Doc

I would hate to guess how many thousands of dollars worth of purchased software that I have lost because no one is worrying about compatibility issues when thy upgrade operating systems on computers. Much of that incompatible software that was trashed was actually superior to today's crappy replacements. Your right. They have mastered the art of screwing the consumer. And for the most part, because they threaten to stop supporting the old operating systems we are forced to play their game. It doesn't matter though because most consumers love the game and can't wait to trot right off to load the new OS's regardless of what they lose. It seems to be more about being the first kid on the block to have the latest piece of hi-tech crap.

I don't change the dates on my cameras or scouting reports or spreadsheet hunting database, or other things where I will be recording times. All times are daylight savings time ( I am assuming that eventually daylight savings time will be the year around standard) regardless of whether EST is in effect or not. I sometimes do some extensive analysis work on my hunting/scouting/sightings databases and I need a consistent time system throughout the year. If all of a sudden an hour is added or subtracted from the time entries, it really screws up any comparative analysis that I may be attempting to do.

I have to congratulate the hi-tech communications industry on how they have successfully created a market where all they have to do is introduce new models and they have people conditioned to spend whatever it takes to be the most up-to-date user. It's like watching sheep responding to someone banging on a grain pail ..... lol. I watch kids (and adults) throwing down perfectly functional smart phones simply because a new model comes out .... even when the new capabilities are something that they won't even use or need. I am really bummed that I never got involved in that industry in some receiving fashion and foresaw the narcotic-like effects that hi-tech would have on the public of the future.

And the fact is that no crossbow is as reliable at quick and humane kills as a scoped rifle. So if your overwhelming concern is to be always using the most reliable weapon for a quick kill then bow season was not created for you. Throw down that clunky crossbow and pick up a rifle and end your concerns. Do not muck around in the season of those that have entered the bowseason with a desire to use and accept the handicap of a bow. And my answer for those that refer to themselves as lazy, and undedicated, and too busy to use the bow season correctly and responsibly is to get the hell out of bow season and get your deer with the gun in the proper season. That is a weapon that is more in tune with the ability, responsibilities, and effort that you are willing to undertake. Why try to pry your way into a season that is not compatible with your lifestyle?

Are we talking gun season or bow? Is the hunting grounds private and tightly controlled, or heavy pressured public land? Are we talking clear sunny days, or a driving rain? Time of day (losing daylight?). All of these things and more can have a bearing on what you have to do after the shot.

Then maybe the discussion should center on whether a bow season should still be maintained at all. I'm sure it is only a matter of time before that thought gets argued in earnest (for the very same reasons). In fact, in many gun circles, that thought is already a hot topic.

Lol .... Those best spots will just continue getting better until I have a go at them with a rifle in my hands. But thanks for the offer....Ha-ha-ha.

"Buck battles gone bad". This is the one I would like to see quantified. I wonder just how many deer deaths can be attributed to direct wounding, or loss of energy going into winter due to the stress of full on pitched battles. And how about those other things like broken bones of wound infections, etc. I have never seen anyone really discuss that in terms of buck mortality rates.

Of all the reasons for inclusion of crossbows, this is the line of logic that I have the biggest problem with. That is because what is being said here is that the bow is an inadequate deer hunting weapon because there are people who refuse to devote the effort to shoot them well. That line of thinking has no limit to it. It says that anytime a hunting season has any challenge to the weapon of use, more advanced weapons should be continually added until the requirement of skill goes away. Taking that to its logical conclusion says that the creation of a bow season was a mistake. Bow season was created to allow a special time of year for using a weapon of a unique skill (challenge). Obviously the bow creates a need for an additional level of effort and responsibility to accommodate that challenge. This argument basically says that weapons technology has to be added to all special seasons until the weapons of maximum ease are included for those that lack the will to devote the time and effort to become proficient. Bow season was created for exactly the opposite reason. It was designed specifically for the addition of challenge. So this idea that skill needs to be taken out of hunting as much as possible goes right at the heart of any of the special seasons that promote the use of challenging weapons. Take away the challenge of the weapon, and you have taken away the fundamental reason for the special season because the ultimate most efficient weapon with the least amount of required skill is the rifle.

Ha-ha .... legs still work well, so I'll still be out in the woods scouting and working with my new camera. Of course with my luck, that will be the time when some 12 point buck with antlers so large that he can hardly hold his head up will walk by, stopping at 15 yards in a nice broadside situation thumbing his nose at me. Probably if I listen real close, I will hear a bit of a giggle.

I use my Primos bipod for my rifle, and I'll bet it would work as well on a crossbow. Yes they did get carried away with their pricing, but it is a quality product and really operates smoothly and easily. The first thing I did on mine was to rig up a sling on it so I can get it out of my hands for easy carrying. Something that I think primos should consider adding to their products.

Well, look at you getting all indignant .... lol. I probably should remind you that not everything is about you. There were 5 pages of replies in that thread, and I don't recall mentioning your name or your comment. My comments here are simply that I am finding a general lack of consistency between these two threads, in terms of what we are getting outraged over and what we accept as being simply a mistake. Personally, I find most of that kind of judgmental crap unnecessary and there comes a time where we begin to cross over from simple information sharing as in this thread, to page after page of un-ending malicious moralizing, as in the other thread.

I am a great one for procrastinating on such things, but for once I got scared enough to disregard hunting schedules and such and do what I'm supposed to do. The timing was unfortunate, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Next year's another bow season. But then I run into one of those great days like yesterday, and I really miss it. I guess I'll be starting to scout for gun season pretty soon and get a jump on tuning that season up to the max.

This is something that works out to the mutual benefit of both parties. They may share your interest in firming up that boundary and may very well split the surveying cost. It's been done before. It also emphasizes the fact that you are not trying to pull a "gotcha" on them. Better neighbor relations.

It sure beats trying to shoot a bow all dressed up with bulky clothing looking like the Michelin Man.....lol.

There's a problem with relying on personal conversations with ECOs or telephone conversations. Neither provide you with a permanent written record as to what you were told. It is amazing how memories of conversations can change or fail when you need to explain where you got the idea that something was legal. It is also amazing how two people of authority can have contradictory answers on the same law. Heck, even judges and such can have varying opinions and interpretations of the same law. So, I am not sure how binding it would be or how much good it may actually do, but I would think if you had a printed response that showed that you did due diligence in trying to find an answer and tried to abide by official interpretations, it would have to go a long ways in helping your case. If you have a recollection of a conversation that cannot be backed up, there's no doubt you would be officially screwed at court.

The rut will happen regardless of weather.

Thanks for all the good thoughts. I was just thinking back, this is the first bowseason that I have missed a significant part of in 51 years, so I guess I have no real complaints....lol.

You know, 70 yards may sound awful close, but things like tree foliage and positioning of stands, and the screen of limbs, branches and trunks can make things even that close nearly invisible. Do you know for sure that he even knows that your stand is there? I remember a time when one of my friends from work had the same situation. Opening morning of gun season, there were two orange lumps sitting in trees that were unbelievably close. neither one knew the other was there until their location was highlighted with blaze orange. Then it all started with who was there first. That got to become a full blown neighbor feud. My advice: find another good spot and move your stand.

Ha-ha-ha, we kind of pick and chose which laws we want to criticize people for breaking or intending to break. I'm still trying to figure out who made us part of the judicial system. And I do love the creative quoting. That was cute.

I guess for me, I am out of the game for a while. I am looking a lot like a mummy with gauze, tape and a jillion stitches and orders not to be pulling back my bow. Timing for this surgery really sucks. There was some stuff that the doctor didn't want to see developing on my skin so they all decided to skin me like a muskrat ... well that's a pretty big exaggeration....lol. Hopefully by gun season I'll be able to shoot and drag deer. Well, that's the way it goes sometimes. I'm pretty lucky because after all these years, these are the first stiches I have ever had. So now, it's up to all you guys to control the deer herd this year without my help until gun season rolls around. So get out there and keep the DEC happy. I'll still be here bugging everyone ..... lol. Probably even worse now. So brace yourselves for an evil-tempered frustrated old geezer.

I think you want a surveyor to lay things out for you. That gives it all some credible authority. Walk along with him marking trees as you go. It sounds like you are only doing a partial, and hopefully the cost will reflect that. Once the line is established and marked, get some good quality aluminum signs each mounted on it's own board (pressure treated 1/4" plywood works well), and you will establish a permanent and clear marker on the land to eliminate any controversies. It will last a whole bunch of years with just a minimum of maintenance. I have a general rule that no matter where you are standing along the boundary, you can see at least 3 consecutive signs. That is way more restrictive than you legally have to do, but again, it is cheaper to overdo the job than to be worrying about and arguing with trespassers because you took the cheap way out. I know that anyone who trespasses on my property willfully did so.

If the wind is howling where you are the way it is here, you could walk through the woods breaking every branch in the woods, and dragging both feet through the leaves and never have deer hear you coming. so move around where ever you want. I usually use these kinds of days for scouting and getting updated on what's going on in different parts of the woods. perhaps while on the move you can catch a whitetail being blown by. A big fish net can be useful on these kinds of days with super-winds.

Aw geeze! Don't get me started. We're are all a bunch of law-breaking crooks just waiting for the right circumstances to get caught. But remember: "Ignorance of the law is no excuse".

There are people who would come up with some line of justification for mosquitos ..... lol. I believe those attitudes would change immediately if they ever found themselves out in the middle of the woods, suffering from a bite from a rattler, watching their arm or leg swell up to the size of a tree-trunk. The attitude changes a bit then.