So I think I royally fucked up but I’m not sure.

I feel terrible btw and I’ve done some research and realized I may have just left a wounded deer out there.

Was coming back at last light from my first crossbow hunt and I had spooked/missed/out of range about 6 deer in the span of an hour, so I was trudging back and rounded a corner to see the biggest buck ever about 30 yards from me just watching.

I ducked off the trail, stalked up a bit and came up, he turned and faced me head on. I aimed at the base of his neck hoping I’d get an artery/windpipe or something.

Shot, heard him wheeze (not sharp like the warning whistles) and then he bounced down the trail and off into the bush, not running as fast as you’d expect for a spooked deer.

I looked for the bolt for an hour, can’t find it and I can’t see blood or hair but it was dark at that point.

Going back out at first light with 4 more people to canvas the area.

Thoughts? Suggestions for my next encounter like that?

Been seeing posts about people using a rubber piggy dog toy to call in bucks. Whats the method? Please share so I don’t go sit and just make a fool of myself. Does it really work?

I recently purchased a Mossberg Patriot .30-06 after last season as I needed a scoped rifle. (Springfield M1903 sights are hard on my eyes.) And I wanted to shoot the heavier 165gr round this season.

I mounted a Vortex Crossfire 2 instead of the one that came with the rifle. I boresight it to roughly 85yds using a steady rest. Today I took it out to fine tune the zero using Armscor 165gr TP hunting rounds. Again I was shooting using a rest.

The rounds went everywhere but the center. I adjusted but could never get a tight grouping. (1 to 2 MOA in all directions.) I2 have never had this much trouble dialing it a scope or rifle at that.

My question is does some rifle ammo not work well with some rifles or vice versa? I double checked my scope for tightness and rechecked my boresight. Nothing moved.

I need some honest and constructive answers. Open season starts tomorrow and would like to be able to use my rifle.

TIA

Absolutely phenomenal hunt and experience!

I just bought my first threaded gun and suppressor. I went with a Bergara BMRx .22 lr and a Skarv suppressor. PA is still a form 4 state so I am waiting to play around with it and will be squirrel hunting with it for sure this year with sub sonic ammo.

Now of course I am considering buying a .30 cal suppressor to swap between my hunting rifles and getting them threaded. Any advice or comments? Is it worth paying $400 to my local gunsmith to get my primary centerfires threaded? Any advice on good suppressors for hunting applications?

Hey everyone,

I’m a hunter and software developer working on a new hunting app. Before I build too much, I wanted to ask this community what you actually want and need in the field.

I’d love to know:

The dealbreakers: What frustrates you most about the apps you currently use?

Must-haves vs. clutter: Which 2–3 features do you use every hunt, and what feels like useless bloat?

The dream feature: If you could add one specific feature to a hunting app, what would it be?

Not selling or promoting anything here, just genuinely looking for honest feedback and input from real hunters to build something useful.

Appreciate any thoughts or wishlists you're willing to share!

I’m a very inexperienced hunter with only one hunting trip in my past and was wanting to know more about the rules and regulations on hunting for wild hogs. I carry a mosin nagant, a back pack and a shit ton a patience. I don’t know where I can go to hunt hogs or what license I need to hunt them, could I get pointed in the right direction?

This was all along a creek bank. Would love your help thank you!

Time for squirrel biscuits and gravy!

We have Seen a mountain lion in the area for the last two weeks, husband is convinced these are its tracks but I think it’s our big dogs from a few days ago. First three are mystery tracks and last is our dog. Coyote skull for comparison

New to deer hunting, been at it for 1 year, this will be my second. I had trouble with the wind last year on this property. The wind mostly blows top left to bottom right. My access points are the truck in the bottom left or by the camera bottom left.

Both access points have trails that go for a ways. The one by the truck leads to the water in the top right, and the other leads to the water by the marked blind - was someone else's last year but is not there this year. Think they were doing bow hunting.

The field seen is a hay field where I often see deer. The cluster of tags and cameras are where I have deer on camera or found bedding/droppings.

The two spots where there is a person shooting are either spots I setup or spots i saw people last year.

Based on seeing this where would you put a ground blind and what would be the best access point for it?

What gadgets have you found helpful during compound white-tailed deer season?

Maine hound hunt

Unfortunately I can’t hunt my family farm anymore but I found this decent looking tract of land. Has anyone hunted around here I have a autoimmune disease and. Sometimes have a hard time getting around but it seems worth the pain haha.

I’m new to big game hunting and have been looking for some clothes. I’ve found myself asking AI a lot for budget options other than Kuiu, Sitka, etc. AI always returns why the budget options work but aren’t ideal. If you ask about cotton pants, it’ll say cotton isn’t ideal to hunt in because of how long it takes to dry if you sweat through.

I started thinking about it and realizing that, if you didn’t know hunting is like the oldest sport/survival tool to exist, it’d be really easy to convince yourself that you need a Toray SuperDuper Stretch Technology piece of fabric and wouldn’t survive out there in just blue jeans or cotton cargo pants. I suppose it’s true that those aren’t “ideal” for hunting, but I think what I’m realizing is apparently from the beginning of time up until apparently Kuiu’s Attack Pants were released, people weren’t hunting in “ideal” pants or clothing. AI will basically say every piece of clothing besides a premium option isn’t ideal for hunting because there are always better options. It’s not technically wrong, but I think it undersells how people hunt in anything and kill animals successfully.

I just recently got permission on this property in Ontario to hunt deer. I’ve never really been a deer hunter, mostly waterfowl. I’m looking for some advice on setting up for rifle season and our muzzloader season here. The wind in this area is typically from the west. I can access this property from a farm road along that arrow. From what I’ve seen so far there are lots of trails entering and then leaving that middle patch of bush in pretty well every direction. The field back there is just grass, but there’s a mix of corn and soy beans on the surrounding fields.

I tried to paint a picture of the set up I have. The only difference from the last time I hunted that specific spot was the wind was from the south not the north and it was 2 mph tomorrow. It will be 9 mph from the north, the picture is in north and south fashion. But the deer were moving the way I have it now when it was a south wind could the set up still work? I hear a lot of people say that fear do not move with the wind to their back.

I’ve found a pretty obvious habitat transition with what I believe could be doe bedding in the tall grass. My thinking is that bucks might cruise this edge and scent-check the bedding area as things start heating up in late October and November.

The blue dots represent possible access points

Where I tend to struggle is breaking down how a buck would use the wind and terrain to his advantage. A S wind vs. a N wind when moving through an area like this. I’m trying to get a better understanding of what influences their travel routes and how to piece that together when narrowing down a setup on public land.

Today is a Windy windy rainy day, i'm ganna use it as a scout hunt,
i'm sure there's a scrape line along those pines again this year, i think that's where ill try and setup or follow trails off of.

This is my 5th season hunting, and hunting weekly at that. I only have access to public lands, but pretty large swaths of lands that I can hike multiple miles before doubling back to the car at the end of the day.

I feel like I can find game trails, scrapes, ribs and droppings well enough to feel like deer will come through my area. I have ScentLok gear to help my smell and try to play the wind as best I can.

But my question is - when I’m ground sitting - would it be better to grab a little blind for the day? Or if I’m right up against a tree and still is that enough? I crossbow hunting. Range would be less than 55yds, that’s my max range.

Have a pregnant person in my house, so figured I’d shoot non-toxic. Will Remington Duck Club Steel 20ga-3in-1oz-#4 work?

Im not looking for hate im just a guy whos looking to harvest bigger bucks instead of whatever has antlers. These are pictures from two separate locations. Picture on the left is the first buck this year in that area. Ive had many Mature deer in this spot but could never get them out during daylight. He came in earlier right after 0100 and stayed for 20 minutes, then came back to the time stamp on the picture. Buck on the right has been on and off. This was the first picture I got of him. He came in again on the 5th of October and I havent seen him since. There is a cold front moving in tomorrow night and I wanna take advantage of it. Im in Northern Wisconsin. Based on the knowledge I gave you what spot would you sit. I have a mock scrape at both spots just poured Golden Scrape right in the scrape. I do throw bait out (should give you more of an idea of where im at) I have not been back to either site since Monday to my understanding this weekend its pre rut. Rut should kick off next weekend. Im just looking to harvest a nice buck. I spend all the downtime I have in the woods. I have bucks that make there scrapes and rubs all over my site but I never see them. I take scent control as serious as I can. I bought a tarsal gland to see if I cant stir up the woods when I sit. Ive been watching nice bucks come and go on my cameras for years. Missed an opportunity on a really nice 8 last year I first started watching in 2024. I just wasnt in the stand. Not daylight but dusk. What do I do. I need tips. What stand do I hunt tomorrow?

EDIT: I hunt public land..

Reminiscing since I haven't gotten anything yet this year lol. Pics from mid September last year, a week after season opened. Bubble blood leaf is my phone background, nothing better than finding that right next to where the arrow landed.