2020 Field to Fork Program - Northeastern NY

[dbHunterNY]

Program is off and running throughout NY state as you may have seen in Culvers post for their area.

 

For this area of NY, we're hoping to get 10 new hunters their first deer. Again theres a good mix of young and older folks, both men and women.

 

Back on September 23rd we had a state wide Zoom meet and greet to kickoff the program.

 

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[dbHunterNY]

Today, October 10th was our range day. We had a rifle range and then mentees or mentors could check out vertical bows and crossbows at an archery range we also setup. Almost all mentees had various shoot n see type paper targets and some reactive steel gongs at 50 yard increments out to 200 yards. Then for mentors we had targets out to a 500 yard steel gong.

We again had our plywood proficiency deer. Its blanked off with matching color and shot up cardboard so you cant spot and correct your shots. In the back is a white paper with vitals outlined you pull off to see how well you did.


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[Trial153]

Good work. Love seeing this

[dbHunterNY]

Good work. Love seeing this

Some people are worried with all the license sales and lack of in person instruction. This program is by far the best way to start hunting. New hunters are hunting with a seasoned mentors on some of the best hunting ground on the area. They get one on one instruction for shooting. we have them learning how to process deer by professional butcher. Success rate is very high. What's not to like if your a new hunter.

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[Marsala-man]

20 hours ago, dbHunterNY said:

plywood proficiency deer

Would love to know a bit more about this. Do you have a square cut out behind the cardboard to prolong the life of the deer?

[dbHunterNY]

Would love to know a bit more about this. Do you have a square cut out behind the cardboard to prolong the life of the deer?

The outline of the plywood is the deer as you see. Then an outline of anatomically correct vitals are cut out. The cardboard in the front is just a big stapled square so you can't see that outline. Then photocopy of vitals layed out on white paper thats behind that and held on by thumb tacks. So yea its lasted a while as you're only shooting through cardboard and paper. Any fumbled shots into plywood are marked with a black sharpie.

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[dbHunterNY]

@Culvercreek hunt club took a picture of our proficiency deer this year. Always forgot in years past.

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[dbHunterNY]

Took this years mentee/new hunter, Tom, out again for some trigger time. He had a lever 30-30 with open sights that he just couldnt be quite proficient enough with. My personal 30-06 was too much for him last range day recoil wise. So again this year out of the safe came my 7mm-08 I picked up from@Billdogge . Last years new hunter Steve took his first deer with it. Although I had bought this rifle primarily for my kids and a backup option for new shooters/hunters it's become a super accurate go to rifle. After a couple hours of shooting that and my varmint rifle he got proficient enough to ring vital sized steel gongs with it at 100, 200, and 300 yards. Come southern zone gun season the deer will be in trouble.


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[Billdogge]

12 hours ago, dbHunterNY said:

Took this years mentee/new hunter, Tom, out again for some trigger time. He had a lever 30-30 with open sights that he just couldnt be quite proficient enough with. My personal 30-06 was too much for him last range day recoil wise. So again this year out of the safe came my 7mm-08 I picked up from@Billdogge . Last years new hunter Steve took his first deer with it. Although I had bought this rifle primarily for my kids and a backup option for new shooters/hunters it's become a super accurate go to rifle. After a couple hours of shooting that and my varmint rifle he got proficient enough to ring vital sized steel gongs with it at 100, 200, and 300 yards. Come southern zone gun season the deer will be in trouble.


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AWESOME MAN!! Glad to see you are putting it to good use and doing a great service for the hunting community.

[dbHunterNY]

AWESOME MAN!! Glad to see you are putting it to good use and doing a great service for the hunting community.

Might have been just dumb luck but with the hornady custom lite (reduced recoil) ammo it shoots well under subMOA. Basically will cloverleaf shots at 100 yards. Melow round still seems to still do well on deer. I've got a limbsaver recoil pad that adds length of pull for adult use. Hope all is well and you're finding time to get out there.

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[dbHunterNY]

So my mentee Tom made it out this afternoon. A mature doe was in the process of busting us. Ended up sneaking in behind us. He kept calm and managed to make a perfect heart shot. More new hunters to go here in Northeastern NY.


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[dbHunterNY]

A lot has happened since last update. A few Field to Fork mentee alumni from last year have taken deer this season. Hany I believe his first buck with his compound. Jimmy took his first deer ever with a crossbow. Sandra took a doe in early muzzleloader season and her first buck during rifle season.

Also technically not part of the program as he's a youth junior hunter, but Matt took a spike horn for his first deer at age 15.

Pics below. Still many mentees yet to get deer this season.


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[Lomax]

8 minutes ago, dbHunterNY said:

A lot has happened since last update. A few Field to Fork mentee alumni from last year have taken deer this season. Hany I believe his first buck with his compound. Jimmy took his first deer ever with a crossbow. Sandra took a doe in early muzzleloader season and her first buck during rifle season.

Also technically not part of the program as he's a youth junior hunter, but Matt took a spike horn for his first deer at age 15.

Pics below. Still many mentees yet to get deer this season.


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Great story and pics.  Pretty cool did not know about this.   What a great program 

[dbHunterNY]

Last night our group hosted a deer processing seminar with Q&A. We covered skinning a deer with and without mounting in mind. We covered wet and dry aging tips and tricks. Deboning the front shoulders, hind quarters, and the carcass were also broken down step by step. Various cuts of meat and suggested ways to cook each were also discussed.

The seminar was made available to other groups in the state as well. It was recorded so those I the program could go back for reference or check it out if they couldn't make it work with their schedules.

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[suburbanfarmer]

On 12/3/2020 at 4:42 PM, dbHunterNY said:

Last night our group hosted a deer processing seminar with Q&A. We covered skinning a deer with and without mounting in mind. We covered wet and dry aging tips and tricks. Deboning the front shoulders, hind quarters, and the carcass were also broken down step by step. Various cuts of meat and suggested ways to cook each were also discussed.

The seminar was made available to other groups in the state as well. It was recorded so those I the program could go back for reference or check it out if they couldn't make it work with their schedules.

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Can you share that recording here or is it not allowed? I am sure it would be beneficial for most.

[dbHunterNY]

13 hours ago, suburbanfarmer said:

Can you share that recording here or is it not allowed? I am sure it would be beneficial for most.

looking into it. either way i'll post the answer when i get a response.

[dbHunterNY]

So on December 2nd the Upper Hudson River Valley Branch of the National Deer Association (formerly QDMA) teamed up again with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers to host a deer processing seminar. This year it was streamed remotely through Zoom due to Covid and New York state guidelines. NDA Field to Fork Program participants were invited and could ask questions freely. We covered skinning the deer, down to processing each cut of meat. We did however record the event. To view it see the link below....

https://zoom.us/rec/share/ycOLQB1I0k4KPWT-zxx3ixX5GxwOlXtCRsSJ5zYNlh8TunBK3lCxqKLVj-wHPrae.eGP3KI9g1V93fqpu

Access Passcode: hV0d*n74

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[dbHunterNY]

So for those of you that watched the processing demo on the link above what are your thoughts good, bad or indifferent?

I realize it was done from a smart phone and lighting isn't the best.

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[suburbanfarmer]

For a newbie it was great. Certain things I didnt agree with like sawing through the bone but that is a personal preference as we age.

[dbHunterNY]

For a newbie it was great. Certain things I didnt agree with like sawing through the bone but that is a personal preference as we age.

I typically don't either. Front legs can be removed at the knee without saw. It is pretty nice to have the neck and each hind quarter on the table though to bone them out. I hate the idea of bone dust though.


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[suburbanfarmer]

1 hour ago, dbHunterNY said:

I typically don't either. Front legs can be removed at the knee without saw. It is pretty nice to have the neck and each hind quarter on the table though to bone them out. I hate the idea of bone dust though.


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Agreed, the same can be done with the hind quarters instead of sawing through the pelvis.