Doc

And it's even more of a shame that those that worship at the altar of research, simply and mindlessly accept all studies without expending the mentality to apply logic and some good old healthy skepticism. There's been an awful lot of societal mis-steps because of studies that the public has simply accepted as the word of God. Anybody with an agenda can publish a study that may very well not be worth the paper it's written on, and policy can change because no one wants to or can run counter-studies to unmask the agenda. But I will say it. Just because we can't disprove it doesn't mean that we have to have the knee-jerk reaction to accept it and modify our lives because of it simply in the name of a study. It is getting to be a situation where anyone who can garner the most studies in favor of their position can dictate public policy. No one ever admits that there are political motivations that color some of these studies. No one is willing to admit that researchers are fallible and in some cases simply incompetent. If it is called a study, it is gospel. Well sorry, if there is a possibility that there could be political motivations, and the so-called facts spewed are kind of contrary to good old horse-sense and logic, I for one will not just blindly pick up their flag and start marching with it. That's not a response of convenience, that's simply an individual's responsibility to view input with a critical eye instead of throwing on the blinders and saying, "My gosh they did a study, it must be true". But when one "study" conflicts with another "study" what happens to this cult mentality? Well that happens often enough to cause some to look beyond the simple fact that it is "a study". And by the way, do not confuse a "study" with science. Some times it has more to do with salesmanship that any kind of science.

If the land is predominantly planted with pines, there will be nothing for grays, but red squirrels have plenty to eat since they are primarily conifer feeders and dwellers.

Always someone trying to work around something. I would guess that if there is something that the deer really are attracted to in a big way, it won't be too secret for very long. I think the ground will be very well torn up in the area where it is used. It may not be as visible as a pile of apples or corn, but it will not be something that any hunter (or warden) passing by will not notice. It's like salt on a rotten stump. You may not see the salt, but the typical damage done to the stump will be the tell-tale evidence. And then there is the packaging. The stuff has to come in a bag or something. That kind of evidence randomly found is usually sufficient to start an investigation. Often the best evidence is the poacher's own mouth. Most of these guys like to talk about how they are screwing with the law. Also, wardens who have suspicions are generally trained in interrogation techniques that trip these guys up with their own words and attempts at being clever.

One thing I learned about building a stand in a three-trunked tree is about the power of the wind, and the way it constantly works those trunks together and apart over the course of a year. That constant working of those trunks stressing every connecting nail has the capability to snap nails simply through fatigue. It became an annual project of adding new nails to bring back support lost to snapped nails. The only thing that I ever had hold up indefinitely was pressure treated 2 x 8s fastened to the trunks by 5/8" heavily galvanized lag screws. Once that basic frame is attached, you can add on whatever makes you comfortable and feel pretty secure that you have a good foundation for the stand.

I think we would all be shocked at the amount of various poisons and other health-harmful things that we ingest everyday. And yet the species continues, often without any indicators that we have taken in something unhealthy. Look, I don't want to see anyone chewing on a piece of lead, or sucking on a bar of lead, or gnawing on some lead based paint laden windowsill. But I do not run my life on unproven assumptions. Yes lead in significant quantities can create problems. The question is whether or not bullet residue in a carcass constitutes "significant quantities" or anything even close to significant. Like I say there are centuries of lead bullet usage (and by the way, high velocity cartridges are not a recent invention), and I have never heard of a lead-poisoning epidemic among hunters. And of course the other question is whether or not any substitute for lead doesn't have equally or even more toxic problems. Jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire seldom works out in a satisfactory way. The crusade for a lead-free bullet seems to be kind of a weak presentation based on a whole lot "could be's" and "perhaps" and "might be's" and "possible's". None of it rises to the level of "Hey we gotta get rid of this stuff or we're all in trouble".

I guess that's why all of our forefathers who had no choice but to use lead for all those centuries were a bunch of drooling idiots who could barely string words together to form a simple sentence. Thank God the wizards of research are here to save us all.

I've got an old Mossberg bolt action 12 ga. for small game. Also a .22 bolt action marlin of unknown age (it was a hand-me-down from my dad way back when I was about 12 years old (who knows how long he had that, but it is getting some real age on it). I also have a .22 hornet. In a month, I will be using my 1999 Mathews MQ-32 and my 1970s autumn orange XX-75 aluminum arrows (I get my money's worth out of my purchases .... lol). When gun deer season begins, out will come the deadly .270 American Ruger bolt action. That has become the meat gathering gun.....Awesome gun. When the regular deer gun season finishes, out will come my Remington .223 for a bit of coyote and fox calling.

I love that term, "good science". Who among us is capable of making that determination. It would take a reproduction of all the hours of research not to mention the financial resources that were required to initially come up with research data and conclusions in order to make an accurate determination as to whether all the good principles of statistics and research and logic was used. Now try doing that for the thousands of new studies we are bombarded with each year. Here is the real question that should be asked. How far are you willing to modify your life simply because somebody told you they have conducted a study and determined that some part of your daily actions need to be changed. Yes, sometimes it makes some sense to try to put the odds in your favor by accepting a preponderance of evidence or something that has a kernel of logic associated with the conclusions. Some of these studies have watch-dog organizations to keep researchers on the straight and narrow but usually that is not the case. Most of the time we simply get used to accepting everything that comes our way dressed up in good credentials and assumed good intentions. And it really is not all that rare when subsequent studies come along and come up with completely contradictory results indicating that the first researchers as high though of as they are, simply didn't come out as infallible as they claim to be.. Good science??? I don't know about that, but I do know that at some point, we should try to determine how much we are willing to get steam-rollered under the guise of studies and research.

I went down to swap cards in the camera that I have down there and found out that there is no way of simply turning the camera because of all the goldenrod. And there are no other trees in the area that would have a clear look at the anthill. I turned out that I had 862 pictures on that cam. There was a multiflora rose branch that apparently was waving in the breeze and setting off the camera like crazy. But anyway, there were all kinds of critters wandering around there. Rabbits, squirrels, crows, foxes, deer, and even my unicorn showed up: The only ones that were moving toward the anthill was a family of coons. They're still my prime suspect. Damn, isn't that unicorn one goofy looking deer?

No peaches (not even any blossoms). Very few and very scraggly, small, mis-shapened, apples that are completely useless (much fewer blossoms than last year). very small pear numbers compared to any year previous. No wild apples. No berries. No black walnuts. No butternuts. Quite a few hickory nuts. Not sure about acorns yet. I have seen a few around. Pretty much just a plain ol' crap year for fruit and some vegetables. Of course I do live in a very steep valley that is known for late frosts. There must have been some stealth late frost that I was not aware of (I was watching for it this year).

Well, here's the problem. I have spent considerable time and money developing loads that I now know will perform and group well. I also have a large inventory of these same components waiting to be loaded up. I really don't want to change all of that based on some rare theoretical damage that lead bullets may be causing among a few eagles. I do get a bit tired with knee-jerk reactions every time someone suspects that something might be happening somewhere to some unknown quantity of some isolated species for no truly understood cause. I want to see far more proof that the materials really are a problem before I start reacting.

I do have a camera about 15 yards away, but it is pointed toward a deer trail in a different direction. It might catch the critters on their way over to the anthill. I know there is a family of raccoons that are very active in the area. Perhaps I will have to turn the camera so that it watches the anthill directly, but I have been trying to get a read on when this certain deer trail is being used. The anthill has been visited a few times over the past couple weeks, so the culprit may be making this a regular stop. It wouldn't hurt to turn that camera and check it out. Might be interesting.

You do realize that whole books have been written on the subject and they still don't provide any guaranteed methods. This is a pretty wide-ranging question you've asked here. I can make a few suggestions: First, find an area that has a visibly high concentration of deer. Second, learn their patterns of movement. Third, put yourself at an intercept point. Piece of cake right? Each one of those are an entire book by themselves.

I have heard that the trees that turn color early are generally indicating some form of stress. Too wet, too dry, disease or bug infestations, and other forms of distress in the tree or bush, is what I have been told results in early color changes.

We have come to worship at the alter of research to the point where we don't even question the results and statements of researchers anymore. All they have to do is to hang some impressive credentials onto the front of their pronouncement papers, and everyone bows down and takes it like the word of God. It's gotten like the joke, "It has to be true. I saw it in the newspaper". We don't even think about what is being said anymore if it comes under the guise of "a study". Since when did we start letting other people do our thinking for us. When did we get so mind-weak that we lost our ability to question. Even the conclusions reached are force fed to us and our reasoning processes stop with the words, "research has shown that ......". Yes, there has been useful research done, but somewhere along the line we have stopped questioning any of it, or arriving at our own conclusions. We no longer apply logic or rational thinking because in our minds it has already been done for us. When I think about the kinds of difficulties this kind of thinking (or lack thereof), it is very scary indeed. Like I said, there are some very scary racists conclusions that could come from some parts of this Chicago study. Sentences and paragraphs that could be used to bolster racist claims. There have been other studies under the sacred umbrella of "research" that have been proven to be destructive and misleading because people applied (or mis-applied) the principles touted in them without using their God-given brain. Not every discussion can be ended with references to "a study". And not everything stated in a study is necessarily true or accurate.

I've got the right colored tags, but on the DMPs and the bow/muzz carcass tag, the registration from the front of the tags to the rear of the tags are mis-registered pretty badly. The thing is that there are items that have to be filled out on the front, and the month and day areas that have to be cut out when a deer is harvested. So if there is significant mis-registration, in one case (the bow carcass tag) the line on the front where you have to fill in the town and WMU number are over on the other side of the perforations and are part of the next tag. Something is not going to be contained on the tag....lol. The DMP carcass tags were also mis-registered but at least all the lines of info that I have to fill out are on the same tag. Oh, and by the way, good luck getting a ballpoint pen to write in that glossy surface

Yes, it's amazing how no matter what your point of view, you can always find a study to bolster your opinion. Never mind that they all conflict and all claim impeccable credentials. Heck, we had another influential researcher that patterned the way children are raised. This guy Dr. Benjamin Spock was also the darling of the research worshippers who set child rearing on its head and put us on the course that the whole nation followed. He and the liberal set of legislators created a society where kids run the household and parents fear prosecution for maintaining order in the family. Today we reap the rewards of a permissive society that has undermined the family unit. Why are we shocked and surprised?

I found an interesting thing the other day. It is a huge anthill that is under attack by some critter. I'm hoping to hear some ideas as to what the animal might be. Check out these photos: I threw down my hat just to give an idea of the size of this anthill You can see the damage to the anthill is extensive. Whatever the guy was, he wasn't messing around. He wanted an ant dinner. So what kinds of critters do this kind of thing. Being NYS, Anteaters are out of the question.....lol. I was thinking bear because I know the eat ants and termites from old logs. But then I'm not sure whether the bear's smaller cousin, the raccoon might have the same eating favorites. Actually, I'm not even sure about possums and skunks. Any ideas or thoughts?

I wonder if the squirrels will catch any sign of movement when I am up there flailing my arms in the air trying to keep the mosquitos away.....lol. It's going to be tough this year. I think early bow season for deer might have the same challenges.

The last month. Kind of a bit scary. It seems that everytime I decide to put in some serious practice time. I get up on my archery range and all I see is a cloud of mosquitos slamming into my eyes and trying to find their way into my ears. I never had this kind of problem before.

That would be kind of like eating a turkey vulture wouldn't it? I'm not real big on eating "garbage eaters". Could be quite alright, but there is something about the whole idea that would kind of make me a bit disgusted with each bite. I have developed kind of a mental block about eating some critters.

So how do you guys find places to check out? Do you simply go knocking on doors when you see an old foundation or deserted house and ask permission? I see this as something that may be even more difficult than getting permission for deer hunting land. Here you have some guy showing up at the door and telling you that he wants to remove things of value from your property. Are there really people that would say, "Oh sure go ahead take whatever you find"? Anybody have some favorite spiel that they lay on the landowner or some kind of offer that motivates them to let you detect and dig up their stuff?

Lol .... So what are the most recent recommendations these days about bacon fat and heart health? I always heard that the stuff is an artery choker.

Yes, forums are all about choices. And you get to make those choices.

Sure there is. If we can convince them that their political survival is hooked to proper respect for the 2nd Amendment. Of course that is not accomplished by backing away from all political action groups that lobby on our behalf.