wolc123

1 acre might be too small for spring-planted corn or soybeans. I would clear the acre in the spring and summer and get it ready to plant in late summer. Get the soil tested and add lime if needed. Get the ground worked up and plant a mix of winter wheat, soybeans, and white clover. The emerging soybeans, in the early fall will be like candy, drawing deer to the plot as soon as they sprout. The attraction of soybeans is the greatest while they are just sprouted. It is dumb to plant soybeans during spring fawning season because the fawns will attract coyotes (I learned that lesson the hard way last year). The winter wheat in that mix will hold the deer there thru gun season. The wheat should be mowed the following spring, before it goes to seed. The clover will last several years, with just a clipping or two per season. The clover will also add nitrogen to the soil, and after a few years, grass will start to invade, fed by that nitrogen. When the grass begins to take over, it is time to work the ground up and convert the plot to a high nitrogen user like brassicas or corn. A small plot of corn can be optimized for deer if you take out the 2 major competitors. Weeds and raccoons are you biggest issues. RR corn makes taking out the weeds cheap and easy. Racoons are about the easiest furbearer to trap. If you wipe out the weeds and coons, 1 acre of corn can support a lot of deer. Deer are very efficient users of corn. They eat every kernel off the cob right on the stalk. Coons knock the stalks down, just eating a bit of the tender stuff from the ends of the cob, before knocking over the next stalk. Turkeys will clean up what remains on the ground. No foodplot comes close to the effectiveness of corn, during hunting season, because it provides exactly what they need at that time - COVER to hide in and CARBS to build fat to make it thru winter. At this point of this season, we have taken 7 coons and 4 deer off 4 acres of corn on our farm. There is not much left now, but I am hoping to fill my last remaining DMP, in this zone, before the last kernel is eaten. There are several effective ways to hunt a corn plot. On windy days during archery season, walking into the wind. perpendicular to the rows can be effective. I bolted my crossbow buck this year, just as he stepped out of the corn, less than 20 yards from my stand. The other three this year (2 big does and a BB) were killed as they traveled from the corn to their bedding areas. Good luck with your foodplot. If nothing else, it will give you something productive to do in the off-season. I gauge the success of my plots by calculating the cost of boneless venison after subtracting all input costs (fuel, fertilizer, etc.). This has been a very good year as it is coming in at well under $1.00/lb.

I always try to do a careful job gutting, trying to avoid getting any stomach/intestine contents, piss, crap, etc on the meat. After everything else behind the diaphram is out, I cut thru the pelvis with a folding saw and make sure that passage is very clean (even when the "Butt-out" is used first). With the deer still on it's back, I then cut out the diaphram and remove the lungs and heart. There is usually plenty of blood left up there, and that is all I use to "rinse" the inside of the deer. I get the front up a little higher and wash the back out with that blood as it flows down-hill. The tenderloins have always tasted excellent using this method. That blood from up front washes out any of the nasty stuff that may have escaped in back. Also, the "fresh-blood" rinse is always faster and easier than a water rinse.

I prayed for Trump, and was not surprised when it got answered.

I just finished cleaning my rifle, lubing it, and putting it back into long-term storage. It got the job done almost perfectly on my buck this year and I have no further use for it this season. I got to thinking how quick and easy that is to clean compared to my ML. At that point, I made the decision to carry my crossbow during the late ML season (if I have a DMP left, or for bear if not)., Not only is cleanup a non-issue with that, but meat damage is less and silence is nice. I will stick with just the shotgun at home for the last two weekends of regular season however (cleanup is easy on that also).

Believe me TF, it was all I could do to not mention my "secret weapon", but since you brought Him up on this thread: I killed my first and largest buck this season with what else but a Cross-bow, on the only day I took my Bible up in the stand this season. It was also on a Sunday afternoon, when I skipped the morning hunt to take my family to Church. Three big coincedences there I suppose, right Chef?. Even though the range was short, it was also not a super-easy, angle (quartering to). Somehow that bolt struck right where it needed to and put that buck down within sight. How much "dumb luck" can one guy have? I can't help but notice that the better I keep things with my buddy JC, the luckier I get. One thing is for sure, after every clean kill (and they have all been clean for quite a few years now), the first thing I do is give Him thanks for the blessing. As good as He is to me with deer, He is even better with fish. So my bottom line here is not what makes or breaks a hunter, but what makes or breaks a man (or woman). The answer to that question is Faith in Jesus Christ.

Makes: 1) Killer Instinct 2) Adaptability 3) Recourcefullness 4) Wisdom 5) Determination 6) Physical strength and endurance Breaks: 1) Aversion to taking a life 2) Rigidity 3) Wastefullness 4) Lack of knowledge 5) Lack of focus 6) Physical weakness

Reeltime, I know what you are saying. While I was 99.5% certain that buck would be killed right where he stood, I was fully expecting a messy gut job and a significant amount of damaged meat. It sounds like a few of the others on this thread, who have taken similar shots, have experienced that. The only physical explanation for it would be that the bullet did not encounter any significant resistance until it had traveled most of the way thru the buck. That would require near-perfect shot-placement on the center of the bung-hole, coupled with near-perfect alignment of the buck's body. I simply am not that good on my own, therefore I give 99.5% of the credit to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I don't care if anyone has a problem with that. I will pray for them anyhow.

Grow, you stepped over the line when you falsely accused me of making an "UNSAFE" shot. The words "sky-lined" were the specific words you "assumed" and used. I understand you are having a rough season, but that is not a good reason to go into attack mode on those of us who are not. I don't mind your attacks on me (my skin is thick), but please think twice before going after others. Chef, I give you some credit for making me stick with the "Butt-out 2" after a couple earlier failures. It worked perfectly on this buck. I will say a prayer for both of you to hopefully avoid some "tag-soup" in the remaining weeks. The "texas- buck" is now aging comfortably at 35 degrees in the old "deer-fridge" out in my garage. Buckmaster, thank you for your support. Thanks also for your service.

Yup

I like the Federal classics in 150 grain. All three deer I have hit with those (from various angles) have piled up dead in their tracks.

Texas tenderloins

You lost me completely on that one Grow. Maybe go back and read the quotes to see what you missed. I will pray that your luck gets better this season.

I skip the boil and simmer completely and just skin the head while it is still fresh. Then I put on a rainsuit, fire up the 3000 psi pressure washer and blast it clean. It takes about a half hour total to do the job. Wrapping a little duct-tape around the base of the antlers keeps their natural color. You can see videos on youtube of how it is done this way. I posted a photo of one I did last year in the taxidermy section. I already did my crossbow buck this season and will probably get the rifle one done within the next week or so. My wife appreciates me staying out of the kitchen and keeping all the mess outside. The birds and vermin usually have all the mess cleaned up out there by the next day.

Chris, I have hit (5) deer that I did not recover over 35 years (3 shoulder blades with bow due to string jump, all of which likely survived, and one hit too far back which certainly did not). Another, that I know did not survive, I lost due to a poor tracking job after probably hitting him right where I aimed with my ML. I remember all of the details of those losses more than any of the successful recoveries. In the last 3 years, since turning everything over to Jesus Christ, I have cleanly killed every deer I have shot at (6 total). Faith in Jesus might not guarantee that I will not loose another but it certainly has not hurt. It just goes to show that there is hope for everyone, even a messed up sinner like myself.

Grow, I definitely appreciate your concern for safety. I was on the receiving end of one of those deals one time (you even "liked" the story in that other thread) where the guy saw the doe, but not what was beyond it (me). This time, when I was the shooter, the buck was not "sky-lined". I was about 5 feet higher than him as he approached a narrow draw that ran into the valley. I could clearly see the other side of the draw, and that is where the bullet must have landed after passing lengthwise thru him. As far as the ethics go regarding the shot, as stated, I was 99.5 % sure of making the kill in the conditions that I found myself in. I really can't help those folks who need more certainty than that. I had fired that rifle twice from my 100 yard bench, with ammo out of the same box, a month or so prior to the shot in question. Those shots struck less than 1" apart, centered on the bull. That buck was at 50 yards, standing still, there was a light wind, and I had a good rest. Mathematically and ethically, there is no reason that the bullet should not have gone straight up the poop shoot, which it did. Where the "Divine intervention" comes in was the fact that it must have been almost perfectly centered there, for there was no mess at all in gutting and no significant meat damage (just the loss of a neck roast). We just finished the tenderloins for dinner in fact and they were delicious. For those of you who are not having the best season so far this year, think about picking up a Bible and reading it a bit, maybe even in your stand. I am no expert on chapter and verse, but I do remember reading somewhere in there that: "He knows where every sparrow falls". To me, that indicates that He must also know where every Whitetail deer ends up. Why not send them to "Deer heaven", otherwise known as "Our food supply". Somewhere else in there it says that: "Man is supposed to eat animals with cloven hoofs that chew their cud". That sure sounds like deer to me. Happy hunting everyone.

Wooly you are right on there about a couple things anyhow. The little red guy is just that,, little, compared to the Big Guy in White. The two have tangled many times and every time the little red guy has came out on the short end of the stick. I know there will be more conflicts but I also know that the outcomes will never change. You are also right about the prayer part. In fact, there is a mountain ridge up there in the NW Adirondacks where all (4) hunting-related prayers I asked for were answered. God has His schedule and we have ours and they were not all answered as quickly as I would have liked. It took Him under a minute to deliver an antlered buck when I asked to see one. It took Him about 5 minutes to give me a shot at him when I asked for that, and it took Him over a half hour to let me find him when he dissapeared after my last of 3 shots (yes I am not perfect and missed the first two). I also asked to see an antlerless deer on my first afternoon ML hunt up there this season. He did not bring her around until the next morning, just after sunrise (as you saw in the ML harvest thread). The fact that He was 4/4 of answering prayers up on that ridge led me to believe that there might be some type of "Holy-Vortex" up there and maybe I could use that to help some folks I know or know of who are suffering with cancer. The next time I was up on that ridge I prayed for 3 of them. I talked with one of those (a co-worker) on the phone a short time ago who had suffered from throat cancer. He said he was finally able to remove the feeding tube and begin the final stage of recovery to return to work. The day that tube came out may have been the day I said that prayer.

Another vote here for the Mickey boots. The black ones are rated for 40 below and the whites 70. The blacks are perfect for NY state deer hunting in the winter. It is hard to go wrong for $40 surplus or $80 new. No other boot I have tried has worked better for hunting, regardless of cost. The blacks are light weight enough to work well for still hunting.

Chef you might want to consider giving Jesus a chance. Get yourself a Bible and read it a bit. You might be surprised at how that can improve your hunting, and life in general. The Bible was directly involved in all (4) deer that I have harvested so far this season, as well as two of them that I was blessed with last year. I was more than 95% sure of making each of those shots. What is your go/no go percent? Have you wounded and not recovered any deer in the last few years? Try to release that "Bitterness" that comes across so clearly in your posts. It is hurting no one more than yourself.

I just love those Jesus bumps, bring it on Chef.

I learned first hand that blaze orange will not keep you from getting shot. Too many hunters get blinders on and see only the deer and NOT what is beyond it. About 20 years ago, I was hunting from a tree stand near the back of our farm. A doe walked slowly across the far edge of a field, just a bit out of range for my old 16 gauge smoothbore slug gun. When she walked thru the hedgerow that marks the edge of our farm, I got down and walked to where she vanished. When I stepped thru that hedgerow, I saw her out in the middle of a narrow field, owned by a neighbor who does not hunt, but gave permission to those of us on either side. I was wearing a blaze orange hat and jacket and so was another "hunter" who was located directly behind that deer (about 100 yards from me) in the opposite hedgerow. I felt the pressure from his first shot against the side of my face before I heard the shot. I got a little taste of what the "lucky" solders must experience in ground combat. I hit the dirt, and slugs began landing close, throwing clumps against me. He fired 5 times, in rapid succession. Fortunately for me and the doe, they were all "near misses". That incident changed the way I hunt big time. No more "deer drives" for me. I basically stick to our own land or that of family members. I feel a lot more comfortable up in a treestand or in a raised blind on private land or land with very low hunting pressure, such as the Adirondacks. That incident happened before I had a wife and kids, and those have multiplied my dislike of public hunting grounds, deer drives, etc by a factor of four. I know that I have no control over what others do, but I do have the last say as to how I hunt. I also believe that when the Good Lord says your time on Earth is up, it is and there ain't nothing you can do to prevent it. That is no excuse for taking unnecessary risks however.

I just finished skinning this one and am able to make a better estimate on the meat damage. It is limited to the neck. He must had his head turned to the right, because the bullet exited the lower left side of the neck. The hole there in the hide was 3/4" diameter, but the hole below that in the meat was a bit over 2" diameter and the bruising extended out a few inches farther from there. The bone in the neck was badly fragmented in that area from the bullet impact. There will be no neck roast from this one. Inside, and near the other end, the tenderloins came out completely intact. My wife is making them for dinner tomorrow and they look about equal in volume to the combined total of the doe and button buck that we got at home on opening day. The rear quarters, backstraps, rib meat and front shoulders are all completely un-damaged. The top of the heart was creased, but the major damage was to the base of the neck.

The plan all came together for sure with just one (actually 50 or more) little glitches. That is about how many ticks I picked off of that carcass and killed yesterday, after I hung it up in the garage. The non-winter last year must have been very good for them buggers. I hope I don't see any more when skinning tonight, but I highly doubt that I got them all. The ones in the white hair were easy to find at least.

There was no chance of this one turning. The trail he was on led straight away and disappeared downhill in another 20 or so yards. As I mentioned in the first post, I was 99.5 % sure it was a clean kill shot. I won't regret punching my tag on that one, even if a big, Southern zone, 3-1/2 year old, 12-point presents a shot while I am out trying to fill my DMP's at home over these last few weeks. An Adirondack buck is worth that much more to me personally. That shot was taken on the last full day I had available to hunt up there this season and they don't have a late ML season there. Thanks for the reminder WNY BH, because I certainly do have to thank Jesus for letting that bullet strike exactly where it did (I ain't that good on my own). It appears that very little, if any meat was damaged, and the guts came out clean as a whistle.

Well I finally got my second Adirondack buck this past weekend (a 1-1/2 year 6 point). I don't suppose I will ever catch up with Buckmaster, since he is a few years younger than me. At least I left a lot less lead in this one (exit wound only, no entry hole needed).

In 35 years of deer hunting, I have only seen one antlered buck after the long Thanksgiving weekend. That was the final factor in convincing me to "settle" for a 1-1/2 year 6 point on my last hunt this past Saturday afternoon up in the Adirondacks. That was only my second Adirondack buck in 25 years of trying. To me, one of those is worth 10 back home. The scenery, and almost total absence of hunting pressure, makes all the difference. The area around our home, in the Southern zone, gets pounded very hard on Thanksgiving weekend. My neighbor killed the last buck I saw around here (a small, 1-1/2 year 3-point) on Thanksgiving morning just before we left for the North country. That pressure, coupled with the end of the rut, is usually sufficient to force most of the deer around here to full nocturnal until around Christmas. Drives might still be effective, but I don't like hunting that way anymore. Having your hair parted by a 12 gauge slug will do that to you. I have a couple DMP's left for around home and will get out a few more and try and fill them but I don't expect much. I have had another handful of other "four-deer" years, so I may as well go for my first "5" or "6". There are still too many deer around here according to the DEC, and lots of hungry mouths to feed.