goosifer

thanks. I've never seen turkeys on my land before. the food plots are new. maybe they were flying by and noticed the green stuff.

I'm guessing a turkey? thanks

Well, for me it's not the end of (cross)bow season, its just 3-1/2 weeks before muzzleloader season. What a bust, I underdressed for feet and hands and saw nothing; gave up hope of seeing anything. I quit a littler after 10. I put up two blinds as a last minute option for this weekend's shotgun opener But given how flat and overgrown my land is, visibility is very limited. Maybe I will see something encouraging on the traim cam cards I pulled.

heading out for the last day of crossbow in 9A. bit chilly this morning. good luck to all.

I'd tie ribbons of orange marking/tracking tape on the top and on each of the ropes (guy lines?) connected to stakes. Maybe lengths of orange duct tape on the sides (but not sure how well they'd stick)

maybe something like this? I've never used it, but gets decent reviews. There are also sprays but not sure if that is as practical for a scope lens.

Its so windy where I hunt near Lake Ontario, especially this weekend, that it would never survive. I'm not even sure it's worth setting up a blind for Sunday because of the wind.

Since opening day is going to be raining and very windy in many parts of NY this weekend, I was wondering if anyone had any practical tips they'd like to share for hunting in the rain and or extreme wind (20mph+) as far as clothing and equipment go. I know this question is casting a rather broad net, but I figure we can make it a useful thread for everyone. One specific question I had was if I should rub my gun with some rem oil on the outside of it and cover the end of the barrel with a finger cot (like a small condom, no ribs) to keep water out (I do this for my muzzleloader)

Given the odds of the fawn surviving the winter, one could make the argument that the humane thing to do would be to shoot it. However, I suspect that many hunters would not be willing to burn a doe tag for so little meat. I don't know what the right answer is.

No deer this morning. Lots of squirrels and one chipmunk. Decided to stop at Hoover's Dairy in Sanborn for lunch on the way back to NT to get some work done. The holiday egg nog is in!

In stand for the morning in 9A. Drizzling , no wind, cool temps.

Yes, the immediate area is relatively flat. i was thinking the same thing. The tree strand is 10 yards back from a brush hogged trail that goes east-west that the deer use from time to time. If they are on the trail, I should be OK scentwise in either direction, I'm thinking.

I am looking at a weather forecast on Monday of 2-3mph winds from the SSE for the first three hours and then flipping to NNW winds of 4 to 5 mph for the next three hours. I was thinking the heck with it and get in the 20' high north facing stand. My question specifically is, will being in a 20' stand cast my scent farther downwind than a 16' stand would? In this case, with winds so low, I doubt there is much of a difference, but if the wind was 10-15 mph, that could be a difference. Any aeronautic engineers on the forum?

for hunting. If you get dressed next to your vehicle for other reasons, this is not the thread for you. I get dressed to pants, shirt and shoes at home, then put on my jacket, bibs and boots next to my truck where I hunt. I have never mastered the art of not touching the ground when changing from shoes to boots while putting on my bibs. I usually stand on a storage tote lid. But I found something better. Doller tree sells a 2'x2' solid rubber-backed carpet square. The carpet portion is barely there, but the rubber backing is thick. I put that on the ground, slipped off shoes and stepped on that, put on bibs and then stepped into boots. Worked great. For a buck, it's worth picking one up and keeping it in your vehicle. Anyway, that my value hunting tip of the day.

So I sat for about 7 hours today. Saw a decent buck at 7:15 walking down the trail 60 yards directly in front of me. Attempted a doe bleat and a grunt (I am horrible at this, btw) and he ignored me and then disappeared. I was hoping he would circle around downwind of me as he was just upwind of the doe scent I had put out earlier. No such luck. I did see a pheasant, too, and that was it. Nice day weather-wise. Although cold, wind wasn't bad at all and it was pretty clear out.

Don't assume the hunter told the truth that the neighbor told him he could hunt in that stand. That may have been a completely made up bs story. Don't ruin your relationship with your neighbor based on what the hunter said.

Good luck to everyone hunting tomorrow morning. Be safe and dress warm.

Did an afternoon sit with a hunting buddy. Except for a squirrel, neither of us saw anything. Wind was goofy; was supposed to get less windy as the day went on, instead it got more windy. We will see what the drop in temperature brings tomorrow morning. I will be out solo, so just half a day. With the coyotes that have moved into the area, I don't like hunting late in the day by myself as I don't like the idea of tracking or field dressing a deer in the dark.

Why do you (currently/continue to) hunt? (Not the same question as why did you start hunting, but probably related.) For the meat? For the sports challenge? A way of spending time with friends? A way of bonding with family? Protecting your crops? A way to enjoy nature/spend time in the woods? A way to relax? Why do YOU hunt?

Was out yesterday for crossbow. Had a really nice six pointer follow the scent trail I put down, but he saw me from behind my stand, peeled away and circled back. I tried to stay still, but I call this one "naked stand" for a reason. He busted me and trotted away. But a bit later a small doe came by the scent trail, and the six then came back, along with a four pointer. They were following the doe thinking the scent was from her, I think. Well, the little doe wanted no part of it and ran off. At 50+ yards running, I had not shot. The bucks followed her over to where my hunting buddy was in a stand. He saw the six pointer somehow get its antlers stuck it a"bushy tree" and end up flipping itself over. For a second, my hunting buddy thought the buck had broken its neck! The six pointer finally got up and exchanged nasty snort wheezes with the four pointer.No more deer sightings the rest of the day, but my hunting buddy had a flock of 9 turkeys come by him in the food plot. He was playing with them for hours using his turkey caller he had left in his bag. They flew right up into the trees around him. First time we've ever seen turkeys on my property. I hope they stick around. He also saw a large reddish coat coyote. Will have to do something about those coyotes . . . .

I will be out in Porter, NY (9A) bright and early on Saturday. As I don't bow hunt, it will be my first day out this year. Looking forward to seeing how the new food plots affect deer movement. And I might give the 12' tripod stand a try. Good luck and be safe to all.

Wouldn't ground contact rated pressure treated wood be good enough? and or solid concrete pavers like growalot suggested.

yes, the seat swivels. It has a large plastic washer and a large bolt holding it in. It was pretty quiet when turning. To be safe, I sprayed it with silicone lube. It then squeaked or hummed as you turned it. Go figure, so, I had to take it apart and wipe the silicone off.

although not shown in the store pic, the stand did come with a camo rail skirt, which I put on. will look for the rubber flooring next time I am at at tractor supply.

Yeah, I'm starting to think this one might be better for shotgun season in two weeks. With a 100'+ range, I'd really be able to cover a good chunk of the field, depending on wind, and be less likely to be detected. I put up another tripod, a 12 footer, against a clump of aspen trees in the other field. I think that one might be a better option for crossbow.