Good luck guys - My first outing will be tomorrow - but I'm going to help a fellow hunter safety instructor, Pat, try to get her first deer with a bow. I'm going to put her in a ladder stand over an alfalfa field on my farm. Here's what was in the field a few days ago (the ladder stand is just right of center):
http://youtu.be/c7wKMP12dnU


-fsh

Looks like a good setup, fshafly2! No dice for me yesterday...hopefully tomorrow afternoon will be a different story.

Any ideas for a team name...

Nice Fsh, always good to share with friends. As far as my hunting goes it has been hard to breakaway from work to get any time in the stand during the week. I may get out Friday morning and afternoon depending on how busy work is. Hope all is well with everyone else, we need to pick a team name. Any suggestions folks?

Dave

What a brute browtine7, very nice and congrats.

Only one more week before I hit the woods. Will be washing and airing out my gear this weekend along with practicing with my scouts. Time for some R&R in a tree.

Good luck to all this weekend for those fortunate to get out.

Thanks Dave for stepping forward as our captain. To get the name game started, here's a list of potential team names:

Team Galt
Buck Legends
Make-em-leak
Heart Stoppers
Booners
Mutant Buck Hunters
Crimson Arrow

I'll stop as this brainstorming is starting to hurt. I'm sure there are a lot better ideas floating within this team....so bring them on.

I like heart stoppers

Since we are team one...we could be Ace in the hole...or Aces an Eights...

Looks like everyone has checked in except PA Mountaineer. I sent him a PM though I noticed he hasn't posted since August 6th.

Good additions BUCKMARK. I like the Aces somewhere in the name as it ties in with team one.

Looks like he wpuld be a no show...any ideas when they will replace with alternates?

I like Aces-in-the-hole for a team name. This could define our team's compeitive spirit until the very end of this competition as we hunt til last sundown.

I hunted Saturday morning and saw one spike buck. Seems that since the temps have cooled down my sightings went down also.............strange. I plan on trying to get some afternoon hunts this week if I can break away from work. How is it going for everyone else.

Members, we have a new rule change this year. Everyone will be allowed one doe to count for your score. The points awarded after the pic that includes you, your doe and your bow will be 25 points.

The above is straight from Fieldmouse "Contest moderator". So whack those doe gents.

Dave

Doe down gents...................25 points for us, will get pics up soon. Story: Decided to set up in a group of about 30 oaks which are dropping acorns like rain. At 6:45 P.M I had 3 doe come in feeding. Doe presented a twentynine yard shot. I aimed for the heart noticing she was acting a little on edge expecting her to drop some when she heard the shot. Well.................she did not drop an inch, heart shot her, ran 30 yards and watched her pileup.

Dave

Awesome, Way to go Dave, Still a couple weeks before I will get out...

Congrats Dave, nice to balance the herd. I'm heading out this weekend for the first time and hope to repeat your feat as I've scored a doe the first weekend of October the past three years on my first sit of the season. Way to get us on the board.

Sorry for crappy pics folks but my camera died and had to use sons Cell Phone. Doe registered in point checkin thread, 25 points to start us off.




Dave

i agree
great name... sums it up

I am down with "Aces in the Hole". Wish I had known you got 25 points for a doe!!! I stuck a doe Saturday evening, but took no pics and she is now chilling in the freezer. Would pics of me, my bow, and some backstraps do? Ahhh...I oughta arrow at least one more doe before all is said and done.

As for the story on my bow kill, two young does eased through some thick junk...I took a good look with the binos to be certain they weren't buttons while they were still fairly concealed in the undergrowth. As soon as the lead doe stepped out of the stuff, I double-lunged her at 26 yards. Clipped the top of the heart as well. Ran about 35 yards, stood there for a minute, and crumpled. Gotta love it!

Almost forgot to mention, I switched to the Montec CS this year. I am really impressed with the performance so far, shot exactly the same as field points right out of the box. Shot the doe at 29 yards, broke bone going in and out, complete pass through, not bad for a 62 lb bow and an old man with a bad shoulder))). Seeing the deer fall I did not bother to check the bloodtrail, guess I will do that next time.

The broadhead had no chips or bending, resharpen, shot it at the target and still flies true. Resharpen again and put back in quiver. I also wanted to report on the Nocturnal nocks, I wear glasses and at low light I can see well enough to see my pin and shoot but can not always see the arrows flight. The Nocturnal really helped lastnight, being able to see the arrows flight let me know exactly were I hit the deer. This allows in my opinion a better idea of how long to let the deer lay before tracking "better insight of impact point". I am now sold on the Nocturnals and on my way back from the butcher I bought six more))).

Congrats!!!

Congrats on the doe Dave! (again, lol).

I've found ~7 dead deer in the past week - blue tongue is taking its toll in the local area. Still I've been seeing deer almost every hunt. I blew a chance yesterday evening on a big doe standing broadside @12yds - she heard my arm drag across the tree when I tried to draw. Suspicious, she went 20 yds deeper into a holly thicket and then fed on acorns til dark. I saw several deer tonight in another acorn flat, but none in range. A buck came through and chased a doe around, but they too never got close.

-fsh

Ackkkkk..................blue tonque, Fsh you are the first I have heard mention that in these parts. I have not found any dead deer in my neck of the woods. I do have a few pictures of some deer that are rather thin and I wondered what was going on with them.

Goodluck with the hunting.

Dave

Your new team mate kkrandyll

New member to the team checking in. I'm Randall. I will be hunting middle TN.

Wlcm Randall!

Dave
Two friends have found over a dozen dead deer btw them in their hunting areas, and over at the Indian Head Navy Base, they have found 11 dead deer (so far). I can't go into the woods (several different areas) and not get a whiff of dead deer. It looks like a bad outbreak of blue tongue this year.
-fsh

Hey Randall! I hunt middle TN as well. Mostly southern, middle. Some close to Nashville, though. Good luck!

Welcome Randall to Team #1 Aces-in-the-hole. I am your team Captain " how that happened I still have not figured out". A reminder that you can count a doe for 25 points this year. Same rule apply as if it was a buck except for rack measurement. Picture with you, your bow and entire deer.

All, I am trying to figure out what kind of sig we want to use. Anyone good at making sigs feel free to submit one to the group for approval))).

Fsh, quick question to cure my curiosity: So having the smell of dead deer all over the woods, how would that effect your tracking dog if any? I am curious how that works? The dog tracks by blood scent and not body scent?

Dave

Dave
Ruby (most of the time) tracks the deer I start her on - she learns the body scent and blood scent. If there was a breeze when the hunter shot the deer, Ruby often tracks downwind and parallel to the blood trail. We did a track last Saturday night, and Ruby ignored a dead deer in the area that I knew was in there and stayed on track, so it's not been an issue.

-fsh

Went out yesterday afternoon and saw nothing. Expected not to with the squirrel hunters in the woods. Getting out of stand at dark I decided to stop off at a few of my cameras and pull some cards. Got a few pictures of small bucks but nothing of any size. How is it going folks? Post up so we know you are alive)))).

Dave

I earned points on my kitchen pass yesterday, lol. I'll be in the woods most days this week - hunting underneath whiteoaks. There are too many acorns in the woods to focus deer into any one spot, luck and time in the saddle are my only hope...

-fsh

Amen to that Fsh. Sounds like a light rain down my way everytime I walk into the woods. Acorn crop seems to be massive this year.

Dave:groupwave:

Sat saturday and sunday didn't see one deer. Hopefully the weather cooperates and the farmers can get some corn off this week although rain is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Did see a red fox, some mallards, 4 white ducks, a ground hog and a mink. Going home to hunt in Indiana on saturday.



At least I got a nice view from my river spot.

got a doe this am for NY opener... 25 for the team. Not sure how to post any more... can i email one of you to post for me?

thanks

I sent you a PM with my email addy, send them and I will post for you.

Dave

Just sent it over... i hope to get out in CT tonight

I have been too busy to get out since the opener (Saturday, Sept. 29th), when I killed a doe and didn't take any pics of it...didn't know we could count does this year. My bad. I plan to go back out this afternoon, and as much as possible this week. Should be in the woods 4-5 times between morning and evening hunts between now and Saturday. Glad a few folks are having some success! If anyone is bored in the stand, or wants to share pics, my cell # is 9three1-two3ONE-Nine5five7. Please don't share that number with any bimbos or telemarketers :).

Team 1

Western MA Hunter

NY opening day doe



Grats, I will also upload this in the score thread.

Dave

Well done WMaH!

-fsh

You guys are dropping deer and I haven't been out yet, but our season just started and will be out this weekend. At least it won't be in the 70's or 80's like the past 2 years. Can't wait to get out...