wolc123

You are not alone. I have not seen any antlers since gun season began, and I have not seen a single deer since about 8:30 on opening day morning. I think I blew any chance I may have had at a buck over at my folks place, by killing what might have been the only mature doe left in the area, by mistake. I was after the button buck she was trailing. She threw me a curve ball that morning, when she traded position in line with him, after my first sighting of the three-deer antlerless group. Prior to that, throughout crossbow season, I had seen antlered deer on every sit over there, including one big one that was certainly "a shooter".

Sounds like the Woolrich pants are out for Adirondack tracking (I don't think they will stretch around outside of the Mickeys, ). I guess I will stick with the Cabelas bibs and just tighten the boot laces prior to the creek crossing. It is almost a certainty that I will need to cross a deep creek if I do any serious tracking in my spot up there. Thanks for the tip. I am packing my foot locker tonight and space is limited. I will wear the "new" Woolrich pants on my Thanksgiving morning hunt at home instead. I have not killed an antlered buck wearing those since my first one back in 1983. I will bring a roll of electric tape to go around the outside of the bibs prior to the creek crossing. I will remember to carry that in an inside pocket so it unrolls easy in the cold.

Whatever gun you get, make sure to use the BH 209 powder so you won't have corrosion issues. The firing pin on my T/C Omega 50 cal is bound up right now and I have only used loose pyrodex and 777 pellets (last 3 years) in it. If I can not free it up by ML season, I will use my Barnett recruit crossbow instead. I just picked up some new NAP, 100 gr, mechanical broadheads "just in case".

Same here, especially after crossing a creek in sub-freezing temperatures and getting my feet soaked. I will pack along the Woolrich pants my wife recently bought me and tuck them into my waterproof "mickey-mouse" boots, cinch the laces tight, and see how that works. I did not have a pleasant experience on a late season doe that I had to retrieve from across a deep ditch at the back of our farm a couple years ago, but I don't think I had the laces tight, and my modern Cabelas "guide-gear" bibs were not tucked in. One foot was completely numb by the time I made the thousand yard walk back up to the house.

I may try some tracking up there this coming long weekend. My father in law gave me the green light to use his scoped Marlin 336 30/30 and I will also have my own fiber-optic sighted "big-loop" one, in case it is snowing. My preferred technique up there (with my big, heavy, scoped, bolt-action 30/06) has been to locate where the does are bedded, choose an ambush site downwind, and hope to catch a buck "checking up" on them. That worked good in 2014 and 2016. The snow/tracking conditions were perfect last year but I was "tag-less", so I spent some time zeroing in my father in law's "new in box" 30/30 on the range. Unless a huge one shows up at home on Thanksgiving morning this year, I should have a buck tag for my trip up there.

That is a cool looking buck. I had a very similar 12-pointer mounted back before the wife and kids came along. It had been killed by an automobile, on the road around the corner from our house. The driver of the wrecked car did not want it, and a buddy from the town highway department got it for me. It seemed a shame not to have such a beast mounted (it only cost $125 back then), and it yielded over a hundred pounds of boneless meat. One of the points was broke off in the crash, but the taxidermist repaired it for me. Earlier that year, another buck had been killed at the exact same spot, and the driver of the van that hit it was killed in the crash. I am waiting for an 11 pointer now, to complete my collection of 6 to 12 point shoulder mounts (only the 12 was a car-kill). I still have my gun tag, so you never know, this might be the year.

I put a small amount on the heel of each boot on the approach, when I am about 300 yards from my stand, and then rub some in a couple of spots on opposite diagonal corners of the shooting/safety rail after I am up in the stand. Sometimes, I re-apply that after a couple hours. I have only used the standard cheaper stuff in the black container, not the fancy doe-in-heat stuff.

It might be a coincidence, or maybe just a general improvement in WNY "trophy-hunting" conditions thanks to all of the voluntary passing of 1-1/2 year old bucks, but I have managed to kill a 3-1/2 year old buck in each of the last three years, since I started using Evercalm. I first thought this year's crossbow buck was a 2-1/2, based on his smaller chest girth than the last couple. After I finished the power-washer euro, the skull looks to be a 3-1/2. Apparently, he put more of his spare calories into his antlers. The wind conditions were nearly dead calm on this year's, last year's came in from directly down-wind, and I can not recall the wind conditions two years ago. I have never been an "antler guy", but these 3-1/2's taste exactly the same as the 1-1/2's and 2-1/2 that I usually ended up with before, but they have a lot more meat on them. For that reason, I will stick with the Evercalm, until something better comes along.

I have many (most of which have been told on this site multiple times) , but this one is my favorite. 2nd best 8-point: The buck on the left was my best 8-point until Nov 2, 2019 (see new #1 in crossbow harvest thread). I have always been a meat hunter. With two button bucks taken in the morning on opening day of gun season in 2012 (one by me and one a "gift" from a friend), already hanging on the meat hooks in our garage, I was not overly excited about the afternoon hunt. The gunfire had sounded like WW III back behind our house that morning, and I did not expect to see anything back there in the afternoon. With the two heafty bb's in the garage, our meat situation was in decent shape (kids were small and did not eat a lot back then). It was still opening day, and I had not heard too many shots across our road that morning. My wife had talked me into driving over to the friend's house to pick up the second bb (she really loves those). I hung it up next to the other one out in the garage and ate a quick lunch. With about two hours of daylight left (I always check sunrise/sunset times for the area on hunting days), I grabbed my grandad's old Ithaca model 37 16 gauge and headed for my stand in the woods at the back of a long field across the road. It was boring up in that stand and even the squirrels were not moving. The only thing I saw was another hunter slowly moving across the back of the woods. I passed the time by reading a book up in the stand. As dusk approached, that book slipped out of my hands and fell to the forest floor, below my hang-on stand. There was a small clump of mature pine trees in the middle of an oak woods, and the stand was up in one of those. That allowed me to see over the brushy thicket that surrounded the base of the pines. I checked my watch and saw that I still had a few minutes of legal daylight. Not really needing more meat, I decided to pack it in early. I carefully climbed down the pine tree, with my loaded pump gun on the sling (sorry safety police). Just after my feet touched the ground, I heard crashing sounds all around me in that little thicket. A flock of turkeys had descended right on my position there. Some were only 5 feet away. Suddenly the buck's head and neck appeared from behind a bush, about 10 feet away. I quickly aimed at the base of the neck and fired, dropping him dead there in his tracks. I looked at my watch an there was just under a minute to go. It was pitch black dark by the time I finished dragging him to the edge of the long field. I left him there and went back to my barn for the loader tractor and a flashlight. I have no doubt that wise old buck (probably a 3.5) was using them turkeys as scouts to make sure the "coast was clear" before taking up a position in that thicket. Had I still been up in that tree, the turkeys (with their sharp color vision) would have spotted my blaze orange camo jacket from a mile away. There was not much they could do for him while I was on the ground in the thicket, where the visibility was limited. They all flew away when my shotgun fired and the buck tipped over.

122 gross / 106 net

A modern, frost-free fridge probably don't work so hot. That is likely why it dried out. They stay pretty moist in this old 1950's GE model, but I still prefer the hanging them in the garage, with the hide on, if the outside temp is ok to do it. The cardboard covered-window in back can be opened at night or closed during the day as necessary, and the concrete slab floor holds the temp quite well. The thermometer on the wall measures the garage temp, and I stick a meat thermometer into the thick parts on occasion. These two came out real good this year with the in-the garage, hide-on, 6-day hang.

Now that the snow is gone, and the dumber ones have been killed off, it is going to be tough to get out of this god-forsaken group. If I can pass along just one little tip to help you all, it would be to use your smartphones to look at a Bible app, rather than constantly lamenting you current situation. Start with Matthew 29, the part about Him knowing where every sparrow falls. If you want Him to provide you with a buck, would it not make sense to study the rule-book at least a little bit ? There is no such thing as luck.

There is a small group on this site who seem to lack an understanding of basic biology and deny that fact that venison is red meat and subject to rigor mortis exactly like beef is. It does not take long to search on-line and find many sources that reveal the true value of aging deer carcasses prior to processing. You are correct that the weather has been close to perfect for this aging process, since November 2 when I hung my first this year. What happened to "global warming" ? I have not needed to plug in my "deer-fridge" for the last 2 seasons. I like to age 3.5 year old deer for 3 weeks, 2.5's 10 days, 1.5's for a week. One day is plenty for six month olds (my personal favorites). If the temperature is on the high end or slightly above the preferred 32 - 42 F range, then these times can be shortened. The temp got up in the mid to upper 40's a couple times during each of my 2.5 and 3.5 year old deer carcass hangs this year, so I shortened to 6 days. I prefer to age with the hide on because it keeps the meat from drying out and insulates from daily temperature swings. I cover the windows of our insulated garage and that makes a great place to hang the deer. If It is too warm outside over this period, I skin them, cut the back half's off, and hang in the "deer-fridge". Aging has little if any effect on the flavor of the meat, but has a big effect on the texture. You won't notice it as much on the prime cuts like back-straps and tenderloins (inner tenderloins should always be removed before aging or they will dry out), but the improvement on lesser cuts is huge. The grind especially, will be a lot more enjoyable to eat if the deer was aged before grinding and freezing. Now the usual rebuttal will begin .....

I skinned the doe that I spined with the 16 gauge Remington "slugger" tonight, and the meat damage looks pretty intense. The front quarters and hind quarters are good, but there is not much usable meat at all left on the backstraps. The damage from that single 16 gauge foster slug on the spine from 80 yards away is at least 4X that from (2) 12 gauge Hornady SST sabots from 100 yards away on a buck the year before (one on the spine and one just below). I only lost a chop or two on that one. Both deer were struck on the spine about half way between the front and back legs, and all (3) of the slugs passed thru. They were also each shot from the same tree stand, 7 feet up. I guess I will have to call that: "the spine stand". I certainly do not advocate the spine shot and these were just the result of a bad scope last season, and a bit of a far shot for the gun this season. I am going to do my best to try for center lung shots from here on out this year, no matter where I am hunting or what weapon I am hunting with.

Don't discount the "beginners luck" factor. Some deer live thru many seasons by doing things that "expert" hunters would never predict. Your lack of experience gives you an edge in that situation. Here an easy tip for you: Lots of hunters like to follow deer tracks in the snow. Deer can hide themselves, but they can not hide their tracks. If you hunt near spots of heavy cover, where you have seen tracks, you stand a good chance of getting a shot at a deer that is being pushed by a "tracker". There should be plenty of "trackers" on public land, especially on the weekends. Stalking to a shooting position on a deer takes a certain amount of experience and know-how. Ambushing one that was pushed by another is the quickest way for a beginner to score.

(2) from stands 7 ft up so far this year (20 yard shot on crossbow buck and 80 yard shot on slug gun doe).

How did you all make out with your guns and caliber ? The old Ithaca got the job done on a doe at 80 yards on Saturday, just like it has every time since I put the Weaver 1.5X scope on it back around 1984. I think I will take it back there again this coming Saturday morning (still have a buck tag and three more 9f DMP's). Besides always getting the job done, my favorite thing about that gun is: the 16 gauge slugs only cost me 20 cents each. I bought all they had for $ 1 a box at a Sporting goods store "going out of business sale" up in Brewerton about 16 years ago. I will have to check out the meat damage, compared to the 12 gage Hornady SST's that I used last year. That 3.5 year old buck was also hit thru the spine from about 20 yards farther away. I could not believe how little meat was damaged by those Hornady sabots. I am thinking that the full-diameter, 16 gauge Remington sluggers might have done considerably more. I will find out Friday night when I process that doe. The doe also looks to be about 3.5 years old. Most of the rigor mortis should be gone after hide-on hanging for 6 days at 32 - 42 F in our insulated garage, so she will be ready for the freezer. I would let her go a few more days, but I have too much going on over the weekend, and I have to clear the hook in case other(s) arrive.

2.5

I normally do not save the livers from older deer, but I did save the one from my crossbow buck this year. I definitely think there is something to be said for getting the blood out of it. That buck was double-lunged with a mechanical broadhead, and bled out very well. I can't recall better flavored liver, with none of that metallic taste. I also left it in the fridge for a week prior to frying, medium rare in olive oil with onions after rolling in flour. It was extremely tender, except for the valves, which were a little rubbery. Last Saturday's shotgun doe looked a little older and did not bleed out very well, so I left the liver in the woods with the rest of the guts. I did keep the heart though, and my wife will pickle that after we get a few more.

Meat

I have doubled a few times (usually a doe and a button buck). I came close Saturday, but the doe pulled herself back up on her front legs. I sent a second shot her way, and the other two escaped unharmed. I always stay focused on the downed deer from my stand for several minutes, making sure it does not get back up, then go down and gut it with no further delay. If more folks did that, instead of texting BBD, etc., or trying for a double, we would probably see more recovered deer. It is all about the meat for me and the sooner I get the guts out, the better it tastes. The thought of backing out and leaving a deer overnight with the guts in it really turns my stomach, no matter how cold it is outside. The only time I delay 1/2 hour, before going after a deer, is if it was hit with an arrow and I did not see or hear it go down. I did drag the gutted doe about 40 yards from my stand Saturday, hoping that a buck might come by (none did). Several years ago, on another opening day of gun season, I killed the largest doe from a group of (5) or (6) antlerless deer with my ML. She must have been the leader, because the rest hung around for a few minutes, before dispersing in various directions. I had my short 870, 12 ga for backup, but I only had one doe permit. I put the empty ML down and aimed the loaded slug gun at her, but she never twitched. She was about 75 yards away. About (2) minutes later, before I climbed down to gut her, I saw two antlered deer approaching. The one with the larger rack stopped and stood next to the downed doe, while the smaller one stood almost under my stand. Naturally, I fired at the bigger one, even though it was a bit of a poke for my open-sighted 870. I regretted that decision later, while gutting that busted-up 8-pointer (he flopped down dead right beside the doe), because he had an old broadhead wound thru the backstraps, above the spine and I lost a good bit of meat by trimming away all the "questionable" looking stuff. The four pointer that had stood below my stand would have been an easier shot and probably would have yielded nearly as much usable meat.

My favorite meal at a deer camp was stroganoff over noodles made from canned moose. I just got a late-ML season invite from that camp again this year. Hopefully, they have a few jars of that stuff left.

As far as the taxidermy goes, the last few years, European mounts have been gaining popularity. Those are relatively easy to do yourself, with just a power washer. I garbage-picked one of those (5) years ago, and have done about (6) bucks with it so far, the last one just today. It only takes about a half hour to blast everything off and out of the skull (except for the antlers). There are also some good youtube videos on that process. Many folks like to have the skulls dipped after the process in a cammo pattern or glossy white. I prefer just leaving them natural. The old way of doing this involved boiling a pot of water and scraping everything out as it cooked and softens. That was a stinky messy job. Going outside, on a concrete pad, wearing a rainsuit, with a fresh skinned head and a power washer is a much faster, cleaner way of getting it done. The best part is, birds and vermin will usually clean up all the mess overnight. Another option is to burry the head with the antlers sticking up out of the ground and digging it up the following late spring. I guess there might be a few folks out there who actually have the patience to do it that way.

Welcome to the site where I am certain you can find answers to all your questions. I can't help much with the near NYC stuff, because I am nearly as far as you can get on the Western end of the state. I have heard that there is some decent hunting around Westchester and Long Island. As far as the other stuff goes, there are lots of good youtube videos on gutting. A butt-out tool gets that process started a lot easier and faster (also good videos on that). Just make sure you stick it in the right hole if you kill a doe. If you want to get a buck mounted that you intend to process yourself, cut thru the hide, behind the front legs, and skin the deer from that cut, towards the head. Saw off the head at the base of the neck, leave the hide attached, put it in a garbage bag, and freeze it. Take the frozen head/hide to the taxidermist of your choice, along with your carcass tag. You also need to have the carcass tag attached to the gutted deer if you take it to a processor. They almost always know how to remove a head for a taxidermist.

I shot this doe at 8:20 opening day morning. This is the 1st doe for me on my grandpa's old farm in 38 seasons of hunting there. I used his old Ithaca model 37 16 ga. to finally get it done. She may be the same one that I messed up on over there last year, when my Marlin m512 froze up and failed to fire as two small bucks chased her right under my stand. She looks to be about 3.5 years old and has a 37" chest girth. I got up in the stand on the edge of a swamp about 1/2 hour before legal sunrise. At 8:00 I heard a twig snap behind me and turned to see three deer approaching about 50 yards away. They were in some thick brush, but I could see that they all lacked antlers as they got closer. I was seated in a cheap hang-on stand and they were on my right side. They were too close for me to try and stand up, so I shouldered the gun on my left. The biggest one was in front, the smallest in the middle, and a middle sized one in the rear. I got the crosshairs on the last one, quartering away, at about 40 yards. I was 99 percent sure it had no antlers, but only about 60 percent sure I could make the shot, since I had never shot left-handed and there was a bit of brush between me and the deer. I elected to hold off, and just watched them walk out of sight. 20 minutes later, they must have made a big circle and were now headed back to where they came from but were about 80 yards away on my left. The last one stopped behind a downed tree. The shot was on the far side for the old Ithaca with it's 1.5X Weaver scope (that seems to make the deer look smaller), but I was again 99 percent sure that the deer had no antlers and about 80 percent sure that I could make the kill shot, with the gun well-rested with my elbows on my knees, from the seated position. At my shot, the deer dropped straight down. The other two ran forward a bit and stopped, facing towards me. I contemplated trying for a "double" (I have (4) dmp tags), but the downed doe began to lift herself up from behind the tree. I could only see her head and neck and I took a second shot at that and then she disappeared, as did the other two deer. When I climbed down and approached the downed tree, I heard a snort. When I got around the tree I saw her dragging herself away with her front legs. I finished her with a shot to the back of the head. While gutting her, I noted that my first shot had struck a couple inches higher than I intended, and broke her spine, just behind the shoulder. I was sorry that she had to suffer a bit longer than necessary. Had I used the Marlin, I might have been able to place that shot a little better, but there is no guarantee it would have gone off in those cold temperature conditions. It was a good opening weekend. With this doe added to the freezer which also contains my crossbow buck and some "leftovers" from last year, I am thankful that our family will have enough meat to make it thru another year. My brother in law was given a couple of deer from others, so I don't need to worry about getting one for him this year. I am slightly relieved to get thru the weekend and still have my buck tag. Oddly enough, this was the first hunt, since crossbow season began, when all the deer that I saw lacked antlers. Prior to Saturday, I can't say for sure that any that I saw in the Southern zone did not have antlers.