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Johnny B 68 posts Mar 09, 2009 4:48 PM	Anyone finding anything out there?
Brian 8 posts Mar 10, 2009 6:36 AM	I did find a drop from what i would assume to be from a 8 i found it late december and it was this years
AC 20 posts Mar 11, 2009 12:42 PM	I have found two sheds so far. One nice left side with five points, and half an eight point.
Scott 54 posts Mar 13, 2009 11:25 AM	I fed up to 8 bucks after the season was over. I found a matching set of sheds to a small 6-point about 50 yards from the feeder, one side of a decent 4-prong about 150 yards away, and then one side of a nice 8-point about 600 yards away. Tried to go out last weekend but there is still 30" of snow in the swamps and 12" - 18" on the south sides.
andyhunter Guest Mar 29, 2009 3:47 PM	hey today i went and looked for sheds and i found i nice 8 point set and and a single 4point and another single 4 point its so much fun
AC 21 posts Apr 05, 2009 4:26 PM	Went Found a nice shed today, its about 3 1/2 inches long and as big around as a pencil! Talk about a needle in a hay stack, well I found it. Wasn't what I was looking for, but was tickled to find it anyway.
JWC Guest Apr 08, 2009 5:21 PM	Found a wicked honey hole this year, picked up 6 antlers so far 2 matched sets, 9 point and 7 point. one giant half of 10 point that scored 60 1/2 just on that antler of course i cant find the other side probly put in 50 hours so far looking for it and the other one was half an 8 point. this spot has been right under my nose for 10 years never new it!
Doug Real Deal Pro Staff 30 posts Apr 08, 2009 5:44 PM	where is this spot located? just kidding,great job finding all those sheds..
JWC Guest Apr 09, 2009 3:32 PM	Right behind Mud Pond
Armand RDP Pro Staff 205 posts Apr 09, 2009 4:17 PM	MUD POND!!!!!!!!!!!! No way...LOL ??? Last Edited on 13-Apr-2009 2:23 PM
pete Guest Apr 09, 2009 4:18 PM	fowlertown big woods great area
pete Guest Apr 09, 2009 4:24 PM	OOOOOOOOPPPPPPPS!!!!!!!!! just kidding jwc we may disagree on things but along with my passion for lack of restriction i also am very pasionate of being careful not to contract weaselidis.
pete Guest Apr 09, 2009 5:53 PM	WEASEL-I-DUS when one has a hunting spot and a lazy hunter cuts in on you because he is lazy and does'nt scout or has no idea what he is doing, then claims spot for self.
JWC Guest Apr 10, 2009 3:49 PM	Yeah Mud pond just look on the map you will find it!
Armand RDP Pro Staff 206 posts Apr 10, 2009 4:21 PM	There are alot of Mud ponds but if its the one I was refering to then I hunted there for many years. My dad lives near there and its the only place he would friggin hunt..HAHA..Great area though. Congrats on your finds
pete Guest Apr 10, 2009 6:18 PM	not you armand jwc and i have been disagreeing on a few things i wasnt talking about you at all. I didnt want him to think i would be a weasel. I know you were up there you found my friends kids deer in that area this year i knew you hunted up there.
pete Guest Apr 10, 2009 6:20 PM	jwc im just teasing with you. i also hunt around a mud pond myself.
JWC Guest Apr 12, 2009 4:10 PM	Mud pond Buck heaven!
Armand RDP Pro Staff 207 posts Apr 13, 2009 2:24 PM	Haha..Yes it is..I just never spent enough time in there.
scottp Guest Apr 15, 2009 5:38 PM	shed hunting going great snow still to deep in places in the high country, my shed dog got hurt last Wed. ripped a pad bad, got him back out today he can heal during turkey season! found 5 sheds tonight 3 fresh moose 2 old deer my buddy found 1 fresh moose and 1 old deer that puts my total so far this year at 11 moose and 3 deer sheds and 1 beauty dead buck 11pt. (scored 132) 1 deer shed had 6 pts. and webbed out some, with a 5" base. I stil think the best is yet to come. Not SURE what killed the buck I found coyotes or a bad shot anyway what a shame....also found 2 dead moose so far 1 was not even stiff yet and COVERED with ticks..... (both last years calfs)
Doug Real Deal Pro Staff 33 posts Apr 15, 2009 5:52 PM	Panis makes a comeback....welcome back
Scott P Guest Apr 15, 2009 6:10 PM	Doug, I just spent a half hour on a message about AR but deleted it... we won't win it's easier just to pack and drive west then to get others to join the cause... I know it ain't for everyone. But that's what DOES are for ( that and good eating when you got good company over.)( I still owe you some cow elk steaks!)
JWC 8 posts Apr 16, 2009 6:09 PM	Went out this afternoon for a very short walk still looking for the five fresh, this year deer antlers that I know are still out there, didnt find any of those but picked up another oldie that makes 7 total for this season, it looks to me that I am still missing a key bedding area. With 35 to 40 deer yarded up in this spot this winter it makes it very hard to track the bucks especially when there was only 3 possibly 4 in that whole group! another thanks to F&G for our well balanced deer herd, 10 does to 1 buck....yeah thats healthy, I wish went I went to the bar there was 10 women to 1 guy HA! anyways Scott p I couldnt agree with you more Wisconsin october here I come. That damn mud pond i dont think anyone has ever looked for sheds there for at least 6 years! Last Edited on 16-Apr-2009 6:11 PM
pete Guest Apr 16, 2009 6:35 PM	JWC i was talking to a fish and game employee the other day about the convesation on here and the debate over AR. I was told that new hampshire accually has one of the healthiest deer herds in the country base upon beam diameter study that is put out in the before mentioned harvest report. Still i see all this stuff about how guys who dont agree with AR are pronounced doe hunters or spike killers, its getting old! You have never followed me through the woods to see what i know or how i go about what i am doing. I am still waiting for someone to show me how my conection with states that have record deer coming out of them and "healthy deer herds" and have been linked to CWD is a better managed state than ours. All i keep hearing is a lot of whining about how hard it is and theres not enough bucks, yet there were enough to produce the 35 to 40 deer that were in a single yard? How can that be? Thats cool you can afford to go to wisconsin and good luck to all you guys, but until i hear some kind of facts im not buying it other than AR is just a way to make killing a big buck every year easier. You use the dominate buck card earlier, i asked you how many does you think a dominate buck breads i will give you the answer no more than 7 per year. not my study (deer and deerhunting). I am confused if you think that spikes and forks dont bread and what you think happens if they do? Last question did you read careful what you wish for and what do you think $500 to kill a turkey? FOR REAL? Give me facts not just insults.
Scott P Guest Apr 17, 2009 6:14 PM	I am no expert just a guy with a sick addiction to big antlers! I have been lucky enough to have been to alot of different parts of this country on "do it yourself hunts" from horsebacking into the selway wilderness of Idaho, to sleeping in the back of my truck in northern Minnesota, to motel'ing it in Ohio to kodiak island AK, to the plains of Montana what I have learned is there is NO PLACE that I've been to YET that is as hard to kill a MATURE whitetail in then NH. THE REASON FOR THAT I BELIEVE IS YOU CAN'T KILL WHAT ISN'T THERE...I don't care what the biolgist say about our NH deer herd and there beam diameter. DO YOU KNOW THEY ARE REFERING TO YEARLING BUCKS? and what they are watching is to see when that # starts to slip they believe that to be the carrying capacity of the land? There is more deer in NH know then there has been in the 30+yrs. I've been harrasing them, but never has the quanity of MATURE BUCKS been so poor. Our local checking station takes pics. of the deer checked in it's always nice to flick thru and see what's been taken but IT is not uncommon now to go thru the whole season and not see one buck in there that makes me go wow! I believe a huge step to reversing this is to let the meat hunters shoot does during the gun seasons! the herd in NH is badly out of whack in alot of areas NH already admits there is a problem up North they already are doing some AR up there. I hear you all that you hunt for the memories and meat etc... I don't buy that anymore. if you've ever sat down and kept track of your expenses for a year (I have hint: don't tell your better half this figure!) you will find that you could have stalked your freezer with prime rib and lobster cheaper! If you think AR will cause more land to be posted I don't believe it. for some reason leased hunting rights just haven't caught on around here (let's hope it stays that way!) here's another good tip if you like free hunting don't be afraid to share that vension with a landowner ( even one who posts there land you'd be surprised at the outcome sometimes!)I believe there is room out there for everyone thats what makes this country so great! and even though you may think there is nothing better then Northern New England (like I do) you can't beat the experince of seeing diffErent parts of this great country........but be warned your attitude towards management will change..... nuff said, gotta get to bed got a long day in the woods planned tommorrow....
Doug Real Deal Pro Staff 36 posts Apr 17, 2009 6:34 PM	Don't forget trudging around grantham mtn and croydon peak.
Armand RDP Pro Staff 210 posts Apr 18, 2009 6:08 AM	Now not to toot his horn but Scott P. is one of the best hunters I have ever met.One look through this guys photo album and you will understand.LOL Its friggin amazing. Alot of people say I am a great hunter, I am a pee on compared to this guy. When he speaks I listen, and people would be fools not too. He is best friends with one of the best Wardens in NH and knows alot about what is going on in this state. I totally agree with what he said, If you travel other places to hunt you attitude about management will change. It took alot of years to even get him to leave this state during November because he loves it here so much. When you get him in a truck headed for Ohio in Nov when he is USUALLY killing huge bucks here you know the states mature buck herd is slipping. Sorry Scott I used you as an example, but 98% would agree with everything I said that knows you. Back when we could shoot does the whole muzzleloader season and some of rifle I saw more mature 200lb bucks than ever. For the guys that didn't care if they got a big one BANG...They had their venny and were headed home,.Saving that mature buck for the guys busting their behind to get him. I see atleast 25 does to every buck I see. I have sat on one farm used to hunt and seen 28 deer in one field a night. 5 would be bucks and the biggest is usually a 6 point. Not good odds for me. Great for the ones that would love to shot that 140lb doe standing 30 yards away that the state seems to think we have to save these days. ALL other states beg you to shoot does and at MOST let you shoot 2 bucks. NH lets you shoot 3 bucks..The only 3 you see a year you can shoot..Thats just terrible..And believe me I LOVE shooting them bucks. I have nothing against either side of this conversation, and Ilove reading these posts as long as the language stays clean. But in my opinion NH needs to take thier head out of their --- and get this deer program back together. Otherwise ALL of NH will be hunting VT in 5 years and we will have no need for F&G anymore because they wont be getting paid by us. My 2 cents...Fire away Pete...LOL Keep the comment s coming boys even though I know a few get really ticked at this subject.. Good luck this spring
Armand RDP Pro Staff 211 posts Apr 18, 2009 6:09 AM	JWC...Contact me if you will..I have a buddy that probably has pictures of most of them bucks horns you are finding. Said he would love to meet you and see some of that Bone up close..Up to you though. My email is armand.archibald@realdealne.com
JWC 9 posts Apr 18, 2009 6:46 AM	Pete i have talked to f&g also and they told me as well that our buck to doe ratio is around 2.5 does to 1 buck. THAT IS ASBSOULUTLY FALSE in concord points north. I do not know about the southern end of the state because i have not hunted there however, they are shooting some nice bucks down there! I think that goes back to Armands theory about having a doe season open for the meat hunters because if you look they have a lot of time to kill does down that way. Pete i am in the woods for the entire gun season, I am self employed so i am able to take the entire month off this gives me a lot of time to see deer and deer sighn. I am not a biologist but i do know that it is very hard to find a 3.5 year old buck in this state nevermind a 5.5 year old. I believe an AR even if it is only for a couple of years would greatly help this state. And by the way just because someone posted a hunting tract on craigslist doesnt mean anyone payed that! Armand Ill send you an e-mail.
Scott P Guest Apr 18, 2009 2:57 PM	Doug hey don't give up all my good spots! All I was trying to get across is my findings are not limited to the woodlot behined my house or what I hear at the coffee shop. thanks for the comp. Armand geez I'm gonna need a bigger hat! and believe me I'm listening when you talk....OR ANYONE ELSE for that matter if you stop learning it's over. I aslo know that F&G includes buck fawns in there ratio's (does anyone consider a buck fawn a buck?) Anyway today I found the other side of that big deer shed that I sent you a pic. of if he's still walking around he's what dreams are made of! also found 1 moose shed. we'll see what tomorrow brings......
pete Guest Apr 18, 2009 4:29 PM	scott i would love to see other parts of the country to hunt but i refuse to pay a lease fee. i have a friend that saved two years just to be able to hunt on 100 acres with 3 other guys in ohio. just to hunt there no treestand hung, no game cam pictures, nothing but to be able to hunt. screw that its not for me i dont need to see that. when i say i hunt for the memory of the hunt i am being 100% honest, do i try to kill a good deer every year? well yeah. but it does not make or break my season. as far as totaling up my equipment i have a better deal than most so it doesnt cost me much every year.I dont fall for every years next best gadgets. Maybe if i explain my attitude towards this whole debate a little better you guys might get me a little better. When i see hopped up golf cart that clowns are hunting out of on t.v every week or hunting shows using posted signs now as a sponsor it sours me alot so i dont care for anything that goes with it. I saw lee lakowsky dragging one of his "booners" up hill with guts intact in his long johns.... opps sorry baselayers. Now that was sad but after watching that i realized that this guy is a clown but we as hunters dont think anything about it. Imagine your taking a break you heard a shot a while ago your headed out and you see this guy dragging a deer in his longjohns with guts intact, you wouldnt be able to get home to type on here the moron you saw today.Lets look at the hunting product makers like T/C, $800 for a pro hunter. greg ritz and the boys take the money from us the hunter go to kentucky by up a pile of land post it and keep other hunters out the same guys that made him the money are now morons and dont know how to hunt as well as him. How about bill jordan how much has he made off hunters, think if you show up on his doorstep with a waddell suit on in an AP pattern he will let you on his land? It has all become a mockery, every hunter you talk to now talks crap about fish and game. I have heard on several occations already this year how all the turkeys are dead from last winter because these hunters are not smart enough to stop and think about how many acorns are still in the wood and thats why there isnt as many birds in the fields this year. I am sick of hearing all the excuses. I hope N.H keeps it the way it is and at least VT. isnt that far of a drive for you guys you can get the best of both worlds then. right?
scott p Guest Apr 18, 2009 6:51 PM	Pete I agree with you on the the whole gross sponsor thing I hate watching a hunting show for a half hour and 19 mins of it are commercials, and the last 2 minutes are touting all the gear that got the guy there. I also have had some bad experiences out of town that is why I try to do "do it yourself" type adventures now. it may take a time or to to really learn a area but that can be half the fun. I also don't have to be sucsefull to have a good season I have eaten tag soup as much as the next guy if it was a guarantee it wouldn't be the same....I also don't fall for every gadget going, my deer rifle is 20+ yrs old and has been refinished twice cause it looks so bad, my bow is I think 8-10 yrs. old that's damn near prehistoric in this day and age. I have 1 box call for turkey hunting and it will be 25 yrs old this spring. where I do not skimp is in optics scopes, binocs, spotting scope are the best I can afford. but if I simply keep track of gas money and 2 or 3 new pairs of boots a year it adds up real quick. I can say I know a guy I can believe what he tells me (my dad) who at 66 still can out walk most people half his age found 2 dead gobblers shed hunting this winter on snowshoes (I found 1 dead hen, 2 moose, 1 deer so far) but I also believe the turkeys are still mopping up last years mast from what I'm seeing. Probably the next piece of equipment I would upgrade to is one of those $800 muzzleloaders (unbelievable how easy they clean up!) (I got a 15-18 yr. old Knight) but I really don't need a new muzzleloader because I will be in the midwest bowhunting from now on during NH's muzzleloader season. and your right about VT it won't be much longer and I'll start hunting there again. Good luck to you Pete if your into hunting the high and lonley or deep and dark country and come across a gray haired tall gangley fella we can sit a spell and carry on! happy huntin,
pete Guest Apr 19, 2009 3:36 AM	Hope to see you scott and as for that $800 muzzleloader a little friendly andvice i didnt realy care for them i owned one and went back to my H&R. The load did not sit consistent after one shot i never could hit my rod mark in the same spot. I am talking between shot one and two would sit different but shot three or four would sit different and that was after running a patch down the barrell. i can shoot four shots accuratly out of the H&R before cleaning. I tried triple seven and pyrodex pellets same result. I did switch to pioneer pellets this year the stuff shockey is pedeling and he is right its alot cleaner. As for gas i will give you that one i hunt from wilmot to bow, hopkinton, dunbarton, andover and danbury. I have to spend the gas to hunt with the guys i have spent the last 24 years with wouldnt be the same to me. I shot a deer without those guys last year and it just wasnt the same drag. Scott i do hope to run into you sometime you sound like a knowledgeable guy and i am always interested in talking to someone who has lived hunting that is one thing we can deffinatly agree on, you never stop learning and if you stop listening you stop learning take care, good luck, and be safe, most of all have fun.
Shawn RDP Pro Staff 35 posts Apr 19, 2009 6:53 PM	lol JCW it was about 6 years ago i found 1 nice side of an 8 at the top secret mud pond
JWC 10 posts Apr 20, 2009 11:18 AM	Bottom line is that an AR is not neccisarily going to make posted land and lease land, Pete i can understand that you dont want that, Niether do I! We Have an unbalanced deer herd in a lot of the state the main thing is to get that back in line weather its a AR that does it, Doe permit system, or shortening the season or whatever. To ME an AR just makes the most sense because it can do nothing but get better. An AR is not going to spread disease like you say. It will not make people post land. I hope to see you at the F@G wildlife hearing next year so you can express your feelings on this matter.
pete Guest Apr 20, 2009 5:12 PM	JWC i am curious of one thing. I would like you to answer this honestly do you spend more time in a tree or burning boot rubber during the gun season? This is not a shot at you or trying to argue i have talked to bone before and he told me he finds a deer that he wants to try and kill and he spends the whole day in that tree making sure that he will be there when or if that deer comes back. Its an effective method, just not for me i cant stay there that long i know there is always a deer on the next ridge i can see and i got to go check it out. My point is i put on a pile of miles and i do see good bucks or good buck sign up in this area. I do agree with you there are a pile of does down south where i hunt in bow or dunbarton so many that it will change rut behavior believe it or not you will not find alot of rubs and scrapes but there are big deer living there you see there tracks or them for that matter. I know you think i am full of crap but im telling you they spend more time chasing than do laying scrapes or hooking trees. I dont understand if you guys say that there are so many does it should make killing these big deer easier in thery, as long as your not stuck in a tree i mean these poor couple of bucks got to run around and breed these does i know that your argument is that all the small bucks are breeding does. How do you come up with that oppinion because thats what you see. If your sitting in a tree when that buck locks down with his lady friend thats a lonely time to be in a tree but the easiest time to kill him. The only thing that saves his life is her or a hunter shooting bad. So thats why i ask, and no offence meant but your finding alot of sheds now when they are no longer attached to there squash. How are the sheds there without those bucks lugging them around in the fall? You made a couple accusations about me yet have never talked to me in person or followed me through the woods my oppinions are trashed on and i suppose to take your word for something because you take a whole month off, how do i know that you dont have cement feet when walking through the woods or maybe you still hunt to fast, so just cause you guys believe in your way doesnt mean that i am going to i will stick to the word of the guys that get paid to make the deer season laws. This is not intended in any way to start up another argument it is just my opinion. We agree to disagree and thats fine we are all hunters and in the long run we all better make sure that we have it figured out so we are all on the same team
pete Guest Apr 20, 2009 6:57 PM	i lost my train of thought, JWC this mud pond where you are finding all these sheds you said that it has been under your nose forever yet you didnt hunt there what if you had for the last two years and kill a couple of 140's or better maybe you would think different. So maybe the spots you have been in are just not that good. I dont know and dont pretend to have the answers but again you make assumptions about me like i am the mayor o simpletown because i dont agree with you. You or no one else can be possitive that AR will not bring posted land with greedy hunters wanting to make their woodlots all theres cause they got a smasher on trail cam. I will give you another example why i dont care for AR i was in vermont last year i drew a doe tag for unit n they went from 500 to 3000 that is a pretty big jump so there i am hunting along and for the third time that day i cant tell if this deer is a doe or one of their rat spikes they have over there you know the one i am talking about the almost or just over 3 inchers which is a good point about our yearling beam diamater to theirs cause our spikes dont look that bad, but anyways i didnt shoot i choose to hunt with open sights so i cant be so sure i was 25 yards from this deer and couldnt be sure it was a doe. my point being is that how did that help manage a deer herd now that deer was wintering and eating and that means there doe permit didnt accomplish anything, i guess i could have been like a vermonter and shot first and ask questions later like the 5 spikes i have found dead up there in the last 3 years and thats only 6 days in those last 3 years so how many bucks are being killed with that system that never see a tag or get accounted for? I do agree with doe permits that a wmu can handle based opon the F&G studys, i think it should be a lottery system and they could generate some much needed revenue but every time i ask someone why we dont do that i have been told that in the long run they believe they will loose licence sales. So they are kind of strapped either way they go. O.K boys tear me up i got broad shoulders i can take it.
JWC 11 posts Apr 21, 2009 11:20 AM	Pete, As of october 30th every year (or the begining of gun muzzy) I dont even know what a tree stand looks like! I hunt The Big country of NH mostly! My day consist of two or three sandwichs I leave in the morning and get back around 330 or 4 oclock. You can say i put on some miles! I hunt northern NH because for the most part we have snow for deer season. My passion is tracking mature bucks, and with snow on the ground they cannot hide. Mud pond is just a general term i use because if you look on a map there are a lot of mud ponds! Also these sheds i found only one of them is this years shed, two of them are from the same deer last year, the other set is from also last years, the last single is probly 3 to 5 years old. I dont hunt this place because it is in a housing development and is to tight of a place to be hunting. Furthermore F@G are going to loose liscence sales if they dont do SOMTHING! I know i am already looking into hunting other state because of the downhill slide our buck herd has taken it wont take long before other people do the same. Last Edited on 21-Apr-2009 11:21 AM
scott p Guest Apr 22, 2009 4:28 PM	JWC, it's nice to see there are others who see the same thing happening. I don't know when things will change but I have a feeling when VT starts geeting more hunters (ie: license sales) NH will finally get the hint I remember asking A NH F&G person at a season / regulation talk when NH was going to start some type of prefrence/ bonus point for the moose lottery like Maine had started. And the fella said they were watching Maine closely to see "how it worked for them" after 6+ yrs. or so NH FINALLY STARTED A BONUS POINT for the moose lottery. So I can only hope that once VT proves it can be done in the north it will happen here (my prediction is another 5 yrs.) I don't know why they need to wait though just look at PA going from a nothing trophy wise state to ranking #10 in the WHOLE USA, for the best place to bag a monster. the little bit NH is trying up north is better then nothing, but I also see an increase in hunting pressure here in central NH during the end of the season and I believe this is due to the week shorter season up north. years ago (the 40's & 50's there actually was a north zone and south zone in NH (the season's were in Decemeber) and there was a study done by NH F&G PROJECT W12-R that looked at the whole picture in regards to deer managamnent/economic value it was way ahead of it's time but one thing that I noticed was the influnce that this line had on hnting pressure. I believe if NH is to ever be sucsefull at any AR it would need to be STATEWIDE or other areas are bound to suffer. Anyway we'll have to wait and see as NH seems to be a follower and not a leader...one thing I know from years of running hounds is IF YOUR NOT THE LEAD DOG THE VIEW NEVER CHANGES! the one good thing about the current situatiuon that I am sure your aware of it's easy to stay on the right track with there being so few mature bucks out there.
Armand RDP Pro Staff 213 posts Apr 22, 2009 6:19 PM	Good point Scott..You dont lose tracks very often now do you. LOL You may put that one buck by another hunter though. But they generally are easier to kill these days in my opinion as far as tracking since they dont need to go far to find a doe. We sure are getting plenty of them around. PA definitely was the state that opened my eyes to this whole deal. It blows my mind the deer they are shooting down there now. Coming from almost all 1.5year olds shot to Booners killed..Not all ofcourse but basically unheard of before. We'll see what happens.. Good to have you back on here..Anymore horns??
pete Guest Apr 22, 2009 6:43 PM	scott did you run coon hounds or bear hounds? I got my start as a young kid chasing coon hounds around it was a pile of fun. Penns. does alot of food plots and wintering programs also and i think that is deffinatly something that N.H. cant afford to do. Are you going to or did you sign a pettition against HB 132? We might not have to worry about us arguing anymore about much if this goes through we will have a pile of flatlanders or tree huggers on the commision, like the lady that wanted to ban tracking deer on snow a few years ago the same woman that wanted to ban trapping.Might i suggest that rather than three boot burners arguing about this we all focus our attention on what goes on in concord and i can only beg that everyone researches their vote on election years and makes sure who you are voting in is F&G friendly and a supporter of.It blows my mind that i hear about hunters voting in democrats every year, hell a couple of the states you guys mentioned like PA and wisconsin have all gone democrat everyone wanted change, well if we are not careful and keep an eye on whats going on we will have some change and it will not be good. Scott what part of central new hampshire are you from? Ther has been some good bucks killed around here sutton, wilmot,andover, danbury and even new london. I help run a deerpool for our local fish and game club and we didnt have alot of deer checked in last year versus tickets sold but our average weight was 146lbs. now i understand that is mostly a 2 1/2 year old average but most of our deer that age will have a fork of some sort. like i said before vermonts spikes are real short compared to ours so that does give those deer some growing time. So what king of restriction do you want? I had said before that it is my understanding from what i had been told by bioligist was that the only reason this is being done up north is because the deer were yarding earlier than down south and people were just going into the yards and killing the young bucks. I looked at the harvest report and i think it was around 74 percent of the bucks harvested in the northern zones were a year and a half versus the rest of the state was around 40 to 45 percent so i think that is the only reason they did that and i agree they did have to do something up there. I will ask the same question to you both though if there are so few bucks and the herd is in such dismay how come there are so many good bucks being entered into nhsaa club every year that doesnt add up. You have to understand that in the southern part of the state land is getting tight and i found areas in the winter of 2008 where deer were stripping bark of the maples that is something that in 25 years of being in the woods that i have never seen. Areas that i hunt down there do carry to many does in some areas i will agree with you both there like i said before i wish they would do doe permits and if they will not do the doe permits antler restriction is useless because now you will exceed carrying capacity in some areas because you will have that many more deer not killed and that cant be good for wintering deer weather they are young or old cause the big boys aint going to be able to get anything to eat to get back to winter weight after the rut and they will be winter kill so what is the sollution? I cant pretend to know, but i do have my oppinion on it. What i can say is that if we have an estimated 90,000 deer in the state and we only kill 7,000 bucks on an average year and 40 percent are spikes and forks which make up 2,800 of the bucks killed you guy are really convinced that is making an unhealthy deer herd? That doesnt seem like alot of small bucks being smoked when they sell 66,000 licenses that is only about 4 percent of hunters filling their tags with these deer. It just doesnt add up to me and the only thing i come back to is everyone wants to make it easier to kill a 130 incher or better every year i mean the numbers dont lie fellas.
scott p Guest Apr 23, 2009 3:18 AM	Armand, It's been a busy week only got out twice and nothing, this weekend should be good. My girlfriend found a borderline moose book shed it's a beauty, and one I haven't run across before really gonna look for the other side this weekend, I think my dog can hunt again now if I tape his leg up. Pete, I ran coonhounds with a friend years ago and hunted with bear hounds a few times with a friend of a freind my thing was rabbit dogs I had from 1 to 11 at one time there all gone now.. maybe I'll get back into them someday again. I won't get into politics because I don't know what I'm talkin about (AT ALL) but I do believe your right that someone needs to keep an eye on them. and I believe it is more closely montiored now (I think everyone agrees Gov. needs watching!) I was under the understanding that what they did up north was the result of the high poportion of YEARLING bucks being taken not that the herd was down but the MATURE guys just WERE NOT THERE. If I could have my way you would see a 4 pt. ON ONE SIDE restriction I have hunted an area in western Montana that the state set up in this way and after a few short years the results are unbelievable (for mulies)(I had a doe tag)although that would be my ideal trial. what would be more realistic (and I believe acceptable to most) is 1 buck a year regardless of how you get him. I feel there are enough hunters out there that just want A deer that they would gladly take a doe thus 2 good things are achieved the herd get's pulled back into better balance a few more young bucks walk another year and people have a BETTER chance of bringing home some venny. this would also get the bow guy's to take more does and they would be less inclined to take a young buck. I to have seen the deer yards around getting pounded to death if the timber markets & economy don't come around in a reasonabal time I beleieve alot of landowners will start doing more logging possibly hurting yarding araeas (ask Maine what that can do to your herd)I feel logging is great as long as not done to excess. the deer herd is healty in this state I just feel truly mature bucks are getting rarer by the season....I know you can't always get the big one and guy's preach there out there you just gotta hunt smarter and harder. I believe the greatest thing since sliced bread is the scouting camera. last year was the best I had in awhile but for the last few years I get fewer and fewer MATURE bucks on camera between my dad and myself we run 5 cams. from July thru Dec. the proof is in the pics. the other thing I'm seeing is the intensity of the rut years ago rub & scrape lines were common one mtn. I hunt last year I had 7 bucks on camera yet hunting there if you were into hunting scrapes and rubs you would think there was only a buck or 2 around. 15 yrs. ago a friend of mine was into taxidermy and I used to help him cape heads when he got real busy it was typical to find bucks all scared up split ears, broke tines, etc.. I don't see that hardly at all now (why fight for that girl when there's plenty to go around) let's face it the avg. hunter is much better at killing deer then ever before and I believe we have just gotten to good at it and need to start policing ourselfs. Anyway this is a fun subject! oh yeah my stomping grounds are Canaan (home base)Enfield, Dorchester, Grafton, etc..
JWC 12 posts Apr 23, 2009 12:28 PM	Hey Scott p it sure is nice tracking big bucks now... IF YOU CAN FIND ONE!!! I only came across one good one last year the rest were 150 to 160 pounders oh well they will be good this year if they are still around. I have a few relatives in canaan that hunt you probly know of them. Pete we have a great deer herd if you look at overall numbers, however look at it this way if our buck to doe ratio is 10 to 1 out of those 90,000 deer there are only 9000 bucks! we are shooting 7000 a year! So lets give it the benifit of the doubt and say our ratio is 5 to 1 (which it is far from in a lot of areas) thats 18000 bucks and we shoot 7000 of them that leaves 11000 left. Now the next year the does have fawns and that number increases a lot but remember we are shooting TWICE as many Bucks as does every year. FAWNS ONLY GET BORN AT A 1 TO 1 RATIO. It doesnt take long to get a severly unbalanced herd. Now answer this, lets say Next year you dont get a deer because of an AR got put into place, But the following year you shoot a nice six point 150 pound buck... and the following year you shoot an eight pointer. those deer might not have been there for you to take if they never made it past 1.5 years of age! ' It might sting at first but it will make your hunting a lot better in the long run. All I would like to see the F&G do it make it 2 points on one side to be legal to take, you will still be getting some 1.5 year olds but thats fine, if 30 percent makes it till the next season everyone is going to be seeing a lot more antler in the woods!!
DWDVTP Guest Apr 23, 2009 7:26 PM	JWC you got me all wrong. I DONT CARE IF I GO A YEAR WITHOUT SHOOTING A DEER, it doesnt make or break it for me. I dont want someone telling me what a trophy is thats my point we have enough micro managing with everything else we do in the world. Hunting isnt like little leauge where everyone gets a "trophy" just for participating you have to work hard,learn, study and earn it. As for your numbers that would mean that you believe that 18,000 bucks are breading around 65,000 does through out the state giving room for fawns that dont reach late season weight to go into esterous and old does that no longer cycle. I will tell you what if i see a bunch of does this year that dont have fawns which i dont believe due to the amount of skippers i saw in the 06 and 07 seasons after two mild winters which saw the deer kill increase unreal in 07 i will buy your reasoning but those are some busy boys im not saying its not possible but i do see your side and if that is your theary i respect it but i am not a believer. I have three kids that i am trying to raise to hunt with the up most ethics. I do give landowners meat even if i hunt there land and dont kill a deer there but i will be damned if my kids get up everyday and go into the woods with me and finally a spike walks in and i got to tell one of them they cant shoot that deer cause someone says thats not a trophy thats a large load of crap!!!! If you tell me kids can shoot any deer to cop out thats just one more regulation to micro manage something and if you think that will not cause relation issues between CO's and hunters you are being unrealilistic.Somewhere along the line someone will be accused of shooting that deer and having their kid tag it, and frankly our CO's are spread thin as it is they dont need to have this to worry about. I hunt with 3 other guys we dont drive deer but we all hunt big woods together we have all killed some big deer, on most years one of us shoots a corker every year we spend all the time we can in the woods. I can bring you to 3 spots that we spend a pile of time in that are all holding so huge and last year very lucky bucks that i hope at least one will see the buisness end of a gambrell this year. We find these deer and hunt them ruthlessly. I have not tried to brag myself up at all on any of these topics but i have a muzzleloader deer that will make the top 30 in the N.H book and can not bring myself to enter it because i am starting to believe so strongly agaist what it stands for, my opinion everybody wanting to be somebody instead of enjoying a great past time spent with friends and family. How many of these "mature" bucks have you tracked down and killed? Have you made the 200lb club? It took me 24 years and it was well worth the wait brother cause the second i saw that skill tip i felt like i accomplished something, i dont want it to be easy. Do i want to wait another 24 years? Hell no, but i dont want to sell out to accomplish it!!! If i go without filling a tag for a few seasons i could care less. I have seen more good bucks in the last 5 years than ever, with no coinsidece that is when i discovered blackpowder and you cant beat those extra ten days the chase is usually on hard and it is by far the best time and best chance to kill a bruiser. Scott i agree with you about scrape lines and rub lines i touched on that a little before and i understand what your saying about the fighting a friend of mine shot a nice ten last year that was all messed up and a local check in station checked in a buck with a tine in his shoulder i found two spots where bucks had an area tore up from giving each other the big buck beatdown. I have talked to guys that have found success with rattling all its ever done for me is scare deer away with me, i tried it on a coward of a six point in the last weekend of october last year which made me think he may have already been taught a lesson by the big boy in that area. Alright fellas i think by now we all have figured out why the three of us enjoy tracking and still hunting the brush on N.H cause pretty obvious that aint none of us going to quit and thats what seperates us from the rest of the countrys deerhunters cause if you dont have a thick skull and a little bit of drive in what your doing you dont make it long in new england hunting good luck guys hope your turkey season is great if you are lucky enough to be taking a kid as i will be this weekend good luck there also. My 14 year old daughter gave a nice longbeard a face full of ouch last year hope we can do it again.
pete Guest Apr 23, 2009 7:35 PM	yeah thats my long winded deal put the spam code in the sign in box, its late
JWC 13 posts Apr 24, 2009 1:52 PM	There is no doubt in my mind that a buck can bread 5 does in one year! Someone told me that a buck can bread up to 20 does in one year. I MUST TELL YOU AGAIN! I am not for a AR to grow trophy deer!!! Althought that is a result from it that is not why we need one! WE NEED ONE TO EVEN OUT THE BUCK TO DOE RATIO SOMEWHAT!!! I have not killed a buck over 200, I am 27 years old I have come close with a few medioker bucks but i have not killed a 200 club.Maybe the reason is because there just isnt that many of them out there anymore. YOU CANT KILL WHATS NOT THERE. I saw one track this last season that would go 200 lb club that was over a lot of territory when 6 years ago i would probly come across 10 of them in a season. I admit there are pockets of bucks in this state you may be in one of the good areas but when you go through two weeks of a season and see 51 deer and only one of them is a spike thats is breading a doe that is not healthy!!! I could argue about this till my eyes are blue but bottom line is i am cofident you will see more AR in this state unless they start opening up some more days to shoot does. What is wrong with bringing your kids out hunting and having them take a nice doe. thats how i started back when we had 11 days of muzzy season to shoot does statewide. Zone B is having a lot of the same issues that zone A had. I am good friends with a fellow that has run the check in station for a lot of years, they are also one of the few if not the only check in station that does the biological cards on each deer. He also sees whats going on and is checking in less mature bucks every year. The end of the season people know where these deer yard up and its a shame what happens to them. Just have an open mind it is not going to ruin your NH hunting only make it better
pete Guest Apr 24, 2009 3:05 PM	JWC i got 10 years on you and you have only begun to start to learn as a hunter. Im not saying i am yoda or anything but you will think different in another ten years about alot of things not just deer. For a kid your age to make the assumptions you have thats way out of your leauge. Im not taking shots at you but stop and think about what you knew at 17 vs. now and tell me you dont hunt different or think different, thats my only point by what i am saying.I wont agrue about this anymore cause you will change your mind a thousand different times about what you think of hunting between now and the next ten years i promise. When you have kids and take on the task of passing on what you live for you will be able to answer that question i dont care if their first deer are does but if the first deer to walk in is a spike you can guarentee that im not gonna preach herd numbers, im gonna be telling them to start throwing lead. You almost sound like a couple of clowns i heard bitching about the kids getting the turkeys all stirred up and call shy, lets do away with that too and tommorrow why dont you go to a check in station and tell some kid and his dad how they shouldnt have shot that jake cause it would have been a trophy next year. little piece of advice where a mouth gaurd cause you wont get away with that crap long!!!
JWC 14 posts Apr 24, 2009 4:56 PM	LOL you speak pretty strongly pete I just have to laugh. Sometime you come hunt the woods I hunt and you will be thinking diffrently. Maybe you can show me where all the great NH bucks are hiding and how they grow wings when it snows.
pete Guest Apr 24, 2009 6:30 PM	So your telling me you cover all of wmu b and that there are no bucks in that entire zone. Maybe the area you are in just is sour and you need to move to a different joint. I know if i was hunting somewhere and wasnt finding what i was looking for i would move on to happier hunting grounds. Yes or no have you learned more since you were 17? If you say no then i just cant put alot of salt into your arguement and take what you say seriously.Maybe give c1 a shot errol,dummer,cambridge holds some huge deer and you got all the woods you want to track. Thats where the benoit boys used to go when they came to new hampshire.

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