agross

Checking the weather like its my second job and this weekend is looking good for the opener in 7P. 30s in the morning with highs in the upper 40s. Slight wind. Looking good. Getting antsy.

Oh also forgot my point. If it is your land maybe put something in the plot that may be more attractive. My clover plots feed deer but do not have a great drawing power because the hayed fields surrounding me have clover and alfalfa in them as well. Next year going to try and make a 1/2 plot of just brassicas and see how that works out.

Vetmd That is the down side to running cams. I am in the same situation. Have two little clover plots (1/4 acre each) that I run a camera overt. Get hundreds of pics since labor day of deer in plot during all times of the day. Dawn, 11am, 2, 4 ,6pm. More daylight pics than night time believe it or not. Since starting them 2 years ago now I have only seen one (1) doe in a plot while hunting and that was gun season last year for a half hour eating and then she walked off. This year has gotten better that last. Had 2 nice 8s on cam, 3 different times caught bucks sparring, 2 times being spikes and once an 8 and a wide 6 (both 2.5 year olds). It clearly isn't as easy as it may seem on TV, at least in my experience. I have learned to use the cams not for determining when the deer will show up or what time of day but for the knowledge that a certain number of deer or size of bucks show up and are around. Believe it or not I enjoy running my cams as much as hunting. Always get the odd interaction like a fawn chasing and playing with turkey, fox, etc. Just another way of being out in the woods and enjoying you time out there. Also, if you are lucky enough to get a deer, cut it all up just so a carcass is left and then go tie it to a tree with some rope and set the cam over it for some coyote pics. Got plenty of them on cam also but only saw 1 in the woods my entire hunting career and have him shoulder mounted in my place upstate.

I have 32 now but I would opt for 50 for the right size. But beside the size I think it is more important is the shape and prevailing wind direction in the fall. My property now is set up perfect. As soon as you walk out back door wind is in your face. Can get to stands with no problem. NOW, if same property was across street as soon as you open door and walk into woods your scent would blow the woods out.

Elite: No food on the other properties. The 120 and 100 acre pieces have fields that are hayed and are larger in size 20 to 40 acres. The rest of the properties are all wooded. Not sure about the make up of the types of trees on the other properties. And yes there is water on the property. There is an old spring that someone many years ago framed out with huge rectangular slabs of slate that holds water and this spring water runs 365 days per year, comes right up out of side of hill. There is also another area that always holds water, from September through June through the collection of rain water and snow. On my 30 acres we have a great population of white oak, some 4 and 5 feet across, red oak and stone oak (which I never knew existed until the forester came in). We have areas of briars, which I am attempting to have grow thicker, a lot of beech but not much in the way of good cover. They are many many small beach trees and some areas are thick that you cannot see 50 yards but not great bedding areas with pines for thermal cover. The neighbors 120 has a thick area of pines below my property which I believe most of the bedding is done. That is why I was considering logging part of the property and having all the tops left behind. In the corners of the property and certain areas that we normally do not go to except for hunting I want to get nice and thick to have deer possibly bed on our property or feel safer traveling through during daylight. The overall layout of the property is good. Its a 400 yard x 400 yard square with the house near the road. In the fall the wind, 99% of the time, blows from the back of the property straight toward the house so you can walk out to the stand with the wind in your face without smelling up the entire woods. I believe that the deer at dusk make their way from wherever they are bedded to the larger fields for the night as you always see them there. Then at dawn they work their way to bed and this is where we try to ambush them on trails. My thoughts we that if I had more food, a larger plot with a fall planting, brassicas, etc, then there would be more attraction for the deer to cut through our property to eat before going to bed. My idea was to also create some more structure to create funnels or bottle necks around the new fields as right now the property is simply a square block of woods. As to taking the trees out myself the are that I was thinking of has some huge 3 foot across hard and soft maple as well as some 3 foot across beech. That would take forever to get done.

Thanks for the responses. We did have a forester come through and look at the property this summer. He suggested timbering 1/3 of property at a time with 10 year ( I think) intervals to get more growth from the tress. I will look into that and then have one area cleared of all the trees for the plot area. We already have two small 1/4 acre mini plots with clover in them but they just do not have the drawing power I would like. I planted a dozen pear trees, half a dozen crab apples and apple trees this year but that will take several years to get done. Where my property is located we have 30 acres surrounded by 80 across the street, nobody hunts, 120 on one side, nobody really hunts and 100 acres on the other side light gun and bow pressure (maybe 3 guys hunting tops.) No access for any of these properties for me. That is why I am trying the grocery store route. I will let you know how it goes.

Was considering adding a larger plot to our property in Chenango County. Property is 99% woods except for two small clover food plots. The though was to open up an area about 1 to 2 acres in size to make a larger food plot and maybe get something planted with a little more drawing power like corn or soybeans. The clover works good but it seems that the deer hit the plots casually if they pass through. Some days on camera there are 4 or 5 deer in the plot and then it may go up to a week without any action. The question is does any one know what it would cost to have a crew come in a clear 2 acres? I could do some of the work cutting down some trees and leave only the stumps for someone to dig out to cut costs if need be. Anyone with any experience? Thanks.

I have been taking my recurve out during gun season to try and get one but no luck yet. Oh and I also carry my 7mm wsm for insurance on the long shots.

Good stiff wind in 7p nicr and cold. A little breezier then i would like but i will take it

Just missed opportunity at thanksgiving dinner. Busted me standing to draw. I thought one was warry but 7 geez

For now i will just sit tight and watch the chipmonk derby. Round and round they go.

Just got to my last stand for the day. Nice breeze in my face. If they use the right trail it will work out fine. Hoping for a buck to come and cruise trough food plot look for does. Also have down wind trail covered in case he tries to sneak around to wind the plot.

Just moved to my brothers ground blind to get out of rain and for some new scenery. When he comes back from lunch gonna move to ladder stand over plot. Only saw 1 lone doe this morning at 8. Beutiful out and quiet.

out in 7p in Chenango. Just got into wods for afternoon sit. A little windy (sort of remends me of turbulance in a plane). High pressure coming through with clear blue skies above. Wind supposed to die down by dusk. Hopefully the big boys start creeping.

Nice video.

Basically

The drop off in the back of the pic behind the deer would be the dried up pond (so to speak) area where the water collects.

Oh sorry. On long island the roads have underground drains for rain water that gather in sumps or catch basins in residential neighborhoods. They vary in size but usually 1/3 to 1/2 acre with overgrown edges with like a big deep empty pond except for when it rains. They are also fenced in with 6 foot chain link fences with usually a gate to get in for access and cleaning.

My brother sent me this pic of a buck that is living in a sump near my sister in laws studio on the North Shore Suffolk. These things can get massive with age that is for sure.

Where i'm at in Chenango County they are calling for a 20 degree temp down from 60 and hi winds of Friday am to low 40s and slight wind on Sunday. Wind will hopefully be manageable by Friday afternoon. Some on baby.

Sweet one. Good going.

I am all in for AR. I hunted in Pennsylvania for the last 12 years up in Bradford County (just under Binghamton) prior to the AR being implemented, through its implementation and after up to about 2 years ago when the property my friend had was sold. From my experience the only down side is that maybe for 1 or 2 years you may have to pass on a spike buck because it doesn't have 3 pts (rule where I was) on one side. After that it was great. Then there were many small legal basket rack bucks and plenty of 100 inch or so 2.5 year olds and not to mention the occasional 3.5 year pig. And where I hunted they made any New York State land gun opener sound like a library. The land where I hunted they started off opening day doing deer drives pushing everything and anything shooting like it was WWIII. IMO...If you are against AR, only after about one year you will then be able to shoot legal basket racks for your meat and at the same time not take away another's opportunity at a larger deer. Since these animals are free ranging the only way to increase the age of the population would be state wide or WMU zone AR restrictions. We have all heard the story of deer traveling a mile so the only way it would ever work would to have it for everyone.

Yeah. We are all aware about the widow makers. That is my brothers favorite line. We try to be aware of them and take them down whenever they are over stands or trails we use.

Just looking for some input on what to expect this upcoming weekend. Took off Friday and going to hunt up in Chenango. It looks like it going to be windy but I don't have any other options. I'm going. Going to sit up in that tree rain, wind whatever. Anybody have any luck in the past with windy (15 to 25 mph) winds?

With these kind of posts you never know. Either its a whopper and he is so excited that he forgot that his original post or he has been looking for hours and will eventually come back in a day or two and say blood ran out and lost them. Been there many a time. Hard to not get super excited when you have been sitting there for hours and days and then draw and release and hear "whack" and see the deer bound off thinking that he will be piled up within 50 yards to only not find him.