philoshop

The only reason I said that 20' isn't too much is that you can always leave one or even two sections off, or at home if you don't need the height. Nice to have on hand if you do need it though. A couple of rungs above your stand height is a good idea when you're wearing winter gear as well, so you need to plan for that. I like the stack-together kind because you can build them up into the tree. Top section goes up first, held in your hand, while you put the next lower section under it. Repeat. Stealthy and quiet. When the whole 'ladder' is in place, tie the rope from the hang-on stand to one side of your belt and the pull-up for the weapon du jour to the other side and fasten the 'ladder' to the tree as you climb up. Pull up the stand, hang it, climb on and pull up the weapon. Done right it's almost noiseless and very quick, but practice is key.

Sticks are all I use any more, except for home-built ladders in more permanent setups. I don't even remember the manufacturers of the ones I have because it's been a few years. I prefer the kind that stack together to make a ladder rather than the ones where each piece attaches separately to the tree. Just my personal preference though. Steel is cheaper than aluminum but heavier, and 20' is not too high, although I have 15' sets as well. Whatever you use, preseason practice and familiarity is critical so that you can make setup quick and quiet. Best of luck to you

If you're scaring the deer you intend to hunt before you even get a chance to hunt them you're probably doing something wrong. OTOH, if you spook a few deer on your way through to a stand location where those alerted deer are not considered potential targets the impact on your hunt is probably not as great. It's still going to have an impact on everything in the area, just probably not as big. Case in point: You have a stand location to intercept deer as they leave a field where they feed at night. Don't walk through that very same field while the deer are still out there in order to get to your stand. And thinking that because it's still dark out and you don't see them that they won't know you're there is underestimating them by a lot.

Call the county clerk in your new county of residence for information. They're supposed to know what they're doing and be familiar with the intricacies of the local bureaucracy. My permit was issued 35 years ago in Wayne county, (haven't lived there since) and every other place I've lived since then I've been instructed to file a form for change of address and nothing more. Stricter rules are no doubt in effect the closer you get to NYC.

Homefries and eggs with spicy sausage from yesterday's doe. I'll do the heart tomorrow, but for some reason I just needed an egg fix tonight.

Nice post Elmo! And a great story, watching someone wake up to the fact that we aren't bloodthirsty barbarians. Thanks!

I did mine this AM w/o a problem.

Let's not discount basic deer behavior. While compared to humans they are for the most part 'unthinking' creatures, they are extremely aware of their surroundings and extremely adaptable to any changes. They walk around trying to stay alive all day every day and they're pretty good at it. We walk around in their area a few times a year to amuse ourselves and pursue our hobby. More often than not they win this game. I'm not convinced it's an issue of population.

Good luck guys! A bad shoulder said no to the bow for me back in October when it was still warm out.

I went to the Legion this evening too. Why are there no beer- toast emoticons on here?

I was happy to just find it and get back to the house before dark. I took a big flashlight in the backpack instead of the camera. Sorry you didn't see anything Ants. Been there many times over the years.

Sorry buddy, guess I missed it!! Same to you by the way!

Thanks guys! And Wooly, I was tokin' on some spearmint/blackberry combo of juice when they came in from directly downwind. Not sure they would have done that if I'd had a smoke in my mouth.

After a pretty miserable season for a number of reasons I made myself go out one last time this afternoon. Got a nice doe at 3:45! 11th hour works just fine for me. I was looking at ramen noodles and mac&cheese for the next ten months.

Donkeys. It's the Denver Donkeys.

Beer on the monitor is your fault!!! Thanks!

I have a Boyd's Anschutz style on my 10/22. Looks a little funky with a 16.5" barrel, but a little time in the shop will get that fixed some day. They're tough to beat for the price.

Thanks Pygmy! Here are a couple more with a 14" .223 barrel. A 300 yard woodchuck setup, though my best is 280-ish. The 'furniture' is curly maple with cocobola center. I made them in the mid 1990's or so. The forend on the .223 barrel darkened up right along with the grip because they're in the sun together a lot more than the .44 barrel above. I changed the angle and length of pull with the grip so that it fits me better than the factory ones. It's probably my favorite gun.

The liberals in NYS have opened the door for massive anti-gun legislation on a federal level. The people who didn't show up to vote these liberals out of power basically left the door unlocked. We're headed for a constitutional crisis in this country because of work that has been done, or not done at the state level. People from all across the country need to stop seeing this as an isolated NY/CA type of problem.

I'm going to have some FUAC t-shirts made. Anybody interested? Anyone who would voluntarily assist the state in its implementation of this travesty should have their head examined. In which case they would likely be found incompetent to own guns anyway.

Congrats on the doe eagle rider! I'm thinking about a Boyd's thumbhole to replace the plastic on my Savage .243. Maybe in the spring.

A friend who I occasionally help out with processing (mostly skinning on my part) does 800 to 900 deer a year. Every single one is hung by the hind legs. Most of the meat is above the drain point that way. And muscle tissue will continue to drain blood for a few days unless its frozen. FWIW, dead meat will continue to 'bruise' as long as there is blood in it. Not sure if it does anything negative to the taste of it though. Maybe Rocky Balboa could chime in here.

This is my 'neighborhood', sort of. Can't wait to hear what the locals have to say.

Sheesh, I thought this was gonna' be about woodworking. I got all worked up over a computer thingy? Enjoy it, whatever it is!

I'm a passionate hunter and outdoorsman and I guard my property, but that is well beyond what reasonable and civilized people do, no matter how angry they may be.