Doc

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.

How long do you usually keep your vehicle before replacing it? Do you work on your cars yourself to keep them running? Who is currently driving a car with super high mileage or age on a daily basis?

What else do you have in the area. If that is the best you are likely to see, take him. It's a personal choice, (the key word there is "choice").

This is the beginning of the "tricky" part of the season. Apples dropping, acorns falling, crops are being harvested ..... all kinds of changes in the deer world. Soon the rut changes will be changing up the patterns even more. There are all kinds of things happening and things to come that will turn all the "scouting" observations on their head.

Actually the goal is to be able to get up our "cardiac hill" and get back off it in an upright condition ..... ha-ha. And maybe somewhere along the line, get a couple of deer. I'm just taking each season, one at a time just to see how many more I can keep stringing together. Each additional bow season is a goal in itself. I have an additional goal for gun season which is getting a deer with my new rifle. This year will be the first time I have ever used a rifle for deer. Love my new rifle, and am looking forward to being able to pick the exact hair that I want the bullet to hit. Antler scores and such nonsense I will leave to others. The object this year is to increase the enjoyment and quality of the hunt and add to a lifetime of memories and experiences in the woods, doing the thing that has dominated my life.

Well, first of all, I would want absolute proof that he came from the deer farm. Ear tag, tattoo in ear, or some other sure-fire proof. There are far too many people that take delight in trying to downplay the achievements of others. Jealousy or just plain meaness, I would not put it past anyone to start a rumor just to make the guy feel bad about a once in a lifetime achievement. If there was an ear tag or tattoo or some other means of ID, it would kind of ruin the whole thing for me. The kill would be enjoyed as a source of meat, and like somebody said, cut the antlers off just to have them to look at. Taxidermy costs are way to high to waste the money on a tame deer. That's kind of like having a black angus head mounted and hanging on the wall .... lol.

That's interesting ..... the deer is a public resource until you kill and tag it and then it is yours. So actually there is a circumstance where you actually own the deer. The ownership actually changes hands.

Kind of like that old saying, "I'd rather be lucky than good".

I get that all the time in my front yard. There is a huge flower bed that acts like a magnet for deer. So everytime I see them out there, I knock on the window. Well that doesn't work anymore. They just look up and then go back to munching plants and bushes. So now I have to open the front door and yell at them. Sometimes that doesn't even work, so I have to step outside and wave my arms while yelling at them. They stand there looking at me and then eventually mosey on out of the yard ears back and looking kind of irritated.

I have found two unprotected dug wells while hunting. One was in a place no one would ever expect to find a well. It was half way up a hill that is covered by mature oaks and maples. I have no idea what purpose it served or why anyone would go to all the work to dig the thing in such a remote spot. That one was on our property, and we filled it in with rocks from a nearby streambed. The other one was next to an old foundation of a cabin on an abandoned stretch of town road. As far as I know it is still there waiting like a trap. No cover, no sign ..... nothing.

There are several fields around Canandaigua that are being cut right now (silage).

Time to get out the old crystal ball. When you reach the number of years that I have, you too will have seen many, many, careers disappear completely. Technology is rapidly eliminating whole departments, so what looks like an iron-clad, secure occupation, could someday be replaced with a computer program or two. The day of job security is a thing of the past, but when choosing career direction changes, perhaps a little heavy pre-thought stirred in with a bit of honest prophesy might help put the odds more in your favor.

Is your house in an area where it is legal to hunt?

Yeah, as long as you still have farmers. Apparently BKhunter has plenty of real live active farming. Around our area, the situation is reversed. We have lots of heavy thick impenetrable acreage and zero farms. Our needs are reversed from his. Somebody in my area would definitely be considering food plots. But I mentioned the brushlots and browse areas as being something that he may consider adding in order to make his property more complete, diverse and deer-friendly.