Doc

If back tags truly serve no significant function, I have no problem with getting rid of them. Apparently there has been no problem with not requiring them in the Northern Zone. The laws are so damned numerous, I guess in this case I would have no problem ditching something that has been deemed unnecessary. Maybe the whole Conservation code should be looked at to see what kinds of worthless laws they have squirrelled away in there that could be removed. And while they are at it, they could look at the confusing and contradictory wording and the duplication and clean that stuff up too. You might even get to the point where the average guy can understand NYS Conservation law without having a lawyer sitting along side.

ATVs ........ for them or against them? Are you glad they were invented and marketed? Do you have any problems with them becoming as commonplace as they have?

I guess we all use our ATVs differently and have bought them for different reasons. So how do you use your ATV, and what are the features that are most important to you in the way you use yours? Power? handling? speed/acceleration? space? traction? Side-hill stability? price? cargo capacity? pulling ability? other?

I have some great memories of the nights of going smelting in the tributaries of Canandaigua Lake. My Dad, myself, uncle and cousin used to never miss it. And boy were those little critters good to eat. Of course people wrecked all the good access places with their trash and mess, and access to those streams are now all posted up. Just one more fun thing ruined by idiots. I haven't gone smelting in years.

And I saw no particulars as to the circumstances involving this case that you are talking about. I have seen dogs taken away also and even destroyed for attacking children and disfiguring them. And here was another case where the dog had a history of attacking and killing other neighborhood dogs. But It doesn't have a damn thing to do with case we are talking about and again is another irrelevant little anecdote thrown in for, no one knows why. Tell me of a case where a complainant was even listened to by someone of authority when the offense was simply repeated use by a dog of a neighbors property. That will be a case of note that does have some relevance. As I have repeatedly said, the dog/dog-owner has all the rights and good luck trying to change that through the courts and unless the dog does something dramatic that will always be the case without a statewide leash law. As it stands right now, cases of this nature are stacked in favor of the dog and its owner. I repeat yet again, the dog has more rights than the landowner. And in case anyone is thinking that I believe that that fact justifies shooting the dog, given the sparse facts that we have, I do not believe so.

The answer to such a goofy question should be obvious to you without my help. I didn't think it was a serious question. The fact that it is completely irrelevant to the discussion also made me think it didn't warrant any consideration or any answer.

Mayweather is a defensive genius which is great for him, but makes for lousy fights. It has been said that you cannot knock out a fighter who never takes chances. I think it is true. But who the hell wants to see that kind of fight. Both of these guys have had a whole lot more made of them than they deserve. Its time to look at the next generation of fighters that are willing to risk something to put on a show and win by knockout. We've had a lot of boxers who know the sweet science just a little bit too well, and who have mastered the art of looking like they are fighting without ever taking a risk. Good for them, but their fights are guaranteed to put you to sleep instead of their opponent.

Ha-ha-ha ..... A man's got to know his limitations. It's not the sort of thing I would try with any ATV, ignoring the vehicles weight or any quality of snow. It is a trick that only works with some real careful plow-lift manipulation and a real good feel of what it is that you are riding on. And, never allow the tires to spin when you are at the top. And never go over the top. Been there....Done that. This year, the snow turned rock-hard early on, and made a nice base.

But, the reality of the situation is that it is not, and will never be, a free-for-all regardless of what the people want. There are already laws and multiply duplicated laws forming volumes and volumes of worthless laws where guns are concerned, and no credible documentation that any of them do any good. So the constant fascination that people have with adding unlimited additional laws that will have the same worthless results does lend credence to that old Einstein quote about repeatedly doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Yes, many of us do believe that we have the gun thing regulated right to death and the addition of more laws that impact only law abiding legal gun owners and are aimed at feel-good emotional responses is a mis-directed act of insanity .

Unlike the animal rights crowd, there is never any confusion for me as to the value of human lives vs. the value of an animal's life. In terms of prosecution, the dog and his owners always get the pass but not the human, because the dog and those who should be responsible for it have the right to ignore trespass laws and other such infringements. Yes, if I were king, there would be universal leash laws across the state (dogs and cats). And they would be vigorously enforced making pet owners dearly responsible for infractions of that law. And the penalties would be stiff.

Yikes ..... pretty hot topic to be getting myself into, but as usual, I can't seem to keep my mouth shut.....lol. I don't think anyone can argue that whites of this country have made HUGE progress in the battle against racism over the decades. That is a pretty tough point to argue ....HUGE. Now what we need is for the blacks to make similarly huge progress against racism as well. There comes a time where these senseless riots become more of a party-time free-for-all than any kind of statement of rage. It ceases to be about race when these thugs (there I used the word...lol) begin attacking their own. At that point they have lost all credibility and are obviously using race as an excuse for vandalism, theft and mayhem. Yes there have been crimes against black people perpetrated, and those responsible need to be prosecuted. That black businessman down the street whose place got burned down didn't do anything to anyone except attempt to earn a living.

I got real close to running out of space for snow because it kept coming and didn't want to melt. One more major storm, and I would have had to call in someone with a front-loader or something. One thing that I have learned though is that to a certain extent, snow can be piled into a ramp shaped pile that the lighter weight ATVs can ride up to push snow over the bank. That can make a big difference.

I love that fox picture!

There's that reaction to the camera again. Those silly goats sure do get curious over the smallest things.....lol. It's pretty comical to see. But if your concern is to observe without being observed, it doesn't look like that happens very often.

Yes, I too can site cases where dogs have bitten people, menaced people, killed other people's pets, damaged livestock, etc., etc., and their action was something that could be sorted out legally. But I have tried to keep the discussion relevant to the situation that was mentioned in this thread. And my contention is still that dogs have more rights than people. For one thing, unless the town has a leash law, dogs have the right of trespass that is not afforded to humans, and that apparently was the crux of the problem mentioned in the original post.

How about a dog that just continually uses your yard for a latrine, which apparently was the case here? To bolster my original assertion that dogs have more rights than people, let me pose a scenario. A guy comes over and takes a dump in your yard. You have an armful of violations that are legally actionable. Somebody's dog comes along and constantly does exactly the same thing, you have no legal grounds for action. Dogs are legally forgiven all kinds of things simply because they are a dumb animal, but that doesn't change the fact that legally they have more rights than people. It's kind of a hard point to argue.

Then set down that crossbow, and ditch any kind of bow and restrict yourself to just the best rifle you can buy. You want all challenge taken out of hunting perhaps you should consider one of those canned hunts. Don't be a hypocrite. Let your actions reflect your words. None of that half-way stuff like using a crossbow. You wouldn't want people to think you are being "selfish" would you? What the hell is the matter with people? Here you have a guy that goes on and on ranting about bowhunters in terms of them trying to determine what weapons should go into bow seasons, and now is trying himself to be judgmental on what kinds of weapons that others should use.

As perfectly designed for stealth and camo as these critters are, why the hell is it that they can't seem to control that stupid little tail when they are in the final stages of the stalk? The dummy is doing its best to be still and smooth in its stalk, and there is that crazy tail twitching and flapping away. Maybe that's why nature evolved the short tail over time. It was recognized that cats cannot control their tails so nature just shortened them up so they aren't so much of a give-away....lol. But speaking of nature and evolution and all that, what the heck happened to the dummy taking the video. How the heck did nature allow that misfit to escape the filters of evolution. There seems to be something wrong with that one that he doesn't seem to understand a dangerous situation that is unfolding before his eyes.

Well, I'm certainly willing to listen to any scenario where you can legally force the dog off your property and legally ensure that he will not return. Tell me how that works. I have some occasional canine visitors that don't seem to pay a lot of attention when I tell them not to come back .... lol. I would love some legal recourse.

Getting back to the original topic, I will say that it is no longer acceptable to act out rage and discontent in illegal ways. There is no excusing burning and looting your neighbors businesses simply because some injustice has been done to someone you don't even know. There comes a point where these things start to be honestly viewed for what they are: simple excuses for illegal and violent acts. I have no sympathy for such acts anymore. It isn't really rage and discontent. it is simply "party time" at your neighbor's expense.

Check out http://www.fastweb.com/career-planning/articles/the-35-weird-but-cool-college-majors if you want to see some of the college majors that some of these highly educated fast food workers may have taken......lol. Could be that these "highly educated" fast food workers grabbed the first job that came along for an instant paycheck and then lacked the intestinal fortitude to get out there and beat the bushes for a real job.

As I said, there likely is a lot more to the story than what we have heard. I am just saying that there are a lot of people who think it is perfectly ok to let their dogs (and cats) run loose. Every year I see plenty of evidence of that. So there definitely are people who defend "bad and irresponsible pet ownership" and see the rural areas as places where Fido can run free and be happy. And it appears that no matter what the actions of these free-range pets, a homeowner is legally powerless to seek remedies. So yes, it would appear that "dogs have more rights than humans", whether anyone other than myself is saying it or not.

Habitat is all local, and is on its own timeline, but all heading in the same direction. In my area, we are on marginal farmland and so the loss of small family farms happened decades ago, and there are other areas of the state that are even farther ahead than we are. And yes there are others who are living that perfect transitional stage of habitat progression right now. And of course there are active farming areas that consist of the large corporate type farms (not the best critter habitat). But it is all a matter of time. They are all heading for the same fate of maturation and development. And like I said, it will never go back in the other direction.

I am a pretty good weather predictor. My science is based on what plans I have on the calendar. If my planned activities count on good weather, I can accurately predict that it won't really be that that good. That prediction system works pretty good.

lol .... From what I have read, it seems like dogs provoke more bear attacks than what they deter. Remember that old saying about always having someone around that you can out-run? Well apparently dogs have that philosophy too, after they go pick a fight with a bear. When that dog goes whipping by your pant leg and disappears into the woods, that only leaves you standing there with a pissed-off bear......lol.