Five Seasons

i think sometimes that some hunters are just shooting at a squirrel or something because they can't hold off. The 3 to 5 round volleys bother me because there are little to no fields. What the hell are you doing You either hit him good the first time or you're going to wound him or waste meat with the follow ups in the hardwoods.

some swear by it, but i have trouble with cover scent. I don't want anything foreign even if it's pine, apple or earth. My philosophy is scent free is better than anything else.

pointers/flushing (i have used my golden to flush) is still a bit of a stretch for "hunting". I think of treeing an animal or running it down when I think of hunting dogs. every breed can have its exceptions of course.

i'll counter you here. I wouldn't consider a lab a hunting dog. They are retrievers used in hunting, but far from a hound or dog used to chase animals, not just retrieve them. again, i do believe your story. (most of them anyhow )

i try and clean out the fabric softener dept ahead of time and of course the lint filter in the dryer anyhow. We have front loaders so there's very little detergent anyhow. Regardless they all get an extra rinse, some hunt dry gold spray and sit on my covered porch for a few days.

it seemed to be worse when it was a Monday opener. Tulley valley sounded like a war zone. But yeah you still hear the pre-light shots and the rifles too even though they're illegal in the valley. There is always a relative near me that scares me good too. Opening day is so different than the peacefulness of bow, but it's kind of fun because there's like 8 of us family members all out in the woods. I generally enjoy saturday night at the barn more than the hunt.

zombie deer Shawn! Zombies!

i hate this trend in picture taking

if grow's story is true and i have no reason to believe she's lying, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with her defending herself.

what agenda? is it some product i'm selling on my facebook page?

it also prevents deer zombies. Head shots! yippie!

i told you I dont eat the ribs. barely anyone does. Enjoy your head shots and backstrap wasting. you'll never convince me or 95% on this site that only eating the neck and ribs while taking head shots is a good way to hunt.

what's the weight difference (it cant be that significant)? are we stalking of ground blind/tree stand hunting? I guess less weight would be better when stalking and the red dot would be nicer for quick shots, although i don't condone shooting running deer. But before my grandfather died last spring he continued to hunt with open sights. He preferred the advantage of finding his target quicker. Weight shouldn't factor at all when sitting in the stand. the extra weight can even be welcome for shouldering and steadying the gun.

i think you'll appreciate your scope in low light conditions and when you have targets behind some brush/twigs more than a red dot. Your .308 has an advantage in knock down power and may be more forgiving with a poor shot where a .223 could be less forgiving. I'm only a slug gun hunter so take my comments regarding the calibers with a grain of salt, but I firmly believe in a good scope over a red dot.

acc and grow make very good points and some of those situations are warranted and you have to do what you need to do. My only problem with any of the comments in the thread are regarding people shooting a loose dog that they know, or are pretty certain is a pet (lets be honest you can tell by their weight and coat conditions pretty easily) because they might be "screwing up their deer season". you have every right to be pissed. you should talk to the owner and animal control first.

geez man. good thing it wasn't a huge buck!

I avoid any days in the woods where the gusts are over 20. it's just not worth it and it's not just because your likelihood of being winded is greater. Hurting yourself bad is just doesn't pay back the risk. I try to choose bigger trees on windy days too.

ever deer and hit is different. I've had nothing but success with Rage... I'm not sure it's fair to blame one (although dead) shot on the head. You need a few sample sizes I think. Other than one bad hit (my fault) mine have all died in under 100 yards.

man first snow on the ground always gets my fever up again. After a long bow season, the colder temps and snow has me ready for this saturday!

agree 100%. I never shoot more than 2 dozen arrows in one session. I also like to move my targets around and also try different "speeds". A quick draw and release and also holding it for a while before release. I've had to do both in the woods. at the end of the day you need to shoot some deer. Every new bowhunter should be looking to shoot the first deer they see, and if you're against shooting small bucks, than shoot those doe. Build up your confidence. I have killed nowhere near as many deer with my bow as some of you guys, but I've shot enough. And my knees still shake like I'm about to touch my first set of boobs.

Taylormike, I do not think anyone is claiming he did anything wrong. The concern was that perhaps he could have planned better. Yes sh!t happens and it's unfortunate. Given the story from the original post that deer should not have gone far, so some of us question shooting it where he did and knowing a head of time he may not be able to recover. I think that's a little different than a bad shot where a deer travels farther than normal. I support the veterans 100% and have a family rich in military service, but I'm not sure what that has to do with deer hunting. If you don't want to be analyzed, don't hang your laundry out for everyone to see.

you sound like a winner. Where humans are tossing babies into the garbage and there is not outrage would be interesting to hear about. Pets usually get lumped in with the "innocence" group with woman and children. Like I said, my dog is well trained. But if we're out on a hike or he does end up in the woods and you shoot him. I'm f'n you up good. The jail time would be well worth it.

you sure do have some adventures. haha.

Agreed

You called me out for "wounding deer". Figured I'd set you straight.