WNYBuckHunter

Well my night got worse. I set my phone down after I posted and saw a buck working my way, along the same trail as the does. I checked him with the binos, it was a buck I call Tank. He’s a big 3 or 4 year old mainframe 8. He got to the tree before where the doe stopped and he stopped as well, as the combine was making another pass. I had my bow up and ready to draw. Just needed a few more steps, but he turned around and trotted off. Soon after that, the farmer parked the combine and left. Rough evening. I’ll be right back in there in the morning. Checked my camera and have pics of him there every evening and most mornings for almost a week. Hopefully I get a crack at him tomorrow.

Well just had 2 big doe come in on the trail they always use. Got my bow ready, first one needs 3 more steps to be broadside in my lane at 20. Getting ready to draw....combine comes along. Does turn tail and walk back into the woods. Ugh.

Well combine doesn’t matter. 3 year old buck just stepped out and made a scrape about 80 yards away.

Not unless you hunt in Richmond. Funny thing is, there’s standing corn on the other side of this farm too.

I’m sitting right inside the wood line from where they’d be watching from, facing into the woods. That’s kinda what I’m hoping for.

I’m actually in doe or turkey mode today. Not that I wouldn’t stick one of my hit listers if he came by. The deer are used to the equipment but they don’t generally head out to feed while it’s running. Still might see some activity through this transition area.

Sigh....

I got to my spot an hour and a half ago, hopped in the stand and 10 mins later the farmer shows up with the combine. Beans are coming out. I hope he gets finished up for the day soon and it doesn’t ruin my hunt. Oh well, guess it’s the price we pay to hunt big ag areas.

sounds like the exact same thing I have seen. Ill let you know

Shockwaves and SSTs are the exact same bullet lol. Traditions also markets it. I have had issues with both of them. They are both super accurate, but the bullet goes in, small hole, comes out, small hole. Not much if any blood, deer run 70 - 100 yards, then blood everywhere and dead deer within 10 to 20 yards. I have had it happen at long range (200 yards) and short range (20 yards) on bucks, and everywhere in between on does. Unless you get a head shot, its almost the same scenario every time. Shoulder shots and vitals. Typically a shoulder shot will take them off their feet, but I always have them get back up and run. I do not run a super hot load either. I need to sight my ML back in this year after replacing the scope, so Im going to go ahead and switch bullets as well. Ill be trying the Barnes and Federal bullets to see which one gives me better accuracy.

Ive had them in range everytime I hunt one particular stand so far this year. I will be in that stand this weekend for sure. We have a couple of real big toms and a ton of jakes hanging around. Hopefully Ill put a Rage through one.

If you ever want to unload that million pound slicer, let me know. Im looking for a bigger one than what I have now.

I havent perfected smoking it yet, and my smoker just took a crap so it will be a while before I try again.

Good luck out there today guys. In my neck of the woods, things are starting to fire up. Between the drive home last night and heading to work this morning, I had 5 young bucks blast across the road in front of me. One of them this morning chased a doe right in front of me. Its still gonna be a bit before the big boys join in, but the little ones are always fun to watch. Ill have my butt in the stand tomorrow afternoon.

Looks pretty good. I cleared out most of the roasts in my freezer about a month ago and made a bunch of jerky. I am not a fan of using ground for jerky, I like whole muscle cuts. If I wanted beef jerky, Id make it out of all beef, If I want venison jerky, its all venison. Ive gotten mine pretty much down to a science at this point. First, I do not use those premade seasoning packets EVER. They are horrible. I have a few recipes that originated from a website thats no longer around, and Ive modified them slightly to suit my taste. I always use the freshest seasonings as possible along with sea salt instead of table salt. I use a slicer to cut the meat into 1/4" thick slices. Make sure you pay attention to the direction of your slicing. With the grain of the meat is going to make for a tougher, more chewy piece of jerky. If you cut across the grain of the meat, it will be easier to chew. Its much faster and easier to slice if you thaw the meat, then put it back into the freezer for 3-4 hours to firm it back up a tad, but not completely freeze it all the way through. Once you have your slices, set them aside, get a large mixing bowl and mix up the marinade. Put the slices in the marinade, making sure that they are all fully immersed in the liquid. Put a cover on it and let it sit in the fridge for 2-3 days. I use an older, round type dehydrator, where you stack the trays on top of one another. Do not let the slices touch each other and make sure theres room for air to move through each tray, meaning dont completely cover each tray. 6 hours is the magic number for most of the slices. To avoid some getting too dry, youll want to shuffle the top trays to the bottom at the half way mark. When I make large batches, Ill break each one up into 2 lb portions and vacuum seal the ones I wont be using right away.