[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Who shoots banana fletch for hunting? #60798

I was shooting Bananas last year and like everyone is saying they are noisy. But I was able to quiet them down when I was shooting at a wet hay bail and I pulled the arrow all the way thru the bail. After that the arrows were very quiet even after they dried off!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Barronett Blinds #60794

I do like it still have not shot out of it yet but once the weather breaks it will be game on. I was thinking that I would be able to fit 2 people sitting in the blind and I think it would be difficult using a longbow.

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Barronett Blinds #41500

I took a gamble and went out and bought a Barronett Big Mike blind…it was half off and figured I can always return it if I do not like it. After setting it up and drawing my bow back a few times in it, the blind seems like it will work just fine for turkey hunting this year! The weight sucks when all said and done being at just shy of 20lbs but at least the pack comes with arm straps that you can wear it like a back pack.

Overall I am happy with it and this snow needs to melt now so I can start practicing using it!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Would you shoot a bedded animal? #45514

R2 wrote: Jim, the way I see it is if you get close enough to bow shoot a bedded animal, you have done a better job as a predator than it has done as prey. Go for it.

Proper angle for a shot goes without saying as it does with any shot, standing or laying.

I had a wonderful opportunity once at a bedded buck. He was sleeping, I was 10 yds. thinking ah ha. Fortunately for him a couple of his lady friends were only playing asleep.

It’s amazing how fast a mule deer buck can wake up and be gone. My grandsons should be so inclined.

You took the words right out of my mouth R2! If I were to watch an animal bed down and I was able to walk in to shooting range (less than 20 yards) I am going to take the shot! The chances of ME walking in on a bedded animal less than 20 yards is at about -10% chance 😀

I don’t think that another predator animal would pass the opportunity to pass on a bedded meal. To tell you the truth, I think sneaking up on a bedded animal is 100x harder then sitting in a blind or a tree waiting for the animal to pass by. Is this not basically the definition of stalking and and still hunting?

Now shooting bedded animals at long range distances….I do not agree with…then again I also do not agree with the way most gun hunters hunt anyway.

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: The Hammock Seat #42302

Patrick wrote: Saturday morning, I found the Hammock Seat’s kryptonite: A hard rain. I sat there thinking it was rather odd that my lower back and rear end were getting cold. In all my years of hunting, I had never experienced that before. Even my wallet was soaked. I’m not sure if the rain down the tree and into the seat, or if it simply rained on the back uncovered part of the seat. Based on how it looked to me, I’m thinking it was the later. Still wouldn’t trade it for any other seat though!

I think you are right! I can’t say that I have used it in the rain but could see that happening! That fabric would catch and hold rain water….I have seen the umbrellas that people use for tree stands. That would help solve the solution but you would also be adding more unfamiliar products into the woods!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Almost!!! #28833

I feel your pain! I have only had 1 deer come into my shooting lane and that was on opening day. I know I am in the right area , I have seen and heard deer all around me before hunting hours but they would always be 40-50 yards away whenever it was light enough to shoot. I would relocate and sure enough they would be right by my original blind! I laugh cause no matter what I do its never the right thing to do 🙂 If I wait all season watching deer pass thru an area out of my range they will never come close to me, but as soon as a relocate to another area they will be sitting in my original blind the very next day!

Good luck the season is starting to get interesting now!!!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: The Hammock Seat #26663

I will put in my 2 cents on my thoughts of this product.

First off I will never go hunting and not have this with me it is perfect for hunting on the ground! Easy set up and take down and you can relocate on the fly. It is comfortable and easy to see 360 degrees without making a sound.

I am having the issue of metal on metal contact with I cam extending the stand and it is making a lovely SSSSKKKRRREEEEKKK every time I set it up. I want to put some sort of oil on it but then I am worried about the whole scent free thing. Any thoughts on what I could use? What I ended up doing with it last weekend was leaving the stand extended so I do not have to worry about extending it.

The hammock material is thick and can be alittle noisy when setting up (noisy like when you move your arms in a winter coat, a whooshy sound, but nothing to bad)

I have set it up around different diameter trees too roughly a 24 inch tree down to a 6 inch tree. I will say the bigger the tree the more comfortable the seat is due to the fact that you can spread the material out further and it will not scrunch up along the sides. I have been attaching it to 8-10 diameter trees for most of the season and have had zero problems with it.

It is very fast to set up, it took some trial and error at first to figure out what height to put the strap around the tree but with alittle set up and practice in the backyard you can figure out the height you want before you hit the woods.

Once the hammock seat is set up it is 100% awesome! Very comfortable and you can spend hours sitting in this seat and not even feel the need to have to adjust or anything. You can look behind you with very little movement with just a slight lean to look around the tree you are hiding behind. You can set up on a hill side if you need to as well. I currently have one of my blinds set up on a hill and once you get into place with this you don’t even realize that you are sitting on a hill its fantastic!

Pros – its awesome

Cons – slightly noisy

Yes I would recommend it to a friend 🙂

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: A Milestone Miss #25798

Man if that does not make a father proud I don’t know what would 🙂

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: string slap #20219

Steve Graf wrote: Normally, raising the brace height should reduce arm slap, so that’s good.

You also mentioned short stroking your bow which I take to mean not reaching your natural draw length. Expanding your draw length is a good thing as long as you don’t go past what is natural for you.

I suspect that if you open your stance some, meaning face the target a little more when you draw, you will reduce the string slap. I think what has happened is that as you increased your draw length, you are drawing the string closer to your body and your bow arm is straighter and closer to the bow. You may have increased your draw just a smidge too much.

Opening your stance will maybe reduce your draw length a bit, but will give you better clearance.

Another option is to pay attention to the elbow on your bow arm. Make sure you have it rotated out, not in. And that your bow arm shoulder joint is down and out not up and in toward your chin.

Hope this helps 😀

Sounds like you took some notes from Mr. G.Fred Asbell and his books and dvds! I spoke with him once and asked him why he recommends facing the target more, he said that it not only gives him string clearance but it also shortens his draw length to 28 inches. Not sure if you have every met the man but he is a very tall man 6 foot 5 plus I would say!

My other suggestion would be to cant the bow which will then rotate your bow arm elbow which was mentioned above too!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: broadheads for grouse and pheasant #18904

You could not have said anything at a better time for me! I am planning my pheasant hunt today to tell ya the truth and have been thinking about the what broadhead to use! The field point with a scorpio does make alot of since I did also get a few of the hex blunts but maybe I will put those away and make some of these “pheasant killers”

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Need Encouragement #9988

About a 2 years ago I bought the Master of the Barebow dvd collection after I got into a shooting slump. I took some pointers from a few of the archers that resembled my style of shooting and took it to the field. I added a few of the tips to my form and sure enough with alot of practice I slowly watching my shots improve each time I shot my bow. Even if you do not agree with all the types of shooting some of the pros on the dvd show you, you will be able to take at least 1 tip from each of them to help you!

I laugh now when one day I can shoot perfectly no matter what I do, then I go out the following day and can barely get my arrows to hit the target! All I can do is go out again and practice some more!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: How's the hunting? #60809

I have been out every weekend at least one day since the opener. So far I have battled 80 degree temperatures 25 mile per hour winds, and a rain snow mixture…..man I love hunting the fall in Minnesota 🙂

I have seen deer everytime that I have gone out. Opening day I busted 3 deer that were right in my hunting area which was a bummer. The next morning I had a small 5 pointer walk right in my shooting lane before we caught wind of me. I watched 2 doe casually walk right by at about 50 yards. One the windy day I didn’t even bother to sit in my blind and figured I would roam around looking for any movement activity which I saw 3 deer holding tight to a field edge.

All and all I have seen the deer but have not drawn my bow back yet. Only have a few more weeks until the guns start firing!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: MUSHROOM BILL #53194

Doc Nock wrote: Well, Dfud, I’m no wildlife expert but I’d think many of us, (from stories heard) have had very similar experiences.

I hunted a ground blind one year… neat hidey hole. Up comes a deer, walks past, (too small) and catches this thing out of the corner of it’s eye…walks over to the right side, (can’t shoot easily to that side, and it was more open, and walks right UP to the blind… I was on a stool wearing a shaggy suit.

He literally poked his head INTO my blind while I’m looking toward him with my eyes squinted and sniffing around. The suit had the rectangular eye opening… so he’s 3′ from me… but when I opened my eyes wide, he about imploded!

Ran 15 yards and stopped and looked back and looked embarrassed as to say, “now why’d I do that”. I about fell off the stool wanting to laugh! Hunting is so much more than about the kill!:lol:

HA HA HA! I can picture that happening!!:shock::shock::shock:

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Tree Saddle #52858

R2 wrote: I “hung” in all kinds of body belts, harnesses and contraptions during my 40 + years in the electrical utility business and there are still places on my body that start groaning if I even think about getting in other one. 😀

I guarantee when hanging off a pole in a lineman’s belt and a pair of hooks and it’s cold, it’s d**n cold. I imagine hanging in a tree be not much better. Body harness are not any better either, even more places to be pinched, mangled and deformed.

I wish you luck but it ain’t por moi!!!!!:wink:

That is a big concern for me is not being able to sit in the saddle for long periods of time. Like I have been saying to buy a new one for that price just to find out that I can barely sit in it for a couple of hours, it would be pointless to me. The new ones seem to have some added pads that are underneath your legs but even then I am not sure if it will be enough for me to buy. I am going to have to think about this some more and get some more opinions or see if I could try one before I buy one!

[ChumpMcgee]

in reply to: Tree Saddle #50708

jasonsamko wrote: They work great!

I have never used the one you linked but it has a cult following.

I have hunted out of a saddle made for me by my buddy. Its made the same way the trophyline tree saddles were made for so many years.

Easy to hunt out of when you get the hang of it. you shoot by twisting your upper body and your draw arm is between you and the vertical strap that goes up to the top strap on the tree.

Were they excel at:

in trees with out much cover you look like a branch as your body angle mimics a branch.

in small diameter trees you would never think of putting a stand in. since you are close to the tree and don’t have the stand “fulcrum” and you are “hung” from above you but all weight is lower.

in situations where you need to be ultra light and pack able.

in situations where you need to “run and gun” to different stand trees thru out a day.

Ways to make them the most comfortable and get the best use out of:

make sure what ever system you use to stand on wraps around the tree and also has a place level for both feet. examples: if you are using climbing sticks make sure they have a rung on both sides at the top to stand on and also make sure they are an real tube or wide step not a little thin step like the lone wolf sticks. then make sure you use a couple strap on steps at the same level as the top rung and use the strap on steps to be able to pivot around the tree. What i did for this is bought 3 plastic strap on tree steps and combined them on one strap. basically find a system that lets you stand comfortably with out cutting off circulation in your feet and also allows you to pivot around the tree.

Saddles are not cheap and they total system requires some practice and fine tuning. But they are an amazing system in many situations. I still prefer a normal stand 90% of the time. My buddy however, prefers a saddle 90% of the time.

Hope this helps!

That is a great review! Thank you for your help! I am curious about them but at the same time I do not want to fork over that much money just to find out that I do not like the system. I have watched a couple videos on the old trophy line saddles and it appears it could work quite well.

What I like about it is its light and you can relocate using the same system and stuff it all in your backpack. I have never been a fan of tree stands just due to the fact of all the weight on my back and hunting on public land I would not want to keep my stand up all season long.

Why do you prefer the tree stand over the saddle??

[Author]

Posts