wolc123

That looks a lot like the ridge that ran along-side of the dirt lane to the old off-the-grid cabin that my in-laws use to rent for a long-weekend every October, near the NW edge of Adirondack park. The incline angle and height looks nearly identical. Usually, the weekend they rented fell on opening weekend of ML season, although a few years it was a week later, on opening week of rifle. About 6 years ago (a ML year), I hiked into the woods parallel with the lake, to an oak ridge where I had heard deer snorting while I was out fishing the year before. Shortly after sun-up, a big doe led a group of 5 or 6 other antlerless deer up onto that ridge. She stood broadside, about 25 yards away, and I shot her behind the shoulder. She walked a few steps closer, standing right at the edge of the cliff. The other deer just stood and watched. It almost seemed like none of them had any clue what was happening. Her knees started to wobble and she fell over and down the cliff. I reloaded, except for the cap, an butt-slid down the cliff after her. I had not known at the time that the lane to the cabin was right at the bottom. The doe was laying right in the middle of it, and starting to lift her head. I put a second shot into it to finish her, and gutted her right where she laid. My sister in law still gives me a little crap about that (she jogged past the pile a little later that morning). She was a little turned off when I carried the warm heart and liver into the cabin, as they were all sitting around the table eating breakfast. My father in law was also a little concerned, fearing the the owners of the place would not want to rent it to him again if they saw the mess. No worries for me, by the following morning there was not a trace of that gut-pile left. The vermin and birds cleaned up every last scrap. I did make sure that I placed a bucket under the carcass, out in the boathouse, and cleaned up every last drop of blood.

Nolt's in Lowville is also very good. I think they charge around $ 48 to cut and wrap an average sized deer. They have a big cooler. They are closed on Sundays, but open the rest of the week. If they were closer to western NY, I would never process another deer myself. All the joints around here get at least $ 75 for the job. I will certainly never bring another one back unprocessed from up north, after all the tics I had to deal with on the last buck I brought home and processed myself. My in-laws live up there now, so dropping off a deer at Nolt's, or picking up the processed meat is no big deal for them, whenever I kill it. I could not take that last buck to Nolt's, because we were driving home on a Sunday, and that was before they had moved up there. It usually takes them 10 days to complete your processing, after rifle season opens, (they are quicker and less busy during archery and ML). My in-laws live about 45 minutes north-east of them, and it is well worth the drive. There is a very good supply store with the same name next door, so they are always looking for an excuse to drive down there. They also do bears at a reasonable rate. There was a fat one next to a pile of deer in the skinning shed, on a very warm late morning during ML season, when I dropped a doe off there a couple years ago. I dropped her off on Monday and they had her done and packaged (all ground except the backstraps and tenderloins) (5) days later on Saturday, so I could pick up the meat on my drive home.

I don't see too any tooth marks. Which one did you get that one on in the harbor the other night ? During a bass-tournament in late-August, a big one came up from under the South GI bridge and pulled a 16" or so smallmouth bass off my line, right next to our boat. A large smallmouth bass pattern plug would probably work well on them.

Glad to hear you got released. Maybe you could sit in a blind for a while, if your doctors think it would be ok. Northern zone crossbow opens on October 10 and one of those with a hand-crank might work out well for you.

All of my stands are now low enough that I can hang the bow/gun on a hook near the base, from ground level. In the years that I was up higher, I had a few tow ropes break like that, and it was always on ones that had been left out all year. About 10 years ago, the one that I was lowering my bolt-action shotgun with, parted about 15 feet up. The gun landed on the scope, breaking it off and shearing the # 10 base screws. Those old Bushnell Banner scopes are pretty tough. I drilled out the # 10 thread holes in the base and re-tapped with 1/4", put in some bigger screws, and it has worked ok ever since. The only trouble now is: if I drop it like that again, the scope will probably get wrecked instead of just the screws.

Remember the Saturday Night Live sketches back during the Clarence Thomas hearings ? The current Brett K hearings should provide even richer fodder for them. Too bad they are in the off-season and still playing re-runs. I can't wait to see the high-school scenes that they will probably come up with. This woman's accusations are far to ludicrous to be taken seriously and belong on a comedy show.

I am much closer, now that I finished checking the zero on (5) of my deer guns. I decided to skip #6, since I rarely use it any more, and it has never failed to kill a deer that I fired it at. I had the other (5) "close enough" with a total of (11) shots fired. Oddly enough, the only two weapons that needed adjustment this year, for "good enough to hunt with performance" were the two that I killed deer with last season (crossbow and bolt-action shotgun). The crossbow needed half a turn up on the red-dot site, and the shotgun needed 12 clicks to the right on the 3X scope. My first shot with that shotgun was 6" to the left at 100 yards. I moved in to 50 yards, checked that all the attachment hardware was tight, did a quick bore site that looked ok, then hit 2-3/4" left and 2" high with my second shot. According to the label on the adjustment, it should have taken about 24 clicks to the right, but that put it the same distance off to the right and 3/4" high. One more adjustment, 12 clicks to the left, put the 4th shot 1" high, centered above the bull. Taking the two adjustments into consideration, indicates a 3 shot group of 1-1/4" diameter at 50 yards, centered about 1-1/4" above the bull. That was good enough for me. Not wanting to waste any more of that pricey ammo (Hornady 2-3/4" SST 12 ga) I decided to skip trying it again at 100 yards. The first shot with my T/C 50 cal ML, with 2-7X scope set at 7, hit 1-3/8" directly above the bull at 50 yards. That was also good enough for me, so I put it back in the case, with just one shot fired. That shot was with a clean and lubed barrel. After I do that again, it will be ready to go up north for deer on October 13. With 150 grain bullets, my open-sited Marlin 336 BL 30/30, put two shots 1-1/4" apart, with the "group" centered 4-1/2" above the bull and 2" to the right at 50 yards. There is no more lower elevation adjustment on the rear site, so I let it go where it was. I will switch that one to 170 grain ammo after I use up the two boxes of 150's that the dealer gave me with the gun. I would like it to be about 2" high at 50 yards and the 170's should get me closer to that. My old Ithaca 37 16 gauge placed two 4/5 oz Rem sluggers touching each other at 50 yards, with the "group" centered 2-3/4 above and 1-3/4 to the left at 50 yards. Back out at 100 yards, My Ruger 30/06 with 3-9X scope at 9, placed (2) 150 gr Federal classics 3/4" inch apart with the "group" centered 1/2" above and 3/4" to the right of the bull. If the weather is good next weekend, I will do a little squirrel hunting over at my folks place, and take care of the posted signs and stand work / moves. After that I will be good to go.

That is very important step. One brand of 125 grain fixed broadheads (Allens), that I tried last weekend hit over a foot low, at both 20 and 40 yards, while 125 grain Muzzy's and Wasps struck right on or very close to the same point as my 125 gr field tips. That was with my 300 fps crossbow, but I imagine that a vertical bow of similar speed would be comparable.

I thought maybe the flying squirrels had taken revenge.

Both is always best: morning hunt / afternoon fish, like this fine, warm mid-October stretch up in the north-west Adirondacks a few years ago. There is a very good processor in Lowville (Nolts) where they can get your deer in the cooler right away so that you can enjoy the afternoon out on the water.

That is a very good point. I think that the 3000 or so innocent human fetuses, who are currently being aborted every day in the USA, should also be counted as "real victims" of this woman's current media assault and delay of the Senate confirmation of Brett K.

I looked for that blind today, but I could not find it. Hopefully, I left it up at the in-laws place up north (I think I did because I was going to try and use it as an ice-fishing hut up there last winter). I have not hunted out of it, but I did set it up along a trail up there last fall, to use in case of rain (which we did not get while I was there). I will be up there in a few weeks for crossbow/ML hunting, so I will bring it back home then. My cousin, who has now moved down south, used to bow-hunt row-planted corn pretty effectively. The crossbow does not work as well for that. Otis "the Toad" Smith made some good videos, back in the 80's or 90's, of how to do it that are still available on youtube. His technique would probably be a bit more difficult in broadcast corn, but might still work, since it was all based on the wind (the windier the better).

I am not as ready as I usually am by this time, due to a big demolition/construction project that I took on this year. Because of that, I am very thankful that I gave up bow-hunting in 2014, when the crossbow got legal. My first deer hunt won't be until October 12, up north with my crossbow. Hopefully, the weather will be good tomorrow and I can verify the zero on my (6) deer guns. Usually, I finish that by Labor day. I don't like to shoot guns, when archery season is open, because I know that it aggravates me when I hear my neighbors doing it while I am archery hunting. I did get my crossbow dialed in last weekend. I will only hunt with that one day in October, followed by two days with my ML, so that is the next most important one to check. To save time, I will place all (6) deer guns (ML, (2) rifles, (3) shotguns) in soft cases or wrap in blankets, load them and ammo in the back of my pickup, drive back to the range, and get them all done at once. Hopefully, two or three shots each, is all it will take. The ML and rifles are tame puppies to shoot, but I use a clip on recoil-pad while target-shooting with the hard-kicking shotguns. 99% of my "practice" shooting happens on the back deck with a bb-gun. That eliminates all the noise and shoulder pounding. I also cut back a bit on that this year, with only about 2000 shots taken, compared to the 4000-5000 that I had been doing. I hope that don't cost me any meat. The food-plots at home are in decent shape and most of the stands are ready here, but I still want to get a pop-up blind out. Right now, I am not exactly sure where that is. I am hoping that I left it up at the Northern zone camp, and I will be able to bring it home after my crossbow/ML trip up there in a couple weeks. I would really like to get it in position at least a week prior to hunting from it. I still need to get posted signs up, repair a big double-decker blind, and move a couple stands out at my folks place. I did not have time for any foodplot work over there this year, but a neighbor did mow the 2 acre clover plot a couple weeks ago. I managed to kill a nice buck out of the big blind over there last fall, but the floor is so crooked that I will not hunt out of it again without at least trying to level it first. The stand moves are optional, but I think I can improve my odds a bit if I make them.

Thanks for the tip. My larger corn plot, up near the house, is 2 acres and has not been touched yet by the coons. I should be able to hide a pop-up in there, to take advantage of the prevailing SW wind. I spent about $ 20 on one of them at Aldis last year, and have not found a good application for it yet. This could be perfect. I will leave a spare swivel chair in it, so that it will be all set for the crossbow-opener. I have a smaller corn plot way out back that is well covered by permanent blinds, but it has already sustained a little coon damage, and may not last until November 3. The deer usually start hitting the standing corn real hard, after all the white oak acorns are cleaned up. It will be very nice to have that extra "back-up" spot.

I have heard that if Kavanaugh gets in, the Supreme Court balance of power will tip firmly in favor of overturning Roe vs Wade. There are currently an average of 3000 abortions performed daily in the US. Basically, it is being used as a form of birth control. If my math is correct, Mrs Ford's lawyers have effectively secured the "termination" of 9000 living human fetuses, by delaying the Senate hearing from Monday to Thursday of this week. They must be very proud of themselves.

My buddy, who owns a service station, just informed me that NY state will allow a dealer to affix a 1 year inspection sticker on the vehicle if they are not able to correct a "check engine" problem. I will ask for one of those, if the car has to go back a 4th time. With 4 miles on it since their 3rd repair attempt, the light has not come back on. I just made my appointment for an inspection, at my buddies shop, next week Tuesday. I should be able to get over a hundred miles on it by then.

Thanks a lot, you hit sore spot with me there TF. My car is on it's third trip back to the dealer for that issue right now. They have been trying to fix it since mid-August, when the inspection was due. They say it takes 40-50 miles to "clear the code" before it can be inspected. It has not made that yet, after replacing the cat, and several other components. We will see how they do this time. I hate breaking the (driving an unexpected vehicle) but GM and NY state have forced my hand. Oh well, at least this nonsense is not necessary with my 3/4 ton pickup, but I don't like burning all the extra gas and dealing with the stiff ride when hauling nothing but myself. I would smash that pumpkin if I ever saw it, and I am almost ready to take the drill to that little light on my dashboard.

I did not realize how good of a pick Trump had made with Brett K. until that woman came out of hiding, with her accusations from his high school days. Now everyone can see just how desperate the far-left really is.

If you head to the Seaport, be sure you get the tour of that whaling ship. I remember it being relatively inexpensive and very informative. I was there about 20 years ago. Ever since, I have been wanting to try one of those "Nantucket sleigh-rides". The closest I ever came to that was having a 21" small-mouth bass drag my canoe around Cuba lake for a little bit. I can only imagine how getting a harpoon into a big humpback and wrapping the line around the loggerhead would make for quite the boat ride. The USS Nauteless Museum, just a few miles to the north, was free back then and also pretty interesting.

If that ^^ was a black bear, instead of a deer, the yellow arrow would be just about in the perfect spot to aim, don't you think ? It looks a little far back for a deer though.

The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can spend on food plots but they need not be so expensive. I never include the cost of tractors, mowers, etc because that stuff is needed anyhow for basic property maintenance. I just add up the input costs directly related to the foodplots, and that consists of fertilizer, fuel, and seed costs. I also do not include any allowance for my time, because that is not really work for me, since I enjoy all of it. I measure the output in pounds of boneless venison taken on or adjacent to the foodplots. On a good year, the cost is under $ 1.00 per pound. The last time I got below that was 2016. We use to raise beef on our farm years ago, and we never got close to that cost, even when you allow for inflation. Basically, food-plots can produce "organic" venison "dirt-cheap" if you use a few simple tricks. Trick #1: get your seed for free. Get to know some local farmers. They almost always have leftover seed at the end of normal planting season, and most seed stores well and germinates ok for years afterwords. Trick #2: Get most of your nitrogen for free by using crop rotation. This also saves you from needing lots of lime (and $) to maintain soil ph because synthetic fertilizer acidifies the soil. Trick # 3: Get a row planter, to allow for minimum seed and herbicide usage. Trick # 4: Get a pre - tier 4, turbocharged, 4wd diesel tractor for optimized fuel economy. Trick # 5: Realize that maximum yield per acre does not equate to maximum attractiveness to deer. Trick #6: Take out the competition: That can mean things like raccoons (trap) and weeds (roundup).

Live weight: 489 pounds, 6 ounces. Boned meat weight: 73 pounds. Looks like a good boar, and would certainly make a nice rug with that big skull. Hopefully, one like that shows up in a few more weeks up in the Northern zone and I can get him with my crossbow or ML.

Definitelty not that one. He looked kind of old and was loaded with bugs. Maybe one of the young ones would be worth a try, after a good frost scares off the bugs. The crock-pot makes anything taste ok. I have always wanted to try one.