Five Seasons

sorry to hear that. For what it's worth my Uncle lost his leg above the knee when he was young. He has hobbled into the woods (actually down a ravine) with cane and prosthetic for years and actually climed into a stand. Shot some great deer. Just needs help getting it out. Don't let it deter you.

no reason those gun hunters can't pick up a bow too. I realize archery is not for everyone, but most serious hunters i know are first and foremost bow hunters. Most gun only hunters I know are good hunters but not as nutty and extreme as the bow hunter. More of a "meat hunter", "deer camp", have a good time hunter. Perfectly fine and acceptable in my book. So the later type of hunter wouldn't seem to be the type to get all up in arms about "less deer for me". I don't know. I really don't even care so much anymore. It's a fun debate during the off-season, but in the end I'm going to do my thing.

still probably pre-rut with some oddball doe in heat. But yes, activity is picking up for sure.

MZ without optics would be a pretty cool idea.

diet, post shot care etc. all affect taste. Had a buck copmletely bleed out from a heart slice. Best tasting deer I ever had. Gutted quickly, hung and cut up before it warmed. Then I've had the "lets find him in the morning" buck. taste bad. Then there's the vaccum seal or freezer wrap. early bow kill, end of rut gun kill are big swings in taste. so many things go into how venison tastes besides age.

why bump this? but I'll take the bait bubba. How did the compound ruin the season?

Had a cool experience last sunday. Had a wide beamed (typical 8 size) but instead no brow tines and just a fork at the end of each beam 4 pt. come in and hit the 3 scrapes in front of the stand. Could have shot him a few times over the course of 5 minutes. Anyhow, here is why I'm a believer in scent control. The deer comes towards me and ends up at the base of the stand I'm in. He sniffs around the screw ins. licks them and doesn't even so much as wag his tail. I wear scentlok gloves and obviously wash with scent free soap and spray down everything. He then walks behind me (downwind) casual without a care. Now this is 1.5 year old deer, but it's still cool. Last night behind my house (different property) very suburban i have people all around in their yards, 2 cats walk by my stand and then at 6pm 5 deer come into shooting range. It's amazing how they become use to the noise.

this isn't the 1920's. There are more retired old people gambling then there is gangsters and hookers. If the Indian's are going to do it anyhow, why not bring some more jobs and revenue into the state? They were building a beautiful casino near the shores in buffalo before it was halted. now it's just an iron beamed eye sore.

now you're just getting silly. Is the 3 point rule perfect? No. I've seen monster 4's that were easily 3.5's. I've seen basket 1.5 year old 8's. ARs will always be nit picked for the outliers, but truth in the matter it's the best you can hope for except for maybe implementing a 1 buck rule. And yes a 2.5 year old is still not mature... but shooting 2.5's is not the end of the world either.

no. sounds like a father and son talk is in order though. End of the day, he's your dad. I'm against poaching just like others, but it's not like you're contemplating turning on him for cooking meth, murder etc. My father has been hunting for over 50 years. He's shot some great bucks and as at the point where he's very selective and eats some tag soup. He spends hours scouting, hanging stands and understanding our woods. I think he is more happy that he helped me shoot a 2.5 year old or bigger than to shoot a wall hanger himself. Knowing he has instilled his passion for hunting in me and that he has helped me reach my goals means more to him than he will ever say. But it's obvious by the big bear hugs after a kill that it does. I hope I can even get close to doing the same with my son some day.

orange vest and hat. but not in the tree.

Imagine if they legalized crossbows

Ehhh... I'm gonna leave that softball for someone else.

Except for those who must hunt public land or pressures areas with the brown it's down club

Highly unlikely given the fact that he started a topic on a public forum about it.

By definition, anything that breaks up your outline is camo

There was a study done that disproved loss rate completely. First thing I do is wait for my knees to stop shaking. Then usually a call or text to my dad or family member that I hit a deer. No yips and hollers till I find him.

Fair enough. But the window is small . I've even seen them coral a doe back into cover

Statistically a deer is far more likely to survive a bad arrow hit than gun. Broadheads heal over. Gun shots don't. I would also argue an arrow wound is more deadly and you're less likely to hit because the deer must be much closer and not running.

I really wouldn't use the south as an example for anything. I suppose id be ok with minimum bow limits and not age. A deer is a big animal for a 9 year old to watch die, let alone 12. If you're still afraid of cooties I'm not sure you're ready to kill. But then again our govt believes you can serve and kill before you can drink a beer...

Lol seriously. Most 3.5's are mounters. A 6 is not sad...

great buck. problem is the time of day perhaps. some older deer will rarely come out during the day.

this thread is hilarious.

i think my point was that some golfers compensate for bad form with certain tactics. it's not the best solution, but if it works...

exactly. lot of assumptions going on here.