Nomad

My first buck I killed ,back in the '80's came right out of a woods into a winter wheat field nose to the ground right to my film can with cotton balls soaked in Tinks 69 . That was state of the art back then! Think that was the last buck it worked on......

The stand I used today and saw 3 doe and 3 bucks, 2 of which were very nice bucks ,I put up 4 days ago.This is the smaller of the nice ones.

What used to work on older safes,was punching. You take off the dial ,and the spindle that it's attache to can be driven back with a punch and hammer. thus knocking off all the tumblers. The tumblers are simple disks with a slot in them,when all tumblers are aligned and you turned the handle ,the bolt could retract into the tumbler slots and the safe would open. Then they started to mount the tumblers on a bushing with only the drive wheel attached to the spindle,so punching no longer moves the tumblers only the drive wheel. So next you had to drill an inch or so over to punch put all the tumblers and drive wheel,but then they started putting more hardend metal there to prevent that method as well. Myself I would give it a go,but recommend most call a locksmith. And don't ask......

ThAt yioung buck just came back with a big friend ! Nice wife 8 . They hit some scrapes and locking branches staying in cover. Hope he's still lose and comes by Sorry for double post. Another nice buck behind me, he hit the same spots.ay have to sit awhile today .

ThAt yioung buck just came back with a big friend ! Nice wide 8 . They hit some scrapes and licking branches staying in cover. Hope he's still lose and comes by

3 doe early on. 1 bedded 20 out for a bit. Slowed down getting bored then young buck came in. Hearing noise on brush now

Yes. I've done both,some have straps around them,as I can adjust that to just the right height ,the ropes often just get tied off as fast as I can and are not aways at the height I like to be clipped into while on stand. Of late though I mostly stay clipped to rope. I'm also lucky in that my Dept. Switched over our bail out system,and we got to keep our old bail out ropes,I got ropes from a bunch of guys. Good rope is expensive,but cheaper then a wheel chair van I guess. It's something I've gotten serious about the last few years,age and knowing more and more who fell . If I fall at work I'm / my family is covered. If I fall in the woods I'm out of work,not that I want to fall,but it's a factor. I've also taken to strap on ladders and Sticks over screw in steps. The screw ins I find harder to find with my foot and I often seem to have a spacing problem. Since most falls happen climbing in and out I find my Muddy strap on ladder sections make that much safer.

Gotta be careful you don't mistake a kangaroo for a upright doe,the seasons don't run concurrent .

Oh course one should test it in some way,and it matters depending upon the vest one has on how. This does not mean jumping off from height . For what its worth Im NYS certified in intermediate rope rescue. Here's what I'd do. Every stand has a rope tied off above head height when I'm standing on it,this rope goes down to almost the ground and is tied off tight. This allows the Prusik knot to slide up and down easier. I clip in on the ground and slide the knot up/down as I climb . Most falls happen getting in or out of stand,clipping in once you get on stand is not smart. As for testing, I let go on each set up 4 or 5 feet off the ground to make sure everything holds,and see what happens. Here's is what happened ,on one harness I found I did not thread the leg straps correct and the slowly came undone ,on another I found that the chest strap went all the way up to my neck, the body really drops down in that harness when weight is hanging in it. The way the harness slides up also makes reaching into some pockets harder ,sure you can now reach your phone? I found it was hard to reach the screw in steps and pull my self up ,even though,prior to my shoulder issues I could do 100 chin ups in a work out ! I learned that by pushing away from the tree with a foot it made it easier to step on a step with the other foot. Some of this was due to being so close to the tree and some due to the way the harness rides up and restricts movement. Buy good rope,use a smaller diameter rope for your closed loop that'll become your Prusik, buy a harness that fits well and adjust it properly ,be clipped in all the time you'er off the ground. Learn to tie knots. Here's a really good link.http://www.animatedknots.com/prusik/index.php?Categ=climbing Carry a relief strap or another closed loop,with two Prusik one can climb up and down the rope inchworm style again if one chooses to do this the time to learn is not when one falls..... Thoughts and prayers to the one who fell.

Got up,opened door ,warm out went back to bed... Winterized my boat yesterday.

Those are FD ladders. Our 35 footer weighs 140 pounds,and takes two men and I prefer 3 to throw it. I'd imagine they'll sell for quite a bit too. Course once it's up you'd have a rock solid stand that one guy could never walk off with. Seeing that smiley face ,I think this may have gone over my head at first read.

Big game fish that's a good idea.ill also add this I hunt on private land,either land owned by me or my wife's cousins and all the tape I may use in a year doesn't equal one orange posted sign I put up. This year I bought another 200 more orange aluminum custom printed signs,to,fill in the gaps and replace some old ones.....

I glad you noticed it as well ! Your pics. have become something I seek out here.

Looks like a nice one! Congrats!

They'er impossible to pattern .....you set up between bedding and feeding ,and they go on a diet!

Not a trad. Hunter ,but I commend you for carrying first aid gear. We all have sharp knives and broadheads,and accidents happen. You can do a lot with gauze and some 4x4s,but I've taken to carrying quic colt products. Combat gauze and clotting sponge. Heres a link. http://www.quikclot.com/Products Steri strips are good for wound closing too ! http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/3MC3SD/Wound-Care/Steri-strips/

My oldest daughter hunts. Meaning she goes out a couple times in Deer season with me. Due to college she did not make it last year ,now that's she's working ( RN at Strong Memorial hospital) I hope she has opening day off this year! Even though that means I pretty much give up my OD hunt,to place her and sit nearby, I'd rather she shoots a doe then I big buck. Welcome and good hunting !

Those are the kind I need to come across......

My nephew lives in Nashville in an area over run with deer, this is his 9 y/o with his first deer a 5 pt. Shot at 50 yards out of a ground blind,during a week end youth hunt . If you take Fast Eddies deer with no back legs and combine it with this one....

Here's what I do. I carry a day pack, I took a old sleeping pad and cut a piece that fits inside the pack.it adds little weight and takes up next to no room. Now I always have a pad with me. Another benefit is if I'm packing screw in steps or other hard or pointy items ,they don't polk me in the back. I mostly use stands I don't leave the cushions on the stands,I pack one in,when I forget that one in the pack makes do.

What really spoils the wilderness to me is all those 11x11 orange or yellow signs people nail or staple to trees,I rip all of those things down.

I too hung a stand in my thicket today. Scrapes all over just everywhere,good sized prints a few rubs .between the nearby goose hunters and farmers cutting beans along thicket ,I was quietest thing in the woods . Clouding up nice,a good rain to cleanse the spot would be the icing on the cake.

Did not hunt,hung another stand in the thicket. Tons and tons of scrapes in there ! Goose hunters on neighboring land shooting up a storm,farmer harvesting beans along the thicket. Perfect time to slip a bit into thicket and hang this stand.

In the '70's you could not walk ten feet without finding a Genny Cream Ale can......

Some guys use it to mark their trails in. The only time I use it is following blood trails in thick brush,easy to go back and find last blood,get an idea of the line the deer is on. I try to take it down when done. What I hate are Mylar balloons , my spot must be under a flight path for all balloons released . I have found several ,they last for years. This year I found one of those Chinese balloons .