phade

Elmo asks good questions. The causal reference was in relation to how serious you want to get into this sport. Hunting is a sport where you can be a casual hunter, going a time or two a season, a weekend warrior, hitting the woods Sat/Sun, or a hardcore hunter (varying degrees) who takes time off work, who practices alot during their off season, who scouts, etc. There's no right or wrong, but determining how serious your interest is in hunting will dictate the responses a bit.

Thats not info readily known...at least not with any sense of reliability. Hunter skill and other factors also play a role. A lease is a peace of mind to a degree. So is ownership. If you can be at peace on public, then you can be successful there. That's what it really boils down to, in my opinion.

The $175 I paid to get set up was a deal readily available a few months ago. Heck, that's cheaper than most all entry level bows. The uneducated yahoos are coming.

I paid $175...Horton xbow, 6 bolts, cocking rope, scope, and ready to let it rain 100 yd bombs after ten shots. Not as cost prohibitive as you think. This whole introduciton has been nothing but a vaseline-free ram job. xbow hunt in bow season without having to sit through an archery ed class while hunting on a MZ tag. Brilliant. Brilliant!

He's not super wide, 16-17". But he has good tine length and decent beam length. I'm thinking 130-135ish after velvet peel. Scoring velvet bucks can be misleading.

Lease closed out.

You can also use a ratchet strap if you cant slide the deer up the plywood.

Nice buck!

If culver wears lip stick, does that qualify?

Just jump right in the back ha

Excuse my typing...im on phone in airport.

Elmo, most of ours are basic ladders that can be had for 40 to 50 bucks on sale at the right time. Some are hangons and some are expensive ladders...either two mans or oversized/high platforms. That doesnt include pur collection.of mobile stands for carry in/out. Imo, you either nred to be mobile are carpet bomb your hunting properties. Certain stands will be good year to year at certain times, but many will be put of a rotation for one reason or another...crops change, movements change etc. I think one of the most limiting things a hunter can do is be limited to a few stands if they are not mobile. Hunters get lazy and presets allow for hunters to overhunt and also not make moves when needed. Some of our stands are ten or twenty yards away from one another to fit wind and thermals.

Sheesh. Gotta drive to the stand now? Lol

Als is a horrible way to go out. This challenge has raised alot of moolah for the leading group that spearheads research and ongoing care. My grandfathers best friend went through it and words fail to describe what I saw, let alone what the family and he had to endure.

I stopped counting when I hit 35...I think between me and moog we have 40 plus out there.

I have no bucks to show this year. Boo. Plenty of nice scenery shots!

Cant a guy get some respect around here? Tough year for bucks. There are none around. Im in.

For you, using powerbelts, you could put a rock down the muzzle and get a better blood trail. Powerbelts are horrible. horrible. Harvester is one of the more respected names in ML. You'll be pleased with the performance.

No, it's just a practice makes perfect thing. Once you get used to it, it's not hard at all. The reality is many guys are in a rush in the morning for one reason or another...late, don't like the dark, etc. Once you get a routine, it can be very quiet. LW is made for portability and quietness.

I am a huge fan of harvester products. Good service and I think the load easier than others and still produce great accuracy.

An Alpha and sticks will set you up in any tree. That said, there are times where a climber, say the S/C or hand climber are nice. I think the S/C is slightly more comfy for an all day sit. Also, some days toting the hand climber is pretty convenient if I know the tree I want can be climbed...slightly less stress/movement/noise. If you had to pick one to get up any tree...alpha and sticks. I'm not going to lie...I have all of them. I'm a treestand whore. Alpha, sticks, mini sticks, hand climber, sit and climb and also the wide version, too. They all have their place.

Lone wolf...or XOP.

I've shot 250 gr. SSTs with their sabot and now I shoot the Harvester sabots and their scorpion out of it. Honestly, I think muzzleloaders are more tough to load at the muzzle and then get easier as momentum carries you through. I shoot 777 pellets out of it either a one or two 50 gr. I have never seen the need to go with the 150 gr load other than to say I am doing so and burning money in the process. Esp. if you are shooting 125 yds and in...never seen the need for that much juice. Right now I have it set up for a brush gun with just one 50 gr. pellet. I took a doe with it season before last. Didn't hunt with it last year as I only got out with my ML 2x and used my Vortek UL both times.

It's been a good, cheap ML for me. Mine is 8 years old or so.

They all end up in my truck one way or another. I lost count how many deer I toted around for people last year. Sheesh. At least I didn't have to carry any of my deer out.