mlammerhirt

First off don't short yourself and get a rifle that can handle the type of hunting you will be doing. Remember you will or may have this rifle the rest of your life, the girlfrend on the other hand might be old news by hunting season and you will be kicking yourself for buying a cheap gun!

Great Looking Moose and Kittery Trading Post is a Sportsman's Paradise!

Muck Artic Sport!! Hands down best rubber boot I have ever owned.

Just look at the Big Weather Machine "Lake Erie" to the West and most of your questions will be answered. If you are on a hilltop prepare yourself for some days with wicked wind. Remember the animals are already used to it, and unless the tress are really rocking they will move. Just set your stands accordinly, and have multiple locations becuase like I said the Big Weather Machine can changes things pretty quick.

The camera looks like alot of fun. Were you experimenting with two different styles of fletchings on your arrows?

The XT is possibly one of the best bows Mathews has made. I shoot it for 3d and hunting and have no complaints!

Congrats to you and your wife!! I don't wanna steal your thread.... but i just got married myself on 6/30/2012, and hoping she'll keep me around for 50 yrs!!

Why Isn't the farther being charged?? This happened in December and they are finally letting it be publicly know it was the father who pulled the trigger?? Come on.....This DA thinks it is MANDATORY to wear blaze orange, but doesnt feel the need to press charges? Am I the only one that doesn't quite understadn the DA's reasoning?

Not that hard. You'll save yourself a few ucks by taking yor time and tapping out the front sight, and sliding the new one in. No need to switch to a vent rib with a rifled choke, they don't pattern much better than your smoth bore. All the rifled choike does is add a twist at the end, not the enitre length of the barrel. If you are going to get another barrel get a fully rifled deer barrel. This will greatly imporve your groups!

Nice work arcadehunter, reach out and touch'em with the ole .270. Those things are tack drivers!

Most .243 shot deer I have seen produce little to no blood trail. Very very small entrance, and small exit if any at all. But in defense that caliber has killed tons of deer across N. America Also they(deer) go a good 30-60 yrds before dropping. JMO.

I am with you. I will drive 1.5 hrs(alot shorter then 12) hunt for around 4hrs., clean the camp for the winter and be home for dinner!

Any pics guys? It would be cool to compare how the different methods turn out.

I am with you on the Muck Boots. Just switched over at the beginning of this bow season from a pair of Gander Mt. Guide Series boots that weren't the greatest to walk long distances in, but were warm. I am currently wearing Muck Artic Sport boots and I cannot say enough great things about them. Started out early in bow season with just a thin sock and have worked my way up to two pairs with toe warmers when needed. They are great for walking/stalking great distances too. I started wearing them after I noticed all the farmers around where I hunt had them on. I figure these guys earn their money working out in the cold , and that is all the proof I needed that these boots are top notch.

Settle Down DEADDEER1!! Great Deer and Great Shot Buddy. Enjoy your deer and the meals it has to offer you and your family.

Nice looking Deer Where abouts in the Catt. if ya don't mind me asking?

Sodfather Not sure i have seen any shops beat that price so far.... Did you get that bow in the Buffalo area?

Sounds good. Never to early to get ready for next season.

I am interested in the Catt. county property. I live and work in the Buffalo area, and have a few spots i hunt but i am always looking for a new spot to take some pressure off the small parcel i currently lease. Shoot me a message and we can talk more.

By all standards it was a heck of day(12/19/10) for seeing deer. By mid-morning I saw at least 12 different deer, seems like they are really starting to travel together. Around 10am my Dad dropped the hammer on a doe.....after giving it a minute to let the smoke clear went to take a look for blood and couldn't find a drop! He was very frustrated, so after searching for a while he went back and decided to sit until I made my way down the hill to meet up within him around 11:30. After checking and double checking where the deer entered the woods/ravine behind him we picked up a few specks here and there. This was at least 25-30 yrds from where he shot it. After a little tracking the bright red blood started to look like it was airbrushed all the way down the ravine. It even leaped a 6 foot barb wire fence before it expired a good 600 yards from where it was originally shot! This deer ended up being double lunged and with it heading downhill most of the time it refused to die. All in all everything worked out great in the end and he put meat in the freezer after a long and disappointing rifle season. Well after getting her cleaned out and back to camp I was out to finally lay the crosshairs on a deer of my own. I hunted with the smoke-pole all but one day of rifle season because after owning the gun for several years I convinced myself this was year I was going to connect with it. I got to my blind around 2:30 and the action started to pick up very quickly. Deer were moving on the same logging road way down low as they were in the morning, but there was just too many tree’s/brush between me and the deer to take a good crack. I heard deer all over that hill side, and had a great feeling!. The snow was crunchy and there wasn’t a bit of wind at all. Finally around 4oclock I spotted a doe feeding about 85 yrds. Downhill of me and she was slowly making her way uphill. At one point she even stood up on her back legs to feed from a pine tree. I convinced myself she was a shooter and then had to play the waiting game. About 5 minutes later she stepped out onto a new logging road and she needed to take a few stepps before I let the smoke-pole roar. She kicked up and made it a 15yrds before laying to rest at the base of a tree. It was a great feeling finally connecting with that gun. It ended up being a great day, and all the pre-season hard work finally paid off.

All over 9g

Great Deer! I hunt in Perrysburg, NY and things have been outstanding this season. Weather has caused a small lull in the action but if predictions are correct things should be on fire mid-week through the weekend!