Live From The Woods 2023-2024 Edition

[Hock3y24]

saw two doe fri, 3 doe sat. Kid won his playoff football game so my busy sched continues. might go out this evening. Then pa youth Thursday. 

[wolc123]

I’m setup in my tree hammock chair, down in a stream bottom area in wmu 6f, this morning.  The rain was light during my walk in, 15 min before sunrise (7:15), but it has let up now.  

I brought along my tree umbrella in case it picks up again.  The roof is getting real bad on that long abandoned lean-to in the background, so that wouldn’t offer much rain protection.
 

  I’m planning on sticking it out here until about 11:00, then lunch back at my in-laws lake house.  After that, we are heading into town for supplies.  
 

No signs of deer so far this morning, only squirrels.  I’m amazed at how those little reds can break sticks.  
 

[wolc123]

The rain picked up again so I had to put the top up:

[wolc123]

Say hello to my little friend:

[wolc123]

I walked quickly to my spot, up on the north end of the east ridge at 30 minutes before sunrise.  I didn’t still hunt because I wanted to get up here before sunrise .  My tree hammock seat is strapped in up here, with 5 minutes to spare.  
 

Im near the top of a local rise so the morning thermals ought to carry my scent up and out of play.  Deer may arrive from any direction up here, to get at the hickory and beech nuts.  I’m strapped to a smaller tree that will allow for full 360 degree shot rotation.  

When the daylight gets a little better, I’ll throw on my camo head net to dampen the mandatory blaze orange hat a little, and hide my shiny shooting glasses.

Two minor setbacks, first I lost my right glove thumb muzzle cover on the walk up.  It was too loose of a fit anyhow and it’s not supposed to rain today, so no big deal there.  
 

Also, I got up here and realized that I didn’t have my binoculars.  Worst case scenario there, is that I end up using my buck tag on an unseen spike.  I can live with that, since it’s mostly about the meat for me. 

My Evercalm stick is open and stuck in an overhead branch.  I wiped some on each boot prior to the walk up.   Ive got a quart of hot cider and a bunch of candy bars.  Shouldn’t be any trouble hanging out here until 11:00 or so.  It would be nice if a deer or two arrive on scene before that.  

Edited October 17, 2023 by wolc123

[Hock3y24]

Got a few nice bucks on cam this week, still after dark but they are not grouped up. Gonna pick up here soon 

[wolc123]

My radar (ears) just picked up a couple of hits about 100 yards out at 9:00 position.  Turned out to be 4 to 6 turkeys .  Usually the season for them closes the Friday before opening Saturday of ML, but there was some misprints in the regs this year from what I understand.  
 

Makes no difference to me.  I wouldt waste the ammo on meat that tastes like dry cardboard to me anyhow.  Now if a grouse were to appear, I would definitely consider a head shot on one of those, if I thought I could make it.

That is the only white meated bird that I like.  Lots of flavor to them.  There wasn’t much left to eat on the last one I hit on center of mass with my 30/06 though.  If and when I get another crack at one of those with a deer gun I’ll definitely aim for the head. 

Edited October 17, 2023 by wolc123

[Doc]

6 hours ago, wolc123 said:

I walked quickly to my spot, up on the north end of the east ridge at 30 minutes before sunrise.  I didn’t still hunt because I wanted to get up here before sunrise .  My tree hammock seat is strapped in up here, with 5 minutes to spare.  
 

Im near the top of a local rise so the morning thermals ought to carry my scent up and out of play.  Deer may arrive from any direction up here, to get at the hickory and beech nuts.  I’m strapped to a smaller tree that will allow for full 360 degree shot rotation.  

When the daylight gets a little better, I’ll throw on my camo head net to dampen the mandatory blaze orange hat a little, and hide my shiny shooting glasses.

I've got a quart of hot cider and a bunch of candy bars.  

I learned a long time ago that my body does not tolerate too much cider.  It turned out that the resulting trips in and out of my stand caused a lot more scent to be broadcast around the area than was good for deer hunting.......lol.

[ridgerunner88]

In-laws head back to FL tomorrow after spending a week here. Will finally get to go out for a solid 5-6 days starting Thursday.

Plan on still hunting, created this cheat sheet to pick spots to go to based on the wind. Daughter started us out strong with a freezer filler last week.. hoping to tag one with the muzzy and then get pickier after that.


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[First-light]

saw six Doe tonight from this beautiful stand on new lease. 

[wolc123]

I’m strapped onto my tree down on the south ridge 10 minutes before sunrise.  No rain now, but I brought along my tree umbrella, just in case.  Ive also got another neoprene glove that I can sacrifice a finger tip from to cover my muzzle.

At the rate I’m going this week, it don’t look like I’ll need it for gutting.

[DirtTime]

Super quiet and a very warm 40* in my little spot up north this morning.

 

[wolc123]

We are getting blessed with a little more rain up here in wmu 6C.  I put the top up and sacrificed the little finger tip of my left neoprene gutting glove.  Much better fit than the thumb from the right that I lost walking into my spot yesterday morning.  

It’s good to see that my old Buck 110 is still nice and sharp.  I only use it when I’m hunting up here because I much prefer my Shrade Sharpfinger at home.  That holds a better edge and is easier to clean up after use.  
 

I didn’t sharpen the Buck 110 this year, because I didn’t get a deer up here last year, so it was still sharp from then.  My father in law gave it to me for Christmas, about 20 years ago, and I’d never hear the end of it if he caught me using something else.  
 

We get pretty good cell reception up here.  He can usually be at or close to the kill site, with his atv or tractor, by the time I finish gutting.  

I’ll need to purchase another pair of long wrist neoprene gloves, when I go to pick up a couple more wmu 9F dmp tags, at Walmart or Runnings on November 1.  

We are going to need at least one more deer, to add to the those that filled my first two 9F dmp’s, during the early antlerless gun season.  It’s not looking like that is going to come from up here in 6C.  I’m now at the half way point of a 9 day huntcation and I have not even seen one yet.  
 

Oh well, they all taste the same.  It’s just one heck of a lot prettier scenery to get them in up here:  

[First-light]

I saw a buck and a huge bear. He came through the pines like a bull moose. So much noise. He stoped 40 yards from me and headed to the corn. 

[DirtTime]

I'm about 500 yards from where I was yesterday and it's dead caml again. No wind, barely any song birds. 

I walked the perimeter of the marsh down in a gully on the way out yesterday and it was high. I always cut fresh tracks in there and usually kick something up. Nothing doing yesterday.

 

[wolc123]

A little bit of excitement here about 15 minutes ago.  A grouse flew in and landed about 15 yards away.  Not sure what my mother in law has planned for lunch today, and I thought that might make a nice treat.

The last time I shot one of those up here while deer hunting, on center of mass with my 30/06, it left just barely enough meat for one person.  
 

I went for a head shot with my 50 cal ML this time.  It looked like it was down, so I walked over to get it without reloading (Big mistake).  No, a big buck did not pop out from a tree at 20 yards. 
 

My shot must have been a very near miss, just close enough to briefly stun the bird.  When I got within a yard of it, it scampered off into the thick stuff.  I chased after it but could not catch it.  I gave up the chase and the search after about 15 minutes.

I would not have shot at the grouse, if I was badly in need of venison right now.  There’s about (3) average sized deer in our freezer back at home, so that’s not the case.  
 

Ive killed maybe about a hundred deer in my lifetime but only about a dozen grouse, so that was the bigger “prize” this morning, than a deer which “might” show up here if I hadn’t shot. 
 

I’m reloaded now and back in my tree hammock chair till 11:30.  Hopefully, it’s not PB&J for lunch.  
 

I had my empty ML in my hands, as I was chasing after the grouse.  When I lost track of it, I reloaded from the speed loader, that I always carry in my pocket.  

There were two more loads in my pack, so I used one of those to reload the speed loader for my pocket.  

I’ll chalk that up as another lesson learned the hard way.  No more head shots. Some meat is better than no meat and a center lung shot provides much more margin for error.  
 

I don’t even try for head shots on squirrels, except for the time one showed up at sunset when I was deer hunting with my side lock .50 cal.  I had a hang fire on that shot but I held steady and after a half second that one lost its head.  

Edited October 19, 2023 by wolc123

[wolc123]

Wow, here’s something I haven’t see too much of so far this week.  Looks like I’ll have to spend a little extra time out on the lake today, in search of the elusive 22 incher.  That usually heats up the afternoon smallmouth bass action pretty good, at this time of year:

[WWJD_Hunter]

My camera has some bucks moving at 2:00pm yesterday and today at 8:00am . Hopefully I can make a trip to this property. 

[Tughill Tamer]

Out today in 6n state land. Good luck to everyone out.

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[New York Hillbilly]

5 hours ago, WWJD_Hunter said:

My camera has some bucks moving at 2:00pm yesterday and today at 8:00am . Hopefully I can make a trip to this property. 

Wowzer! Good luck!

[New York Hillbilly]

1 hour ago, Tughill Tamer said:

Out today in 6n state land. Good luck to everyone out.

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Not sure where 6N is off the top of my head, but reminds me of where I used to run my beagles as a kid up around Happy Valley.

[Tughill Tamer]

Just arrowed a doe at about 25 yards she ran a ways but I think she went down. Giving it a little bit before I head that way.

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[chrisw]

...

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[mowin]

10 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Wow, here’s something I haven’t see too much of so far this week.  Looks like I’ll have to spend a little extra time out on the lake today, in search of the elusive 22 incher.  That usually heats up the afternoon smallmouth bass action pretty good, at this time of year:

We miss ya . 

[Hock3y24]

Pa youth , 5 pm saw 8 deer at once