No buck tag Thanksgiving

[wolc123]

This will be the first year in a long time that I am heading up there for the long Thanksgiving weekend without a buck tag.   It sounds like it is going to be very cold, so I don't suppose there will be any black bear action, or open water fishing.   I saw a ton of grouse up there on my last two deer hunting trips this fall (ML opening weekend and second weekend of rifle season), so I will bring my 16 gauge double and see if there are still some around.   If I run into some bear tracks while grouse hunting, I can always go back to the inlaws, dump my birdshot and pick up some slugs, (or my father in laws scoped 30/30).  In addition to 7-1/2's for grouse, and slugs for bear, I will bring along some #4 magnum loads in case I run into some coyote sign. I will keep one of them in the left (modified choke) barrel while grouse hunting "just in case", along with a 7-1/2 in the right (improved cylinder) barrel .   I had a run in with a huge one on my ML hunt.  If I would have been armed with a shotgun with #4's on that encounter, it would have been a "chip shot" at 15 yards.       

My first job up there is going to be sighting in my father-in-law's "new in box" 1980's Marlin 336 with 150 grain ammo.   I have a couple boxes and could not get it to hit quite as low as I wanted with my new open-sighted Marlin 336 BL.   I will leave him the 150's and get some 170's for mine before next season.  The have an awesome rifle range up there that is set up for large and small caliber.  I am also bringing my Ruger 10/22, self-reset, spinning target, and a big box of ammo for my daughter to have fun with.   With no buck tag, I will get to spend a lot more time with her and that is what I will be most Thankful for on this holiday weekend.             

Edited November 20, 2018 by wolc123

[ATbuckhunter]

You may have to check the regs on keeping buckshot in your shotgun while hunting during deer season. It should be legal, but I wouldnt be surprised if its not. 

[wolc123]

7 hours ago, ATbuckhunter said:

You may have to check the regs on keeping buckshot in your shotgun while hunting during deer season. It should be legal, but I wouldnt be surprised if its not. 

Buckshot has not been legal for deer hunting in NY for as long as I can remember.  Small game hunting is open and allowed throughout deer season in both the Northern and Southern zones.  I will be doing that with  # 7-1/2 bird-shot in the right barrel and # 4 "fur/bird-shot" in the left barrel.   The cold should keep the bears in their dens, but if I do happen to come across some tracks, I will go back to the house for a 30/30 rifle, or (if it is raining), dump off all my bird/fur-shot and pick up some 16 ga slugs.  The law does not allow you to carry both during big-game season.   I have sighted my 16 gauge double with slugs and it does pretty good.  Both barrels strike right on at 50 yards but the right goes to the left beyond that and vise-versa.   I would not take a shot much over 50 yards at a bear with it.  The only way I plan on hunting more than a mile from the house is if I get on some bear tracks.   A nice part of hunting up there then, is that I usually have many thousands of acres all to my self, and unbelievable scenery.         

[johnplav]

On 11/20/2018 at 5:32 PM, wolc123 said:

 The law does not allow you to carry both during big-game season.   

Really?  What law?

[wolc123]

4 hours ago, johnplav said:

Really?  What law?

I was not certain if I could "carry" both, but it does say in the NY hunting regs book (big game hunting section) "it is unlawful to hunt big game with: .... any shotgun loaded with shells other than those carrying a single projectile ..."    It would have been nice to have a slug in the right barrel (for bears and coyotes), and a 7-1/2 in the left (for grouse and squirrels) but that would have certainly been illegal.   I left the slugs in the car while I was small game hunting, just to be safe.  It did not matter anyhow because I saw no bears, coyotes, grouse, or squirrels.

  I did see more deer sign than ever up there (no bear and just one lonely set of coyote tracks).   One even walked by (about 75 yards away thru the woods) as I was blowing on a predator call.   I had no binoculars at the time, and no optics on my side-by side, so I was not able to identify any antlers.   Even that will not matter next weekend, when and if I head back up for the late ML season.   I still have tags for antlerless and either/or that would be good up there then in that WMU.  If those deer hang around until then, filling one or both of those tags should not be all that difficult.   Based on how shot-up the last couple gun-season deer that I am butchering are, I could certainly put that extra venison to good use.      

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by wolc123