Rebel Darling

Shameless plug alert... BHA NY is hosting a Pint Night out in WNY at Eli Fish Brewing Co in Batavia on Wednesday, January 9. Swing through, get to know some folks who hunt public, fish public, travel west to hunt and fish the big public, oh... and drink beer. Folks who drink beer. Easy going evening full of spun up yarns about impossible hunts and fish the size of your leg. No, twice the size of your leg! You'll also meet up with folks who take preserving our public land heritage, be it out west, or here in NY, and the North American Model of Conservation seriously. It'll be good conversation on topics relevant to sportsmen and women across the country in a laid-back atmosphere. Hell, at the very least, there's beer... Indulge your curiosity. BHA NY Pint Night Wednesday, January 9 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Eli Fish Brewing 109 Main Street Batavia, NY 10420

Good link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/huntfishny/id1151964202?mt=8 (for Apple)

I report on my phone w/ DEC's HuntFish App. Super easy, and works offline, in that it'll report once connected to a network. Works across operating systems (iPhone, Android, etc.): Hope this helps some of ya. UPDATE - Wrong link...

Phew... wife and I were sending up some positivity. Glad that fella’s going to be alright. Thanks for sharing the good news. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Thursday, November 15, 12:15 pm. 11 yards, 15 feet up, stopped at my wind. I let the arrow fly. First buck I've called in. First deer I've called in for a kill. After seeing movement behind me, I used a single, light bleat, followed by a couple of quick grunts. He wandered for a bit, but came right in. I glassed the arrow from the stand, and it was bright red. I waited 30-40 mins, after having watched him bound out of site at 20-30 yards a rip. I never heard him crash, and lost his movement in the thick trees. @grampy kept my head in the game through a difficult track... I had a hard time finding blood past point of impact, and when I did, it was a couple of drops every few feet (see oak leaf in photo for example of blood trail), and then nothing for 15 - 20 yards, and then nothing at all. I searched for more blood for an hour, backed out, called deer search, and texted grampy to let him know and get his opinion on the situation. After a couple of hours, with a snow storm on the way, and a fella who was going to check in with his fiance before he could commit to bringing a dog over, grampy laid it out plain: "you gotta get out there." I stalked likely trails, and found a couple drops of blood by a pass in a stone wall. I walked across and straight for a while. It didn't feel right, and I didn't find anything. I doubled back, stood for a bit, thought about deer movement, and started walking the wall line, up the grade and towards a clearing. No blood, but about 60 yards up the way I saw the brown of his fur, back to me. In the end, he was either more quartered to than I thought, or the arrow deflected off a branch or a rib. Lungs, liver, and out through the stomach. Stomach contents plugged the exit wound. He ran a total of around 300 yards from point of impact, bedded down, and died right there, just like in the picture. Sad, but also kind of beautiful. Many, many thanks to grampy (unsure I would have found the deer without his extra push), his hunting buddy, Gary, and all the folks at Deer Search who were generous with their time and experience. I even received a phone call from John Jeanneney, the fella who wrote the book on finding wounded deer... For this adult-onset hunter who is still looking for a crew of hunting buddies, I was amazed and humbled by the community's offering of all they could to help, what amounts to be, a complete stranger.

So YOU'RE the trespasser! Ha...

I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Been out of likes for a while... This is a great story, and clearly about good people helping out. Solid, all around. That pic of Reeltime sitting behind Picket is seared in my memory, but I imagine him to be a bit taller now. Hope he still has the beard...

Very satisfied that I’ll be providing for the family. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

I've been able to hunt the past few evenings. Monday at Partridge Run, Tuesday in the back, and tonight (Wednesday) at the Pine Bush. I enjoyed the P-Run hunt location. I set up on a pinch-point, a narrow strip of land that runs between two marshes. I know that doe bed along the marsh about 100-200 yards (maybe more) to the right of my set up. The wind was coming off the marsh, over the bedding and up the slope. My plan was to catch a buck scent checking that bedding area just upwind. I made a poor decision in my set up, though. I climbed into a tree with the climber, which means I need a "perfect" tree, and it left me out in the open. I should have set up on the ground in some cover. About an hour or so on stand, I heard some crunching behind me, and then nothing. And shortly after that, the barely audible sound of a whitetail bounding away. I didn't see anything, but the locale was beautiful and it was a great change of scenery. Many, many thanks to the veterans who help secure our ability to live out this lifestyle. I thought about that quite a bit on my drive up on Monday. Tuesday's hunt was delayed because power to the house went out, and I had to bail out the sump in the basement. I bumped deer on my way out that might have otherwise walked past my stand. Visibility was low due to heavy fog, so I tried some calling. A couple bleats. Waited 15 mins or so, and let out a single bleat followed by two grunts. About 10 or so mins after that, I heard something take off downwind of and behind me. Didn't see a thing. Didn't see, nor hear a thing after that. Erie evening in the stand, but I felt alive, and I loved that. Today's initial hunt plan was to head up north and meet up with a buddy for a morning and afternoon sit. He flaked on getting back to me until this morning when he cancelled. I spent the morning hanging with the boy and the wife, and keeping the fire going. Great way to spend time, but I'm also running out of opportunity to put any doe meat in the freezer this year. This afternoon, I basically scouted for next year in the Pine Bush, checking out an area that I've always been curious to know more about. Lots of buck sign from this year, but I think that the resident buck was harvested. I got deep in the thick stuff, and while all the rubs were new-ish, there wasn't a fresh track in the two-day old snow anywhere. I also found some doe bedding and some isolated early season food sources. I hope that comes in handy next year. I saw no deer. One thing I want to address about the P-Run hunt. When I first started hunting, I pounded the woods, and would be in and walking around all day. At some point, I'd find a tree to lean against, and fall asleep. It seemed that I'd often wake up to deer, or other wildlife around me. So... while at P-Run, on Monday, I kind of nodded off intentionally, letting nature flow through me instead of inserting myself in it. It kind of seemed like the woods were more alive at that point. Maybe I was dreaming, but I thought I heard more birds, and generally just felt more of a part of the experience than an infiltrator trying to hide out. I woke up to a red squirrel trying to climb my tree and getting spooked by my eyes when we made eye contact. Fortunately the squirrel didn't cause a racket, which is rare with the reds. It just buggered off chittering every now and again. It wasn't long after that, that I thought I heard the deer coming along. I hope to be able to find that same peace I found in P-Run again. I've been feeling the pressure of not yet having meat in the freezer, and I'm not a huge fan of rifle season, and that peace is, if nothing else, a nice place to be.

Spent the afternoon in Partridge Run. Beautiful spot. No deer seen. Pretty sure one was walking up behind me, made me out (or scented me), and I could hear the hoof hitting the ground after leaps. That spot will be better from the ground, a different wind, and tucked closer to the marsh edge. I also think it’ll be better when the roamers need to look into other areas to find a willing doe. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Probably catch something, though. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

I feel like I’m hunting a needle in a haystack, and waiting for that needle to walk by. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Well, warmed up, stomach stuffed. Going to still hunt with a “curiosity” line dragging on the way back to my climber. Not many does around, it seems. I think three, and the rest are fawns. If yesterday’s activity is any indication, one mature doe is already wrapping up her breeding for the year, and may have that buck with her in lock down. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Warming up at the house in 4L... I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Dead here in 4L. Getting cold. Toes about done. I hold out a little longer, but then fuel up and think on the afternoon. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Had two bedded in front of me when I walked in. I was quiet getting up the tree, and the snow helped. They kept their eyes on me, but stayed put. Prior to first light, I killed the headlamp, and they buggered off. Tails up, slow trot, no blowout. Nothing after that. Someone turned on December.., I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Oatmeal and reheated coffee for me over here in 4L. Going to get the climber up a tree that I sat a couple nights ago. Hoping to catch one coming home, or cruising the lane. Go team! I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Live from Dad Duty. About an hour ago, in the back yard, a doe kinda ditches her fawns. I can’t help but watch from my windows. Both fawns perk up at the same, and look into the woods. I watch the doe wander off. 5 mins later, a 4 point is in the back yard, nose down on her track. Couldn’t bring the hunt to them today, so they treated me pretty good... ha. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

No movement here in 4L, but for a squirrel and an annoying chipmunk. Wind is still swinging around, undecided. A couple of snow flakes fell, and the oaks are finally letting loose their leaves. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

My stomach is not a buck grunt. My stomach is not a buck grunt. My stomach is not... I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

Up here in 4L, the wind is confused, so so am I. Finally decided to sit an area I haven’t sat in a few weeks, but deer have sometimes come in from behind me. Normally by this time of year, the ground is scraped up, and saplings are rubbed up. Nothing so far this year, though. Hope I don’t fall asleep to the sound of the creek. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk

I was thinking about heading in there for the 10-2 shift. Guess I won't be joining the army today. Thanks for the info... Good luck! Hope something walks your way!

BHA NY Pint Night! Please join the New York Chapter of BHA to hoist a pint for public lands Wednesday, December 5 at 5:30 p.m.at Newburgh Brewing Co. As are all of our Pint Nights, this will be a casual, fun way to meet fellow hunters and anglers, swap stories and learn about BHA and our mission to conserve public lands and waters. Bring interested family members, friends and co-workers, too. We’ll have BHA merchandise for sale and a special membership deal on tap! Learn more about BHA and the New York Chapter on the web here and on the chapter's Facebook and Instagram pages. https://www.backcountryhunters.org/newburgh_ny_pint_night WHEN December 05, 2018 at 5:30pm - 7:30pm WHERE Newburgh Brewing Co. 88 S Colden St Newburgh, NY 12550 United States CONTACT Todd Waldron · [email protected]

Set up about 100 yards away from last eve’s stand, close to where those doe came out of the pines. Same wind from the west, but a bit stronger, so let’s see what happens. Oh, and there appears to be a scrape under a pine licking branch. First sign of it being Bucky up my way in 4L. The dirt looks muddy. I'm all thumbs when using Tapatalk