stubborn1VT

Maybe not so much after they are field dressed, but it's not true at all before that. With the circulatory system intact, but the heart stopped, the blood will indeed pool.

Time for more logging? Patch cuts will produce food and cover. If I had my choice I would do a bunch of 1/4 to 1/2 acre patch cuts. Then I would plan my stands based on access and dominant winds. Then I would pick out a few of the cuts and turn them into plots. I would use tops and a bit of hinge cutting to make bedding cover. Easier said than done, I know. It would be a fun process. I agree. Deer are more nocturnal and harder to hunt than they were 10-15 years ago. I saw tons of deer as a teenager. Now it's just first and last light, before storms, and the occasional cruising buck. I got gear so I can sit more hours. It works for me, but can be a grind for sure.

Don't tell a forensic scientist that. He might actually set you straight.

Shouldn't be enough of a concentration in the mouse/rat/squirrel to hurt another, larger animal. I get what you're saying, but don't believe it. Better safe than sorry. Also, poisoned animals seek out water and shouldn't stay in the cabin. I don't use poison at my house, but have plenty of experience with it at the dairy farm I used to work at.

Yep. I use those black plastic traps that have jaws on them. Get them at Tractor Supply. The brand name is Tom Cat. They're reliable and easy to set. Also had luck with rat poison in bar form. Tom Cat also makes that. Good luck with the destructive little bugger.

Actually, I managed to pace myself really well. I didn't have to drive anywhere, so I sipped on Crown, snacked on venison summer sausage, ate venison chili, and had a couple beers too. Eggs, toast, and some bacon from my buddy's last pigs for breakfast in the morning. All good!

I celebrated my rifle buck by drinking Crown & ginger at my buddy's deer camp for the rest of the day/night. Good times!

I was looking for Turkeyfeathers in a bunny suit!

Finally got it done here in Vermont on a "half rack" 4 pointer. Long shot with the 7mm Rem Mag. I'm awfully glad to have him. Now I have to wait for our muzzleloader season. Guess I will do some work between now and then...

I shot my deer rifle out of a 4x6 enclosed blind once. I thought I might never be able to hear again. The sound is way worse for me than the felt recoil. Good luck with the young'n. Any time you can spend outdoors together is priceless and worth the effort. Best of luck!

I have seen it before. 3 or 4 years ago I shot a 5 pointer in the snow. Only half an inch of snow, but the ground was totally covered. Broadside shot. Blew out both lungs with a 150 grain softpoint out of a 7mm Rem Mag. The buck went about 100 yards and never left a drop of blood before piling up. I didn't find blood or hair at point of impact either. Crazy. The holes were halfway up the ribcage, and the lungs were liqueified.

I shot Remington in my deer rifles as a younger man. I think the quality of their ammo has changed for the worse over the years. My 7 Rem Mag no longer shoots Coreloks well, and I switched over to Federals. Since then I have had no problems with consistent accuracy.

Honda motors really are the bee's knees. My Troybuilt splitter and Cub Cadet tiller both have what we call "Chondas" on them. That's a Honda clone that is made in China. They seem to be built cheaply, but I can't say that I've seen any difference in performance. They are quiet and way more fuel efficient than the older Briggs and Tecumsa motors I have run. A splitter that will work vertical, as well as horizontal, is nice. I don't consider it a key feature for most people. Ethanol is indeed a killer in any small engine. I'm a believer in Sea Foam and Stabil fuel treatments, especially in anything that is going to sit idle for any amount of time.

I have a Cub Cadet tiller and it is identical to an MTD. I've run both brand of splitters, and I didn't notice much of a difference. I've been pretty happy with the MTD stuff I have owned and run over the years. To each his own.

I have the Troybuilt and it works fine. To the best of my knowledge, the Troybuilt, Cub Cadet and many others are all made by MTD. They're just different colors. You have all kinds of choices for under $2000. I have ran most brands, and none of them stand out to me. I split about 30 cords a year, and do about 10 of that with the Troybuilt. The rest gets done with a splitting maul. If you buy one new, it should last you "forever" or until you get sick of burning wood.

Positive thoughts to both Judy, and yourself Reeltime. Take care.

Browning A bolt synthetic in 7 Rem Mag w a Bushnell Elite 3200. No issues with keeping that scope clear!

Most of my blinds have been pretty waterproof. I had a Primos Predator Den that was very tight. It was made of way heavier material than most blinds. My Ameristep is thinner, and has more pinholes, but it still did a good job of shedding water. Only a few drips. I believe they make blaze orange caps that go on top of the blind. I don't hunt public, so I haven't really consider being seen by hunters. My buddy hangs his vest on a nearby tree.

As Culver suggested, you need to find a spot that is protected from the worst of the wind. I bought real tent stakes to pin my blinds down, and I'm pretty sure it would stay put in 50mph winds or better, as long as it wasn't out in the open.

I love my Bushnell Elite rifle scopes. They have Rain Guard in the lens coating. I don't even use scope caps. Unless I fill the bell of the scope with snow, I can see through it. I haven't had it fog either. Not the brightest or fanciest scope, but it has saved me alot of headaches because I can see through it under almost any conditions. I will be putting up a ground blind in the cedars for the weekend. I will just wipe down my rifle and dry it out. I don't worry about oiling it until after the season.

No deer. Sat in my little woodlot at home. Checked cameras on the way in. Grainy, far away picture of a nice 6 pointer from 8:00 this morning. See if tomorrow is a wash. At the very least, I can look out the picture window and keep an eye on the back pasture. 5 days, 41 hours, 8 deer.

I really shouldn't complain. I'm lucky to have time to hunt. The fact that the power company is working in the middle of the home farm during rifle season has me torqued. It's my best spot. I set up my schedule, did my scouting, and thought I could just put in my time and be successful. Found out last week they would be there Mon-Fri. I either need to adjust to them loading and dumping 5" stone in the back of track trucks, or just move. The deer aren't used to it yet. They get there and start at 7am sharp and work til dark. Trying one of my lesser spots this morning. Apologies for my rambling. Nobody else is awake here, and they wouldn't want to listen to me if anyhow.

Abuse is right Cabin. My two best spots are plagued with heavy equipment. Only saw 1 skipper yesterday. Walked around in the new snow. The tracks proved that the work on the power company has pushed the deer off, or the outside edges of the farm. I tried another spot and the neighbor fired up his backhoe for the last 2 hours of daylight. He was only a couple hundred yards away, but I told myself the deer are used to it. Didn't see a thing, but two more scrapes had popped up overnight. I'm not up to 57 hunts, but I'm using a rifle for Pete's sake! Any legal buck is fair game. 4 days: 34 hrs hunted: 8 deer. Still haven't seen a deer after 8:30 am. I plan to hunt a few hours this morning, scout another spot or two, then head home from "camp" and recharge on Thursday when it rains. 12 more days for me. Good luck all.

2nd cup of coffee. Trying to convince myself to sit my new hardwoods stand. I haven't seen a deer out of it yet. There are beechnuts there, and I can see well with the snow, but I don't feel like it's a high percentage spot. Keep trying to tell myself that things change, deer move, bucks cruise. I will probably sit a couple hours then walk around and look for sign in the fresh snow. I'm a terrible still hunter, but maybe I can stumble on some sign that will put me in the right spot for later on. 3days: 26 hours on stand, 7 deer.

Another day. Had a doe and fawn come through at 15 yds early. I still haven't seen a deer after 8:30am in the last 3 days. Getting discouraged. We got enough snow to make the woods white, but there was nothing moving this afternoon but squirrels. I couldn't make myself sit all day. Came out and had lunch at my buddy's camp. I'm hoping that this slow spell is a result of lockdown, but who knows. It could have something to do with the excavation crew working on the powerline at the farm. Hopefully I can post some good news in the next few days. Right now things aren't looking so great, but all I can do is keep grinding...