Doc

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.

Maybe it's not all bad news. Difficulty in reloading may make you focus on making that first shot count. I know some gun hunters that could use that mentality .... lol.

Wouldn't you think that in the design of any crank-style cocking device on a hunting weapon that absolute silence would be a natural "must-have" design criteria? .... lol

It's nearly impossible to try to draw on a deer that has caught you by surprise. It's almost a lost cause. Maybe the idea is to only hunt old deer that have similar problems. I've got to find only deaf and blind deer to try to even the odds .... lol.

Around here it is supposed to get more reasonable at the tail end of next week. At least enough so I can move around without soaking up shirts....lol.

Honestly, I don't know either. I can't imagine that there would be any liability on opinions. I know other sites have product reviews of different items.

Yeah, high winds have always bothered me as much as it does the deer. I really want to hear them critters.

My gosh are you still going at it? For crying out loud, give it a rest. Are you having some kind of breakdown or something?

Usually about this time of year I am in a regimen of some pretty heavy daily bow practice and a bit of ground stand building or re-freshing, or just plain wandering around seeing what the critters are doing. But we are in quite a heavy hot spell here, and I can't even get away from the air conditioning. With the viciousness of the mosquitos, it's not as simple as just ripping a shirt off. They never did back off this summer. It's just plain ugly out there. How are you guys handling all this heat, or are you all set and not worrying about getting out?

Getting a little older. I can't hear as well as I used to. It all brings me back to how my Dad's hearing started going, and I always wondered how he could even hunt with his hearing failing. It looks like I may find out .... lol. How often has it been that a very slight rustle in the leaves was the thing that tipped you off that the deer didn't follow the trail, but was coming in behind you. How about that distant snapped twig that gets you looking intently in the right direction. How many times did something you heard pull your attention to spotting the deer coming in way the heck off in the distance so you were not caught by surprise? Maybe it was something you didn't even know you heard that put your attention in the right direction. So, how important is your hearing to your hunting? If your hearing started to fail, what impact would that be to your success or failure?

But even that is not a direction that the DEC seems to want to go as they continue to march toward filling bow season with as efficient a set of deer harvesting weapons as possible. They are focused on having the ability to cut deer herds as much as the political pressures demand regardless of what the season is called. They are not interested in setting up or safeguarding seasons that feature challenge. They want deer seasons that are focused on efficiently eliminating population. To them, anything else is a waste. Seriously ..... I don't know any other way to interpret all the moves that they have made lately.

You always seem to think that every comment is aimed at you, and personalize everything. Not everything on this forum is about you ..... honestly...lol. However, I will add that if the shoe fits, wear it.

It seems that everytime I upgrade operating systems, I find some existing software does not play well with it. There always seems to be some kind of hassle. Over the years, I have lost the use of thousands of dollars worth of software. I know that eventually there comes a time when you have to upgrade for compatibility with new software purchases. But I am going to wait until that issue arises. For me, I have never found improvements to be significant enough to warrant the additional hassles. Also, it seems like they are always changing something to things that don't work as conveniently as they used to. I'll wait until I have to, and hopefully I won't have to ..... lol. I'll be interested to see what others think.