DIYhunter

Saw a spike at 12 yards, nanny doe and buck fawn circled my stand for 10 minutes decided to pass on her because of the fawn, then 3 doe passed off in the distance at 50 yards as the sun was going down. Great opening day. Can’t wait for the bucks to get on their feet during light. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

** diy sportsman, not diy hunter Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I found hunting public and diyhunter last year. Both great YouTube channels. Also enjoy wired to hunt. I started listening to wired to hunt podcast on my drive to and from Pittsburgh for work last summer. All those channels and podcasts are great. If you like that content try checking out the huntingbeast forum. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

From 30. Can’t wait for the season to open. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

9H here. Just moved to Holland last year in September. Starting to figure out the deer movement behind the house. Still plan on hunting public land around the area as well this year. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did some scouting on Labor Day. Bumped a couple deer in the river bottom. Left a trail camera to soak. Plan on returning in October to pick it up. Numbers - Not sure what to compare to since still relatively new to the park. I was only there in the middle of the day so tough to say. No plans to stay overnight since I live about 45 minutes drive from the park. I only hunted a couple days in the park last year. Plan to hunt more and hunt deeper this year. Just picked up some new arrows today. Can’t wait for October 1! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Correct (Erie county). The instructor of the permit class he took told him that he could go for unrestricted right away if he wanted, which is kind of ironic because when I got my permit a few years ago they told me to get target/hunting for a few years and then apply for unrestricted. I'm not aware of anything that prevents you from applying for unrestricted immediately.

One guy I know just got his concealed carry. 18 months and he did have an interview with the chief of police in town. Another friend just got his after 15 months. Target hunting and no contact from the town or interview. Have your references been called yet? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Anyone hear about the details for the application process this year for gun? I think they came out around this time last year.

I'll second left bank. Very close to kleinhans. Food is great and reasonably priced. It's on the small size though so I would recommend reservations well in advance. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I couldn't agree more. What's more concerning is that people just don't care. It's a resource for all tax payers. What if everyone left all their stands in the woods forever. Then the place would look like the playground in my neighborhood. The park could one day decide that hunters are doing more harm than good and shut down hunting for everyone just because some people think they can leave their crap all over the woods. I failed to mention the empty water bottles and other litter all around. It's a shame honestly.

I did some scouting today in the park. Hiked a total of 6 miles. Saw 4 different tree stands still in trees! 2 ladders, a hang-on with sticks still attached and a climber. I thought people are supposed to take their stands out after the season is over. I guess the rangers are lenient on that rule. Luckily the stands weren't far off the beaten path -- and nowhere near the spots that I'm eyeing up for the fall.

I've been in the woods twice during February and both times I found a couple of them on me when I got back to the truck. Always good to have a tick key just in case. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I want to reserve a cabin for a week during archery this year (early November). However, I'm not sure of the exact dates because of my work schedule. How long can I wait before booking a cabin? Are they hard to come by if I wait too long? I'm only looking for one of the cheap ones (no electric, wood stove, etc). Does anyone have experience renting the cabins during hunting season?

My gun only takes up to 3" shells. Based on all the feedback I think that I'm going to start out with the Carlson Winchester long beard choke tube. I'll probably start with a couple boxes of Winchester long beard xr shells in a couple different shot sizes and see what patterns the best and go from there. I appreciate the insight on the calls. Honestly, I'm thinking I'll start with a slate pot or a box call. This being my first season I'm hesitant to go straight into the diaphragm calls. They look a bit harder to learn. Plus, I have to leave something on the table for 2018 because I'm sure I'll get addicted to chasing turkey.

My gun did not come with any chokes besides the sabot slug one, so I'll need to make a purchase. I took a read back through the owner's manual. I guess I need a specific model of choke for the winchester 1300 called "WinChoke". It looks like I'll be ordering off the internet because the big-box stores around my house don't carry it. There are a couple options for extra full winchokes online. Thanks everyone for the advice! Much appreciated. Looks like I'll be spending the next couple months practicing calling around the house and a couple days at the range.

Thanks for the advice! Next step is to figure out how to use all the calls without scaring everything into the next county.

I'm planning on turkey hunting for the first time this spring. My plan is to convert my 12 ga. Winchester 1300 model from a deer gun to a turkey gun. It came with a threaded barrel (smooth bore) so I've historically used the Sabot choke and sabot slugs for deer. I started to research the different chokes and shells for turkey but since I'm new to the game I could really use some help. Any recommendations for chokes and shells? Any advice is appreciated.

It looks like Cabelas is getting rid of some leftover treestands from the season. I just saved $80 on a lone wolf hang-on and $70 on some sticks. Not sure how long the discounts will last. They also have a shipping discount through 1/18.

This morning we had grass in the front yard. Now the snow is knee/thigh deep. - west Seneca

Best memories were all those afternoons spent in the stand with nothing but peace and quiet. Just good to get away from it all for a bit. Oh, and that one hunter that walked directly under my stand without noticing me up in the tree even though I had my blaze orange vest on!

I've been watching this topic for a few years and I've scouted a few days this summer from the trails in the park but I haven't put anytime in a tree there yet. I've found plenty of deer trails so I know they were there during the summer, but things obviously change in the fall -- especially because some of these deer trails are right by the road where there is the most pressure. All my hunting is on public land. My general rule of thumb is to get away from the road as far as I can. When I look at the park maps, it seems that you can't get more than 3/4 mile from the road. What are the general areas or terrain features you look for when picking a new spot? Are people just not willing to go down the ravine so it's okay to only be within a mile of the road as long as the terrain is challenging enough so you shouldn't see many other people? I'm trying to find a set up for early archery - when there are usually less hunters in the woods anyway. Also - what kind of tree stands do you use? Any issues with theft? I usually carry a climber in and out so it would be nice to leave a hang-on in a tree.