glittergoat

That's cool FastEddie! My Dad was a radio/crypto guy on the Independence for the Cuban Missile crisis.

Army 11b 1992-98 Drum Vicenza Back to Drum

There is a newer version of the Bear Cruzers out (G2). You can get them much lower on eBay with a case, release, and arrows than you can retail. I picked up two in the past two weeks for my kids for Christmas. You'll notice many say $399.99 or make offer. Well, I made offers much lower and they were instantly accepted. You'll also see bow like this with ready to hunt packages being bid on and they have been going for about $300. The two different archery shops I bid with also set the draw length and weight before they shipped. One even came with Victory arrows. I would image you can get similar deals on the Diamonds, etc. Don't be afraid to make a lower offer.

5 pin spothog on huntoftheday.com for $135: https://www.huntoftheday.com/product/spot-hogg-real-deal-5-pin/

Will be hunting the western edge 8H this Fall on a new lease. Winter trail cam pictures look pretty promising for herd numbers and maturing bucks. Last year, I hunted mostly state land (archery) and found the number of hunters seemed to have risen dramatically. I was walking in over a mile and into swamp setups (on weekdays) with my climber and still kept tripping over other hunters or their pre-positioned ladder stands). I've usually gotten it done on state land, but noticed the last few years its been getting tougher during archery due to more hunting pressure. I hunted some obscure and poorly marked state land and it appears those have been found. Looking forward to a little breathing room and better opportunities! I have not seen and turkey sign yet, but hope to see some in May.

I guess I've been regressing the past year or two. I'm excited for the '58, '61, and '62 Bear Grizzlies I picked up this winter. Love the newer bows too!

If you do a search on the internet, there are several studies out there that confirm deer move with higher wind. Your mileage may vary: http://www.mossyoak.com/our-obsession/blogs/cuzs-corner/2012/11/20/20-years-of-deer-research-on-deer-movement http://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/projects/deer/news/2015/winds-surprising-effects-on-deer-movement

I picked up a FLIR TK Scout this summer and hope I don't have to use it, but its nice to have for this very reason. Great deer - good job!!

I'm sure mine has changed. I do remember shooting the first one and being more focused on the scene rather than being elated. My first deer (a doe) was with a bow on the west coast (where I grew up) and when I hot her she let out a wail. I've never had a deer do that again, but I think for that being my first deer it took some of the elation out. As for now, I immediately focused on where the deer is running, where I hit the deer, where it was standing, where I heard it crash, etc., so that I know how long to wait and where to start tracking. I only really get excited when I find it and then have a silent celebration in my head. I always have a moment with the deer and thank it.

I've had a couple of bad shot placements in my hunting career and the deer still died from an arterial wound. Sometimes its good to get down and looking at the amount of blood trail you have. I've had two bad shot placements in my life and the deer still bled out rather quickly. As far as jitters - yeah, it happens on years when I am not seeing many deer. It allows yourself to build pressure and making it too "high stakes." Seeing a lot f deer allows you to normalize the interaction and have multiple draw opportunities. Otherwise, its easy to build up the expectation and then the jitters come. It always helps me to think about the mechanics of the shot.

Very quiet with almost no daytime movement, but I have not been able to get out this week (or this coming weekend). Will be out hitting it hard next Tuesday. My local friends have all said everything starting to get more active this week - lots of chasing and they are reacting to grunting. Thanks for the welcome!

Hi Everyone - been stalking this forum this year as I found its been a great source for local information, so decided to join. I'm a life-long hunter that grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but have bounced around upstate NY the past twenty years (after leaving the military) and have lived in Rochester the past eight years. Almost exclusively bowhunt these days on some state land and some friend's land (rarely). Great info on this site and seems like really friendly/respectful as well. Thanks for having me!