wolc123

I will guess that the relative lack of buck pics, that some folks are getting lately, is a direct result of this summer’s drought. No animal will spend extra energy, so they hang out where they can get what they need, for the smallest expenditure. Where that is for a deer in the summer, in most of central and western NY, is in green, standing cornfields. Those provide cover, food, and hydration. Where else can they find all that right now ? Field corn puts roots down up to 10 feet, and that scavenges lots of moisture out of the drought-stricken ground. That moisture is stored in the ears of corn “free for the taking”. It sounds like not too many of you are running cameras in cornfields. I have never seen as much early deer usage of my standing corn as I have this year. We (my family) has grown corn on this ground since before the Civil war. Here are some pictures of 2 of a 3-buck group, that I kicked out of there a couple weeks ago, the largest of which had antlers well beyond his ear width. I didn’t get a picture of the last one that bolted out across the adjacent tilled field, but he looked to be the smallest of the group. That said, I don’t mind the deer using the corn. They are the primary reason that I still plant it. My grandfather would have been pissed, back when we had cattle. Deer are extremely efficient consumers of corn, usually consuming a whole ear, before moving on to the next one, and taking no more than they need. Contrast that to the raccoons, which are about as inefficient consumer of corn that there is, because of their “sweet tooth” . They nock down a bunch, just taking a nibble from each ear, looking for a sweeter one. Luckily, that makes them easy to trap, by using a little bit of “sacrificial” sweetcorn planted near the field corn. I removed # 7 for the year, two nights ago. “Damaging” coons may be legally trapped and killed in NY without a permit, but the carcasses need to be burried or burned, prior to the opening of regular trapping season. Hopefully, that local “coon eradication” will be enough to stretch my 2 acres of field corn until the January 1 ending of the holiday ML season, as I intended. 4 acres made it until March 1 last year, but we didn’t have such a bad drought, and the deer didn’t get on it until it was fully mature in Late October.

Someone called me, while I was driving home last week, trying to sell me car insurance. They had a very strong Indian accent, and they were very difficult to understand. I have a half hour commute, and a hands free phone, so I tied them up for about 25 minutes. I figured I was keeping them from aggravating someone else, and that was more entertaining than listening to the radio. I kept feeding them just enough info to keep them on. They asked my address, which I did not give them. I asked where they were located and they said NY. I asked what city, and they said Dallas. My opinion on such foreign unsolicited calls, is there is nothing that can be done to stop them. Rather than just hang up or not answering, I give them nothing, but tie them up as long as possible, so they can’t use that time to bother others. Usually, they want money and often ask for just a minimal amount. One of my favorite reply’s is to ask if there is any upper limit on what I could invest. That’s always good for another 5 or 10 minutes.

He’s always taken pretty good care of me, hunting and fishing, as long as I keep Him in that top spot. Nothing else matters.

This is all I got. From left is my Gerber folding saw. I always cut the pelvis so I can open things up and makes sure everything (piss and poop especially) is cleaned out very good in that area, because I love the tenderloins. Those who say they don’t like them are likely skipping this step. Next is a cheap, Asian-made (I assume) Gerber fixed blade, that I bought in case I lost a primary, but I have yet to use. Third is a classic “made in USA” Schrade 153UH, which I bought for bear hunting (figured I could use it as a sidearm if my gun jammed) but I only carried once or twice. I like that it comes with a sharpening stone in the sheath. Fourth is by far my favorite, “made in USA” Schrade 1580T sharpfinger. Works great for gutting and skinning. Holds a good edge, and easy to clean. I use that for all of my southern zone deer hunting. I thought I lost the sheath this year, but Larry helped me find it. Fifth is another classic, an old “made in USA” Buck 110. Doesn’t hold an edge worth a sh..t, and a bitch to clean, but I carry it on all of my northern zone deer (and most bear) hunts because it was a gift from my father in law and he would not like seeing me use another knife. Last, is an old original Leatherman tool, that is always in my pack. It comes in handy now and then, and would work to gut a deer, if I lost my primary.

I caught coons in the sweetcorn, in box-traps baited with peanut butter coated marshmallows, two days in a row. Yesterday’s was my first young one of the year. I didn’t look to see if it was a male or female. The coyotes must have moved off, because they had been keeping the young ones and the adult females under control, up to this point. I have a dog-proof trap, baited with cat food, right in between those two box traps. Nothing had gone for that in a couple weeks now. The peanut butter coated marshmallows were missing out of the other (unsprung) box trap, the last two days. Today’s was the 7th for the year, and the 6th adult male. It was a box-filler, maybe the biggest one of the year, so far. I still haven’t got an ear of sweetcorn for the table, but maybe I can take out enough coons with it, so that my 2 acres of RR field corn makes it until January 1. So far, only the deer are eating that, and they are way more efficient consumers of corn than coons are. I am also hoping to get a little sweetcorn for eating fresh and for freezing from my last two batches. I thought the coons got all of the second last batch. It turned out that it was only a little bit of early corn, that must have been stuck in the planter, before the later stuff went down. All is not yet lost to the coons. I am only trapping them in the sweetcorn in my front field now. I finished all the required work out back. I am going to stay out of there, until the September 10 early antlerless gun opener.

I’d say stupidity mostly.

I don’t know about the 12 volt ones. My buddy, who is a building contractor, swears by the 18 volt Ryobi ones that run on drill batteries. He outfits his crew with only Ryobi cordless tools, and he says that the little portable compressor is about his favorite of those.

Corn-fed, Wmu 9F, 9-point neck roast cooked 9 hours in crockpot on low, with potatoes, onion and a Ruby-red : I am glad that I saved my second last kolsch for this, because the taste was a 10. I can’t wait for leftovers for lunch at work tomorrow.

Maybe after he craps, but he looks full of it in the picture, so I would go 311-1/2.

I love my Ithaca 37, mainly because it has put every deer that I have shot it at, in my freezer, since I put this Weaver 1.5 scope on it 38 years ago. The bottom eject did scare me a little bit on my first antlered deer. I had killed the first deer that I ever shot it at two years prior (a button buck naturally) with the open sights. I got “buck fever” the next year, and I forgot to get a good sight picture on a big antlered one. I missed him clean (I think) from about 40 yards. Mounting that scope on the received cured me of that issue. When a 6-point buck stepped out of the brush, under my tree-stand the following year, a couple seconds after sunrise, the Ithaca was not yet loaded. I always strictly interpreted the rules and I never loaded up until sunrise. I wouldn’t have worried so much with a Remington 870, because I would have seen the slug enter the chamber (there’s plenty of light at the edge of a hayfield at sunrise). It was strictly poke and hope with the Ithaca. Fortunately, the slug went into the chamber and dropped that buck dead right there. I have lost count of all of them in between that one and the one from last season. I got my slug back from that last one. The 16 gauge Remington slugger was just a tad short on energy, to make it all the way diagonally thru the rib cage, from 40 yards away. At least some chunks of rib blew thru the hide on the exit side. I had a very good 50 yard blood trail to the carcass, in the snow 7 minutes after sunset (good thing they changed the rules last year because he appeared 5 minutes after sunset). Had he been a year earlier, my gun would have been unloaded.

Yes

Yes, but not until October 1. That has been pretty consistent at my place and my parents, for the last 20 or so years. That made filling dmp’s difficult, until they started that special early antlerless season, last year. It also forced me to be more selective with my buck tags, in order get enough venison to last a full year. Another thing it has done, is greatly increased the fighting among the bucks. There is lots of competition for the few does that manage to survive those nuisance permits. It’s tough to find a buck without busted off points, by the time of the rut. The 9 pointer that I killed at my parents the day after Thanksgiving last year would have been a fine 11 pointer (and a definite shoulder mount for me), had I killed him (2) weeks earlier.

I tried frost seeding White clover, for the first time ever over at my parent’s place on the opposite corner of wmu 9F, this year. I had about 5 pounds of seed leftover from last year. I haven’t really checked out how it has done yet. It must be ok, because they have been watching steady turkey and deer action on that plot all year. I’ll have to check it out when I go over there to hunt antlerless deer on the afternoon of September 11 (assuming I don’t get one at home that morning or the day before). It’s funny that I have spent about 90% of my food plotting time and money at home over the last (5) years, but have killed about 90% of my deer over that same period, at their place. All I have over there is about 3 acres of clover. There is lots of corn grown by neighbors near their place, which is mostly mature hardwoods and thick, brushy swamp. The hunting used to suck over there, until a new neighbor bought the overgrown field behind my their woods, and stopped all the tresspassing that had been coming in from that side. The herd makeup and buck to doe ratio is very similar over there to what I have at home. We each have neighboring farms with nussance permits, who hit the antlerless deer quite hard, prior to October 1. The net result of that, is a ratio of around 4 antlered bucks observed per every antlerless deer, by October 1. That is why I am loving this early antlerless season. It makes filling those dmp tags many times easier, than it would be if I had to wait until after October 1.

My favorite lunch beer, with leftover venison goulash.

I finished up the last of my food plots yesterday morning, getting in about (3) acres of wheat/clover mix. I usually wait until September, to plant that, but I had the time and the soil moisture content was nearly perfect yesterday morning, so I “jumped the gun” by a week this year. It will be interesting to see if the deer prefer “Imperial Whitetail” clover, or “Spot-on” clover/alphalfa blend. I don’t have any experience with the “buck on the bag” stuff, but the price was right (free) this time, so I went with it. The free Whitetail Institute “Tall Tine tubers” that I planted a few weeks ago (behind the corn in 1st photo) germinated pretty good, so hopefully the clover does too. The “free “ seed was all 3-4 years old. The wheat “nurse crop” was leftover from last season. I also seed that on the light side (25 lbs/acre) when planting in combination with clover (3 pounds/acre).

I finished up almost everything I need to do on the back 30, prior to the September 10 antlerless gun opener. I want to let everything back there rest a couple of weeks, so that I can Pearl Harbor “back strap moma” on the 10th. I forgot to pick up a hammer and a water bottle that I set down next to my pop-up blind, as I was finishing up my last wheat/clover plot back there. I will have to swing by with the Durango tomorrow, when I fire it up to check the traps in the sweetcorn in the front field. Tasks completed were: Chairs placed in two stands, Trimming some brush for easier access to one stand. New 1.5 acre wheat/clover/alphalfa plot planted out back and another acre up front. The soil moisture content was perfect for working up this morning, but this is the earliest that I have ever planted wheat. I went over the plots twice with the drag, which worked the ground into a fine powder. Then I broadcast the wheat, cultipacked, broadcast the clover/alphalfa mix, then cuktipacked again. All of the seed I planted today was free (thanks goosifer) or left over from last season, so it will be interesting to see how it does. I am not used to planting the fancy “buck on the bag” stuff. I now have Whitetail Institute “tall tine tubers” growing in one side of my pop-up, corn off the corner (getting hit hard by bucks and does right now), and “imperial whitetail” clover now planted off the other side. It will be interesting to see what the deer like better: the “imperial whitetail” clover, or the “spot on” clover/alphalfa mix. It will also be interesting to see if the clover germinates better when broadcast after cultipacking, than it does when broadcast directly onto powdery “fluffed up” soil. I did it that way in just a 20 ft wide strip next to the oak tree in the above picture, to see what happens. All the rest got cultipacked before and after broadcasting.

I used to bring my grandpa’s old Ithaca side by side trap shooting from time time, back when I shot on a league. I would tell the guys with the over/unders: “If God wanted you to shoot a gun like that, He would have put your eyes that way”.

This afternoon, I drove back and checked out the ground that I want to plant this weekend with wheat and clover. Both spots look dry enough to work up and plant tomorrow. I had hoped to get some soybeans to add to the mix. I didn’t get any, so I’ll have to do without. The deer are hitting the corn back there pretty good. They have eaten about 10% of the ears already. The ears are not even fully developed yet, which is good, because the recent rains are adding to the yield faster than the deer are reducing it. That rain also bumped up the Imperial Whitetail “Tall Tine Tubers” quite a bit. Those are some type of turnip/brassica mix. I brushed in my pop up blind back there a little bit, but I will only hunt that, if we get an east or north east wind, between September 10 and 18. I will take it down on the evening of the 18th, so I can bring it up north for early ML in mid October. I will bring it home after that, and set it back up where it is now, for fall Turkey and crossbow deer season. It will probably remain there until the January 1st end of Holiday ML season. I also have a natural blind on the other side, that I can use to hunt those plots in a west, south, or southwest wind. Some of the “cover” on that natural blind is poison ivy. Jumping in the pool, right after triming that last week, stopped any infection. I will take that pool down Sunday. The night time lows are going to be in the 50’s next week and the kids are off to college. I used it more than they did this summer.

True, but the solid fabric skirt might be more effective up in a stand than just leafy branches. A combination of both would probably be best. I remember what a pain those leafy branches were, the year or two that I used them, woven thru the snow fence. Down on the ground, I can see how leafy branches alone would be more effective. I used some to break up and blend in the edges of a cheap popup blind recently. I’ll let you know how that works after September 10.

Prior to the barnwood siding on the 3 ft walls around my blinds, I used old wood snow-fence. I would weave leafy branches thru that each seasons. They definitely held them leaves longer when cut green. It looked good but was labor intensive and never produced a deer for me. It also had to be redone every year. One of the issues with the leafy branches is that it takes a lot of leaves to block out everything behind them. When a deer looks up and catches light and shadows moving behind the leaves, it puts them into a state of high alert. Not a huge deal with a gun, but very likely leading to string-jump / wounding with an arrow.

My primary target doe was in the corn plot two days ago, 3 hours before sunset, along with her half-grown fawn. I brushed in my pop-up blind, 20 yards off the corner of that, a few days prior. Hopefully, we will have an east wind after September 9, so I can hunt from that. If the adjacent ground is dry enough this weekend, I am going to try to plant a couple acres of wheat/clover by that 2 acres of corn. There is no doubt that the corn is the preferred browse right now though. The only thing that might top that, is if I can find about 10 pounds of soybean to throw in with that wheat/clover mix. Hopefully, I can find some between Tarrytown and Wolcottsburg, on my drive home across the state today. Deer will walk thru white oak acorns to get at fresh sprouting soybeans. My plan is to stay out of that area completely after planting that, until we get an east wind, between September 10 and 18.

There was a bachelor group of (3), including a decent 2.4 yr 8-point, feeding in my 2 acre RR corn plot 2 hours before sunset 2 weeks ago. I hope they clear out of there until around November 2. If you zoom in, you can see two of them in the first pic. Maybe they already have. There was no sign of them, when I drove back there yesterday, at about the same time. I did kick out big “moma” back-strap, and her half-grown fawn. I hope she keeps up that pattern until September 10.

I like solid weathered barnwood “skirts”, nailed to pt 2x4 frame the best. I have experienced an increase in mature buck kills, since I started using them. They make a great gun / crossbow rest, safety enclosure, wind break, and hide my fidgeting motion (especially with the smartphone) from the deer. I killed (3) 3.5 old bucks from behind those, over the last (5) years, all from decks less than 8 ft high. None of them had a clue that I was there. The closest two were about 15 yards away when arrowed. Last year’s took my 16 ga slug from about 40. When it comes to mature bucks, hiding your motion is very important, unless your deck is up real high. That’s ok for the young single guys, but I am a lot more comfortable down low. I can’t imagine hunting behind a fabric skirt, flapping in the breeze. It seems to me, that it would focus the deer’s attention on you.

Looks like she’s ready for a little warm weather hunting in that outfit. Might be for some September antlerless deer hunting. I might try a little of that myself this year, with a crossbow. I have one stand that is 405 feet from the nearest building owned by others. That puts it out of play for a gun, per NY setback rules, but right in the sweet spot for the crossbow (250 ft setback required). Thanks for posting the reminder. That will also save me some ammo.

I am looking forward trying it with the shooting sticks. I have a couple of guns that are also front-heavy and my hope is that it will work well on those also. I will probably break out the Sniper this weekend and give it a try on that first. I finished sighting in the two front-heavy guns left weekend (Marlin 512 and T/C Omega. My next shot with either of those might be from those shooting sticks at a doe, two weeks from Saturday.