Fletch

12/18 pm 39 Well got out for the last watch out back. It was raining so hit the tower blind. Not much going on but enjoyed the sit going over the season in my head and thankful that I was healthy and able to hunt a whole lot!! My bow season was slow but successful and gun season was better than usual for the first two weeks. After that things got slow. Muzzleloader was a bust due mostly to getting the flu, thankful that the freezer was in great shape by then. I enjoyed many days out, could of had a bit more snow!! I will be looking forward to expanding my sausagemaking skills this year. I really felt the pinch again this year on loss of hunting areas. I need to look into trying to add the neighbors 27 acres to mine, after the holidays I will have to pay him a visit. Also need to get out the chainsaws and start the orchard this year. I hope everyone has a happy and healthy holiday season!!! It is always great sharing the fall with you all!!

I will be going out in a few. I may have to hit the box stand but I will get out!

12/17 pm 43 Out in the hole for the last couple hours. Not much going on. 12/18 skipped the am hunt will get my last sit in tonight and say goodbye to another season.

12/17 am 36 Got out down in the hole this morn for 2 hours. I heard some branches break up above me in the thick stuff early but never saw anything. On my way out I jumped one off the edge of the thick stuff, must of been what I heard. No shot, it ran right up past my brothers stand but he was a t work. This last week I have not been real into it with still kicking the flu and not wanting to get out of bed! I will be out again in a while.

12/15 Got out for first and last sits behind the house for a total of 4.5 hours in the stand Did not see anything. 12/16 Got out for 1.5 in the am behind the house. Jumped two in the dark going in and that was it. Daughter had basketball games all day so I did not get out.

Thanks Zem! I have been nocked down with the flu the last couple of days. I think one more day of recoup and hope to get out Friday.

Congratz on the doe! Sounds like a fun day hunting.

need some pics in this thread!

Way to go!! You have not been draggin to long, not even an hour yet and you gutted it. It is not real bad until you hit 3 or 4 hours and that is the first and you need to go back and get the second one!! Now that is a drag!lol

I have really noticed a very large drop in the string of shots over the last two years since my one area went rifle. Has anyone else noticed this?

I shoot a TC Triumph with 150g of 777 and with 250 grain shockwaves I can touch bullet holes at 100yards. My max would be 150 but that is my limitation and to this day I have never shot a deer at much over 100yards and only one of those. The terrain I hunt and where I place myself puts most of my shots in the 40 to 60 yard range. I like up close and personal! I will not even shoot at a deer freehanded unless it is pretty close, a rest is always best!

Seems it would ruin a lot of meat?

12/8 am Got out in the hole for a couple hours. Nothing going on. Was feeling crappy so went home and veged rest of the day. 12/9 30 Hit Tully with the boys. Sat 2 hours first watch saw nothing, this is more like I remember gun season!! Did a drive and nothing. Still feeling off. went home and vegeg then hit last watch behind house and nothing. Got the unicorn back from the butcher, he pulled a 22 slug out from under its hide. Hate poachers!

TC Triumph in it to the end!! I have been hunting with the muzzleloader when I am in shotgun county for the last couple of weeks.

12/7 am 37 Out back for 1.5 hours absolutely nothing. Fresh tracks show they are moving at night. Last weekend of shotgun/rifle is here. Man that was quick, I was sitting in stand this morn saying to myself get all the hunting you can in because it is all over in 11 days. YIKES

Thanks bud! 12/6/12 am 27 Finally got done being lazy and was in the stand by 6:30am. I was not there 10 minutes and heard crunching in the frozen leaves. It was too dark to see but it was two or three deer one was running around. Not sure if it was a doe and fawns or what. About 7:30 I heard another walking but never saw it. It was very quiet this morning so the crunch in the leaves was loud.

Congratz on your first deer and super shot!! I have one comment though just to keep you safe. You mentioned you rolled back the hammer when they started the drive. Remember the safety, which is the hammer on this gun, should never be taken off until you are ready to shoot. You seemd to really enjoy this hunt and I would hate to see an accident happen to prevent further ones. Again not to harp on you and congratz!!

Deer are fine until March then if we get deep snow that lasts for weeks on end then we worry. Otherwise the deer will be fine. And that is only in the ares that get that kind of snow that lasts, basically from me up through the tug. Rest of the state usually has ne worries over winterkill. That being said I had no apples any of the spots I hunt this year and 5 of the 6 deer we have shot were fat fat fat.

Great pics! Would love to hunt there someday! Just not on that cliff!! You must like hights a lot better than me!!

nice mount

Well done. I came up on one a couple years ago that had been shot through the back legs and was bedded by a creek. He could not get up but was plenty alive. I was happy to take him before the coyotes got on him while he was still alive. Took one in almost the same place a couple years before that that had been shot through the lower jaw. He jumped and ran but we luckily got him. He was already thinning out from not being able to eat.

Plenty of them around. The deer I shot in 7a just over the line from 7f was loaded with them. The two we got in 7m had hardly any and one spot in 7f is loaded and another in 7a not so many. The permentium sp? spray does noticibly work. Just spray it on a day or two before you hunt to let the smell air out.

Man you are just wrong teasing us like that!!jk You really seem to know what you are doing and your results always look great. I almost licked the screen!! I just started making my own sausages last year and this year I want to make smoked kielbasa and maybe some sticks. Do you share your recipes??

I tried pickling one last year and man it was bad. Will never waste a heart like that again!! They hit frying pan!

It really matters where you are hunting and how much pressure has been on it. If you are limited on space, continuous still hunting or pushing will make the deer move off or go nocturnal or both. Now that the big days of opening weekend and Thanksgiving are past and the second rut oncoming I prefer to sit first and last hours and still hunt / push during the middle of the day on bigger state land.