Doc

A couple of things kind of jumped out at me with that video First of all, the guy was shooting off-hand. No bipods, or prone shooting positions or anything like that. I did hear a pretty good wind going on too. That is some pretty darn good shooting. On the negative side, what a frickin racket that thing makes. I would guess that you would be looking for deaf deer if you're going to use it for deer hunting. That is something that has to be designed out of that contraption. What we don't know is whether the consistency is because of the weapon, or is this guy a product of a whole lot of practice and raw talent. I know that every time you see one of these videos, you will hear people pipe up, "Well, you can do that with a real bow too". But the fact is that 95% of all archers can't shoot that accurate and consistently at 100 yards or anywhere near that with a regular bow. Nobody is telling you how much or how little practice this guy has been doing to get to that proficiency. So I or anybody else knows whether that thing is a superior weapon to a regular bow. So is it a display of a deadly new style of weapon, or a display of a very talented shooter? We don't know. I know a lot of people who couldn't do that with their shotgun, off-hand ..... lol.

Ok people, let's gather up some info about deer tracks. We all figure we know a few facts about what deer tracks might reveal. We think some track-clues tell us the gender of the deer. There may be certain features that you look for to separate a certain deer from others when a deer you are trailing intermingles with other deer. There make be other things about tracks that mean something to you. Let's hear what you have learned over the years about reading deer tracks. You guys that trail & stalk your deer as a hunting technique should have a lot of tips.

Some times we take ourselves a bit too seriously. It's a shame because life is way too short to cheat ourselves out of our own portion of it. In order to get myself re-centered, I often ask myself, just what will people think of my accomplishments 100 years from now. The answer always comes back that unless my name is printed on money, they likely won't even know who the hell I was. So I might as well make sure there is always time for me and my family because there's no 2nd go around on this thing called life. Keep the priorities all in the proper order.

Happy Birthday youngster .... lol.

There is one outstanding advantage for ground standing. It is way more exciting to meet your prey, eyeball-to-eyeball on their own terms. When you are standing on the ground a deer walks by so close you could almost reach out and touch it, gender, size, and scores all become secondary as that experience alone tops just about everything else in hunting whether it is some monster buck, or a fawn.

Ha-ha.... it's depressing to see all these people that have better looking and bigger "camps" than my "house".

It could be that we are once again over-generalizing. We are assuming that all of the state needs herd cutting. We get those old blinders on and judge everything from what we see in our own narrow local perspective and experience. Herd size for the entire state means nothing. All it means is that it is too high in some areas and too low in other areas. You need a local population control that is geared to local conditions. So what are you going to do, establish a different season length for each WMU? It is so discouraging to hear every response to every issue as one of these one-size-fits-all solutions. You do not establish balanced herds with statewide regs. Antlerless permits are the only way to address local-ish herd size needs. That's the system that was designed to be flexible by area, habitat and local conditions.

One of our bigger plates loaded with a few slices of glazed ham, mashed potatoes, squash, frozen corn, some slices of good rye bread w/ REAL BUTTER. And maybe some applesauce. Top that all off with a good strong cup of coffee. Follow all that up with any kind of pie and then it's nap time.

Powerful stuff that deserves a second and third reading.

Well, maybe it was the point you were trying to make, that's ok, and for that... you're welcome. But be sure not to miss the part where I said, "I don't see it as something that should be made illegal". I'm not sure where you stand on that point, but it may be an important distinction between where I stand on the issue and where you do. There are a lot of things that I think are bad ideas, but that do not rise to the level of requiring legal restrictions.

It really makes you wonder who sells more worthless crap to try to pry your money out of your pocket ..... The archery equipment industry or the fishing lure manufacturers ..... lol. But you know, these guys will make a pile of money. They're just capitalizing on those that have to have the latest and the greatest .... lol.

I didn't see where anyone asked, so I will: Will you be shooting with a sight or instinctive?

Well, that just highlights the fact that here in NYS, game management is a political activity.

Actually, there have been quite a few times over the years when I have exercised my right to "open carry" my rifle/shotgun when I have taken a short-cut down the road to get back home. I'm glad that we have that ability. Oh and by the way, no one drove off the road in a panic. Oh yes, I too have survived seeing others doing the same. So legal open-carry is not really a bad thing. As for walking into stores or restaurants, I have to agree that that is kind of a weird thing to do, and I'm not exactly sure what the point was that those guys were trying to make. Whatever it was, it did reflect on all of us in a not-too-helpful way. I don't see it as something that should be made illegal, but more like something where some good sense and thoughtfulness of others should be used. There are some places where if I saw that I would be ducking for cover assuming a mass shooting was about to commence ..... lol.

The southern zone and the northern zone really are two different climates and habitat, and do require different management considerations. I wonder if those considerations really are accounted for in the differences in management strategies. The one that really makes me wonder is the fact that in the south back-tags are required but not in the north. Now what kind of climate considerations conjured up that difference? ..... lol. How many other differences are equally arbitrary?

Starting off at 45# - 50# might not be a real good idea. I have no idea what your body structure is like, but I will say that starting off over-bowed is never a good idea. Getting into traditional archery is not something that will happen quickly. It is far more important to start off with a rather inexpensive bow of a weight you can easily handle and build in good shooting form, consistency and control so that you have a decent chance of success. Over-bowed, you will burn out quickly, not to mention the potential for back and shoulder injury. If it were me, I would start with a cheap 35# or even 30# and build into that 45# to 50# deer hunting weight.

OMG ..... I am awful glad that it is not you who is in charge of interpreting the Constitution. My gosh, what a wacked-out, stretched-out and ridiculous set of assumptions and conclusions. The good news .... You will never occupy a position where that kind of warped reasoning will ever determine the fate or execution of any sort of constitutional law. You guys are getting so far afield now with this thread that I can't remember what the original point was. At any moment, I expect to see this thread turn into what the definition of the word "is", is......lol.

Oh that's just plain silly ...... lol. It brings to mind Chuck Adams' commercial about it being like throwing an axe through the animal.

Laws should be passed that forbid the harvest of any buck that still has its teeth. No deer should be harvested before its time. If you can chew it, you probably didn't allow it to grow to its proper potential.

I'm not making or supporting any case. I simply provided a few examples, as asked, where specific hunting opportunities have been eliminated or are in the process of being eliminated. The examples are there if you want to take a couple of minutes to research them. Sorry, but I refuse to do all your research for you.

Eat a few handfuls of them. Sorry, but I really don't know. The magnet suggestion would work well for steel shot.

All they are is a funny-looking semi-auto rifle. If I owned one, I probably would use it. I don't think the deer will care as much about the scary look of them like some people who turn pale and start trembling at the mere mention of them.

Has anyone ever seen state land used for profitable enterprises in direct competition with similar private activities? I'm wondering if there might be some strings of that sort attached to state land holdings.

Trying to set a law dealing with safety is pretty tricky stuff. Let's face it if everyone out there was totally safety conscious, we probably wouldn't even need those kinds of laws. But we know that that is not always the case. Remember, lighting and decisions to take shots sometimes rests in the hands of the "other guy" pointing his gun at you.

You asked for examples. Examples were supplied. If you want a book written on the subject, do your own research.