Doc

Was it on this forum where somebody posted a picture of a big ol' blackbear sitting up in somebody's treestand? Now to me that would be a pretty exciting thing to happen on my way to the stand ..... especially if I was most of the way up the stand before I realized that it was occupied ..... lol.

It's not that there's so many but the ones that are there are getting mighty thirsty .... lol.

Now that's hilarious!! I can just picture that whole scenario like an Elmer Fudd cartoon. Lol .... that's is one funny mental image.

If we don't get some rain pretty soon, we may not have to be thinking about an October 1st bow opener. They might decide to close the woods down. I'm telling you, it is getting ridiculous out there. It would take absolutely nothing to get a fire started. i'm starting to wonder if my well is going to survive. I've never seen it tested to this extent before.

Well, there ya go. The silent majority is indeed silent, aren't they? So what good are they? And who cares about their opinions and how they think the world is suffering? The fact is that the organizations that you are whining about are active, energetic, advocates for what they believe. If you don't like it then take your whining somewhere besides internet forums and play the game the way it is supposed to be played. Nobody cares that you don't have the spine to do anything but complain. I get a bit irked everytime I see these people claiming "Well gosh, their views don't represent me". Get over it ..... if there are so many people who disagree with ARs and the NYB views then stop your crying and get involved like those people did. If you can't work inside of those groups then start your own. Put your damn money and effort where your mouth is instead of just moaning about those that do. I'm sorry if I appear to be coming on a little strong about this, but it is just something that finally had to be said. Enough of this worthless bashing. If you have such strong feelings about these issues then do something useful and worthwhile about it.

No question about it. If that were to happen, there would be a huge increase in hunters. Of course the problem is turning that non-hunter into a hunter. I think we have to become some super-salesmen because there are all kinds of social evolution that is fighting against us. But not to be a wet-blanket on your enthusiasm, I have to agree that we have to try if hunting is going to exist off into the future. Right now it doesn't look all that good, and I think that innovative thinking such as yours is what's required to make any kind of a difference at all.

I am simply pointing out some real options that can have some real impact. I am not pointing fingers, nor am I absolving anyone of a chance to join into the promotion of the sport. I am pointing out potential resources that at one time used to be effective, and don't seem to be all that involved anymore. We have great resources that need to somehow get re-inspired .... or we can just simply throw in the towel. Now, if that is looked at as pointing fingers, that is too bad. It is a realistic way of looking at the problem that suggests resources that no one seems to be willing to talk about.

Maybe a lap-belt on the saddle? Hey, what the heck .... I saw the Duke blazing away on horse-back in True Grit. And that was at a full run. You could be riding, chasing and gunning all at the same time. YEE-HAH !!!!

I am seriously wondering what fish & game clubs, gun clubs, archery clubs and other such organizations that so many hunters belong to are doing to promote the sport. Back when I was a member of a bowhunter's club. we had several events and activities each year devoted toward promoting youth participation, and also conducted some mentored hunts. Today, I don't hear a peep from any of these kinds of outfits. Somebody is dropping the ball. I remember in years past, there would be local bow clubs with booths set up at Avon's National Hunting and Fishing days where members had kids bows and targets set up, and promotional slide shows, etc., etc. that were all geared toward enticing youngsters and adults into getting into bow hunting. I haven't seen any such displays there for years now. We have some huge sportsman's clubs that could have a huge impact on hunting and shooting sports promotions. They just don't seem to be interested in any kind of public activities and promotions. We have a rather hidden presence of DEC people even at events that are held on their own property. They could be having a whole lot more visibility if they had any interest in doing so. Any DEC representation in schools? Why not? Anyone in the DEC concerned about hunter decline? any events or activities or programs being worked on to boost hunter participation, enthusiasm, or knowledge? ..... I don't think so. And yet the NYS hunter is by far the most valuable management tool in the DEC's tool-kit. These are all people that should be knee-deep in hunting promotion and yet there seems to be less and less interest in doing so. These are people that could have real impact, and who could be working on real solutions. However, they don't seem to be willing to do anything that will actually have some effect, so where do you go from there when the people who should care, don't?

A friend of mine was half way up the hill on his way to his stand (in the dark). Apparently someone had let his big black lab dog out to take care of its business. Sure enough, my friend hears this huge big animal running full tilt at him crashing through the frozen leaves and snapping twigs and branches and just generally making all kinds of noise. I guess it was a pretty tense few seconds until the dog got close enough for him to figure out whatthe heck was going on. The hunt was cut short while he returned the dog, and even though he never said so, I would suspect some more time was lost changing his pants .... lol.

Would have made a heck of a great cover-scent.

That goofy spring that we had this year brought on all the blossoms early with all the hot spring day-time weather, The frosts at night gave them repeated shots of sub-freezing temperatures. I watched the blossoms on all of my fruit trees get forced out and then frozen. I am not surprised that I don't see any apples. It's too bad because I do have some great stands that rely on those apples being there. So this year, I am working with other food sources.

So now comes the question .... lol. Is there any advantage to hunting from horseback? That would be kind of like hunting from a vehicle except it would be legal.

The one difference that I spotted was that these guys run a trapline and actually catch something. Yeah there is still the B.S. over-dramatization, and a few staged "life or death" circumstances. But I was amazed that in Mountain Men, the guy in Alaska was there specifically for trapping, and they never did show him catching anything. At least on this Yukon Men, they did show them taking care of a wolverine in the trap, and trapping a beaver, and shooting a wolf and it looks like there are more scenes along the trapline where they show that trappers really do have success once in a while .... lol. Basically, it is the only show on TV that ever has shown anything real and graphic about trapping. I guess I find that interesting because I used to run a fairly extensive trapline and can relate to some of what I see on that show.

Well, I can certainly understand deer becoming at ease with horses when the horses are part of their everyday existance. It's like anything else in a white-tail's world. If they have frequent exposure without any negative incidents, they accept them as part of their environment. However, what I wonder is how they view them when it is just the occasional horseback rider that comes wandering past your stand. Do they view that situation as being harmless? I have a feeling that that may not be the same situation. Also, do they view the scent of horses as being harmless in areas where they are not used to encountering the scent of horses?

Yes, this does sound like a hyped-up story that was definitely expanded beyond simple news reporting. But then that's a media specialty these days. I'm not saying that this guy was totally rational and that he wasn't a wack-job nut-case. I'm just saying that what they were offering up as evidence didn't sho that to be the case. But what-the-heck .... It all sells papers, and that is all they care about.

There's another new series on that' called "Yukon Men" that has started up on the Discovery Channel. First show looked pretty good. I have another episode recorded to watch.

There is another new look at the problem of declines in the ranks of hunters. Everything seems to have to do with mentoring, whether it is involving youths or adults. And I do agree that when you get an adult involved, you have an excellent chance of getting a two-fer out of it. I can't say that I have directly been involved in bringing adults into hunting, although perhaps some have been drawn in because of conversations that I have been involved with. But I have to admit that I seldom have considered spending the effort on an adult. Generally when we think of bringing in new people, the goal always involves kids. However, given the thought of expanding the scope of mentoring to include adults as well as youths, one has to wonder why Fish and Game clubs, and other conservation and outdoor organizations have dropped the ball on all this organized mentoring. What great club projects such activities would make. Sure, such activity is great for indvidual hunters to take on, but just imagine how much more powerful and effective these kinds of recruitment activities would be with the enthusiasm and numbers in existing organized clubs being focused on this effort. And maybe, they too shouldn't be ignoring adults to the extent that they do when it comes to recruitment.

Why is that? Are they semi-domestic or something? .....Just need a game commission guy to tell you where they are and go get one? Seems funny that it would be so difficult out west and so easy here on the east coast. Makes you wonder how much of a hunt it really is. Any thoughts on why it is so easy?

Actually, I was going for the sarcasm ..... lol.

Sometimes you have to choose from the only apples left. But the choice isn't between apples. The choice is between which two individuals can do us the most harm. But if you are suggesting that something will be accomplished by not voting at all, I would hope you will eventually see the problem with that. I understand that there are other choices besides the Republicans and Democrats, and I hope that is what you are referring to. Unfortunately voting for one of the minor parties is actually going to benefit one of the two prime candidates in a back-handed way. You may be able to have the satisfaction of making some kind of statement, but the actual results will wind up with one of the major candidates winning the election.

Well, looky here ..... this trolling stuff really works. Early got into his second page already. Say thank-you Early. He is indeed a lovely addition to this site..... lol.

Lol ... Trolling for some controversial arguments??? Sorry, not biting. I really don't get involved in bashing someone's religion. I'd rather concentrate on hunting, fishing and trapping issues.

Throw the new bow away and put the sight back on the old bow so you can have your 30 yard pin back .... lol. What's wrong with using your 20 yard pin and being 2" low at 30 yards? I'll bet I could easily compensate that 2" and drop the arrows right in there at 30.

Tough night. Normally he'd be hugging the toilet bowl. Or maybe he's just gotten too much into indian lore and is listening for stampeding buffalo.