wolc123

I am heading up that Friday for the same stretch. I might catch the last hour or two Friday with the crossbow if the drive is good. Then a full week with the ML, followed by 2 days of rifle. I will try for a big smallmouth, if it gets warm enough to take a boat out at midday, and help my father in law get everything ready for winter. No luck on bears in the center of the Adirondack park last weekend. Maybe they will cooperate more, up on the NW corner, in a couple more weeks. Good luck on your hunts. Our venison supply is still pretty good, with about 1.5 deer left in the freezer, but I am hoping to fill at least my antlerless tag up there over that stretch. That was no trouble for me last time I had a full week up there in 2016.

I did it once and will not do it again. I used mechanicals on my last (6) bucks. The first (5), all dropped dead within 40 yards of where they took the arrow, or bolts (one was with a vertical bow, the other five with crossbow). Those were struck with new, "factory-sharp" blades. Being too cheap to buy new heads, I mixed and matched my best parts from the used ones, and attempted to hand sharpen the blades, on the one I used last year. That buck, struck perfectly thru both lungs, made it about 150 yards before expiring. After that scary revovery, I will use new ones from now on.

I hunted the first two hours of daylight and the last three on Saturday. I did not see any signs of bear. We saw around 6 deer, between Old Forge and the camp on 4th lake, feeding along the edge of route 28 , on our drive up Friday afternoon. One looked like a 1.5 year old 6 point, the others were does and fawns. The spots I hunted were difficult, very steep terrain, North of 28, off the #5 snowmobile trail, that runs on what must be an old railroad bed, between Old Forge and inlet. There was a steep rock cliff, about 200 yards North, and I could not locate a pass thru that. I did not know the location of our camp until the drive up, or I would have studied a topo map prior. The leaves were nice, probably just "post-peak", and it was a pretty good workout, hunting up that mountain. One of the younger guys went with me in the morning, but I went in alone in the afternoon. Had I been able to locate a pass thru that rock ridge, I would have hunted this morning also, but I thought sleeping in and resting up for the 4.5 hour drive home would be a better use of my time. I did learn that there are smallmouth bass in 4th lake anyhow. They were not along the shoreline, but I paddled a kayak out to that point and hooked into an 18 incher, in about 12 ft depth, around 10:30 saturday morning, on a bucktail jig. Fortunately, it jumped and threw the jig, right next to the kayak, or I would have been tempted to try and fillet it with my big "old-timer" hunting knife. The knife is still clean and sharp and ready for bear again (and deer), in a couple weeks, for early ML week, and opening weekend of regular gun season.

I wonder what the hunting NY anti-Trump foresome of chef, versatile, lefty, and bm have to say about that ? They always seem to find a way to ignore reality.

It depends on the buck to doe ratio, and available food. A buck that does not have to compete for does and has plenty of food might add weight continuously. In rare instances (like NW Adirondack edge next to a corn field), that can happen in the wild. I know because I saw it myself. I will post the photo of the fat hind quarter, mature, Adirondack buck that I killed on Thanksgiving weekend in 2014, to help convince the naysayers, after I get home from my current Adirondack bear hunting trip. In the vast majority of NY lands, the bucks struggle to find food thru the rut, and have lots of competition for hot does. That causes then to loose weight thru the rut. By November 1st, thier hind quarters have withered to the point where they struggle to outrun coyotes. That is not the cases where there are plenty of does and plenty of food. If you are still not convinced, think about a domesticated whitetail buck in a stall, in a barn. Would he not gain weight continously ?

Prayers sent. I have never cared for heights myself, especially as I have gotten older and took on more responsibilities (family etc). Deer ain't all that smart, and it is not overly difficult to kill them from ground level, or slightly elevated. These days, all of my stands are lower than 10 ft. Most have good safety rails that also serve as gun or crossbow rests. Bow hunting is tough and definitely a young person's game. Having to draw a bow with a deer in close forces those high positions. The crossbow solves that problem and let's you kill them from down low. Just another reason for everyone to support full inclusion. Scew those selfish elitist sobs whos objections to thsy result in tragedies such as this. All it takes to kill deer from down low is some good cover around your stand.

True, but there will always be blow-hards that like to make public comments on the ethics others. There is no helping those folks.

I hope the bears will be active up in the Adirondacks this weekend. I am not going after deer until October 16, when I can use my crossbow up there (and ML the following week). I am hoping to get a shot at a bear this weekend with my 30/30. The weather looks good and I am feeling pretty confident. My big Schrade knife is good and sharp and I am taking a big cooler. I hope to be skinning one and chopping off the meat by Sunday.

I am glad that Ruger got Marlin. Now most of my deer guns fall under one roof.

It is ok in the bow hunting section, but I would prefer "no comments" versions in the crossbow, gun, and ML sections. The threads get too long with all the comments, especially when you want to look back to compare different years.

I will admit that Trumps wise-ass NY city attitude would not make him someone I would enjoy spending time with, however the job he has done has been great and his position on all the issues align with mine. No blinders on here.

Trump burried Biden in my opinion. Trump showed he is still sharp and energetic, while Biden appeared tired, weak, and ready for pasture. Hopefully, after the election, he will be able to live out his remaining years peacefully, in a state that won't transfer covid infected patients into his nursing home.

Good luck on your trip. The scenery up there is about as good as it gets. Way better than the Colorado Rockies. For me, it is a toss up between peak fall foliage (now), or first good snow cover. I have taken a couple of does up there with my ML, at the time of the pretty leaves, but have had more luck on the bucks in the snow, with my rifle. Archery is going to be tough, but what an accomplishment if you can pull it off. It really can not be put into words, what that scenery adds to the experience. Very smart move on your part to find out for yourself. It has to be experienced. A spike buck or doe from that area is worth more to me than a big 8-point at home. Robin's videos give a good taste of what it is like. The only problem with hunting up there, is that it takes some of the enjoyment out of hunting back home. One plus of it though, was curing me of any desire of taking another Western trip. I am hoping to get a whole week off from work up there (25 miles WNW of your campsite) this year, for the first time since 2016. I killed a doe and a buck up there that year, one in peak fall foliage and the other in first good snow. It don't get no better than that.

I consider all NY hunting forum members friends, irregardless of their political leaning or where they stand on the PA chest girth chart, button buck harvests, crossbows, and Texas heart shots (with high powered rifles).

That is awesome and spot-on. No wonder only 4 of the thousands of our NY state hunting forum members support Biden. That might be down to 2 after tonight's debate. Chef and versatile seem to be pretty dug in but bm and lefty might be turned. It is has long been clear to me who is pulling the strings of the Democratic party. It is satan himself. The good news for the rest of is, he always looses. .

Wow, fits good with the title of the thread. It sure is sick. Maybe, it is just an act, to lull Trump into a false sense of security the day before the debate. I guess we will all find out at 9:00 PM tomorrow , whether or not it is an act. If it turns out that dementia really has set in that bad with Biden, would it be too late for the Dems to substitute ? Andrew Coumo maybe ?

The 3 ft wall is the biggest key to making those open tops work. I experimented with a few options for wrapping that. First, I tried snowfence and weaving leafy branches through it each season. That was very high maintenance and never produced a deer for me. The weathered barn siding really did the trick. The year I first put it up (2016), I took a nice mature buck from behind it, and two more older ones the last few years, topped off by a fine 8 point 3.5 year old on opening day of crossbow season last year. That buck actually aproached to less than 20 yards, giving me a broadside, open-field shot, after first making eye contact with me from 75 yards away. Any blind with a roof is handicapped by blind spots (no pun intended). The open top breaks that barrier and gives you full 360 degree visibility. The 3 ft solid wall blocks most of your motion as you position for a shot at any angle. A swivel seat lets it work exactly like a turret on a tank. They work for other sharp eyed species also. Dozens of squirrels have met their fate from behind my barnwood sided "turrets", along with a couple of foxes and a fall turkey. Besides 3/4 concealment, that 3 ft wall eliminates any chance of a fall and the need to wear a safety harness. It also provides a great gun/crossbow rest.

A couple weeks ago, when I was looking for 30/30 ammo, Runnings had plenty of .270 on the shelf but no .30/06 or .308. They had recieved (3) boxes of 150 gr 30/30 that morning and I was "allowed" to purchase just one for $ 25. They took down my name and birthdate to make sure I did not sneak back in and try to buy another box. Election years suck for ammo purchasing, especially for the popular calibers.

She is the reason this is shaping up to be one of the biggest landslide blowouts of all time.

It is very stable now but was a little shakey before the leveling. The secret to killing mature bucks from them seems to be the weathered barn siding around the upper deck. Prior to that, only does and button bucks got killed from these blinds.

The difference is, one has a highly competent VP, with proven, successful executive experience. The other's VP was picked only for sex and color and will take your guns away at the first opportunity. With old guy's at the top of the tickets, the VP takes on much more importance.

I got everything ready over at my folks place today, including putting up posted signs along road and two sides, trimming shooting lanes, and making sure (3) hang on stands were secure. The biggest project was leveling this big two story blind. The back had been settling, over the last few years, and it was getting a bit dicey up top towards the end of last ML season. A little work underneath, with a hydraulic jack and some blocks, and it is just about perfectly level now. That should make it a lot more comfortable for long sits. I had left an old boat seat up on the upper open-topped deck. When I raised the folded down back rest, a fat mouse with a hairless baby on each tit scrambled off the seat and jumped down to the ground. It had borrowed a hole about 4" diameter into the foam back rest. The seat should still be useable, but I hope that she does not return with her babies. I have only killed one deer out of this two story blind (from the upper deck), but it might have had the largest body of any that I have taken. The busted up crossbow 6 point, back in 2017, had a 43" chest girth, edging out my 2018 shotgun buck by an inch. That one had a bigger rack, tipped the scales field-dressed at 182 pounds, and was killed about 400 yards further back from a hang on stand. I love these two story blind because they work out good for any weather conditions. Mostly I hunt from up top, because visibility is better with no blind spots. The enclosed lower level is great when rain and or high winds develop. I have killed lots of deer from both levels from the similar one that I have at home, including my largest racked crossbow buck last season (also from the upper deck) but that one only had a 39" chest girth.

How many of the 4 Hunting NY forum members, who are currently leaning towards Biden, will switch to Trump after Tuesday's debate ? It would be cool if at least one were to change. Versatile and chef still seem pretty firm, but lefty and bm have backed off a bit.

Here is my "holey" 9:

Nice looking mount. My largest-racked buck was a similar "hole in horn" 9-point. The holes give them a little character. I like a typical rack, with character, more than a "perfect" one or almost any non- typical. My uncle, who did the mount for me, claimed that the hole was caused by a fly bite when the buck was in velvet.