phade

Rural king is pretty darn good. Menards too. I picked up three ladder stands at an RK in the second week of Nov for $29 each a few years ago. People walking into the store probably thought I had been on the laughing gas when I left. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Nice one! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The 4-9-7 rule is a good practice to hit the magical 125" mark for an 8 assuming normal mass length and spread. 10s can make up for some shortcomings to hit that mark. My guess is it'll fall 115-120 gross. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This season, me and our hunting buddy who doesn't post here, we're driving to his ground midday. I saw a guy walking a blood trail in an open cut cornfield - his wife in tow in street clothes. We decided to stop and help. They were about 100 yards off road and literally knees bent head down looking for blood. While walking to them slowly I saw blood. Looked like it wasn't the best shot. We were covering ground and trying to get to them without yelling or spoiling them. About 30 yards behind them, it was so windy they didn't know we were there. I told my buddy this isn't going to end well. The blood looked poor and fresh and they were both head down and he had the only bow. Soon as I told him I see a rack of a buck that had to be within the top 5 I have ever seen in the wild, turn. It was 10 feet from the guy bedded. Hunter didn't see him because both were head down. I'm trying to figure out what to do as they close the gap within 5 feet...That buck rose and left his life forever. Poor guy. He made another mistake by not even attempting to shoot. The buck decided to run parallel and was two rows ahead of him running away. All he had to do was step forward and he would have had a reasonable shot Texas heart style as long as he guess even remotely close. He never did that and ran after the deer. I'm sure he didn't find it. Shoulder hit. He should have had head up and wife tracking blood. Buck would have been his easily with a simple kill shot in his bed since they got so close. We left and we felt bad for the guy but poor decisions belie poor results most times. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And this perpetuates the problem. Example - a deer jammed in the shoulder. You want to pick up that trail asap and keep the blood pumping. Once that deer spends time bedded it clots and eventually the clot won't blow out. Other muscle hits are the same way. The moral is that you need to make the right decision. Always backing out will eventually lead to a non recovered deer. What you should do is make the right choice for the scenario. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am dying laughing in the middle of Detroit airport. Well done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's an overreach. Just a chance for the DEC to say they are on the progressive front of deer management, while barely being able to manage the deer population, the very foundation of their responsibilities. The powers that be can be more wrong than a weatherman and still hold their job without fear of losing it. Zero accountability. Same problem results in this particular action. The previously noted baiting deer to medicate them, but ban urine and feeding to prevent CWD transmission, topics is pretty comical on face value, and downright scary when you stop to think about it.

I'm not exaggerating when I believe I have probably owned more trail cams than everyone else on this forum combined. My loss rate on private ground is pretty low. I've had 5-6 cams stolen in almost 20 years of running trail cameras, with three of them coming in one season. That one burned me - I caught the guy on cam one day and he didn't see that one cam. Head to toe camo, walking in with bow, and out with bow and buck a few hours later. Weeks prior, he had taken film out of one cam (I thought I was crazy and forgot to load it), and then the following week two cams went missing. The next, a third cam. I finally got him on film, but he also got the buck he was after and I never saw him again, nor saw his face. I was on private ground and was the only bowhunter with permission. He also got me for a few ladder stands. And, then like magic, he was gone and never re-appeared. Not even the foggiest clue who it was to this day. He hunted out of my stands (he had no stand on his back), took my cams, shot the big buck for the neighborhood, took the stands of mine he used, and then disappeared into thin air. I tip my hat to him now, many years later. He was good at it, real good.

Its a cost of business. I do my best to avoid cams getting stolen, or stands, but eventually it happens. The real problem IMO (beyond the obviousness of someone stealing in the first place) are the situations where that becomes a trend and starts to impact your hunting. I've had a few sd cards and one cam stolen this past year. I believe it to be a person trespassing onto the particular property looking for sheds. I'll high mount a few cams this shed hunting season, but even with a pic, it won't likely result in stopping the guy. He likely doesn't live nearby and probably travels by car to the adjoining ground that nobody will connect him to except by sheer luck.

Are you saying a dog attacking livestock shouldn't be put down? I'm not clear on that. What is the argument for not shooting a dog attacking livestock? At that point, farmers and ranchers are permitted to shoot wolves, mountain lions, bears, etc. when that happens. Why would a dog be given a protection in this scenario?

He likes his ears pinned back.

I don't know why I even bother. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes. Even the people trying to save them acknowledge it - including the director of the Nature Conservancy. Literally, he uses the term "genetically inferior to regular whitetail deer," when explaining the white deer. Here's some more insight from him: Most white deer exhibit a condition commonly known as leucism, a recessive genetic trait found in about one percent of all white-tails. As with albinism, leucism can be found in nearly all mammals. Leucistic animals lack pigment over all or part of their bodies Leucistic deer can be varying levels of white – some contain white splotches, some are half brown and half white, some appear nearly all white. Mixed brown and white animals are often known as piebald deer. (Confusingly, many deer biologists and hunters use “piebald” to describe all leucistic deer). The nose is black, as in a “normal” deer, and eyesight is not usually affected. Leucistic deer generally can survive longer than albino deer. Still, they are not very well camouflaged in the forest, making them stand out to predators. In a habitat with its large predators still present, a leucistic deer’s chances of survival are slim. As wildlife photographer and deer expert Leonard Lee Rue III notes in his recent book Whitetail Savvy (a must-read for deer nerds), “Many piebald deer also exhibit hunched backs, bowed legs, and short, rounded noses.” Let’s be clear, here. A leucistic or piebald white-tailed deer is a genetic anomaly. It would always be susceptible to predators, whether or not it was pursued by humans. The Seneca Army Depot is known for the white deer but there are actually many other reasons to protect it. These deer may indeed have cultural and historical value to humans, but let’s not confuse them with endangered species. I too have been fascinated by these deer since hearing those stories by my grandpa. A white deer intrigues me as a student of deer. They’re fascinating to observe and ponder. But, in this era of over-abundant whitetails – when we desperately need scientific management to protect our forests and biodiversity – we must move beyond the idea of the white deer as a sacred beast.

Many of these "recessive" traits have an impact on species survival. White deer are much easier to predate - there is a reason why deer are colored the way they are. The same recessive genes that cause albinism or the white deer (leucism) also statistically carry other biological issues such as sight problems and even stunted or reduced growth characteristics, and a plethora of other statistically increased odds for health issues. Leusitic deer can have hunched backs, bowed legs, you name it. The Seneca White Deer, while admittedly cool, is a genetically-inferior animal as compared to a normal whitetail deer. It really is a genetic screw-up and not simply the display of a recessive gene.

Grass fed beef? No thanks.

I remember with my old Wolf, pre quick pull plug, I dropped it down to one 50gr 777 pellet so my FIL could shoot it. He won't shoot much past 50 yards anyway, but it shot well out to 75 yards. I ended up hunting with it the following year and killed a nice doe with it at 40 yards. I don't see a lot of people shooting 150 gr. loads out of the Wolf as there really isn't a real-world case for it IMO. You just spend 50% more in pellet cost. I might go buy some of these 30 gr loads and see what it does with 60 or even 90 gr. At 90, I am sure the gun will be fine out to 100 yards and I could get 33 shots for minimal cost including XTPs/sabots and primers.

I don't know why a company hasn't made a high end version of the Wolf. Better rod, better coating, improved stock, etc.

100 ct 30 gr 777 for $5? I bought the SS Wolf a few weeks ago on a similar sale. I always shoot BH209 but w/o the BH209 BP, I went with 777 pellets and the XTPs and already hate the dirty barrel difference. But, I also only hunt with this thing for a few days a year, so I almost hate to invest more money for the BP now that I have some 777 pellets. The stock Konus will stay on for this year's MZ season and I'll replace it this summer, although I don't ever plan to shoot 150+ yards with this thing anyway. Rarely have a hunting spot with that kind of visibility and openness. The Wolf is light, short, and works great for me in those 100 and in shots with minimal fuss. Would keep the Konus, but I hate the eye relief on it. CCI 209M has been a proven performer for me. Used them in 777 and BH209 setups for 10+ years.

We saw fewer does in our 8H properties than ever before this year. I thought for sure the easy winter would have resulted in more does, but we're so low - that I am the only one out of the three of us that has shot a doe. Since 2012-13, we've filled practically every single either/or and DMP up until this point at the various properties...6 of them in 6 different townships.

First off - you need to determine if this buck is even on your ground in daylight. I have pictures of bucks every year that are clear shooters but only show at night. For these bucks its not often due to pressure so much as where their daytime bedding is located and what they're working towards, most often destination food sources. Especially this time of year as they try to bulk up body weight post rut for the winter and also in case any does are at the destination food source that may be coming into estrous for the "second rut." These deer are largely ghosts and not always huntable based on the ground you have access to. They string people along - nothing like hearing a hunter beaming about the midnight pic of a giant and them not seeing the deer once in all scouting or hunting season on their ground. If he is huntable, your next step is to ID the beds he likes to use. With a stream nearby always look at the inside bends if it winds around - bucks will often bed there on certain winds that allow it to see what it can't smell and smell what it cannot see. Also pay attention to crossings. Deer will often pinch down to certain creek crossings - ID tracks sizes in the mud or muck leading down or up the creek banks. This will help you with clues - match directional tracks to am/pm by knowing where the likely food source is and what ways the rub is facing. Good luck.

Cool shots! We have way too many pics of knuckledraggers dragging deer out on our properties that it's not a shock to see it any longer although we don't have a kill sequence. I came very close to shooting a doe in archery just because she was going to trigger video on a cam I set that was only ten feet away. I pulled back but decided against it after it didn't seem right just to kill her because of that. Wasn't planning on shooting a doe that day to ruin the other hunting partners day during our annual rut-cation. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just curious - how big was your first buck? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's not even getting shoulder mounted! The son is going to Euro it for the dad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

MZ is by far the best weekend remaining. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Avoid the Moultrie for $59 - the re-arm time is horribly slow. Other features of cam are tolerable, but this will make you miss a lot of action you'll never know you're missing. The Primos01 is an OK buy at that price. It fits the bill for a high risk area cam.