wolc123

Sorry to hear about your dad's passing, and praying for you and your family. It sounds like you had some great times with him down at the cabin and such. Hopefully, you will be able to dwell on some of those happy memories this fall, knowing that your time together down here ain't nothing compared to what awaits up where he is right now.

I wonder what the vehicle looked like afterwords ? I bet there was some damage under it, caused by the missing antler. It probably tore up some combination of brake, transmission, or fuel lines. It looks like some serious road rash on that buck and it looks like he had some weight to him, based on his chest girth. That is right near the strip joint. I can't say for sure if I have ever been there, but I have stopped into that tractor shop, that the buck is lying next to in the photo, for backhoe parts a few times.

My experiences up there indicates that they may be right, at least when it comes to bucks. I was able to kill a couple of does early, in warm "snowless" conditions, with the muzzleloader up on the NW edge of the park in WMU 6C however. I know what you mean about that "itch". I just picked up my tags at Walmart tonight. October 12th can't get here soon enough. I am heading up to the the in-laws for a long weekend: one day with the crossbow and two with the muzzleloader. Filling a tag or two would be a nice bonus, but the scenery, and my mother in law's cooking, is always enough to make me happy.

I always love snow when deer hunting. It helps with a lot more than "smoothing the drag". The best part, is how much easier it makes it to see the deer, and to see where they have been. It has been a while since I have had a snowy Adirondack deer hunt. It does not get any better than that, when it comes to deer hunting. I killed bucks up there in 2014 and 2016, both on snow, but came home with nothing on 2015 and 2017, when we had none. This should be a good year if the pattern holds. .

I have been lucky there. My toughest Adirondack deer drag, with one close to that size, was about a half a mile thru a tangled swamp, before we could get my father in law's ATV to it. With three smaller ones up there, he was able to drive the ATV right up to where they expired. It does seem that the heavier ones hang out in the less accessible locations. That big Adirondack buck was heavier than the muley that I dragged 5 miles thru the Rockies. In both cases, there was enough snow on the ground such that "hair loss" was not a big problem. The snow had just about all melted, by the time I got the muley back to the truck in the late afternoon, and it did have a couple bare spots on one side. That was the worst tasting deer I have ever had. I should have just carried out the back-straps and tenderloins.

In the big woods of NY state, where the base elevation is low and the air is rich in oxygen, I can't imagine too many situations where packing would be advantageous. That is not the case out west, up in the Rockies. I survived dragging one mule deer out there, about five miles through some steep terrain, and that was enough to convince me to never try that again. The thin air out there makes dragging very rough on the uphill stretches. I might not have made it, had I not killed my deer at the end of the week, so I had that long to get my lungs somewhat conditioned. The older guys, who got their deer earlier in the week, all packed out what they could carry on their first trip (just the hide and horns), and got help from the rest of us to pack the meat out.

My father in law built one at his old house in Western NY. They had a few pizza parties over there and it worked very good. It was so hot, that the time it took to cook a pizza was measured in seconds. I do not care much for that thin-crust, crispy-style pizza, but they work great for those who do. I think he found plans on line or something. It was a big, fancy looking deal with a tin roof, masonry walls with an iron fire box below the brick oven. They moved up to the Adirondacks last year. I wonder if the new owners are using it.

Wow, just watching that tires me out. I like the way that he skips over the ones with knots in them, that do not split easy with the first blow.

I will be planting a some in a couple more weeks, mixed in with winter wheat and white clover. Planting them late like that times their period of maximum attractiveness (green and growing), with archery season. When planted earlier like those in your photo, the least attractive phase (brown-out) occurs thru archery season. The later-planted soybeans provide and early "candy-like" attraction to foodplots, then the wheat fills in and holds the deer throughout later archery season and into gun season. The following year, the wheat is bush-hogged prior to going to seed, and the white clover fills in and holds the deer on the plots for several more years. I have used Austrian winter peas similarly, but they are costly and I can always score free soybean seed after normal planting dates. The green soybeans are even more effective than the AWP at drawing deer, but they do not survive the frost. Thats no big deal for me, because usually they have served their purpose (get deer using the plots) before that occurs anyhow. Your soybeans look spectacular, and they should produce plenty of pods, for a good late season / post season food source. I rely on field-corn for that, because it has the added bonus on cover to hold the deer on my ground during daylight hours. It also provides lots of carbs when they need it most, but not nearly as much protein as soybeans.

I think the reason we have so many poults where I am, is because I have neighbors on both sides who are excellent coyote trappers and they keep the area relatively cleared of those "vermin". That, combined with my coon eradication (saves the nests), makes it easy for the turkeys to flourish. I am kind of looking forward to killing my first one this year. I like it that you can take hens or toms in the fall. Fall hunting is a lot more appealing to me than spring hunting when more bugs are out. They say wild tom turkeys are dry and tough. Maybe the hens would be a little better eating. Only one way to find out I guess.

They did seem to be everywhere yesterday. A buddy from work, who has been deer hunting on opening day of gun season with me the last couple years, stopped over with his brand new truck. We drove it back to look at some food-plots near the stand that he hunts from. There was about a dozen turkeys feeding in the clover below it. The poults looked like they were nearly full grown. I guess I am going to get my turkey tags this year. I am not much of a caller, but maybe I can blast one with the shotgun from a deer blind as they come out to feed on clover this fall. I will not be hunting deer around here until crossbow season opens, so I guess I can use fall turkey season as a scouting opportunity. It is too bad that turkey season closes before crossbow deer season opens in the southern zone. At least they run concurrent up in the northern zone, providing another reason for me to buy the tags. I never use to like turkeys, and considered them "feathered-rats" because they were always in my corn food-plots, which were intended for deer. Now I don't mind them because, as it turns out, they only feed on corn that has been nocked down by coons. They are too lazy to get it off the stalks themselves. Keeping the coons eradicated thru aggressive trapping, starting around September 1 (carcasses have to be burried or burned prior to opening of regular coon trapping season per NY state DEC recomendations on "damaging coons"), ensures that almost all of the corn goes to the deer. I also like the turkeys more now, because they led one of largest antlered bucks I have ever killed, to within "chip-shot" range, a few years ago. Wise old bucks often use turkeys to take advantage of their sharp eyesite, and the turkeys don't mind having them around to capitalize on the "mutual protection" of their nose.

I have never used a safety harness, but all of my stands have shooting rails, which double as safety rails. All but one are less than 10 feet up. Hunting from the ground, or from a low tree-stand, is much safer and it increases your odds of a quick, clean kill due to the lower shot angle and better chance of a "double lung" hit. This is especially important with archery tackle. The older I get, the less fond I am of heights. I have never struggled to secure plenty of venison for our family and more and more lately, it has been from the ground or very close to it. This year, I am going to remove the lower section of my last high ladder stand, and drop it down to about 8 feet. I was not feeling very comfortable way up there, the one time I used it last year. Last year, both of my deer were killed from 8 feet up. The year prior, (3) were from the ground and the 4th from 8 feet up. I see no need to go higher than that. My biggest fear from tree-stands has always been structural failure and collapse. More than half of the trees on my home farm are ash, and it was getting pretty scary up in some old wood stands as the emerald ash borer started ravaging those trees. I finally replaced the last couple ash tree stands last year. Now all the stands are free-standing, on treated lumber posts, or attached to oaks, maples or poplars. It was sad seeing them old ash-tree stands go, thinking about all the deer they have provided, but I was very thankful to have never fell out of any of them. The saddest was the one I killed my first antlered buck out of, and that my cousin first built about 40 years ago. Some of the original white-oak steps were still servicable until the end, last year. I always have checked all the stands carefully, just before hunting season each year, and that probably prevented a fall or two.

I just checked, and the 2018 regs show northern zone crossbow starts on October 10 and ends on October 19. That's really only (3) days for crossbow, since muzzleloader open up on the 13th. I will not carry my crossbow after the 12th unless it is real wet. The reason for that is because my crossbow has an effective range of 50 yards, while my muzzleloader is good for 150 yards. There has not been many years lately, where the weather has been cool enough for good deer hunting before October 10. I am very thankful that I have access to some very good deer hunting in the northern zone, and that crossbow season includes the whole rut in the southern zone, where I live. You can never be too careful when it comes to the regulations, and I appreciate the reminder. I also made sure that I still have the crossbow safety certificate in my wallet, that I signed back in 2014, and that it is still legible. I have been hunting, around those same days in the northern zone, since 2014. Last year, the only deer that I saw were on the Friday. I could not get a shot at them with my crossbow, because they were at 125 yards. That would have been a relative "chip shot" with my in-line, scoped muzzleloader. In 2016, I skipped hunting the first few days, because it was too warm (over 80 degrees), but I killed a nice doe with my muzzleloader on the third day. Antlerless deer have been legal during muzzleloader season on the side of the road where my inlaw's camp is, but not on the other side. I have never seen a bear up there, but it looks a little better for them across the road. I scouted out some decent looking areas when I was up there over the Fourth of July holiday. My father in law wants to decorate his house with "native species". I got him a nice 8-point whitetail buck for shoulder mount in 2014 with my rifle. Now he really wants a bear rug. I will probably hunt Friday across the road with my crossbow, because at least I can shoot does over there on that day, and there might be a better chance at a bear. I usually see about 6 does up there for every buck and since my need for venison is more important than his need for a bear, I will stick to his side of the road on Saturday and Sunday, where I can legally kill the antlerless deer with my muzzleloader.

I would call it a tie between whitetail deer and smallmouth bass.

I am going to try to get out for deer and bear, up in the northern zone with my crossbow, on Friday October 12. After that, a couple days with my muzzleloader (opens on Sat Oct 13). I hope our venison from last year makes it that long. We still have lots of roasts and back-strap, but are down to less than a dozen packs of grind. The kids really love those venison tacos, but they might have to get by with chicken for a few weeks. My wife hit it out of the park with tonight's dinner: crock-pot venison roast, mashed potatoes and gravy and fresh picked sweetcorn. I don't care for hunting small game, until after a good frost or two slows the bugs down, so I will probably spend my free time fishing up until then. If it does cool down a bit, I might put the cheap scope on the pellet gun that my daughter got for Christmas, and see how it works on squirrels. I had left it with open sights because that is what they use on rifle team, but she has decided that she will try out for some more "girly" sport instead. I think that the silent report of the .177 cal pellets might be an advantage. Those pellets are a lot cheaper than CB .22 rimfire ammo. If you are looking for a decent way too cook geese, the breasts are not too bad in the crock-pot, with a can of cream of mushroom soup. That makes a good gravy ,to put over mashed potatoes, and the goose tastes similar to a beef pot-roast. Not as good as a venison roast, but better than any form of chicken (I never was a white meat fan, except for ruffed grouse).

Happy Birthday

Thanks for posting this. It reminds me that I have to make a whitetail deer neck roast or two this season. I have been wanting to do one for a few years now, after reading on this site how good they are. I always forget about it early in the season and something always happens to foil my plans later. Two years ago, my 150 gr 30/06 bullet took out the neck-roast on its way out of my last buck, and last season my 12 gauge SST struck a little farther forward than I intended, on my last doe's shoulder blade. That made a bloody mess out of her neck. I wonder what a giraffe would taste like .... horse maybe. I never ate one of those either, but would not hesitate if given a chance. There would probably be more meat in the neck, than the hind quarters.

My wife has never and will never hunt, but she is a very good cook and loves venison, as do our daughters. She use to fish when we were dating. We got married on the third Saturday in June and spent the next week bass fishing on the Indian river lakes and the St Lawrence river (during the daylight hours). She lost most of here interest in fishing after our daughters came along (we did other stuff at night). Our younger daughter is into fishing and even outfished me once on smallmouth bass this summer. Our older daughter is into shooting a little bit, but not hunting. They are both really into high-school sports, which does not leave much time for hunting and fishing. I am thankful that they all love venison and fish, which saves me some cash on food, and keeps them pushing me to hunt and fish. It is a lot easier for me to to make time for those pursuits, when my wife and kids encourage it.

There has been global warming and global cooling for as long as the Earth has been around. What's the big deal if it is getting warmer now ? The folks who are blaming it on man sound kind of silly to me. God has always and will always be the one at the controls. At some time in the past, it must have been a lot warmer. Fossil records indicate that the shore of lake Ontario was all the way up to the Onondaga escarpment. There must have been a lot less ice at the poles back then, for the lake level to be up that high. I think it is kind of cool that I no longer need 4wd to get back and forth to work thru the snow, and I don't use as much firewood as I use to. It also seems like it is good for upstate NY real estate value.

My sister and brother in-law had our older daughter up to their cottage this weekend, to hang out with her cousin. I met them near a thruway exit this afternoon. About 5 miles from home, I stopped at a 4-way stop that was installed recently. Like most other drivers, I rarely bring the car to a complete stop at those, but I did that time. About (2) miles later, on a desolate crossroad where the brush grows close on both sides, I looked up to see a big doe bolt across, just inches from the front of our car. We were traveling around 55 mph and the time was about 6:45 pm. Our venison supply is dwindling, but I sure don't want to get one that way. I have had quite a few close calls driving to and from work, but that was the first one with family onboard. It would not be so bad with my old pickup truck, but we were in a small car. God sure got a big thank you for that miss. Thanks for the reminder Larry. One thing is for sure, I am going to get all my DMP's for 9F this year. It looks like a trip to Walmart will happen this week, to pick up the first two.

You hit the nail right on the head there. That is always the first thing I do when I find them.

What I like best about that Simmons 22mag is it's durability. My 10/22 is frequently carried around uncased behind the seat of my pickup or on a carryall on the back of a tractor along with traps, shovel and bait. The scope tube is scratched and dinged up, but it never seems to loose its zero. Even at a hundred yard range, I kill more crows than I miss with it, when they are pecking at the carcass pile behind our house. This woodchuck never even twitched when struck in the side of the head with a Rem yellowjacket. I cant imagine why anyone would want to dump more money into a .22 scope.

I have a couple of friends who have camps in that area. One of them gets 1-1/2 year old bucks regularly (usually spikes and 4 points, with the occasional 6-point, but I have never known him to get a "mature" buck. The other guy rarely sees much action, and it has been a few years since they killed any deer at their camp. It is tough to get doe permits there now, so the deer population must not be so great. You can check that out yourself on the DEC website if you are serious about coming out west. The local fire-hall use to run a pretty good snowmobile dice run every year, but I am not sure if they still do. They also do a decent gun-raffle every year, for which I have contributed a bit of cash over the years, but never won a gun. I don't think the hunting justifies more that that price on the property, but if there is any timber there, you might be able to cash in on that to recover some of your purchase cost.

The Simmons .22 mag on mine has been flawless for the 20 or so years that I have had it. I treat it rough and it always holds zero. They are about $ 40 new from Amazon.

I use (3) different guns in the big woods of the Adirondacks. Two of them have got the job done on every deer I fired them at. I am still waiting for that first shot at a deer with the third, a Marlin 336BL 30/30 with open sights. Some day, it may earn the top spot, but the jury is still out. I can not call a gun that I have not fired on a deer with my favorite, but it is definitely the most fun to carry. I like how compact it is, how quick it is to get off fast followup shots (the big loop is great for that), and I like the open sights for rainy and wind-driven snow conditions. I did not see any of that last season up there, so I never even carried it in the woods. It did very well on the target range though, popping gallon jugs filled with water almost every time out to 75 yards or so. My current favorite is a full-sized Ruger M77 30/06 with 3-X Redfield low-profile widefield scope, and loaded with 150 grain Federal classic bullets. It has a few issues, including a well-rested clean miss on my first and largest Adirondack buck, back in 2014. I know for sure it was a clean miss, as was my second rushed offfhand shot, because the autopsy showed only one hole. I am about 90 % sure that the first miss was caused by a branch strike. Fortunately the third, well-rested shot struck right on the mark and dropped that heavy buck dead in his tracks. That rifle also killed my last Adirondack buck very cleanly in his tracks with one extremely well-placed shot, and got the job done in the big woods of Colorado on a mule deer. The rifle is a bit heavy and bulky for lugging around the heavy cover and steep hills, and I am not overly fond of the scope in rain and snow, so hopefully the Marlin lever-action will fill in those gaps. My T/C Omega 50 cal muzzle-loader has also gotten the job done every time up in the Adirondacks, but it has the same weight, size, and scope issues as the Ruger centerfire.