wolc123

The search function works pretty good here. I can’t sleep anyhow, with a severe case of northern zone opening day of gun season anticipation, so I decided to fact-check this earlier claim from the 2017 gun harvest thread: it turns out that the “15 minutes” part was incorrect. It was actually actually more like 5 hours. The Good Lord has His schedule and I got mine, but He has always delivered the NEEDED goods, and quite often lots of extra. the “edit” function leaves a bit to be desired however, hence this correction.

Thanks for your service. When it comes to looking for someone to hunt with, just bring along your smart phone and you can be hunting with all of us here. Just don’t get carried away with that and let it cost you a shot at a big buck like happened to me a year ago today.

That happens to the best of us I suppose, and the longer that we hunt, the more likely it probably is. Being a pure “meat hunter”, in my 39 deer seasons, I can count on two hands for sure and maybe even one, the number of legal (at least one antler point longer than 3 inches) bucks that I have passed, while waiting on a larger one. There was only one time that I can recall, when I was not rewarded for those passes later that season, with a larger antlered (and bodied) buck. That one time, the reward was a larger-bodied doe. The primary reason I passed that particular 15 yard chip shot on a 6 point 1.5 year old buck was that I govern my life on two principles (Love God and Love thy neighbor). If I can accomplish just those two things, nothing else really maters, because this life is fleeting while forever lasts for an eternity. In the case of that young buck, the pass occurred on the last or second last Saturday of gun season in 2017 (I work 45 hours a week so I am mostly limited to just hunting on the weekends). That late in the season, I am always in “anything goes” mode meaning a single point 3” or longer, if I still have a buck tag. The buck in question was standing on about 6” of fresh snow and about 10 yards onto a neighbor’s property. I had met that neighbor, and I knew that he would be ok with me shooting that deer, but that he wound have preferred that I didn’t. “Loving thy neighbor” means doing what they prefer not what you do. I also skipped the early morning hunt the next day, and took my family to church instead (that is where the “loving God” part came in). When we got home from church at about 9:30 (we always went to the 8:15 service back then) I grabbed my shotgun and walked to a stand on our farm. The “pass” the day prior was at my parents place. Low and behold, just like magic , 15 minutes after climbing into that stand the fat doe ran by 30 yards behind my tree. Some folks would call that and my making that full tilt running shot thru a small opening “just a coincidence”, “superior marksmanship” or some other crazy bs. Those would be the same ones who don’t know who determines “where every sparrow falls”. You can always google that if you don’t know yourself.

I am not really expecting much, based on lack of sightings and sign during early ML week, but I am going to hit it hard both mornings. Saturday, I am going to hit the spot where I have seen the most sign the last 8 years (but zero when I checked it out last Sat). It is going to be tough getting in there undetected with the predicted north wind, but if I take my truck down a logging road, I think I can sneak in from the south. I am going to concentrate on bear Sunday morning and set up near a spot where there might be a pile of partially digested nuts covered by a thin membrane and possibly a few other rotting internal organs. I head that bear are not very fussy eaters.

This is only the third time that I have been able to hunt every day of early ML week. I was able to fill my antlerless tag this time, and the first time back in 2016, but I struck out last year. That time I saw exactly twice as many deer (6, all antlerless vs 4 this year), but I never got off a shot due to being a little to picky. I am a little concerned with deer numbers and EHD here in wmu 6c. I saw absolutely zero sign last Saturday, in the spot where I gave seen the most on other years. I have stayed out of there all week since then. I am hoping that things are just a little behind schedule this year, and that I will get into something when I go there tomorrow with my 30/30. Given what seems to be a sharply reduced local deer supply, I am very thankful thankful that the Good Lord put me in the right place at the right time to kill what was the only deer that I saw up here to that point. That old doe was such a good mother to her two fawns, that I never saw them until after she went down. Time to start an opening weekend of gun thread now. I am not really expecting much, after the lack of sightings and sign this week, but you never know.

One of these years, I may regret punching a buck tag because a bigger one shows up later (when all I got left is dmps), but in 39 years of deer hunting it has not happened yet.

Seems like a smart idea. I usually spray the legs of my bibs with Sawyers, but the gaiters ought to give some added protection. I have never found a tick stuck to me, but when I was driving my pickup back from the butcher’s in Harrisville after dropping my wmu 6c doe off this Tuesday, I felt a tick crawling up the back of my neck. I grabbed it quick and pinched off its head. This area is loaded with them. I brought my last whole deer from up here home (to wmu 9f) in 2016. After finding hundreds of ticks on that buck, I decided to never bring another one home from here to process (butchers are also a lot cheaper up here). I have rarely found any on the deer from wmu 9F. I don’t even bother with the Sawyers when hunting around home. my dad did get Lyme from one A few years ago (he lives on the opposite corner of wmu 9F from me). I hunt at his place a lot, so I probably should use Sawyers and gaiters there and at home. Since it lasts for 6 washes, I should be good to go with the three pair of bibs and pants that I treated prior to my current trip to wmu 6c. I will add some gaiters to my arsenal of tick protection prior to this trip next year. Thanks for the tip.

Stick a fork in it, early ML is done. I heard (4) large things moving around close, but saw nothing but one red squirrel this morning in my spot on the perpendicular ridge shelf south of the lake. I am not sure if what I heard was deer, bear, coyotes, or other hunters (very doubtful as it has been several years since I saw one of those up here), but they definitely got the old heart rate up. I was near the spot where I killed my last Adirondack antlered buck in 2016, and had a 15 yard encounter with a giant on opening day of rifle last year. I did learn how to keep my but and legs dry , under the tree umbrella in the rain, using the tree hammock seat. Tucking the bag under the strap against the tree allows the rain that runs down the trunk to fall down to fall off to the side, rather than fill the seat like a funnel. That keeps your but dry. Moving the pedestal further away from the trunk raises the height and keeps your lower legs under the unbrella. I was good and dry thru some heavy rain this morning but have yet to kill a deer from under one of those umbrellas. I always take it down as soon as the rain lets up.

I skipped the last afternoon deer hunt of early ML up north to go bass fishing again today. I trolled 1-7/8 times around the lake with a small silver Hotintot, catching my biggest (18”) and smallest (12”) of 6 total (all released) for the afternoon. After catching the 18 incher, I went back to that spot with my 1/8 oz bucktail jigs and caught (2) 17 inchers, a 16” and a 15” on those, over the last 1/8 of the shoreline. All the fish were in less than 5ft depth, and were still fighting hard, meaning the water must still be over 60 degrees. The average size is way up over the last few days, so the cooling temps is bringing the big ones closer to shore. I plan on trying for that elusive 22 incher one last time tomorrow afternoon, even though that is opening day of gun season (I will hunt a few hours in the morning). What a difference a day makes in temps. I only needed a t shirt yesterday, but three shirts , a jacket and a face mask today.

I bought my first boat with money earned from muskrat pelts. They were fetching a good buck, back in the early 80’s. It didn’t take too many to pay for the used 14 ft Starcraft super-duty rowboat and 9.5 Evinrude that my neighbor sold me. I had one conibear set, in the ditch that drained a swamp into the creek behind our house, that produced a muskrat each day of the season, except for the one when it caught a hen mallard (which wasn’t bad eating).

I heard the sound of 4 different large things moving earlier this morning but nothing in the last hour. Two were in the thick brush to my left, one was over the ravine to the right of the broken pine upwind of me, and the last was in the short scrub pine to my right. No idea what any of them were, but all sounded bigger than squirrels. A single red was the only game I have actually seen this morning. The temps are in the lower 40’s and I am going to give it another 1/2 hour. I lasted until 10:30 before picking up the phone anyhow. That was a lot easier when I was hearing big stuff moving around close by.

One doe (early ML) and one bb (early antlerless gun) for me so far. I could use my either/or tag far another doe up north, but she would have to show in the next hour and I wouldn’t kill her then, even if she was standing broadside at 10 yards. That tag is reserved for an antlered buck at home (or an Adirondack 6 point or better if he shows in the next 15 minutes). I still have 1 dmp available for home (wmu 9F) and I plan on picking up 2 more when they become available after Nov 1). I could use one more in my freezer and I would donate the other 2 if they show up. I would (attempt) to kill them at my earliest convenience, after sz crossbow season opens. I always see more antlered than antlerless deer around home after November 6, so I don’t expect to fill any of those last 3 dmps any time soon, but I will certainly try if given the chance. I do have high hopes for the Holiday ML season however, assuming Erie county gives it a go. My corn plots are looking great this year and so are the turnips and winter wheat.

Rain stopped at my planned departure time but has started again right before sunrise. My umbrella is up with my orange hat on top and I am in position and ready. The wind is perfect nw at about 10 mph. phone in pocket till buck on ground and squirrels don’t break twigs (lessons from one year minus a day ago).

I hope you are correct. The wind is right (nw) for me this morning to hit the spot where I had a 15 yard encounter with an Adirondack giant on opening day of rifle last year. I am going to try and catch him a day early with my ML this morning. Departure time is 30 minutes before sunrise and/or, when the rain stops. The weather conditions (wind and rain) are nearly the same as last year but it is 20 degrees cooler so I think my chances are ok.

No action on the north end of the ridge today, except for the bugs. One mosquito bit me on the hand and a bunch of midges got in my cider while it was raining. Maybe they took out some of the deer with EHD, which would explain the lower than usual sightings and sign this year. I thought the rotting gut pile might draw in a bear, but no luck there. I tried rattling a bit also, with no responders. The rain stopped around noon. It was too warm to hunt so I went back out on the lake fishing this afternoon. I caught one 13” smallmouth, trolling with a small silver hotintot, (4) 12-14 inchers on bucktail jigs, and two shorter ones, all of which were released. They almost finished the roughing of a new place on a little cove across the lake. I knew the guy who owned that lot and he was pretty close with my father in law. He passed away the year after I got my first buck up here, in a spot he told me about. They said he was very happy to hear that I got that buck and I am sad that he never got to see the mount. It is one of two deer that I have named, both after friends who have passed on. This buck ain’t the biggest, but is my first from the Adirondacks, which makes it my favorite. My first hunts up here were with that fella and his elderly uncle, who has also passed on. His widow is putting up the new place across the lake. You can see it to the right of the bass. Someday, I will introduce their kids to the buck on the wall up here, that I named after their father.

I don’t always have seafood Newburgh for dinner, but when I do, it’s with DosEquis:

Many poachers won’t even ply their trade on land that’s not posted. They interpret “posted” as “good hunting”. Posted signs are a lot like gun control laws. All they do is keep out the law abiding folks.

Thanks, I did not know that. I wasn’t sure if they would sell primers to an American, so my plan is to put on a Blue Jays hat, say “A”, every other word, and use some Canadian cash that I have saved up in a box somewhere from when we used to vacation up there when I was a kid, to pay for the primers at the counter. it wouldn’t be the first time that I pretended to be a Canadian. Long ago, on a moose/bear hunting trip to Quebec, a couple Americans aborigins (people I don’t know) stumbled across the spot I was watching across from the lake camp that 3 of my friends and I were staying at. They must have been staying at a different camp. My buddies were all hung over that morning so I had motored over there alone with my 9.5 Evinrude on one of the old wood camp boats. I was always the “serious hunter” of the group, and the only one who got a kill on that trip (that is another story). When the aborigins asked “if I had seen anything ?”, my reply (in my best broken French accent) was: “no English”. They quietly departed after that. The spot I was watching was where a bush plane had crashed the year before. There was still a bit of wreckage around. I don’t know if I will be able to score some primers when I go over there but at least our kids will be able to look at the fish in the tanks.

Fortunately, the Dingbatocrats have no influence on the ammo situation over in Canada. That’s where I am going before I run out of primers.

I noticed the same thing, up here up in the NW corner of the Adirondack park. My first day up, I checked out a spot where I have always found scrapes and rubs during early ML week, and nothing there this year. Tracks in the sand vollyball courts, at the edge of the summer camps, were less than normal also. I have been staying out of that hot spot until opening day of gun on Saturday. Hopefully, the local bucks are just off to a late start this year. There is now one less mature doe on the opposite end of the ridge anyhow. Hopefully, there are still a few over there on the end where the most scrapes usually show up.

I use the biodegradable stuff that they sell expressly for that purpose. It also works well to tie off the rectum after deploying the butt out. “Leave no trace behind” (long term anyhow).

The rain has arrived on schedule and I am comfortably nestled in, 40 yards downwind of the Tuesday’s gut pile, up on the ridge. If that smell don’t draw in a bear, maybe the hot cider will. The only thing I know I forgot this morning was my electric tape so I just sacrificed a “little finger condom” from one of my gutting gloves. I don’t have enough cash for another butcher fee. If a bear does show up I am taking the hide, head, and heart out on my first trip, then coming back for the back straps and butt roasts. I can smell those guts, since the rain has been falling. Hopefully, a bear can also.

Another little tip about tracking deer that you have shot at in fresh snow: Don’t expect fresh fluffy snow to always show bright red blood on top. Hot drops of blood burn thru that, often showing no trace on top. One time, I shot a large button buck (imagine that) dead center thru both lungs, behind the shoulder from 75 yards away with a Federal 12 ga lead sabot slug. He promptly bolted into a thick patch of brush like there was no tomorrow (in this case there wasn’t). In the 50 yards that he covered from the impact site, to the brush patch, I found just a single, tiny drip of blood on top of the foot of fluffy snow. He made it another 20 yards into that brush patch (right next to the gut pile of his momma who had piled up there a week prior from another of those Federal sabots). The momma was much tougher for me to find, on opening day the week before, because there was no snow there then and it was pouring rain. I had to grid search the area that she disappeared into and she was also double lunged similarly. I would have shot jr then and there (I had two dmps) but I always go for the biggest one first and I was not 100 percent sure that she was hit, so I kept my gun on her until she disappeared with him. I love hunting in snow but it is not always the best indicator of a hit. Another time, I prematurely gave up the trail of a buck that I had shot at at long range with my 50 cal T/C Omega. I placed too much confidence in the snow indicating a hit. Finding not a single drip of blood, in over 200 yards of following his tracks from where he stood when shot, I wrongly assumed a miss. That brings up another good tip: Never ASSUME a miss until PROVEN. The only two ways I know of doing that is to kill the deer with a follow up shot and count holes. I will continue to fire if I an able until the deer goes down. Then I will hold my gun on it for about 5 minutes, until it is not moving. Finally, when I walk up to that carcass I will stick the muzzle of my gun into its eye and only bring out my knife if it don’t blink. My uncle lost the biggest buck he ever saw by skipping that step. Every so often I can learn the lessons the easy way (from someone else’s mistake), but most of the time it has been the hard way (by making the mistakes myself). That was the case with the snow and that ML buck. He got to feed the coyotes. I didn’t find him until 2 weeks later with the help of the crows. He had made it into a little brush patch about 20 yards past where I had given up his trail in the snow, loosing it amoung a bunch of other deer tracks. i probably shouldn’t have skipped Church that Sunday morning to go hunting.

None have gotten away from me since 2015, unless they were supposed to: