wolc123

That mini-spike’s liver is very tasty and it’s all I can do to not go get the rest microwaved and have an early lunch right now. I’m not sure how my older buck’s from 12/17/24 will be. I cut that one in half and each half filled a quart sized freezer bag to capacity. That’s probably close to (6) meals worth. I hadn’t been saving them from older deer due to toughness, but that one died quick, and I aged it for a week prior to freezing. I’m hoping it will be tender. He also had an extra big heart. Good thing there, because I’ve only got two deer hearts in the freezer from last year for my wife to pickle for me this Valentine’s Day (that’s been our tradition for many years), so I’m going to have to get her to do a beef tongue or two along with them. My September doe’s heart was about average sized. I really love that stuff pickled. The September doe’s liver was reasonably tender, after a week in the fridge, but not quite as tasty as that from the December mini-spike buck. I think I still have half of her liver in the freezer. I’m guessing that she was also about 3-1/2 years old. Just about (4) meals worth from her liver as the half’s didn’t fill the quart bags to capacity.

And you can’t always depend on good ice in March. These Rueben’s are definitely worth a 2 hour drive:

I see there nothing in there about not shooting button bucks (something by the way that I did not do thru all of 2024). I’m just a little disappointed, that I didn’t get to enjoy any of that “milk fed” liver lately, especially after my buddy told me that he got one for me on New Year’s Day with his ML. That turned out to be a 1.5 yr old 1.5” “dmp mini-spike”. The liver was still pretty good though and twice as big as the usual bb liver. Just not quite as tender. I did age it in the fridge for (9) days prior to frying though, and that helped with the tenderness. I had the first serving for dinner last night, and I will probably have the rest for lunch tomorrow. Certainly it put a very fine capstone on that last Holiday ML season for me, even if I wasn’t able to harvest a deer myself during it. My buddy also now has plenty of grind to make the sausage that he had been craving, something that wouldn’t have happened, without that awesome new season.

My buddy just dropped off the liver from the button buck that he killed on New Years evening, one hour before sunset. Wild game don’t get any better than that. It definitely makes this past Holiday season a success in my book, even if I wasn’t able to harvest one myself, during that week. 2024 was the first year, in the last (5), that I wasn’t able to kill a button buck myself. Not sure if that was a step forward or backward for me. I’ll decide after liver and onion lunch on Saturday.

I just learned of a schedule conflict for Feb 16. Can we change it to the backup date of Sunday February 23, at the Brewer Union Cafe at 11:00 am ? Thanks, Wolc 123

That’s a beauty Eddie. It took me about 45 minutes and 2/3 gallon of ethanol free gas to finish up my raw one on Monday. I’m glad we had a little thaw. The birds and other vermin had the mess around the concrete pad completely cleaned up in less than 24 hours. I usually leave them hang out in the barn for a few months, just in case there are any lingering odors. 3100 psi seems to work out just right, to blast everything out, and not cause any extra bone damage.

Sounds good to me, if the weather cooperates. I’ll roll it in with an ice fishing trip to my in-laws. Things are looking good now for good ice. I don’t see any warm temps in the long range forecast.

Sunday would be best for me also. B.U.C. Is open 7am-3pm Sunday and 7am-8pm Saturday. Presidents weekend would be good as would most others after Feb 1.

I can think of a good central location for upstate NY. They also have the best Reuben sandwiches that I’ve ever had. That would be the Brewer Union Cafe on Bartel rd in Brewerton NY. It is about 15 minutes north of the I-90, just off I-81. I can be there in two hours from home in WNY, and about the same from my in-laws up in the Dacks.

My mom chops up some smoked polish sausage for on top when she bakes it in the oven. My wife uses the same recipe, but substitutes the venison for the beef. Most often she takes a shortcut, and just mixes everything else together underneath, rather that rolling up the stuffing into the cabbage. Not only is that easier to make that way, but it’s also easier to eat, and my preference. My mom never takes that shortcut, nor would I ever suggest that she does. She’s pretty set in her ways, and it’s always very good.

You seem kind of snippy. Are you feeling poorly on this wonderful Christmas Day about that shed 1-1/2 year old buck you killed ? Cheer up, they are renewable resource and one buck can service many does. Did that one look healthy, other than the missing antlers ? I read an article by Kip Adam’s, that claimed that early drop was usually caused be injury. I’ve only got one antlerless tag that I can use at my buddys place down near Letchworth this weekend. I will also use my binoculars, to try and identify a dropped buck and not target that, in order to up your odds a bit down there in future years. I’m not going to hold off on the dropped ones at home though, nor will I hold off on the buttons. We average about 4 antlered sightings per each antlerless around my two spots in wmu 9F, after October 1 every year, so we could certainly use a higher buck harvest during all of the legal hunting seasons. As you are well aware, I did mistake a tiny (dmp legal) spike for a doe a couple years ago, so I can understand how you feel about your recent mishap. I really was thankful for your kind words of consolation for me back then. That remains one of the worst times of my life, when I was stranded out in southern CA for the only one ever of what had long been my favorite day of the year in WNY (opening day of gun season), because of the first Buffalo blizzard of 22. I very nearly also got stranded out there for the second one. It was only by the brave action and volunteering of a coworker, that I avoided that trial (being stranded out there again for Christmas and my birthday by the second Buffalo blizzard of 22), that I am still here today. Do you usually check does out with your binoculars before shooting ? Our old eyes aren’t what they were in our 20’s $ 40’s. I had a pretty good run on avoiding killing 1-1/2 year old bucks. My last one, prior to that 2-3/4” spike in 2022, was this infamous (8 or 10 page on this site) Texas heart shot Adirondack 6-point back on Thanksgiving weekend back in 2016. Who can forget that one ? That was the only bullet, that I know of, that I ever perfectly placed. This years 3.6 year old 8-pointer was pretty close, passing thru about about 1/4” below the shoulder blade that I intended to hit:

Thanks folks, it’s going well so far. Santa was pretty generous with us. The girls are about half way thru their pile and I just opened a box of hand warmers. That was the only thing that I asked for. The Good Lord provided well also, with 4” of fresh snow (perfect amount for my Farmall Cub), and two extra pairs of gloves. My mother is making my favorite dish for dinner tonight (stuffed cabbage). She uses ground beef, which is not quite as tasty or healthy as the venison version that my wife makes with mom’s recipe, but still is real good. Im really looking forward to my first all day deer hunting sit of the year tomorrow, for the Holliday deer season opener, up in my poplar tree blind. There were loads of tracks in the fresh snow, in range of it, yesterday morning. I’d really like to punch another 9F dmp or two (I have (3) of those left). A buck will need at least three points on a side or be clearly 2.6 yrs old plus to get my last buck tag. I want to save that until January 1 if possible because my neighbor wants to do some drives that day.

I hadn’t been carry my binoculars thru the late ML season at home, because I was pretty much in full brown-down mode, with (2) buck tags and (4) doe tags at my disposal. Now that I’m down to my last buck tag, I’ll start toting them again. It sounds like my neighbor wants to do some drives on January 1, so I’d like to save my last buck tag until then. I’ll need to be in the lookout for little, hidden spikes. The binoculars work great for checking those out. My buddy’s place is only about 15 miles from the SE corner of Letchworth. You don’t have to worry about me shooting any buck less than 2.6 years old down there. Hopefully, we are able to take out plenty of does down there.

I saw a few. I finally killed that one, the third time that I saw him. I didn’t see him at all during the September early antlerless gun season or the regular SZ gun season. I stopped hunting the early part of the SZ archery season, back in 2014, when they legalized crossbows for the last two weeks. I’m sure I could get a modified crossbow permit, and hunt the early part with that if I wanted to, but I have not pursued that option because of the access I have to the NZ. I hunted the whole early ML week thru opening weekend of gun up there (maybe 50 miles from your place) but was unable to close the deal on my two target bucks up there. I did cast eyes on one of them, but that was about 5 minutes past legal shooting time. Back home for opening day of crossbow season, I passed a scrawny 3 pointer in the morning at 15 yards. I’d have shot him then, if he looked 10 pounds heavier (as you know, I am a pure meat hunter), or if I didn’t need to be at my nephews wedding in 2 hours. I had my first encounter with my “baseball” 8-pointer, 5 minutes after the 3 pointer departed. He cruised thru the hayfield beyond the wheat/awp plot that the 3-pointer had been feeding in, at about a 75 yards range. Clearly, he was a shooter. Now that I’ve got his scull skinned, I can tell he’s 3-1/2 by comparison with other heads of known origin. He had his head up high as he crossed, and my grunt call did not even get his attention, nor did it slow him down. I didn’t take any vacation time for crossbow. Our second encounter was the following Sunday morning. I tried to squeeze in a quick hunt before church (big mistake) from my new popup blind ($49 from TSC in Govenour) that was anchored in a patch of seeetcorn in my front field. This time my grunt call stopped him and brought him into 30 yards, when I loosed a bolt thru the mesh window. Apparently, I had not trimmed enough of that corn from my shooting lane, and a corn stalk or the mesh window must have deflected the shot. He bolted off a ways at the shot, with his tail straight out, then turned 90 degrees and stopped just short of the back hedgerow. He hung up there, about 75 yards away, for a few seconds as I reloaded, then walked slowly out of view with his tail up at about a 45 deg angle. I spent about an hour looking for my bolt, blood or hair or any signs of a hit, finding nothing. I was not 100 percent sure of a miss, until I killed him last Tuesday. I call him the “baseball 8” because he was out on my third sighting. He only had two extra holes in him (where my 240 gr XTP entered and exited). Will I or will I not regret passing that little 3 pointer on opening day of SZ crossbow is the main question here. I’ll let you know on January 2, 2025. One things for sure: There’s not much nurishment for this pure meat guy in that paper tag. I could give a crap less about antlers.

That it certainly did and it’s been a long time since the Good Lord blessed me as heavily as he did that Tuesday evening. I finished process it last night, and it’s been about (5) years since our freezer has been in as good of shape, as it is right now. My wife will need ti cook up the big turkey that she has in it, to make room for any more venison. It’s definitely my PB ML buck, and the first deer that I’ve been able to take from my polar tree blind. I can’t believe that there’s no damage to its rack. There’s so many bucks for every doe, thru the rut in those area doe to heavy antlerless nussance permit harvest, the late racks are usually pretty busted up. I’m glad to see the warmup on the forecast, not only to make our hunting more comfortable, but also so I can get that power -washer raw euro finished. It’s tough to do that in below freezing temperatures. Maybe, I’ll have a second one by then also. Good luck to you if you get out. I’ve got my tractor block heater warming up now, so I can throw the butchering remains out on the carcass pile, and I’m heading out to skin the head.

I’m hoping for (2) more deer thru the Holiday week. That’s about all I could jam into our freezers and (4) hearts would be just right for my wife to pickle for me on Valentine’s Day.

Merry Christmas everyone. Things are going to start getting hectic tomorrow but it was a nice relaxing day for butchering today. i normally like to hang them at least (7) days to get past rigor mortis but I went at (6) on this one today because there’s too much Christmas stuff going on tomorrow. I ground all but the back-straps and tenderloins and it died quickly so it shouldn’t be too tough. At least I didn’t need to do any Christmas shopping for my wife. She’s getting (21) 2-1/2 lb packs of grind and (6) packs of back-straps for Christmas from me. It was nice not having to fight traffic or crowds at the stores but the vacuum wrapping took longer than expected. She usually handles that part.

This was definitely an odd year for sightings, especially over at my parents place. They have lots of heavy cover over there, but I didn’t see a deer there after killing a mature doe on the first evening of the early antlerless gun season. I’ve never seen the swamp in the middle of the woods over there as dry as it was this year either, and I’m thinking that had something to do with my lack of sighting over there. Our place here is mostly open fields, so it’s understandable why the deer are mostly not seen by day after the guns start going off. That hasn’t been the case at my parents though, until this year. They are definitely ramping up the daytime field activities at home now though, which is one of the biggest reason that the Holiday season so appeals to me this year. I’ve got some serious making up for lost time to do.

As a poor working stiff, a particularly nice thing about that week for me, is getting to take advantage of the paid Holidays from work and not needing to use vacation days, in order to hunt. They gave us a couple extra Holidays this year, because we exceeded our production quota, for the year. That meant that I only needed to use two personal vacation days, in order to have the whole Holiday week off. This won’t be such a big deal, after I retire in about five years, but it’s huge right now. It means I can spend a few more warm weather vacation days with my family, yet still get my hunting time in. Also, seeing how I’m mostly in this for the meat, it much easier handling and maintaining the quality of that when it’s cold outside. I think this past week, was really the only decent one that we had, for inside our insulated garage aging. I can only fit one deer at a time in my deer fridge, so it sure is nice when I can age them in the garage. The temps thru the Holiday week are also looking good for that. Hopefully, I’m able to being down a few more, and take advantage of that.

I haven’t got a deer in the Holiday season since the first one. I didn’t even see a deer during last year’s, which I blame mostly on my own corn plots up north, and my buddy’s down in the southern tier, both being total failures then. Each of us have bumper crops of standing corn this year and I am more excited than ever for the Holiday season. I also still have a buck tag, (4) doe tags one of which can be used anywhere in the state, and all (7) days of that season off of work and available to hunt this year. My primary ML seems to be right about on the mark, after a successful gorilla glue stock repair, after last Holiday season, and striking 3/4” from my aim point from 120 yards on a fine 8-pointer last Tuesday evening. I’m planning on hitting it real hard and hopefully punching a few more of my (5) remaining tags. I called in my punched tag from Tuesday’s buck to the DEC yesterday and even that often tedious process went very well. After a dismal, worst ever regular gun season, my deer sightings are definitely on the upswing lately. (4) of my (14) available hunts are planned to be at my buddy’s southern tier camp next weekend. I haven’t been there in a few years and I am really looking forward to it. His brother has a new 4wd pickup truck and He is planning on driving me down there. I no longer own a registered 4wd and getting down there has been a bit of an issue for me for that reason and due to weather the last few years. I’m also glad to see a good uptick in the temperatures in the forecast thru most of the Holiday season. That will make it considerably more comfortable out there. Most of the rest of my Holiday hunts will probably be here at home, where my standing corn, turnip, and winter wheat plots are really starting to earn their keep. My neighbor wants to do a few drives on the last day. He’s got a couple young son in laws and a son willing to do most of the pushing. I’ll also hit my parents a few more times, where they are starting to see a little more action on the wheat plot over there. If I manage to fill my last buck tag (it’s been close to 10 years since I filled both of those), I’ll may switch over to my old sidelock Traditions Fox River 50, to try and try to punch a doe tag with that. I’ve never got a deer with that but it’s a fun little lightweight gun to carry. Even though our freezer will be in real good shape, after I finish processing Tuesday’s Buck later today, I’m looking forward to this years Holiday season more than any prior. One other reason for that might be the fact that I got a little score to settle. I suffered my first ever vehicular damage to my previously spotless Chevy suv on my drive to work a couple weeks ago, when a doe ran into my passenger side fender. There are way more deer around locally than there should be and I am in as good of a position as I’ve ever been to do something about that. When it’s all said and done on January 2, I hope to have my cost of boneless venison back down under $ 1 per pound where it should be, after subtracting all input costs. I love venison and so does my wife and kids. It will be great to get a break from the ridiculous grocery store prices on meat.

I’d say $150.

These two, a doe from September and a buck from Tuesday, will put the freezer in good shape, but there’s definitely going to be room for another one or two in there. December 26 can’t get here soon enough.

Good first day and last day, and kind of lame in between. Looking forward to Holiday ML season and planning to hunt all (7) days of that.

I managed to get out of work on time, hit a few lights just right on the drive home, and make it into my tree stand in the first hedgerow behind our house, 1/2 hour before sunset on December 17, the last day of SZ regular ML season. 29 minutes later, this 8-pointer stepped out into my awp/wheat/clover plot, 120 yards away. I cranked the old Redfield on my 0mega 50 cal up to the max zoom of 7x, centered the crosshairs behind his shoulder, and squeezed off the shot. He trotted towards my pond, 90 yards away, and piled up 10 yards short of it. Stomach was full, chest taped at 39-1/2”. I’m guessing 2.6 or 3.6 yrs old. I think it’s the same buck that I missed with my crossbow in early November, when my bolt deflected off a corn stalk. I wasn’t entirely sure I missed him clean then, but there wasn’t a nick or blemish anywhere on him tonight, so I’m more certain now that I did.

1 minute before sunset buzzer beater 8-pointer tonight: