wolc123

My two-story blind, at the edge of the back corn plot, has been the meat-hole this year. I killed a 2-1/2 year old buck from the upper deck with my crossbow, just as he stepped out of the corn a couple weeks ago. My buddy from work took a button buck from up there this morning (I just ate 1/2 the liver from that one for dinner, man was that good). I rode out the rain/wind this afternoon in the enclosed lower deck and killed a big doe when she came out of the brush at 4:00 pm, to investigate the BB's gut pile. Our family really can't use any more venison, but my sister's family was very thankful for that last doe. The DEC wants a lot does killed here in zone 9F, so I did my part. All three of them deer had stomachs loaded with corn. I still have another DMP for here plus one for 9A. Does anyone know if and where they are taking donated deer this year in WNY to feed the homeless folks?

I am heading out to an enclosed blind to see if grandpappy shows up. There were several active scrapes back there this morning.

The Good Lord blessed us again this morning. BB is hanging in the garage. The whole family is together now in "deer heaven" (our families food supply). Momma is on the second freezer shelf, daddy on the third, and bambi will end up on the 4th when I process him next Wed.

I came real close to shooting at a squirrel with my crossbow this afternoon. The funny thing was, that as soon as I decided to shoot, he got real skittish and would not stop long enough for me to get off a good shot. My buck tag is already punched and our freezer is nearly full with that and a couple does, but there is still room in there for a squirrel or two. My first shot at game with my crossbow was at a grouse. I went for a head shot and missed. I did kill a squirrel with a head shot from my old 50 cal side lock ML on the last day of late ML season quite a few years ago. It was just about sunset, and he just happened to show up at the right place at the right time.

I always bring 10 and once I needed almost all of them. There has not been many times that I used more than one and most of those have been when the first deer was down, and another gave me a nice shot (lots of button bucks have got to stay with their mothers that way). Many years ago, I fired 8 or 9 shots at a big buck. To this day, that remains the largest antlered deer that I have seen while hunting, and there is no doubt that "buck-fever" contributed to some of those misses. That was the only time I used more than 3 shots on a hunt. My first shot him high on a front leg, with a 16 gauge foster slug, from a range of approximately 120 yards. The antlers did not look that big at that range, especially thru my 1-1/2 power Weaver scope. My gun held a decent group at 100 yards, but I underestimated the yardage a bit, so the hit was low. That shot knocked him down, but he got back up and headed right towards my stand. I must have breathed on my scope when I lifted my head away. When I tried to find the cross-hairs as he got closer, it was all gray. I just pointed the muzzle down at him as he stumbled by, almost under my stand, but missed clean with the other 4 shots from that first salvo. He went into some thick brush, but was obviously in very rough shape, falling down every few steps and making relatively slow progress. I was a lot younger and faster then, and I thought I could catch him. His wide rack was slowing him down in the thick brush, and it did not take me too long to start closing the gap. Struggling to reload, I may have dropped a round or two. A few times, when he got into an opening, I got off another shot. When I knew I was on my last shot, I held my fire until I caught up to him, and put that last slug into his neck from point blank range. Some would call it luck that I was able to kill that buck, but I don't believe in that. As it turned out, he must have been struck low by another hunter a few days prior (my shots were on Thanksgiving morning). I noted as I was gutting him that a rear hoof was severed and hanging by some hide. The opposite diagonal front leg that I hit with my first shot was completely useless to him. He was running on two good legs and the rear stump. A deer on three legs looses very little speed, but I was faster on two.

The plywood is a great practical tip, thanks for sharing! I mostly hunt alone and have had sciatica issues, so have to really be careful when it comes to lifting. Now I'll be looking around here for a spare piece of plywood. Buckstopshere likes this Like this Quote I had some sciatica going on last season. That really put a damper on my hunting, especially up in the Adirondacks dealing with the steep terrain. What helped me get rid of that completely, was adding some seated leg extensions to (3 sets of 20 reps) to my morning workout a couple times a week. For loading deer on a vehicle, up in the mountains I always use my father in laws atv and a rope and pulley to lift into the bed of my pickup or onto the roof of our minivan. At home, the only vehicles involved are my tractors, and the lifting is done with a three point carryall on the back, or a front loader. On rare occasion when I have had none of that stuff available, I have removed the tailgate from my truck and used that as a ramp to slide the deer into the bed.

We just sampled a roast from that 2-1/2 year old buck for dinner tonight. It may be the most tender, best-flavored, mature whitetail deer roast that I have ever had. I am not sure if it was the 8 days aging in the fridge at 35 degrees, or the corn diet that buck was on for a few weeks before I killed him, but man was that good. A little bit of each I suppose.

For a few seasons, I carried a Remington 870 12 ga with a short slug barrel and open sites in addition to my scoped T/C Omega 50 cal ML during regular gun season. The shotgun carried easily on a sling and several times I used it to kill second deer after taking the first with the ML. Up in the stand or blind it was no issue, but a bit of a pain when walking to and from, limiting still hunting options a bit. I live in a shotgun-only zone, and these days I carry just one gun most days while hunting at home: a scoped, bolt-action, rifled-barrel, 12 ga Marlin 512. In my hands, that thing is equal in accuracy to the Omega 50 cal ML at 150 yards, but allows two reasonably fast follow up shots. It also packs at least double the energy at that range, extending my reach on deer to close to 200 yards (163 was my longest kill with it). It only failed me once, when it froze up and would not go off, costing me a doe at 20 yards. Hopefully, a disassembly, cleaning and lubrication has corrected that issue. I like my crossbow, and it has been 100% effective for me, but it's 50 yard effective range limitation keeps it in the house outside of archery season. I have no interest in "challenging" myself, I simply want to use the most lethal, legal weapon available to kill the deer cleanly. I do appreciate the reduced meat damage from an arrow compared to a bullet, but I never loose much good stuff from center lung shots with a gun. I also like the option the gun gives me, of sacrificing a little meat by hitting the shoulder of a doe with fawns, but thus getting the chance to keep the family together in "deer heaven" (my family's food supply).

Do you have an old refrigerator? I have one out in the garage that comes in real handy when it is warm. I cut the hind quarters off and hang them by the tendons from hooks on top inside the fridge. I rest the front section on the neck against the bottom of the fridge. I processed a 2-1/2 year old buck earlier this week that was just about perfectly aged after 8 days in there. You know it is right when the meat again feels just like it did when freshly killed. 1 week is good for a 1-1/2 year deer, 2-1/2 year olds about 10 days, and 2 weeks for older deer. There will still be lots of rigermortice in that meat if you cut him up tomorrow. If you think you must do that, grinding most would be the best bet, but even the grind is a lot less chewy if the deer has been aged. Canning is another good option if you can not hang for a week or more. It is supposed to get up to 70 on Friday, so some type of refrigeration will be necessary if you want to properly age that deer. After that, the hanging temperature looks perfect for as far out as the extended forecast goes. I am hoping to take advantage of that by filling one to four dmp's, starting Friday afternoon with the crossbow. If I can get one of my target button bucks on Friday morning he will get cut up Friday night (6 month's don't need to be aged).

At home, the changes after opening day are not as significant as they were 20 or so years ago. Back then, there were a lot less folks into archery hunting and deer were totally "blind-sided" on opening day of gun season. Now they are already accustomed to some hunting pressure by opening day, and it is not such a shock to them. Even though there are more deer around now than there were then, the number I see on opening day is typically a lot less. The reason for that is many go nocturnal due to the archery season pressure. The good news is that the later gun-season sightings are up considerably. In the old days, if you did not score on the opener, you may as well have stayed home the rest of the season.

For opening day, plan A is to hunt from sunrise until noon from a new, permanent stand that I put up this summer in the woods at the back of our farm. It is only about 8 ft up, with a roomy deck, padded swivel chair, and 3 ft high shooting/safety rail all around with walls on three sides. This one is comfortable for long sits. If a friend from work does not show, plan B is to hunt from a two-story blind, near the center of our farm. I made that one from an old construction-style truck cap, set on a 3 ft wall, built on an old snowmobile trailer. The lower level is especially nice for windy, rainy conditions. Last summer, I built the upper deck on the ladder rack and it also has a 3 ft high wall around three sides. There is still a little corn left on the adjacent field, which makes for some pretty good hunting (see crossbow harvest thread). For opening day afternoon, I plan on driving north about 20 miles, to my in-laws old house. They are trying to sell it before moving full time up to their retirement home in the Adirondacks. They want to borrow the cap that I have on my truck now. After moving it onto their truck, I figure on hunting in little patch of woods behind their house, probably from my hammock chair, strapped to a tree. I picked up a DMP tag for there, in addition to a 3rd one for home, in the second draw. If the rain/wind is as bad as they are predicting, plan B is to come home and hunt out of another enclosed blind for the afternoon, located a long distance from the two stands that were hunted in the morning. I would be very thankful for one button buck by Sunday afternoon. Our venison supply is good now, but that would be the icing on the cake. It should be doable, considering I am also planning some pre-season crossbow hunts: Friday morning, from a ladder stand at the front of our farm that I can see from my bedroom window. Friday afternoon, from a natural blind in a hedgerow at my folks farm 15 miles to the Southeast. I also plan on a Sunday afternoon shotgun hunt there, in the horrible, windy, rainy snowy conditions that they are predicting, from another comfortable two story blind.

As others have already said, multiple trees is a bad idea because the relative motion between the trees causes things to loosen up. I just cut down one that I built from treated lumber about 30 years ago in a single ash tree. It was still solid but the tree itself had begun to be infected by the emerald ash borer so I no longer trusted it. I replaced it with a metal ladder stand against a big poplar tree about 50 yards down the hedgerow. Wouldn't you know that placed me about 50 yards out of range of one of my of my "target" bucks earlier this season. Like they say with houses, Location, location, location.

I used Nolt's in Lowville during ML season. They did a very good job at a great price ($47 for a medium sized doe). They are on 812 just north of the city.

I just returned from a long weekend up in 6C (Fri, Sat, Sunday). On Saturday, I finally saw some antlers up there. As I was still-hunting between spots, I noted a four-pointer feeding on red-oak acorns up high on a ridge top. He got a pass from me this time, but might not if I see him when we go back up for the long Thanksgiving weekend (If I am unable to fill my buck tag on opening weekend at home in the Southern zone). I also flushed out a doe on Friday, and an unidentified deer this morning while still-hunting between spots. I have hunted up there 10 days so far this season, including most of ML season. opening day of gun and this past weekend. I have seen about 10 deer total, all while still hunting, but only that one set of antlers. In about 20 years of Adirondack hunting, the 10:1 antlerless:antler ratio has been amazingly consistent for me. I have spent a lot more time sitting than still-hunting up there so far this season, but all of my sightings have been while still-hunting. I am really hoping for some snow up there on Thanksgiving weekend. Not only does that make the hunting a lot better (easy to spot tracks and deer show up much better), it also takes makes the scenery better. The scenery is the main reason I go up there (filling the freezer is much easier at home).

She looks like closer to 140 to me.

I can see my best stand at home from my bedroom window. Actually, I had to cut that one down this year after 30 years of fine service, due to the emerald ash borer. I replaced it with a ladder stand up in a poplar tree a little further up the hedge row. I can still see that one, but I was about 50 yards out of range of the one buck I saw when I hunted from it this year. Maybe I will have to erect a free standing tower stand where that old ash tree had stood.

I always like to take Veteran's day off from work because it happens to come at the same time as the peak of the rut. That might be a selfish reason, and for that I apologize. Before I head off to the woods today, I want to thank the truly selfless individuals who have sacrificed so much, up to and including their lives, for our country and the freedoms that all of us enjoy. Happy Veteran's day.

I will be on the road in the morning and hunting 6c with the rifle in the afternoon. Hopefully the wind will let up a bit by then, but a strong South Westerly tailwind will save me some gas on the way.

I can relate to that a little. I could hunt 5 minutes out my backdoor in the flatlands of WNY, with my crossbow (for antlerless deer only), or drive my car 5 hours to the northern zone and hunt bucks up in the mountains with my rifle. No contest there, I choose the latter. It is so much better, deep in the woods, up in the mountains and away from the crowds. Not much grass up there, but the scenery is at least 10 times better. There is a lot more to a hunt than just killing deer. The only problem with hunting up there is it makes hunting back home loose much of its luster. Not for long at least because I am coming home for opening weekend of southern zone gun season, then heading back up there for the long Thanksgiving weekend.

I thought this thread was about the a couple of bucks I have been chasing around home lately (sorry Hang em High but they are soo tastey).

Congrats on that deer. The shot and his reaction after sounds nearly identical to the busted up 5-pointer (was an 8 before the rut) that I killed Sunday. He was also quartering to me and the bolt struck behind the shoulder, exited the lower butt on the opposite side, and buried a couple inches into the dirt. The only thing different was that I got to see him expire in an open field and did not need to wait for recovery. When I saw him hobble off, dragging the leg, I wondered how I could have possibly hit him there because his rear was still behind the corn when I aimed behind his shoulder. I could not imagine that was the exit wound. The penetration of my crossbow at close range is incredible compared to my compound. The 2-1/2 inch diameter, 3 blade mechanical broadhead really did some damage on the way through,. I was hoping for a larger antlered buck this year with my crossbow, but as soon as I saw that the body size on this one was about 1.5 times larger than a scrawny 3 pointer that preceded him by about 10 minutes, I made up my mind to shoot if I got a good chance. I had too much time invested in my foodplots to not reap some harvest this year. I did the powerwasher euro on him last night and by the looks of the skull and the teeth, I am thinking he was a 2-1/2 year old. The carcass is in the fridge and should be ready for processing by next Tuesday or so, after I get back from a northern zone rifle hunt this weekend (hopefully with a big Adirondack buck to take his spot in the fridge). Good luck during gun season.

The safety is not loud at all on my $250, 300 fps Barnett Recruit. Sunday's buck was just under 20 yards and never flinched until the bolt hit him behind the shoulder. Another thing I like about that crossbow is how compact, light and well-balanced it is. It handles almost the same as my Ruger 10-22 carbine. The limb width is just over the state minimum, which makes it handle good in tree stands.

I skinned the buck I killed out back in zone 9F last Sunday afternoon, cut off the hind quarters, and hung the parts in the old deer fridge in my garage. The thermostat is set to maintain 35 degrees. He may be a 2-1/2 year old, so I will give him the benefit of the doubt and wait until next Tuesday or so before processing. The tenderloins were definitely fairly tender, when we had them for supper last night, but probably could have used a few more days in the fridge to be even better. Hopefully I will have a rifle buck from up in zone 6C to put in that fridge when the other one comes out. It would be even better if it was cold enough then to just hang him in the garage with the hide on. Tacs, you are right about this week being a little too warm to hang outside of the fridge. When we had that cold week a few weeks ago, it was perfect (low 40's) for aging a big doe that a neighbor kid gave us. We are in pretty good shape with ground venison now, and I am going to make a bunch of roasts from the next few deer, just grinding the trimmings. I am going to swing by the Nolt's store in Lowville and pick up a dozen or more beef gravy packets ($1.20 ea) when I go up north this Friday. Throw a pack of that, 2 cups of water, a frozen roast, along with some potatoes and onions into the crock-pot (set on low) before work in the morning and a wonderful supper is ready to eat when you get home. I picked up six of those gravy packets a few weeks ago and the kids have really liked it compared to the cream of mushroom soup that I had always used prior to make the gravy. What are the processors charging around here these days? Up at Nolt's in Lowville a few weeks ago, it was $47 for a medium sized doe, with the grind packaged in two pound tubes and the backstraps vacuum sealed.

I am definitely planning on trying for some smallmouth this weekend. The water has got to be much cooler now, so the fights won't be as good as on my last trip a couple weeks ago. Maybe I can catch an elusive 23 incher, and get it mounted for my father in laws place up there.

To most in America, it was a stunning victory last night, but to almost as many, it was a bitter defeat. Now is the time to come together as a nation. Only together, can We make America great again. As we head off to work today, it is important that we not gloat over this too much, over those who are sad now. In the words of my favorite singer (see shirt), remember: "The road to happiness thru Love and Charity".