Poppy

Saw lots of road kill on Route 9G in southern Columbia and northern Duchess Counties. In the woods in 4Y, minimal rubs & scrapes, no chasing. Hope it kicks in next Saturday.

CZ 527 carbine in 7.62x39, shooting Hornady 123 grain SST's.

Tom, You and those pups are fantastic. My time in the woods is very limited due to recent medical problems thanks to a tick but reading your stories makes me feel like I am out in the woods. I never get enough of your adventures to read. Good health to your and the pups and keep them stories coming.

Well for me it is over, tag soup for only the second time in my 56 years of deer hunting. It actually ended yesterday with an experience I have never encountered in the wild before. In my favorite tree on the edge of an alfalfa field, white oak stand to my right. Caught movement on the west side of the field about 100 yards out. Could only see the backs and could nor identify. Suddenly they came up over a small ridge in the field, two of the most beautiful bobcats, one medium size and one very large. The two of them were hunting for moles or mice for about 20 minutes before they went up into the oaks. It made my 2018 season. To all of you guys and girls that have put in the hours and enjoyed the outdoors, please accept my sincere thanks for letting me live your hunt on this forum and may all of you have a joyous holiday season and a very prosperous New Year.

Tom, Again this year your fantastic posts were the first thing I looked at when I got home. Without a doubt the most informative, entertaining and just plain wonderful stories, some sad, some happy but all a pleasure to read. For me this year, I had limited hunting time due to my wife's health issues, but each search I read put me in the woods enjoying them whether I got out or not. As always many thanks to you, Luna & Kunox for your generous assistance to many hunters and posting your adventures. Happy Holidays to all and I can't wait to 2019 edition. Poppy

Hi Thug, glad you made it up. Good luck to you and your hinting buddies. Poppy

Hi Tom, Just setting here wondering how the pups are doing. How about an update. Thank you, Poppy

Tom, Congrats, an extremely beautiful animal. Oh yeah, nice buck too. No one I know deserves it more then you. Poppy

Outdoorstom, you & your pups are both getting a well deserved break. Your accounts of the various tracking events is a highlight of my day. My wife thinks I love those pups more then her. Thank you again for what the three of you do for the many hunters who have benefitted from your efforts. Poppy

I know ECO Cox, in fact I graduated from high school with his Mom. Just want to say thank you to Jeff and ECO Davey for doing an outstanding job. Fines and forfeiture are a start, but I think a lifetime ban on hunting privileges and firearm ownership should be added. The three are not hunters, they are shooters and thieves. Happy Holidays to the men & women of the NYS EnCon Police Department.

Well it is over for me. Nothing harvested except coyotes. Did see several young bucks that got a pardon this year, maybe they will come back next year and visit. For me tag soup again, take one quart of beef stock, add two celery sticks, three carrots………. oh hell everyone knows that recipe. To all of you who made this season so much fun for me, thank you. A special thank you to Tom and his fantastic trackers. They made some very long days not in the woods as special as being in my favorite blind. To all of the guys and gals on HuntingNY, have a wonderful and joyous holiday season. Poppy

Let me have my S&W Model 60 Pro. 5 shot .357, use JHPs for protection & big game, shot shell for bunnies and squirrels and an occasional grouse.

Hi Grampy, From one grampy to another, wishing you a speedy recovery and at least one more hunt before the season ends. I agree, St. Peters is the place to be when you are really sick. Poppy

Tom, What a beautiful pair. I can't think of a more powerful "Dynamic Dual". Good luck with the pair.

We see and hear more and more about poor shots, wounded deer (thank God for people like Tom & Luna), hunters shooting hunters, Encon Officers and now their neighbors. I can't help but feel that too much attention is given to getting the deer than is given to enjoying the sport and the outdoors. If people would remember that, many of these poor shots and injured and killed innocent bystanders would become less frequent.

Nice buck, next time you need the garbage taken out, give me a call.

Last two years I enjoyed chatting with Deerthug. This year I have not heard or seen anything from him. Does anyone have any info?

Tom, Exactly what breed is Luna? I showed her picture to my granddaughter and she asked. Thank you.

Reel, That is good news. I had a similar situation 12 years ago and although it was scary at the time, I made out fine. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Judy for a rapid recovery and maybe a big buck before the end of the season is in your future. Poppy

Great job. Luna for President.

Chrisw & Papist, You are partially correct. Due to previous injuries and other physical issues, I no longer can hunt with my compound and fear I may not be able to cock a crossbow. I bow hunted for over thirty years and enjoyed ever day I spent in the woods with my bow and now I would like to enjoy that peak rut again. Maybe a little selfish, but after buying licenses for over 50 years, an old hunter can at least hope, can't he/she. Thank you for you replies.

Tom, Congratulations on a fine buck. With all you do for other hunters, none deserves a buck like that more then you. I hope Luna got a little nibble.

Many posts on "Live from the woods" during the archery and crossbow season tell us of numerous bucks seen chasing does. Many hunters pass up decent bucks in hopes of getting a real wall hanger. I certainly respect the archer having a dedicated early season, but should not the rifle hunter have a crack at that also. Rifle season generally opens after the rut and for many hunters, even seeing does is difficult once the rifles start going off. So here is what I propose; have two 15 day seasons beginning on October 15th. This year archery would run from 10/15 to 10/30 and rifle will run from 10/31 to November 14th. Next year the seasons would be reversed so that firearms starts on October 15 and archery would start on October 31st. Every year it would alternate. That way every hunter, regardless of his or her choice of weapon would get a chance to hunt during peak rut.

I would like to see a short firearms season, maybe five days long, during late October or early November for senior citizens. This would permit many older hunters who cannot tolerate the cold or walking with heavy clothing on a chance to get chance in the woods. Many of the older hunters, myself included, who would normally would find it difficult or not be able to get out in the late November cold could still enjoy their deer season. Also I fully support one buck per licensed hunter. Do away with DMP's and give every hunter an antlerless permit with their buck license.

BigPaul, I may have missed it but can we get some details of where you are, what outfittter you are using, etc. This seems like a hunt that I must do before I hang up my rifle up for good. Thank you and best of luck getting that 10 pointer. Poppy