fly

Thanks for the clarification willfish03, I probably never would not have double checked. You just gave me an extra hour. We'll see if it pays off. I hear and share your frustration with the way IL handles the spring permits. As you mentioned, I too see a lot more birds these days than I ever have before. There's a large flock of about 20 birds I see in a field 1 out of 3 mornings on my way to work.

Babies are great! Congratulations.

Fred Bear TRX, like the one Bill Jordan used to shoot years ago. Strange how fast a bow can go from new to an oldie in a relative short time. I'll get a new Matthews once the wife figures out we really don't need to keep making her car payments, because walking to work is great exercise (for her).

Welcome Larry, A great group of bowhunting enthusiasts here.

I've been thinking about purchasing some of the videos. I dropped cable over a year ago because of price increases and because the kids were watching too much TV. Looking foward to seeing your website Kandi.

Illinois only allows hunting until noon as well. In addition the state has a lottery for (resident and non-resident) permits. Although there are five 5-day seasons (spanning the month of april) one can only apply for one permit for one county in the first lottery. After that your chances are not great for getting additional permits for some counties. There have been years I was denied a spring turkey permit. I hate to say it, but the spring turkey seasons and regulations in Illinois pretty much suck as far I'm concerned. In contrast: the fall archery season is much better. However, I'm too busy chasing whitetails in the fall. I generally purchase a fall permit (just in case), but I've yet to take a fall turkey with my bow. Stiff turkey hunting regulations may be necessary in IL????? but they sure make it difficult for hunters to acquire the passion.

I hope you find out who did it and I hope they serve some time. Let us know if you hear anything.

I bought one last season and have used it extensively. It's by far my favorite tree stand, but it is not the most comfortable stand to sit in for long periods of time.However, I walk miles to hunt and grew sick of lugging around ladders and hang-ons. I researched climbing stands a lot last year and chose the open-shot (It's a lot cheaper than the lone-wolf light climber, and I liked the design better than the light loggy bayou climber).God has blessed me with a good back, and good health. When I get uncomfortable I stand or shift sitting positions and I can stay in it all day if need be. However, the biggest drawback for me is the length of the platform. It's pretty short which makes taking a shot at a deer that is behind you a little difficult. With practice I was able to get used to it.Like I said I love mine and can hunt from as high as I like now. The stand has great gripping teeth providing excellent stability. I also like the rapid climb stirups and the ease of packing and set up. Once i have sawed any small braches from the trunk I can be set up (harness and all) 30 feet high in about 10 minutes.If only they would add 2 inches to the platform (I'd accept an additional pound or two) it would be perfect from my viewpoint. I'm 6 ft. tall and 200lbs.In the picture you'll see the stand in the background.

I wonder if posts used here could be used in a court of law??? I'd say it was more common in the 80's than it is now. In highschool I (had this friend see) who took a sign that could not be unbolted so my friend climbed the pole and wiggled the top back and forth until it broke off. The sign said Fairlane. He had a 1969 Ford Fairlane. It was a great looking car that he worked on all the time. Looking back on it, I'd agree it was stupid, but no where near as destructive as some of the crazy things that I've heard about lately.

Great news John. Congratulations!

The exact location will have to wait until I see how bad the snow is. I'm planning on buying a permit for hunting units 10 and 12 (Northern Idaho). When I researched various states for a spring bear hunt last year Idaho seemed the best choice. It's over 1700 miles away, but no lottery for non-residents and bear permits are only 30 bucks (and you can get 2 if you want). In addition units 10 and 12 of Idaho are 90% national forest land.

Thanks to all for the great advice. If I'm fortunate enough to take a bear I'll be posting some pictures.

My permit is good for April 7th-11th in Union County IL. I have to work the 7th, but I should be able to get out in the turkey woods at least 3 of the 5 days. Hopefully I'll have good weather.

If you're not an advocate for baiting black bear then this is not the thread for you. Does anyone have any tips for baiting black bears? Do you use buckets, larger containers, or do you dig a hole? What type of bait do you use and how do you get it? Do you check the bait every day and if so what time of day? Do you do a burn and if so what do you use? What factors (elevation, cover, water) do you take into consideration when selecting a bait location? If you have any pictures of bait set ups I'd sure like to see them.

I'd like to get in on this here fasten8n discussion, but unfortunately my crazy's broke tonight.

Pretty Awsome! That's one big yearling.

Agreed.

My luck in Illinois: Time: Daybreak - 8am Weather: any as long as it isn't raining (I've never had luck in the rain).

Hi BowJoe, I don't know you at all, but over the past couple months I've realized the people here are incredible. I don't know if you're a Christian man, but when I went through the fire some time ago I called on Jesus because I saw no way out. He was there for me and He'll be there for you. I'll keep you in my prayers. Hey, it's almost fishing weather.

Glad to say I missed the arguing. I'm also glad to see issues like this being handled before getting out of control. We should all be feeling the love man!

Archery Whitetail far exceeds all else. Second = Shotgun deer Third = Spring turkey. I've only been bear hunting once, but have a trip planned for this spring. We'll see if if gets a higher ranking come June. Would likely include other big game, if I ever get the chance and money to hunt them. A hunt for the Dall Ram in the Yukon would be the ultimate for me, with a Red Stag hunt in New Zealand being a close second.

Well said! I recently (07 season) started extreme height bowhunting. I get 30-35 feet high. Check out this article from Game and Fish: http://www.gameandfishmag.com/hunting/bowhunting-hunting/gf_aa076302a/

Excellent points being made here.

I would like to see the official score sheets (P&Y, B&C) for the deer featured on the monsterbucks videos posted.

I play basketball once a week at my church. I'm planning an archery bear hunt in Idaho this spring and plan to do some additional jogging and elliptical training. Primarily cardiopulmonary workouts. I guess shooting is also a form of exercise, but I don't generally think of it that way.