cprsailor

Finally got out yesterday. Only my second season with the bow. Saw about 4 doe early and then this guy walked up and stopped broadside at 22 yards. I made a decent shot and we found him 45 minutes later. Not a monster by any means but what a rush it was calling him in, settling my nerves, and making the shot. It was more satisfying for me than the 160 I took a few years ago with my shotgun. Good luck everyone.

I've been really lucky in that both my daughters enjoy going in the woods with me. My oldest (10) has been with me when I've taken a couple nice deer and my youngest will be going out with me this year. Since they were young, the wife and I simply tell them no TV and no video games during the week. They never became "addicted." If they are bored, they ask to go in the car so we can go look for deer. They keep a running total of the number they spot. They enjoy the Dad time and I love spending time with them doing what I love. I hope it continues.

I agree that the Motorolas work well. I had a pair of the Midlands with the 36 mile range but they cut in and out and the mic on the earpiece was garbage so I took it back.

The same people who are shooting towards movement or sound are the same ones who will shoot first and count antlers later. You can't legislate common sense.

Great looking deer and very nice mount. I've never gotten mine back in less than 6 months. That's great service. Congratulations!

Hunting is my cold weather activity. I only fish during the summer when I can get out on the lake and enjoy those few months of nice New York summer weather.

Wow. That's another dream buck. There have been some nice ones taken this year for sure!

Very cool looking rack. Do you have any idea how much he weighed or how old he was?

Great post! I am in the process of trying to figure out which mounting kit to use and this really helped. After looking at your pics and reading your directions, I'm confident that this is definitely a doable task. Thanks!!

Well, I filled my regular season tags on Opening Day and I have been waiting to get out with my ML. Finally got out today. I was sitting for about two hours in my favorite stand that sits on the edge of a swamp and about 65 yards inside the woods from a large field. After seeing a yote and a few young deer, I saw a nice doe heading out of the swamp. She had her tail up and was looking over her shoulder. I had been out several times since opening day of shotgun and saw a decent 9 following does. As luck would have it, he was hot on her trail. The rut may officially be over but this guy was either in his second rut or didn't get enough the first time around . He was walking toward me and then hung a quick left and was heading back into the hardwoods. I pulled up my ML and waited for my spot. As he passed between two saplings he stopped to look around. I fired, lost him in the smoke, and then turned and saw him running about 50 yards from where I had shot. He slowed down, stopped, wobbled, and went down right there. More venison in the freezer and a successful season for sure.

I shot a buck one time that dropped in his tracks with a shot that was a through and through (double lung shot). As I prepared to drag him out, I saw my slug laying on top of the grass right next to him. If the the slug expends all its energy in the animal with just enough to punch out the other side, I would consider that just about ideal. Of course, the slug needs to travel through some vitals for that to be the case.

Doc- That's probably the most plausible explanation. The simplest usually is.

Maybe this guy only got 18 lbs of venison off his deer. That would make it a small deer but much more believable than a total weight of 18lbs. According to my processor, you typically get about 40% of the total weight in venison. That would make the deer around 45-50 pounds. Just a guess...

Very nice buck and great job with the story. Patience pays off. That's why we sit out in the cold for hours at a time. Those few seconds of glory make it all worth it!

Beautiful buck. Where were you in Chautauqua County? I grew up down there and used to hunt around Silver Creek, Forestville, and occasionally in Ripley.

Thanks. I should have included that it was taken with a Remington 870 at about 65 yards. Inside spread was 21.5 inches. I have it mounted but have not scored it yet.

Opening Day, 7:25am, in Wyoming County (9H).

Your heart had to be thumping on that one! Great job. That's the buck of a lifetime!!! ;D

Great success story. Keep up the good work.

It's been a feast or famine season in 9H. I filled my tags early this season, but I have spent a little time walking my property over the last three weeks. For the last two weekends, it was like every deer I had seen just disappeared. Nothing. Not a track to found. I could totally sympathize with those who have had similar experiences. Yesterday, there were highways all around. I saw at least 10 doe, 1 small buck and 1 nice high 9 pointer that seemed to still be in the rut as he walked with his nose to the ground trailing the does. He walked within 30 yards of me as I stood against a large Oak tree. He never made me. I'm hoping he hangs around for ML. If not, I'll be looking for him next fall!

Please give us an update on your search. Good luck!

Nice late season buck. Great job! Persistence definitely pays off in this sport!

It's not about whether this guy's an alcoholic or what he should do to keep warm. Bottom line is, as a hunter you have a responsibility to yourself and others in the woods. There would be no question of right or wrong if the situation was "my buddy likes to keep a flask in his car to take a nip now and then because his heater doesn't work and he gets cold." That would be considered irresponsible and illegal. You can't legislate common sense so don't blame NYS. Tell him to save it for when he's safely home or back at camp after the hunt.

I had a similar incident while hunting on private land. I knew where the others in my party were and they knew where I was. I happened to be in a ground blind watching a well worn trail. As I watched a big 6 walk out of the creek bottom and up the trail, I raised my muzzleloader. At that point I saw another guy stand up in full camo, 75 yards away, and take aim at this deer. Unfortunately, he was also aiming in my direction. I waved and yelled. The deer, of course, took off. This guy had the balls to come up to me and complain because I ruined his shot. He said he'd been tracking this deer for 2 miles and that was the reason he was on our land. However, there was fresh snow on the ground and I went back and followed the tracks for about 500 yards. No blood or anything else to indicate it was hit. I could also see where he had cleared out a spot at the base of a tree to sit and it was obvious he had been there for a while. It's guys like this that can give the rest of us a bad name...if they don't kill us first.

Took my 9 year old daughter out for the first time on opening day of shotgun (11/20). Not being accustomed to a 4am wakeup call, she was falling asleep in the stand when this 8 point walked 55 yards in front of us. I let her "grunt" to stop him and I made a nice lung/heart shot for a quick kill. We ended up filling all of my tags yesterday with two nice size does. What a way for a kid to experience a day of hunting!