airedale

A good example showing when a group bucks up boycotting and standing together for a cause that things happen!

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/01/23/gun-show-bans-products-targeted-by-left

One after one, the exhibitors and sponsors stated, “We must be united in our support of the Second Amendment.” No more divides between the engraved-shotgun/sporting clays crowd and we more grubby gun owners. We’re all in — or we are OUT. AMEN!!!!

I totally agree ekp!

Q: How can I reduce the amount of mail I receive from the NRA? A: Simply email us at [email protected] or dial 800-NRA-3888 and request to be placed on the "Do Not Promote" list. This will significantly reduce the amount of mail you receive without affecting important mailings, magazine service, or your membership renewal.

Blueticks are fairly large trail hounds used mostly for Coon hunting and various big game such as Bear and Lion. I have hunted behind a couple of Blueticks that were pretty fair rabbit dogs. They make great pets but once trained for hunting have a tendency to take an interesting track and follow it to wherever it goes so they should not be allowed to run loose without supervision. The books "Walk With Wick" 1 and 2 written by John Wick are probably the best books I have read for training this breed. A Google search will put you in touch with a vendor that sell those books. Good luck with you new dog. Al

"As for the number one reason people are quitting hunting, can you site a source for that data, or did you just make it up? Serious question, I'd love to read the study if the DEC or a private entity did one" Sogaard I got that piece of info out of an outdoor magazine several years ago, I believe it was either Sports Afield or Field and Stream but I am not positive. Anyhow the article was not about just NY state it was about the overall decline in hunting and fishing across the whole country bore out by state licence sales. Some sort of survey-poll was done on why sportsmen stopped hunting and fishing. The number one reason given was they had no place to go or the places they did have were so crowded that they did not enjoy themselves and just quit. How accurate was the poll I can't say but I would bet it was not too far off the mark.

With all the money saved from paying Taxes and the uncountable hidden fees we pay here in NY a person should be able to join a nice hunting club. At the rate land is being posted here in NY over the last couple of decades it will probably end being the same as Texas in the end. The number one reason people quit hunting in this state is they can not find a decent place to go.

There is no place that is perfect but between California and NY things are getting pretty bad for the outdoors sports, gun ownership and taxes among a whole bunch of other things. I have actually begun to look at real estate around the country and Texas is a strong contender for my lifestyle, the wife will be retiring in a couple of years and I just might take Mr Abbott up his offer, For me this last deal may be the straw that breaks the Camel's back and it might finally be time to get out of Dodge.

I am all for going after the representatives that voted this crap in, I am happy to say that both of my representatives voted against this law and I was sure to let them know I appreciated it. Nobody said the DEC is responsible for the law being passed but pain will have to be felt and they would be one of the branches of government to feel the pain of a boycott. If a real boycott happened there would be a lot more people feeling the pain than the DEC. The outdoor sports generate millions of dollars in many areas and venues than just government coffers and if that money were to really dry up there would be a lot of pain. Like what was mentioned above the one thing that gets things done in this country is "money"

Everybody here knows the real problem is the politicians and I agree that as a group we all should be politically involved. The problem has been apathy pure and simple. All the squawking and chest thumping starts after the fact. How many belong to the NRA? How many got on the horn and called their representatives and voiced their views before this vote was taken? I am betting if the truth was known percentage wise the numbers would be low. As for a boycott I am all for it, the whole idea is to cause pain and it requires sacrifice and sticking together. People have given their lives for the rights we have and yet I see people here that would not give up a single day of hunting, pretty sad. Al

For still hunting where I am moving around a bit I like a light fast handling gun, the knock on lightweight guns is that they are not accurate and felt recoil. Even though light rifles may not shoot those elusive one inch groups for the most part they are plenty accurate enough for hunting big game in most situations. As for recoil it never bothered me much at all, when hunting and shooting at game, I never notice it in the excitement of the moment. Firing many rounds off the bench is another matter. For stand hunting weight does not come into play so much, I have seen some even use varmint type rifles. Al

Sounds like you are a fan of trap shooting and that a new trap gun would see far more use than the other two prospects you mention. I would be buying the trap gun. Al

I have been small game and bird hunting with doubles for many years and enjoy using them, there is just something about their classic look and handling I like especially in the smaller gauges. As with anything else you will get what you pay for and when it comes to doubles I would avoid the cheap stuff because they can be real crap! Used Savage, SKBs and some imported Spanish doubles can be had at a reasonable price if you shop around and hit some gun shows. The CZ doubles are probably one of the better buys today for new and they can also can be found used for a good deal.Save up and get a nice one and it will give you a lifetime of hunting memories. Al

Nice!

The good old "Crock Pot" is the best for utilizing all the meat on a Squirrel, Cover them with water in your crock pot and let them go a few hours from morning until afternoon. Take them out and the meat will virtually fall off the bones and is tender, put the boned meat back into the pot with the broth and add a bag of mixed vegetables and let it go until the veggies are done. Season with salt and pepper, eat it as is like soup or thicken it like stew, it is eating that is as good as it gets. Al

I have a couple of those old Normark Rapala knives that I have used for years, don't even know if they still are made, they work good, hold an edge well and don't cost an arm and a leg. They also make great boning knives for butchering deer.

I grew up in the country in a hunting culture, my Dad was the biggest influence, grandfather, uncles and my Dad's best friends were all hunters and talked hunting all the time. My neighbors were hunters along with many of my friends I went to school with. It was easy to get hooked on hunting under all those influences and hunting tales. Al

I believe the biggest cause of the decline in hunting is the loss of viable hunting grounds. When I was a young fellow my area was populated by many family farms. Most farmers back then welcomed hunters as long as they asked for permission and behaved. Many farmers looked at game animals as a direct threat to their bottom line and saw hunting and trapping as way to keep things in check.Today most of those farms are long gone, when they go out of business many times the land is sold off for house building lots forever losing it to hunting. Most of the farms that are left now post their lands, leaving long drives to mostly crowded unproductive state lands for the newbies to hunt on. Take a kid fishing and never have catch anything is a sure fire formula for disinterest and quitting, the same will apply to hunting. Small game hunting which is the staple for young hunters starting out has been pretty much forgotten, I grew up coon hunting, rabbit and hare hunting, squirrel hunting, bird hunting. Unlike deer hunting where a hunter may not even fire a shot during the season, with small game action is generally the name of the game and I had and still today have a blast small game hunting. Success will generate interest and get the bug started even the the game might just be a squirrel. Why it has faded so dramatically I am not sure but it seems like the deer hunting craze has taken over the whole fall with some kind of special season for various weapons. I am a person that loves to hunt deer and I also like hunting small game especially with dogs, That being said there is no way I am going to take one of my dogs into the field during any deer season and as mentioned above that covers pretty much the whole fall when the weather here for hunting in lake effect snow country is at it's best. Bottom line I and others like me stay home. Al

Hello all, my name is Al Kranbuhl, joined this forum a while back and I just wanted to introduce myself. I have participated in all outdoor sports such as trapping, fishing and shooting, enjoy all the various types of hunting but like hunting with a dog the most, be it fur or feathers. Don't hunt nearly as much as I once did, I hate to admit it but age has slowed me down some. Anyhow hope to read some good hunting stories here. Al