nyslowhand

What always comes to mind is the phrase Albert Einstein is widely accredited with; Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity. For past 5yrs there has been the annual letter writing campaign to our representatives. Falling on deaf ears? Or is this merely an upstate vs down state majority rules issue? Then there's all the recent non-productive legislative sessions (years). My wish is that next year's bill only has one line item, refer Xbow usage & implementation under the jurisdiction of the DEC. Easy-peasy, KISS, pass legislation, reps look like heros when in reality only X'fering a hot potato item to an authority that knows the issues.. We'll see!!

^^^ Exactly!!!! I did the BH's log for a few years, until I realized I was supplying fictitious deer population #s. IE; Same 6-8 deer sighted regularly over ~25 hunts... does NOT mean there are 100s of deer in my specified location! I then began keeping a personal hunting journal with all the info I needed to keep track of deer sightings, movements, time of day, weather, etc. I have a pretty good grasp of how many deer are in my hunting area and I'm not going to inflate that with the DEC's estimates from the BH's log. If you want to do it.. great! Just be aware of what you're reporting & how it's used.

Hard for me to understand your logic here!!! Seem to be compounding the Xbow inclusion issue by adding what those hunter should be shooting. At least in my mind, these are two distinctly separate issues.

... and this has to do with the OP's original topic of Xbow legislation - HOW?

Wonder if this might be a typical scenario when leasing from a lumber company?? Clearly, with an absentee landowner, the neighbors might feel free to encroach at will. What Moog suggested is the correct/legal path, but getting the lumber co to confront this bully neighbor probably won't happen. They have their own agenda! You've got bigger kahones than I do if carrying a sidearm for security is essential and potentially ducking bullets is a high probability, all in the pursuit of hunting. No deer or bear is worth risking life or limb! Good luck!!!

Per recent email from NYCC; outlining their plan for Xbow bill in 2020 legislative session: Resubmit exact same 2019 bill and hope for a different outcome..

^^ True, but not something I'd want to test in court!??! I had a rider added to my home owner's policy for my hunting property for almost a min $$. Maybe one of our resident attorneys can chime in! No disrespect to them, but there are others that would jump at the chance of getting their ~30/40% of a settlement...

Gunsmith used existing D&T hole from OEM rear sight to install the red-dot scope. For whatever reason, he didn't want to D&T any new holes himself. This was ~15yrs ago, so maybe there are some better mounting options today! Not the most secure mounting, but when you don't have much choice other than hanging up the rifle...

Culver's process is pretty good. Only improvements I might add/use are: Know the rope string included with ladder stands? Throw it away and invest in some thicker, better rope. Secure one end between platform/last step before raising the stand. IRC, you need ~22-25' lengths pre-cut for each side of ladder for the typical 15-18' ladder stands. I always use a 2"x2" stake or crowbar driven into the ground on the outside of the base of ladder if you're erecting the stand like you do an extension ladder. This helps to keep bottom of ladder in place while raising it. This is only step where a 2nd person would be helpful. Once ladder stand is erect & against the tree, you can carefully make slight adjustments for positioning on tree & getting platform semi-level. When in place, install vertical brace and as Culver mentioned place a ratchet strap criss-crossed around tree just below brace. Then you can cinch the better ropes around tree and to ladder section between 1st/2nd steps, tightly! Depending how tight you have gotten the supporting brace, ratchet strap and ropes - now you can go up the ladder carefully. Depending on my nerves that day, I have even looped a long ratchet strap around the tree and gone up ladder while slinking the strap up with me. When you get near the top, you can temporarily put that ratchet strap in place just below the platform section. Just a little added security when you 1st climb onto the platform w/o any straps installed yet. Believe every one does this, but I use 2X straps, one at "claw" and other at base of platform. Reverse process for taking down a ladder stand. JMO, so take it or leave it - The rope string and flimsy ~500# ratchet straps included with most ladder stands are crap!! Give them to the landowner or a neighbor, they'll love your gesture! I always invest in ~1/2" rope and a min of 1000# ratchet straps. The 1500# straps are better, 2k# straps are the best. IRC, around the platform you'll need ~10' straps and a longer (IRC ~15'..?) one for supporting the vertical brace. These upgrades are $$, but IMO make the stand exponentially more secure. They'll even make a cheapo ~$100 ladder stand as secure as the more ruggedly built & expensive models. Only other thing I do that helps me where I hunt is to place a PT 2x10/2x12 & ~22/24" long under the base of the ladder. Keeps stand from sinking into the ground &/or mud. Finally, two people are not always better for erecting a ladder stand, unless both are totally in sync with each other & what's going on!!

It was a sacrilege and would make any traditional BP shooter cringe - I put a 2X red dot scope on my TC Renegade due to my failing eyesight. Even with that s/u my shots were probably within the ~80yrd range.

Please, NO pics!

Some one wake-up PYGMY, this is his s/u for a redneck joke.

Wooly, thinking about diversifying your chain saw art work into porn? lol

My rainy day gear choice - a Lazy-Boy.

Buyer be aware - you get what you pay for in a Xbow, to a $$ point. Obviously, if you're trying to get into Xbow hunting "on the cheap", you may be in for a lot of dissatisfaction. Conversely, there is no clear or exponential advantage of the ~$1200+ Xbows over ones $1/2 that. Lot of eng/mfg corners are cut to get a Xbow into the $3-400 range, esp with limbs, cams and mainly cheapo scopes. FYI - years ago I bought a recurve type Xbow for an anticipated Ohio hunt. Second time I shot it the string broke and launched an arrow into the woods. Meaning one bad experience does not make all recurve Xbows undesirable. Just for me it was an oh crap moment and I never tried another one since!!

Buyer be aware - you get what you pay for in a Xbow, to a $$ point. Obviously, if you're trying to get into Xbow hunting "on the cheap", you may be in for a lot of dissatisfaction. Conversely, there is no clear or exponential advantage of the ~$1200+ Xbows over ones $1/2 that. Lot of eng/mfg corners are cut to get a Xbow into the $3-400 range, esp with limbs, cams and mainly cheapo scopes. FYI - years ago I bought a recurve type Xbow for an anticipated Ohio hunt. Second time I shot it the string broke and launched an arrow into the woods. Meaning one bad experience does not make all recurve Xbows undesirable. Just for me it was an oh crap moment and I never tried another one since!!

I honestly haven't followed Xbow tech or bolt/arrow advancements for them in 3-4yrs. In the past there was a push for Xbowers to use heavier arrows. Mainly to absorb more of the energy released within the Xbow and not absorbed totally by the bow itself. FYI - With some carbon type bolts/arrows you can lose ~25fps using heavier &/or Alum arrows. Can't speak to the hvy wgt vs lgt wgt arrows & consistency. Never been an issue with my Alum arrows. Debate is an obvious carry-over from the compound bow arrow scenario. Same discussion about BHs holds true between long bow vs Xbow users. I've had good luck with the mechanical BHs from NAP, Spitfires. Know of others that use cheaper Chinese Rage knock-offs and have good luck with them. Lot of good fixed or mechanical BHs for Xbows. If you are thinking about the mechanical BHs, make sure they are rated for Xbows or you may get early deployment from the Xbow. Good luck!!

When all car enthusiast are looking for Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs, Roadrunners. GTOs from the muscle car era, this is the most overlooked one around. Way underappreciated, even for a 6cyl/3spd!!! Love them!

Yes, ... but you have to pay attention to the added s/h. Some s/h on a few ladder stands is minimal, while others (heavier ones) can get up to an added $50 s/h. Must be some certain wgt limit cut-off for difference in s/h. Also. the ladder stand packaging can be destroyed during (mis-) handling, so it's best if you're home when shipper delivers to insp it. Hardware can be replaced, but damaged steel sections is another issue.

All tree stand types have their +/- factors, versatility, mobility, convenience, safety, gun/bow only, blah, blah. Same goes for tree stand vs ground blind! At least for me as I have gotten older, my immortality has diminished and the ladder stand's safety/security are more appealing. You pick your preference!!! Don't you recall the infamous OJ Simpson 40mph chase scene on the expressway?

Learn me.. Isn't it the $$/photo &/or the $/mo service that is the determining factor to using a cell cam and not so much the cost of the cam itself?

Respect your opinion, but I don't think this is the case at all. If it were to be known bet a lot of Xbow hunters are vertical bow converts for one reason or another - or - gun hunters eager to get in on the prime-time hunting. Meaning ... the only pre-gun season added pressure would be from the newly converted gun hunters taking up a Xbow... I just don't get or understand the "easier" arguments against Xbow usage. The main squeaky wheel agreement seems to be coming from the die-hard compound bow users who probably have bows that perform close to what Xbows do, fps/Ke. I haven't heard much from the true archery enthusiasts still using long bows. That I'd understand. Admire you vertical bow hunters that spend hour upon hour, day upon day practicing to improve accuracy &/or consistency. Been there, done that & at 72yo - NO more! Conversely, also assuming the gun hunters that are against Xbows are the ones using near-sniper type rifles. I've read some of your posts about 2-300yrd kill shots. Again, not much anti-Xbow chatter from the true or authentic BP long gun hunters. And the anti-Xbow argument I saved for last truly puzzles me!!! It's not fair for hunters on nearby or adjacent properties to have access to an "easier" weapon to kill "my" deer.

At one time I had 8 cams out on ~70ac I hunted. Thank God for my ATV!! Yeah, like G-Man said, it's an addiction & you can get more photos of coons, squirrels, birds, etc than you get of deer. I do use cams to keep track of the does habits and travel patterns. And.. of course it's encouraging to get photos of BBs that are in the area. Not that you'll ever see them while you're sitting in the tree stand, but just the thought keeps you alert.

Ever wonder where those old frontiersmen were shooting the buffalo when they dropped them in their tracks??? IDK, so just guessing that a buffalo has one thick skull. Moog, IRC the 1:48 was the rifling (twist) when the cap lock MLs were 1st hand manufactured in the mid-1800s. Sort of carried over to the modern ML traditionalist. Not unusual for older style flintlock's to have a twist rate of 1:66. Thought process back then was to give some spin to the ball & improve accuracy over the old smooth bores as best as they could with hand techniques. Lot of modern inline MLs shooting sabots utilize 1:24 to 1:32 barrel rifling. What you're thinking is twist relative to modern rifle/handgun rifling, right!?! EX; Twist rates of 1:6 for an AR-15, 1:16 for a 1911 45cal handgun. Even rifles of different calibers have slightly different twist rates. The infamous Barret 50cal has twist rates of only (?) ~1:15, compared to my OTC Savage 270 deer rifle w/1:10 twist.

Caught me... should have said "towards", but the "away" quartering shot is still a consideration for best vital's path of arrow. If you don't consider the arrow's path into the vitals like other member insinuated was irrelevant with a flatter shooting bow, you might get a single lung shot even with the ideal qtr away shot. Not a big fan of the the TV show Deer & Deer Hunting, but they had an excellent segment on one show years ago. Showed path of released arrows into mock deer at different shot angles &/or deer's body orientations with vitals clearly (3D) displayed for better defining what we're discussing. JMO, something you'd better be thinking about before releasing an arrow.