I've been checking in here on and off since the Bowsite was born in about 1995. Had the pleasure of meeting several fine folks from here and hunting with a few and sharing Benefit 4 Kids campfires with some of the finest folks on earth. Over the years the Michigan forums had some real heated debates and a lot of participation on issues like crossbows, baiting deer, antler point restrictions and of course, Ted Nugent. I've seen more than one guy get fed up with all the arguing and heated debates... And leave here. It's easy to sit behind a computer when you've never met the folks your talking to... And talk to them like you might not if you were speaking face to face. It's too bad... Because I've seen good people like Dave Dalton and Roger Norris stop posting here or in Daves case be forced out for speaking his mind. The Michigan forum is nowhere near as active as it used to be.
I'd say Big Bear was pretty spot on. A few years back is when I quit really looking at the Michigan forum. Some people couldn't except that others didn't have the say opinion as them and they would just keep piling on to where it wasn't worth coming to this forum just to see the same 5 people bi#%^ back and forth, mind you all 5 were correct in their own respect. So from then on I just hang out on the main forum.
Agreed, some people just think because someone disagrees with them about an issue, they are being bullied. People are just too sensitive now days. Dave Dalton is a fine example of someone that wants to know all the ins and outs of a topic. He will ask a lot of questions, even if he knows the answers. He was a staple on here and kept things interesting. Then a new guy shows up and is offended by what Dave had to say and got him removed. Since then, it has been a slow site. Too bad.
I agree with much of the above. I bow hunt because I love it and want to have fun. But the tone here became so nasty it just wasn't fun to post here any more. We should all be on the the same side on most of the bow hunting issues, or at least accepting, but some only wanted it their way. I hope the friendships can come back and the bitterness left behind.
Been here since 1997 I can tell you Big Bear, T-Rex, Keith, and Lew NAILED it.
There were very involved and knowledgeable people on this site.
Then some new guys got on, got upset with those that didn't side with them and started REALLY stirring the pot. This continued until they chased, or had booted off, the people they disagreed with and then the site traffic dropped to near zero from one of the busiest state forums on the Bowsite. (this does not apply only to Dave D. The list is long)
It's real quiet here compared to Wisconsin bowsite. I've seen your post on there to razor. I usually frequent the Michigan sportsman forums and Wisconsin bowsite. Rarely do I look at this forum since as you've pointed out it's a ghost town it seems... Then again that's what some of us love about the u.p. so maybe we shouldn't mind
that is too bad northbound, there was some good info on here, I have a cabin that is in the western UP, and a house in Wis, I love them both,,,, I am blessed
Well guys to me double D got more caught up in the conflict then the topic and why he's gone. It does take a lot to get booted from Bowsite. PMing someone nasty emails venting anger is a direct attack . Never happen to me but he did it often to others.
Keith, I hope we can get things going again, but even on a thread of reconciliation someone accuses crossbow hunters of not being bow hunters for no reason. So it may just be what it is. The days of friendly conversation of passing on knowledge and fun experiences may be over.
Keith.... An issue that I would like to discuss this upcoming deer season is the ability to shoot does during archery season again in the U.P. I feel that there is no biological data that supports making it illegal to shoot a doe during archery season. I am not a horn hunter. I've owned my property in Newberry since 2009 and in that time I've killed a whopping 2 deer on my property (And one bear)....both deer were does with my bow before does were outlawed. I don't feel harvesting does during archery season has any negative effects on the herd.
Lew....... As for crossbows..... I think we can all agree on one thing.... They are here to stay. It really doesn't matter at this point if you think a crossbow is archery equipment or not. I see pictures here on the Bowsite of crossbow kills. In the past.... People wouldn't dare to post a crossbow kill here. I still hunt with a compound and own some Bear recurves. I still haven't killed anything with a recurve but someday I hope to. Yet I own a crossbow. Not for me to hunt with but to make it easier for one of my kids or my friend to get into the woods in October and join me hunting.
Big Bear the only guys in the UP not killing doe are you and handful of other downstaters. If I had a dollar for every doe that went from the bait pile to the pole barn........$$$$$ But hey they have to feed the family someway.
Keith: We have had the APR in our area for about 4 years now and it has produced many large rack bucks. I think it has increased our overall deer herd also. We have let many deer go in early morning/late night hunts because we were not 100% sure that the deer was not a spike. I hunt ground blinds with primitive equipment so let the deer get really close. I had three deer come to within 7 yards of me before I saw the 4" spikes on the larger deer. My first thoughts were a doe and two fawns but that wasn't the case. I know the APRis not for everyone but I have some trail camera photos of some wall hangers.
Big Bear: I agree 100% on the UP doe issue. Several "sportsmen's groups" pushed for this because it made them feel like they were doing something. killinstuff: If you have good information on this, I suggest calling RAP. Jon: APR's are not for me. Where do you live/hunt?
APRs are not for me either.... If you want to pass up smaller bucks in your area in hopes to see bigger bucks that's fine.... But don't try to mandate that I do the same. A trophy to me is venison in the freezer.... I don't care about horns. I am of the opinion of only allowing one buck and one doe.... That would be a fair middle ground for the QDM types because a lot of guys would pass up smaller bucks if they could only kill one buck.... But not me....Any legal deer other than a small fawn is welcome in my freezer.
I totally agree with Big Bear, except on the one doe rule. I live in Shiawassee County and have hunted many private farms and there's PLENTY of does on them. I'm a meat hunter too.
I was thinking along the lines of making the combo tag good for one buck and one doe.... In southern Michigan you can buy over the counter doe permits still....
Keith, we are in Mason county. I can take or leave the APR rule as a deer is a deer but because of the restriction it stops body shooting deer early morning and later evening when you can't quite see what's on the deer head, like spikes. In our area I feel this has increased our deer herd. In gun season we don't hear near the blasting we did before the APR came into affect.
Big Bear, I also have land in the UP and have traditional gear, compounds and a crossbow. For me, they all shoot arrows and are a close range weapons. I don't get mad at anyone hunting legally, we are all part of one team supporting bow hunting. Hopefully our mild winter will give you more opportunities this fall. Good Luck and have fun this fall.
Yessir..... You too. I'm taking a point for bear this year and hopefully my buddy draws a tag. Deer hunting and fishing on the agenda. Maybe this year I'll catch a musky on the Tahquamenon River.
Rage are great. I've put down many deer with them. Other than the shock collars opening on occasion in quiver is kinda annoying. Worst issue is the blood trails are so massive (on pass thru shots) that it takes a lot of effort to cover them up on one of my suburban hunting spots. I'm legal to hunt there but a few neighbor are anti hunting so I try to be low impact. That's in SE Wisconsin. I have 1 acre to hunt and am required by the owner to take at least 4 deer or she'll find someone else to do herd control. Deer usually go onto a public accessible adjacent land and expire on the hike trail so I have to make it like it never happened. Apr- I'm not for it, personally in 13 years (started @20, my family never hunted) I've never killed a buck in Wisconsin, and took one spike in Michigan. I'm a horn guy. I refuse to end my season unless it's for a great buck. That said I'm truly happy for any neighbor that harvests any buck. To each there own, I'm not one to force my desires onto others. Plus if your willing to hunt where the deer are, there are places that have to many does and I'm happy to harvest those to let bucks get bigger (I realize those opportunities don't exist in the yoop) UP doe tags- it's so hit and miss, I have one property that averages 20 deer a night in the food plot (back yard) but another place I have about 30 miles away would really benefit from letting does walk, unfortunately I've busted poachers there on camera taking a doe this year and I'm certain It happens more. I'd like to thin the overpopulated place if it was legal but realize it's near impossible for the doe tags to be issued only where needed without decimating numbers where more deer could be carried. Crossbow- kinda like aprs, I don't like people forcing there beliefs onto others. Many bow hunters think crossbow are magic weapons. I thought the same thing till I shot one and realized my 300 dollar compound had better long range than a 1100 dollar crossbow. I bought one but rarely have hunted with it. It's bulky, heavy and clumsy. Only time I like it is for fence lines with limited cover that are very hard to draw without being busted. For me compound is easier, and I eat a lot of venison. Crossbow need a rest to be accurate, and even with that they lose velocity so fast that I wouldn't consider a shot beyond 30 yards. Compound gives me confidence for another 10 yards which makes a huge advantage for most of my hunting areas. Will say I killed one public land doe this year with a recurve that I'm very proud of, will likely never happen again. On the ground standing up. Stalked a group of three and luck was on my side that day. Guys who hunt without cams/pulleys on every hunt get all the respect I can give. Don't think I'd have the balls to hunt an area I knew a big buck was a possibility while only having a recurve or long bow on hand. For the greater good of hunting (notice I didn't say 'bowhunting') I really hope that hunters can tone down the hate towards other hunters with other opinions/preferences. Society is very divided in some areas of pro or anti hunting. If Anyone who's a legal hunter is now divided by 'type' of hunter it makes us all the more easier to write off as a unnecessary few. Hope that didn't sound all peace love and happiness like, I'm far from being a hippie but I try to step back and look at the big picture often. They way I see it, being divided isn't going to help things. Yeah if only real bows where aloud it could up our odds of a trophy, but the less of us- the easier for libs to do silly things like spay does instead of harvest them.....
We are looking to move to the UP hopefully before the end of this year. Depending on where we settle, I have a couple , of ventures in the planning stages for once we get settled in. Looking for western half of the UP, from there just about any place will do provided it meets our needs. 40 acres is ideal, could do less with the right location.
I gave my opinion 3 years ago why this site was dead and it still stands imo... Dave Dalton went into the CF and that's where his demise happened here.
Debate is healthy but the mods can only allow so much rule violation b4 the finally say ok and axe someone. Dave is but 1 in a long list
We have one the biggest hunting groups in the nation here in MI and for us to have this little of a following on this site proves that undersirables may have poisoned he site a little so people stay away now.
I remember a few years ago I was browsing the site and I believe you( Hammer) and DB were getting into it with each other. It seemed like that guy had a beef with everybody and everything.
I believe lack of participation is because this is a bow site and many in Michigan now go to crossbow forums. Simply the face of changing times I would guess.
Dave was here long before you Hammer and an active participant here back to about 1995 when this site was born. He was a regular at Benefit 4 Kids fund raisers and is a good man. It's easy to type to people on the internet and judge them without ever having met them. I've met him. I have nothing but respect for him.
Judging from the reply's on this thread, a lot of the "old timers" like me are still here. We just don't respond to many topics or threads. Maybe its the content now a days. I do agree that the crossbow law changes have driven people to other sites too.
Interesting thread. There is a huge disparity between the activity on the MI site and that on the WI site. There are lots of attitudes on the WI site and I just don’t frequent is as often as I used to even though I do still hunt some in WI. I have a WI bear tag this year that I will bowhunt. This is year 3 of my land ownership in the UP and I continue to be busy with opening up areas, planting food plots, putting in apple/pear trees, trail improvements, etc. I don’t get as much time on the net as I used to either.
With the plots on my crappy land last year, my deer numbers exploded. My son and I passed on many bucks and I had an encounter with a nice 8pt I would have killed but he never presented right in either case at 2 different locations. My son drew on a couple of bucks but they too did not present right. He killed a doe and we probably should have killed 4 of them due to how many there are not allowing the plots to grow. Too many deer for the plots.
I’m heading to camp on Friday to put down around a ton of lime and do some more tree cutting. It is a never ending labor of love but the rewards have been awesome and it is all for my son. He’s killed 3 deer on the land and I have not killed any and could care less if I ever kill one.
I hope everyone gets their projects done. You start with a list of 25 items, complete 30, and still have 20 left it seems.
I had a very large bear on my land last year that caused my lots of grief. I’ll let people know if he is back this year because I’d be willing to open my land up to someone with a tag because I’d like him gone. I am near Escanaba.
"We have one the biggest hunting groups in the nation here in MI and for us to have this little of a following on this site proves that undersirables may have poisoned he site a little so people stay away now. "
That statement could be interpreted two ways. And before anyone tees off ( I will not engage) site traffic is down now from where it once was. Cause or effect?
After reading the above posts I think I'll contribute to this post.
This site as with most other's offers a lot of opinion's regarding Cross-bow's. Nearly all and certainly most of these opinion's are of the negative nature.
Personally I have never used or hunted with a cross-bow. This said, I for one do not have a problem with those who do use one whatever their reason may be.
As stated by a few of the posts the cross-bow is here to stay (as a viable hunting bow)
Before anyone gets their "high horse" riled up please allow me to explain why it is a hunting bow ?
First, many of us who switched / changed from long-bow and re-curve's many years ago to a compound heard the same rhetoric levied against the compound bow as it is now said of the cross-bow. It's not a real bow, it has an unfair advantage, place it with the gun season, etc.
Personally good friends and family members told me. " I can't believe you would shoot one of those things (compound). You know its not a bow !
The same was said of the mechanical release, it's not hand holding the string !
With all of this said a little respect of history will easily tell us, the cross-bow was invented somewhere between 450 and 700 AD probably in China. The compound invented around 1968 AD, by an engineer named Allen.
Question: Of the two which is more primitive or has been around longer ?
Answer: Obvious
As I said previously, I do not hunt with a cross-bow. It is not my preferred choice.
However I do have a handicapped grand-daughter. She will never be able to shoot a re-curve, long-bow or a compound with either hand. She cannot draw a bow with her right side nor can she hold any type bow with her right arm.
She is a deer hunter by all means ! She has taken 4 all by cross-bow.
She is as proud of her hunting ability as anyone and this grandpa is as proud of her as I can be :^}
Before any of us talk trash about another's legal choice of weapon we should be aware of their circumstance, or be it of choice. We all should be grateful they are included in the Archery Reports. We do need the numbers as a voice for our sport !
IMHO,
All of the negative remarks by those who view themselves as, self-righteous or elitist with their equipment. This, along with all of the negative remarks and comments to others have lead to the lack of participation with most state sights.
Whether one agree's with my post or not isn't my issue,
The issue is,
Like the compound, the cross-bow is here to stay !
buc I 1313: I think the big "discussions" on the crossbow were being made long before they were made legal for all to use. I know I got into a couple of really heated back and forth's on here about them which I have apologized for and regret. I know first hand how they have helped disabled get back into the woods and hunt again. When they first came out for the disabled to use my Marine buddy came home to Michigan to hunt with me with one. He got shot on the top of the head in Viet Nam which left him right side paralyzed. I sat with him in his Kawasaki Mule as he hunted and shot a spike with it. The man had tears flowing after we recovered his spike buck. He was that excited about getting back into the woods with a bow. He wrote a story on it and the MBH published it in the news letter.
A lot of the guys I work with who used to bowhunt now use crossbows. I own one and let my buddy and his kids use it just to have someone to hunt with.. but I have never hunted with it.... I think I'd rather try hunting with one of my recurves again. I noticed that they did a role call on the leather wall asking the age of the trad guys that post over there. The response was eye opening. Most of the posters there are over 50 years old and I saw VERY few in their 20's or 30's. Bowhunting in my opinion will never die... but the days of having separate and distinct bow seasons seem to be a thing of the past. Hit the woods, enjoy your time afield with your friends and family... and don't worry about what the other guy is hunting with. Peace.
Well said Big Bear, I was against xbows for everyone. But I am not going to be a hater. I look at it this way, it's your hunt use what ever is legal and you are truly happy with. Except an " Air Bow" in archery season. LOL
Happy, some things need worrying about. When you have been around archery as long as I have, been shooting a bow for 60's and seen the direction that archery in general has taken, it can be troublesome. I belong to archery clubs like the Michigan Bow Hunters who do a lot of worrying for us.
I think the "don't worry about" attitude would change if the county your hunting property is in decided to pave the road in front of your property. Especially once you got you new tax bill. The reason I bring this up is because that is talk around my place. There is rumblings of a golf course being built down the road a few miles and there is only two ways to get the this project and one way is in front of my hunting property, cabin and our son home. We kind of enjoy our living in the woods and away from people.
Some times we just can't stick our head in the sand and hope for the best.
I agree that some things need worrying about.... and I was right there in the middle of all the ugly battles here over crossbows before they were made legal. I still don't think they belong in archery season except for those who are handicapped..... But that is all water under the bridge at this point. Something I am more concerned about is the DNR making it legal again to harvest does in the UP with bows..... there was no biological data showing it should have been outlawed in the first place.... An agenda that was pushed by gun hunting organizations in the UP.
Jon, I hope that all works out for you because the proposal sure does suck and I know I'd be PO'ed. I hope you can win that battle.
My comment is simply about the fact I don't care what my neighbors hunt with. My goal is to enjoy my time with my son and our friends. I'm focusing on the positive things.
Happy: I am getting too old to worry for me anymore but it is my grandkids that I think of. All of my time in the woods anymore is dedicated to them. Like you, having my own property makes it easier to set the guidelines that I want followed.
The ever widening acceptance of crossbows has led to a marked dwindling of bowhunter numbers in the state of Michigan. Probably why many former bowhunters no longer come here.
Yeah Jon, it has become all about my kids. I'm 55 and grandkids won't be happening any time soon. I bought the land with my kids in mind and hoped it would be a positive for when grandkids arrive. My son has killed 2 bucks (bow) and a doe (gun) on our land in the 2 years I've owned it and I have passed on every deer but did try like heck to kill a nice 8pt that I had chasing does in 2 different stands that would not present for me. That's OK, because I honestly don't care if I kill a deer. I want my son to be successful as well as our guests.
My daughter quit hunting when she turned 15. She's almost done with nursing school. I hope she finds a guy who hunts and gets back into it.
All this land work is painful and costly seeing I am 3.5hrs from camp. In the 1st 2 years, I did 28 work trips. Many were same day up and back. I'm up to 3 already this year. I sure hope my son (and daughter and future grandkids) will look back some day and appreciate it all. It is a labor of love. I don't have time or energy to worry about what my neighbors do as long as they are hunting legally!
Happy: My wife just retired from nursing after 45 years. Glad to read your daughter is on her way in the nursing field. It takes a special person for sure.
I am fortunate that my son, daughter in law and grand kids live on the property. They built a house on the north border leaving the rest for hunting and roaming. The kids are home schooled and they play ground time is in the woods. I have build a few ground blinds and 3 elevated gun stands on the place. When I take the oldest (at home) grandson around the property on the ranger I remind him that this place will be his one day and to make sure and take care of it. My grandkids are special in many ways. The two boys, 14 and 11 ask to cut and split wood after supper time. Never the computer and rarely the TV which gets one channel. They just love roaming the property.
Wow Jon, that is really a slice of Heaven. You are very fortunate to have such a great setup with your family right there. Major kudos to you for what you've provided for your family.
Thanks Happy, it is a work in progress. I am trying to find a 2 row corn planter for my small food plots but they are NOT cheap.
It is a fun project for the most part, especially when the grand kids get involved. Here is one of two small fields I want to plant with a couple of the grandkids walking and shooting. The field looked like the pines that surround it.
Here is my grand daughters deer from last year. The only critter in the photo that hasn't taken deer off the camp is the little one in the middle. He is only 4 but he does shoot a bow.
I haven't posted here in awhile. It was new, mouthy guys like Hammer that drove me away.
Dave Dalton (with whom I disagreed with on many things) was a very intelligent and skilled debater. Whiners got him banned. Shame. He had much to offer.
I miss the old forum, when we would talk about actual hunting, share pictures of Shrewhaven, all the good stuff.
I see many good guys still here, guys like Big Bear, Jon, etc. You guys are pretty darned resilient, congrats!
Man I'd love to !! I still have your phone number and I've throttled down all the overtime I was working in the last few years,,, just coasting for the next 3 years till retirement..... count me in for a bunny hunt this year please !!!
It has been many years since I posted on this site for all the same reasons stated above. ....too much bickering and rancor. My user-name has changed because my emphasis in archery has shifted from the trad ranks due to some shoulder issues, but most of my opinions have not. Crossbows may be "here to stay" because the industry influenced enough people in our NRC and legislature to allow them in the back door, but that doesn't make them archery gear to a core group of us.
I am not personally in favor of APR's because a private landowner with a significant area of select ground does not have the right to mandate their personal goals upon the greater segment of public land or small land owners. Rehashing the QDMA party line about age structure vs. antler size will never convince me that the supporters are not seeking to get their mugshot posted online or in a magazine with a big racked buck. Manage your own property in whatever manner you choose......then mind your own business about how everyone else fills their legal tags. We should not be experiencing a concentrated effort towards whitetail socialism, where a select minority decides what is best for the uninformed majority who need a "big brother" to tell them what is best.
Hi Tom..... I've gone away from here for periods of time too.... but I don't do Facebook or any other hunting sites..... Some guys I believe gravitated over to TradGang or other sites. It's too bad.... There were a lot of really good guys here over the years since 1995....... many of whom I've had the pleasure to meet and a few to hunt with. Guys like Roger Norris and Steve Pray I hold in the highest esteem..... maybe this site can be good again...
You couldn't have picked 2 better examples Chris. I've had the pleasure to hang out with both Roger (and Daisy the wonder dog I might add) and Steve. Both are stand up guys.
I think the board has tamed down dramatically over the last 3-4 years. The xbows and APRs discussions seemed to bring out the worst in many people (I plead guilty) as people are very passionate on those topics and the opinions varied. Same goes with the topic of baiting and even broadheads. There were a couple of very strong willed guys who took over most of those discussions and they no longer post here.
The board greatly lacks activity compared to the WI board. I'm guessing there are probably far more from WI that participate on Bowsite. I live in WI and still have some dirt to hunt there but own 90 acres in the UP, so I participate in both.
The topic of being able to kill does in the UP was the last topic that really generated a lot of interest. It too had differing opinions but I think people were far more civil than in years past.
Treestand6..... God rest your soul. I still think about you. You were a very generous man and a tribute to bowhunters. It was my pleasure to have met you.
Anyone remember Scary Gerry from the 90's here ?? I went on a bowsite rabbit hunt with his crew back in the 90s. Does anyone else remember any of the guys who posted here long ago ??
Bob was a good man. I talked with him extensively here and met him at a Benefit 4 Kids shoot.... he was VERY generous with B4K. John McIntosh became good friends with him....
I went to the fundraiser archery shoot that his family put on to help with his medical costs. It was really sad as he was selling off his archery gear.. He was opinionated like I am and most others are but he had the heart of gold and was very generous.
There you go Dave !! I was a guest of Daisy the wonder dog and Roger with my step daughter 4 or 5 years ago.... I cheated and used a shotgun.... ha !!! Daisy is awesome and I really enjoyed meeting Roger and hunting with him and Daisy.... We had a blast and my step daughter got to see a rabbit kill and really enjoyed the hunt.
Hey Chris- yep we moved to Ontonagon early June. Wife and I both have 3rd season bear tags. Life is good. For some reason I cannot post from my laptop. Been trying to figure it out to no avail.
Hey Chris- yep we moved to Ontonagon early June. Wife and I both have 3rd season bear tags. Life is good. For some reason I cannot post from my laptop. Been trying to figure it out to no avail.
Yah, How you doing Big Bear, Keith and others. Have not been around for awhile but stop and check on my bowsite friends on occasion. I do not have much time tonight but will be jumping in here more often. Have had some great conversations with so many over the years. This is a great place for bow hunters to gather and do just that.. take care all for now. Only enough time for a hello for tonight..
Autumn my wife is a jam maker, but too early for thimble berries on the peninsula will be now,,,, anyway, I like to fish there,,,,, good access, quiet harbor, easy drive my cabin..........
Good to see guys back. Many in the Midwest no longer shoot bows, they have left bowhunting for the crossbow and therefore are no longer on this forum. Always a few diehard though, good luck to everyone this fall.
Had a good traditional shoot this past weekend at Elm Hall. There was good crowd there and the food was good as always, so I am told. Started to eat and my wife asked if I was OK as I turned red as a beet. Nope, went to the truck until the festivities were over. I had a fever until 430 this morning. Dr says some kind of fever bug is going around and I must have caught it around supper time.
Thanks. Wife is a retired nurse and she kept taking my temp and it went back to normal around 430am this morning. Dr. Receptionist got it Friday and hers lasted two days also. I hate that it happen before the super and not after as Elm Hall puts on one of the best feeds at any shoot around.
Razor we have been getting tons of thimbleberries. A long cool wet spring/early summer has been great for berries. Im sure the bears are loving it too.
I've been a member of Bowsite since 1995. Every time I went to the MIchigan forum there was constant bickering and name calling. It turned me off to the site. Since then I have been using the elk hunting forum only. Today is the first time I visited this site in over a decade. I hope things have changed.
Yup, things have changed alright. Now there is not bickering, name calling, or ANYTHING! Some people couldn't take the truth so they got a few of the good posters removed.
Hello all.....its been a long time since I've been here. I even saw my name above in one of Big Bear's posts. Glad to see you remember me Chris, those bunny hunts were a lot of fun.
My kids have all grown now and after chasing them around for the last number of years I'm spending more time back where I belong, in the woods. They enjoy the outdoors and I'm hoping I've instilled my love of it in them as well. As they venture through their adult lives we'll see.
I'm thinking I'll start being on this site again more frequently. Hopefully we'll hook up someplace for a hunt, to tell some stories and enjoy few adult pops!!
good I think we should bring back a lot of guys, and lets talk deer hunting and tactics, I do not want to hear about your politics, how other guys hunt etc etc,,,,, life is short go hunting
Thank you sir!! Great idea ground hunter!!! Cleared a couple shooting lanes at my buddies place in Emmett last weekend. This cool weather is driving me nuts already!!
It seems that some have mellowed and others moved on........maybe a good thing in the grand scheme of life. I figured out that logging on to a website should not impede falling asleep at night or raising one's blood pressure. As others have stated......life is too short for such nonsense. Now I have the tip of my toes back in the water to take a temperature reading......
On another note...we moved from the Sparta area about 20 miles to the west and now reside outside of Coopersville. Looking for some local ground to set up a stand....anyone from this neck of the woods that can offer a suggestion? The Rogue River game area was virtually in my backyard and there is really no public land over here. Great looking ground but nothing has opened up.....yet.
Due to the legalization of crossbow use in the general archery season by all hunters, Michigan has far fewer bowhunters than it had ten years ago. Bowhunting is on a steady decline in states where crossbows have become legal for all during the general archery season.
I just scanned real quick at the names of posters and just plain happy to see some familiar names. I haven't posted in quite some time but do browse occasionally. Yes we have lost some good people from this site, but life moves on. I really miss characters like Dave D, he kept it interesting. I guess I will have to visit more often just to see what is happening on this site. Just so you know, still using recurve, have not crossed over, and Snuffers and Thunderhead 160's are still my favorites.
"Selling more recurves than ever",...... what is his reference point and was he in business prior to the compound revolution, and the later traditional resurgence?
Yikes.. I'm mouthy? It's unfortunate the MI site has died down to a handful of posters before I finally decided to join in 5 years ago..
I saw what went on for several years before posting a word but I guess it's easier to blame someone people who were not banned than several guys who were and are.
Hopefully the discussions stay civil moving forward between everyone and hopefully less dramatic topics come up in the future. Hopefully the MI site will make for good reading. I've been reading many of our bowsite threads but don't interact hardly at all anymore.
I got married, am happy and am living the good life now and I hope you all are as well and I hope you all have a very safe and successful season this year.
Me and my new wife! Will be a great hunting season as she loves to sit in the stand with me.. She doesn't hunt but she likes to go watch and what more could a man ask for than a beautiful wife who loves to watch him hunt.
Congrats hammer. Good luck this season. Let's see some hunting reports. The WI board has a harvest thread going which includes bears and animals not even shot in WI.
"what more could a man ask for than a beautiful wife who loves to watch him hunt. "
A wife that owns 200 acres of hunting land a boat better than mine :).
Nice pic and good luck,,,,, beautiful wife,,,,, I got married 33 years ago,,,,, first time I asked her out, she said, "can't going walleye fishing" ask me later,,,,,,, guess I knew right there, ha ha,,,,,,
Its so hot, instead of trout fishing, going to Chicaugon Lake to go to the beach today
Congrats Matt !! We can't get up to my place until next weekend for my buddies bear hunt on my property..... but the weather looks like it will cool down considerably by then with highs in the 50s by Thursday.... hopefully this guy is still coming in on Saturday and he dies !!
Yeah it's hot down here with unseasonably hot weather. 4 days in a row at 90+ is crazy.
It's supposed to cool down near the end of the week.
I do have a confession..... I got married on October 21st... All my hunting buddies were like ohhhhh no you didn't and how could you NOT get married after the rut. Lol... They were joking of course.
Well Chris, I've been better, but I guess I could be worse. I had a stroke a couple years ago that put a damper on some activities. How are you doing these days?
I'm very sorry to hear that Mick....... I'm doing good..... looking forward to retiring in 3 years and hopefully moving out of this damned city and getting out somewhere that I can deer hunt out my door like you have......
very dead as evidenced by the 8 posts on the Michigan harvest thread.................two by me! Pretty sad. I like seeing what other guys a shooting in Michigan.
I told you guys that months ago. Bowhunting, as defined by the Pope and Young Club, is dying in Michigan. It was amazing how many did not believe me when I first posted the truth, truly amazing.
I know what you mean, it's hard to keep warm as you get older. The late season used to be one of my favorite times to hunt. Because it's a beautiful time of year and can be very peaceful. But with a bad knee and other health problems and age it's getting very hard for me to get exited about it. Maybe Santa will bring me a new Heater Bodysuit.
Congrats to your son getting it done with trad. I'm going to do that one of these days.
IMO....the late season is an outstanding time to be in the snow covered woods up north. You virtually have the woods to yourself. When my fingers and toes get cold they get a little painful due to some nerve damage from chemo. I use feet and hand warmers alot. I also had to break down and get some quality insulated clothes. I have a cold weather onesy liner that I wear under some fall grey insulated Predator jacket and paints. I spent a buck on some Baffin boots I got from Jay's. Also wear some quality thick wool socks. I wear double head protection to retain body heat. You can loose up to 75% of your body heat thru an uninsulated head. With all of that stuff.....I can stay in the stand for approx 4-5 hours before the 14/15 degree temps start to get cool enough to bug me. I will say if the wind is blowing and it's snowing that time is reduced. I was out the other day and outlasted my hand warmers. Then earlier this past week it was snowing and blowing hard and I left after 3 hours.
Attached is vid from yesterday. That doe in the back come close to getting shot at. She was pretty nice and I would have been proud to get her. She was smart though. The wind was swirling and she picked my scent up and didn't offer a clean shot I was comfortable with. We'll keep working the stands and the Sony handicam. I love doing the vids in the blind and stand. I would have filmed the recovery of the above doe but I forgot the handicam....grrr.
Another doe. Got the shot and tracking on vid this time. The DNR bio said it was 8.5 yrs old. It was a fantastic day to be in the woods. Pleasant temps, sunny and no one around. I can't believe more folks do not hunt the late seasons. I'm done for the year. I have another tag but I'd be killing just to kill. I pulled today's stand and will pull the other one tomorrow. I have 2 on private and had 4 on public. We have some snow forecast for Friday and next week we have some nasty cold weather coming in.
Congrats on the doe. My son and I still have to pull our stands (12) but we are still hunting. Most of them are really remote so they are a chore with the snow. I like the fact very few guys go out this time of year. It so beautiful out and some of my best memories are from hunting the late season.
I pulled my last stand today. It was another great day in the woods...too bad I wasn't hunting. I got 3 does and it was a safe year with no major mishaps. Will start working on next year soon.
Hello to all on the bowsite Michigan forum! Just a new guy chiming in to show support. I'm new to the whole forum on social media thing in general ,so when I happened upon this thread I was compelled to say something. Sorry to read that the Michigan group is not getting the response it had in the past. More sorry ,as I read the posts by others , that it's over stuff like crossbows , baiting , point restrictions and if I'm getting it right, opinion based arguments. We all need to play nice together or we ALL are gonna get a permanent time out!! Anti groups want us divided and we are dividing ourselves. I joined the bowsite cause from what I saw it seems that most of y'all are folks who just love to hunt and are bowhunters . Not a bunch of deep pocket trophy killers , but people who cherish the privilege and the bounty . I'm born n raised hunting trapping fishing and tramping all over this state, corner to corner !! Michigan is the home of the archery industry as we know it today. Remember Anderson Archery? That was before Cabela's was a household name. I remember being a kid , before the compound bow, going to my friends houses and seeing the bucks and bears that their dad's were killing with bear recurve bows and thinking " I wanna hunt like that" !! Let's not lose the joy or the unity over petty arguments. Hope nobody got offended.
The real answer is that this site is for bowhunters and Michigan has far less than they had before crossbows. Many Michigan bowhunters have stopped bowhunting and are now crossbow hunting, huge difference. Bowhunting, as defined by the P&Y club, is in a very steep decline in Michigan and other states where high tech modern day crossbows have recently become legal for all hunters during the archery season. Just the way it is... and will be.
Big Bear and Swamp,,,, do not hesitate,,, left early 12 years ago, never regretted it, loved the job, but hey I can work the marine unit in summer if I want, to pay for tags etc, and have lots of time to hunt all fall,,,,,,,,,,,,,, when you can go, DO IT
I’m halfway through our 5 year DROP program.. (Deferred Retirement)......... God and health willing.... I’m not leaving until I have my 5 in the DROP.....I’ll be 54 when I retire.....
You guys should start bargaining for it in your next contract....... even DPD has the DROP now........ with the economy coming back.... our City has to be making a killing on our DROP accounts. We only get 2% interest on it... the City gets anything above that......
I would love it. I promoted in '15 so I'm out of the bargaining unit but could participate if they started it. I'm hoping he guys that are left in the bargaining unit see value in it and try to get it.
