phade

Addiction and poor decision-making skills. Add that to power, love, money, sex, and anger/jealousy...and you have the root cause of all crimes.

I seem to remember some people going from this site last year. I usually go every other year, but will be going again for second year in a row since my FIL likes it.

I am 30, turn 31 in July. Daughter is 17. Turns 18 in June and graduates that month. Yes, your math is correct. She's likely going to Drexel, U of P, or UB for architecture (if she ever makes up her mind). I was also very lucky to have heavily invested in firearms and ammunication by the time she turned 15. Currently trying for kiddo #2. Glutton for punishment? Actually..hoping for a boy so I can return the favor to ol' mama. After dealing with screaming, giggling, ugg boots, more hair products in our bathrooms than a salon, and overly-expensive cell phone bills, I'm looking forward to lots of camo, a truck build, maybe some h.s. football games, and general torture of mama and big sis.

I'd buy the bow via AT. Best deals to be had for the most part. I've bought 4 of the last 5 bows I've owned from there...and the other was a freebie from the company itself.

I also think there will be some nice scoring bucks taken during 2012 - I'm not necessarily saying more...just that scores will be a bit better. Late winter can be a tough time for deer, but it seems like as long as there is not a significant snowfall (ie 100 year storm) that lasts a while, then they'll make due this year...even if we get some good snow. Antlers are usually the last thing that nutrients go towards for bucks. Because bucks were able to recover from the rut easier than normal here with more food and less winter stress, it'll help them get through the whole winter. And, since they will be coming out of winter ahead of the game with our current weather, the nutrients will go towards antler growth earlier and faster. Another farmer's tale is that this type of winter usually means a wet late spring and summer. During years of wet summers, buck scores tend to be higher than in normal or drought summers. So, I think this is going to result in some unusually high scoring bucks being taken.

Contac...that stuff is amazing. Used to do the Nyquil/Dayquil routine...but Contac is good stuff. It has slightly different active ingredients.

Deer will eat bones, antlers, etc. of other deer. It has calcium and phosphorus in them. They'll also eat the corn from the gut. There are reports of cannibalism, so it does happen. It is not commonly documented, but it is there. Doc...CWD is prion-based and is limited to the brain itself, not necessarily regular muscle/organ tissue. Transmission is more often done from saliva contact - I'm unsure why saliva transports it but the organs/muscle are not necessarily a major factor in spreading it. Funny thing about it here in NY, is that we likely will never have a definitive cause for how it got here, but CWD has been around for decades in most states - it is only now being publicized. CWD does not always show symptoms - and even at that, deer can have it for years before they up and drop dead.

The illegal part changes things. Especially with the reprecussions...let alone the moral/ethics. But, I do have to ask...120"? Illinois? Trophy? Wow. If it were legal, I'd be ashamed of myself if I kept my partner out of the woods in that situation. My partner shot a small buck in Ohio this year on the third day of our wwek hunt. It was only his second archery buck and he was thrilled with it. Since I left my camera at home (Doh!), he couldn't film me. Get this...he went and bought a doe tag just to sit in the woods - and had no intention of shooting a doe. Why? He knew shooting a doe would take away from my hunting time (one truck, dragging, taking to processor since we stayed in a hotel, transport time, etc.). But, he still wanted to get out there to see the rut in swing in Ohio and to keep pushing me to succeed. There were two times where I actually spooked deer from the base of his stand when I walked to him from my set after a morning hunt. Still, he was content to film them with his phone and toy around with them a bit - he got a video of one licking a box of reflective tacks that fell from my pocket that morning as we walked in. To me, that speaks volume. I encouraged him to shoot what he wanted, yet he opted to just get out there. Any info he found was relayed to me for the next sit. Unfortunately, we ran out of time just as I felt we were learning the land and I came home empty. But, he didn't shoot another deer for the rest of the season here in NY, including gun. He never once b!tched about it. I don't think I'd want to hunt with anyone who would want me to lay back if it were all legal/ethical, unless there were some biological implications (passing on does for a reason, etc.).

Are you talking about the fleece or knit?

Loose powder is not hard to work with and with the added benefit of cleaning advantage...it'll pay off quickly. 300 grain is not bad size wise...not much off a shotgun slug.

BH209 is the way to go to reduce the fouling and need for cleaning so frequently. I have one mz set up for 777 pellets and one for BH209. Let me tell you, I cringe having to shoot the 777 just because of the annoyance factor.

I shoot the funnel points out of my wolf. Very accurate...the PT Gold are more for longer range accuracy. I was getting solid groups at ranges between 50-75 yards (hunting with one 777 pellet in that gun right now).

Harvesters load very easy. First time I've heard of issues before. Something is out of the norm. Hopefully you'll figure it out.

My FIL has had them for a few weeks...he opened them on xmas morning. Pretty cool stuff. The remote feature works well. I think it is a great tool for stand hunting. The heat seems pretty even, so I think it'd be a little more comfortable than basic toe warmers. I think the low setting will cover most typical November/early December days. The higher settings will probably be needed for those cold late season hunts...but the battery life is not as long. Still expensive though.

I could'nt imagine the feeling of sitting there with the bolt closed and ready to shoot for the first time. I bet the first few times my brain tells my finger to pul...it doesn't. I'd still like to shoot it once. I thought for sure it was going to send one of those guys end over end backwards.

Covert's white flash cams are supposed to be great for a commercial stand point. I suppose if good shots were the goal, I'd dial up 12-ringer and get him to build you one.

I only shoot bh (practice ones) out of my hunting bow at my 3d. I have the The Rhinhart Woodland - which is their base 3d...the replaceable section is great. I should be able to get two years out of it - I store it in the garage in winter (leaving it outside is bad for the foam durability).The remainder of the deer is equal to the typical consumer 3d target but the replacement part is quality Rhinehart. Two years out of the core is great I think when you consider how much I shoot at it and all with broadheads. I estimate I put 4-5k shots into it in a 3 month period from August onward. Doesn't sound like much but thats great with the cutting surface of the broadheads.

I do like the 7-08, but I think the ammo cost edge goes to the .243. I'll be honest, I wouldn't have a problem shooting a .243 for deer anywhere in NY (where legal).

Getting a bit top-heavy, eh? ha. Getting old sucks.

It seems like most people are 50/50 on which is better for hunting. Fall grey is surely more open, but BD is not as open...just moreso than most mainstream patterns. I'm leaving towards BD but that's not a definite at this point. The sizing is probably my biggest issue since I don't want to get stuck in a return situation via mail...painful stuff to go through and usually adds up the cost with shipping today.

Finally due for a new fleece set this season (got 5 out of my Scent Lok clearance fleece). I'm going with Predator but I HATE buying camo when I cannot see it, hold, and try it on. Anyone have it in hand that can give me a rundown on sizing and maybe some insight between the fall grey and brown deception. I'm waffling between L/XL and the two patterns.

Just get a closed circuit tv mount...like 4-5 bucks....if price is a factor. I still like the primos because it is a little faster. You'd be surprised...your cams will be noticed less when up higher. I had a cam about 10-12 feet for three months this year on a trail. I had about 360 photos and of the ones with deer (about 3/4)...only three had shots where the deer looked up at the cam. That is a far cry from setting eye level at the same site last year.

Ever see what happens when there are too many coons in a given area? Distemper and the like are not good. Fur is a renewable resource.

I'm thinking if you stick to a bullet designed with whitetails in mind or of that weight set...95-100 grains...you should be fine. Fusion, Power Max, etc. are options.

I would just go with the Wolf. It's one of the best value vs. performance mz out there imo.