woolybear

Ok, ok, enough already...... you guys are gonna get me in trouble here,lol:taped:

5-12-13 I may have jumped the gun again with the season ending pic this year! After taking mom out for lunch this evening, I wasn't quite sure what I'd do with the rest of my day. A quick browse through my favorite forums, and I decided to shoot across the creek and go hang another cam. On my way out I cut along the top of the ridge that overlooks the creek when I spotted an antler on the edge of a vine cluster! I thought for sure it was ironicaly the mate to missing antler #28 from the season end pic because it was in the same area, but it's not. Anyhow, it is #34! Looks like mom and me both got a special treat this Mothers day!

Happy Mothers day ladies!

OMG-she has a twin sister!:surrender: I suppose I could spare one or two coyote pups! I better call those 'conservation police' again and turn myself in.:phone:

So, all that bring us up to date. Turkey season has shut me down for the month of May, but soon as it's over I'll be back after some hot summer antlers again! Time for my season ending pics.... or maybe this is technicly just the mid way point. I'll keep hiking right up till this falls hunting season, so maybe a few more will find their way home with me in the coming months. For the most part, things will slow way down now and the mad rush of antlers is over. It was a great season for me again full of many memorable hikes, horns, and encounters along the way. I'll get started with my skull take homes. Way too many dead deer out there this season. Towards the end, I simply stopped keeping track, but the total fresh dead finds was probably in excess of 40 deer without counting the old skulls. A couple of my earlier young buck skulls were stolen by the critters this past winter. Here's two of the fresher deadheads I found that I did a little work on to set up for display. .... and now onto the antler finds. I picked up five sets this year. One being from my goal buck last season, and probably my most impressive set of two of the smallest antlers I've ever found in the button nubbs at the very bottom of the pic!(look closely...they are there!) Here's the 18 righties together. ....and the 14 lefties. ....and finally the whole lot of antlers to this point! After counting them out right now, I must have missed one from the collection when I was taking the pics,lol. Season total of 33, but now I need to figure out which one is missing here.

4-30-13 I headed down to town hall this morning to get my turkey stamp. Got there around 11 but they didn't open up untill 2pm on Tuesdays. So I had 3 hours to kill, so I shot down to the crick and was gonna watch the fish swim around for a while. Once I got in the thicket along the shore I decided looking for antlers might be more fun! It's not a pretty one, but I was happy to have another before turkey time!

4-21-13 Today I shot up to my sisters to do some hiking. I'm still not real farmiliar with the area but every hike I learn something new. I started out today in some blackberry thickets that caught my attention last time I was there. No sheds around, but my first find was this "ugly buckling". Up and down the ridges I went after that. Through a ton of mature pines and then on to the open hardwoods. I'd hiked for 6 hrs and wasn't feeling like today was my day. Slightly disgusted at this point, I hopped on an old logging road just for the ease of hiking. Wouldn't ya know it.... right smack dab center of the road I spotted an antler! I was rewarded with a nice easy one! I spent some time looking for the mate but it was nowhere to be found. I would have to be happy with one more horn today!

4-17-13 It turned out to be a pretty good day after all! I shot down to an old favorite spot of mine today in Catt. county. I usually only do a hike or two a year through here since I moved away, but it always seems to hold some horns. It's not your typical prime shedding grounds, but it's a fun, easy hike around 40 some acres of swamp and goldenrod. My first antler of the day was spotted not 15 minutes into my hike. A cool little 4 pt with a big knob of a base! I ran around for another hour and a half before I finally spotted another. I almost dismissed this one as a dead weed untill I compared it to an actual dead weed near by and noticed the difference in color. Gotcha! I was satisfied at this point. That made #30 for the season, but I still had some time left so I kept marching around. A little further along down in a soupy section, I started seeing deer legs scattered around that eventually led me to this little 4pt. deadhead. He was cleaned up pretty good, but soon as I tipped him back to stuff him in my pack..... brain ooooze started leaking everywhere. Luckily I came prepared, and double bagged him for the trip home. Heading out.., I got to where I had left my bike under a little pine tree and when I looked up on the side of the hill, I spotted what looked like tines! Sure was! Antler #3 for the day as I was headed out! That was it for the day. I was glad I made the trip! Here's the days haul!

4-13-13 Good news.... today I found an antler bigger than the last two combined! I wasn't feeling very motivated so I just hopped across the creek for half a day. I've been through here quite a few times so I knew there wasn't anything big laying around. My first find of the day was this weird little skull..... I think maybe a possum... or mink.... maybe a koala... I dunno! Then I got into some briars and found an old buck skeleton missing an antler. I figured this would be my best oppertunity to find a horn today so I sat there sifting through the bone pile looking for the missing piece. I couldn't find it though. On my way home now, I took my time through some spotty cover and just on the edge of a tangle of vines I saw a horn! A little busted guy.

4-12-13 So I shoot down to the park today thinking of wet, shiney, glowing antlers. It didn't take long and I spotted tines and it looked like a good one in the flooding timber! Soon as I got to see the entire horn, I knew I already had one at home just like it from last year. I found last years freshie almost a mile away. I wasn't even warm to matching him up last year, but alas, they are together again! Not far from there I found another fresh dead 6pt. Just a lil guy but I mention them all. This is where things get goofy! A little while further, I decided to take a break under an old apple tree and pour myself a cup of java from my thermos. As I'm pouring I look in the mud and see this silly mushroom next to a deer track. I was confused because it really looked like an antler burr so I reached over and picked it up. IT WAS AN ANTLER, but I already picked it up so I didn't get an ATL. The thing couldn't have been more than an inch tall and it was a shed! I laughed out loud at that point and sat there snickering for a while when I saw another mushroom not 2ft away. This time I was ready for it! A match set of button nubs!!! I couldn't believe what had just freakin' happened! Here's the 2'nd one. Here's my record set together!

4-11-13 Guys, just a quick crash course in history dating back to the 2011 deer season. Some of you probably remember the most impressive buck I had make an appearance one time in front of my cam that year, never to be seen again. I searched high and low(litteraly by the landscape) but could never find those antlers. That year he got the nickname "G-spot buck" due to his ellusive nature. Fast forward to the 2012-13 hunting season, and he shows up again on my hunting grounds. I got several trail cam pics over summer of him and had a few in person encounters, so I decided to change his name to Frankentines! He'd become a regular throughout the fall but has since dissapeared once again. He has grown into one of the biggest 10pt's I've seen on this property. While I don't know yet if he made it through this past hunting season, he still had a set of antlers out there from the previous year I hadn't thought about much lately..... untill today that is! I must have walked past this spot 100x's without exageration over the last couple seasons. Today I spotted this and couldn't believe my eyes! As soon as I got up to it, I knew who the previous owner was! I did a quick scan of the area, and when I looked back towards the road, I spotted the mate 20yds away, and not 50yds from the road! You can see the road in the background of the second pic. Finally the set together after 2 years on the lamb! I was so excited after I found these, I turned right around and ran home ending my hike right then and there,lol!

4-7-13 Today didn't start off so hot. As I hiked about half ways into the valley, the front of the sole on my boot opened up. Every step it gobbled up a bunch of sticks, leaves and mud like a pac-man game..... wocka, wocka, wocka,lol! Anyhow, I would deal with it and finally arrived in the valley. Not much to see at first so I headed into another thicket when I was greeted by this heavenly site.... beautiful long tines stretched skyward! It doesn't get any better than this folks! Determined to find the mate, I pushed through the prickly thicket but could not locate it. It's probably in the corn I can't hike. As I was looking for the mate, I spotted my second antler of the day instead! The days antlers together. I checked that thicket for the rest of the day, but that was all I could come up with. Heading back I decided to cut through a series of gulleys that lead into the valley. Normally I cross along the bottom field edge because it's an easy hike. My extra effort taking the long hard way payed off when I spotted a rib cage.... no a stump... dry grass around a stump.... I dunno, so I better go look. .... and just as I was about to exit the woods another old buck skull "greening up".

4-6-13 Today I shot down into the valley for a change of scenery. When I got to the fields, it didn't take long to figure out I was in the right spot! I saw a couple deer out and about soaking up the sun! This little fella stopped to check me out. When I saw that, I thought about turning around and running back home for a trailer for all the antlers I was gonna find today! Once I got settled down and made my way to the opposite side of the field, I finally saw some tines..... YAHOOOOO another set in the thicket!!!! Obviously I think I may have missed a few today, so I'll be back in this area next hike!

3-31-13 March wasn't very good to me this year, but I did manage to find an Easter horn today. Just a little guy that had melted out and layed there glowing! I thought he was an oldie as chalky as he was, but it still had some skin around the base.

3-13-13 The plan for the day was to rise early and hike untill I ran outta light. Unfortunately, just before it was time to leave, I got a call to go snake a sewer.....ahhh crap,lol! Well, I got back around noon and headed out where I had my 7 horn day. As soon as I arrived it started snowing and blowing like the North Pole. I thought about turning around and heading home but shortly after a quick 3 inches it finally stopped. I covered a lot of ground but only found one antler, BUT it was a good one! Ladies and gentleman, meet antler #17! I tried like heck to match it up but no luck today. I'LL BE BACK!

3-10-13 We still got a ton of snow but a nice warm up today had me anxious to get out. I wasn't expecting to find much but I had to try. Well, I found one more homeless oldie that melted out by the end of the day. #16 is a nice plump 4pt!

Time to get caught up. I'm running a few months behind. 2-13-13 I ran out today for a bit and found #15. It's one of those antlers that shouldn't have been found. Only reason I spotted it was because I was expecting to see a horn laying there where it was melted out! I knew if I looked hard enough one would magicly appear, and by golly, there one was! I saw a couple herds of all antlerless as well. Almost got run over by a few of them when something spooked them from the field above me. These two stopped for a quick shot.

Geeze, I dunno guys. I think she would just use me for my critters. How could I let that happen?:whip: I just want the deer back..., that's all!:pop: I feel so violated already,lol:oops:

Hmmmmmm.... I do have an extra turkey breast in the fridge that needs to be eaten tonight! Maybe I'll call her up and tell her I just found the deers collar,lol Thanks for the comments everyone. I'll update if I hear anything.

I know what you mean... the graphics on that truck can be a little intimidating and misleading if you have a guilty concious,lol. Ultimately, I'm happy she now has a fighting chance at survival no matter where she's relocated to assuming she is in good health and survives. This deer would have been the next item on the menu had she run into that den of hungry yotes I found a couple weeks ago.

After a good long while contemplating what to do next I was still undecided. I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out by myself and making up my own mind when it comes to this kind of stuff, but now I was technically in posession of a deer, and didn't quite have all the answers I needed to make the wisest decision. I decided at this point it was best to put it in someone elses hands who would know better what was best for this little rascal. Reluctantly, I got out my wallet where I had a card from a DEC officer who I met in the past and explained what had happened. The officer sounded interested on the phone and said he would be out shortly to take a look at the critter and then we'd go from there. He arrived and observed the deers behavior, her physical condition and appearance, and her tempermant. After gathering all this information, he rattled off about a half dozen deer diseases like they were the common cold, but I had a hard time even pronouncing any of them again,lol. After making a few phone calls, he pointed out several possabilities for this deers abnormal behavior that he felt were worthy of investigating further without having to put the deer down. One explanation being, illegaly posessed, raised and released, but that wasn't determined true or false at the site. He had seen all he needed to see, and informed me he was just there to make a judgement call on what to do next. After 1 1/2hrs since I placed the initial call, it was obvious this little doe wasn't going anywhere. The DEC officer made one more call and told me someone would be coming out to collect the animal soon. He gave me another card with Laura's number on it and said she'd be the one coming out but didn't say when. Another 1/2 hour passed. Now I've watched 'Swamp People' so I already had a picture painted in my head of the ruff and tough, 300lb, animal wrassler "Laura", who would show up in her safari buggy fully decked out in off road lights and roll bars. I did not get what I expected,lol. When she arrived and assessed the situation, it was clear to see even though she didn't fit my stereotypical visions, she was all bussiness. She grabbed a needle and we tried to get hold of the deer so she could administer the sedative. Her first poke would prove to be her last as the deer quickly wised up and knew we were up to something. It was hard to get close to her any longer and she was making her way through the woods now and into the neighbors yard. My neighbor has a 30'x30'(x7' high) outside dog keenel for their labs so we coralled the deer into there. Now this bugger was bouncing off the fence and scared out of it's mind. Every lunge she made against it to ellude us could have ended bad if one of her hooves got caught in the fence. In the blink of an eye and without warning, Laura pounced on the deer like a WWF wrestler ad picked it up. The deer thrashed and kicked and squirted free so I did my own rendition of her cat like manuever and we flopped on the deer together where she was finally able to administer the sedative! We stepped out of the kennel for about 15 minutes to let the drug take affect then returned to transport her once she calmed down enough. I flipped the camera into 'AUTO' mode and had to pass it off so the pics get a little sloppy now. As you can see, Laura turned out not to be the beastly hulk of a woman I was expecting to wrassle deer with today,lol. We got the deer wrapped in a straigh jacket blanket and it was time to carry her back to the buggy! We finally got her back to the "safari buggy"... also her daily commuter, and I waited for her to prepare to load. You guessed it.... I hope the tranquilizer doesn't wear off any time soon,lol So I like to believe my encounter with this little deer had potentialy saved it's life. At least I know I did the resposible thing to do and the rest is up to the deer and those administering help now. She was taken to a rehab facility where they'll do their thing and hopefully raise her back to being 'wild' and released again. I'll try calling for an update on her progress later in the week and keep you guys posted of the outcome. Who knows, she may have been one of the spotted fawns that followed me around all last spring and summers photo shoots. Regaurdless, she's in good hands now!

Ok guys, today after I killed my turkey I decided to swing by my cams to check the cards. My pack on my back, my gun over one shoulder, and my turkey over the other.... I was anything but quiet on my way out. I was easily a mile or more from home at this point. When I got to the cam, I bumped 3 deer and watched them run off. Well, untill I opened the cam and looked up to see a deer running right to me! I didn't want to move and scare it so I slipped my pocket cam out and started taking pics with my point and shoot. After a little while, it was obvious this deer wasn't afraid of me. I think when it licked me, that was a dead giveaway,lol. So I got out the Nikon and backed up for a shot or two of her at my trail cam. Well she was still sticking around so I dropped my pack, my gun, and my turkey and figured I'd get as many shots as I could. She was browsing all around me and would come over to lick my lens and sniff me whenever I moved around. She eventually made her way over to my gun and grabbed my hat nocking my gun over! I zoomed a bit more than I intended on this shot but it's close enough. I already had a mess of pics of her so I said goodbye and started to head home again. A few hundred yards later I found a nice log to take some more field photos of my turkey on so I composed the pic and got ready to hop in it. All of a sudden, my little friend comes flying up on me again and wants to be petted. Shortly after that she got in my field photo and became the star of the show! I messed around with her some more there, and wondered just how far she'd follow me. It didn't take long to realise, she was going home with me! Here she is on the edge of the yard over a mile from where she started following me. Eventually she made her way over to my "wall of shame" to see all her dead relatives. Finally she bedded down in the yard after mowing down some dandellions and clover. But the story aint over yet folks! Gotta edit and load more pics..... things are about to get interesting!

I see London, I see France.... Maybe I should go with you Ruth. I took french in high school. You may need a translator if you want to order some french toast or french fries or a french vanilla cappuchino. Bonjour mon franc`ais frare` wee~wee,lol

I got 3 in for ya so far. Good luck!

Thanks Ruth and everyone else I may have forgot to thank! No worries William, I think it stayed on topic just fine. Good discussion here about a controversial subject that affects many of us. Seeing this post make it to 2 pages reminded me of the good ol' days here,lol. Can't complain about that!