Doc

Yeah, shooting the bow is a lot more fun and a lot less boring.

I think the 2nd picture from the bottom shows a basic flaw in ceiling height regarding bowhunting. It looks like there is no upper limb clearance.

First of all, you have to understand that any passage of gun control is interpreted by the voting public as being "tough on crime". Of course that linkage is ridiculous, but the anti-gun folks have done a better job of selling that bogus thought than we have done in trying to fight it. Hell, we even have some gun owners on here that are believers in gun control. So gun control is a way of getting votes, an that is what politicians are all about. So when we had all these kids being killed by that mentally defective goof-ball, the politicians swooped in like a bunch of carrion-eating vultures and figured that the time and circumstances were correct for sliding in a major attack on the 2nd amendment. As they say in politics, "no good crisis should ever be wasted". See, you're trying to apply logic and reason to an issue that runs completely on emotion. The anti-gun forces are masters at manipulating emotion. We aren't even in their league when it comes to that. And the anti-gun forces have the politicians in their pocket. So when you add all that up, it makes perfect sense. No, none of this will effect anything other than applying another layer of harassment on the backs of gun owners. And that is the basis behind the Safe Act, plain and simple. There is nothing in the Safe Act that would have prevented the tragedy at Sandy hook. The only defense against this constant barrage of harassment is to make politicians more afraid of gun owners than they are of the anti-gun fanatics. we do have an opportunity to make that happen when the next election comes around if we can just stay as incensed as we were when the Safe Act was snuck in. If we can discipline ourselves to vote as a unified block, and in effect become a group of "one-issue" voters, we do have the rare opportunity to show that gun owners are not an easy mark. Can we do it? ...... That remains to be seen.

I really don't do the "trophy" thing. Sure if a monster walks by and I get it, I will be very happy. But my hunting really has more to it than just collecting heads for the wall. So to answer the question, there is no buck that could cause me to target just him exclusively. I may spend extra time in an area where he hangs out, but as far as passing up his lesser friends, that isn't really very likely.

I noticed that too. That's weird ...... all the other deer seem to have changed coats except that one is still in summer colors. What makes it even more strange is that all the deer around my place still have that red summer coat, although there is an awful lot of hair loss happening right now.

Could be a good tactic if you step on a twig during a stalk.... take out a turkey call and do a couple of soft yelps. I don't know if that would work, but it might be worth a try and maybe relax the deer a bit. Anybody ever do that to see what the deer's reaction is?

I thought it was interesting to see just how anyone would pull off an urban hunt. I can't imagine it myself, but they seemed to be able to do it ok without getting in too much trouble with the neighborhood. I am amazed that they didn't find themselves in a constant PETA demonstration.

The reason I offer an opinion is threefold. One, is the fact that I really don't like to see the glamorization of felony law-breaking. It is important that there should be no trivializing of the consequences. I don't know how many youngsters may be reading these messages, but most likely there are some, and it should not go unmentioned that felony convictions have consequences that last a lifetime. I know that Mr VJP is only stating what he believes is the honorable position of having the courage of your convictions, but unfortunately, it comes across as belittling living within a system of laws. The second reason a comment on this subject is required is my feeling that the time for insurrection is a bit premature in my opinion. I do not have this defeated attitude that it is time to trash the whole system. We have all kinds of potential remedies in process as we speak. We gain nothing by turning toward lawlessness. We do not pick up needed support by making people believe that gun owners are simply gangsters waiting to break laws and flaunt our willingness and perhaps even eagerness to jump to the other side of the law. There are very few that find sympathy with militia mindsets, and those convicted of, or participating in, acts that can be construed as domestic terrorism really are not all that effective in changing any policies. In fact that kind of thing only invites further encroachments and excludes support from reasonable thinking people. A third value of offering challenge to some of the notions offered in this thread is the fact that a lot of the more brash-speaking people think that simple shock value is all that is required to solve the current threats to the 2nd Amendment. It is much harder to get down in the trenches and do the heavy-lifting of legal activism. No these kinds of mundane grunt-work activities do not have the appeal of the more Rambo-style attitudes, but they are a lot more effective and really are the only activities that have any practical chance of affecting change.

Don't be fooled by those ribs showing. Right now with that summer coat, those ribs are obvious because the thinness of that coat, and also the fact that they are losing some of that hair in preparation for the arrival of the heavier winter coat. We get used to seeing deer looking all fluffed up with those big thick hollow winter hair-pieces. The fact is that they always are kind of a "ribby" critter underneath it all, and that doesn't really indicate a lack of nourishment. Lol ... They never do turn into a fat butterball kind of rig.

The weather sure isn't going to cooperate with any outdoor plans. Maybe there will be some small breaks in the rain where I can get out and shoot the bow. I hope so.

It occurred to me that perhaps my post might convince people not to buy and display these signs. That is not my intention. In fact I want to point out that more and more of these signs are popping up everywhere and it has become a very visible protest that is showing the widespread support for repealing that so-called "Safe Act". Understand that we are a fairly constant target of vandalism, and as far as I know nobody else has had a problem with such thefts. I have seen these signs go up all up and down the road without ever being disturbed at all. I have a unique situation where I am 1000' off the road, and totally cut off from view by the woods. That makes me an inviting target for any kind of vandalism down by the road. So, I guess what I'm saying is do not let this one isolated incident deter any of you from getting one of these signs from Scope. I encourage you all to do so. They cost $20, and I didn't see anything that indicated that you had to be a member to buy them. It's a great way of making a public statement on an important issue. Just access the Scope website for details on how to purchase them.

So, when can we join your militia? I assume that just like our forefathers, you are currently in the process of putting yourself on the line in defense of the tyranny and oppression that you believe we are all living under. Are you stockpiling that diesel fuel and fertilizer yet? Hey what the heck maybe we will be reading your name right up there with Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols and other such self appointed "patriots". I love the bold talk, but I really wonder when you intend to put that into actual practice.

For me there are no political labels when the next election comes about, at least for the state elections. One glance at the voting record on the Safe Act determines my vote This is a one-issue election coming up for me. As far as why these clowns felt secure voting for the Safe Act in the sneaky covert fashion that they did, the reason is clear. They believed that gun owners have a very short attention span and couldn't organize a card game. They have been proven correct in the past. It's up to us to put an end to that notion.

Hey ..... What's that stuff sticking out of his head? Are they supposed to have those stuck on them?

Please do. ....... And any other gun or hunting location too. In fact those that belong to rod & gun clubs might want to post a copy of the info on clubhouse bulletin boards. A year sounds like a lot of time, but it will pass before you know it. It is important that we get gun owners registered to vote and primed to send the message.

"D"-loop/Peep: 1. How old is your string? Brand new, problem is natural and can occur from initial string stretch. 2. Worse problem. String could be getting ready to let loose from age/wear. Problem number one re-adjust location of peep and the problem will take care of itself. Problem number two .... do not draw the bow back, and take the bow to a pro-shop immediately. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've got the rifle all set too. I still drag it out periodically just for fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apple trees ..... the ground around my apple and peach trees is starting to look like a barnyard. When the weather cools off a bit like its supposed to do in a day or two, I have a couple of my favorite trees to check out, and I'll be refreshing the ground blinds while I am there. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trail cams ...... Well, as usual I am merely taking hundreds worthless pictures around the house. A whole lot of doe pictures and fawns and the occasional spike and 4-point. Not much of a true scouting activity. Just spying on my local shrub eaters. Kind of lost the will to set the cameras too far away from home since I got that one stolen last year.

Somehow, we have to keep this issue alive. I fear that it will work out like so many others where there is genuine outrage for a few months and when the time comes that people can turn that outrage into a clear message to the politicians that screwed us, the focus is lost and people resort to the same old ineffective voting of party lines or get off on some other tangent, or find themselves ineligible to vote. Our current crop of politicians count on that. We have a unique opportunity to act as an effective political unit to tell these guys that individual voters still run the ship and gun owners do remember. I really do fear that we are not going to live up to the task. I already see signs that the issue is fading. So occasionally I pop on here to just refresh the issue. Hopefully others are doing the same in other venues. Naturally when the election gets near, I will become even more disgustingly repetitive....lol. But I do believe there is some value in periodically bringing it all up again. Also, we had a redistricting activity that affected our representatives, and I remember how hard it was for me to locate who the current state representatives were. Likewise, voter registration is a process that can sometimes perplex new voters. So I figured these links might help others who don't know where to look. It's all just a little attempt to help pull gun owners and hunters together for this major once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a motivated population of voters to speak clearly and in unison and to try to break up this arrogance and indifference that our politicians seem to have adopted. It is my belief that even a minority can be an effective political force as long as they are unified and focused where their opposition is not.

Oh yeah..... Well if you think those are great take a look at these two beasts. We grow 'em big down here

Yup, mine is 14 years old ..... MQ-32 bought in 1999. That is one thing that makes me such a Mathews fan. Any bow that can be that old, shoot that many arrows, and get that many deer, is really kind of special. If the thing ever fails to perform, I will not hesitate to buy another.

I have hunted the same property for more than 50 years, so there isn't a whole lot that changes from one year to another. Occasionally, there are little hick-ups in the food sources, but a quick covert walk through the area can reveal that. A lot of my scouting occurs in season as things begin to change. Right now the deer aren't doing many of the things they will be doing a month from now. As a matter of fact, I may be doing a lot of my hunting right around the house. I have a deer problem regarding yard plantings so I may be waging war on some of these critters that have taken up residence around the house. In fact during gun season, my front window may become a gun-port ..... lol. That doesn't really require a whole lot of scouting. The fact is, I am more concerned about my late start with my bow practice. A bit of tendinitis has held me back from starting and even now I have to go slow with the duration of practice sessions to make sure I don't get it going again.

It is true that without probable cause, what I have in my house will likely never be known by the authorities. But, I do like to take my guns outside to actually shoot them and hunt with them. I do like to talk about my guns. I do periodically actually buy a new gun. I do occasionally have to upgrade my stocks of reloading components. In other words, not everything about my guns and ammo (and clips) stays in the house or is completely unknown to anyone who wants to pay attention. I will say that a gun that I have to build into the walls of my house hardly seems like a very wise use of my money. What good is it to spend good money on stuff that you can't use or even display? I hate to see people take comfort from the fact that they can secretly hide weapons from the law inside their house. The fact that I can wall-up my guns and ammo doesn't really console me much. I would rather see people take all that resolve and put it toward repealing the laws that cause you to even think that way.

We used to have some targets set up on company property at work where a bunch of us guys would go out at noon and practice shooting the bows. I had the bow set for around 70# back then. One of the guys from work spotted us and decided to come over and watch. I asked him if he wanted to try a couple shots. This guy was a huge guy with a pretty muscular build so I really didn't think there would be a problem. Yeah, you guessed it. He couldn't get the bow drawn, even after several tries. I on the other hand could shoot the thing for hours even though I am rather average in terms of build. The point is that there are very unique and specialized muscles used in drawing and holding a bow. Frankly, I don't think there are any simulation exercises that can beat simple repetitive practice using your bow as an exercise tool.

You can do so by simply not voting at all, and living with the consequences. Do not lose sight of the fact that we did have some that voted against the Safe Act and who consistently vote in a pro-gun, pro-hunting fashion. So there is no need for a blanket hatred of politicians. As I have said in the past, it is time to use our vote as a tool for punishment and reward. I have taken the Safe Act to serve as a litmus test. Those who voted for it will not get my vote and I will be casting my vote for whoever is running against them (and I don't really care what the politics of that person is). This will be a protest vote. It will be cast with the intent of punishing those who voted for this major attack on the 2nd Amendment and gun owners across the state. If a majority of gun owners did that, the message would be sent that an anti-gun vote will cost you your future in politics. That is the entire aim of my vote....period. One single issue ... all about that one single legislative vote. At some point we have to put an end to the arrogance that our legislators feel toward their constituents. They have to be made to understand who works for who in this system. We have this one chance where all gun owners are galvanized into a united force on this one issue. That makes our little minority quite a focused and powerful political force. We had better not squander this one opportunity by each running off in different directions with our one and only defensive weapon ..... our vote. Those that don't vote at all will be sending a message to the politicians too. That message will be, "Do what you want. There will be no consequences. And I don't care".

There is no such thing as getting registered too early. Those that wait until the elections actually occur will most likely never do it. One thing we had better get on board with is getting gun owners registered and getting their minds right on what's at stake and how to proceed with changing things. It is difficult to keep the fire alive until the next elections. I have already noticed a distinct reduction in intensity of feelings about the Safe Act, but I still try to keep issues alive and keep people primed and ready and capable of doing what's right. Registration and education is all part of that and like I said, there are no restrictions keeping people from doing that early. The original post didn't highlight the time frame because I don't want to emphasize any excuse for procrastination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Note to all: I have added the site addresses to obtain the ID of your state representatives to the original post. So now you have all the info in one spot.

Yes, there is a correct order to things. Some want to exhaust those legal and political resources before throwing out the baby with the bath-water. Others just want to simply tear things down, cross their fingers and see what happens to come out of the ash pile.