Doc

See the gun next to the stool? That could just as easily be a crossbow with bench rests all around. Hell, lay it up there on some sandbags if you really want the hot set-up ..... lol. This is an excellent reliable gun stand and likely could double as an excellent crossbow stand that provides some pretty good 15 yard broadside shots to the trail. Just lay it up there just like I do my gun. Sight down the scope, just like I do my gun. Take your time and wait for the shot to develop, as long as it takes for the deer to fiddle around and finally get where I want him, just like I do with my gun. Slowly increase the pressure on the trigger, waiting for that "surprise triggering" just like I do with my gun. Unfortunately, I can't do any of that with a vertical bow. There is a finite amount of time that I can hold that thing back. And of course there is no way of obtaining the "bench rest" with a vertical bow. I often wonder why people have fought so hard to stuff crossbows into bow season and then turn around and do nothing but whine about how heavy and awkward they are. My gosh, just simply use all the similarities to guns to your benefit. Take advantage of the similarities instead of fighting them. As long as you have a range finder and a properly constructed and located stand, there is no excess weight or awkwardness and no wiggling while you are sighting and trying to get the deer within chip-shot range. By the way, speaking od carrying awkwardness, I remember seeing that poaching-crook, Busbice hauling his x-bow with some kind of sling that put the thing against his back so the limbs were protected with his shoulders. Looked like a pretty slick way to transport the thing to the stand-site. Probably not the best way to still-hunt or drive deer if that's what you want to do. But in a properly planned and executed stand-hunt it sure would be a great way to carry the thing to your stand.

That is one more super advantage of crossbows. Just like a rifle, there is none of that over-dressed nonsense to be concerned with. Just pile on the clothes as much as you want.....lol. There is no "form" concerns. All you have to be able to do is to look down the scope and pull the trigger. I guess I'll pass. But thanks for the offer.....ha-ha-ha.

Wholesale extermination of any species probably is not something that we really want to do even if it was possible. However, here in NYS the coyote is pretty much the "top dog" on the food chain with no real controls other than man and disease. That isn't a real good situation either when there seems to be a reluctance of humans to step in as a form of population control. That only leaves massively contagious diseases to run rampant in wide-swinging uncontrolled cycles all of which has it's own set of problems for domestic and wild animals. One thing has become apparent, and that is that try as we might, we will never wipe out the species. The best that we can hope for is to merely provide some minor control on the population which in the long run may be beneficial to the coyote itself and the surrounding critters and even our own concerns. That is the principle behind hunting/trapping from a conservation standpoint.

So how is it that we have comrade Cuomo for governor and that pinko Schumer and Gillibrand as senators, and a nice shiny new "Safe act"? Any way you look at it, the same people that elected that merry band of commies and that assault on our second Amendment are the same influences that will come to bear in any Constitutional Convention.

I cannot bowhunt in temperatures that are in the mid 20's.The amount of clothing necessary to stay on stand causes too much bulk which interferes with the string, my anchor, my form, and everything else that it takes to execute a decent shot. It even changes my sight settings. It's not like gun season where you can just throw on more clothing. So I will likely be passing on that day. Damn, this morning was cold enough ..... lol. Might be a day to try some still-hunting. I usually can stay a little warmer if I am moving.

I'm sure we would all have some little tweaks we would like to see happen to the NYS Constitution. My question is, just who would you like to entrust that to? Would you let those that keep electing Cuomo as Governor, or the same people who put Chuckie Schumer and Gillibrand in as our Senators? Would you trust the authors and supporters of "The Safe Act"? Here in The People's Republic of New York State, in this age and location of liberal mentality just who would you entrust to tinker with this document? Most likely it would be turned from a constitution to a manifesto.

Cold fried egg sandwiches......and lots of them!

I am a creature of nature that has a place in the food chain. I also have the genetic nature of a predator that enjoys the chase. I also enjoy the knowledge that I can have a part in maintaining myself and my family through my own efforts. There is an element of self-sufficiency involved in getting my own food. There is also a cultural, historical, and heritage aspect to existing in nature and gathering food from the environment as our ancestors did. I also think that given the location of where I was raised, and the fact that hunting was a treasured recreational act of that era by all friends, relatives and associates, there was a social aspect to hunting. All of these features taken together forced me to be a hunter. I don't think it ever really was a choice.

NYS Constitution: https://www.dos.ny.gov/info/constitution.htm 48 PDF pages of some pretty difficult and heavy reading. But what I saw was some pretty basic stuff that I don't think I want the pinko-commie-libs of NYS messing with ..... lol.

Check your shorts!

Wind direction and the effects aren't discussed a lot because so few people really understand what causes it at various hunting locations. I always check both the TV and the computer for predicted wind directions, and seem to find that in my individual hunting locations the wind has a mind of its own. There are little subtle variations of topography in combination with developing thermals that finally steer the wind in several directions. When you get around deep ravines in hill country, you can often see results that look absolutely nothing like what is being predicted. I would love to see a discussion here about wind direction (causes and effects), but I doubt that between all of us we have enough understanding to be very credible. About the only thing I can offer is to repeat the value of milkweed seeds so that at least you can see what is happening with your scent. You probably will be shocked to see how there is no one wind direction.

Ok....Apparently there will be a proposal on the ballot to hold a Constitutional Convention for the NYS Constitution. I have to admit that I am no student of the NYS Constitution, and currently have no idea whether it needs revisions or upgrades. Since this is NYS, I am assuming that it probably does. However I am concerned as to how we would keep control of such a thing with the heavy liberal influence that this state would likely have for the majority of the delegates to such a rework of the state Constitution. I am just now aware of this proposal and have not yet updated myself on what is in that document, and that is something I intend to get involved in. Probably most on this forum are probably in the same boat, so I thought it might be useful to have a discussion on the proposal (pro & con). We'll be asked to vote on it, so it might be useful to have some opinions offered. My gut feel right at the moment (subject to change) is that considering the potential outcome and the current political climate in this state, I am thinking that today's crowd are not mentally qualified to arrive at changes that I would be in favor of. Given my meager amount of knowledge of this document, if I had to make a decision right now, I would be against the proposal. Any thoughts, opinions, or facts????

My pet peeve is how the best deer spots are those areas that can never hold a consistent wind direction for more than 5 minutes at a time. I suspect that is why they are the best deer spots.

0' - 0" is fine with me......lol.

Everybody seems to think that everything that will be invented already has been invented. Well, let me assure you that technology does not stop at 2017. What kinds of things are people looking at these days? Where are they trying to make crossbow technology go into the future. Well, take a look at this design direction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbKGjRoSofA Yes, it has a long ways to go before the design can be considered hunting technology (that's why it is still in the realm of future technology), but it gives you an idea of where the minds of engineers are heading, It shows that if you can imagine it, it eventually can be done. This is one extreme example, but now with a stock to work with and to hold canisters of compressed air or battery powered implements to drive mechanisms, we are now entering an all new era of bow design that was never before imagined with vertical bows. No, it's not here yet, but then neither were compound bows back when bow seasons were established. By the way, this line of discussion is not an argument for or against inclusion of crossbows in bow season. I am simply looking downstream at where "bow" season is likely to go. I am recognizing the mentality of most of todays hunters to minimize challenge, and picturing where that is likely guiding bow season technology. Sometimes a little studying of history gives some insight into the future.

Let me simplify it a bit for you. Each implement serves as a place-holder in the hierarchy of technology. If you exclude one level of technology from bow season, you have drawn a line. Do you follow me so far? If you believe in "special seasons", you are defining what level of technology is suitable to be included in those "special seasons". That is called drawing a line. Honestly, I can't make it any simpler than that.

What a fatso! Life has been good for him this year.

How on earth did you ever settle on Naples to do your hunting? I would think that you are driving through some pretty good deer country during all those hours of travel to get here. Do you have friends or relatives in Naples?

Actually, if I want to exercise my imagination a bit, I believe that before too long, there will be self-cocking crossbows taking away the awkward re-cocking complaints for getting second or third shots. There are already prototypes for repeating crossbows that actually work. And that is just off the top of my head without any R&D budget. Speed? ...... Yes, I am looking for huge increases. But I think the big increases in crossbow technology will go way beyond just speed and range. They now have the real estate of a stock to house mechanisms and even additional power sources beyond simple bent limbs. The sky is the limit. It's a whole new ball game. I can point in a whole lot of directions and show that technology does not stay still when new lucrative markets are opening up. Anyone who thinks that x-bows are all done developing are simply not being honest. As I keep saying ..... "We ain't seen nothing yet!" And more and more, all of this stuff is OK with more and more people. Ha-ha..... we may see that "computer coming back into consideration.

Just like you, I am setting limits on what is acceptable to me and how I think the rules should be drawn up...... yes, just exactly like you. Just as you have decided that guns don't belong in bow season, you are putting limits on technology in bow season, aren't you? I mean if you are being honest about maintaining any special seasons, the whole concept is based on technological limitations. In fact your statement about being "100% against inclusion" is an exclusionary statement.....right? That is a judgment on your part that some technology belongs in bow season and some does not. It is absolutely no different than my position. That is what makes a "special season". It is all a judgment for or against specific technologies. We may have different ideas on where to draw lines, but if we believe in "special seasons", we all draw lines.

A 1000' driveway through the woods and a stretch of swamp, off a sparsely populated stretch of highway doesn't seem to be much of an attraction for trick-or-treaters. We haven't had any Halloween visitors in the 46 years that we have lived here. It seems that the villages and more densely populated places are far more productive for the little beggars.....lol.

I realize that. And it was not too many years ago that people were talking about setting up a computer hunting system where you sat on your couch at home and remotely maneuvered a camera and a remote weapon to harvest their deer. That was called a new technological advancement in hunting too. And even though they finally (and correctly) made that illegal, I'll just bet there were a lot of people, perhaps even yourself, who lamented that unfair blow to hunting technology opportunities. I always have to wonder about those who cry about selfishness, elitism, and exclusionary attitudes, and the fact that we ethically should be using the most efficient and humane weapons during bow season and yet have no problems excluding gun hunters (young, old, infirm, and both genders) from participation on bow season. Yes, all of these same old tired arguments have been spewed out from the first day that Allen hung the first eccentric on a bow and filed his patent. We don't seem to be able to exercise any form of self-control when it comes to polluting the bow season with technology. So maybe you're right. Maybe it is time to simply eliminate "special seasons" altogether and just get right to what so many people are clamoring for. Drop all the pretense and just go for what ever technology can supply that will get that deer down in the quickest, most humane, and easiest way possible.

The problem with the white-flash cameras is that intruders can see them go off too ....... and steal them. I'm quite sure that's what happened to a $200 Cuddeback that I had watching a deer trail that crosses my driveway. I thought it was concealed pretty darn good, but there is no concealing that flash. All I found was the cut strap laying on the ground.

Ha-ha-ha..... Sometimes I think I would rather not even know. And then of course, you could move over to that stand and he may never show up there again. I have played this "cat and mouse" game between two stands that were within sight of each other, (but not bow range). It gets frustrating some times.

Is there really anybody who can seriously say that there has not been a marked increase in attention to crossbow R & D in recent years? Come on..... let's be a little honest here. Technology is all consumer inspired and marketing driven. And right now with every other ad being about the latest and greatest crossbow, they are receiving the consumer attention and dollars needed to spur on a new wave of technology with no end in sight. So I don't care if crossbows have been around since man began to eat meat, there is no honest doubt in anyone's mind that there is a modern day new wave of interest in research and development of crossbows. So, I really don't have a clue, nor does anyone else, as to what a crossbow will look like or do in the future. But we are getting a few clues from some of the You-tube innovations on display on the internet. Like I said, they have a whole new platform to invent off of now, and the dollars and consumer interest to propel that technology forward. You ain't seen nothing yet.