nyslowhand

Not as of ~10AM this morning per my Town Clerk. She did get an eMail from the DEC to ensure everyone wanting a SS that dmps would be available where applicable.

There's another crossbow review topic on this forum. The reference is to this Outdoor Life review. http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/gallery/hunting/2012/07/compound-bow-new-bows-bow-test-hunting-bows-2012 The biggest misconception with crossbows is you gain 20 or 30 yrds of range. They are LOUD as others have mentioned. The sighting optics run from crude to variable scopes from Leupold, Nikon, etc Cocking with a rope is not as bad as some think. A lot of mechanical advantage incorporated. Carrying one around can be pretty awkward. Xbows do have a lot of positive benifits! Hopefully they evolve some in the next few years, so when I can't draw my compound any more I'd probably try another Xbow.

Not going into the ex-wife statement..............but a good knife... LOL Thought I lost mine after cleaning a turkey a couple of years ago. I was devestated. Found it eventually. Still carry mine on every hunt. Become a part of my hunting experience! Funny how we get attached to the simplest inanimate objects.

Love the look (and stain) of the slab wood siding on a shed or cabin. Poor boys log cabin...LOL

My Town Clerk wouldn't sell me a Super Sportsman this moring due to what you are referring to. Computer glich at DEC that didn't dole out the correct # of tags for that specific license. Suggested I check back in a couple of days!

LMAO - Too funny!!

So it's the killing & consuming that draws you to hunting? Pretty sure my DNA has evolved beyond that hunter/gatherer or predatory stage. I got involved by means of environment influences, family all hunted.

Before you invest in any new arrows, I'd take the bow to an archery shop. You need to find what your draw length is, not the bows! Should be able to adjust the Mathews or possible buy a new module to bring bow to your DL. I would think it would be difficult going from a 30 to a 28 draw length. Arrows - Everyone has their own personal preference. Their is NO magic arrow for all shooters!

Lost a lot of video quality when Photobucket converted it from Cam's AVI to a MP4. Guess you get the idea. http://s1142.photobucket.com/albums/n601/nyslowhand/Big%20Boy/

Agreed! I have a hard time defining exactly what hunting is; a sport, hobby, passion, obsession, pastime, ....... We've come a long ways since it was a part of survival. No one will starve if they don't have game in the freezer. So whatever it has evolved into, just do it and enjoy it! You know why you love it, just don't over-analyze why you do it! Start down that road & you'll come to the realization that venison actually costs ~$25/lb.

Got curious when there was a recent discussion about mounting trail cams at heights above the typical 3-5' for security purposes. As you can see from the attachment, some cams have a rather narrow &/or short detection range or angle. I knew my Cuddeback had a narrow detection zone. So if I mounted it 8-10' high & angled downward I'd be getting photos of "things" that moved into a sort of focused spotlight area. Sure that cam has a fast trigger, but if it weren't I might be missing some passing deer. When mounted 3-5' high, anything that triggered the horizontal detection in a broader, more lengthy zone would be photographed. So...If your cam is listed with a narrow, short detection area or zone, mounting it higher may be counterproductive. If you think about this in terms of a flashlight's beam, is your cam listed as narrow & focused or a wider beam? Will you get more photos when cam is viewing in a more horizontal or a higher & mostly downward position? Depending on your trail cam's specs, the security of higher mounted cams may be a trade-off for less photos. I'm assuming these detection zones are more angular & 2-D (LxW), since nothing was stated about the height of a zone. Food for thought, comments, experiences....? http://www.trailcampro.com/detectionzonetest.aspx

In my simple mind, I delineate killing and hunting by the reason I take an animal's life. Killing (IMHO) involves taking any nuisance rodent, predator, etc with no intention of putting it on the dinner table. Hunting is a form of a sport or hobby. It is done for many reasons, including but not limited to the enjoyment of the outdoors &/or nature. I also link hunting to being a woodsman or stewardship of the wild animals I pursue. That is studying the animals I hunt, the habitat and enjoying the harvesting of them regardless of choice of weapon. Yeah, you may call that killing also, but I don't. Here's a great example of this topics discussion. Finally met a neighbor for the 1st time that we share a corner property boundary marker. He has ~100 acres of apple orchards, mostly fancy table varieties. He told me he annually gets the DEC nuisance or crop damage permits for deer. In his mind he is protecting his property and kills between 12-15 deer every year. I was initially shocked and had a hard time justifying what he was doing. Finally had to write it off as simply killing. I probably hunt the same local deer herd, but for different reasons and I call it hunting.

Tried carrying pocket knifes &/or belt sheath folders, but found them too cumbersome or awkward. Always have one of my favorites handy thought - whether at home, in my truck or out in the woods. Even have one mounted (sheath type) on my ATV. Prefer Buck knives, the USA made styles only. Mainly the 110 or 112 folders. Had my 110 Hunter since I purchased it in 1969. Sure there are many other brands just as good!

Love that buck! Palmated, funky, irregular rack, dbl brows with a gnarly sticker on his right side base.

Need a size reference, like an arrow sticking in him. LOL

Triple fawns, wow! As always, excellent photos Dave!!!

Loaded for bear, huh? LOL

Raw carbon arrow shafts are not a lot cheaper than uncut, factory fletched with nocks installed arrows. Most shops will cut to length & install inserts free, if arrows were purchased there. Same for online resellers. Decent (Blazer) vanes can be installed for ~$3 an arrow at local archery shops. Hardly worth the DIY effort, supplies or fixturing you'd need to get into the hobby. Aluminum arrows - Have no clue! Come on Doc, join the 21st century. Convenience rules! lol

I've shot the Beman MFX 340 for years, now called the Bone Collector. Same arrow! Do I like them? Just bought another dozen of the same arrow. Do like the HIT inserts! Aren't the 10.4gr/inch arrows you are refering to the woodgrain colored style? Any time you change manufactures, styles or weights of arrows - more than likely sighting adjustments will be required. FYI - They are not an inexpensive or readily available arrow @ approx $95/doz factory twister vanes on uncut shafts.

You need to do what's best for you!!! But if it were me, I'd be looking for a more lenient warden. LOL Breeding occurs in a short time frame and bucks don't spend as much time as people think with a particular doe. If I recall correctly, a doe is in estrous (willing to breed) only 36 hours. To keep this family oriented, I'll just say that not all bucks are the same. Some will hang around the doe, while others are like teenagers & looking for the next opportunity.

Paula; you need to do a search & familiarize yourself with buck & doe activities for early fall (Oct 1st). Example of when the white-tail rut might occur: http://prohuntersjournal.com/article/?a=27 The new Oct 1st opening for bow in the SZ is not what is typically called the pre-rut yet. The bucks are staging & preparing for that pre-rut though. Until the pre-rut happens, food sources like corn or grain fields, acorns, apple orchards, etc are where I'll focus my efforts.

Lot of pros & cons regarding fixed vs mechanical. Original selling point of mechanicals was they flew about the same as your practice field points. Now a days, the big draw is the larger cutting diameter mechanicals (Rage) can achieve. Of course, you're talking about a slit (2 blade Rage) as opposed to triangular fixed broadhead wound. Which is better......? Have heard complaints about mechanicals not functioning as advertised or not getting a pass thru on angled shots. Ill stick with my fixed blade and avoid any possible mechanical malfunctions at the moment of truth.

Sign a blank check & forward it to an excavator with a dozer... LOL My property was an abandonded farm that wasn't worked for probably 50 years. A thorny, multiflora rose infested, thicket or jungle would be an understatement. You don't want to hear this, but all my ATV paths, open grassy areas, stand sites, etc - done by hand. Cut trees & left stumps cut off as flush to the ground as possible. Piled brush & either left as-is or burned in winter. All 1.5 miles of ATV paths are mowed by hand. Sure, been at it for 7 years, but anything short of a magic wand requires either money or sweat. A good chainsaw, HD weedwhacker with a blade, leather gloves & plenty of cool drinks. This is where a large family with 2-3 teenage sons comes in handy.

Scent near the decoy, but not on it. Otherwise you'll be sorry. Strip of white. plastic grocery bag works pretty well on ears(s) &/or tail & is waterprof.

Used mine a few time in the woods, along or in the ATV paths with no luck. A buck seeing the decoy from a distance is the key factor in its' success. Along the edge of a field (food plot) is probably the ideal setup. Funny Phade mentioned a 3 legged decoy, got one myself. FYI - They are molded plastic parts and snap tabs, so they won't take a lot of abuse. I unstake mine after use, put it under a treestand & cover it up with camo cloth. DO NOT leave it out during the winter or you also will have a 3-legger.