phade

I don't have too many stories but I have a few. I've partied with Three Doors Down a fair amount. My father's brother in law (second marriage) was in the Navy with Chris. Quite a few memories from those days. One night we literally all watched the sun come up. Had a conversation with Sammy Farha (poker pro) at UFC 61. I was whizzing in the urinal when he stepped up to the plate on the next one over and we chatted about the fights. Also parties pretty hard with Mat Hammil on his birthday. His gf/wife was a bartender at a local pub. Walked in on Jani Lane riding some rails before a show started here in Rochester. He was so lit he couldn't finish his set. Have a few more but it's late it this stuff just makes me feel old now, lol. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That effect is called the flashlight effect. It's common in older cams, some spypoint and Boly cams. Boly Media makes the cams for Cabelas. No idea how they talked Cabelas into allow the Boly name in the info strip either lol. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lots of theories on when and how the rut is impacted. Moon vs. calendar is an interesting subject. Can't say I personally believe in the moon being a primary factor. There might be some secondary impact, but not enough to be a game changer IMO. The calendar has almost always been the best predictor of the rut for me. As to the temp issue, while I agree that deer will lay low at times, if the doe is in estrous and ready to go, the buck will be on his feet and following her or corralling her regardless of how hot it is, period. The single largest buck I've ever seen in the stand, that measured out at 176" after being shot, was seen on the warmest day of the 2013 bow season at the warmest temp of that day bumping a doe. I shot my buck nose to tail on a hot doe last year on November 6th - 72 degrees. While these are just observations, I've come to grips that expecting not to encounter a deer or a buck you want to go after because of warm temps during the seeking/chasing phase of the rut is simply an excuse not to hunt. It's the # 2 biggest mistake I and my hunting partners have made, behind only leaving our stands too early in the a.m.

5-12 will definitely be in my wheelhouse. Trying to decide on a 3/4 or 14/15 as well. The first few days of Nov. can be slow in my experience unless you catch that first doe - and then it's better than any day on the calendar, lol. Plus quite frankly, you will get some warm days in there and I am just not a fan of sitting all day in 60 degrees...makes me want to fall asleep! Although that doesn't stop the deer movement if there is some to be had. The week of the 14 seems a little slower overall but the past couple seasons we've seen the biggest bucks on their feet reliably in daylight hitting scrapes clearly in search of a "late" (relatively speaking) doe. DEC says Nov 15 is peak breeding date which is pretty close to our area, although I'd guess around the 12th for us. Bucks are devoid in one area by the 20th even if not gun season in play. Does clearly bred as fawns return to the does by then too.

I've only ever shot one over 200lbs dressed. I find most 2.5 and 3.5 tend to be in that 160-185 range in bow. The bucks that weigh over 185 after the rut are usually older class bucks who were not super active in the rut.

What time/dates off of work (if that applies) are you taking for the rut?

walmart does have "city" store distinctions...some odd rules apply for them. Gives me an appreciation for the nicer walmart (if you can say that) down in rural areas like Geneseo.

I've killed one with a 3" gerber. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think this buck scores on the high side of the estimates. The beam curls up and high which tends to look shorter but measures surprisingly long. I am seeing 115 range. The day pics are a little better at showing the rack off. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've killed a few bucks over a decoy. They work well when the right timing and effort/prep is put in. My 2014 buck would not have been killed if not for the decoy. He got in behind me and was past shooting lanes on my right before I saw him. A quick hit of the bag and in he came for a 22yd or so heart shot. Decoys are a lot of prep work and setup. I like using them a time or two each season as it break up the monotony at times if things don't go right. You can be aggressive with rattling and calling. I find here in NY you can really pull in bucks up to 3.5. Only had a few encounters with older bucks and decoys and they tend to be weary. You get to Ohio and further Midwest and every hunting truck has a decoy riding in the back. It is a much more common practice and likely the result of increased effectiveness of the herd structure and ratios. That said it is still very fun here in NY. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Luck? Hunting needs work? Please. I killed that buck less than thirty steps from his bed on opening day. I knew he was bedding there, knew the only spot to get a shot, and practiced to make it it happen. Your opinion on my hunting skill needing work is based off of some warped version of what hunting means to you and there is no need to project that onto anyone else. If you don't like it inside your head keep it to yourself. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I remember getting crap on here for double lunging a 6.5 yo at 55 yds a few years back. That year I had ample time to practice, knew I had a long shot due to what my scouting revealed, set the stand and killed buck on Oct. 1 in less than two hours. Would I take a 55 yd shot this year? Nope. Not enough time to practice this season to remain proficient at that distance. That said there are some holier than thou people on this thread that like to hold judgement. Meanwhile, I'm writing this while looking up at that buck still on my wall. He hasn't moved too far the past few years for some reason. These same guys taking the stances they do are the same ones watching evil knievil as kids. We need to recognize there are different skill levels and even with outside factors, one can still deliver a high percentage of time. Common? Maybe not. Moog is a good example. He hasn't been shooting trad a long time but he is good enough that he could probably win a few competitions right now over people who have been lifetime archers. Him shooting a deer at 35 is completely in the realm of possibility as he is that good. I wouldn't even come close to that yardage when I shot with a trad bow. He is just that good, that fast. Is he the norm? No, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't take that right shot at 35. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the kind words Geno and all. Verizon Spartan Gocams will transfer pics in about 45-50 seconds @ full bars. ATT will be 50 seconds to one minute. Keep in mind that is the cam uploading the pic to the network and then to the app/portal on your phone, so that may take a few seconds more. I tend to be in the 90 second range from pic to hitting my phone. The key point is really the pic being uploaded. Once it is uploaded if a thief goes to turn off the cam, you will still get the pic. ATT is $25 for 3 mos. Verizon is $5 per month on a current data plan. The Go Wireless App is $3 per month if you buy 12 credits (12 mos. of service). It's more per month on a shorter basis such as what Geno did. You can easily get 100 pics a week - it just uses the data on your plan that you pay for. You can get thousands of pics on the ATT plan - I've never used more than 24% of the allotted data in the three month span.

While there may be many factors - the lower harvest numbers are likely most impacted by whatever is causing the national trend of lower population and harvest numbers. 80-90 percent of whitetail states are seeing population drops. Whatever is causing it is likely in play here too. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Here are the screenshots show that there is only the LI restriction. This list is directly from the NY government and is up to date as of 8-11-16 which was their latest revision. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And it's not even a full ban. Just a limit on how much can be applied in LI. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Select isn't a no no for everywhere. It's only banned down in the NYC Burroughs and that area. Select even has special labels for NY and CA. Certainly legal in majority of NY. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Rye or oats into clover is fine. You can always blast anything in the spring with Cleth. Plus they really suck mostly the N which the clover fixes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I listened to Mark's podcast - he echoes what I have heard as well, but I forget exactly, a couple things he said makes me think he is a little green on scent control. His approach reminds me of what people did around the "age of carbon" and mimics a lot of what Eberhart says. That and the fact that he was hunting very very lightly pressured deer - that alone reduces his endorsement for me in that scenario. If his story was in Michigan where he lives, it'd be a little more impactful I think.

Ozonics and use of ozone is such a hard thing for me to grasp. On face value, it seems crazy we go to that point to reduce scent signature - coming from a guy who uses cell cams, lol. What is really intriguing to me is that darn near everyone I have talked with about it and used Ozonics is that they believe in the product. Some of these people are people who are vested in the hunting industry and their feedback isn't dependent upon saying it works "to pay the bills." They use it to hunt and kill bucks and part of their career is based on producing results (big buck kills). I mean it is 100% in the "for" camp with these people. It seems like so many things would be a barrier for this to work right but I haven't met someone who I value and believe their feedback who has said it wasn't worth the buy. Either its the current generation of pixie dust (scent killer spray for the prior one) or it really works. All of these people say the deer clearly react when they hit what they believe it is the scent stream - the deer acknowledge it but it's not a "danger" response and doesn't result in bucks boogering out of the area. I do like the idea of using ozone to reduce scent/smell on things like release straps and other items that washing is impractical on.

You want to be around that first estrous doe and the last in that rush of the rut. That seems to bring out the biggest bucks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thankfully I am in National's club so I just grab my car and go. No lines. It's a god send. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hear ya. Told a peer today wouldn't be bad. Jinxxxxxxx Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome pics thanks for sharing. Great color and realism. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok that's entertaining. I have to head to Columbus from ATL. Unfortunately two is enough for me tonight - just the fat tire and the port city optimal. Wanted to try the dc ipa but the optimal is pretty light. It's a whitte but almost more of a shandy - very unique and light which is good for me right now. Never heard of it before. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk