wztirem

Outstanding photos! Thank you for sharing them.

LMAO

HAHAHA, nope. Im not much of an AR supporter, just stating a fact. We have the food and habitat to grow big deer here. That is a fact. Doc on the other hand is having a conniption over this post.

I was always under the impression that it was not legal to target practice on State land, unless you were practicing in a designated area. I was told by State Forester that it is illegal to target practice on lands designated as a State Forest. Long Island is a whole - nother ball of wax. It is illegal to carry a rifle afield on Long Island. As far as target practicing on State Lands on the Island with a sg/ml/22 or a hand gun I would ask an ENCON first. The DEC guys are pretty tough down here.

The problem with you is that you are such a right wing extremist, who's head is so far up your butt that you do not realize that the system as you know it is broken. I will say this, your point of view regarding gun control would change if you had someone close to you slain by an individual who commited such an act with an illegally obtained hand gun. There is always room for compromise when it comes to gun control. Face the facts,wake up,the reality is that the present gun control laws DO NOT WORK. Ask anybody who has lost a loved one or for that matter ask anyone in law enforcement who put their lives on the line every day.

More than likely, you just wouldnt have to pay to enter for the DMP. DMPs are just not guaranteed for anybody. Think about it, people keep complaining that deer numbers are too low, and that too many does are being taken in some areas. The problem with the current system is, everyone with a bow/ml tag gets a DMP that is good anywhere, so its hard to restrict the number of does taken in a certain area. This move is not a fiscal one, its a move to gain more control over the doe take in each area. I agree with your point when it comes to ML/Bow and the DEC's intent to control doe harvest in specific areas.It is sound management. What will upset many and perhaps cause them to forego applying/paying for a permit is that they are now in a lottery. One of the benefits of purchasing a ml/bow license is that it is win win license for all who purchase such a license. In recent years I have elected to forego entering the lottery for a doe permit because I like my chances of killing a doe on either my ml or bow tag. For the past several years I have filled my ML tag. Besides, it really irked me that the DEC began charging for the opportunity to enter the lottery for doe permits. Now you can call me cheap( like FAST Eddie), but the present system is a bargain. Why piss us off any further!

Region 3 biologist was at Ulster County Federation meeting on Thursday night and re-iterated that this wasn't a one buck rule -- a tag will come with bow / muzzleloader license but it will be buck only as the direction is to move all antlerless harvest under the DMP system. From a fiscal point of view, this makes sense. If you want to have the opportunity to kill a doe,you will have to pay for a permit. The problem for the DEC arises when their quota for doe permits is undersubscribed. Such a scenario may well affect bow and muzzleloader license sales. We will see how this turns it.

Having helped a friend drag a bear out ( 300 lbs of jelly) and nearly having a heart attack in the endeavor, I will pass despite having having several opportunities over the years to kill a bear.I too have also tasted bear meat and really do not care for it. The trophy aspect of having a bear mount does not thrill me either. Good luck to any one who shooots a bear, please do not ask me to help you drag it out if i am hunting with you.

I thought the report was well written (and long overdue) and clearly described the challenges ahead of them. Nonetheless, implementig the plan is another story. God help them!

Now you did it Steve, you probably woke up Mr.VJP with your comments. ???

Clearly, AR aside,the DEC has a much bigger problem, namely deer management per specific WMU's. The AR argument generates controversay amongst the hunting fraternity while the real issue is whether or not the DEC is competent enough to manage the deer population as it relates to the carrying capacity of the habitat. First things first, and then we can argue about AR. Surely HR (herd reduction) as it relates to the habitat in specific WMU's is the most important issue at hand. Enough of the smoke and mirrors for goodness sakes.

For too long the DEC has ignored the impact deer densities have had upon the habitat. Now they have published a five year plan. Well in my opinion it is too little too late. One can only refer to the colored diagrams ( southern zone) which describe the damage deer have done to the habitat. Clearly, they have had their heads up their you know what for too long a time and now they publish a plan which may perhaps solve all the problems which they have created. Where is the accountability? The onus has been placed ( unfairly) upon the NY hunters and sportsmen groups to bail them out. Should their plan fail, the fall back position is to blame the blame on the NY hunting fraternity. As several posters have correctly stated, deer hunters are solely a tool for the DEC to control deer populations. Unfortunately, the DEC has failed miserably to effectively use this tool. As a result, they have divided the hunting comunity along defined boundaries whereby (excuse the pun), the inmates are running the assylum. In the end, the hunting fraternity as a whole will pay for their incompetence when it comes to deer management. Needless to say, I am greatly disappointed!

These hunting shows have just about turned into infomercials. Case in point, Nugent's shows, he can sure hawk the merchandise of his sponsors to his so-called "blood brothers". KA -CHING!

I guess you have not fished for fluke in the Long Island waters recently! Nary a keeper to be caught.

Ed turns 95.

Good Post Doc, The whole idea for lowering the shooting distance for bow is a recipe for disaster especially when it comes to bow hunting in suburban areas,Suffolk County in particular. Many of us Long Island bow hunters relish the thought of having the opportunity to kill one of those magnificent suburban bucks which inhabit the county. However, the thought of a wounded deer running through someones property or one with an arrow protruding from its body or someone finding an unrecovered deer on their manicured lawn is a problem. Even if the state lowered the legal shooting distance, the local villages within the County of Suffolk would never permit it. To date, these local municipilities employ professional hunters to help control deer populations. I think that the 500' distance is more than adequate. Lowering the distance will create a plethora of controversay which we as hunters do not need.

Eat beans, the gas is free

We have been tapped and the spigot is open.

It sounds like opening morning of gun season (30 years ago) down by me. Car alarms are continuously going off. I think I will have to sedate the dog and while I am at it the wife too .

In a nutshell, we do not trust them to maintain the present fee structure. In all honesty, I believe the hunting fraternity represents another untapped resource for the State to collect revenue. As a previous survey on this website showed, many would pay an increse in hunting fees. Punch is correct, let the DEC know how we feel and WNY is also correct as to not get ones drawers in a bunch. Perhaps, I as well as others are jumping the gun when it comes to the possibility of increased fees, but the times warrant such a concern and the DEC should be put on notice as to how we feel. At months end we will know where we stand. Start saving your money. ???

Great question, QDM and AR do have a relationship.

One would hope that the fees would remain the same. But like many others I do not have a warm fuzzy feeling that this will happen. Call me a pessimist but with the ways things are going with the States finances,I cannot see any reason why fees will not increase in consideration that the DEC is operating on austerity and their 5 year plan cannot be implemented with the funds at hand.

"As far as what is classified as what, the only observation that I might offer is obviously the place where the x-bows have been located in ....... the gun season. That may or may not be where it remains, but their first instinct as to where it belongs turned out to be in the gun season. I think they got it right the first time." You are funny Doc.

Nevertheless, crossbows will become legal hunting implements (archery equipment) in NY in the very near future. Now that is the truth, care to deny it?

He eats only very small portions.