Steuben Jerry

Try lower because I assume that road is a right of way but don't let it slip away if you really want it. I don't know exactly where this is but $1590/acre is reasonable anywhere in NYS. ROW could make it more negotiable.

I'm with you 100%. My point was when I was just starting out 35 years ago, a "small doe" made me happy as hell. Especially back when you didn't see a deer for days and you needed a few people on a doe permit. If this guy is a newbie, it'll be his meat factory until he becomes interested in something bigger and more challenging. That small doe (or two) kept me coming back for years. I live here now. Bottom line: Small doe, I liked it when I was starting out. Never went anywhere else.

I've read on here somewhere if you shoot them head-on, they're even tenderer. Sorry for the derail.

I've shot one or two "medium-sized does" in my day.

Or he's a newbie hunter, ecstatic about his fast success on his new hunting grounds, and isn't going anywhere else in the coming seasons except his new honey hole right there. Right next to those nice guys he met the day before Thanksgiving over on the next property. Not trying to be a downer, but that's how I read it.

Can't answer your questions, but will be following the thread. I did the opposite. I kept a 7 acre parcel on which we built a house, and the adjoining 79 acres separate to avoid the whole property being taxed as a dwelling. The 7 is currently classed as a family residence and the 79 is vacant land. I figured I was ahead this way, but maybe not?

Just a fuzzy phone pic. My wife typically asks me for little to no help, so that makes it twice as nice!

Electrical insulator?

Day 2 of this hellacious stomach bug that I caught. I wouldn't care if the biggest, baddest buck of the woods knocked on my door right now, I wouldn't get off the couch to answer it. Making progress though, yesterday I wouldn't have left the bathroom to answer it.

Glad you're on the mend Grampy!

I like the traditional sliced version better as well. However I bought a jerky gun 2-3 years ago and the jerky gets rave reviews from my wife and grandkids. If I'm not fast, there's usually none left for me. I almost never get pork mixed in my ground, so I don't get the greasy spots.

Unless I'm unaware of some hunting accident that Jim Kelly was in, that's in damn poor taste.

X2

One of the unending reincarnations of uptown?

I think muzzleloaders are OK too. We had trespasser problems years ago, and the police told us that the guy was a felon for multiple DWI's. He was using a muzzleloader and I don't think he was charged for that. Not 100% sure on that. I think there's a legal process to get your rights restored, but this guy didn't seem like the legal type.

It's not my cup of tea, but it's quite an effective tactic in certain situations. New to the board? Try not being so judgmental. At least not right out of the gate. Life's better that way.

I'm going to have to try that! Thanks for sharing Chris!

It's nice of you to babysit while Mama is on her date with the local stud. Maybe you'll see her do the walk of shame in an hour or two!

Living vicariously through Grow and TF today. No tags til Muzzleloader. Two weekends of non-hunting left. Boo.

As planned, we picked up our 10 year old grandson yesterday to hopefully fill my last doe tag that I was saving for this. Last year we did this for the first time and got lucky in five minutes after settling in. This year we had about 3 hours of stand time before seeing any deer. I could tell he was getting a little bored. With just a couple of minutes of legal light, we had a 150 yard shot opportunity across the field along the far tree line. The doe bolted into the woods, and I had that tiny bit of anxiety as I lost sight of it. Jake's eyes were zeroed in on it, and he said I think it's down. He sounded pretty confident about that. Got down with him immediately and without looking for any signs, we marched up to where it entered the woods. He took a few steps in and he spotted it laying about 60 yards downhill. The second doe for he and I on the day after Thanksgiving two years in a row. So I guess we go shopping on Black Friday too. For whitetails. This season is going to be pretty hard to top for our family. Thankful for every minute of it!

So far my wife, daughter, and I each got a buck on successive days on our home property. Our son in law hunts the first few days each year at his fathers camp in Allegheny county, but has joined us the last couple of years for a Tuesday/Wednesday hunt. He got his buck tag punched with his Dad and brother there, so being from out of state and not eligible for doe tags in his area, he was tagged out. For the first time in a few years my wife and I each got a doe tag, so after a couple of big bucks and a bow doe for me, we certainly had one to spare and sign over. Kevin was out for a morning hunt in which he had a close encounter with the big boy that we've been getting glimpses of (but he had no buck tag), and an afternoon hunt before they both head home tomorrow. He scored on a doe just before last light tonight to make it four for four for the family on four successive days, and all from the same stand no less! On top of that, we had five days of our 7 week old granddaughter staying here, whom I firmly believe is responsible for our good whitetail mojo this year. Her presence is now strictly mandated for all future deer seasons here! I've got one doe tag left, and am picking up our grandson Friday morning to hopefully fill that with him at my side. Then I'm on the bench till muzzleloader season for a crack at the big boy that's still walking around. Hands down our best deer season ever!

Poor signal from the stand so posting now. My wife gets in done! Story in the harvest thread.

I posted yesterday that it was my wife's turn to get a buck today, and she got some pretty good reward for her effort. We all stayed up a bit too late last night, and it would have been pretty easy to just sleep in. But she was up and at 'em and out the door by 6:00. It was a pretty slow morning here, and she saw only one small doe by 11:00. She had a doe tag, but it was her turn for a buck today after all, so that doe was left alone. Back out for the afternoon sit by 1:30, and after about a half hour this guy trotted out from the pines she was in and went trotting out into the field 40 yards in front of her. She said it took only two more steps right into the ground, courtesy of her Ruger 7mm-08. Her best ever deer, a handsome, symmetrical 8 pointer, with not a bit of damage on his rack. It's destined for the living room wall, and after waffling on whether to mount my 9-pointer, we'll get our first ever husband and wife mounts from the same season. I an more happier for her than any deer I've ever shot. She's all calm and relaxed, and I'm still stoked. This is rounding up to be our best season ever hunting on the homestead. Her 8, my 9, and our daughter's 6. I'm picking up our 10 year old grandson from Rochester on Friday to hopefully go fill my doe tag with him along for the hunt. Did that last year for the first time. Friday's his turn.

Our daughter gets it done again. She travels here every year from out of state for what has become a family tradition for the rifle opener. She's taken bucks for each of the last four years. This year is a little different in that she and her husband had their first daughter (and our fourth grandchild) just seven weeks ago, and precious Evelyn came along for the trip for the first time. It was hard for her to get out, but Grandma babysat for the day, and we got out together for this afternoon's hunt. She sat in the same stand as I did for my 9-pointer yesterday, and dropped this 6-pointer who showed up at about 4:15. Now it's Grandma's turn, and we have the rest of the week off!

The first ones we heard yesterday were at 6:40. Two in quick succession. It was pretty cloudy and very dark. From what my vision was limited to, I can't believe he or she could clearly see their target.