billygoat

ttt... Thanks DB Donation to non-profit is voluntary. It is a great organization with a genuine mission to get every kid into a harness! Get those smalls for your kids- for Christmas… Nothing better than a safe kid!

Safe Kids Harness Initiative SKHI SKHI is a non-profit organization aimed at promoting tree stand safety among todays youth. Our mission is to ensure that every new hunter education receives the best possible training related to safety, that is available. We also put these harnesses in their hands, through scholarship programs and through bottom line sales. SKHI has a unique opportunity and for the next 30 days, we will offer a few specific harnesses out to the AT community and general public. The prices will be at our website pricing, but will include a $15 donation to SKHI to promote our scholarship program. Here is what we have currently: MUDDY SafeGuard Harnesses: S/M (Black) $50 + ($15 Donation) + $8 Shipping= $73.00 (to your door) NIB L (Black) XL (Black or Lost) Hunter Safety System Black Ultralight: L/XL (Black) $42 + ($15 Donation) + $8 Shipping= $65.00 (to your door) NIB Your $15 dollar donation will come with a "Charitable Donation" tax receipt. 30 Days~ Starts today! Help Save Some Lives!

[h=2]Safe Kids Harness Initiative (SKHI)[/h] Hey guys and gals, Just wanted to give each and every one of you a heads up on a project that I am very excited to announce! SKHI Ltd is officially off the ground after months of work. SKHI is a non-profit aimed at providing formal and informal research/data, education, public safety awareness, and product related to tree stand safety. We have partnered with the Wisconsin DNR and multiple safety harness manufacturers to bring a very important message to our new hunter education graduates~ Anyone can fall and everyone needs to be safe in the tree stand! SKHI is embarking on local and regional education efforts to promote the safest approach to hunting from elevated platforms. Under the model of the NBEF (National Bowhunters Education Foundation) and IHEA (International Hunters Education Association), we are promoting harness and safe line utilization. We are aiding and participating in research related to tree stand falls with all of Wisconsin's Level 1 Trauma Center Hospitals, and we are promoting scholarship opportunities and safety harnesses through special promotions offered from manufacturers and donors. Take a bit of time to look at SKHI at our web page: http://www.skhi.org You can also find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SKHI.ltd Stop in… share your thoughts, and look for some up coming surveys to participate in here on RT. Also, if you have stories related to falls, regardless of brand, share them! Thanks, Bill

Good news... initial test are negative per Madison News Station! Time for WI DNR to have a "Make OVER"... put some new people in charge with some "fresh" ideas.

First time in 25 years that I am not hunting the wisconsin gun opener! Working... wasn't even going to buy a lisence but changed my mind at the last minute. Have three quality buck down with the bow, so I guess I will try and validate a buck tag for next year. Best of luck to everyone and I hope for hunter's sakes, that everyone sees more game than last year... but, I am skeptical!

Been some time since I visited the RT forums, but I wanted to drop in to share a picture of the Buck I took October 28. He came up the hill, after a large pack (13) of coyotes came through the woods. With a few convincing grunts, he managed to make his way in front of my treestand. With him at 21.5 yards and me at full draw, I managed to place a good double lung. He only went 60 yards and transpired within view... It was a perfect morning. Ironically, he walked by the trail camera, minutes before a took the shot at him! Should score as a typical 8 with 10 scoreable points. ISS is 16 OSS 18.5, Good mass, average G2 9" average G3 91/2", Brows are ~2 1/2" Easily my best bowdeer to date.

While I like your train of thought... we in the southern part of the state have NO CHOICE. If you want to shoot a buck, you must first "earn it" and shoot a doe! Which means... more deer will fall. My only recourse is to not hunt! Take my money and my time and go elsewhere.

Tim, Crawford is in the CWD zone, the last few years, that zone was divided into EZ (eradication zone) and RZ (reduction zone)... that's right... they called it an ERADICATION zone! Their intent was to dissolve the entire deer herd in the southern part of the state! Well, my hope is it will never be eradicated, however they have managed to slaughter the herd! You could not pay me enough money to come to WI and spend money as an out of stater to hunt where there are no deer. Unless I am going to a large tract of private land (>1500 Acres), I would not be coming here. Certainly, mature buck numbers are up (for now)... but give it another year or two, and all deer numbers will be down! Then what will be the big pull to the "great dairy state"... squirrel hunting?

South Central. I actually lease property in Sauk County, which is west of Dane, still in the heart of the South Central Farmland of the state. It is also in the much "dreaded" CWD Zone

Here it comes.... the big Gripe! The hunter who complains because "he" didn't see any deer! But wait, this isn't your weekend hunter, who waits for the gun deer opener, grabs the trusty 30-30 lever action and blaze orange, and heads out to the woods. I consider myself a longtime Wisconsin hunter (since 1985). And I like to believe I have a pretty good pulse on the "state of the herd" in the southern part of the state, which I hunt. Over the past four years, I have spent, on average, greater than 150 hours on stand (between archery and gun season). Over those four years, I can say with a fair degree of certainty, that I have seen less than 30 deer (while on stand). In the last two years, I have seen less than 10 deer while on stand. This year, I saw 4 deer throughout all of my archery and gun seasons... all were buck and I was fortunate to harvest a nice 10 pointer with my bow. However, my concern is for the mismanagement of the Deer herd, by the DNR. The deer herd is desimated! There are very few deer. I will not dispute that "some" farms have healthy deer herds, however, these farms are larger tracts of property whose landowners have taken it upon themselves to manage the herd, instead of "going along with" the recommendations of the DNR. Wisconsin used to be recognized as a top 5 state for Whitetai hunting. I would be suprised, after the last several years, if they even crack the top 10. I am to the point where I am ready to take my time and money to another state... give up my lease, and hunt where I will at least see the quary I am hunting. Wondering how everyone else's seasons faired?

That is a shooter in any book! Great lookin' 6 though~ kind of funny when those "unique" deer walk bye... the one's you might hear others talk about passin'; thoughts race through your head, then next thing you know, you are at full draw and tripping the trigger. I bet you didn't get past, "is it..." in the thought of, "is it a shooter?" He should look really nice on your wall

c'mon Ruth... you know better than to share such news without pictures! Congrats on filling that archery buck tag!

Congrats on a great season.

That's nice!

That is absurd! 40ft... that is 5 stories! That is the height of most silo's in Wisconsin! Who on earth would think it reasonable or rationale to hunt from 40ft! I have shot numerous deer, with a bow from 10ft, and I know of many forum members who are more than content to hunt from the ground with a bow. The tallest "factory" ladder stand is 22 ft... so don't you think that the "factory" recommendation would be to stay 22 feet or less? JMHO

Wondering~ I know that many of the users around here have used a SOP fall safety system (fss) by summit. For many years I have used a Tree Stand Safety FSS... with both of these fss's I found them to be slightly "heavy" and akward to walk in... the straps seemed to "pinch". Never the less, I had the utmost trust in there ability to prevent significant harm in the event of a fall, and I have wore a FSS faithfully for many years now. Recently I was at my local archery shop, where I was introduced to Muddy's new FSS. Although I wasn't in the market... I took a look. Then I drove home, went online and looked a little longer. The next day I jumped back in the truck and headed west to pick up my new FSS. It is awesome! Super light weight, extra fast to put on, comfortable... well equipped! Let me tell you~ if you aren't wearing a FSS due to the bulk/added weight/ and discomfort, give this thing a try. You will not be disappointed.

H1N1 is the "real deal"... especially if you are younger (under 25). I have seen more cases of this flu, than I have seen of ANY influenza, in my whole nursing career. Personally I have witnessed 2 deaths caused by H1N1 (1 child previously health, other with an underlying illness), and multiple healthy and chronic ill children requiring prolonged intubation/respiratory support. On top of that, numberous children are "toughing" it out at home. It's not to say that if you get H1N1 YOU WILL DIE.... however, it is to say that this strain of influenza is taking its toll on younger individuals and it can get real ugly, really quick! I have heard discussion throughout infectious disease MD's that there is some speculation that older adults may have some "partial" immunity/resistance to H1N1 and perhaps this is why younger individuals are being harder hit.

Spent 1.5 hours in the tree, so far this year (life happens)... still managed to bag a nice 10 pt w/ bow @ 15 yards. Last year, scored on a 9pt in velvet.

What's going on? I've been away for a while... a long while! It doesn't seem like that long ago, that I spent every waking hour on this forum. Life is good. I have a wonderful wife and family (I have a 8 month old boy, my good luck charm). Work is busy and continues to put a warm meal on the dinner table. We all have our health. Oh yes, and I still have that lucky streak I've been riding for the last 9 years! Hope everyone here on RT forums is well and I hope to be visiting a little more often. Of course, you can always find me on FB http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1432530578&ref=profile#/profile.php?id=1030566937&ref=profile

2008 Iowa Buck (1st Season) Team #7 Dec, 7 2008~ Mature Iowa Whitetail (5 1/2) in full velvet. 8 Point [4R/3L] with 1" kicker off of right base. Shot with 870 Magnum Remington and 3" Remington Sabot's. Deer responded to rattle inspite of showing no signs of a rutting buck (no neck swell/ no bucky odor/ excessive winter fat/ no testicles). Harvested at ~ 50 yards. Tagged w/ Cousin's Landowner Preference 1st Season tag

Count on Iowa~ Just a little bit slow in getting this posted, but we returned from Iowa on Monday, and as always, "it was goooood. We went down a week ago, Thursday. We were met with much optimism and rumors of "good" deer. During our day 1 scouting, we encountered 7 yotes, however we didn't bring a rifle with us Day 2 gave us time to catch up with family and play some Wii against the kids (only to make my shoulder sore for the next AM hunt:confused:) Opening Day: There was not a lot of shooting, nor was the deer movement too remarkable, however I was able to fill a doe tag around 0800 with a nice mature Iowa doe. A few moments later, my dad filled on a nice 1 1/2 year old buck and doe that I had earlier let walk. Great! By 0900 we had half of our tags filled! I talked with my uncle who had seen very few deer~ so we proceeded to a midday hunts in filling the 3 remaining party tags. I moved over to one of my favorite stands, the plumb thicket. After a short series of rattles, I caught movement of a large bodied deer with hardware, coming through the creek bed. As he walked into the opening, he looked greatly disproportionate (in that his body was grossly large compared to his head) Based on his size, I new he was a mature deer, so I shouldered and placed a good shot on him. He went about 70 yards and expired in the field. As I approached him, he continued to strike me as "odd". As I looked at his rack, it appeared to have "good" mass, but wasn't very big. Then it hit me... he was in full velvet! After a little surveying, I lifted his leg and began to field dress him, where the real suprise was. He had no testes~ everything else... just no kibbles and bits. When we skinned him, we found over an inch of fat acrossed his back, and his meat was bright red... looked like a real steer. I guess that is about what he was. Sunday brought no deer, but cold~ windy weather. Monday: Dad closed on two mature does... ending our Iowa season 2 days early! I will put pics of the license and deer on Sunday... he is a 7 point with a solid 1 inch kicker (8 points) giving us another 12/13 points for our team!

Ahhh, the wife will be proud!

Well, folks~ we had our 20 week Ultrasound and I am over-joyed to announce that in February, I will have myself a little hunting buddy! From the activity during the US, it looks like I will have my hands full:D Anyways, the 3-d US's are crazy... it's amazing the detail you can see! Check the little guy out @ http://www.freewebs.com/aprilnbill/whatsnew.htm

stong work on the doe! I haven't been out in a week, and won't get back out till next weekend... then we have a "doe only" hunt the following weekend. Long story short, 3 weeks until vacation (13 days off!)

off and running Well, guys: Weekend two of WI Bow season has come and gone. I was fortunate to have multiple opportunities on deer this weekend and saw plenty of other game over the past two weekends. I may have made a mistake (well not really). I passed on a very nice 2 1/2 year old 8 point (probably 110"). I just keep telling myself, "it has to be bigger than your biggest bow kill". I also had a fork come in and a doe. To top the weekend off, in route to my stand (yesterday AM) I walked upon a "horse"... (literally, I thought it was a horse), only to realize it was a freagin' monster! Needless to say, I have my work cut out for me to bag this boy and put some points on the board for team predator! Best of luck to all.