NJ Deer /Bear

[ruttinbuc]

I'll be participating in the annual 6 day deer firearm gun hunt with a tag to take a bear if one shows up. It has been 5 years since NJ had a bear hunt. It was as much contested this time as it was the last. The difference today is that those in authority and the courts have used science and facts to quell the ARA's teddy bear mentality. It is amazing the lengths these people will go. There are terroristic threats to do bodily harm and just outright insane wishes of harm to hunters.

[Shaun_300]

Good luck with the hunt Mike! Hope you get one or the other.

[ruttinbuc]

Good luck with the hunt Mike! Hope you get one or the other.

Thanks Shaun! Hopefully both!

[wtnhunt]

Good luck with this weeks hunting Mike.

[too_pointer]

Great deal Mike, hopefully will see some pics from you after the hunt !!

too_

[ruttinbuc]

Brutal day today. didn't see a deer until 3:30. Ended up seeing 11 doe and doe fawns and 4 buttons. It was super windy making for a tough hunt. it is supposed to be this way all week. I spent the middle of the day in my ground blind just to get out of the gusts. I should have got back up there with a weed whacker. It was tough to see as the sun started west.

I went to get back up into the tripod and no sooner than I got out of the blind a doe and 3 little ones were staring me down. So much for looking out the windows and seeing nothing before moving. I couldn't be so lucky to have a buck in the group.

Will try again tomorrow. Thanks for the well wishes, Shaun, William, and Mike.

[92xj]

Where are those pictures from the hunt Mister?!?

Good luck tomorrow!

[Tominator]

Amazing how some idiots would put an animal's life in front of a human life.

[huntnfish]

Hope you have better luck in the next couple of days.

[ruttinbuc]

Here you go, Ben. My paining shoulder woke me up so I figured I post these while the painkiller takes effect. Only took 2 pictures in the field.

I caught this little one looking at the blind...or did it catch me?

Here is the guy responsible for getting my brother and I into hunting with his 200# Black Bear sow. Way to go John!

[ruttinbuc]

Brutal day with the wind and cold. Saw three deer...later.

[Sheri]

Hi i was wondering if you can show me where I am able to get black bear liver. i hope u can help me. Thank you. Sheri

[wtnhunt]

Hope today has gone better for you Mike. Been pretty chilly here the past few days too.

[Adjam5]

Hey Mike....

Been getting your texts and updates. Thanks.

Also...been seeing and hearing some of that anti bear hunt talk around town and even on the job by some uneducated individuals who are life long city dwellers with no clue about wildlife. One person said hunting breaks up animal families...I had to walk away.

Hope you get to stick a good deer or even Yogi himself .

Hunt safe and have fun.

[ruttinbuc]

Thanks Anthony! What is really sad is the way the media has handled the hunt. Some of it is OK, but there is a definite left leaning slant from these people who wouldn't know an oak tree from mountain laurel.

Today was quite cold and windy one again. Brutal is an understatement. I didn't see anything this morning although I did hear deer get up when I went to my tripod. I sat until ten and then still hunted one side of the reservoir. Turned into a nice little trip that warmed me up a bit.

I went home to regroup and then back out at 2:00. I hunted a small piece of public ground closer to home. By the looks of it the deer didn't seem to pressured. They showed up a little after 4 o'clock and were heavy in the feed bag. The photos are zoomed and not as close as they appear. I ended up seeing these deer and another group of four. Two of them were spike bucks. They all ended up within shooting range had I chose to put another one in the freezer. I passed.

Geese on the wing

On the feed

Youngster

Edited December 9, 2010 by ruttinbuc

[92xj]

Sounds like a great afternoon. The pics turned out great.

[Flintlock1776]

NIce pics! My buddy got a bear in Allmuchy; stayed in the stand and sometime later dropped a 6pointer!I have plenty of bears on my place outside Blairstown but I just never go the urge to hunt them. I just like deer and turkey; more portable LOL.Good luck with the rest of the week

[mikebohio]

good luck,keep the pics coming

[ruttinbuc]

Thanks guys.

NIce pics! My buddy got a bear in Allmuchy; stayed in the stand and sometime later dropped a 6pointer!I have plenty of bears on my place outside Blairstown but I just never go the urge to hunt them. I just like deer and turkey; more portable LOL.Good luck with the rest of the week

I was going to get a permit for Zone 2, but really didn't find the time to look for a spot. I see bear here now and then during turkey and the bow seasons. I tagged a buck early permit and missed a lot of days. I took the camera out on a few. Good luck for the rest of the week also, Flintlock.

[ruttinbuc]

Another cold day. It started out pretty calm, but the breeze returned. I went back to the public land and saw a couple of the deer I watched yesterday evening. Pretty quiet until right before noon when a rack buck came running full throttle across the top of the corn field. Never did get a good look at him.

A group of doe come from the direction the buck ran right before dark. Was hoping he would be lagging behind, but no such luck. Two more days. I will probably go back to the reservoir to another spot I know to see what shakes out there.

Sorry there are no pictures today. I forgot my camera as I was running a bit late this morning.

[ruttinbuc]

A forky at first light and a spike buck at the last. A long day, but at least the wind gave me a break. Welcome visitors made a grand appearance today...by the thousands. Not the best day to video...

[ruttinbuc]

Another long disappointing day. Being a Saturday I had hopes that more people in the woods would help the hunting. It is with great dismay that not a tail was seen today. Totally unbelievable. The shoot em all attitude has caught up to the detriment of the hunting in NJ's woods.

[njbowhntr]

I hunted a little everyday this week. With hunting all day yesterday on some state land. I was able to harvest a buck on wednesday afternoon. Yesterday I had a fellow hunter kick up about 10 does and 2 bucks to me as he was walking to his stand. The one buck was a definite shooter. I only had my dad's buckshot gun, I hate buckshot. The only shot he presented was at 60 yards head on. Needless to say he is still roaming the woods. Hopefully I will run into him again with the bow. I will be after him till Feb. 19th.

The reason for not having the slug gun was bow hunting. I bow hunted in the morning, and did not bring the slug gun with me as a just in case. Dad had some stuff that came up so he had to leave. He has a great stand for guys walking in and out of the woods. But no shooting lanes for the bow. So I borrowed his buckshot gun. I know that alot of fellow hunters love buckshot, I just do not like it though. The slug gun would have barked with a brisket shot, not buckshot though.

[ruttinbuc]

I would have passed if I were using buckshot too, Ron. Congrats on your buck kill. I passed on 4 different small bucks. I may not have if the freezer was empty. Hopefully, they will make it through the rest of the season.

[ruttinbuc]

ML for a couple of days. Went today and the wind and cold returned. I saw a few deer throughout the day coming into the cut corn for a bite and then retreating to the thickets. Nothing I wanted to shoot. I thought they would appear at dark, but none did.

I ended up hitting the chair and passing out for the most of the evening. Amazing how that heat knocks you out after a cold day. I'll try again tomorrow.

Forgot the camera again. :chair: