BowmanMike

Well Rockspeck,afyer seeing the bucks yesterday I won't be able to stay out of the woods today. See if I find them again,or something bigger even. I would like to post a harvest,but we will see..

congrats malletz,that is a nice big doe. Glad it worked out for you with only being out a bit.

Saw over 12 doe today on a still hunt in 4F,but only have buck tag left. These woods are filthy with doe,they just don't come out of the woods till dark. A few inches of snow made for great still hunting conditions. Could have shot 9 of the twelve does,next week they had better be more alert...

I was almost able to also post a buck harvest today. Went for a walk in 4F and saw a few does bedded down below the top of the hill. No more doe tags for me,so I decide to back up and sneak over the top of the hill. Nice flat spot up there and I see a deer in the distance. Brought my binos up and it is a small buck. Now I am looking for more than one deer and sneak a little closer and there is a six point with the small one. The small one is bedded down now and I am trying to close the gap some and do ok. The six harasses the little one and they spar just a little. Now I am about 60 yds away,but the six is not giving me a good shot. Either brush or trees in the way or him quartering away hard. He keeps browsing and moving around and I almost get a shot,then he beds down. I wasn't feeling comfortable with a head or neck shot today,so I tried to get a better angle maybe and the little buck is on his feet now. Well somebody must have busted me,not sure if there was a third deer or another walked up,but everybody high tailed it. I even had the hammer back on my smokepole,but didn't get a shot. Then slow stalk back to my truck and saw 12 more deer,all does. Somebody must have told them I only have a buck tag. What a fun outing though,and we have a few inches of snow here on the hill outside of Cooperstown,so stalking was great. Too bad I let you down Rockspeck,next time...

I have been taking a break since the 26th. Got my third deer that day and still have the regular season buck tag,which will turn into either sex for MZ. Might go out before Mz season or not. Hope to spend another night at my buddy's camp last weekend of Muzzleloader. I do enjoy the late hunting,seems like the deer are almost back to normal behaviour by then.

Debone everything. Having bones in takes up more space in freezer and you have to remove all the fat and silverskin from the cuts,that stuff just doesn't taste good. It is quite a bit of work upfront,but I love being able to take a package of meat out of the freezer and not having to trim the stuff then. This will give you the best tasting venison,in my opinion

Here in 4F the deer are everywhere. I don't think people could shoot enough to really hurt the population if they wanted to. I take at least two doe every year,and there are always more the next year. Just my observation...

I heard as well that anytime you use water you are almost always doing more harm than good. We never do,just try to keep things clean as we go. I have had venison in the freezer for a bit over a year and it looks and tastes fine.

good luck rockspeck. It is about time you connect with one,you sure have put in your time this year. Keeping my fingers crossed. I am taking it easy for now,still have my buck tag left but already have three deer in the freezer. Maybe I will go after one more.

What vitals besides the neck is anyone expecting to hit when they take this shot? One lung? Liver? That does not sound like a good chance of recovery to me. I just let the biggest buck have ever seen while carrying a gun run on Sunday morning because I was not presented with a good shot. Also the buck disappeared pretty fast. Maybe I should have just flung a bullet out there and hope for a good outcome? I don't think so...

I was still hunting today and saw over 10 deer. Had plenty of shot opportunities but am holding out for a decent buck. Saw does and a few spikes. Have to find out where the big ones spend their days... It is a fun hunting season for me this year,that's for sure...

Doggie will be fine. My dog used to scavenge the deer carcasses people threw out and she was fine,apart from the horribly stinky toots.

That is too crazy. No person looks like a deer and how can you shoot at something without knowing what you are shooting at? There are other things in the woods besides deer. Sounds fishy to me...

I am headed out shortly to go stalk me a deer. Still have tags for buck and doe, so we will see if I find a good sized one of either sex. Feeling pretty good about the area I am headed to,some thick pine plantation and some recently logged woods with nice undergrowth. Just have to be lucky about who sees who first...

So here is a crazy idea. Why not connect AR to how long you have been hunting? Most hunters go through a maturing process skill wise and for their goals. So let new hunters shoot small bucks to get them excited about the sport and then have the ARs kick in later. I see myself going through that process. This is my fifth year hunting and I can say I have seen more deer this year than in all my seasons before. My skill is growing and so are my expectations. I shot a 4 point during bow season,but let a lot of other young bucks walk. This four had a nice tall rack and he will be tasty. Just passed on his bigger twin the other day with the gun. Building up credit for the encounter with a 2 1/2 year old or older deer. Seems like one can get a doe pretty easy,so that works for meat for me. I also saw a real bruiser last night on my drive home,he was right by some state land here on 4F.

I had what I hope was deer run past me at six o'clock this morning,could hear them but not really see them,think they were within 20 yds. Nothing since and heard only very few shots,must be the most quiet opening day I remember here in 4 F.

I will sit in a new spot on a friends 300+ acre property halfway between a small stream and Rockledge ridge. Have a pretty good field of vision,maybe 100 to 150 yds all around and I think people on the neighbouring property will be pushing deer towards me. Just hope I won't havento deal with people trespassing though,just looking for deer. Last year there were shots coming from this direction,I was 1/2 mile further up the stream. This scenario should work out well if we get wind out of the south. Also just tried the muzzleloader out today,first shot was bullseye at 80 yds. I can not believe how far away 80 yds looks after two months of bow season. Makes me feel like a sniper...

By the way,I think there is no problem with letting him hang.

Oh my god,you are so right grow. Our dog used to take off and scavenge dead deer parts during/ after hunting season and that's how we knew she snuck off,when she let one off. What a stink,disgusting. She was such a good girl,but sometimes the wild husky would come out.

We all know how much you hate to sit still. You probably only sat 30 minutes in each stand. Not that there's anything wrong with that,I enjoy stillhunting very much myself. I scored another hang on stand on my friends property,more trespassers setting up for Saturday. Bastards. Property is well posted,but some people just don't care about that at all. I think Saturday will find me sitting not very far of the property line where the trespassers like to enter. If I don't get a deer,I am sure I will get to kick a person out. This might work well if the wind is out of the south,my hunting property is North of where the group gets in.

Any updates?

Good luck finding it!

Should be a dead deer if you hit where you think you hit. A doe I shot this year snapped my arrow off after I hit the opposite leg on exit. I only found the last third of my arrow,and that was in her chest cavity. I also hit a buck right about where you think you hit and got both lungs and he only went 40 yds. I was over 20' up in a tree,so it was a steep angle. Hope your buck doesn't go as far as Papists. Sometimes weird things happen...

I set up a few stands within minutes of my house and found that they work well. Easy access in the morning or afternoon,I can pop out there even if there is only 1 hr of daylight left. Killed a doe from the one and could have done the same from the other stand. I also hunt a friends 300+ acre property and will sometimes walk deep into it,but my climber is friggin heavy and I always spook deer going in that far,so I find myself doing that less. I will do it for the gun opener to take advantage of neighboring properties being hunted hard and they might as well push a deer my way.

Papist,that buck should have laid down long before he did. The one I shot last Sunday had two nice triangular holes in his lungs. I was maybe a tad over 20' up the tree and he was only about 15 yds away. The entrance hole was just under the spine,maybe 1 1/2 inches and exit hole lower third of ribcage. I hit a little further forward than you,but otherwise pretty darn similar shot and angle. He only went 40 yds, I feel yours should not have gotten much further. Bizarre