Doc

I'm even worse ...... I've had a trail cam since mid winter and haven't taken the time to put it up. Doc

I got an idea ....... Take the camera along and get some pictures of the stands when they are done and the shooting lanes. That'll be pretty darn interesting. Doc

Try to work on a design that cantilevers the stand off a single trunk like the commercial stands. As I said, years ago we came up with a welded up steel design that worked out real good and was designed to attach to a single trunk. We used a system of jack-screws working against a chain. I believe that a similar design could have been made out of wood. I probably wouldn't have as much faith in a wooden version a I did in those steel ones, but the design for a permanent wooden stand would be a lot simpler than what we had with our home-made semi-portables. At any rate ...... good luck. Spend a bit of time working with a pencil and paper and I'm sure you can come up with something that doesn't need multiple trees/trunks. Just remember to "over-build" whatever you put up ....... safety first. Doc

I already have a shotgun ...... a 1969 Ithaca Deerslayer. It has harvested an awful lot of deer. I bought that new, and it is all I have used for deer hunting since. No question it is very effective, especially in the short-range hunting that we have around here. This is valley country, and there just isn't a whole lot of wide open, long distance shooting. But for all these years, I have been beating the hell out of my shoulder verifying the scope alignment, and re-adjusting when necessary. The result ....... never any significant long practice sessions like I could do with a rifle. The shoulder would never stand up to that kind of abuse. I have never had any accuracy problems because of my close-range shot selection, but I still like the confidence one gets from spending hours on the range with their deer gun. Doc

One mile from the house is just about as handy as having it in your own back yard. What is it, an archery club or something? Any fee?

I'm still new to the whole system since last year was my first experience with lifetime licenses. I believe that I went down to the Town Clerk when it was announced that they were available and just presented my lifetime hunting certificate, and she performed the computer draw right there (free). Doc

My mistake. I meant to say lag screws. The tree I used was a huge willow with several trunks. Being so close to the ground with my stand means that in heavy winds there is not much movement from one trunk to the other. This is something I found was very important years ago. When using multi-trunked trees, I found that wind could move one trunk relative to another with a force that no nails could resist. Every year I would have to re-nail. I'm not sure whether the same problem would occur with these huge lag-screws, but relative motion due to wind is something I am always mindful of. Doc

Hey ..... summer is a super busy time of the year when we try to cram all those warm-weather activities into an all-too-short summer. So I understand what you are talking about. I have one other problem to deal with. The stinkin' bugs will pick you up and carry you right back out of the woods where my archery range is. It really is pretty hard to concentrate of shooting form when a mosquito or black fly is munching on your neck. They don't ease up until about August. That is when I start practicing in earnest. Doc

It looks like rifles will be allowed in southern Ontario County this year.The resolution is in Albany being voted on by the Assembly and Senate and then it will move on to signature by the Governor. The whole thing was a bit controversial, and it really looked like it wouldn't make it through the County Legislature. In fact the majority of supervisors from the towns that are actually affected (southern townships) voted against the resolution. But the larger townships north of the proposed rifle zone carried the proposal because they have a weighted vote where the votes of the larger townships carry more weight in the final tally than the smaller ones. Personally, I went back and forth on the issue because just because I am a hunter doesn't mean that I didn't have some of the same concerns as any other resident. In fact my house sits at the end of a 200 yard state field, and looks like the perfect set-up for a bullet through the wall. However, now that the issue seems to be a done-deal, I'll sure be one of the first with a rifle out there. I've spent enough years pounding my shoulder to pieces with that old 12 guage. I sure wasn't able to spend a whole lot of time target practicing with it. Something like a nice .243 would certainly be a treat. Doc

Pretty good looking trails there. I pretty much have only one trail that goes up the "killer hill" behind the house. Other than snow removal in the driveway, the primary duty of my ATV is to get me up that hill. I generally park it just under the rim of the hill and then begin my wandering around hiking or scouting or hunting. Generally if I try walking up the hill, I don't have a whole lot left to do anything else. So the ATV is great for getting up there and still having the ability to do things up there. Also, My 100 yard rifle range is up on top of the hill. I have a shooting bench and a bulldozed up backstop. The only thing is that whenever I shoot, there are tripods, bags, chronograph, guns and ammo and a whole bunch of other things to carry. So the ATV is essential. So I really don't do much trail riding anymore. We used to have places to go years ago, but access has been cut off by new houses and other barriers. Time changes everything. We had some great trails that would take us for miles with both ATVs and snowmobiles. But now the ATV has been relegated to a utility tool. Doc

Now here is something I want to work in a bit more this year. The only thing is that it interferes with my bow hunting. However, I want a few good squirrel diners and get to take my old .22 hornet out and try to get a shooting challenge from the "tree-rats". Great sport, and some pretty darn tasty meat. Doc

I'm just now starting to get a bit of an urge to pick the bow up and start checking things out. I'm seeing deer getting whacked all over the roads, and from the look of trails and a few actual sightings, it looks like there will be no shortage of deer. I almost ran the lawnmower over a fawn the other day. It was right on the edge of the lawn laying right out in plain sight, but I was half awake staring off into the thicket next to the yard and didn't see the little critter until he jumped up at about 8' away and took off. Same thing happened last year. I've been making my periodic walks around the hill and it looks like all the usual areas are being well used, so yep, I'm just now beginning to get a bit psyched. However, having said all that, I still have an awful lot of summer to enjoy yet. Occasional fishing trips, and other vacation activities. I want to soak up as much of this heat as I can and try to remember these nice warm days when I'm going into my third hour of freezing on stand. I swore last year that I would thoroughly use and enjoy the whole summer instead of wishing it away waiting for deer season ...... lol. And by golly that's exactly what I'm doing. Doc

Well, it looks like we may be able to use rifles in southern Ontario County. After two other false starts, the Ontario Board of supervisors finally passed the resolution and has sent it on to Albany for a Assembly and Senate vote and then signature by the Governor. All that should be done by next season, so now I have to buy a new deer rifle, and scope, and reloading dies. I'm thinking of getting a .243, probably in a Remington model 700 SPS. I just bought that rifle in a .223 for coyote and fox hunting and fell in love with it. I believe they make the same rifle in .243. If so I think that's probably what I want. Anybody have any other suggestions? Doc

I'm still hunting with my old Mathews MQ-32. The little critter is a faithful old stand-by that is a deer-harvesting machine. Doc

I was just curious about the practice habits that members use. I know some shoot year around and even belong to winter and summer leagues. For me I generally drag the bow out about August and then practice sessions are a few times a week generally for an hour or two for each session. As October gets closer and closer the sessions get more and more frequent and longer. Generally during the season, I still need more fine tuning as things start getting colder and more clothes have to be piled on (That always affects my shooting). So what kind of routine do you guys get into to stay sharp for hunting season? Doc

Yeah, I get the Outdoor Channel and VS. and I really enjoy an occasional hunting show now and then. The problem is that I can burn out on them especially when they start having a lot of deer hunting shows in a row. Also, I have become a bit suspicious of some of the almost guaranteed set-ups that are super hard for the average hunter (me in particular) to relate to. Most of these guys are really deer hunting a whole different world than I or anyone I know has to hunt. So if they are going to show programs that depict something that I will never actually experience, I'd rather see the shows that are about grizzley bears, brown bears, moose, elk, mountain goats, sheep or hogs or even the African hunts or any other of the more exotic hunting trips. I even enjoyed that Tom Miranda hunt for musk-ox. My favorite guy to watch is Jim Shockey. He seems to get into a better variety of species that I like to see hunted. Doc

Back a bunch of years ago when I was still hunting in the trees, a buddy from work and I started welding up some great semi-portable treestands. They worked great until I started to get this weird phobia about heights. So I gave all those away and built one wooden treestand down in the thicket in front of the house. I kept the height to 12' and made the platform 5' x 5' with a railing all the way around. The thing is made out of pressure treated 2 x 8's and fastened to the tree with heavily galvanized 5/8" lag bolts. I think the stand will still be there after the tree falls down and rots away..... lol. I still only use it a few times each season and mostly for gun season. This massive stand is the only one that I feel comfortable in anymore. It's kind of like a huge treehouse without walls or a roof. I always figured that I should finish it off with a roof and some partial walls so it would be weather-proof. Doc

For old geezers like me, it was a fantastic deal. I had just turned 65 and was looking forward to the free Geezer license when they decided to up the age of eligibility. Then my brother-in-law told me about the Senior lifetime license that was still dirt cheap for that year only. I jumped at it and am I ever glad that I did. The only thing is that it sounds like everyone who jumped at the lifetime licenses and a huge influx of license money was taken in this year (one-shot). Most likely that money is already spent or at least spoken for. So it makes you wonder what they are going to do in subsequent years with all these hunters basically hunting for free. Are they going to figure out "back-door" ways of reneging on these lifetime licenses? ....... We'll see. Doc

What an honor to be in on the ground floor of a brand new NYS forum. And it looks like a first class operation too. So now I guess it's up to us new members to grow this forum through participation and through spreading the word about its existance. We have a long way to go in order to restore the activity level to what it was before, so let's get going! I have a lot to learn about the nuts and bolts of this forum, and will start rooting around immediately. Doc