AspenHill
Sponsor
Reged: 08/01/03
Posts: 1528
Loc: Vermont, USA
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I had a good/bad season this year, saw no deer in my home state of Vermont during any of the hunting seasons (archery, rifle, muzzleloader) turns out the deer are all about a mile down the road on properties where the people have feed troughs out. Which is illegal but there is no enforcement. I am very disappointed about this seeing as the people feeding deer had several killed deer hanging from their trees all season.
I did go to New York State to hunt some private farmland and did good there. I shot an 8 point buck (my largest ever) and a nice big doe. The farmer has 2000 acres of private land with some leased. He has 500 acres of alfalfa planted with nice wood lots in between the fields.
The bucks certainly come bigger than this but for me he was huge. I shot him in their firearms season with my muzzleloader. One shot to the shoulder had the buck doing the funky chicken for about 80 yards before he gave up the ghoast. What a huge neck he had, right smack in the rut. To me he was very impressive.
The doe was taken with a front on neck shot just below the white patch. Dropped her on the spot. The doe is the first animal on the left side of the pole with my buck in the middle.
I have a very accurate muzzleloader. 
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~Ann
Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.
Aspen Hill Adventures
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WyoJoe
.300 member
Reged: 18/02/04
Posts: 234
Loc: Cheyenne, WY USA
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Way to go Ann. Looks like you got some mighty fine eating there. I got 2 deer myself and both were with my .375. Got the buck @ about 350 yards and the doe around 150 yards.
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There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor polite, nor popular -- but one must ask, "Is it right?"
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Shackleton
.300 member
Reged: 11/08/07
Posts: 203
Loc: Iowa
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Nice deer-my main season got cancelled and my wife's cousin got the buck I wanted(cane down with a terrible case of flu night before opening day, too sick to get off the couch)-but our deer harvest numbers were down something like 30,000 deer-minimal hunters out due to snowstorms during first season. DNR declared a "make-up" season for this coming weekend-antlerless only, but I'd rather have a fat young doe for the freezer than a buck anyway. I only want one head on the wall, so I have plenty of years odf hunting to get the one I want.
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"I do not kill with my gun, he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father. I kill with my heart."--Stephen King
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mikeh416Rigby
.450 member
Reged: 24/02/03
Posts: 6051
Loc: The beautiful Oley Valley, PA....
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Nice job Ann. It looks like you'll be eating well this winter.
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40480
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Well done Ann. Fantastic.
OK details of what firearm you used is needed.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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Great Job---
Would also like to hear the firearm particulars...
As deer are the most prevelant big game species in the US --it would be interesting to see what others have taken this past season...
Ripp
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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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AspenHill
Sponsor
Reged: 08/01/03
Posts: 1528
Loc: Vermont, USA
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Ripp,
My muzzleloader is a CVA .45 cal 'Staghorn' model. I shoot Hornady SST's out of it with 110 grains of T7 FFG.
Most of the people hunting were from NYS, which is a pretty big state. Most of them shot at deer and missed. One person said they never saw a deer. That was pretty much discovered all they do is mess around in their stand with gadjets, etc. One of the guides took one of the archery stands near by and could hear the person all the way over there during the half day he sat out there observing.
I was the only one who shot a buck, though other bucks were seen, everyone else missed. Personally, from conversation I found they never practice shooting and they don't sight their guns in properly either.
The small deer on the end of the meat pole is a button buck. I passed on that deer or perhaps a different BB several times. I believe in letting them grow but others don't. I could have shot either of the fawns running with the big doe I took but let them go. I still had one more antlerless tag.
In my hunting life I have only shot four whitetail bucks though I have seen MANY more. Most were too small.
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~Ann
Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.
Aspen Hill Adventures
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9.3x57
.450 member
Reged: 22/04/07
Posts: 5561
Loc: United States
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Quote:
I was the only one who shot a buck, though other bucks were seen, everyone else missed. Personally, from conversation I found they never practice shooting and they don't sight their guns in properly either.
For various reasons {game department catering to non-resident hunters and the money they bring in, the wailing and crying that would erupt from many resident hunters, etc} it'll probably never happen, but I have been pushing for an annual shooting skills proficiency test for years here in Idaho.
Even something as simple and easy as the Norwegian test required annually in order to get a license would help immensely as it would require some preseason familarity with a hunter's gun, to some degree weed out the complete bozo's and help teach the limits of each hunter's skill.
A pipedream, I know, but who knows, maybe someday...
By the way, nice job, Aspenhill!!
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What are the Rosary, the Cross or the Crucifix other than tools to help maintain the fortress of our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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AspenHill
Sponsor
Reged: 08/01/03
Posts: 1528
Loc: Vermont, USA
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Thanks for the compliment 9X3,I hear ya on the shooting issue. I can't quite figure people out sometimes. Why hunt if you don't prepare for it? That's half the fun in my book!
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~Ann
Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.
Aspen Hill Adventures
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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I commend you for your ethics--most hunters that come here from out of state let lead fly at the elk or deer no matter what the size of the rack is.. that may be all well and good for some but not for myself and apparently not for you either..
I hunted in the Missouri Breaks for 9 years before I shot a buck--he scored in the mid 180's--during that time I would see anywhere from 60 to 100 plus deer per year--but looking for the right one..shot another in the 180's two years later and finally a 206 buck in 2005...
Keep up the good work and Merry Christmas
Ripp
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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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NitroX
.700 member
Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 40480
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
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Quote:
Most of the people hunting were from NYS, which is a pretty big state. Most of them shot at deer and missed. One person said they never saw a deer. That was pretty much discovered all they do is mess around in their stand with gadjets, etc. One of the guides took one of the archery stands near by and could hear the person all the way over there during the half day he sat out there observing.
I was the only one who shot a buck, though other bucks were seen, everyone else missed. Personally, from conversation I found they never practice shooting and they don't sight their guns in properly either.
The small deer on the end of the meat pole is a button buck. I passed on that deer or perhaps a different BB several times. I believe in letting them grow but others don't. I could have shot either of the fawns running with the big doe I took but let them go. I still had one more antlerless tag.
In my hunting life I have only shot four whitetail bucks though I have seen MANY more. Most were too small.
Well done Ann.
Shows preparation, practice and skill produces results.
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John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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Aspenhill
Wanted to share my deer season with you--took this guy after backpacking in a few miles and setting up camp--got him on the 5th day of the hunt--he had a bit of ground shrinkage when I got to him but the experience was well worth the price of admission...
Take care
Ripp
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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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AspenHill
Sponsor
Reged: 08/01/03
Posts: 1528
Loc: Vermont, USA
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Very cute, nice deer too! 
No snow there? We have four feet so far.
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~Ann
Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.
Aspen Hill Adventures
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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When that photo was taken there was no snow--besides that was about 200 miles from where I live--more in the badlands area of Montana--however since then we have been getting some almost everyday--got about 8" at the house --I live on a bench on the edge of the mountains--however in the ski area they have received about 28" in the past 4 days...should be good skiing ..
Happy New Year
Ripp
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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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bouldersmith
.375 member
Reged: 23/03/06
Posts: 629
Loc: Boulder Colorado
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heres my 2007 South Dakots muzzloader deer
and here is 2007 rifle Deer
I built both the rifles I used to take these deer. A .25/06 on a 1909 Argentine action I built while in gunsmithing school, and a .50 cal inline I built on Remington rolling block action.
Steve
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New website http://www.bertramandco.com
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AspenHill
Sponsor
Reged: 08/01/03
Posts: 1528
Loc: Vermont, USA
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Nice mass on those bucks, Steve! BTW- I have an Argentine as well, .30-06, nice gun.
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~Ann
Everyday spent outdoors is the best day of my life.
Aspen Hill Adventures
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Ripp
.577 member
Reged: 19/02/07
Posts: 16072
Loc: Montana, USA
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Awesome photos---great looking bucks--and to take them with what you built makes it that much
'sweeter"
Ripp
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ALL MEN DIE, BUT FEW MEN TRULY LIVE..
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