Doc

If I were to invent an auto loading vertical bow, I have to say that the vertical bow is probably not the handiest thing to work with and that probably is the reason that no one has tried. But this is the same guy that was demonstrating a full auto prototype crossbow. And now from another source comes this repeating crossbow. Too often, we talk ourselves into NOT looking into the future possibilities. That seems to be a very popular way to look at things, even those that are one at a time being placed right in front of us. I worry about those that cannot or will not see the possibilities. But we can rest assured that there are plenty of guys like the author of this video and whoever designed and apparently are getting ready to market this contraption, who are smart enough to see the money potentials and smart enough to make it all happen. One thing I will guarantee, once these new venture into crossbow design start filling the market, there is no power on earth that will legally pry them out of their hands.

My guess would be that gas cylinders will be implanted into the cocking systems, opening the way for the automatic feeding system that we saw the prototype of a while back.

It is a brand new platform in the bow season and as we can see there are people beginning to exploit it. It offers a whole new round of extended inventions and technology to be thrown into bow season. You ain't seen nothing yet. This has the potential to extend the pollution of bow season way beyond anything that the vertical bows were capable of going. We can try to deny it all we can, but there are some people working very hard to expand the technology of the crossbow way beyond the short-sightedness of most people. They are simply picking up where the compound left off.

We seem to be always suffering from short-sightedness. We look at this thing and begin straining our brain trying to find fault instead of seeing where it is all heading. I was brought into archery just before the advent of mainstream acceptance of compounds. Back then I looked at the stupid-looking Allen compound and wondered what all those old-timers were complaining about. "This thing will never get off the ground", I said. I did the same thing that people are doing today with the crossbows. I was seeing what it is and not what it will be. Now we are getting hints of what the crossbow is capable of evolving into. Don't be so short-sighted, and try to understand more of where engineers and technology and the quest for profit are really trying to take a season that was created for handicapping the hunter and adding challenge into the sport.

There needs to be another type of u-tube video made that shows the reality of life in nature. There needs to be footage that shows a pack of coyotes chasing beer for miles until it is exhausted and then is slowly eaten alive. How about adding in some footage showing a deer in latter stages of CWD or others of the many deer diseases. Or how about Some footage showing the suffering of deer starvation where there is no hunting? Maybe throw in a few versions of foxes in advanced stages of mange where they are being consumed alive. And then there is the anguish that raccoons suffer when they contract and spread rabies or distemper. Ever listen to a rabbit being torn apart by a hawk? Somehow these uneducated people think that if it weren't for hunters all animals would die peacefully in their sleep of old age. The fact is that the most humane death of any animal in nature comes with a hunter's bullet or arrow. That is a fact that very few of these bunny-huggers fail to educate themselves about.

This guy is not taking credit for the marketing of this crossbow, but he is the same guy that had a crude but working wooden prototype for a fully automatic crossbow. Things have just begun for crossbow technology and design. I said it long ago, and I'll say it again. The crossbow is simply another platform for a whole new series of technological advances that will put a whole new face on archery just as the compound did. It's just the next logical step.

Now I think it is time for you to actually look at the video.....lol. So far, semi-auto air rifles and pistols are not a part of archery season. As far as I can see there is nothing illegal about this model of crossbow that makes it illegal for bow season.

I will note that I have seen a few occasions where a deer I shot with a 12 ga. went down an a few others just stood there looking around wondering what the hell just happened. Certainly enough time to use the repeating feature.

Yes, we can pooh-pooh his idea, but the penetration test was quite convincing, and the off-hand shooting was fairly impressive, and also bare in mind that this is version 1. And the accessory light and laser seems to lend itself to a form of silent jack-lighting for those people that are so inclined.

Not to say "I told you so", but I remember writing here a couple of years ago how the crossbow has offered up to engineers a whole new platform to extend the technology advances into another whole realm of gun-like advantages to shove into bow season. No, it was not some proclamation of brilliance. Just a little unbiased thinking could see how this is going to go. It is yet another uncontrolled round of technological inventions that will make the compound look as primitive as the longbow. The genie is out of the bottle.

Most of the bitter disagreements occur over proposed changes. Once they become legal, things seem to always calm down a bit. However, government agencies do not define my ethics or opinions. I reserve the right to allow myself to be in favor or against hunting rules or practices for myself. Laws do not define personal ethics, they only define what you will or will not be arrested (fined) for. I have no problems making my feelings known about anything that is done in the name of hunting, legal or not. I will also be quick to tell anyone who wants to listen what my concerns are and why. I also reserve the right to defend my choices, opinions, and decisions on any hunting issue. I think that is a right that all hunters have and no one should be afraid to express an opinion. All aspects of hunting should be open to the examination of discussion.

I hope this discussion is not about how hunters must cower in a dark corner somewhere afraid to speak out when they feel something is just not right. I think we maybe could brush up on civility and trying to turn things into a "to-the-death" struggle. But that is more a problem of presentation than something to require us to all to simply nod our heads as a bunch of mind numbed robots and shrink and hide from anything that could be a bit controversial. I think we are really all quite united in our defense of hunting in general and when hunting is challenged, would all work as a united front to face down any such challenges. Disagreements are not the problem here, it is the way disagreements are conducted. And none of these things are anything that ever has or ever will put hunting in any danger. Apathy and non-engagement are the threat to hunting, and I'm afraid that is the tone of this thread.

"Looking up": "A whitetail’s eyes are found on the sides of its head, enabling the deer to have a field of view (FOV) of about 310 degrees. This means a deer’s blind spot is only about 50 degrees — less than a third the size of our own. In comparison, humans with two healthy eyes have a field of view of 180 degrees." Considering this amazing field of view that the deer has, not much gets missed, even those things above. One hint that something doesn't look right (even in their peripheral vision) and their first reaction is to point their head directly at whatever it is, wherever it is. That gives the impression that the deer just randomly is walking around looking up. I think that in reality, something moved that got his attention. "Nocturnal changes": As far as daytime or night-time movements, instinct for safety is number one with deer, but it can be over-ridden by other needs. Hunger is a prime alternative. In the spring the deer are stressed out the most in our northern climate deer. Food is scarce. Calorie needs are severe, fat reserves are depleted, and time foraging is required, even daytime. So, in springtime we not only have more daytime movement, but they also frequent places that they normally would not venture into (my yard.....lol). Nutritional survival becomes their primary driver. At that point it becomes "whatever it takes to survive" and if that means full daylight exposure, then that's what they do.

Yes, I had several prime and very productive archery stand sites on state land that were wrecked by mountain bike trails and heavy use of hikers. A whole section of the hill was taken over by a maze of heavily used bike/hiking trails. The deer were still in the area but not active until the cover of darkness. Sure, they have a right to use the land, but it certainly has negatively impacted the bowhunting in a very large area of state land. Will that competition for land use ever create legal disputes in the future that may hamper hunting? ..... Who knows.....anything is possible.

I've got to admit that that was a surprise ending for me. I figured the critter was just the same old road-kill that you see all over the place.

Actually, that was why the season was created in the first place and pulled out separate from the gun season. It began as a season with special challenges that tested the dedication and hunting and shooting skills of a small number of people who were willing to severely handicap their hunt in a unique way. In this age of "fairness and dumbing things down so all can participate" I guess it is no longer politically correct to set aside seasons for such out-dated concepts as "adding" challenge. Was it a concept worth saving? Apparently not for the majority. Was there some that didn't want to see the original concept lost and would not give up quietly?.... Sure. Was that effort to preserve the initial concepts of bow season wrong?...... I guess that depends on which side of the changes you were on.....lol. Were the bowhunters who wanted to save bow season to be strictly bows evil people bent on the destruction of all hunting?...... You would think so from the reactions of those that were trying to shoe-horn their way in. If we are not supposed to disagree about any hunting matters and doing so means the end of hunting then perhaps the concept of sport hunting is simply doomed. One thing is for sure, you will not change the nature of the humans that are involved in hunting. Anything that is participated in as passionately as hunting is bound to have areas of disagreement. We have withstood differences of opinion in the past, and likely we will withstand them in the future. I can only say that it will not be "disagreements" that will end my hunting. I will continue until they pry my bow from my cold dead hands .......lol.

I know that the level of disagreement seems to be at an all-time high. But is that really the cause of the decline of popularity in hunting. I think not. I like a good hunting debate as much as anybody and certainly have taken part in almost all of them. But I still go out every year and do my thing regardless of whatever controversy has been stirred up. Honestly, it does not bother me one bit. I can disagree, and enter into the most bitter of debates with no effect on my enjoyment of the activity. I think that this point that disagreement is what's killing hunting is really concentrating on the wrong thing. What can have a direct influence on my hunting is the new house going up in my favorite hunting spot, or the new posted signs that lock me out from old hunting grounds. and of course lately I am being influenced more and more by old age. I can disagree vehemently with any number of subjects that come up here in the morning and still enjoy the heck out of my hunt in the afternoon. I think we are all smart enough to know that the true threat to hunting today is the societal pressures and the cultural changes. We have the seed generations that are simply losing interest in all things outdoors. And even the older generations are starting to suffer a bit of Bambism and laziness and a migration to other interests. The American culture is evolving away from all things natural. Let's not blame the demise of hunting on differing opinions and discussion. I think we can disagree on the details of what we do, and still remain staunch advocates for our hunting as a bona-fide activity. In fact I am convinced that discussion only strengthens the final versions of what hunting turns out to be.

Well, I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but the wind has calmed down substantially (as of noon). Trees are only moving a little bit. Right now I am more concerned about flooding down in the driveway. Temp is up to 52 degrees and the snow melt is pretty rapid.

Absolutely true. I learned that when I was a kid and we lost almost the entire flock of sheep to dogs. They just ran through the flock biting chunks out of each of them, and eating none of them. It turned out that the dogs were very well-fed family pets that the owners allowed to run free. They were just killing for fun. It was pathetic finding the sheep the next morning, all tore up with huge patches of meat missing or hanging off them. Some of them died of shock just from being run relentlessly around the barnyard. Others had to be put down because of the severity of the wounds. Nothing was eaten.

I have been watching our local deer struggling with the ice-layer here. It supports their weight for a second and then breaks through. It looks like travel is quite an ordeal for them and uses a fair amount of energy. Hopefully they will continue to be able to avoid the coyotes because they seem to be fully supported on the ice and do not break through (according to tracks). This is probably one of the most dangerous conditions that the deer can encounter.

Most likely the rigors of rut left him in a condition of inadequate endurance for a chase. Coyotes are relentless and very good at what they do. The tag-team tactics make the buck's size and armament irrelevant. I have seen a lot of evidence that the myth of predators only taking the young and the weak is another animal rights story that only sounds nice but has very little basis in fact.

These are scenes that all anti-hunters should be made to see. They seem to think that if it wasn't for hunter's bullets, all deer would die peacefully in their sleep of old age. It sure would be nice if they got to see the reality of how they likely will really die.

This is my go-to knife that travels with me when I head into the woods. I am not a metallurgist and steel specifications are not anything that I am familiar with, but I can say that it holds an edge longer than any other knife that I have owned. it does sharpen easily, and has the ruggedness that allows rough use to the point where it can do a lot of the functions that a small hatchet would be called on to do. The only modification that I gave it was to grind down the short section of top-blade to avoid accidentally cutting myself when I am up to my elbows inside a deer carcass. This knife has butchered everything from deer to squirrels and is big enough to give you a good safe grip during any use regardless of how much blood and gooey stuff that might get on the handle.

The deer/dog confrontations that I have seen like this one are not a very pleasant way to go. Many of these take place over a long distance. With a bite here and a chunk of meat there until the deer eventually drops of exhaustion and is finished off by being eaten alive. This is not like a lion or cheetah attack where the predator grabs its prey with a single bite and crushes its neck bringing a fairly quick kill. This is a slow lingering death that takes place over quite a length of time and distance. I would imagine coyote kills are done the same way. I couldn't believe that no one interfered. Of course it was already too late That deer was as good as dead already.

I was just thinking how that crust is heavy enough to support coyotes and free-ranging dogs, but not the deer. Even without big numbers for snow depths, there still is an advantage for the predators.