Nomad

Here's my thoughts . Yes rifle shots can go way farther .But when I hunt in rifle states it tends to be one shot. In shotgun areas it empty the 1,100 or 870 ..... I bet the 2nd shot and beyond the shooter has no idea of whats down range !

I'd be all for it, but i don't think the numbers would change much . The math wiz's have all gone over the D.e.c.'s processes, sample sizes etc. and said it to be valid time and again. record info from the meat cutters get 1,000's of tag info on deer known to be dead, compair with reported tags, see the number that they know killed but not reported .Build from there. One can get a nationwide poll that has + / - 4 % error with just 1,000 people. For what its worth I have a friend and fellow hunter who is the head of the math/statistics dept. of a Rochester area college( hint starts with R) we've talked about this ,he feels they get valid info. I don't know I hunt 8H,DEC says deer numbers are high there, I sure see a lot of them, they'er all over . Killed 4 last year could have killed tons more, so for me I feel they got it right where I hunt . The big variable is road kill, some say as many as hunters kill ! But who can say for sure, few are reported at all . More roads more dead, more houses out in deer country more dead,more deer in the suburbs more dead. Hell the city of Rochester has a river bottom full of very big bucks....

Ya 8H high same as always ! But with the DMAPS I don't bother since they started charging for doe tags.

I have to say I start in Aug. and I shoot almost as well the first time as I did in the last season. These new bow are pretty darn good. Now i often guess distance as i walk my dog year round, but shooting does not start till Aug I shoot in my yard out to 40 yards, fieldpoints and broadheads,then go up on my roof as we get near the season and shoot just braodheads from there, even though my FP's and braodheads fly the same.... Oh I also work out year round, lots of chin ups,dips,deadlifts and so on so " building up my bow muscles" is not much of an issue. I also shoot DURING the hunting season .

Sweet old bill, its a shame really. I'm a "knife" guy , collect, buy many what some would think high end ones. Guys go to brick and mortor stores handle the knives, ask questions and so forth then go order on line and after shipping save 10 bucks on a $100 dollar knife. Mean while the store has tons of money tied up in inventory , the knowledge to answer the questions, they get to see and handle the knife to see if they like it , but for a few dollars they'll put him out of businsess .

You bet I do Indian Mountain Archery in Hilton. Phil the owner is outstanding ! Top notch all the way. He takes his time listens to all your "stories" and is not pushy. He sets up your bow and you come back when he's closed , just you and him in the shop ! He has you shoot, makes any adjustments, you shoot again till everything is right. He has a "Hooter Shooter" which is like a Ramson rest that gun guys use. This fires your bow by mechanical means and removes all human factors in setting them up. He tunes it on this before you shoot, so its real close to start with. A new guy leaves shooting good groups at 20 yards and fieldpoints and broadheads are flying the same ! Guys drive 6 hours from NYC and one guy flew in from Kanas........

I put this here as i feel it may get the most views and deer season is coming and you should be knocking on doors NOW ! A commen complaint I hear is " I can't find anyone to let me hunt his land ." So here is what worked for me very well in the past. Feel free to add your ideas. Get out now, not a month before the season . Don't show up with your NY Yankee hat sideways and a ripped Jack Daniels t shirt.Ok no need to dress up just be neat and clean. Got kids ? Bring them along . Tell them its just you, not you and all your friends and stick to it. If you hunt with another TELL them up front. Bow seems to be easier to get on then gun. Helps to have some tie to the area. Grew up near here, wife lived here,used to hunt a farm down the road,just moved here . If a farm offer to do some work, couple days of loading hay . I took a photo of my van with me by it, on the back i had my cell, home numbers as well as lic.# If it looked like they might let me hunt I'd give it to them and say," heres all my info, if I park, hunt or walk where i should not call the D.E.C on me. If they say (I loved it when they did) "I don't let hunters on my land". I would say,well I bet there are hunters there but you don't know who or where. I can be your eyes and ears out there . I can post it or replace posted signs if you wish . Make it clear you'll follow all THEIR rules and do. I got on I would guess 5-6 out of 7 or so farms. Including one that was the guy everyone fears, you know we all have one near by. This guy would cut down trees with his chain saw if he saw a stand in it .He spent more time hunting hunters then deer. Not only did I get on his land he offered me the use of his atv....... Happy Hunting

Each May I see a fair number of road kill on rt's 104 and 590, as well as 490 around Victor. Like what was said, without the guys picking them up for the state, this year lay just lay there . So on 490, I drive it a few times a month. Before the deer would be gone in a couple days and I may never see them. Now they lay for weeks and I see everyone hit in the last month.

More time in the woods. Better weather. Deer are " natural" . Better chance to kill big bucks .

I like to be 15-20 feet, I have has some higher and know guys who go way up... I think a wide tree is more important the height . When I'm in a big old knarly, multi limbed tree , 30 inches across they never seem to see me. I would also add many guy can't estimate height worth a damn .I've had folks tell me " oh thats 15 feet up" then I reach up and touch the stand with an arrow.....

I use Stingers, before them Magnus 2 blades. I'm a BIG fan of cut on contacts. Since I switched to them oh 10-12 years ago, "tracking" my bow shot deers pretty much ended, as most die with in sight of the stand many 20-30 yards from the tree. They just don't run after being hit, they may jump, look around, run a few steps but thats about it . It just seems that MOST of them don't really feel the hit much. Double lung e'm totel pass through arrow 4-5 inches into the ground deer runs a couple steps, stops stands there , rear legs start to shake. Time to start climbing down...... Game over.

Live in Webster NY and do some hunting there. Own 116 acres in 8H, mostly open farm fields. Hunt wifes relatives farm also in 8H. Hunted it for over 20 years they treat me very well.

Greetings my first post here, so I dragged up this from a few weeks ago.... 2,009 I took 5. 4 doe on the farm I hunt (QDM) and I had to take a 2 1/2 8 pt by where I live as I did not have a chance at a buck meeting the farms size requirments.