wolc123

I was up last week with my crossbow and ML. It looked like the coyotes have driven the remaining deer on the outskirts of Ft Drum into the swamps. I saw some deer sign in the low-lying areas, but none up high. I had a run in up high with a coyote that looked to be the size of a wolf. I was amazed at how fast he could move uphill. I don't think that a deer would last too long up there. I am skipping this weekend, but heading up again next weekend with my rifles. I hope we get some snow up there by then. That makes all the difference.

That tumor would not have helped with the PA chest girth, because the measurement has to be taken behind the front legs. I am thankful that you whippersnappers are leaving some around for us crossbow guys.

When it is cold, I always bring a thermos of hot cider. The odor is non-offensive to deer, the sugar gives me calories, the liquid keeps me hydrated, and the heat warms me up.

I left my pickup up at my father-in-laws place in the Adirondacks last weekend so he can use it for snow-plowing. I don't care if I ever get it back. It hardly ever snows around these parts of western NY anymore, and that low gas-mileage and stiff ride gets old after a while. I also like the mini-van better for towing and launching our boat. Just back in at the ramp, with the rear hatch open, and hop inside thru it to to drive it away. My wife is not real good with a trailer or a boat, so that is a lot easier for us than when we use the truck. It would not be so good with a heavier boat I suppose, but no problem with my 1200 pound aluminum one. I just got to remember to keep the transmission out of overdrive while towing with the mini-van.

You got to get one of these for your mini-van. They only cost about $ 40 from Harbor Freight and U-Haul will mount a 2" receiver on most mini-vans for less than $ 200. That way the tics and the blood and guts stay outside. Also, way easier to load a heavy deer (like that ^^ 46" chest-girth slob), than a pickup truck. That will be an even more important consideration if you leave the guts in.

I liked NASCAR back before they let in the foreign cars and took out the cigarettes. I even went to a few Winston cup races including the Bud at the Glen, which was my favorite. The camping experience there at Watkins Glen NY was great. There was plenty of room for lawn chairs and we wheeled our gas grill and cooler right up to the fence and enjoyed all the clams we could eat and beer we could drink during the race. The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis was pretty cool also, with the history at that track and the museum and stuff, but staying in a motel and driving to and from the race sucked. Those same issues tainted the Coca-Cola 600, down in North Carolina. It was neat to see some of the drivers facilities down there in the "heart" of NASCAR country though. Being cramped into those small seats in the bleachers for that long also took some of the fun out of those two races for me. Back when I followed it, my favorite way to experience the races (better than going to them in most cases) was listening to the live broadcasts on my boat radio, while I was out fishing. Of the other "pro" sports, baseball is the only one I really care for. I used to get the Yankees games on my AM radio, when I was a kid and I loved to hear Bill White and Phil Rizzuto call them games. They were my favorite back when Reggie Jackson, Bucky Dent, and Greg Nettles were playing for the World Series. After we got cable TV, I started following the Atlanta Braves and followed them from the bottom of the standings until they made it to and finally won a world series under the guidance of manager Bobby Cox. Who can forget the nervous pitching coach Leo Mazzonie rocking in the dugout when things got dicey late in the games. I went to a couple of regular season games to see the Yankees and the Braves play up in Toronto. I have not caught many games lately, but I did watch the last Yankees game last year and this year. CC Sabathia was the starting pitcher for each. I hope he gets another shot at starting a playoff game, when they are facing elimination. It is baseball after all and he deserves three strikes. My dad is a big football fan and he had Bills season tickets when I was a kid. I remember going to a few games when Joe Ferguson was quarterback against the arch-rival Miami Dolphins under Don-Shula. One of my earliest memories was my mom taking us kids to the mall for pictures and running into OJ Simpson and Reggie McEnzee. I remember them saying "got your picture taken hah man ? " We got their autograph for my dad and he still has them. The only time I really liked the Bills was when Wade Phillips was head coach. I could never get fully behind them under Marv Levy, since he was such a high-profile anti-hunter and had no "killer-instinct". That cost them that first Superbowl for sure. It was cool when Kelly and the boys made that "Big-Game-Hunter" poster, just to piss him off a bit I suppose, after he took a position with PETA. The only pro sport events I have attended in recent years is when the boss gives me our companies (4) season tickets in the club level a few times a year to take the family to Buffalo Sabers games. It has been a while since they were very competitive but it is cool to go to the games and park inside the ramp with the connecting tunnel for free. Food and drinks can get a little expensive there though. We usually leave, prior to the end, to beat the traffic out of the parking garage and listen to the end of the game on the radio on the way home. Our girls really do enjoy those games. They like the National anthems and the intermission stuff the best. The sports that I attend the most these days are our girls high school field hockey and lacrosse games.

Does she have a go-pro camera and a tripod you could borrow ? That way you could send her the video. She could watch it as many times as she wants and even share it with her friends and teachers.

That sounds like a hit in the thick area of the backstraps, behind the shoulder and above the spine. I am 90 % sure that my buddy hit one there on opening day of gun season last year. It had the identical reaction after taking the slug. If only he had used his finger on his trigger for a follow-up shot, rather than on his smart-phone to text me that he "had one down" I used the last of my "bloodglow" around midnight following that blood trail, which really petered out after about 100 yards. If one lung was hit, it is unlikely that the deer would have gone more than 300 yards. I bet she got nothing but meat. An arrow striking that area does not have the "shock" power, to cause temporary paralysis and put them down, but a ML or shotgun slug certainly does. I think that deer has a decent chance of healing up.

As of this year, all of mine are less than 10 feet. Most have good cover, in the form of a 3 ft high wall/shooting rail, all the way around. Since 2014, I have only been using a crossbow or gun from them, so there is no longer a need to hide that draw. Keeping them low, with the rail all around, also eliminates the need for an safety harness and fall restraint. Too low is not so good either though. On flat land, I am most comfortable hunting from a platform that is at least 3 feet above the ground, because I know that the ground will act as a backstop for my own shots and there is less worry that I will be struck by others. I am very thankful to have survived 35 years of hunting from higher stands, without using a safety harness and without suffering any injuries. That would be a lot tougher to do in these days of smart-phones and other distracting gadgetry.

My favorites are couple of two-story ones that I made from old construction-style truck caps. I finally broke in the one over at my folks place last fall, with what may be my heaviest buck ever. I killed that stout, 46 inch chest girth, 3-1/2 year old from the upper deck (built on the ladder rack) with my crossbow. I think I drew him into range by trying to sound like a rival buck clearing a scrape, as I cleared the leaves off the upper deck with my hands, about 3 minutes prior to his arrival. The one at our place has been the most productive stand here for quite some time and is definitely the most comfortable to hunt from. It is the most roomy with plenty of space for the kids, built with an 8-foot cap (the one at my folk's place is a little cozier, being made from a 6.5 footer). The enclosed lower levels provide good protection from high winds, cold rain and sleet. The side doors fold out giving additional rain protection and good sun shade and nice gun rests atop the 3 foot lower side walls. The upper deck provide better visibility in fair-weather conditions and are wrapped with a 3-foot high barnwood wall which provides safety and a shooting rail all the way around. I have killed multiple deer from each level of the one on our farm. It has some mobility, with the lower deck made from an old snowmobile trailer. It will likely remain in its present location as that has been the most productive and the trailer is getting to be in rough shape for further transport. For me, a go-to stand has to be comfortable in all weather conditions and has to be located in an area that offers more shot opportunities than alternatives.

Button buck liver, fried medium rare in an iron pan with olive oil and some onions, is very good. I no longer keep the livers from older deer because I find it kind of tough compared to beef liver, which I can get for free whenever I want it. My wife pickles the season's deer hearts every Valentine's day. That pickled heart is always very good.

A guy wrote on here that it takes oder and moisture out of hunting boots if you fill them with it. Maybe it is folks with stinky feet who are buying up all that corn. I imagine that it is no good after absorbing all the "stink" so they have to keep buying more.

Well I did finish off a hit-and-run road kill button in 2014 and I transferred a tag, that a buddy killed one on in 2016, (keeping only one backstrap himself), so I we have been blessed with one every other year anyhow. That makes me feel a little better. 2018 should be the year for another of the tasty "fatted calfs".

I did not want to brag here, but since TF just brought it up I will: To me a good shot is (in order of importance): 1) Safe (does not put people, or other unintended targets at risk) 2) Kills the animal with minimal suffering and minimal tracking 3) Taken at a point which allows a maximum room for error, based on the shot angle 4) Strikes close to the point of aim 5) Destroys little edible meat 6) Allows for a "clean" gutting job 7) Allows for an "easy" recovery. The best I ever did was on the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2016 with a "Texas Heart Shot" on a 1-1/2 year old Adirondack 6-point. That would have been a "perfect" shot, were it not for a couple of glitches on #5 (the top of the heart was bloodied and had to be trimmed away and a neck roast was destroyed by the expanding bullet on its way out). The bullet struck within 1/64" of the point of aim from 50 yards, from a good rest, using a 150 gr Federal Classic 30/06 bullet. Had it been any farther than that, the "but-out" would not have worked as advertised. Also, there was no bruising on the tenderloins and the guts came out as clean as a whistle. When I pulled the trigger, I fully expected to loose considerable meat and/or have a messy gutting job, and I was pleasantly surprised when nether occurred. 2 or 3 others on this site have claimed to have killed animals with that shot but none so cleanly. My boss at work had asked for some venison, just before my trip, it was late in the season, and a paper tag does not provide much nurishment. That is why I risked some mess and meat. I estimated that my odds of a recoverable kill was about 97 %, given the 1 foot diameter kill zone at that angle, with my rifle that always holds a 3/4" group at 100 yards. Anyone who says that is "unethical" needs their own head examined. I will not take any of the credit for that shot, but give all of it to my Lord and Savior (who quite regularly blesses me with good shots), Jesus Christ- The Guy who determines the fate of all living things.

That is a great point about the spring turkey hunters. If there was year-round season, you fellas could put a real hurting on in May. Turkey loads would be perfect for coyotes. That was an Adirondack 6-point, which is worth more to me than a big flatland "booner". Did you mean "Big-Buck", or "Button-Buck" when you said "BB" ? The last Button buck I shot was in 2012. I am way overdue for sure. I would love to get one with my crossbow this year. It don't look too good for me, if I extrapolate from what I have been getting with it so far though: 1-1/2 year old 6-point in 2014, 2-1/2 year old busted up 8-point in 2016, 3-1/2 year old busted up 6-point in 2017. It sounds like you are either drunk or frustrated. Relax, it will get better. Just take your time and think before you hit "submit"

The biggest help, with a year round season, would be that it would allow targeting of the pups. They are not born "wiley" and those pups are easily taken. After the hay is cut, they make easy targets for a guy with a semi-auto .22 rimfire.

I always read those "this happened to me" in Outdoor life, and it was neat to actually experience something like that. If I am able to tag-out on my buck in the Southern zone, prior to our Thanksgiving trip up there, I will bring my 16 gauge J-Stevens side by side shotgun and run a slug in the modified barrel on the right and a # 2 in the full-choke on the left. That way I will be all set for yotes or bear. I have "patterned" it with foster slugs. It does pretty good with the bead, out to about 50 yards, hitting a pie plate almost every time from each barrel. I also saw a ton of grouse up there on this trip, so I will bring along some # 7-1/2's also. A few years ago, I "center-punched" one of those with my 30/06. Big mistake that was, but I did cook up the biggest piece on a stick over the campfire, which included about half a breast and a leg. I thought the bullet would bore a .30 dia hole straight thru, leaving most of the meat intact. I knew I made a mistake when I saw the feathers fly during the explosion thru the 3-9 scope. Oh well, at least I did not need to gut it, or pluck out many feathers. Coyotes are definitely on the upswing up there. This camp is not far from Ft Drum, and I hear that is really infested with them. I saw another one from the truck, about a mile from camp on Thanksgiving last year.

I did not see any deer or bear over the last three days of hunting, up on the NW corner of the Adirondack park, but I did have a few interesting wildlife encounters. The coolest one was yesterday morning. I was walking up an old overgrown trail, that went up the north end of a mountain ridge, just after sunrise. I had showered with scent-free soap the night before, and used scent-free deoderant. I had also treated the heels of my rubber boots with "Evercalm", when I got to the trail, and I was wearing a Walmart "Scent-factor" jacket. The wind was blowing at my back, and I was walking steadily up that trail. My plan that morning was to still-hunt into the wind, after I got to the swamp on the other side of the ridge. When I was almost to the highest point of the trail, I heard a something approaching from behind. When I turned and looked, I thought it was a deer at first glance. It was about 30 yards away, and closing fast, when I shouldered my 50 cal ML. Something about that shiny stainless-steel barrel, made it change course and head for the top of ridge, just as fast as it could run. The long bushy tail indicated that it was no deer, but it looked to be almost the size of a 1-1/2 year doe. It was only 20 yards away when it turned. I was not able to get off a shot because there were too many trees and bushes in the way. I was also a bit hesitant, because I was mainly after deer and I was not certain that coyote season was open (I see now that it did open on October 1). I may have fired, had I found an opening and got the crosshairs on it, while still in range. Them things are a lot more evasive than deer, with faster acceleration, and better manuverability. Even so, it would have been a "chip-shot" at the turn, with a shogun loaded with number fours. In years past, I have seen quite a few deer on that trail I was on. I am pretty sure that the "Evercalm" fooled that coyote into thinking it was following a deer up the hill. It took a "shortcut", which put it on a collision course with me. Last year, I had my fewest deer sightings over the last six years, with just three (all antlerless) in 8 days of hunting up there. Now I think I know where those "missing" deer may have gone. Nearly being on the receiving end of a coyote hit, makes me wonder how a deer can survive up there. It also explains why all of the deer sign I have noticed, over the last two years, has been in the swamps. NY needs a year-round coyote season real bad. I would recommend that hikers up there wear some strong perfumed deoderant and/or carry a gun.

How high is that ? I go at 90 %

I killed a 2.5 year old busted up 8-point in 2016 with a shot like that. He was maybe "1/16th to". The broadhead must have just clipped the back edge of the shoulder blade and deflected back. It ended up exiting the ham on the opposite side. I wondered what the heck happened when the buck stumbled away, dragging his rear leg. The mechanical broadhead really made a mess thru his guts after going thru both lungs and liver. He dropped dead in sight about 40 yards away.

Tying run was on deck

In Stormy's defense, I have to admit that I once wished I had a shotgun up there (my short, smooth-bore 12 gauge Remington 870 with open sights and plastic stock and foregrip). My only deer rifle at the time was a full sized Ruger M77 bolt-action 30/06 with a 3-9X scope. That thing is long and heavy and has a fancy laminated stock. It is not an ideal gun for Adirondack deer hunting in any conditions. The weather forecast for opening weekend of gun season in 2016 was heavy wind-driven rain/sleet/and snow both Saturday and Sunday. Rather than subject that gun to those conditions, I decided to skip it and drove home early. I would have toughed it out, if I really needed meat, but I had killed a doe a few days earlier with my ML. The butcher where I dropped it off at was on my way home. They had finished packaging it and were closing at noon on Saturday. They were not open Sunday, which gave me another reason to depart early. I ended up getting a buck up there later, in much better conditions (light North wind, 3" of fresh powdery snow, temperature about 30 degrees F), on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, so at least the story had a happy ending. Having to skip a deer hunt, because I don't have the right gun, is something I won't let happen again. I traded my woodchuck gun (Ruger M77 22/250) for a Remlin 336BL 30/30 lever action. Last year the conditions were not right for that (no rain or snow when I was up there), so I have yet to hunt with it. The only way I will go up there again without it is if I get a crack at a deer with it and it fails to deliver. If that happens, I will sell it and go back to my Remington 870, which has never failed to deliver on the flatlands of home. They might laugh at me for carrying a shotgun, but at least I will be eating good. There is something to be said for having confidence in your weapon, even if it is not the "popular" choice in the area you hunt. p.s it looks like Stormy has finally come to his senses ^^

I have never seen one (for sure) when hunting. I will be after one up in the Adirondacks this Friday with my crossbow, and Saturday and Sunday with my Muzzleloader. I will aim for the "middle of the middle" with either weapon if an opportunity occurs. Hopefully, I can let you know how that works out on Sunday when I return to "civilization".