justtracytrolling

Well I guess I better get this updated before I forget! Last friday cody and I did a full day scouting from my rifle stand overlooking a thick valley surrounded by corn, timothy, clover, winter rye, apples, and oaks. We saw 11 does and fawns throughout the day, and most of them just stood up browsed briefly and layed down. Based on lack of bucks and no mature bucks on camera I took another week and didnt hunt till this friday. Before making our afternoon watch we checked cameras and found 13-14 bucks and 2 definite shooters. Cody went to watch an area just off some clover that always has a few community scrapes every year and I made the decision to spend some time shooting the crossbow and and try a last minute spot knowing cody was gonna see deer. Cody was in full harvest mode and I knew he was goona shoot something. I had my first night of the season with no action, but cody shot a little buck. He thought the deer took a step when he shot but thought the deer was slightly quartering away and was pretty sure he killed it. Of course he had a hot date and halloween party to get to and didnt want to wait as long as I did and neither of us like to leave em overnight so out I went to attempt to recover. After a couple hours I made it 600-700 yds without the deer bedding and I was certain Cody didnt make the shot he thought he did. Next morning was even worse and I was losing my patience with the track and my son. Fortunately, Cody had to go help his mom and I called Nautitroller to bring his dog. John, the dog, and I made it another 150-200 yrds before we lost the track, but his dog just sat down and sniffed the swirling wind trying to pinpoint the dead deer she could smell. John read his dog correctly and rather than going back a little and trying to figure where the buck turned he was sure we just need to do some looking where he guessed the dog was getting the whiff. Just when we almost turned back he says lets just check the other side of this last blowdown. I went one way he went the other and bingo I walked up on the dead spike. Im certain if we put out time in with the dog we could have tracked it out as there was a good blood trail up the last hill. Cant thank John and his dog enough for their help and had a great time shooting the breeze about hunting and fishing. Codys arrow went in just in front of the hip high and exited the very bottom of the sternum in the center. The only thing he damaged was stomach and a hole in the diaphragm. He missed both lungs and the liver completely. The 2.5 inch rage did the job all things considered. The strangest part was no pass thru....the arrow was in the deer past the nock but didnt fall out...after skinning then gutting I figured the deer was moving when he shot and the absolutely full stomach of nuts will slow an arrow. The rage sliced many of em in half. While I prefer more mature bucks and better shots Cody got some fresh meat for us and I am happy about that. He saw 3 bucks that night and no does...

I use a similar technique all spring casting during the alewive spawn. Any lively alewives that get snagged I work slowly till they no longer are lively. Bass, tigers, browns, and walleye will hit them much harder than a plain bomber blue prism. On flatter bright nights many of our fish come this way. The snagged alewive will flutter on the surface trying to pull the bomber down all the while shaking the rattles in the bomber then floating back up. This simulates the spawning action better than you can work the lure. Granted on nights the eyes are aggressive the plain bomber does the job. The biggest bass Ive ever seen came this way...24+ inches. When I fish solo Ill put 1 rod in a rod holder with a snagged bait with just enough line to reach the water so there is no slack and cast another. If you have any slack you usually will lose the fish. It works best if the alewive is on the front or middle hook. On the back hook they just steal your bait. Usually if you handle the alewive to re hook it kills the bait much quicker and it wont work.

Congrats Devin! Wish you the best! Sent from my LG-L38C using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Hop, I agree with Gill-t, but kudos if you can connect with a longbow. Id use a cut on contact 4 blade fixed blade head with a longbow. A modern compound at 40 lbs of draw weight will more than do the job. Sent from my LG-L38C using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Pretty birds thanks for sharing Sent from my LG-L38C using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Even if you are hunting edges id have a stand just 75-100 yds in and you pick up a lot more buck activity. Tough when you want to leave a bedding/sanctuary and hunt when you are limited in acres. Sent from my LG-L38C using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Apb, Thanks, thats just what i was wanting to know. Direct sale frim the inventor too...i like that!!! Dont mind paying, but id rather the owner/operator make money than amazon. Sent from my LG-L38C using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Well 3 of us ended up making an evening watch. Wyatt sat in my opening day spot, Stan sat in the stand i went to last time and I went in the woods to a community scrape/funnel located half way between a tornado clear cut and new seeding about 100 yds off the field. Wyatt and stan saw zippo, but I had a good night. If it seems im hunting fresh stands everytime its because i am...the other guys just dont have 15 of their own stands to pick from and usually hunt behind me. First deer i saw was just before 6, a nice big doe, she came in slightly quartering to. i drew on her after she passed when i knew i couldnt be busted. She never gave me the perfect angle so I let her walk. Next came a 3 point that was on the trail i have the stand set up best for...figures! I let him walk out n join the doe. Then right around the end of legal hours a doe came quartering to me and passed under 10 yards. After she passed I drew. She stopped at 17 yds and gave me a perfect spine shot, but thats not how i want my prime venison for eating killed. Finally I got another opportunity at 40 but it was to late to really range and there to iffy for my taste. I didnt pull cards so no pics...next hunt monday...im up at the lake till then! Sent from my LG-L38C using Lake Ontario United mobile app

I cant take it...we are gonna get some venison today!!!! I hope anyway....Ill pull cards today and see if we have a buck worth sharing a pic of....

The weight on on the end of mine is either 8 or 12 ounces! I shot a indoor and 3d bows with a table leg on y bars for years. Just seems the tiny ones are absolutely worthless....

Nice deer for sure! Cant argue with those results. Bottom line is if you are successful, and I mean ALWAYS, its about the skill of the hunter, the practice, experience, patience, etc. There is no bow, gun, bullet or broadhead that instantly will give consistant results if its not in the right hands. I switched to rages 6 years ago when a guest of mine dropped 5 deer within sight of the stand one opening morning! I switched that afternoon and the first dozen deer I shot ALL fell within sight. Another buddy of mine lost several deer with rages and loves his muzzy's, and is very successful with them. He obviously shoots his deer near or in the shoulder like a 3d target 10 ring. I shoot them nowhere near the shoulder on the entry side at least. I routinely shoot deer that have just stepped on our property from the neighbors sanctuary so even a 150 yd tracking job is problematic.

Dan, My son and I shoot heavy, long barrelled Winchester model 70's chambered in 25 wssm which is ballistically a 25-06 in a short action. They are topped with 4.5-30x50 tactical bushnell 6500's with 30mm tubes. Somebody will say bigger is better, but Im not debating my experiences and success. My longest kill was 688 yds and the deer never took a step. I played over 6 feet of drop and 3 feet of wind! I usually shoot most deer at 200 to 400 yds. To shoot them further you need ideal conditions and a bunch of time to make necessary corrections and Its rare for me to get ultra long opportunities where the deer stands relaxed in the open long enough to make a 1 shot kill. The deer cant be alert and ready to take a step with the long flight time.

Nice buck congrats!

Hinge cutting creates live brush piles fast! I used to belong to a beagle club and we cut every year and even with a 6 foot fence the deer loved those piles. If you vary the height which you make the hinge cuts you can create growth from ground level to 10 feet tall in 1 year. Just be sure not to cut all the way thru as this creates brush but it's dead. The deer will feed all winter on the live growth all winter. Having the bedding/santuary area is key...i wouldnt worry as much about food if you want a mature buck. If you want to meat hunt food works fine, but agree with sean, mature bucks wont feed in the daylight unless you have hundreds of acres and ZERO pressure,,,ie like what you see on tv in the midwest. I have hundreds of acres of food and cover, but the neighbor has just as good bedding, no food, and ZERO pressure...the mature bucks are on us all night and him all day.

I recommend getting to know the techs that do the work on your home lake...they have some good info and are willing to share. My contact actually emails me with info and has come to visit me twice at camp this summer. Once when asked and once just to stop and fill me in on oxygen levels, gill netting results, and electrofishing. As for a few fish from a lake the size of Seneca I wouldnt worry. You cant expect them to stock the lake, manage it, and not take a few fish for various reasons. Redeye, Do you do Otisco's buoys too? If so I have a few ideas that would really help us boaters and fisherman in the causeway area. Id even go out and help too....

What about an adjustable single pin? I hear you on the to much to think about, but that comes with any long range shooting and especially hunting. I find it interesting that the definition of long range in the east is half that of the western idea of long range. If you practice enough tho you will be surprised at what todays stuff is capable of...especially rifles. After you make enough trajectory adjustments and dope enough wind it begins to become second nature.

Interesting chas....have you ever shot a target bow? Might notice it more. I seldom have a need for 50 yard plus shots, but I can do it for the right deer and the extra weight and length is ideal for distance. Prob has more to do with what you are used to...

Chas its the hunter not the broadhead, but I definitely agree there are shots that arent ideal for rage broadheads. I love them, but use what works and dont mess with your gear if you are happy. The buck in my avatar, not a 170 pounder, was shot pass thru diagonally thru the opposite shoulder at 52 yards with rage extremes...but the avg guy cant even draw my dream season...you cant draw comparisons between you n your buddy and think its the broadhead....its all you and all him....you could swap equip and still do better im guessing. Give Stan Potts, or any pro ANY broadhead and Ill bet you he still kills the same deer.