Doc

Ok, I am curious what the purpose of a "rest-period" would be. What is the hoped-for result? I view anything that pushes seasons farther out into the year as being a bad thing. As has already been mentioned, the later parts of the year, bucks are starting to drop their antlers, and in many cases, later hunting seasons promote mistakenly shooting bucks that are thought to be simply antlerless targets. So all that aside, can anyone explain what the purpose of the "intermission" would be?

First off, the wacko comment is about any of the animal rights groups, and I will not apologize for that opinion of those people. I have zero tolerance for any of their views. Secondly, While a lot of people write these people off as ineffective and a joke, I do see them making headway with the public, and anytime I see things of this nature, yes, it does concern me. And so, not being able to find details behind this story I thought that maybe somebody here may have run into what all the hub-bub was all about. It sounds like there are not a whole lot of people that know much more about it than me. I'm always keeping an eye on these animal rights activities because I think they are worthy of keeping an eye on. And, I really do not change my views based on species.

Of course I tried, but the news stories that I read said nothing about any lawsuits or shady dealings and talked only about the internet campaign coercing singers to cancel their performances. The only reasons given was a reaction to this movie entitled "Blackfish" that implied animal abuse relative to the performing whales. Apparently you have seen something that the several sites that I consulted did not have. And that is the reason I asked. Sorry if I inconvenienced you in some way.

Internet Explorer 11 is experiencing the same problem for the past several days. No ability to paste anything to this site at all. Also possibly related, I no longer have the ability to upload pictures. Everything goes through the process just as it always has except when I hit the attach button. The site is ignoring that button. Also, when attempting to change font color, I highlight what I want to change, click the text color icon, and the highlighting goes away. I have not tried changing fonts or text size, but I would imagine the same thing will happen with that too. It really doesn't like any actions to highlighted text. These are all problems that have begun approximately a week ago.

Anybody have any idea what this fiasco at the Florida Sea World is all about? I keep getting some very vague news reports about some kind of animal rights campaign that has some fairly high-powered singers cowering after being coerced to cancel performances at sea world. Apparently somewhere involved in the middle of all this is some movie entitled "Black Fish" that chronicles the death of a whale trainer at Sea World, with what looks like a whole lot of animal rights editorializing included. It sounds like there has been an internet campaign begun to sign petitions and apply pressure to performers that has caused them to cancel engagements there. Like I say, it is a bit confusing because news coverage focuses more on the entertainers than it does on the events leading up to this internet pressure campaign. My primary interest, given my slight understanding of the situation, is that it appears to be a large victory for the animal rights crowd that has brought one of their causes into the public, and it has found resonance with a large chunk of the people. And of course as a hunter, I do get a bit concerned when these wackos start making headway with the general public on anything. So I just thought that maybe somebody here has a better grasp of the details of the situation.

As a take it or leave it, all or none package, I would be against it. The answer is "NO". That's not to say that there aren't some things that I like listed there.

Well done Grizz. Was that a NY deer?

Most likely, the only thing that force me to quit is when I can't climb that stinking killer hill behind the house anymore. However, I believe the "one buck rule" would maybe drop out some hunters that are already looking for an excuse to quit. I don't think there are that many people that would actually be affected by that change. I also believe that the requirement to take your kill to a check station would be unenforceable. People that hunt their own land, and butcher their own deer, probably are not going to be too likely to hoist a deer up onto their car to drive a bunch of miles to a check station. The result? .... Even fewer deer being reported. Also, don't be looking for any instant resources being given to the DEC to man all the check-stations. That ain't happening.

Of course that doesn't mean that your neighbor won't slap a lawsuit on you when you back into his Japanese maple does it or run over his pooch while you are trying to be a good neighbor?

So, what kinds of liability are you getting yourself into when you plow out other people's driveways? If you tear up their curb-stones, or landscaping are you legally obligated to repair or replace the damaged features?

That's the problem. When you start as just a favor, the first thing you know it becomes an obligation and you start hearing things like, "When are you coming over to do my driveway?" or, "geeze don't ya think the snow is getting a bit deep in my driveway?" People don't realize that snow removal equipment is only good for "X" number of years and if you use it two or three times more than you would for just your own needs, you have just cut the time before you need new stuff accordingly. I own a 4-wheel drive ATV almost exclusively for the purpose of snow removal, but I will say that plowing all winter long with one of those little guys is bordering on abuse. I would really like not to have to buy too many more of those things over what's left of my life .... lol. They ain't cheap!

Yeah, I guess I'll be doing some Christmas shopping for myself too this year. I'll head out town one of these days and see what Tractor supply has got on their shelves. I know exactly what I'm looking for (but I'll be looking close at the tread. That's one step ahead already. I should look into those snow/ice grippers. They just might save me from winding up in a snow drift, head down with feet sticking out....lol.

I hope these guys know what they are doing and are not issuing this hog protection law based on some goofy un-proven theory. I have to also wonder if in this age of tight budgets, the DEC will ever really spend the time and resources to actually try to trap them. Because if they don't, and don't do it vigorously, with this new hog protection law, nothing will be being done to stem the spread of these critters.

To be honest, I really haven't see that kind of boot in any of the stores since I bought those. They come up to just below my knees, They have rubber bottoms up to just above the ankles and then some kind of a water-resistant canvas top. Inside is a full length felt liner that has never broken down like other felt liners I have had in the past. They lace up at the bottom, and have a draw-string tie at the top. Weirdest looking things that I've ever seen. I got them at Central Tractor (Tractor Supply). And they had tags on them indicating they were designed as a "snowmobile boot". The only problem is that they were a bit skimpy on the aggressiveness of the tread, and they have worn down so far that they're getting a bit treacherous for these steep snow-covered hills. My concern is that I will never be able to find replacements that will be as good. But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to try, or risk breaking my neck now that the old ones have turned into "skis".

Too late! Wife already bought my present. However it just occurred to me the other day when I was up on the hill tap-dancing around trying to get a foot-hold in the snow, that my boots are just plain wore out. The tread is shot. They were some great felt lined snowmobile boots that have always kept my feet warm, but were also pretty short on aggressive tread. These things are over 20 years old, and what little tread that they had ain't there anymore. So I guess I am going to have to foot the bill myself. I like that felt liner. That and 1 pair of wool socks and I'm good for all day (at least as far as feet go).

Actually a quick Google search shows that it definitely is a pelvic bone. It is the small size of it that has me fooled. I don't think that it is a deer. I'm guessing that it is a fox or coyote.

I always check out "inside corners". and it doesn't always have to be a wide open field either. Inside corners of changes from brush to mature woods are also deer magnets. I don't understand the attraction, but those configurations have turned out to be a great spot more times than not.

It really looks more like a sternum. I can't get an idea of size so I wouldn't try to guess what kind of animal. Ha-ha, let me edit this to include the possibility of it being a pelvic bone. It is either one end or the other of an animal ... lol..... not a skull. Still can make a guess as to what kind of animal it is. Not really knowing the scale of the thing, it could be a deer.

And just when you think you have it all figured out, be prepared for that little "back-draft" that occurs just when the deer is coming into sight. Also, just because the weatherman calls for a certain wind direction, and you consult your topo map and confirm that conditions are perfect for a certain area, be aware that thermals can have the wind blowing exactly opposite from the local flat airport where weatherman is basing his forecasts .... lol. Natural temperature changes throughout the day can drive breezes up or down the hill in complete opposition to prevailing winds (usually uphill in the morning as air warms and downhill in the evening as air cools). Also, be aware that natural contours (ravines, outcroppings, and other prominent land features) can curl wind in ways that don't agree with the weatherman's forecast. Some times it just boils down to on-the-ground experience to really know what the wind does with certain prevailing forecasted wind directions. There is something that I have seen the wind do in our north-south valley when the prevailing west wind is blowing. On the west hill of the valley, at the very top, a west wind will come over the crest and set up a curling turbulence such that the top 100 yards or so, the west wind will be blowing exactly opposite (east). Also I have some otherwise great spots that I simply cannot hunt because the wind never does have any consistent direction. Humps and bumps and hummocks and gullies work to have the winds always circling in those spots. And the ugly part of that is that deer love those spots. Hunting new ground can be a frustrating experience because without a lot of time on the land, there can always be some ugly surprises when you first go to a stand.

For gun season, I have a stand halfway up the hill on a little bench. I have no idea why they travel this area, but I can guarantee that at some point opening day, I will shoot at least one deer there. It is not an escape route as such because all the deer that I have shot there are moving quite casually thru, but they are always confined to a 50 yard radius of my stand (ground stand) and can always be counted on to show up. The deer are a mixed bag of bucks, does, and occasionally a nice buck will show up there.

The only reliable way of aging a deer is a process called Cementum Annuli Method. This is a forensic laboratory method that is absolutely 100% accurate. What they do is to take a root of a tooth and prepare a very thin, stained, slice and looking at that under a microscope, they count the rings of cementum just like aging a tree. Check out this link: http://www.deerage.com/

I think what people were afraid of was the dogs developing a "taste" for deer and then going after them when they had the chance. It sounds like a good theory, but it does impart a level of reasoning and association that dogs just don't have. If that were all true, then feeding your dog beef products would have them chasing cows .... lol. When dogs chase deer, it is usually because they just naturally chase things. That's their nature. Anything that runs will get chased. Those that are concerned about their dogs chasing deer should be more concerned about allowing the opportunity rather than worrying about what the dog eats.

I'm not familiar with that WMU, but with winter snow on the ground, a little scouting and looking for tracks will give you an idea of whether hunting them there will be worthwhile. So far, I haven't run into anyone claiming that they live in an area of NYS that doesn't have any. Even the cities seem to have some.

I received a turkey survey that wasn't quite as involved as the one you describe. On mine there was a check-box for "I did not hunt turkeys this year" or something of the sort. I checked that off and sent it back. Does your survey have a place for comments? If you don't have the check-box that I had, that may be the best place to let them know you didn't hunt this year.

That's a decent question and I hear different answers every so many years. Bucks have scent glands that deposit their scent on these rubs so a logical answer may be that they are scent-marking their territory. I have also read that they are visual sign posts. Again a territorial kind of marking. Then there are some who claim that some early rubs are attempts at removing the velvet (and I have heard that contradicted by some biologists too). I think everybody knows what they are, but can't always agree on why they do it. The truth probably is one of those "all of the above" kinds of answers.