Doc

And then there is always reality that creeps in when you know that hunters feel put-upon....lol. We can't even get a majority of hunters to report their kills.

I've got to say that likely a "buck only hunter", probably the first minute of the season, would sit down and fill out their doe tag whether they had shot one or not. So the only thing accomplished would be that the DEC would be reporting a higher doe kill than reality. I guess that would make everyone feel better, but the real result would be to screw up all the DEC calculations even more than they already are. Maybe it might be worth a try, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

If that was the logic used by the DEC when they decided that bowhunters alone should be controlling deer populations, then they are as screwed up as I suspected they were. And those that are clinging to hopes that crossbows are going to make any significant difference really are engaging in wishful thinking. If you want to make significant increases in doe-take and are truly serious about that, then all of your options should at least include the regular gun season. Any solution that does not include gun season is really only a half-measure that is purely window-dressing.

As I understood it, the opposition to the 2-week doe only season in bow season wasn't because no one wanted to shoot does. It was because of the ridiculous notion that deer populations should be (or even could be) controlled only by bow hunters, alone. Perhaps if the DEC was really serious about taking does, a day or two of the regular season could have been made "doe only" and maybe then they would have gotten the result they were looking for without singling out archers only for the task of cutting doe populations. But either way, that doesn't change the situation with hunters being locked out of private lands and the result of strangling the growth and maintenance of the activity of hunting.

So anyway, we all recognize that the growing access problem is strangling hunting, and we demand that the DEC do something about it, but landowners are unwilling to open their land under any circumstances (usually for damn good reasons). So are we then resigned to the fact that nothing can be done and that the future of hunting is doomed? It sounds like it to me. I don't see any realistic options.

I can't shoot with that trickle of sweat running down the center of my back ..... lol. This 90 degree, high humidity, crap has got to cease!

So, to the landowners who have posted their land, what would it take to convince you to open your land to general hunting? Is there anything that would convince you to take down those posted signs, or enter into a cooperative plan to allow general public hunting access. We have repeatedly heard that the biggest danger to hunting and wildlife management is lack of land access. We all want the DEC and legislators to get landowners to open their land to the general public so that deer management can be achieved. What effective kinds of incentives or laws would you all support to make this happen?

So now you see why a few bowhunters want to be a bit more strict about what is included in bow season. The above attitude is much more prevalent than might be imagined. Anyone interested in maintaining a bow season, should read the above-quoted post and understand that there are a significant number of hunters who do not understand bowhunting (perhaps a huge majority), and do not understand why any weapon is excluded from bow season. Less interest is being shown for the quality or style of the hunt than for simply killing deer in any way possible. That is an attitude that is growing every day and becoming more and more popular among the general hunting population. This idea that the character, style and design of weapons in bow season are unimportant continues to strengthen this notion of no special seasons. It is not the first time you have heard it, and it definitely will not be the last as each incremental weapon is shoved into bow season.

Typical anti-hunting article ..... Anything but hunters, right?

Unfortunately, it is all tied together. Politics runs the gun laws. Gun laws influence hunting. Too often we think that we can ignore politics and just hunt. But at the pace that gun laws are influencing our choices in hunting weapons and accessories it doesn't really work anymore to bury your head in the sand and pretend that one doesn't effect the other.

What is the primary purpose of the boat? What kinds of waters will it be used in? Big lakes or small creeks and rivers? Parties? Power or finesse riding? Trolling? Working around heavy weed beds and tight log infested bays?

When they find themselves feeding on certain crops or food sources, I'm convinced they will have a preferred bedding area nearby for that location. There are features of certain bedding areas that they prefer involving cover, wind currents, visibility, escape features. But I also am sure there are many places in the woods, thickets and brush-lots that provide those features and not just one special spot.

If you have any of the land that is tillable, canvass the area for any farmers that may be interested in leasing the acreage that is suitable for farming. You might even pick up money to help pay the taxes. Cropland is also good for the critters.

Yeah, my lawn is starting to get that "tan" look with those stupid weeds poking up 8" to 10" all over the place. The only really green areas are a couple of dark green lines tracing out the leach field. I took my new shiny John Deere zero-turn out for a 2-hour ride to clip those weeds down. It's a fun thing to ride. kind of like a carnival ride when you crank the accelerator and zip around the trees and bushes .... lol. Yeeeee-ha-a-a-a

Another fantastic place to visit! We've been there a couple of times already, but not for several years. Never been there when they had the Civil war re-enactment going on. I imagine that was spectacular though.

As already mentioned, check out https://www.wildcenter.org/?gclid=CL6w9cTh-s0CFYwfhgodgKYIIg We were up that way a bunch of years ago and came up about a month short of their initial opening and have not been back to Tupper Lake since. But the site noted above looks like we missed a great place to visit. If you are going to be there, it would be a shame to miss it .... I think.

We had a raccoon acting weird in my driveway. As we drove up the driveway after being out town for breakfast, we got up toward the yard end of the driveway, and there was a young-ish raccoon stumbling and staggering around, repeatedly falling over on its side. I didn't see any foaming at the mouth. I was running late for some work that I had to do, so I ignored it thinking that it was just about finished off. I went out in the field to do some tree spraying, and when I came back, he was gone. Of course the bushes in the thicket alongside the driveway is filled with wild rose and other thick forms of brush, and there was no way I was going in there after some crazy critter, so I've got no idea where it went or how much longer it lived. I guess it is worth noting that distemper is pretty common in raccoons and imitates rabies in a lot of ways. Relative to whatever attacked growie's dog, there is another potential candidate. Somewhere recently, I read about a rabid bobcat, and I believe it was not too far from the western NY area. Smallish tooth pattern and jumping on the dog's back suggests a possibility of a cat attack (bobcat or house cat)

The problem with uncontrolled dogs is that they kill just for the fun of it, unlike coyotes that kill for their own subsistence. Back when I was a kid, we raised sheep and had several instances where dogs came in and went through the flock doing just enough damage to kill the sheep and never eating any of them. And why would they, they simply go home and get some nice dog food fed to them. So to them it is all just sport. would they kill fawns when they find them? ..... probably.

I had one camera out for a couple of days, and got these pictures. I also have seen a few fawns down in the driveway. They are around, but this time of year the thick foliage makes them hide pretty darn good. Also at this age, they and their mother are pretty much home-bodies and don't move any great distances. So if trail cams aren't in the exact right spots, you likely won't get pictures of them. After the winter we had, the fawn success rates should be pretty good.

Isn't it amazing how much we study whitetail habits and how little we really know about them? Of course if you count how much we THINK we know, then maybe whitetail hunting should be considered a guaranteed activity ..... lol.

I hope no one is surprised by this. We know where these anti-gun wackos are heading with their efforts. They're a busy bunch of SOB's aren't they?

They are pretty disgusting things. I generally leave them alone only because they are useful, but they aren't something that I have any particular love for.

At age 11, I carved a pretty good longbow out of hickory. I did use baling twine for string and some willow branches for arrows. I managed to bring down quite a few of those barn pigeons up in the hay loft. I cleaned them and my mother cooked them up for me and that was my first bowhunting kill. It started quite a lifelong hobby.

Frankly, I don't give a damn whether a "hunting dog" section is added or not. It doesn't affect me in even the smallest way. It's not my thing, but I do know that a lot of hunters are into it. It is a legitimate part of hunting whether I or others participate or not, so why not have a section on hunting with dogs? There are a lot of sections here that I do not access, but then the site isn't just for me either.

The real good news is that he apparently is not shy about coming out in the daylight like so many deer of this size.