Doc

Try telling that to the DEC who wanted bowhunters to balance the doe population single-handedly in a few of the over populated WMUs (or else!). They even threatened to turn the muzzleloaders loose on us if we failed. Sorry, I know that comment was totally off-topic, but I couldn't help myself.......lol.

Let's be realistic. I think we hooked our hopes to the wrong star. It seems that everyday new revelations come out (true or false) and new ill advised Trump quotes get published that alienates another segment of the population. What we have to be concerned about is whether or not this turns into a total route that Democrats can use as a claim of a mandate for more socialization. We need total solidarity in voting against socialism. I intend to hold my nose and vote AGAINST Hillary and her crooked legions. We let this election get way too far away from us at a time when we could have used this election to spank those that would take us down the road to socialism and beyond. I take no solace in manufactured polls and studies or any of the unlikely predicted results. I can see what's really happening out there. We are watching what should have been an easy victory slip away. All I can do is stay true to my beliefs and vote accordingly, and resolve to do a better job of selecting the next pro-American presidential candidate next time. Perhaps we can find someone who is actually electable next time.

Why have you decided that the rifle shooters do not deserve to have "a short period of time for those who like to experience deer in a more natural state". Maybe they would enjoy hunting in the warmer fall conditions.With a tongue-in-cheek delivery, I am sarcastically suggesting that with all these selfish and elite charges being leveled against bowhunters, how are all the crossbow advocates being any less selfish and elite by keeping firearms people out of "their" season. Drop the special season stuff, and return peace and harmony and the spirit of sharing to the hunting community. Isn't that what the crossbow advocates were saying to bowhunters? "Let us in or you're selfish, exclusionary and elitist" ..... I'm pretty sure that is what I have been hearing from the crossbow advocates. What is going to be the attitude from the crossbow crowd when the muzzleloaders and other firearms people begin that same mantra. I think I already know.

Exclusion is exclusion whether you are trying to keep crossbows out of the season or shotguns or rifles or pistols or spears or whatever. As each new weapon is tossed into the bowhunting catch-all, and the success rates continue to climb, the question has to be occurring to more than just me, "Is there really a valid reason that those using these bundles of new weapons in bow seasons really needing all the disruptive and antagonistic opportunities of special privilege with special seasons and special relaxation of regulations". Every time you create special seasons, you get special envy. Every time this special envy rears it's ugly head, those that are excluded trying to cram their way in. And you start hearing charges of selfishness and elitism. It just seems to be human nature. And it has already been suggested and in some cases accepted, that muzzleloaders should also be included in the same timeframe as bow season. So, why are we being so selfish against shotguns and rifles. You see every time you select one weapon as being eligible, you automatically have to exclude others. And regardless of what weapon you personally favor, you are automatically being selfish with your exclusion of others. And so I repeat if you are so completely sold on not being selfish and exclusionary, when are you going to begin advocating allowing the rifle hunters into "your" new bow season when full inclusion starts? The crossbow advocates are so fond of predicting the future of crossbow inclusion, let me do a bit of predicting of my own. It is just a matter of time before the majority of hunters decide that this special season no longer has any valid reason for remaining separate, and the ultimate in being unselfish will occur. It will be funny listening to those crossbow advocates railing about the intrusions of muzzleloaders and shotguns and rifles.

Yes, the instructions would be greatly appreciated. I don't have very many of them and because of the small batch size, it would be strictly an experiment. I am thinking I have about a dozen of them to work with and they are about the size of a half-dollar. I was thinking of pickling them whole seeds and all.

I'm not really sure what all this full inclusion of crossbow is really all about. Why don't we just do what everyone is working there way toward and do away with all special seasons. It seems that special seasons by their very nature are "exclusionary", selfish on some level, and based on challenges that we are all working so hard to eliminate. So, can anyone explain to me why it is necessary to have a special bow season? No, I am not trying to be sarcastic. It is obvious that such divisions or advantageous special treatments only cause strife within the hunting community. They are inherently exclusionary. They were developed for challenge that today everyone is frantically trying to erase in as many ways as possible. They are unfair to physically challenged individuals. All these divisive traits have to make a person wonder why we are maintaining such a disruption within the hunter ranks. Why don't we just change things to be all-inclusive and allow hunters to use the weapon of their choice. It is obvious as heck that we are heading in that direction anyway. Why continue the pretense? Is there anyone here that can answer that question for me?

So, can I now assume that you will be campaigning to share the bowseasons with the rifle hunters to "allow more hunters in the woods to enjoy the season".

All the bullet manufacturers publish books that have unbelievable amounts of data for a pile of different loads and calibers. You don't have to have shot all the different rounds to know all kinds of info about energies, ballistics, speeds, and other performance data. It's all out there in just a handful of reloading books.

Can you pickle the sweet green bell peppers? Would they be any good? Maybe that's what I can do with all those tiny peppers that are starting to show up. There's a bunch of them that are half-dollar size that are just going to eventually freeze and rot. I mean there are not even going to be enough to fill a pint jar but it might make a good experiment.

What is the consistency of them when you try to cut them? Are they hard like a nut? Are they even nuts at all? I have seen oak galls that look similar to some of them.

Yeah, so what is with those stupid peppers. I did get a lot of nice sized green peppers ....... eventually. But now with the threat of frost constantly in the forecast, they are starting to go crazy with those baby peppers that we know will never mature to picking size. AND ..... they are still putting on new blossoms. And, we got a huge crop of carrots and they were all monsters. So do they need severe drought to grow big and plentiful? Potatoes came out small and stunted as expected, but the butternut squash and acorn squash filled out just great in spite of no water. Beets ..... great. Next year I'll be hoping for another drought!

I'll bet there are some biologists down in PA that could answer your question with real credibility. They have done considerable radio transmitter work down there with deer. As far as anecdotal guesses, probably wouldn't put a whole lot of credibility in those.

I think there is an awful lot about deer behavior during the bedding (or hiding) times that is not commonly known about deer behavior. We have a tendency to view these things simply as things that deer always do under certain conditions and at defined times of day. I think a lot of it is far more random than we think. It would be interesting to see a lot more study of the bedding behaviors, timing and purposes and locations.

Tenderloins, rib meat, and internal organs (heart, liver etc.) are the only meat items that are at risk. Rinse all that internal stuff off thoroughly and it should be alright unless the arrow has driven stomach contents and acids into and through any of these items.

What I am seeing is that the number of bowhunters are increasing, and the number of gun hunters are decreasing. And the changes are significant. Not only are gun hunter numbers diminishing but their dedication and endurance is diminishing. We have a lot of 1/2 day hunters, and a lot of 1 or 2 day hunters that tire of the activity real quick. At least that is the way it is in my Ontario County hunting area.

Well folks, I am on the back side of my hunting life and physical abilities, and all this talk about challenge and such takes on a little different meaning for me now. Right now, any deer that will get close enough during the limited hours and my diminishing abilities to climb these hills, has made itself a target (one point, a dozen points or no points at all). I am no longer out there to impress anybody but myself, and the only challenge that I am accepting anymore is to be able to continue to participate.....lol. It is no longer necessary for me to measure my worth by inches of antler. I'll just see how many more years I can still get to the deer, and I'll let the selections and harvests come out to be whatever opportunities I am lucky enough to encounter.

No shortage of acorns there. The only thing that would be better from a deer hunting standpoint would be if they were white oak acorns and they were within shooting range of your hunting stand (The leaves on the ground indicate they are red oaks). In my hunting area, this this year's acorn crop is just right. Not every oak is producing this year, and if you find one that is dropping a good localized concentration of acorns like you are showing in your picture, it is a good deer, turkey, and squirrel magnet. Make that white oaks, and you have a super-magnet.

I hunt in one of those areas where the DEC doesn't want you to be picky. We've got too many deer, and anyone who holds out for a trophy is considered scum. The word is, "shoot every antlerless deer that you see". They are to be considered vermin and if you are a trophy hunter, you are some kind of anti-conservation creep that refuses to do your part for the environment. Of course that is only their attitude if you are a bowhunter. Lol .... I am over-exaggerating, of course. But I do get the impression that they don't want to hear about this waiting for the "big one" stuff. Not in this WMU anyway.

It is an interesting dilemma when it comes to trying to force an interest that a kid hasn't already developed. When you have to resort to special incentives, gimmicks, and tricks, I truly have to question the "staying-power" of the results. The most successful recruitment programs to me are not those that consist of a couple of days out of the year. The recruitment of my two sons came from a year around interest in all things outdoors. Camping, hiking, and just a constant barrage of all outdoor and nature inspired activity right through all of their childhood. Their rabid dedication and fanatic interest that even exceeds my own did not come from some trick creation and softened up representation of what hunting is all about. I must say that it didn't even come from the kills or successes. They were already heavily addicted to hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits before they were ever old enough to participate. There was no cajoling or nagging required to get them off the couch. It all came about as a natural outgrowth of a whole lifetime of all kinds of outdoor adventures. It was a total outdoor family culture that made hunting enthusiasm a natural lifetime activity. There is no special hunt that will create enthusiasm when the child's only exposure to nature is the sun coming through the window onto the couch. It is a lifestyle that is part of their upbringing. There is too much thinking today that the only parental effort to create interest in hunting is a few days of a special hunt. Along with other family oriented activities, hunting is also succumbing to the age of shortcuts and quick fixes. Raising a hunter is a lifetime activity not just relegated to a few days of concocted mis-representation of what hunting is all about. A special season is a great additional entertainment for a kid that was likely already going to be a hunter anyway. But I would be careful about expecting that one activity to create a hunter where there wasn't already one developed and waiting from a lifetime of outdoor activity and enthusiasm.

How times have changed. Back when I was turned onto hunting, I did it because I had a real interest in it. I cut my teeth on small game until I was old enough to play the big leagues. Today we have to whine at kids and create special opportunities, and give them unrealistic attitudes and hunting conditions just to get them off the couch and away from their electronic gadgets. I know that my introduction to deer hunting included the camaraderie of all the hunting community, the uncles and friends and brothers and neighbors, where I was also introduced to the hunting camp mentality that introduced the youth of the day to the entire hunting experience. Nobody had to do anything special created to involve myself and all my friends into what was then a natural activity. I have no idea whether all this creation of fantasy hunting conditions is the right way to go, but as I said, times have changed. An activity that kids used to rabidly look forward to in years gone by, now perhaps does actually require cajoling, fakery, and creation of unrealistic versions of what hunting will consist of when they reach the magic age of adulthood. Is it the magic bullet that will re-kindle universal attitude change in our youth toward a lifetime of hunting? I have my doubts, but then I'm no expert either. At times I think we are trying to keep hunting alive without understanding and recognizing and encouraging the cultural forces that made hunting work as viable and natural activity in the past.

I always wonder why I spent all that money buying all those other bows that I have hanging on the wall. I can't say that any of those purchases ever got me any more deer than that lumbering old clunky Whitetail Hunter. I got into NFAA tournament shooting, and of course you can't shoot tournament without all the latest stuff .... right? .....lol.

Great video! It looks a whole lot more easy there than it is in NYS. I didn't really see many single coyotes like you see around here.

There is no way that I could list all the crap that I have bought over the years. I have drawers full of sights, arrow rests, releases, stabilizers, finger-guards, arm guards and all kinds of gizmos and go-fasters. I also have a wall full of bows (11 of them) that were all high end bows in their day. Also, I have an assortment of arrows that I cannot get both of my hands around. We're talking thousands of dollars. I used to be one to chase every fad going. Then one day I realized that the first compound that I ever owned had taken more deer than any of the bows that followed. The old Bear Whitetail Hunter with wheels everywhere and eccentrics and steel cable and those heavy old indestructible epoxy limbs that you could use as a pry-bar, actually killed more deer and just as dead as any of the abandoned bows hanging on the wall that I bought after the fever began and I started thinking I could buy guarantees.....lol. I put an end to buying archery equipment since then but I can't bring myself to throw out any of the trinkets that fill those drawers. They're all are memory joggers of the glory-years of my bow-hunting and shooting.

I haven't paid-to-hunt in decades. The last one was back in the 1980s when four of us did a do-it-yourself canoe/camping moose hunt up in Shining Tree Ontario, Canada. My share was somewhere around $500 and we all had quite a bit of moose meat to divvy up. Now, I open up the back door and start hunting my way up the hill. That doesn't cost me a whole lot.

It's just an abbreviated version of my last name.