phade

Larry - I can likely get you good pricing on a few brands - quite a few ppl in this thread and site are running MZ from me/my hunting partner. I know we have a handful in stock. Several Wolf models, but I think we also have a few higher end Accuras (L series, maybe? I'd have to check).

I can't recall ever saving inner loins from a gut shot, ever. Abundance of caution I guess and more of a reminder to be better at shot execution or decision.

You're pretty far east? Weather changes probably run behind us a bit.

It was brisk this morning...hoping to get out and sit for the last 90 minutes this evening. Yesterday was the single slowest day of cams I've had all season - across a geographic area of about an hour's drive here in NY. Slowest by far. This AM, I saw piles of deer on the drive into work. I think this might be a bigger day for movement. Good Luck all.

There is always alot of debate around this topic. While fun, I don't think it's the best time to kill a specific buck or even a few target deer due to the uncontrollable nature of the rut. I take my time each year then to travel and see what seat time brings, but I generally have more confidence in early and late season activity based off pattern behavior. Hunting NY a lot, I haven't seen a ton of rutting action after regular season opens. Largely due to pressure I am sure, influencing where/when/how that happens. I can recall maybe 4-5 times in all my years and most of them were at one specific property that was very low pressure comparatively and annoyingly over the border where we couldn't hunt. Last year, I went to Ohio after opening weekend of regular here in NY. Chose to hunt the weekend with the bow in Ohio and be there for opening day of their regular on the Monday after T-Day. I saw what inarguably would be the best rutting action I've ever witnessed from a stand on that Saturday. You'd have thought it was Nov 11. Multiple shooter bucks working around a doe group in a bedding area and a knockdown fight between the two largest. It definitely drove home the point for me that I've heard alot of midwest/experienced bowhunters say that they see more bucks during the first few weeks of November, but that the really large mature ones are more vulnerable on the tail end of the rut around the week of T-Day.

Look into the radiant vs open flame styles. Radiant supposed to be better for garages and the like. Personally for me, I've had better luck with the flame. Radiant seems to take forever - even though that is not supposed to be the case - and then all of a sudden you're hot as heck and need to regulate, lol. I also feel like radiant is weird on my skin and eyes after a while - it's an infrared heat like being outside.

Alot of people say that but I haven't ever actually seen it coming from experience. In my basements of my homes, I've had a pellet stove, and two ventless heater/fireplace. Pellet Stove was nice but with my back it had to go. Propane has been awesome. Being in the basement and with heat rising, the air carried "moisture" throughout the house and never really got concentrated anywhere, where it became an issue. One of the prior homes, I had a cold spot in an area I liked on the floor above, and it was on the opposite side of the fireplace. I cut small hole in the hardoods, put a vent cover on it, and wired in a super small electric/bathroom exhaust fan. I think alot of people over-estimate how airtight their homes are, which really mitigates the moisture component IMO. Perhaps the best use case I can remember is when we lost power for a few days during an ice storm. No need to worry about the furnace getting power. That fireplace kept the house above worry level (not to be confused with warm, but still).

We should have not been in there. The wind wasn't strong enough to offset the pull of the setting sun. Live and learn. We are going to leave it be for a week and let a few cell cams do their thing. Probably only 1-2 more shots in there before corn comes down and before we go out of state for rutcation.

The fog is from moisture. You can try a few things like Cat Crap (the product, not the actual stuff). Big swings in temp/humidity, terrain can do that. The blank pics are likely false triggers or something triggered but not seen in FOV of the lens. All that said, your cam aimed extremely way too high unless you are trying to get owls in trees. If I were a betting man, I'd say that the angle is causing the moisture to build on lens. If you have repetitive images over and over and it's NOT due to false triggers, the micro SD card might need replacing or reformatting. I wouldn't suggest a Spypoint for a first cam for anyone, unless it's a gift. Not user friendly in terms of operations and troubleshooting.

Yesterday PM was atrocious for us. We went in for a first sit at a place we have had good luck before and know where a buck bedding area is - down to a 20 yard area that has produced repeatedly over the years. We got tight to it, and with corn around the place, we thought the bed might be empty til the corn comes down. I drew straw for the nearby stand. Wind looked a bit slow but doable and in the right direction. Boy did we make bad decision after bad decision. I step foot into the woodline, and up stands the target buck from the bed. Right where he should be, right where I knew the bed was, and I was completely wrong about bucks not using it when the corn was up. He does what big bucks do and efficiently got into the corn. I proceed to sit because I cannot make it to another stand without heading direction the buck went. Partner is 120 yards North. A doe blows at him. From upwind. Weird. 20 min later...another doe, another scent alert. I spot a doe bedded in front of me. She gets up with two fawns and bee lines to my partner...and starts blowing. The sun sets in the west and was overpowering the wind, pulling scent opposite of the wind, which was pretty darn low speed at this point and maybe nearly idle. We thought about leaving but with 30 minutes left, we stayed. Four more does ID my partner before we got down. I can't remember screwing a hunt up this bad in quite a few years. Wasn't much to do but look at that buck as he left. At least the Bills won.

It's the ones who do 10 under on 55mph roads in between towns and then proceed to do 45 through villages in a 30mph. It's like 45 is stuck...NEVER a cop there at that time either. In large though, it does seem like people are under more stress and pressure than in recent times - obviously doesn't compare to other significant challenges in prior generations but still, times are changing for people. The way we interact with people is changing.

Franks over Tabasco 100%, but have to say neither take the top spot for general purpose. I always liked Texas Pete for all around use. Franks is good on wings and I agree a few dashes in ketchup is really, really good.

Lots of deer this morning but two yotes far out have blown it up. Tails up everywhere. Nearly all ran away short of four doe which came into my buddys spot.

For me I think after. Used be in the before category and I think it’s hit or miss. After seems more reliable to see increased movement.

And that was in Monroe…

Man it was slowwww until last 10 min. Had five bucks come out. All within 10 yards. Was looking nearly vertically down at this guy when pic was taken. I tried and tried and tried but I couldn’t make him 4 and I may regret but is what it is.

I did the same. Saw a few doe a couple hundred yards out in wide open eating but they not going anywhere soon. No bucks. Wind was pretty strong for a while there. It’ll be interesting what it’s like this PM.

Congrats. This was the same buck you shot earlier? Where’d you hit first time?

There is a correlation to bucks showing up on cam in an area and being seen in that area within the next 12-24 hours. I’m growing more and more confident about it in the middle of rut but there is likely relevance on either side of it too. Shouldn’t be a shock. I haven’t seen people talk about this much but I think it’s a thing.

He’s well out of sight now. But got a lot of deer here.

Up to five deer now. Big guy is a shooter. Only second time I’ve ever seen him. Unfortunately he is north of me and unlikely to head this way. Might be worth a move tomorrow. It’s in the spot I though he might be but I though further into corn. He was right on the edge. I overlooked the fact there is a row taken out on north side too and the hedgerow there give perfect protection for nobody bothering him.

Dang, two more bucks by another stand of mine. Chip shot. 10 yards. One is a shooter. Watching. About 125 yards away.

Btw the wind sucks. Three directions less than 5mph until sunset.

Been in a for a few. Audible on the stand I intended. Trucks were moving corn in and out right where I was going to park and enter. So stand B is along some cut corn. Should see a few. Cow horn came out about 50 yards.

And clowns are scary.