Shedder

very nice.

Great pic!

Great question! I have used Secret Spot for a number of years now in various applications and have found, just like any other plot, the more you put in the more you will get out. Its going to need a couple hours of sun a day to grow so pick an area in the woods that has a natural opening. Always pick a natural opening over cutting down even small trees unless you know your tree species!! Hate to lose a few young Black Walnut trees for no reason!! For your site prep its up to you what you put into it. They say a leaf blower is sufficient but I have found only ok at best results with this. Stihl makes an amazingly light yet powerful cultivator that is perfect for this application! Strap it onto a deer cart and your good to go anywhere! I don't think it weighs more than a very light tree stand! I have made some great plots with this thing! This was one that I put into a small wooded clearing this year and planted with Rut Time Tubers. I could not keep the deer off it...with this experience I will wait until much closer to deer season to put in a plot like this in again as by the 3rd month it could not keep up from the browsing! Typically wooded areas are not ideal areas PH wise for growing plots if your doing a 100' X 100' plot you should put out about 20 pounds of 19-19-19 based on a rate of 500 pounds per acre. That should give you a good boost the get your plot going. Watch the forecast and time it up so you are seeding a day before a nice rain and your golden! With that being said if you are talking deer that have large stands of woods...It won't take much green growth to draw them into an area! Hope this was a little help to you. Good luck and have a blast!! ~Matt

Well, No need to worry about that ADK hunting club I was looking into...1 buck a year will keep my early season dollars out of the northern zone... Kentucky is warmer any way! Way to push those dollars out of NY, NY!

Looks like a great place for a plot! Any idea on what you will plant yet?

Looks great!!

Man I love your creek photos!

Those are some beautiful pics!!

I guess the "my deer-my woods" perspective is something that has always puzzled me. It seems to me in the end this debate finds a way to trickle down to this very way of thinking. I don't know how to change those preconceived thoughts but with courtesy and good hunting ethics. I for one am excited to see these changes and look forward to shaking a few new hunters hands in the woods this fall. One of those hands will not be the person running this state who already told me I was not welcome here because of my voting history, stance on guns and abortion...

Excellent find!! Gotta love knowing such a nice one will be in your area this fall!!

WOW! That is a fantastic pose! Looks great and CONGRATS on your hunt!!

Not sure if this has been posted but too important to chance...This was on the Excalibur site today IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE ABOUT EXCALIBUR MATRIX 405 CROSSBOW RECALL It has come to our attention that the potential exists for accidental discharge to occur in some of our Matrix 405 crossbows sold after January 1, 2014. This appears to involve the sear contacts wearing prematurely due to a differential in hardness between the two sear contact areas within the trigger mechanism. As a result, the crossbow may fire when an arrow/bolt is in place, but without the trigger being depressed. At Excalibur, we have the utmost concern for the safety of our customers, and we are taking immediate action to address this situation by recalling all Matrix 405 crossbows purchased after January 1, 2014 and repairing them at our expense. If you purchased a Matrix 405 after January 1, 2014, please do the following: Stop using your Matrix 405 crossbow immediately. If you can, return it to the dealer from whom you purchased it. If this is not convenient, we ask that you ship it back to us at our expense. If you are shipping the crossbow to us, please call our customer service department at 800-463-1817 to address the shipping cost and obtain a return authorization number to aid in tracking the process. U.S. customers please ship your crossbow to either one of our US Warranty locations; Woody's Sporting Goods, 35 Werner St., Wernersville, PA 19565, or Horizontal Archery, 37432 Fifth Ave., Sardis, OH, 43946. Canadian customers please ship your crossbow to Excalibur Crossbow, 2335 Shirley Drive, Kitchener, Ontario, N2b 3X4. To ship your crossbow, please remove the front limb unit using the two riser mount bolts under the front of the mainframe, remove the scope and rings using the nuts which clamp the rings to the scope mount, and remove the quiver mount. The stock unit can then be securely packaged and shipped to the appropriate address for inspection and repair. If you have any questions about this process, please contact our customer service department at 800-463-1817. Once we have received your crossbow, we will repair and return it to you as quickly as possible, also at our expense. We at Excalibur sincerely regret the inconvenience caused by this situation, and we will strive to quickly and effectively correct the issue so that you can continue to enjoy your Matrix 405 crossbow. Thank you for your patience and understanding with this issue.

This is beautiful news! Thank you Rick for everything you have done for us!! Hey I can give up my Kentucky lease!

Lots of pics of this guy over the last two years...NO its an abandon Apple Orchard...

Doc, great response...I think the flood of people you will see will be those bow hunters who had to hang their bows up on the mantle either due to age or injury. The fact is the effective range of a crossbow is no longer than a compound and probably a tad shorter due to the weight of the arrow. Its still about getting inside that bucks safe zone his area where all his senses are on full alert. Its not a rifle or shotgun where you see him cross a field at 200 yards and put a bullet into his heart. He has to be in that same zone as he needs to be as any bow hunter. You here him breath hell you see his nostrils flare at your scent trail! This isn't something you just walk into the woods and do its the part of bow hunting that most of us have fallen in love with. A great gun hunter doesn't have to make even an ok bow hunter. To get in bow range is the challenge, the nuts of a bow hunter and that holds true if you are toting a crossbow as well. As far as the progress part and crossbow eliminating the pureness of the bow world. That pureness has and will continue to pollute archery on its own. That progress I stated was how the compound has evolved and continues to evolve...our compound is more and more a no brainer when it comes to a killing machine than we ever thought possible. With Today's bows a newbie can walk into a pro shop pick up his bow for the first time and be shooting consistent groups in no time with some good instruction. Is that bad or is that good? I guess that depends on who you talk to??? That doesn't have to do with, crossbows, guns or anything else but the evolution of the compound bow. I agree with you about setting boundaries for yourself. I went back to instinctive shooting on my late father's old lemon wood longbow. I pulled it out during the season and had a blast a few years ago! It didn't matter what the guy down the road was using as long as it was legal.

Nothing is stopping anyone from using a longbow instead of a compound. The fact is the compound bow did nothing to ruin the tradition of hunting with traditional archery equipment. It was the very traditional bowhunter who accepted and picked up the compound bow. Few the ones who walked away from the woods as a result of the compound...well seems like walking thru life with blinders on. So did the compound ruin archery??? Hell I think it made the industry explode! Not implode but explode. Again the choice is yours what weapon you use wether traditional or compound. What's next you ask? You will have the choice to use traditional, compound or modern archery equipment. Looking into the future you are asking me to do: I don't know but I imagIne we will see more forgiving bows that are even easier to draw, hold and shoot with zero bow shock. With arrow speeds of 400 feet per second, I see improvement in peep sights or the elimination of them to aid in quicker target sight alignment, you point at your target and your sight ranges it and the correct crosshair will light up on your sight for the distance that's what I see coming for the compound. It's called progress and archery is part of it.

Oh my it was a parallel to you demanding the crossbow hunter out of the woods! I don't want you off this site...it's just an honest debate! 6 posts has nothing to do with the logic I write. The fact is you are using the same argument that traditional bow hunters used against you, me...us as compound bow hunters in the 70's. You might question; hypocrite? A crossbow is not a rifle it uses a string to propel an arrow. End of story.

Sorry about your headache.If you don't want to look into the subtle style that is your choice. Would I be right to tell you to get off this sight for not wanting to put in the time & think about what is written before answering based on quick reflex? Again that is your choice and none of my business. It really doesn't affect me either way.

Ok here let's try this again...It's about cross bows are too efficient...too easy...ok how about that wording? You don't feel they belong in the woods with your bow because you worked so long and hard at perfecting your shooting form. Why should the next guy just walk in and use a crossbow that is so much more effective? My personal view is its not your worry what I'm using as long as it has the same characteristics of your basic bow. Limbs...check String...check Arrow...check Launches said arrow by releasing said string...check No bullets...check Two points were captured nicely here...thank you for the folks that made my point so nicely that the compound shoots efficiently "out west" up to 100 yards. I don't know about you but I think that would beat a crossbows top end??? My other point is not all bowhunters put forth the same amount of time as the next guy. Believe me I would shoot my bow ALOT through out the year...that doesn't mean everybody does. I saw it personally. It didn't make me a better person than the other...or even a better shot necessarly. If you are so concerned about the Whitetail...if you felt the crossbow was a better shooting alternative why not accept it as a viable alternative??? Again can't you see the compound bow had all the same advantages that you are saying the crossbow had, but actually did have over it's predisessor! The COMPOUND WAS MORE ACCURATE, DID SHOOT FASTER, ALLOWED FOR CONSISTENT ARROW FLIGHT, WAS EASIER TO DRAW AND HOLD, GAVE THAT "UNFAIR" ADVANTAGE COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL ARCHERY...and here we are 95% of us using it in the woods today??? My gosh it uses a string and limbs to launch an arrow in its simplest form you have to see that! So yes it was about the crossbow...and your argument.

Bowtech Allegiance 28" draw 70# turned down to its lowest of 47# to ease a mouth tab, Apex 4 pin sight, Trophy Ridge Whisker Buisket rest, T.R.U. BALL release or mouth tab, Easton Flatline D.O.A. 400 micro lites tipped with G5s and 2" Blazer vanes. That's my rig! I am a bow hunter...believe me I am not suggesting bowhunters are lazy and jobless! I am not here to put down the sport I have such a passion for! As a bowhunter I have to ask that you don't speak on my behalf. Bow hunting is not an eletest sport and for someone to demand to another to leave the sport is actually appalling. Why the hate? You don't know me. Really, you want me to leave the sport...ok you're right I quit! "Whining because I don't have time..." try again! Not about me or crossbow hunters... To get back to my point in my prior post...the more things you have going on in your life the less time there is for others...SOME PEOPLE lax on shooting their archery equipment! To say you know of no one like that is hard to believe...it's a simple truth. When the only thing you had to worry about in life was getting to the table on time for Mom's supper...there was a whole lot more time to shoot. Nothing bad about that now is there? Bow companies are coming out with new advancements every year to make it easier to kill a deer! Are you balking at your own bow companies for being too efficient making it too easy to draw back and hold onto a deer? Of course not that would be silly... "Typical crossbow pusher"...Thank you I will take that as a compliment! I'm a bowhunter that shoots a Bowtech Allegiance loves to hunt the Whitetail deer during the bow season and by the way sees no problem with someone choosing to use a crossbow to hunt during archery season. Again compound bow hunters did the same thing to traditionalist a few decades ago and guess what? The Deer lived and the woods did too! I will work towards shooting my Bowtech again but that's not the issue here. If it happens or not, that's for not. So as a typical crossbow pusher the future looks pretty good for the legalization of crossbows...I am a bowhunter who supports the use of crossbows. I am ready to speak Mano a Mano to my representitives in that support. I can tell you your hatred and bitterness will speak volumes in my cause! Thanks for your help!

I mean no disrespect So a crossbow is bad and doesn't belong during bow season because it's too accurate??? Honestly now, how many arrows gets shot thru your bow in the off season once the newness has warn off? Family, work, kids, life, baseball, football, kids...scouting, trail cams, food plots...are you really putting in the time at the range like you did when you were single and jobless?! If you are that's great! But you are just the cream of the crop. 2nd & 3rd pin 2/3rds closer to the 3rd pin...quick what yardage quick...any idea? Seriously! Did I get ya? It's your bow...are you really prepared to hunt with it? Again I ask why is it so bad to use a weapon that you say is superior in accuracy?? If that's the argument lets go talk to our representatives together. Cause thats the argument the Traditionalists used on your very own compound bows a few decades ago...it didn't work then either. It's not really the case as far as distance because my Bowtech has a much farther down range accuracy factor than my Barnett Quad 400. There really is no good statistical reason to segregate crossbows from the archery season. It has limbs like your bow, it has a shaft that is tipped with a broadhead and stabilized with vanes just like your bow, it can have cams just like your bow, it may have no cams just like your long bow, it is held horizontal just like the earliest of hunters held their long bow, a scope?? Yup seen those on bows as well..., For you bow hunters that don't like the unfair advantage...80% let off?? 350+ feet per second??? 25 feet high in your tree stand??? How long before your bows hold that unfair advantage? You have all but taken away the draw aspect of bow hunting already! So really if I am in a treestand 25 feet off the ground with a cross bow in one woodlot and another bow hunter is in another stand 25 feet up with his bow in another wood lot...advantage??? Nope just a different weapon that both release a string to propell a broadhead tipped shaft... Don't fear the cross bow! We are just like the compound of a few decades ago...DEFINATELY not evil just your fellow hunter!

Some day he may find him/herself sitting at home during bow season unable to use standard archery gear...wishing to be out there so bad. No this is NY and because you can still blow throu a straw...We can't allow you to use a crossbow to enjoy your passion once again!??? Don't be so quick and narrow minded members of the anti crossbow revolution. You are closer than you think to being forced to give up your passion, your recreation, your love of bowhunting! a simple slip, fall, twist or seemingly harmless illness can put you in my shoes...From enjoying the ups and downs of hunting with bow and arrow anywhere I could find public land and a tag to the realization that without the use of a crossbow I may never have that opportunity ever again! This tiny little organization such as the NY Bowhunters wants to take that away from me? Why? Thats your deer? Its your land I'll be hunting? I now hold my bow along the horizon instead of along the Axis poles? I release my broadhead with a trigger? Really? No its about greed plain and simple! Again the narrow mindedness of you is going to hurt your season in the long run...Crossbows will become law and when they do my fellow bowhunters you can accept it and share the woods with your fellow bowman or you can fight it and in the end you lose!! There are boatloads of bowhunters with situations like mine being forced every year to step away from hunting. Just look at the license rates they surly are not climbing! Either through aging or injuries and the crossbow is the obvious choice to spark a dwindling flame. Getting my fellow hunters back out into the woods! If you think you are going to take away my love of the outdoors and hunting with a bow...crossbow you are wrong! I am a bow hunter and I need to hunt with a crossbow! Now let me and my fellow crossbow hunters HUNT!!! Matt OP, NY

Its about time!! My boy is very excited to be able to hunt at home rather than travel to Ohio.