Fletch

My 14 yr old nephew and my brother in law teaching him on the left with his first deer. On the right my 12 year old helping me with mine. And my younger brother in the background. Family and the young ones is what it's about! I remember how excited I got when I was there age! Still do!

Nothin to better pucker your butt than cutting up a deer by yourself in the pitch dark in bear country! Lol lot safer doing that in the Dacks than the Northern Rockies or Alaska! Well done

One track whole way in and same deer I jumped 2 days ago headed back Nothin has been moving for days ! Gonna have to start burnin boot soles after first warch

First of all congratz on your accomplishment! That is a nice deer but even more impressive is the hunt itself. I do have to ask what did you do once you got him though to get him out? How far from a road were you or do you backtrack out?? I sure as heck would not want to drag a buck back on the hike you made to get him!! Do you B line to the closest road and call a friend and would you be lucky to have cell coverage.....Or do cut it up and pack it out, even boned that would be 100 pounds plus with head and cape.

I actually think my area had a very successful year. My group for the first year has not taken a buck yet! So weird I say this, but I passed a bunch of small ones and had a few good ones on cam. I am seeing more does and fawns than ever. I have heard from other folks locally and some nice bucks have been taken and lots of deer sighted. One big observation for me was almost ALL of my sightings were very early and very late in the day. Only a few days did I see any signs of movement after 1.5 hours after legal or more than an hour before end of legal. I also did not see barely any rubs this year and few scrapes. I do admit I do not get all up in the thickets as I do not want to screw up the area but I have never seen so few. And up to the past week I have heard more shooting than usual. I think it is a very localized thing though. Half an hour away could be very different.

12/12 pm 30 STUPID DEER! So I sneak out to catch the last 45 minutes or so. Its a 3 minute walk from the garage door to my field edge stand. I cruise around the shed not paying much mind and glance up and there is a doe just saw me along the back edge of the yard. She even stopped to give me a shot. No dice on that neighbors house only 150 feet behind to my left. I think it is the same one deer from the past 2.5 days. LOL some times the hunting Gods just like to tease you!!

12/12 am 27 Out back and poked around for 2 hours. Worked from one end of the 40 acres I can hunt to the other and cut one track that I think was the one I jumped yesterday. Man the snow has them sure hunkered down. Called my bud outside Albany who has 90 acres unhunted all season, was gonna pop out there but he has 2 feet! I have the next 4 days off this last push is going to be a tough one me thinks.

Upstate where were you at? I was wondering if Tully had less snow than me to hunt this weekend. Sick of sloggin through it this deep!

Man whos dating the entries!! lol it is 12/11 today I got off a day or two or month!! 12/11 am 30 Still snowing, have about 16 inches on the ground, heavy stuff. I went in just at sunrise to ease through. A couple tracks from maybe yesterday eve and nothing else. Sat in stand for a while then eased around some more. I did bump one but did not get a good look and it ran towards the houses. I would have been fine with 4 inches of snow!!

Ok this is a bit more snow than I need! And heavy stuff, prob 16 inches or so.

I am thinking we have a foot and a half, have not headed out yet to see, will be headed in shortly. Waiting a bit to ease in at sunrise me thinks.

I had no tracks in the snow either, they must have moved before.

11/8 am 30 Out back hit the tower blind for 1.5. Had about an inch of snow down and more falling. Visibility was way down but I had been seeing track around this stand every morning it has snowed. Well not this morning!! Must of moved before it started. It is supposed to snow for the next two days so we will see how much we get. Looks like it will be snow down through the end of the season.

Pines

Snowing here in 7a 30 Visibility not great with snow sticking on all branches See if I can catch one moving supposed to snow for a couple days

12/7 am 30 Out back for 1.5 in the far stand. Jumped one going in. It is still crunchy as all heck! My bro hunted down the bottom and heard a couple before light but that was it.

Not in my opinion. It should be the hunters choice. What do I care if the guy/gal down the road shoots a spike and is tickled pink!! Good for her/him!

When you guys are brushing 10 or so times are you just going chamber to muzzle or both directions? I use the Otis system. I have found some little brushes and a can of compressed air is handy as well. I use hot soapy water for cleaning my ML barrel.

My second weekend doe

My nephew and I with opening day does. His first deer.

Yea it was a loud walk in! Has been for 3 days now. Kicked one coming in. Boy that moon is bright!

My season has 8 more days!!

I have done two this year no issues at all. Maybe 3 minutes each.

12/6 am 20 Sat in the tower for 1.5 hours wind chill was 8. Brrrr Nothing going on. Went down to where we left off last night and started again. I finally found a touch more hair and got on the does tracks. Not a drop of blood. I am working down creek bottom and I see her laying. The I see a yote had found her first, damn. Ate the hind quarters out of her. The shot was way low through the brisket, she did not go maybe 100 yards but with no blood rrrrrrr. Then as I was at the deer I hear crunch crunch the little yote scum come trotting down the creek. I lit a 50 cal. ml round at him. He took off like a bat, not sure how I missed maybe I didn't, was not going to bother chasing it.

12/5 pm 24 Sat in the far stand out back. About 3:15 had 2 flats go by too far out. Then about 4 had one run back and forth way up the ridge and cut out right too far. A bit after that I hear my bro shoot. Bit after that I heard some in the woodlot between us. He texted me he shot at a doe and could not get down yet deer walking all over. Had some on his right and another coming from the front. It is stating to get dim now and my feet are blocks of ice. I cant get down now cause the deer are walking towards me. You can hear crunching hundreds yards away! Finally they pass I cant see crap so I head towards my bro. I hit the creek and jump a deer it runs towards the houses. I go another 10 yards and jump another I flashlight it and it circles me to the left. I get to my bro and my bro in law came over too. We finally find hair but a lotta white. Search and search and can not find a drop of blood. It is cold so we back out for morn.