EDGEFIELD, S.C. - Larry Becker of Gainesville, N.Y., received the New York State Conservation Council's 2010 Volunteer Conservationist of the Year Award on Sept. 17.
Becker, a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation's New York State Chapter board of directors and past state chapter president, earned the award for outstanding conservation achievements and significant contributions by a volunteer to help conserve the state's natural resources.
"I'm very honored to join the ranks of people who have received this award because I know all of them have been very dedicated volunteers and conservationists," Becker said. "To be in the same company as previous winners is unexpected but very appreciated."
The NWTF's New York State Chapter board nominated Becker and spent a great deal of time putting together a solid nomination package on his behalf.
"Larry being presented this award shows how dedicated our chapter leadership is to the NWTF's mission," said Bret Eccleston, president of the NWTF New York State Chapter. "Our members are so proud to know that one of their own is a distinguished conservationist without being a professional in the natural resources field, and I know this will encourage members throughout the state to keep hard at work."
The NWTF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage. Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $331 million to conserve 15.9 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.
"I've always felt that people who enjoy the outdoors and get a lot of life experiences in the outdoors have the responsibility to help pay back," Becker said. "I'm blessed to be part of the NWTF, an organization that allows me to give back to our state's land, water and wildlife resources while forging lasting friendships with turkey hunters and conservationists over the years."
PROS: Lightweight at just under 12 pounds, large 31" x 21" platform, locking cables, cinch straps to keep the seat from moving when you stand up, cinch straps double as backpack straps, adjustable foot straps, quiet to climb with.
CONS: Flexing arms take a bit of climbing to get used to, platform raises when you sit down and lowers when you stand up because of the flexing arms, the seat is small and the material on the arms and seat can be noisy with sudden movements.
MSRP: $299.00
If you hunt the suburbs like I do it doesn't take long for you to realize it's a carry-in/carry-out game. Leave a stand in the woods for too long and it's gone. That's the main reason I use climbing treestands to hunt about 95% of the time. An additional benefit of climbing stands is the ability to be mobile and move with the game.
I am always interested to see what's new with treestands and was excited when I was given an X-1 Treestand to review. The way I look at climbers is you have two types - your bare bones lightweight models that are super quiet and your super comfortable models that tend to be a bit bulkier and noisier to set up and climb with.
The X-1 Treestand is your bare bones lightweight stand that is easy to set-up. The first thing that caught my attention was the fiberglass arms on the stand. The fiberglass arms have a loop in them that the cable runs through. The arms come in towards the tree when you put weight on the stand to ensure a solid grip on the tree and flex outwards as you ease up to allow for easier climbing according to the manufacturer. This was something I had to find out for myself though so I set up the climber and picked a not so perfect tree a climb - after all, these are the real life trees you find in the woods!
The initial set up of the stand was easy. I found it to be quieter than my Summit Viper climber, but not as quiet as my Lone Wolf Alpha Hand Climber. What I really liked about the X-1 Treestand was the locking pins on the side of the stand that secured the cable in place. This made me feel like there was no way the cable was separating from the stand and I knew I was safe.
One thing you will notice with the cable is that there is one stop on the first end and 5 stops on the opposite end. What's great about this design is if you're going to be hunting out of the same tree on more than one occasion you don't have to mess around in the dark to figure out what the correct setting is. Once you know which of the 5 stops to use, simply lock the pin by giving it a few turns and use the end of the cable with the single stop to take your stand off the tree and re-attach it on the next days hunt.
Similar to what you'll find on a Lone Wolf stand are the two cinch straps on this climber. These are great for when your climbing because if at any point the base becomes disconnected from the tree it's only going to fall as far as the cinch straps allow which is just about 4 feet. Additionally, when you've climbed to your desired height you can sit in the stand and tighten the cinch straps to prevent the stand from moving. I've used climbers without these cinch straps and had the seat fall when I stood up and brushed against the side of the seat - that's the last thing you need when a big buck is working his way into range.
The X-1 Treestand has adjustable foot stirrups on its large 31" x 21" platform so you can get a tight fit around your boots and make for an easy climb. I picked a tree that was on the small side of what I would normally climb in the woods and got the stand set up. I attached the seat and then the platform with ease and then connected the cinch straps and gave myself enough slack to climb.
The foot stirrups were easily adjusted to my boots and then I began my climb. I quickly noticed a difference when climbing with this stand as the fiberglass arms flexed as I climbed. The idea behind the fiberglass arms is a good one - it's supposed to grip the tree tighter when your weight is on the stand and to open up when you take your weight off to help you move the stand up to the next position. However, I felt that the fiberglass arms gave this stand too much play when I was climbing and it was very different from the solid bite I was used to with my other climbers. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, but it was different from what I was used to.
When I reached my desired height I sat down and tightened up the cinch straps. The seat was small, but fairly comfortable although the material seemed a bit noisy and I'd be afraid to move too quickly on a cold November morning and have a deer hear my pants brush the seat. I really liked the openness of the stand. I chose not to connect the included rail that wraps around the front of the stand and felt that no matter which way a deer would come in I'd have a shot at it with my bow.
Overall this is a decent stand that's lightweight and great for the bowhunter. It has features found on higher end stands and safety features like the locking pins for the cable. Climbing may take a bit of getting used to, but you won't find many stands this lightweight and quiet to climb with.
To see the X-1 Treestand in action check out the How-To video from the manufacturer below:
It's been a big debate amongst sportsmen in New York State and on September 17, 2010 Governor Paterson signed the Crossbow Bill into law.
If you've been following the debate you could probably see the writing on the wall with this one and it was bound to happen sooner or later. Although crossbows will not be allowed during the 2010 season they will make their debut in New York in 2011.
Although crossbows will not be allowed during the 2010 season they will make their debut in New York in 2011.
One thing to note is that crossbows may only be used during a regular firearms season or during the late muzzleloading/late bowhunting seasons. There are also no special provisions for use of crossbows by hunters with disabilities or hunters 70 years old or older - which personally, I think should have been included if the State is now legalizing crossbows. So even with this new law, my friend who has one hand will not be allowed to hunt with a crossbow until gun season when he has a weapon he can shoot anyway - doesn't make too much sense to me, but that's just my personal opinion.
Another thing I found interesting is that you will not need a separate license to use a crossbow. All that's needed is your standard Big Game hunting license. With the NYS DEC hurting for money why would they not charge extra for a crossbow license? We already have to pay extra for a bowhunting/muzzleloader privilege?
The regulations also state that you cannot use a crossbow in bowhunting only areas such as Westchester County, parts of Albany and Monroe counties, and Suffolk County. You can, however, use a crossbow in Suffolk County during the January firearms season for deer.
The crossbow law is set to expire on December 31, 2012, unless the Legislature and Governor agree to an extension.
The velvet is coming off and the big bucks are ready to show us what they got! With the acorn crop we had last year and the mild winter I think you're going to see a lot of big bucks in New York this season.
When you see big bucks like this you just know you're in for a surprise when you finally get the chance to hunt them.
Take note of the mid-day movement of this buck, just goes to show you these old boys are smart and they know when to move and when to stay put!
Check out this buck that recently showed up on the NYB Forum and caught my attention. This a monster for New York and has great mass and tine length. I also like the chocolate colored rack, although it's not as dark as his Canadian cousins it's got a nice deep brown color.
You can just tell by this buck's body that he's an old warrior and I can't imagine what he's going to look like in a few months once he builds up his neck muscles and starts fighting during the rut. He's going to be a giant for sure!
PROS: Quiet buckle design, comfortable strap, solid rod connection, choice of 3oz or 11oz trigger, stainless steel trigger and hook, allows you to shoot back tension and will tighten your groups.
CONS: I would have liked to see the stainless hardware on the two allen screws that allow you to adjust the length of the release (after one rain storm in the field mine have a bit of rust), if you get this release wet, make sure to dry it and add some oil to the ball joint of the solid rod or it may start squeaking (I had this happen to my release and was able to fix it with a drop of oil).
This past summer I was shooting 3D with my buddy Ernie and he was using a T.R.U. Ball Beast II release, and I was interested in trying one so he let me borrow it and I gave it a shot. A few days later I found myself down at Extreme Archery to purchase my own Beast II release.
The T.R.U. Ball Beast II is a hook-style release with a swept back trigger and stainless steel jaw and was a bit different than my old dual caliper release. The release had a buckle strap that was comfortable and a little larger and easier to use than a buckle strap on a Scott release which always seems to be a bit too small for me. One of the first things I noticed about this release was that it had a solid rod connection with a ball joint at the end so you could rotate the release head or flip the release upside down to tuck in a shirt sleeve while hunting to get it out of the way.
There are also several adjustments you can make on the shaft of the release head to shorten or lengthen the release to custom tailor it to your specific draw length.
What's really nice about a hook style release is that you don't have to look for your string loop while hunting and you don't have to take your eyes off that monster buck while you try to hook the string loop with the release.
The Beast II comes pre-assembled with a 3 ounce trigger, but you can change out the spring and put a heavier 11 ounce trigger which will give you a better feel for shooting back tension. I switched out the spring and put the 11 ounce spring in my release and found it better for my personal shooting style.
There is also an adjustment screw to increase or decrease the amount of trigger travel. This is one great feature because it helps you avoid punching the trigger. My trigger doesn't travel much more than 1/8" and I really like this because I get a solid release each time and don't have to worry about how I have to go before the release fires.
If you're switching from a dual caliper release that has a long trigger travel this will be a very different feel for you as it was to me. The first time I shot this release I actually threw an arrow because I was trying to force the release to shoot instead of concentrating on the shot and just letting it happen.
Once I took the time to really learn how to use the release I did notice my groups tighten up and my long range shooting improved. I now simply loop my finger over the trigger and use my back muscles to pull my elbow to the wall until the release goes off.
I put this release to the test in September during the archery season in Connecticut and was very comfortable in the field with this release. It didn't get in the way and when I was filming my hunts I would simply tuck the release into my sleeve to avoid any metal-on-metal contact.
On one of my hunts I got caught in a rainstorm and left my release to dry overnight in a warm room. When I looked at my release the next day I noticed some rust spots on the black adjustment hardware and a slight squeak had developed on the ball joint where it had rusted a bit. A few drops of oil did the trick and I was back up and running the next day.
I think T.R.U. Ball has a winner with it's Beast series releases and I've seen a definite improvement in my groups at various distances by using this release. With an endless number of options and adjustments this is a release anyone can enjoy.
Last week at Extreme Archery we met Frank and his two daughters. Frank had brought his girls to the archery range and they were getting set up with a new compound bow.
The girls had a blast shooting and their confidence was high after placing a few arrows in the bullseye. Frank worked with his daughters to help them understand the basic concepts of archery, but did it in a way that kept it fun and didn't put a lot of pressure on the girls - and having fun is what it's all about.
It was really nice to see a father take his two daughters to the range and let them be a part of something he loves. Archery isn't just for the guys, it's a sport everyone can enjoy.
Archery isn't something you hear much about and many children are never exposed to the sport. Bringing the youth into our sport is something that we really need to look at and make an effort to do whether it's an archery lesson at a local pro shop or bringing a youth out for their first turkey hunt.
So thank you Frank for passing on our tradition and we hope others will follow in his footsteps and introduce someone to the sport of archery.
If there's one thing I learned about T-Bone it's that the man can shoot! And shoot he did, blowing out the X mark on his target. T-Bone was also kind enough to work with others in the range on their shooting form and pass along a few tips (T-Bone, I changed out the spring on my Tru-Ball Beast II release to the 11oz. trigger and it made a world of difference - thanks!).
Even T-Bone knew to bust Ken's chops at the range! He fits right in with the crew.
Shooting under pressure. Mike DeRosa takes aim as he shoot with T-Bone and filmed by the Channel 12 News crew.
Justin had a few minor tweaks made to his Hoyt Maxis and we watched his groups tighten up.
Thanks again to all of the guys at Extreme Archery for hosting this event. It was a blast to be a part of and we look forward to meeting T-Bone again at the ATA Show in January.
Team NYB had the opportunity to meet Travis "T-Bone" Turner at Extreme Archery in Mamaroneck, New York last Sunday. T-Bone was a down to earth guy and we all hit it off from the start.
We'd like to thank our friends at Extreme Archery for inviting us down to meet T-Bone and for all their help this season.
A lot of people came to this event and it we saw a lot of new faces. Frank (above) brought his two daughters to shoot at the indoor archery range and meet T-Bone. The girls had a blast shooting and you could see their excitement at their arrows hit the bullseye.
Once the photos were taken it was time to get serious and Team NYB flung a few arrows with T-Bone. (Don't tell T I took a pic of his secret rig!)
For some of us close to the border it's nice to take advantage of the September 15th opener in Connecticut. I've been out the last few days and have seen one nice shooter buck, but he was too far for a shot.
Another thing I've been noticing is that the bucks that were traveling throughout the day are not moving at those time and have changed to a morning and evening pattern.
Hopefully a few of the guys on Team NYB connect with some of the bucks on our properties.
NYB Reader's have been sending us great trail cam pics all summer long and it's looking more and more like fall as the bucks begin to shed their velvet.
This is a great looking buck for New York and he's got a big body on him to match his rack. Hopefully we see more pictures of this buck in October with a lucky hunter by his side.
If you have trail cam pics you would like to share with us email them to info@nybowhunter.com or become of member of the NYB Forum where you can post pictures to share with other hunters.
This monster 8 pointer is one giant buck I'd like to run into during the season. If I had something this big in front of me I'd be shaking so bad from all the adrenalin running through me.
The body on this buck is huge and you can see he's an older deer by his filled our rear quarters and low sagging belly. The buck also has very broad shoulders and I'm sure his neck will swell up nearly twice the size once the rut is on.
If I see something like this in Kansas I'm letting an arrow fly. Hard to believe this is a New York buck, they don't get this big that often!
Here is a different New York buck that's looking pretty good. Team NYB was out scouting a new property today and we found some fresh rubs so the velvet won't be around for much longer.
Check back soon for more updates from Team NYB. We'll be hunting in CT come September 15th and we're pumped!
I've been getting a lot of emails lately from around the state with big bucks showing up everywhere and it's shaping up to be an incredible season. Here are some of the bucks our reader's have been seeing.
Check out this old buck's headgear! His rack is just incredible. He's got it all from tine length to main beam length and mass that carries out through the rack.
I like to use trail cameras at this time of year to zero in on where a big buck is located and to help me figure out where he's coming from and going on a particular property.
Seeing bucks like this makes the anticipation for the upcoming New York bowhunting season great. Team NYB will be hunting in CT starting September 15th which will be a nice warm-up to get thing rolling.
