stubborn1VT

That's rough Lomax, but it beats a bad hit. I imagine that buck is too distracted to even be seriously spooked. Keep after it!

The short answer is yes. The deer don't like to be around them. They eat alot of the same things, especially in the case of a clear cut, new logging. There can be some overlap, but they don't winter together.

Another blank. It felt right out there. My wind and thermals were good. I need a change of scenery, but not until it rains for 3 full days... A least I saw the same baby bunny from last night.

Sat on a stool in the edge of the corn for a couple hours. Saw a baby bunny and about a thousand birds. From time to time the deer at my house cross the road and are gone for a week or so. Usually I have an idea why. This time I haven't a clue. One deer on camera in the last 10 days or so. Hoping for a PM sit at the farm tomorrow.

We had our entire chimney rebuilt with a 6" liner for not much more than that. This was done by a friend's father, for cash. I do know that any kind of stainless stovepipe/liner has gone up incredibly in the past year or two. Seems high to me too. Good luck getting other estimates.

Good luck TF and everyone else who is out. Living through you all this morning. Dealt with an emergency vet visit/surgery/bill the last couple days. Hoping to get out this evening. I may also break out the tripod stool to get the wind in my favor.

Thanks Eddie!!! That's a classic.

Bobcats are not rare around here at all. One year I got some sweet pics in April of a tom following a female. I stalked as close as I could and used a 10x zoom. This is a pic I got on a little plot/clearing at my house. They are a neat critter.

Got out for a day of perch fishing on Wednesday. Filled a cooler, caught a few smallmouth, a skinny pike and an eel. That was a first. It didn't exactly fight hard, but it was heavy. Kinda wish I knew how to prepare one so I could give it a try. Might be my last trip out, only because it's deer season and the weather is getting right. Or I may see if I can fit in both. We'll see.

Then hunt with a .17. I have had good experience with a bigger caliber and a real bullet. Just reporting what I saw in person.

Varmint bullets are made to explode and fragment. I wasn't surprised at all. High velocity and a frangible bullet won't give you penetration.

I helped skin the buck. Bullets were outside the ribcage. The varmint bullet did what it was designed to do.

If I only took perfect broadside shots on feeding deer at 20 yards or less, I could kill deer with field points. I'm not totally against the .223. It just seems like it would be wise to at least use a bullet made for deer. I saw a nice Maine buck that took 3 bullets from a .270. One at 35 yards, one from ten feet and one at point blank. The only bullet to penetrate further than the hide was the last one. The hunter was using 130 grain varmint bullets in a legit whitetail caliber. But a dead deer is a dead deer, right? I know a guy who hunts with an AR in .223 with whatever ammo he has kicking around. He commutes in a 400 HP pickup. SMH.

Haven't seen my resident does at my place in over a week. Took advantage of the rain to walk out and check 3 cams. One with pics of said does on the 12th, one dead Tasco cam with no pics, and 2 nighttime coyote pics on the plot. The very last pic was a shooter (for me) at 10:49pm two nights ago. Maybe there's hope?

Good luck Rob!!!