Doc

Yes ........ check the syllabus for dates.

Whenever most AR proponents start talking about AR, they speak of shoving it on the entire state regardless of the factors of habitat, climate impacts and other things that determine deer density and quality. When I hear this, my mind immediately goes to the hunters and hunting conditions in the Adirondacks. I know there are a lot of areas there and probably other places as well that have about the worst deer habitat, coupled with significant winter mortality. Frankly, I can't see adding any further restrictions on those folks. Also, I know there are places where DMPs are extremely scarce and perhaps in some areas non-existant. The permit allocations in those areas are low because there simply are very few deer there. To slap restrictions on those people in those areas would mean that perhaps the only deer they see in a season, or two, or more, would be illegal to shoot except for one or two very very lucky individuals. Without a doe option, and a situation where almost all of the bucks would be illegal to shoot, I'm afraid we would likely see more hunters frustrated out of our ranks. We would be in effect saying, "Go ahead and spend your hard-earned cash on our recently over-inflated licenses, but you really have no chance of harvesting anything". So, I am not interested at all in any kind of AR that ignores herd conditions. AR, if implemented, has to be done so with some element of common sense involved. Just as any other management tool, some actual attempts at determining where and how to use it has to take place. This is not a regulation where one-size-fits-all. Doc

Bowhunter, Fur-Fish-Game, also New York Outdoor News (a NY sportsmen's newspaper) Doc

Yes you're absolutely correct. There is no point in continuing this discussion. I have stated my opinion and I have shown that the only people officially representing bowhunters in NYS (including you), that have any impact is NYB. You can go on with your "if all bowhunters did this" and "if all bowhunters did that" all you want, but the plain fact is that the only ones that are dedicated to doing anything for NYS bowhunters and who actually are doing anything for NYS bowhunters is the NYB. Your eagerness to keep bowhunters in a disorganized state will not allow you to admit the obvious, so what is the point of continuing the discussion? Also now that it has been pointed out, the link between the hostility toward NYB and desire to cram crossbows into the bow seasons is actually quite clear now too. I was wondering what was behind all this and now it is obvious that there are those that will put their need for crossbows above the need for organized bowhunters. I guess there is no need or value in discussing that. Might just be possible that organized bowhunting (NYB) is really better off without those people. Doc

Actually, they don't refuse to allow input from members at all. In fact if you were a member you would be familiar with the questionaires were sent out where they solicited opinions and input from members. You would also be familiar with the fact that these guys do not hide their contact information and are easily available for comment by phone or e-mail. That's the problem with commenting on an organization that you are not a member of. But look, I am starting to tire of this thread and am not really happy about extending this discussion as a platform for you to do the anti's work of trying to tear down all organization of bowhunters without any positive ideas on how to come up with anything better. It's clear that you have had some bad experience that has left you with a total hatred of the organization or some personal problem with someone in the NYB. I can't help you out with that. But I do find it disturbing that your attempts at discouraging bowhunters from joining together and strengthening the sport through organization is exactly a tactic that the animal rights people would use. Yes, they are the people who joined together to openly declare war specifically on bowhunters and coincidentally you seem to be bent on doing their work for them by discouraging bowhunters from seeking organization while at the same time offering no alternative. That's not a position I as a bowhunter would be real comfortable with. Doc

That's great! I'll have to go poking through my pictures and se if there are any that anybody might be interested in. Doc

Great! ..... when are you going to start it up? Doc

Fantail- That is one ugly hole in that deer!!! Nasty...Nasty....nasty! Doc

I kind of like something in the neighborhood of 16", which is about the height of my hunting stool ...... lol. I'm not in the trees anymore except for one treestand that I call "The Hotel" which resembles a tree house more than a treestand. Doc

Oh, how I envy you. My house has always been and always will be a perpetual "time-sink" and I don't think I will ever be saying that I am on the last thing, or even be able to see that kind of light at the end of the tunnel. But as much as I complain about it, I still have to admit that I enjoy it all. Doc

Where is the best place to host the photos? ..... Best being easiestand quickest to access and upload pictures to. Doc

Hang on there, they do not speak for me, my letters to my state reps do, as well as my non-membership in NYB. I wouldnt have the time to try and change anything from the inside of that curmudgeon organization. As far as starting an organization, I kind of remember a couple of guys talking about that on the old site and I also remember a few guys that vehimently tried shooting their idea down, saying things like "there are already enough organizations in NY" and "others have tried and not succeeded". Im not sniping, like I said, my next set of letters will be round #3 for me. I just choose not to join an organization full of elitists. Like it or not, I repeat that NYB speaks for bowhunters and you know it is true. I don't really want to discourage anyone from independantly writing letters to legislators and any other body of power, but the plain facts are that the power of your single communication is dwarfed and made insignificant on bowhunting issues simply because NYB is the only recognized and organized body of bowhunters. And that is true regardless of their size or standpoint on the issues. You can call them all the names you want. You can rant and rail in forums all you want, but the fact is that it is the movers and shakers within that organization that officially has the ear of the legislature and the DEC when those people feel like listening to bowhunters at all. They are the ones that DO take the time to push issues in the direction they want them. We can all sit here and say we don't like this and we don't like that, but its all wasted energy. My take is that I agree with more of what they believe and do than those things that I don't. Yes there are some significant issues that I have total disagreement with them on. I have made the opportunities to have my say, including lengthy phone calls with the President of the organization. I suspect that if the membership agreed with me and took the brief amount of time that it takes to register their opinion, there would be changes. However, we have far too many people who would rather not get involved. That includes members as well as those who like to merely sit on the sidelines with nothing invested and take potshots. By the way, I do still believe that we have enough sportsmen's organizations, but I will say that if someone truly believes that they have a big enough gripe with NYB and they want to lend some credibility to their position, putting their time effort and money where there mouth is, as the current organization does, would certainly show credibility and dedication to their position. No, they would not get my support, because I do not share their view that NYB is broken beyond repair. I do not expect or demand that NYB needs to agree with everyone of my views, and I don't know any reasonable person who would ever expect that. Those that do are guaranteed to forever be malcontents no matter how many organizations you come up with. What I do believe is that bowhunters are better served in this state and in any state if they are organized than if they are not. Apparently not everyone agrees with that. Doc

Well, you probably are right, but when I was floating the question on a few forums, there seemed to be more than a few that talked about this "vertical lining" or whatever the term was. I'm sure whatever they were talking about was probably some small effect that I probably would never be able to detect given my shooting abilities, but Since there was a pile of money involved, I took the safe route, and left the controversy for others to to sort out. I have not been unhappy with my Remington choice and probably wouldn't be disappointed with another one in the gun cabinet. Doc

Like it or not, until you form your own bowhunting organization, NYB is the only organization that speaks for all bowhunters. They are the only recognized bowhunter mouthpiece by legislators and the DEC and anyone else who influences the activity of bowhunting. So, if you have a problem with how they are representing you, and the stances on issues that they take, I would suggest that you do something about it such as joining and changing things from the inside or starting your own organization. I suspect that you might not like the latter choice, because you would soon find out that the world is full of people who would rather stand on the outside offering nothing but worthless sniping. But at least you would be actively trying to represent bowhunters in a positive fashion for a change instead of just sitting back and carping at those who do devote time and effort in the cause of having bowhunters heard. Doc

Nothing special ....... just a 3x -10x Bushell. That's one place where I could use improvement on all my guns is the scopes. The problem is that a really good scope costs more than the gun, and the whole package gets to be a bit of a strain on the wallet. Doc

I had problems with PSE way back in the early 80's, and I never went back. So I assumed that they had cleaned up their act ......... apparently not. Doc

Applying in 8N is almost a guaranteed two-permits. I have been getting the maximum number just about every year for a long time now. Doc

Another requirement will be a low cost of re-loading too. I do my own re-loading, which means a lot of bench shooting working up a good load that performs well. So component cost and powder cost will be a consideration. There sure are a lot of calibers in the lower end that are in the running, but like I said, the .243 is the only one that I have actually had "hands-on" experience with. When I bought my .223 varmint gun (Remington 700 SPS), I also looked at the Thompson Encore. I came very close to buying one. There was some concern going around teh forums and in a couple of magazine articles about the hinge-style action on that style of single shot. There was some talk about an error that produces vertical group creeping. They had a term for it which escapes me at the moment. However at the same time I was hearing about this potential problem, I came across a pretty good deal on the Remington, so I went in that direction. I never looked any deeper into the controversy over the pivoting single shots, so I never really put that story to rest. I've been so happy with the .223 Remington 700 SPS, that I will probably be looking to get the same model only chambered in a deer caliber (assuming they make such a critter). Doc

No, I don't do a whole lot of practicing beyond 30 yards anymore. Those shots out to 80 yards were from back in the 80's when I used to shoot the NFAA competitions. They had a few of these long distance shots which I actually did get fairly good at. Those longer shots are kind of the tie-breakers. They are fun to do, especially with a recurve. You do your best to set up and execute the shot and then you just watch the arrow go and go almost like in slow motion. It seems to take forever to get down there to the target. However, some of the other competitive archery organizations have competitions where archers shoot out to 100 meters. Great fun! Doc

I guess what I was thinking of when I mentioned taking some of the mowed material off the plot was the massive amounts of hay that you typically see laying on top of hayfields when farmers mow. It looks like a large enough volume to suffocate what is trying to grow if it was all just left there. I suppose that if you mow it often enough and don't let it get like a hay crop, it might not be a problem. Also, as long as you're not using a sickle-bar mower, the stuff might get mulched up fine enough to sift its way back down to the dirt like what happens on your lawn. Doc

Yeah, one of the things that started me cleaning the squirrels right on the spot in the woods was when I discovered that they were full of fleas. I didn't want to be dragging a bunch of fleas home. The same thing would apply to ticks if they were a problem here. Doc

I have a range set up in the basement for winter shooting. I can get a 15 yard shot. I just use smaller bullseyes to compensate. Outside, behind the house, in the woods, I have a range that's marked out in 10 yard increments from 10 yards to 80 yards. I don't use the super long yardages all that much. They are kind of a carry-over from my NFAA competition days. The range is lighted from 30 yards in. Doc

Glad you found your way here. Doc

One of the most recognizable symbols of NY is the state outline. How do you incorporate that into a logo? ............. I don't know. Maybe the shape around the deer could be the NYS outline? Personally, I don't think what you came up with is all that bad. I kind of like it. Doc

So far over here in my chunk of Ontario County, we haven't had a lot of ticks on the squirrels. Maybe it's just a matter of time, because I have found ticks on deer. The squirrels are full of fleas though. Generally, I skin them right in the woods as soon as I get them and leave the hide behind. I carry a big zip-lock bag for the skinned carcasses. All the guts and skin stay behind for the critters to feed on. Doc