adkbuck

Thanks to WNYBuckHunter for all his hard work and generosity. It was fun to participate in the contest!

Firewood is a topic near and dear to me GreeneHunter. Burning firewood will save you a lot of money even if you buy it already cut and split. If you can cut and split it off you own land all the better! I f you buy logs as mentioned earlier and cut and spit that is a great savings too. The newer wood stoves all have efficiencies over 80%. Additionally if you cut and split you will be "strong like bull" ...and I am not just talking about odor! I cut and split 14-15 face cords to heat the house. Additionally I cut and stack additional 8 face cords of mostly hardwood plus 3 or 4 face cords of soft wood and scrap lumber for the maple syrup evaporator. I still split by hand because it is faster than using a splitter. When I get really old I will probably get a gas powered log splitter. I score the really big logs with the chain saw first before splitting them with wedges and and a sledge. Most of the wood for the maple syrup operation is branch wood which I pickup off the forest floor which just has to be cut to 4' lengths and is usually small enough in diameter to not have to be split. The house wood I cut to 16 -20 inches. I use a big super sharp two bladed ax for the easy stuff and a 16 pound sledge and several wedges (including a grenade wedge) for the tough stuff. Landtrachunter has a bigger maple operation than mine and I am sure he has great wisdom in this area! As far as curing. The only wood that takes more than 6 months to cure well is hard maple (sugar maple and black sugar maple). Everything else cures well in 6 months. Sugar maple retains a lot of water so the longer it cures the better. A full year or more is good. If the maple you bought was standing dead timber then a shorter time curing is fine. Ash they say will burn well without any curing but I always try to get all our firewood to a moisture content of 20% or below. A lot of people burn wood that is too wet. Yes it will burn but.... As a result much of the heat generated is used to evaporate water, not to produce heat to warm your house or boil your maple sap. You can buy a reliable wood moisture meter for about $20. Basically it is a electrical conductivity meter calibrated for moisture content. Use it to monitor your firewood's moisture content. The important thing is to stack your fire so it gets plenty of air and sun. Its good to keep covered for the last 2 or 3 months before the heating season. The Cornell extension has some good info: http://ccetompkins.org/energy/heating-wood/storing-and-drying-firewood Our firewood is mostly Cherry, Birch, Beech. Maple, Ironwood, Ash, basswood and Aspen. Aspen and popple are not really hardwood but burn fast and hot and are still worth burning. The aspen I split and dry to use mostly as kindling for the house and as a main firewood for the evaporator. Finally a BTU rating chart which will give you a good idea of the relative heating value of various types of wood: http://worldforestindustries.com/forest-biofuel/firewood/firewood-btu-ratings/ Good luck. You are on the track to a new money saving activity and a great hobby!

I have read a lot of them. These three are definitely in the top tier. Good enough to be read over and over again.

Happy Birthday Wingnut! Wishing you all the best in the coming year.

Thanks Lawdwaz., You are on top of it as always ! I saw she checked in today. Hope she is well and having a happy day!

Happy Birthday Cynthia and Happy New Year!

Wooly, I've had my best luck with Irish Setter boots. They even make a special shed tracker boot: http://hunt.irishsetterboots.com/irishsetter-shoe/2845-irish-setter/2845-irish-setter-hunt-mens-hiker-greentan I have difficult feet to fit but the people selling irish setters at there smaller dealers have literally taken up to an hour to make sure I got boots that fit right and supported my feet properly. Stay away from the big box stores and go to a small local Irish Setter dealer and you will be happy with the results. Some of their hiking boots are made entirely in the USA but I think all of their leather uppers are still made in the US.

Click on Photo to make Lake Effect! May the Warm Winds of Heaven, Blow softly upon your house. May the Great Spirit, Bless all who enter there. May your Moccasins, Make happy tracks in many snows, and may the Rainbow Always touch your shoulder. ~ Cherokee Prayer Blessing

After I hung him up I took some photos of the last deer (shot on 7 December) that show the tag more clearly. I sent WNYBuckHunter some high res photos as well. A Happy and Healthy New Year to all.

Thanks guys. Something I forgot, which you guys I am sure already probably do. When you hang your deer get a pot of salt water and a clean cloth and wipe off the inside surfaces of the ribs to clean them up and remove the blood and residue from the field dressing. Not totally necessary but makes them a bit nicer. Pigmy! My hope for you is that you continue to hunt you way though countless more productive seasons in good health .....and that you consume untold numbers of tasty ribs!

Thanks Greg, They really are that good. For years I just discarded them because of the fat and tallow problem.

Although I eat almost anything until I started cooking ribs with this method Mrs.Adkbuck objected to the waxy tallow which seems to be inherent in deer ribs. There is a little more work involved in making deer ribs that are free from this waxy substance which can cling to you teeth or the roof of your mouth but its worth it. Here is what I do. 1. Cut your ribs to be 4 or 5 inches long and separate into sections of 2 or 3 ribs . For the top ribs include the part that has some loin meat left on it from when you pulled off the loins. Remove as much fat from the ribs as possible. For the bottom sections I just cut off them where they meet the brisket. Even after cutting of all the fatty meat there is a lot of hidden meat left to enjoy. 2. Place the ribs on a broiler pan that has holes or slots on it to allow the melting tallow to drip away from the ribs and collect in the bottom of the pan. 3. Turn the broiler of your oven on low. Place the ribs on the broiler pan at least 4 inches away from the flame. I think this will work with an electric broiler but I don't have any experience other than with a gas broiler. Keep the ribs under the broiler for twenty minutes per side or more until most of the fat and tallow have drained off. Be careful not to burn ribs. 5. Cook the ribs using your favorite rib recipes. I cook mine in a slow cooker with about 2/3 a of bottle of dinosaur BBQ sauce plus water to cover for 8 hours on low. I finish them in the oven at 250 degrees (one-half hour each side) basting with the remaining BBQ sauce. 6. The last few deer we did this way tasted as good as pork ribs. Thanks for reading. Good luck.

My Reasons for Being a Hunter: 1. Hunting keeps me out of trouble. (I am my own biggest problem and my biggest source of problems) 2. Hunting and time spent outdoors makes me the best version of myself and enables me to help and support others. 3. Hunting refreshes my soul. It brings me closer to God and increases my appreciation for those who I live with. Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn2_yZt0exU 4. Time in the wilderness or semi-wilderness restores my attitude and makes me understand my own smallness in the grand scheme of things. It reawakens a right sense of humility. 5. It is a ritual. Rituals are important for us and keep us focused on enduring values rather than the political noise and materialism of the modern world. 6. Hunting helps me supply my family with good food. Butchering and sharing my deer and small game is also an important part of the ritual and one that I savor. 7. It provides me with happy memories which give me peace and happiness. All hunts provide a sense of peace and joy, no matter the outcome.

Happy Birthday Bubba! Hope your day is as nice as can be!!! Since your birthday is so close to Christmas I had to include a little Holiday humor as a gift.

Hey there Machinist: Good question! I found this statement on every state forest I am familiar with: Permanent tree stands are prohibited. However, a tree stand or blind is allowed, provided that it does not injure any trees, is properly marked or tagged with the owner's name and address or valid hunting or fishing license number, and is placed and used during big game season, migratory game bird season, or turkey season, but no more than thirty days in one location per calendar year. See: http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/4081.html#12999 Sections w4 and w-5 - I would talk to a CO or phone the DEC to get more clarification because it wasn't totally clear to me. if I read it one way its says you can have a stand up during the big game season but then it says you are limited to a duration of 30 days. Was also discussed here: http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/6739-tree-stands-on-state-land/ In any event the guys leaving the stand up beyond the end of big game season are doing it illegally. They should also have there name, address and license number marked on the stand.

Personally I would get the 26 vent rib barrel and get a set of chokes (i.e. improved cylinder, modified and full, these will serve you for many different applications) plus a screw-in super full turkey choke (like an undertaker, there are several that will fit your shotgun). I would also get something like a true-glo sight that fits on the rib or alternatively get the guns receiver drilled and tapped for a low power scope. The wild turkey is such a fantastic game bird. Both you and the wild turkey deserve a solid reliable rig and the modest investment will serve you well over the years.

Hi Zeus, 1. I would recommend not going overly long on the barrel but I would recommend at least over 20 inches for your shotgun for balance, ventilated rib would be good. 26 inches would be fine on your shotgun. Put a true glo turkey sight (or similar) on the rib (they are designed specifically for ribbed shotgun barrels and are easy to install). 2. If I had to pick one call I would pick a slate call, it has brought in numerous birds for me each year. 3. Use full camo, move only when the bird can't see you and make sure you set up where you can see him coming. You don't want to be surprised or be in a situation where you have to move when a bird is almost on top of you. 4. Those places are good places in NYS too! 5. I like #5 shot the best. Seems to be the best of both worlds, pattern density and pellet energy/ killing power. 6. Patience and the ability to wait out birds kills more turkeys than anything else. Make sure you get a super full turkey choke. Take only head shots (body shots will only cripple a turkey). Use your calling to get him in close and don't shoot at ranges where the ability of your load makes killing the bird questionable. I try to get the in to at least 30 yards if at all possible. Very Important: Pattern your turkey gun and get it sighted in almost like you would with a rifle. You goal should be to cleanly kill the bird with shot in the head and neck getting little or no shot at all in the body. This will also make for a better bird on the table! Good luck.

Save a cape from another big deer (can be a future buck) or look around for one and have a shoulder mount made would be my recommendation. I just caped out one of the bucks I shot early in the season this year that had big head neck and shoulder measurements and am thinking of using it mount bigger deer I shot a few years ago when I didn't save the cape. Good idea! Good luck.

This is a very sad state of affairs in a very sad State (economically and politically). We are the only State in the Country that had the opportunity to create a booming new industry that would create real wealth (Shale Gas) but turned it down in favor of an industry that creates no wealth at all but only redistributes existing wealth. This State continues to run real wealth producing industries out of the state and over regulates farms and over taxes small businesses. Additionally, " the casino industry increasingly divides America into haves and have-nots. Those in the upper ranks of the income distribution rarely, if ever, make it a weekly habit to gamble at the local casino. Those in the lower ranks of the income distribution often do. Those in the upper ranks rarely, if ever, contribute a large share of their income to the state's take of casino revenues. Those in the lower ranks do." - David Frum, CNN Contributor, September 24, 2013 The State basically is making most of its money off the poorest people instead giving them an opportunity. Although a few will make it big the majority will experience a net loss and will be poorer for spending there days addicted to watching spinning visual displays on computer screens.

Landtrac, I'm real sorry you didn't find him sooner. You did your best and did all you could do. All you ever can do is the best you can do. But good you eventually found him. He was a great buck that touched your life. I'm sure you will honor him. Long live the spirit of that mighty whitetail!

Thanks Elmo, Good point. I found an interesting open letter to Obama from Australian Nick Adams, http://nickadamsinamerica.com/about-nick/ Dear Mr. President, You recently hailed “Australian gun laws”. In doing so: you praised a government for forcefully removing all semi-automatic firearms from its populace, you admired the banning and confiscation of guns. We expect to hear that from a European leader. But not you. You’re the leader of America: the world’s first free country, the nation that has inspired many to be free, that has protected the freedom of others, that has spread more freedom than any other. I am an Australian and I must set the record straight. The “success” of the 1996 Australian gun reform is a myth. The only thing achieved was to take away the guns of the law-abiding, leaving only the criminals armed. Is this what you wish for America? In Australia, if a citizen has firearms, the police have a right to search their property without a warrant any time. Does that sound like America? The laws you praise outlawed the Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun that my father played with as a child. Now you need a special permit, gun safe and serial number. For what? There are just as many guns on the street today. Gun crime is no lower. In Australia, mass shootings have been a rare event. If strict gun laws mean no massacres, explain Britain’s Cumbria shootings, Monkseaton and Dunblane. Or Anders Breivik of Norway? Gun laws achieve very little. Mass shootings are about illness, not guns. Any other so-called “gun issue”, if there are any, is related to the breakdown of the family, cultural decline and the age of entitlement. The Second Amendment defines American exceptionalism. It speaks to the character of America, and reflects why America is America. Civilian disarmament is based on the assumption that people are irresponsible (unless they work for the government). America was founded on the opposite premise. Don’t make America a namby-pamby society. The right to bear arms is not wrong nor unnecessary. It is: the greatest test of genuine freedom, the best protection of you, your family and your property, the ultimate deterrent against government overreach. The Constitutional right to bear arms is pivotal. The American idea is a value system. If you take away the guns of America, you take away America. Mr. President, your country is the one the world relies on. Right now, it is at a tipping point. Forget guns. Focus on: ending the waste, paying back the debt, limiting the government and axing political correctness. That’s how you’ll get America to boomerang. Your country is the greatest in the world, and respectfully, Sir, you should stop apologizing for it. Keep it up, and America will be just another European state. And that’s not good for anyone. Yours Sincerely, Nick Adams

Wow. You really deserve that buck. He is a beauty! To my mind there is nothing like a big ADK buck. I really appreciate you sharing some of the photos. I have had some luck with mock scrapes. It is really neat that you have photos of him using your mock scrape. I am throwback and haven't used trail cams yet. Job well done! Congratulations!

Giving up a day of hunting to help someone else is truly a generous and kind thing to do. Doing it to help a wounded veteran on the last day of the season was pretty special. Thanks!

Lucky Last Day I had a little extra luck on Sunday. I was hoping to get up to the Adirondacks for the last day of gun season but personnel circumstances prevented me from getting away. So I thought I would hunt locally although I hadn't seen a deer in the last two weeks. I wasn't able to get to my stand until 8:30, climbed the tree and pulled up my shotgun. Within 30 seconds of untying my shotgun from the haul line I heard something then saw a deer creeping through the brush about 80 or 90 yards away. The deer's track would result in a CPA of about 40 or 45 yards directly upwind of me if. I took the shot as soon as he walked into an opening. Photo below. Just lucky, pure luck. Not a huge rack but he had some heft. Right beam was partially broken off due to fighting. The phrase "timing is everything" comes to mind.