wolc123

Goldenrod always seems to take over a field if you do not cut it for a season. I usually let a small field or two go uncut every year and the deer definitely like to bed in that stuff. After the shooting starts in the fall, they seldom venture out into it during the daylight hours.

In 35 seasons my total kills is also around 100. I wounded one (a very wide 4-point) on our farm with a shotgun slug that was killed by a friend a couple weeks later. The butcher told him that the meat was no good due to gang-green and he was issued another buck-tag by the DEC. I actually did eat the liver from that deer (before I learned that it had gang-green) and he got to keep the rack. My shot was too far back, at the running broadside deer, and I hit him too far back, drilling the 12 ga sabot thru the hams without hitting the femoral or any bone. That was the last time I shot at a running deer. Having learned my lesson, I will never do it again, unless I believe that I hit it with a prior shot. I wounded a basket racked buck with my ML 13 seasons ago. That was the last deer that I wounded and did not recover. My mistake there was shooting beyond the effective range of my scoped 50 cal, with 100 grains of pyrodex. The buck was quartering away at 175 yards, I had a good rest and had practiced at 200 yards, where the gun consistently held groups under 3" diameter. More than likely my shot struck within an inch of my point of aim, but the buck made it about 50 yards beyond my widest circle after I lost his trail (about 400 yards past where he stood at the shot). Fresh snow contributed towards me taking that shot, but I never found even a drop of blood the whole way. The buck had shown no reaction of a hit, and that, and the lack of blood convinced me that it had been a clean miss. I learned that it was not a clean miss when I saw a neighbor who had been hunting that day, a few days later. He told me that he saw the doe that I had missed that day run by under his stand. My shot was not at the doe, but it was at the buck that had pursued her out of the corn plot below my stand. He said he never saw a buck. We found that buck, half eaten by coyotes, with the help of the crows a few days later. I will never take a shot at over 150 yard range with that ML again (I use a laser rangefinder now to help make sure) unless the deer is broadside. In my early years of bow-hunting, I wounded (4) deer, of which (3) were struck in the shoulder blade, with no penetration, and one too far back. The common thing on all of those is that "string jump" contributed to the bad hits. All of the deer were alert (3) were bucks that I had alerted by rattling or grunting within range, and (2) were alerted when they caught a glimpse of my draw. These days, I have addressed those issues by only using calls when I have a firearm (no problem with string jump when the projectile is faster than the speed of sound). I wait for crossbow season to open now during archery, which eliminates the need to draw with a deer in close. Of the (4) deer that I wounded with arrows, only the one that was hit too far back surely died from his wound. One of the shoulder blade hit bucks was killed by a friend a few weeks later, during gun season, and the wound was completely healed, with just a big scar over the shoulder. My experience has been that while more deer are wounded with arrows, many of those make full recoveries. That can not be said about gun-shot wounds, which are messier, and far more likely to be fatal. We can all learn lessons from wounded deer, and it would be nice if we could use an internet forum like this to learn of some of the mistakes that others have made. It is too bad that most folks lack the guts to post their mistakes. Apparently, they are scared of the anti-hunters. My fear is limited to one thing - see who can guess what that is so I don't have to piss some of the haters off and add it to yet another post.

This is an important topic and it hits on the one thing that bothers me more than anything else about hunting - wounding and not recovering game. It can happen to anyone with with any weapon. It takes some courage to post on a public forum like this, when it happens to you. I give those folks credit who have the guts to do that. Keeping it a secret is kind of wimpy, if you ask me. I can't believe there are folks here who are afraid of what anti-hunters might think. If the unfortunate does occur to anyone around zone 9F or 6C this season, feel free to post publicly or shoot me a pm. I have been waiting for for a chance to try the "bloodglow", that I picked up three years ago. This stuff, when mixed with water or windshield wiper fluid in freezing conditions, is supposed to make blood glow bright green under the moon or start light. Backing out, and waiting for morning to track, might not be such a good idea with all the coyotes we have around now in many areas. Deer Search is also a great resource, but might get stretched a little thin on weekends.

My girls like Rugers. I suppose two sevens (and an eight in this case) are better than one seven and a zero.

The one I shot the most with was my grandad's old Remington 510P targetmaster bolt action .22 LR that I had drilled and tapped for a 3X Bushnell Banner scope. It was a tack-driver for many years, but the accuracy dropped off big-time, and I was never able to figure out why. I traded it away, about 25 years ago, and got a Ruger 10/22 with a Simmons .22 mag scope. That is my favorite now. The 9 extra shots are nice, and it is as accurate as my old Remington bolt-action ever was. The only problem is that I don't have as much time to hunt squirrels now as I use to. I eat the squirrels, and use the tails for fishing lures, but I look at hunting them more as target practice for deer hunting. If it was not for that, my favorite squirrel gun, when the leaves are still up, would be my old Winchester, single-shot, full-choked .410. I can not recall ever missing a squirrel that I shot at with that. It is definitely not as good of practice for deer hunting though. All you got to do is get close with it. I much prefer to target an individual hair on any squirrel or deer that I shoot at. Aim small - miss small is the way to go. Doing that has helped me to put every deer that I have shot at over the last 12 years, with any weapon, into the freezer. Unfortunately, I can't say that about the squirrels. Two years ago, I dropped one from a tree with my 10/22 and I heard it hit the ground with a thud. It managed to crawl into a rock wall at dusk, and I was not able to recover it. I think that loss helped me go 4/4 on deer last year, and convinced me to pass on a few shots that I may not have connected on.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk That is pretty cool. The wet ground must have allowed you to sneak in there quietly. Was it windy ? Did he get up and run after the arrow hit him, and how far did he go? How far was the drag ? I am thankful to have access to some private land on the edge of the Adirondack park, where my father in law can usually get his ATV pretty close. It might be tougher this year though, because he just upgraded to one of those big wide side by sides. How many days have you bowhunted up there before taking that buck ? It would like to have few more vacation days, but I have to burn a few in early October this year for my nieces wedding down in VA. What the heck are people thinking when they get married at this time of year ?

How did that one happen? Did you walk in on him bedded, or did you ambush him as he walked in on you ? Either way, that is quite an accomplishment. I am going to get up there one day with my crossbow this fall and a day and a half with my ML and I am hoping for my first buck up there with either one of those weapons. A three inch, 110 pound spike buck up there would be worth more to me than a heavy-racked 200 pound 10-point in the flatlands of home in western NY.

When it comes to the taste of wild game, moose comes out on top, and the tongue is the best part. PM me if you get one and feel inclined to toss that out. Even the old ones taste great. My buddy killed one that was estimated at 8.5 years old in Newfoundland a few years ago and a frozen roast was a little tough, but the canned meat was to die for. Eventually, he thawed and canned all the roasts.

What amazes me is that more folks cant follow the simple logic of that. Anyone who thinks string jump is an issue at 60 yards is quite clueless. Why would a deer "jump the string" if it is more than 40 yards away ? That is well out of the immediate danger zone, where deer react to the sound of a bow dumping its energy into an arrow. My 59 yard crossbow buck waited patiently, rock-still, until the bolt pierced his heart. When it comes to taking a shot at a deer or not, with any weapon, there are a lot more important things to worry about than just range. The proof is in the results achieved, and if all other variables are perfect, there is nothing wrong with stretching the range a little bit. Shooting at a standing, distracted deer, from a rest, across an open field, with no wind, at 60 yards is relative chip-shot, compared to shots at less than half that range, at walking, alert deer, in the woods on windy days.

I have been running the NOCO 91 octane ethanol free stuff in all of my occasional use small engines, except for the lawnmowers and antique ag tractors, for the last (3) years and it has been well worth the extra 50 cents per gallon. (4) boat motors, (2) chainsaws, a generator, logsplitter, and power washer have started and ran great every time, no matter how long they have been sitting.

Have you ever heard the phrase "farmer fix". That means using items that you have on hand to get the job done. You would be surprised at what can be accomplished with a odd assortment of wire, duct tape, and nuts and bolts. Keeping some of that stuff in the toolbox on a tractor can often let you finish a job without a trip back to the shop, where a welder, power tools, and a larger parts assortment can fix many larger problems. One way to minimize required fixes is to keep equipment maintained in good working order. It makes sense to lube things up properly AFTER use. That way, you get the corrosion protection of the lubricant thru storage periods and it will be ready to use when the weather opens up a window of opportunity with no delay to "lube before use".

250 acres is plenty for two guys, but my guess is that the handyman also plans on bringing along his two sons, brother, father in law, and a couple of buddies. Your best hope of getting in there is a cash offer like Rob suggested.

Speaking of "girly", how is your deer fence working with all those pretty pink ribbons ?

It sure can get a lot better than that. Blue gives me a headache every time. I just enjoyed an aged Genessee Scotch ale with an awesome plate of venison goulash that my wife made for dinner.

We did not do too bad trolling for (4) hours off Wilson Harbor this morning. We hooked (3) mature kings, but only landed one (an 18 pounder). A big, extremely fast one broke the line on the initial run, and another shook the j-plug half way in to the boat. The big ones were hitting chartruse j-plugs near the bottom in 80 - 85 ft. We also landed (2) good baking-sized, younger kings (21 & 24" long), on chartruse nk spoons, that we ran on short leaders attached to the two main lines. I worked the riggers, my buddy drove the boat, and his kid reeled in almost all the fish (it was his first time salmon fishing and he loved it). When we got back in the harbor after noon, I finally got to reel one in when I hooked a nice fat 16 in largemouth bass on a weedless jig right near the launch. The three kings went in our cooler, but the bass went in the livewell, soon to join the 13 incher that I caught out there and put in my pond a few weeks ago. Hopefully that will make a "mating pair".

I hope to add one more to that list this fall, with my new Marlin 336BL and 150 gr Federal Soft point FN Power Shok ammo. The dealer threw in a couple boxes with the deal. The 170's might be a tad better for deer and certainly for bear, but the recoil is barely notable with the 150's. Recoil never bothered me, buy my older daughter may give it a try. She is trying out for the high-school rifle team this winter, so maybe she will be ready for a little deer hunting next fall. If not, then my next ammo purchase for it will be more 170 gr.

What is your address there ?

I started using my daughters BB gun for most of my marksmanship practice. 5000 for $5.00 is what I paid last time. The adult sized stock and "big loop" that I bought for her Daisy Red Ryder did set me back $ 40, but that made it nearly identical in dimensions to my new Marlin 336BL 30/30 deer rifle. I might have to stock up on some more .22 rimfire ammo however, as I have been going thru a bit of it lately on "nussance coons", and squirrel season is now upon us. The BB gun don't work to good for that service.

I sighted in all of my deer guns, and my squirrel rifle over the long holiday weekend. I ended up using almost a full box of the 12 ga SST's with my Marlin 512. The vertical adjustment on Bushnell Banner 4X scope was a little coarser than I assumed. The half turn down, that I did after the poor hit last season, put the first shot low and just off the 8 x 11 paper target at 100 yards. 6 clicks up, put the second shot 4 " high. 3 clicks down, and the last (2) shots formed a 2" dia group, centered on the bull, which is where I left it. There should be no excuses for a poor hit with that gun this season, but it cost me almost $ 20 worth of ammo to get there. The 5th slug from that box will be the one in the chamber on opening day, and I have (3) more boxes in reserve. The only other gun that needed a major adjustment was my new Marlin 30/30 with open sights. It came from the factory with the ramp set in the middle, and when I first tried it at 40 yards with some old 170 gr bullets, I had to aim low to pop some jugs. I am using 150's for deer this season, so I adjusted it to the second lowest position before taking my first shot on the range last weekend. That shot struck right at the top of the paper. I adjusted the ramp to the lowest position and it printed a 3 shot, 3" diameter group, centered 1-3/4" above the bull from 50 yards. That is where I left it. I also checked my smooth bore Ithaca mod 37 16 ga with Weaver 1-1/2X scope from 50 yards and it printed a 3 shot, 3-1/4" diameter group centered 3/4" above the bull. Suprisingly, my open-sighted Remington 870 smooth-bore 12 ga turned in the best performance at 50 yards, printing a 3 shot, 2" diameter group centered 2" above the bull. My Ruger M77 30/06 with Redfield 3-9X scope was the clear winner at 100 yards with a 2 shot, 3/8" diameter group centered 1-1/4" above the bull. My T/C Omega 50 cal ML, with Redfield 2-7X scope, placed second at that range, with a 2 shot, 1" diameter group centered 1" above the bull. The two Marlins were the only guns that needed adjustments.

Welcome to the site. Here are a couple of free tips: 1.) Aim low on the deer (for the heart area). If they catch a glimpse of your draw, they get very alert. That causes them to drop fast (just in time to catch the arrow mid-lung) when they hear the bow release the arrow. If you aim much higher, your arrow may hit too high, in the shoulder blade or the thick meaty area above the spine, just behind the shoulder, neither of which is fatal. 2.) Get yourself some of that CSI-type tracking agent (bloodglow, etc), that makes blood glow in the moonlight or starlight. It is almost always best not to go after a deer for at least a half hour after you hit it, and this stuff lets you wait until after dark, even if it is raining, on afternoon hunts. The best thing about having it in your pack is that it lets you hunt right up until sundown, and still have confidence in a recovery. Deer activity usually peaks at dusk during most of archery season.

That worked very well for me for quite a few years, up until the summer that a little doe fawn took up full time residence in the row of spruce trees between our yard and the pumpkin patch. Her mother must have got hit by a car or something, before she learned to fear people and went nocturnal like they usually do. She would walk right up to the "invisible" fence in broad daylight, calmly step thru the strands of mono, and eat until full. Our girls had to buy their pumpkins that year, and I have not tried to grow any since. They named the little doe "Daisy", but we did not see her after archery season opened. That was at least 5 years ago, and I did not shoot a doe at home after that until last fall. I doubt that one was her (it looked more like a 3-1/2 year old), but it may have been. If it was, then at least our girls got to enjoy some of the jerky that my brother in law made from that venison. I don't recall it tasting like pumpkin.

Sorry to hear about your accident. I sent up a prayer for your full and speedy recovery. I understand the dangers of forktrucks very well and I appreciate your posting, because it might help save a few others (and me) from a similar accident.

When the temperature dips below freezing, I pack a thermos of hot apple cider. It tastes good, warms me up, and it's smell may actually attract deer, otherwise just a canteen of water. Apple cider don't tip them off that a hunter is close, like coffee might. Coffee is so smelly, that I can almost smell it from 50 yards upwind. On western hunts, where I did not have access to a tractor or ATV, I brought along water purification tablets and hunted near a creek, because I go thru gallons when I have to drag or pack a carcass out. A quart of water or cider will easily keep me hydrated thru a morning or afternoon hunt otherwise.

I only have one primary interest and that is Jesus Christ. My family, job, and hobbies mostly just provide outlets to absorb the blessings of His grace. It sure is a lot easier that way, and there is always plenty of time for the stuff that really matters.

I did not make it out, but I did spend some time over the weekend out on the range sighting in (6) deer guns and my squirrel rifle. I probably would have got out this morning, but I had a few too many beers at the Fireman's picnic last night and was not quite up to it. Hopefully, the action will be good next Saturday morning, over at my folks place.