets the point

I agree, the cameras to me let me see whats around and keeps me from shooting the first buck I see. I am not really a " trophy " hunter but I do like to be out there, and with the limited amount of bucks one can take being selective keeps me hunting more. The food plots I do I almost enjoy more than the hunt itself. It's become a second hobby for me. The bucks in the Catskills are basically nocturnal once Oct comes so I still need to get deep into the woods to get a chance. Without the cameras I would have no idea there are 2 nine's and 2 eights around where I hunt. Never saw them in person, so I choose to hunt them all season. I grew up hunting in woolrich's using a lever action 30 30 with iron sights, and not knowing it then, but those where the days for me, many hunting camp memories were made. I do hunt with a compound now with scentlok clothes, I use a scoped single shot 20 guage shotgun for gun season because it's my favorite gun to carry. I still don't shoot a lot of deer. Hunting should be about enjoying yourself and making memories, If using the high tech. things you mention is legal and how we do it then you should support it, as mentioned before, too many people want to take our hunting and guns away from us, if we dont stick together to protect that we are doomed

My father shot more deer wearing woolrich's and smoking a cigarette than I do with my food plots and trail cam. To me its all part of the fun.

You call that play ????

after a summer of food plotting. finally in camp to hunt. trying a ground blind this morning two ridges above plots. yotes and owls making some noise Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Forum Fiend v1.0.1.

not saying every waking minute.. but you read some ofthese posts and it's like they are divorced but still living together... Just saying... I hunt with my buddies as well... But my wife loves it... We don't hunt side by side.. she's in her stands as I am in mine... my wife is my best friend. if she was in to hunting I would hunt with her all the time and we would have a blast. but she is not . so she continues to threaten to spray my hunting clothes with perfume :-) isn't she cute ? Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Forum Fiend v1.0.1.

I use the canon playsport. works good for the cost