A Sportsman

Buck_shooter, I do a fair amount of hunting in the type of area you describe. its much easier if you have other people to hunt with. if you shoot a deer, one man carries the guns and packs, the other drags. And you take turns dragging. if I don't have a partner to hunt with, I make sure that I stay in an area where my drag is strictly down. There is no way I'd be able to drag a big deer uphill by myself. Especially not for any kind of distance and steepness.

LJC, I think you may be right for some regions of the state where there is more mixed private and public land. And I think on average, yes agricultural land grows bigger deer than state woodlands. But each year some big bodied big racked bucks come out of both the Adirondacks and catskills, Where the food source is not great and farmland is nowhere to be found. My guess is that what these bucks lack in food quality/quantity is made up for by excellent genes and minimal hunting pressure. i think genes are a big aspect to the size of bucks bodies. Just like people, some deer just won't grow huge no matter how old they get. Others, living in the same herd, will.

Maytom, I shoot the same release and the same thing happened to me 2 seasons ago. In my case, I had made it to my tree in the morning, set up climber, climbed tree and was just about all set up in the dark when I realized it. Ugh! Made it back to truck for back up release and found the trigger and hex screw sitting in my gear tote. I guess I was lucky I hadn't lost the parts...

Virgil, as the state and county have done more to allow more public access to land, It seems there is a bit less overcrowding and stepping on other hunters toes. That said, there still seems to be a steady dose of BS from other hunters (as you alluded to in one of your posts above). Kayakwilly, if I were a betting man, I'd say that "the locals" are getting back in there. Or perhaps, other hunters are somehow parking in another location (not the numbered spots), much closer to your spot, and hunting in there. on county property, Ive seen this with my own eyes multiple times. the amount of BS from other hunters can be unbearable out there. But still, for me, "not hunting" is more unbearable.

I carry a backpack with a reasonable amount of gear in it, hunting Catskills for all day (dark to dark) trips. Honestly, I like the comfort of using a fanny pack and carrying less but I deal with the slightly less comfort for the ability to carry a bit more gear. Mind you, I am carrying about half (or even less than half) of what NFA is hauling. In terms of my effectiveness still hunting, I don't think it has mattered all that much. As far as a persons size when moving thru woods, I would argue that a taller hunter has advantages over the shorter guy. For the reason that the hunters eyes are higher up. Better vantage point. My cousin is 6' 4 and can spot deer like a son of a btch. more important than hunters size is his/her eyes. I swear that Some people are blessed with a better ability to pick apart the woods and differences in colors and shapes. I am colorblind and definitely not one of these people.

The real tcIII, Seems like every time I do the roast in the crockpot I get that result. Dry and crumbly. It's like all the moisture is drawn out and settles at the bottom of the crock pot. Wondering if any of the regulars here can tell us if maybe we are doing something wrong.

For those of us that love hunting to the core, especially deer hunters, it can be hard to introduce a new guy. There is a commitment and sacrifice. some guys don't want to dedicate the time, don't want to share their spots, etc. I get that. In my time, I've turned down many people who've expressed interest. I guess there are certain qualities you look for, intangibles in a person. You want to be confident they will have the fortitude to stick with it, learn and become proficient on their own. And value it. Not just ride along and reap the benefits of your work.

I have a friend who I met through a surfcasting fishing club I belong to. About 8 years ago he expressed an interest in hunting, so I offered to show him the ropes. He got his license and away we went. 8 years later, guy is head over heals for hunting, barely fishes anymore, his kid took up hunting, they bought property, etc. When I think of my hunting accomplishments, getting that dude Involved means a hell of a lot to me. These days, I'm working on another neophyte. Last year was his first. Kid is driven and will be a hunter. I meet a fair amount of people, particularly young guys, who definitely seem like they want to try hunting (I'm talking Long Island and even nyc kids), but they don't know where/how to begin. It's gotta be daunting if you haven't been raised up around it. A program like doc is describing would be a god send for kids like this. What's cool is it targets kids with a genuine, motivated interest. Instead of trying to salvage (and I mean salvage in its truest form) the kids who've already pledged thier allegiance to video games, iPhones and other refuse.

Regulat0r, The other day I made jerky for the first time. I too read about patting down the venison periodically while its drying in the dehydrator. So I went about doing it and quickly discovered that there was basically little to no moisture sitting atop the venison after the first hour or so of dehydrating. Patting it was useless. I cut my peices a little thinner, probably close to an eighth inch thick. Not sure if the thickness had anything to do with it. My guess is that because venison is so lean there is no fat to liquify during the process. I did pat them with paper towel before I put them into dehydrator to get excess marinade off. And for the record, my jerky came out amazing. I am really kicking myself for not making it all these years. I think I will shoot an extra deer next year just to turn it in to jerky!

If I am going to sit in a tree stand and not see deer, I'd rather settle myself with the fact deer hunting can be difficult and unpredictable, you make the best decisions you can and go with it. This, rather than Getting angry at Charlie Alzheimer for talking me into taking off work to hunt a funnel stand on October 25th.

I agree Larry and Merlot. Last bow season I spent half my time on stand cursing Charlie Alzheimer under my breath. Little Rut activity I witnessed was nothing even remotely close to the wild scene he said would unfold in late October. We talk in circles about moons, warm weather, cold fronts, etc. I give up. Best to just do your scouting and hunt your butt off the first 2 weeks of November. And last week of October.

I have 2 pairs of green wool pants with suspenders that I use for Catskills rifle season every day except when there is steady rain. I also have an orange wool jacket from wool rich that I use as a top layer on cold days or days where I plan to sit more than normal. since I spend the majority of my days walking and still hunting, the jacket doesn't get used that often. Usually I wear a fleece top (non blaze)with a cheap nylon blaze vest over it. I like hunting in wool for the old school tradition of it. Same reason my gun stocks are all wooden.

1C Long Island 1 doe 3A central Catskills 1 buck Season was different in Catskills this year for us. Oddly the buck to doe ratio for deer seen was skewed more in favor of doe than normal. I think it's because season started later into rut than normal. And the total deer seen was down, as was expected coming off the 2 back to back tough winters. Personally I saw 2 bucks and maybe 6 or 7 does in 7 days of hunting. And 2 bears. One was a cub that was up in a tree. The other was a shooter that came scampering down a tree and ran away as we were dragging my cousins buck.

Understood doc. In fact my own rifle season hunting crew Bears that out. Out of the 6 of us, only 2 Bowhunt. I guess I don't see why someone who only rifle hunts would complain about bowhunters or bowhunting seasons rather than hunt with a bow. I'm sure some folks may have their individual reasons. I am generalizing.

Whenever there is a conversation that poses the idea that gun hunters may be against bowhunters or envious of bowhunters, or whatever, I almost start to forget that almost all bow hunters ARE gun hunters. And most serious gun hunters are also bowhunters. I've always thought of it like this: If you are a gun hunter that loves being in the woods and hunting, you naturally pick up a bow, learn how to shoot and get your butt out there. Its the hunting and the opportunity to hunt that you love, not whether you are squeezing a trigger or a release. Outside of physically imparied, I don;t understand why a gun hunter who loves to hunt would not get into bowhunting. For people who dont love to hunt quite as much, maybe the work required in bow hunting, is a turn off. That is fine. But to complain? I don't look at hunting as something that is owed to me. In my, maybe overly naive mind, I still view it as a priviledge. If the DEC wants to give me a long gun season, thank you; a nice early and long bow season to get out and enjoy the woods, thanks again.