G-Man

I have taken multiple bucks for last 5 years, bow and gun. 90% of deer are taken by 10% of the hunters. as for ar's i take what i consider the top 10 deer in my area, as shown on cameras. for those that don't see bucks and the brown and its down areas, nys has a lot of hunters 650,000 i believe(somewhere around that number ) not everyone gets a deer mybe 1/4 of the hunters (prolly less than that, as hunters take 2-7 deer themselves) isn't this whole issue one of hunter satisfaction? face it if you leave yearling bucks alone, the same hunters are just going to fill their tags with 2 year olds? then what limit hunters to 1 deer buck only or either sex? will you get 1 then?Maybe more time hunting and scouting are in order... most people on sites like this put in their time or have evolved as a hunter to where they prefer to wait for a big one and are content with the chase and not having to get one every year.

looks like pressure from right side of last photo will be heaviest, the powerline doesn't make me happy, to easy of access for 4 wheelers and tresspassers. the funnel created by the hills with small creek hold promise as an escape route as well as natural movement, if its thick enough. the old roadway / rail bed tough to tell from pic is also an access concern, looks like a lot of brush/overgrown pasture on most of it,good bedding possible there and possible stand locations in old hedgerows there if wind and access will allow. I personalyy would concentrate on center of photo between the two fields, and saddles where ridge splits to let creeks/drainages thru.

This time of year you are simply inventorying the population. Wind direction and natural funnels will allow you to harvest deer rather than just observing them in fields, TV has made us think big bucks simply stand in open fields. This is NY it had a high hunter density 100 or more per square mile, not iowa with low hunter populations 10 or less per square mile. Hunting pressure should be taken into account in stand locations as well as wind direction. Face it even if property is posted it seems someone always crosses over the lines be it a few feet or yards, and many hunters hunt the property lines of their own property. I'd look for trails and bedding areas near the center of the property, a good funnel there will be the ticket..

It wasn't that long ago many states did not allow a hunter to use a tree stand,or elevated platform . Face it change happens we may not agree with it but it happens and life goes on, this isn't banning hunting just allowing for more to participate. Embrace it and enjoy it.

find the spot you want to hunt, example a creek/drainage crossing. then draw a 20 yard circle from that spot. the prevailing wind direction will tell you where in that circle your set up needs to be. a PERFECT stand tree is rare .I'd rather be on the ground or in a crooked twisted tree that will be where i can harvest a deer that i might see, than in a nice strait tree to see deer i might not be able to get. that being said, find trails that connect bedding/feeding areas, and funnels that deer must use to go around an obstical (steep bank , water feature,open field,ect) do the circle trick and find the spot using wind direction, your harvest rate will climb into high double digits!!

i'd like to see full inclusion, still a string and a stick. anyone else remember when compounds and releases were satans weapons of choice? we seemed to have survived that ok......

I would look at lands in central and western ny, populations are high, even with more hunters in them, most hunters only hunt weekends. take some vacation and hit the public areas during the week and later in the season. Hanging bog, cranberry hollow, harwood lake. all are great places to hunt and seem to be abandoned after opening weekend. chance for bear, antlerless,and good bucks as well. if your driving that far you won't mind the difference in direction, region 9 ,8,and 7 all have good public land, especially during the week!

So does big n tough...same active ingredients. But 1/4 to half the cost. Let it brown up and till

i'm going too, two long beards in the oats everymorning by 7.. i know where i'll be

i hit woods early, it will be warm, turkeys will seek shade and water and lounge in late morning till late afternoon. early in the fields and back in the woods by 800 or 900 to go find a shady spot has been my experiance in late season

Mike, the biggest factor the Dec ignores is the actual numbers of fall turkey hunters, they can only go on tags sold, but fall and spring tags come together, no study has ever been done to see how many actually hunt bird in fall . As for youth hunt the amount of birds removed by them is small, any activity in the woods will disrupt wildlife patterns thats why youth hunt gives time off before regular season to activity slows down. The biggest probIem i see is properties broken up smaller and smaller and hunter density on those properties increases bird become more silent when predators are around be it us or natural. Population is still a factor of the hatch and poult survival. y

You want to get it about an inch in the ground You can lightly disc it or drag it in worked ground, if they do make it you'll have green and yellow beans to eat yourself!

Yep won't even let them get. Inches tall...

Wild birds need to be cooked at a lower temp and if skinned need to have bacon or another coating put on it to keep moist. I like glazing it with honey and bacon held in place by toothpics .mmmm mmm good!

has anyone even considered that due to a large hard and soft mass failure last year turkeys are not where they usually are do to lack of food, they are mobile, unfortunatly property lines are not. and that nice overgrown fiel you cleaned out to make that food plot for deer hunting was their main nesting area? turkeys can and do move to more favorable areas, yes the wood you hunt may not seem to have changed to you but they do change much more to animal that depend on certain conditions for nesting and breeding.

nys biologist will not start season earlier because that is prime breeding the youth hunt then only allows 1 bird. practiceing calling and shed hunting disrupts birds as well if not more than the youth hunt. removing gobblers after the breeding is mostly done doesnt hurt a poligamist population. yes the answer better and respond better but thats because main breeding phase is going on. so you have to work a little to get your bird, its called HUNTING not shooting.

been gobbling good all week by me, of course i am walking out the door listening to 3-5 birds as i head to work at 6 am.. but vacation starts wed. and i'll finially get after em. birds strutting in fields on way to work is depressing when you cant hunt them. as for quiet birds if you shoot everyone that gobbles , genetic selection will take over and make quite birds more common. lol... population varies as does hunting pressure, thats why a lot of guys hunt later in am when pressure drops off and birds think everyone has gone home., bird are active and will roost same areas as long as not disturbed as weather get nicer hikers/cycleists, and people just taking a dog for a walk increases, let alone everyone coming out to open their camps/summer houses activities.

stopping a season won't help, populations are down because of 3 things, 1. cold wet weather effectingt the hatch (previous 3 years have been bad) 2. preadors .not so much a coyote but coon,skunk,and opossum (big egg eaters and good at finding them) not many people trap any more and they arent considered huntable like coyote are to most. i trapped 13 coon, aa fox and 2 skunks and an opossum off a 1 acre field in 2 weeks last year.. 3. habitat loss especially for nesting, large crp fields are dissappearing as farmers are forced to grow their own corn as ethanol has pushed price to high to buy.. all this being said i have a good population and camp is having good year. 3 jakes and 2 adults harvested. 2 jakes missed, and still have 2 long beards srtutting out in the oat field. you cannot let the dec regulate your game populations! dmu are to large. if you have to many deer shoot doe, not enough let em walk, same holds true for turkey. a general hunting season does not allow for specfic property management. the best person to do that is you!!!! within the guidelines of the law of course.

my time saving , plowing device...lol

bedding, cover example plant spruce,tall prarie grasses, hinge cutting. Make a sanctuary are that never gets walked thru,in or hunted. ex a 5 acre block of the thickest area you have or create. In my opinion this is the most overlooked part of management. if the deer have no place that they feel safe why stay there!!!! they might eat your food plots and move down the ridge a mile to safe cover. if the eat and stay on your own land you can manage them much better as well as the fact that activities will drive them to your safe area from surrounding properties. Another big thing STAY OUT OF THE WOODS!! walking your dog or driving your atv every weekend thru your place is fun but will scare game away. young dumb deer get use to your atv but older mature deer have been hunted from atvs and associate the sound with hunting. scouting should be done well before season , and stands hung/ repaired at least a month or more. I see lots of deer leave the surrounding properties and head to mine as the weekend warrriors come out and sight in guns the weekend before the season, as well as hearing hammering, and atvs ,slamming car door at camps that were vacant all year, let alone the smell of wood smoke everywhere as camps try to stay warm... deer arent dumb, i think you would leave as well if someone set up camp on your front lawn,and rode an atv thru your house!

well the dec sent a nice letter and a cd of all the pictures they got during their fisher camera study this last winter. i have to download them to pc to post but some good pics! now if they would only send me the info on the age of my bear!

Possibly, caustic to their feet, but they will be close by.

Cool got one years ago that only had 1. The other leg was smooth, but never saw both missing

I've cut the spurs off about 1/2 in either side of them poked out the marrow and tendon . Run a leather lace thru them and hung around cover board so they hang on either side of beard on plaque. Looks good fast and easy.

I've never seen one or had on me, or any deer I have harvested, keds yes ticks no... guess 20 below zero freezes them out?