wztirem

If accurate,this is a scary scenario. Better make B/O mandatory!

Unfortunately this does happen, however there is no evidence to show that rifles are intrinsically safer to hunt with than shotguns. Its sad to say that there are too many irresponsible gun hunters out there, rifle hunters included, who take shots far beyond their capabilities.

Its a nightmarish scenario you describe Doc.

Got anything to back that up? What you profess is exactly what they said in PA, but it didnt happen. Oh wait, why do I bother asking, of course you dont. ;D One thing is certain is that the deer harvest will increase during the archery season and the state stands to gain monetarily from taxes on sales of crossbow equipment. Perhaps they will require that a hunter purchase a special crossbow tag.In the end,the DEC only cares about the number of deer killed during the open season for deer. For me, it does not matter if crossbows are legalized, I am content to continue bow hunting with a recurve,besides I am too cheap to spend an inordinate sum of money on the equipment. Yep, I hear ya. I wont be buying a crossbow right away, but one of these days I probably will. Mine will probably be a recurve model with no scope, just open sights or a red dot with no magnification. Im good with my compound and I will add a recurve to my stable before a crossbow. I barely have enough time to insure that I am competent and capable when it comes to hunting with a recurve bow. For the foreseeable future, I will stick with the recurve.

I was out fluke fishing Sunday morning with my neighbor in Jones Inlet. The action was nonstop. However between the two us we caught over 60 fluke and only 1 (One) was a keeper (23 inches). We were using tandem rigs with circle hooks baited with squid/spearing on the bottom rig and Berkley Gulps on the top rig. Both baits worked about the same. Thankfully, we were off the water when the storm blew through!

There is nothing here that I can argue with. I really don't have any facts to prove the case one way or the other. I do have some concerns, but no data that shows them to be valid. This is one of those things that I may develop an opinion at some point off in the future when we have some actual results. Right now, all of the rifle experiments in the more populated parts of the southern zone are relatively new. I'm not even sure how many hunters in these new rifle areas have actually gone out and invested in a new rifle. I also realize that at the present time, we are enjoying a relatively safe set of hunting seasons so we don't really have a whole lot of accidents to draw data from (fortunately). Let's see how it all holds up over time. Then maybe I can come up with an opinion that I can get a bit serious about. Heaven help us if we start coming up with rifle hunters that start picking up the rapid-fire habits that we often think are the sole trait of shotgunners. Doc Shot gunners with rapid fire habits are more the exception than the rule. The majority of shot gun hunters,myself included are responsible hunters!

Got anything to back that up? What you profess is exactly what they said in PA, but it didnt happen. Oh wait, why do I bother asking, of course you dont. ;D One thing is certain is that the deer harvest will increase during the archery season and the state stands to gain monetarily from taxes on sales of crossbow equipment. Perhaps they will require that a hunter purchase a special crossbow tag.In the end,the DEC only cares about the number of deer killed during the open season for deer. For me, it does not matter if crossbows are legalized, I am content to continue bow hunting with a recurve,besides I am too cheap to spend an inordinate sum of money on the equipment.

Good read! What I would like to see published would be a similiar article based upon results of a scientific study concerning the AR prorgam in NY. Seemingly the argument continues adnaseum based upon opinion.

If the DEC schedules public meetings this year to hear hunter comments as they did last year the DEC should be asked the question regarding the above subject. I am sure that a boiler plate response has already been written!

Good summary!

Doc, I would that the DEC would prefer not to rock the bost. By only saying that reporting ones kill is mandatory and not clearly stating what the penalties are speaks volumes.

The point is that a fall from a height of 6' or more can be potentially fatal or result in a serious injury. The OHA regulation which I referred to further denotes the dangers of not being safely restrained/tied off when hunting in a tree or tree stand. Tree stand manufacturer's usually furnish an "OSHA"approved safety harness along with their treestands.

My brother in law is a VP for GEICO, I asked him to get me their statistics concerning reported deer collisions/claims in NY for 2009. I will post them. You would think that law enforcement records would also be readily available. I am sure that the DEC uses such records as part of their deer management program.

Governor Patterson counts the deer while driving around the state when he conducts his yearly visits with his constituents.

This thread is going way to far; difficult to type after reading all the bathroom humor.

I do not know if this idea would fly; how about requiring all hunters to surrender their unused tags when purchasing a new license. Talk about getting caught red handed! Lost tags, the system is already in place to secure new tags if one was to lose thier tags during the open season. Eliminate any and all excuses for failing to report a kill. Hunting licenses are much like driving licenses, they are a privilege which the state can revoke.

That works for me! How about just create a forum solely devoted to arguments labeled "Enter at Your own Risk"! If you cannot keep it clean and civilized you run the risk of a "moderators time out". As hunting season approaches this site is going to get real busy. A rubber room devoted to emotional arguments may just be what is needed to keep this site interseting.

OSHA mandates that above 6' you are required to wear an approved harness and to be securely tied off. It saddens me to still see hunters up a tree without being safely tied off.

I think the mayor of our great metropolis is behind this!

Doc, I surely support your position! It would be interesting to compare the actual harvest to the DEC's expectations for a given area. I can see a "big debate" on the horizon especially when the DEC adjusts the DMP quotas for various DMU's, institutes hunting restrictions (AR) or gimmick seasons to atone for previous mistakes. I would still like the DEC to perform a fly over using IR technology to gauge the deer population. I would not oppose a surcharge to the big game license to help fund such a study.

Opening day of gun season is akin to golfing on fathers day. There are so many guys out there who are unprepared,unskilled,irresponsible etc. However,it is their right to hunt and I hope they enjoy themselves,hunt safe and are successful in their endeavor. I just wish that some of them would yell fore before taking a bad shot.

Another thread asked us to reply to what do we like to do after and before hunting season. Well I love to fish saltwater. Tides being right, you can usually find me either surf fishing or in a boat with the hopes of landing a trophy striped bass or practicing catch and release when it comes to fluke. Anyone out there have any reports? Tight lines!

Doc, This thread made for good discussion on the old Empire Forum. You may recall my disdain for the NYSDEC statistics. Granted the NYSDEC explains their methodology in comprising their statistics which I can appreciate,however, the majority of hunters who do not report their kills are the problem which prevents the NYSDEC from publishing reliable data. Caveat emptor!

When hunting State land on opening day,I try to make it a point of being the first hunter in the woods to reach his/her stand location. I wear a small LED attached to my cap to help guide my way and for safety's sake. After settling in to my location, I enjoy the light show. Oftentimes I hang a red glow stick on a limb to alert other hunters of my location! If I am late getting to my hunting area, I wait for first light before walking to my stand (have multiple locations) avoiding areas where I know other hunters may be posted.

Is the State budget passed yet?