nyantler

Handsome buck Moog! Great bow buck.

LOL.. for the life of me I can't find a justification for the mosquito! Even if I could.. I would rather do without them.

You're right Pygmy... I wasn't aware that rattlesnakes were live bearers. My point is still the same, but I learned something today!

Yup you're probably right about the rattlesnake in this area... other indigenous rodent eaters take their place in NY. The difference between our treatment of rodents and insects vs. other animals and why one is more detrimental than others is more about the ability of rodents and insects to repopulate at a much greater rate. Rodents reproduce continuously throughout the year having multiple "litters" with up to a dozen per litter... Insects reproduce by the 100's, even thousands per year, per each hatching. Snakes reproduce once per year... and because they are not live born, but begin as eggs they are subject to much higher mortality rates. The number of bugs humans kill and other insects and animals eat can't put a dent in the bug population. The same could not be said for the snake populations if they were killed at the same rate as insects. One critter is not any less or any more important than another in the animal kingdom... mother nature somehow creates the perfect balance in each habitat... man is the only disruption in that balance if not kept in check.

But then we'd be overrun with rodents... those pesky mice! I think snakes are extremely interesting... saw my first rattler in PA over the summer... I was actually excited.. stopped the car and ran up to it to get a pic before it got into the woods.

I have been lucky to have responsible neighbors... I certainly understand that some neighbors aren't... I was just curious is all.

Just curious why you didn't let your neighbor hunt your land, then ask him for the same courtesy to use his land... and start a mutual hunting friendship that would have eliminated all this. I have done that with every neighbor I have had that hunted and it always worked out better. It gave us a chance to talk about a set of rules that kept everything working smoothly on both properties... we would help each other with cutting trails and setting stands... we even hunted together a few times a year.

Most is lost in the spread... usually not more than an inch or so lost from the green score...

just the tines and beams get him over 100... I'll bet the beams are over 50" alone... and another 50"+ for the tines... add a 19 inch spread and I'm guessing 32-34 for mass... and that gets you over 150.. MAYBE high 140's after deductions 148-149.. still 150 class

You could try hunting Montezuma, they are overrun with deer. But, I'm sure you didn't mean when deer numbers are down in your area... you meant when you haven't seen many deer from your treestand.

It is legit!... and every bit 150 class

If that were true there wouldn't be a problem with hunters complaining there are no deer... most are not committed enough to travel to hunt deer. Most aren't even inclined to leave their treestand when they aren't seeing deer. I have always contended that what most consider low deer populations is just personal bad hunting practices and an inability to see the deer that are present in the area.

I'd have to agree with you there..LOL

Agreed...Too many people that spend too much time worrying about how other people hunt...

I have heard of the Clorets thing... not sure I buy it, but like you say "It can't hurt"...

You do know that deer don't really care for the smell of mint, wintergreen or spearmint right?

As long as you're breathing in the woods you will be putting out human scent... now i suppose that you could try spraying some scent killer in your mouth.. and I'm sure there is a nucklehead out there that has already given that a try. I would be okay with them saying that the spray can "reduce" human scent... but unless you're holding your breath, you stink like a human. I don't use anything for scent control. But then I don't sit in a tree waiting for a deer to show up so I'm able to play the wind.

I have one I bought for about that at Dicks a few years back... did a great job taking the curse off of my 450 sq ft cabin... should work excellent in a blind. Can get the propane canisters cheap at WalMart too.

not a buck rub.

I like to call it the "Marine" sling... but you're right on the money

I was referring to their reaction to grunting primarily. Big Bucks will play the wind 99.9% of the time when using a grunt call... I should have clarified that... and you're right I shouldn't have said "always" when it comes to big bucks... yet if you live by what I posted you will be more successful than if you don't.. especially if you're going to set up shop and wait for him to come to you.. and more especially if you're bow hunting and need to get him close... when they are on the move and alone (other than maybe during rut) they are all about the wind. I will give you the .01% that won't. But, if you'd rather set up with your wind to them that's your prerogative.... and good luck.

Mid-day hunting near a swamp can be productive especially with a grunt call... remember that the bigger bucks will always try to get into the wind before leaving the swamp especially if they hear the grunt and can't see what made it. With bow, positioning yourself based on the wind is essential because of how close you need to get... not as much with a gun because you can reach out farther. Many times you see the buck get up in the swamp, too far away for a shot with bow, but plenty close enough for gun range.

If its a cattail swamp there will be an entry point into the swamp that the deer use... find that and you'll do well if you play the wind... the path should be easy enough to find, it should be beaten down pretty good. There may be more than one into the swamp that they use when the wind direction changes.

I would bet it's just a bloodline thing... usually injuries result in a greater deforming of antlers than just a slight size difference.