Doc

I'm glad you said "Average bowhunter". I have seen Stacey Groscup do things with arrows shot off his index finger knuckle that I have never seen duplicated by anyone using today's high tech arrow rests. Fred Bear was no slouch with his "knuckle" rest either (wing shooting pheasants). And then there was the legendary Howard Hill. I started off with the old knuckle arrow rest and a clunky 50# Ben Pearson all-fiberglass recurve. That lasted until I got tired of picking pieces of feather fletching out from under my skin. Boy did that hurt! So about the only thing that I can say for all these wonderful new rests is that at least you don't wind up with fletching laced under your skin.

Ever watch one of these "sky shooters"? You know the over-bowed guys who point the bow up in the air and then with a heavy grunt (sometimes a karate-yell) they yank the bow to full draw and then attempt to aim. Kind of comical actually....lol.

When I was a young buck and thought I had something to prove, I was shooting a 75#. And depending on which bow it was, the let-off was pretty darn small. Now that I am a broken down old geezer (partly as a result of pulling that 75# for all those years) I shoot my bow at 60#, and last year I temporarily dropped it down to 55#.

I'm not a real big fan of the rule-of-thumb kinds of methods (wingspan, etc.). Draw length really should be measured exactly the way you shoot, anchor, and with the exact posture (shooting stance) that you have when under the pressure of your bow at full draw. Also, if you use a release, use that in your measuring process. And don't forget installing a "D-loop" if you intend to use one. Each one of these things effect your draw length. Also it is good to use an arrow and aim at a reliable backstop just in case of an accidental triggering of the release. To do the job right, it will require an extra person be there for measuring. The process is usually recommended to be done at a pro-shop, but as you can see it really is not rocket science, and can be done by anyone with a properly equipped bow at home. The AMO definition of "Draw Length" is as follows: The distance from the string at full draw to the pressure point on the handle plus 1-3/4". This is the way the manufacturer specifies his bow's draw length and it is the distance used when ordering or buying a bow.

I've got the same old prong-style TM Hunter that came with my bow. If that hadn't have come with the bow, I probably would still be using the old magnetic Terry rest that I had on my other bow for years. I look at some of these arrow rests today and they cost more than a lot of my top-of-the-line bows cost me entirely outfitted not all that many years ago. What the heck ..... people got more money than they know what to do with these days? looking at the archery catalogs it would appear as though they do.

I'll be staying away from this topic. Those multi-story whirly-gigs sprouting up all over any piece of landscape that was ever worth looking at is quite a sore subject with me, so obviously all I would ever come up with is the "don'ts" of leasing. I don't think you want to listen to that sort of stuff......lol.

Ha-ha ... there's no question that nobody makes a lot of money with gardening. For us it's just a way of getting some good fresh veggies and keeping the old joints functioning. Unfortunately, I tend to go at things just a bit too vigorously and spent a bit of time with my arm in a sling as a result of tendonitis from hoeing. Yeah, good exercise if you survive it .... lol.

Not me, but my wife does. She really prefers freezing stuff though. I think I like frozen veggies a bit better too. Just seem to taste more like fresh.

Yeah, I have seen a couple of programs on TV where some of these lowlife poachers get caught with the use o a robo-deer. It's actually kind of funny. What can these guys say when they are observed (and taped) laying their gun across the hood of the truck and blasting away? .... lol. Now there is a style of entrapment that I whole-heartedly applaud. The only thing is that you have to wonder how many deer these creeps took before they actually got caught.

It's not always just paranoia. There are filthy, rotten, disgusting, revolting, putrid, scum-bag, wandering shreds of human debris, thieves out there. Unfortunately, no matter where you go these days, even in the woods, these pieces of filth are there to demonstrate exactly how low some people can be. I had a camera stolen, out in the woods, and I had my "repeal the safe act" sign stolen from beside the road. I have no illusions anymore about the honesty and integrity of people. Assume the worst and you probably will not be real far off.

There were a lot of veggies in the garden that I had written off as a lost cause because of the weather. The normal times for harvest has long gone by and things were either way to small (Brussels sprouts) or had blossomed without ever coming on as something you could harvest. Well, guess what ...... those long forgotten pepper blossoms have all of a sudden turned into peppers. Jillions of them growing more and more everyday. Those broccoli plants that appeared to have cashed it in and gone to seed instead of producing viable heads are now coming on like gang-busters, and keep on producing meal after meal. Those little brussel sprouts that looked only like a blemish on the main stalk are now getting some size to them. Butternut squash is everywhere. And as usual the couple of zucchini plants and yellow summer squash are finally producing to the usual point where we are supplying the entire neighborhood and even strangers with piles of squash. I think we already have more beets than anyone could eat in a lifetime, and the parsnips are just starting to develop. Swiss chard has been producing all summer. The cold and the rain couldn't slow that down. So it looks like the freaky cold wet weather of this summer kind of put the brakes on the garden development, but with the return of the warmer weather, everything is playing catch-up. The maters didn't do so good. We got hit with a lot of rot and we only got a few good tomatoes out of all the plants that we put in. Everything else is good ..... finally. So how are the rest of your gardens doing this year? Did anyone else notice the mid-summer vacation that a lot of the veggies took this year? Is your stuff making a come-back?

One point that maybe needs a bit of clarification is that just because one does not worship at the altar of the "speed" gods does not mean that they don't understand the principles involved in archery equipment selection. In fact some of those that try to apply some perspective and understanding as to what the give-and-take aspects of trying to squeeze out that last FPS may actually have a better handle on what is really getting the bigger and more meaningful bang for your buck. Oh, and by the way, the philosophy of "Well it works" is not necessarily a bad thing. But an even better one would be "Well it works everytime".

A more stable and accurate bow kills deer the most reliably. That is a far more useful criteria that speed. I have never been concerned with how fast I can miss a deer. If you have a bow that is first robust and accurate and forgiving and secondarily has the speed too, that is great. But a long time ago, I found out what works adequately for me, and stopped the game of chasing after the latest and the greatest. And speed isn't even on the radar for me. However I will admit that I like my bowhunting up close and personal and am not involved in a lot of the trajectory issues that plague the long-distance shooters. I also have an equally controversial attitude about energy. I think a lot of hot air is expended arguing about a foot pound or two without any evidence that miniscule advantages of energy make any difference whatsoever. Just like speed, nobody ever asks what is adequate, but spend thousands of dollars with the philosophy that more has to be better at any cost. The fact is that insignificantly more is not always better. We love to nit-pick the minutia, but never ask whether what we are arguing about really makes any difference. Just plain old years of experience have told me when enough is enough, and I have found out that for years I was mindlessly applying over-kill when selecting equipment and it has cost me a lot of dollars that could have been spent on more useful things. As far as being on-topic, I am indeed explaining why I don't think that within reason, arrow speed and arrow weight "matters to a hunter". This hunter that is.

Ha-ha .... all I've got to say is that with some of these great deer that are showing up for the cameras, a lot of you guys have no good reasons for not coming up with some real nice trophy harvest pictures for us this year .... lol. Just kidding. I know that once the season starts, all the rules change. And those deer seem to know exactly when the season starts.

My focus is on accuracy. I am not interested in how fast my arrow is going when it kills the deer. Yes I do understand the importance of trajectory vs. yardage estimation, but my rangefinder pretty much handles that situation. I am not interested in spending a lot of money on a setup that produces the fastest and squirreliest arrow flight. I want my bow to be the most forgiving of inadvertent form flaws that can (and often do) occur in the heat of the battle, not arrangements that accentuate errors. The equipment that I am shooting is definitely not the fastest, but it does definitely kill deer. That slow, heavy arrow seems to find its way to the vitals even when form is stressed a bit because of hunting conditions.

Defensive driving has taken on a new meaning since people decided that they have to be constantly wired up for communications. How important do people really think they are that they feel like they must be constantly available. No, you don't have to have amazing powers of observation to spot these idiots coming. The only question is whether they are texting or drunk. Why the cops can't seem to spot these guys is beyond me. Anytime I am on the road for 15 to 20 minutes, I can see at least 3 and maybe 4 people blatantly using a cellphone while they are driving along. And that is without even trying. The enforcement has become such a joke that people don't even try to fake it or hide it anymore. Regarding the law that they pull over to the side of the road to answer their phone is another source of aggravation for me. This sudden braking and whipping almost off the side of the road is another disruption in traffic that often becomes life-threatening. I have the perfect solution to all this nonsense ...... when you get behind the wheel, turn the damn phone off! let your voice-mail take the call if you really believe it is so important.

OK, there is a huge point! The almost religious worship of technology in this electronic age has changed the way we as a society relate to each other. All these toys help remove us from society. Instead of fostering communications, I believe it warps communication. As we all crawl off into our own little electronic hide-a-way, we begin to lose sight of the fact that there are other real people around us as we begin to see them as text displayed on a screen. We all create our own little version of reality as our world focuses into the little screen of whatever electronic contraption we happen to have our fat little fingers wrapped around. Humanity is being washed away into a series of ones and zeros to the point where many begin to relate in weird ways to others through the keypad. Sure enough, can it really be surprising when some individuals all of a sudden completely lose sight of the fact that there are real living people involved in their world and lose the appreciation for the fact that those lives have value. Oh sure, there are mental health problems behind each of these horrific headlines, but one has to wonder just how much all this impersonal techno-relation to those around us facilitates that mental disorder and the way it is all played out. Another outfall of techno- amusement is the fact that just like any other addiction, the needed high is always escalating. It keeps taking more and more to fill up our lives. If some of that need happens to come out as a need for violence, I guess that shouldn't surprise anyone. How many of these killings happen simply because the perpetrator wanted to just experience what it was like? We are becoming conditioned to receiving more and more stimulation in our daily lives .... The need to reach that next high. As mentioned, kick-the-can, hide and seek, baseball on the vacant lot, and simple face-to-face conversation just simply doesn't cut it anymore. Does this all mean we are each going to go off into a killing rampage? ..... probably not, but you have to wonder how many additional people are being pushed over the edge by the impersonalization of our world and the constant expectation and need for stimulation.

How much prime beef could I buy for $4000?

We generally see them running around everywhere in the spring and early summer. But by the time bunny season rolls around they get mighty scarce. Yes the foxes and coyotes probably are responsible for a lot of the carnage, but I think the jillions of hawks that seem to be everywhere do a heck of a job on them.

Particularly with the bow, I am not in favor of any low-percentage shots regardless of how good a shot you are on nice stationary targets on the range.

I don't care for the opinions of those that claim that guns create violence and lawlessness, and likewise, I refuse to blame TVs for anything. It is the kind of crap that people want to watch that adds to the violence and other social ills. The shock-TV that leads the ratings, fosters even more of the same. Also, the programming is not exactly free of pinko ideals that make violence acceptable and excusable, the worst of which is the nightly news. But really, the entire social structure of our society is rotting right from the inside out. Every principle that our country was founded on and which served as the glue that kept everything together as a compassionate but self-reliant population have been perverted, belittled and discarded by every corner of society. We as a people deserve this chaotic breakdown. Those that could have spoken against these deviations from civil behavior didn't and those forces of evil that revel in anarchy and social breakdown have been allowed to run rampant and define our system in a the way that we now find it. Liberal or conservative, we have gotten what our pursuits in the wrong directions, or our apathetic lack of political activity naturally provide. We defeated communism only to firmly entrench in our own country. Congratulations to us all.

I know a guy that gave up motorcycle riding after he hit 3 in one year.

For that price, it should come with a few deer, a rifle and a scope.

I am confused as to why he is wasting his time here in NYS. He already knows that the Democratic party has a lock on this commie state.

We've got these signs all up and down the valley, and so far I haven't seen any of them disappear except mine. The one big difference is that You can't see the house from the road (1000' of woods between me and the highway), so everyone knows that there pretty much is no way to get caught taking it. My guess is that it was just kids driving by looking for someone to mess with. Wife warned me .... lol.