Gill-T

Brian, this makes sense as everything -water is upside down in the winter

For the YOY alewives the offshore water temp is the most important IMO. I have been out there in January during a warm winter and we found the coast watch temp transects maps accurately depicted the warmest water was over the deepest parts of the lake. The Rochester intake is inshore.

No

Nice! Getting warm again Saturday. I am always hopeful for early king season.

Yes, I am sure there has been some turnover after the major wind events lately. Six feet of snow runoff in Buffalo has had to have an effect on temps. All the creeks around here are raging

Agreed, Atlantics are a non-factor in the ecosystem. Much to do about nothing.

To date, Lake Ontario is the warmest it has ever been for this time of year. Chart is from last week.

wow ! Not easy getting to 150” with an eight point. You have some special dirt you hunt over.

I think it’s a Lake Trout finder Pete.

Great trip!

Change your handle to bone slayer Jeremy

I was thinking more like Rohypnol (Ruffie) laced bait pile. It is tasteless and odorless. Knock ‘em out, and take them for a cart ride so you don’t contaminate the area with gut piles….. brilliant!!!!

How did you convince the deer to go for a ride in that wagon??

Yes, I passed on the first buck. Trophy hunt can be painful.

The worst were the Armadillos. They sound like a chase scene coming your way. It happened five times. Never had seen one in my life prior but they were everywhere.

I had these three entertaining raccoons that walked up the hill, sat down in a circle with their fat bellies hanging out and started chirping at one another only to come to a decision to simultaneously take a nap five yards from me. They slept for three hours providing me with cover scent on my down wind side. Before leaving I tiptoed right over to them and shoved my camera in their face.

My flight back from Kansas was delayed causing me to miss my connection in Chicago. I am stuck with hope of flying standby getting in at 11:30 pm ……. So the week of all day sits will uniquely qualify me to deal with a day that started at 3:30 am. The sad thing is it didn’t have to happen. I made it to the gate one minute late but the flight left early. Apparently the airline thought we would be too late and bumped me off the manifest while in the air. Rant over. Needless to say I have some time on my hands lol 😂. Kansas recap: This was my second trip out to SE Kansas near the town of Frontenac. The weather had been super warm which was limiting rutting activity. The full moon did not help with daytime sightings. Day one morning sit had me in a pinch spot to take advantage of a windy cold rain over night. The hope would be the bucks would feel the urge to touch up rubs and scrapes after the weather passed. The plan worked as intended as I was visited by five bucks (mostly scrubs) and one that would have scored in the high 120’s. In the land of giants, the group has a 140” minimum. I ended up filling my doe tag. From there the weather went crazy warm, close to 80 degrees a few days. Did I mention the wind blows in Kansas? Even with less than ideal temps, I probably saw five bucks per day. As the week wore on deer number on evening sits went from 60 deer out feeding to zero. It was clear rutting activity was happening during the cooler nights and the does went into hiding. You could walk or sit along any field and you would see tons of yearlings without momma present. It became evident I would have to work for my deer. One thing I learned was deer in Kansas are not used to ground hunters. The amount of close up video of deer encounters I laid down on my phone caused my cloud storage to fill up. The other wildlife kept me interested as well. Close up encounters with Raccoons, coyotes, Armadillos, Skunks, Fisher, turtles, and an almost decapitation of my rabbit fur hat with my head in it by a giant hawk. Very diverse woodpecker, rapture and waterfowl species. Add in a crap load of fox and grey squirrels and you always had something coming into your set. As weather was hot, I found I could find bucks tending does under oak trees in the morning. The pattern was night time in Alfalfa or Soybeans then retreat to sleep and eat acorns under the Oaks. Shooters seen was three. I had a great experience shooting at a shooter eight pointer after still hunting into an Oak stand and finding the buck tending three does. After a long time patiently waiting for a shot opportunity, I let one fly at 37 yards. The scenario was perfect. His head and neck was behind a tree with his entire vitals exposed. I had all the time in the world. After drawing and going through my mental check list, I failed to compensate for the cross wind. I got too cute with my aim point in the crease of the shoulder and I watched my arrow drift 4” to the right glancing off the tree and clanking harmlessly over his back. The deer ran 40 yards and stopped. I grunted and snort wheezed at the deer. The buck started walking back and became unglued jumping up and down snorting a challenge to the intruder. The does started to continue away and the buck looked my way, then back at the does leaving…..and he chose the ladies. I had two more opportunities at shooters but each was around 40 yards in heavy wind so I passed. The last two days found temps going from 80 degrees to down into the twenties Friday and Saturday. The switch got flipped. Day time buck travel was all day long. Word of a mega giant twelve pointer showed up tending does out in the Ag fields. The guys that witnessed the deer were visually shaken. A couple of hunters had the buck in range but had no shots offered. Picture below. The pic does not do the deer justice in showing how long the main beams are. All told a great week in Kansas hunting and going on track jobs to see other hunters giant deer. To be hunting from the ground and be in the presence of so many deer was just incredible and makes me think how different the NY experience is despite farmland that is more fertile. I did make a mercy kill on a diseased doe that was walking on its knees for awhile. I believe blue tongue causes the hooves to become too painful to walk on. The hip bones were showing so probably was infected a couple of weeks. Picture of the doe’s knees shown below. The shoulder wound is from my broadhead as I tried and successfully placed a killing neck shot on the flailing deer at 7 yards. The trip ended with a magical night last night that had three different bucks bumping does past me on the way to the Alfalfa. A scrub buck and young doe walked by me at 1 yard. They never even looked at me. At dark I had twelve does and five bucks all surrounding me wait for full darkness to enter the field. I grabbed my grunt tube and started hammering on it while chasing them out of my path out to the field. The sound and fury of all those deer running away 100 yards and then all start snorting was hilarious. Oh well sweet Kansas, until we meet again!

Someone please kill this thread.

Not to split hairs but that shot is more broadside than quartering. I would have felt comfortable shooting any style of mechanical in that situation and yes it has been warm enough to hear crickets

Wow boys, nice bucks! Why am I in Kansas hunting???