Doc

Too bad we can't bottle some of this heat. I'm sure the time when we would appreciate it isn't too many months away.

Bowhunting for deer.

Yeah, I am not all that good at explaining these plans. It usually takes a whole lot of attempts before it gets clear. Basically it is a "one buck per season rule" that has a trap-door for the extra buck tag for those that really feel they just have to harvest another buck. Since extra bucks appear to be the big appeal to hunters and that seems to be the lure that can get them to kill does. Why not use that mentality. They can have their 2nd buck, but they have to earn it. Ha-ha .... see, you even get a bit of Earn-a-buck in there too. Now I don't know if the DEC tried exactly this plan or not, and frankly I don't really care. It sounds like a good plan to me and I thought I would bring it here for discussion.

Just got done reading a pretty good suggestion that kind of becomes a replacement for the "Does Only" attempt at reducing deer numbers. It also implements the "One-and-Done" rule that so many want, but with a way that hunters could earn additional buck opportunities. Some guy commenting in the latest NYON letters section, suggested a system where the OBR would be enacted, but with an option that taking one or two does in the overpopulated areas would be rewarded by the issuance of a second buck tag or an additional either-sex tag. Well, I tweaked some of his suggestion a bit, but the general theme of his suggestion is there. I thought that was a pretty good idea. It takes away all the perceived restrictive aspects and replaces all that negativity with a reward system for whacking the does. It's an incentive instead of a punishment. Kind of a new way of looking at management policies. Tweak it and mold it around a bit to fine-tune it, but I do like the change in thinking from harassing hunters to rewarding them for taking does. Those kinds of decisions are things that I could get behind and support. yeah, it's a pretty raw idea and needs some work, but I think it gets hunters behind the idea of taking does (perhaps even enthusiastically) without really taking much of anything away from them. What do you all think?

Well, bowhunter shooting experts always tell you to "pick a spot to aim at". Well, these little guys make it easy to do that.

I agree that many, perhaps even most, hunters may be very, very casual about their hunting, and may not really see any need for involvement beyond going out and having a great time. Most of them maybe go out on opening day only during their season. And I would be very surprised if any of these guys worried a bit about real deer management, population control, biology.. etc. To them it is like bowling. They just do it but don't really care who maintains the alleys. Just human nature I guess. Their involvement in hunting is so slight that they don't feel a need for knowing anymore than pulling the trigger. That is just the nature of hunting today, and likely has always been that way.

I think if you read all of the replies you will find that that is not true. I'm generally very careful about that.

I have heard that some guys spray their arrows with some sort of lubricant to help getting them out of some of the more stubborn targets.

It all depends on where your archery shop owner/hunter safety instructor lives. In Sullivan County (only), the feeding section of the law was struck down. http://www.outdoornews.com/November-2012/Feeding-ban-appealed-struck-down-in-Sullivan/ I have read no where that it was legally re-instated or addressed in any way by the DEC. In the remainder of the state the law stands.

Remember this thread is not just about neighbors. The question is asked about any hunter violation. I spend a lot of hunting time on state land, so any witnessed violations are likely to involve strangers. Of course being strangers, you have no idea what kind of psycho you might be dealing with ....lol.

It's a tough one. I do understand the reluctance to stir up retribution. But I also feel that if you witness a violation and do not report it, it is kind of the same as condoning the act. Also, I know that the DEC enforcement staff has been cut to the bone, and have been diverted from wildlife enforcement issues to environmental administration and management. So if we expect wild critters to have the protection of law, it doesn't seem right to simply turn one's back and let poaching continue. But as has been said, some of the retribution can get mighty escalated into some very violent stuff. So the issue isn't always as simple as might be thought.

I am still using Windows 7 Home Premium Edition and finally have all issues ironed out, and all the current software working okay with it. So I will be one of the last to convert to Windows 10. I am hoping that when I switch over, it will have been thoroughly debugged and rung-out. the longer I wait, the more problem-free it will be.

Yup, we're getting dry. It's either feast or famine this year. We went from floods and moldy tomatoes to drought and stunted apples.

Do the arrows extract easily? I've seen some of these that grab onto the arrow so hard you run danger of wrecking your arrows trying to pull them free. Letting go of the arrows can sometimes be as important as stopping them.

The DEC has apparently decided that bowhunters are now charged with the responsibility of managing the herd size but, it is not necessary to do so when gun hunting. So apparently in their mind it does make a difference whether you do it in bow season or gun season.....lol. Don't bother trying to make any sense out of it .... apparently the DEC isn't burdened with logic.

Actually, there are two linked illegal acts one being "baiting", and the other being "feeding". Both are illegal in almost all of NYS, and some materials can be considered to violate both. Piles of apples and corn for example could be considered to be baiting and feeding regardless of motives.

Yes, I do generally respond in kind when somebody can't seem to carry on a civil debate, as has been my experience with you on far too many occasions. Some people think they can say anything they want, and I am not supposed to return fire. Well sorry it doesn't work that way.

I didn't want to sidetrack the "salt lick" topic, so I decided to build a new one. That thread made me wonder what it takes to stir us into action when witnessing illegal hunting activity (not necessarily related only to neighbors). It looks like we all have a different violation that would trigger off what kind of action we might take, or even if we would take any action at all. I find it interesting to see just where we would draw the line. Would it take witnessing someone (neighbor or whatever) using illegal tactics, taking an illegal deer or failing to tag a deer, or shooting one at night. Does it make a significant difference whether the violator is a neighbor, or acquaintance or a total stranger. In general, what kind of violation would it take for you to get involved? Is there anything that would get you involved or do you believe it is strictly the DEC's responsibility alone to deal or report such things? By the way "getting involved" could be in the form of having a discussion with them about the violation, calling in the DEC or making a citizen's arrest or some similar direct action. Not getting involved would be leaving the areas with no action or acknowledgement at all.

It's been many decades since I ran a trapline, so I'm not up on the laws anymore. But is there any problem with doing summer jobs like constructing dirthole sets (without the trap of course) before the season, or maybe setting up scent-posts just to acclimate the coyotes to them before an actual trap is set? Maybe even put in some stakes or drags in preparation for when the season opens. That would be one way of getting a jump on setting up a coyote line, if it's legal.

That's the new scientific unit of measure at the DEC : "As much as possible".....lol.

Music!!!! It's all that damned late fifties and sixties rock and roll that I had to listened to at top volume. And that was before all the ear-splitting clarity, intensity and variety of tones that are available today and the constant use of headphones. Next generation of kids are all going to be stone deaf. And then too, there was all the shooting without ear protection. Heck, we never thought any of that stuff would ever mess up our ears. Well something sure did! And now the damned deer are taking advantage of it.

Yeah, I guess I gave that first choice (hardcore) the same interpretation. The fact is that I do know some that are so devoted and consumed by hunting that it does push aside all other priorities and responsibilities. I guess I do have other non-hunting activities and hobbies that share my interests and pastimes with my needs to hunt.

That is a tough situation. You do have to worry about maintaining good neighbor relations after all you may have to live next to this guy for a lot of years. On the other hand, if this guy is blatantly breaking one law, it could be that he has no respect for any of them. However, that is not always the case. I had a similar problem with one of my neighbors, and simply maneuvered a conversation with him around to the subject of baiting. What I found out was that he was from some place down south where such tactics are legal, and had just moved into the state and really didn't have any idea that it was illegal. Yes, ignorance of the law is no legal excuse, but we also know that even the encon officers don't know the law either so we know how realistic that crap really is. The salt block disappeared, and it turns out that the guy really is a very ethical hunter who does his best to do things right.

As long as there is air conditioning, I can survive it. Stay hydrated out there and other than some heavy discomfort, I guess it can be tolerated. Some have made the point that after complaining about the cold last winter, this really ain't so bad. I guess when you look at it that way, you're probably right. It won't be that many more months and we will be slopping around in the slush, sliding on our butt when we step on a stick on the side hill that's buried under the snow, feeling those frosted fingers and toes, and all sorts of other maladies. Oh yes, also it's kind of nice that you don't have to shovel or plow heat. And heat doesn't try to send you flying off into the ditch when you drive down the road. The more I think of it, the more I'm getting to like this heat ..... lol.

I have found rubs and even scrapes as early as August. They never look like anything serious, but it must be some kind of tune-up activity.