Doc

It is littering, plain and simple. And every bit of it that I run across gets removed and properly disposed of. It's no different than when I come across beer cans, or sandwich baggies, candy wrappers or any other kind of litter.

Sorry if this question has been asked and answered already. But have they developed a non-lethal test for CWD? .....or can positive identification of infected deer be determined only from necropsies?

But some suck worse than others. Some are even downright dangerous. This will not be the first time I have voted for the lesser of two evils. I do not have to be doing back-flips with excitement over a candidate in order to make a necessary and intelligent choice. The worst possible decision would be for people to forfeit their obligations to vote because neither choice of politician walks in absolute perfect lock-step with everyone of our views.

Yeah, I think if a bill were introduced to allow buckshot, I would probably campaign against it.

These days with all kinds of non-bow equipment in the woods during bow season, I feel compelled to have at least a very bright blaze orange hat on as a minimum. I have seen evidence that deer do not interpret blaze orange as danger, so why not.

To me, if you cannot find your way through the woods without polluting the place with tape, maybe you really shouldn't be there. Down our way, the mountain bikers can't seem to follow a rutted up dirt trail without painting trees all the way along with some nice bright paint. Perhaps they should take a long a guide as well .... lol. It seems that everyone needs some sort of visual pollution as soon as they step away from the highway.

Now you can see the mentality behind the anti-hunting crowd. They too think that their "favorite species" is cool. Logic or science is replaced by their emotions. They simply let irrational emotion dictate their actions. Animal rights people carry this kind of thing to extremes where they want to mandate that all hunting be ceased, but the basic emotional mentality really is not all that different. the killing of rats, bugs and other vermin is ok, but it is not ok to kill the "cool" animals.....lol. Hey, I suppose that is just the way human nature works for many. Maybe we all have a bit of Bambi-ism buried in us somewhere.

As has been mentioned, is it possible that they are using deer nuisance permits? They are farmers, and I'm sure they get as many permits as possible.

Interesting discussion. My take on it is that scattershot is generally for jump hunting as in rabbits and birds. The thing being that a pattern of lethal projectiles is generally thought to be more effective on running game. I have to wonder if that same mentality applies when deer hunters use buckshot. Does it promote jump-shooting deer? Is the mentality aimed more toward putting a pattern of lead generally in the direction of a fleeing deer as in rabbits, and hoping something falls down? Do those that use buckshot really take carefully selected, accurately placed shots, where the background is scrutinized, and all safety rules observed, or is it just an instantaneous instinctive process of seeing a deer get up and unloading a pile of lead at it? I don't know, I'm just asking. But if any of this is the case, then I will say that there may very well be some weapons that promote unsafe shooting more than others. No it is not the weapon, but it may very well be the mentality that some weapons foster.

I'll be honest, once the deer start blowing and raising a ruckus, I have never had deer come walking through that area again that day.

I have a big old Kabar style knife. It's heavy and clunky, but one knife does all. If I want to gut a deer, there's nothing delicate about that operation, and if you want to whack down a sapling, it's kind of nice that I don't have one of those wimpy little skinning knives. And if I have to wrassle a big old bear to the ground and stab it to death ........ Well, let's not get carried away.

It ain't my butt that gets cold.

Yeah, that's what I was saying. That term takes on a special significance when the population gets real low. And as much as some don't want to understand it, there are places where deer numbers are still hurting. And the brown/down phrase is not really all that unreasonable.

Yeah, when I was there I could see they were undergoing some start-up problems. There were a couple of isles that were clogged with boxes and people trying to finish with the stocking of shelves. I think once they get up and running and encounter some of the problems, they will smooth out a bit.

I had a borrowed harness, but that really didn't help any. I was sure to wear a harness because I am aware of what the symptoms are of vertigo. It's a balance thing and that sort of thing makes a harness more than just a luxury.....lol. Actually "fear of heights" isn't exactly an accurate description of what is going on. There is no way that I was falling out of that stand. It was darn near impossible. So it wasn't even a fear of falling. It is indeed an equilibrium phenomenon. There is a feeling of loss of balance ability. It is a triggered response to a loss of connection to ground. I have the same reaction when going over a bridge. I can even get it when in a movie that is showing scenes of height. High-rise buildings even where I am completely enclosed and only a window to indicate height can trigger it. It doesn't happen when standing on the ground in the course of normal activity. So it isn't a physical thing. It has slowly snuck up on me over the years and doesn't look like something that is going to reverse itself. Hanging on to things like the railing of the stand definitely helps. It probably re-establishes contact with ground or something. It is the third point of stability. But it is really difficult to shoot a bow one handed ..... lol.

We have gotten awful spoiled, haven't we? In many places these days, it is not a question of finding a deer. It is more a question of figuring out exactly which deer we want to shoot. We've actually gotten to a point of arrogance about the subject. We get downright cocky about our hunting, or at least that's the kind of image we want to project to our peers .... lol. But a lot of us remember times when deer were not so plentiful, and taking a deer was not taken for granted. We didn't raise our own back then, or feed them or coddle them for our own benefits. A deer, any deer, was a hard earned trophy, and there was a very real reason for the saying that "If it's brown, it's down". However, in spite of our modern-day arrogance, it has to be admitted that there are still places where a deer harvest is not a given, let alone the ability to be "picky" in the selection of that kill. So when somebody says that this year if it's brown, it's down, I don't come out with the criticism. I understand exactly what they are saying. Either life's demands has limited their time, or the limited availability in their hunting area does not allow them to assume that they have the luxury of picking and choosing. At any rate, the fact that they have purchased a license and that they intend to abide by the laws of NYS means that any success that they have will get a sincere congratulations from me.

Well, you know things are getting a bit desperate when I finally resort to climbing into the trees. I have a stand in what appears to be a very active area. I built it several years ago before the great "heights thing" took over. It is a 4' x 4' platform attached to two monstrous willow trees (each about 2' in diameter). Held to the tree by 5/8" x 6" long galvanized lag bolts. All built out of 2" X 6" pressure treated and camo painted lumber for support beams (2), Topped off by another 2x4 floor joists with 3/4" pressure treated plywood. Over that is rolled roofing. It was built to last a lifetime and be an integral part of the trees. It all looks as good today as it did the day it was built. I have railings all around, and a section of aluminum extension ladder that gets me up in there. You would say that there is no way that anyone could be bothered sitting in this massive indestructible structure. Well, I made it up to quitting time, but 90% of the time I never let go of those railings. I'm not sure I ever could have let go to get off a shot....lol. That never was a problem because in spite of all the heavily mudded up trails full of tracks, and the perfect, steady light wind direction, nothing came through. But what a disgusting, debilitating, affliction this fear of heights (vertigo) is. My gosh, there is absolutely no way that I was going to fall out of there or that the platform would break, but I was just about as uncomfortable as one can get. It is a combination of light-headedness and a loss of balance. Like I said, I am not sure that I could even let go long enough to shoot if I had to. Just plain weird! What the heck causes this illogical and unexplainable reaction to being a mere 12' off the ground. Has anybody here ever cured themselves of it once they have gotten it?

Perhaps if people started to get involved in tipping off the DEC to violations, maybe it wouldn't be a "common practice".

Years ago when I first started bow hunting, it was like semi-wilderness hunting experience. And that was state land. There weren't a whole lot of people that even knew about bowhunting, and it was quite a few years before I actually saw another bowhunter in the woods. Bikers and hikers?..... never. You honestly had the feeling that you were the only guy in the woods throughout the whole valley. Compared to those days, the woods today is pretty screwed up. That's what makes me a bit over sensitive about gangs of people in the woods when I am trying to bowhunt. But now I try to content myself with knowing that I am one of the few still alive that will ever have experienced that quality of a bowhunt from years ago. So know when I see some guy jogging along the mountain-bike trails like some kind of pimped-out gazelle in his spandex fluorescent shirt and shorts, while I am trying to bowhunt, all I can do anymore is just chuckle and remember a time when these aggravations just simply didn't happen....lol. Times change, but not necessarily always for the better.

Yes, it has happened that I have headed out the door without my back tag (southern zone) which was still fastened to another warmer weather garment from the day before .... lol..

I'm not real big on moving shots, and that is regardless of whether the deer is moving, or I am moving. It's not really a concern for me anymore. I've evolved into a ground dweller and came out of the trees a few decades ago.....lol.

Use rubber gloves and there probably won't be any problems as long as you don't go banging it around on stuff. The main thing is to keep crud away from it.

Use the TIPP line to report this violation. http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/393.html It is anonymous if you specify it to be. Which I would suggest you do. The DEC cannot be everywhere or see everything, so they rely on conscientious people to report what they see. On the other hand, it seldom is useful to start neighbor wars (nobody wins at that) so the anonymous reporting will take care of this. Don't be leaving notes, or making phone calls, or making visits to the neighbor, or inserting yourself into the middle of something that could blow up in your face. That is why they have the anonymous option.

I like the computer reporting. Straight forward, simple, and I get a print-out that proves I did it in case that were ever to come into question.

Of course we need to do the best we can within the limits of practicality. I have a copy of the Environmental Conservation Law of New York for the years of 1984-1985. It is 3" thick and is some very dense, smallish print that I'm sure almost all hunters have never laid eyes on. That's what it looked like 30 years ago. so I can imagine what it is like today. Couple that with the fact that almost every line can have multiple interpretations depending on the ECO, Judge, or the outdoor enthusiast, and I think it is a fair thing to say that the very best that anyone outside the business of enforcement can do probably isn't anywhere near enough to protect him from stepping over the line regardless of how well intentioned he is. So, when we have people hired to be experts on this stuff, it is entirely reasonable to expect that you will get an answer that is better than a shrug of the shoulders and an, "I don't know" as an answer. When some of the penalties can involve thousands of dollars and the confiscation of hundreds or thousands of dollars of equipment, it sure would be nice to have an LEO offer some kind of answer to a question regarding their area of expertise when asked.