stubborn1VT

X2 Nothing wrong with killing them. Doesn't hurt to show some respect for the animal. First picture wasn't awful, but the last one?

Awesome! Congrats to you both. Looks like a good one. I love it when a plan comes together.

I put my ladder stands in clumps of trees where they don't stand out so much. I have one that sticks out when the maple leaves drop. Thinking of "wrapping" it with camo netting next year. I didn't get to it early enough this year, so I won't bother. Ladders seem safe to me, easy to get into, and sturdy. All mine have flip-up seats. Killed both bucks out of ladders last year. A 16 footer, no frills & a 22 foot double rail.

I don't mind sitting for hours, but that's usually not part of bow season for me. I don't want to saturate the area with scent. I also don't like to sit when it's warm. He won't be on his feet, so why be there? I think it's smart to think low impact, but I would want to be able to hunt north and south winds. I would risk putting in a second stand because it will end up lowering your impact. Totally your call. It is bow season, so maybe you don't want to muck it up. I move stands during season all the time. I have also hunted in hedgerows, islands of trees in fields, and blowdowns with just a little trimming. Hunting from the ground isn't always ideal, but it gives you other options. Next year I would focus on looking for deer sign around the oaks. If there isn't a ton of food then they will key in on acorns. I don't have a ton of experience hunting acorns, but I have seen serious deer sign where they have fed on them. Also, have fun with it. The worst would be that you spook him. The best is that you get to hunt him.

That's more like it! Congrats. I don't text BBD to my buddies, I text DRT! Down Right There!

I have a buddy who turns his cameras 180 degrees every week or two. He says the deer just start walking behind the camera to avoid it. You're hunting some areas where it's tough to nail down the food source. If you can figure that out, your odds would go way up. It does sound like you're doing pretty well though, getting pics every 4 or 5 days. I'd hesitate to do too much scouting now, for fear of pushing him out. That's a really nice one. It sure makes each hunt more exciting when you know there's a buck like that in the neighborhood. This time of year I wouldn't put in tons of hours. I'd only hunt him in the afternoon, but get in fairly early. Noon would be too early for me to head out. I think you're in pretty decent shape. I totally agree with Treeguy about a 2nd stand to account for different wind direction. Good luck!

Sounds pretty normal for a mature buck. He's making a 4 day loop in his home range. He went through during the 8 days, but you didn't get a picture of him. Especially where there's no fields, he will make his loop and browse. The rut may mess up his pattern, so I agree with Biggame. You should hunt him now while there's some kind of pattern. My only other advice would be to set up a 2nd stand. You need to be careful of the wind when you hunt an older buck, or he will be gone. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Good stuff. I love the dog pack too. I hope you both have a tremendous season!

Congrats to all the successful hunters on Day 1. I shot, trimmed stands, moved a stand, touched up a couple brush blinds, and checked cams. The season starts next Saturday for me. Can Not Wait.

Tough time Moog, I feel for ya!

Impressive! Definitely worth your time and effort. Hope the deer appreciate all you hard work!

Good luck out there guys and gals. It's 34 here on the Vermont side of the lake. I'm jealous of you all now, since VT doesn't start its bow season until next Saturday. Shoot 'em dead!

Look out whitetails! He's got his game face on.

I hate forgetting my foam seat. End up with a cold, wet azz. I shoot fingers, but I can get by without my shooting glove. I worry if I forget my arm guard in colder weather. It keeps my jacket out of my way. One less thing to worry about with a deer in front of me.

I thought it was a pipe?

I know a really successful hunter who won't bring a knife or a rope into the woods with him. I asked him about it. He told me that when you head out to hunt, you don't have a deer, and you shouldn't assume that you're going to get one. No matter how far back in he hunts, he always leaves that stuff in the truck and hikes back out to get it once he has one down. I gotta respect sticking with a superstition like that.

I've heard the same thing about humans.

You can cool a very small room (a big closet) by insulating it really well, and putting a window AC unit in it. Pretty cheap. I've seen sheds turned into "coolers" this way using blue board insulation and a used AC unit. Totally worth it in my book.

They make the Jak-hammer in inch and an eighth. I shot those with heavy arrows at low speed and got pass throughs. Now I'm shooting the inch and three quarter. Rocket is another company that makes reliable broadheads.

Been using Jak-Hammers 15 years. Simple design. Rugged. Fly like my field points. Made in the U.S.A. Never let me down. Only time I didn't get a pass through was when I hit the far shoulder and turned into marbles.

Nothing magical about pruning. It invigorates the tree, promotes growth, allows for light and air to reach more of the tree, and allows the tree to put its energy into fewer branches and more fruit. There is a reason that fruit orchards prune their trees.

You're the man Doc. Wish we could all shoot as well as you. I'll let the deer in my freezer know that they were killed stone dead with a "Band-aide for my poor shooting form" I am accurate with mechanicals and I recover what I shoot, and I'm not even pompous or condescending about it. Yay me.

I don't like broadheads that don't fly like my field points. Many people bad-mouth mechanicals (often with good reason) but mine fly great. I never had any luck getting a fixed blade head to fly true. Part of it is that I shoot fingers. To each his own, but I'd rather shoot an accurate mechanical than an inconsistent cut on contact.

Girlfriend has a 2015 Impreza. I can't knock an AWD car that gets 32mpg and is a tank in the snow and ice. I had a couple beater Subaru Loyale wagons when I was young. They had push button 4wd and would go anywhere as long as they had clearance. I drove them in the woods, on the lake, all over the farm. I'd love to buy "American", but the best vehicles I've ever owned were made in Japan, and it hasn't even been close.

There is a lot to be said about Zen and archery. I have shot both instinctive and with a conscious check list. For the sake of consistency, I don't shoot instinctively, but it's amazing what you can do with practice and a calm mind. The arrow is already in the bullseye. You just need to let it be. It's hard to believe, but when I shot a lot, it was true. Some of it is hard to explain. Some of it is simply muscle memory. It's an awesome feeling, but for me, I had to shoot without putting any expectations and without putting any pressure on myself. If I made a less than perfect shot, sometimes things would go downhill from there. When I was "on" it was a feeling of calm and confidence. I still shoot fingers, so there is a bit more to my mechanics than others. Sometimes when I get in a funk with my mechanics, I "snap shoot" without worrying about anchor point and grip etc. It amazes me how accurate I can be without carefully hovering that moving pin over the bull.