Photos Of My 2023 New York State Whitetail Buck

The 2023/24 deer hunting season has come and gone, and the bucks are starting to shed their racks here in New York State. The season, for the most part, was better than most and it seemed there were more decent bucks taken. From the archery season, to rifle, to the "Holiday Hunt", it was one to remember.

The toughest part about hunting, for most hunters, is being able to find the time to hunt. The job and the family requirements tend to take over and even the most dedicated hunter has to scramble to find the time. But if you can spend the time, and map out a plan, deer hunting in New York State can be amazing and very rewarding.

Like most deer seasons, it seems the best time to be in the woods is right around Halloween through Veteran's Day. In fact, there have been many Halloween nights that my kids had to wait for me to get out of the woods before we started to trick-or-treat!

This past season, I made it a point to stay out of the woods I like to hunt until that "magical" ten to fourteen days came along. As hard as that was, it payed off. I was able to take the one of the best bucks I have taken yet here in New York State.

This ten point (look closely) buck was right on the tail of a doe that had crossed in front of my stand late in the afternoon hunt on November 10th.

For some, hunting with a crossbow seems too easy. However, after hunting with a compound bow for the last 32 years, and finally getting a crossbow, I think that argument is a little misguided. Sure, the crossbow has many advantages that my compound bow does not. However, the HUNT itself was exactly the same. I used the same strategies, scouted the same, waited for the wind to be right to hunt my spot and even fought through a crazy case of buck fever when this buck walked out.

I have four kids; three sons under 8 and a baby girl who is 9 months old. This buck was a turning point for me. I still have the drive to hunt on my own and find a nice buck to kill. But the majority of future hunting seasons will be geared toward teaching them to hunt, if they want to. The idea of handing down this tradition of hunting to them is now more exciting than ever. And they have a story about the old man's buck to tell their kids someday.