NFA-ADK

He looks great! Best of luck with him, hope he has a long healthy and happy life!

That's awesome Wildcat!

I have seen both cats and dogs when hunting. Shooting them never crossed my mind. But if the DEC stated that packs of dogs are running deer down and they need to be dealt with, well then I would. I think cats are the deadliest land animal ever and would not even want to shoot feral ones. Again if the DEC stated they where killing EVERYTHING and they needed to be taken care of then I would do what was needed. As a hunter I have conceded that population control is part of what is expected. Keeping an ecosystem in balance is the results of well managed land, something PETA types will never comprehend.

Very cool!

Hard winter.

Nice shot!

If it was really out of control yes. Cats and dogs are extremely effective hunters that can devastate an area. Cats especially with small game, they are the perfect predator IMO. 5 retractable claws on each paw and fangs with unreal athleticism. It would be very hard to do as I have pets. Sometimes what you want to do vs what needs to be done has to be considered to help the ecosystem.

If they are traveling at 200 fps that would put the KE around 62 that would be enough for large game. But that would be considered low powered for larger game. About the same as my bow. Seems a pretty good way to judge effectiveness. Again not everyone on the planet can shoot a 60-65 lbs plus bow. Plus as we all know if you hit the heart even with a 30lbs pound bow you will kill a deer but that does not mean it will be very effective IF you hit a rib. That extra KE will help get past these tough spots. It is a chart used by many but is not very accurate as the speed of your arrows slow down after leaving the bow. EX: Less KE the further out you go. But I would say it is a pretty good way of judging effectiveness. JMO

That was funny! Love the idiotic comments on how cruel this is! Ignorance is bliss!

Nice bear, congrats!

Even arrows have limits. The weight and speed of your arrow results in what you are capable of shooting. Kinetic Energy. My 65lb bow with the arrows I am using put me at the limit with elk and black bear but buffalo and brown bear would be out. In other words not everyone can shoot elk with a bow because you need enough energy to penetrate. Guns use penetration and shock so higher calibers result in deeper larger and more shocking impacts. Smaller calibers don't work well for people with poor aim. KE chart for arrows http://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/features/practical_bowhunter/penetration/index.cfm

Cold day back in the cold river with a crunchy layer of ice and about seven inches of snow calm and overcast. I come across a really long swamp and think "this is it!." I get down on my stomach and try to slide down the snowy hill but I make some noise. As I finally get a partial view of the swamp a nice buck jumps up and bounds off. I went to the other side of the swamp and he had a nice track worthy of following but very hard to sneak up on. I gave up with the excessive noise and still hunted back to camp. Mother nature actually saved this deer! This snow was noisy as it gets! Another year in the same area I tracked a nice one about 1.5 miles over two mountain tops before I had to turn back. We where leaving that day and I was an hour late but could not help myself. Was hard to leave the track getting so close! I tracked the only day of snow we had at lost ponds and found one buck track. The next morning I set up the perfect ambush but my 3 friends ended up dropping off one by one on the way to the spot. I finally get to the area late and see 3 doe and a buck and missed him! FF 3 years later and I do the same thing with another deer after tracking him the day before and set up a perfect ambush and mess up the shot! ARG! OK I am done talking about my misses for a while!

They seem to do it when the opportunity presents itself. Bet it happens more than we think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q91dUtDYkU

Did it brake off when he fell?

Very cool Water Rat, thanks for sharing!

3 Months wow, we would not make it one week in this weather with little to no food or shelter. Amazing animals, praying for a heat wave! Just finished shoveling and I hope this is the last time for the season and spring brakes winters grip.

LOL funny post!

Anyone doing any winter 3D? We had our first two weeks in January 18th and the 25th. I had some issues with the weather the first two weeks and my form due to a slow down of my shooting due to bad weather. The first week was not that bad with a bit of snow but it was hard to shoot and our scores showed it. I find shooting in really cold weather with some wind and glare makes it hard to shoot well with my bow. My eyes tear giving a slight blur. (With the harsh winter most where not in good form, even I was guilty.) The second week was a sheet of ice and a few wiped out on the way to the course, lucky no major damage but a few sore buts and backs. We waited until 10am to go out and it rained the entire shoot. We were prepared for rain but the extra gear made shooting a challenge on top of the downpour we finished in. The scores of that week where not much better. I must have hit my clothes on my shooting arm 20 times with horrible results. This past week was our 3rd shoot due to ice and snow. The road was icy and the course was nice but a work out in the snow. With little to no wind, mild temps and good cloud cover shooting was nice. Only issue was crossing the icy road and making sure the snow did not sink as you shot. Both easy with a little care. Suffolk Archers Winter League my top score so far 273 this past week. Dam monkey at about 21 yards got me! 13! Arg killed my score but happy with my shooting. Hope to get the next two weeks in but this weather is not helping! At least I was out of the house! So far the biggest help in winter shooting has been my larger arm guard, now I don't hit the string. Wish I had it on during the deluge in week two! Anyone else shooting? I was thinking possibly a shoot at Thrill Of The Hunt if we get any more snow, anyone interested?

Very nice! How can I get one?

It is getting monotonous digging out ever few days and we have had it light compared to you upstate guys, DAM! Hoping for some warm up soon and lasting!

Wow and that was only a small melt! This is going to be unreal if we get that warm weather with rain on Wednesday!

Very nice Joe, congrats again, awesome mount!

Form is everything. I picked up some good ideas from watching the pros. These are two top shooters from USA with perfect form. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AptUrnCAHbY Otherwise the front sight should match the peep so you can see the outer ring on the front sight perfect in the peep. Try to tighten up the trigger as stated and use back tension vs pulling the trigger. Try to keep your grip on the bow open so as not to torch it left or right and use the bubble in your sight to keep bow level. Practice makes perfect, the more you shoot WITH good form the better you will become. Go to your local archery range and do a shoot they are challenging and fun.

Results would be nice.

I understand having political discussions. My point is that if you don't change the settings like First-light pointed out all you see is political issues. They are dominating the board if you have the default settings. At least I can filter them out. Do I want to, NO but I am forced because their is only so much politics I can take. I am a hunter and want to read about other hunters and the adventures THEY have, not politics. Thanks First-light for reminding me about the filter! I would rather not filter this stuff out but when 2-3 people dominate a deer hunting site with politics, well I get enough in my e-mail and on the web of politics and media hype I don't need to come here for more. Filtered but not happy about it.