OCTOBER 15, 2012: OPENING DAY OF BOW SEASON, MASSACHUSETTS
I had hunted all day until the end but me and
the rest of the guys came up empty handed. No bucks for me this year but still
a banner year for me, harvesting 3 deer and passing on one. When the sun had finally
set on the last day of the deer-hunting season I had mixed feelings. In one
hand it was a sad feeling knowing I would not be able to deer hunt until next
fall and at the same time I felt relieved it was over and thinking maybe I can
actually sleep in next Saturday for a change instead of being up before the
sun. As fun as hunting is it’s also hard work and exhausting. I guess it’s now
time to switch gears back to fishing and prepare the ice fishing gear.
Unfortunately we have no ice yet but there are supposed to be some arctic
blasts of cold air coming our way during the week, so a possibility of ice for
the upcoming weekend could happen, might even possibly get me up before the sun
again. If there is no ice I suppose I could just grab a fishing rod and make a
few casts and then make a trip down to the bass pro shop and cash in those gift
cards I received at Christmas. Either way this outdoorsman will not be cooped
up at home. Time for a few drinks to ring in the New Year. Tight
Lines....George.
10/15/2012 OPENING DAY (BOW SEASON) MASSACHUSETTS
A SHED I FOUND WHILE SCOUTING FOR THE FIRST TIME A FARM PROPERTY I RECENTLY GOT PERMISSION ON
A RUB FROM A BIG BUCK I COULD'NT GET A CLOSE SHOT AT, I'M READY FOR HIM THIS YEAR.
PART OF A SCRAPE LINE A BIG BUCK HAS BEEN MAKING FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS
DEL WITH HIS 2012 SPRING TURKEY, THAT WEIGHED 15 LBS
2011 HUNTERS LOG
JANUARY 01, 2012: HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
SEE YOU
NEXT HUNTING SEASON.
DECEMBER 31, 2011: LAST CALL, MA
I had hunted all day until the end but me and
the rest of the guys came up empty handed. No bucks for me this year but still
a banner year for me, harvesting 3 deer and passing on one. When the sun had finally
set on the last day of the deer-hunting season I had mixed feelings. In one
hand it was a sad feeling knowing I would not be able to deer hunt until next
fall and at the same time I felt relieved it was over and thinking maybe I can
actually sleep in next Saturday for a change instead of being up before the
sun. As fun as hunting is it’s also hard work and exhausting. I guess it’s now
time to switch gears back to fishing and prepare the ice fishing gear.
Unfortunately we have no ice yet but there are supposed to be some arctic
blasts of cold air coming our way during the week, so a possibility of ice for
the upcoming weekend could happen, might even possibly get me up before the sun
again. If there is no ice I suppose I could just grab a fishing rod and make a
few casts and then make a trip down to the bass pro shop and cash in those gift
cards I received at Christmas. Either way this outdoorsman will not be cooped
up at home. Time for a few drinks to ring in the New Year. Tight
Lines....George.
DECEMBER 25, 2011: MERRY CHRISTMAS (AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS) TO ALL!
DECEMBER 24, 2011: OUT AGAIN CHASING DEER, MA
Went out with some of my buddies but I had no
luck, however my friend bagged a doe in the morning. Congratulations Mark. I
hit another spot later and ended up seeing two coyotes and took a shot at one.
Thought I had taken a decent shot at it even though by the time I noticed it
and drew the gun and pulled the trigger, it had gotten behind some light brush
and disappeared from my sight after the shot. It had run past one of my hunting
buddies who also took a shot but missed and he mentioned it looked hurt. I
guess I might have just clipped it and maybe that brush was thicker than I
thought or my shot not as good as I originally thought. He told me the last
direction he saw it run toward and I looked for a while to see if it had
dropped and expired somewhere but no sign of it. Ironically another friend of
mine was hunting 2 days later and spotted the same 2 coyotes in the same area,
so apparently their both alive and well (damn little buggers). Shoot straight
and be safe.....George.
MARK WITH ONE TAKEN ON HIS MUZZLELOADER
DECEMBER 17, 2011: GOT ANOTHER WITH THE MUZZLELOADER, MA
On the opening day of both the Archery and
Shotgun seasons I had taken time off from work to hunt those 2 days. It was now
12/12/11 the opening day of the Muzzleloader season and like the other openers
I had taken this day off too but unfortunately I would not spend it hunting as
originally thought. I had taken a deer on 12/10/11 and then spent 12/11/11
butchering it. The day I spent butchering the deer is the same day I had
originally planned to spend at the gun range sighting in the muzzleloader. Not
that I’m complaining and it certainly was a good problem to have but perhaps I
should also do a better job of planning for the almost unexpected, but then
again how does one do that? I am not a wait to the last minute person as you
might think after reading this I just prefer to practice fresh before a season
starts and make any adjustments needed to what my eye sight is at that time and
I seem to shoot better when I feel confident and shooting a weapon well right
before it’s season starts is a true confidence builder. So I spent a big chunk
of the opening day at the gun range, practicing and sighting in my muzzleloader
until I was dead on. The last 2 shots finally satisfied me. I had made a
100-yard shot that was almost a bull's-eye and then the last shot at 50 yards
was a perfect bull's-eye. I had hoped my efforts again would be rewarded.
Finally on the first Saturday of the muzzleloader season I was able to get out
and hunt. I was in position waiting for a hopeful shot opportunity, while
waiting I had visions of big bucks presenting themselves but it didn’t quite
work out that way. Instead 4 does had stepped out from behind a mound and
cautiously moving, I quickly put the cross hairs on one before they could bust
me and I squeezed the trigger. It felt like a good shot and even looked like it
jerked back a bit before running but it didn’t drop. I began questioning myself
but then I found the blood trail and the deer about 80 yards away dead and when
I looked at the bullet entry it was right where I aimed and I felt relieved.
One of my hunting buddies and fellow member at my rod & gun club days ago
had expressed some concern about a possible shortage of venison for the clubs
annual game dinner. I’m not a greedy person so I decided since I had plenty of
meat already in the freezer to donate this deer to the club. The game dinner
generates some good income for the club. Far from complaining it seems so far
it has been the year of the doe’s for me, filling all my doe tags and not
having even seen a single buck throughout all the 2011 deer hunting seasons
present me with any kind of shot opportunity. It’s still not over until it’s
over and you never know when a nice buck might appear. I should be able to get
out at least a couple of more Saturdays. Shoot straight and be safe.....George.
A DEER TAKEN WITH MY MUZZLELOADER
IT SEEMS TO BE THE YEAR OF THE DOE'S FOR ME
DECEMBER 12, 2011: ANOTHER BEAUTY TAKEN, MA
A friend of mine forwarded me this
shot. This big buck was taken by fellow member of the Concord rod and gun club Adam, who has a reputation down at the club
of one of the few guys that consistently bags a big deer every season and judging from what I seen last year and this year
I believe it.
ADAM WITH A NICE BUCK
DECEMBER 10, 2011: DROPPED ANOTHER ONE ON THE LAST DAY OF SHOTGUN, MA
Well just like opening day of shotgun
starting off with a bang for me it also ended with a bang for me too when I
dropped another deer on the last day of the shotgun season. I had spotted two
does running down a hill and I put the red dot scope on the one leading, which
was also the largest and then squeezed the trigger and made a 100 yard plus
shot and was dead on and upon impact of the bullet the deer dropped right in
it’s own tracks. A clean kill shot with no tracking involved. The other smaller
doe was puzzled and hung out long enough for me to have made another shot and
probably drop her too but I passed and was content with the mature doe I had
just taken and watched the younger deer flee and run back up the hill. I was
pumped and considered this additional deer a great bonus and with the now
abundance meat this season I looked forward to trying all kinds of new recipes. My buddy Bill also took a nice 3 point buck
(pictured below). A great way to end the 2-week shotgun season. Later on that day after arriving
home it was slightly depressing for me putting away the shotgun back in the gun
cabinet for the season but at the same time I felt a little optimistic when I
pulled out the muzzleloader for preparations of it’s upcoming and final season.
As I held it I realized I had not even touched a fishing rod since the deer
season opened and stayed focused and committed to using my free time towards
deer hunting and it looked like it would continue until the end of 2011. Shoot
straight and be safe.....George.
ANOTHER DEER ON THE LAST DAY OF SHOTGUN SEASON
DRESSED OUT AT 108 LBS
100 YARD SHOT, CAN YOU SPOT THE DEER
HOW ABOUT NOW?
BILL ALSO TOOK DOWN THIS 3 POINT BUCK
ANOTHER SHOT RIGHT BEFORE I BUTCHERED IT
DECEMBER 03, 2011: ANOTHER DOWN BY ONE OF THE GANG, MA
Went out with the gang again but
had no luck, however my buddy Mike dropped this nice big doe. The big girl had a freakishly large head. Unfortunately I forgot
to take a quick shot of Mike holding with my camera but he was kind enough to forward this shot below he took.
DECEMBER 01, 2011: NICE SHOTGUN BUCK TAKEN, MA
My friend
Peter was on stand watching some deer and instead of shooting the first one
that presented itself with a good shot he waited until this big guy stepped out
in the open and was rewarded with a big buck for his patience. Congratulations
and nicely done Peter.
NOVEMBER 28, 2011: DEER DOWN ON OPENING DAY OF SHOTGUN, MA
After a very rough 2011 archery season
(though
archery is my favorite season of the three) I was glad to put down the bow and
pick up the shotgun. Deer sightings on stand were far and few for me this
season. Then add in a couple of close calls where I did attempt to connect with
an arrow but something always went wrong, thanks to a gentleman by the name of
Mr. Murphy’s Law. There was also an instance or two where the deer were out of
bow range, including a big nocturnal buck that had finally showed itself at
dusk and all I could do was watch it walk away while ignoring my calls. Before
the shotgun season had opened I had retired my old 12-gage shotgun that had
become unreliable and purchased a brand new 12-gage slug gun and outfitted it
with a red dot scope. The new gun needed to be christened and ached for it’s
first notch. Even though I was confident in my shooting I was a bit jaded from
the archery season and was beginning to doubt if I would get another shot
opportunity and fill the freezer this year. After countless days staring at
what seemed like empty woods with bow at hand and not much to show for it. I
was almost tempted to give up and pick up a fishing rod instead but I forced
myself to remain persistent. On the first day of the Massachusetts shotgun deer
season and the first time using my brand new gun, I finally sealed the deal
with my first deer of the 2011 season. I was in some very thick brush and
managed to slip a shot threw a small opening at a running doe at about 60 yards
away; she then ran a short distance and dropped. It was a perfect shot and one
I was proud of. It made all the prep work I had done worth it, such as time
acquiring doe permits and sacrificing some bow hunting time for some practice
down at the gun range, making sure I was on target and ready to roll. I’m not a
trophy hunter and though I can more than appreciate a big buck, to me any adult
deer is a good deer and worth being happy over. I was very thankful that unlike
the archery season the shotgun season started off with a bang (literally). I’m
not greedy and happy with bagging at least one per season and enjoying some
tasty venison hot off my grill. If I happen to bag anymore deer this season its
just a bonus. Shoot straight and be safe.....George.
BREAKING IN THE NEW SHOTGUN ON OPENING DAY
SHOTGUN SEASON 2011
SHE DRESSED OUT AT 96 LBS ON THE CHECKING SATION SCALE
A DOE FOR THE FREEZER AND GRILL
NOVEMBER 27, 2011: TWO BIG BUCKS FOUND LOCKED TOGETHER, MA
My
friend Dave shared these pictures. Dave’s friend was out hunting our local woods and came across these two deer with
their horns locked together. The one that’s more submerged in the water and on the bottom was dead and the other still
alive. If you look close enough you can see the antler pierced through the eye of the dead one. Some nasty stuff for sure.
If I was the hunter that ran across this all I could think is two for the price of one. You truly never know what you will
encounter in the woods.
NOVEMBER 26, 2011: MONSTER BUCK, MA
My friend Mark at 7:30 AM shot this monster buck (pictured below) with his bow and arrow. Mark exclusively
targets big bucks and appears to bag a big bruiser just about every year. The one he bagged last year was impressive and his
success this year is equally impressive. His ability to tag big deer in our local public land is amazing. Congratulations
buddy on such an amazing deer.
ONE OF MANY BIG BUCKS MARK HAS TAKEN
NOVEMBER 19, 2011: PETER SCORES BOW HUNTING, MA
My friend
Peter with the lack of acorns was bow hunting where the food is. A squash field
he has permission to hunt on where he has had many sightings and some shot
opportunities, including the one he sealed the deal on pictured below.
Congratulations Peter. Straight shooting - George
PETER WITH A BUCK
ANOTHER SHOT
NOVEMBER 19, 2011: PETER SCORES BOW HUNTING, MA
My friend
Peter with the lack of acorns was bow hunting where the food is. A squash field
he has permission to hunt on where he has had many sightings and some shot
opportunities, including the one he sealed the deal on pictured below.
Congratulations Peter. Straight shooting - George
TWINS (LEFT) PETER & (RIGHT) MARK POSE WITH THEIR DEER ARROWED 3 DAYS APART FROM EACH OTHER.
NOVEMBER 17, 2011: FRESH DEER SIGN, MA
There is a nice buck behind
my
back yard. I had seen it last year and I spotted it again this year at almost
Dark. Not enough light to see the pins on my bow to even consider a shot but
enough light to see a silhouette of a nice buck. This is the sign a found the
next morning of what I think is the same nocturnal buck. Straight Shooting -
George
A FRESH RUB FROM A NOCTURNAL BUCK I SPOTTED LAST NIGHT
A FRESH SCAPE NEXT TO THE RUB
NOVEMBER 11, 2011: BIG ARCHERY BUCK TAKEN, MA
My friend Joe took down this big 8 point buck with his bow. This
impressive deer weighed in at 194.6 lbs. Congratulations Buddy!
JOE WITH HIS BIG ARCHERY BUCK
NOVEMBER 02, 2011: PETER DROPS A DOE, MA
My friend Peter who had been seeing plenty of deer during the
bow season finally got to close the deal on a nice doe, he took with his bow. Congratulations Buddy!
SEPTEMBER, 2011: EARLY SEASON BOW HUNTING, CONNECTICUT
While our
bow hunting season in Massachusetts was still closed, I got an earlier jump
start hunting Connecticut on their opening day of September 15th. I also hunted
CT on the 17th and then joined up with 3 friends at camp to hunt 5 straight
days, from the 19th thru the 23rd. While some hunters thinks it’s to early and
not a good time to hunt. If you’re an indiscriminate deer hunter and are happy
to take does and small bucks then it can be a good time too. The deer are not
as pressured yet and are a little less wary. The down side is there are some
hot days and on those days the swarms of mosquitoes can be annoying and
difficult to deal with. Over the years this earlier season has provided plenty
of sightings and some successful deer hunts. Unfortunately it was a tough early
season. I was hoping to bag one before the Massachusetts season opened up in
October but no such luck. In fact this was the first year hunting CT where I
didn’t have a single deer sighting while on stand. I did see one that I kicked
up while walking to my evening stand and I saw many deer in people’s back yards
hanging out and feeding, especially in the evening, which did not help me or
the rest of the group, hunting the state land. The lack of acorns this year I
believe has really messed up the traditional spots we’ve always hunted
annually. My buddy Forrest who spent most of his free time during the summer
scouting and hanging stands in CT and RI was paid for his efforts with a nice
spike horn buck and was the only one from our group who bagged anything. The
highlight of my trip was watching a Bobcat sneak in from behind me and noticing
it under my tree stand and watching it walk out in front of me until it finally
disappeared out of sight. The first one I have ever seen while hunting and a
cool sight. Would have loved to take a shot at it for a unique trophy for the
game room but they are protected in CT. There was also a brown weasel I watched
running on top of a stone wall with a mouse in it’s mouth and a great horned owl
giving me the stare down, the things you see in the woods can be amazing and
are an important part of the hunting experience. Cant wait to get back out in
the woods but the next time will be in MA. Shoot straight and be
safe.....George.
FORREST WITH A SPIKE HORN, TAKEN WITH A BOW.
2008: Though this is a fishing related website.
Being that there are allot of sportsmen that hunt and fish. I put this quick photo gallery page together for those who might
enjoy it.
01-14-11: Decided to incorporate more hunting content onto
the website.
CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW:
THE GANG
PETER WITH A TURKEY
2010 MASSACHUSETTS HUNTING SEASON
SPIKE HORN BUCK TAKEN DURING THE 2010 MA BOW SEASON
MY SMALLEST RACK BUCK EVER - 117 LBS
MY FRIEND MARK WITH A BIG GOON, TAKEN DURING THE 2010 SHOTGUN SEASON
MEALS ON WHEELS
BILL'S BUCK - I WANT TO SEE WHAT KICKED THIS GUYS BUTT
MARK D. WITH HIS PERSONAL BEST TAKEN DURING SHOTGUN SEASON 2010
FATHER & SON - DAD'S BEST & SONS FIRST 2010 SHOTGUN