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My name is Tom Rausch and I live near Waddington. I haven't been on the forum much, but want to get the word out that I just got my Leashed Tracking Dog license and I'm available to take calls. My dog, Luna, is a Wirehaired Daschund and we've only been on two calls so far. The first one we recovered a bear, the second one we searched unsuccessfully for a spike. Despite not finding it, Luna worked the line for an hour in a swamp without any visible blood. The trail eventually took us into a wood lot where we found one drop. We ended up back in the swamp where the trail was lost. I'm telling that story so nobody expects miracles. The success rate for tracking dogs is around 35%. I'm willing to travel around an hour and a half each way. Hopefully you don't need our services this season, but if you do, my number is (315) 854-2044.

This is one of 6 hinge cut bedding areas in this 25 acre wood lot. The woods were logged off 2 winters ago and are thickening up now. I moved this blind into the edge of the woods where I can hunt the woods and the food plot pictured below.

Yep it sucks go pay big $$ to hunt another state, I'll stay here and hunt these runt ny deer.

Is she good looking ? I might consider sharing MY stand with her... On second thought, she really doesn't have to be THAT good looking... Why raise my standards at my advanced age ? Is she FEMALE..?.. Does she have a PULSE..??.. She'll probably do, as long as she doesn't TALK to much..

Here is a good way to put things into perspective for her. There are 365 days in a year right? If you hunted every weekend of the season that would be about 26 days... now let's add a week off from work just to hunt... that's 5 more days for a total of 31 days (That's minimum). 365 - 31 = 334 days you have spent with her. Looks much better once you crunch the numbers huh? You guys, (like me), that fish, turkey hunt, play golf and have a few other hobbies throughout the year... sorry I can't help you. You might wanna rethink the whole having a wife thing... or get one that doesn't care how much you hunt like me... LOL.

Not surprisingly, I agree with Doc. lol Here is how I think about it, if I draw the bow and think "I hope I can make this shot" then I better not shoot. If I think "dead deer", then I shoot. Anything less than complete confidence (and that varies by person and situation) is a no shot in my book.

My wife supports my addiction! She's an inabler, she bought me my rifle. My name is grampy and I'm a hunter.

And I have nothing but respect for any hunter that kills, or chooses not to kill ANY legal deer. We all hunt for different reasons, and are different people. I don't think the size of the deer a hunter wants to kill, determines if they are anything other than another hunter. No one should ever be made to feel ashamed of any deer killed! It's truly an honor to hunt and kill any deer. We are all in this together, and no one should feel superior or inferior based on the deer they choose to kill.

I am just wondering what a sight pin looks like on a deer 100 yards away? I will have to pull back without arrow on one this year and see how much of the deer my pin covers! I am betting about half the deer lol. Oh and if I shot a monster at 80 yards and one at 15 yards well of course the 15 would be more impressive to me of getting closer to a mature buck = more skill to me.

But is dinner ready and waiting when you get home? lol Wait, come to think of it ....

Yup My daughter has had the same luck for over 5 years deer & turkey hunting she still has yet to use a tag but I make sure to tell her after every hunt how much I love her & how much I enjoy the time I get to spend with her in the woods because someday we wont be together to do it. It is not all about the killing. It is about the memories we make

For years everything was based on 20 yards... even to the extent that many bow hunters had only a twenty yard pin set on their bow and adjusted their pin placement based on the shot yardage + or - ... as the bows became faster and faster that went by the wayside. What was long range years ago isn't the same today. What that range is depends on many factors.. so , there is no right answer... it is relative to each hunter, his equipment and his ability.

That kind of says it all. It doesn't matter what kind of super archery equipment you are using or how well you can use it, that statement always remains true and never changes.

LOL... You must not know many trad shooters... most of the guys I shoot 3D with are unbelievable.. many score in the high 250's up to 25 yards... and kill just as many deer if not more than most bowhunters I know. We can shoot out past 20 yards acurrately, but because of the bow speeds the trajectory of the arrows at greater distances leave too much room for error... and a man has to know his limitations. If you take your sights off your compound I'll shoot with you at 20 yards all day... not to say that there aren't some trad shooters that suck, but the same can be said about some compound shooters.

The deer in my avatar was arrowed at 55 yards. He still doesn't know what hit him. There's too many intangibles that go into someone's effective range, which can vary based upon the setting and animal as much as the skill and will. The problem is too many people try to quantify this topic to back ethics or vice versa, and it's really pointless because any generalization, personal experience, etc. is really only applicable to that person. If you believe you can make the shot, then that is an effective range, in my book. And, as an archer, you know whether you can make that shot or not. We all know the thought process that goes on when pulling a bow back on an animal.

Awesome, now we have people not only telling others how far their effective range is, we have people doing that AND telling them what bowhunting is to them.

Here's our first recovery. (I know, small bear. Hey, I didn't shoot it, just tracked it.????)

does she get excited when she "almost" gets a deer? if not, maybe it's just not for her.....if she's just barely tolerating sitting there with the sole intent of killing something to make her hunt a success, then maybe it's not for her??? the people I knew who were miserable with the experience of "hunting", really didn't change their minds even after killing something.........on the other hand, those who came unglued at the mere sight of a deer coming close stuck with it either way

funny thing I see here in NH is more & more young ladies filling up the hunter Ed classes & with hunting related stickers on their cars/trucks then I see with young men

All of the author's justifications seem to be on weather. Hell if it were 30 below but you'd have a high opportunity on monster deer he'd probably still include it on his bunk list Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

In other words, What a wuss!

By glancing over this list, I see that author is routinely factoring in how "cold and snowy" a state is to figure out its deer hunting ranking. My goodness. Not a guy I would want to share camp with.

Same here, she knows exactly what she signed up for, her family has 40 acres in Liberty and I know hunt there almost all season. As far as my fishing goes it works out great she is a pastry chef and goes to work at 2 am so she is asleep by 9. I just wait till she goes to bed and then I leave and fish, I just make sure I'm home before she wakes up. Over all it's the perfect situation

My fiancé is going to gun hunt this year! She's excited

Yup...Been THERE....That's why I don't HAVE a wife anymore.... I did get a HECK of a lot of hunting in over the years, though...<<smile>>...

wife comes out with me as much as she can!!!

My wife knew who she married well before we tied the knot.

I specifically wrote I was speaking of my hunt area, only. I specifically stated that I know I was in the minority. I also specifically stated that I understand the opposing point of view. ...... There are some good comments pro and con - that's what makes a good discussion.

You are right in that some properties aren't big enough to hold a mature buck... but public lands are usually quite vast and have plenty of places to hold a big buck. Yes, the guy who has a couple acres in his back yard, half of which is open field, will probably spend more time walking or sitting on his property than killing deer. But most habitats are much larger than a few acres and usually encompass many properties and will hold at least one mature buck. If anything today is a much better time for big bucks given the number of hunters managing their properties and passing on younger bucks. In fact, more hunters are passing on young bucks in NY than ever before. Reaching full potential is like waiting for Utopia... it will never happen. Things can only get better for bigger bucks, which it already has. Like I always say, Killing deer or not killing deer has more to do with what a hunter is doing or not doing than where he is hunting.

I knew plenty of hunters whose biggest thrill was seeing what other guys brought back to camp....those guys are gone as well as the old time hunting camps......now "antler envy" and "look at me" are king.

Some pics from my son's property in Italy Valley

HERE I COME, TO SAVE THE DAAAAAAY !!!! Any of y'all remember " Mighty Mouse" ?

I heard the DEC cancelled the rut for 2015 as a means of population control. It wont even happen this year.

217lbs, dressed (apologies to those have seen this before)

Which is exactly why you don't shoot at a walking animal. I still won't take the shot at 35 yards if it's walking. Patience is required at all ranges. That just doesn't go out the window when shooting farther. Plenty of people shooting animals at 800 yards with a rifle. How many steps can they take between the time of shot and hit at that range? I'm sure it's quite a bit. So based on your theory, a rifle also isn't appropriate equipment for that? And yes the man who did my eyes is a miracle worker. He was also the man who brought lasik eye surgery to this country from Columbia where it was first tried (because of strict laws here in the U.S.). He also has the most operations under his belt of anyone in the country. Same guy did tiger woods's eyes. Most all laser eye surgery machines being used today were created by him and his partner who he brought back from Columbia. While in surgery he told me all about how they were practicing on one of their first patients while a bomb blew up the building next door, courtesy of Pablo Esobar. I did tons of research before letting anyone mess with my eyes. Paid a ton of money to have the true expert do it. Now they have laser eye surgery places popping up all over and I hear ads on the radio about free surgery or extremely cheap prices. Makes you wonder who is doing these operations and who would trust someone with their vision to skimp out on paying top dollar for the real deal

Welcome Outdoorstom ,Nice that the 2 of you recovered that bear I am a past member of DSI also had a tracking lic. until my heart went sour about 10 years ago grampy, If you ever heard about Lee B. from L.I. I was out on a few searches with her on the east end..

Bow hunting is about hunting an animal with a bow with hopes of harvesting that animal...period. The rest is just your way of doing it.. which does not have to be the way everyone does it. Last I knew a deer killed at 60 yards is just as dead as one killed at 6 yards.

what these so called long range shooters dont say is how many deer get wounded and lost do to bad hits. understandably bad hits happen at close range too and anybody saying they have never had one is either new to the sport or full of B/S. but as with any Bow the longer is arrow is in flight the more possabiltys of things going array I have found my far share of deer dead and not recovered or wounded and shot during rifle season from my fellow bow hunters who say there bow is fast or they practice out in the 70 to 100 yard range on a foam target!!

I'd share a blind with Growie and Paula any fine day ! I'd sit in the middle and they could make a Pygmy sandwich of me...<< BIG SMILE >>....

Most of the traditional shooters hardly brake 200 and if they do they think it was a great day! I have only seen 2 shooters who where able to come close to my score or beat it and I am only shooting around 270. Most of the decent shooters are around 230-250 average. PS: Love shooting challenges, we have the iron turkey and the disk thrower, fun shooting. If we ever meet up Joe I would love to take you up on the no sight compound vs traditional. Sounds like fun!

This was posted last year. The author is a dolt. In one sentence he says hunters consistently score big bucks in Wisconsin and then includes it on the list of worst states. Think about that for a second.

I use a pile of sand or dirt

For NY, It was less the 50% yearling bucks so not so sure where this info came from. Its dropped significantly over the past 10+ years thanks to AR's and edumacation.

I personally wouldn't care what he scored, too many people rate a buck based on score these days because they watch too many hunting shows on TV. If its a big buck I'm gonna try to kill him. Whether it be 100" or 150". Period. That's a phenomenal buck by anyone's standards, beautiful animal. Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

You should call that guy who can't find the squirrels......

Honestly in my area of NY I think most of the idiots walk out back the day before deer season and take 2 shots and if they can hit a 55 gal drum at 20 yards they call it good... That's just my opinion tho Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

A really good dog would have let you sleep and just changed the batteries.

No joke. I'd take that shot on a deer. I shot a doe at 56 yards last year and never thought twice about it. I have a speed bow and shoot thousands of arrows a year at long range. If I didn't shoot as much as I do I wouldn't even consider it.Chiefbkt

Gets me antsy when I see this thread pop up, good luck on another year ! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk