mike rossi

I am not sure off the top of my head, but if I think of any that stand above, I will let you know. They all about provide fair basic information. As far as waterfowl id, here is the book for the waterfowl ID course, which you might consider taking. http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Ducks%20at%20a%20Distance-OCR.pdf This wont prevent you from breaking a game law, but once you have the bird in hand, the LeMaster Method is an excellent guide. http://www.gundogsupply.com/lemmetwatidb.html Here is the schedule for the waterfowl hunting course, not manadatory, although certain public lands require you take this course to hunt : http://nydovehunting.weebly.com/waterfowl-identification-class.html

Very hard to distinguish, especially on the wing, generally you need to ID by sound. The wonderful state of NJ only recently reclassified the fish crow as a game species, they had been hunting American crows for years, no doubt taking fish crows as by-catch.... Another thing we can tie crows in with, is that they are oscines. Oscines are "song birds".... Mourning doves are not oscines..... They are not even sub-oscines... Its time to hold individuals and entities accountable to the facts....

This really isn't relevant to the topic, but if that was true NYC would not have made the wise choice many years ago of buying upstate land for it's water supply. In other words, is there enough farmland on Long Island to feed 9 million NYC residents? Without importing things like GARLIC from distant places like Asia... Importing is bad, it is not green; locavorism is green... There is no economy without water and food... There can be an economy without fossil fuels and the stock market, but not without water and food... I think the hunting community must learn to work with down state people and downstate politicians, there is much bravado labeling people and being critical, but no action when it comes to forwarding a pro hunting agenda... That being said, in my opinion, if NYC decided to split off, as Washington DC did split from Maryland, both upstate and NYC people would be happier and could focus and attend to their own business, not each others. The cultural differences between the two geographic areas are too wide to reconcile without an excess of unhappy faces... The political gerry-mandering of the legislature, particularly the assembly, creates an over-representation of NYC values across the entire state, and that is what people are complaining about...

Pretty tough to retrieve woodcock without a dog.

I have had experience with them in the wild state. They are non native, like pheasant and chukar, but there are hunt-able wild populations in some states. They often are in coveys which explode at once and confuse gunners, like bobwhites and other quails. It is a real covey flush, unlike the flock flushes of sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chicken, They are also found in pairs more often than singles. They prefer short cover most of the time and usually dont allow either dog or hunter to get close to them. They flush in a burst and seem to fly fast, not sure if they actually do, but they are indeed one of the most challenging upland birds.

I dont know if I agree with that. They are pretty tricky but you describe it like it is calling pull to shoot clays, then again some people (anti hunters) characterize dove hunting with clay shooting which is pretty ridiculous... Why dont you go to the dog pound and get a bird dog? Or buy one for a hundred bucks. Maybe you are referring to the expense of caring, feeding, and training, or are you caught up in that expensive bloodline folklore? I would agree with your choice of an english setter though...

I heard that a judge would be hearing this. It would behoove them to require the squirrels to be skinned and dressed before they are weighed. That would show they are being used for food... Some of the rabbit contests require that - its a good idea...

Wait a second, are you saying that hunting woodcock with dogs makes it unsporting? Thats a new one....

Read the whole thing, including the below, according to this, the bill came before the ballot referendum....The article you posted says the opposite... The hunting community CANNOT function as an effective lobby with this level of incompetence and/or intentional untruthfulness.... Hunting continues to lose public support because of this... This measure would not have gone to the ballot if a legislative bill, LD 1474, sponsored by Rep. Denise Harlow (D-116), had been passed by the legislature. This bill sought to enact laws similar to those stipulated in the initiative. A similar measure appeared on the ballot and was defeated in the general election on November 2, 2004.[

This article gives a much different account of the voter margin and process which explains the ongoing legislation. This is why I don't read from those sources and caution others not to either.... http://ballotpedia.org/Maine_Bear_Hunting_Ban_Initiative,_Question_1_(2014)

Well, when you get freed up and have the time, I would be interested in hearing it. From what I see from the DEC, none of their deer project goals are going to excite the hook and bullet crowd: 1) Update inventories on deer wintering areas 2) Develop a CLIMATE CHANGE model 3) Do more social studies I also see they have a deer team of 4 and a big game team of 15. That probably does not include technicians. An inventory of deer winter areas across the state or the mountain areas of the state would indeed be a big project...

Florida is currently considering opening a limited black bear season because of an increase in bear problems. I think that explains it...

Yup. They often will spring almost straight up from the cover, momentarily stall, and then fly in a straight vector for a distance and then curve before they land. Seems the longer they fly straight the faster they travel... That is the characteristic woodcock flush, but they often behave in different ways when flushed, They will sometimes walk or run on the ground too, all game birds do as a matter of fact, even bobwhite. It isn't just ringnecks that run on the ground, although they are better equipped to sprint through heavy cover for a long distance.

What specifically do you believe is not getting done?

http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Black-Bear-Hazing-Kits-Donated-to-FWC-291471651.html

Springers don't point, and woodcock are favored by owners of pointing breeds because hold good for a pointing dog and they are excellent table fare, better than pheasant, and much better than chicken. And they actually can rocket along, you don't always get the lay up shots at them. (As an after thought, I also want to say that pheasant are actually one of the faster birds once they do get going). Also, I suspect birds which are migratory give hunters a sense of urgency too, because they don't stay around the entire season, I think that subliminally motivates some hunters.

I have to razz you a little, but admit I am only half joking -- The way you guys post, you appear to be professional internet trolls hired to get people to generate content which in turn generates revenue for someone.... Your post can be replied to in multiple contexts... The hunting community has never learned to focus, and it continues to cost them... For the purpose of the Pittman-Robertson the formula does not consider how productive the habitat is, but the total acreage available to hunters. Your implication about habitat productivity can expand on a number of subjects only mildly relevant to the topic of this post. Important topics, but not subjects relevant here nor which will interest most of the hook and bullet crowd which patronize this site. You may know more about the DEC's ability to survey deer populations than I do, but I will give you my take. Most hunting chatter shows hunters have a poor grasp on population biology and are uninformed. For example, whitetail deer management prescriptions have recently changed, nationwide, and these new parameters are not going to please many hunters. Second, not only does the DEC use the same proven survey methods used everywhere else, the whitetail is a ridiculously simple animal to monitor. Managing whitetails is about as idiot proof as it gets. I think the DEC is adept enough to manage whitetails... Whenever there is a social component, you cannot please everybody. Whenever you have put ecology first and are opposed by individuals, organizations, and industries that want their own interests prioritized before ecological soundness you get unhappy faces... I don't find the DEC better or worse than other state wildlife agencies, if I find any deficiency with them, it in that they are less likely to stand up to the public and industry, including the hunting community, than other state agencies do. They fail to say, listen, WE are the professionals, not you. We want your opinions, but we know what opinions have merit and which do not... The DEC does not do that, however. I am all for not being rude, but at a certain point things exceed ridiculous...

Thanks for posting this, and maybe you know this, but for the many who are confused: It is more important to contact the office of other lawmakers to show support for good legislation than the sponsor(s) of it. No need to sell a lawmaker on his own initiative, its the naysayers that need to be persuaded. A "thank you" to the sponsor(s) is in order, but that is a lower priority. Few hunters will write as many letters as it takes, and if someone is only willing to do so much, the effort should be where it counts.... And don't let anyone convince you contacting lawmakers does not influence policy, because it does! Same goes fro contacting the DEC on conservation-related matters and/or participating in stakeholder input periods...

I usually don't hit the uplands until after a month of mourning dove and several wood duck and teal hunts. By the time I pursue grouse, woodcock, and pheasant, my swing is fast, so I actually do better on the grouse and miss more woodcock and pheasant, until I shift gears. I don't want to change the subject, but I also hunt September Canada's, and those birds are big and give the illusion of slow flight, but they also are moving at a good clip, even when decoying, so I would say hunting geese also contributes too me over swinging on pheasant and woodcock. Off course, both pheasant and woodcock sometimes give you a brief window of opportunity when they momentarily hover, even that doesn't help if your muscle memory needs to be re-calibrated...

What exactly do you mean by "invested"? The reason I ask is that Life time License revenue has been being turned over to the state comptroller and invested in the STIP. I just read the "first" dividend was (recently) received and it was something like $250,000... You probably were not aware that life time license revenue was treated that way, as most people do not. You probably were referring to how much license dollars are used for conservation? One of these days I am going to look that up, but for now I can tell you this... NY is among the states with the largest hunting license revenue and open land available for hunting. The license revenue, with a questionable exception to life time license revenue, is put into a state conservation fund. By law, that fund cannot be swept or diverted - hence the reason the investment of lifetime license revenue is questionable. This law also limits the use of this fund to a defined range of uses. The last I payed attention, about a year or two ago, the state conservation fund was something like 30 million dollars. As a matter of fact, state organizations representing hunters testified that since the conservation fund was so large, that they recommend a reduction in the price of sporting licenses, which as you know was indeed granted. Based on a formula, NY is eligible for federal grants under the Pittman-Robertson program for up to something like $20 million. In order to access those funds, the state must submit individual grant proposals. If those proposals are excepted, the Pittman-Robertson program is a cost sharing program - the state must put up 25% of the total cost of the project to receive federal funding. A couple of unexplained mysteries: Does the DEC have enough staff to be able to use all of the available funding? If they do not, why do they not increase their staff? Pittman-Robertson grants may be used to pay staff, when that staffing need is for a PR funded project. Perhaps it is a hang up with the state's procedure for hiring new personal that has nothing to do with the CF and PR program? Is it politics rather than staffing? Are elected politicians trying to twist the arms of the other party? Or, is it the politics among the various advisory boards and organizations, particularly what is called " The Summit"? "The Summit" is the NY State Conservation Council; the Conservation Alliance of NY; and the Fish and Wildlife Management Board. No, I am not kidding... Do these entities block or fail to be enthused about DEC grant proposals to the PR program because they think they are too "green"? Are these entities thinking they are being good republicans by hoarding the conservation fund, especially because of objection for green uses? About 1% by law can be used for hunter education. A small percentage can be used to construct shooting facilities (and that is in addition to the recent state grants for shooting ranges). Another percentage can be used for things like parking and boat ramps. Perhaps The Summit. CFAB, and other connected entities fail to support anything besides hunter ed; shooting ranges; and access facilities? I hope not, but that is something I suspect. What about land acquisition? Well the Environmental Protection Fund is as big or bigger than the conservation fund, but it is not funded by hunting revenue. So if the DEC wants to buy land it can leverage federal PR grants with the EPF as well as the CF. Just remember that when you boast to an anti hunter that you pay for conservation lands... Non government organizations might also provide the DEC with all or some of the 25%, some of those organizations are not hunting organizations, as a matter of fact, most of them are not... Again, know what you are talking about... Furthermore, the DEC has other federal cost sharing grant programs that are not funded by hunters which work like the Pittman-Robertson program... I am not going to make accusations or speculations, all I am saying that from the bits and pieces of information we all get it sounds like it is not the entire picture, I will end it with this: The NY pheasant stocking program is only 1.37% of the Fish, Wildlife, and Marine Resources expenditures and that is only .05% of the DEC's total budget. NY reports that it has 60,000 pheasant hunters. I don't have economic data on NY, but NJ reports that its pheasant program serves 12,000 pheasant hunters and generated $2.5 million dollars annually in general economic activity. Pheasant stocking also increases early succession habitat and thereby biodiversity. So leave the pheasant farm alone and out of conflation...

I agree that sometimes or often police get screwed , as do people accused of crimes or sued. But are you effin serious, you "are going by the police report"? Like going by the forbs report on climate change....

There has been proposals to make it illegal to maintain feral cat colonies on public land. Apparently in some localities this is tolerated and organizations financed with donations do this unfettered. After sufficient outreach, legislation calling for a leash law on cats will not seem outrageous. Some areas already have leash laws for cats.

Biologists indeed want to get rid of cats, but not coyotes. Notice I qualified this post with the sentence that this is a touchy subject. I do NOT recommend the trappers engage in the issue of house cats. However, it is of interest to trappers because it is impacting furbearer populations - I would keep it there. There are enough people fighting with the biologists on this issue, it is hard enough with mute swans, never mind house cats. People used to let dogs roam, that would be radical today, same will apply to cats at some point in the future. Wouldnt behoove the trappers to engage this one though.... Keep it in your fodder next time the population status of NY muskrats is discussed though....

Sport hunting has always been associated with "elitism" and not in a bad way. When legislation to ban the industry of market hunting while allowing sport hunting, the industry shoved back and said we are feeding America, these crazy yahoos dont even eat game. Sport hunters soon called sportsmen, decided what was sporting : methods and species. They didnt hunt at night, use bait, and hundreds of other things commercial market hunters did. They were elite and the non hunting public for the most part respected them back in the day. The hunting community has gradually evolved away from that over the decades to what we got today... Yes, it is documented in history that American hunters have scorned down and postulated game populations would be devastated by "red neck hunters" "poor southerners" and newly arrived Italian-Americans. Funny, because now days they say that about Bosnians... Recently, if someone emulates the sport hunter of the late 1930s and chooses to maintain a high level of ethics he is called an elitist? It is understandable that trying to impose your own ethics that exceed what is required by law would irritate some hunters; never the less that is historically part of sport hunting. If nobody stood up in 1937 and said we wont allow shooting deer from cars or hunt ducks at night or use nets to catch nesting turkeys where would we be now?

Touchy subject.... http://wildlife.org/cat-disease-detected-in-minks-and-muskrats/ http://phys.org/news/2015-01-illinois-muskrats-minks-harbor-toxoplasmosis.html