Five Seasons

a lot of times the power company owns the lines and post them, but rarely enforce it. Legal or not I do not know as far as safety. But hunting posted property without permission would be illegal.

ha you're going to get a wide variety of answers. My suggestion would be to check out a local archery stores used section. I bought my matthews switchback used for $500 on ebay, but I knew I would stick with it. Everyones view of "not a lot of money" is different. But I dont think you can go long with any of the name brand bow companies. the trick is to keep the accessory cost down.

what do you guys use for weed control? mine is being overridden by weeds.

congrats. you say nitro hevi shot? i've heard of nitro and i've heard of hevi-13, but never that combo, thought they were different manufacturers?

for some reason i thought this was about NYB and NYCC haha. Anyhow, I've never been a fan of shooting different brands of arrows regardless of weight. yes it may increase trips down range, but it also decreases robin hooding an arrow. The more consistent you can be with with your equipment the less variables come into play as to why you may be off. Obviously this can get expensive, so it depends on how important your paper cup vs paper plate goal really is to you. I'm also a very firm believer in practicing how you play. I use an extra pair of hunting gloves to practice with and it's the same thickness as the one i hunt with. I dont want to use those as I'd stink them up and wear them out. I also often wear a bulky jacket and hat/facemask to imitate the cammo and gear i'll be wearing in the stand, which is also important. if possible set up a practice stand and always shoot from a similar height that you hunt at. This last bit I would recommend after you get some good groups off the ground and you're sure your site is good and your equipment is good. I will add that loctite is your friend when it comes to accessories and you should always have 2 anchor points. Mine is the corner of my mouth and my nose. pick yours, but always try for 2.

i wish they'd legalize them. I really want hunting to be easier for me and others.

so we had the bird that night and it was my first wild turkey. Was a little dry and tough but still delicious. And I blame that on the wife. Anyhow, she did pay attention to the hole and said there was an exit hole on the other side. all is well. Hoping to get a tom this weekend. we shall see.

all i said that was that i was skeptical. Simply providing another view point. I suppose it bothers me when several members get all excited and grovel at your feet. Even if your tactics work for you, others should know that it doesn't always work that way. So many factors, not the least of which is location go into what "2013 prep work" will work for any one hunter. I guess I just dislike when any one persons opinion or thoughts on any subject on any forum is taken as gospel. We all have opinions and some of the newer and younger hunters should know this. So please don't get all huffy and puffy when I question one of yours. edit to say I cant believe I sucked myself back into this when I said I wouldn't off to plant my veggie garden

busted what i believe was a hen as well. but thankfully there was another in a tree nearby that I didn't bust. Sucked in a jake and 2 toms. couldn't believe it, i may have had a mild anxiety attack seeing the 2 vw beetles coming my way.

well if i'm a goober, you're the great white hunter. -Belo out

nobody was home on Friday morning to take pics. I'm not a fan of posting just the dead bird/deer pics. You'll have to believe me or assume I'm lying but I am curious as this is my first bird. The shot blew his neck apart, but I'm concerned this might be a pellet in the breast. Is there anyway to tell for sure without digging into it? There's no exit hole and i'd hate to lose a tooth... tried to crop and zoom but not sure if that will help or make it worse haha.

that's what I hear as well. For the record I dont believe it would help all that much. My opinion is the loss of habitat like vineyards and thick brush being replaced by fields or subdivisions and of course predators are causing it. I don't know the numbers, but I believe unlike deer hunting hunters dont put a huge dent in turkeys. It's just not as popular.

I have a hard time believing they're bedding in the same area during the rut. They will certainly bed in the same area pre and post. I agree that for almost a year this buck is hanging out in the same spot is a hard pill to swallow, but again Phade I'll give you credit that if it has worked for you then congrats. Perhaps you can make me a believer with 2 more bed kills. 1 kill and then an "almost kill" can almost be construed as dumb luck. I've tried to avoid the arguments and I believe we're keeping it civil so far, but in your last post you make is sound like you've been keeping a gps on this deer. 1 month he was here, then he left me a note when i scouted and on it he told me it was cold so he went over there. There must be a hundred deer on my property identifying who is who is no easy task. Are you taking dna hair samples and molds of his hoof prints? The hunters and techniques you reference don't fly with me. People need to promote shows, sells books and magazines. So they "claim" a lot. It's like golf or exercise magazines, you can only write so many articles about curing your slice before you start reaching for other methods. Want to get in shape? You dont need all the bells and whistles. Run/swim, push ups, situps, pullups and diet. But damn... that doesn't sell a monthly magazine subscription does it? same all applies to hunting.

that's an interesting idea. I'm fortunate to have water around my spots. I can imagine you might have issues with stagnant water if you use a pool though. not to mention skeeters.

The DEC cancelled the 2013 fall or the fall and 2014 spring turkey seasons? I've seen some birds but I know others haven't. I certainly haven't seen the birds I used to. To clarify the question that I ask simply to spark a discussion and to make it as realistic as possible: there would be no guarantee it would help the population so you could lose your season without the actual benefit of bigger flocks to come. What say you?

got myself a jake this morning at 15 yds had some toms coming in but I couldn't hold off. my first bird and cant wait to eat him tonight. at least i know my guns not off

the microwave

i think that's just a seagull that walked in some mud

i've always bleached and burned. burying sounds better than burning though.

salt licks

hope to get more. nothing really for wayne. my wife wants to sit for the combo class...

you need to stop assuming that by one statement I make, that is all I do. I have 10 stands on 60 acres in 8f and another 15 on 100+ in 7J. Generally I can pick a fresh stand with the wind in my favor. Sometimes I'll go back to the same stand if the activity the day before was good, or perhaps I'll pick a nearby stand that might have been a better choice for the activity. But I do not like hunting the same stand several days in a row and when the wind and activity is right, I like that I can hit a stand that might be fresh or untouched for weeks. I guess I wasn't clear enough about mixing tactics based on a variety of variables. If there was only one way to hunt there'd be no need to have magazines, tv shows, books and forums. But there are many ways to go about it. I don't disagree with hunting buck beds in the fall I just don't believe scouting them in the spring will pay off, but I'll give you that i've never tried it either.

ugh there was no reason to bump this.

there is a free app by the makers of the forum software called ipb mobile. no charge unlike tapatalk and it works great.

you love to throw the 5 point in my face. that's fine. Like I said before I could have easily taken out the mature 8 point right behind him, but ethically and leagally I chose not to. In a different year without a newborn I would have passed on the 5 and then had my chance at the 8. it happens. My father on the other hand didn't shoot a deer last year because he passed on many 1.5 and 2.5 year olds looking for the slob that never presented himself. If you live your life in such a way that you're only going to shoot 3.5 year olds and up than that's fine. For me, I enjoy the woods and the hunt but it will always come second to my family. It does not not make anyone a better or worse hunter. My tactics? Pre-rut I'm hunting known beds and food sources. These are tried and true stands and generally the beds hold bucks and doe. At this time I'm heading out once or twice a week as I'd like to save my vacation time for the rut. Case and point my 5 point was shot on 10/20. It was my second morning and 4th time in the woods that season. I had already seen 2 bucks without shots and could have killed at least 2 doe each trip. That would not have changed if I had not had the kid. I'm just not going to put that much time in. And again, it would have paid off with the 8 if I allowed it, and did pay off with a 150lb. 5. It's a bedding haven stand and there's a big mature pear tree near by. The scrape had been hit over and over again. I would also generally hunt our hard wood stand as their pattern seems to show the runs are used more early season before the guns go off and the rut is in full swing. Can you shoot nice mature bucks on 10/1? absolutely, i know plenty who did last year. Can you shoot a mature buck on 10/31? of course. As someone else mentioned, you adjust your stand preference and tactics as the season progresses and based off the activity you're seeing, the scrape activity and where you're seeing more rubs. And I tend to hunt the wind more pre and post than I do during rut. Rut? I'm doing just like any other rut hunter would do. Post? back to pre-rut tactics. I've had some stands get hot when the corns up and not when its down. Some are cold when there's soy and vise versa. For the 3rd time I have nothing wrong with most of what you said. We will just chose to disagree when it comes to spring buck beds and moving from stand to stand during 1 hunt. But we're not hunting the same land, so what works for you may not work for me. And I say, whatever works for someone is what they should continue to do.