WNY Bowhunter

Had a few more crappy pics from today's card pulls... I really wish that he would have stayed a symmetrical 5x5, but I can hardly say that I'm dissappointed in his growth this year. He is either tied for or a close second for the best 3 year old that I've ever gotten pics of. Based on his bulby tines, there is still some growing left in his G3/G4 and beams.

This guy is still growing nicely. He put on a lot of growth in his G3's/beams from this time to early August last year and his tines are still very bulby so I expect to see some nice development over the next 2.5-3 weeks... July 20th last year: July 18th this year:

For sure, he'd be an a genuine monster in another year or two. Unfortunately, there's not much deer management in these parts so he'll have to get there on his own.

He put on a bunch from mid-July to early August last year. I'm fairly certain he'll look even better in three weeks or so...

I was pumped when the best two year old buck that I had on trail camera showed up post season last december. You could just tell he was going to be a future stud... July 14th last year: Fully grown : Well, he showed back up a few days ago and has blossomed in to one heck of a 3 year old!!! He should be awesome in a few weeks when he pours on the tinelength...

Finally, one of my targeted bucks makes an appearance earlier in the week... Last year at about the same time. He seems to be a late developer...

I'm starting to see some good ones, but no action on any of my cams worth showing off...

Cool. I live and hunt in the Prattsburgh / Pulteney area. Wheeler produces some monsters bucks!!!

I'm betting he doesn't smell very good either...

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=JN.PaOvJSCpzHZhzzCVmAcP2g&pid=15.1&P=0

The third tooth in on the bottom jaw (third premolar) has 3 cusps which means it is a yearling (last years fawn). You can see the adult premolar growing underneath...

I wish I could say that I didn't miss out this morning... Yesterday evening I roosted the longbeard that my wife and I have been after for the entire second half of the season. He was strutting out in a planted cornfield with two hens all afternoon, even in the pouring rain. Boy, did he get fired up with the thunder!!! They finally left the field at 7:30. The plan was to set the blind up where they went in in hopes that the rain would push them out into the open in the morning. Well, our power was out all night and the it was cold, windy and raining when I checked at 4:15. Since my wife is just getting over being sick for the past two weeks, I thought that sitting out in a cold, muddy field wasn't the best idea and I didn't press the issue with her getting out of bed. I couldn't get back to sleep so I drove by the farm at 6:30 just to take a look and lo and behold...the birds were right where we were going to set up!!! Not exactly how I planned on ending the season. Oh well, his hooks will be longer next year. Only 11 months to go...

Had a tough time getting out of bed...skipped the early hunt and headed out around ten. We ended up getting on a bird around 10:45 or so. I called...he gobbled...we tried to close the distance a bit....called again...he gobbles again but only half the distance he was before!!! We hastily set up but he he doesn't show. Next time he gobbles he is up above us headed away. We chased after him for the next hour before catching up with a him...ended up being a longbeard and a jake. They were picking away up in a hayfield and we crawled up on them using a thick hedgerow between us for cover. When I spotted the gobbler he was picking our way at 65-70 yds...my wife crawled up into a prone shooting position but neither of us could see him. I poked my head up and spotted them along the woodline. I tried cutting a them real load but the wind was howling and I didn't press the issue since it was so close to noon. One last try tomorrow...

Congrats!!! Appears to have some good spurs?

Oh I will. She's wanting to tag him pretty badly!!

Congrats!!! It's quite an accomplishment to kill any bird at the stage of the game...but, it's always a great feeling to bust the skull of one that's been driving you crazy. My wife and I will be back after our "prick" bird in the morning. The game's on the line...four more days and he's in the clear...one mistake and he'll get a beak full of Heavy Weight #7's!!!

Last evening I spotted the bird from yesterday morning, he was heading up to roost in the same area that he has been with one hen close by. The problem is, the past couple of times that I've hunted him he hits the ground and goes away from the calling and up to the neighboring property and stays there gobbling instead of heading out into the planted cornfield where I see him in the afternoons. I didn't see the big boy from our late morning hunt out in the field but saw a hen headed to roost where they typically do. I decided last minute to try the later spot first. We never heard a single gobble. I drove up the road to the other spot and wouldn't you know it...there's our longbeard strutting up the cornfield all by himself at 6:15!!! I believe we will concentrate on tagging him for the rest of season now, but I don't believe he will come in to calling.

Well, we got in to the big boss gobbler we were going after right away around 10:45 and messed with him for about an hour. He was in a small 10 acre island woodlot surrounded by fields...he was fired up between the crows and my calling...ended up moving and setting up on him several times but couldn't pull him across the planted cornfield to us. We will be after him again bright and early tomorrow when he's roosted in the same woods as we are. Overall, a very productive day, especially for this late in the season!!!

My wife and I went out this morning after a longbeard that I spotted last night. I had an idea where he would roost. We got set up and at 5:00 he started gobbling. With the foliage we were able to get within 50-60 yds. of him. I gave him some soft calling and he gobbled off an on til he flew down at 5:50. He hit so close we could hear him "thump" when he landed. I though we had him...instead of running in to get his face blasted he went away from us on to the neighboring property that was more open and made a stand just gobbling away and waiting for us to come to him. Headed back out in a few minutes to another location...

These boys have quite a few inches to add on over the next 75-85 days. I think the one in the front is a 4 year old that I call "Wannabe"... This girl appears to be very pregnant...

Seems like a few gobblers are starting to get lonely and looking to score with a few last hens before the breeding season wraps up. My dad tagged out today. He called two longbeards in from several hundred yards away and dropped the hammer on one of them @ 11:50. That makes 4 gobblers that he's called in over the past three days after 11:00... Also, a good buddy of mine has been involved with a Wounded Warriors hunt in Yates County and they've taken 7 birds in the past two days...

Good luck guys. They aren't done yet!!! I had plans to take my wife out this morning but she's got strep throat. Took a drive around but didn't see much. Stopped at a spot where I saw a gobbler and hens last night...didn't see them in the field...blew on the crow call 4 times and got him to answer 4 times. He sounded hot. I hope to be after him in the morning...that farm has gotten virtually no hunting pressure this year. Supoosed to take my buddy out who leases the property. We'll see...

I was just out cruising around my hunting spots trying to locate a bird for the morning and spotted some turkeys in a planted cornfield about 7:30. I pulled over to check them over with the binos but it ended up being three hens. There has been a big strutter with them for the past few weeks so I was scanning for him when a crow flew over cawing and boom...GOOOBBBLEEE...just out of sight. My wife stuck the crow call out the window and gave a toot on it...GOOOBBBLEEE again!!! What do ya know, the crow call works after all...

Nice birds man!!! I was also fortunate enough to bag a multi-bearded gobbler this spring...guess you just never know what you will come home with.

Absolutely, no joke...I use my crow call on nearly every morning hunt. I guess that I should point out that I am referring strictly to roost gobbling. AIso, when I hit the crow call I'm not trying to mimic actual crows, I make my calls super loud and piercing!!! I seldom use a locator call on mid-late morning hunts. My preferred method of killing gobblers is to locate them from the roost and then slip in on them as close as I can get. Most of my birds are tagged right off the roost (not literally...lol).