Doc

Early on I had Ben Pearson, Shakespeare, Wing, Damon Howatt Super Diablo and two Bear recurves, and then bought my first compound ..... a butt-ugly bear whitetail which by the way probably still holds the record for the most deer I've taken with a single bow. My first quality compound bow was a PSE Citation. I shot that for a few years for hunting and field archery and then bought some 40# competition limbs and rebuilt the whole bow giving it a new fancy paint job (of course that made it shoot better scores). Then I bought a PSE Laser for hunting. Both PSE bows were exceptional for the time as far as being top of the line, high performance bows. Of course, I was getting into the mode where I had to always have the best ..... ha-ha, so I bought a Bear Tamerlane for tournament shooting and then started making my way through Golden Eagle, pro-line, and finally up to the Mathews MQ-32 that I still shoot today. Oh yeah, I won a Ben Pearson compound as a door prize when Jim's pro-shop first opened up on route 332. He's in Manchester now. That one I gave to one of my sons who needed a new bow at the time. But I must say that the early PSE bows treated me pretty good and I was always a fan, but I simply couldn't stay with one manufacturer (Always chasing that elusive fastest, smoothest, quietest and best bow) until I finally bought the Matthews. Now it looks like that will be the last bow I ever will buy unless it breaks or something. I've now entered the "cheapskate" stage of my life ..... lol. The same old bow and 1980's vintage Easton Autumn Orange XX-75 arrows, and they are still killing deer. Doc

I don't think anyone is doing that here. I haven't read anything negative about setting your own goals and challenges. In fact, I think that is exactly what Wildcats160 was suggesting should be afforded him. However, as I mentioned, I have heard an awful lot of people who announce their standards in such a way that it sounds more like a criticism of those who for whatever reasons choose limits that are not quite as stringent. Personally, I consider hunting goals to be personal, and I can't think of a single reason why anyone other than myself would ever be interested in them. Understand that there are those that would look at that 74" deer on your wall and immediately start telling you about how they don't shoot deer that small. They may start going on and on about how you should have passed on that deer for a year or maybe even two more to let him grow up. Then they might start in on how NYS needs a law to prevent deer that small from being harvested. If you can imagine how that would make you feel, then maybe you understand exactly what Wildcats160 and I are talking about. Doc

Yes, I can see how close shots could pose a problem with the scope set at 24X. However, it's no real problem to dial it back to 6x. I never take running shots and don't even like to be hurried in my shots, so as long as I have the opportunity to change the magnification that probably wouldn't be a real problem. However, I am beginning to see the wisdom of the 3x - 9x selection. We're not out west shooting at 400 yards ...... lol. So it would seem smarter to save a gob of money, and headaches and go with the more conventional magnification selections. I guess if I were to ever get into more serious bench-rest shooting, I would maybe have to re-address the scope selection. Doc

Right. No reason to freak out about it too much. I don't know ...... If a little freaking out is what it takes to wake gun owners up a bit and stop them from simply shrugging off every occasion where the antis keep poking us in the eye then maybe a bit of paranoia is not a bad thing. I don't even have a pistol permit, but I still think that those gun-owners who do should not have to be hung out there, vulnerable to potential abuse and harrassment. Why should gun owners be singled out for this kind of listing? Is there something criminal about owning a handgun? Is there something about a handgun owner that requires that the public be warned of his existance and location? Are we now akin to child molesters that need to have their identities published? That certainly is the implications of this public listing and frankly I don't think there is anything about a handgun owner that deserves this special kind of treatment. There just isn't any need for it ...... period. If gun owners get excited enough about this to do something about future abuses of this sort, I certainly am not going to discourage any of that. Doc

;D Maybe the farmer's wife should have been looking for someone to shoot the barn cats instead of the woodchucks. Doc

I assume you have looked at the possibility of temporarily removing parts of the door jam if the size is close. Sometime some simple temporary dismantleing and then reassembling can save the day if it is almost making it through. Doc

Actually, I was the one to raise the example of the nuclear plant. That might be where you got diverted a bit.....lol. However, I think it is a good example of a place where you might run into the scenario asked about in the original post. Another would be school property where I think the prohibition of firearms is much more than a mere suggestion, and is backed up with the force of law. Other places of business may or may not have legal standing for such prohibitions, but I don't think I would want to be the one to test it out......lol. I try not to purposely practice activities that I know are unwelcome on someone else's property. Doc

Well, as far as I am concerned, that is the most powerful argument against AR of any that I have heard. In fact for me it is the only argument that matters. I am not for any new regulations that drive hunters from our ranks. It's not necessary and if it does harm to our already diminishing numbers, then why would anyone be for it? Doc

Ok ...... So how do you evaluate a pro-shop? We all know how badly some of these guys can screw your bow up. The timing of such screw-ups could cost you a good chunk of your season. So what criteria do you use. There seems to be no meaningful credentials to go by. I have had my bow screwed up miserably by a bow shop that came highly recommended. Others that I have had some good history with all eventually go out of business. So right now, if I had to have some work done, I wouldn't have a clue who to go to. So, when your in this situation, do you just hand over your prized bow, cross your fingers and hope for the best, or have you all figured out some method of interrogating these guys to see if they really know what they are doing? Doc

Lol ..... We do hear a lot of that, don't we? Everytime I hear someone declaring to the world how they hold out for this and hold out for that, I always wonder just what are they really trying to say. Is it really just another way of trying to convince the world that they are such a great hunter that they don't need to harvest those little bucks. Sometimes it does kind of have that ring to it, doesn't it? I feel much more comfortable around those that quietly set their own goals and challenges and don't spend a whole lot of time bragging to the world what those challenges and goals are. Sometimes those quiet ones will surprise you with what's hanging on their wall. Doc

They probably should have a little hair on them ...... lol

Yeah, I wouldn't try that at a nuclear power plant ...... lol. Most likely you might not want to disregard those kinds of signs at a school either.

As far as I can find, no one is doing any study anywhere that looks at the impact to hunter numbers due to AR in areas where there should be none. That includes the NYS experiments and the PA statewide results or any other state that has ARs. I'm not saying that such studies don't exist, but I have not been able to find any. I really don't think that it is a research priority with any of these state game agencies, and it certainly is not a priority with the "Let's jam ARs down everybody's throat" crowd. Personally for me, that is the only issue with ARs. I don't care about high-grading, or any of the maneuvered and biased studies on how AR is an emergency mandatory salvation of the species. I could care less whether there are old sway-back bucks behind every tree or not. That sort of thing has zero priority with me. What I do have a problem with is regulating hunters right out of the field, and the fact that nobody is even asking the question whether that is happening or not. Doc

I haven't sold a fur for a lot of decades, but there's still a lot of trappers in business who have places to sell their hides. Back then there were fur buyers everywhere. Locally today we have the Genesee Valley Trappers Assn. that holds periodic fur auctions. I'm sure that no matter where you are located there are buyers somewhere not too far away. You might want to make an inquiry in the trapping forum on this site. I believe Eddie is right. The fur market is not at he top of its game right now. But if you are interested, go to a well stocked magazine rack and pick up a copy of Fur-Fish-Game and toward the back there is always a run-down on what furs are going for. It seems to me that Northeast coyote pelts were going for somewhere between $15 and $25 depending on size and condition (I'd have to re-check that). That should help defray some of the gas and ammo money used hunting those critters. It might even pay to take a few of those dead dogs off the hands of your coyote hunting buddys. Doc

Just imagine you are one of these deep pockets execs on an African safari. $45,000 probably wouldn't even make you blink. Hey, there's a lot of money out there these days. None of it in my pocket mind you, but there's a bunch of people who look at $45,000 as toy-money. Take a trip up to the Rochester yacht Club or head down to that place in Victor that sells Corvettes. Example are everywhere ..... lol. Some of those people would buy one of those guns just to say they have it. Doc

There seems to be a particular scope magnification that shows up in about 90% of any sales flyers advertising scopes. That would be a 3x-9x variable. Fact is that I have a couple of them on my rifles myself and am quite happy with them for 100 yard target and general varmint shooting. BUT.... I must say that my best target groups ever shot were with a strange gun (belonging to my Brother-in-law) and a strange scope that I had never shot before, which was a .243 with a variable scope set at 24X. It brought the bullseye up so large that it really looked like I couldn't possibly miss. And by golly, I didn't miss. the 5 shot group was under a 1/4" at 100 yards. So the question is, aside from price (his scope cost a bajillion dollars) why would anyone settle for just a common 3x-9x. Ok, I know one of the answers ...... a 24X view of a deer 20 yards away would probably look like a huge wall-to-wall brown pile of hairs. Are there any other drawbacks to the higher magnification scopes? What size magnification would you chose for deer hunting, if cost was no object? Maybe there is another selection that gives a good field of view but a higher magnification than 9x. Doc

What's interesting is that we have had several test WMUs in the state for a few years now, and I don't know if anyone is gathering any scientific data or making and publishing any official and credible observations. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places, but it seems to me that it is kind of a waste to be conducting trials without paying any attention to the results. Doc

And when you get it all figured out, let me in on the secret. I can't get them interested either. I do get an occasional fox to come in, but never a coyote. I'm going to try covering a bit more ground this winter. Start hitting the backroads and cover some miles by car instead of trying to pack all my crap around the hill on foot. I just can't cover enough ground. Maybe driving from one calling area to another will put me in contact with more coyotes. Who knows. It's worth a try .... nothing else is working. Doc

Well, I honestly have never gone to one of these places, and I guess I am picturing the worst ..... lol. I must say that if the animals I'm hunting don't even look like the wild variety, and the hunt is even a bit bogus, I can't figure out why I would want to go and spend exhorbitant amounts of money for pork that I could buy cheaper from a farmer. Really ...... what's the point. Those two little piggies in the back of that truck would look real good as a nice head mounts on the wall. I can picture them now next to the stuffed Rhode Island red chicken on the end table and the holstein shoulder mount. Maybe you could rent the new hog game call .... you know, the one that goes "Soooey - Soooey" when you blow on it. ;D Maybe you could take out the one with the collar around it's neck, laying over next to feeding trough if you can figure out how to get an arrow through that welded wire fence. Ok, so now I'm getting a bit carried away. However, on a serious note, I could be completely wrong about the whole set-up, but I really don't believe it would be anything that I would be interested in. That doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with it, but it just isn't my thing. I just can't warm up to hunting anything that comes running waggling its tail when it's called ...... SORRY! ..... Couldn't help myself ..... just kidding!! Doc

And I think back to the days when all we had was a rope tied around our waist. Probably would be dead by now if we had ever had to actually use it. Nobody really knew any better, or if they did they weren't telling anyone. Doc

Speaking of trimming brush, I suppose it might be useful to mention the care that should be taken when doing the high-wire act in the tree-tops trying to remove those branches that want to dangle down in your arrow's path. I've seen guys running around in the tree-tops like some sort of chimp, dangling from one limb and stretching out to cut another. You can mangle your body falling from doing those kinds of acrobatics just as easily as falling from a treestand. I don't think I have any good safety equipment to recommend for those excusions out on a limb other than to recommend not chosing a tree that needs that kind of dangerous pruning. Doc

For a gun collector, the price would probably be worth it just to have a one-of-a-kind. For me, probably not. However, it would be interesting to see how the mechanism worked. It seemed to be awful smooth considering all the functions the bolt was doing. I didn't notice what the caliber was, but it seemed to be something that was setting the guy back pretty good. My guess is that it might be something developed for the African large dangerous game kind of hunts where a quick second shot may be worth considerably more than just money. Reliability would be the next question and of course the video gave no clue about that. That would be something best judged with hands-on inspection and use. Doc

Interesting looking "wild boars" ...... lol. That's the main reason I never went to one of these places. It's hard to figure out which ones are going to make you feel like you are hunting in a barnyard. Doc

Yeah, NYB took that over, I suppose because nobody else was doing it. I think those (archery and pellet gun shooting activities) are the best features of the event. How many of those kids might never get chance to shoot those things and spark an interest as a result? Actually the whole thing is great for introducing youngsters into the outdoor sports. The different exhibits and presentations show kids that there is something beyond the latest electronic gadget. And the participation activities are probably the most effective of all. Doc

And to emphasize that point, take a look at the list of various "Stakeholders" that are defined in the blurb on the DEC website about CFTs (Citizen Task Force). Farmers, hunters, foresters, conservationists, motorists, the tourism industry, landowners, small business, etc. You will find more eligible representatives from what I call the "anti-deer forces" than you will those that want to see more (or any for that matter) deer. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7207.html We may think we rule the roost where the DEC is concerned, but our influence has been eroding over the years. As far as the DEC managing "the deer herd to meet the carrying capacity of the land", I'm afraid that in reality, it looks like their primary concerns are the impacts to financial interests around the state, and how best to keep satisfied, and quiet, "stakeholders". Doc