phade

I got one on Monday here doing the same thing. Thought I was crazy for a bit. Blocked my internet connection. I thought it was wierd, too, it was instantaneous. I'm not much into computers but I think Java was the point of entry since mine was out of date at the time.

Mississipi?...Giles Island...Mmmmm...

Not a big deal. We can talk after the new year as we mentioned.

I'm jonesing to get out for a couple more days. Friday cannot come soon enough. Got a cam set over this...came across it Saturday morning. This place has the most sign out of the area I have to hunt and have not seen a deer there. Partner saw 5 one sit but just does and a small spike. I've got pics from pre-bow of the bucks in there.

Wow. That's unreal.

A spare is certainly nice but it's just plastic and takes up space in an already crowded hunting room, ha. Yes, it's actually pretty fun. This year I only used the set once since I was in Ohio for part of the time I typically use them and I had no room left to bring them along. Turns out that was a mistake...I couldn't believe the amount of decoying done there. One hunter on the farm took a nice 130-140 class with one while I was there.

I hunt in high gun pressure areas. This time of year (late mz/bow), I wear it in transit only unless I'm 100 percent not visible from the road. While in stand I usually hang my hat on the hook and that's it. I've lost a few stands a day AFTER hunting them late season wearing my b/o hat and vest - I figured out that the goonies were likely seeing me from the roads and coming in that night to boost the stands. Tracks in snow right from road to the stand...as if they knew the stand was there without having to look for it (no wandering paths, etc.).

I usually decoy 3-4 hunts a year to mix it up a bit. 2 seasons ago, I bought the Boss buck and Boss babe. Great combo. Apparently Flambeau had a run of molds where one leg on the buck would not screw on and stay on (the molding caused the cap not to screw on fully). Well, last season, after climbing down from the stand one too many times to reattach the leg and stand the deke back up...I called. Flambeau was awesome...I called, the girl was friendly, and she said, "No problem, we'll get a new one from the updated mold out to you right away." I was happy and asked what I needed to do to return the old one. She proceeded to tell me to keep it, zap a screw into it or use velcro, etc. in the interim while my new one was in transit. No need to return the old one at all. So, long story short, I've not even opened the box on the new one. The old one works fine, only deal is that the leg is screwed in and not removable. I kind of thought about selling the new one but wonder if it'd be better to keep the new one since it is supposed to work as advertised (easier transport - relative since dekes are not all that easy to carry and set up). So...any thoughts, besides selling the new one? Maybe sell the old one at a discount to someone or give to a kid (don't know one who REALLY use it)? I really have no need for two buck dekes. Not even sure what I'd ask for the old one.

Interesting that he was busted up both years. Maybe he turns into a rut-raging buck somewhere other than where you have seen him in between sightings as mentioned. He's got to be breaking them somehow/somewhere.

I think he is killable assuming that you can access him. Knowing nothing other than your cam history/neighboring land...the fact his rack was broken up badly most likely indicates that he's partaking in sparring and mating to some degree. That to me is a sign that he could make a mistake. It's the ones who are night creatures and never show signs of busted racks that are worrisome. They are probably loners who avoid much of the rutting activity (some bucks, even mature giants, don't have the alpha personality). Add that to the standard old buck survial skills, and that's a low-odds combo for hunting.

Are your cam sets eye level? See if you can tote a climber or a few sticks and set one up about 12-15 ft off the ground in an area he frequents. I've found a few bucks that way that seem to be hesitant of the cams.

Off for 3.5 days of ML/late bow....Actually off Fri-Monday but have to attend a familyxmas party Sunday evening. Hoping to find some deer moving...going to be odd not see snow during the entire season (except for one hour of one morning...but I don't think that really counts).

Move a shortened 7 or 9 gun season to the Monday after T-Day (that wil tick off many). See what that does...one buck rule may be needed. Better control over doe tags seems necessary.

Congrats!

Yes, I understand the measuring difference b/t volume/weight. My purpose of the scale was to acheive a more consistent charge amount. BH209 is a dream compared to 777...today's session just reinforced it. About the only qualm I have is having to be carful pouring the powder with the ported barrel on the Vortek UL. I upped to 95 grains via volume and moved to the SSTs....groups tightened right up..as said it fits much tighter than the Scorpions did. Thanks for the tips, all. I did have one really wierd happening where the SST entered the target tubmling...it left a very distict tumbling hole and was a fler high about 4". The gun had just been swabbed with a dry patch and it was seated according to my marked range rod as all other shots were. Surely wierd. Only one like that out of the entire session. I still prefer the Harvesters/Scorpions based on the deer carnage but I guess that'll have to be reserved for the Wolf for now. No local place carries Harvester so I'll order a few combos in the off-season.

Dave will now be known as Dave2x2.

Actually...it all boils down to money and time - assuming health. One company would be hard...maybe Savage? Savage owns Bowtech...so it'd at least cover my main needs...bow and gun. *Edit...I own a Savage and a Diamond....but I'm not a huge fan of their products...it's more or less a logistics thing.

I know a guy who has one. He's got permission from the area farmers to do just that. About as honest of a guy as you can get. I once told him where to park for opening day based on where a particular buck was crossing the road. I had been hunting it all bow season and he shot it within the first 10 minutes of legal light. Another neighbor helped him gut and get the buck back to his house. That old man was about as happy as you could ever see. I gave him my game cam pics of the buck and I haven't paid for sweet corn since (he has a roadside stand). I usually put a few cams out at routine spots and every so often I'll see him in the photo..making sure the cam is still there and nobody stole it. It'll probably be the last buck he ever shoots. But he still gets out there...parks on the farm lane and waits each season. I'm kind of glad he shot that buck...much more so than the slobs that leave bootprints in the snow or gut piles on ground they have no business being on.

You are correct. They're caloric intake requirements increase as the temps drop - which forces deer to be more active (feeding wise) as the temps drop. They may not bed as far as usual from sources in periods of real incliment weather - largely because they need to eat every 4 hours at a minimum (year-round minimum) but that time reduced when it's that cold. I think what Doc says is an impact...take the OP. He was saying he doesn't see deer when the temps drops to a certain degree, etc. Note he ended that by saying HE DIDN'T GO OUT. That particular issue may be due to another separate factor that is being misapplied to temps. It could be food sources, entry/exit disturbance, wind/scent control...noise (sound carries further in cold weather), and even movement on stand is more important in cold temps. The colder it gets, usually the more deer will move. You just need to find where they are. Chances are when it is that cold, they may be bedding on a wind break, closer to the food, or yarding up somewhere where your stands are not.

Its one of the better deer hunting counties in ny. Its got good numbers and quality.

I thought about changing the charge amount but for some reason the variance popped in my head as an possible cause. I have a small bow scale that I could use.

Blinds have their place....with anything prep and process is key. I've had luck setting up blinds next day (set midday for next morning hunt) for deer and same morning for turkey. I'm starting to become partial to hunting turkeys with a blind lately. I seem to stick it out longer for some reason. I think blinds can be more deer-effective on the short term with gun use (safety implications aside). The one situation where I can bank on it use same day during bow is with a decoy....draws the attention right away from it when set up correctly. I have one blind out now in a woods flats that's been there for three weeks now. It'll serve as a good MZ spot. It's not brushed in at all because the woods are open...the key was putting it out there with enough time to let the deer acclimate in this situation. They're already walking by it based on tracks and sightings from another stand.

That's a healthy life Elmo, any way you slice it. Sorry for your loss.

Causes aside...I've never seen so much second rut sign in my life - unforuntately I'm not seeing it in the stand at a shooting distance. I shot a young doe in a covered, 4wheeler trail last Sunday. She came in an stopped in a spot that looked like it had been muddied up (we had some decent rain just before). I shot her..when I got to her, I realized it was an entirely new scrape the size of a car hood. Turns out she was getting ready to work it right as I shot...but it didn't connect with me. During the bow season there were three nearby scrapes - 10 yards away...so i was shocked to see that new one pop up so late. Later that day I found fresh rubs and scrapes all over. Seen chasing that night on another property about 30-35 miles away so I was surprised since it is so pronounced this year.

I used T7 pellets up until last season...I now use BH209. I've always wondered how precise you can get with loose powder measurements. Obviously you want to repeat precisely each time to acheive results and I'm wondering if I'm having issues with it. I use the T/C clear measuring tool and settled on 85 grains according to the tool. When I fill it up, there seems to be a slight variation as to how level (precise) I can get it before closing the nozzle and putting them into tubes. The tubes always seem to show a little lower (around 80 grains) despite not being a precise measuring tool. 80 percent of my shooting is in my backyard at 50 yds. I usually sight in 1.5 in high to carry me to 100 yards. When I get to the range I can usually only get out 100 yds so that's as far as I'll practice. This year I moved to Harvester Scorpions in a 300 gr. Last year I shot the Hornady SSTs at 250. I've been toying with my planned hunter (Vortek UL) and my groups are OK at 50 yds but not touching...they're pretty close. In my Wolf, I can load with two T7 pellets to clover...same sabot. My range session proves more of the same...slightly better performance out of the Wolf/Pellets. The groups on the UL open a bit but not too much. Just enough to make me want better. Right now the Wolf is set up for 1 pellet and shoots lights out. My FIL will be using my Wolf this season so I want to get this Vortek dialed in. I make sure my loading process is repeatable...so I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong with the loose powder measuring. Any suggestions? Edit...I should say my groups are not L/R issues...mostly vertical. I wish I took a pic of the last shooting session.