nyslowhand

A very admirable & ethical choice on your part to not hunt if you don't feel "good" about it physically &/or morally!

For BBs in early October, you'll need night vision sights on your bow. But who knows ... just when you think they are super smart, they do something stupid!

Finding a rub this early in my hunting area is a rarity. If I see one, usually chalk it up to a buck trying to remove their velvet and not so much a territorial marking. Very cool and assuming encouraging!

Even the thinner leaf cut camo material has an odor straight out of the package. I've tried washing it before in scent-free laundry soap and it seems to help. Be warned - washing these camo materials seems to take a lot of the "stiffness" out of the material and makes it a little more fragile, even using a gentle wash cycle.

That looks super tall for a tripod stand. Aren't most 6-8" tall?

Me too ^^^! Is there any whitetail biology facts or science behind that observation?? Just seems contrary to a buck's known behavior. Think MOOG hit the nail on the head!

Strings get lubed with a waxy substance. Cables & serving do NOT get lubed! Rails get lubed with an oily substance. Per my Xbow mfger.

First thing is the deck needs to be washed and thoroughly dry before staining or esp painting. I used this on a ~25yo deck and it fills cracks pretty well. Tintable, so choice of colors.

Bowtech got some bad publicity several years ago when they got into the Xbow market and the limbs on some models began delaminating. Don't think Bowtech has recovered from this with their Xbows since..!??!

Another little quirk with the above scenario is that hunters in stands on adjacent properties can influence your hunts! If they are fidgeting or constantly standing/sitting while up in the stands & deer regularly notice them, this may cause the same deer to be nervous about the stands in your hunting area. I noticed this phenomenon a couple years ago when a new group of hunters bought an adjacent property to where I hunt. I'd hunted the same area for ~11yrs with very few situations where deer looked at the stands while I was in one. Even seemed to have been some routine travel routes slightly modified to skirt a stand area.

From a 15-18' tree stand I try to envision where I want the arrow to exit the far side of the deer's body and make the appropriate aiming point on the near side. All while envisioning the deer's vitals. The angle of the shot, distance and the deer's anatomy all come into play! For any new hunter, Deer & Deer Hunting has a shot simulator software that shows all shot entrances, exits and vitals hit. Can manipulate distances & both angles. Probably a good investment for a newbie bow hunter, either vertical or crossbows. Believe it's ~$15.

IDK the science or biology regarding a deer's brain function, but have to agree with Grampy about them having short term memory that changes their habits &/or travel routes. Could possibly be simply a learned response and not so much a cognitive (word?) reaction to dangerous situations. As far as longer term memory, sure the deer around where I hunt know when apples are ripening and annually travel 1/2-3/4mi to enter the orchards like they know what's going on. Having any other long term memory retention about human intrusions or interactions, think we might be giving them too much credit. If their long term memory were this great, every tree stand a hunter s/u would be a "one n done" scenario.

Agree with Swamp-bucks opinion 100%. Chances are BBs won't tolerate this kind of regular intrusions, but JMO the does pretty much stay put. Thus the old adage - where the girls are the boys will eventually show-up! It's been my experience on property I owned and routinely walk about or rode an ATV around, the deer seem to get used to the smell and don''t get alarmed. Of course, everyone has their own theory.... Again JMO, but it's difficult for me to justify buying property, paying taxes on it and not enjoying it to its' fullest!!

The anti Xbow lobbying group (NYBH) certainly had some influence over the Enviro Conversation sub-committee's members when they were rewriting the current Xbow regs. Although never documented, you certainly could jump to the above conclusion regarding NYBH's directly influencing the regs. BTW - this has been an annual battle for the past 6yrs by the lobbying groups, the anti Xbow NYBH and the pro contingent NY Crossbow Coalition. As much as you hate Czar Andy, he actually put a bill into the NYS budget a few years ago removing most of the current regs. Of course, it got dropped out of the proposed budget.

RIP. Ah, those miracle Mets!!!

You & me both. I wonder where these companies get their expiring new car warranty info... NY DMV, dealerships, ....?

Enjoy my time in the woods. If I see deer, that's a plus! To get a mature buck would be phenomenal, but not expected! Don't get OCD about having success with the sport, it is suppose to be fun, relaxing & entertaining.When I was still working, there was no better therapy after 5 mentally grueling days at work than to sit in the woods staring at nothing and having no expectations! As you can tell, I'm not a meat hunter, but back in the day I was expected to fill the freezer. So I can identify with those of you who hunt strictly for the meat!

The DEC didn't have a lot to do with the Xbow regulations as they are currently. A bow hunters lobbying group and some uninformed legislators made the rules. Believe the idea for the 17" width limitation was to prevent the use of some of the narrower & more "powerful" reverse draw Xbows.

A sort of rule of thumb - from axle to outer limb is generally ~1/2-3/4" per side. Not all Xbows, just most.

My prediction - Get out into the woods as much as I can!

Like a farmer described filling nuisance or crop damage permits to me .. "like shooting ducks in a barrel". That's not for me!!!

I have a hard copy of regs booklet, but also download the annual e-file to have available on my PC. DEC site where you can download booklet. Sorry, didn't proof-read title before posting.. Duh....!

It's one thing to resharpen fixed blade BHs, but to try and resharpen the blades on a mechanical is asking for trouble. JMO! I don't even reuse mechanicals after I've shot them once. Don't even replace the blades either! Just me, but spending hours and days in the tree stand waiting for an opportunity to shoot a decent buck, I want to be reassured my equipment won't fail me when the moment of truth happens. Do realize good mechanical BHs are in the ~$10-$12/BH range, but when I'm staring into the eyes of a BB, the $12 spent for a BH never enters my mind. FYI - Back when I was using fixed 3 blade Montec G5s, they were resharpened on a 2-sided flat diamond stone. Don't recall the actual grit of the coarse & fine sides, but 1000 & 1500 come to mind. Could be wrong!

To the OP .. are you referring to still hunting as what I interpret as sitting under a large tree or up in a stand for some length of time? Or possibly slowly walking around stalking game, much like the "run & gun" strategy of turkey hunting? As other members have mentioned, makes a difference if hunting public or private land! And obviously, how well the hunter knows the location!

Next time you check those cams, please add GPS to photos... Kidding!! Terrific BBs!