jperch

It makes it weigh less! It's just a dedicated bolt for unloading the crossbow. I have a different target for practice that is easy to withdraw the bolts from.

I bought a dense foam crossbow target primarily for unloading. I found that when I fired a field point tipped bolt into it that it was a major PIA to remove the bolt. I mean sometimes it would take me 5 minutes to get the bolt out. So I ground a field point flat, problem solved. With the blunt tip the bolt pushes foam ahead of it instead of cutting through. I have also used a feed bag filled with an old canvas tarp, that worked well. jperch

It is extremely important, especially with mechanical broad heads, to have an exit wound. At least that is the experience that I have had. So for me that means only broadside or very slightly quartering shots. Of course, sometimes they move after the shot is taken! jperch

I have heard that the apple orchards in Northern Cayuga County are fine but the apple trees on the farm are very sparse with apples. This is true for both the apple trees in the yard and the wild apples in the hedgerows. I did not see many bees this spring, don't know if there is a connection or not.

I guess that's how a buck manages to turn into a horse like that. Still, very nice to know there is one like that around. Hope you get to lay eyes on him some day. jperch

Old enough! Did you ever get any daytime pictures of him? jperch

The chain is likely much stronger than the ladder stand itself so you will want to watch that as the tree grows. We often use a turnbuckle on the chain, this makes it easy to tighten and loosen as needed. As I have gotten older(and less agile) I feel safer in ladder stands than hang ons. I still use a safety rope with prussic not from the moment my feet leave the ground. Good luck! jperch

Hope they get you patched up and feeling better very soon!

You are probably right Red, that makes sense. My first harness was that type, decades ago. I think it came from an old VW. Bigfoot, thanks for the information about his dogs. Hope the hunter makes it.

It's amazing that he survived for two days. He must be one very tough seventy year old man. It is hard to understand how, with a modern harness, one could end up hanging upside down. Also, in the story it says his hunting dogs were still with him. That's confusing, what kind of hunting involves using a tree stand and a couple of hunting dogs?

Does anyone know if the NY Big Buck Club records include weight? The biggest deer, by far, that I ever saw was a buck taken in Webster, NY about 30 years ago. It was a real freak, an eight pointer with a huge wide rack that had a body like a cow. I was told it was in the NY Big Buck Club. I don't know the official weight of that deer but I would believe close to 300 pounds. Since most everyone field dresses their deer, there is probably not a definite answer to this question. jperch

Yes, this style ladder stand with the "D - ladder" is much more solid and stable. I am in the process of switching my ladder stands over to these. If you follow the ads you can eventually find them for around $130 or so, definitely worth the extra $50. I also wish they had not changed the seat to the fabric style, probably will have to replace that eventually.

I used to live near the Woolrich factory, so I have LOTS of their clothing. They used to have amazing sales on surplus and "seconds". I will still wear a "Pennsylvania Tuxedo" on some days during gun season. They are heavy if walking but nice on stand.

Just wait until she moves up to the weapon beside her on the ground...

Exactly, that is what I had my rusted out brake lines replaced with on my Silverado. They are not that much more expensive considering the labor cost.

I agree on the brake and fuel lines, they can be very expensive to fix and can be dangerous. Why can't they offer an option for rust proof lines for us northerners? I know it would add to the cost but it would be a solid investment.

Up until about 4 years ago we always used well made, large, home made hang on stands. They are not that easy to move but were extremely comfortable. We had people in our group who could bend and weld conduit pipe. We used home made ladders made with 2 by 4s with 12 inch sections of conduit as rungs. No tree steps for us. Now we mostly use ladder stands with a safety line and harness. A safety line with prussic knot costs $30 and a decent harness around $100. Probably the best money I ever spent on hunting equipment. I almost had an accident last year. Near the end of gun season I went to a stand that had not been used in a couple of years. It was a commercial hang on stand, secured to the tree with the provided chain. I climbed the home made ladder and examined the stand before stepping onto it. It seemed ok, the securing chain was tight, the cables that attach to the platform appeared fine. Before I put my weight fully on the platform I bear hugged the tree. When I stepped on the platform it gave way and I was hanging onto the tree with all my might. Did I mention, I am 64? I was barely able to get back on the ladder. After calming down I examined the tree stand. What had happened was that the chain had broken but was imbedded in the bark of the ash tree. When I stepped on the platform the broken chain ripped out of the bark. It was a stupid mistake on my part to not have checked the tree stand carefully before the season started. I relay this as a warning to others. Oh, there was no safety line in the tree yet as it had not been used recently. Lesson learned.

"They DON"T kill the fox ." I certainly believe that. How do they get the hounds to quit? I suppose sometimes the fox goes to den?

Another spectacle that would take place back then around Geneseo were dog trials/pheasant "hunts". I was invited to one of those by a local. After the shooter missed several of the apparently tame and dizzy stocked birds I was asked if I could be the shooter so the dogs could do their thing. I declined. Apparently there was a lot of rich folks in the area back then.

I think for the participants it's all about the horses, dogs, ceremony, etc. I don't think getting a fox is such a big deal for them, but I could be wrong. I'm glad to hear the tradition is still going on, it was about 43 or 44 years ago that I saw this at Geneseo. I guess you could not do this is most areas today because of all the posted property. I assume the fox goes wherever it wants and hounds will follow no matter what.

I went to college at Geneseo (Many, many years ago!) and remember seeing some of the fox hunts going on in the distance. Pretty cool to see.

My (long term) GF hunts deer and turkey and also likes to fish for panfish. Actually she is a "foodie" and is primarily motivated by obtaining high quality protein. (Once while back at the farmhouse I remarked that a doe looked cute. She responded that it would look cuter on her dinner plate. ) Her health is not the best, she picks nice weather days. She has harvested four deer and a couple turkeys. I end up gutting the deer while she sheds some tears. She is very cautious and selective in her shot attempts. I think she actually likes fishing more than hunting, physically it's much easier for her.

It was a long time ago but my recollection is that she had use of at least one hoof. We all know those are dangerous. I can't use a gun to dispatch a deer at my house because of nearby homes. The last one was still in the road and still could use its hooves. A humane way to dispatch a deer is to hit it in the neck just behind the head with a sledge or whatever heavy object is handy. Don't hit the head itself, my experience is that does not work well. I sure don't like any of this but it's safe and quick for the deer. I can't see waiting for who knows how long while a deer suffers.

I have harvested deer with recurve, compound, shotgun with slugs, muzzleloader and crossbow. The question did say "kill", not "harvested" so I'll add a knife and splitting maul. I live off of a highway and there is usually one to two deer hit per year in front of my house. Luckily so far none of the vehicles have been motorcycles. By the way, the knife incident was definitely not a good idea but was the only tool available. I found a 3 legged deer that had fallen into a sharp ravine and she could barely move. I was a kid, did not want to see it suffer anymore. But in retrospect it was unwise.

Rule #2 Never pick up hitch hiking bears.