wolc123

I stayed up in the cupola until about 20 minutes past sunset, when it got dark enough, so that I dont think I could have clearly identified a doe thru my Redfield scope on 2X. My only deer sighting today was that 8 point about 1.5 hours before sunset. I will probably try the cupola again in the morning for a couple hours before church. It is not supposed to rain until later tommorow. I plan on heading over to my folks place before the Bill's game. After dinner with them, I will try out my new blind over there, along with the comfortable new $ 8 chair, and tree umbrella if need be. They have been seeing a doe with two fawns regularly over there in the evenings. I have 2 dmp's and no problems with making an orphan or two. Antlerless tags are typically tough for me to fill in my two wmu 9f locations, because I usually see about 3 antlered deer per each antletless one. I think that is mostly due to the local farmers hammering them antlerless deer hard on their nuisance permits, prior to October 1. We will see what the final talley of sightings is this year. Right now it is one antlered and zero antlerless.

Decent 2.3 year old 8 just stopped by for a bite of clover. Where the hell is his sister ? Velvet is all gone. He seems to prefer chewing on woody browse.

Spaghetti squash with meat sauce. Not too much meat left in the freezer. Hoping to start re-stocking that during the next week. Summer is over, so time to drink up my remaining Kolsch.

I am up and in also. Changed plans a bit, because I thought it would be too hot in the tin can aluminum truck cap blind where I planned on going tonight. I am up in the cupola of my two story blind watching over a clover and wheat plot. The wind is still blowing hard enough to hold off most of the bugs. I have a can of deet ready to go if I need it. I saw a doe right by here one afternoon last week. Hopefully, she shows up again before 8:01. Just felt a skeeter on my neck, time for a spray.

I agree, but unfortunately, that dont work for everyone. I had an incident many years ago that continues to effect how I hunt until this day. I saw a doe, at the edge of our property, that was well beyond the effective range of the my 16 gauge smoothbore. I got down from my tree stand, and attempted to close the range. She walked away, thru a thick hedge row, onto a neighbor's hay field, that I had permission to hunt. I was wearing a blaze orange jacket and hat. I stepped through the hedge row and immediately felt the pressure wave of a passing slug against my face, then heard the first of 5 shots. Feeling a shot before you hear it is something you never forget. I hit the dirt, and the dirt started hitting me, as the other 4 slugs landed nearby. The doe stood in the middle of that field and the other guy on the far corner (in blaze orange head to toe) had unloaded his semi auto on her. He probably came much closer to me than he did to her with those 5 shots. Now, I seldom venture off our own property (in the southern zone), and I spend most of my time about 10 ft up a tree.

Grampy gave correct advise, as usual. The tender regrowth is a lot more attractive to deer than mature clover. Most of my plot acreage is white clover and I mow it various times and places, such that there is always plenty of fresh stuff around. The best time to mow it, thru the summer, is prior to rain. After mid August, any time is good. Dont go too short with your cut, after mid September (4-6 inch height is good then). This is a little patch of clover ready to be clipped and a doe and fawn that I caught on it my next time back there. I hope they show up again this evening.

That is what I have always done, during any gun season. I guess I will just leave the camo hat home now, and only use it during archery season. I have only hunted the crossbow portion of that since 2014. It has been a while since I have seen any other hunters, anyplace that I have hunted. The last time was opening day of early ML season, up in the nz, about 4 years ago. I found a nice spot, at the edge of a swamp, and sat down there in my tree hammock chair. I removed my orange hat and hung it in a branch, as far above my head as I could reach. I began a rattling sequence, complete with raking of leaves. Soon after, I saw a dark form rise up out of the swamp and move directly towards me. As it got closer, I thought that it may have been a large black bear, standing up on its back legs. As it continued closer, I saw the chartreuse hat. "The bear" turned out to be a neighbor, from the far north end of the lake. I had fooled him, but not any real bears or bucks. He noted my hanging orange hat, soon after I saw his yellow one. I guess that wont be legal anymore, but I saw it well before he saw my orange one, probably because he was moving. I still kid him, from time to time, about when I rattled him up out of the swamp. He thought it was a real buck fight. He is a great guy, who owns a construction outfit, in the finger lakes region. He often has that same yellow hat on, when I see him out on the lake fishing. Too bad he wont be able to wear it hunting anymore. It is way more stylish than pink or blaze orange.

You need to get yourself a deer fridge. Speaking of which, it is time to go down stairs, unplug the big freezer so it can defrost, and move my few remaining packs of venison into the little freezer on mine.

I didn't see a single deer fly but the skeeter came in a second time, and I squashed it with my camo gloves. I will be in my back truck-cap stand this evening, and in my middle two-story blind tomorrow morning. They are calling for some rain then, so I will use the covered lower level if it gets too bad. I am headed to my folks place tomorrow afternoon. After the football game, I will try out my other new blind over there until a half hour past sunset. I cant wait to try out my new chair. I will take the tree umbrella over there in case of rain. It ought to work well on the little cherry tree. I would love to get a shot at a doe from under that umbrella during the pouring rain. It is so damn loud under it, that I dont think that would be possible. I just finished a little "shop project", mounting an antique vise that I picked up at a barn sale down the road last week. This will make a good place for sharpening chain saw blades after I make some soft jaws for it. No tenderloins or bb liver so I guess it will have to be pb&j for lunch. I do have some Genny Octoberfest though, and that is pretty good this year.

I pulled the plug at 9:30. The wind picked up to about 20 mph and I dont think they will be moving much in that. I will head back out after supper, until 1/2 hour past sunset.

I just ranged our house, and it is 600 feet away. The nieghbor across the street is next closest at 900 ft. I know them well, and they are ok with me shooting. New folks just moved in next door, slightly further away, who I have not yet met. I will make sure it is ok with them, before shooting any more from our bedroom window.

Tune into the live from the woods thread. No deer action for me this morning. I have noted significant deer action, in the late afternoons over the last few weeks, as I was doing field work. I plan on sitting in a blind near where my last sighting of a doe/fawn pair was, this after noon. I am almost ready to pull the plug on the morning hunt, but it is just so damn comfortable, up here in my blind.

No doe action yet, but this new blind is pretty sweet, since I got the floor level. The 3 ft barnwood wall blocks the prevailing sw wind real good and it is very comfortable today in the 62 F , 15 mph wind wearing jeans and a light flannel. I may stick it out another hour or so. I have 20 oz of water and just finished a sea salt caramel chocolate and a small kit-cat bar that were left in my pack from spring turkey season.

Maybe that's why I have not seen a doe yet this morning. I am all legal though, 501 feet from the house, hat and back tag on:

That is correct. If you already have 2 (no 9f's or 9a's ?) then you have to wait for 11/1 to try for more. Someone else may legally transfer up to 2 to you before that though.

I took a short break, down on the ground, to throw a piss and to level the stand (removed 2x6 blocks from under the front legs). It is just about perfectly level now. I broke out my "not so secret" weapon, so maybe the doe action will start soon.

I think plenty from the first draw are available untill the end of September, they crunch the numbers in October, then plenty more are usually available after November 1. I have not filled one of those 9F dmp's since 2019 (I still have 7 vaccuum packs left in the freezer from that one in fact). I always get 4 but only used all of them a time or two.

That is why I don't mind leaving that old barn up a little longer. Hopefully, we dont get too much snow on it this winter.

First skeeter ar 6:56. Flew in, sniffed the deet on my hand, and flew off.

Nothing yet. Lots of birds but no bugs so far. I will give it another hour or so then get back on the honey do list.

5 minutes till go time and I am up in position. I heard some movement in the corn on my walk past it. Hopefully, my deet cover scent is effective but I have a favorable wind if not.

Step 2 (plug in deer fridge) check. I heard the compressor kick on so I should be all set if I need it. It has been almost 4 years since I had to plug it in. Even if I dont "need" it today for a fresh doe, i will throw my fish and last 7 packs of old venison, from the big freezer in the basement, into that little one up top so that I can thaw the big one out.

Head up to Walmart when they open. I think you can still get 9f's and 9a's over the counter. I have been seeing more action in the afternoons anyhow.

Yes, the excitement of the home opener is open us. I am up already in anticipation. Trying to decide on my apparel. I already got the orange hat picked out. I will see how deep woods off works as a cover scent. The extra 1/2 hour prior to daylight is cool. 6:20 is "go time" here in wmu 9F. My new Redfield Revolution scope is damn good in low light conditions, just like the old "illuminators". Hopefully, I will be cranking it up to 7X and verifying the absence of "spikes" soon (or the presence of buttons). It is almost like having Christmas twice when I was a little kid. I always got double the presents anyhow, because I share a birthday with the Big guy. Being a pure meat guy, this is every bit as exciting to me as the normal November gun opener, maybe even more so, because our freezer is nearly taped out of venison.

"Not until" sometime in October.