skeets716

6N Northern Zone and 7M Southern were great this year. Mild winters the past two years contributed to the most deer my hunting buddies and I have seen in years. Not fun going through a bad season, I've experienced it many times.

The guys in camp all chip in $5 each year for the first 10 point. It runs until someone gets one. Thought I might have had it is year but very pleased with my 8!

It has been a great year for me! I shot my biggest buck (8pt, field dressed 175 lbs) and my son shot his first deer ( a nice spike that got 3 grocery bags of venison & sausage). Two in the freezer is plenty for us without having to be selective as to when to have venison. Saw tons of deer in Redfield up North and Lincklaen down South. I was on a couple of drives that produced multiple deer down. Saw a lot of cool things but most importantly gained a new hunting partner with my 14 yr old son. I have a couple of DMP's & Muzz tags but am happy to call it a year. Best of luck to those still in the woods, it is one of my favorite places to be.

Thank you very much!

Any input as to what the snowfall has been / is in the Redfield, NY area? Need to know if I should make a pit stop on the way to the 1000 Islands for Thanksgiving and take down a 10 x 20 Shelter for the wheelers. Thanks in advance for any help!

The song dogs I have seen have always been in the morning. In about 15 years of hunting I have seen 6. The area we hunt in 7M has pretty decent hunting pressure, so they seem to hunker down and wait for night time. Best coyote story - If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. We hung a deer in the storage shed about 30 yds. from the hunting camp. It was well off the ground. The coyotes climbed on top of the atv next to the hanging deer, muddy footprints all over the wheeler, and ate out the tenderloins and chewed up the shoulders. They had also come onto the porch of the camp and moved bloody deer gloves that had wrapped up a heart about 20 yds away and chewed them to shreds. My buddy who shot the deer was obviously pissed, just took out the backstraps and rear roasts and tossed the rest of the deer. Smart animals...

Enjoy the website! A lot of great input from fellow outdoorsmen / women, welcome!

GREAT Deer!! Welcome!

I shot the 8 Pointer in my profile on 11/3. Shot about 75 yds away from a tree stand. Went to the spot he was hit and there was no blood, no hair, nothing. Started down the route I saw him bound away, tail up (supposedly when shot they should be tail down) and he was leaping 5+feet in the air over logs, evergreens, etc. When I was lucky enough to find him about 40 - 50 yards from where he was it, there was still no blood, only a little coming out of his mouth and nose with no blood trail to speak of. I wish you luck in the future, hope you find that one!

I shot a big doe a couple of years back. One shot and it was down. I could see it's head swiveling around a little so I let it stay as I was a watcher on a drive. I kept my attention on the doe hoping she would expire...for about 10 minutes she didn't move at all. 20 minutes later, she jumped up and just started running until I finished her with another shot. They are tough animals and smart when they get into a bad situation.

I have had a smoke or two while on watch for a drive, depends on the wind. One thing that bugs the crap out of me is cigarette butts I find in the woods. It's not that hard to knock out the leftover tobacco and put the butt in a bag or your pocket til you get back to camp.

Sounds like you are getting a good handle on the situation. Remember, anything you put in writing most likely is there forever! Spoken word with a cool head will lay a good foundation. Who knows...may turn out to be a good guy and a good friend to have.

Whereabouts are you hunting? Rut started early up in NNY, my deer's neck was swollen like I'd never seen before. Opening Day in Southern Zone, I saw several bucks that had been shot and their necks were skinny. Didn't see a lot of scrape activity either. Up North was all torn up!

I hunt 7M a lot, my SZ spot last 14 years. There is a lot of quality public land down there, Opening Day was crazy down there, heard more shots than the last 5 years put together!

Congrats on finding it...I applaud the perseverance!

Boxer briefs are great, you can cut the legs...

I respectfully disagree. I've been in the insurance industry for 20+ years and have never heard that from any company Pres. or CEO. The deer population continues to rise in agricultural areas due to food supply and the fact they are pushed out from areas that are being developed. Also, those animals are very adaptable, I have seen road kill on Rt. 81 just north of Syracuse by the baseball stadium & Destiny USA. While they may have moved from traditional bedding areas, etc...they are still there and plentiful around NY.

Communication is key!

It's unethical for any hunter to shoot at movement or sounds in the brush...and to correct myself, anyone that does that is not a hunter.

We were in the woods for 26 minutes & this buck snuck up on us about 30 yds away. My 14 year old put it down with one shot, it never took a step after he shot. Very proud!

Agree with the deer assessments, saw a lot of similar sized grenades up in 6N near Redfield. The activity has really ramped up in the last week 1/2. I live just east of Syracuse and going out at night is a constant challenge, I've seen more bucks along the roads than I have in the woods!

Fellow HuntingNY members, this video is funny...the photographer is lucky it was a safe outcome. Horsing around with ANY animal sporting antlers is not safe but I did get a chuckle out of this. http://www.today.com/video/today/53551778#53551778

About 7 years ago I finally shot my first buck on a friends property bordering Happy Valley WMA. He was a crotch horn that dressed out at 120, I was ecstatic about finally shooting a buck. I filled out the tag, field dressed it and went back to camp. Sunday, we are loading up to head home and I have the buck up on top of the Blazer. DEC Officer stops in, cracks wise about "looks like he missed coffee time" (it was pretty funny how he said it). He wanted to check my tag and my friends. Both were filled out properly but not signed on the back. Cardinal Sin! He politely advised we should each sign the tags now and remember to do as such in the future. Lessoned learned, I do appreciate some common sense from a LEO.

My kid was so pumped up after last weekend (first time with a rifle in his hands, hanging around the camp with the other hooligans) that he was packed up for this weekend last Sunday night! LOVE the fact he likes spending time outdoors.