Legacy -The 2025 Deer Season-

[Legacy]

Well I guess its time to get this thread started!!! I cant believe the amount of guys that reached out to me in the off season about this thread. I hope you guys contribute to help keep this thread lively.

 

I have to admit that I have been too busy to really do anything "deer" related since Winter. Fishing just gets in the damn way! That is about to change and the switch is about to flip as fishing season is just about over. I also have zero cams in the woods. Typically I dont usually put them up until around Labor day. Now that has come and gone and I just feel behind as always. Im hoping by this time next week the majority of cameras are hung.

 

 

LETS SEE THOSE TRAIL CAM PICS!!!!

 

[Legacy]

A very memorable 2024 season! Here is a recap...

 

Started in Ohio 

 

Well I just got home from the Ohio opener. Not the outcome I had hoped to get the season started but that's hunting and the hurricane arriving on Friday certainly didnt help things for me. I spent my time sitting overlooking a clear cut. It seems pretty common to log medium size chunks of timber and then "chip" the remaining underbrush for paper in the region. The landscape seems to be littered with these clear cuts, agriculture, and hardwoods and It really creates some great ground for whitetail. 

I was lucky to get a shot on a unique buck while i was there. This buck had daylighting a bunch leading up to the season. From what I know he seemed to be leaving his bed in the clear cut and then hitting a corn pile before finally hitting a soy bean field at dusk. So the set was designed to catch him in between that final destination and his bed. He gave me a 22 yard shot from a ground blind. With his head down he jumped the string enough to result in a shot 4" higher then i had hoped. He was broadside (slight quartering away) and I hit him 1/3 down and perfectly inline with the back of the front leg. The shot was not a pass through and the arrow broke off with about 7" in the deer. It was raining/ misting most of the afternoon and by dark it was rain and fog. We made a hell of an attempt to find this deer with absolutely zero luck. We even attempted a thermal drone the night I shot him but the rain and fog made it impossible. We made a second attempt the morning after with the drone (and some blind searching) but zero luck. It really sucks because I felt even though the shot was not where i was aiming it was still a "deadly" shot. Shooting Lumenoks I no doubt saw the shot and i saw the deer run with the arrow in him.  I believe the deer is dead and it sucks!!! At this point I hope the crows show us where he is.

 

 

 

NYS Archery Season

 

Here's the story and some better pics...

 

I finally had a chance to hunt a new set (on a new piece) that I have been very patient to get into. I needed a northerly wind so I jumped at the opportunity with a NE forecasted. I haven't been in there since I hung the stand a month earlier. So slipped in there about 1 and on my way in I moved a camera closer to the set hoping to get a better idea of what was happening. I spent the afternoon trying to to read the ground and analyze pictures from the two cameras on the property trying to learn what the deer are doing and how they are traveling. 

So before 5 I had something catch my eye. It was my buck cutting through the swamp stopping to work a rub. He literally spent about 20 minutes thrashing this bush about 75 yards away. It was this point that I gave myself a green light and hoped to get an opportunity. Well that buck walked to me like he was on a string and I pulled the trigger at him broadside at 6 yards. That's where things got interesting... his reaction wasn't what I expected. He was walking from left to my right when I shot. He ran 10 yards in the same direction then he turned 120 degrees and ran quartering away towards the corner of the property. He slowed his pace about 75 yards away and I thought I saw the classic tail flicker as he disappeared into the thick stuff. My initial thought was dead deer. I turned back expecting to see my arrow buried in the ground on a hard angle with my lighted nock in plain sight but it wasn't there. I did not see the arrow hit the deer. When the deer ran off I thought I saw a tiny entry hole but never any blood. When he turned I didn't see an exit hole or blood or an arrow. I packed my stuff and climbed down to do a quick analysis of the shot site while I still had some light. I knew the deer was at least 100 yards from me in the opposite direction so I wasn't too worried about bumping him on my way out. I couldn't find my arrow. And had zero blood at the site. There is a trail cam picture that I posted here and I can tell you my head was spinning when it was taken. I walked out and spent the next 4 hours scratching my head and questioning what the heck happened. It was a tough 4 hours to say the least. I originally thought about waiting until morning but I went back in at 9pm with my kid hoping to find the lighted nock. We walked back into the property and I quickly walked him through the shot scenario. We scanned the woods with our lights off and still no arrow to be found. We started walking the bucks escape route and my kid spots blood 5 yards from where the buck spun to his left and changed directions. And then good blood. And then I realized I have blood coming out of two sides. Then 75 yards into trailing I can smell him!!! 25 yards later BBD and the hooting and hollering starts! Deer was dead 25-35 yards from where I last saw him. No doubt he died on his feet and expired within seconds of losing sight of him. Autopsy... I center punched the liver (shot him as he was walking). No history with this deer. I went through my pictures and found I had one series of trail cam pics of him. He was a unique 11 point but unfortunately he is busted up pretty good. 5 broken points including both brows, 2 tines, and a sticker off the base.  The roller coaster of emotions you experience in this "blood sport" can make you go mad. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows. From me not seeing blood or finding my arrow to me living the moment with my kid as we grab antlers four hours later... what a f•cking ride!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NYS Gun Season

 

 

 

 

 

What a weekend!

My kid was in the same set both am and pm hunts on the opener hoping for a chance at one of our shooters. We both sat in the punch/funnels that connect the two big chunks of woods. He passed up a few small bucks and a slow afternoon turned into chaos. Chasing in the thicket behind him for an hour eventually led him to put eyes on this great 8pt. The buck made his way to him from over 200 yards away. And eventually the deer walked directly in front of the stand about 20 yards, the kid waited until the deer was past him, quartering away before he stopped him and hammered him. The kid was close enough that once I heard the shot, I got to watch the deer on a death run through binoculars. Perfect shot heart and both lungs. Deer ran 50 before falling over. Big mature 8pt with decent mass. I'm guessing 4 years old as we do have pictures from him last year. Love these great dad moments!

 

As for me...

Day 2 of gun 

Going where the SW wind allows me I ended up in one of my best sets. Saw a couple of young bucks cruising early. I decided with buck sightings to pull out my can call and dumped it 3 times. 5 minutes later this 8pt was standing 20 years directly downwind from me without a care in the world. It was at that moment I realized that my kid and i had been confusing these two deer on camera. And that we had 2 8pts that we had been watching. The deer decided to continue on his path from right to left and gave me a 20 yard shot. Easy track job. Deer probably ran 70 yards. I enjoy bow hunting so much more but man is rather shoot them with the gun. It's devastating.

 

Although I'm tagged out now it was a great moment to have with my kid!

 

 

 

 

Texas 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 BBD in Mexico!!!

 

 

[Legacy]

[fisherman21]

I’m feeling hopeful about the season. Can’t wait to get out there 

[whaler1]

Can’t wait!

[Legacy]

Got off my a** today and got my first 2 cameras hung... let it begin!

[Legacy]

Crossbow for sale....

 

 

[Legacy]

[Legacy]

6 cameras up and running... Hoping to have them all up by the end of this weekend

[Legacy]

My buddy literally just shot this in Kentucky.... RIP "Dagger" 

 

[Legacy]

Got some more "field work" accomplished yesterday. Hung a handful of cams and checked on a few stands. I'm about 70 percent done with my prep for 2025.

 

[Gator]

We have a buck we nicknamed the "Eight of NIne LIves", since he got a pass despite my seeing him frequently from the stand. He was a resident and we had some hope he'd mature nicely. I tried to upload video from last year and this, proving that "despite the best laid plans of mice and men" and his getting substantially bigger, it looks like he already broke his right G3.

 

The upload from last year worked fine, but I can't seem to get this year's files to run. Both are 720p MP4 files from Tactacam, with the only difference being the frame rate. I will work on it. Both files run on my computer, although I did have to update my local software for the newer file, so there's something different. I will figure it out.

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2025 by Gator

[Legacy]

Spent the middle of the day in the woods today. Had to visit a camera today because a branch broke in yesterdays wind and was blocking the camera. Hung 1 new camera today (11 cams out now). Over seeded a plot today with clover. Checked on a few existing sets. In the process of checking stands, we had to move 2 stands due to ash trees that fell. Had to recut an access trail on a property today also because of dead and falling ash trees. It's  Crazy how many dead ash trees are around. Just about done with the preseason stuff. 2 more cams to go out probably on Thursday mid day.

 

 

[Gator]

 Managed to get the file converted; it was a codec issue with the new Tactacam files, but VLC to the rescue. Anyway, the rack is significantly more interesting this year, but between the first and second video the right G3 got broken off. Great deer, but hard pass for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Legacy]

Today I finished the last of my field work as I had one more property that needed attention. Hung 2 cams, freshened up my mock scrape, moved a stand. And finished clearing the main trail which was full of down ash trees.

Well the stage has been set! All cameras are in. Stands checked, hung, and some relocated. Now it's time to sit back and see how things unfold. Most bucks on cam are still in velvet but once that's gone it will be game on. It would be nice to see some of my "missing" bucks return and to start seeing them in the early season pattern. Hopefully something i can use to my advantage. My first big deer of the year is a big ten that is hard horned and all over my cameras. Let's hope that he continues.

 

 

[fisherman21]

Anyone know of any processors open for the early antlerless season that do a good job?

[Legacy]

On 9/12/2025 at 9:58 AM, fisherman21 said:

Anyone know of any processors open for the early antlerless season that do a good job?

 

Looks like Manks on Rt 19 in Clarkson is open

 

[Legacy]

Anyone out looking for does????

 

 

[whaler1]

Tommy was and my guess is Manny as well. 

[fisherman21]

4 hours ago, Legacy said:

Anyone out looking for does????

 

 

I will probably get my son out once and twice this week 

[whaler1]

19 minutes ago, fisherman21 said:

I will probably get my son out once and twice this week 

How could you not. That kid would trade Santa for a day with you hunting every time. 

[fisherman21]

3 hours ago, whaler1 said:

How could you not. That kid would trade Santa for a day with you hunting every time. 

You aren’t lying lol. He helped me get a few last minute things prepped on the woods today 

[Legacy]

So I haven't hunted much with a crossbow since it's allowance in the NYS hunting seasons. Being that I have only owned one for a few years my experience is limited. I did hunt a few times last year and actually shot my first deer (buck) with a crossbow last season. I guess I have embraced it a little bit and plan to use it more this year especially with the changes in regulation. I have sets where it would offer me no advantage however there is other sets where it would extend my range. I feel comfortable shooting my bow out to 40 yards but I will admit with a crossbow 50-60 yards feels comfortable. I feel I purchased a Ravin R26X this year and plan to use it when I head to Ohio for the opener in 2 weeks. Another tack driver to add to the arsenal!

 

 

[SamonSez]

Nice group! You are the man, but I suggest you use your 5 bullseyes instead of just the center. Will save you $$$ in the long run due to damage from "robinhood" arrows. Good luck this season!

[Legacy]

1 hour ago, SamonSez said:

Nice group! You are the man, but I suggest you use your 5 bullseyes instead of just the center. Will save you $$$ in the long run due to damage from "robinhood" arrows. Good luck this season!

 

Haha agreed. I was dialing the scope in at 50 and I always feel more comfortable doing that with one target.