Tom, I wouldnt bother with the treestand.Deercan be few and far between. What time of year is NY muzzleloader season? Used to be there rifle season came in around the 3rd week of october, if I was to hunt the "dacks" Id wait till the post rut and some snow and walk until I found a big fresh track and start following it. The bucks are trying to put on weight before the winter and you can catch up to them. As for books, that I cant help you with. A few other words of advice, dont expect to see many deer, if you hunt a week and see a deer a day your doing good.