grampy

Gotta say that even if it snows to beat the band,after Christmas or New Years, it will seem to be a much shorter winter. The years where we have snow on the ground from late October or early November seem endless. I do enjoy snowshoeing and icefishing, but no complaints from me, about the weather so far this year!

On December 14th.! Kind of crazy but I could probably mow! Just an observation, not a complaint.

You and Luna as a team were awesome this year! Being only the first year, you both showed abilities way above what was expected. Only going to get better from here, you should be very proud of what you've accomplished. Thank you and congratulations for a great tracking season!

Would rather be warm and not see deer as to freezing my butt off and not see deer.

A little more front body mass than a two year old and a lot less than a four year old. So, three year old.

On our properties, the deer never left. They were there the whole time. But we saw very little daytime deer movement. My opinion for less deer sightings this year are, warmer than normal daytime temps kept movement down,until night time. There was a bounty of food this fall and they didn't need to travel far to get it. They stayed in the thickest, nastiest cover, where it was cooler, and felt more secure, with food nearby. A trickle of rutting activity spaced out from mid October to now. No frenzy of concentrated rut activity to really get them on their feet and running, during the first couple of weeks of November. We saw fresh rubs and scrapes all season, made mostly at night, but no concentrated rutting activity. One activity that has increased big time for us, was coyote activity! We had PACKS of them calling most every night and even during the day on occasions. We will be targeting them this winter to cut down on the huge number of yote's. My opinion is it was a combination of a few different things that led to low deer sightings in our area this year. But the deer were there!

I just found my new project for basement shooting in the winter! This looks awesome! Thanks Deerthug!

Welcome to the forum and to the brotherhood of hunting! You had one heck of a first season! Congratulations! I have known hunters, that hunted their whole lives and never shot a buck like that. And to share time in the woods with your son, will make memories that will last a lifetime. Wishing you continued successful deer seasons with friends and family.

Of all the deer on the property, he was the last I ever expected to see, after not one sighting during gun season. And yeah, my heart skipped a beat, my eyes got big and I said holy shucks to myself. My buddy had pretty much the same reaction when he came sneaking out below him a couple hundred yards away.

I love shepherds pie! Even better when warmed up!

What a great picture!

I'm out of likes so congratulations to her and like, like, like!!!

Congratulations guy's! Way to get it done on the last day!

Glad to hear you are feeling better and chomping at the bit to get out there. Just don't over do it and listen to what the doc's tell you. Next year you will be running em down with the young guy's! Best of luck with your continued recovery!

The next best thing to killing him this year, is to know he'll be around next year!

Season over for me too. Ended on a high note, seeing #1 on hit list. He will be even bigger next year at 5 years old. Been a very up and down season for sure. My buddy and I both killed good bucks and have meat in the freezer. For that I'm very thankful. Enjoyed each and every hunt, weather I saw deer or not. Shared time in the woods with my grandson, who is shaping up to be a great hunter/woodsman, at 11 years old. Shared more than a few laughs with my best friend and hunting buddy. Learned a thing or two to carry in to future hunting seasons. Still hate to see it end.....sigh....

Nice pic's! Hope he wasn't snoring too loud......lol

The time on that pic was 5:33 pm the night before the gun opener. 12 hours later, I was in a stand a short distance from this cam. Also hunted this general area a few times during the season and never saw him until today. I really hope he makes it to next year. He will be 4 or 5 years old then and #1 on my hit list. I may go after only him, all or nothing. He has already proved to be worthy of the challenge.

November 7th to 11th. Natural ground blind. Daytime high of 35 degrees. Overcast sky with a light breeze from the NW. Classic funnel between mature hemlocks and a thick swamp. Crossbow in my hands.

He was bedded in very thick cover. Slightly up hill and light swirling wind. I think he caught my scent, but wasn't sure where I was. After he stood up, he looked to my right, not at me, before sneaking off.

Deer humor, I like it!

Yup, no difference if after tracking for a mile and someone else shoots him. The rack is now with it's rightfull owner. Does it suck to be the shooter? Sure does, but he never recovered the deer, he just shot it. If the buck had died in a spot to never be found by anyone, he would be no worse off than he is now.

Besides today, I've had two other close calls with this buck during bow. Just couldn't get the shot. And my buddy saw him once on the edge of a field at last light during bow. With the split right ear he is easy to identify. Next year, I hope to post a pic in the harvest thread with a big split eared buck.