Doc

How many of those things does it take to make a meal for a family of 4? I look at those things perched on the feeder and then try to visualize them reduced to just breast meat with no feathers, and to me it looks like perhaps a couple of bites per breast. As a survival meal, it may be worth doing, but as normal table fare, I can't picture where they would be worth the price of a shotgun shell.

Well, they may not be pretty, but they do handle a line of work that needs to be done. And by the way, those wretched looking critters are really super strong. I had a deer vertebrae and rib-cage laying in my driveway, And I saw one of those buzzards actually lift the thing off the ground about 4 feet into the air before he had to drop it. Now here is the big question: If they were to be proven to be a delicacy to eat, would you cook one up and eat it, given their smelly dining habits?

My attitude is that in cases of contradictory battling of scientific studies and research it is far better to err on the side of caution when it comes to matters of permanent and irreversible environmental changes.

Thank Heavens they don't rely on my commercial contributions for any of their resources. Since I primarily hunt from home, nobody really gets any of my restaurant or hotel money as part of my hunting. And while equipment purchases may seem expensive, most of us likely get a lot of years out of these purchases. I doubt that any of that really gets a lot of attention from our legislators. In fact what really pushes their buttons is whether anything about us or from us helps them get re-elected. Sadly, I think our influence in that area is not really all that impressive.

You know, I really don't remember seeing these birds when I was a kid. I'm not sure whether I just wasn't paying attention of whether there has been a real shift in their territory.

Old barns are a visual glimpse into local history. They depict a lifestyle that is slowly disappearing. I love it when people take the time and money and effort to preserve these structures. I get the same kick out of watching old farmhouses being resurrected. It is all versions of rescued history.

The whole issue still sounds like a battle of scientist and researchers with each side having their own staff of scientific supporters. I will tell you that I don't believe there is anyone on this forum that has any credibility on the issue and all we can do is parrot back the hand-selected studies that support our own personal emotional opinions. One side champions a new study, and then the other side has to go out and find a refuting study, and we are left with no real knowledge to decide which one is right. My feeling is that the onus of proof is on the side that wants to inject poisonous chemicals into the environment. So far, none of them have convincingly proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, that such activities can in no way be a very serious and deadly problem. And to me that is the standard of proof that I would need to support yet another activity that plays irrevocable games with the future environment. Show me definitively that this is not just another scheme for environmental exploitation with no concern with potential environmental permanent damage, and perhaps I would be supportive. But I will tell you that the proof would have to be something that is nearly universally accepted, not just one think-tank's version versus another.

I know we all think that we pour so many dollars into the government for our hunting, fishing and other outdoor fees, but we also cost a lot of money as well. And when you look at the New York State budget, we really are quite insignificant and getting more insignificant every year.

There are more and more legislators considering taking advantage of their 2nd amendment rights as a measure of self-protection. That amendment is finally making some sense to these people. It is amazing what ugly things have to happen for these people to become concerned about what so many of their constituents have been concerned about for so long. All of a sudden it comes clear to them what it feels like to be completely helpless and unprotected.

Quote: "Otto Warmbier, 22, who was arrested in North Korea while visiting as a tourist" I am sitting here trying my hardest to imagine what circumstances would have to exist that would make me somehow envision North Korea as being a nice place to visit as a tourist. The whole thing certainly is a terrible tragedy and once again highlights the uncivilized brutality and the barbaric nature of that country, but what on earth would ever motivate a U.S. citizen to visit such a place "as a tourist"?

When you stop and think about it, in the grand scheme of things, we hunters are pretty much in an insignificant minority. Our issues are really of little importance because our numbers are so small and trending downward as time goes by. And crossbow hunters are an even tinier sub-set of that small minority. If we don't get the attention that we think we should, it really shouldn't be a huge surprise.

I was fed two lobster tails, corn on the cob, and potato salad and then ate about a pint of chocolate ice cream. I am a happy Dad.

I went through the experience of "pond failure" a few years back. I learned that what you see on the surface is no indication of what kind of pond that can be constructed there. My pond guy even dug a half dozen test holes , and we relocated the pond site because of a wandering gravel vein that passed through the area. Well, guess what..... apparently there was another one that we didn't know about ...... lol. The spring run-off flowed directly in and the pond looked like a wonderful success. By June it was back down to about 4 feet deep. after about three years, it became obvious that it wasn't going to work and the pond guy filled it back in. The only good news about that whole fiasco was that the guy had a guarantee that if the pond failed, he would fill it back in for free. This was an area that had standing water and cattails at he lower end. Everything on the surface looked like it should make a great pond. a few hundred yards away, my Father had built a perfect pond that has been there about 30 years. So what you see on top is no indicator of what is 8 or 10 feet underground.

So was that a custom made bow, or was this something that Bear put out as a standard model?

Now wait a minute. There is always the challenge of picking the right trophy animal that you actually paid for. You don't want any extra charges for shooting the wrong one. And then there is that challenging shot as you poke your rifle through the slats of the barnyard fence, waiting for just the perfect shot. You know, the shot where the critter actually wakes up and opens its eyes. Or maybe to avoid making a mess of the feed trough, you might have to wait until it lifts its head out of the trough. Perhaps the owner can help by calling out its name so it comes over to the fence and he scratches its forehead while you line up on the heart-lung area. So let's not belittle the heavy challenges of these kinds of "hunts".

What I found amusing was your question, the answer to which I figured was self evident given the content of this thread. You asked me to define "today's evil" and I did define it as used in my reply.

I have no problems with people expressing their opinions on what seems like hunting to them and what doesn't. I do the same thing myself. I have a whole list of techniques that do or don't fit into my version of what hunting is all about. I don't state those opinions to influence anyone else's hunting activities, but simply to sample what hunting means to hunters in general and to see how much commonality between hunters there is as far as motives and attitudes about what people expect to get out of hunting. That sort of discussion provides indicators as to what direction the future of hunting is heading. It is a matter of curiosity. I do believe that I have seen motives and purposes change in a large way as the years have passed. The element of challenge seems to be slipping off into obscurity, and the emphasis seems more pointed toward hunting by numbers in attempts to receive peer approval. Things are pointed more toward acceptance than actual achievement. It all is personal and based on some very complex human behavior and psychology. There is no real "right" or "wrong" in all of this, just a discussion and look at where hunting is at these days and where it is heading, and why.

Lol ..... I kind of thought that the title of this thread and all the replies kind of covered that definition. But for purposes of this discussion, I use the term "evil" as describing the random killing of school children, and other innocents based on religious fanaticism, mental derangement, and now we can include political party affiliation.

I guess it all depends on how you react under pressure. "Haste" should not be part of the situation. But I do understand that sometimes bad things happen even with the best intentions. But watching all the videos of people running in blind terror like a flock of sheep fleeing a pack of coyotes kind of made me a bit ill, as it is blatantly displayed that we don't have the slightest idea how to protect ourselves against today's evil. Just once I would like to see one of these terrorists have someone turn around and put a bullet between their eyes. I think that conceal and carry privileges require a certain level of thought and responsibility and perhaps even mandatory training programs. But there is something disgusting about the fact that our current manner of protecting ourselves amounts to simply running like panicked animals or cowering in a corner waiting to be found and shot.

It was around that age when I found that old drawshave up in my Dad's shop and built my first hickory longbow, and went up in the hayloft of the barn and started shooting pigeons. Archery became a huge thing in my life at that time, and it thrills me to see kids getting into it. Yeah, the equipment is a lot different and way more sophisticated, but the challenge, discipline, and fulfillment are the same. And it is a hobby that can provide a lifetime of enjoyment. And look at that shooting form .......perfect!

I think the big problem that some have with shooting, trapping and other control methods of coyotes is that they look too much like Fido. To them it is "dog killing". They get as emotional as the most dyed-in-the-wool anti-hunter. It is Bambi-ism simply transferred to any animal that looks like their family pet. What they fail to realize is that as noted above, they sit at the top of the food chain around here and obviously, these people with the anti-hunting/trapping mentality can't seem to understand what happens when any species is allowed to multiply in an uncontrolled fashion. But it would be useful for people to understand that coyotes are not pet canines any more than Bambi was really a talking deer.

I was listening to a sheriff on TV explaining how and end to the constant attacks on the 2nd amendment could put a dent in the motivation of terrorists. It kind of made sense when you think about how these characters operate against a helpless population of defenseless sheep, waiting for slaughter. I have to wonder just how eager they would be to kill men, women and children if they received a hail of bullets whenever they tried. Yes maybe some crazy weirdo with a bomb strapped to their chest may not be deterred (Unless you detonate him at a safe distance with a well-placed bullet). But these freaks that like to shoot up movie houses and schools and restaurants might not think it was near as much fun if they started getting shot down as soon as they pulled the gun out. They all have visions of their victims cowering in corners or under desks or running panicked in terror. It sure would be nice to change those visions to their own certain death in a hail of gunfire. I think that would cool their enthusiasm for this sort of activity.

As far as I am concerned, every poisonous snake could all of a sudden become extinct and this world would be a much better place. And when they go, they can take the mosquitos, black flies, gnats and ticks with them, and likely no one would ever miss any of them....... Particularly me!

One thing that we often forget is that here in New York, Coyotes occupy the top spot on the food chain. Other than humans and disease and the occasional automobile, there is absolutely nothing that keeps the coyote numbers in check. So their numbers can go completely berserk without trappers and hunters actively going after them. That is a unique and unhealthy position for any animal to be in, let alone an efficient killer like coyotes. It's not good for the environment, other critters and eventually for the health and welfare of the coyotes themselves.

When populations get too high, we do have the technology to do something about it. No one is going to get rich trapping coyotes, but they do have a hide that is worth the effort. Running a trapline will be an education in coyote lore that will also help you out on the rifle successes too. What other pastimes offer some cash, some wildlife teaching, and helps the deer herd too. Time to sign up for the nearest trapping course and start a new hobby. Get the kids involved too.