46rkl

Finishing up archery in a favorite spot. Hoping for some movement today. First archery season in eight years without even a doe. Haven’t even drawn on anything. once gun gets here it’ll be fill the freezer time.

It’s been an on and off now season. When the deer were “on” I was off my feet recovering from injury. That being said, I’ll be balancing between getting some meat for the freezer and hunting for a mature buck. Five doe tags along with an either sex and my regular buck tag makes for a lot of leeway but no small bucks.

An hour in and the only deer spotted have been by my wife back in the yard at the bird feeder. Would that be baiting? Anyhow, the wind is right and the temps have moderated. Buck time!

Head, neck, hands and feet. Pretty easy to keep the core and limbs warm. Covering and dry heat (heat packs) are my go to. Moderate socks and anti-perspirant to go with foot warmers. Neck gaiter and balaclava, a light skin cap followed by a warm head covering appropriate to the weather. Not fancy but it’s worked for me.

The snow is over and the sun is out here in 8H. Ready and waiting for a buck to stroll by.

I’m sure I don’t want to get in that conversation. I started out in the seventies just climbing a tree and wedging a foot into a good hold. Stayed there all day and could barely walk when I got down. Built a number of wooden platform stands that would ice up and be skating rinks. Some were insanely dangerous to get in or out of. Bought my first climber in the nineties and loved them. Climbing sticks and hang on stands followed and then ladder stands. Now it’s nice, comfortable web seats with big platforms. They are difficult to muscle around though. Tossing a rope over a high branch really helps. Tie one end to the platform. No more muscling it up alone. Call a friend or use the John Deere. oh, and safety lines on every stand!

I’ll be using my sweet shooting Savage 25-06. Love the flat and fast, hard hitting round it throws.

Nothing moving here in 8H. Combination of freezing rain, pellets and snow. Not the best for my first outing in two weeks. No deer sighted but felt great to be in the woods again.

Live from the recliner. Messed up my knee and out of action for the best hunting days of the season. So my wife tells me the deer are stopping by to see if I’m ok. I’m thinking that it’s the two yearlings that hang out under the apple trees. Nope. This guy strolls thru the yard within 15 yards of my deck. Just one of those years.....

Took a break from the tree stand today to brew a new beer. Southern Tier Harvest is a seasonal favorite of mine so that’s what we worked on today. Also tapped our 5 Hop Rye IPA. Great beer with a very dry finish.

I’m not into starting or perpetuating arguments and I don’t have to defend anyone’s choice to take a shot or pass. We can all make our own decisions on that. Discussing our own opinions and thoughts is a part of the hunting fraternity but name-calling is unnecessary. Jumping to conclusions and condemnations doesn’t benefit anyone. Hope all are successful in their hunt exactly the way that they want to be. Let’s get’r done!

Yep. I’ve seen both shoot and they are pretty good. As for shooting a doe and then a buck, I imagine any young hunter would take a shot at a buck, doe down or not. Both hunters are new to archery but not hunting deer. I’m ok with the decision. The buck was not recovered. I’m thinking it was not a good hit.

So I had a couple of first time bow hunters at my place this weekend. One yesterday stuck an arrow in an eight but we lost the blood after eighty yards or so. The one today shot a doe and then a nice buck came behind the doe. He shot the buck and he said it dropped straight down and then dragged itself into the brush. Well, we waited two hours and then followed. The drag mark went twenty yards and then it seems the buck got on its feet and disappeared. From his description of the buck, it sounds like the same on as yesterday. One tough deer. Too bad I didn’t see a thing from my tree....

I like to drag the scent rag from a fairly long distance across a few scrapes and then past where I have a good shooting lane. I’ll hang the rag in a spot where a buck might stop to smell it. Importantly, hang it in a spot where the buck will be looking away from you rather than at you. I also go twenty yards or so past where I’m hanging it and then back to where I’m hanging. its another tool in the bag and makes for a more fun hunt when it works, which is not always, like any technique. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be hunting.

Well, I’ve been hoping to get a closer look at the brute that cruised by on the other side of the field earlier this week. I’d just have been happier if he hadn’t been going 100 mph! Two young doe running for their lives followed by a basket eight followed by a giant ten or twelve. Crashing back and forth on the hillside in front of me, grunting up a storm. The two doe flew by at 15 yards followed by the eight. The big boy was still smart enough to stay in the brush as he passed by. Beautiful rack crashing thru the brush like a truck. Never slowed down. Listened to the chase continue for 5-7 minutes before they went over the ridge. Man, that was fun!

Rain is coming but right now it’s a good morning to be in a tree. Deer are up and moving here in 8H. Just need them to move down the hill to me....

I saw six different doe this evening. Every one of them was running, but I never saw a buck trailing any of them. Strange evening.

As for hunting them, I don’t have any on my hunting lands. Unfortunately.

Very easy to use and always remember, most tree stand accidents happen on the way up or down. I’ve lost two friends to falls so I tend to fixate on safety.

The first settlers to clear the land cut trees to use for building and firewood. Removing the stumps was brutal work but necessary in order to till the land. The stumps were lined up to contain the livestock and help deter predators. As the tilling took place, all the rocks that turned up we’re carried off and tossed among the stump fences. As the stump fences rotted away, the stone pile fences left behind were adequate but somewhat low. Only later did some of these stone fences get organized into true stone walls. In many cases, this never happened so it is very common to find stone pile fences running through 2nd and 3rd growth forests.

Some interesting and some disturbing pics on here tonite. Thought I’d share this fuzzy one from today that got me pumped. About 80 yards and not real clear but clearly a stud! Got my heart rate up. Didn’t respond to my grunts though.

Absolutely it’s best to start with a base layer and layer up as the conditions get worse. Wind proof outerwear that is quiet is key. From the socks to the head, layer up!

Skipped the tree stand this morning for a brewing session. Brewing a clone of Foothills Equus IPA, kegging our NEIPA (Hazy Sally) and tapping a first taste of our 5Hop Rye IPA.

Welcome aboard! There’s always a lot to read and share here....especially the beer thread.

Welcome to the group! Plenty to learn, share and a few good laughs to be had.