Doc

I hope no one thought that I was comparing the intelligence of a deer to that of a human. My point is that it cannot be said that deer are dumb. In the animal kingdom, I would say that they rank right up there. The fact that they get whacked on the highway probably speaks more to their faulty timing than the fact that they disregard autos as a threat. Also, they have another fault that even though occasionally lethal, can be seen as one of the building blocks of intelligence ..... that would be curiosity. That may be the reason for the occasional deer that tries to stare-down an oncoming vehicle. There may also be depth perception problems when looking into vehicle headlights .... I don't know, that's something I haven't personally tried .... lol. More than likely there are a lot of reasons why deer get smacked by a car, and probably none of them have much to do with stupidity. Doc

It is that Noticing of patterns and reacting in some fairly clever defensive ways that are the indicators of intelligence. No, they don't sit down and write articles on evasive maneuvers or things like that. And no they do not rival all humans in terms of intellect (some, but not all .... lol) but they do show the ability to learn, adapt and even perform some fundamental reasoning. Of course it is all relative, but it's never really a good idea to sell a deer short in the area of intelligence. On many occasions, I have found out the hard way that deer do have a far better level of intelligence than I ever used to give them credit for. Their ability to detect hunter presence and then to figure out defenses to mess up the best laid plans of hunters indicates that they do use some form of fundamental memory, reasoning, crude analysis, and problem solving. Those are all elements of intelligence and sometimes, as hunters, it pays not to underestimate that intelligence. Doc

So other state funds that has traditionally been used to conduct DEC activities are removed. It all results in the resources for the agency being severely cut regardless of whether it actually comes from the conservation fund or not. It really doesn't make any difference which pail it comes out of, it all has the same effect as raiding the Conservation Fund and the results are exactly the same. Let's face it, regardless of which set of resources the cuts have been coming from, the severe multiple raids on the DEC over the past few years have reduced the agency to a level of total ineffectiveness.

That is amazing. No instinct at work there ...... just simply intelligent learned behavior (by an animal with a brain the size of a peanut..... lol). That's got my "pasture gate hook" example with the goat beat all to heck. Doc

Maybe it had to do with Homeland Security ......... Oh it wasn't That Cairo? ;D I guess the multiple shots meant that he didn't want him to get away. I think this "sheriff's officer" had better work on his marksmanship along with getting his eyesight looked after..... Maybe he was carrying one of those flasks too ;D . Doc

Interesting question. I assume we have no laws covering fallow deer. So does that mean that it is unprotected and eligible for hunting or does that mean that since there is no specified season that allows hunting them, they cannot be hunted? Suppose one of PA's elk wandered up this way ...... would they be legal to shoot? I have no idea. Doc

Where do you do most of your bowhunting? Private land that you have control over (Ownership, lease, exclusive landowner permission to invite or exclude hunters, etc.) Guest on land owned or controlled by others Wide open private land that has no controls, maintenance or restrictions Public land (all kinds) evenly divided between two or more of the above categories Doc

I'm not sure exactly what the guys are getting for coyote pelts these days, but I'm sure it's way more than the value of the few minutes it takes to skin one out. If you are getting enough of them, you likely can make back the cost of some of your equipment and hunting supplies pretty easy. As for myself, I don't think we have enough of them to make a significant amount of money, in fact if I get one I'll be happy .... lol. So if I do get one, more than likely I will re-learn my hide tanning skills from back when I was a kid and make a wall-hanging for my den. Also for those that just get one, a mount can be kind of great in a den or trophy room. Personally, I would not want to hunt them just to leave them lay in the woods. I don't have any particular objection to those that might feel that's what they want to do, but it's just a personal thing with me. Since there are ways to dispose of them profitably, I view them as a resource that I would have to use. If you really are at a loss as to what to do with the any coyotes you may get, simply give them to a local trapper. They probably would really appreciate it. Doc

I think it will be fine as long as the meat that you saved smelled alright. The deer I got this years had all kinds of wounds from one end to the other with a very serious wound covering the entire rear. After butchering, and having cut all the bad stuff off, the meat smelled like meat ..... that's a good thing. If all of a sudden I stop posting you will know that the meat wasn't really good after all ...... lol. I like the idea of having your buddy be a test case....lol. It seems only fair Doc

The other day when we only got a couple inches of snow, the whole face of the cameras were glopped up with snow. That was the main reason I pulled them. How do you keep them functioning once we start getting regular snow storms? Doc

I pulled my cameras for the winter. It won't be too long before they are all covered up with snow anyway. Do you guys leave them out year around? Doc

Frankly, I would be surprised if Cuomo would have even the slightest interest in whether crossbows are used or not. Most likely someone would first have to explain to him just what a crossbow is..... ;D .

Mother nature can be a cruel wild game manager. It's seldom very pretty.

I suppose the difference between fact and opinion lies in whether anyone else agrees or not with the statement.....lol. Well, not to belabor the point, but to explain just what I was responding to, here is the actual text of the reply that I was referring to: I'll leave it to others to determine what is fact and what is opinion. Apparently there is not universal agreement. So anyway, almost all of the "opinions" that you feel weren't warranted, simply reflected exactly what you said, just in different words. The fact is that those comments were right on target and in my mind were warranted. And I'm thankful that those issues were raised. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that I took exception when you followed up later saying: "nobody's opinion was warranted" (that's a quote). I didn't read anything about rude, presumptive, or maligning of character or any of that. I responded to exactly what you said. Now if you want to start modifying what you meant by "nobodys opinion" then that's a different discussion. There are a lot of people here that take a zero tolerance attitude when it comes to alcohol and hunting. I am one of them. And I don't try to condemn anyone for stating that belief in whatever terms they wish whether that be opinion, fact or something else. Sorry to dwell on the point, but when someone says that "nobody's opinion was warranted" on a forum, I simply don't agree with that no matter what the subject. Doc

Sounds great Noodle. Have a lot of fun and catch a lot of fish. Doc

I swear they can tell time. And one of them must have a copy of the hunting regulations. Also I believe they have a calendar hidden out there somewhere. In previous years I have seen those critters come out on my lawn to feed on my shrubs in broad daylight on the exact day following the end of the season. How do they do that??? Doc

I would check one thing before going out. If you are in a "shotgun only" area, check out any regulations about having a center-fire rifle afield during a deer season in such areas. I'm not sure but I seem to recall some sort of restriction in that regards. Maybe somebody knows more on that. Doc

All done??? Can't we get another 68 pages out of this one? ;D ;D ;D

Yeah, but in all fairness, that was the second Monday of the season. It doesn't surprise me much when things get quiet on a weekday that far into the season. What I find kind of noteworthy (and disturbing) is when opening day shooting starts to shut down around 9:00, and other weekend days and even Thanksgiving morning starts to get so quiet compared to previous decades. That's when I start to wonder what the heck is going on. By the way, seeing 11 deer on the 2nd Monday of the season without anyone out there to keep them moving, isn't really all that bad in my estimation. Sounds like you have a decent spot. Doc

Should we do another 500 replies on crossbows (34 pages on just one of the threads)? Starts pretty easy doesn't it? Somebody lays out for the hundredth time some thought that they figured sounded pretty profound (as though one more repeating of the same line would magically convert it to fact), and then a dummy like me comes along and picks up the bait.... ;D . I think I'll set that bait back down now before we wind up boring each other with another 500 repeat arguments . Doc

No, as long as I was able to salvage most of the meat, I figured that between the doe earlier and this buck, I have gotten my share of venison for the year. I did consider taking it over to the region 8 headquarters and seeing if I could get an opinion on what caused the wounds. But I decided against it because the earliest I could get to it would have been Sunday morning and trying to find someone credible there on a Sunday didn't seem too likely ;D . Plus it is a pretty good drive over there with a stinky old goat in the back of an SUV. Doc

Somehow when it comes to drinking and hunting, I really prefer that people be a little judgemental. After all, it is a subject that involves judgement. Good for the members here for speaking their minds on the subject, and thank you for being the second one to get the opinions of condemnation going. Doc

I think hunting the Adirondacks is one of the great things that I have missed in my life. I have spent a lot of time up there during the summer months hiking, camping and fishing and I have heard a lot of you describe that kind of hunt and I'm sure it would have been something that I would have really enjoyed (with or without a kill). I think in order to do it right, it is a bit beyond my physical abilities now, but I certainly do appreciate the appeal of that kind of hunt, and I really love the descriptions of those who have done it. So when someone asks if Adirondack deer hunts are worth it, I don't doubt for a minute that the answer has to be yes. To me it sounds like a quality hunt.

Ha-ha.... I think if you also refer back to the first immediate "opinions", yours was the second. I also noted that on several of the replies, sits himself got into the old opinion game (imagine that on a forum ..... lol). Warranted???? ...... How about "expected". But anyway, opinions were not asked for but were offered ...... So what?

Yes, I think there are definite features on a crossbow that relate to a gun, but I still don't think that anyone is giving "a spin on the definition of a crossbow as a gun". I think that anyone with decent vision can see that a crossbow is not a gun and is not a bow. And, I don't know anyone who is really confused on that point. There are those that would blur the lines on those definitions, but a crossbow is a unique and specific weapon that should not be confused with either a bow or a gun. Doc