phillifan22

Thanks everyone! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last until 9 before my pops and I had to call it quite. Eyelashes turned into icicles. Saw 5 spooked deer running right to him at 730. He passed on all saying that 4/5 were skippers or small does. Last one was a huge antlerless deer that was grunting the whole time. He heard the grunting and thought there was a buck nearby but it was the big antlerless. By the time he realized the antlerless was making the noise he couldn’t get a shot off. Maybe a buck without antlers??? He said it wasn’t a doe grunt. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bright as hell walking in with this moon. Pretty sure deer in Florida heard me walking in on this frozen crunchy snow Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

7J: -2 F, real feel -5. SE wind at 2mph. Thankfully that’s not any stronger. Brrr. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

While I will not be out in the arctic air today, I will be out tomorrow morning when it is even colder (but a little less windy). Good luck to all those hunting today, stay warm, and Happy Thanksgiving!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pine Bush! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I got my first deer ever with the bow tonight in the pine bush. For some history, my dad introduced me to the sport of hunting when I was basically in diapers and I’ve loved it ever since. I got my hunting license and everything at 13 (although I may have partaken before that [emoji1]). So my first ever bow hunt at 13 years old I took a shot at a doe at 55 yds and missed low. Since then (I’m now 25) I have taken several deer with the gun, but each and every bow season I’ve gone without even drawing my bow back. Sure the years in college made it harder to hunt, but I still went a few times a year. After college I moved to the Capital district, which was just over two years ago. I hunted public land but work has got in the way of me hunting as much as I wanted to. Started hunting at the pine bush a few weeks back as I relocated from Clifton Park to Rotterdam. So today I went in for a mid-day hunt, and had to be home by 4 to start traveling back home for the holiday (Syracuse). I was starting to head out when I see a deer broadside at 20 yards. It’s facing away and I start to draw back and *snap* my string attached to my peep hole breaks, the deer doesn’t move (he was staring over a knoll which I think had a doe on the other side), so I do my best to put the sight behind the shoulder and let it rip. This was my first time shooting at a deer in 12 years with the bow. The deer runs about 10 yards, stops, and starts trotting over the small knoll before it sounds like it runs or crashes. Well s*** I thought I missed, deer didn’t act like it was hit. I walk over to where the deer was, no hair or blood, so I figure what the hell I’ll follow the tracks and see if I can catch up to him. I go about 20 yards following the tracks, and see this massive pool of blood. HOLY HELL I HIT IT! Then I look up and a foot away from the blood is the buck staring at me laying in a bush. Nearly jumped out of my pants! Did the old eye ball test and he didn’t budge. From shot to find was under 1 min. I started harvesting him (first time I’ve ever done this on my own), and found the disintegrated double lung and heart shot. Absolutely perfect, especially for the first shot in 12 years. Arrow went through and through but I hope to find it one day. I think I still have a little shake and adrenaline going now and this was 6 hours ago. God I love this sport. Patience always pays off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, just got done hanging up my first deer ever with a bow. Will post the full story in the harvest thread, but ive been bow hunting since I was 13. A 12 year drought, and even though he’s not as big as what was posted by others today, I’ll never forget it, and I still got the fever. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats! Glad to see your patience paid off!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was 15 in fact lol. Haven’t even seen anything like him since. Dressed out at 175#. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thursday and Friday look good weather-wise, but it is going to be COLD. Probably going out Friday AM of course. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This reminds me of my first ever (and still biggest) buck from 10 years ago, pic attached. He was following/chasing a doe, and I got a nice broadside shot at 25yds. Runs about 20 yards and crashes. I can see him laying there, not moving. The doe actually comes back to him, smells him and stands there. She leaves after a few minutes. I walkie to my dad saying big buck down. He tells me to wait, I’m just sitting there for 30 min watching this massive buck laying there, still hasn’t moved a muscle, meanwhile I’m shaking like crazy. I start walking up to the buck, about 5 yards away, gun on him, he still doesn’t move. Stand over him, still doesn’t move. Someone talks on the walkie, and it’s loud, the buck jumps up and takes off, I couldn’t get a shot off as he almost runs me over, and he luckily goes right to my dad, who finished him off. Don’t think I’ve ever got yelled at more in my life for not finishing off the deer when I had the chance. So now I do the old poke the eyeball test. Needless to say I certainly learned my lesson and won’t ever forget it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice deer! Rack certainly doesn’t match the body Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like beaut! Congrats!!! Pretty with the fresh snow too Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow. That was a top 5 all time NFL game for me. Just brainwashed for 4 hours. I feel like anyone who watched that game deserves a paid day off tomorrow. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk