Doc

Perfect!

So exactly where does Western New York end and Central New York begin? Where is that line that defines the southern tier from the area to the north? I know where the Finger Lakes are, but where are the boundaries of the Finger Lakes area that the weather man keeps referring to? These are terms that we use every day, that no one can really define. I'll bet there are others.

So now as you are walking to your bow hunting stand in the total darkness of pre-dawn early morning, and you hear that twig snap up ahead, you now have one more vision in your head. As you realize that all you have is a bow with sight-pins that you cannot see, vs. a potential attacker with slobbering, slashing teeth, that you cannot see, the rabid coyote mental picture can join the sasquatch and sow bear with cubs picture that you already imagine now when you hear that twig snap......lol. The woods can be a scary place in the dark when you let your imagination wander a bit. Just think how that scenario would be if you added a nearby low growl to that snapped twig. Lions and tigers and bears....oh my! Now you can add a slobbering, disease-crazed, rabid, coyote to all that.

It's a sign, Growie! Kill the thing before it gets you. It's evil! It is warm because it is conjuring up the fires of Hell. Kill it! .... Kill it now! Go get that post mall before it's too late and smash it to smithereens.

You want to put a dent in the coyote population, you are going to have to start trapping. Yeah, I know the new elite and enlightened culture has deemed trapping to be barbaric and cruel and completely beneath us, but it is still the most effective population control going when used.

Yup, when you have been at this archery thing as long as I have and spent a lot of those years keeping up with the Joneses as far as archery purchases, you wind up with a pile of bows and a brand new dozen arrows that fly well out of each. Not to mention changes because of poundage changes, and other tinkering. The clear anodized ones are for my different tournament bows, and I bought out a dealers entire stock when he went out of business.

I definitely understand "cheap" If they gave out awards for being a penny-pinching miser, I would likely have a closet full of them. However, that Kindle is possessed. I've seen movies about things like that. Get that post mall or sledge out and kill that thing before it really turns on you.

Growie- Go out to the shed and grab either the post mall or the sledge hammer. Lay that Kindle on top of a rock and beat it until it disappears in a cloud of dust.

Quote: "I'm curious about how hard public ground gets hit." It's all dependent on what you consider being hit hard. If I see one other hunter, I am likely to say that the area is being hunted hard. Other people consider that seeing a hunter behind every tree is no big deal. The land use can vary by its proximity to any large cities or towns. Also, hunters are not the only disturbance you will find on public land as now with the current health craze, you are as likely to run into hikers and mountain bikers as you are to encounter hunters. And they have the will and determination to thoroughly canvas every square inch of a public parcel. Also, the myth about doing your hunting as far away from roads as possible is not the iron-clad rule that it used to be. I have seen bowhunters climbing there way up a 3/4 mile hands-and-knees trip some of our more steep hills, dragging tons of treestands, back-packs overflowing with equipment, and wringing wet with sweat as they tried like all the other hunters around them to "escape the crowd". Some crawl in so deep that they begin to start getting close to the next road over .... lol. For decades, every hunting magazine and TV program has been preaching the philosophy of "Go deep and have the hunting grounds all to yourself". Well, the message has been received, and there are some places where the most hunted areas are away from the roads.

These infra-red cameras can produce some of the craziest images from some rather innocent sources. That undoubtedly is some kind of critter crawling up the tree and over the camera. Of course it is out of focus, being right on top of the lens. Super close elements of the picture tend to really burn out and look like a light source. I wouldn't worry too much about trespassers or poachers at 4:30 in the morning unless your area has a history of visits from such people.

I have a bundle of 2018 Gamegetters that I have used on some of my wall full of old bows including some of my old recurves. I am sure that I will never buy another arrow again.

Somehow, I got on an email mailing list for a news letter from an organization that has a great site that features articles and great pictures of Adirondack attractions. I started reading this newsletter completely every time it came, and enjoying the pictures as well. I have become addicted to that news letter, so I looked up the address on Google and discovered the actual site. The address is http://www.adirondacksusa.com/ I have to recommend that those of you who like to vacation in the Adirondacks take a look at the great articles and photos that these people have pulled together .... at no obligation. If you are interested in hiking, boating, canoeing, exploring, tourism, or just plain checking out the Adirondack vacation areas, take a peek in this site and see some of the greatest attractions that we have right here in our very own state. I think that for some, you may find yourself planning a vacation up there to see some of these places on your own. I just finished reading the most recent newsletter and thought to myself that perhaps you people might enjoy reading about what we have here in the corner of our state. Some of you have probably already encountered this site, but for those who have not, I thought I would bring it to your attention.

We have some very deep and narrow valleys. Sounds bounce all over the place such that unless it's very close, sometimes you can't even tell where it is even coming from. What makes it real tough is when I am hunting our side hill, and my Brother-in-law is up on top and away from the edge. It is amazing how impossible it is to gauge distance in that situation. There have been times when I swore it was him shooting, only to find out that the shooting was coming from a log distance farther back.

Ok, so you guys that are covered up in huge bucks have just killed off any excuses or reasons not to take one of them this year. I expect a lot of "hero pics" this fall with some of these bucks we are seeing pictured here. Ha-ha-ha .... Just kidding. I know how those monsters disappear when the season rolls around.

It started before then, but now that I am retired, it is really locked in ..... lol. But seriously, there did come a time when I realized just how simple archery equipment could remain and still be effective. About the same time I decided that there are many people out there who create "needs and promises of guaranteed success" to sell me. There are those who make a living selling us on the idea that we absolutely cannot engage in bowhunting without their new and improved product that gives us benefits that they are willing to convince us that we need. It's a lot like the fishing lure industry that is aimed at catching more fishermen than fish.....lol.

Ha-ha....That's not to say that I didn't have my day with keeping up with the Jones's. Back when I was heavy into tournament, I created a wall full of bows and an armful of arrows and a couple of big drawers of every trinket and go-faster that anyone could conjure up. I have no idea how much money I spent on archery equipment back then. I still have that wall full of recurves and compounds, and a whole pile of fiberglass, wood and aluminum arrows. I also still have drawers full of broadheads and other hot selling gadgets, but as far as what I actually use for hunting anymore, it has been refined down to those things with a proven track record. Hey, I've turned into a cheapskate ..... What can I say?

What happens if a person gets stung right in the eye? Has anyone ever heard of that happening? I would guess that it might have some permanent devastating effects on a person's vision.

I also have a huge supply of aluminum 2117 Gamegetters also that I use as back-up. They also fly excellent and I have taken a pile of deer using them as well. The only accuracy problems that I have ever experienced with aluminum arrows, is when I fouled up the spine choices. I know arrows make a convenient excuse for misses, but the fact is that properly matched and tuned arrows shot from properly tuned equipment will seldom be a real excuse for misses. By the way, they shoot super well out of my Damon Howatt Super Diablo recurve too. My "go-to" hunting bow is a 1999 Mathews MQ-32. That old critter has shot a lot of aluminum arrows into a pile of deer. I now operate under the rule of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and as you can see that rule has been in effect for a lot of years in my archery equipment once I got past the experimental stages of my archery.

Easton 2117 Autumn Orange aluminum bought a few decades ago, and still killing deer. They have been a pretty good buy. I believe I paid something like 20 some dollars for a dozen shafts and a few bucks for vanes, nocks and broadheads. They still fly great and kill deer about as dead as any other arrow.

You need to reverse that and make a positive bear track. And then leave a few fake bear tracks around and sit back and listen to all the bear stories in the area.....lol. Or get a bigger rock and build a sasquatch track.

Has anyone actually seen a place where you can rent ATVs? I haven't. Actually, if there was such a place, renting a few times might be a good way to get acquainted with the different makes and models so when the day came to buy, a guy would have a pretty good idea of what he wanted (needed). But I honestly don't believe that there are any places that rent them out. I'm thinking the maintenance and repairs on such a vehicle would be prohibitive given how rough and abusively people can handle them. But I don't know. Just because I have not heard of such rentals doesn't mean they don't exist.

Ha-ha-ha ...... every day is a vacation day.

All the "biggies" are croaking, and not a whole lot of real legends replacing them. Glen and so many others will be missed.

No, I'm still doing summer-type stuff. Fishing, partying, landscape maintenance, traveling, etc. About the only thing hunting related that I have done is target practice with the gun and bow. Can't really get into the hunting mode when the temps are in the 80's and the skeeters are still whining in my ears. All things in their proper times.

Years ago, we had one big buck that I named Cosgrove. Don't ask me why that particular name popped into my mind, but that was how I referred to him. I guess I don't see any problem with it if you have a particular deer that stands out. If you keep running into him, I think it's kind of natural to begin calling him something.