2016 HuntingNY Gun Harvest thread

[WNYBuckHunter]

Post up pics of your 2016 gun season deer here!

Only pictures with the associated story will be allowed in this thread. If you want to congratulate someone, please do it by clicking on the "like this" button for the post. There will be no exceptions.

Feel free to start a new thread if you wish to have comments in addition to posting the photo / story here.

[Lever action]

I guess I'll be 1st.

Went to the same stand that I shot the 6 pt with the crossbow, which is on the edge of a spruce thicket.At 8:35 am a doe comes running up the hardwood ridge towards me and she has a young buck following.He didn't make it to the spruce thicket.

[burmjohn]

I had action all morning.  At 7 a big buck comes flying by, he wouldn't stop, but at 100 yards his rack was very clear.   Bunch of does came by off and on for an hour.  Then I heard running, few does popped out and it seemed like two bucks were chasing them.  Only saw the bucks for a few seconds, then they were chasing on the ridge below me out of sight.   30 min later I see a buck, toss the scope up, he was a nice 6.  Waiting another 10 min or so and the 8 came out.  Had a good sized body and decided to pull the trigger for my first ever two buck hunting season.   

 

 

[Buckmaster7600]

story in big woods




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[letinmfly]

Shot this guy at 3:00 as he was chasing 2 does. 

 

[Birdhunter]

Southern Dutchess 8 pt. shot out of the same stand I have connected with for the past three gun openers. 
A few years ago I bow hunted the stand quite a bit and never saw anything until the gun opener. I decided to leave it alone last year for bow and shot a nice 8 pt. I did the same this year and scored again this morning. 
Saw a single doe 80 yds. off about 7:00 and finally got a glimpse of him a few minutes later. 20 minutes later she is within 50 yds. and when I got a clear shot at him I took it. After the smoke cleared (shooting a CVA muzz), I saw him stop running and fall down about 60 yds. off.
I watched him through the binos for the 20 minutes leading up to the shot and I swear the right brow tine was there, but when I got to him I could tell that it broke off recently. Oh well, adds to the character.
Good luck to everyone for the rest of the season!
 By the way...I apologize for that stick thats right in front, but I was self filming and I didn't see it.

[turkeyfeathers]

So daughter and I sitting by 6:15 this morning in our ground blind. At about 9 I stood up to take a leak. But of course a big juicy doe was standing off to our left at 25 yards. Daughter couldn't see it as she was sitting. Had hammer back on .44 hoping she'd see it but it slowly trotted off never flagging her tail. At about noon 2 deer come ripping in from the left again about 20' in front of us. Daughter couldn't as she tried get on one. I couldn't get the slug gun up either. Hand gun was sitting sitting atop my pack. One stopped but quartering away at 40 yards. She still couldn't get on it and as it turned to run again I dropped the hammer on the .44 It dropped right there in its tracks. Daughter got a tear as she thought she blew a chance. This happened all so fast I acknowledged. Now we walk up to doe. Ballz, literally 2 less than 3" spikes all dark and apparently hidden behind its ears as it boogied by. Thought for a moment I spent my buck tag but lucked out in that regard. Antlers were very dark and I checked teeth. All worn down. Buck in recession ? Don't know but certainly not the typical spike. Decent sized deer , venison in the freezer and my little hunting buddy was with me which made it that much better. My homemade venison burrito drag I made worked awesome. Mile drag was easy. Clothes in wash now , guns cleaned and oiled and going to give it another go in the morning.


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[growalot]

This is the 9pt.legal 7pt (broken tines) that a guest at our camp shot today. He was in his climber up near my wht. pine stand in the upper swamp..I thought you'd like the interesting rack....

[ApexerER]

Well...what a day...I am still on cloud 9..Got in my stand early. About 5:45. Heard the first shot at roughly 6:15..I can't imagine how they were shooting because I can't see squat. One of my Hunting buddies is across the ravine from me about 300 yds away. It doesn't take him long to text me that he saw 2 doe. Not long after sunrise two guys on the lease had deer down. A beautiful 6 with nubs for browtines and a nice 8 Pt. I see movement to the right behind me and get excited...then quickly realized they were turkey and watched 8 Longbeards slowly work through. At 8:34 am I text my buddy telling him I swore I heard a deer grunt. I can't hear or see anything.  Just as I decide it must have been my imagination a doe rips in at full speed and stops 10 feet in front of me panting. I am scanning where she came from and catch movement.  I shoulder my rifle...see a nice rack..settle the cross hair and tell myself to squeeze the trigger. The deer disappears and I don't see it. I am shaking like a leaf...see the deer again look...wait..it's another doe..another deer another doe..Bring the gun down and scan..see another deer at least 30 yds from where I first shot..shoulder the rifle..it's him...shaking like a leaf I try to settle myself down and breath..settle my crosshair..tell myself to squeeze the trigger..bang...shot two..the deer doesn't even flinch..again..shot 3..just behind the shoulder..the deer doesn't move...this is crazy...again time again...shot 4...the deer drops right where he is standing..but he is getting back up...shot 5...my gun is empty...I attach my rifle to my pull up rope and practically throw it out of the stand..down the ladder like a fireman pole..grab the rifle..throw 5 more rounds in the rifle...I can't see the deer from the ground. I head slowly toward the deer when blow blow blow...all the doe..I believe there were 6 book out of there. I close the distance and can see the deer trying to get up..I shoulder the rifle again..shot 6..I know I missed on this shot. I get up to the deer and I decide I am going to put him down when he expires...then I see just how big he is and I start shaking so bad I have to get down on one knee. I quickly thank God  (even though I am not very religious) Then tears just stream down my face. I am overcome with emotion..I gather myself enough to see i hit him behind the shoulder 3 times and once was a spine shot. I look at my phone and my buddy sent like 10 texts along with other guys on the lease. My buddies texts from across the ravine were funny....what did you kill? Wtf? What are you doing? How can you miss that many times? What is it? Was it big? So I text him and a few other guys that I have a giant 9 down and just sit and take it all in while I wait for the two guys that already have their deer down and my buddy on the opposite ridge...lots of high fives and hugs...I still can't believe it...a deer of a lifetime...I am extremely disappointed with the Hornady ballistic tips I picked up..three shots through the lungs...three tiny entry holes and three just as tiny exits. Definitely going back to the fusion I was shooting...

[Al Bundy]

This 10 was taken in 5h at my cousins golf course. Nice deer... popped at 150 yards with a .308. 

[wooly]

Jumbo doe for the opener with my smokepole!

 

 

[Fantail]

Dirt Nap 8 Northern Zone 6k, approx 4:30 pm 11.19.16 Remington 783, .243

With just one doe down for the year and my normal stands not paying off, last weekend I decided to take a walk with the rifle and look for sign elsewhere on the property while hunting. On my way around I spot a scrape in an unusual spot I thought, or what is to me up on higher ground from the swamp. Any lower and the area is a lot of thorn, thicket, branches and just snotty overgrowth, the kind of area you avoid to keep quiet. So I venture off into another area where up until last year wasn't so smooth to get into. It's also about 150 yards forward of another stand that I decided to move next year anyways. But its still in proximity to an area I plan to thin out a bit for a few more plot - orchard trees. Filler note; about two years ago the area was logged. And I've not really hunted this spot before unless it was a stalk/walk through back to camp. Being the forward 1/3rd of the property. Well, another scrape spotted, then hey - a rub. 20 yards later two more scrapes. Keep in mind these are all in a sort of rough line or pattern. Something's sneaking through up from the swamp or vs versa through the property, out of sight away from my stands. 

Now I'm thinkin; yeah baby, no way this was the work of jr. Jr. being a younger buck I've seen around. Time for a new Mission.

Now I'm standing in the same area where an old tractor - logging path spits off along with some rough shooting lanes around. I happen to spot a decent stand tree, climbable. Back to camp geared down, returned with some gloves & snips and cleared enough of a path to the new spot to help keep the walk in quiet. Plan is, sneak in with the climber over 11.19-20 and with luck see whats still around in the area. I've equipped my climber with gun holders on the right side. It also has a Bow holder on the left. 

Morning of 11.19 a deer moving through, just before shooting light could just make it out. That was it for the am. Afternoon walk in was one of those deals where it like a carpet of pringles. So I tried to keep motion down until the wind picked up but that's all marginal. I also brought the renzo feeding doe decoy and what was left in a bottle of code red. I'm not a big decoy user mostly because, well they're a pain in the @ss. Weather is starting to go south, storm coming in for the night & Sunday. The wind & leaves are making noise can't use the ears so much now. So yeah I'm scanning the perimeter & to my right (2 o'clock line of sight) and suddenly there he is, big friggin 8 about 60 yards out eyeballing the decoy. Man, you can plan a hunt & spend countless hours plugging away then it boils down to a hand full of seconds & crunch time. This buck started to make his way around some snot, I took the shot just when he was broadside & in the clear.

Slammin` 

This buck is the best yet I've taken off the property. Not just because of the size, the hunt's success, but its part of the land steward work, property improvement, some food plots, plot trees etc. It's just an outstanding feeling.

Good Hunting.

[PREDATE]

Slept in and got a late start this morning since I decided to drive 2+ hours(1 way) to hunt with my dad for opening day.
So I got to my spot at about 7:40 this AM. With about 1" of fresh snow and howling winds I decided to still hunt through some thickets. Took this buck at about 8:30. First deer with my .243. Surely not my best buck, but I got skunked during bow season and I've had a healthy hankering for venison lately.

[ckprax]

On Saturday, as I was making my way back to my car about 11:30am, I heard another hunter shooting close by. I stopped and about 30 seconds later I see a doe with a nice 8 point chasing her. I stopped him but couldn't get a shot since he was behind some brush. 

10 seconds later another buck makes its way to me. He stopped about 30 yards away in an opening and looked at me. I put a shot through both lungs and he dropped in his tracks.

He's a nice little 2-1/2 year old 6 point. My first NY buck and first deer on public land. I had a mile and a half drag out, mostly uphill and he just got heavier and heavier.

Edited November 21, 2016 by ckprax

[Zem18]

Shot this 7pt on Saturday morning at 7:55 am. More pics and story in my journal. Click the link below.

Apparently I added 2 links but both work.

 

Edited November 21, 2016 by Zem18
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[Uncle Nicky]

Not the biggest deer I've ever shot (LOL), but the only buck I saw during this odd weekend (weather-wise). VERY FEW shots heard, maybe everyone is planning to hunt Thanksgiving weekend? I'm just as proud of these dinks as I am a Booner. 9P-Allegany county private land.

[Sudzy8]

Shot this 7 pt tonight.  He chased a doe across a cut corn field and I shot him at 80 yards.  

[mbucks27]

7 pointer I got on opening morning in 4r at 7:00. Had him at 23 yards with bow but could t get a shot a few weeks earlier. State land deer.

[Billdogge]

Got one this afternoon in 3C. 25yrd shot with a 270.

 

[grampy]

With the snow and wind, I decided to head to a ground blind, on a south facing slope. Where my grandson and I  had seen a couple shooter bucks fighting during bow season. It was a half mile hike in through drifted snow, as the logging road was impassable for my ATV. When I got to my spot, I could see where the deer had been digging for acorns and there was a ton of fresh sign. Got in about 12:30 and didn't see a deer until  3:00. Two spike horns came in below me and started to feed. I watched them for a bit, before a big doe came out of the thick stuff below and started to feed as well. I thought about taking her, but decided to wait until my grandson was with me tomorrow. Then up above me I hear a buck grunt, look up the hill and a shooter buck is coming down to check the doe! She runs to within ten feet of my blind, stops, and is looking at the buck. She takes off behind me and the buck starts chasing! I mouth a baaa, he keeps running. So I  almost  shout, BAAA!!! He skids to a stop at 20 yards and a 140 gr. Nosler BT from my 7mm/08 Savage Axis, drops him in his tracks!

8 points, 170 dressed and scarred and broken, with split ears from fighting. This is one of the bucks my grandson and I watched fighting! 

I'm so happy to get him as this has been a up and down season for me. Till today.

[Team Hoyt]

Shot this guy on opening day around 8am. Dropped in his tracks. Called over the girlfriend and once she got there I asked for  her hand in marriage. It was a great day that I'll never forget.

[rotorooter23]

2016 was good to me! opening day with my Savage 10MLii. Chasing a doe with several other bucks. Have had hi on camera for 2 years. I finally caught up to him.

[zeus1gdsm]

first buck. 6r. Chasing a doe. First rut experience

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[WNY Bowhunter]

Couldn't stand it any more...had to drop one tonight at 190 yds with the TC Icon 308.

[Nomad]

So my daughter hunts a bit , while in college not so,much , now her working as a nurse and I as a Firefighter our schedules don't line up much . She did two hours opening day and and hour and a half tonight .

Put her in a big ladder stand where I know that they move past late afternoon . I was in a ladder near by watching cut beam field . I look her way I see deer , does she though ? I'm pointing ... BANG ! Guess she does ! 8 doe were headed her way , 4 big 4 small maybe more she said . Dropped her in her tracks !