phade

Who are the “lots of guys” on this site that do as you said? I don’t think anyone on here is like that. We all have varying degrees of money but I don’t think any of us are on the level you state.

How you like that GR86? I waffled on one this year.

They’re my bad luck bird in the fall. When I see them, I see nada. Except one time. Bad track record.

Don’t you have a Camaro or corvette? Y’all just cannot have fun in here sometimes!

Built in gloves…

I hear turkeys…Bain of my fall archery experience.

Same. Prob an hour here. But shoot, after I told my boss I quit I threw on 90 min of PTO since it was slow for a Friday PM for once lol. Got out early.

The adage you should never try to time market is sound advice, but dang it’s fun to guess when the bottom hits here.

This undertone of if you do it in a way that’s not like me or in a way that is more earned or privileged than me means you cannot hunt or you’re lesser than me…is just weird. Almost like hunting can’t be fun if you’re not suffering. Can you buy your way to big deer? Yep. I firmly believe that. Not my circus, not my monkeys, though. Y’all have fun with this thread. Imma take my Sitka wearing, cell cam using, leasing, azz to the woods. This 7-8 year old bow is looking a little rough though. Might need to go buy a new one to show the boys wazzzup! LOL GTFO with that crap. Shoot - forgot my plot, too! Don’t worry, no ozone was used.

Reminds me of the people who wear Public Land Owner t-shirts and bash anyone who is on private. Live and let live, I prefer.

You got that right - read about Disney and their theme parks! They are openly saying they are raising prices to price out the lower middle class so they can drive the same or better revenue with fewer attendees. It's happening everywhere.

Who is this? I actually think this forum is quite different in that regard compared to most other forums.

Money can indeed buy success short of the ability to execute a shot. I don't think that is unique to hunting though. While hunting can be done cheap - a la public land and basic supplies....land access is shrinking and more hunters are playing in smaller and smaller swimming pools. Prices are definitely increasing as a result in alot of spaces. The one caveat to alot of gear is USA made is $$$. China made is $$$ now compared to before because of tariffs. The cost to bring over a container full of goods has gone up many, many multiples in the past 24-36 months. Factors of 10X plus in alot of instances.

For that price you could lock down a near world-class ground in the midwest with much more potential, too. $10K will still buy you a really, really good lease in MO, IL, IA, KS.

Land leasers are turning to open or closed bidding to maximize potential. I am seeing leases now go to auction in the midwest...dead serious.

This cam is in Ohio on the corner of a cattle hay field. This sequence shows how bucks react to does coming into estrous. Also shows how the rut is a variable timing sequence of unique events based on key drivers like sunlight time. This doe is starting to go into estrous in all likelihood. She comes into frame, stops, appears to lick herself and I assume pees or leaves some other scent signature in the open field. No scrape, etc. Just open field. She leaves and goes on with her night. A short while later a young buck comes to that exact spot. Scent checks the spot and tries to determine her status. A short while after that a larger buck also comes to that same spot, you can see him pull in scent and clearly Fleming to do the same. He looks each way trying to ID her path and scents the right direction before heading after her. Crazy stuff in the whitetail woods.

Thanks, and for sure. Converted present variable/incentive pay opportunity into my base, plus tacked on a 20% incentive on top of that...on the backside, out of pocket costs for benefits went down nearly $600 per month at the family level. Double-dip city. Best part re: comp though is getting away from RSUs / Golden Handcuffs. I feel like that pay strategy was invented by the devil himself. All that said, pay really wasn't the driver. I'm looking forward to feeling valued. Sounds dumb at my career stage, but it's the truth. I'll be fully loaded on PTO come next season, too. I hate doing it around hunting season, but this threaded the needle like Allen to Diggs/Davis. We'll see how this goes at 10:30. Bittersweet cause the people here are really good people.

I've been using these for a few years - there is a BIG difference in these with the exterior material. I bought the ones originally like Rob shows but they are metal sheeting and then plastic edging. I found a few that are rubberized/coated - where this make a big difference is when they are NOT being used and in your pocket. I found that the metal ones conduct cold through that and you can really feel it if they're off for a while.

Someone please get one down - this is a slow season here! I'll be out this evening. Last night I sat in one of my best stand spots and didn't see a single deer, barely a squirrel or two. Super slow evening.

I’m in for the last hour - 90 min. Buddy wasn’t hunting so he was going to pick me up here in UTV since I’m on a field edge, hedge row funnel, at the corner of a block of timber. Def going to have deer in field at dark, so…I guess the pressure is on to shoot a target buck. He got stuck on a drive back home and is almost three hours away still. LOL. Otherwise I’ll be blowing this spot up bad getting down and out. Happy to be out to clear my head. Been a long few days at work. Got headhunted after 15 years and got the formal offer letter and deal done. Was hoping to let my boss know before I left but he headed out early. I get to sit on it overnight. Going to be tough day tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll get a counter inquiry but I’m not going to consider it. It’ll result in me getting a few more days of stand time during rut. Maybe a week more. I’m nervous and I don’t typically get so in work scenarios. Where’s the deer?

All I read when I saw this was Bert Kershner - The Machine! LOL.

We had a a target buck show up on cam at 6:43PM yesterday at a stand. Empty stand of course. Work... Weekend weather looks...not good for hunting. I probably get out 2 nights between now and Sunday all things considered. Gonna hammer it hard in late October - November though. Work is getting shaken up in next 36 hours leading to me having a few extra days of stand time during rutcation. Might be looking at 20 days or more... If I could change one thing, I wish I would have put in for Iowa this season. Cause I won't get this many days for the next 10-15 years.

Have to share that these have done very well for me. They're camo rubber boots - I haven't spent time looking for the manufacturer of these since they are private label at Wal-Mart. All said and done, they are 400g Thinsulate and go for like $60 and less after season on clearance. I've had three pairs over three seasons. One I left outside in summer and dry rotted over several months, which is my fault. But the other two are still racking up miles. The 400g have kept me pretty warm and still mobile in Nov/Dec in NY and even January in Ohio, too. They're a good value IMO for the money spend. Comfortable. Middle of road in terms of lug, mobility, etc. But again, $60....

Same bear. We got him last year, too....I saw him second Friday of bow season in the rain. No shot. I got him on four or five cameras from Sept 25 through Oct 10 ish IIRC. Cams were spread out across HF L and R.

Vortek UL at $200 is highway robbery, even years ago pricing levels.