2016 Hunting Thread

[Sawicki1991]

I agree. My stand has been out there for three years. Behind my house but on state land.
It's locked to tree but no one has ever messed with it to include haul up rope.

Several times I have gone to use it and someone has beat me to it. No problem.
But I don't walk up to base of tree and starting talking loudly. I exit area as quietly as I can...

A friend of mine last year found a guy sleeping in his stand on private land. Ended up taking the bottom 4 feet of ladder and then left. Not sure how the guy got down but he must have been surprised

 

[DTucK]

Guys if first light is 6:19 AM.

what time you in your stand?

5:30, I try to let the woods settle down a bit before first light.

 

[exojam]

Guys if first light is 6:19 AM.

what time you in your stand?

Maybe I am nuts (or because I make more noise than most) but I would be in at 5.

 

[exojam]

Congrats to dropride, 45 (again), jefftk and Dmiller27!

------------------------------------------------------

Side note since I have not been getting out but what is the rut status at this time? At this time in the season I may drop a doe if I have a chance and donate the venison.

 

[whacko]

My son harvested his first deer monday. A healty 93 pound doe a year and a half old according to the check station. We worked hard to get that one in front of him. He passed on a decent buck early in the morning he said it was just a little too far out for him to be comfortable. He started getting worried later in the day that he may have missed his chance. I told him not to worry he did the right thing. About an hour later we pushes a doe straight at him. One shot.....center chest exited the spine above the shoulder blades. She went right down. Never felt a thing and no meat ruined. I think I raised a good ethical hunter! He is so happy.

Monday it was all about getting him a deer. Friday its dad's turn!!!

 

[Dmiller27]

My son harvested his first deer monday. A healty 93 pound doe a year and a half old according to the check station. We worked hard to get that one in front of him. He passed on a decent buck early in the morning he said it was just a little too far out for him to be comfortable. He started getting worried later in the day that he may have missed his chance. I told him not to worry he did the right thing. About an hour later we pushes a doe straight at him. One shot.....center chest exited the spine above the shoulder blades. She went right down. Never felt a thing and no meat ruined. I think I raised a good ethical hunter! He is so happy.

Monday it was all about getting him a deer. Friday its dad's turn!!!

That is awesome! I love stories like this

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Admin]

Guys if first light is 6:19 AM.

what time you in your stand?

For me I make it a point to be in the stand 1 hour before sunrise. In MN I've had deer walk up to my stand in the dark and I've been able to smoke them when the legal time arrives.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Guys if first light is 6:19 AM.

what time you in your stand?

Depends on location. I usually hunt close to bedding and deer are usually bed well before day break or legal shooting hours. So if I do get there before light I always end up kicking them out of their beds and I don't see squat the rest of the day. So those spots I actually pass on the AM hunt all together and get in there for the evening. It's easier to sneak in when you can see. Plus you generally aren't in a rush. But if I'm hunting funnels and pinch points during the rut I'll get in an hour before sunrise - which is about 30 minutes before legal shooting hours.

I've tried to get in super early when hunting close to bedding. Like 3:00 AM in the stand early. On the few occasions I tried it the deer never bed near where I setup. A couple times I could hear them start to come in - but they must have detected something was off and then never came in. They moved on. Deer like to come to bed from downwind so they can scent check the bedding, plus it has their scent stream and scent trail overlap so predators can only detect them from one path as opposed to two. So it's tough to hunt beds in the AM. It's not very productive to hunt pinch points and funnels outside the rut. At least not for me. So my hunting revolves mostly around evenings close to bedding outside the rut and all day sits on pinch points during the rut.

 

[JGreen]

My son harvested his first deer monday. A healty 93 pound doe a year and a half old according to the check station. We worked hard to get that one in front of him. He passed on a decent buck early in the morning he said it was just a little too far out for him to be comfortable. He started getting worried later in the day that he may have missed his chance. I told him not to worry he did the right thing. About an hour later we pushes a doe straight at him. One shot.....center chest exited the spine above the shoulder blades. She went right down. Never felt a thing and no meat ruined. I think I raised a good ethical hunter! He is so happy.

Monday it was all about getting him a deer. Friday its dad's turn!!!

Just made my day!!!! THIS is what it's all about. Congrats to you both and good luck on Friday.

 

[MP-In-The-Wind]

Good to see some of you guys having some luck...I saw nothing all day Monday and Tuesday AM...Today I saw a small doe @30 yards...but it was behind some trees...and the 'ghosted' away in some pines. Oh well, at least I SAW something!

....actually heading down the street to my stand this morning, I stopped to let 5 does cross in front of me about 1/2 mile from my house!

 

[Vin100]

Thanks for the input guys.

Not 15 yards from where I park the deer are now bedding down. I have to walk down a road approx 100 yards to head up,into the lot to my stand. I have walked down the road past the area where they bed and just had eyes on me at 5:30 AM. At that point, correct me if I am wrong, but I am busted no matter how scent free I am up in the stand they will be on high alert and not heading my way...

 

[admcd]

Hunted since 0600 today. Had a baby squirrel perch on my knee and mean mug me for 2 mins. No deer.

Just grabbed the card from my cam down the swampy draw from where I'm hunting: Only 60 shots in the past 30 days which means it only triggered 10 times. Uh-oh...

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[StevieP]

Sat in my doghouse blind fr9m 5:30 -9 this morning, then did a slow still hunt around the area I hunt and came in at ten. Wet leaves really help.

No deer. My trailcam has caught a few does and a young buck several times. Buck only at night though, and I don't have a doe tag. I'll keep at it.

A friend was coming home from Worcester the other night and saw a huge-racked buck in Sutton/Millbury.

GOod luck all. I'll be back out after 2, once my phone is recharged

 

[admcd]

Heading back out now.

Came home, took a nap, checked the trial cam photos - Nothing since the start of November. Gonna keep at it and hope.

Here we go...

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[OIFer]

a

 

[MP-In-The-Wind]

I saw nothing again today... (except the birds, grey and red squirrels). Interesting...I saw 6-8 guys come out of the woods...no one came out with a deer and no shots heard.

Oh well...I'll be back out there tomorrow morning!

Good luck everyone!

 

[exojam]

Had a spike sneak up on me somehow. He came within 25 yards and stared at me for a bit. He got down wind and his nose was going crazy. He flagged a few times but did not run or make a noise. If he wants to make it till next year he better wise up. At least I saw something today.

May try for an all day sit on Saturday if I can figure out how to stay off the left side for an hour or two. I have some thoughts already on how to pull it off.

 

[Vin100]

Are you gun hunting when u are them?

If you can get downwind and 150' from road, why don't you just sneak up and shoot one right in its bed or as it stands up?

Sent from my Alcatel_4060A using Tapatalk

Yes with a gun. If the wind is favorable, I might be able to pull that off. Otherwise was going to park well past the normal spot so as to not alert them and head to my stand. But your right if wind favorable, I could sneak back and be there with a " good morning".....

 

[dropride]

Leaving for PA tomorrow morning for a week of hunting.

 

[HorizontalHunter]

Hunted the peninsula at Quabbin yesterday. Heard a total of 6 shots all day. I had multiple opportunities to takeaway doe but no doe tag.

When I left a little after 2:00PM a grand total of 5 deer had been checked 4 bucks and 1 doe. I don't know how many hunters there were but it had to be north of 250 as the total drawing was for 1185 hunters drawn for four segments.

Bob

 

[admcd]

Out again this morning. Hearing more movement but nothing has come into my valley. Colder today so I'm hoping for some midday movement.

Gonna set up higher this PM where I heard the deer earlier.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[admcd]

Hunted from 0600 to 1645 today. Other than what might have been a deer moving at 0700 this morning I saw and heard nothing.

Can't hunt tomorrow morning due to wife obligations (Christmas decorating. Joy.) but will hunt 2:00 to end of shooting on the OTHER side of the property where I bumped a deer a few weeks ago going to take a leak while teaching my sister-in-law to shoot the AR.

Are folks seeing movement? The consensus on the FB group I look at sometimes is that they're locked down but that the "second" rut is about to begin.

 

[jhblaze1]

How many of you guys still hunt vs sit in a stand?

 

[PatMcD]

How many of you guys still hunt vs sit in a stand?

I do both. Gotten deer both ways.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

I did both today.. Sat in the stand from from 6:00ish AM until 9:00. Didn't see anything so still hunted until noon. Didn't see anything. Relocated and got back in the stand for the evening. Didn't see any deer. Coyote were really active though.. Back at it tomorrow...

 

[asp]

Congrats to 45 and dropride and a few others!

This little guy came in to about 30 yards and gave me almost a perfect broadside. Thought it was a doe but turns out to be a younger buck, I'm guessing 8 months or so old. Double lung and he went 15 to 20 yards. I'll check him in in the morning. I almost feel bad for how small he is but from what I hear the area I'm in is under-hunted. Major take away from this one is how much less personal shotgun is vs archery. And dressing went much much better.

One tag left...

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[BigTimber]

How many of you guys still hunt vs sit in a stand?

Mostly stand but I still hunted this afternoon. Not much, had a spike buck walk out in front of me maybe 50 yards at last light. Cool to watch him for awhile. Caught his big brother on camera the other day so he walks for now.

 

[MP-In-The-Wind]

Nice ASP congratulations.

I was in my stand today.....dark-to-dark. Saw nothing...heard no shots....

I'll do it all again tomorrow!

Good luck all!

 

[Vin100]

Very nice ASP.

what time of day?

Congrats to 45 and dropride and a few others!

This little guy came in to about 30 yards and gave me almost a perfect broadside. Thought it was a doe but turns out to be a younger buck, I'm guessing 8 months or so old. Double lung and he went 15 to 20 yards. I'll check him in in the morning. I almost feel bad for how small he is but from what I hear the area I'm in is under-hunted. Major take away from this one is how much less personal shotgun is vs archery. And dressing went much much better.

One tag left...

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk

 

[asp]

Thanks! Shot at 3:20 pm

Sent from my VS990 using Tapatalk