Doc

So what's the tally of cash value taken. These guys have to be caught. Nothing is safe in the woods anymore.

I am retired and working on forgetting what that word "vacation" really means.

I still use the same stuff that I started out with ..... hot-melt glue. In fact some of the sticks are the one's that I originally started out with 50 years ago. I have never had an insert come out without re-applying heat. Of course I am talking only about aluminum shafts. Hot melt glue- can be removed or re-oriented simply with heat. Because of the waxy consistency, the glue holds up to shock and shear loads. Super-Glue and other forms of irreversible adhesives- Not known for holding up under any kind of impacts. It also is kind of permanent even when you don't want it to be. I have had times when I wanted to tune my broadheads a bit by rotating them all into the same orientation. You don't have that option if you are using some of the irreversible adhesives.

Actually our moose hunt up at Shining Tree, Ontario, Canada was self conducted. We had to hire an outfitter because the law said so, but we didn't really use him for anything other than a place to get tags. Also on our return, we used his walk-in cooler to store the moose meat before the trip home. 4 of us split the costs and it came out to be $500 each for gas, food, tags, everything. Of course that was back in the late 80's and costs were a lot different then than they are now. I have no idea what that same hunt would cost today. But the point is that there was no waiting around for year after year hoping to get a tag. And if you think the Maine waiting-game is ugly, just imagine what it will be like here in NY if and when they ever open up a moose season. My guess is that for the rest of my lifetime and probably for the lifetime of most members here, moose hunting in NYS probably will never be a practical possibility.

Speaking of stirring the pot ... lol. I have to wonder how many of these super trophy hunters use the excuse that they're waiting for the big one simply because they have trouble connecting on any deer? Ok time to take cover ...... lol. Sorry the devil mad me do it.

Folks I believe we have a winner here .... ha-ha. 303000 miles? ..... that's a hell of an accomplishment. I assume that you do your own work to keep these vehicles rolling.

I welcome the fall. It is one of my favorite seasons. However the colder weather is a reminder of the kind of crap that follows fall ...... lol. It begins to stir visions of white-outs and frozen fingers and plowing and impassable roads, stuck cars, and that helpless feeling as your car turns sideways to the road in an uncontrollable skid. Yeah, I know ..... what a wet blanket! But as soon as I get on stand all those ugly thoughts disappear.

Moose hunts are a very interesting and rewarding style of hunt to do. Been there.....done that. I will likely never hunt moose in what's left of my lifetime, and if you want a good moose hunt, it is helpful to do it in an area where moose are plentiful. I never was all that enthused about trying for moose tags, but I have had some very good hunts in Ontario Canada where tags through an outfitter were guaranteed.

I have to admit that I have never felt sad or felt remorse over a successful hunt. And yes there is a certain level of celebration that I go through. No it may not be some of the crazy stuff that you see on TV, and if I am alone, you really won't hear a thing. That doesn't mean that I am not elated. Sure I have respect for the animal to the extent that I am concerned with ending its life in as humane a way and with the least amount of suffering as I can. But my purpose for being out there hunting relates to reducing that animal to a food source, and I don't apologize for being very happy to do exactly that.

.270 American Ruger with a 3X-9X Nikon scope Before this year it was a 1969 12 gauge Model 37 Ithaca pump with a 2X Leupold extended eye relief scope (extremely deadly) .... on both ends .... lol.

I always get an instant reaction whenever I see one of these threads. Cop bashing has become a very popular sport lately, but I know a few of these people and they are simply people trying to make a living, and for the most part are involved in their profession based on public service motives. They are performing a job that most of us wouldn't take on. They operate under a system that is designed to frustrate any of them that take their job seriously. They live with a court system that had tilted so far toward the rights of the criminal, that the rights of the victims are pretty well ignored. They watch the results of their work trashed by bleeding heart judges. They are crucified when they find it necessary to defend themselves. I honestly can't understand how they get to stay in it. And then to hear this idiot making a stupid statement that we would be safer if police didn't exist, I can only be very happy that I never had an occupation where so many people loved to demonize.

You're right, and as the thread on "this year's goals" shows, antler size is not always the criteria for goals being met. There really is so much more to the hunting experience. But these goals are such a specialized and personalized thing that I really doubt that anyone is all that interested except for the one setting the goals themselves.

So is anyone tallying these up? It sounds like there 3 categories now 1. Agree 2. Disagree 3. I'd rather not issue a public opinion

Sometimes I think that we are so involved in deer hunting and all the little twists and turns of management that we tend to forget that most hunters do not get as involved as we do. In fact most hunters still view hunting as a recreational activity and not a scientific study that they must devote hours of study toward (imagine that!). Nobody ever said that the sport of hunting required a PHD or some sort of dedication that requires them to become fanatical. It is not a case of hunters refusing to educate themselves. It is more a case of them keeping the activity in perspective and probably in the right priority within the other aspects of their lives. Don't forget that we are the fanatics and the abnormals in the sport. And that does not necessarily mean that the rest of the hunting population is involved in hunting incorrectly. And you are absolutely correct the majority level of participation of the average hunter in the science of deer management will not likely ever change. Should it? .... I don't know. But I do understand that most hunters barely have time to learn about hunting and absolutely no time to devote to the science of deer management. I think it is not so much a thing to criticize as it is a fact of life to be recognized. I don't see it as right or wrong, it just is.

So who is going to say that there never has and never will be some police abuses? That would be kind of a stupid thing to say wouldn't it. But does that then lead to an even more stupid statement as was made above, That "It is therefore hard to argue with Mr. Roberts conclusion that people would be safer if police didn’t exist". What the hell people .... get a grip. This is right out of the VJP handbook of anarchy .... lol.

Disagree

I also had a problem with a guest shooter one time. He was one of two invites by my Brother-in-law from Canada. Before the deer season started, I wanted to do a check-out of gun-handling by these guys so I suggested that we take a few shots at some targets. One guy stood up to the line and proceeded to rip off 5 shots as quick as possible. I asked him what the heck that was all about, and he said it was for running shots. So, it may not have made me mister popularity, but I straightened him out on that score and explained that we take one very careful and well placed shot or pass. I could tell from his reaction that he wasn't real happy about that but seemed to accept it. So then I shot, and my brother-in-law shot and then the second guy shot. We were all yakking it up about our shooting and didn't realize that he second Canadian was not with us. All of a sudden there was a big "BANG" as his 12 gauge accidentally went off while we were half ways to the target. I don't remember his exact feeble explanation, but apparently something wasn't working quite right and he was tinkering with a loaded gun while we were in front and it went off. That was when I turned around and pointed to the far hill and informed them both that they would be hunting over there while my Brother-in-law and myself hunted our hill. Later on, I informed my Brother-in-law that he was not to invite anymore people down. Now this is not any slam against Canadians. My Brother-in-law is a Canadian and he is one of the safest guys I know. But when unknown people come into hunt with us, they get special scrutiny when it comes to gun safety and things get pretty hard-case if I see anything I don't like. I take range and hunting safety kind of personal on my property, and would never forgive myself if a gun accident ever occurred on my watch.

I haven't, but my son has had one ruined by coyotes. It is getting so you don't dare leave them overnight down in the Naples area. The coyotes can be pretty darn quick at following up a dying arrow-hit deer.

One thing we have to bear in mind is that hunters are the most important management tool that the DEC has (no hunters - no management). So when we talk about the DEC being concerned with license sales or worrying about keeping hunters interested in remaining in the sport, it is a legitimate concern for the DEC when trying to manage the deer herd. Coming up with regulations that result in a decline of hunters may in the end be a very devastating management decision. So when they show concern for hunter satisfaction, it's not just because they are trying to be nice guys. They are simply keeping their only population control mechanism in an adequate condition for use.

Get some good raingear and suffer through it. Times-a-wastin' . It's time to git-er-done.

I just replaced my old 1999 Honda civic LX with a new Honda civic LX. I gave the old one to my Grand-daughter for transportation back and forth to college. It had 120,000 miles and still running like a top. She had some kind of nasty old Ford that was constantly leaving her along side the road. I probably wouldn't have changed cars if she hadn't have had such a crazy unsafe situation. I have to admit that I generally replace a car simply because I eventually get sick of it. There's no denying that you can do an awful lot of repairs (even expensive ones) for the cost of a new car payment even if you do not do your own work on them. With today's general quality, when I have a car that reaches 100,000 miles, I am usually ready to help out the economy with a new purchase....lol. I was just curious how far people are willing to keep their old cars these days. I remember back in the 70's and 80's, I couldn't seem to hold on to a car past 50,000 miles before floorboards began to rust out or parts started falling off, or the things were leaving me stranded frequently. Times (quality) sure has changed.

I am more for the voluntary methods of affecting change in deer management policy rather than the force-fed methods (legislation). But I also am not real big on the social media "nagging" methods either. There seems to be a push on hunting forums in general to make others feel "guilty" about their harvest selections. That gets old in a hurry also. To me it all seems like just another of many "wedge" issues that are very effective at eliminating hunters from our ranks.

I understand. The deer around my house have been in a protected class ...............until this year. No more deer pets. I love watching them, but my landscaping can't handle that luxury any more. So my yard is going to be declared a "deer unfriendly" zone this year when I will be sending out a new message to them all.

He's a bit too big for me. Causes a problem dragging him out.

Ever since they have started measuring hunting success with numbers, it seems like a lot of the fun of hunting has disappeared. Particularly bow hunting. I remember back in the early 60's, I used to come into work on Monday morning, and a bunch of us Actually a pretty large bunch) always gathered around the break area talking about the weekend hunt. A lot of time the discussion was simply about how somebody saw a deer. And maybe somebody else might chime in about how they almost got a shot. That was some pretty exciting stuff. The conversation really got lively when somebody actually took a shot. It seldom was even about bucks. Didn't matter. If somebody actually got a deer, every little tiny detail was discussed. People were really interested in the whole story which usually was told with the maximum drama possible .... lol. But these break area war stories usually continued until somebody came around and sent us back to work ... lol. Flash forward to today .... Try mentioning that you saw a deer ... nobody cares. You took a shot ..... ho-hum. The only thing that gets any interest anymore is if you actually got one. The first question is, "What did it score"? Low score - low interest. Heaven forbid if you only took a doe. All of a sudden the topic changes to the weather or some other non-hunting thing. People have gotten so hung-up on the numbers game in their deer hunting that they have gotten tunnel vision. And in my opinion, they have lost sight of the values in hunting that made it my prime pastime all these years.