Live From The Woods 2022 - 2023 Edition!

[wolc123]

4 minutes ago, First-light said:

Fatty Corn fed deer delish!

[Four Seasons]

8 hours ago, Don_C said:

I was always under the impression that's what they do when the catch something they don't like. They don't move until they figure it out (or don't) and decide to bolt.

Your right to a point. They will do that when they smell something they don’t know what it is right away. Some deer smell a whiff of human on a branch and they will turn inside out trying to get out of there. Some will smell this ever calm and not that it alarms them but it’s definitely something new as far  as smell and they will stop to figure things out and then bolt or continue on their route. Even Evercalm can put a hurt on bow hunters at times because those same once calm deer are now aware and alert about a different smell that it puts you at more jeopardy of getting busted moving or making a noise. 

[genesee_mohican]

5 hours ago, Four Seasons said:

Your right to a point. They will do that when they smell something they don’t know what it is right away. Some deer smell a whiff of human on a branch and they will turn inside out trying to get out of there. Some will smell this ever calm and not that it alarms them but it’s definitely something new as far  as smell and they will stop to figure things out and then bolt or continue on their route. Even Evercalm can put a hurt on bow hunters at times because those same once calm deer are now aware and alert about a different smell that it puts you at more jeopardy of getting busted moving or making a noise. 

Yeah, I'll go with scent control over that. John Eberhart youtube videos on the subject and his book sold me on that.

I've seen a big uptick in fresh dead deer on the roads in the last few days, going to head into the park this morning for what could be my last hunt of the season. Surgery tomorrow :-/

40F, North wind, wet leaves makes for a good sneak in to the stand. I'll take it.

[Four Seasons]

3 hours ago, genesee_mohican said:

Yeah, I'll go with scent control over that. John Eberhart youtube videos on the subject and his book sold me on that.

I've seen a big uptick in fresh dead deer on the roads in the last few days, going to head into the park this morning for what could be my last hunt of the season. Surgery tomorrow :-/

40F, North wind, wet leaves makes for a good sneak in to the stand. I'll take it.

Good Luck on both. I will be down there Saturday for the end of rifle and finish out muzzleloader season. 

[Kmartinson]

11 hours ago, Four Seasons said:

Your right to a point. They will do that when they smell something they don’t know what it is right away. Some deer smell a whiff of human on a branch and they will turn inside out trying to get out of there. Some will smell this ever calm and not that it alarms them but it’s definitely something new as far  as smell and they will stop to figure things out and then bolt or continue on their route. Even Evercalm can put a hurt on bow hunters at times because those same once calm deer are now aware and alert about a different smell that it puts you at more jeopardy of getting busted moving or making a noise. 

I like it for.ground hunting in early October. Good cover sent. The deer don't always respond well to it so I use it case by case. Unpresured deer often come into the scent curiously, mostly does in my experience. 

[Five Seasons]

19 hours ago, Don_C said:

I was always under the impression that's what they do when the catch something they don't like. They don't move until they figure it out (or don't) and decide to bolt.

Exactly. Deer freeze all the time when they detect a foreign scent. 

I never use cover scents for this exact reason. If you're looking to mask your order, I'd recommend ozone. 

[TheHornHunter]

Exactly. Deer freeze all the time when they detect a foreign scent. 
I never use cover scents for this exact reason. If you're looking to mask your order, I'd recommend ozone. 

I’ve experimented with all the scent stuff over the years… evercalm, ozone, smoke, etc. Ozone by far is the best but even that isn’t guaranteed. I usually will have deer get down wind and look like they hit a brick wall as soon as they hit the ozone and then will either sit there for a minute sniffing around and go on their way or will turn right around and go back where they came from. I’ve only ever had a few instances where one freaked out. The best thing to do - by far - is put wind in your face and don’t walk in where you expect deer to travel. I never use evercalm anymore and only occasionally run ozonics just to be safe if something manages to get downwind. The ozone is way more effective in a blind but I’m usually running and gunning on the ground or doing hang and hunts so it’s just another thing for me to drag along.


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[phade]

I don’t mess with scents much nowadays. Partner likes Nosejammer products but honestly I think it’s because he likes the smell. He will also use doe in estrous urine a few times a year. He can tie a few bucks on the wall that interacted positively to a scent wick or trail he did. His Missouri buck was almost nose to a wick at the shot. Granted we saw several bucks that day, so who is to say that got him killed but he for sure was into that scent.

I’ve also killed a a few that way but I don’t think big picture it’s a “game changer” because I believe it just introduces more risk into your setup. Entry/exit and understanding your setup is really the key.

Ozone is interesting. Similar experience to the above. We use it a lot more on the road out of state to ozone wash clothing and gear. Seems to do well IMO.

[TheHornHunter]

100%. Totally forgot to mention use for clothes. It’s fantastic for that


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[Five Seasons]

Yeah I should add that I don't use ozone in the tree, but I do use it in my clothes storage. At the end of the day an alert weary deer is going to bolt if they see another animal they don't like, catch movement (even from a squirrel) or if they smell something foreign. I've seen doe spooked by an estrus wick and a few years ago I had some bolt when I blinked... I swear to god lol (gun season).  

A calm deer might smell the gas on your boots that you walked in and pause because they're curious... but that's typically a young or very early in the season unpressured deer.

Then there are deer that spook at nothing or aren't spooked by anything and nothing in the world makes sense. For me at the end of the day I'm spending my energy trying to eliminate as much sent as I can. It's an impossible task, but I like to think my scent cone won't stretch as far, or more likely appears to be an older and not a recent odor to the deer. But trying to trick a deer's nose? That's not in my toolkit. Seems it works for some though, so YRMV. 

[Tughill Tamer]

Well he's no 11 point but he'll eat nice. Thought he was a doe. Blessed to have some more venison to share with the kids.

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[suburbanfarmer]

3 hours ago, Tughill Tamer said:

Well he's no 11 point but he'll eat nice. Thought he was a doe. Blessed to have some more venison to share with the kids.

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Congrats, thats the best tasting venison. 

[farmer 52]

Sure was a noisy walk in this morning


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[First-light]

21 minutes ago, farmer 52 said:

Sure was a noisy walk in this morning


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Everything is frozen, heavy frost out there.

[New York Hillbilly]

24 minutes ago, farmer 52 said:

Sure was a noisy walk in this morning

I bet it was. In the woods, there should be no problem hearing the coming this morning, Good luck.

No hunting for me this weekend. Spending the day watching my grandson in his first Tae Kwon Do this morning and his singing in a Christmas concert in the evening, then tomorrow his birthday party. Busy weekend for the little guy, and I wouldn't think of missing it.

Edited December 10, 2022 by New York Hillbilly

[GreeneHunter]

1 minute ago, New York Hillbilly said:

I bet it was. In the woods, there should be no problem hearing the coning this morning, Good luck.

No hunting for me this weekend. Spending the day watching my grandson in his first Tae Kwon Do this morning and his singing in a Christmas concert in the evening, then tomorrow his birthday party. Busy weekend for the little guy, and I wouldn't think of missing it.

You have your Priorities straight , Family First ... Good Man !

[wolc123]

I’m in for what might be my 7th “no-see-em” post-Thanksgiving weekend gun season deer hunt.  In 40 years of deer hunting, I can only remember killing a few, during this portion of the season.  
 

I am in the stand where I killed the last two, and it’s #7, so maybe I’ll get lucky.  I couldn’t have got back here undetected  on foot to this, farthest from my house stand, with the NE wind that’s blowing about 13 mph.  I drove my field-car 3/4 of the way, so that I could make the final approach from downwind.  

It would have been a perfect wind for the pop-up blind that I had on the west side of my foodplot court, but that blew away over a week ago.  
 

I’ve killed more deer from this maple tree stand, and the close-by ash tree stand that it replaced, thru the years than I have from any other location.  That includes my largest antlered buck, several “doubles”, and even my only turkey a few falls ago.  
 

The ash tree stand was big and comfortable, but I made this maple tree replacement a bit too small. It is also a pain to get in and out of.  It’s definitely going to get reworked in the off-season.  
 

I sat in that truck-cap blind, that I can see about 150 yards down a shooting lane, for the first hour this morning.  That is way more comfortable, but the windows are a real pain to open and close when the temps are below freezing.  I usually only hunt out of that in high winds and rain.  

The last deer I killed from here was a big doe on this same weekend, about 5 years ago.  She was running full tilt down that now green grass, across the ditch.  It was a lot colder and there was snow then.  I soaked one foot crossing that ditch several times to fetch her carcass.  

Now I have a big white oak plank, propped up against a tee back here, so that I can use it to cross the ditch if I ever drop another one over there.  I’d love to try it tonight, but the water is so low now, that I probably wouldn’t even need it.  
 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by wolc123

[chrisw]

Did 2 public land drives today, we got 2 does and an 8 out of the first drive.

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[GreenDrake]

Wolc….I’m praying for you pal. You have been wayyyy to quiet for me this year!!!

My wife and I tagged out early November on my new property in NZ in 6k…nephew tagged out on this bruiser on my southern lease. We sat last Sunday with a camera…18 doe and 3 small racked bucks fed in our plots all afternoon. We have a nice group of 2 1/2 yr old 8s we are excited to see make it as well. Next year should be interesting. 
 

 

 

[suburbanfarmer]

1 hour ago, chrisw said:

Did 2 public land drives today, we got 2 does and an 8 out of the first drive.

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You werent pushing Conesus area were you?

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, GreenDrake said:

Wolc….I’m praying for you pal. You have been wayyyy to quiet for me this year!!!

My wife and I tagged out early November on my new property in NZ in 6k…nephew tagged out on this bruiser on my southern lease. We sat last Sunday with a camera…18 doe and 3 small racked bucks fed in our plots all afternoon. We have a nice group of 2 1/2 yr old 8s we are excited to see make it as well. Next year should be interesting. 
 

 

 

Thanks, Our oldest daughter is moving back home next weekend, so one more deer would be nice.  I didn’t see anything again tonight.  
 

I am hunting here, an hour or so before church tomorrow morning, then over at my parents place, in the afternoon.  That will be it for gun season.    
 

I probably won’t be able to get out much during our regular late SZ ML season.  I’m really looking forward to the Holiday ML season this year though, and I should be able to hunt every day of that.  
 

It looks like you have a great place up there with tons of potential, plus some good deer right now.  I couldn’t believe how just mowing some grass seemed to attract deer at my in-laws place, over in WMU 6C this year.  There seemed to be an over abundance of little bucks up there.  It was weird to see almost as many antlered bucks as I did antlerless deer.  Someday, I’d like to try some food plots up there.  

I had to look twice, to see that big one of your nephew’s was from the southern lease.  I almost hit one just like that, on Thanksgiving evening on rt  81 in Sandy Creek, with our suv.  
 

He was standing broadside in the middle of the slow lane and I was doing 75 when I saw it.  Fortunately, there was nobody in the fast lane and the road was dry.  The anti locks on my  equinox worked great, and I swerved left and that buck jumped ahead at the last moment, missing us by an inch or so.  

 

 

Edited December 10, 2022 by wolc123

[boo711]

 Sorry about no deer for you. Also sorry you oldest is moving back home. Lol. My wife and I are empty nesters. Nice to have the kids come to visit. Moving back home…..plenty of apartments where we live.   Good luck the rest of the season!!!

[First-light]

Had the boys over for the Army Navy game. Turned on the grill at 4 and one of the guys slips out to hunt the last hour of the day. Was hunting for a buck but saw 15 doe come into my corn field 4:55. No buck! He came back and the food was still warm!

[phade]

Got our for the PM. Had hopes of encountering our busted up 4 or 5 year old buck. He showed up on cam yesterday with an hour of light left and usually sticks around for 2-3 days before disappearing again for 4 ish days. I suspect I will get pics of him overnight south of where I set up150 yards in our other plot. 50-50 guess on the stand selection and I believe he will show at the one I wasn’t at since I covered 1 of the 2 bedding spots.
 

Did have three bucks come out and hang in our brassica plot for 45 minutes. One a really nice 8 that will be worthy of a look next year. Certainly checked him in the scope before I figured out who he was. I had the perfect wind too so my hopes were exceptionally high that tonight be the night. Close, no cigar.

I REALLY want to get out in the AM if it snows. Even if just for the first hour. Now it’s forecasted transitioning to rain, which kills that. I was going to just go to sit and get out to an easy spot and we what shakes out. Rain just above freezing and no leads on a buck in the AM is a bad combo for me lol. PM more of the same but I’ll sit through that for a shot at this busted up buck.

[chrisw]

You werent pushing Conesus area were you?

No, out at Montezuma

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