Doc

Well look, I'm not going to call you a liar, but I will also say that every account that I have heard was unsubstantiated. I also noted that the people usually raving about the dozens of wounded deer were usually gun hunters who have a very vocal bias against bow hunters. Also I have talked to deer processors who claim that they have run across a few arrow-wounded deer over the years, but it is not really a significant number. Also, I log about as many hours hunting as anyone and have only found one un-recovered dead bow-killed deer. So I have to say that I generally regard these claims as substantially exaggerated. I make no claims that deer are not wounded and lost during bow seasons, just like I make no claims that the same thing doesn't happen during gun season. But what I have found is that the accounts of bow wounds are generally a larger target of exaggeration. I will repeat that I have to question a line of logic that says that we need more technology in bow seasons to make the sport more humane. I will also say that I have never heard anyone say that the reason they shoot a compound is to improve the humanity of bow hunting. And I hope I never do hear that kind of comment. One thing we don't need is people impugning the humanity of our equipment or suggesting that we need more technology in the sport to make up for those that hunt irresponsibly.

1 - First of all, don't believe that everything on the market works, especially when it comes to archery equipment. I have been around new bow equipment inventions for enough years to quote you a practically never ending list of failed products (in fact I own some of them....lol. 2 - Now there is a comment from somebody that is trying to push crossbows so much that they won't even admit to what they just watched. There's no point even trying to have a discussion when a mind is that made up.

Check out this link: http://www.drawloc.com/content/line-draw-loc-trigger-slow-motion If you can use a crossbow, it looks like this will be as easy to cock and probably a lot less heavy and awkward to shoot. The only thing is that you will have to forgo the bipod and probably the rifle-style scope.

A lot of this stuff borders on saying that the vertical bow is not really a humane weapon because some of the people using them do not do so responsibly. There is the implication that more advanced weapons should be inserted into bow season and maybe even replace vertical bows to reduce wounding losses. I don't agree with that line of reasoning. I really don't care for where a little more of that bogus line of logic could lead if that banner were to be picked up by the anti-hunters and those that are on the fence about bow hunting. There is a fair representation of that attitude among gun hunters also who are fond of repeating unsubstantiated accounts of seeing deer running everywhere with arrows sticking out of them. Yes, if that line of thought had been prevalent back in the days prior to bow seasons, there probably would never have been a bow season in the first place. This is not a direction that like to see the crossbow controversy going.

That's not the way I heard it. Most initial AR decisions were legislatively driven. The DEC has said that there is no biological imperative that suggests that AR is required in their management activities. And that AR decisions are based on social wants and needs. That is not exact wording but captures the essence of statements made by Jeremy Hurst (DEC head biologist). In other words, AR has been implemented in certain WMUs because of political pressure and mandates to do so. I never heard any DEC personnel ever say that AR was required for the health of any part of the state herd, and as pointed out above, they have said exactly the opposite.

Actually given the protective nature of bears with cubs makes you wonder why these incidents aren't more common. Imagine stepping out your front door and encountering a sow with young cubs. I don't think I ever want to have that happen. Also, in areas where bears are fairly dense, it is not uncommon for them to break into vacation cabins and screened in porches in search of food. I also have heard of them destroying campers and ripping into pick-up caps.

I find it pretty strange that certain laws and seasons are so different from the Northern Zone to the Southern Zone. Yes I can understand things that are habitat or population based might differ from one area to the next, but some of the general regulations such as back-tag requirements are ridiculous to be different from one place to another. There are some things that differ that I can understand such as the rifle laws for deer hunting. When it comes to things that affect non-hunting residents as well as hunters, then it is understandable why it becomes a locally controlled ordinance. But a back-tag?

I always have a problem with back tags because I always seem to have a backpack along, and it is on while I am in motion and of course off when I am on stand. Also, often there is a change of outer wear when I get on stand (trying to beat the sweat problem). It makes for a whole lot of wrestling around trying to pin that tag onto a different garment. And of course I usually forget to pin it on until after everything is zipped up. That's usually when I discover that my back tag is pinned to something I just covered up with my camo suit .... lol. ... start over.

Yes, a bit like closing the barn door after the horse escaped ... lol. But I suppose it will supposedly keep it from happening again in the future. As far as their existence in the wild is concerned, yes there are documented observations and even a few that have been killed. There were pictures in the paper of a small herd down in Allegheney Park. Also we had a local farmer who got his picture in the paper with a pretty big hog that he had shot after finding it be-deviling some of his livestock.

Have you ever seen pictures of the Siberian climate where the Russian Boars originated? It makes our climate look tropical.

My guess is that you would be just as happy eliminating all "special seasons" and simply have an "all-weapon" deer season. I may not agree with that thought, but I do respect it as being honest and consistent.

No, a crossbow is not by definition a bow. Arrow Flinger had it exactly right when he said, "A Crossbow isn't a gun or a bow. Its a CROSS between them both". And my objection to crossbow inclusion into bow season involves the precedent being set that further moves the weapons restrictions farther and farther away from actual bows. Yes there are some very distinct features of a crossbow that trashes many of the original challenges that bow season was created for. Yes, these might be adequate reasons for opposition. But I see no end to the ever expanding re-defining of what is allowed in bow seasons. A line has to be drawn somewhere, and for me that line involves stocks, bi-pods, and the basic elimination of the disciplines and consistencies of shooting a bow.

Bill, didn't you keep your bow-press from the time when you ran the shop? You didn't get rid of all your stuff did you? As you know, there is a big difference between the level of accuracy that you need for hunting vs. what is needed for competition. I know when I was into competition, I needed the smallest peep that I could use without interfering with my vision. That was a big thing then and made a significant difference in my scores. I know that back then I would never have used a 1/4" peep. However, today my only concerns (theoretically....lol) is having enough accuracy for hunting distances and adequate vision in low-light conditions. So I have a 5/32" hole in the peep. That seems to work well for visibility and accuracy for hunting purposes.

That is an unbelievably low price for that kind of quality. I'll have my order in before the end of the day .... lol.

I would go with the ground blind ..... And stake it down good this time.

Died in committee. Try again next year.

Oh nobody is suggesting doing nothing. It's just the radical knee-jerk reaction that some have that makes them want to reach for their rifle every time a legislative vote doesn't go their way, that I find fault with. There are plenty of legal processes and actions within the system that people can do, and I believe that open armed insurrection is a very last resort. I don't think we are at that stage yet and I do believe that those who want to rush into that kind of solution prematurely should be heavily discouraged against taking those kinds of illegal activities. What we don't need is more terrorist crazies running around with bombs. We already have enough of those from foreign sources. We don't need to have them as home-grown entities. I'm kind of reminded of the wackos in the Arab nations that simply are not happy unless they are carrying on some kind of Jihad. I don't want to see that kind of mentality growing here. They're nuts, and that doesn't mean that we have to emulate them. That mentality is for people who have a very warped image of what oppression and injustice really are and who have some kind of weird love of violence running through their brain that they can't control.

In the past, I have had that problem with some of my peach trees. Eventually some of them just died and I have never found out what the cause was. Even this year, there is some minor leaf-loss on each of them. The apple trees are very happy so far and have grown great and without problems (other than late frosts typical of a valley).

I'm thinking 4 or 5 years. I'm not really sure because I have had a tough time with them and every year for a while there was one or two that had to be replaced so now I am getting confused as to how long each ha been in.

I like the quality of those pictures. can you supply the specs on that Covert? Things like model, cost and where you bought it. I think I should have one ... lol.

Oh, the AR topic is already in the news and sure to start up debate again. WMU 7P fails to get ARs. Horrible isn't it? How could that happen? How will the herd survive? Food plots .... yes by golly, we haven't had a good argument over those in a long time. We're due. But what about "high fences"? I always like the TV hunting program discussions too. The problem is that everybody agrees that those are crap. The baiting and feeding squabbles are always entertaining too. There's never a shortage of issues and all kinds of opinions to go along with them.

That was funny. But seriously, that is what they have been reduced to with their gun laws. Long stabby things, golf clubs, baseball bats, and Olympic torches.....lol. We're not all that far behind them and rushing to catch up with a lot of help from Andy and his gun-hating cohorts.

Lol ..... Can you imagine the pail of poop you would be in with the DEC if you ever shot one because you thought it was getting ready to attack? And then there is the case where you are out in the shed and your gun is in the house. I'll tell you one thing, it sure did give me a weird feeling that morning that I stepped out of the house and found my bird feeders all bent over, and my garbage can stuck up in the woods at the end of a long trail of garbage. I never even saw the critter, and I didn't like it. He visited the neighbors too and left a big old muddy foot-print on the wall of their house next to the door. I really don't like any of those kinds of things losing their fear of humans and taking up residence in your yard.

There used to be an old saying that went something like .... "Good fences make good neighbors". In my case, the neighbors are so far away from me that I don't even know when they are doing something aggravating.....lol.

I still use a peep sight, but spent quite a few years a long-long time ago without using one. Of course everything that I ever added was supposed to hold form and position a little tighter and consistent. Who knows how much of that stuff is really still needed from one decade to another. It is good that you are still experimenting and testing to find out just how essential these things still are for you. I often wondered how much of the crap I could actually remove from my bow without actually seeing any difference. My problem is that I tend not to "mess-with-success". Maybe I should once in awhile.