Five Seasons

real world can be so different than practice. I'd recommend you steady your breath and really focus on your peep before releasing and not dropping your arm. Your instinct is to drop right away so you can watch the action, but you need to hold it.

I make goals with everything in life. So far it's treated me very well in my career. Now, making goals doesn't always take a lot of time or anguish. I've said it before, when you step in the woods you should know what you're going to shoot and what you're not going to shoot. It will help prevent last minute decisions and poor shots. heck there's a enough time twidling my thumbs in the stand where I can come up with my goals. For example, this year I'd like at least 3 deer for my freezer as that's generally what my family will eat. I hope of those 3 to have at least one 2.5 or older buck. If I fail, I don't lose sleep. Heck, even saying I'm just going to go out and enjoy nature is still a goal. Saying you don't care what you shoot is a goal. I absolutely enjoy hunting while still having goals.

i wont get in to a long thing about IP addresses, I'll just tell you that it's very easy to change your ip and even to randomize it. But for the general person, an IP block is a good tool.

still hunting in general is very hard. dont get discouraged.

I've always found the relief straps interesting. I am a safety leader at my site and we have fall protection here with the reliefs as well. I find with hunting and with maintenance that they're not in a convenient spot and can easily be wrapped up or twisted. Keep that in mind if you're counting on it to save you from suspension trauma, which can be far more painful and deadly then a fall. Again, I prefer the knife.

hang on. the transition from climbing stick or screw in has the highest risk for error. I don't fall asleep in my stand, so generally even though I'm tied off I never feel there's much risk of falling out once I'm in.

i believe my dad gets all his from dicks. If you have a ladder or permanent stand just buy a bunch and attach them a few feet above where your head would be if you're standing. That way if you fall you dont fall too far. Ideally you want to just fall and be "caught". Work your way back to your climbing sticks/ladder/screw ins and climb back in. Be sure to loosen them a little every season as well as your stand and sticks as the tree grows. this isn't the brand we have but you get the idea. http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/quick-connect-treestrap-3-pack/

that's what i love about the spider. 2 quick connect buckles at the legs and a small plastic connection at the chest to keep it secure. on and off in 10 seconds.

ip blocks are good for most people, but all you need is a work computer, phone or even a vpn and you're around it. I doubt this guy is trying to get back in though.

never shipped anything till i've been paid first. as far as ebay goes. not a fan of the huge cuts they take.

That thing is terrifying. I'm not sure I'd even try to arrow it. He might just laugh at me and come up the tree.

awesome buck. I might be bummed about being tagged out so early in bow season though haha! go fill the freezer i guess.

i had a good shot on an 8 point a few years back, but angling towards me so the arrow went out the back and guts. deer was dead as a fart 100 yards away but little no blood as the exit wound plugged. Took about 3 hours to find, using a grid search. Could be what happened to you.

I'll be honest. Climbers are not for the large. You really do need to be in good shape and not too big in the belly. I'm an athletic 6'1 and still find them a bear at times. And the sweat... but to answer your question, i've enjoyed my summit sd for the price. I've heard nothing but great things about lone wolf but they're pricier. to me it comes down to safety more than comfort. I had a cheap f&s and did not feel safe at all. when up only twice in it before it went away.

great story and getting a shot on a deer while still hunting public land your first day are very, very low. I consider it a success and a lesson learned. Glad it was a clean miss, because a bad shot can really put a damper on your spirits. welcome to the fun!

i admittedly don't use a lifeline, but i use a tieoff up top. admittedly the sketchiest part is climbing in and out of the stand and where it's most needed.

we've mentioned that plenty of times. This isn't a government owned and operated site where your freedoms are being trampled. It's private and they can do as they please. There are plenty of political forums who would gladly take their posts.

I've used both the hunter safety and the spider. Spider is hands down better and more comfortable for me. http://www.robinsonoutdoors.com/tree-spider/speed-harness.php Wear it under my outer layer and use the tree rope with my climber http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/rope-style-treestrap-1/ about 6' up i put the rope around the tree and then as I go i unsinch and resinch. keep your knife handy, if you do fall in a climber you have nothing to climb back into and now you're suspended. With a knife you can cut free and slide or at least plan your jump down.

thanks old friend. it's been a while since you and I had it out? how's the lighting business?

i've never blanked. I personally don't have those feelings about deer hunting. That very same year I stuck a nice 2.5 year old with my bow. I've had those feelings in my personal life. I believe we all have. So, again I'm just saying that regarless of your own personal experiences I don't believe it's impossible or even rare for hunters to feel that way some times. Heck look at the guys lying and cheating for their peice of fame. totally with you. It's very important to sit back and remind yourself it's just deer hunting. I am a Type A, a perfectionist and whatever I do I prefer to do right. In life not everything goes the way you want. Not speaking about deer hunting in particular, but just life in general. I don't want to go grey by 32, so I sit back and look at my 2 healthy little boys and lovely wife and remember it's all going to be ok. nailed it.

usually in states other than NY, the crazy guy gets locked up and life goes back to normal. Here, the crazy man is still on the loose. I should be careful, my autisim is kicking in.

excellent trophy! nice work.

you know we're not. only mods can move threads. my point still stands. your buddy went crazy and ruined it for everyone else. You can't deny that.

but it's not a way of life here. many of the field hunters dont exclusively hunt them. Out west there is no other option.

im always rusty, but didn't forget anything. Didn't get as high in the tree with the climber as i normally do either. it's like the first motorcycle ride of the season. the balls will come. haha.