VTbowman

Re: amazing deer picture with broken tine in its h Talk about a sinus headache. Ouch.

Other then the obvious size and weight, how much of a difference is there in flight control with these vanes. Anyone use both? Thinking of trying the 1.5" to reduce some tail end weight since I use wraps and maybe a lighted nock this year.

Re: ATV Delima I would be very wary of buying used. Thing is about ATVs is they are almost ALWAYS riden very hard and used to their limits. Like someone said, I would not buy one used unless I knew the owner personally and knew his/her driving habits. That being said they are built pretty tough to take the abuse but still... JMO If your not in a huge hurry I would save for a new one if possible. Piece of mind and warrenty go a long way with an ATV when your the one depending on it to work right. Oh and definately get a winch to aid in getting unstuck. 1500# to 2000# minimum capacity too. It dont matter if the bike is 150# or 600# add the sucking power of mud to anything and its around 1000#. No lie.

Re: TEAM #25: Strutbuster I am located roughly 3 miles east of the I-89 VT/Canada border crossing. I literally live on the border. Not a whole lotta birds up my way, but they are increasing every year. As little as 5 to 6 years ago you would not see them up my way at all and the area was never open for hunting them until recently. Now you'll catch pretty good sized flocks every once in a while. I hope to draw a bird or two in on my property. We hear them from time to time during the fall while bow/rifle huting and see them at times 5 feet away from our blinds. LOL

Re: OK, justify your maximum shot distance on game 1. What is your maximum self-imposed yardage? 40 yards on calm game, 25-30 yards on alert game. 2.How long have you bowhunted? - 22 yrs 3. Do you practice frequently all year long? No. I start when the snow melts in the spring and stop once hunting seasons are over for the year. Roughly 9 months of shooting. I take the winter off for other outdoor activities. 4. What types of archery activities do you participate in to hone your skills? - Home 3D range to include elevated platform, "stump" shooting, hunting. 5. What significant successes have you recently had in competitive archery? None. I do not compete at all. Only shoot for myself and for hunting practice.

Thinking about getting a nice carry gun. I know very little about them. I have revolvers and specialty pistol encores but not a nice semi-auto carry gun. Seems wrong to me somehow. LOL Looking for compact, black, and above all affordable.

Re: Shoulder Holster Nope but I did buy a very nice soft case for my long bbl enocre pistol. Zero issues dealing with them, fast shipping.

Re: O.K. Now hypothetically........... I agree even though I do not carry. But I may one day and luckily I can in my state. I do not reload or plan to start anytime soon so I probably may not have to worry about it. My take is do whatcha gotta do to be/feel safe. I also know its wise to play the game and play by the rules set down by law. Its bad enough to of had to unholster and fire your weapon in self defence. I can only imagine what it would feel like to actually have to fire at someone who was trying to do you or your family harm. I would hate to be charged negatively over how much powder I used or and mods I may of done. Harv said it best. "Either way: it's better to be tried by 12 rather than carried by 6."

Re: Justify costs If you can come in under $900 completely set up your doing ok. Thats not counting arrows. My complete set up for hunting is around $800. Add the other things you need to actually hunt. IE: the arrows, heads, and release. Add another $100 easy. This does not account for camo, boots, stands, optics/electronics, etc... LOL Man I hate to think of how much I have spent on "hunting"..

Re: Vane distance from nock [ QUOTE ] I think mine are about 1/2" from the base of the nock. Why??.....because that is where I started about 40 years ago, and I never saw any reason to change it. Plus, it just looks right to me....lol. I'd be really surprised if anyone could come up with any significant reason for any set distance. Doc [/ QUOTE ] Read my 1st post. LOL The longer distance is for finger shooters and gloves. At least thats what was explain to me when I asked many years ago.

Re: TEAM #25: Strutbuster Come on folks! We can't lie dormant on page 2! LOL

Re: How High? I started off with all mines around 16' to 18' due to the use of a stick ladder height I used during set up. I would simply place the stand at the top of the ladder and put screw in step in reverse order to the ladder steps and then remove the ladder. Did it this way for years. In the past 2 years I have moved a few up to 30' and noticed and vast improvement in stealth and the ability to move more while trying to get in shape for a shot. BUT... It all depends on the tree and available cover or structure around me to break up my outline. Some stands or only 15'...

Re: Vane distance from nock 1/2" is the norm for "compound" arrows where a mech release is mainly used. The 1" distance comes from trad bows where one would shoot fingers and needed to space for his/her fingers and shooting glove. I perfer the 1" spacing on either bow I shoot. I like to add reflective wraps now when I build my arrows but back in the day when I had arrows made by the pro shop, I would ask for 1" so I could put a 1/2" to 3/4" wide strip of reflective tape between the nock and vane to help me find the arrow after dark.

Re: TEAM #25: Strutbuster Mine, in my area, its only the month of May. In the southern part of the state there is a fall season too. I am hoping they open one up here in the next few years. It has only been open a few up here as it is hence my limited bird sightings... I try to go south once per year to hunt them thanks to Josh (VTbowhunter) but our work schedules dont mesh very well some years. Like this one. Oh well...

Re: How many are using arrow vs shot shells this year? [ QUOTE ] id figure id make a little dea with myself....since i havent shot a turkey the last two season, if i get one this year with my gun ill take my bow with me for the remainder of the season to try and get my second [/ QUOTE ] This was always my plan too but the 1st bird just does not want to play ball. LOL I dont mind sitting in a blind if its in a good spot. LOL

Every year I say I am going to but them old trust rust 870 pump makes it out there with me. LOL Ok not rusty but its an old reliable gun with a nice little red dot on it. However since switching back to compounds from a 3 year trad bow fetish, I feel my effective range is roughly the same as my 870. Anyone else planning on using a bow for turks this year? I know Josh (VTbowhunter) will so dont bother posting-LOL JK buddie.

Re: Out of stikers. Need a good source. Thanks for al the links. Not really looking for custom but its interesting. Just looking for something a bit better then the 3 pak selcetion that HS sells at walmart. Guss I need to hit clabelas or bass pro. Snapper PM sent. Thank you.

Re: TURKEY TEAM #25 Im in on that name too...

Re: What made you want to start deer hunting? Only hunted a few times with Dad as a very young boy and did not catch the bug for it. I did however start trad and compound archery when I was 12 on my own with no help or mentor. That evolved into me wanting to hunt with a bow but it took until my late teens before I did. Gun hunting came soon after that. I was not successful until I was in my early 20s during my time in the USAF.

Re: Encore Gun Owners I can remove mine with my finger but it takes the bbl and frame to be prefectly aligned and no stress right or left as I am trying to remove it. Sometimes it feels like it will not budge until I move the bbl back and forth, pressure-wise, to find the sweet spot. The tolerances are really tight as they should be. I also keep mine lightly oiled.

Re: New for the contest this year... [ QUOTE ] I like the idea of giving the door prizes out after the contest has finished to everyone who's participated and aren't on the winning team. This way no person wins multiple prizes, leaving other users a chance to win something even if their team did badly. This also will prevent the people who don't even turkey hunt, but sign up just to win the door prizes and don't participate, but when they win the prize will magically show up to claim it. I think that the participation should be measured by two things. 1) if you check in with your team and 2) if you check out with them at the end of the contest with your hunting results, even if they weren't successful. I don't think participation should be weighed on if you submit an entry or not, because not everyone bags a bird every year, but still participate with their team. JMO [/ QUOTE ] Ditto Cant be said any better then this...

Re: TURKEY TEAM #25 The Gizzard Getters...??? The Strut Stockers...??? The Spur Spankers...??? LOL I dont really care, whatever the majority likes I am fine with...

My last spring big turkey hunting trip cost me about 5 strikers. LOL We (Josh and I) ran all over Birds Eye Mt here in Vermont and come the end of a 3 day trip I had lost just about all of them. Not sure how. I now need to replentish my supply but not real big on the HS 3 paks you can find at Wally World. Any suggestions on what to get and where. BTW my main slate is the glass "The Freak" by Primos. (Yes I lost its striker too. LOL)

Re: How far is to far ? No your do not need to get a "better" gun. The 30.06 was used as a military sniper rifle for years with alot less of a scope. Your gun will reach out that far but it takes UBER practice to hit targets at that range. Even 1/2 that range takes a bit of practice beyond regular shooting. Its not just a matter of holding hi at that distance. Wind drift is a huge factor. Can your gun do it? Yes. Should you shoot at deer or game at 700 yards. Not unless your really really confident you have the skills to make such a shot. Most of my shots have been under 100 yards, especially in the woods but I have taken 2 at over 325 yards.

Re: Homemade Lighted Nock video I have been interested in hi viz arrows for years. Thats why I use reflective tape for wraps and neon vanes. I hate to loose an arrow. I tried the Lumenoks once and they were crap IMHO. Could not get them to light 1/2 the time nor even to stay in the shaft upon impact. I sent them back for a full refund so I will not bash the company. I just feel they were poorly designed. I was interested in the Tracer brand but hear they are way heavy. This looks like something I may have to try this summer. Anyone weight a a completed home brew lighted nock yet?