Doc

Well, first you have to be able to drive to where-ever you're going to b hunting. 18" plopped on the roads all at once can get to be a pretty hairy driving challenge depending on the steepness and quality of the roads. Second, depending on your age, wallowing around in 18" of snow may over the entire day be a bit more strenuous exercise than your used to. That is how every year they wind up with a certain number of heart-attack victims being pulled out of the woods. The other big consideration is what kinds of monster hills is that 18" covering. Third, depending on the wind and snow characteristics, that 18" of snow can turn into significantly deeper snow drifts. In my case 18" of snow would mean that I am too busy plowing my driveway to be out hunting......lol.

But there are times when I feel that it's better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it. For an all day stand, I tend to go overboard and carry a bit too much. I seem to have every need covered .... lol. But one thing I hate is to walk up steep hills and go way back in only to be forced to go back home and get something that I didn't think I would need, but did. One thing that comes to mind is extra clothing for warmth. Sometimes it is hard to imagine as you begin to break a sweat climbing those hills, that sitting motionless for several hours will freeze you right off your stand. So it truly is an art to "right-sizing" your pack items. You can go overboard in both extremes.

Two days at camp with no hunting? That's what the Monday opener gave you. Either way, it has to cost you 1 day vaco from work, You either take it on Friday as a day at camp, or you take it on Monday to hunt. For guys that could not get any days off, the Saturday opener had to have been an absolute gift. I think it was a brilliant move to put the opener on a day that is typically off-work for almost everyone. It can make the difference between being able to hunt the opener or not for a lot of people.

I have a flashlight that flashes a bright red light off and on. I set it up on the corner of my stand, so no one can set up in the dark without knowing I am there. I turn it off about 1/2 hour before legal shooting time. by that time , my blaze orange can be seen clearly. Years past, I have had people sneak in on me way too close for safety. In the dark, I didn't see them come in, and they didn't know I was there. Of course we both assumed we were there first, and a lot of irritation developed as somebody had to move at a very late hour of the opener. Now with my flashing beacon, that can't happen. It may look stupid, but it avoids a lot of arguments and inconvenient relocations.

I didn't forget a thing. That may be a first! However, I bought a new back-pack that has so many pockets and compartments that I had a heck of a time finding my bullets. I was getting convinced that I had left them down on the shop bench and was getting ready to head back when I finally found them.

At 6:35, the far hill kind of lit up for a few minutes as apparently some deer began to run the gauntlet. Then shooting got real sporadic with just a few shots here and there. It is probably one of the quietest openers that I have heard in a long time. I know that the DEC whining about huge overpopulations of deer is pretty much on target. The hunter traffic seemed to be a little heavier than it has been in recent years. So I am not sure just what is happening, but things are very quiet. However, I deserve an Atta-boy from the DEC, because I dropped a doe about 8:00 or actually a bit before 8. Here in 8N, they tried last year to threaten and harangue the bowhunters with demands and threats that they are the chosen ones to single-handedly reduce the herd in this and several other WMUs. Well, I didn't do it with the bow, but I did do it. The .270 once again came through.

If there is any gun season for deer going on (that includes muzzleloader), I have a whole lot of blaze orange on. Because of where we live (kind of in the middle of the woods), that includes out in our yard as well.

All set. I'll be building sandwiches and coffee in a half hour and out the door around 5:30. Do I really have everything? we'll see. I always leave wondering what critical thing I have forgotten.....lol.

I'll have the last 8 factory built (Winchester) rounds for my .207. That should get me through this year with some left over. Next year I'll be using my reloads for target and deer season.

I think it is perfectly legal to carry as many weapons as you are willing to drag along if you are talking the regular gun season. Frankly, I have my hands full just toting my scoped rifle and all my other gear. I can't really think why I would ever drag along other weapons unless my stand was just a few yards from my house ..... lol. This question conjures up a funny imaginary vision of some guy pushing a wheelbarrow full of weapons through the woods on his way to his stand. It would make a heck of a funny cartoon.

Know your target and what is beyond. Almost all of us are using rifles now, and under some circumstances this allows you longer shots with more distance to scan closely. Beware of those that still insist on wearing camo. There still are some out there tempting fate and they could be blending in with any part of the woods behind that deer. So, while blaze orange is still the most effective safety item in the deer woods, there are those that like to place their safety in the hands of luck, and they are out there in the woods with you. Maybe a lot closer than you realize.

The question really is whether deer can be taken purely as a result of good luck. The answer is that it happens all the time. A lot of hunters do all kinds of time consuming things and form all kinds of grand plans and buy all kinds of super expensive equipment, and if they were to be honest, the results still turn out to be more good luck than good management ..... lol. But, in all seriousness, scouting and other proactive planning can really put the odds of good luck more in your favor. Scouting in particular can put you in more concentrated deer numbers which has to help the good luck come your way. So if you are asking if it a good idea to forgo the time-consuming scouting, I have to advise against it. Put the odds in your favor when you can.

Far better we should have voted for the gal that comes right out and brags about how she hates guns and wants to screw over every law-abiding gun owner she can. Buckle up boys, we just saved another set of your rights ...... in spite of you.

This is my opening day stand. It is on a plateau that is about half way up the hill and serves as an escape route for the deer caught down in the valley. This will be about my eighth year there and it seldom disappoints.

What I have found locally is that there is the initial shoot-fest, as the deer get a bit caught away from there sanctuaries. The survival mode goes into the start-up phase as they seek out the spots that no sane hunter wants to go. Once the survival mode is fully implemented About 11:00 am, the shooting starts to drift off and becomes almost non-existent. The rest of the season, there are times when you would swear you heard just as many shots during a good small-game day. Todays hunters are kind of into about a 1/2 to 3/4 day season. It used to be that people used the whole season, and special days like the first Saturday and Thanksgiving morning were crazy active. But not anymore. The advent of modern fabrics and designs of hunting clothing have kept guys hunkered in their stands, with no one disturbing the secluded and bedded deer. Others just simply stop hunting at all after opening day. Other times of the season when large groups of hunters used to start driving the deer sanctuaries, that all seems to have died out or severely diminished. These drives were useful for getting deer on their feet again. They aren't much of an impact anymore. So you've got about a 1/2 to 3/4 of a day of lively hunting, and after that unless you are ready to invade the little hidey-holes with some skillful still-hunting, things can get pretty darn boring. Things may be considerably different in other parts of the state or area, but in our area, that is kind of what our deer season has evolved into over the years.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "An assault rifle and tactical vest may now be in the hands of a drug dealer in Upstate New York after they were stolen from the unlocked vehicle of a Department of Homeland Security Agent. Lawrence RussellMonroe County Sheriff's Office The DHS officer, Leroy Doctor, "had left his machine gun laying on the back seat of the vehicle," according to an affidavit from Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Sean Martineck provided to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, which was it, an "assault rifle" or a "machine gun"? Or maybe it was just one of those nasty-looking modern black semi-automatics

The flood of Trump-fearing American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week. The Republican presidential campaign is prompting an exodus among left-leaning Americans who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray, pay taxes, and live according to the Constitution. Canadian border residents say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, liberal arts majors, global-warming activists, and "green" energy proponents crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said southern Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. "He was cold, exhausted and hungry, and begged me for a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left before I even got a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?" In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. He then installed loudspeakers that blared Rush Limbaugh across the fields, but they just stuck their fingers in their ears and kept coming. Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals just south of the border, pack them into electric cars, and drive them across the border, where they are simply left to fend for themselves after the battery dies. "A lot of these people are not prepared for our rugged conditions," an Alberta border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a single bottle of Perrier water, or any gemelli with shrimp and arugula. All they had was a nice little Napa Valley cabernet and some kale chips. When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing that they fear persecution from Trump high-hairers. Rumors are circulating about plans being made to build re-education camps where liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer, study the Constitution, and find jobs that actually contribute to the economy. In recent days, liberals have turned to ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have been disguised as senior citizens taking a bus trip to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans in blue-hair wig disguises, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior citizens about Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney to prove that they were alive in the '50s. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we become very suspicious about their age," an official said. Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage, are buying up all the Barbara Streisand CD's, and are overloading the internet while downloading jazzercise apps to their cell phones. "I really feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "After all, how many art-history majors does one country need? The big question is why don't they choose to move to Mexico?

Thank God ..... and none too soon I might add.

Try to make promises you can keep. Take a look at the terrorist reactions of your paid protesters, and see if you can still say that with a straight face.

Are there naïve people who believe that any one party will foster policies that 100% agree, across the board, with their own beliefs. You do all understand that that only happens in fantasy .....right? If you have a mindset that is 100% in lock-step with any one political party, beware of how easily you apparently are influenced and controlled ..... lol. For those things that you have strong convictions on, you may have to work on influencing those policies within the party of your choice.

.270 American Ruger using 150 grain bullet.

That was exactly my point. Illegal acts by their supporters get a pass. This all gives a very clear view into how fortunate we are to have dodged the bullet of a Hillary presidency. Illegality has become the lifestyle for her and her spouse ever since the Whitewater days. Why would she condemn illegal activities performed on her behalf?

It is not that critical during bow season, but I like to be on stand 15 30 minutes before any daylight can be detected. But on opening day of gun season, I will be there about 45 minutes to an hour before the first traces of daylight. The early hour is to lay claim to a particular spot on the hill on state land that has proven to be a fairly reliable escape route. There is a bit of competition for this spot, and I try to get there first.

I tend to climb my way deeper onto and even over the hill for this reason. I do want to get in deeper just to enhance the quality of the hunt. I don't want to listen to the cars streaming by. I don't want to hear the neighbors arguing. I don't want to listen to the neighbor's do barking its head off. I don't want to hear car doors slamming. I head up to a very picturesque area that we call the "Dark Woods", a very dense, old-growth hemlock woods around a very deep ravine at the rear of my property. It is just a very nice quiet and very "wild" looking area that is completely different from the thickets and swamps down around the house. I do it simply because it enhances the hunt regardless of whether I am successful or not. As Elmo said....there is something to the idea that I have "escaped enough".

But I repeat.....Where is the condemnation of the Democrat leaders in whose name all of this is taking place?