Doc

I remember that the old Baker was such a hazard that I modified mine with a home-made chain and tensioning mechanism so that once I got where I was going, I would clamp that sucker to the tree with the chain. That made it a piece of the tree. However, a hunting buddy of mine took a rather fast trip down on his from about 10' up. the stand decided to grab the tree when it was about a foot off the ground. You know the saying, "It's not the fall that gets you, it's the sudden stop"? Well, he found out exactly what that means ..... lol. It's a wonder that he didn't mess up his back or legs. Yeah, I could see where a serrated blade would be a definite improvement. The big hazard is probably more from a sudden unexpected shift than actually coming down, and that most likely occurs when the stand decides to suddenly do a little rotational shift. The serrations probably help to keep that from happening.

Great video ....... professional quality.

That would be a heck of good spot for a white-flash camera. I'll bet you could get some great photos .... particularly if they are arranged so that the carcasses were not in the picture.

It has been a lot of decades since I have used any treestands, and the last climber I ever used was the old Baker climbers (a real death-trap). My recollection was that the worst tree for that stand was the shagbark hickory because the blade of the climber wouldn't penetrate that super-hard bark. But I recall there were other concerns such as trees with soft, smooth, thin bark with a rather moist layer under it where the stand would tend to try to rotate or shift suddenly around the tree. Beech and pine immediately come to mind. I remember that after only a short period of time with that Baker, we were designing and building semi-portable welded up stands that were chained and securely clamped to the tree. I'm sure that today's climbers are much better than that old Baker, but I kind of figured that a lot of the same trees that were a problem back then are probably still problems today.

And then, way across the country, on the opposite side there is a little chunk of California that has a moderate risk. How did that happen? Thousands of miles of no Lyme disease, and then a county or two that has a moderate risk.

A lot would depend on how many millions I won ..... lol. I think a nice secluded hunting ranch of a couple thousand acres in some remote scenic wild area would be nice as a part-time hunting and camping get-a-way. Perhaps a log mansion would be appropriate. A full fleet of every kind of vehicle imaginable (off-road and on road). Perhaps a stable of pack horses along with full time staff to take care of them and perform property maintenance. That all would be a small part of what I would get. Then of course my wife would have her list.....lol.

Actually, when it comes to ammo, I haven't bought any for a long time. I generally automatically buy the dies for any new caliber rifle that I buy and purchase whatever components that I need and build my own ammo. In fact that policy is one of the reasons that I have stopped going to Gander Mountain. Reloading is how I found out just what a rip-off Gander can be. I bought an electronic powder measure from there and found out later that I paid nearly twice as much for it as I would have if I had gone to Midway, or Bass-pro or any number of other places. Usually the price difference isn't quite that dramatic, but I have found that Gander is consistantly higher than other sources. The other thing that drives me up a wall is the way they stock products, or more specifically, don't stock products. For me, it is more than a half hour drive to their store, and to finally get there and discover that they don't even have something as common as a .222 shell-holder just about sent me through the roof. After that I kept a lookout, and it was more than 3 weeks before they ever got that stocked. Other bullet building components are extremely hit or miss and always the most expensive. Now I would rather get in the car and head for Auburn Bass-pro. It takes almost twice as long, but at least I know I can walk in there and get what I want. Of course we do have a top-notch local supplier in East Rochester called Beikirch (sp?). Good prices, good selections and lots of in-house expertise. That has become my "go-to" place whenever I want something without waiting for ordering and delivery. Gander blew it as far as I am concerned. They were quite a novelty when they opened in Henrietta. I loved their store, and they seemed to have everything. Then they suddenly changed and basically became a rip-off joint with hap-hazard stocking policies and know-nothing personel. I don't think the change has escaped the notice of other area sportsmen too as the customers there have gotten fewer and fewer.

So what's the latest on the "carcass-cam"? No predators show up yet? I kind of figured that would be a guaranteed situation for some good fox, coyote, possum, skunk, raccoon pics hawk, owl, etc. pictures. I've been eyeballing a road-killed deer down the road, and thinking that I should drag it up into my thicket and plunk a camera over it. But that's a lot of work without some good reason to think it should draw in some critters.

Ah, then the answer is simple ........ Just stop doing business with Gander. That wouldn't be any real big loss. We have enough problems with restrictions from the NYS politicians without our suppliers making up their own.

Is this only a Gander Mountain policy or are all the mail-order outfits refusing to ship ammo to NY?

Are there some tree varieties that you would just simply recommend that no one use a climbing treestand on. Obviously, because of the limb structure, pine trees wouldn't be practical, but I am thinking more from a safety standpoint.

That is a real weird distribution of these things. It's hard to see why they are clustered primarily in the northeast and not in other parts of the country. Are they a relatively new import or something?

They are talking about possession of ammunition feeding devices. However they are still "ammunition feeding devices in your possession, even if they come installed in a gun. Sounds like any weapon that can hold more than 5 rounds is illegal in NYC, unless they have some exceptions listed elsewhere in the law. That is one heck of a lot of dis-allowed guns. However, I must state that I am not a lawyer ...... lol.

I seem to remember that the final tabulation is published sometime in March. However, remember that the reporting period was extended from the previous 48 hours, so that may have set back some of the calculations. And then too, since the results are now primarily given to the public via the DEC website, there may be some additional time required for that. I'm looking forward to seeing the town by town break-down. That's where I get the best idea of what is going on in the area that I hunt.

I would be absolutely shocked if the DEC ever gave the go-ahead to install food plots to an individual. There is pretty much a no-touch policy when it comes to state land. They have pretty much made it a policy that nothing can be cut, moved, stacked or in anyway disturbed or altered by casual users other than themselves or people assigned to work on their behalf. It really isn't even legal to clear out shooting lanes. So unless you could figure out a way to make a food plot without touching anything, I wouldn't get my hopes up. On the other hand, it would be interesting if various sportsman's groups were to make a proper pitch to them about entering into some sort of coop program where they volunteered themselves as manpower for whatever habitat improvement projects the DEC may want to get involved in. Given the right "sales-pitch", maybe such outfits as rod & gun clubs might have more success along these lines than just individuals.

I sure don't take these weirdos lightly. They are a very organized (as opposed to hunters who can't seem to be able to back any hunting or gun organizations) and dedicated bunch that have made greater inroads than we want to give them credit for. For sure I have absolutely no respect for them, but I do have to admit to a gradual evolutionary social change over the decades in public images toward hunting, and trapping, and I don't think that we can pretend that some of their antics have not been responsible for some of this. Sure we don't want to believe it, but then it is the youngsters and others that are outside the hunting culture that are most easily affected by these organizations and I believe that animal rights groups have had some impact in shaping some of the changes.

I hear they taste like chicken.

They're probably afraid of her.

The good news about this is that such goofy stances of these wackos keeps them in a position of shooting themselves in the foot with way-over-the-edge stunts like this. They constantly put themselves at a credibility disadvantage with these looney activities ....... fortunately for us. It's amazing that even with these kinds of crazy extreme positions, they still manage to gain ever increasing traction with the public over time. Imagine what they would do if they actually started worrying about public image.

I have to admit that in areas with bobcats being as scarce as they are around me, I wouldn't be in favor of legalizing harvest either.

He sure has no intention of backing down from the dog .... lol. So how do you get the rabbit from him without losing a chunk of meat from your hand?

Yeah, the problem I have is that there may be no warning that a flood is about to happen. Our creek/swamp can raise up a good foot or two overnight if we get heavy enough rains. So, I was just looking for a little insurance. So I was looking for something that is light and portable so that I could use one at every set-up that might flood. I could probably lash together some logs with wire or something right on the spot, but if I want to move it a couple hundred yards, I don't want it to become a major project. Anyway, I am still at the preliminary designing stage .... lol. By the way, the only situation where I think this would work is where there is very little current during a flood. If there is too strong a current, I suspect that it would pull everything under even if there are float features incorporated. Fortunately, that is exactly the situation where I will be photographing. Because of the swamp serving as a reservoir, the water just comes up and goes back down. No roaring current. Another thing that might make it all not work would be an ice-out condition. Nothing will withstand some big slab of ice coming through .....lol.

More great pics!

These are a couple of twists on the "shooting distance law" that kind of filtered into my twisted mind .... lol, but on a more practical note, I must say that I sincerely doubt that details in the written law that covers these scenarios exist. That means that we are open to the interpretations and attitudes of law enforcement officers, and judges who may interpret these things in any way that they feel like at the time. Not a real cool situation for someone practicing at home that may have some of these questionable situations or even others.

Has anyone figured out a good artsy-fartsy way of mounting and displaying sheds for display?