Five Seasons

the faster the bow, generally the louder it will be. that's why a lot of the older matthews are still popular.

That makes sense. If you have a "hit list" then I get that completely. And I agree and understand the self satisfaction with taking an older deer. As far as venison, I didnt say they tasted bad. I said worse. In my opinion a 1.5 year old is the best tasting deer in the woods... again assuming after the shot was all done correctly. I for one believe that any archery kill is one to be cherished. For how close they must be, for how you must calm your nerves, for how you must wait for the right moment to draw, for how you have to play the angle of the shot. There is nothing better and anyone who has been hunting less than 15 years and even those that have been hunting longer should be thrilled with any kill.

hard to tell. it's only the second time the state has had it. And the first was a very rainy, crumby weekend around my area. I don't believe anyone can call it a success or hinderens until it's been around for a while. Still what bothers me the most is the DEC claiming it a success on the cover of their rules/regs book. I still would like to know what their goals were, what their target was. It's easy for them to claim something they come up with a success. But what were the measurable?

for me i'd prefer the quietness of an electric. but as mentioned, it depends on your terrain.

the switchback xt is still one of matthews best selling bows. While the letoff is not as smooth and it's not as fast as some of the newer bows it's quite, simple and great shooting. There's something to be said for no frills, basic and reliable in my opinion. I shoot the original switchback and bought it 6 years ago with a site and wb and nothing else on ebay for $500 something. I think that's not a "good deal" but not bad. If I remember correctly the xt is a little shorter limb and a few fps quicker.

i posted first. you followed me. lets stop our teenage girl arguing and let the topic get back on track.

so here's my sincere question to you both. WNY; why is age the most important thing to you? You'd rather have a more mature 1/2 rack then a nice 8? Fantail, you just prefer a bigger bodied deer then a nicer rack? If this is because you get some more meat, I guess I buy that but generally the bigger and older the worse they taste (depending on season).

such a good point. under some ARs this 3.5 year old big 6 that a lot of guys would mount would be outlawed. And it's so hard to tell when all you have a second if they're beyond the ears or not. ARs are tough really.

i like my hand warmer more than a thicker glove. but I also have one of those convertible mitten pair of gloves that allow you to wiggle your fingers around and then peel back the mitten and free your fingers to do things. I think they were like $20 at dicks. cant go wrong with a lot of the gortex stuff either.

you should read the rest of my post, and stop quoting yourself. Like I said, I'll post my pics of my deer at the end of the season. You may change your tune on how you judge me as a hunter.

every time? I'm not sure I buy any argument to "aim high" or "aim low" unless you're proficient with one pin and that's how you correct for distance. But to aim "off" because the deer is moving or If you think the deer is going to "jump the string" don't take the shot. Your chances of aiming low and then wounding if he doesn't do not outweigh the chances you correctly judge him ducking. a little concerned that you "switched to aluminum arrows" too

interesting. I have never had it happened... but I'm not sure I've ever shot at one that was "staring" at me either.I'm not sure any silencers would even make a difference.

so this is a good point. In my situation I had 4 bucks in the area at the time. First to present a shot was the spike, then came a nice 6, but behind the 6 I could still see the 8, but there is no guarantee he comes through. Later in the day, out comes the big 6. So to add to the question... do you take the first shot, knowing that in this case a bigger deer is right behind. But there's no guarantee he comes through.

5 or 6 shots near your fields are generally duck or geese. loan or 2 or 3 shots in the hardwoods are generally deer or turkey. a loan or couple 22 shots are generally squirrel. it's not that hard if you know your land. Not a lot of duck hunters in the hardwoods.

too hard to tell from pics, but a body is too hard to tell buck from doe. It's easier to tell by facial structure, but there is def. something going on there, buck or doe.

My thoughts are that he probably didn't move as much as you thought he did... and at 25 yards he may not have moved hardly at all. Were you aiming at the neck? That's a tough shot...

This question is mostly aimed at hunters who may pass on smaller bucks, or have the time and land to be selective. I had a situation this last weekend. Big thick beemed six. Probably a 3.5 going by his body size, and a wide 8 point, smaller body and probably 2.5. Got me to thinking. when you're a picky hunter... Would you shoot a 2.5 with a bigger rack or a 3.5 bigger bodied deer? Meaning the rack may be more important that the size of the deer. Is a taller and/or thicker beam more important to you then points or spread? Do you prefer symmetry over maybe a unique rack or vise versa? Please don't turn this into a thread that it was not intended to be.

i didn't see that thread, and it sounds like perhaps his way of going about it may have been wrong. But educating someone ESPECIALLY YOUTH, when perhaps they don't have someone in their life to help them out is hardly a bad thing.

lol. deer i do not see. hunt phone charger. you recommend?

that's tough to hear. I hope drugs or alcohol weren't involved. any links to the story?

I believe her point is that a lone gun shot in archery is easy to report. But during youth it's hard to report when it could be legitimate. I see and hear this kind of stuff around me as well, but that's not my biggest concern with the season. For me, I still don't see how this is increasing recruitment or resembling reality. Any youth who would sit in the woods with a gun in october is going to do it in november too.

except for the season that is affected by the hunt has been increasing in numbers for years... we will and do gladly share it with any 14 year old bowhunter. if you really need an answer to that, you haven't hunted a lot of gun seasons. A deer 1 week into gun season is nothing like a deer a day before opening day. There was a bunch of shooting from the neighbors north of us. Sounded mostly like 20 gauges. But I hate when I hear 2 or 3 shots at a burst. Hope the kids got their deer at least. Bunch of bird hunters to the east. You can tell the difference. One is in the fields, the other the hardwoods. My father intentionally hunted one of our most northern stands. He had does running spooked and blowing even before the guns went off.

thanks for the weather update grow

sounds like you should see a doctor and not an internet forum.

that rack in the back is freaking awesome!