Uncle Nicky

Almost forgot...another positive to investing in land...you are in control of your investment, a Wall Street shyster can't tell you, "OOPS, guess I made the wrong call by telling you to buy 1000 shares of ABC corp." If you go that route, just make sure you pay the taxes, enjoy it for as long as you can, and don't expect to get rich overnight (unless they start fracking).

The pluses: You can buy rural land pretty cheap in NY. You can hunt your own properties. You can lease the property & log the property to help supplement the costs. Land values rarely depreciate. Unlike guided hunts, you will have something to sell down the road. There is a good chance that eventually the natural gas business will bear fruit in NY, if you own the rights on your property(ies). You can write off the real estate taxes (and mortgage interest if you take out a loan) on your income tax return. The minuses: NY real estate taxes are some of the highest, even on unimproved rural properties. Dealing with poachers, trespassers, and property-line disputes. Turning land into cash when you are in need of money usually takes months. Hunting seasons are short in NY, so you won't have a lot of time to enjoy your land, and won't get much $$ if you plan to lease the land for hunting.

I'm at the almost paranoid stage when it comes to bowhunting....I'm honestly more concerened about making a good kill shot than anything else, especially if it's close to sundown or rain is in the forecast. So, I'm holding off for the first buck that gives me a good kill shot, because in my experience, I don't often get the "perfect" shot when bowhunting. I like killing big bucks & bragging as much as the next guy, but I'm running out of room in my house for mounts. I'm supposed to hunt in Texas next month (low fence, before all the critics come out of the woodwork). The rancher I'm supposed to go with has a HUGE 6-pointer hanging around that he sent trailcam pictures of. He seems to think it's 5+ years old. I won't hesitate to shoot this deer if it shows up, I've seen deer like this in the past, and it would be pretty cool to kill one, IMO.

Since it's bow season, I'm assuming you're talking about archery hunting. I'm not too proud to admit I've hit a few during bow season that I've never recovered. Since I try to make the best out of any bad situation, I make it a point to ONLY take high-success shots with an arrow. The first deer that gives me a brodside or quartering away shot at less than 30 yards will get shot. With a rifle or slug-gun? Probably shoot the 6 pointer. I've seen deer like this in the woods, never killed one, so I'm about due.

When I was a young teenager getting into hunting, 30-30 & 30-06 were considered THE deer calibers. I'm partial to the 30-06 myself. I have no doubt that anything I shoot in the chest or shoulder with that shell is going to be DRT. Shells are easy to find, and I'd feel confident taking a 30-06 on a moose or elk hunt. But, I'm getting old & set in my ways I think, and don't feel the need to try something new. I've noticed a lot of the younger guys are going with .270 these days, they can't ALL be wrong.

Bring a rifle.

Definitely work for mosquitoes. Not so great for blackflies or gnats.

The whole world, especially this country, is changing. FAST. This includes hunting. Bowhunting especially is becoming a game of inches and high $$$. Most of us who have been around a while aren't thrilled with the changes. But, you either have to keep up (or at least be open minded), or you will be left behind. Some day we will all be gone, and the new generation of hunters will be the old-timers, if they stick with it that long. WAYYY too many people want to take away our guns & hunting priviledges. Being an elitist is just plain stupid, WE NEED TO STICK TOGETHER RATHER THAN BEING DIVIDED. As far as trail cameras...I never saw the need for one. An expensive toy that is asking to be stolen, plus you need to keep replacing batteries....not worth the effort. I can usually tell if the area has active activity, based on tracks, poop, what plants are being eaten, rubs, scrapes, dusting bowls...I'm sure most of us know the drill.

Big blob of diahrrea, with hair & berries in it.

The turkey gods were smiling, I hooked up with a guy who had turkey dogs, tagged out.

I'm heading up tonight for a few days. Just curious to see if anyone's been out, what they are seeing, and if they killed anything. Thanks

Most recent stupid even that comes to mind involves a rifle that I tried to fix myself. I have an old Savage Model 99 that I refuse to part with. A number of years ago, I realized that the nut holding the stock to the action was getting loose, so I got out the old screwdriver and got it nice & tight. A year or two later, I took the gun bear hunting. I loaded the gun, and was checking the safety, and the gun went off (luckily pointed in a safe direction). OOPS, gotta be more careful! A couple years after, I took the gun to the range to check the zero, and again BOOM!!!! Rifle went off when I flicked off the safety. Again, I thought I might have had my fingers inside the trigger guard and touched off a round. OOPS, Gotta be more careful!! 2 years ago, I decided to take the old 99 deer hunting. A big 9 pointer waltzed out of the goldenrod, I shouldered the rifle, took off the safety, and BOOM!!! Luck was on my side that day, the deer stopped to try & see where the shot came from, and I was able to get off another shot. After I got down to start the gut & drag job, I started thinking about why the gun had misfired, and recalled this having happened twice before.....I knew for a FACT that my finger wasn't even near the trigger guard this time, and I decided I was going to take the gun to the gunsmith. I never would have figured it out on my own, but the gunsmith asked who had tightened the stock so much. I told him I bought it like that (LOL). He explained that the safety spring had too much pressure on it from being squeezed too tightly inside, and that I needed to replace the spring and whatever I did, DON"T TIGHTEN THE STOCK SO MUCH AGAIN!!

I would just skin the head & do my own Euro mount, and hang the head with the others in the garage that weren't worth getting mounted. I'm sure I'd get a lot of questions when friends or strangers see the size of the rack, and I'd probably brag a little, but still wouldn't get it mounted for inside the house.

Thunder Ridge Outfitters in Casper. Or try contacting the Wyoming Game Commission, they keep a listing of guides AND ranchers who allow reasonably priced trespass hunts on private land. Or, strike out on your own on public land in Wyoming, there are a ton of antelope, even I can kill a couple in a season. Just make sure you can hit your target at 250 yards+.

Bummer, but could have been worse....hitting one & not finding it is 10X more heartbreaking, IMHO. Keep at it, and good luck!

I'm on neither side of the fence....in fact, I just avoid the fence completely. The plan is to keep us divided and at each other's throats, nothing like religion, politics, or social issues to throw a little gasoline on the fire.

The only form of hunting my wife will ever partake in is hunting for shoes or jewelry at Macy's or QVC.

Funny question...and I think you know the answer. Because you have something that they want. The risk of getting caught & prosecuted is slim to none. And no, I'm not a trespasser, I'm a landowner myself.

My best luck has always been late afternoon for archery. The down side is that if you hit one at twilight, you will be tracking in the dark, or worse, the next morning, PRAYING that it doesn't rain or a frost that thaws and wipes out blood spots.

Numerous times I've had bucks (and does) walk directly beneath my treestand. The closest on-land encounter? I walked past a big, bedded 8 pointer (5 yards away) on the way to my treestand during mid-afternoon in archery season. After I walked on about 10 yards, the lightbulb suddenly went on in my head telling me I had just walked past a legal buck, and a nice one at that. I backtracked just to be sure I had seen what I thought I had and not hallucinating, and sure enough, he was bedded in a blowdown. Unfortunately, buck fever suddenly kicked in, and I dropped my crossbow bolts, as well as fumbled with trying to get my crossbow cocked (legal in PA at that time) and removing the scope cover; by the time I finally got set up he was on his feet and giving me the white flag salute on his way out of there. Another time I was picking up twigs in the woods behind the house to start a fire. I felt eyes on me, bent up, and there was a 6-pointer within 10 feet of me giving me the stare-down. I reached over to pet his nose, and he was off to the races. I also had one come trotting alongside me on the road one warm early November night a few years ago (3 pointer). I had the truck windows open, reached out, petted him on the head, and stayed with him about another 50 yards before I slowed down and let him get around me. Fun times.

No, wouldn't take a quartering-to shot with a bow under any circumstances, too many things can and do go wrong. I wouldn't even hesitate with a high-powered rifle.

I have heard other guys say this too, I keep trying to prove my theory wrong, but I just can't seem to make it happen, at least consistently. But I do think if you can get one to gobble this time of the year, get ready, good chance he's coming in.

Tips: Hunt the open fields this time of year....or hunt the woods Call softly this year....or call aggressively Make sure & use a jake decoy this time of year....or lose the decoys The gobblers will be henned up this time of year....or they will be cruising for hens Your best chance of killing a bird is right off the roost...or at 11:45 All kidding aside...the only given is you'll probably need a rainsuit, a thermacell, and a couple bottles of water...and you can't get one if you don't get out there. Good luck, & shoot straight!

I killed one on Memorial Day a few years back, it's not impossible, but odds are much better earlier in the season.

I live in PA, and to be honest with you, I'd rather turkey hunt in NY. My biggest beef about this state is you can't hunt Sundays. With my work schedule, that means burning up more vacation days, or driving 70 miles on a Saturday, hunting from 5-noon, then turning back around & driving 70 miles home (but we just started having all-day hunting the last 2 weeks of the season). We get 1 turkey tag with a license, unless you buy another BEFORE the season opens. There are a LOT of turkey hunters in this state, and getting private land access is tough unless you know someone. The terrain where you find birds here is just like NY...mountain ridges. On the plus side, there are a lot of birds in this state, and a lot of public land. If you're willing to hike in far enough, you should be able to get some elbow room. Just my $.02...good luck wherever you decide to go.