LET EM GROW

Thank you! I love and live for QDM. I dont preach it, but share stories because the journey is one hell of a roller coaster ride. Gaining history with bucks year after year is way too cool. lol. It becomes a hobby and genuine passion. I really could care less to hunt sometimes lol.

I hope he made it through season, Hes not much of a roamer and I have not heard of anyone hitting or killing a buck of this magnitude. One neighbor several properties away told me he hit a giant 9 point in the guts during archery and lost it. My heart sank a little(I wont lie) when he told me this. But told myself that this is hunting and I don't own a single one of these critters.. Well a few weeks later I felt much better when i got the picture of him finding the big 9 he lost. It wasn't him. But another dandy of a 4.5 yr old we had on cam we call Radar.. I got a picture of "The Ghost" Thanksgiving morning so I know he made it through part of gun season.. and again.. never heard of anyone taking him or finding him dead and as a community at camp we keep in touch with things like this. Going to check cards as soon as some snow melts. And I can walk back in without killing myself in hopes he is still alive and on cam eating some woody browse from a couple trees i dropped in the closest plot to his core area... Fingers Crossed lol Pic of "Radar" and The ghost thanksgiving Morning.. If you look at the ghosts stomach in the trail cam pic, theres a "blemish" .. he took a 270 bullet there last year and lived!! That bullet exited out lower on the opposite side and he somehow survived.. I know the neighbor who hit him and lost him.

I should have one of those Spartan camera things after an upcoming Superbowl! lol

Sure, If my back up spot falls through this year, i will become more interested..

I would love to get the Grand Slam of Wild Turkeys.. a time or two if possible before I kick. Especially chase some Merriam birds.. I would love to chase a nice bugling Bull with my Bow, as well as a Grizzly and a Bull Moose with my Bow. My ideal trip would be when my kids are old enough so we can enjoy this hunt together, if they have the interest when they become of age. I really enjoy giving kids the ultimate experience.

I don't plan to feed with the grains, but i could, I may do a mix of them all depending on price and availability. i like wheat or rye because its taller, stronger. Would act more as a barrier for keeping moisture in and sunlight away from the soil. Spraying GLY is ineffective until temps stay above 60F and what your spraying is "actively" growing. My no till is just a method. No planter of any sort. Just the use of terminating a cover crop, and rolling that over a broadcast seed(soybeans for summer or a fall crop) to act as a mulch, to aid in germination and retaining moisture within the soil.

I want to incorporate a bunch of spring grain for termination purposes with my no till methods. Was thinking of spreading grain seed in April when the weather seemed best. But id imagine the birds will pick a lot of it if it slaying on top of the soil. Also figured the snow would rot the small grain seed ??

When do you plan on seeding your grains? in February? OR when temps rise early spring? JC, Thanks.

Definitely hold off. You can do it anywhere from late Feb.. through Early April(temperature depending) Clovers are a hard seed and may hold up but, i wouldn't waste seed by chancing it. That is a lot of time the birds could be picking your seed as well if its exposed..

I may be interested. I live in Hornell.

Have rode Tall Pines and Demon Run. And all over our property and the neighbors each year. I enjoy riding with and on the neighbors, such beautiful properties. I like to putts around and cruise slow, not much for going fast anymore. Going to get the 2 youngest kids into Quads or bikes asap so we can ride as a family. The oldest already shows me up lol and Momma traded in her 125ttr for a 230 Crf. Shes is ready to kill it lol. Shes impressed me on a bike, damn good with a clutch. Especially for 5'2" lol

"Once a spike always a spike!!" "If I don't shoot it, the neighbors will" Maybe wrong type of quotes? lol

They are dead nuts on the few neighboring properties that were surveyed here in Steuben County. Owners that had property thought their lines went right to the hedge row, surveyors had the property lines in places up to 30 yards away from hedge rows. Several un happy campers after that was done..

My #2 buck either took a slug to the main beam or broke it off in 2013 as a 4 or 5 yr old.. Im thinking slug because this guy, that year had well over 5" bases. And last year his bases were 6 & 6-5/8" .. If it did indeed break, id like to see what made him break like that. My mind has been made to wait out the rack from now on.. as long as its minimal damage lol

Gimmicks.. They getcha every time! lol Pretty neat but that is way out of this cheap ass's price range lol

I used to always pay the 29$ for ONXMAPS app to have the Wayne county property lines/owners. And just recently,(2 weeks ago) I re instated my ONXMaps app for the year. Had I seen this, I would have not purchased the app again. lol. Thanks goos!

I am getting him, because i know my neighbors would do the same. I am on pretty good terms with most all of my neighbors, we all don't get along but usually never have a problem as long as permission is asked before hand. I do have one neighbor that tries to give a hard time about this, and line hunting(but deep down knows it is not right to keep someone from their deer).. but this guy and his crew are the first ones to shoot a deer standing on the other side of the property line no matter the distance over the line... Found several gut piles and their ATV tracks coming and going from them over the years. I've left well enough alone, in hopes to not have an issue retrieving deer in the future.

I have done this with my camp. I do not use the water at all. Only because i am not taking chances. MY camp is a 150 yr old farm house that always needs a little TLC, Dont want to make more work for myself lol. I dont use water until spring when the freeze threat is gone. When i get there i try to spend enough time to get the place good and warm and dried out. As Culver mentioned, everything sweats when warm air is applied. Regardless you'll be fine only doing it once in a great while. Get it warmed up good.

To be alive and well is a great start! lol I hope I am too. seriously. Hunting Goals, I hope i can get a crack at my Number 1 or number 2 buck again next year. I missed #1 during archery @ 35yrds, and my number 2 read the script several times, just on days i could not be in the woods. Especially Late season, he had a hard time leaving the food plots during ML season.. #1 will be 9.5 yrs old if he makes it, #2 will be 9.5 or 10.5 (not sure exactly) yrs old if winter doesnt take them..

We are only minutes away but, we really dont have much AG near us. There may be a handful of fields they rotate a mile or so away. but that it really, besides the food plots all around. I agree with where you are, lots more Ag over your way.

Just to show a few sperm spreaders...

A lot of the mature bucks on our hill are taller more narrow antlered deer, with usually 8 or 9 point frames. With the occasional wider passed the ears headgear here and there. But the majority are tall and tight, Rarely exceeding the 140" Mark(poor soils) but when they do, they usually aren't the typical tall and tight rack. Not that score matters to me, nor is that a small deer by any means Just stating. Until recently it seems the bucks have usually had weak brows in our area too, but now many are sporting very good sets of brow tines compared to hardly none at all.

Anyone think the real cold weather we have had for 2 or 3 weeks would make them cast earlier than normal?

Id probably pass him as well, if it were to every happen. Its pretty easy letting deer walk. Just curious as to what people would do. MY #2 buck dropped both his sides a few days after season ended. He used to carry until late February early March every year. But this year and last, he dropped right around the New Year holiday. He is 8 or 9 yrs old though. Not sure if that is a factor.

Its real late in the season and he finally makes the appearance you've been waiting for. As you get ready to settle in for the shot, all hyped up and excited.. You realize he cast one of his antlers or even both sides(certain its him), or has broke the majority of one side off... Do you still take the shot, and attempt to harvest the buck? After all you've been waiting for this day on what seems an eternity.. or at least a year or 2.. Its been bugging me on what I would do. You don't know where the other antler is, and probably don't have permission to look "everywhere" for it. But your efforts are finally paying off.. It sounds greedy in some ways if I pass him, just for wanting his head gear. Do you wait for your chance at him next year during archery or what have you..?? If both antlers were cast, I would most definitely wait until the following year and hope maybe a different shooter shows up in the mean time. If he was just busted up, I would take him. If he cast one side.. I still think i would harvest him.... What would everyone do??