Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[Cowboy254]

I agree but will add one more to-do for him;
Kill off all the scroungers with said small saws that seem to beat him to the wood, leaving him only the big stuff.

I'm beginning to suspect you're part Maori .

I do like the big stuff though, even if it is more work to get down to size. Lots of barkless, ashless heartwood is what I like and I'm happy to treat the extra work as useful exercise. Plus I like swinging big saws. That said, our wedding anniversary is coming up and maybe Cowgirl would like a ported 261. Who should I speak to about this?

 

[nomad_archer]

Unfortunately, the success of such a program is dependent upon the others in the area. The mountain my property in on has numerous ATV/4WD roads and no full time residences. You NEVER see a deer when driving in or out ... that has to tell you something.

Also, it is a known fact that some of the farms down below (and some other cabins on the hill) bait the deer (illegal in NY), and some to the farms subsistence hunt year round. The mountain also gets it's share of Timber guys, and Bluestone guys, and I know too many stories of how they keep a 22 or 22 mag to dispatch what they see early in the morning.

The fact of the matter is that over the 30 + years I have owned the land, there are far fewer deer, and far fewer quality bucks harvested each year. It is very discouraging to see this happen when you have invested significant time and money into a hunting property.

I will also add that the deer hunting has always been tougher up there. Down here you spook a deer and it may return later the same day, or the next day. Up there, you spook a deer, and it may get out of Dodge for a week or two.

That said, some big ones always survive, and you always hope to get lucky enough to take one. Also, it is rifle country, which I can not use where I live (only shotgun or MZ). It is also rugged and beautiful country, so it is worth the trip even when you do not take anything.

In decades past, I was more likely to get a deer on my property than any place else. In recent years, getting a deer on my own property is the exception. Fortunately, I currently do have other decent places to hunt, but none are as assured as having your own property.

I will also add that the brush is so thick up there it is almost impossible to know how many legal points your deer has until you harvest it. I would be much happier if they stated 3 points or a 6" antler, or something like that. This rule handicaps the real woods hunter, as opposed to those who hunt in the farm fields.

What is the antler restrictions that were put in place? Where I hunt it is 3 on one side. My cabin is fairly remote, we have oil workers, fracking, and lumber guys and the usual road hunting poaching locals. It is what it is. Honestly poaching is frustrating. Up at camp the antler restrictions are tough because we see several sub-legal bucks. I hunt the super thick edges of selective cuts or clear cuts which is tough and I have had to let several buck go over the years because I wasn't sure they had enough. Just give the antler restrictions a chance you may be pleasantly surprised, we sure were. You wont get a buck every year but when you do they will be better bigger deer. I personally am a meat hunter so the first legal deer, buck or doe usually gets it. We see way less deer up at camp then we used to but that was part of PA's herd reduction plan that came with the antler restrictions. I am not a fan of the herd reduction plan but it is what it is. Outside of hunting with @farmer steve everything else I hunt is public hunting land, which is high pressure property.

 

[woodchip rookie]

I've never understood the use of tree stands. Why would a deer look up? They have no natural predators from above. Seems a bit unsportsmanlike, no?

This has to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. Like we (humans) werent born here.(on Earth).
Yes. Deer have overhead predators. They are called humans.

 

[nomad_archer]

We are underway.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[nomad_archer]

Question for y'all. Do you guys hunt for sport, or to put put food on the table? I've never understood the use of tree stands. Why would a deer look up? They have no natural predators from above. Seems a bit unsportsmanlike, no? Now on the other hand if your family's hungry, you do what you got to do.

I hunt because I like to hunt. As a bonus it puts food on the table. Treestands are just a different method of hunting. Its not unsportsmanlike. The deer in the NE have been hunted from above for years and yes they sure as heck look up. To challenge your point is shooting a deer at 20 yards with a bow from my 15' ladder stand any less sportsmanlike than as shooting a deer at 300-400 yards while on the ground with a high powered rifle. Honestly both are proven and acceptable techniques for hunting an I dont consider either to be unsportsmanlike.

 

[svk]

Unsporting to me would be shooting them over bait, in the dark with a night scope, from your living room window.

A tree stand just gets you out of the underbrush for a clear shot. Deer absolutely look up and if you make the wrong noise they will finger you out from a quarter mile and you never see them.

 

[svk]

I hunt for the meat, for the sport, for the camaraderie of my friends, and for tradition. Some of the best days of my life have been when hunting (and fishing). Folks who have never done it will not understand.

 

[svk]

7 does in backyard late yesterday. 2 this morning. Havent seen Methuselah in a couple months. Havent seen any bucks in several weeks. I let a friend hang a deer stand and he hasnt even hunted it. We had a pretty big dieoff this fall. Found one dead 100 yards from the house, been several confirmed dead deer found, some pretty close. Blue tongue, black tongue and rabies. I think I will wait until next year to fill the freezer.

I heard you guys had some die off. The limits and seasons are still the same, correct? I was thinking of heading your way in a couple weeks.

 

[Haywire]

This has to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. Like we (humans) werent born here.(on Earth).
Yes. Deer have overhead predators. They are called humans.

Tree stands are the hunting equivalent to the guy in Vegas shooting up the concert...cheating. But I suppose you're always looking up when out in public to make sure you're safe?

 

[Haywire]

Unsporting to me would be shooting them over bait

Yes shooting over bait, night or day is lame.

 

[svk]

Tree stands are the hunting equivalent to the guy in Vegas shooting up the concert...cheating. But I suppose you're always looking up when out in public to make sure you're safe?

Not at all. You are pitting yourself against a creature with eyesight approximately 4x better and smell and heating that is exponentially superior to your own.

 

[KiwiBro]

I'm beginning to suspect you're part Maori .

I do like the big stuff though, even if it is more work to get down to size. Lots of barkless, ashless heartwood is what I like and I'm happy to treat the extra work as useful exercise. Plus I like swinging big saws. That said, our wedding anniversary is coming up and maybe Cowgirl would like a ported 261. Who should I speak to about this?

That would be Moriori. Maori are far too civilised for that carry on.
I think Cowgirl might really enjoy a ported 241 with 16-18" picco bar. The porters of repute can get more out of a 241 thus there's not much difference in power.
Brad or Randy have a great 241 recipe.

 

[farmer steve]

Unsporting to me would be shooting them over bait, in the dark with a night scope, from your living room window.

A tree stand just gets you out of the underbrush for a clear shot. Deer absolutely look up and if you make the wrong noise they will finger you out from a quarter mile and you never see them.

i hope the back deck isn't included in that. been deer hunting for 51 years. if anyone thinks it's easy like on tv guess again. tree stands are just an advantage over an extremely smart and wary animal.

 

[Haywire]

tree stands are just an advantage over an extremely smart and wary animal.

But it's exactly that advantage that take the sporting element out of it. If all you want at the end of the day is a dead deer, just shoot one out you truck cab window with a spotlight shining in his face. Sport is supposed to be a challenge, where's the challenge in shooting down at a something that has no natural instinct to look up for danger?

 

[farmer steve]

But it's exactly that advantage that take the sporting element out of it. If all you want at the end of the day is a dead deer, just shoot one out you truck cab window with a spotlight shining in his face. Sport is supposed to be a challenge, where's the challenge in shooting down at a something that has no natural instinct to look up for danger?

do you hunt????

 

[Haywire]

do you hunt????

Yes.

 

[chucker]

do you hunt????

!! "HELL NO HE DONT HUNT" !! just a peta member at heart!!

 

[farmer steve]

But it's exactly that advantage that take the sporting element out of it. If all you want at the end of the day is a dead deer, just shoot one out you truck cab window with a spotlight shining in his face. Sport is supposed to be a challenge, where's the challenge in shooting down at a something that has no natural instinct to look up for danger?

if i want a dead deer i will go out and shoot one with a spotlight that is eating my sweet corn or soybeans. (crop damage.) i don't do that. i go out in the rain,wind and cold and sit in a treestand freezing my nuggets off in hopes that i will be able to harvest a deer with my outdoorsman skills and the man up above willing. didn't happen so far this year so i went and bought some beef today. i really enjoyed being out in the woods the last 12 days. and yes there were several deer that looked up and saw me in the tree stand. i'm done now . lets go scrounge some wood.

 

[Haywire]

!! "HELL NO HE DONT HUNT" !! just a peta member at heart!!

Easy there, chief. That's just plain defamation!

There's a far cry between being anti tree stand and being anti hunting!

 

[chucker]

Easy there, chief. That's just plain defamation!

There's a far cry between being anti tree stand and being anti hunting!

if you ever hunted in heavy brush you would see the difference in a tree stand and not using one, not sure if you hunt or not, but if you do hunt good luck in your adventure! ghosts, rocks or agates you will probably not need one(a tree stand) ??? lol