Spider senses starting to tingle for real

[uberyan]

All the supplies and gear are now bought/made.

One last round of washing/scent control spraying to go.

Putting everything in the pack tonight.

Lay out the clothes and pack the car up Tuesday night, get to bed early and somehow try to get some sleep.

Then start the drive up to the Catskills around 3AM.

First time stepping into the woods to hunt, the giddy nervousness is starting to take hold.

Priority number 1, get home safely at the end of the day.

A nice buck would be a fantastic bonus.

Let's hope I don't do anything stupid like leaving the tags at home.

[Zem18]

Good Luck to you. Where in the Catskills you headed? I was just there this weekend and it was beautiful with all the snow.

[turkeyfeathers]

Awesome, have fun , good luck and be safe.

Get a piece of paper: write down what you need from sleeping to morning , what you need to hunt from pulling the trigger to field dressing, what you'll have for lunch and how to cook it etc. Plan every step, write down object. Cross it off as it's packed.  I don't have OCD but do this from hunting to vacations. Never forgot anything. Well , except our drive to Michigan only to find out daughters entire suitcase was in our living room You have 2 compasses? Extra and then more extra batteries for flashlights? TP ?

[Zem18]

Don't forget the TP. TF doesn't leave home without it!! I used to make that list, now I just say in my head -  Boots to keep my feet warm, jacket and pants to keep body warm, gloves, rope, knife, rifle and bullets. Everything else is a luxury.

[uberyan]

41 minutes ago, Zem18 said:

Good Luck to you. Where in the Catskills you headed? I was just there this weekend and it was beautiful with all the snow.

Thanks. Slide mountain/sundown. 

How much snow accumulated? Good signs of deer? How's the cell reception there?

Got a couple of compasses. Paper map. Battery pack for the phone. Flashlight and extra flashlight battery. Downloading gpsmaps into phone tonight. Tp. Snacks. A couple lengths of webbing with loops/slides. Extra socks. Knives. Multitool. Orange tape. Electrical tape. Lighter. Paracord bracelet. Whistle. Emergency blankets. First aid kit. Lifestraw. Bear spray. Bino. Ruger. Hornady white tails. Victory/consolation cigar. Ah crap forgot to pick up some cheap plastic ponchos. 

[Dinsdale]

Nice area, with some snow around it'll be easier to find the better areas. I'll be west of you a bit.

IMO skip the bear spray. 

Hiked a bunch of miles in the Catskills all seasons and you just don't get bear encounters like that especially hunting. Maybe around a cabin where folks are getting dumpster divers some idiot will get a bear on the deck where they left trash. 

On ground sheet;

With some cord, you can hang fresh quarters  off a tree to keeps things off the ground, although snow is great if you have it. Take a couple plastic trash bags (unscented kind) they work good; I carry some house wrap but get mine off jobs anytime I want.

I read about these deer drag efforts here and think folks are crazy. I field quarter everything unless I can actually see the car. You can still hang and age quarters if thats your thing. Maybe want to look at "gutless" methods around you tube and/or traditional field quartering. I like bone in as it gives some shape to carry, but have boned out too. 

[uberyan]

Yeah a lot of things on the back end of the list are things I'd rather not have to use but would regret not having if needed. 

And yes I'll be quartering and packing out. That's what one of the clear ponchos is for. Advice that someone else here had given. 

Not having to drag out is one benefit but the main reason I'm quartering is my wife insisted I don't bring home a whole carcass. That's where she draws the line when it comes to me hunting. I'd say it's a fine compromise. 

[Dinsdale]

I think your list looks good, about the same here and I've been at this for a spell. I do some backpacking so always counting ounces to shave here and there while staying prepared.

Hunting 3A is tough in the hills, but lots of fun.

Good luck!

 

[grampy]

Seems like you are well prepared .  Now just get out there, take a slow look around, a deep breath and enjoy every minute !  Best of luck to you.

[Lawdwaz]

Kind of related to this but not really; Ziploc makes a great ziploc that's 2.5 gallons.  They'll hold quite a bit of boned out Rudolph......

[Core]

6 hours ago, Zem18 said:

Don't forget the TP. TF doesn't leave home without it!! I used to make that list, now I just say in my head -  Boots to keep my feet warm, jacket and pants to keep body warm, gloves, rope, knife, rifle and bullets. Everything else is a luxury.

I keep a roll in a ziplock bag and it has saved my arse (literally) twice. Would not leave home without it.

I got into lists last year but now I keep everything in my pack so I just know it will be there if needed.

[Core]

5 hours ago, uberyan said:

Thanks. Slide mountain/sundown. 

How much snow accumulated? Good signs of deer? How's the cell reception there?

Got a couple of compasses. Paper map. Battery pack for the phone. Flashlight and extra flashlight battery. Downloading gpsmaps into phone tonight. Tp. Snacks. A couple lengths of webbing with loops/slides. Extra socks. Knives. Multitool. Orange tape. Electrical tape. Lighter. Paracord bracelet. Whistle. Emergency blankets. First aid kit. Lifestraw. Bear spray. Bino. Ruger. Hornady white tails. Victory/consolation cigar. Ah crap forgot to pick up some cheap plastic ponchos. 

You forgot the field dressing gloves, throw away pack take up no room. Saves you totally drenching your forearms in blood

[uberyan]

2 hours ago, Core said:

You forgot the field dressing gloves, throw away pack take up no room. Saves you totally drenching your forearms in blood

Yep. Got those and some spare nitrile gloves as well. 

 

2 hours ago, Core said:

I keep a roll in a ziplock bag and it has saved my arse (literally) twice. Would not leave home without it.

I got into lists last year but now I keep everything in my pack so I just know it will be there if needed.

One of the rolls in the house was just under 2/3 done. Grabbed that and threw it in a ziplock. 

Lumbar pack is starting to get filled up. Mostly because of the game bags. 

[Jeremy K]

Socks ,lots of socks. Funny how a dry pair of socks can change your outlook on the entire day.

[uberyan]

Going over the hunting plan.

I've got two options.

1. Hilly/mountain section with a few parallel running brooks and creeks. I'm thinking of going up and down the creek edges, looking for funnel points.

2. Opposite side of the road is gentler gradiented and not segmented by water. More of a square area to explore in whatever direction the signs (if exist) would take me.

Quite torn between the two...

What do you more experienced folks think?

[Zem18]

Lots of sign in our neck of the woods near the creeks and brooks. Deer runs loaded with rubs and scrapes. WMU4W Hancock area.  It has been a dry summer and they need water too. Check the sign there first. If that doesn't pan out, try across the road.

[Buckmaster7600]

I love hunting the bottoms. A swamp on the bottom of a mountain on the back side of the mountain is my favorite place to hunt and an area that will have little to no pressure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[uberyan]

looks like the hilly creeks are winning.

Those hills may be pretty steep after looking at some more detailed topo maps, peaks over 3000'.

Hopefully there are some flatter areas along the bottoms closer to the water.

[uberyan]

So a little epilogue for closure. 

This will be a bit long and possibly ranty, but hopefully entertaining. 

For those short on time or patience, no I did not fill a tag today. 

For those who need something to read while on the loo...

alarm went off at 2. Probably got about three hours of sleep. Wanted to get to bed earlier but I had to run to a friends house to pick up a gps that I was hoping to have days ago. Pointless as the gps wasn't able to acquire a satellite the whole time while I was in the Catskills. Took forever to fall asleep since I normally go to bed after 1.

Anyway. Showered and out the door by 2:30. Stop by the 7-11 for a giant coffee and croissant and onto the LIE. After crossing the first bridge I start worrying that I left my multitool in the range bag and forgot to pack it. Crap, how will I change the blades on the havalon without cutting myself? 

nice to drive through zero traffic. Long stretches where i'm the only car on the road. Darkness surrounds me as I enter the start of Catskills range. Feeling quite surreal. 

About 20miles out from the destination I almost hit a dumpster diving doe. Think to myself this means I'm going to see a ton of deer or this will be the only one I see all day. 

Arrive in the Catskills peekamoose valley a little past 5am. I've never been here before. And I don't think I've ever been in the mountains in darkness. I cannot get over how dark it is. Can't gauge anything it's so dark. 

Sit in the car. Eat the croissant and finish my coffee. 

Sun starts coming up. Another thing I notice, it goes from pitch black to light very quickly. 

In the backseat scrambling to change into my hunting clothes. Been a while since I had to put pants on in the backseat of a car. 

All dressed, check my pack (multitool is there), fill up the bladder and strap it on. Attach the bino harness. Attach the hand warmer. All regular gear set. 

Now just need to get the rifle ready. Left that last to be extra safe.

Put the bolt in. Release the mag, four rounds in the mag and back into the rifle. Huh, mag didn't make the click going back in. Try racking a cartridge, mag noticeably shifts out of the rifle. Wtf. 

The hinge clip that holds and releases the mag has snapped off. There is nothing to hold the mag in. Expletives fill my head. 

Im in head to toe camo, save for a blaze orange beanie but have no weapon. 

Now yes I could've just manually chambered on and racked it. And yes the plan is one shot one kill. But being in a completely new area. No idea what to expect, I felt uneasy knowing I didn't have extra rounds in the mag ready to go.

go back and forth between should I hunt should I not. All the while I'm running through the eloquent vitriol I'm going to spew on ruger once I get back to home to an internet connection.

finally decide to just play it safe and put the rifle away. There will be no hunting today. Change back into regular clothes save for the boots and decide to just hike around and scout out the area. 

[uberyan]

Part two

after deciding to just explore the area, notice a portapotty in the far corner in the trailer parking area. 

While walking over notice tons of pretty fresh tracks in the snow. 

I remember reading that bigger bucks like to drag their toes like this to save energy. Curse ruger again. Follow the tracks to see what I can find. 

Fresh scat. 

Whats some brown stuff without some yellow to go with it.

Thought it was odd considering it was just off the lot on the road side. 

The lot was full of tracks. From different deer as far as I could tell. Odd thing was I couldn't really trace any of them to a clear start or ending point. It was like they just dropped into the lot. Had a little deer orgy and then flew away. 

After exploring other parts of the area I decided to come back to the trailer lot and follow the tracks in the opposite direction. 

Scat again. 

But then right next to the scat:

I swear this lot is inhabited by flying deer. I followed the blood trail for about 20 feet and it just ended with this:

The boot print is mine. It's the only human track I saw. No one had retrieved this deer. No drag marks. No evidence of processing. It's like the deer just bandaged itself up, stopped bleeding and carried on. 

One thing I forgot to mention. I took a picture of my planned hunting route:

Definitely underestimated the gradients here. Even if the ruger hadn't broken I would've had to find a new plan real quick. 

Hunting where hunters normally don't go is one thing. This terrain looked like deer wouldn't go anywhere near it unless there was immense pressure. Considering I only saw one other truck parked in the area and heard only 2-3 gunshots (from a distance away at that, most likely from the peak south of where I was) I don't think the deer are pressured here. 

Not sure where they are though. Other than the one trailer lot I didn't see any fresh signs. No tracks, scat and definitely no scrapes. 

Edited November 24, 2016 by uberyan

[Dinsdale]

Sorry to hear about the rifle issue.

Like I said, deer come tough in 3A......

Got to cover some ground to find places; I've hiked almost all the Catskill 35 and you need to be out there to find some good spots, but they're there.

I don't always take my GPS, but my older Garmin 62 gets signal where the E-trex is a POS in timber and steeper terrain so I dumped it and use the older unit.

 

Keep after it.

 

 

 

[uberyan]

Yeah. Definitely a good learning experience. Still confused about the tracks in that one lot and nowhere else to be found. 

Not sure if I'll be able to get back out this season. Probably stick closer to if I do. State lands more east of the Catskills and whatnot. 

You have any luck while you were in the western side?