Five Seasons

I'm a firm believer that cover scents are bad. they introduce a smell that may seem normal to us, but could still be foreign to a deer. apple, pine, dirt could all be foreign to your hunt and even have an unnatural smell. no scent is better than anything. That said, I like crossing a crick bed or walking through mud to hike in. to me that's more instant and natural cover scent.

correct, but if you're not going to want that scope on your gun when shoot ducks, or a slug scope when hunting turkey either. regardless, you should put a few rounds of anything down range before you start any season. Only once have I needed to readjust my red-dot after taking it off during duck season.

i just did a quick google search. the meat of the article is still a good reference for the OP.

I am very thankful to have a family of bow hunters to guide me in the sport growing up. They accelerated my knowledge, but still most of what I've learned has come from time in the field. There are many things in life I'm passionate about or good at that I didn't have a mentor for. Working on cars, riding a motorcycle and golf to name a few. And like you first time bowhunters in this thread I learned by reading and practice. Would have been nice to have mentors in those fields, but simply not having one around wasn't going to stop me either.

I think everyone has a different level of challenge. And at some point you need to draw the line. I believe for decades now, the majority have agreed that a verticle bow was enough of a challenge. Weapons aren't the only limitation. You can challenge yourself by hunting public land, you can not play the wind, you can not do any scouting, you can stalk, you can stink and make noise. At some point, you have to decide what's "challenge enough". And it's different for everyone.

that was my thought... but still.

very bad advice. using a phone and gps still doesn't mean your property info is the latest. He very well could have just purchased that chunk. But of course, there's a good chance he's trying to pull a fast one too. So, To the OP, stick with your original goal of getting clarification from the ranger.

strictly because some say the stick and string is more likely to wound than the firearm, then we should just start guns a blazing on day 1 right? I mean, it is about population control only right?

If moms not happy, nobodies happy

Still hard to say that's crossbow or guys using their time when the rut is kicking in.

http://www.guns.com/reviews/mossberg-835-ulti-mag-pump-action-combo/

A pile of apples and corn of course

As a father of a 3 year old and 9 month I can assure you that you're doing the right thing. You'll have many, many deer seasons, but your time with family at that age is a 1 time shot!

Keep in mind too the 835 is bored out vs the 500 that isn't. The 500 will really pack a kick with 3.5's. There are plenty of package deals and variations of the 835 so check mossbergs website. I believe not all can shoot a 3.5. Gander and dicks will run sales too. Please don't spend under $100 on a scope. You'll regret it and end up buying a better scope later.

I have an 835 utilimag in camo. 2 barrels and can hold a 3.5. All for $550 iirc. It's not as solid as my browning auto slug gun but also nowhere near the cost. I've had good luck and recommend it. Barrel Change is easy, but keep in mind you'll need to resite your scope or optics. With a rifles slug barrel and the turkey and duck barrels you can basically hunt everything in NYS.

I mean I can understand people not on board with bashing a guy... But down right supporting and congratulating an illegal harvest? One with zero remorse or excuse? That's new for this place.

legal hunting hours don't require a fine tooth comb. even if they dont make sense. If you've hunted since 6th grade then i'd hope you would have known that by now. You're going to get more crap about your attitude than the mistake. Thankfully no deer were wounded, but take your lesson learned with your middle finger down. and skillet shows his true colors again as well. There's a difference between letting it go and condoning it.

oh dear... I was going to comment about rubbing old deer piss on your boots till i read that.

not good. competition is good for the consumer.

it really only takes a few hours a week tops to train with your bow. Start in august when you can shoot till almost 9 at night. shoot a dozen or so arrows 2 nights a week. when you feel good about where you're at during the season, shoot a 1/2 dozen arrows or so once a week to keep the rust off during the season. What this means is you might have to make a choice between having a beer with buddies after work, reading that book or watching that game or show. Again, I'll ask what do you want more? My last season and 2 seasons prior were very much shortened by the births of my sons. I didn't whine about it. It's life. If you can spend any amount of time hunting, you certainly have time to practice. I'm truly sorry you have/had to work 2 jobs or just don't have the free time others do. But I guess that's where America's heading right? If I can't do it, either A. Make it easier for me or B. Limit those who do.

I'm done with you. You hump your crossbow more than I've ever seen anyone slurp anything. And your whole reason for it? One shot that was guided by Jesus. I'll hunt how I want, can you just for the love of God stop posting the same freaking picture and quit talking about your Jesus arrow if I leave you alone? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well I guess you're not open to advice because you've mastered it. I don't care how long you've hunted, we can all learn. I'm not saying you should post all your failures, I'm just agreeing that most of the attackers aren't any more perfect than the rest. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well it is prime time now as well Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I think I enjoy the post trap pics better than "in the trap". Just me and not intended to start anything.