wolc123

The fork horn that just strolled by me appeared to have had his butt kicked recently. I could clearly see the fork on my side but it looked like the opposite side had been broken off. Hopefully, the bully that did the damage will show up here before noon when I got to break from lunch. The young buck crossed the trail that I took (with evercalm treated boots) with his nose to the ground and did not slow down at all. I did not try grunting him in for a closer look. If I still have a buck tag after noon next Friday, that little 2 or 3 point will make my hit list. Right now, I still need one with at least 4 points on a side or a clear 3.5 plus. Last time I passed a scrub on opening day of crossbow, 2 seasons ago, I was rewarded with a nice 3.5 yr 8 point about 15 minutes later. The bully is running late today.

Just passed a forkie at 50. He was on a mission with nose to the ground.

Just turned legal at 7:26 here on the SE corner of wmu 9F. It is bright enough, at the edge of a clearing in the woods, that I can see the crosshairs on the scope on my CP sniper. I am in the upper deck of my most comfortable stand over here. First hunt of the sz archery season.

I am almost ready. The only thing I am missing is my cider thermos (I left it up at the in-laws in the Adirondacks a couple weeks ago). I asked my wife if she could pick me up a cheap one when she was out shopping today. Hopefully she found something. Cold cider just don’t cut it on a cold day.

I use the scent killer shampoo/body wash and deodorant. It doesn’t cost much more than regular stuff so I figure why not ? I also use evercalm on my boots walking into my stand, applied the last couple hundred yards or so, then scrape some on my tree when I get there. It’s very easy to apply (way better than the liquids) and only $20. Most importantly, especially when hunting from the ground, I try to keep the wind to my advantage, especially when walking to an ambush location. When I am hunting the big woods of the Adirondacks, I will use my old 4x4 plow truck to get downwind, as close as I can on the logging roads, before walking in to my spots. That closed cab fools the deer’s nose a lot better than an open atv or side by side.

I hit a nice 8 point in the shoulder blade about 20 years ago, that I had rattled in. He came in with his hair standing up, very alert and looking for a fight. I drew and released, stupidly aiming for center lung, from about 25 yards away, and 15 feet above. He ducked upon my release, taking the arrow square on the shoulder blade with very little penetration. I waited 1/2 hour, then found very little blood and was not able to follow it much over 100 yards. Three weeks later, a very good friend, who lives less than a mile from that spot, killed that buck with her shotgun. The arrow wound (125 gr 3 blade Muzzy was used but not found) was almost completely healed, with just a medium sized scar over the shoulder and no lost meat. If you did hit that shoulder blade, I think that buck has a very good chance of making a complete recovery.

I killed my first of the year in mid September, 15 minutes before sunset. My second, in mid October, 15 minutes after sunrise, so I’d call it an even split so far. Sightings were more in afternoons in September and more in mornings in October. First November hunt will be this Saturday when I plan on being out there all day except for an approx 2 hour lunch break at noon.

Thank you and I mentioned that possibility to my wife. I still need to help my dad get the chains on his tractor that day, so the deer (buck with more than 3 points on a side, doe, or button buck) would need to be killed before lunch in order for the plan to come together. I will take along a clean change of clothes and she can pick me up on the way (my parents place is right on the way to the thruway). 5:00 start time for the game one hour drive to Pitsford high school. The carcass can hang in the shade at my parents and I can pick it up on my way home. One more deer will give us plenty of meat for the year and, being a nest hunter first, I am not overly concerned with what happens thru hunting season after that. I would put the odds of that plan coming together Saturday somewhere around 15 %, and my odds of killing a deer if I hunt till dark that day (and miss the game) at about 40 %.

I like the Traditions foaming bore cleaner. It really works well to get all the residue out of the breech plug. Prior to using that, I always struggled with difficulty inserting and removing primers and occasional plugging of the hole, requiring a drill to clean out. No problems since and this has all been with triple seven powder.

I can see why those fiber optics don’t hold up for your style of big woods hunting: relentless, fast-paced pursuit, on the trail of a big buck, until you catch up to, and kill it. My preferred method is about as different from that as could be imagined, and far less abusive on the equipment. I bust my ass at work for 45 hours a week, on my feet most of the time. I am usually looking for a little comfort and “relaxation” when I get into the big woods. For me, that means slowly and deliberately sneaking into an ambush position, then strapping my hammock chair to a tree, and patiently waiting for the deer to come to me. (4) of the (5) big-woods Adirondack deer that I have killed were taken that way. Thankfully, there have been more hits than misses for me from the chair, but I also shot at and missed 2 (a buck during late ML season last year and a doe a few years prior). Worse yet, was the time I never even got a shot off. Last opening day of rifle season, while seated comfortably in my hammock chair, with my fiber optic-sited Marlin in my lap, this damn smart phone was in my hand and saved the life of the largest Adirondack buck that I have ever seen. So far, I have managed just one doe, while sneaking into position. I did blow a great chance at a big doe last year, because I was a little to fussy with my tag. I couldn’t see her head at first and didn’t want to risk loosing my buck tag on a spike. I didn’t see it until she bolted away, and no shot was taken.

There quite a variation in quality on fiber optic sites . The front, that I put on my Marlin, was removed from my T/C Omega (has a scope on it) and is very heavy duty. Sounds Like you and buck master got yours from k-mart.

I will be having leftovers at work, from lunch that I am eating now - lazy style stuffed cabbage made with ground deer meat. Hands down my favorite thing to eat. The drink will not be the same though.

Speaking of shoulders, a buddy is supposed to be stopping over to pick up some barn siding from me this morning. The cash that he agreed to pay for that ought to be plenty enough to pay for a shoulder mount, should that become necessary for me this year.

I have been looking forward and getting ready for opening day Saturday, of southern zone crossbow season, for many months now. I made 3 important deals, with key players over the last 5 days, which ought to clear the way for me to spend about 75 % of that day hunting. First, I have yet to complete my annual roof maintenance, and leaf raking, which entails going up there on a ladder and cleaning the gutters, installing electric heat strip to prevent an ice dam over the woodstove, and brushing out the chimney. These project got delayed because the leaves are taking their time to drop this year. Deal number 1: Last Friday, my boss asked if I could work second shift this week. I agreed to do it Wednesday thru Friday. I couldn’t do it Yesterday (see deal 3). That cleared 3 weekday mornings at home, which should provide plenty of time for me to complete those projects. Deal number 2: On Saturday night, during a Halloween party at my niece’s house, my father asked if I could put the chains on his tractor to get it ready for plowing snow. I had planned on crossbow hunting at their place Saturday anyhow. That job will extend my “lunch with the parents” a bit, but should still give be at least 75 % of the daylight hours, in the woods. Deal Number 3: My wife and I were up in the stands for our daughters conference championship field hockey game last night. She is the senior captain of her team. They were playing their arch rivals, who had beat them for the championship on each of the previous 3 years. My wife was quite nervous, and an announcement came on , saying the winning team would play the first round of the state championship, on opening day Saturday in Rochester. Obviously I wasn’t thrilled with that announcement. What came next was a welcome surprise. My wife said that “if her team wins, I won’t make you go to the game”. Then and there, I sent up a prayer that our daughter’s team would win, and that no one would get injured during the game. The Good Lord came thru, just as He always has, when I asked Him for a favor. Her team dominated most of the game and won by 3 goals. She even scored the last goal, which really sealed the fate of their opponents. I see the Braves (my favorite baseball team) did well last night also. This is similar to what the opponents fans looked like after she scored that last goal:

I just had to get on the brakes to avoid hitting a solid 3.5 year old 8 point with my suv this morning, on the drive to work. He was standing on the shoulder of the road like a statue and crossed 3 ft ahead of me when I stopped. He was less than 2 miles from my place. Hopefully, he reverses course and heads back where he came from. I will be out there this weekend with a more efficient weapon than my Chevy equinox.

I will go back up on the Friday after Thanksgiving for sure, if I still have my gun buck tag and/or opening weekend of late ML season, if I still have my archery/ML buck tag. I am going to be a little more selective than usual with my buck tags during the southern zone opening weekend of gun and crossbow seasons because Adirondack bucks are a lot more special to me. Most years, I look for a minimum of a 2.5 yr or 3 points on a side, but I will bump that to 3.5 yr of 4 points on a side ,in the southern zone, prior to Thanksgiving. My mother in law just sent me some trail-cam photos of a sow and two bear cubs, that someone took less than a mile from their place up there. I wouldn’t shoot them, but maybe there is a boar around. That might lure me up there, after Thanksgiving, even if I don’t have a buck tag.

Mission accomplished. Two more 9F dmp’s and the fine register clerk at the North Tonawanda Walmart was able to take my $ 10 “Support venison donation”:

Thanks for beating me to the punch. I just got back from picking up (2) of the free “extra” dmp tags, up at Walmart in North Tonawanda. I will try to get them punched and I would be happiest (so would my wife) if they end up on button bucks. I always target the largest first, from a group of antlerless deer, and usually that is a doe. In past years, I have rarely had opportunities at antlerless deer after October 1 around home in Wmu 9f. The local pumpkin farmers always hammer them good with their nuisance permits before that date. We were very thankful for the button buck that I was able to kill in the early September antlerless gun season this year. I have high hopes for my last (3) dmps, during the Holiday ML season this year. If you are ever heartbroken and distraught, after mistaking little Bambi for a doe, feel free to send me a pm. I will gladly take that heartbreak off your hands, especially if you can save me the liver.

As GC says, that sounds like a shoulder blade hit. With a 50 pound draw weight bow, that is almost like striking an armored plate. Been there and done that a few times. The good news is, the doe has an excellent chance of making a complete recovery. Almost any crossbow will blast thru a shoulder blade, but you would need about 60 pounds of draw weight minimum to do it with a vertical. That is a good place to strike with a bullet but not so hot with an arrow.

Checkbuck looks like a good heavy one. Hopefully he shows up in range for you today. It is cool that you also have a special stand for opening day of gun. I have one of those. Mine is a small, uncomfortable hang-on, that I always stay off of until that day. I hunted it the last three, and punched a tag on each of those. I have always been a “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” type of guy so I will see if I can extend that streak a few more years anyhow. I am going to hunt those woods for the first time this Saturday when crossbow opens up. I will check it out then to see if it is still structurally sound and if there are any branches that need trimming near it. I am definitely not hunting from it until opening day of gun, and I will most likely use my grandpas old Ithaca 37 16 gauge. My supply of 12 gauge Hornady SST’s is getting low so I will save those for hunts from stands where longer shots are expected.

I can’t say for sure that it bothers the deer, but it definitely puts a damper on my archery season hunts, when a neighbor starts target practicing with guns. I can’t remember ever seeing a deer after that gunfire had started. in order not to subject others to that same bs, I try to finish checking the zeros of all my firearms by early September. Most of my target practice before that, and all of it after, is with BB guns.

I don’t miss bow hunting at all. I have not done it since 2013. I much prefer going up north with my ML and rifle in Mid-October. I am really looking forward to southern zone crossbow opener this Saturday though. I would say that my average venison harvest, prior to the opening of regular southern zone gun season, has more than doubled, since I quit the bow, picked up the crossbow, and started the early northern ML/rifle trips. The additional benefits of giving up the bow are massive time savings, not needing to maintain proficiency with it year round, and much less wear and tear on my shoulders. The crossbow was a God-send, and I don’t even mind that the season is only two weeks long. Those were always my favorite two weeks of archery season anyhow (peak rut) and that saves me even more time and gives me an excuse to go up north for early ML and the rifle opener. I will take the early antlerless gun season that they gave us this year, over full inclusion of the crossbow any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Some folks just ain’t all that bright and you can’t fix stupid.

There is no charge for those extra dmps, but I am going to donate $ 10 towards the venison donation coalition. They were able to take an extra $ 10 for that at the Lockport Walmart when I picked up my first two dmps in August. I will see how they do up in North Tonawanda tomorrow. The new holiday ML season will greatly increase my odds of filling those extras. I have to assume that Erie county is ok with the holiday ML season, since I have not yet heard that they shot it down.

Congrats on the kill. Any deer with a bow is a trophy. Generally speaking, the younger the buck, the better they taste. My favorites on the table are those without protruding antlers, or with spikes shorter than 3”. Not only do they taste the best, but they can be legally tagged with a dmp.