nyslowhand

Idle minds, huh? Greased strippers...really, dude! LOL. Sounds like an off season experiment brewing with sabots. Possibly a quick question to Hornady about a replacement sabot for your "once loaded" SSTs might be the economical answer you're looking for.

Enough input, here's the real "kicker". You've been sitting in a blind/tree for hours, even days or weeks and when the opportunity presents itself on a good deer.....Do you have faith in what you're using?? By no means am I a spend thrift, but I will not reuse sabots or mechanical BHs. At least where I hunt, these encounters are not that common and I'd prefer not to use one as a learning experience. Doesn't Hornady sell bulk pkgs of just the plastic jackets?

Are you referring to the same scenario Wooly had issues with, re-using sabots after being loading once? Believe the plastic jacket is the issue.

Sabots are all about the gas seal. Reusing one that has rifling marks in it, is asking for trouble. You can buy the plastic jackets and then reuse the projectile with them.

This discussion is about two completely different scenarios, year round usage & deep woods unintruded hunting areas. I use my property March - September for recreation or work-details. The deer get acclimated to my scent and what they conceive (over time) as not being a danger. Have even putted by bachelor groups of bucks and does w/fawns at 20-30yds while on my ATV. They never bolted, just watched me with concern. Areas that don't get much intrusion, then human scent is a danger alarm and may create an avoidance reaction. IMHO, to intentionally spread your scent in these "off the beaten path" areas probably would be counter-productive!

Absolutely amazing feat & big ole bear! Congrats!!!! Didn't think anyone still used flint points...?

Think you're going to find out that every model of ML has a specific load it shots well with. Even identical models may possibly favor different loads. The combo of BP type & charge or sabot style and projectile wgt your ML likes will take some experimenting. Barrel gunking isn't specific to CAV or Traditions. My TC Triumph is a bear to reload after ~3 shots. Fortunately in hunting situations, you're lucky if you get a 2nd shot opportunity with a ML. I've never bought a rifle/ML combo with a scope included. So,..have to assume they are NOT boresighted during assembly. May be why you weren't able to adjust shot placement with the included scope. Save you a lot of headaches if you initially take ML w/scope to a gun shop and pay to have it boresighted. Interesting read about sabots; http://www.chuckhawks.com/sabot_hard_load.htm

Must be full of bullet holes too... lol

That's a bad thing...? Don't worry that all goes away with age & becoming a curmudgeon.

Great buck & awesome story with a happy ending. As far as a score, IMHO at least a 9.9 or a 10.

No way 99% of the time would I want to have an arranged or pre-determined encounter. BUT...Sitting in the stand Monday AM, was wondering what I was doing wrong, not seeing any mature bucks, was I in wrong place, where are they... I'd have hit the magic button then, mostly out of frustration. In hindsight, I probaly would have regreted hitting the button.

Ditto! I usually keep a couple of towels specifically for use after a scent-free shower. Those go thru scent-free wash & dry cycles before any hunting clothing gets washed &/or dried.

Okay, so it's a proven science...in a controlled environment. To expect it to function as advertised in the hunting situation..? Well, as you see, the marketing hype for this product is working!

Son of Kong or not, a really great buck all the same. Don't see the GPS fix displayed...? lol

Lets (DEC) just call it a BOW and all existing rules/regs will apply. The NYS Legislature & lobby group(s) made this law enacting Xbow usage much more confusing than it needed to be!!!!

Oh yeah, the Garmin 60csx is a great GPS. Especially love the software, MapSend. Can download points, tracks, routes, etc and actually make a reference map on your PC. I do not have a smart phone with GPS, so I can't compare advantages of one to the other!! Not the biggest screen, but usable and can zoom in/out. Wish I had it decades ago when I was wandering around the 9k acre state forest with a compass & 4 topo maps looking for turkeys. Are they easy to learn & use? If you've never used a handheld GPS, could be a little intimidating. You may need a 12yo to decipher the electronic technology..LOL. Definitely not something you'd buy, put in your backpack & expect to navigate w/o some preparation/learning. Has a few little quirks when selecting waypoints, so play with it before using it for the 1st time!! Accuracy is listed at like +/-10', IF you've acquired initial satellite links in a open canopied area. BTW - Not the model to use if you expect to use it in the woods and the vehicle! Basic MapSend map of my property showing property lines & ATV paths/trails that I annualy insert treestand &/or trail cam locations, all w/specific GPS coordinates. Very handy tool!

Like everyone else has mentioned, depends on your hunting situation. IE; habitat, private or state land, size of area hunted, budget, etc. Age has a lot to do with your choice of stands. The older you get, the less invincible you feel and security/safety become more important than convenience!

Ahh...The age-old, annual dilemma of trying to apply science in predicting when it's most probable or convenient to hunt mature bucks. The old balancing act of family time vs hunting time, while taking a minimum amount of vacation in hopes of being in the right place at the right time. If wild animals (deer) weren't so unpredictable, would it still be fun or enjoyable?

I applaud you for getting into bowhunting on your own being self-taught! There's a steep learning curve to becoming proficient with a compound bow & much more so w/o a mentor. My best advice to you is to get a mentor and hang in there! When you can get comfortable with shooting in the back yard at a foam target consistently, you're 80% there. Applying this to a real life hunting scenario seems to be your problem. Google "target panic archery". Lot of breathing, mental exercises that may help transfer all your practice form & skills into hunting situations. Until you can control this panic, a Xbow won't help. Only benefit of using a Xbow is not having to hold a bow at full draw, period!! Any experienced bow hunter that tells you their heart isn't pounding when a nice deer approaches is pretty much full of .... They just know how to control all that adrenaline! Sounds pretty basic & easy, right? Not so much. Unfortunately experience will be your best teacher. Also, if you lack confidence in your archery skills, you are pretty much doomed to fail. Chin up, keep practicing, continue hunting and after that 1st harvest, your confidence level will sky-rocket! Good luck!

Assuming we're talking about treestand seat cushions? Sitting on a wet cushion will eventually soak thru & make you cold. Carry in a $5-10 seat cushion! If you wear camo pants & jacket, the gap between is susceptible to cold &/or wind. That will radiate up your spine and might be mistaken for a cold butt. I went to bibs & never had that problem again! Second only to the compound bow, Grabber hand & toe warmers are the greatest hunting invention(s) of all time!!!!!

Any mention of mfger dates or SNs of models involved in recall? Assuming the 10/16 date you mentioned was for the start of the recall...?

Obviously you need to find out where the property line is exactly. Some of the above suggestions have +/- accuracy beyond what you are assuming is 30'. I've seen ariel maps with superimposed property tax maps that were blatantly inaccurate. Next is to get the feeder removed either by a friendly note attached mentioning they don't have hunting or retrieval rights and that you'll be hunting that area soon. Once they know someone is aware of what they are doing, hopefully it goes away on its' own. Or you could pursue it immediately through legal (DEC) means. BUT..The big picture is that once the attractant of the corn is removed this may not be such a great spot after all..!?! Just a thought for your troubles.

Maybe my OP point should have been, choose your tree wisely for semi or permanent stands before the wind even becomes an issue. Some varieties of trees have shallower root systems (ie; poplar). Some soil conditions (ie; clay) don't allow the roots of tress to go very deep. Some terrains (ie; wetlands or elevations) are more susceptible to wind damage or downing of live trees. And finally & most obvious is the size (diameter) of the tree. You already know this, have chosen the perfect tree and are sitting in it on a windy day. What are the chances the deer will be moving? In my experience where I hunt, they don't like to move around too much on windy days anyways. IMHO, you're more likely to jump a bedded deer on a windy day than have one leisurely walk by your stand. More power to those of you that enjoy the "white-knuckle" experience!

When have you had enough and get (down) out of the tree stand during windy days? I'm not a big fan of being up there hanging onto the stands while the tree is "rockin 'n' rollin". NO, I wasn't in this stand when it went down, but just the thought of what might have happened... Crappy cell phone photo, but you get the idea!

Worth congratulating Jennifer again! Latest issue of NYON has a front page article with photos of artwork & artist. Your artwork desreves the recognition it has received! Thank you! Those of you that don't realize Jennifer is a forum member, here's her bio. http://www.featherdust.com/jen.html