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Took a walk with my Airedale Harleigh to see if we could bag as the old timers would say a "Patridge", a Hare or a Squirrel would make due. Took out one of my favorite shotguns, an LC Smith side by side double. We had a good hunt, Harleigh flushed a Grouse but I only heard it, no chance for a shot. She then made a tree on a Squirrel, she did a good job sticking with it as it timbered through three different trees before I could get a good shot and knock it out to her. We had a great time old Harleigh and I. Al

Now that's getting too damned brazen. He's probably looking for somebody's pet to eat. I've got a 1000' driveway, and the other day I saw one of these guys walking casually up the driveway toward the house, without a care in the world........In broad daylight. He never got as close to the house as this one, but I thought that was kind of ballsy for a wild animal. It brings to the forefront that without hunting and adequate trapping, these critters are at the top of the food chain and are starting to lose their fear of humans. They are not harmless little doggies, and need to have that fear restored.

Two things stick out for me, the first is the demise of family farms. Most of the hunting I did as a youngster was on the seven dairy farms on the 5 mile stretch of country road I lived on. The owners of those farms had no problem with hunting and in fact encouraged hunting for certain animals like coon and Woodchucks. I had farmers coming to me all the time to rid their corn patches of Coons. The habitat those farms provided were a haven for all small game, the hedgerows that bordered farm field were mostly Hickory, Butternut and Walnut trees. Those hedgerows were alive with Squirrels, Woodchucks, Cottontail Rabbits and the occasional Grouse or Pheasant. That same land today is totally different, the hedgerows have all been cut and cleared, not a single farm is in operation, the land that bordered the roads was all sold off as building lots that now have houses built on them with owners who do not like hunting and shooting in their backyards. Sadly a total loss when it comes to any kind of hunting. The same scenario has happened all over the state, lots of good hunting habitat gone with the wind. The second thing is the demise of small game hunting, what has been written above played a hand in that and also the emphasis on Deer hunting and almost an afterthought for small game. I have said it before and will say it again there is nothing like good small game hunting to create an addiction to hunting. Small game hunting provides experience, action and excitement which is especially important with youngsters. Sitting in a tree stand waiting for a deer to come along and freezing your ass off is not fun for a kid just starting to hunt. In fact for me it has never been fun to hunt that way to this day and I don't. Nothing like a couple of Beagle hounds in full cry swinging a circle with a rabbit coming at you or your dog flushing a nice Rooster pheasant or sneaking through the squirrel woods still hunting and knocking off a limit of Squirrels. If a kid has any hunt in them these types of hunts get the blood flowing. Al

I picked up this guy a couple of days ago from the taxidermist. It was just about a year ago when I caught him. I knew of a hot otter toilet on a local steam that I wanted to trap but I kept putting off for a couple of years. Luckily last year I set it up because when I went to check on it a few days ago , I noticed a large tree fell right where the toilet was. These otters certainly have beautiful fur.

I will say that the constant and incessant bragging and putting down those that hunt differently than you do, gets pretty damned disgusting in a real short time. But you know that and still keep on doing it anyway. I don't think that anyone is telling you that your attitudes toward hunting are wrong, so who here needs to hear you constantly blathering about how great you are and how all others are all doing it all wrong. I don't know how this can be news to you, but that is not for you to say. That all fits in with my earlier comments about how these kinds of comments are part of what is driving our numbers down. Nobody needs to hear that kind of crap all the time from anybody. It seems weird that anybody has to point that out to you. I think you have to be intelligent enough to understand how those kinds of comments can get pretty incendiary in a hurry. I have to wonder what kind of a personality has to keep trying so hard to impress people. You hunt the way you want, and nobody really cares. It's just common decency to spare us all the bragging comments and put-downs for those that have different hunting goals than you have.

We live in the most anti gun and anti hunting state with a conservation department that uses hunter license funds to fund anti hunting ad's and programs. What do you think the perception of hunting by younger generations will be ? Go to other states and the youth are hunting and fishing. Don't lump the Tri state area in with the rest of the free states in America. NY state sucks and has been sucking for decades. When it gets sucked down the hole, at least I'll have some fond memories of how it used to be while living in a free red state. SJC

Agreed; Desantis is quality. To be honest, Id vote for ANY Republican who won the nomination (even Christie,lol) cuz the Democrats are just so wacky these days

Alot of snow up that way. Much easier to catch a cat on the porch that it is to chase down a rabbit. Nice shoveled walk and driveway.. much easier. Sister-inlaw had a little dog taken off her porch a few years back . She was lucky to be coming up from the horse barn and seen it struggling with the dog still being attached to a long line. She chased it down and it dropped the dog. Dog was ripped up pretty good but it survived . Kill them all is my opinion.

I saw this guy across the street from my house yesterday. Every year I see what the mange does to the local red fox population. Once a red fox gets the mange , it'll den up with another fox and then they both will have it.......and on and on it goes. I feel bad for it but there's too many houses around to end it's suffering.

So many great points! Although the demise of small family farms was mentioned, I think the difficulties that this poses for hunting has to be emphasized. Down here in valley country I have noted that back in the 50's and 60's, before I was old enough to hunt, I used to hike along the ridges of the valley and would go more than 5 miles through the woods without ever seeing a posted sign. These lands were owned by farmers who didn't have the time to be running through the woods tacking up posted signs. Besides, they didn't really care who was hunting up there as long as they stayed away from the buildings and their critters. Then farmers got old. Their kids went off to more lucrative work, and the little 100 and 200 acre farms came on the market as the farmers retired and got busted up into 5 acre lots as the city people began to invade the rural countryside. every little parcel became ringed with posted signs and all the land that used to be great hunting areas became inaccessible. I have watched so many great stand areas that I have lost to development of little farmettes and just plain residences. I have seen houses constructed on top of some of my old favorite stand-sites. Today people have to beg to hunt the few stretches of woods that exist. In many cases, crowded state land is all that is available. Some of the last hunting land can be hunted if you have the money to lease the land at ever growing prices. All this stuff works against hunting and now hunting land scarcity is a factor also.

Hunting activity is dying because we didn't resist the attacks from the anti gun and anti hunting groups for decades. They have won. The public perception of hunting and hunters has been changed by those who oppose it. All the points listed above are factors, but just contribute to hunting's demise. Those opposed to hunting have time on their side. They have been working to end it and now know it's only a matter of time until all who pursue the sport die out. They will now move on to Part 2. Without hunting, guns are no longer needed. The same strategy of attacks will be used to change public perception of firearm ownership with the goal of eliminating it completely.

I think it's time to lock this thread up, since it has degenerated into a list of personal attacks.

My young chicken hens have started to lay eggs, what has been surprising is my young Turkey hens have been laying and laying a lot. I have been collecting and eating them, taste no different than a chicken egg except they are a bit larger, a comparison with a large chicken egg below. Al

Our culture is changing, and not necessarily in a good way. Hunting is just another part of our heritage that is being stripped away.

It burns in my soul to be out in the woods pursuing some time of game. I step into their world but it is my world also. We live long enough to learn, adapt and fulfill our ambitions. We also need to nurture that world som others can enjoy it. Do your part!

Man has hunted for thousands of years. The driving source runs deep in the veins. It just comes naturally.

It is like I always say.....It is not the Politicians that are responsible for our sad broken state. It is the goof-ball voters that vote them in and those that do not vote them out.

Had snow day today so I finished the room! Still have to buy window treatments but here it is.

I hunt because that’s the way I get up. Now that everyone has since gotten too old or has no interest anymore, just seeing deer and getting that shaky feeling. If that ever goes I would stop.