dinorocks

Hi Larry! I’ll take them. Thanks!

With thanksgiving right around the corner, going all out this morning, right down to my loin cloth! (My one goal this season is to harvest with a round ball!)

November 18, 2019. Got to work very early so I could bust out in time for a short sit in the “nest stand” behind my house in 9F. I had all my hunting gear laid out for the quick switcheroo from my dress clothes to my hunting wool. Once changed, I literally ran the ¼ mile to my stand. I no longer got to the top of my ladder when I caught a glimpse of a doe feeding in some old wild apple trees about 60 yards out. I prepped myself and watched it through my scope until I had an opportunity to thread the proverbial needle. I believe the deer was quartering to me slightly when I shot (12 gauge Rem 870). I watched the deer run about 30 yards and lost sight of it. Seconds later, I saw “it” again standing broadside except this time it had antlers. I shot and he fell instantly. After an hour, just before dark, I started to look for the first deer I shot…I saw were the deer took off running after I shot and then saw the blood…so much blood I was convinced it was piled up very close. I started to track and went about another 50-60 yards when I saw it sitting down…I stopped and as I slowly backed away, I saw it get up and run like it wasn’t hit. I started wondering if I just had saw a different deer, so, knowing the deer ran out of sight, I went to where I saw the deer, and low and behold, the ground was covered in blood…lots of blood! At this point, I went back to the buck, gutted and tagged him, and dragged him up to the house. After about 3 hours after my first shot, I went back out with my sled to track and hopefully retrieve the doe. It was very easy tracking with all the blood on the sparse snow cover, and I never expected I would have needed to track so far. I finally found the deer and saw it was still alive. I watched the deer jump up, run, swim across the creek, climb up a very steep back and lay down. I sat there for a half hour, intermittently shinning my very weak light and catching its eyes bobbing around. At this point , knowing it was still alive, I headed back home to plan my next move. Around 10:00PM, after killing time butchering my archery deer and cleaning up some toe bones, my brother met me, and we hiked back out. We grabbed the canoe and paddled down the creek (a very swift ~1/4 mile paddle down stream in the rising water), portaging around some rapids, to where I saw the deer cross. Just yesterday, the creek was iced up…that evening, the creek was starting to flood after the warm up we had earlier that day. Upstream of where I last saw the deer, we beached the canoe and started to stalk up. I spotted the deer in the same spot, stiff as a board, with the front leg almost chewed off as well as several bite marks on the hind quarters…the coyotes beat me to the deer …luckily only minor damage and salvageable. It appeared that the slug went through the neck and out the front shoulder. After gutting, tagging, and loading the deer in the canoe, we started our even more treacherous trip back up-current…I have paddled many deer in a canoe and they always make the canoe very unstable. Again, a very strenuous paddle back, up-current, portaging back around rapids, and somehow getting the deer out of the canoe and up a steep bank to my sled. Following a relatively easy pull on my sled the ¼ mile back to my house (except the long hill and snow-less sections of the trail), I hung it up, grabbed the tenderloins, washed up, and went to bed. Unfortunately, I didn’t get many action photos…it was the last thing on my mind at the time. Looking forward to muzzle loading season! Congrats to those who harvested and good luck to those who are still trying!

Just got back in after a crazy afternoon hunt and even crazier track...Long story short, a buck and a doe...one of which I tracked over 1/2 mile over land and about the same distance via canoe to bring it home. Couldn’t have completed the retrieval without the help of my brother. After 6 hours of waiting and tracking (and butchering my archery deer) the coyotes beat me to it...luckily only minor damage. Great to read about all the success you guys and girls had!!

No deer tonight but a great time being in the woods this season! Enjoyed following everyone’s hunt! Worked hard to harvest and now enjoying some of it...although not working hard at eating it...tenderloins Swiss-steak style...melts in your mouth! Cheers! Good luck tomorrow!

Finally! I waited an hour for the deer to expire and to see if a buck would be following before I tracked it. Needed to crawl on hands and knees for 30 yards to pull it out of very thick cover...it ran in the right direction though...trapping/butcher shed within sight. Going to hunt with my brother for the last bit of daylight...never know...

Not sure....definitely not one of my stone points or double blade Zwickey’s!

It’s incredible how tough these deer are...this guy showed up under my oak tree stand 10 minutes before I started my PM hunt yesterday (2:00). Looks like he got tagged by a bazooka!

Update...they were great...reminded us of scallops but without a fish taste. I seriously highly recommend trying them!

I plan to remove both outer membranes, slice, salt, pepper, searing flour, egg, panko crumbs and fry in my cast iron skillet. Have a few people coming over for the butchering shortly...we’ll see how this goes over...

Back out...of course there were three sets of tracks in my tracks heading in after my morning hunt...hopefully they will be back! (squirrelwhisperer, i always keep the sinew...back sinew for sewing/tying fletching and leg sinew for backing my bows...I’ll post a pict of my last backed bow later).

Nothing during my morning sit...did see fresh tracks on my way out. Heading back in for the PM sit... in the meantime, and keeping with the “Use all parts” mantra, I’m preparing these to eat tonight during our butchering secession. My brother is preparing the heart.

Snow fest at my stand...hopefully I can pull my bow back with all these extra layers on! Good luck to those braving the elements!

Brother Jason harvested! Double lung but only drops of blood...with rain we feel lucky we found him.

Just got back into town this weekend. Sat in my “under-ground blind” last evening and in my “nest stand” this morning...still waiting for a deer to come by. I hunted the Massena area last week and saw more deer in a single sit then I typically do all season at my house...unfortunately they (at least the close ones) were all doe...no doe tags. I had several come within 10-15 yards (I was hunting on the ground). On a side note, I trapped several coyotes, fisher, and a bobcat. Good luck!

Only squirrels this morning...and only one deer on my camera...two cameras out for two weeks...typically lots of deer. I did have three different coyotes...today is opening day for trapping...I’ll need to put a dent in the population a bit early than I want. regarding wearing a ball cap...I typically wear one. When I’m ready to shoot, I push the brim to the side with my bowstring. I cannot get to my anchor point with the cap brim forward

Just back in town and rushed out to my stand...I call this stand the Nest as I basically built a nest of beach branches to conceal me...very roomy as I shoot a long bow... I have two ladder stands leading into it, nestled between four oak trees. Hard to capture with a camera from inside. Lots of acorns on the ground after earlier wind storm. No deer yet....

Was deep in the northern ADKs over the weekend...no deer...hunting partner had moose on either side of him. Much different hunting than I’m use to on the flatlands. (On another note, I’ll provide information on some of the Primitive deer part processing at a later date). A few Picts from the hunt...good luck to those in the woods!

Just finished fleshing...ready for bark tanning.

No deer this evening. Finished my daughters mount...a little different than my primitive mounts but I know she will be happy with it on her bedroom wall. I plan to tan the hide and make a couple bags...I’ll incorporate the hoofs and toe bones in the bag.

Out with my brother tonight hunting from the ground. I’m literally in a ground blind, as below the ground surface...behind an old root structure traversing the side of a steep hill. ...complete with a root cellar to keep my food and beverage cold and a fire place!

My friend and his 14 yr old grandson harvested a 7 pt during the PM hunt yesterday! Don’t want to post his pict without permission but they were both very happy !!

Lunch!

Passing on the evening hunt to work on my daughters surprise....tried a prototype and I think I’m ready to dip.

Out again with my son...he is happy for his sisters deer yesterday and maybe a bit jealous (revengeful) as it takes a lot to get a 16 yr old out of bed early on a weekend! Good luck everyone and thanks for all the comments/likes on my daughters first deer!