wooly

I have a reverse draw Horton Fury. I just have a lightweight nylon bag for storing it in since it doesn't travel anywhere during the off season. It fits with plenty of room to spare since the bow is so narrow compared to conventional x-bow limbs. Keep your string waxed, keep your rail lubed, and keep your eye on the target. I don't get into all the nit-picking I read about the way guys sight in, or the other particulars of how someone else expects a rig to perform. Once season rolls around I'll be on target as usual while others get hyper sensitive making micro adjustments. No need to over complicate things IMO. Launch a few bolts to familiarize yourself with your new rig and get it dialed in. The trickiest part is learning how to lug that awkward contraption to the woods comfortably, but that doesn't take long to figure out once you do it a few times.

I wouldn't worry too much about the hat. You need a new shirt there pardner,lol

I wonder why the "bigger dog" escaped unharmed...

Sweet job on the skull Joe, and the plaque is very unique! He'll be tipping them over for years to come since he has a special relationship with his taxidermist... and gets a family discount!

Thanks for the comments everyone! Glad you enjoyed the pics. Danno- these were all shot between 10 and 60yds with my 55-300mm. You can see in this series, the light was changing rapidly when that group appeared so I went through a variety of ISO settings and focal lengths in a short time. I'm finally getting better at that. I forgot to mention there was another bachelor group of 5 bucks on the far side of the field roughly 1/2 mile away but they looked like runts compared to these guys. Papist- this field has been a shed hunting grounds for me for almost 20yrs. It's off limits to me now for ANY kind of hunting, but photographing from the edge is cool. A lot has changed in this area over that time, but the last 5 or 6 years the drop off in deer numbers is easily seen here. It's always been a "community gathering area" of sorts for the bucks come July, and a great place to inventory them as they'd cross from one woodlot to the next. When I say there were 30+ bucks using the field nightly, I mean there were 30+ bucks out there all at once, so I know I wasn't counting any twice,lol

Is this an "O" or a zero...?

I used to see 30+ BUCKS per night in this field after the 4'th of July. Every year it's been tapering off, and now I'm lucky to see 3 or 4 on a good day! When I see more than 5 bucks, it's an amazing night now!

Back in the observation stand yesterday evening. Had a good flow of does starting around 6pm, then had a nice bachelor group of bucks stroll by me.

Congrats on little Kpkot Jr!

Thanks for the comments and checking them out everyone! Fehyd643- I only say that when I get frustrated when my gear falls short on some of the long range stuff. I wish I had a nice LOOOOOONG lens for those situations, but dumping a few grand on a lens for "fun" toys ain't happening. Also, I didn't spend much time on editing those before I slapped them up here so I'll leave you all with a few last bonus shots from that series that I put more effort into.

I agree .......................rob! Alcohol and the internet don't mix. I left my room mate alone one time and came home to find him passed out on the couch with a bottle, while logged onto my computer, under my user name. No big deal really, until I found out he was watching KITTY PORN,lol!

Last year I saw a male land on a shepherds hook. His tail was split/fanned out into a "Y" shape and he had some feathers that flared out on both sides of his neck. I only saw him from behind and it was the only time I've ever seen a hummer display like that. You inspired me to go out to try to get a hummer this evening and I did manage to get a few of one female. They're buzzing everywhere now that the rain stopped.

I'd like a pair of those in size 11 mountain lion!

Here you go... I'll bet you could chew 'em down a bit. I think this is relatively local to you, but I may be confusing you with someone else here. http://buffalo.craigslist.org/spo/5109583678.html

I like coyotes! After last winter, it became pretty obvious this areas habitat needed a few years to regenerate some new growth to support our deer herd. Now that the deer #'s and many other small game species have been cut down considerably by both means (weather and predation), the yotes will move on to everyone elses areas where critters are decimating the landscape through over browsing and overpopulation. We needed the break in deer as much as I (or any other deer hunter) would hate to admit it. No deer hunting for me this year to help re-build the local herd. and help it bounce back some. I got plenty o' meat in the freezer from times when deer were plentiful, but the decrease lately cannot go overlooked unless you're willing to take matters into your own hands..... even if that means sitting out a season or two from doing something we all enjoy. (hunting deer)

Looks like he's headed downhill...... right into the truck bed!

I could never commit to one spot for an entire season of hunts. (even if only one stand) Do your homework for the initial hang, and when deer behavior begins to change as the season progresses, you need to change with it. Sure, you can get lucky hanging off the side of the same tree if you sit there long enough..., but that ain't no fun waiting for luck to happen.

So I climbed into my observation stand last night and spotted a sneaky coyote several hundred yards away. He stuck around so long, I figured something was up. About 100 yds out he stopped and patiently stood there testing the air. That's when he finally made his move and began leaping through the tall grass jumping the buck in the first pic. The chase didn't go on for long. I believe the yote was hunting fawns and realized he may have bitten off more than he could chew! The buck would run a short distance and stop to look back to make sure the yote wasn't still on his tail. He eventually made his way right under my stand before heading off into the timber. He appeared again with another buck and they fed around the field for a while. They made their way off together and showed up one more time just before dark!

This is a horrible pic because they were way at the edge of my lens' range, but I snapped away anyhow. The story that leads up to this is the best part. I'm so happy to have been there to witness it all first hand! I'll load some more from this encounter when I have time!

I only hunt them with a camera. They have NO sense of humor, so the biggest challenge for me is getting them to show me that toothless smile!

Those are pretty freakin' SWEET! Definitely not disposables, but more worthy of stealing over a blue and white Bic,lol Do you spin those on a miniature lathe or something, or are they all sanded to form by hand from tines? One more thing.... how do you spread a "Super Glue" finish without the applicator sticking to the piece? You don't have to reveal all your secrets to me. I just wanted to show my genuine interest in a cool azz work of art! Outstanding job on these!

Start out slow and don't over-do it. If it hurts, you may be doing more damage to yourself over the long run and find yourself shopping for an x-bow sooner than you hoped instead. Keep your sessions short until your muscles get used to shooting again or you'll risk developing bad form/habits that may be harder to kick even after the aches and pains are long gone. You don't need to actually "shoot" to get back into shape. Using your bow as your primary piece of workout equipment by simply drawing and anchoring (holding) a few times throughout the day can do just as much good without ever releasing an arrow.

Looks like a beautiful place to hike around and take in some breath taking scenery and creatures! Climbing up and down those giant boulders would be a lot of fun but protect that camera. I probably would have parked my butt next to that rocky waterfalls and listen to it trickle for a while! Great shots from this area Elmo!

Hey look at that..... someone finally gave this site a shot of Febreeze! I can still see the big poop pile, but it smells a lot nicer in here already since everyone's not tracking through it at the front door. Is that lavender...,lol!

Sure looks like hogweed to me. Purple hairy stems on those plants? This is definitely the time of year for it. The forest of hogweed across the road from me is in full bloom and spreading even further throughout the creek bottom this year.