Doc

Apparently the DEC sees bowhunting as the only viable solution to managing the doe part of the harvest. As ridiculous as this may sound to anyone who takes more than a half-minute to actually reason it all out, somehow the DEC seems to be a little confused on the shortcomings of archery for this task. And there also seems to be some desire to believe that bowhunters are the only ones that pass on does, resulting in their desire to punish bowhunters with a doe-only segment of the season. I'm thinking there is more to the actual motivation for that rule and the threatened actions involving muzzleloaders in the future, but anyway, the DEC in all their brilliance first tried to sell their sky-is-falling story about out-of-control deer populations and then in a typical credibility lapse decided that the solution lies with the least effective weapon.....lol. But anyway, the comment in the article about lack of population control in places where control cannot effectively be incorporated (i.e. protected areas of severe human population density) is probably on target. And yes, that problem will fester into a very ugly deer problem that will effect all metropolitan centers in the state. But I'm afraid that with the inability of the DEC to apply real logic and reasoning as demonstrated in the "does only" bowhunting fiasco, I would not be looking for them to come up with any amazing real solutions anytime soon. Sorry to sound so critical, but this latest deal with punishing bowhunters for a shortfall in deer management really did step over the line in terms of raw stupidity.

Yup! been tried on the internet and already made illegal .... lol. But believe me, if it was legal, I believe that many people would go for it. That's kind of the direction we are going .

Thanks for putting your money and effort where your mouth is. Too many gunners don't, and then they whine, "How come nobody is doing anything?"

With a bow, I have to really watch just how bundled up I get. Too much bulk, and my groups either move significantly or don't group at all. With gun, I can get away with a comical amount of layers, but the bow is awful damned unforgiving.

I always wonder if making noises and alerting them and drawing attention to myself and putting them into a spring loaded condition is really what I want to do. So, I have never tried it. It just seems so foreign to everything that I have ever learned about hunting. I know ..... I have seen it on TV. But I also have to wonder how many deer have they not shown that simply bolted out of the situation without ever offering a shot.

Hunting is on the decline. Some of it involves the pressured and hurried lives we all lead with so many more distractions than we have time for. Some of it involves expectations of instant rewards that cannot be met by hunting. Some of it involves attitudes as to what constitutes success. Some of it is tied in with less access. Some of it has to do with the complexities of modern day hunting methods, and attitudes that are being pumped into our heads in a constant fashion. I think Saturday morning TV hunting programs with unrealistic expectations. Also, hunting is boring to the younger recruits who are much more enamored with the latest techno-gadget than freezing their butts off in the woods somewhere. And on and on and on. Let's face it hunting is just not cool anymore and there is a culture-wide turn-off in progress. Those that continue to hunt are slowly but surely putting their hunting on the back-burner in terms of priority. I believe that a lot of hunters still buy their license every year, but when it comes time to actually crawl out of bed, they just don't. I believe that a lot of those out there get overwhelmingly bored when in the first couple hours, that 200" buck does not stroll by like they see on TV, and they cut their hunt short. I think it sounds like a lot better idea than the experience turns out for them. I don't think you really should ignore the constant drumbeat of all the well financed anti-hunting organizations either. I do believe they are taking their toll in terms of public attitudes toward hunting as a viable activity of recreation. Yeah, I'll bet some very interesting studies and books could be written on the subject. And perhaps someday, historians will write such a book.

Perhaps this is another aspect to the hunting access problem that is strangling hunting these days.

I did buy one piece of equipment for bow season this year. It was a Dewalt heated jacket. It solves a major cold-weather archery problem. I the past I always had to dress up like the Michelin Man in order to stay warm, and then it always screwed my shooting form and clearances with the bow. problem solved with this purchase. The jacket is quite thin and yet will keep me on stand. No, I didn't get a chance to use it for bow season, but it did get a test run during this gun season and will be used during bow season next year. They work!

Rainy and windy days can be an opportunity to move through the woods in a dead-silent fashion. It is not anything that is a guarantee because the deer have nothing better than to stay super alert, but the crunching of leaves does not exist and even the twigs snapping are somewhat drowned out by wind. I do not look for deer to be voluntarily wandering around the woods in the high winds like we have been getting lately so even though I have seen exceptions to that, I do not consider that to be good "standing" weather. If there are a lot of other hunters ramming around the woods, perhaps the deer can be booted in the butt and actually move past you. But in recent years, I wouldn't count on that happening.

It sure does give you funny sensation in your gut when you turn your head and see some yo-yo looking at you through his scope. I experienced this once and really don't want that feeling in the pit of my stomach again. It also might be worth mentioning that a good pair of binocs does a much better job of scanning what's in front of you than a scope.

I tend to agree, and I think that was the main focus of Lisenbee's article. He talked more about hunter decline than deer decline. From what I have been seeing for about the last decade, in our area it looks like a couple of things at work. First of all there seems to be a significant reduction in over-all hunter numbers. Also, it appears that everyone is sold on sitting in one place all the time they are out there. This has been exacerbated by technology improvements in warmer clothing. There also seems to be a huge downward spiral in the enthusiasm, dedication and stick-to-it attitudes of hunters. Even major hunting days like the opener, many of the hunters are 1/2 day hunters. I also think that for a lot of them, deer season is only for the one day. So the bottom line is that we have fewer hunters that are logging much fewer hours apiece, and not really willing to move around a whole lot while they are out there. That leaves a bunch of deer hunkering down through the daylight hours and not being put on their feet throughout the day.

I am talking about opening day. Other than a nice layer of snow, I couldn't have ordered a better day. Of course, Since I hunt in Western NY that is the area that I am describing. I can't say what the rest of NY had for weather.

Unless I missed it, I have yet to read any of these replies that claim the same or more activity than in the past. And this is not all coming from just one part of the state. So what's going on. The weather cooperated perfectly for one of the few times that I can remember in years. Supposedly we have a great herd, even running to overpopulation in some areas according to the DEC. So what's the problem? Fewer hunters?

So, now that he has a big jar of these bones, what exactly is the practical use for them? Is there a practical use for them or are they just something unusual to collect?

Meat producers go to a lot of expense and trouble to get their beef to have generous marbling and fat content in their meat. Now you take a stinky old goat that has been ramming around the woods for a few weeks, and I'm surprised that more of our most aggressive bucks don't come up a bit short on the taste test ..... lol. I always compare my meat flavors against the finest beef that I can afford, and I will say that for my tastes, venison is a poor substitute. But that's just me. I'm not a big fan of farm raised mutton either. I eat what I kill, but that is more out of a sense of responsibility than any illusions that venison is my favorite meat. Give me a good angus porterhouse any day.

Ok, it passed the sniff-test, it passed the taste test, and the only thing wrong is the camera's interpretation of color, given that the lighting may not have been the best in the world. Enjoy your venison. The only thing that I don't trust is the color interpretation of your camera.

That is true his opinion would have been much brighter, but then it would still be only his opinion (one data point) Instead it sounds like he spent his day canvassing the area and getting many combined opinions and many observations in more than one location. That is the problem, we each judge the day only based on what we individually observe in our hunting spot and then imagine that that is representative of a much larger area. This guy at least got away from his stand and tried to look area wide at what he and many others were seeing. I guess as outdoor editor, that is probably part of his job. I know that you will find individual differences in opinions, but this is the only attempt that I am aware of where someone actually tried to go out and gather observations from many parts of 8N and compile an area-wide report. I'll be honest, I have no idea whether this guy's observations, contacts, and conclusions are correct, but I will say that his article has a lot better chance of having it right than your opinion or mine. I did not spend the day traveling miles and interviewing many hunters throughout the WMU as he apparently did. Probably none of us did either. For what it's worth, my wife's report of the near empty state parking lots on her way to town does tend to agree with what he was saying.

I held a position in our town government public communications for quite a few years. I spent a lot of time working hand in glove with all of the town officials, and I know that they treat every public contact as a potential vote and are more than willing to look into questions from constituents if those constituents at least make the effort to question them. Those that start off their search for information by asking some hunting forum members about an unidentified specific parcel of land owned by an unidentified town is indeed funny. Maybe more funny-peculiar than funny-ha,ha. But at any rate, I told you where the answer resides, you have the option of following up on the advice or not. If you have a bunch of yo-yos running your town, that is a problem you probably should address at the next election. But since they are the keepers of town business, it seems pretty obvious that that is the very first place where you should be looking for the answer instead of fishing for advice as to why you should not be contacting them.

Regarding whether Lisenbee was out hunting or not, I started wondering where he would have gotten a wider and more accurate opinion of how things really went on that opening day. Would he have had a more credible opinion if he had spent the day sitting at the base of a tree, or by driving around the area talking to different hunters in different locations. I suspect there is a lot that can be learned strictly from looking at state land parking lots, and the usual places where hunters park along roadsides. Perhaps spending time on the phone talking to those who had been out hunting is more valuable than just sitting in the middle of the woods somewhere imagining what is going on. I have no idea how credible his observations are. I only know that his procedure for gathering info is a whole lot more likely to be closer to the truth than mine would be from a rather isolated spot in the middle of the hill. Of course the real poll or survey will be accumulated in Albany when they massage the harvest numbers, but I have a feeling that what he indicated in this article will likely be supported by the harvest numbers. Certainly there will be pockets where various factors will show completely different results, but I have a feeling that his area-wide survey is telling a pretty accurate story of what is happening to hunting.

Well here's what the Canandaigua Messenger's outdoor editor's opinion of the opener in an area centering on WMU 8N. He did a much more thorough job of gathering info and opinions than I have, but for what it is worth, I have to say that in my little area of 8N, I have to agree with what he found. http://www.callingducks.com/newsfeed_item.aspx?ID=92531 It is interesting that 8N is one of the primary WMUs that the DEC has claimed is over-run with deer.

Ha-ha-ha ..... It sounds like you are asking us to give you permission to hunt there. Sorry .... the only place you can get permission is from officials of the town. If you are concerned about their word being any good, ask for written permission. At least you will have evidence of attempting to do the right thing. Town governments have legal representation that they may call on if the question of legality is a tough one. However, you cannot just out of hand assume you are going to get a bogus answer. Of course don't be asking the cleaning lady or the town historian....lol.

My guess is that just like any town possessions, permission has to be obtained before use. I would inquire at the Town Hall, asking the town supervisor or the Town Clerk or some other appropriate individual and try to get written permission. If you don't, sure as hell some animal rights wacko resident will be more than happy to make an issue of your hunting there and you could get dragged into an ugly public controversy. Another way to look at it is to consider it to be like any land that is not posted. It is still considered land that is not to be trespassed on without some authorization ........ posted or not.

One thing that I can't recall ever doing was going out for an afternoon target session with slugs using any of my shotguns (all 12 ga.). It just isn't fun pounding my shoulder to pieces. So I have had my .270 for only two years, and have already put way more rounds through that than I have my old 12 ga. Deerslayer that I bought in 1969 (owned 46 years). Which means that I am already much more familiar with the .270 performance. I shoot that just for fun. Also, I am guessing that it is a lot cheaper to shoot .270, since I can reload the rifle bullets but not the slugs. So all of this stuff translates to better accuracy and ease of shooting and actually turning the shooting of the .270 into a recreational activity. I hate to say it but likely the Ithaca Deerslayer will become a loaner gun or simply a decoration in the gun cabinet. The other shotguns are already relegated to small game.

Thanks for the tip. I didn't know that. I see Sta-bil does make an ethanol treatment product, but the regular Sta-bil makes no claims about doing anything for ethanol effects. I need to do something about that.

I guess I am not keeping up with the latest deer hunting methods, but this is one that I have never heard of before. And actually, I suspect that when using this method it probably is not really all that bad when you don't find any blood.