Mr VJP

Welcome to the forum!

Actually shipping is the problem. I'm ready for it if we can decide how I can get it from you.

Hire a local guy to plow the snow for you. This way you don't have to do it and can save the $3000 to $5000 you will need to spend for your own equipment.

Sounds like they were pretty aggressive in kicking some members out of the club for simply owning a "black rifle". I think they would have been better served voting to ban the rifles from their range, as opposed to banning the rifle owners.

I quit over 25 years ago. Tapered off slowly over a couple of years. Just kept reminding myself it was very unhealthy and spent my time doing things that prevented me from smoking. Chewing a lot of gum helped me quit too, but may have caused more visits to the dentist!

Too many fox, coyote and hawks will mean very few rabbits, turkey and grouse in that area.

Funny thing though, coyote won't eat Thai! ;D

As long as it has a license and the season is open, I guess it is.

I've been seeing them on my land behind the house this year, so I'll be hunting right there this year.

A lot of my fall turkey hunting is like deer hunting. I just head to a spot I know they like to feed and wait for them to show up. I've taken lots of turkey this way. They just show up eventually moving through my property and when they get in range I take one. It's like hunting deer from a stand. I call every now and then, but those big flocks just ignore that. If they won't come close enough, I'll run into them and break them up. But most times I know where they travel and just sit and wait for them. They do follow a regular feeding and travel pattern in my area.

On the contrary. I think it allows them to charge everyone a lot more money for their auto insurance. They are not losing money. Just read the profit statements that come out of insurance companies every year. Sure they pay out a lot of claims, but they rake in a lot more from all the drivers that don't hit deer.

For $10 you got a real good decoy. It should work quite well. Don't let a big Tom get to close to it though because it will attack the decoy and tear it up. You're going to have to bring it in from the woods with you every day too, as it won't last if you leave it out in the woods.

Welcome aboard from Delaware County!

Doc, I already ski and have tried them in the deep snow, but have found they don't go uphill well in the woods and work best on packed snow rather than deep powder. Their length also makes them harder to maneuver while hunting. I've even tried the "short skis" but find them lacking compared to snow shoes too.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome to the forums.

I agree. Deer hunting is not about competition. It's about hunting and outdoor skills. A man can be the best deer hunter in America without taking a huge number of giant bucks. I know many very good deer hunters who take a doe for meat each year, then spend the rest of the season hunting for a good trophy. They don't always get a buck, and pass up a lot of small ones, but when they do connect, the buck is huge! These guys are expert deer hunters! Not hunters who kill a lot of big bucks that can only be taken when a lot of money is spent to be in the right place with the right guide at the right time.

I'm thinking about getting a pair of snowshoes for hunting in the late winter when the snow is a foot deep or more. Anybody use them? What advice would you give me? I've never had them before and don't know much about them other than what I've seen. I can ski and ice skate very well, so I think I could manage to learn how to use snowshoes. Are the fiberglass style better than the old style?

I wouldn't make any changes until you see how this year goes. My neighbor logged his land next to mine a few years back. I have permission to hunt there. I didn't notice any real change in the deer habits, other than they started using the new logging roads as trails. I think deer take logging in stride. Once the men leave and things quiet down for the day or the weekend, the deer move in to check things out. They did find much better browse in those fallen tree tops left behind also. They really seemed to like that. The area did become harder to see into though, with all of those tree tops on the ground now. Now, years later, I see more deer in that area than there were prior to the logging.

Golf balls are pretty tough. Most of the shot probably didn't hit the ball dead center, so they could pass through. But this one looks like it hit the center core which is very tough, and could stop it. Were these FMJ bullets? Maybe this load had a little less velocity?

Here's a link that will give you a whole lot to choose from: http://bearsystems.com/farms/farms.html

Welcome aboard!

It happened to me once with a 4 pt buck. Rather than slit the throat, I used a 5" fixed blade knife, held it's antler and stabbed it in the lungs. That is less traumatic for the deer and the hunter, plus the deer expires quickly.