SteveMcD

Hi, Bill.. yes I do my own too. For me "Less is More" where paint is concerned. I've used FolkArt paints from Walmart but found better wider selections of Folkart paints available at Craft stores. I also found sharpie paint pens to work well. Mine is made from a 10$ sewing machine motor off of @Bay. I did use surgical tubing (actually fishing lure tubing mounted to the motor axle.. I use a small piece of wood with a 3/8's inch hole and heavy duty plastic that the shaft fits through to keep the shaft steady and stable when spinning.

Traditional shooter here.. both eyes open. Closing one eye sacrifices your depth perception.

Thanks, NYB.. I think so, so far... I've been hunting around Renessealerville for years. And have not ever seen a one.

Any decent Snowshoe Hare spots around other than the North County - Region 4 area?

Ex-smoker here too. I have noticed that I do see more deer now than I did when I smoked.

In the early bow season I use face paint, in the later colder part of the late season I use a face mask.

I've had my Buck 110 Folder for 35 years now. Bought it at the PX when I was still in the service. A lot of memories. A lot of game processed with that knife. I would surely miss it, if I lost it.

I'm in the woods Dawn to Dusk.. depending on conditions and where I am. I may still hunt during mid day. But I spend every available moment in the woods. Sittin' on the couch watching the Outdoor Channel won't put venison in the freezer!

I was using one of the heavily markered scents a few years back, and I watched as an old Matriarch Doe came by. She got a wiff of it. stepped back, then tip toed up for a good smell and she was spooked! Jumped back and ran off. I swore off attractant scents ever since. Quite frankly, ANY mammal urine is an attractant, even your own. Do scents work probably - sometimes. But I still say scouting and being as unobtrusive as possible and scent free as possible works for best results.

I think being as scent free as possible and scouting is what works best.

I think allowing the crossbow is about recruitment and retention in the hunting fraternity - and we NEED BOTH. I won't slam NYB because they do good things. I use to be a member but not anymore, for a couple reasons: [*]Foremost - Sportsmans groups fighting other sportsman is just nuts! [*]NYB represents less than 2% of Bowhunters in New York - so they are not "the voice" of all bowhunters. [*]They tend to take credit for many things that were really made possible by New York Bowhunters & Field Archers (NYFAB) back in the late 1940's. Long before NYB came along. But it is the constant alienation of other sportsman that bothers me the most with NYB. IMO - the Archery Season changed forever when the Hollis Allen Compound designed for "Disabled" archers was allowed in the archery season. And the reality is.. the crossbow has no advantage over today's compounds.

[*]Northern Mist Reverse Handle Longbow. [*]Northern Mist Reflex-Deflex Longbow. [*]Northwind Flatbow. [*]Howard Hill Longbow.

Broadhead cannot be Barbed and must have two cutting edges. It's legal. I know some folk who hunt with Stone points and they are also legal. Just cannot be barbed.

Well.. for one thing there are not really any traditional archery shops where I live. As a tradional archer I make my own arrows and get most of what I need through the same archery suppliers the archery stores use anyway.

Well I dsiagree with you WNYB.. I'll just leave it at that. ;D

Yes I did, except for the fact that the picture provided by BurmJohn in this thread is identical to the Mountain Lion scat. And there are plenty of I witnesses that would swear there are Mountian Lions in New York. I am skeptical, but willing to leave this door open.

It is mountain lion scat - http://www.bear-tracker.com/animalscat.html

Absolutely.. when upland hunting or hunting public or semi private land during the reguar deer season I will wear blaze orange. However, I tend to bowhunt all of the deer seasons (especially during the regular deer season I will hunt bow hunting only areas exclusively and as a result do not wear blaze orange).

I don't like lights since they do spook deer. Generally I wait until it is just light enough for my eyes to adapt to still pre-dawn darkness and walk in. In heavy hunted open to public areas I will use a small light for my own safety sake.

You're right about that, Doc. The raw footed shafts alone cost more the a dozen completed custom arrows. But what the heck!

It is a lot of work. But making one's own arrows is a passion at most and a hobby at best. I don't think it is ever viewed as work.

Doc.. actually Footed Shafts have been around a very long time. Even way back before the Compound arrived on the scene. They are not laminated. The main shaft is taperd and then the hardwood billet is glued and clamped to the shaft. Than a Lathe is used to shave the billets down to the exact diameter of the shaft. Aside from beauty, one of the functional advantages of the footed shaft is the front of center beneifit it provides to the arrow. http://www.hagersonforge.com/footed.htm However, yes there are Laminated Shafts available too. Laminated Birch, very heavy, tough as Hickory. There also Hex Pine which are actually multiple pieces of Lodgepole Pine ("Chundoo") laminated together also very tough. These are shafts that are typically used for traditional bows with 60# or greater pulll, because of their weight they tend to drop quicker with bow poudage any less than 60#

Nice! Those turkey feathers are awesome too!

These are made from Surewood Footed Shafts. They are Doug Fir and Bubibinga. Crown Stain with MinWax Black Walnut, Gold Bands and Black Border are Sharpie Paint pen. Four coats of Minwax Clear Gloss Poly. 6 Arrows have 130 gr, STOS 2 Blades, 3 have 125 gr Ace Hex Heads, and 3 have field points. I really like the way these came out, I hope to be hunting with them for a long time.

When I hunt with friends I always bring my motorola walkie talkies along. Since not all areas have cell phione coverage. However, I always have my cell phone "turned off" and in my pack for emergencies only. I was hunting one morning and after only seeing one lone doe shortly after sunrise, it was the opening weekend, the early season lull. At 10 AM I decided to text my wife... the reply I got was "Honey can you come home?! .............. (Never Again). ;D