wolc123

The plots in my photo above are 2 acres of corn, 1/8 acre of turnips (in front of corn), and 1/2 acre of wheat/clover/soybeans not yet in at time of photo. That last plot only took a couple intermediate tillings, because I planted buckwheat, as a cover crop after the first one. That re-sprouted after I tilled it up the first 2 times, as you can see to the right of the tractor. It can't handle a frost though, and was completely wiped out by that, when it re-sprouted a second time, after the tilling shown in the picture.

It is mostly a timing thing. Each time the weeds are tilled, it adds the organic material back to the soil. When the plot seeds are planted, after September 1, they tap into some of that for their own benefit. This works particularly good on level seedbeds, where erosion is not an issue. Not so great on hillsides however. Most weeds need seeds to grow, and if you stay ahead of them, with multiple tilling, they dont have time to produce seed to regrow, while your intended seed is all ready to germinate, as soon as it goes into the ground. Then again, so is weed seed that is tilled up from deeper, or that blows in from adjacent areas, but those numbers are usually insignificant compared to what you are planting. If there is enough moisture in the ground, your plot seeds will start growing immediately, getting a good "jump" on the weeds. An adjustable drag works real good for these multiple tillings, because it can be adjusted shallow to keep from bringing up weed seed from down deep. In these days of near record low fuel prices, and increasing demand for organic foods, mechanical tillage is making a comeback.

Rhineharts in Middleport.

Looks like a 2-7/8" long antler to me.

Yes, the multiple tills would work, and any venison you harvest off the plot would be truly "organic". That is always the way I do it, planting a wheat/clover mix around September 1. After a late spring plow/disk till, I use a spring tooth harrow (drag), every couple weeks to keep the plots weed-free until planting time. Deer like oats a little better than wheat, but wheat will do better in the late season. The guys who use gly to kill the weeds can't certify their venison as "organic". For a good full season plot, an oat/wheat/white clover mix would be good. If you really want good early bow season action, add some soybeans to that mix. Those are like candy to deer when they sprout. With global warming, they can last until mid-October.

I am up north now, and looking forward to some ML hunting this weekend, and having a buck tag again. I have had about enough of waiting for does during gun season, back home in the southern zone. There is just a dusting of snow left in the shady spots up here, so it is not going to be easy. I have never killed a buck up here, when there was no snow on the ground. I also have an antlerless tag. I would be thankful for an Adirondack doe, or better yet, a fat button buck. I just got filled in on the local intel, regarding the current whereabouts of the local herd. I need to see what way the wind is blowing from in the morning, to plan where to approach from. If the wind is from the south, I will go in on foot. If it from the north, I will drive my truck around behind them, before entering the woods. The key is surprise, and to be where they least expect me. Up here, I always see about 6 antlerless deer per each antlered one. At home, where the antlerless deer get hammered on nuisance permits before October 1, that ratio is nearly the reverse. Besides the 2.5 year old 6-pointer that I killed 3 hours in, my only other gun season deer sighting at home was a 1.5 year old buck, with a rack and body that was about half the size. .

I slept in a corn field one night, down in Franklinville, after a pig-roast at a buddy's camp. I had a few too many beverages with my hind--quarter of button-buck (they cooked that and a couple turkeys inside the pig). When the food and beer were gone, I went down to the creek to wash up (I was pretty greasy). I didn't feel like sleeping in the cabin, so I grabbed my sleeping bag out of my truck and dragged a chaise-lounge off the porch and into the corn field. They must have had a 4-row planter, because I found a wide spot, that far in. About a half hour before sunrise, the coons came thru. I don't know how many there were, or what exactly they were after (it is possible that I was not able to hold down all of my food and drink that night), but they sure made a ruckus.

I would not go under an acre with a corn plot. Coon control helps a lot in keeping corn available thru deer season. Since the collapse of fur prices, the DEC has been very lenient in allowing property owners to kill "damaging" coons. They may be killed any time if year in any quantity. "Damage" can be shown by a single bite out of an ear of corn, with an adjacent coon print. They only ask that you burn or bury the carcasses, prior to the opening of trapping season in mid October. After that, you can just toss them into the field for the eagles and buzzards. Coons are the easiest furbearer that there is to trap. Three simple methods are: 1) box trap baited with peanut butter coated marshmellow, 2) dog proof trap, baited with cat food, 3) # 1-1/2 coil-spring trap, with pan covered with tin- foil, and placed under shallow water. All three methods, used in combination, works best. I prefer the box traps, because they dont need staking and can easily be checked from far away (kind of like tip-ups while ice fishing). Sometimes, a wise old coon will get adept at snatching the bait without getting caught. Having a few dog-proofs with cat food around will usually get those. Coyotes worked better than trapping for me last season. They seem to like coon even better than venison or turkey. I only caught 4 coons this summer. They were all males and the coyotes dug up three of them within a week of my burying. After they located this "happy hunting ground", they kept it completely coon free Unfortunately, they are also keeping it pretty deer and turkey free. I have to travel now, to find many of those for hunting. I did blow a nice chance here at a coyote last Sunday at 8:00 am with my slug gun. It was a real pretty red one. My daughters were happy that I missed it twice. I was not, because those slugs cost $5 each right now. They took a video of it trying to drag off a big deer carcass a few weeks prior. I always get corn seed free, from farmer family and friends, at the end of planting season. It will still germinate good after 5 years if stored properly (I keep it in covered plastic containers on a shelf on the basement). A former site member mentioned planting feed corn from TSC, with good success. She has not been here in a couple years though (jail maybe?). She never liked my coon eradication.

It seems like the less the hunting pressure, the more important the wind factor. I always try to plan my hunts up north around the wind direction. I try my best, not to spook the deer off the limited area of private land, that I usually hunt (about 200 acres on the NW corner of the 6.5 million acre Adirondack park). That gets tough, when I am up for a long stretch of days. It shouldn't be an issue for me this weekend, with just a day and a half of hunting time. I know where they bed and I know where they feed, but the wind will determine where I will be.

It is no wonder why you are not seeing deer, with that much pressure on 50 acres. I would look for someplace else to hunt. Your odds of seeing deer may improve (if you find the right spots), but the escape/relaxation/peace of mind improvement factor alone would justify the move. For old time sake, you can always hunt with your dad and new friend, for a day or two a year, at the old spot. I would recommend opening day of bow and gun seasons. It sounds like you may already be on the right track in doing that.

I was never comfortable with the raising and slaughtering of domestic livestock. Something just didn't sit right about it with me, caring for them for a year or more, until "butchering time". It just felt like some type of evil trickery. Hunting has freed me from that moral dilemma. I can't imagine going back. I actually prefer the taste of venison over beef, and it is a lot healthier. I am extremely thankful that my wife and daughters also prefer venison. I have never felt the slightest remorse at taking the life of a deer. Rather, I feel that awesome freedom of not having to rely on someone else's "trickery" to survive. I feel especially sorry for those folks who eat only poor, defenseless vegetables. Killing a long-lashed doe fawn might bother me a tad, but I have not taken one yet to find out. A buck fawn, on the other hand, is always cause for celibration. I have lost count of the number of those that I have killed thru my 39 seasons, but it has to be well over a dozen. It seems to be almost an every other year thing for me. This should be a year for one, since my last was in 2018. It will have to be with my ML, because I am done gun hunting for the year.

Could be a lot worse. At least gasoline is at an inflation-adjusted all time low this season.

Imagine a deer having 3 of its leg busted by an F-150, stumbling around for a week on stumps, them getting finished off by a coyote.

I am not aware of a better finish, for a deer, than a quick kill by a hunter. I am always thankful for the opportunities I have to bless one with such a gift. The one that I sent to deer Heaven this year, passed as peacefully as any that I have witnessed in my 39 hunting seasons. Just look at how comfortable he looks, lying in the cool water, with his head resting on a log. Often times , I have applied a finisher to the neck, when I come up on an expiring deer. I dont like to see any animal suffer. This one just looked so peaceful, that I couldn't do that. Also, I wanted that neck roast. Besides the big gift to the deer itself (pleasant ending), you are also benefitting motorists, homeowners, and other animals. I can't see anything to be sorry about.

What's going to happen with these basketball sized ones?

It is always about the meat for me. Since he has more than three points on a side, he would be a shooter for me, at any time of the season. His body looks 2.5, but his rack looks 3.5 . He was looking pretty thin on 11/5 and he must be down more weight now. It is not likely that he will survive the winter. Coyotes don't have much trouble running down rutted-out bucks. That said, I too would have had to pass today, because I punched my buck tag on opening day. That gamble paid off, just like it has for the last 39 seasons. I thought this would finally be the year for me to see a bigger buck, after punching out, but it did not happen. I continued to hunt every chance I could, trying in vain to fill dmp's. Hopefully, I will get a chance at a bigger one with my ML, up in the Adirondacks this weekend, or back in WNY next weekend.

Just imagine what a 12 ga foster slug does to them.

It looks like there is snow in the forecast up there for Wed, but warming up and rain for the weekend, when I can finally get back up there. I hope there will be enough cold and snow prior to that, to push the herd down from Tug hill. My spot is to the north, but it don't look very promising. It looks like I will be using my tree umbrella again. It will be strange with no snow up there on mid December. I would rather sit up there with my ML in the rain, and at least have a slim chance at a buck, than down here in the SZ with my shotgun. I could only go for does here next weekend, and I have not seen one of those since opening day.

Is it necked a down.308 case ?

I hope that after Christmas deal happens this year. It seems crazy not to do it with the Covid pandemic still going so strong. Give the folks a chance to go outside and get some free meat, rather than keeping them cooped up indoors.

If and when I get another rifle, the 7mm08 is probably what I will go with, most likely in a Ruger American. I have heard no complaints for the performance of that on deer. I am guessing that it uses a .308 case, necked down to .270 bullet. Seems just about perfect for deer. I would like a light weight, compact, scoped deer gun for good and marginal weather conditions, in the Adirondacks. My father in law lets me use his Marlin 336 30/30 now, but I am not crazy about the cheap 3-9x scope on it, and I won't use it if there is any chance of rain or sleet. My own Marlin 336BL 30/30, with fiber optic sites works well for foul weather hunting up there, but I am lacking something for the "in between" weather conditions. I have had enough of lugging my big, heavy Ruger M77 30/06 up there.

I was thinking the same thing. That is too far, if the bullet passed below the spine. Either it went above, or the distance was not correct. I wonder what type of .243 bullet was used ?.

I did not see any deer on my last hunt of the 2020 gun season. I was hoping for an antlerless one, but nothing doing this afternoon. The last antlerless deer I saw was 10:00, on opening day morning. I am a little relieved to have not seen a larger buck than the 6 point that I took on opening day. I thought this was going to be the year that I suffered that temptation. Now it is on to ML season up in the nz next weekend, and back here on the following weekend. One more average sized deer would be nice.

Most lung hits that I have followed have been pretty straight tracks, almost as if they loose the ability to turn after the boiler room is punctured. If you mark the last few spots of blood, and extend our a straight line, you might stumble across your buck.

Hopefully, I got all my misses behind me now, at three in a row, after this mornings screw up. That makes $ 15 worth of wasted 12 ga. Hornady SST's, Not good at all, in these times of ammo scarcity. It is really going to drive up my cost per pound of venison this year. I hope late ML season goes a little better. I took a parting shot at a buck on opening day, to try and keep him out of the swamp, after he took my first shot thru the boiler room. Counting the holes in the carcass while skinning it proved that was clean miss number one. I will not be able to prove the "cleaness" of today's two misses because the culprit got away, leaving no signs of hair or blood. I really blew it because if I had only been a bit more patient, I could have had a closer, easier shot, as it was calmly feeding on a chewed up rib cage, that was just 50 yards from my horribly uncomfortable ladder stand. I first saw the coyote approach from behind, and I figured it was headed for the "bait". Rather than waiting until it was distracted and feeding, I rushed a shot as soon as I thought I could make it (#2). I sent #3 as it trotted back where it came from. Lessons learned: First, be patient and wait for a good shot, Second, that ladder stand needs a better seat and a better shooting rail. I am thankful to learn those lessons on worthless vermin, rather than good meat.