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