stubborn1VT

Columbus can pound sand. Why can't we celebrate the Vikings?

Was 62 with a nice SE breeze. Sat in the hedgerow and ended up with deer in my lap. Didn't have the greatest day, so it was fun to watch does and fawns eat brassicas and clover. The fawns got within 10 feet. Last year's fawn picked me off at about 15 feet, but they never had my wind, so she just stomped and blew and head bobbed. Big mama stayed back at first. Could have shot her 3 times by the time they filed out of the plot. It was awesome to see them up close, but I feel kinda dumb for spooking them. Ah well. Hopefully make it to the farm tomorrow.

Good luck to everyone who is out. I'm moving slow after watching the Sox tee off on Tampa Bay. Congrats Upstate! Hoping to do something similar to Grampy once I get some firewood delivered and a few other chores taken care of. Check some cams and move a stand or two. Get ready for cooler weather. I totally understand the deer are out there in this warm weather, but hunting is supposed to be fun. Sweating and slapping skeeters isn't fun for me. I'll hold out until cooler temps. That'll give me and the deers some urgency!

You don't need a dripper IMO. You do need to do it where deer are passing through regularly and you do need a licking branch of some kind.

Good luck out there everyone! I'm hoping to use these warm days to catch up on work. Been working 2 jobs since March but Monday was my last day. Now I'm free to just run my own business.

Thanks guys. I really enjoy watching the critters and I'd like to think it helps them a little in the winter. I also planted it for when I can't make the hour+ drive to the family farm. I'm really curious if the deer will figure out the milo as a food source. It always surprises me when the deer walk though/past nice brassicas to get to grass and clover that I mow 3-4 times a summer. Here is a pic of my spot in the hedgerow and the buck I took last year.

A few pics of the plot at my house. Weedy corn with decent ears, test strip of grain sorghum (milo) with seed heads, brassicas that were seeded a bit too heavy, a strip of clover that the grass is taking over, and a wet spot with 2" of standing water. Total size is almost an acre. For now the resident does and fawns are feeding on grass, clover and trefoil. Things will really pick up when the cold weather hits. The corn and milo act as a screen to hide the deer from the road, but it makes it harder to spot them from the house. It does make them more comfortable in daylight. I have a spot cut out in the north hedgerow where I can sit against an ash and cover a good area with the crossbow. I shot my 8 point there last year. I also have a homemade blind in some cattails with a shooting bench in it. My father-in-law sits there sometimes. Before gun season I mow a lane through the corn and milo so that I can cover the whole plot with a rifle. It's only 120 yards to the woodline. Last year I burned my one buck tag (stupid new law in VT) on October 12, so mostly watched the plot from my livingroom. Hopefully my FIL will spend a bit more time here during rifle season. I would like to see him tag a nice buck that we can recover with the tractor.

Those pesky Red Sox! (I don't think the Sox ran the bases better. I just think that the Yanks ran then as poorly.)

How many LH hitters get to that 97 mph FB and hit it out? Shwarber is something else...

Both the Sox and Yankees were 8-11 vs the Rays this season, so I don't get that feeling at all. The Rays win without star power. I feel like the Jays could destroy any team including the Rays, while the Sox and Yankees seemed to limp into 91 win finishes. Guess we'll see.

They won 100 games in a division with 3 teams that won 90. That should count for something. They score runs (don't ask me how) and they've always had strong pitching. I think they can be beat, but I think they are a pretty remarkable team. I'm not a fan, but it's hard to argue with their results.

I am awfully fond of my 7mm Rem Mag. So far, I have had a very good run with my crossbow. Both. Anything but a muzzleloader. I haven't enjoyed using a smokepole very much.

Quick sit here at the house. Just a little rain shower and not many mosquitos. No deers though. Figures, since I've seen them from the house 3 days in a row.

I watched a 4 pointer walk through my plots and into a 25 yard wide strip of grass/clover yesterday. I have a very reliable camera on that spot. When I walked out to check the camera mid-day there was one pic taken at that time and no deer in the frame. Goes to show you how much cameras miss. They are good entertainment and CAN give you useful information, but they aren't a flawless way to monitor your hunting spots. With that said, I am guilty of waiting for bucks to show on my cameras before I hunt an area.

Was grabbing some stuff out of the truck and a 4 pointer came out in the plot at the house. He wandered around in the grass and clover for 5 or so minutes, made a loop and left. Just a little guy, but good to see!

Caught this on a salmon spoon in Champlain yesterday (bow opener). Wind was wrong for my best stand so I went fishing

Wind and rain here in the 802. Temps this week have me interested in hunting, but 4 days of rain will keep me out of the woods. Next to no bucks on cameras any how. Good luck to everyone out there. I am going to try to force myself to kill a doe for the first time in 10 years, so we'll see how that goes.

What is a greasable bearing? We call those sealed bearings "forever" bearings because that's what the engineers must think. It blows my mind.

Nothing here at the house but some does with fawns. Supposed to shower/rain tomorrow. I may run and check 5-6 cams at my other hunting spots. They've been soaking for a month, so hopefully there's something good!

A peep is the rear sight.

31 years for deer. A few years of squirrels and woodchucks before that.

Agreed Crossbows don't go bang. They don't kill in the same manner as a firearm. They are archery equipment. I'm not saying that using a crossbow is "bow hunting", but to equate them firearms isn't logical.

Just a suggestion (in case your plots don't grow to their potential), overseed with a combination of winter wheat and winter rye. Good luck with your plots and congrats on the land purchase!

I did a big azz tree job for some nice folks. Gave them a good deal on the tree which was close to their house/deck, chicken coop and propane tank. Had to rope and pull and cut and chip and haul. They gave me a grocery bag of golden beets, so I'll be pickling up a quart or three tomorrow.