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We all are individuals, and we all hunt for different reasons and have different goals. So if someone wants to let five yearling bucks pass, to perhaps shoot a mature eight or ten point buck, last day of the season. That should be their choice. If someone else, wants to go out on opening morning and shoot the first legal buck that comes along. That should be their choice. I buy the tag. I don't need someone to tell me what to shoot.

Tonight is venison tenderloins, back straps, broccoli, baby reds and a salad. Pretty standard fare huh? Well guess what, it's not about what's for dinner tonight, it's who's coming for dinner!! Last night when my wife was working I called our daughter and asked her to come for supper tonight. She said ok but don't tell mom, I want to surprise her. She's here!!!!!!!!

The time to "get your panties in a bunch" over a proposed laws is while it IS STILL PROPOSED.. Not once it is passed.

My commitment to killing a buck this year with my longbow has sparked a new interest. I know have a Flintlock on the way. If I can get it shooting acceptably I will use it for the entire season "excluding crappy weather." I am having so much fun with the longbow and can't wait to stick a wood chicken with it in a couple months that I think the Flintlock will add to the fun of the regular season and muzzleloader season. Anyone on here have any advice on where to start with the flintlock? It's a 50cal left hand Lyman deerstalker, the carbine of flintlocks. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Pizza last night, Alfredo sauce, shrooms, black olives, chicken, and I added some venison pepper stick instead of pepperoni.

All I could come up with yesterday....

Worked 12 hours today and no breakfast , lunch nor dinner til now. Chimichanga 's with homemade chorizo , beans etc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As the title says this is just a theory. I read a lot about deer hunting through the entire year and love to learn as much as I can. Some of my opinions vary greatly from the accepted rules though. For one, I'd rather still hunt than hunt from a stand. Once a buck knows your stand location he can avoid it. As a still hunter you can adapt to how a deer reacts to your presence and use that to your advantage. I hear a lot of people say that once a buck has been bumped, he probably won't return. I feel the exact opposite. If he used the terrain and area to elude hunters before he can do it again and will feel more comfortable in an area he knows. As a hunter if you can figure out how he eluded you it can be used to your advantage in the future. Another thing I hear a lot is that big bucks are gone at the first sign of human presence. What if they're actually bigger risk takers than younger deer and actually allow the threat to approach and walk by instead of running and giving up their position? I've read several studies where radio collared deer have actually hunkered right down and allowed hunters to walk within yards of them and not taken off. The hunters had no clue the deer was even there. I've never killed any "trophy" deer with these methods but I have taken some deer that were trophies in my eyes. Sometimes I just like to go against the grain of commonly accepted knowledge.

I pulled this pic from my trail cam today. Not a good day for the squirrel.

But that is the thing - some of those no buck zones are in this bill some are not - bet dollars that this was because the author was simply uneducated. I highly doubt the DEC has data drilled down enough to allow this bill to be factually based - especially because the whole no buck thing was dropped like a hot potato across all of those zones - if it were in some but not others, then I'd be open to believing the DEC has that level of data. It much more likely was hastily written.

You can print online but all the fish you catch are only photocopies too. [emoji2] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you have one spot, and your neighbor is killing every yearling buck (legally), that's really on you. Not him. We do not hunt a parcel that is larger than 70 acres, and no single parcel has more than 25 acres of timber/cover. Not every place we hunt has what we're looking for each year. Putting all of your eggs in one basket isn't your neighbor's fault.

No ill take goose over merganser any time

For about 20 something years I would always travel to NY and turkey hunt the hills around Canasteo and Jasper. I have buddies that have camps right outside of Canasteo and on the South Side of Jasper. I love that country but have gotten too old to climb those hills. They would come to SC and spend a week in April and I would spend a week with them at their camp. Camp outside of Canasteo was round and bordered some state land of both sides. The camp on the other side of Jasper was on the left behind a nice big pond and next to a rifle range. Log Cabin and nice. Sure do miss those days with good friends..........We had a limit of five and one Friend killed his 1st bird in the SC Low Country and one killed 5 mature gobblers in his one week visit. What a time we had!!!!!

Most times the older you get in hunting you opt out for bigger deer and not little deer or killing higher numbers of deer. That all came in the younger years. Todays world screams for bigger higher scoring deer and most are willing to do..and pay what it takes to get to that point.

I looked over some green fields this past Sat and found one from a year or two ago. Half plowed under. I've had a good shed season so far but not sure how much more I'll get out. I have some stand work to do next, as well as a few projects I'll be starting, and spring fishing looks to come early this year too.

I'm in the same predicament. The only thing you gotta watch out for is a long enough warm spell that allows the seeds to germinate and start seedlings only to be hit with a few days of hard cold that may stunt the seedlings or kill them completely. Clover is pretty resilient though so it should make it through fairly well. Looking at the weather right now I'm thinking of getting a few bags spread later this week. Looks like a couple warm days with a bit of rain to help pound the seed in before birds get to it and then a few cold days next week to keep them from germinating too early. Hoping it works!

AR has been beneficial here in Pennsylvania. But we're not NY. The result over the past ten years regarding buck harvest is: 50% plus of the harvest consist of 2.5 year old or older bucks with less than 50% consisting of 1.5 year old bucks. Before AR, there was a serious overharvest of 1.5 year old bucks at around 80% of the harvest and we killed an estimated 80% or more of all available bucks. We had a serious lack of age structure in our herd. Herd reduction and AR have combined to create closer buck to doe ratios and better age structure in the herd. Healthier deer. Trust me it's been a hot button debate since the beginning but its been more about herd reduction than AR. Hunters weren't seeing as many deer so complaints were pretty high. AR is well accepted here but ours is (3) points to one side for most of the state and (4) to a side in the western part of the state where bucks tend to grow larger, more points at earlier age. I understand NY is much different in regards to winter loss so I really have no idea what effect it would have on your herd. Just trying to pass along info. from a neighboring state that has AR in place.

Some kind of a bug (Flu ?) body aches with hot and cold spells . My advil cold and sinus kicked in ,stuff has been a life saver.

I love shooting geese, can't get enough of it. I breast them out and when I have a good amount I have them made into smokies or sometimes summer sausage

They could but they'd be lying. They sure are fun to shoot though!

No need for it - education is clearly working. Look at the harvest trends for the past 10 years.

I just picked up an Ozark Trail tumbler and it works pretty darn good so far. I too like the Yeti owners - but I don't own one of their products. My wife has zero desire to let me buy one and she knows what they are and how much their coolers cost, so I'd be in trouble if it just appeared.

Just joined up and have always loved the hunting country in NY since turkey hunting with friends for many years around Canasteo and Jasper. I'm 75 and soon to be 76 in July and my hunting buddy is 83 and will outdo me. I've loved to hunt and started in High School. I think I've done most of it and settled down to still hunting on the hunting club now. Kill one of two nice bucks there each year and the club is 5000 continues acres Ride a 4 wheeler and enjoy warm wx. Retired and enjoying life...........Glad to be a part of this community and will check in each day.

It's that time of year again, we will soon be publishing the list of woodlots that will be open for hunting leases. On Wednesday, March 1st at 7:30 AM the list of Cotton-Hanlon woodlots at are open for lease will published on our website https://www.cottonhanlon.com/hunting-leases I'm working on the list right now so it's still a little up in the air but it looks like we'll have woodlots available in the following NY counties: Chemung, Cortland, Oswego, Schuyler, Tioga and Tompkins. These woodlots range in size from 16 acres to over 500 ac. Make sure to mark it on your calendar and check our website first thing in the morning on the 1st! Bob

I haven't read all the responses so I don't know if it's been said but one of the biggest things about killing a mature buck is Capitalizing! There are a lot more story's about seeing a mature buck than there are about killing them. You won't get many chances so you better have you crap together when you do. I see some are saying time in the woods and I somewhat agree but time in the woods is a lot like practice. Everyone always says you have to practice more, well there is such a thing as bad practice just as there is wasting time in the woods. If you only have "X" amount of days to hunt pick them wisely. When I was in the service I usually had about 7 days to take off for hunting season other than the 3 years I was deployed out of the 5 years I was able to come up for season I killed 3 mature Adirondack bucks and one in New Hampshire "there wasn't the conditions I wanted in NY so went where they had snow." Back then I wasn't hunting a deer I was hunting conditions. All 3 of those ADK bucks came from different counties. If you're serious about consistently killing mature bucks you can't have a "spot" you have to be mobile and willing to find them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks everyone. Took a quick walk in the woods to see if I could find a birthday shed. Found a bunch of bucks still packing and this dead one with half rack still present. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beer of the month club arrived the other day ! Eye of the Hawk , Mendocino Brewing Co. oh and some artwork , a butterfly made up of only butterfly wings .

I gotta start putting in for some out of state hunts. By the time I draw I might be able to afford it.

If hunter numbers fall because of access - the problem becomes MUCH less about AR and more about population control. Let's face it AR is a nice to have, not a need to have tool, even for those who support it. At the end of the day, the resource as defined by the DEC can be managed simply by issuing tags and season/implement dates - and that's what the DEC will focus on if population control becomes an issue. Don't believe me, we can all remember the no buck rule. That showed they will enact what they "believe" is right when they absolutely need to when it comes to population control - regardless of hunter input. That is why we'll end up with a MZ season in Sept or Oct in these same WMUs. Let's also not forget that changing hunter dynamics are in play - archery accounts for 23-24% of overall harvest nationwide, whereas 10 years ago it was ~15%. More urbanization = more bowhunting and more crossbow hunting.

and most lower their standards when closing time is approaching.........

I'll be sure to read up on it more. I haven't really spoken about it since first semester in college and for the last 3 years I've been taking mostly science classes. Both you and philoshop have brought up interesting points Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That makes two of us....If I had run and lost as bad as she did I would crawl under a rock somewhere and stay there.

After taking anything legal in my early days, I personally pass on younger bucks now, and am trying to set the bar a bit higher each year. However, that's me and I'm not pushing my current style on anyone else. I feel it should be left to the choice of each hunter and social pressure and education should be the tools to promote that, not legislation. NYS is one of the most regulated, over legislated states in the nation. I personally do not want any more restrictive legislation passed by this nanny state. I registered NAY, and included my opinion for whatever shred of good that might do.

Well did you all cast your vote as to support or not to this bill?

No i think this will get interest because its not the brightest thing to do. I like the Ar spots i hunt down yonder but we sure dont need Ar up here i the North. Why is 8M not on the list or did i overlook it? Now if they would doing something that would work like cutting the season in half of taking guns out of the rut they may get something positive done.

What are you even saying in all this Mumbo jumbo? It's laughable. Even worse because this is a poorly written document - most overpopulation zones are out, but not all, they require four to a side in many units, and these units have issues with producing 4 a side one year olds, which defeats AR. The point is this is why NY is where it is - this bill get air time when it's so bad the author should have the ruler smacked on their knuckles. It'd be nice if we could remove legislators from the science based portion of our hunting or require some sort of agency signoff/assessment before these docs see the light of day. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wegmans is carrying these. Zem weren't you making your own?

Glad to hear your feeling better........Hang in there everyone we are almost there........

So true and green wing teal as an appetizer

Ah, the hit by a bus flu where you can't warm enough but yet sweating. Had that last year and slept 21 hours straight Get better fast

Turn up your volume for some hawk chatter! You can adjust the video quality with that little gear button at the bottom of the frame. I'm not sure if there's a way to lock that in at 720p or not.

Baked pork lion chops with a brown mustard and slivered garlic rub. Tossed salad, zucchini stew, beets, and brown rice

maytom, I've always had the same success with he cheap folding ones, as any of the hard plastic types. Just my personal experience.

Saw that n love it Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

At least they are consistently inconsistent. AR is almost always associated with heavy/appropriate doe harvest. There's plenty more does than bucks in those overpopulation areas. But we'll leave the science out of making laws, right?

I really enjoy hunting at this point in my life but would not call it a sport. My simple rule is that if someone can smoke while engaging in the activity (I don't smoke but some do while hunting), its not a sport. Doesn't mean it doesn't require skill, but not really a sport. Kinda like bowling, golf, darts, etc. That said, I don't think anyone has adopted my definition of sport. lol

This from the one who wanted Trump to "accept the results of the election". Guess what, Shrillary, he did. Maybe you should too. Now go fade away.

Loving the plastic on the furniture also that castle is sweet! Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

what you will need; an electric drill ( battery drills just don't have the speed needed) a bore brush to match the gauge of the barrel a green scotch brite pad a can of wd40 an old cleaning rod ( or put enough sections together for the barrel length so there is no handle on the cleaning rod or cut the handle off) newspaper and a garbage can the process; remove barrel from gun. look through the barrel to see what it looks like ( for later reference) if the barrel has a screw in style choke I put in the imp. cyl. choke or the most open choke i have for the barrel. Make sure the choke is seated and do not continue this process without a choke screwed in the barrel. put a fresh bag in the garbage can and wad up a bunch of newspaper in the bottom of the can assemble the cleaning rod and bore brush. cut the scotch brite pad to the width of the brush, then wrap the pad around the brush and trim to fit the circumference of the brush. place the barrel muzzle down in the garbage can attach drill to the cleaning rod. place to brush into the garbage can and saturate the sctotch brite pad with wd40 holding the barrel with one hand insert the bore brush into the chamber end of the barrel, you may have to slowly start the drill to aid in pushing the brush in. once the brush is in the barrel, speed up the drill to full speed. keep the brush moving up and down the barrel and a reasonable speed, all the way to the end and back to the chamber end ( DO NOT ALLOW THE BRUSH TO EXIT THE BARREL) I put that in caps as its a very important tip that will save you a messy clean up (speaking from experience) you will have to squirt more wd40 into the barrel while running the brush you want the brush and pad saturated at all times while scrubbing. you should see a steady dripping of black oil running into the garbage can. after about 3 minutes ease the brush out and inspect the barrel, the best way to describe the look you want is,,, a clean mirror like finish the entire length of the barrel. you should see a vast difference in the looks from when you started. if you have a good mirrored finish remove the open choke and install your turkey choke making sure its seated tight. this part of the process you need to be careful doing, lay the cleaning rod, brush along side the barrel with the brush just over where the choke and barrel meet, mark the cleaning rod at the end of the barrel. reinsert the brush and pad in the chamber end again making sure to saturate with wd40. start down the barrel and pick up speed to full speed. you want to concentrate where the choke and barrel meet, your goal here is to have a smooth transition any little ridge will catch the shot cup slowing it down thus allowing the shot to exit the cup before it all goes through the choke. you want to be very careful during this part of the process as you can open the choke some if you go too long with the scrubbing. by looking through the barrel you can generally see if there is an issue where the choke seats in the barrel. I have seen some chokes that needed some hand dressing with emery cloth to remove milling burrs, again great care needs to be taken if you do this. once done I run a dry cleaning patch through and inspect the barrel for any patch fibers to be caught on the choke base that would indicate an issue that would need further scrubbing. once all is acceptable reassemble and head to the pattern board. I have done a bunch of these for myself and others and I have seen remarkable pattern improvements.