Stryder

I have a family of tree rats just about 5ft in front of one of my stands. They are pretty fun to watch when they first get up in the morning. By far the coolest was when I saw my first bobcat! That was cool as heck! Of course for years the Iowa DNR denied they were even in the state.

Dang, that didnt happen too far from my house! Dont know the guy, but glad he is alright. I can only think of one reason to have a stand that high and I've had one setup similar to this. This part of Iowa is FULL of steep creek banks and hillsides. In some of the bottoms, at 20ft, your at eye level with the deer. Hench the need to go up another 15-20ft. Like I said, I had one stand that was on a steep embankment next to a field. It was the only tree big enough for a stand and one in place it was just over 30ft up the tree. It didnt seem that high once in stand due to the field being level with the 20ft mark or so on the tree. Not certain that was this guy's case, but I'd say its a good guess.

I'm right along with you on this one Tony. I have had all the time in the world to hunt this year due to being laid off, but nothing is "normal" this year. I can hunt both of my stands in any wind except East. So far, that's only been 2-3 days with wind other than East. With all the dry weather I was hoping the corn would be out. Then it turns to all rain and it sucks.

I can't help much as far as where to go because I've never hunted that part of the state, but if at all possible, make a trip here to do some scouting. If not, you will be no different than every other out of stater. You'll pick a spot on the edge of the timber 2-400 yds from your car and put up your stand. I'm not saying that it wont work, but, having hunted public land, I can honestly tell you the deer KNOW THIS! Just about any public spot will have deer. The whole damn state is full of them! The key to finding the big ones is no different than any other spot. It takes scouting and knowing the layout of the land. Find your ground, then find the county courthouse and look thru the topo maps. Get copies if you can. Scout the land as far from the road as possible. My best deer on public ground came from having to trudge almost 3/4 mile taking me to the back side of the land that had very remote access. Know I'm not saying you wont find big deer near the road. The largest buck I've ever seen was no more than 100yds from the entrance to the grounds. It was and evening hunt. I walked in and had to take a leak. Figured I'd better better do it know before I get anywhere near my stand. I'm standing there taking care of business when this gray behemoth top the rigde no more than 5yds behind me. All I could do was stand there and cry as he walked right past me.

Nope. They are tested to the 200lb guy wearing a safety harness jumping up/down on it as hard as he could association. Being a welder by trade, I will put my stands up against anything on the market, and I will win. Most stands rely on a cheap strap to supposrt your weight. Mine relies on the shear strength of 2 3/8" lags plus a strap as a precautionary back up. The lags pull the angle "backstraps" against the tree for superior grip and side-to-side stability. Not to mention when you step out away from the tree, your weight is tranfered against the tree instead of away from it like most hanging stands.

I prefer making my own. Total cost including camo brown paint is less than $25 per stand. Made of 1x1x.125 angle and mesh floor. Platform is 28x32, which gives plenty of room to step out, turn and shoot behind the tree if needed. It gets a 3/8 lag at the top and another at the base. I also put one rachet strap at the top for extra safety. Weighs about 30lbs and takes ladder to install, but they are VERY sturdy!

I LOVE my G5 Montecs (125gr)! Just wish they would make a 145gr version. The heavier the better. Here a pic of why I love em. Sorry for the bloody details, but it show authenticity. This is from my '08 buck. It was a quarter front shot. It grazed the shoulder, and went through rib bones on both side for a complete thru shot. All it needed was resharpened because it folded the edge on one side from grazing the shoulder. That's it! I'll probably never buy another broadhead.

The more I think about it, I'll bet that long finger of timber offers quite the smorgasbord of backyard treats. Probably a lot of old ladies blaming the neighbor kids for stealing their flowers! If I can get some money saved up for a trail cam, I'm definitely setting it up there for fun to see what's strolling by.

I stopped at the wife's grandfather's house yesterday to borrow his tow-behind spreader, and found this little 3pt shed. We went back to his shed, and I notice a bright ivory "fork" sticking up from the edge. He lives in near the center of town! There is a small strip of timber (maybe 25ft wide x 3/4 miles long) that runs from the outskirts and borders his yard, but never thought deer would use it as it doesnt offer much cover.

Been there, done that... http://www.realtree.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81109&highlight=pheasant Ok, so mine was on the ground, and isnt anywhere near as cool as shooting one in flight...that's one heck of a shot:cool:

Found this little beauty in the clearing near one of my stands. Nice little 5pt most likely from a 2nd year buck. I also snapped a pic of a cedar tree in a bedding area I try to avoid most of the season. I only disturb it after the season is over to see what been happening. That tree is 10-12 inches in diameter! I think it may be time to put a stand a little bit closer.

I'm not disagreeing 100%, but I could swear that I read somewhere its the hunter's choice which method is used to score a non-typical rack. I remember seeing it when I gross scored my '08 buck....but I could be mistaken as well. Personally... its a toss up. This year I chose the non-typical. It only grossed 143 5/8, but had tons of mass. I could have passed him up and took a gamble on seeing the other to nice typicals I saw that morning, but I had never seen a double split brow live in person. This has a lot of character as well. It all comes down to appearance. I would rather have a beautiful massive typical on the wall to look at than a massive mutated pile of junk. If the NT looks respectable, I'll shoot it.

My old PSE loved aluminums, and I couldn't justify the cost of carbons. Fast forward 15 years, and now carbons have come down in price considerably. Also with aluminums, I was CONSTANTLY straightening them after practice. When I bought my new Bear, I had to get new arrows since I went up in draw weight. I bought carbons since the price for the cheaper Easton carbons was the same as the alloys. I'll never go back! No more bent arrows from pulling them from the target. No matter how hard you try to pull an aluminum straight out, you always bend them just a little each time. Also, when I shot my buck this year, the carbon didnt pass thru since it hit the opposite shoulder blade on a quartering away shot. When I found him, he was laying on the arrow, and it came out perfect and unbroken. That says a lot right there! I just bought a dozen Gold Tip XTs, but havent shot them yet. If they are as good as everyone says they are, I'll pay the little extra for better arrows.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Arrow-Cut-Off-Saw-with-Measuring-Table-Archery-Jig_W0QQitemZ230294604129QQcmdZViewItemQQptZArrows?hash=item230294604129&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50 Not too badly priced, if you dont want to build your own. Myself, I'll just order the saw and make the table for 1/2 the price.

I'm guessing blemished shafts, but at that price....who really cares if the pattern/colors are messed up.