stubborn1VT

Update to my trip to the family farm in central VT. Got there around lunchtime, caught up with my brother, did some walking and checked 4 cams. I was a bit discouraged by the lack of buck sign. Based on what I had on cameras, I climbed a stand near the top corner of a hay field. I felt like I was too far from the action, so I climbed down and worked my way up a drainage ditch. Set up behind a couple piece of telephone (power) pole right off the field edge. The way they were stacked they acted as a bench rest for my xbow (VT!). I had two shooting lanes through the tall grass that would give me a 25 yard shot. There was a light north wind that kicked west every so often. The wind must have dried out the leaves, because I could hear a bunch of deer at 5:45. They took their time making their way to the field. By then the wind had died and my scent was falling down the ditch and down the hill. A big doe stepped out and I could see her big head and long nose through the tall grass. I waited another minute or two and she stepped into my shooting lane. A solid rest and short yardage allowed me to make a pretty much perfect shot. My brother always goes with me when I track on the farm. We drove his pickup to the top of the field and found amazing blood at impact. She went 50 yards at most. She weighed an even 120 on my brother's scale. I slept in the next morning and visited family. I scouted mid day and found a scrape line, including one that was smoking fresh. Didn't see anything on my evening sit. Had dinner with my mom and came home. Congrats to all that connected. I will be back after a buck after this weekend of rain.

Loaded up my gear and a cord of wood for my brother. Headed to the farm for the rest of the day and tomorrow. Work, weather and an emergency with one of our pets has kept me out of the woods. I will go check the few cams I have running and look for fresh sign. Bringing a new cam to hang on the freshest sign. I'm hoping to see some pre-rut action. There is a bit of nervousness at my house over the state of our venison supply, so I may take a doe if I get a clear opportunity. Good luck to everyone.

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!!!

Made the hour drive to the farm. Forecast was for 20% showers. I got rained on twice, of course. The wind and temp drop made it feel frigid. Gotta toughen up! I did end up seeing a little button buck. Now I'm back home watching the Sox put up runs against the Asterisks.

Sat for a couple hours. Nice temps, not much wind. Not a good wind for me, but the temperatures made me want to sit. Only my fourth sit this season. Saw a couple red squirrels and a flock of chickadees. Next to nothing on my cameras. Rain started on the walk out. Hopefully head to the farm for an afternoon hunt tomorrow.

Another grand slam!!! GO RED SOX,.

Nice to have a buck like THAT to think about when you head out to the stand. Good luck!!!

Yesterday's haul. Super nice day to fish on Champlain. Calm, upper 60s, not too sunny. My buddy is a guide and sent me some numbers to check, so I can't take full credit. I did manage to catch them once I reached the waypoint. Baited my own hook and everything!

Glad you had some action. That's a nice looking buck. I especially like how he posed for the camera!

Breaking out the Halloween candy to try and fool the bucks into thinking it's late October/early November. Genius!

I will take cut corn over standing corn any day. The only thing I like standing corn for is screening.