Mr VJP

And we just found out it still is. The law still trusts the responsible hunter. But woe to those who aren't.

I could see having a flask to celebrate a nice buck being taken. But it would only be enjoyed with the buddies after the guns were empty and the buck had been field dressed. Now that I know it's legal, I just might put one in my back pack from now on. It would go real well with the celebratory cigar I have in there now. Actually, this is a ritual that used to be practiced in my Grand Dad's day, but like me, most hunters today think it's illegal. I'm actually impressed that it isn't and the choice is left up to responsible adult hunters, not the government. ;D

OK, the DEC officer said possession while hunting isn't illegal, but hunting while intoxicated is. It's rarely charged unless another offense or accident is involved. They use .08 as the level for intoxication, but can charge you with being impaired if the officer smells it on your breath and you seem drunk. I stand corrected. You learn something new (and maybe scary) every day.

I'll call the local DEC office for clarification. I've been told by a dispatcher in the main DEC office it isn't illegal to have a flask on your person while hunting as far as the main DEC office is concerned. But the guy (who isn't an officer) advised I call the local DEC officer for more details on being intoxicated while hunting. It's starting to sound like it's similar to driving a car. Unless you're over the limit, you are OK, but in a car you can't even have an open booze container, even if you haven't had a drop. In NJ it is illegal to have it on you while hunting, even if you haven't had a drop. They have it printed in the game laws book too. NY seems to be different.

It's not a law specific to the game laws. It is a NYS law specific to firearm possession. Call your local police department and ask them. They can explain the law for you.

Doc, in a prior post I mentioned how leftists like to implement stupid laws by saying it's worth any encroachment on freedom if it saves just one life. I didn't say you said it, I was asking you to confirm you agree with it. I'm from NJ. I've seen where this law has gone. I've mentioned the fines imposed and the progression of this stupidity to NJ Rangers now carrying meters to measure the intensity of the B/O you are wearing. If it's not bright enough, hundreds of dollars are taken out of your pocket. The accident rate has not improved over what it was prior to the B/O law decades ago. Because prior to the law, people were more careful when they fired their weapon. Now, if they don't see any orange in the area, they fire at will without thinking there might be something in the line of fire that is not wearing B/O, like a dog or a hiker. If you let a camel stick it's nose in your tent, pretty soon the whole camel will be in the tent and you will find it impossible to get it out. Those who want to allow the government to tell them what they can and cannot do are asking for encroachment that will expand ever farther and never relinquish the power. Some of us just seem to have experience with abusive power and the foresight to restrain it. Wear what you like, but don't align yourself with authorities against your fellow hunters. You may just find yourself on the wrong side of things in the future.

So sad to hear about your Uncle. But I'm reminded of a line in the movie "Legends of the Fall" with Brad Pitt. "Every warrior prays for a good death. It was a good death." Keep his memory alive!

I bow hunt the winter in NJ. The season's open until the end of January. On a nice warm sunny day in January, there is nothing I'd rather be doing.

It may be worth the time and effort to convert a non-believer if they are truly open minded enough to be objective and listen to facts. But you have to know you facts inside out and understand it would be easier to convince an atheist there is a God.

The first article also stated the bear was tagged a few years back in NJ. There are some big bears in NW NJ too, because they haven't been hunted there for years.

I believe it is illegal to have any alcohol in your possession while hunting. It is also dangerous as it can impair you judgment, even in small quantities, especially when your tired. One of the safety commandments for hunting is, "never mix alcohol and gunpowder". Also, consuming alcohol will actually lower you body temperature. You just feel warmer in your belly. It does not warm your body temperature up.

Where are you located in NY?

Welcome aboard. You've come to the right place. Ask questions here and you will get answers. Get yourself a guide to state game lands as a start. That will help you find places to hunt no matter where you are in NY.

Welcome

Welcome. Why do you want to switch?

Welcome

Hunting Gets Positive Publicity in Oprah's O Magazine EDGEFIELD, S.C. In a first for the hunting community, the December edition of Oprah's O magazine includes a positive article about hunting. Written by Kimberly Hiss, the article details her wild turkey hunt and the challenges that come with harvesting an animal. The three-page article, which begins on page 189, includes a photo of the author and the wild turkey she shot on the trip. "This is a really big step for hunting," said Brent Lawrence, public relations director for the National Wild Turkey Federation. "Many mainstream media outlets, particularly women's publications, shy away from positive hunting stories. This wonderful article gives a voice to millions of hunters and provides valuable insight to non-hunters." The NWTF coordinated the hunt with help from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and wildlife manager Bob Meduna, Benelli USA, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's. The article details the wide range of emotions Hiss feels while hunting, particularly during her first deer hunt. "For every turkey wrap or club sandwich I'd ever eaten, something had been killed for my benefit - I'd just never done the killing myself. The deer hunt invitation seemed an opportunity, a challenge even, to reclaim my place in the food chain by assuming responsibility for the meat on my plate," Hiss wrote. Hiss, who endured minus-19-degree wind chills and a foot of snow last December on the hunt near Kearney, Neb., used virtually every part of the bird. She made table decorations from the tail feathers and donated the remaining feathers to the NWTF's feather distribution program for Native American tribes. "I encourage everybody to check out this article," said Lawrence. "Members of the hunting community should write supportive letters to the editor commenting on the article. Letting the editors hear from us in a postive manner may encourage them to publish more pro-hunting articles. Anti-hunters will write in so we have to make our voices heard, too." To read the article, visit http://www.oprah.com/food/Women-and...ng-Harvest.

If it saves just one life, it's worth it. Right Doc? With your debate points in prior posts, you have no choice but to support it. If it saves just one life, it should be done. Or are you saying you wouldn't support it because it would now be a law that you don't want forced on you?

Welcome aboard. Good Luck on the opener. Good Luck with your marriage from now on too. ;D

Why don't we get NY to make this decision for you and force you to wear it when bowhunting? Why should you have the choice? Smellin' my breeze here Doc?

Those were just the examples I found with one minor search for the information. Many more have occured but I don't have time to research all of them. My point is, if you were forced to wear B/O while bow hunting, you would be effected, and you would protest! You will support it against other gun hunters who don't feel the need to impose their beliefs on others through legislation, but would not like it if the same were done to you. I don't care about the stats. like the left wing loonies always like to say, "If it saves just one life...." If the B/O law passes in NY, I will make it my personal mission in life to see to it that ALL hunters are forced to suffer from it. Only by vigorously enforcing such a law will the law be seen for what it is and totally repealed.

You really need to get a grip on your defeatist attitude and negativity Doc.

I prefer to allow people to decide to use seat belts and helmets and blaze orange on their own. That's called freedom of choice. A law that forces one to do anything is the exact opposite, no matter how many people you want to protect from Darwin's law of natural selection where only the intelligent survive to breed the next generation. If you protect stupid people from all forms of accountability they will breed stupid offspring and eventually take over the population. If one isn't smart enough to know how to survive, I don't want laws passed that will protect them.

According to an article published in the Fall 2001 Minnesota DNR Firearms Safety and Hunter Education newsletter, three people were shot with arrows in the 2000 season. These accidents occurred in three states, Nebraska, Vermont, and Indiana. Two of the three resulted in fatalities. The common thread in all of these incidents was that none of the shooters were sure of their target and what was downrange beyond it. An Independence man taking part in the bowhunting season for deer and turkey died Saturday after being mistaken for a turkey by a hunting companion, the Missouri Department of Conservation indicated Monday. Ammon D. Cerda, 52, died Saturday evening in Lake Regional Hospital at Osage Beach. He was flown there by medical helicopter from a hunting site near Laurie, said Darrell Walden, Department of Conservation district supervisor of protection Darrell Walden. Laurie is near the north shore of Lake of the Ozarks, about 75 miles northeast of Springfield. Hit by an arrow around dusk, Cerda was given CPR for about 15 minutes before the helicopter arrived, Walden said. "At this time, it appears Ammon was mistaken for a wild turkey," Walden said. "He was wearing leafy camouflage and he was in a crouched position." Cerda's hunting companion was not identified. Illinois Hunter Killed By Friend In Bowhunting Accident From the Evansville Courier & Press: Aaron J. Long, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday night. According to Wayne County Sheriff Jim Hinkle, Long had been hunting near the Sam Dale Lake State Park with several friends Thursday evening when he decided to come down from his deer stand earlier than expected. “Mr. Long was sitting on a small ridge when his 16-year-old friend walked up on him and mistook him for a wild turkey,” Hinkle said. “He was struck in the upper back and died at the scene.” Oregon bowhunter killed when shot in the head with an arrow So, it does happen, doesn't it? It's easy to support a law that only impacts others. But not when it would impact you.

Here's the deal in a nut shell...... If you don't like hunting, don't hunt. Do not try to tell others not to. If you don't like guns, don't own one. Don't try to prevent others from owning one. If you like Blaze Orange for hunting, wear it. Don't push to get a law passed to force your will on others. That you have no right to do. That is a desire for power and control. That is one of the biggest problems in America today. In most cases we have little or no power to stop such control, short of armed insurrection. In this case, we do have the power to stop it. Unless, we as hunters, do it to ourselves. And that would be very sad. When you boil it down to it's base, the purpose of every law is control of others through authoritative power. That is the basic purpose of this law.