NFA-ADK

33Canuck Good post. He is right in so far as many like to jump on the post of something bad or illegal. We can not help it but It is discouraging when you are just enjoying nature and trying to post some pics when people jump on you for something you are doing. AND I realize we as ethical hunters have a responsiblitly to inform others, yet if we did it a little more discreatly we would have more people coming back and not feeling like they are not welcome because of a mistake. WE all make mistakes... Everyone brakes the law, in one way or another if we know it or not... Sending a PM would help. Not trying to bash you WNYBuckHunter just saying many will leave a site if not welcomed or if they feel they have done something wrong and now everyone(or even one person) does not like them. One of the things I do is read out loud the post I am writing and ask, would I be offended if this was about me? I think what 33Canuck is saying is that many people take offense to any bashing of thier post and take it personaly and this causes them to not want to come back. As you know from our talks I have a thick skin , yet not all have this abilitly and this should be noted when posting to people who do not post that much... And the discretion you use will be appreciated by the posters and make them feel special now that they have a personal contact on this site making the brotherhood even stronger!!! I understand you have a stong oppinion and hell I like that! Yet not everyone is as accepting of criticism and with all the Other sites it is simple to not come back and just say that site sucks... I think this is a great site and what makes great sites even better is understanding and compasionate admins. Again I hope you see my point. This is MY FAVORITE site I only want to see it get better!!! PS: VietVet50 Your picks are Awsome!!! Pls post more they rock!!! AND PLEASE COME BACK!!! We love ALL our vets here on HUNTINGNY.com!!!

Wow he looks like a stud! Thank you so much for sharing!!! You made my day!!! I have been trying to get back into the park to just look at the deer,(and prove to myself they are thier) I love watching them!!! My co-workers hike in the park and tell me thier are NO deer in it!!! Thanks for the picture and proof they exist in that area!!! You rock!!!

Caliber is not as importiant if you can make a good shot!!! Like many have said make sure the gun feels good in your hands, I think that is VIP. And shoot the gun/rounds before buying to make sure the recoil is manageable... I used a 30-06 for the versitility of the caliber grains, you can shot varmit up to moose with that gun. Yet as I have aged and my interest have changed I went to a 44 Mag in a Model 94AE winchester. Mainly for the easy of use and follow up is excellent. Just like buying a car it is personal preferance... No one answer here will be right or wrong. Do your research and make a educated choice based on Feel, recoil, easy of use, cleaning and in particular the area of use you will be hunting in. 30-30 has taken many deer down over the years and is more powerfull than my 44 mag so it is more than capable of taking a deer. 35 is a round I have contemplated gettting for a long time as I feel it is a ideal round for hunting in NY. Again it is a personal choice, do you like the blue camaro or the red firebird, both will get you from point A to point B...

Great pics thanks for sharing, and thanks you for your service!!!

Good luck WNYBuckHunter!!! I just finished with my house and starting another 30 year mortage. Kicking my last sibling out! Thankfully the rates are low! 30 years arg!!! I had some good karma too, hope that persists for all of us!!!

All great answers!!! With the exception of being on top of a moutian or open water, I get no greater feeling then when I am in deep woods, ANY deep woods. It's self reflective nature rejuvinates and refreshes the soul and makes me feel at one with nature. Wow Joe did not know you wore a skirt!!! LOL j/k Set yourself up for that one! So true about the competitive part. Those old bucks are old for a reason! Limiting your advantage makes it even more challenging thats for sure! I wanted to use my bow during rifle season yet I fear IF I get a 3rd ADK buck during rifle season with a bow, my hunting partners might turn on me! So now I do a solo early bow trip lol.

I read thier book Big Bucks The Benoit Way, great book. I am kind of pissed every time they have a seminar it's almost at the canadian border or I can not make it due to other obligations. Other seminar's I tried to get to seem to always confict with something. I am determined to make it to one this year and they are my number 1 pick. They are true legends in the sport. So many knowlegable people to draw on. Benoits (Basicaly the entire family), Salerno family, Charles Alsheimer, Jim Massett and countless others who are willing to share the knowledge aquired over many many years. They are true masters of hunting and thier wisdom, dedication and knowledge is vast and best part is they are willing to share!!! You are going to make me buy some video's now!!! I have 2 gift cards for 50 $ each I have been holding onto for a while now, was debating a water purifier but I think I will get that local and do some DVD shoping. Fun fun fun! WOW I am starting to get sighed for deer season already... Time to think about a scouting trip! After I order some DVD's... With the exception of 2010 all my other ADK buck encounters were always in snow. Excesive rain allowed some tracking in 2010 which was my lucky ticket to success. I love snow!!! Following a bucks trail is one of the most amazing and revieling things I have ever done while hunting! Tracking one showed me: 1) He was a buck: After about a mile on his trail (Wide stance, drag marks in snow) I found a rub encircled by bushes to thick to see out of and hard to know is thier. (nice bed/hiding spot) 2)He found the doe: When he came out of that spot he connected with at least 3 doe and they all took off. I stayed in that spot till dark convinced it was the place to be. 3) Do not wait for anyone when you get onto a track like that: I missed this deer due to getting to the spot late waiting for friends and it cost me the deer. Fogged scope!!! Plus none of them were able to keep up, I lost them one by one and it was less than a mile hike although not a easy one(no trail, dark)... I stayed in that spot till dark and upon exiting explain to my hunting partners that this was the spot to be in yet none of them were able to get up in time or make it to the spot with me... 4)Now when I find a spot like that I just get up early and go in. 2010 Nov 9th I was up at 3:30 am and in the woods before first light. (Largest buck tracks I had ever seen in my life found the day before and I explained to all at camp. I set up a drive that would have us on this buck, I think...) Did not get the deer till almost 12 noon yet I did not have to rush into the area where the tracks were because I was in the area since first light... I bitched at the camp before I went that morning. I stated something like this: "You all talk about hunting all year, now hear you are in the middle of the Adirondacks during prime rut and what are you doing? SLEEPING You guys suck..." I hear 5 guys moan and groan and head out... My last words should have been "I am going to go get my buck" but that would have jinxed me like before... That's another story...

Great post Growalot! On a side note they were able to get the geese with the broken leg to an animal shelter and what happens... They put it down. I ask if she was OK with that and she said yes... So I make the statement: "So you do agree with hunting" and the answer was NO. I said but you just killed that poor animal... No response, I explain the fact that she has now killed more animals this year than I have as a hunter... And that was the end of the conversation... She is a bird watcher and is one of those people who will never understand the true nature of hunting. Explaining in further detail about suffering animals and how hunters help control population would be fruitless so I stopped... If she was willing to engage in a conversation I would have persued it yet she seemed to be upset at the fact that she killed the bird yet did not want to admit it so I did not engage the conversation further. Sometime just knowing when to stop is key and at that moment discussing anything with animals was upsetting her so I did not persist knowing it was pointless...

Glad he was not used as target practice! Wow! Cool info, thanks.

I don't see many brown and down guys here. We know your out thier!!! While many of us "older" hunters go after more mature deer as our passion, the brown and down crowd is a huge part of what is needed in population control!!! Area's with high population of people and deer require hunters with this mentality to keep the herd in check... Do not feel this is wrong... If every one of us said I will let that one go and wait for a better or more desireable deer we would be overrun and hunting as part of populaton control would be over... I have no objection to brown and down as hunting is to each his own. (As long as the animal is utilized.) We have a guy who post about whacking doe all the time, sure most know who I am talking about... People like him are needed to keep populations under control and have just as much repect from me as the guy who passes multiple deer for that one special buck. We are all an elite group, not because we own guns or because we hunt but because we appreciate all that nature has to offer and accept the fact that meat comes from animals and are willing to go through the entire process from seeing our prey to eating... And that is what makes hunters so special... IMO Hunters will always be the best stewarts as we are part of nature instead of just VIEWING nature and that is a concept the PETA types will never understand!

He looks like a beauty! Should be a real bruizer this year! Good luck with him, hopefully he made it! Snow cover in april, wow. That doe looks healthy!!! Save some of that snow for November, it makes me feel like a tracking expert. Ahh I miss snow while hunting...

Great Info and post, I would LIKE them all but don't want to use all my likes on my own post, lol... I can see you are as fustrated as I am with how our country is headed Dave!

I agree 100% Fantail. If they come at me with a fierce opposition I back off yet I have not encountered that so far! Usually when they see my enthusiasm they allow me to finish and somewhat comprehend my point of view, even though my point of view is not the best for population control, I stick up for those of us that do it and explain why it is so importiant...

Wow that is cold! Looks like snow on the ground!!!

Look out Ned they are coming straight for us!!!

For me personaly it is about enjoying nature and all it has to offer. Comradery amongst friends and respect for other hunters is highly valued. Safety is a factor I rule with a iron fist at our camp site and will not tolerate complacency. This is instilled on all hunters new and old and because of that fact, ONE hunter will not return next year... This safety is not just for the weapon, it is making sure we all come out of the woods safe and return home to our families so we can do it again next year. I instill fear in all hunters who enter the ADK where we hunt for every year someone gets lost and some never make it out, knowing your limitations is key!!! Two guys in my camp never go past 50 yards off any trail... Killing a deer is just the means to the end that I will not sacrafice on just any deer. Being that I go for mature deer I am considered by many a trophy hunter, yet age is more importiant than the rack to me. Most deer I go after are at least 2 1/2 or older. I am asked by many why I do not hunt on LI, I explain for me it is not the same as stalking the vast woods of the ADK or the open woods of the Catskills. The deer have huge racks on LI and many trophies come from Suffolk county yet the hunting is just not the same as the Catskills or many other NY hunting area's. Lyme disease scared me! I can not say I will never hunt LI as the short ride and thrill of hunting so close to home is tempting me this year!!! The more friends that go the better the fun. My family is not realy into hunting except one brother wich will only hunt the Catskills so our time together is limited but cherished... Sharing stories and knowledge with all hunters young and old is a part of hunting I will always enjoy! Just because I am older or have more experence than someone does not mean I can not learn from them! All hunters get to have thier own experiences and no two are exactly the same! Soon my best friend will bring up his son and two years after his brother. I hope to instill our passion for life, nature, the thrill of the hunting and the outdoors on them so they can appreciate all it has to offer!!! I just hope he gets his 1st deer before they do!!!!!!!!!! I pushed 2 doe into him last year yet the bucks were not around...

Persistance pays off! The more you get involved in hunting the more things seem to come together. Reading sign, tracking, scouting, back woods hiking, perfecting your weapon and its trajectory and becoming a woodsman/woman all help us become a better hunter. Even and especial in the Catskills I stay out in the woods for the day. Most hunters I know go back to the tent/cabin/house for lunch, not me. When the weather is cold freezing rain/snow I stay in the woods!!! I left the woods 2 times early that I remember, one time to replace the scoped rifle w/open sights and the other time it was almost 70 deg with no anticipated movement forseen... I have a couple of guys who spend at most 2-3 hours hunting per day close to trails, another in the catskills that is back at the cabin by 9:30 am then hunts the last hour of sunlight. Again to each his own, I never force anyone to hunt like me or expect it. Stick with it Elmo and Paula your persistance will pay off for sure. The more time you put in the better your chances and the better chance you will have success!!! Extra time in the woods = more experience plain and simple... I agree with you Doc, I have 2 friends who invited me on a boar hunt in Penn. It was a fenced hunt, what is the challenge? I declined. They said it was for the meat... Guided hunts or any type of fenced hunt is not hunting to me. Like you said if it was easy it would loose it's apeal... Success is in the eyes of the beholder, I always proclaim success when everyone returns home safely and state everything else is just details. If you enjoyed the experience it was worth it and hopefully the details are long and many!!! For me personaly seeing deer is success and usually all that is needed for a perfect day/week hoping the daily sightings are prevelant. Persistance is a word I see in many hunting books and is probably the leading cause of deer mortality in my opinion. As long as the animal is appreciated and utilized to the fullest it is a trophy no matter what the size!!!

Saw tracks 2 weeks ago.

Since 1991 I have been the only hunter in my party to get a buck where we hunt. 9pt 2000 165lb, 8pt 2010 207lb. Lost count of all the Doe, spikes and 4 pt or less I have passed on over the years mainly in the catskills and southern zones. I always like hearing about people who keep at it, especially when the chips are down. Seeing other hunters take deer and not getting anything themselves can be depressing... Funny how my hunting partners always ask me questions on certian issues, one in particular. My friend Greg asked me (sarcasticly) "How come you always get into deer", Not killing yet the ability to get onto the path of a buck. I explain the fact that I read many books and aply that to my hunting skill set along with many years of experence. Plus the luck factor... Not all of it is always good... With one week in the ADK as our prime time in the woods, more often that not this is the only week the entire hunting party with the exception of my self and may be one other hunter do for the year. I explain this hunting in the area we go is remote and has very few deer in it, I feel lucky I have taken 2 over a 20 plus year period and if anyone was realy interested in taking a deer we need to explore another area. Some of these guys have access to other area's to hunt yet they do not take advantage of it. Being a Deer hunting addict, I just can not comprehend this and feel no remorse for they are not REALY into hunting like I am... Other than that, hunting is what you make of it. Do I like going home empy handed most of the time, NO. Yet I would not sacrafice a single day in the woods with out a deer for any easy kill with any deer. Hunting is a passion for me, killing is just a means to the end that I will not sacrafice on just any deer. Observing deer behavior is another passion for I feel it gives better insight to my prey. While I do not get to see deer as often as I would like, when I do I make the most out of it and usually killing the deer, even though that is why I am hunting, is the least of my concerns, UNLESS IT"S A MATURE BUCK!!!! IF that is the case my observations changes in an instant to the instincts of a hunter... I often make the statement to non-hunters,"If hunting was all about Killing, I would have quite a long time ago!" Counting down the days till September when I can hunt with last years tag in the Northern Zone early bow! Arg 4 months!!!

I have taken shots at home yet it was very controlled and only done 2 times just before a trip. One time I shot from my portch to a target below me at 10 yards and 2nd shot was into a concreat garage at 20 yards field tips only. I did not like doing it as many kids live in my area. That was many years ago, since then I have joined an archery club and have never shot at home since... Just not worth the risk even when controled... At Suffolk Archers IF you can not draw back your bow while pointed at your target you are not allowed to shoot. EX: No drawing up into the sky... We have houses all around our range and have been shooting thier for years... If they had proper form and aimed at the target while drawing this would never happen. And pre-release would still go towards the target and a safe back stop...

That is funny G-Man. It looks young, 1 1/2 may be? Erussell I feel the same way. I do not go after them usually and passed on a young one several years ago at 15 yards w/bow. I chased him up a ridge and was trying to have him do a deer drive with me. He tired out after the climb to the top so I passed him and watched as he checked out my scent at 15 yards. The owner of the property later shot him even though he said do not shoot him...

That is too cool, Defrazzle. Best of luck with the property, looking forward to seeing pics or your success! Love that ADK by owner site. Many great houses and easy navigation. I will have to wait a while before looking at property upstate again, arg... Tell Laura and Keith I love the site!!!

Good luck with it!!!

With parents like that who needs enemies...