IL Rancher

Looking forward to getting the package in the mail Shed.. That should be great.. I really liked gun season out in Montana.. There was a lot of space to spread the hunters out and if you wanted to hoof it into the back country you would see no one and not hear anyone either.. It was nice.. I feel fortunate enough to have experienced both styles and I am sure my time out there has influenced my feelings about gun hunting in this area.

shed33

You PA guys got me to thinking, I have killed 3 of my nicest bucks on the last day of the season..yet I do know a lot of folks here that flat out say exactly what you guys say.... " first good deer that comes by is getting it" rifle/"any weapons"season.. as its deemed.....theseason here gets really hectic..I hate it... we are so roaded here... in regards to road hunters.. and rifles..I find a very secluded place and often hike in a couple miles to do so.. to get away from road hunting rifle hunters...

quiksilver

Two years ago, I took it downto the wire, and killed my buck as daylight was fading on the last day of bow season. I passed on a lot of bucks that year, and wound up taking the biggest one I saw (that big six pointer in my photobucket). This year, I was a little hasty, hunting the new place and all, and I really want to try hunting Ohio. This year will be it. I'm pilfering away some dough, a little at a time, for the trip. I just need my hunting buddy to break down and shoot something, so I don't go it alone.

They have some awesome deer out there, without so much pressure -I'd like to give it a whirlduring the first week of November.

Shed, I remember when you killed that deer in your profile picture last year. I remember looking at the picture, and reading the story. I think those ones that come on the last day really make you feel great. You got the pleasure of hunting all season, and taking your buck. It's a good feeling.

hoosierhunter43

Troy looking forward to seeing the shirts!!!!!!

I am glad I hunt were I hunt it is not the best place for big deer but when gun season comes in I am not worried about getting shot at. I do hear alot of shots but they are not right on top of me. I still would like to go out west and try my luck out thier some day. I think it would be an awsome experience.

IL we are going to get the same cool wheather that you are getting. I think we are supposed to cool off on friday here. I think it should get the deer moving for this weekend.

Well I hope that the activity picks up around here I don't know about other places but it is slow around here. Good luck to everyone that will be out hunting and be safe.

William

shed33

Got me thinking some more.. LOL...... I can't imagine not hunting in the snow. I hunt through Sept.. big heat, Octobers beauty as the fall color changes and the cool weathersets in, then November and Northern Idaho means lots of rain and snow at times, I LOVE HUNTING INTHE RAIN...DURING THE NOVEMEBER RUT..Gortex is my good friend..then December late season means snow! I learn a lot about the whitetails hunting them for 4 months straight...I'm happyI get two buck tags.. incase I get one early.. I canstillhunt. My wife is always on my case.. I will say.."Ishould have justhammered that nice buck".....She says..don't you dare shoot anything that isnt exactly what will make you happy.. and at different times of the season, my expectations change somewhat, heck they change yearly..I honestly wouldnt mind eating my tag and watching many deer pass by that I would rather see live another year..if my family needs the meat thats a different story, a cow elk will get hammered.

Quick that buck from last year..I had passed him up in the early season..he looked pretty good in late season though! and I was very happy to get him late in the season knowing the season was winding down.

IL Rancher

I am a snow freak.. I love it.. People look at me like I am crazy when I say that but I just love it. Hunting it is heaven if you ask me.. The deer really stand out for you, the cold crisp air.. Perfect.. I also love scouting and tracking in Mid Feb and March snow storms.. Get a real good feel of where the deer are moving.. Not perfect as patterns seam to change a lot but those March patterns seem close to the fall ones as best as I can tell.

That being said, the falls around here do have somea advantages over the ones in Montana.. They are longer for one, lol, and there are more maples, lol. My wife and I picked our wedding date (October 22nd for those keeping score at home) to catch the colors and got married outside.. It rocked.. My wife is not a hunter but she used to be when she was younger.. Doesn't like it anymore (Working on her though, lol).. At the same time she is very supportive.. I think she likes me being gone for 4 hours at a time and sees that it relaxes me... When I have a bad day she tells me to go scout... She knows me to well now I guess. She knows why I hunt and why I shoot.

Venison is great but is not the reason I hunt.. I kill a steer or 3 a year, several lambs and as many hogs as I feel like and give away tons (Maybe even a whole Ton) of meat every year to my family and some friends of my mother in law who are in need. <y family will enver go hungry because we lack meat. To me, hunting is about hunting and I will do anything and everything to sit in the woods and enjoy a day away from the phone calls and the marketing crap that I have to do every darn day it seems, That being said, I do like a good venison steak and love making sausages...

shed33

IL....Oct 22nd huh? very cool.. Happy upcoming anniversary! obtw..I will be turning 36 on that day..dang I am getting up there! Scouting in the snow, is great, it reads like a book. I spend a lot of time scouting in late Nov and early Dec while hunting as well. Start shed hunting in Jan..its a never ending cycle..thank God..

We get a pig every year as well IL. My inlaws raise them. Right now we have a freezer full of pork and bear.... I am about out of elk and whitetail. I have a feeling my wife will get a cow elk behind the house in rifle season. They make good eatin'...Dad used to raise beef as a kid, haven't since he passed. Elk are so big, they sub well for beef in regards to meat in the freezer.

IL Rancher

We generally will get some snow to hunt here in December.. The first year I moved back here it started snowing in November and by Christmas we had had a couple feet of snow on the ground.. It was nice.. Nothing like living out west in the Mountains but it was nice.

My freezers are a little scary right now. 1 steer, 3 lambs, 3-3.5 hogs (People need to come and get them) and 20 or so chickens.. No game at all right now.. I hope to change that, getting ready to go out right about now. Just need to figure something out first. Oh well folks, have a great day.

ps. Scary how many stinking posts we have, lol.

shed33

Hope this gets there in time.. good luck IL! Hope you hammer one tonight..

quiksilver

Good luck tonight, IL - I'm heading out with my buddy, too - but we'll only get to sit for an hour. Hopefully they move goodat dark.

Shed - I read your post about the scent-free scrape. I'm going to make one tonight, just to put this theory to test. Sounds fishy, but I'll bite. I'll put it in a high-traffic area, where it's bound to get some looks.

By the way, it's beenREALLY dry around here, and it seems like the deer have changed their feeding pattern from soybeans & corn to nuts. My suspicion is that the nuts are high in water-content, and that's a contributing factor to their popularity over the past 2 weeks. Any credence to my theory? Maybe there just weren't enough nuts on the ground 2 weeks ago to "make a meal."

Also - there's an isolated water source (natural spring) in this deep ravine between the bedding area and the corn fields. I've never really hunted over water before, but I'm thinking this might be a good time to give it a whirl. It's so dry, the fields are actually dusty and the ground is cracking.