wooly

That's another scenario the sling comes in handy if you're one of those guys like myself without a wheeler and have to DRAG your deer out. There's just no easy way to do that with a bow in your hand even if you use a harness to drag.

I've got one that clips on the riser and has the shoulder strap. I like it for taking a load off while hiking in to those distant stands, and it lets me keep my hands warm in my muff on my way in and out. Actually spotted a nice buck working a scrape on my way in today while I had the sling on. Really no big deal opening the push button clips and shedding the sling to ready for a shot. No more extra movement than nocking an arrow IMO.

I'm hoping I'll have time to do one more of my own creepier designs instead of this traditional stuff,lol

Little fawn taking a dip earlier this year in May or very early June if I recall... Swam upstream against a swift flooded crick current like it was nothing. Couldn't have been more than two or three weeks old at that time.

I've never been to one of those before, but I've seen some videos of similar speed carving competitions with the auction at the end. I believe that's the same way they run a portion of the Ridgeway show in PA, but I hear a lot of that show has changed recently compared to years past as well. I prefer to take my time when I work on a piece that I'm really getting into. Of course I'm still in the infancy stages of this saw carving stuff, so that could all change some day as I gain more experience.

I don't really think of this as a business for me, but I started a Facebook page for all my carves that I named "Woolygoats". I usually carve and burn that name somewhere on the bottom or base of the piece. Eventually I'd like to have a branding iron made so I can just heat it up and stamp them all the same, but I need to find someone who can make that for me.

Thanks guys! Dom- I did this one for $350. I believe the wood is white pine, but I'm not 100% certain. Might be yellow. I don't get any more for a solid oak carving than I do a pine or hemlock. The wood is anything I can get for free so I don't charge any extra for the fancy stuff.... yet!

Got the latest chainsaw bear stained and sealed, now just need to take care of a few finishing touches.(eyes, fingernails, toenails.., and getting paid) On his booster base he stands 57" tall and took me a week to the day.

I haven't been out hunting more than a 3 fingered man can count on one hand. Instead I've been keeping busy with my saws as anticipated. I had a few requests to show a little of what I've been up to lately with this stuff so here's a few of the latest. I was looking for a quick carve that I could unload at an affordable price, so I came up with these bear heads that have turned out to be a big hit much to my surprise! I can't make these things fast enough, and I've gotten to making them pretty damn fast,lol I have another project coming up for a friend involved with an animal rescue shelter, so I've been kicking around a few doggo ideas for that as well. So one day I grabbed a log and found this sleepy little hound dog in it. He's still not finished, and needs some changes to the next attempt, but the idea is taking shape and he didn't turn out too bad for a quick first shot. And most recently I had another lady request a 4 foot bear. This guy's a beast, and much chunkier than he appears. She wanted him to be "meaty" and as realistic as possible. I'm still working on this one, and trying to pay close attention to some of the less obvious details I've been overlooking up to this point for a realistic look. I think he's coming along nicely so far and just hoping once I add color, it still shows through, and doesn't take away from any of the extra I'm putting into him. Anyhow, hope you all are enjoying your season so far!

Plain and simple MOVE IT! If you're seeing activity or patterns just out of range, move that sucker mid day and it'll be ready to hunt that evening or IMMEDIATELY if you got nowhere else to be. I've done this in the past and have killed within the first hour of my first sit in the new location MORE THAN ONCE. On the other hand, I've also ruined a few set ups this way,lol I think back to the days when our group was just a bunch of impatient stump sitters bouncing around from spot to spot throughout the day disturbing everything in the area, but most times always killing our deer. IMO, being too timid in the deer woods once you notice a pattern is one of the biggest contributors to deer growing older and unfilled tags. We tend to believe that deer notice our every move out there and are always watching us, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Make sure your new set up has the wind in your favor though. Sometimes moving just a matter of 50 yards can change EVERYTHING when it comes to your stink staying out of their nostrils

LOL- it was bad enough that 2 out of 3 arrows had no head whatsoever, and the final one I plucked from my quiver was the only one that even had a field tip. Just this past weekend I was doing a little in season scouting checking on sign in the old orchard. On my way there I set my bow down by a tree I was looking over to hang a stand. I made my way into the orchard and had a look around for a bit and then decided I'd seen enough and would come back in the morning to hunt my regular spot then move some stands around for the evening. I make it all the way back out to the road before I realized my bow was missing! I said screw that, I'll pick it up in the morning. Morning came and there she was laying in the darkness right at the base of the tree where I left it. Needless to say I'm off to a REAL rocky start this year,lol. I'm just not into it like I used to be anymore.

I figure no one would believe me anyhow if I said I went out without any broadheads on my arrows, so I'll go with THAT,lol

I hate to break it to ya PAL, but you better get control of YOUR woman!

A friend was telling me they have a wall full of these things down town at the holding center. I wont mention his name to protect the identity of the INNOCENT!

It's probably just Paula.... she stalks me all the time too,lol

Nice ones guys! They call those little bears in the stumps "quick carves" because there's not much to them besides the head. Good money to be made on those if you got the right market! Those benches are definitely something I want to get into soon. I'm thinking this is going to be a cool outdoors winter hobby even when the snows pile up! At the very least I plan on building some inventory through the winter months.

Ohhh yeah...., those WERE the good old days, when you used to be able to call your G/F and your wife couldn't check the call history,lol

Cluster of lawn stump beauties I have no clue about!

That's gotta be one of them hybrid coyfox! Body of a fox with the appetite for deer like a coyote!

I think if you killed tat buck in November you'd probably be saying 3.5 without much doubt.

Sorry for your loss John.

One in each boot!

That's sharp! I've always wanted to get a coyote mounted, but just about every one I've seen from our local taxis here has that squinting, slanted, cross-eyed, deer in the headlights on a bad acid trip look on its face.

Haha- that's funny right there! Looks like I released this one just in time before anyone could accuse me of plagiarizing something off the Survivor set! That's actually the full body version I'd like to make a few of. Well, thanks for following along with my latest hobby everybody! I'll try to give you all a little break from this stuff now that deer season is about to get under way. I've still got a few bigger critter carves in mind that I think you all might enjoy once I get my wood situation sorted out, but I'll let everyone be for now to focus on hunting until then!

I have a very strict criteria for what kind of buck is a shooter to me. Requirement #1 is it must have some kind of antler....even better if it has TWO antlers! That's really my ONLY requirement. Most of the time I'll shoot for something within this range!