Doc

I am relaxed, but thank you for your misplaced concern. As far as taking away bow season, there is more than one way of making it disappear. One is to flat out remove it (not likely), or the more likely one is to keep on diluting and polluting it until it no longer has any recognizable uniqueness or difference from the regular season or even reason for existing. You know, some day there will come a time when it will occur to all that there is no real reason for a unique set-aside time for what used to be called "bow" season. Ever ask yourself why people decided to pull archery hunting out into it's own season? Already the DEC is threatening the use of firearms in "bow season". In fact sections of he season and the state already have the mix of firearms and bowhunting. No, the season may be there in name only, but it might not be something bowhunters really want to be participating in.

Dave- You are absolutely right. There are a lot of reasons that people don't want to bow hunt or should not bowhunt. It is a demanding way to hunt, and was intended to be. Not everybody wants to, or can devote time to learning the discipline of mastering a bow. Some people hurt when they undergo the stress of archery muscle manipulation. Some just plain don't get any kick out of doing it or understand the unique appeal. And there is no reason for them to feel pressured into bow hunting. On the other hand, there is no reason that they should feel entitled to cram their way into bow seasons with their own choices of weapons and rules just because using a bow is inconvenient for them. The two seasons were split apart for obvious reasons because of the different conditions required for each style of hunting. So we all participate in whichever seasons that are suited to our personal and physical abilities, interests, and situations and mindsets. It all seems reasonable to me. Why that can't be accepted by all hunters, is a mystery to me, but I guess some want it all.

The genie is out of the bottle ..... lol. I knew the crossbow was just the beginning. Technology knows no bounds. Just look at todays compound bows for proof of that. Bow season started with a bent stick and string. Now look at it. I warned of every addition to bow season setting new precedents for the next. I can only repeat that warning.

First of all, congratulations on having such a great start to your varmint calling success. That is crazy great success, and it sounds like you have instantly shown that you have learned quickly. Not to bring all that down, but somebody else out there learned a lot that day too. You got one, but four others are now on to you, and they will know you by name next time they hear that call. So phase two involves the art of change-up and improvisation. It all puts me in mind of that old saying: Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me From what I have seen around our area, I think the coyotes have heard that saying too.....lol. Your task is now to "fool them twice". Good luck to you and your partner. You're off to a great start!

I think it is some time in this coming year tat the new Bass-pro gets built down near Eastview. So then between Henrietta and Victor you will have your pick of outdoor stores. Field and Stream, Bass-Pro, Gander Mountain, Dicks ..... Did I leave any out? We're pretty well outfitted now. Traffic around Eastview is always ugly, but you were there a little too close to Christmas. Everybody is still in the "return mode", ditching all those ugly sweaters and argyle socks. Also there are still some Christmas sales still going on. It's starting to back off a bit now.

Great Birthday. Wifey bought me a Canon Rebel SL1 camera and a couple lenses. Great looking unit, and now I have to de-cipher all the instructions. And then for supper she cooked up some lobster and all of my favorite veggies. Life is good!

How far are you willing to go with that philosophy. A .22 Hornet is also legal for deer in NYS. Would you advise someone to "continue using it if that is the caliber you prefer"? I think I would be tempted to speak up and try to talk them out of that one....lol. It probably would still be a good idea to take the issue to Albany as well. Frankly, I believe they blew it, but that still does not absolve the hunter from using a bit of common sense when it comes to caliber selection.

There is no caliber or weapon that absolves the hunter of a responsibility of proficiency. But just because a certain caliber has the capability to kill a deer, doesn't make it a wise choice. That quote that was just posted, says it all ("Don't use a bullet/caliber that works when everything goes right, use one that works when things don't.") , and I think tat thought represents why I made the comment that I didn't understand why people get a kick out of using the smallest caliber possible. It just doesn't make any sense to me. And inappropriate as it is, throwing archery into a rifle discussion, I would feel the same about somebody picking up one of those 15# draw fiberglass kid's-bows and trying to deer hunt with it. It just wouldn't make any sense to me.

I'm big on the challenge idea. That really is what all hunting is all about in one form or another for me. But for me it is about challenging myself with absolutely lethal equipment whether that be gun or archery. I don't go deer hunting with flu-flu arrows and field tips, just to see if it can be done.

That's exactly the attitude I just got done talking about in my last reply. You read two comments and instantly apply it to all bowhunters. This kind of nonsense has got to stop on both sides.

Ok, we don't stop these idiots who cry about bowhunters by taking wide swings at all gun hunters either. While I think the anti bowhunter thing may be growing (That's just an impression I get from listening and reading opinion based media), that doesn't mean that it is a good idea to escalate the conflict by returning fire. In fact, I participate in both seasons, so to start badmouthing gunners as a total general group, I wind up taking a personal hit too.

Thanks. So far it's been a great day, but of course at 6:00 in the morning it usually is .... lol.

I don't think you will find the anti-bowhunter comments coming from those that are real "gun and bow" hunters. Some may own a bow, but that doesn't mean they really use it or even know how to use it .... ha-ha. But I think you will find that the number of big-game licenses sold far outnumber the bow licenses sold. So there should not be any assumption that all deer hunters are dual-season hunters or even close to that.

You know, you will never have the gift of those damning ATV tracks again. They are better than trail-cam pictures that have to fire at precisely the right time to catch them in the act, and likely will not really be pictures of anything happening. I hate to see people getting away with things like that. In fact they may assume credit for making you move and turn around and do it to your remaining relative trying to get him to move out. It just seems to me that you would be one pissed-off guy ready to see somebody pay for attempting to do you in. I know I would be, regardless of whether I was vacating the property or not.

I used to have a hunting buddy that called these "parachute deer" because they seem to have just simply dropped in out of the sky when he was looking in a different direction. POOF! they just suddenly were there .... and often standing there staring at him.

Yes the NYB bashing does make a good rallying cry for a few gun hunters who simply are envious of the fact that through effective organization and lobbying, the bowhunters today enjoy prime season times, durations, and bag limits. Yes, that is what it is all about. Just straight-up "envy". And now that bowhunters are beginning to enjoy success, all of their advances have brought some attention to themselves. And the envy grows until now you have open warfare from a handful of these guys who jealously look at what bowhunters have accomplished over the years. Yes, I have heard and read all the bitter comments about how the bowhunters are killing off all the good bucks before gun season even opens, and how the bowhunters are getting all the advantages of the rut, and all the other endless nonsense that really is just lashing out at all the benefits that bowhunters have worked long and hard to accomplish.

Anybody ever watch any of those game warden shows that sometimes show up on The Animal planet channel? I watch them everytime I find them. Good shows! Anyway, I can recall at least two of those where the investigation was begun because of a post on internet forums or Facebook or some form of social media. These were guys who were bragging on the internet about hunting violations (even with pictures). They never said whether the fish and game department monitored the internet sites or whether a complaint was sent to them by somebody finding these confessions on the internet. But anyways, arrests resulted. The point being, that it probably is not a very smart thing to admit to any law-breaking, publicly, on the internet. I don't want to get involved with any sort of aiding and abetting activity (lol), but I will just say, "Don't be so damn stupid".

Why is this not available to the general public? Is there a cost issue involved? I don't know anything about webinars in terms of how they work or what costs that might be involved to the DEC for large audiences. But unless there is an impracticality to opening participation to the general public, this sounds like it might be of interest to a lot more people than just a few hand-picked individuals.

This guy is not alone in his opinions. In fact I occasionally pick up on some of that attitude right here on this forum. It has been going on for quite a while ever since bowhunter success rates have crept upwards. A few published pictures of some dandy wall hangers has suddenly woke up a lot of gun hunters as to the fact that bow hunters do actually harvest deer and sometimes some pretty nice ones. For years, we were not taken very seriously, and so everybody just shrugged their shoulders when additional weeks were added to the bow season. There was a whole lot of "who cares" when we picked up more and more goodies as far as seasons and bag limits. This guy is a jerk, but he is really just putting into public words, the thoughts that more and more gunhunter-only people are thinking. It is occurring to more and more of them that we are not out there with just recurves and longbows any more. Ha-ha.. apparently the DEC is even beginning to buy into some of this attitude as they now think that bowhunters can handle the entire population control in some WMUs ... lol.

It all depends on the weather. I have a lighted 80 yard archery range marked off in 5 yard increments. And a 50 and 100 yard shooting bench for the rifles. But I will not drag my guns out in snow or rain conditions. I also have a 15 yard indoor range in my basement. I no longer belong to any kind of club ranges or indoor shooting facilities. To try to figure out a shooting frequency would be impossible because it winds up to be a frequency based on opportunity.

Actually, the intent of the thread was obvious and even directly stated in bold print: "My question is: What do you think of people that go out and hunt for no other reason than to kill something?" My reply addressed exactly what was being asked. I realize that a lot of people feel uncomfortable about addressing that point, but in spite of the fact that we don't like to talk about that, that is a very common practice and here was a thread that dared to directly ask the question. Woodchucks, rats, crows, carp, etc., are simply killed as living targets with almost nobody even trying to eat them. So instead of shame-facedly running from the question, I chose to address it directly and without apology.

Ok, ya got me. I have to confess to killing rats at the dump and not eating them. I also have shot woodchucks and left them. We used to bowfish for carp and not eat them. I know there are those that hunt crows with no intention of eating them. Out west there are those that actually shoot prairie dogs, and I doubt they are particularly prized for their good table fare. I have trapped all kinds of animals, selling the fur and throwing away the carcasses or in some cases using them for bait. I did kill a coyote with no intentions of eating him. I have called and shot foxes .... again, no intention of eating it. I guess I further have to confess that I did all of that in a cold-blooded way without a shred of remorse. But then, we humans are not the only ones that do that. Back when I was a kid, we lost 22 head of sheep to some local dogs that simply went from one sheep to the next killing them for sport and never eating a one of them. I have seen the same thing with dog-killed deer. Our cat does the same thing with mice only she tortures them to death. Apparently the world is an evil place. Look, hunting is a nasty business anyway you look at it. We have justified it as claiming it is done strictly for meat, as if any of us are reduced to hunting for survival. We talk about hunting to balance animal populations, but I can't remember the last time I heard somebody say, "Well, I'm going to go out and control the deer herd now". There is something in all of us that enjoys the hunt and the kill. We are predators. And by the way, I'm not justifying illegal action as in the case of the pheasants. And I have always eaten every squirrel that I have ever shot if that serves as brownie points for forgiving my other wanton acts of killing. But I am not going to sanitize the act of killing wildlife by conjuring up excuses, and I am not going to try to come up with any kind of justification of shooting those rats at the dump. It I something that my primal ancestry coded into my DNA, and it is what it is.

IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!! ................... Well, maybe it does sometimes make me crack a smile ..........Actually there are times when you just have to sit down and laugh ................... there are other times when it is flat-out hysterical ...

For decades, I had a 2x Leupold topping my Ithaca 12 ga. I believe that I should have had more magnification, but still, I did amazingly well. My .270 has a 3x-9x variable which gives me a much better magnification. It spends most of its time at 9x. That's real crappy for offhand shooting, but when rested on some part of my stand or on my Primos bi-pod, it is deadly.

I can (and have) gotten out of my chair and walked into another room, standing there wondering what in the heck I came in there for. That's sad.