phade

Buddy is in the oak at the point of the hedge row to my left to take advantage of the wind and deer coming out of creek bottom and bedding to feed on plot and cut corn field. Being Sunday evening it’s not a doe night so I’m here for the view.

Hunting partner watched two large bucks walk into a swamp on neighbors. Not unusual at this spot. Have to wait until rut to get them to come over our way in daylight unfortunately. But valuable intel nonetheless. im sitting in a hardside blind enjoying a cup of Joe from DD. Don’t want to shoot a doe here At this property since the population is lower than norm.

Found my release! Back from the dead!

Think a doe might come out here?

Thanks Grampy but I’ll probably end up buying another wise guy for back up. Unless that is if my hunting partner checks our spot here at dark and sees it laying there. We’re in the stands now.

Go low. Especially if bucks will use the low area in the PM to suck in falling thermals before entering the field. Hunt on the crosswind.

It's a legit thing. And it works. I have stacks of cam videos and photos showing this. And a few dead deer I should add.

Not a fan. Will take some good photos but I think Exodus lost alot of mojo with the Render. Also, my Lift II I think has poor sensing on the left side. I pre-ordered the Render and waited 6 months for it, and thankfully had such a bad taste in my mouth from their BS that I sold it and I was so happy I did with the amount of issues that cam had out of the gate.

Happy birthday!

It's a Spot Hogg Wise Guy. I actually have two (had two) of them but the post length is adjustable as is the trigger, so while I have it and it's the same one, I have to monkey around with it to get it "just right" if that makes sense. Probably should have practiced with it in hindsight but that lost Spot Hogg has been with me since the first month it came out (might be close 10 years now?). I have one possible spot left to look where I set my stuff down in a just cut corn field - but won't get there until tomorrow. Otherwise, I probably lost it in that corn field between there and the truck and that's a shot in the dark to find with it being littered with cut stalks, leaves, cobs, and stubble. Lost it in the dark and that field is probably 40 acres...of course I randomly cut through the middle of it too, so I couldn't even tell which row I walked down. So if it's not at that one spot...I'm writing if off. It's amazing how attached to it I am now that it is missing.

Apparently people thinking I shot a buck and I lost my damn release the other day. Weird connection there, folks. I'll be out this PM with my backup release (pending some practice shots here at lunch) in an observation stand that is close by and easy in/out since I can't make it there until around 5:30-5:45. Weather looks warm Saturday...72 with chance of rain!

I lost my release last night so that is also a factor until I can get a few shots in with my backup (same model but just never broken in). What a kick in the nuts. I really miss my release.

It's windy as heck. Decided not to go out this evening.

Congrats to all those who have harvested.

Alpha does teach the ways to the young in the family group, per say. Taking an alpha can change alot based on my observations - not scientific but I've seen areas that were "take it to the bank" spots to hit for bucks during the rut because you knew the doe family group's habits and general time they go into estrous (over years). I remember taking an old alpha doe and the place fell apart. It took years for the unit to come back around in terms of behaviors and patterns and never quite got back to the same routine. Hate to say it but the only time I like to take an alpha is when she knows she is being hunted. I'm not risking the behaviors and patterns of a family unit that you can bank on. Taking a mid-age or young doe is easy enough IMO.

First day not hunting since the opener. I targeted does Saturday AM and had five come in and I pulled a rookie move letting my arrow hit a vertical branch as I moved into position. They didn't see me but responded to the noise and got out of there like a firecracker string went off. Have to laugh. All of the evenings, I've passed too many to count. Ended up passing the largest buck Saturday evening I've ever passed and was a miserable SOB until last night when the target buck came out on my right side and left me with no chance to get a shot off. If I had shot Saturday I wouldn't have had that same opportunity/encounter. Stick to your convictions I say. I'll shoot a doe in the AM on the weekend or possibly a Fri/Sat evening if I have time to process and I have no confidence in leads on a buck. It'd be hard to kill enough does with bow to impact the population/rut. I do think alot of people discount the chance to get a buck early; if you're smart about it, it's a real opp. The largest NYS typical bow buck for the season might already have been shot on Oct 1 in Monroe Co. Early and late season are real chances to take bucks.

I had one of my employees build me a bot that logs metadata from the cell cams, pulls in the us.gov weather info, and uses an algorithm to stack rank stand locations. It tells me where to go based on trends, conditions, and likelihood of those locations to have a deer visit. Hunt smarter, not harder. At least, that is Moultrie's slogan... But seriously, I'm going hunting.

I have 7 cells on the 15 acres of timber that I hunted yesterday. That's it, to the corner for me, to see the pimp. Good Grief. I'm done with this thread. Going hunting.

My point is this stuff is fodder for the offseason. It's hunting season - I'd prefer we talk about the weather conditions, the pressure, the rain coming, the acorn drop, whatever. Look, P&Y and B&C will fold up shop when one of the major species gets killed with aid of a cell cam - god help them should it be a whitetail. Their refusal to acknowledge it - when legal in said location - will be their nail in the coffin. Orgs die if they don't reflect the majority of member sentiment or the community with which they support. Notice that electronic comm reg came out of the book - because times change. The reg wasn't dropped for anything other than hunters moral compass changed... And yes, I completely decided where I sat last afternoon based on cell cams. I passed up a 110-115" three year old, three other one year olds, and a pile of does (not shooting them on a weeknight). I worked 55 hours up until I hit that stand yesterday PM due to work issues. Don't really care if someone calls me unethical for making a decision using the info I collect with little time. Go pound sand - unless you are in a loin cloth with sharpened stone and self made bow. Then you can tell me to go pound sand.

Hunting partner in the stand in background while the cell sent this. Ethical violation and going to Dante's 7th level of hell? Dunno. GO HUNT!

It's hunting season. Go hunt.

It's hunting season, people. Go hunt.

It's like talking to the boys in the locker room; claiming you hit a home run with the cheerleader but really made it to first base. Alot talk about it; few do it.

ours took on some yellowing and some purple hues last week. We've been pretty dry actually up until this past 36 hours.