coonhunter

I live in Oneonta and have lived within 20 miles my whole life. I can assure you there is no shortage of game hogs around here, whether it be deer, turkey, or fish. If you can get the DEC to follow up on charges, I encourage you to press them. And keep pressing charges if you want to enjoy this land. Money out of their pocket is the only thing these people understand. It may not stop them from trespassing, but it will get the word out to stay off your land.

I have walked two pretty big farms in Edmeston and Laurens. No more dead deer than normal. Plenty in the fields eating now.

Meat First, the fields are baring up, and some of the woods are starting to get fit for walking. You will get some areas in the woods that are still holding a lot of snow. Probably worth the trip by this weekend because it will be raining and staying above freezing for most of this week. Supposed to be decent weather by the weekend. Bring waterproof boots because it will be sloppy.

Those jakes sure do put on a show. Love the picture of him on the log gobbling.

One thing to consider when a youngster is starting out is the fact that they could accidentally have their finger on the trigger while they are drawing the bow. This could result in an arrow striking someone, or something. Or, their hand and release could strike themselves in the face. Pretty easy to transition to a release later on.

Lots of deer, and if you get in the right areas, some nice quality also. You only need a friend or access to some land.

I traveled around 4F in the Oneonta to Edmeston areas over the weekend. Still lots of snow in the woods, starting to bare up in the fields. Deer all over the bare areas.

Porcupines almost never get a pass from me. Too many nights spent pulling quills out of hounds over the years.

Nice work, especially for your first time trying a few different processes. Also, hell of a good friend and brother to take the time and effort to make these gifts. Beats the hell out of most wedding party gifts.

Macanudos and Romeo y Julietas are my favorites usually in a mid size. I also enjoy trying a new brand and trading. I usually avoid the flavored cigars, but I keep hearing how much people like the Acid brand, and I will have to try a couple.

Awesome coon First Light. I have skinned a lot of coons over the years and thought I had treed a bunch of 30+ pounders. I shot out a huge one one night that the hounds treed and I thought it might weigh 40. Instead of skinning it in the woods like normal, I carried that thing all the way back to the car. It was the biggest coon I ever saw. What a surprise when the scale said just a tad over 32#. I knew then that 30 pounders were rare in this area.

How about the people that don't have, or chose not to spend, a bunch of money on a lease? Trophy hunting and greed have already made this state a lot tougher to hunt than iy used to be. Posted land is the original cause in the drop in hunter numbers in my area. This snowballed into dads giving up hunting, and not passing the tradition onto their children, which means even less hunters, and in the end, not enough deer being shot. More laws mean more people quit hunting. You can say that they never really liked it if they quit, but that is not the case. It just becomes too much effort for them to enjoy the experience. Not everyone has a bunch of money, land of their own/or lease, or a bunch of vacation time. I just see fewer and fewer hunters every year. Some of you trophy hunters, and I am one of them, need to take the time to think about what might happen if not enough deer get shot for a few seasons because all the land is locked down for a relatively small percentage of the hunters. I don't have the answers. We are our own worst enemies. I try to get new people and youths involved every year, but it seems to get harder and harder. What is going to happen in the next 10 years? I agree with Grow with the fact that out of staters are not going to come here with all the non-sense gun laws. I just don't see the point of any of these proposals making any sense in the area of population control other than the one buck rule. And that only helps if the hunters will shoot does instead.

About 1:30 last night, I saw a beauty of a 10 point just off the road in 4F close to Oneonta on a big piece of posted land. Sure was a beauty, and sure looked healthy.

Always fun to watch dogs when they get fresh bedding. They love it.

I know what you mean Skillet. It is nice to have everything lock right into place solid like it is supposed to. And Ants, I also have way too many knives. It is pretty sad when you can pull out a thirty year old knife and it is still better than a brand new Chinese piece of crap. I do have a few German knives that are of nice quality. I have no idea if they still make them like that. My initial post was just the simple fact that I never tell my wife to get me certain things because if I need it, I just get it, or save up and get it. She did a good job of listening to me because she has absolutely nothing to do with hunting other than sending me on my way. For under $100 she bought me two well appreciated gifts, and for that, I am thankful. We are more about the family get togethers and meals, and trying to keep the true reason of Christmas alive.

Apparently, my wife pays attention to what I complain about because two of the things I talked about were taken care of this Christmas. First, I complained that my sandwiches got smushed in my fanny packs because I had too many things to carry. She gave me a nice, mid-size backpack to solve this problem. I was talking about how most of the big name hunting knives were not made in the US anymore, and she searched around and found me a beauty of a Bear and Sons locking knife that says USA right on it.

My wife is baking about 40 dozen cookies and candies today and tonight. I am walking around like a drooling idiot because the house smells so good. She says we are crazy for all the stuff we go through hunting, well I say she is crazy for the amount of work she does in one day just to get a bunch of "care packages" of sweets done and packaged for delivery. Of course I have to eat a few dozen in the next week just so she feels good.

I actually bought my wife a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure because she likes getting them, but doesn't always have the money with all her other hobbies. I am with Phade though. I would have to be in a coma before someone would be giving me any of that stuff. You guys can justify it all you want, but I will always count it as girly or gay crap. Have fun.

Wow. Now we are talking about bullying. It is a forum on the internet. There are tons of them. If people don't like what is said, all you have to do is go to another site, or turn it off. I can never understand the logic of thinking you have to debate every subject back and forth for days, and then get mad about it. I think the moderators do a good job here with not shutting people or posts down except for very extreme rule breaking. What the heck, now some are calling for censorship? Give me a break. I don't agree with a lot of posts on here. Guess what I do? I don't feel the overwhelming urge to comment, I ignore it. Any forum is full of people that think they are always right, and there is no way you are going to change that fact. Hunting is full of people from all walks of life. Some like to talk about it, some like to debate about it, and some like to flat out argue about it. Some of our debaters are newer members, and some have been around for years. Some of them stay civil and actually read what others posts, and some just post and post some more. The main thing is to try and agree to disagree on some subjects and stay civil. Hell, Belo and Bubba argue back and forth all the time, sometimes getting a little heated, but they always seem to get back to one another when it seems they hate each other most of the time. They have just learned take their shots and receive some in return without getting too mad most of the time. Guarantee neither of them want this site censored. Last year Bubba had had enough, and he took a break from the site. He was welcomed back like a long lost friend because he is a valuable asset to the forum. I guess all I'm trying to say in this long winded speech is, if you are going to dish it out, you better be prepared to take it in return. I consider almost anyone that takes the time to post ideas, thoughts, pictures, or stories a valuable member to this forum. As a matter of fact, this is one of the best forums for our state I have found. Keep the debates going, and I welcome the moderators to participate all they want because they are hunters too.

Pretty good Elmo. I see it the same. Some of them need to learn a little more safety, but other than that, I hope they enjoy themselves.

Hunting, fishing, camping, streams, lakes, and campfires is just who I am. It was how I grew up in a family with not a lot of extra money. I never grew out of it, and it is the only way I can truly relax. I may not always be content with the end results, but out in nature, I feel at home.

Hope they can get to the bottom of it. Next to walleyes, because they are a lot more local for me, steelhead are my favorite fish to go after. Still, after 30 years, I have never cracked the 20 pound mark.

Yeah Moog, Phade talked me into crowding into the bedding areas early in the season instead of relying so much on the rut. I know all about the deer coming and just handing out, or even bedding right in sight of my stand. It sure is nerve wracking. It is always a lot more fun for me to have the youngsters and newcomers enjoying the hunt. As I told Phade, you guys are lucky to have a group to share your hunt and experience with. Enjoy it.

To me, Thanksgiving is as close to a perfect holiday as there is. Hunt in the morning, come home to family and friends for a gut stuffing meal, and then watch football. Plus, get paid to do it.

Good job on not getting impatient and taking a bad shot angle. Congrats on your buck.