genesee_mohican

I'd say those look better than average.

My sympathy to all who lost everything for a photo. I guess this an extreme example of today's social media craze and it's effect on people where a large risk is taken to get a "Like" or what ever it is to capture the moment, in order to share it with everyone. Common sense needs to be priority #1 when it comes to cell phones in all areas. On a daily basis I see way too many people looking down while driving, texting or talking while driving..... with their head up their ass, and it makes me cringe!

Ouch, it's a "soaker" just making that trek without all the gear! I'm looking forward to next fall too and and putting some time in on an area that I've never hunted before but it looks promising. I guess I'm always looking for "the spot" and just enjoy exploring areas I've never seen in a place where you could hike a lot of years and never see it all.

Seek out areas where the deer are hanging out right now. If there is snow on the ground you can do a light walk through of an area to determine this. Major food sources and where they travel back and forth to bedding areas are the places to key in on. I've found sheds in white pine groves, green fields and a hot spot can be brush lots where deer bed and browse all day before heading out to the fields. I'm sure some bucks have dropped by now but from what I've seen this winter and years past most bucks are holding on to their antlers for another month in my area. It can be hard to find them with snow on the ground this time of year too, so I won't disturb my honey holes for another 3-4 weeks, because I simply don't want to push the bucks out until the odds are high that they have dropped. When I do check an area for sheds I hit it pretty hard and do a grid search of brush lots and pine groves. I'll also walk green fields and glass for horns as I go along. I often wish I had a lab or other breed that can be trained to sniff out sheds, especially when it comes to corn fields where every other stalk looks like antler. Shed hunting can be challenging even in good areas and it can feel like a needle in a haystack at times. I find that keeping my confidence up, staying sharp and feeling out an area that just looks good for a shed and picking up the intensity in those areas helps. Also, bucks are usually in bachelor groups this time of year, so if you find one shed then you might just find another one or the matching side close by. Jackpot!

Oh ain't it the truth! It can get discouraging down in Letchworth at times. I back off an area that has a stand and start thinking about how the deer would be reacting to the pressure and where they might travel to avoid it. But finding a pinch point that doesn't already have stand can be a real challenge, even if it's two miles off the road down steep slopes.

Glad your taking care of it during the off season and hope you heal up fast. PS: now is a good time to shoot your bow in your mind. Close your eyes and go through all the steps of the shot and picture a perfect shot every time. It helps.

I hunt the local park here and decided to check out a new area right after gun season ended. I've been walking it as much as possible to learn the lay of the land, taking note of the deer sign I find, travel routes and note any tree stands already in place. I also put out a few trail cameras and have had a few nice bucks walk by. Scouting with snow on the ground has been very helpful and the most fun. Seeing tracks and noting travel routes, trying to figure out the big picture, and consider stand sites. There are a lot of rubs and scrapes in the area and good deer numbers in general, but the area is quite large so picking the right location for a stand and planning an approach is the tricky part. On top of that it's public land which can make those decisions more difficult. If nothing else, I'm having fun, getting some good exercise and will have a few new stands to sit in come fall.

I sure was a beautiful day. I got out of work early and took a snow shoe hike through the pines. Calm air and the sun shining on all the snow covered trees was something to see.

Nice pictures and thanks for bringing back memories of pheasant hunting. We still had a good population of them here in the 70's and it was a lot of fun hunting them in the vast goldenrod fields and hedgerows on local farmland. My beagle loved running them and had a higher pitched bark when she was on the trail of a pheasant. I can still hear that song and remember how well my 870 swung on those days. Great times!

Thanks for a good read and I can relate. I sounds like the author needs to stretch his legs and enjoy another part of the woods after a long deer season. A walk in the woods in pursuit of any game animal is time well spent and a learning experience. It's great exercise and the writer was saying, let my legs do the work and let me hunt these birds one on one like I do whitetails.

I've looked at the photos a few times now. Without any information given I would have to say this deer was born last May. I also don't see a pedicel mark where the antlers would have dropped off. Could it be a yearling buck hanging with the group?

I pulled cam cards yesterday and see some bald bucks, but most have both sides. I have one cam video taken yesterday am that has 5 bucks with both sides. 2 were sparing. I'll keep tabs on them and should have a good place to find some sheds in a few weeks.

The Browning's sure capture the moment well on video.

I always froze them, pulled them out to thaw and sold green as seasons end.

53 here. My dad took me along hunting early on and I was hooked by the time I was 8 years old, so I've been hunting for 45 years. Time sure flies!

Sounds like a good time. Back when I called a lot, I'd have days where nothing would come into my sets. Then other days where they came running hard, some so fast and close a shot wasn't possible with my 22 mag.

I'm getting out 2-3 times a week. Running a 5 camera 'trap line' and scouting a new area for 2016 bow. I'd like to get out for a grouse hike before the season closes.

You have talent at wood burning, very well done.

I pickle the heart. I wonder if you could make tripe like they do with cows.

I count them at my feeder during the winter. I had 9 mourning doves last week but also have a coopers hawk that comes by daily. My property has a lot of dense pines which the doves use for nesting, roosting. I've never hunted them but I bet they are good eating.

That's a big bear!

I'm going to dial mine back to 15 seconds next card swap.

I set my Browning Dark Opps to video recently. It's amazing to see how much more a trail cam can capture with a one minute clip. The downside is trying to share the large file. Mine were 350Mb in size.

Here's another zero F day in January that has the bucks pushing each other around.

I'll say! Great find on a deer you have cam pics of too. By the way, lawz wasn't asking us to score it. His title "Shed Score Both Sides" is saying he found both sides. Score = obtained. But since some brought up the score, I believe there is a separate score sheet for sheds. They throw the spread out the window, but use all other methods to score as they would per P&Y measurement system.