stubborn1VT

I knew you hadn't got a deer in awhile. Don't add bad juju to the mix too!

While I appreciate your dad's sentiment, I would avoid a gun that grandpa didn't kill a deer with. That's just bad juju. Good luck either way!

Only cover I ever had leaked. No go for me. Open bed AND a cap. The simple fix for me is to just have two trucks!

Tractor with a bucket 100%.

I had only seen 3 poults until a few weeks ago. Once we got some rain they started getting out in the hay fields (like on a normal year) around here. I would say they were on the small side, but at least I am seeing some. I have been driving 1+ hour to our family farm in Central VT and there are plenty of poults there. I counted 2 hens with 19 poults in one field. My brother says there are at least 3 flocks like that on the farm.

IMO people don't think about broadheads enough. There are tons of variables. Some questions to ask: Is it sharp out of the package? Will it hold together when it contacts bone/ribs? Will it be sharp after hitting hide/meat/bone? Will it give me a pass-through? Will the blades deploy correctly when shooting at an angle? Will it fly like my field points? Will it require a bunch of tuning to make it fly? The only way to be confident in a broadhead is to use it and get good results. That's just trial and error, unless you have done some research ahead of time. I think it is a gross oversimplification to just screw on any old broadhead and expect it to do what you want.

I imagine either one would work. They should both hold scent. I put mine up with gloves on. Good luck with them. I'm hoping to put up one or two more in the next week or so.

I have been using grape vine for at least 5 years with good success. I checked one vine that has been in place for 4 or 5 years. I haven't had to replace it. I put up two vines and 3 cameras yesterday. I cut a piece as big around as my finger and 3-4 feet long and attach it to a limb with a couple zipties. I hang them so they are around waist height or a little higher. I'm always impressed with the bucks that check them in the late season. I would post pics, but I don't have any on this laptop.

Very few apples here. Might be a late frost, but we've had drought conditions for months too. Bad combination. I will have to check some trees on the farm when I go this weekend.

Location makes sense. I do think that a smaller, more tender plant makes some difference. Nature is funny though and it's cool to see new things. Sounds like you guys adjusted and took advantage.

I think it's a pretty safe bet that a heavy arrow with a stout cut-on-contact gets through the shoulder well enough to do the job. Just my opinion.

I think you are on the right track with your thinking. Stats collected from deer search around the country show a higher recovery rate for fixed blades over mechanicals and much higher recovery for pass-throughs vs one hole. Everything works on a great shot and Rage can be devastating. I really agree with the idea that with better penetration you would have recovered some of those deer. Many of us bow hunters have learned lessons the hard way. Sounds like you are trying to learn from your experiences. Good luck making improvements. I keep coming back to deer I hit in the shoulder blade with mechanicals that I shouldn't have lost. A well built cut on contact, like a Magnus would have done the job. These were shots under 30 yards with heavy aluminum arrows. Now I know better.

Interesting, but hard to compare. Annuals like radish are very good at growing in a hurry. What Phade saw was probably a case of smaller plants being more pallatable. What you saw was perennials that are slow to establish. I agree that September 30th is pretty late. It really does depend on what you plant though. Lots of farms plant cover crops after harvesting beans and corn. The potato farmer across from my mother's planted winter wheat or rye in October. It had a bunch of deer on it until the snow got deep and then again when it greened up in the spring.

Got some of my tilling done. We got enough rain so it isn't dusty, but the 30 year old sod could use some time to rot down before I till again. I will plant turnips and radish next time there is rain in the forecast. Pretty excited that I will be doubling my plots from half to nearly a full acre. It is all planted in strips. Two strips of clover, a strip of field corn, a strip of turnips and two strips of oats/winter peas. Oh, and a strip of goldenrod and green ash saplings left for cover, as well as 8 small apple trees that I planted. I don't hunt here much at all, but I'm hoping it will give me a place to watch deer before work. Also, it would give my father-in-law a place to go when his other spots get over-run with people. He's a good guy and if he gets a deer he gives us 90% of the venison. I checked a couple cameras in the woods. Just a couple does, fawns, a spike horn and a half-rack with just a fork on one side. Looking forward to that first week in November when the bucks start cruising here.

I used to plant August 1st, but now prefer to plant later. I have been waiting for rain and parts to get mine in. If everything goes right I will plant turnips/radish in the next day or so. Will wait a little longer to plant my winter peas, as they hate dry, hot conditions. I would also wager that our first frost date will be on the late side, so there is plenty of time for growth. As for growing bulbs, apply something besides N (urea). The nitrogen sure helps with leaves and tonnage, but really hurts the growth of the turnip itself. Adding some triple 15 or 19 would help your bulbs. Hope the plot turns out good for you.