phade

By burying the pool under the ground level, you get rain runoff...keeps things from being too stagnant. You can also place them in areas where wind flows through to move water.

You do realize that trailcampro is the biggest farce in the field, right? They sell cams they rate? Yes. Objective? No. Not at all. Consistent rating system? No, not even that. Ex. They have a star rating system. They rated an MMS cam, and one star was rated against only MMS cams....the next star rated against all cams. Poor rating, and the fact they sell cams makes it an unreliable source for reviews. Coming up with a ranking/or top cam list, is pointless. Cams are not always built for the same goal - some cams are feeder cams, some are trail, some are video/sound oriented, some are for color night shots. Cams are never an apple to apple comparison, so ranking cams across the board is never really possible or accurate. Every cam should have a sweet spot in its performance. Chasingame is the best place to get info...and the owner is having personal issues right now impeding the reviews of 2013 cams.

Laying down some knowledge. Nice job.

You really want to get wild...some of these guys really good at it stack deer off their beds to ones they know they can hunt easier. Imagine that...purposely going in and stinking up a bed to shoot the buck in another bed. I don't have the land access or cojones to do that yet. Similar things are the bump and dump technique. Soft bumping a buck out of its bed, hanging the stand, and coming back early in the a.m. and killing the buck before it returns to its bed. Most people would think if you bump a buck from its bed, that it won't return right away...sort of a fool's tale really. That bed worked for them, they detected the danger and escaped unscathed. They return a bit cautious, and you obviously can't overdo it, but if you are stymied and at a last ditch effort (ie the end of a trip or season), it's a legit technique that can pay off.

You aren't understanding it. A buck will likely use multiple beds. The key is to hunt the beds...eventually the buck will be in one of them as long as he is not tipped off. You find the buck beds on your property, do your due dilligence scouting and figuring out the likely travel circuit, and kill the buck. If you find a prime buck bed on your property, chances are that bed is going to be hot for several years to come unless there is a major factor in play. A buck will backfill the bed once the mature one/biggest/domanint one that occupied it before is gone. A good example is the buck I posted pics of - he's bedding in a marsh just off ag land. He stopped bedding there once it froze. He moved to a transition area about 100 yards east where the water levels were lower and tree islands were still available. I found his sheds on the same 40 acres. He left that spot for about a month-and a half right at the worst of winter, and has since returned to his bedding in the marsh now that is is no longer frozen. I got a pic of him coming into the bedding on May 9. It's really not rocket science....his favorite bedding spots are well protected by satelite beds, darn near perfect wind defense, and he has a bit of vision over the one section that's approachable wind wise. He however, moves pretty reliable from E to the W or S each evening. This year, I suspect he'll be moving S early on based on the crop rotation and W as the corn comes into play. Based on his bed, there are stands set to intercept him with cross winds and prime stands for times when he makes that mistake of walking down those trails with a N or E wind. Really not that hard of a concept to understand.

Honestly, probably not worth it. You can learn so much online thatspending money on it would be a waste. There are quite a few people here who are versed in MZ that can chime in. The Cabela's stock varies at times, so they may not have the Accura in stock...if you are not dead set on it, they'll have plenty of good models to choose from at various price points. I would suggest, if you are buying ONE MZ only (famous last words!), look into a model with a cerakote or other similar coating to help longevity over a basic blued barrel.

Going to the Hamburg PA Cabelas? If so, and you like bargains, check out the back bargain room. I got my MZ there and saved a bunch of money. Alot of times they just have overstock in there...I picked up my Vortek UL for darn near $200 less than any place else.

I didn't believe it either, untill I started killing 3.5+ bucks with regularity (for lack of a better word short term). I killed my NY buck less than 50-75 steps from his bed in three hours on October 1. When do you think I found it? Post season scouting in Feb-April. Same went for 2010, except it was nearer the end of October. 2012 would have been the case, too, but he ended up getting shot by a large landholding neighbor the morning after I had him in my sights. In each case, that buck was originating from a bed or going to one that I had identified the prior post-season scouting timeframe. If you think scouting beds in the spring doesn't hold merit, you may want to reconsider....people like Infalt and D'Aquisto have darn near perfected the artform. Shoot, watch Infalt's youtube vid of him setting a Lone Wolf up 50 yards from a buck with the antlers darn near visible to whole time, all on public land, from a bed he found that spring. I thought it was a bunch of hooey...and then I realized I could do that too, and I have been.

You can also plant bedding along the field edges, too.

Create bedding/cover, food, and water. If you can do this, chances are you'll have some deer call your ground home base or meander through. As far as deer numbers...the most prudent thing is trigger control. You can create bedding and cover by doing some hinge cutting/timber stand improvement (TSI). Letting sunlight in often generates some tasty food and helps establish good bedding such as multiflora. Look seriously at water...putting in a drinking pond can be as simple as burying a kiddie swimmer pool or one of those garden pools.

There were some instances where CVA plugs had smaller diameter ignition holes than what BH209 likes. I believe if you have a new hand removable breech plug (not one you need a tool for), then you should be fine. But, put it this way...if the MZ doesn't like BH209...I'll find another MZ. Being able to go to the range and have 1/10th of the build-up, and the ability to customize your load over pellets is worth it. For most modern inline MZ, people do not use balls/conicals (although sometimes people do - that's the fun with MZ). Usually those are found in older design MZ. Modern options will shock you with accuracy potential once you get used to shooting MZ and get dialed in. Some common, and good combination projectiles (sabots and the bullet): Hornady SST Hornady XTP (even better when paired with harvester crush rib sabots for most people) Pretty much the entire Barnes line-up Harvester line, too Some people like Aerotip...but most do not. I am not a fan. Many people shoot 250-300 grain variants of these bullets with anywhere from 90-100 grains of BH209 by volume or two 50gr 777 Pellets and find a good happy middle ground.

I wish Bubba would post, he's answer your questions pretty solidly as MZ is his thing. That is a good gun, if you like it and it fits well, you'll enjoy it. I'd really look at Blackhorn 209 powder. Don't bother with pellets. BH209 has so many benefits over pellets that I feel stupid for not switching soon enough.

I have to go out at least once more because my blind is set up and my dekes are in there. Other than hunting a bit to retrieve that...I'm probably packing it in for the season. Too many other things start to come online...yard work and some fishing are in order I think.

I haven't caught a smallie in years. Planning to do some more fishing this year than last, that's for sure.

I haven't heard a gobble since a week ago Monday. Been a pretty poor season imo, but we knew it going into it.

Wow, yours are so far ahead of our bucks. Nice catches.

Buck beds become even more important on small parcels - whether on or off the ground you hunt. As noted.

The patriarch played ball with Terry Bradshaw in college. Stories of him having deer hung up in the college campus housing when recruits were visiting....pretty good stuff. Coaches noted that they'd have to reel him back in during practices when a flock flew overhead. He'd wander off mentally.

Whatever works for you is fine. You can preface all you want about time, lack of time, etc. You don't need to justify the 5 point to me at all. If all you want is a 5 point, then most certainly, avoid scouting beds or discount them to a degree because basic hunting principles can net deer. Nothing wrong with being proud of a 5 point, either. Home life is what it is, I had the same scenario with not only a young one but also a gestational carrier, and a kid in college. Does that matter? No, not really. People just need to know where others come from when a statement discounting certain tactics is made - same goes for the inverse. I certainly value Michael Jordan's input on my jumper, but not necessarily Shaq's as much, get my drift? Same goes for driving cars...Mario Andretti vs. the woman with the gas tank nozzle still stuck in the car after driving off with it. I appreciate you posting your thoughts/tactics. One thing I find different is that you want a fresh stand, yet you don't always hunt the wind. So you sometimes hunt the wind but sometimes don't? Just because it is the rut? What's the value of a fresh stand when you don't hunt the wind? What's worse? Hunting a stand two days in a row in a funnel that has prime entry and exit access with the wind in the stand's favor? (IE a hard break, such as a crek, edge, etc.)? Or, hunting a fresh stand with the wind blowing into the bedding?

I'm hit or miss on the show itself and never really got into the Duck or Buck Commander shows either, but you do realize darn near all of them are highly educated? Look like, talk like, act like hillbillies? Yes...but they're also very educated and well-versed businessmen. I suspect they know more about the finer things in life than most regular people do.

No sir. Stop thinking like that and stop making comparisons because it's never apple to apple on who's a better hunter. You are a teen...and I have a couple years under my belt. I'm merely in a different position than you...I'm sure when you are my age, my wall will pale in comparison to yours. I've cut my teeth with no real hunting mentors in my formative years. I wish I had the internet at your age...you are very lucky in that sense. Information passes so easily now.

I thought polygamy was owning a bow and an xbow?

Hunting multiple stands at the right time can pay off as the chasing peaks. You need to know when to be aggressive and when/how to approach. If its November 8 for example, you can push a stand in a funnel hard for multiple hunts with prime access and exit routes. People make mistakes by seeing a buck and backing off to cool down the area at that time of the year. Funnels typically prdouce midday...hence the 10-2 push that many people preach. Why sit there all day? Those bucks are in their beds, hitting a doe bedding, getting water...all before hitting a funnel in the midday. Beds are more reliable than most imagine and even more people discount them...for a variety of reasons. You say you mix approaches yet you state time and time again the rut tactics. Best of luck hunting this rut. While you were waiting for the rut to kill a 1.5 year old, I was picking out my form for a buck 5.5+ and moving onto Ohio. I'm certainly not saying that I am some great white hunter and I am not saying bed hunting early season is the only option...but what I'm saying is that it increases your odds. Anyone can do it if they just open their eyes and be willing to change the way they look at things. That and knowing beds and how bucks use them. Scouting and identifying beds in post season is a massive benefit. With an influx of new land this season, I only have two bucks to really target with a degree of confidence. But, I feel very confident either me or my hunting partner will kill one or both. I have attached just a few on the photos locking down this buck that will lead to his demise. Based on your scouting technique, what do you know about the buck you want to kill? And, I am asking with genuine inquiry as nobody can know everything about hunting.

Agree. That info is very much dependent upon which side of the fence you are looking over.

Look for wind specific patterns. If you know the beds, everything else is usually figured out with a little grunt work. They very well could be hitting all food sources...but doing some scouting (shining, trail cams, etc.) will reveal a general pattern and you can surmise the trail they'll leave their bed from for an afternoon sit. The other option is a morning hunt (early season, morning hunts are rare as they need the right ingredients). Look for weather conditions that keep the buck in its bed longer the night before your hunt - look for the storm that hits right around dusk and lasts into the night. What this will do is put the buck behind schedule as it holds in its bed a little longer than normal. Some people try to pair this with a proper moon status (I'm neither a believer nor a non-believer). If you know the bed, get tight to it with the least likely wind direction for approach as your entry. You may beat the buck to its bed that morning in this scenario, especially if the rain/fog persist into the morning. For the apples, if there is water nearby the apples, I'd consider a midday hunt to set up around those apples when they drop.