Doc

Dick Henry, the guy who wrote the artice, is a recently retired big game biologist from the DEC. He knows his stuff. There's a lot of people who "know their stuff" including a few in the DEC, that don't seem to agree with the premise of the article. But then I suppose that a person would have to fancy themselves as a bit of an expert themselves in order to know whether somebody really "knows their stuff" ..... lol. But in the end, it all turns out to be a "my biologist is smarter than your biologist" kind of argument. Not terribly meaningful and frankly, I'm not impressed. However as much as I am not really an expert in the field, I feel pretty secure in predicting that the deer herd will most likely get along just fine for the next century and probably a few after that without AR, inspite of all the "sky is falling" claims from all the self-proclaimed "experts". How on earth is it that we still have all these deer running around, and even a surplus of them occasionally? Doc

Yes, I am looking at some of that "needed rain" pouring down right now.

The deer read those posted signs and have figured that it must be safe in there. Wise hunters understand these things and put their stands where they can look into posted land and shoot those posted-sign reading deer. Of course guys hunting along property lines know that the posted signs don't pertain to them, so if they have to go over and drag the deer back over to their own side, it's not really a problem.

No, I was replying to erussell's comment about Alabama, not western states. However your comments about NYS are on target . Doc

This is a perfect example of how hunting is turning the focus on hunter vs. hunter competition. I hate it! This is what is making hunting a cut-throat activity that has hunters all jockeying for advantages over each other and climbing over each other's backs just to out-do each other. The whole mentality is strangling hunting.

I'm never ready. I've got all year to organize things and build things and do all the things that I will wish I had done, and I still never seem to have enough time to feel like I am completely all set.

Apparently some states do put their money where their mouth is when it comes to wildlife management. NY will never have that level of management because they are too busy giving away all the money to anyone who asks for it, and also supporting a bloated monstrous bureacracy. Too bad but that's the penalty for living in a pinko state. Doc

Yeah, I think it is a good idea to make the distinction between anti-hunters and non-hunters. I have no particular use for anti-hunters. Their minds are made up, and they are the more aggressive, militant style, of in-your-face people. Non hunters simply don't hunt. They don't want to for any number of legitimate reasons and they are not on any social campaigns to rid the world of the practice of hunting. I can live with that. Not only that, but occasionally there is a chance of winning over a convert. That is not a possibility with the anti-hunters.

How do glasses work when using a peep sight? Any problems?

For deer hunting, a logging operation is the best thing that could happen. The new browse that will come up in future seasons will draw deer like a magnet. The tops (if left) will provide great cover and the benefits of the whole thing will be there for quite a few years. The bad news is exactly what everybody else was saying. The same year as the logging, there may be a bit to much activity. Also, any patterning that you have done will be trashed as deer trails get diverted and covered with tops. Also food sources may change with a lot of new ones being opened up. The good news is that all these inconveniences are temporary. Overall ......... it's a good thing.

I'm glad this thread was started. You all kind of reminded me that it would be a good idea to get mine set up so the deer can get used to it. I'll be getting busy on that as soon as I get the rain to stop long enough to get out there. Thanx for the reminder! Doc

Of course it would be a good idea to speak first with someone with a bunch of years in the driveway business, but here's my thought on the trench idea. Depending of course on the nature of the soil you're putting the driveway over, digging a trench and filling it with gravel may just provide a gravel filled "canal". If the grond is predominantly clay, a trench filled with gravel could actually contain the water under the driveway until it slowly leached through the clay. That's why I suggested that a slightly raised driveway with ditches on the side would conduct water away from the driveway area and leave a fairly thick, high and dry, well-drained, road-bed. I don't know ..... that's what worked well for me with some very extreme water conditions. But like I said, I would talk to somebody who has actual experience in putting in driveways in all kinds of ground conditions and see what they suggest. Doc

Every stand I build is a maximum of 20 yards from the trail that I am watching. Of course, deer don't always stay on trails and bucks are notorious for walking crosswise to trails when they are doing their scent-checking thing for does. So, I am still forced to make a judgement call on how far I will shoot. I have a 30 yard pin on my bow, and that is as far as I feel 100% competent and as sure as anyone actually can be that things will go well on the deer's end of the shot. Doc

Unfortunately, that's not exactly what they said. They left out stating flat out that bait has to have a "food" component to it and all else is legal. By the time you get done reading all that crap, you kind of come away with the idea that that is what they are getting at but for some reason laws are generally written up in the most confusing way they can think of.

Here was my experience with my pop-up that I got last year. I set the thing up nested neatly into some pines. I thought it was good enough ..... lol. A group of several does came out at the lower end of my small field (about 150 yards away) they moved up the field and at about 100 yards, the one larget doe stopped and began the old head bobbing, foot stomping, routine. Everybody but her was fooled. By the time she got done, they all took off although I think the others really didn't know what her problem was. The next day, I set it all back up again, except this time I tucked it back behind the limbs of the pine trees, and brushed it all in with goldenrod. When I got done, it was an absolute perfect camo job. In fact about a wek later when I finally decided to try out the new set-up, I actually got a bit confused for a few minutes as to where I put it. It was a good set-up and is the way I should have done it in the first place. But this time, nobody showed up. So, the moral of the story is camo or not, those things still stick out. Do your absolute best job of concealing and brushing it all in right from the first time you use it. I'll be trying it out again this year. Doc

How was the golf ball supported? Was it sitting against a dirt bank? Or was it sitting on top of something? It looks to me like it might be a case of how much resistance (inertia) to moving back the golf ball encountered. for example if the ball were supported so that only its weight caused the resistance (as in sitting on top of some horizontal rail or something), there might not be enough inertia to cause complete penetration. If you were to set the ball against a dirt embankment where its rearward movement were obstructed, the results might be considerably different. That sounds like a fun experiment. Doc

See, that's why I don't use any of that crap ...... lol. It all just adds a whole lot of confusion, and I haven't really established any proof in my mind that any of it does any good. Wherever the cost doesn't discourage me, the doubt definitely does. ;D Legality questions? ..... well that's just one more reason not to be bothered with it all.

Yes, that reminds me of another important feature ....... ditches. Back years ago when I put in my 1000' driveway, it ran right through an area that traditionally had standing water (a swamp). I cleared the whole thing by hand (axe, and brush-hook) about 40 ' wide and then had the guy with the bulldozer dig huge ditches, about 3 feet deep. The dirt from the ditches went up onto the roadbed to form an elevated driveway. So I had the ditches to conduct away water, and the driveway was the highest thing in the area so it always drained well. We're heading into our 40th year here, and that driveway is as solid as any professional county road, and it was put through the center of a swamp. I'm sure you're not dealing with a swamp, but there is still some virtue in having a roadbed that is higher than the surrounding ground, and some nice deep ditches to conduct away water. Doc

Assuming that I actually get out opening day, I will be on stand about 15 to 30 minutes before legal shooting time and will likely stay around 3 or 4 hours. Then I will probably go back home for some chow and then head back out for a bit of careful scouting. Then I will get back on stand about 2 or 3 hours before quitting time. It's not the same as opening day of gun season. That day is a little more ridgid in terms of sitting all day. That is the day when I expect other hunters to become my drivers (beaters), and opening day is when they are at their most plentiful and usefulness. Bow season opener is a whole lot more subtle, and other hunters do not play any part in my hunting (and I hope they never do .....lol). So, things are a lot more relaxed for bow season.

everything is way over-priced, and archery equipment (including broadheads) is no exception. I've been rebelling against all this gouging for a couple of years. Well, at least "rebelling" is what I've been calling my recent cheapness. I don't buy anything anymore unless it is to replace something that broke. They can take their $40/3-pack broadheads and stuff them up ........... Well, let's just say that I am not interested in adding to my broadhead collection anymore along with other assorted piles of redundant archery equipment.

I haven't really set any goals yet. I'm having a hard time assessing the deer situation here so far this year. I thought I had it figured out as being a pretty good year with lots of deer, but recent sign (or lack of it) is leaving me with some doubts. I seldom have to make any decisions right away at the beginning of the season. And it won't take a lot of time to figure out just how fussy I can afford to be.

They're just messing with you and your hunting. I hate that. There's no reason to be that way.

That's a pretty iron-clad definition. I don't think that leaves a whole lot of room for interpretation or question. I do think it would have been clearer to straight out say that if it is a food attractant, it is automatically assumed to be illegal bait or food for deer.

And of course the most important item in all of that is that snickers bar (especially the kind with the dark chocolate).

And vice-versa. I have no interest in screwing with anybody else's hunt either.