stubborn1VT

The missus got it last weekend. Bad cough for a couple days and sore throat. No fever. I managed to avoid it. Still holding strong!

I realized that after. I think I could have saved the meat if I hadn't backed out. Spent many years training myself not to push deer. Probably tracked over 100 for me and my buddies growing up. I don't even know any real predator hunters back home. There are some near me. I live about 5 miles southeast of Fiddlehead brewery. But that's over an hour from Central VT. Sucks, cuz now I don't dare bowhunt that spot.

No kidding. All the old timer trappers I knew are gone. It's permission property an hour+ from my house. I've never amounted to much predator hunting. Mostly shoot them when I see them. It's VT, so no closed season on coyotes. It's almost exactly a mile from the family farm. I don't have tons of coyotes on those cameras. Hard to figure.

Shot a doe this morning. 30 yards. Slightly quartering. Shot looked, sounded good. Waited 25 minutes and got down. Couldn't find blood right away, but I saw where she left the overgrown pasture and went into the woods. Headed that way and it sounded like a herd of deer took off. I was confident in the shot. Found fantastic blood in the woods. 40 yards later I found a huge pool of blood and then a bloody bed. I didn't think I had kicked her up, but thought I chose to play it safe and backed out. My buddy came over to hang out and catch up. We went back in an hour and a half later. Blood trail was sparse, but pretty easy to follow. Coyotes beat me to her. Tore up both hind quarters, ate the liver and tore the stomach apart. I think backing out was the smart move, but it may have cost me the deer in the end. She ran another 100+ yards, more or less dead on her feet and dropped. No sign of a struggle. Entrance was 5" behind the shoulder and half way up. Exit was lower and 3 or 4 ribs from the back of the ribcage. Mad I lost the deer, but can't really say what I should have done differently. Ravens were having a field day carrying away meat and fat. Between work and weather I probably won't get out until next weekend. I have permission on 120 acres in that area, but I won't hunt it with a bow again. Congrats to everyone who scored.

John Wick carries around pockets full of gold coins, like Nomad. He isn't concerned with ammo prices - and he knows a guy.

Very clever. However, Wolc eats a whole lot of venison every year. Something to consider.

Good luck making the adjustment! Be safe in that unused stand.

Watched 6 does and a BB from the house this morning. No bucks. Waiting for an 8 pointer to show back up before I hunt here again.

We have ag around me. Deer eat rye in the winter and spring when it greens up before everything else. Won't touch it the rest of the year.

I have a community scrape that does check almost daily, even in February. Hoping to take advantage of this stable south wind this week. Hoping a buck moves back in and then I can get on him. I don't trust today's goofy wind: NE/light and variable, so I will just observe and hope to get out when it cools down a touch. I should look into a deer fridge maybe.

Before a snow. After a rain. Don't ask me why. Just my experience.

I admire your dedication!

I start with Weather underground, then NOAA, then Accuweather. I find Accuweather the least accurate for me. Example: 6pm today WU: 5mph SW, NOAA: 4mph SW, Accu: 15mph NW gusts to 25?

Good luck Doebuck. Fingers crossed for you. Agree with 6ish hours wait time. No fun, but it's a nice cool day. Find some way to occupy yourself. I'll be looking for pics later.

Good luck Chef. Good luck Phade and family. Good luck all who are out. It feels right with the temperature drop!

Up having coffee. Wrong wind to hunt here and wasn't prepared to head out to the farm. Good luck out there folks. I hunted here on the wrong wind last evening and the buck I'm after didn't come out. The weather is now forecasting (guessing) the right wind for this evening. I was planning on giving this spot a rest. Question: Do I go after him because I have the right wind? Or do I give it a rest, like I planned because he has some idea I'm hunting him. I never hunt a specific buck, but right now, this is the ONLY buck. Of course I can drive to the farm, cut wood for my brother, see my mom and try to shoot a doe. So far, there isn't a buck over there that get my juices flowing. Just wondering what the professionals think.

Talked myself into hunting here at the house. There's a nice buck coming out regular, but I need a south wind to hunt my best natural blind. Had a straight north wind, but convinced myself that he wasn't bedding in the scrub to the south of my plot. Think I was dead wrong. Zero deer. He's keeping all the local does out of the plot for the most part. Got about 90 pictures of him last week. Not a WNY monster, but a decent 3YO eight pointer. Kicking myself for not waiting for the right wind. Hopefully I didn't spook him out of his personal grocery store.

Just got a text letting me know that the farmer (my brother) is mowing the hay field I was going to hunt tomorrow PM. Better to know now. It's my best north wind spot, so I'll have to adjust to that. Perfect timing.

Not much left to do but load my pack. Half a day's work today, then head to the family farm to scout a little. I'm not super hopeful, but it will be good to be out. Weather looks right! Good luck all. It's almost here...

There's been a decent 8 point hanging around my place, but the wind is wrong for opening weekend. I'll head to the family farm and that neighborhood. Hunt an old pasture with some apple trees opening morning, just because it's the opener. Won't hunt mornings again until we get a cold front. I will head over Friday and scout a little. Pick out a spot for Saturday PM. Probably sit an observation stand on Sunday PM. Spend the rest of the weekend helping my brother with firewood. He's halfway done with the 14 cord he needs.

Glad you guys are back in action. Thanks for sharing your adventures!

He's not a legal spike. It would be more accurate to calI him anterless. Guess we'll each call them what we like. Free country and all.

If the one in the pic is not a button, then what do you call it? What is the average weight of a field dressed fawn in the NE? - cuz it isn't 85lbs. With my years of experience I will call a deer with buttons on its head a button buck, you know, because of the buttons.

Thanks for letting me know. Only been around whitetails for 40ish years!

I still have the buttons. They were way less than 3", so I wouldn't call him a spike. Very similar to the one in your pic.