ncountry

In the area I live and every other area I hunt in the deer numbers are way down.It has been in a steady decline for at least the last 10 years . In my neighborhood ,for example, 10 years ago I could drive around the "block" ( a 4-5 mile ride) and spot 100 deer in the fields.10 in this field, 3 in this one, 8 in that one,deer spread out all over the place. The same trip now , I may be able to see 0- 10 if I am lucky. I have been the sole bowhunter on this one alfafa field for years . I used to see 10+ deer come into the field on an evening hunt. Now my daughter and I sat there this year 4 different times and saw only 2 deer total.There are some in this state that say there are just as many deer as there ever was but for every 1 of them I bet you can find 10 more that are not seeing as many deer. I believe the farmer permits ,dmps , and muzzleloader w/scope season all have contributed to this. at least up here in the northern zone. I believe we as hunters have a responsibility to manage the herd on our own. When we notice the herd is thinning out stop shooting does.Do not wait for the state to limit your doe tags and at the same time complain about the lack of deer.We all should know how well the state manages anything.

A local farmer shot a 400 lb boar 2 weeks ago and said he missed the bigger one as it ran back into his woods.They were out feeding in a freshly chopped corn field.

Thanks

Nice pictures. I gotta get me one of those trail cams.

Sad to hear. I know until this year I was an invincible non safety harness wearing hunter.I still do not believe I am going to fall but I wear a harness now.I work const.. and do more dangerous things daily but I do that out of the necessity to make a living.Not for me but for my family.Even the work related hazards ought to be minimized more than they are.

I completely agree that 100 deer /square mile is too many.I also disagree with any other method other than hunting being used. They have only tried a special archery hunt for what 1 maybe 2 years .They need to come up with a good plan for a method using hunting and give it an honest try. If after say 5 years it is not working then alternative methods could be explored. It is actually a very good opportunity for the state to educate some of the non hunting population about the benefits of hunting and the downfall of not allowing hunting . Using some signage and other methods at parking areas and trail-heads. I have talked to quite a few tourists while waiting for a ride at some of the parking area .Most ,if not all, were more curious than upset.

Besides the legality of it ,the park is not really set up to drive the safety area to a hunting area

Nice deer!!

I assume you have hunted the park ? If you have you know that the figure of 100 deer /square mile can only hold in the safety zones ,where hunting has never been allowed. 4 of us have been hunting the park for years.The deer numbers have been going down every year.We just returned from our yearly 10 day trip. We saw maybe 30 -40 deer total (2 of us sit from 6:00am-noon every am) Many days went by without a deer being seen.People would be knocking down the doors to hunt a special late season time(when most of the tourists are gone).Especially if they made it an earn your buck program.

"homebrew Sonys and Panasonics." How do you do that .Sounds like a neat project.

I do not know about the numbers but I found this from previous years..... http://thelcn.com/20...etchworth-deer/ I hate the idea of non hunters culling OUR deer herd.. I agree both ends of the park may have (or had in the case of the north end) an excess of deer but this is definitely not the case throughout the rest of the park.I have hiked and hunted deep in the Adirondacks . A mature forest without logging becomes just like the park, big trees with no brush or undergrowth.

I have read for years , that one should sit later or during the middle of the day during the rut. I have never been able to force myself to sit that long.This year I decided I would .During a 9 day hunt downstate I saw 7 different bucks 1 at 7 am one at 9 am (i finally got a shot 1 hour later and killed my 1st 10 point with bow) . The rest were all seen between 10-12. If I had hunted like I had for previous years I would have seen 1 6 point and if I was lucky maybe the 10 .2.5 hours is a long time to sit in a stand. I read a book ,I played games on phone,texted people when I had a signal, snacked ,and took naps. I have no idea how many deer walked past me but I know I saw ,5 maybe 6 more bucks, than I normally would have walking back to truck or sitting in camp.

Lol.. "Masticated" had to look that one up. I am home with the kid today(she is a warm weather hunter). Just got back from trip downstate. Got a nice 10 point with my bow.

Here is the 10 point I got 100yds from this spot.I would have liked to have seen the buck that made these rubs.the 10 point is still my largest bow buck to date .I was happy.

Lol...using my smartphone...smarter than me sometimes.

Picture of one of the large buck rubs I found during recent hunt.

Do not overlook the TYM line of tractors .They seem to be built tough and reliable.We just bought a 353 w/loader,it has a Mitsubishi diesel. Could not go wrong, We paid 15,900 for total package.

What ? No 300 win mag recommendations. I love my 300. I have owned it for 8 years ,but so far I have shot 8 deer with it , and not 1 step taken by any of them.My favorite ammo for it is cheap 150 gr rem core-locks. One of the shots does not really count it was in the neck and they usually never run anyway. I realize the 300 is not for everyone esp. if one is recoil shy. I used to use a 308 reloaded with 125gr ballistic tips.The only deer that I had to track more than 50yds with the 308 was a gut shot deer with 150gr factory amo and 1 deer I shot at 278 ranged yards. Of coarse 95% of the deer were shot less than 100yds away.That is when I got the 300 .I did not want that 1 deer 250+ yds away ..to get away.Fil uses a 270 with great success. EDIT: Just went back and read original post. For a new one gun owner 270 would be great. Low recoil and hits'em hard at reasonable ranges.

Great job!! He is a beauty !! Cannot wait to get there.

I figured that zone would get hit hard. Great job on the deer!! Now where are the pictures??

Sandwich, scuzzer

I will be there in 10 days ..Cannot wait!! Anybody hunt the bowhunting only section they just opened up.

10 years ago or so. I am sitting on the ground. when a huge buck(one of the biggest I have seen to date starts coming down the trail in this cedar swamp . The only deer I have seen that looks 7+years old, gray face,sagging belly, looked like he weighed 250+pounds,and I have no idea how many points I did not even count I was already close to loosing my cool.He pauses behind the very same cedar tree I am hiding behind and stands there forever.15 feet away not yards! I thought for sure he could hear my heart beating out of my chest...... 2-3 more steps and he is in the clear to shoot. after what seemed like hours he takes a step.. I draw my bow back slooooowly. I have no idea how he does not hear the arrow rattling on the rest I am shaking so badly.I am holding, holding, still holding , when he turns around and slowly walks away. Never to be seen again. I am sure I would have heard about it around the neighborhood he was easily B&C material. I still get excited when I remember him. Still wish I had had my gun I am fairly certain I could have snaked a bullet through that tree .lol

Yeah, not a bad idea.I would not mind some venison to go with my antlers this year. Huuuuuuge is right . No place to be hunting.

Nice deer!