WNYBuckHunter

Heres the reply I got. Probably the fastest answer Ive ever gotten from them. "John, Climbing tree stands are fine to use because they do not permanently injure the tree or increase its risk for disease or insect damage. Screw in trees steps however, bore a hole which can lead to future problems for the tree. Any of the hang-on stand would also be okay if accompanied with a climbing stick that is attached to the tree with either a strap or rachet, nothing that bores a hole. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. Ron Gross Fish and Wildlife Technician 1 New York State DEC, Bureau of Wildlife 6274 East Avon-Lima Road Avon, NY 14414 Phone 585-226-5380 Fax 585-226-6323 Email: [email protected]"

Same here. I am really hoping the fields near me get cut before gun season.

Nice buck Geno, good luck with him

Nice. Heres a pic from one of my stands, in a creek bed between 2 huge corn fields. Can you say crop damage?

Nice buck.

That sucks. Ive always been a little afraid of that happening. Any ideas on what make and model handgun those guys carry?

Wood Duck. Great pic btw.

Yep, flies

Nice 3 1/2

You can try just formatting the card, but in my experience and opinion, it needs a software update. You can contact Moultrie's support and they will walk you through updating the camera. You will need the camera, a USB cord and your computer to be on with an internet connection before you call. Had a similar issue with one of my Moultries and they were able to fix it.

If you had a blood trail, call Deer Search and have them get the dogs on it. They can track even if the blood has been washed away for a couple of days. http://deersearch.org/

Nice that he found it, too bad about the yote damage though.

Thank You...

Sorry but trying to argue geometry and what happens to angles at increasing heights is pretty silly. If you can pull off steep shots, have at it, but the fact remains that the higher you go, the smaller the kill zone gets.

Here is a copy of the email. I will post whatever they reply with. "I would like to get a clarification of just what is legal concerning tree stands on state land. have a couple of specific questions concerning this and would also like a general overview of what is considered damage to a tree on state land. First, are climbing tree stands legal to use, or are the scuff marks left on the bark of the tree considered damage? Second, are screw in steps or screw in bow/equipment hangers legal to use on state land, or are the screw holes considered damage to the tree? Thank You"

Ok guys, so I am going to shoot an email to the DEC again and see what they ask about the screw in steps and bow hangers on state land, and Ill throw in a quick question about climbers too, but I can already tell you their answer on that one. I am however, interested in the screw in stuff. I use screw in hangers, etc all the time in trees on private land and have no problems with the trees being affected in any way.

No it is not. Ive sat in mine on different state lands in different areas with different ECOs and NEVER have they said anything at all about the climber. The slittle scrape marks that climbers make are not damaging or harmful to the tree in any way. Just dont be using a screw in bow hanger while using one.

Great deer NY Archer!

No sir. Go Gators!

Also, another thing to think about, once you get up above 17 or 18 feet, the angles on deer under 20 yards get extremely steep, and the zone to put your arrow into gets very small. Think about it, for the average guy thats in the neighborhood of 6 feet tall, you are in a stand with a platform thats 16 feet off the ground, well, now your arrow is over 20 feet up if you take your height into consideration. Thats a pretty steep angle at a deer 15 yards from the tree. Now put your stand at 20 feet, the arrow is now 25 feet up there, and your angles get worse. Deer do look up, and 20 feet or 25 feet, they are still going to see you up there. You are just making your shots more difficult. For gun season, its not as much of a problem, but you guys that bow hunt up at those heights are just making things worse for yourself.

Precisely! Anybody that thinks they dont is just kidding themselves. I like to hunt from stands because I can see better, not because I think the deer wont see me as easy as if I were on the ground. Actually, bettcha I can hide better in a ground blind or thick brush than I can in a treestand, silhouetted against the sky.

Make sure to post up your results with each. I got great groups with the SSTs, and am looking forward to seeing how the Accutips do in my gun. Id be interested to see the results you get as well.

Not an issue, just make sure you arent downwind from it when it starts to stink. The other deer wont mind it much. I had something similar happen a few years back. A car had hit a deer and it ran and dropped 30 yards from my stand. I still saw a ton of deer there, some sniffing the dead one.

Yep, been that kind of a week hunting for me as well. Back to work today though.

I had a deer look right up at my yesterday. I was standing still, 17 feet up in my climber and had the wind in my favor. It was a first year doe, and she got within 30 yards of me from behind me and started checking me out. She stood there and stared at me doing the ol' head bob and stomped her foot a few times. She couldnt figure out what I was, but there was no doubt whatsoever that she looked up. Deer do look up, quite a bit actually. I always wear my harness, and also have a buddy that wont wear one. He has even fell out of a stand in the past and still wont wear one. Ive gone round and round with him about it, makes no difference to him. I do not believe it needs to be a law though.