Doc

It's funny how people react to these claims. They almost take it personal that somebody would believe that cougars could be living in NY. Frankly, I doubt there could really be undiscovered mountain lions as far as a resident population, but that belief doesn't lead me to ridicule those who do have that belief. Why do people get so upset and aggressive over such a non-issue?

If you really want to be honest about it, you will have to admit that just about all gun hunters were for inclusion of crossbows, including even those who really have no intention of ever using one. It's no secret that bowhunters are still in the minority in the hunting community. So I think you people are patting yourselves on the back and taking credit for things that you only played a minor part in. And then of course you never know if the status of crossbows would even today have gotten anywhere without the help of your new crossbow "buddy", Cuomo. And also in case the truth carries any weight with you, you also have to admit that the anti-hunting crowd had nothing to do with NYB, and in fact the effective blocking of crossbows got not one bit of support because of the anti-hunting crowd's stance. They were completely irrelevant in the discussions or the outcomes. Of course you know that, but never let a fact get in the way of a good anti-NYB sound-bite.

Forget that! You want a real challenge, take your bow out during gun season. That's where you really get the challenge....lol.

Really ..... Are there really people that believe that the DEC could actually pull off some of the covert operations that they are routinely accused of. Seriously, this is the DEC we are talking about. Think about that!

Well, they didn't exactly do it all by themselves did they? They had the entirety of the crossbow industry along with all the gun hunters that are constantly looking to pry their way into a backdoor entry into the bow season. They also had a huge assist from NYON and their biased editorial staff. I think it is amazing that the bowhunters being in such a tiny minority went up against all of these forces and were as successful as they were. Each year the crossbow lobby claimed success and each year they were turned back. Given the odds, it was a pretty effective fight for a group that so many people claimed represented so few, wouldn't you say? It was a good fight, but now the door is open and the anti-archery forces are licking their chops at this turn of events. Yet another precedent has been set in their favor.

One quick definition of a "troll" that I found on the internet was: "Someone who posts deliberately inflammatory articles on an internet discussion board" I think we have one here .....lol. They didn't say what the motivation is for such anti-social behavior, but I suspect it is some kind of perverse need for attention from some pathetic soul who knows of no other acceptable way of getting it. At any rate, this guy seems to pretty blatantly fit the description perfectly. I suppose that's all I've got to say on that, and even that response is probably a whole lot more than this guy really deserves.

I'm not sure there are a lot of people replying here that will say that there isn't money to be made. Hell people have gotten rich selling pet rocks...lol. So what? A lot of people have gotten rich doing things that I would never consider to be anything that I would ever get involved with. It's just a business that supports the worst elements within our hunting community. Sorry, but I don't think I would want to be associated with it no matter how much money was involved. If you enjoy supporting that kind of thing, great for you. You can try to justify almost anything with a good bank statement, but that doesn't mean that you have convinced very many people that your endeavor is an honorable one.

Kind of points up the fact that crooks are in favor of gun control .... at least when it comes to honest folks.

What can I add that has not already been said? The post is just an ignorant piece of nonsense that complains about one segment of hunters complaining about others and then proceeds to whine and whimper and complain about bowhunting and bowhunters. Pretty much wins the prize for dumbest post of the year......lol. Sorry to be so blunt ....... No I'm not!

Not much here that I actually disagree with in terms of fact. You have accurately laid out what hunting is evolving into. For me hunting is an activity of culture, personal challenge, and heritage, not some test-tube situation that involves the mere slaughter of penned and genetically built creatures. I am not really interested in getting the best trophy that money can buy. That really doesn't do a lot for me. I have always placed the larger emphasis on the hunt over the kill. I tend to hunt the animals the way I find them in the wild in accordance with whatever situation of cunning and caution, survival skill set, and physical stature that nature has provided for them. To me anything else is just a variation of a slaughterhouse mindset and experience. I do not see wildlife as simply another variety of dumb farm animal chewing its cud and waiting for slaughter. And yes I agree, all those thoughts are becoming outdated notions as each generation comes along. More and more so-called hunters are looking for the quick way to the kill with as little energy and effort invested as possible. I will also agree that any activity can become corrupted, polluted and bastardized to satisfy whatever foul motivations that some people can devise. I can only say that I still maintain some semblance of honor and tradition in my hunting, and I'm quite proud that I do. I will also agree that others can and will do whatever they wish to debase the creatures of nature where they can. I also agree that it is the profit motive that drives that, spurred on by those who would rather buy their achievements than earn them. However that becomes a part of their legacy, and their accomplishments will be cheapened accordingly and be met with total disrespect that such things deserve. That's all not something that I want to be associated with or take part in but certainly does fit well into your vision of ideal evolution of hunting.

Something to consider ...... Be careful of decimating any of your good oak stands. Oak being a favored target of lumber operations, could result in the elimination of acorn production if not checked and monitored a bit.

I have a personal bias against genetically modifying any wild animal just to enhance the ease of taking a "trophy". That mindset is a self-enhancing notion that seems to not really have any end-point. There are deer being created these days that really don't even look like the initial species. They look more like freaks, or as someone in the article said, "caricatures of deer". I personally hope that these freaks do not find their way into the gene pool of the wild herd. If people want to create their own creatures to hunt within fenced in compounds, I suppose that there isn't a lot that can be done about the kind of perverted mindset that would actually call that hunting. My gripe isn't so much with those that create the supply side of that kind of twisted version of hunting as it is with the people that have become the demand side of that market. Sometimes it can be hard to understand just what runs through the minds of people that would pay big dollars to hunt some artificially created lab experiment. But I have to admit that those kinds of people are slowly taking over the sport in all kinds of different ways, artificially manufactured deer-like animals included.

Good riddance to one very idiotic and meddlesome pile of waste. You will not be missed. Now go back where you came from and continue to try to screw up that country instead of exporting your liberal mindset where it really is not needed, or wanted.

That would definitely simplify things a great deal as well as save landowners a lot o expense, time and effort.

If guns kill people, how does anyone get out of a gun show alive?

Anybody have any idea how this thing was filmed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBEyCr5AoIs

I haven't either, and I find it surprising that Cuomo's police force would be going against his wishes. After all he is their boss ....right?

Phone numbers do leave things open for telephone harassment from hunters that are disgruntled about "their" old hunting lands being posted up. I'm not sure I want to open myself up for that kind of abuse. The same guys that currently shoot posted signs to pieces just for spite, would likely not hesitate to mount a campaign of harassment if they had your phone number available. Plus, anyone claiming to be in pursuit of a wounded deer needs to see me in person so that I can accompany them and offer assistance in the blood-trailing activity. It's not that I don't trust everybody who has ever used that story to gain access, but frankly I don't. And I want them to know that I expect to be shown the blood trail. That can't be done over the phone.

You bet! Climbing aboard that tractor and fitting the ground and basically "playing farmer" can be one heck of a rewarding feeling of accomplishment when you look out across your finished food plots and see wildlife taking advantage of your efforts. Sure that is satisfying. I certainly can see the attraction. Did some of that myself years ago. Making harvest choices based on the best management info that you can find is also part of it and equally as satisfying. About the only thing we have to remember is that we don't have the right to push any of those activities on those that don't happen to be as enthusiastic about those kinds of activities. The only time I get a little sour on the QDM mindset is when I sense that holier-than-thou attitude peeking through from some who think that just because they dedicate a pile of time and money toward these activities that somehow those that don't are something less than "true" hunters. I don't have a lot of use for that kind of thinking, and I don't believe it has a place in hunting. Fortunately that sort of thing is rare (so far).

I went to school Naples, and so I was raised around the Naples Trout Derby and the carnival-like atmosphere of the shoulder to shoulder fishing in Naples Creek and its tributaries. It was an annual blast that was always a pile of fun. And some of those huge fish that came out of the water there always kept the interest stoked. Over the years, I have drifted away from those great times as all the people I used to go out on the waters with have moved away, died or simply lost interest. But when I hear someone talk about the great times on April first, it always brings back those great memories.

I'm looking forward to this discussion. I've never hunted the Adirondacks and probably never will, but there is some level of authenticity and heritage in deer hunting that kind of matured deer woods. It is something that I have always thought represented a more colonial version of hunting that our forefathers were forced to do. We have some quite large versions of big-woods hunting down here in western NY, but it is no where in the same league of challenge that the Adirondacks is.

Yee-Hah!!! ......Thanks guys for adding a bit of life to the site. Things have been getting a bit quiet here. This thread has taken a heck of a sharp turn from the original topic, and frankly it had run its course anyway. So now what do we have? ...... QDM vs. genetic manipulation deer farms. Actually they are not apples to apples comparisons, but its great that you all are trying anyways. I really want in on all this, but you guys are doing such a great job, I don't want to mess it all up. Carry on guys and warm this place up a bit. I'll be waiting on the sidelines ready to jump in and stir the pot a bit when things start to slow down ..... lol.

Do pigs ever get rabies?

There's no point in being shocked about these kinds of proposals. The anti-gun crowd senses weakness. They know their time is now. They have been emboldened by the success of the Safe Act, so you should expect them to be coming at us with renewed vigor. It may be that they are reading the situation exactly correctly. Our very best and strongest responses have been drawn out with the sneaky passage of the Safe Act, and yet, it seems that they are in the process of getting away with it. Don't think that it stops with the Safe Act. More is coming. If we don't make a proper showing in the next elections, expect this kind of thing to be re-introduced. And without fear of reprisals, expect it to get adequate support to pass this time. We have one chance to turn this stuff back and only one. That is to use the voting record on the Safe Act as a litmus test for your vote this fall. Right now, we need to show politicians that there really is danger to their careers associated with a pro-gun control voting. Unless something unexpected and amazing happens in the courts, the ballot box this fall are our ONLY resort and we have only this one chance. It will make the difference between legislators feeling free to trample the 2nd Amendment out of practical existence or not.

Are the coyotes here in the east a separate sub-species from those scrawny moth-eaten things they have out west?