mallard_drake85

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1: 137 2: 143 3: 128

I've taken alot of does over the years and have passed numerous bucks along the way. My brother and I practice QDM on the lands we have access to hunt on and strive to harvest only mature bucks. On November 20th of last year, I passed on a 1.5 yo 9 point buck that passed and videoed just behind my stand. About an hour later I harvested a 131" 8 pointer. Two days later my brother harvested a 140" 10 pointer. The buck I passed My buck Just got him back from the taxidermist! My twin bro's buck P&Y class buck

Is it possible that this union is demanding more than the company can provide? unions are good for a few things, however unions often hurt themselves my hyping their members benefits until the company is losing money...then its time for layoffs...maybe this union needs to think about cutting back some of their benefits so the union workers could continue to work? which is better: being laid off? or still having a job with the same benefits as you had last year (or the last time you negotiated benefits and raises)? just a thought! o btw, I am currently union member too! and I have been a so called scab when I worked construction too because the union workers were asking too much...i worked, they didn't! Unions can screw themselves if they're not careful! mallard_drake85

They MI DNR will use the money collected for maintenance of those trails that you are utilizing. To pay a fee to play is actually beneficial to the conservation of said activity.

My brother and I each have a Bow Madness XS and for our short stocky stature, those bows are great! Smooth drawing, wicked fast shooting with very little hand viberation. We each have the Bow Madness package are are shooting Carbon Express Maxima 350 arrows with 125 gr heads. At 26.5" and 70 pounds we are each still shooting just over 300fps! I can't wait to get it in the woods this fall! mallard_drake85

I've shot many broadheads over the 10+ years I've been deer hunting. Started out shooting Muzzy's 100 gr 3 blades and NAP Spitfires 100gr mechanicals. Those spitfires imo are worthless. Though they did fly similar to field points, my bro and I both shot deer with them and they did not open. trying to follow a deer with a 3/8" hole in him is difficult! I'll never shoot those spitfires again. Then switched to the Magnus Stinger 2 blades...those are deadly, wicked sharp, and I harvested many deer with em...but they were only good for one use as the tip was bent on every bh I hit a deer with, even through the ribcage! So, after reading numerous reviews, I'm going to try G5 Montec's this season. I like the fact they're all steel construction, but hoping to get em bloody and put them to the real test this season!! mallard_drake85

After a long backorder, I was finally able to get my Bushnell Trophy cam out at one of the locations which I regularly hunt. I was like a kid in a candy store wanting to go check it every day, but I practiced restraint and waited 10 days. Though I know I should have waited our normal 3-4 weeks, I just had to see what was out there. 10 days + productive location = 249 photographs. Here are are few pix This trail camera is working alot better than our last ones. We use to have Stealthcam Sniper Pro's, and they gave us nothing but problems and the customer service is a complete joke. It took over 3 months for them to attempt to repair a problem with my brothers cam, then sent it back in the same non-functioning condition in which they recieved it and telling us that we're not smart enough to set up a trail camera! We both have a Masters Degree in Forest Management for Wildlife and our thesis were using camera-traps to estimate relative abundances of cervids (both white-tailed and red brocket deer), and my brothers was using camera-traps to estimate densities bases on predator/prey relations ships (with emphsis on developing densties of the felids)on the Western Slope of the Panama Canal, Panama, we collected over 3000 trail cam pictures during our surveys!...I THINK WE KNOW HOW TO SET UP A TRAIL CAMERA! After the CR gave me that comment, I sent a few letters to the company and voiced my opinion on numerous forums and posted negative reviews on that particular product. The company where we bought em from gave us each a full refund. There off my soap box for now... After carefully reading all the reviews, I finally decided on the Bushnell Trophy Cam as my new trail camera. During those 10 days it was out, I collected 249 pictures of 13 different deer. Not a single false detection. I just hope this cam continues to work the way it is now, if it does, I'll probably order 2 more! mallard_drake85

He's well on his way to being a P&Y buck!! Nice.

Here are a few of our trophies from the past season My 131" buck Twin brothers 140" buck he harvested 2 days after I took mine A nice young doe I took with my old PSE Nova A 75 pound Black tip shark I took off the coast of South Carolina End of season trapping picture (We had already sold about 1/4 of our hides before this photo was taken) mallard_drake85

Nice pix

I think its a good idea with all the thug kids and meth cooks...it's a shame it has finally come down to this but in the long run it may reduce the number of problems on public lands!

My brother (pintail) and I got part of the garden planted yesterday. 100 tomatoes and 30 something peppers. We still have winter onions left over from last year that we are quickly replacing with new bulbs. Coming to work this morning, I seen that we had a few baby rabbits in the garden munching on the new roughage we planted yesterday!! lol

I'm fortunate here in Southern IL not to have to pay for a lease...A knock on a door and a FIRM handshake gain my brother and I nearly exclusive access to just under 10,000 acres (the cumulative total of the farms we have access to across 3 counties). But in our part of the world, lease prices have risen dramatically with the increase of larger deer and implementation of QDM on private properties. One of the properties we use to have access to the LO up and told my brother and I that if we wanted to hunt on his property any more it would cost us $3000 a year ($25 an ac for 120 acres). He still granted us permission to trap free of charge but hunting privledges were refused, up until he sold the property a few years back. Now I don't know the owner but supposedly he's attempting to start a hunt club for some MO guys. I'll have a hard time if I ever have to pay to hunt on someones property. We are fortunate enough to have friends with land and to have built up a good relationship with multiple landowner throughout the years. Often times we repay the LO back with picking up trash, mending fences, etc on their property.

Scouting for us is a year round process. We are constantly driving the back roads and traversing the properties with binoculars and spotting scopes searching for deer. If we find a likely place, we mark it on a plat map and keep an eye on it for the next few months leading up to deer season. If it looks to be promising, we'll hang a stand...if not (as is sometimes the case with early season patterning) well you're not of any resources and a few extra miles on the old legs is a good thing! lol

I love bowfishing and have enjoying doing it for a few years now. My brother and I shoot carp in the summer that we'll use as bait on the trap line in the fall. It is good practice on form, but not much else as you don't really use a sight as the majority of your shots are under 10 yards. It does take some getting use to shooting lower than the fish appears due the light refaction off the waters surface. After a couple (dozen) misses, you'll get the hang of it and be skewering more fish than you know what to do with. Personally I shoot my old PSE Nova set less than 50#, no sight and no release. Use to shoot a borrowed Bear with an ancient Pearson wrap around spool. You can't beat a tocart tip for shooting those bone fish, however expect to damage several beyond repair if you are hunting in rocky areas. Its a whole different ball game to shoot into a 20 or 30 pound fish! good luck mallard_drake85

There are two that really stand out to me, both of which came from last hunting season too. On October 2, not 40 minutes after being in the stand I had 6 does less than 6 yards from my persimmon tree, none of which had a clue I was sitting there. I settled my pin on the nearest doe who was quartering to me. Now some people would not take this shot, however, my Masters Degree dealt with managing cervids (mainly whitetailed and brocket deer) and I was able to gain extensive knowledge about a deers' anatomy. I settled my pin just above her shoulder and slightly foward before touching off the arrow. She was a small doe and I did not get a complete pass through, but she expired less than 30 yards from my tree stand. Pic from my tree In all my years of hunting, I have never had a deer expire on its back so this was truely a first for me! This is what she looked like standing on top of her And this picture shows the entry angle The second was my 3.5 year old buck I harvest in November during firearms season. A steep quartering away shot that richocheted off the opposite shoulder and exited out the same side of entry. The necropsy showed that his lungs had two wound channels from the sabots trajectory, and his opposite side shoulder was crushed! This picture shows the entry and exit (after richochet) on my 131" buck That ruffled tuft of hair behind his shoulder is the entry, and the projectile exited just infront of his shoulder. Had the .50 cal sabot not richoched off his shoulder it would still would have passed right through both lungs.

nicely done!

lol cute. just look at those "what can I get into" eyes!

Its been my experience that when younger bucks hold antlers late into the year, the following growth season is cut short (of course). That looks like a fairly young deer to me. He'll drop his rack soon and have a short down time before beginning his new regrowth. In short, he's essentially stunting his antler development season, however he still has a relatively long time (till september-ish) before his antlers cease growth and begin mineralization before hardening off into antler. But its not uncommon for young, immature bucks to hold antlers later than your dominate, older age class bucks. just my 3 cents mallard_drake8

Use to have an acquaintence whose uncle gave him a small set of mule deer antlers, and he use to try an tell people they were his...When we found out bout this and called him out on it, his whole demeanor changed. IMO trying to pawn off someone elses harvest as your own is a form of theft! ok I'm off my soap box. I would never purchase someone elses mounts as the would not have any meaning to me. I'd rather spend the time and effort myself to tag said animals. mallard_drake85

Thats neat getting your lil sisters involved in the sport. they sure looked like they had ball!

Well said. The majority of the time that we've been declined was because of previous events where the LO's property was abused...and the number one complaint was letting their friends and family come along who did not have permission. Now my bro and I do occasionally take a youngster or someone who has never experienced the outdoors before along with us, but only with written consent from the LO first. Written permission is something we obtain from each landowner we procure land from. Ours basically says that the LO will not be held liable for any injury which we sustain while on their property during the season of_____. Further more it's written proof to a CPO, neighbor, or an upset relative that you are allowed to be out there. Case in point, a few years ago, I was greeted by a hostile neighbor of one of the farms that I had access to. When I showed him the written permission from the landowner, his entire demeanor changed and he apologized for being rude with me, and went on to tell me about a major poaching/trespassing problem in the area. But had he called the CPO or County police, it would have been a long ordeal to explain my reasoning for being on that land without permission. Thats why we always keep muliple copies with us, one in the truck, and one on us at all times. And the Christmas card is something that we've been doing for years, and that simple but strong gesture has secured us exclusive rights to multiple properties in our area...I believe at last count we had just under 10,000 acres that we had access to hunt and trap, about 1/2 of that we are the only persons allowed on that property. Small acts of appreciation go a long way. mallard_drake85

Thats a shame that even the CPO's, the ones suppose to be protecting our resources, are corrupt!! I know not all of them are like that. I myself having worked in LE, know that there are a few bad apples in the orchard. IMO these CPO's should be given the same treatment as would be given to someone not in their position!! mallard_drake85

Go to your county court house and purchase a county platt map. This will have all the land within the county on which is either names or numbers corresponding to said owners of that property (numbers are normally used for smaller tracts of private property). Once you've scouted these areas out on a platt map, then from the road with a pair of binoculars, find where the tenate lives and go knock on the door. Dress presentable, and rehearse what you're going to say before you get to the door. Give the owner a brief background of you and your intentions upfront. You'd be surprised how many people know of you!! My twin bro and I say something similar to this when we approach a landowner: "Hello Mr./Mrs.________, my name is Joshua and this is my twin brother Jordan, and we are here today to inquire if you would be opposed to allowing us access to your property at _______________(show location on a platt map) for this coming season for the purpose of hunting, trapping, and scouting ______________(said animals). We promise to leave your property in better condition than we found it (i.e. picking up garbage, making sure fences are closed or mended, etc). Here is our business card and a list of references can be provided if you wish." The key here is to be polite, cordial, and upfront about your intentions! Don't hum ho around, as this portrays nervousness and lack of confidence. Show the LO that you have confidence will go a long way as to what he/she thinks of you. Some times they'll say yes, other times they'll say no or not right now, or let me talk it over with my other half. You may also inform them that you'd be willing to only hunt during archer season if they're leary about firearms on their property (hey its not the full boat, but its better than nothing at all!) Your first impression is crucial to whether you're going to recieve access or not. And neighbors talk, so a bad impression will haunt you for a long time... A word for thought: I refuse to contact a LO by phone (unless absolutely necessary). A face-to-face confrontation with a FIRM handshake shows you are sincere about your intentions and lets the LO know that you are willing to go out of your way instead of a cop-out phone call to gain his/her permission! just my 3 cents mallard_drake85