Farflung

We were in Moose Area 38. Thats near the Medicine Bow National Forest.We were near Albany and Cenntenial. Locals were saying that it seemed odd that there weren't more moose tags since they had increased so much in the past few years.

dmandoes- Was in Wyoming 2 seasons ago. Was there for 5 weeks. Kept count and saw 56 moose (cows, bulls and calves). Saw the biggest moose I have ever seen. He walked between my partner and me. At one point he was about 8 yards away. In the same general area, he chased one of our guys into a bunch of softwood tops. What area did you draw for?

seems like there are a lot for brown lawns. Just saw one town with a watering restriction, there may be more. MMy farmer friends are hoping for rain for crops and hay. But this is great for the young broods of turkey.

For trout in ponds- Lake Clear Wobbler ahead of a streamer or some "garden hackle" For trout in streams- a undressed spinner white bead, gold blade or a Mepps spinner for bass in lakes- original Rapala minnow imitation

If you are interested in this topic and 46rkl's post, you might want to take a look at Wikipedia's definition/discussion of curtilage. Sort of the flip side of the open fields doctrine. Was a hot topic in Pennsylvania for a while

maybe a yellow crowned night heron? If it is in NY its out of its range by a bit.

A small sporting goods store going out of buisness. I bought up there entire stock of Bear Archery stuff including those Bear broadheads (like 5 blister packs). I was using Razorback 5's at the time, but it was just too good a deal. Sold it all several years later to a ECO who was into self bows, making his own arrows etc. Did not make much or anything on it, but ir sure made that guys day.

When folks came to our DEC office, and were going out in a overloaded boat or a canoe for trout fishing or to set up a deer camp, I would always tell them to wear a life jacket. They said that it was unnecessary and they could swim to shore. I told them it was a courtesy to the Rangers as they could more easily recover the body in the 40 degree water.

Jerkman- you mentioned the peacocks. Do you ever hear gobblers shock gobbling to peacock calls. Had a couple of peacocks on adjoining farm. Would often get the gobblers going. I carry a peacock/pileated woodpecker call with me and occasionally (like rarely) it gets the birds gobbling.

grampy - think that the moneys are going to go to the private company that is running the online course. Better than coming out of the Conservation Fund.

Mixed emotions on this. Very good since it avoids the scheduling problems that you have with teenagers/youngsters now. Also avoids the problem of anti-hunters flooding a course and then being no shows (problem in some areas). Also keeps folks from signing up for courses that they cannot realistically get their kids to, and then switching courses when there is something closer/more convient. BUT..... the lack of field work is a problem. From the instructors that I know, they feel that this is the most important part for a segment of the youth. There are a whole bunch of youngsters out there that are semi-literate and do not learn well from books. The field portion is invaluable to them. Also ferrets out which youngsters colluded with a parent or one of their buddies to do the homework. Its here, and is a great opportunity to get new hunters their license. Just hope they are as safety conscious as the students that go through traditional courses.

retired forester, still do some consulting although age is catching up with me. Never had a day that I did not like going to work. try to do 2 to 3 sales /year.

here's a thought for you (and others). Many counties have County forest lands. Some have a county forester or sometimes SWCD handles it. Often the areas are poorly marked but if you can locate them, you often have the place to yourself. Others (like the Onondaga County forests) get heavy use.

If you are in a stand with emerald ash borer mortality, don't just be careful with your tree stands, but also be careful with ground stands and blinds. The trees often just collapse, with limbs, tops and stems breaking up and falling even when there is very little wind.

I always get the deer heart and usually pickle it. Will take the liver and eat it is it is fluke free (most have flukes around here). Usually grab the turkey liver and heart (either for me or the dogs). Weirdest organ meat I've eaten was duck lungs in Vietnam. Thinking back to the dusty area they were foraging in freaks me out now, but was fine at the time.

Son was saying that his band will be not working for a unknown time period. Last couple of gigs he played were pretty sparsely attended (usually you can't get into the places. He is also a full time LEO so it doesn't effect him too bad, but a couple of his people are full time musicians and they will be hurting. talked with my mechanics and they are working pretty much full time, but they had less of a backlog than they usually do. They said they will probably take a hit in terms of spring tire sales. Also, with folks driving less, there will be less breakdowns and less subsequent repairs. might be more competition in the turkey woods with guys laid off/"working" at home?

Had extensive experience with the program ...... 18 years ago. Back then it depended on the assesor and the town. Some weregreatly in favor of 480a and other towns were against it. Go and ask. Did you have a work commitment for this year (sale, thinning, etc.). What town/county are we talking about.

You mentioned Arborvitae as a screen for your RV pad. Arborvitae = deer candy. Maybe white spruce? slower growing but deer usually leave them alone.

A couple of quick thoughts: There is are several cd's called Real Turkeys (I, II, and III). "Number I- The Best Known Calls" is a very good overview and is great to practice with. I used to keep it in my car and practice on the way to work. Real Turkeys III is also good. They are recordings of actual turkeys, and sound much better to me than the recordings of guys making turkey talk. You also might consider using one of the higher density shot loads, like Hevi-Shot 7's. I have tested them and they are quite capable of putting a dense pattern on target to 50 yards and still have adequate penetration. I "accidentally" killed one at 57 yards (long story), and it went down like it was hit by a huge flyswatter. Lots of other high density shot loads out there, with some down to #9 shot size. Those seem too small to me but I have not tested them for penetration. I tried to message you, but I do not know if it went thru.

guy near Glenfield (east side of Tug Hill) was putting out road kill for the eagles last winter, Haven't checked this year. Took a grandson up last year and there were 5 eagles between two locations. At our sportsmens federation meeting Monday, one of the guys mentioned that a person in southern Oneida County is doing the same this year. NOTE: Just looked at his website (Tri Ponds Taxidermy) and he is looking for carcasses and road kill. Has a picture up of 4 adult eagles and 3 Juveniles.

hope its not like the 1917-18 "spanish flu". Today people are packed tighter, we rely on steady food and petroleum supplies via tractor trailers, and our power grid is potentially vulnerable. Hope it remains a nuisance and not a major pandemic.

my favorite songbird. I'm looking at our resident flock picking at a deer carcass I have hanging plus working on the bag of deer suet in the backyard. I have a bird feeder near my "shooting house", which makes the 99% of the time when no deer are present more interesting.

Enigma- Looks like "Big Party". I personally like the "Polish Wedding", but both are good.

I do basically the same thing. When I'm using ground venison, I drain the fat real good and then mix in some 80% ground beef or a little bacon fat. I use corn tacos or corn chips in the dish. I go light on the cumin, as I am the only one at home that likes it. And I have chopped onion and fresh cilantro for garnish for those that like them.