Doc

Sounds like it's not a significant population problem unless you happen to hunt in an area where one of these outbreaks occurs. 100 cases in one town in only 2 weeks..... that sounds like a pretty big deal if I was trying to hunt there, especially if those 100 cases are clustered into a small area of that town.

I would opt for "fooling yourself". I don't know, but I'm thinking that pronouncing words using your ass might be a bit more than anyone can actually do. I'll bet saying anything with "T" in it would be real tough. Anybody who can actually do that would be a hit on that TV show, America's Got Talent

And as another mystery, what is that thing glowing on the tree in the background?

I would think that anyone who invents a practical alternative fuel, or products that run on practical alternative fuel sources would be so stinking rich that they would find it difficult to store all their money. I'm sure that revenues and/or royalties from such a discovery would far surpass the Bill Gates empire. I also know that money is a powerful motivator. So we really shouldn't need any further incentives should we? So the question of the day/year/century is, "why hasn't it happened yet?" The answer that comes to mind is the "practical" part of that miracle invention. There is no shortage of ideas for alternative energy, but most of it is so darned far out that no one can afford to pay for it. So it turns out to be an invention that may not be so easy to come by. As to the question of Americans being addicted to fossil fuels, I have to say that hardly any Americans really are addicted to fossil fuels, it is just that there is no alternative. If you really want to run any of the items of our lifestyle, it takes energy to do so. Right now, even as expensive as it is getting, petroleum is the super bargain for powering anything. Nothing else is even in the running. It has nothing to do with an American love affair with petroleum. The products and inventions simply are not there and the few that pop up are priced beyond the range of widespread acceptance or have other impracticalities. Oh, and by the way, don't invest all your hopes in wind farms. Profits in that industry are only possible through massive government subsidies and those are not temporary start-up gifts. Plus, even with all the massive investments in "wind farms across the nation, I am still waiting to hear of a single refinery or nuclear power plant that has been shut down and replaced by windmills.

It's true, the average hunter approaches hunting as just one of a whole array of recreational activities. I suspect that darn few of them have any time to go off and get a degree in biology specializing in whitetails....lol. I really don't expect anymore than that from any hunter. It is a form of recreation, and is supposed to be an enjoyable pastime, and a degree in whitetail biology is not required or expected. That's why we leave the management decisions to the DEC who supposedly hires college trained individuals to work out the proper management techniques and apply them in practice and in law. I think that the DEC most likely takes that into account when they solicit hunter opinions and forms their management decisions. Sure, some of those hunter opinions carry some weight because part of what they do is to manage the hunter part of our natural resources. So it is important that they understand what hunters need to continue to participate. It's up to the DEC to try to balance hunter needs along with the needs of natural resources. It's the same thing they are trying to do with the rest of the states population when they get the different interests involved in the CTFs. Everybody gets their say. It's up to the DEC to take in all this input and make it all come out as a set of compromises that we all can live with and still have a thriving natural world. I think it works out pretty darn good for the most part. I know I don't lose any sleep over the fact that there are hunters out there that are speaking their minds (right or wrong), and I really don't feel they are doing any significant damage by doing so even in cases where they are absolutely wrong. They are just doing what people do. And who knows, maybe sometimes they really do get it right and coerce the DEC to look a bit closer at their methods and results.

I often wonder if the coyotes can break up deer patterns, and also make them more "spooky" than they otherwise would be. It seems possible that even if they are having no significant impact on the number of deer, they still might be a pain when it comes to deer hunting. I haven't seen a whole lot written on exactly how coyotes and deer interact. I have heard stories of coyotes crossing fields that have deer feeding in them and neither critter paying any attention to the other.......so, I don't know.

Questions of this nature where I suspect that I might get opinion rather than an explicit written law, I usually like to have responses on some form of written hard-copy, such as a printed out e-mail or letter. The thought being that at least something in writing shows intent to accomodate the law. Would it actually do any good? ..... I don't know, but it sure should be better than internet forum opinions, or relying on some phone call to the DEC that can't be reproduced.

She was getting a little excited, wasn't she? I think I would be a bit freaked out too.

For the most part I agree with what you are saying. However, I'm thinking that those hunters who sound a bit self-serving, are only honestly providing their half of the necessary input to those responsible for making the only true and authoritative game management decisions ...... the DEC. And their opinions are indeed valid. It is important that the DEC know exactly what the hunters feel would provide a quality hunting situation. We aren't exactly left out of the wildlife management formula. We're part of it. Sometimes self-serving opinions that are not polluted with invalid ideas and false notions of biology have more validity and usefulness in representing what it takes to keep a happy effective harvesting tool available. Hunter needs and animal needs are not off in their own worlds. Both need to be satisfied in a compromised way in order for each to be optimized.

There are a lot of things that run through my mind when selecting a stand on any particular day. Most of the criteria has to do with what is going on with the deer at that particular time of the season. There are times about mid season and beyond when they are somewhat concentrated in the oaks munching on acorns. Other times they stay more in the valley eating whatever green stuff that's around. Bedding areas change throughout the season as foliage disappears. And then there is the effect of the early stages of the rut. There are certain stands that are set up in areas of traditional heavy rut activity. I also do some careful limited in-season scouting that might prompt me to choose stands in certain areas. Small game season activity has become increasingly more of an impact on stand selection. There is also some hiking and biking activity that can force me to choose other areas. I hunt primarily state land, so my site selection is not always under my control. Needless to say, no stand is ever used when the wind is wrong. That is a factor that is not only about the immediate stand location, but is also effected by where I expect deer to be coming from, and also how I might be forced to approach the stand. Sometimes the difference between apple trees bearing or not will have an effect on the selections of stands. I have also had situations where rain conditions would inundate my stand location or occasionally shut off access. Excessive rain is something that can shift bedding areas also which then effects which stand I might choose. So it's not only a case of whether a stand is my "best stand" or not. There are all kinds of other influences that come into play with stand selection. It's more of a case of selecting the "best stand" for the situations of that particular day.

The doe in the 2nd video is really super-spooky. She seems to see, smell or hear something that she really doesn't like. Does the camera make any noise while taking videos?

Lol..... had to make room for the hammock and the TV set. It does look like a good spot for a rocker where you could sit and play the banjo.

The 500' rule sounds ok to me ...... 167 yards. It's pretty hard for me to imagine anyone wanting to hunt closer than that. Never mind the safety aspect, that simply sounds like invasion of privacy to me. Who needs it? ...... who wants it? Bow or gun, there's no real point to crawling up under someone's window on the pretense of hunting. Does it need to be expanded? ...... I don't see any purpose in that either. One thing that I might be in favor of is some language added to the existing law that talks about pointing or discharging a gun/bow in the direction of a house or other structure, person, livestock or vehicle. You can be out there with tape-measures or rangefinders trying to determine 500' and still not really know for sure. But if you can see the side of a house through your scope or sights and you still pull the trigger, you should be subject to some pretty severe prosecution. I'll leave it up to others to concoct the exact language of such a regulation, but I think distances are not the answer. The real practical safety measure is simply not to shoot toward structures, people, livestock, or vehicles. That makes a whole lot more sense than trying to come up with some kind of "safe distance" reg. Let the distance part of the thing apply with respect for personal privacy kinds of issues.

Yeah, these things rank right up there with Gypsy moth caterpillars and African killer bees and the long list of other things that we have foolishly imported and now wish were gone. There should be some kind of board of review that passes judgement in any case where someone wants to import any non-native species or anything that is known to be or possibly can be destructive. However, for NYS and many other states, it sounds like that sort of thing is a little late.

Eddie Olderthanme- Happy birthday! Now you can start working on the next 70. It's time to get that sign up for real- By the way, we have one of Eddie's baby pictures:

The russian boar thrives in Siberia. That's not to say that they don't have winter mortality just like our deer do, but apparently they are quite winter-hearty and can handle snow depths and low temperatures good enough to survive in climates much more harsh than anything we can dish out. Some of the varieties other than the russian boars ....... who knows? Perhaps some of that winter-toughness has been bred out of them. Let's hope so.

Lol......We've seen how much weight the DEC carries with the state legislators . Probably not a real good idea to count on that sort of thing. Letters, e-mails and/or phone calls are in order.

What is the fabric under the shed? What is the shed sitting on? Is there space under the shed? What I am thinking is putting crushed stone as far under the shed as possible to seal up any access to critters. And then a short apron of crushed stone (maybe about a foot or two wide) around the shed to keep moisture from contacting the walls. Crushed stone is good also to serve as a surface for rainwater to drip onto so that it doesn't begin to pound a trench in the ground over time. Of course, the crushed stone can be as decorative as you want to invest in. I would avoid mulch that might contact any of the wood, or even come close to the wood. That stuff is designed to hold water and could promote rot or mildew if that moisture is held in contact with the wood or very close to it.

One more different look at coyote baiting..... Is it possible tobait coyotes without baiting/feeding bears? How does the DEC view that situation, anybody know?

That could very well be true too. Something sure did draw their attention to this distance law all of a sudden. Whatever it was, we have to make sure to squash it before it gets traction.

Might be a good idea to check with whatever guide you settled in on, just to see if everything is still alright with him after the hurricane (if you haven't already done so). I understand that a lot of Vermont got re-arranged by Irene.

This used to be the time that I was busy boiling and waxing traps. Scouting was a year round activity. This time of year I would be taking care of repairs, and building more stretchers and watching some of those bait bottles full of some of my own concoctions ferment. Another good idea is to check those hip boots for checking and cracks just to see if it's time to replace them. I also used to go through the pack and see that everything needed was there. It's also the time when I would start re-reading some of the articles in Fur-Fish-Game, and checking the fur prices. It's also a good time to build cubbys and any other kinds of special set construction so it can age a bit before the actual set is made. Planning paths and routes for the line is also a good thing to be getting ready. There's not a whole lot that needs to be done, but it is always good to get those things out of the way.

He's just practicing his exercises for "jumping the string" later on this fall.

How long can you stand the suspense ..... lol. Last year was my first year with cameras, and I was checking them almost every day. It didn't seem to bother anything since there were new pictures every day. But ..... I've backed off a lot this year to checking them once each week. Some guys spread it out to once a month. I've got to believe that too much attention probably spreads too much unwanted scent at the locations you are trying to watch. Some of the more mature and cautious deer may begin to shift patterns. That's just a theory, and so far this year, backing off the visiting frequency has made absolutely no difference, but it just seems to make sense to limit the visits a bit.

What the heck is he doing? ....... Stretching? You've got some talented deer there that like to ham it up when they are on camera.