2022 Deer Tails

[WHX?? 46,797]

On 10/13/2022 at 8:18 AM, Ed Kennell said:

About 14 years back I invested in the Pa lifetime hunting/fishing license for $120.   This gets you small game, two turkey, and one buck tag (6 point minimum) and stream and lake fishing.

Elk, bear, bobcat, and a third turkey tag are available for additional $.

Pa still uses an archaic paper mail in application. 

Just caught this Ed ... and the Bambi in the flowers ...how cool and that he got a pic! 

We had the kinda the same thing on the licenses aways back. Called conservation patron license, bout a 100 and a deal. Back when I bought them they even included bobcat, bear, trapping, sturgeon spearing you name it. It was only good for the current seasons tho. I like the lifetime thing. 

Well leave it to the govment they started taking tags out and raising the price to unaffordable.

That ended that for me. 

Unreal that PA still uses paper. They did away with that here years ago all online purchases of licenses and no back tags. Supposedly you just have to give a game warden your DL, he scans it with his phone and sees if you have the appropriate tags. Or you carry pdf of your licenses on your phone for proof. No more paper tags period. 

Do you have to register your kills out ther? We do but it's all by call in with the exception of a few species. Lots of sports people don't like this ... claims it encourages violators. Nor did the businesses that had registration stations... guys would come in to register their kill and buy goods. 

Edited October 17, 2022 by WHX??

[WHX?? 46,797]

1 hour ago, rjg854 said:

He didn't give me a chance to take a picture of him

Sorry Randy... you know the drill... no pic it didn't happen...

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

4 hours ago, WHX?? said:

Do you have to register your kills out ther?

Deer and turkey harvests must be tagged before moving from the kill site and  be reported within 5 days.   Reporting  can be done online, by phone, or a mail in card.

Bear and elk must be taken to a checking station within 24 hours.

Most licenses and tags must be purchased at a store that has the special printer.   All the paper must be carried while hunting.  You also need another legal ID.

The doe tags are the exception. Only after a specific date, you mail in an application form for a doe tag in a specific county or management area.  You include a check and a self-addressed stamped envelope  and about two weeks later, you receive the doe tag.     About a month later you may repeat  the process to get a second  doe tag.  About a month after that, If the quota has not been exhausted,  You may purchase a third tag over the counter at the County courthouse.    

 

[Pullstart 59,733]

Interesting video on MI’s rule changes of the last few years…

 

 

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

Still no shooter bucks showing during the daylight hours.

 

Our 3 day senior doe only season started today.      So I filled a doe tag at 7AM this morning.

 

I have been riding the 312H  the 1/2 mile to my tree stand so we had a passenger on the trip home.

 

 

 

[WHGuy413 2,506]

Massachusetts had youth deer hunting day on the first Saturday of October. This state won’t let the kids start hunting til 12 but at least they get to hunt. This was Aiden’s second year out. Last year he tagged a small doe. This year he has a goal that he was gonna shoot a buck. One of my very good buddies let’s me take my kids to his area because the does are pretty predictable and he would rather see kids get a deer than him. It’s also easy to get to for the kids. Well we walked in to the stand before daylight this year and just as we get to the stand we hear something run off. We climbed in to begin waiting til shooting light. 15 minutes later I hear something moving to our right. The wind was blowing towards us. Half a second later it blew towards it and we hear the typical deer blowing. Still 15 minutes til legal shooting light and we can’t see a thing. It moves in closer and starts blowing again. Then trotted off. Now at this point I was thinking to myself alright the hunts over here but we are gonna stick it out since we don’t have a whole lot of time to get to my spot. Day light comes and I start scanning. About 10 minutes later I see a deer on the trail we walked in on and Aiden gets situated to take a shot in the next shooting lane. Of course this deer has another idea and turns back around and starts walking slowly back the way it came with no care in the world. Little did it know of the little sharp shooter sitting in a tree 40 yards away. It stepped into the only shooting lane he had left to shoot threw and I see it’s a buck. I stopped it and Aiden pulled the trigger. We hear the deer run off as we wait for the little bit of smoke to clear from the muzzle loader he chose to hunt with that morning. He swears he hit it. We give it a half hour which is a eternity for him. As we climb down he goes in front of my friends camera and gives a thumbs up. Next thing I know I’m getting a call saying “why’s he giving me a thumbs up?” So I went threw the whole story. We walked over to where the deer was and absolutely no blood or hair. Followed the trail we could clearly see in the woods and no blood or hair. At this point I’m getting worried he missed. Aiden keeps telling me dad I know I hit it. I wasn’t going to give up anyway. With aiden in the lead  I was checking off to the left in the thick brush when I hear “Dad I found him!!!!!” His second deer ever and a beautiful 6 pointer. He put a perfect shot on it. Not a drop of blood left this guy. Didn’t go 80 yards.
 

another long story for you guys. 

Edited October 21, 2022 by WHGuy413

[Darb1964 1,014]

26 minutes ago, WHGuy413 said:

Massachusetts had youth deer hunting day on the first Saturday of October. This state won’t let the kids start hunting til 12 but at least they get to hunt. This was Aiden’s second year out. Last year he tagged a small doe. This year he has a goal that he was gonna shoot a buck. One of my very good buddies let’s me take my kids to his area because the does are pretty predictable and he would rather see kids get a deer than him. It’s also easy to get to for the kids. Well we walked in to the stand before daylight this year and just as we get to the stand we hear something run off. We climbed in to begin waiting til shooting light. 15 minutes later I hear something moving to our right. The wind was blowing towards us. Half a second later it blew towards it and we hear the typical deer blowing. Still 15 minutes til legal shooting light and we can’t see a thing. It moves in closer and starts blowing again. Then trotted off. Now at this point I was thinking to myself alright the hunts over here but we are gonna stick it out since we don’t have a whole lot of time to get to my spot. Day light comes and I start scanning. About 10 minutes later I see a deer on the trail we walked in on and Aiden gets situated to take a shot in the next shooting lane. Of course this deer has another idea and turns back around and starts walking slowly back the way it came with no care in the world. Little did it know of the little sharp shooter sitting in a tree 40 yards away. It stepped into the only shooting lane he had left to shoot threw and I see it’s a buck. I stopped it and Aiden pulled the trigger. We hear the deer run off as we wait for the little bit of smoke to clear from the muzzle loader he chose to hunt with that morning. He swears he hit it. We give it a half hour which is a eternity for him. As we climb down he goes in front of my friends camera and gives a thumbs up. Next thing I know I’m getting a call saying “why’s he giving me a thumbs up?” So I went threw the whole story. We walked over to where the deer was and absolutely no blood or hair. Followed the trail we could clearly see in the woods and no blood or hair. At this point I’m getting worried he missed. Aiden keeps telling me dad I know I hit it. I wasn’t going to give up anyway. With aiden in the lead  I was checking off to the left in the thick brush when I hear “Dad I found him!!!!!” His second deer ever and a beautiful 6 pointer. He put a perfect shot on it. Not a drop of blood left this guy. Didn’t go 80 yards.
 

another long story for you guys. 

Good job, nice Ma. Buck. Nice to see another 413er getting it done, congratulations.

[SylvanLakeWH 24,151]

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

2 hours ago, WHGuy413 said:

 

another long story for you guys.         I enjoyed every word...thanks for sharing.          That smile says it all.         

 

 

[Pullstart 59,733]

Awesome Aiden!

 

I got my .450 Bushmaster all sighted in this morning.  First time shooting anything since my little one wheeler accident in August.  I’m a righty, but left eye dominant, so I shoot lefty with a long gun or my bow.

 

 

[WHGuy413 2,506]

Archery is open here in mass and I’ve been out 4 times. I’ve seen the same group of 3 does twice now. Hope the bucks will follow soon. 

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

Just starting to see some buck movement here in PeeAaa.      Had a spike trailing a doe yesterday and had small six under my stand about an hour ago.

Time to rattle up a bigun.

[WHX?? 46,797]

34 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

Just starting to see some buck movement

Same here ... had a doe in and a buck out in the weeds justa eyeballing her. He never came in but I woulda been out in the stand like a shoulda been a perfect shot. He did follow her tho ... rut is starting? Weather very mild here.

Cool pics @WHGuy413 

Edited October 28, 2022 by WHX??

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

No legal bucks to be found here in PeeAaa.     I decided to try to video a kill, so I got the camera mounted on top of the scope on the X bow.

At 4:15PM today this doe walked under my tree.   Looking thru the scope and the camera viewfinder was a challenge.     

   If you turn on your sound, you'll hear me grunt to make her stop walking.      You can see my trail cam at the beginning .

 

 

 

A couple minutes later, Spike followed her.

 

 

 

This is not easy.  I need a camera man.

[WHX?? 46,797]

18 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

This is not easy.  I need a camera man.

Agreed  Ed... the pros have someone hanging up behind you. Still it's not the harvest shot, to me anyway, it's seeing the the critters and mother nature at her finest.  Be it a thirty point buck, coon, skunk or squirrel... I think you caught that. 

Edited November 11, 2022 by WHX??

[WHGuy413 2,506]

another long one for ya 

Well my dad has finally joined me in the woods again this year. He hasn’t been able to hunt due to work. He can’t pull a bow back so he got the permit to use crossbow here in Mass 2 years ago. Never bought a cross bow. Well his friend surprised him with one this summer for all the random projects my dad has done for him over the years. I’m happy to say after almost 20 years since his last deer he connected on a beautiful 4 pointer yesterday. Just feet from my stand where I’ve been telling him to go all season. At some point I had a glitch with my phone yesterday morning so I was the last person to find out that he had shot at this deer and presumed that he missed it. That was around 9:30. I prodded him to search for the bolt and at 12:30 he called me ecstatic to say he found the bolt and it had blood on it. With tropical rains less than 2 hours away I raced home from work to help him take up the track. It was a short track and I found him piled up not far from the spot he shot it. No blood on the ground and in my dads defense where he shot it from the deer dropped into a ravine and came out the other side but where my dad couldn’t see and piled up. When I yelled “hey he’s over here” I thought my dad was going to cry. So awesome being there to help him recover the first deer in almost 20 years. He’s on cloud 9. I made him call all his hunting friends to tell them but I think the best call of all was him calling my son Aiden (who’s with His mom this weekend) to tell him. Hearing them both super excited over the phone was just priceless. He’s the man who taught me so much about hunting. All the years of texts to me while I was hunting saying “well?” Or “have you seen anything?” Or since he knows this mountain better than anyone I know “have you tried over by the high wall yet? How about my spot behind the swamp?” He’s always been my first call or text when I’m successful and yesterday it was awesome that he finally got to be.  Making memories.

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

Congrats to You and Dad.    Great picture and a beautiful story.    Thanks for sharing.

[SylvanLakeWH 24,151]

[WHX?? 46,797]

Good story WH guy... interesting you mention a permit required for x bows. I use one myself. A low tech Horton but still takes deer. 

I can still pull a stick back but my shoulder gives out on the practice court or a round of 3D shoots. 

Used to be here you had to be over a certain age to be even eligible for a permit. 

Now anyone can use one but you have buy separate tags for x or regular bow. 

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

3 hours ago, WHX?? said:

Now anyone can use one

Same here in PeeAaa since 2009 Jim.      After having a polypropylene rug installed tween my lats and obliques in 2005,  my sawbones said don't lift over 10.

When I asked how long this restriction would last, he said till you'r 100 yo.

So, I applied for and was granted a permanent medical permit to use a xbow in Pa and Md.

A couple years later, Md approved xbows for anyone and Pa followed in 2009.

No special seasons or permits for xbows.  Only need regular archery tag in archery seasons.

[SylvanLakeWH 24,151]

Set up and ready to go Tuesday!!!

 

Northern Michigan...

 

Saw 40+ deer this evening so confidence is high...

 

 

[WHGuy413 2,506]

2 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Set up and ready to go Tuesday!!!

 

Northern Michigan...

 

Saw 40+ deer this evening so confidence is high...

 

 

Good luck!!

[Pullstart 59,733]

Tomorrow is Gun opener.  We’re hunting Tuesday morning and night, then Wednesday morning.  Thursday, it’s off to MO for a hunt (of a lifetime hopefully!) where it’s 150” minimum, bucks only.  I don’t watch much TV, but Ronnie Adams of History’s Swamp People will be there hunting too.  Hopefully he don’t cramp up!
 

 

[Ed Kennell 35,798]

Six doe today and no sign of any in heat.  

[WHX?? 46,797]

Same here. Might be some coming into estrus late tho. 

Anyone use that doe in a bottle?

I've never had much luck with it. 

Who uses rattlin horns or calls?