phade

Hopefully these cam checks aren't doing too much damage and hope you keep a few post velvet shed.

Always something to complain about. No worse than cars being named numerically now.

Interesting debate for sure. Give me 200 proper acres with food bedding cover and creek bottoms with good access and exit in iowa or eastern kansas. Illinois and Nebraska would be after that. Then kentucky indiana wisconsin and ohio after that. All of these states...although not perfect, are better off from a statewide perspective than ny.

I've had some interactions with CJ that doesn't make me all that surprised of a lack of service.

Does anyone have a youth/legal age hunter who doesn't have a ML? If so, PM me.

If you can get a smaller carabiner, you can lower the bow via the dloop. by doing that, if you aren't setting it up so the bow stops off the ground, you can control the way the bow lays down by using the dloop and the stabilizer. Some people like to lay the bow down on the arrow/quiver side to prevent the bow from sitting on muck. Others like to avoid laying it down on the arrows...but, by doing that, you have a choice. If possible, I like tieing off so neither touches the ground. Not always possible with mobile set-ups.

I'm sorry, did you say something about xbow inclusion in archery? I must have overlooked it. LOL.

Black electrical tape...use it. The photos of the metal are blinding. Imagine what that looks like to a deer in the woods.

Their Wiseguy release is the cat's meow for a hunting set-up. I loved my Bulletproof sight, I just wish they would incorporate a level bubble on it. I sold it because of that...I like the bubble for some reason.

Depending if you ML setup can shoot it...BH209 and CCI209M primers. The fact it is loose powder is probably the only reason it hasn't taken over the market yet. Still, it has a large number of fans.

These electrical components equally have weak points. Gunk on the glow plug as noted, getting a "bad" battery, a battery that "dies" in cold weather, etc. What's the first thing to really go on gas grill...the ignitor. What is one of the most common issues in a home heating unit that uses propane...the glow plug with build up or crud on it. Sure, primers aren't bulletproof. But, they're widely available and I can swap one out fast if one doesn't work. I'm not about to be able to clean a glow plug in the field and shoot a buck in seconds. I also suspect I can swap out a primer faster than a battery. I know the primer is bad...don't always know if its the battery, the glow plug, or a combination thereof.

CCI209M are magnum charge...many BH209 users use these rather than regular CCI209. Most MZ primers don't burn hotter...that's the problem with their use and some propellants. Not many people get good results with ML primers and BH209...in fact BH209 recommends against ML primer use with it.

I don't think there's a firm answer on that date-wise...too many variables individually and environmentally. Many hunters look for the drying velvet appearance and tines that become pointy in nature rather than bulbous or rounded. I think the time after the first few days of August is more about gaining mass and the last few inches of tine length. Frame shape, length, etc. are largely what they are at this time.

gjs4 has some good deer on the wall for the battles he's had to fight with neighbors. I don't know how the man stays sane with the crap he's had to put up with from those people. I've always tossed around the idea that I'd rather own several smaller properties spread out over a geographical area rather than one singular parcel. To me, it's like a risk mitigation practice. 200 acres is good size here in NY, but it's not big enough to the point that the neighbors won't have a major impact on what you do, or keeps several mature bucks holed up on your ground permanently. My only caveat would be along the lines of being in a co-op area or backing up to a large noon-hunting parcel such as a park or business, or some other such set-up. In those situations, you can really make some gains. Otherwise, I almost think I'd prefer to have several 25-75 acre tracts mixed in and around the area with varying degrees of characteristics...bedding, transition, late season bedding/food sources, etc. That way something is always in play. I know its a bit different than others think, but I look at things differently because of my career background.

Now I know why you needed that mental health day, lol. Enjoy the birthday Larry.

You'll have a much better idea of the talent pool after Labor Day weekend once the velvet comes off and they break-up. One buck that's me and my hunting partner are after is known to be a resident on our hunting ground from Sept. through Feb./Mar. He's been eyeballed on an adjacent property a few times this summer that has some quality summer food sources, but we haven't picked him up on camera on our ground, which is largely bedding and transition. It's a bit dicey not having the pics this summer, but it's much more comfortable knowing that we have the pics from Sept. through Feb/March and have his sheds. He'll be coming home soon enough. Every time I get worried about the lack of pics or smaller than expected growth, I have to remind myself that things almost always change around Labor Day weekend.

The right small piece of ground is better than the big not nearly as right piece of ground. Not all acreage is equal. Lots comes into play into this question. I just think the most lacking thing is hunter skill. So many people spend the time and money "managing" land and never really taking the time to learn how to kill those bucks that take advantage of the management. Managing can only take you so far...it doesn't pull the trigger for you though.

Their bulletproof pins are very nice...and their wrapped fibers are awesome. It is a bit scary price wise...but oh so nice quality. Just too much effort for me to sight them in...lol.

You might be surprised, but that's on purpose. Their analytics drive stock levels and they have very little stock laying idle. It's either sold or in the process of being sold. What does that do? Reduces cost...inventory laying around is money not yet collected on the bottom line and not earning the company more money. You can bet, however, that this practice will be tweaked to the new store design. The stock levels will be sufficiently calculated. And, prices will likely be better.

You are missing the point...these are straight up hunting, fishing, camping destination stores. Not sporting goods retail stores. 6.2B will buy much much more quality, selection, and availability than 2.5B will buy. And, as I noted about their logistics capabilities...they lead the industry in it. They're pioneers in JIT, LSS, and nearly every other retail, warehousing, manufacturing, and shipping practice...they're trucks arrive on location ON THE MINUTE, they have real-time stock indexing, and they force chargebacks to suppliers and manufacturers when a sticker is in the wrong place on a shipping box because they can (that's what 6.2B can do). They're as nearly as efficient as Wal-mart is. My master's level thesis was a business and financial analysis of Dick's Sporting Goods and its competitors. Trust me when I say Cabela's is in for a world of hurt in 5 years or so. It is a good company, but it's running up against a giant.

I like Cabelas too. Fun to go to their stores. But, when Dick's opens these stores en masse...Cabelas is going to have problems. Dick's is a much better run company. They excel at logistics and leveraging relationships. Cabelas success is nothing to sneeze at, but it's not in the same league as Dick's. When Dick's starts throwing around its projected revenue weight of 6.2B...Cabelas will be in trouble. At best, Cabelas is in the 2.5B range with the only thing they hang their hat on being the catalog/online business. Their stores while nice, only bring in a fraction per sq ft as compared to Dick's. It's easy to become a great website...not so much a retail footprint. Dick's has nearly 500 stores....Cabela's....10% of that. Dick's is investing heavily into its website business after years of outsourcing. When Dick's starts undercutting the pricing on similarly sold products...Cabelas will be forced to differentiate themselves or drop prices to compete and it simply cannot afford to do that. Seeing as how Cabelas retail plans involve smaller stores...such as the one going in Buffalo...they're basically jumping into a shark tank and steering toward Dick's targeted demographics/store sizes.

Consider buying a groundhog maxx. I'm seeing many people getting more done with that thing that I would expect. It's not a fix-all, but that and a scrap chain link fence can make an atv pretty useful. Better than working by hand all day long.

Spypoint battery life is middle of the pack. Not bad, not great. Most of their cams only take 6 batteries. They are decent performing cams - they do most things good, not great. I've owned quite a few, their CS is OK...not the easiest to work with, but with some pushback they will replace items as need be. Covert, as noted, I am an avid supporter of. They have proven to me in the past 24 mos. to be the best balance between price, performance, and CS. If they can continue to pump out the products while maintaining the service/performance...they're going to be a larger player as time goes on. Growing pains are usually a good thing, and I believe they'll do just fine as they garner more of the market share. I've owned more than 100 cams in the sub-Reconyx price range and it's the first time I've been able to match my expectations with a company and its game cameras. I got 13k photos on an MP6 Black with one set of batteries that cost $1.90 after tax. Hardly anything to complain about with that cost per pic.

I don't tell such secrets...I found a general pocket with lower hunting pressure both resident and non-resident. They are there. A good rule of thumb is to draw a line from the SW corner of the state to the NE corner of the state. Anything on the bottom and right side is good. Anything on the left and top on that other half is not nearly as good. But, again, if you have access as you say you do in the Golden Triangle of Illinois...there's no sense not making that your first, highest, and best priority. Basic rule is to hunt where the giants live if you want to kill one. That area has the stats to back it up.

I've seen the opposite here. Seeing fewer mature bucks personally and in my circle. I think this year's number of deer posted here that are in the "stud" category are much less than last year. Growth seems far behind in my area. Clear 3.5s are sporting what has historically been to me, a 2.5 y/o size rack. I do see a ton of 2.5s though...more than usual. That bodes well going forward.