agross

Nice bucks. Good luck.. I see they cut the corn in the background so at least there are less places for them to hide on ya.

Same pair but a better blown up cropped pick. First time since started plots and running cams in 2011 that had some nice bucks repeatedly show up on cam.

I use a turtle neck, which I can pull up to just below my nose and pull my hat down to my eyes, Nice little opening without losing anything. And when need be I just pop my head up and out like a real turtle. Works out pretty good.

Good luck to all and soooo jealous of you guys that have property so close. Mine is 4 hours away and takes planning with wife and two young kids (planning that she doesn't go crazy when I want to go for a long weekend and she is stuck home with the kids.) Keep us posted. I will be checking in during soccer practice.

Landtrace. How have the Montana's worked out for you??? I was thinking of getting the dreamy doe to maybe draw one a little closer for a shot.

Great going. Getting me antsy to get back in the tree. But have to wait till November 1,2,3 and hopefully there are good days.

Have been running the trail cameras since end of August and have had these two guys pop up in my clover plot on more than one occasion. Hopefully when the fruit trees start producing, peach "Plantra" tubes in background, there will be even more draw to the plot. By the looks of them both 2 1/2 yr olds???

Geno, Is that a long islander or an upstate???

I was up hunting bow at my place in Chenago County, Town of Afton. Pulled the cards on my cameras and had two nice 8s still together acting like they were in summer feeding, eating in clover plots al through October 3. (Was up there the 5th and 6th) But I also got a good fight on cam of two tall spikes in a clover plot (probably more sparring) for about 10 minutes. Pretty cool had the cam on 3 shot picture burst and you could go through and watch them pushing and spinning around. Hoping its good first few days of November as im going up 1,2 and 3

MACHINIST I would say look to websites like tradgang.com as well as tradbow.com, In the tradgang forum there is a specific section about "shooters form" with great advice and incite. Also I would do some checking on youtube as to recurve hunting because there are also tips that you can get on there as well. I got bit by the bug myself a couple of years ago and I am convinced to try and harvest a deer with my recurve. Haven't had the opportunity to do so as of yet. Just FYI, as I am sure you may know, there is a major difference in the 50 yard range of a compound to the 18 -20 yard range of a recurve. Makes it an entirely different ball game. On a side note, although I am serious about getting it done with a recurve, I just was up hunting the opening weekend of bow and checked my cams and found two really nice 8 pointers regularly visiting my food plot which now makes it all the more difficult to sit in a tree and limit myself to just a 18 yard shot range. Still doing some internal debating whether or not I take my recurve or compound up with me the first weekend of November. Ugg decisions, decisions.

He looks like he is broken up on his right side in that close up pic. Doesn't that mean you are supposed to pass him for the year? Well at least that's what the guys on TV do. Ha. great buck.

Saturday AM for me. Always get super excited for the opener but usually ends up as a turkey shoot with not many deer sightings. Regardless wouldn't miss it for anything.

Super buck. good luck.

Great pics and super bucks. I just planted a few pear trees on my property but im gonna have to wait for a couple years before they produce fruit. I would say to disc or turn over that short grass area in front of the pear tree and get some clover in there so that you can get double attraction.

Agree.

As far as fruit trees go I just planted 25 on my property that I grew from seed. Seeds in January were 3 foot tall pear trees and crab apples in late August when they went on the ground. Another good idea is to hit your locale kmart, walmart, lowes, home depot and grab up some older (3 to 4 yrs) fruit trees at a discount now from the left overs (got that idea from I think geno C on this site and this is going to be my plan next year) Keep some of the field grass tall around the edges to create a soft edge instead having the deer walk from woods to 6 inch clover plot. A great site with great ideas (besides this one for new York specific properties) is the forum at QDMA.com

This year i'm going all in with my recurve. Leaving the compound at home and i'm even going to take it out gun season (with the browning as back up in case a big boy walks by out of range, with a recurve is 30 yards. HA) MArtin x-200 55 @ 28 inches shooting Beman MFX classics with 100 grain heads. ALL IN.

Growalot...on a side note how did that "powerplant" planting work out. I have been interested in trying it for a summertime plot

Real Tree hardwoods Grey...and yup they don't sell it anymore... I think it is a conspiracy with these hunting companies since when they change their camo patterns whackos like me (who don't like to mix and match camo...just my thing) then have to buy a whole new outfit when the old one wears out.

Another good website is gundogforum.com. I just recently got a German Shorthaired pointer (my avatar pic) and he is 4 months now. A lot of good advice on there as to books, dvd's, theories on training when to start, how to start. Read, read, read.

To goose hunt in Cold Spring I think it may all have to be done by boat in the harbor somewhere. I remember seeing some duck boat down there but not in a while. Better be real sure of the rules when banging away with a 12 guage as there are some expensive houses around there and I doubt they would put up with any shenanigans or hunters for that matter.

To add insult to injury a couple of years ago I went up a couple of days early prior to the gun opener in the southern zone with my recurve bow to sit a while. Saw nothing so I figured let me leave early before it gets too dark as I didn't want to bump the woods prior to opening day... Next day when I checked my camera which was 50 yards from my stand I had a nice 8 (about 90 to 100 inches) entering the food plot where the camera was on the same trail that lead right past my tree stand only 7 minutes after I had left. UGGGGGG that one I wont ever forget. Oh and by the way got skunked that gun season now shooter bucks only does and small spike.

Maybe you will never see him again. Maybe during the rut. I run a couple of cameras over some small woodland plots and unlike the guys on TV I am not getting repeated pics of big bucks. plenty of does and turkeys then in late august some smaller bucks show up on cam eating in the plots and then the sightings ramp up in end of October. I have had several times single pics of bucks, nice 8s one pic and done. Still lots of fun and definitely keeps you in the stand longer knowing the chance that the bigboy may be just down the trail..

I'm doing the same this year for archery season. Strictly using the recurve with no sights. I'm going to keep the compound locked up for 2013. In years past I always chickened out and took out the compound for the rut (in case a big one only came into 40 yards and out of recurve range of 18 to 22 yards.) This year it is all or nothing. Haven't decide yet whether I will carry that out into gun season. Definitely taking the recurve but not sure if I will bring an old lever action 30/30 irons sights as back up. Let us know how it goes.

I went through the exact thing as you did a few years back. Decided to make some small plots but didn't have the cash or equipment to perfectly clear a plot. Our property was logged years ago so we started out in the area with the biggest opening (where 3 logging trails intersected). Have been working on it ever since each year getting bigger and better. The number one tool you need is a chainsaw. Cut out useless trees ( I left all my oaks) to let sunlight in because nothing is going to grow in the shade. If you can get the stumps out fine but you don't have to. I cut mine down flush with the soil and its fine. This year since it is already late you really don't have many choices to get an ideal plot but something is better that nothing. Throw out some pelletized lime all over the top of the ground after it is cleared. I would say if your plot is close to a 1/4 acre you could start with 8 bags and keep adding every year till your soil PH comes up. (do a soil test next spring) I would weed whack any of the weeds and junk brush around to get a clean slate to start with and seed with some fast growing sure things like oats, wheat, winter rye. Winter rye grows anywhere (even on a spot of mud on the bed of your pickup) You just have to throw it (broadcast) on the surface of the churned up dirt (see below for quad method) and then I just took a big tree branch and dragged it around to cover up some of the seed so the birds and squirrels wouldn't eat it all. My first year I used mossy oaks Green Patch Plus. It has 2 brands of clover, chickory I think and winter rye. A bag big enough for a quarter acre with cost you $25. Seed and apply a bag of starter fertilizer and you should be in business. I would say you could seed any time up until the first week of September or so depending how north your property is. Try and do it when rain is forecast in the week ahead because you need it to germinate. When I first started I didn't have a tractor or a disc so me and my brother just used our quads. Basically doing donuts and burnouts to turn over the top of the soil. (Could never plow it because of the stumps, roots and rocks) In the spring the clover that was slow to grow this fall will pop out good and it will be a spring attractant for turkeys and deer. and FYI...I planted 2 plots, run trail cameras over the plots and have had small bucks and as many as 6 does and fawns in my plot from July through October but I have yet to harvest a deer in or around one of my plots.. Bad luck I guess but definitely not what you see on tv. Well worth it in my mind as it extends you time afield and gets you thinking about hunting all year long. Good luck.