nyslowhand

I had an older style, it was okay. Did same thing you do, pre-mark or memorize 25 yard landmarks. Sold the old one & got the new ARC, don't ask why. Still carry it, use it when I'm bored, never have used it when a deer is approaching. Wouldn't miss it if I left it behind on a hunt. Money that would be better spent on a good pair of compact binos or backpack, or clothing, or ...

It's all about what you expect to see in the photos, the camera's overall rating and the trade-offs. Few different web-sites review trail cams, take those with a grain of salt. Couple of years ago I bought one that was in my $$ range and rated pretty good, I hate it!! If it doesn't have good trigger speed, expect a lot of photos of landscapes w/o wildlife in them. If the batteries drain fast, you'll need to be changing them more frequently. If all the performance features are great, but the photos stink - you've wasted your $$. Look at the photos guys post on this forum. If it's a decent photo there generally is a follow-up question posted; What trail cam do you use? LIke all other electronic "Toys", every year there is a new latest & greatest model? Very addictive hobby!!! Get 1st one, neat pics, gotta have a 2nd, more frequent trips to retrive memory cards, slideshows, burning DVDs, posting & sharing, ....

Definitely for lunch!!! Not so much dinner due to the wait only. Fabulous BBQ!!

Just so we're all comparing apples to apples; School taxes only (just received), vacant, ag zoned acreage, no houses, no buildings, no utilities on site, no improvements.

With a traditional rangefinder, true! ARC RFs take the line of sight (hypotenuse) and converts it into horizontal distance.

You anima!!

Mine was for 60 acres and I paid about 1/3 of what you did. Pretty much proportional to size. Bet other areas have a higher rate?

If you do the Trig you'll see the Angular Compensations are N/A for treestand hunters at a height of 20' or less. Exception is a straight downward, under the stand shot. Intutively you'll know he's not 10yds like a normal rf tells you. Those ARC rangefinders were developed mostly for extremely sharp shooting angles, up or down hill/mountain sides. If your stand is at the edge of a steep drop-off, ARC might be useful. That's for bow hunting. If you're already a decent judge of distances, save your $$. For shotgun/rifle I could see where a regular rf might be useful in certain situations.

Apples are a great food source for them during the fall and maybe even into early winter. Problem with them is when the bucks need the nutrients to grow big racks, apples are no where to be found. This is when your late spring & summer food plots or neighboring grain fields help them. Why I'm considering putting in some clover next spring. Not a miracle food source for bigger racks, but should help all deer.

I shoot the TC Maxi Hunter in 275 grain in my Renegade. Have you shot those? Do the No Excuses shoot better in your Hawken? I've dropped a couple of deer in their tracks with 275g, can't imagine what the 460s would do!!

Neat videos!!!! Are they from your Wayne County secret spot? Look like bucks I typically see; mature, big bodied w/o the rack to go with their age.

One of them may have won the battle, but I believe one also ended up in my freezer.

Excellent, professional looking photos!!!! Especially like the one with the two small bucks playing. Photos of does bounding were incredible! More, more, lets see more!! You've got me hooked!

You may be in the minority regarding the kills on camera. Heard TV hosts saying viewers wanted more kills per show & less discussion. I'm with you, also like the shows that talk about whitetail biology and management. My all time favorite was an episode about a deer's vision. Another favorite was about a buck's activity and why more 1 1/2 & 2 1/2 year old bucks are taken that the more mature ones. A show I really enjoyed and that hit home had a discussion about economically managing small properties and co-existing with hunted, neighboring properties. Yeah, I like seeing the big busier bucks with the gnarly racks and huge drop times stealthfully wandering thru the woods. Could care less if they kill them or not!

The Grabbers Toasty Toes (air activated) are the answer with decent insulated boots! Other brand didn't work as well for me, Hot Toes(?). During colder days I'll use the same brand hand warmers inside my outer mittens. Brutally cold & windy days I put one of their ~4" sq body warmers on my thermals between my shoulders.

Yeah, me too! Things are not as active during the day when there is a full moon. This is a proven fact that whitetails are more active at night time during the full moon phase. Just as an FYI - October 20 is the 1st full moon during archery season's 1st week. That should pretty much put a kibosh on any day time movements that week (M-F). Still , I'll be there and waiting. Nov. 17 is the next full moon. The 2 weeks before that event should be great, especially the 6th thru the 14th. Wait a minute, am I predicting the rut? Is this the right topic? LOL

That's interesting, sort of contradicting himself with the moving prime-time date per his published theory per the moons. In all my years of hunting I've seen it at pretty much that same time year after year, +/-3 to 5 days. Mostly influenced by the weather! When all factors are in place, they'll do their thing!!! Just be there!

Nice buck! Grew-up about 3-4 miles south of you. Never saw one that nice!

Recognize your opinion! Didn't mean to offend you if I did!

Amen!

As were flintlocks an improvement over the matchlock and fussil. Where do you draw the line in the sand? That's a whole other discussion!! Anyone follow other ML forums? What's the discussion between flintlock & caplock users? I own a caplock and if it were eventually determined that flintlocks are only to be used during a special season, great for the flinters!! Can still use my caplock or in-line during the other season(s).

Please don't tell me you guys do all your planning around these predictions???? Makes for interesting reading and makes you look at the calendar, but it's still a theory .... I'm still recovering from the news that Pluto is NOT a planet!! Don't traumatize me again!! lol I've gotten the consensus that most hunters bag their deer during the same timeframe annually. Yeah, it's according to variables, like the weather, where & how they hunt, food sources, etc. I'm going to be in a treestand during the entire season, as much as I can. When they come I'll be there. Not going to exclude the days that are not within the predicted prime-time. That's me and how I plan on hunting.

Are we still referring to a special season for flintlock or caplock or matchlock rifles with patched round ball and open sights? ??? This was the original topic/subject. Agreed! The current ML season for all ML rifle styles is fine after the regular season!

That's Charlie Alshimer's (Deer & Deer Hunting mag.) pet project. The 2nd full moon after the fall equinox deterimnes when the rut falls blah, blah, blah, .... He backs his theory up with semi-scientific data, photos, scouting reports, tracking of collared bucks. Believe he posts this prediction in September, must sell a lot of magazines. I'm not entirely sold on his theory. Have gotten a majority on my bucks within the same ~7 day timeframe regardless of any predictions. FYI - 2010 the 2nd full moon after the fall equinox ocurrs on November 18. Per Alshimer's theory the 2010 rut should be at its peak after Thanksgiving. Personally I wouldn't schedule any vacations around his guess-timate.

Sounds like it might work & a great way to save some money. I've had good luck with E2 & Scent-Killer. If it is something I home-brewed, not too sure I'd have a lot of confidence in testing it. To each his own though!