airedale

Would not bother me to cut it back and I mean way back! When I started hunting in the early 60s Deer season opened October 25 - December 5 in the Northern zone. In the Southern zone November 20 - December 5. These days there is some kind of Deer season going on from September 27 till December 19. Deer management permits back then were called party permits for the reason 1 extra Deer of either sex was allowed per party, that deer was split between usually 3 or four hunters named on the permit. Now as the op posted in some cases it is possible to shoot seven Deer. In my opinion you have to be pretty greedy to be killing 7 Deer but that is what Deer hunting has spawned in recent years greed and a lot of posted land. These long dragged out Deers seasons have virtually wiped out small game hunting during fair weather periods in the fall. Deer hunters think they trump all other kinds of hunting as something spoiling their hunts with little to no tolerance rabbit and bird hunters especially those that hunt with dogs. Al

It is all about bullet performance and matching hunting bullets to the game that is being hunted. Large caliber big game cartridges are designed to penetrate large animals and break through big bones (Moose, Elk, Big Bears, African game) consequently their jackets are heavy and will take a lot of resistance to make them perform properly. There are also many calibers used for Deer hunting that are also used for larger game and there are some loads manufactured with heavy duty bullets for that job. A Deer is really not a big animal and does not require that heavy duty type of bullet at all, those bullets made for larger game with thick jackets just make a pass through with little or no expansion on Deer. High velocity along with explosive controlled expansion will provide the best drop em in their tracks performance. Take the popular 30/06 as an example, for me I would be using the thin jacketed 150 gr bullets for Deer hunting and maybe the 180s if I was in Bear country with an opportunity to take one. For large bodied big boned stuff like Moose and Elk heavy constructed 180s, 200s and maybe even 220s depending on the terrain and cover. Bottom line when you match your game to the right bullet and make a good shot it is all over. Al

I grew up in the culture liking everything about hunting and believe I have a natural born predator mindset doing what I was born to do and lucky to have had the opportunity and means to do so. Al

Like firearms for different types of hunting I have acquired different weight, styles and power binoculars for the same reasons. Open open country big game and varmint hunting I will use a good pair of 10X for glassing long distances. If I am doing a lot of walking I like compacts. For the woods it is all about field of view for me, the distances are relatively short so a good quality 6X or 7X is plenty with as wide an angle as possible. As far as brand I have been using the high end Bushnells for many years with zero complaints. Al

There is a point of having a debate because unless all hunters are truly educated on all of this it is far from being some simple yes or no matter. As long as every faction thinks they are right they should have nothing to lose with such a debate and demonstration and totally welcome the scrutiny. As for the DEC their position is nothing about being fair it is all about adding coins to the till. Al

Been watching this "FULL INCLUSION" banter for years with all factions entrenched in their positions on the matter with no positions being changed. I say before making any laws the DEC should put forth something like a trial judged by a large panel of actual hunters that do not hunt with archery equipment or have any connection to archery. Let each faction (Traditional Bow, Compound Bow, Crossbow) present their position to that panel on what they believe the essence of hunting with archery equipment is and their give opinion on how fair for all archery seasons should be implemented. Each faction should lay it all out on the table giving a live in depth demonstration on how their equipment operates including firing arrows and bolts at target of various distances. Also I think it would be good for each member of the panel of hunters to give each weapon a try for themselves, nothing like first hand experience! After all factions make their best case for fairness let that large panel of hunters decide on resolving all this as to when each weapon's season should be allowed with fairness to all. Al

Type in a google search for central NY Rod and Gun Clubs and you will come up with quite a few that have shooting ranges that are within reasonable distance of Syracuse, most have a website and or contact info. The Rod and Gun clubs I have been involved with require you to be a member to use their facilities, some will allow members to bring a guest. I have belonged to a couple in central NY, the Toad Harbor club in Hastings north of Syracuse and the Camden Rod and Gun club north and east of Syracuse both are decent clubs with rifle ranges and have nominal membership fees. I did not really use either facility for rifle shooting much myself, Toad Harbor was affiliated with a Coon hunting club I belonged to and I shot winter league Bullseye pistol on a Camden team. That being said I did shoot a couple of times on both club rifle ranges and they were decent. Al

Never shot one when hunting but I have seen Buffleheads from time to time on rivers when fishing, they are small and are mostly B&W. Al

I have always considered myself to be as much as a shooter as a hunter, these days I probably lean more so a shooter-firearms buff and just like messing around with different guns. Some of my guns have never been fired at game because they were purchased to be shooters-plinkers or dedicated target firearms as I competed in both rimfire pistol and rifle matches. Any new big or small game hunting firearm I acquire goes through the wringer to find out if it is something I like and want to keep or send down the road. When it comes to my big game firearms I must say once I find one I like and get them settled on suitable ammo then dialed in they are not fired a whole lot other than to check them for zero or the occasional shot at game. My shotguns get fired quite a bit at clay targets which I enjoy doing and that helps keeping my wingshooting skills halfway decent, just got me a new electrically operated thrower this past summer to replace my old manual cocking thrower. I am a believer in practice , I just like pulling the trigger and doing some shooting-plinking. I am a big rimfire fan and over the years have assembled a nice collection of good quality rifles that duplicate the feel of my centerfire rifles in dimension, weight and trigger along with their scopes or open sights. Many are capable of putting a bullet in a Squirrel's ear at 50 yards if I do my part. These firearms do get shot a lot at my back yard range on reactionary targets, paper targets and used for small game hunting. This type of method works well for me as I can enjoy myself and keep honing-maintaining my shooting skills for a much lower cost with firearms that mirror my centerfires saving them wear and tear. When I get wound up I can easily go through a brick of 22s in an afternoon, also the noise factor firing rimfires does not have the countryside far and wide sounding like a war zone. Al

When this kind of logic is put forward why not just quit messing around and use firearms! What has become long lost is the original premise for "PRIMITIVE" hunting with archery and muzzleloading equipment. you know like Indians and Daniel Boone! Hunters were to be pitting their skills in woodscraft and stealth along with deep dedication to learn to use their "primitive" weapons with enough proficiency to take game, "IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HARD" and that is why in the beginning these special seasons were allowed to be implemented in the first place. But oh no!, seems like there always has to be an angle to water things down and get that edge for those that do not want put in the time, it is now coming to the point where special seasons will mean zero to hunters and just a cash cow for the DEC and state to make sure keep it keeps going. It seems in today's world anything that has the slightest hint of being exclusive must to be torn down to include "ALL" for one half assed excuse or another. Comes down to just plain old greed and laziness, today we have sports participation trophies for everyone on the team, pissing in the opposite gender's bathrooms, now Girls in Boy Scouts and soon to follow vice versa, the list just keeps going on as " ALL and everything MUST" be allowed no matter what it is. Can't wait to see white people running the NAACP! Al

Was going through freeing up storage on my computer and found these photos a fellow Airedale man from Arizona sent me some time back from a game cam set up on a ranch water trough.

I read a question asked one time in one of the gun rags about how long ammunition in storage could be expected to perform at optimum performance. The gun writer's reply was he did not know what the shelf life of modern ammo loaded with smokeless powder could be as that question was still up in the air.. He said the very earliest modern ammo that had been stored in optimum dry conditions without huge temperature swings had shown to work and fire perfectly fine, pretty much the same as when it was manufactured. So a while back I got out of mothballs a couple of my old timers a Ruger 77 Varmint 220 Swift and a Ruger Number 1 222 mag along with some handloads I made up back in the seventies. I fired a few fouling shots and then shot for groups interested in seeing if the old gals and that old ammo still had what it takes. Surprisingly in all that time that has past both rifles and ammo still shoot pretty much the same as in their heyday when they were smoking woodchucks and crows. So it is true that ammo stored properly lasts a good long time. Al

That is pretty much true of the current lineup that is being aired these days, I have tried to watch them but they just can't hold my interest and are just plain crap for the most part to me. The best outdoor shows ever produced were the old American Sportsman Show on ABC hosted by Curt Gowdy. ESPN Outdoors had several shows which aired on the weekends that were very well done. Of course when one of the biggest animal rights outfits on the planet ("Disney") purchased ABC and ESPN that was the end of the line those shows. The Nashville Network ("TNN") had some really good shows on the weekend also, everything went downhill there when taken over and renamed "Spike". The Old Outdoor Life channel aired my all time favorite show "Hunting With Hank" is long gone. Unlike "animal rights Disney" which will not release any of the American Sportsman Shows on DVD I got to purchase all the old Hunting With Hank Shows. Comparing what is shown today as a hunting show and what was shown on those old classics listed above, well there is no comparison! Al

While I can certainly could get by with just one knife from woods to freezer I prefer knives to suit the situation at hand. For field dressing deer I want fairly compact and light, my favorite for many years has been an old American made 2 blade "Western" folding pocket knife with clip-toothpick type blades, I use the same blade style in a smaller version knives for small game that many may call a muskrat, skinned out many a coon in the woods with those and the bird hook style for birds in the field. They all have the same blade shape as a common denominator and I have have found it to be one of those blade designs that is about perfect for that type of work. There are plenty of makers and sources at fairly modest prices for those types and choosing a good USA made model you should not go wrong. For butchering I have been using one of those reasonable priced and decent quality wise "Outdoor Edge" sets that do a very good job as long as they are kept sharp same as with any knife. Al Old Western Pocket Knife

Over the summer I helped a buddy customize his new S&W Victory 22 pistol, I also did a build up on a Ruger 10/22. On both firearms I went with a custom parts outfit named Tandemkross for parts upgrades, they produce a myriad parts for various rimfire firearms that increase reliability and accuracy. When doing gun work as the old saying goes a picture is worth a thousand words making disassembly and assembly of gun so much easier and in this era of you-tube videos doing work on your own firearms has never been easier to accomplish. Tandemkross has made thing great for installation of their parts by producing their own videos and recruiting the Collier Gun Girls to show how installations are done. Faith and Jenna Collier are two young competitive shooters from Texas who not only do Tandemkross videos but other shooting videos on their own you tube channel. These two gals are not even in their teens yet but have amazed me with their knowledge and I am not easily impressed but these little girls have blown me away. Watching their videos have made parts installations a snap and the Tandemkross parts make some significant improvements on the firearms they were installed on. So if anyone is looking to do some in home custom work on their Ruger or S&W rimfires checkout the Tandemkross outfit along with the Collier Gun Girls and make it easy on yourself. Check out the example below. Al

This kind of crap is completely predictable, you will have media, animal rights activists and anti hunters coming out of the woodwork on a deal like this, they relish and use the opportunity to punish all hunters because of the actions of one. How about by just making Tonka's Law a law against shooting dogs while hunting and "EMPHASIZE" that law in both hunter's education classes and in all state regulation books as so there is "NO DOUBT" about it. Make the penalty for someone that defies that law so severe that it will never be worth any hunter's while to ever shoot a dog because of the consequences! Those hunters that are dumb enough to shoot someone's pet or hunting dog should face the full music of that law! Al

A worthwhile investment for sure, I invested in a generator after a two day power outage about 15 years ago in the winter. I have not had to use it a whole lot but this summer the power has been down more that usual and it has been fired up four different times. This last storm did not cause any loss of power for me but it did bring down the biggest white pine in my front yard, about a seventy five footer, and of course it had to fall on my pasture fence, a big time mess. I now get to use some of my other good investments like my tractor and loader, dump trailer and chains saws. Al

It was the "hot core" Speer 105 gr spitzer which is probably not even being produced today, I am an old goat and loaded those bullets back in the late 60s early 70s. Al

I like Ruger 77s myself especially the older tang safety models, the old tang safety Ultra Light is a fine handling easy carry rifle. I think both Ruger rifles you mention would work well at moderate ranges in the woods. I have zero experience with the 260 Rem but I do believe it to be a top notch medium game cartridge. As for the 243 I have owned several and also one 6 mm Remington which is pretty much the same. I killed more woodchucks and crows than anything with those rifles but did take a half dozen or so Deer and can tell you none went very far especially when I went to the 95 gr Nosler Partitions. I did take one with a 105 gr Speer and while it pretty much dropped where it stood I did not like the fact that the bullet shed the jacket. So to be honest I do not think a Deer would notice too much the difference from being shot by the 16.5 inch barreled 260 Remington or your current 20 inch 243 Winchester as long as you are firing well made bullets at moderate ranges, they both are time proven cartridges that are able to do the job. Now when you start talking a possible 300 yard shot personally I leave the short barreled rifles home and carry a more all around firearm. I know under the right condition even a handgun can make a long shot but I try to match my firearm to be best suited to the cover and all the possible range tasks at hand I may be faced with. Light bolt action sporters with 22 inch barrels weighing under 7 pounds handle pretty darn good and chambered in something like 280 Remington or 270 Winchester they will easily make long shots with good ammo and a confident and competent shooter pulling the trigger. Al

69 years next month and glad to have lived in the time period I have been on this earth. Al

Camo wetsuit will keep you dry and warm and ought to be quiet too LOL! Al

Hey Dan I have noticed we have had quite a few things in common. No I do not eat Chipmunks, normally that is! I say that because I did go on a Squirrel hunt one time with a bunch of friends and we decided to take not only Grey Squirrels but also Reds and Chipmunks just see see if they were edible. If I remember right everything was par boiled and then soaked in buttermilk and breaded then deep fried. Some stew was also made. I have to say the Chipmunks and Red Squirrels were every bit as tasty as the Greys and really the only way I could tell the difference in what type of animal I was eating was the size. Below is the Savage model 24 Noah used, an older side button model I picked up at the Syracuse Gun Show some years ago, I had the barrels dura-coated and I refinished the walnut stock and installed some sling studs. Because of the versatility and ability to handle different hunting situations it is one of my favorite small game firearms to take a walk with. Al

Ultimately it is always about shot placement and when you have a gun you shoot well and have confidence in that is a tough combo to beat. Many moons ago I killed my first Buck with a 222 Remington, you do your part and I am sure those Noslers will do theirs. Al

Took my really pumped up grandson Noah out for his first squirrel hunt this morning using my old Savage 24 combo 22-410 loaded up with 2 1/2 6s. Saw a squirrel right off that got up in the top of an oak full of leaves and could not get a shot. Had a chipmunk present a shot and I let him take that to get his feet wet. Noah then spotted a squirrel run up a large oak tree and we tried to get close for a shot. As we closed in the squirrel came down and made a break for it and Noah took him on the run with a well placed shot for his first squirrel.