Doc

We all can slant, spin, or interpret the law however we want to, but the only interpretation that counts is what the encon officer and/or the judge or J.P. establishes. So if you want to push the envelope, do so at your own risk. I will say that there are darn few laws, of any sort that are absolutely bullet-proof and not subject to some level of interpretation. But it seems to me that there are really very few ways that one can interpret a definition of hunting that includes words like: "...and every attempt to take and every act of assistance to any other person in taking or attempting to take wildlife." And for those that want to come up with some sort of special "qualification process", I have to point out that all these "special processes" require some sort of trained personnel to administer them. Of course we already know from the hunter training courses that trying to come up with these people is a lot easier said than done, so I think there might be some logistical problems with throwing in special courses or procedures for every wrinkle in the law. I think using a licensed status is as good qualification process or status as you are likely to find.

You know, as often as I have been up to Henrietta (in fact I even worked there for a bunch of years when Xerox was there), I have yet to know exactly where Market Place Mall starts and ends. Eventually, you get to an area that is just one un-named mall running into another un-named mall. The whole damned area is a mall. So when somebody says that something is "in Market Place Mall", I still have no idea where to look. This country bumpkin simply is lost up there. I know where Gander is, and Wegmans, and Red Lobster, and that Bug-a-boo or boogaloo steak house or whatever. But to me any one of those places could be in Market Place Mall .... lol. I've got to get into the guts of that place and do some exploring next time I'm up that way. I do have a pretty good idea where the Bass pro Shop is going to be. By the way, what the heck takes 2 years to put a store up? Dang, I ain't getting any younger.

That sounds possible. I hadn't thought of that.

Is it just my imagination, or does there seem to be a huge amount of boats for sale on people's yards? What's happening is the cost of gas bugging people, lack of time, launch congestion or are they just simply losing interest. I know here in the Finger Lakes, the water is getting crazy with congestion. I'm wondering if people are getting tired of dodging the drunks and such. But anyway, from the view along the roadside, it sure does look like it is a buyer's market out there.

So right in one area there will be (possibly) a bass Pro-shop, a Gander Mountain, this Field and Stream store and a Dicks. It sounds like great news for us, but it may turn out to be a "survival of the fittest" situation for the stores involved. Poor Gander Mountain. I don't believe anyone is getting rich off that store right now without the additional competition.....lol. But, I wonder if there is enough demand to support all those stores. Well, who knows, but it should be a great situation for hunters, fishermen, trappers, and other outdoor folks. I love competition.

So, has anyone heard anything more about the new hunting store that's supposed to be going into Rochester area? I think it was called a "Field and Stream" store or something like that? That whole item has gone silent, and I can't remember the timeframe for the opening. Looking for an update.

Yeah, if you can just get close, the wind from the bullet shout knock him flat.

Yeah, this is about the time of year when we used to be busy as heck picking black berries for ten cents a quart when I was a kid. I remember the hours out in the hot sun, and the occasional grass snake that would be laying up in the bushes .... lol. Actually even at 10 cents a quart, I used to make quite a bit of money. It bought me some of the cool clothes that I wanted and added traps to my collection and paid for my subscription to Fur-fish-&Game. And I always seemed to have that dark blue stain around my mouth. between the berries, grapes and bagging wheat on the combine and other farm chores, I always seemed to have enough money.

Ha-ha .... What a great way to break into the sport.

Lol.... I am sitting here wondering how the DEC should at least attempt to ensure that a junior hunter is being accompanied, supervised, or mentored short of holding face to face interviews with the attending adult (not exactly practical. So what is practical? Well, if you are qualified to be licensed, at least they know that you have been exposed to the hunter training safety course. Let's face it, that is the only way that they can at least put the odds in favor of the mentor knowing safe from unsafe. And I am aware that hunter safety training didn't necessarily take with all hunters. I didn't say that it is an iron-clad guarantee. I think they forced to play the odds on that one simply because there are no guarantees. And of course the other half of the story is that the DEC definitions do not specify requiring a weapon to be hunting or participating in hunting. They have words in there that include "disturbing, harrying, worrying whether they result in taking or not, and every attempt to take and every act of assistance to any other person in taking or attempting to take wildlife." Whether we like it or not, those are the words that are written in Environmental Conservation law, and the DEC and we are bound by that law. We may not like the law, but that's not a requirement.

Interesting picture. Knowing that bears are run by dogs, it makes you wonder why this bear seems to be going out of his way for a confrontation.

That is because we have the forum whose title includes politics. My point was that perhaps it should not. As a moderator, I do not feel that I have the power to change the layout or structure of the forum. I see that as the site owner's area of power and decision. The fact is that as long as it is entitled a political forum, I should have no grounds or rightful power to delete those posts in that forum. That doesn't mean that I don't have an opinion (which is what you are referring to).

7 pages have been wasted on this non-topic that basically has only moved 17 people to care about it enough to vote for a change (and I suspect nearly all of those were just expressing disgust with recent direction of the political forum). As a percentage of the membership is concerned, this is a non-issue. 7 pages about nothing but nonsense. And the funniest part of it all is that it has clogged up the most recent list more than the political topics ever did. This is starting to get more and more goofy as time goes on. I'll tell you what, keep adding in the posts. Keep clogging up your "most recent" list. I don't use it anyway for reasons I already stated. And when you get tired of burning band width, maybe you will do what any other member would have done who has a requested change, and that would be to contact the site owner.

Hey, I have one of those pygmy panthers. Looks just like that one. By the way is there any bad luck associated with having your path crossed by a pygmy panther?

Fascinating! That article was great. I'll be keeping my eyes open for it. Who knows, maybe someday it will become an annual activity for me too. The combination of scouting, walking (exercise), and looking for a cash crop is an intriguing thought.

One thing comes to mind as I read this thread. It seems to me that there are a lot of people who cannot control their urges to enter a forum that pisses them off. Why is that? Is it like a car wreck.... you really don't want to see anything gory but you just can't make yourself not look .....lol. There are a few forums here that I have absolutely no interest in and by golly, I don't go into them. It really seems so simple. Also I don't rely on the 5 latest items to indicate what I will read, because I know darned well that I am going to miss more topics than I catch. Apparently we are looking for automated and mechanized systems to pick the topics for us. I guess I don't really have a lot of interest in that. I go to the forums that interest me and actually see all of what's new. If I don't have time for that, then I probably don't have time for the site.

I caught one or two of those programs. It was kind of interesting even though like you said everything was scripted. So, of course the big question is, "is there any of that stuff in NYS"? I'm not looking for the location of anyone's secret spot or anything. Just an idea of whether it grows in NYS or not.

Ha-ha That comment on it feeling like something illegal cracked me up. I know the exact feeling. I had it when I had an opportunity at wiping out maybe the last pheasant in our town. It would have been legal, but somehow it didn't feel like it should be. I'll be honest, there is no way that I would loose and arrow or fire a shot at a bear in our area even in a perfectly legal situation. Couldn't do it.

You know, we don't have a forum on religion, knitting, or flower propagation, so we do kind of try to keep things on theme here which is hunting fishing, trapping, and all things outdoors. Is that such an unusual thing for forums to insist that content have some general theme? Do people come here looking for political guidance in order to establish some kind of political ideology or party affiliation? Should they? Seriously ..... should they? I mean, really, I had a knee-jerk reaction when I first heard people complaining about what the political forum has become. But sitting back and thinking about it all, I guess I have to agree that forums are seldom opened up to every topic in the world and commonly they have some sort of core theme to their discussion content. And yes there are political aspects to outdoor issues. But even I have a hard time seeing the outdoor aspects to most of the recent posts on our style and quality of government. Those kinds of discussions are certainly legitimate topics for discussion someplace, but definitely not in a site that specializes in outdoor activities and issues. So maybe we do have an issue.

I think that is the answer. A license is proof that you qualify as a mentor. I guess you have to have some yardstick of qualifications when dealing with junior hunters. It may not be the best and most reliable proof of qualification, but it is better than nothing.

Don't you have bear season in Genesee County? I thought almost the whole state was opened up to some sort of season on bears now. Over here in my local piece of Ontario County, bears are as scarce as hen's teeth, and even here we have a season on them.

In the words of that famous American Rodney King, "Can't we all just get along?" The fact is that we have trolls wandering through the political forum in particular, constantly posting threads because they know full well that it will tread on the core values of other members and will start controversy in a personal way. It is not merely posting opinions, but it is "baiting" in the very best style of internet trolling. And those who complain loudest about civility and "getting along" are or have been the very worst offenders at one time or another. And now they stand here with a feigned deep sense of offense, pouting because they have reaped a bit of what they have sown. Also, I think it is the height of naiveté to think that incendiary issues that are engrained in hunting will not occasionally cause tempers to flair. And by the way, anyone standing there pretending that they have never engaged in that sort of thing themselves is being a bit disingenuous. Hunters are a passionate bunch of people with deeply engrained traditions and heritage, which doesn't always align well with each other. Most are not the sort of people that will back down when challenged. Anytime you have those conditions and then throw in a few trolls, you can expect the obvious to happen. And while a political forum is a natural for that kind of thing, it kind of stands to reason that when you poke at people's core beliefs, you might occasionally get bit, politics or otherwise. That is really quite natural and we all really know it despite how much we pretend to be bothered by it. But please do not stand here an feign victimization. It really is unbecoming, and nobody is really buying it.

Yep..... that's a danged long return on investment. So when you dig the roots, have you effectively killed that plant, or do you do something like in horse radishes where you replant part of the root? It seems to me that after centuries of digging them, the entire species would die out.

Hey ..... that rhymes!

Yuck!!! Seems like he is growing some extra roasts or steaks.