My big buck returned, dead already
New York
This buck has shown up on my property 3 years in a row. I passed him when he was 3, had him on the list last year, and he showed up this year when regular season started. Only rack buck on my land.
He evaded all the rifle hunting last year but this year he followed a doe into a neighbors field where the homeowner killed him.
Biggest buck since my son killed the 12 point 7 years ago.
I had him patterned pretty good since he clung to my land but with the 6 week gun season getting pre, full, and post rut he didn’t have a chance.
I’m happy for the neighbor that killed him, he’s a good guy. At least I know what happened to the buck.
But damn it’s tough being a bowhunter in NY. Such great potential ruined by terrible management.
First pic of many this year
Northern zone season dates are wild for sure. It’s been like that a long time. I believe it was designed that way largely because of the Adirondacks, deep snow pack, and yarding deer. Back then they looked for ways to keep deer around, not decimate them as they do now.
Agree muzzy. The long season is not a problem in the Central Adirondacks, but much of the surrounding area is more like parts of Central NYS. I used to hunt a friends farm in Steuben in the late 90’s and there were more deer than here in NE 7M. I have heard that excessive DMP’s, muzzleloader and Xbow have pretty much ended that( same here in my part of 7M).
Add the explosion of Amish in the area and there you have it.
That is a great NY deer. The season in the Northern Zone, and to be honest all of NY needs to be reevaluated and changes need to be made.
Our lease in 7m has caught over 15 different bucks on one members' trail cam and another has 7 or 8 different ones with plenty of doe sightings. One would think we would be over run during hunting season but just is not the case. Total of our lease is 774 acres.
Makes you realize how much ground they actually cover! I have the same phenomenon on my cams and properties.
Same here in my part of 7M. Had at least 5 or 6 different bucks 2 1/2+ yo on my camera. My wife shot one opening day but the others have vanished since mid October.
One racked buck on 300+ acres with food plots, sanctuary, etc.? That seems impossible. Have you considered selling it?
No, it's got great coyote and the best turkey hunting I've ever experienced. We love the property. The deer hunting was pretty decent in the past, but in the last 3-4 years it's been awful in this area, particularly for a bowhunter. My Ohio property doesn't help. I have 3 bucks on my OH farm right now over 170.
Pat, I have to agree in the last 3-4 years the deer hunting ,in terms of population ,in the Boonville, Forestport, West Leyden, and Osceola area has gotten poorer. There are still some great bucks taken in all of these areas, but they are far and few between, and many are taken at the very end of the rifle season on the bait piles, when worn down bucks target food sources.
I am starting to rethink my position on the rifle season length. You are also correct that many rifle hunters in these areas kill multiple yearling bucks each year. Although I never saw another hunter in the field where I hunt this past fall ,I did notice many more Vehicles parked all over public ,private and easement lands.
