Daveboone

I would have plainly stated 1)that no one including him is allowed on the land without being specifically invited, otherwise they are considered trespassing. I don't know how you helped him out previously, but... 2), he needs to get his own gear to use. Gun, stand, etc. 3) Sorry, but I have tried to help you (to your "friend") but you don't appreciate it, you are now on your own. A number of years back, a long time friend showed up to hunt with me with an uninvited friend I didn't know. I pissed them off but I simply stated he wasn't invited, I didn't know him, and had no place for him. They left.

Just my 2 cents.... I considered one for my shotgun (smoothbore) when they were the main game in the southern tier, as the red dot was "close enough" for a 12 gauge pumpkin ball. With a rifle, I was taught, and practice...aim small, miss small. A red dot just don't figure for me as taking my best shot, regardless of range.

I remember in the seventies some mowers had a water hose attachment spot on the deck, where you could attach the hose while the mower was running. It cleaned the inside of the deck just fine. I think it helps to mow when the grass is dry to avoid caking, otherwise I think mowers last as good as ever. Keep the oil changed and keep them inside, easily get 10-15 years out of even the cheap ones. I have frequently picked up mowers from the curb side. if the pull cord pulls free, usually i can get them running quickly by just cleaning out the gas tank and carburator. I usually just give them away or sell them at yardsales . Once, after selling it a nice craftsman push mower to a guy for 40 bucks, he said, "Ya know, I just threw out one just like this last week".

Off the east end of Grindstone Island the guides association has a place they built many years ago they use. North of there is Canoe Point, a state park, and there are actually a fair number of other island spots anyone can use. My main interest is learning new and more pike and walleye techniques. It is a great area to go to regardless of the reason.

Bellas…….YUM! Petes Trattoria in Watertown is a sleeper! It sounds informal, but is a great, reasonable old school Italian restaurant. A little closer, Tin Pan Galley in Sacketts Harbor is one of the best eats in the area. A bit pricey, but they have great food, an outdoor patio, and Sacketts is very historic, with the historic Sacketts Harbor battlefield and museum to explore (U.S. Grant was stationed there for a while, early in his career), What did your shore lunch include? We fish the area pretty regularly with good success, but I have always wanted to go on a guided trip with the wife, and have a shore lunch.

I usually hunt alone. I have hunting buddies, but we have a tough time getting together and live a fair piece apart. Lucky for me, I have a modest camp surrounded by state land, which is productive for me. The good thing about it is there is not a big deer population, and it would be easy to over shoot the area, and I can be choosy. Also, I don't have to worry about who goes where. Luckily for me, I get around pretty good, but have an ATV for hauling deer out. Cell phones don't usually work where I am, but my wife knows around where I will be. I keep the tree stands in good shape, and don't over do it. I don't sweat hobgoblins....several times I have had....weird experiences, but leave it at that.

We first were there in the early seventies...and at that time it was really just a ruin. The Power House was a pile of rubble, and the "Play House" was ready to fall down. A lot of the main building was just horrible, open to the weather. In 1980 a friend and I stopped there to stretch our legs, canoeing around Wellesley Island. It was officially closed at that time, the Bridge Authority only recently having acquired it. We chatted with the foreman in charge of the current work, which involved primarily enclosing and stabilizing it. He told us a Syracuse University architecture student used Boldt Castle as his graduate thesis, and completed plans to bring the place up to completion. Thanks to this fellow donating his completed work to the bridge authority, they had what they needed to move forward. We were there a couple years ago, and it is truly amazing to see what they had done, especially in finding and acquiring pieces from the families own furniture and never used building supplies from the original construction to complete the project. My favorite part of the island, is actually on another island...the Boldt Castle boat house, across the river on Wellesley Island, complete with period boats. To complete any visit to the area, a must see is the Clayton Boat Museum, which wonderfully documents boating in the area, with one of the best antique boat collections in the country...including the Boldt boat house. The boat house is opulence in itself...it was un motored, and was towed around for parties, day trips, etc. There is no better way of spending a hot summer w/e in NY than going on a boat tour (all of which include an unlimited imte visit to the Island, ) and the boat museum. Alexandria Bay by itself doesn't offer anything we are interested in...Clayton, further to the west, is much more mature, friendly with better restaurants, and a beautiful open village with a lot of exposure to the river.

Sorry dude, but Boldt Castle is in Alexandria Bay, not Oswego.....

I got my licenses yesterday. I have never had a problem getting them. I have had my lifetime about 20 years...the wife had a fit at the time, but I have saved over a thousand dollars in licenses since, and I never have to worry about affording one. (Big and small game, Muzzleloader, and I usually get two doe permits yearly).

Bears can be tough to judge sometimes, but that fat neck and head makes me think he is more than a couple years old. Any bear though, is a trophy, especially considering the limited opportunities NY offers for them.

I no longer subscribe to any of them, but get The National Rifleman with my membership. I might spend a total of 5 minutes reading that when it comes...it (like most of the gun magazines) just runs a cycle of what the new manufacturer of 1911s, AR 15s or a review of historical guns from whatever military action. The historical articles I used to enjoy, but they are all just rewritten information now. I have read enough on the M1 ( a fine and historical weapon) that it is like reading the same Louie Lamour novel a 100 times. You can only read so many articles on "The 2nd Rut", or the .270. On occasion I buy a magazine off the shelf, depending on contents. I enjoy Sporting Classics. I do love to buy vintage magazines, esp. from before the 1980s, particularly 1960 and earlier. It is amazing how many national magazines have articles of local (ny) interest, and the articles hold my attention better. Especially the hunting articles tend to tell more of the experience than todays " we went hunting, shot a world class bugaboo with a 6.5 whatsit, thank goodness we had our newest and best ….." The articles would tell a lot more of where they were going, why, what they saw...the actual experiences of the hunt, not just a kill oriented narrow focus. Contrary to what people think, the old magazines have just as much, or more advertisements than we remember. the difference is now the ads tend to be bigger and probably more expensive, so there are fewer of them.

I kind of thought Papist was Storm/Hawk...They certainly are from the same hood... Why on earth would anyone change their name anyway?

As I remember, Onondaga Community College in Syracuse had a firematics oriented program for individuals interested in the field. I know also that at least one (Liverpool Fire Department, my former department) had a program for the college enrollees to board at the station, in trade of being on call when in residence. great way of getting experience. I don't know any more details, the program started after I left, but opportunities exist. I know quite a few guys who created their own careers after starting as a volunteer, and taking advantage of free training opportunities. Those who don't want to do the books though, usually just hump hose.

Never stopped from last year. My camera is up year round, every trip to the camp I am out observing the trails, tracks and what is growing, what is getting eaten.

I remember back in the nineties for a few years you could pick one up at Dicks Sporting Goods for about 119.00. I sure wish I did. At that time I bought a Chinese SKS for about the same. That was surprisingly a really well built and fun rifle, but I traded it on something. Wish I still had it.

You can say I am a party pooper... I think these contests are disgusting, and only show the world what gluttons we are.

I only have a couple 1/3rd acre or so spots, which I just don't have the time or tools to annually plow / prepare for feed like I would like too, but I keep them cut down usually twice a year and the deer like the new wild sprouts... I have wild apples, and have supplemented them with some more and try to keep them pruned up, brush cleared away and each winter cut back more surrounding sun blocking trees. I have also slowly cleared and planted white and red oaks which seem to be doing well. I only have ten acres of woodland (overgrown farmland about fifty years ago) which doesn't give me much to work with, but the deer already use my land so I am trying to build in attractants and some mast that will hold them.

I think for most of us survival gear is just what we are going to need to cover our butt in an outdoors mishap. Each of my coats (hunting/fishing type activity) have a paraffin soaked piece of cardboard and a lighter or matches, and at least a cheapie zipper pull compass. I also habitually stick rolls of birch bark in my pocket when I find them. Simple, reliable. Years ago when I hunted more in a group, we enjoyed a mid day camp fire to warm up by and singe some meat over, and I still enjoy doing it when I can. If I fall, get lost or what have you, I am confident I can make a fire in most any weather to overnight it. I always have a length of paracord, planned for dragging but it will work to help improvise a shelter. Water in NY is a no brainer. It is every where, and Giardia / creeping crud or whatever will be a secondary worry to staving off dehydration and its related confusion, weakness, etc. for a day or two until I am found or get out. I cant imagine not having a pocket knife at least with me....365 days a year. Mans oldest, simplest tool, it doesn't have to be fancy or expensive. I have gutted numerous deer with simple scout knifes, fillet knifes, electrician knifes, jeesh, they all have a sharp edge. But that is the most important part....keeping it sharp, and knowing how to sharpen it. Damn few people know how anymore, and most just hope a new knife stays sharp. Dumb and lazy. Most important....make sure someone knows where you are, or should be. I frequently hunt alone, but am usually in the same spots. We have poor cell phone service, but I can usually get out a one or two word text saying "All OK".

It is a good point to practice with what you plan on having...especially the most basic tools and skills. Once you become proficient, then practice on crappy conditions...in the dark, in the rain, etc. I have eliminated many tools/ knives, firestarters, etc. from my gear in this way. Keep it simple and durable.

it is grammar. German but no political affiliation.

Sounds like my last few week ends. On the first, I put in a nice new deck on the front, which hopefully next year gets enclosed to a screened in porch. I planted a few apple trees, oaks, and chestnuts, and transplanted a load of day lilies and trilliums from our home. THis past w/e, I replaced the steps into the back porch, and tore down the rider mower and got her running again...thank goodness, I hate the thought of replacing it. I cant complain though, I have gotten ten years out of the 75 bucks I paid for this one (mid seventies vintage Dynamark). When that was all done, I had to replace a few soffit boards to keep the varmints out, a pain in the butt to do when you are working alone up on a ladder! a few more boards to go, but they wait until next year, spray foam has the holes closed for now!. At least next week end when we go up, it will be to just relax.

Don't sweat your '06....its plenty . They aren't that hard to put down, just go a heavier bullet. My 8x 57 Mauser dropped two to the first shot (175 gr) , and my buddies 30-06 with Federal premium Barnes bullets, (167 gr. if I recall correctly,) did the same.

Cool! Maine is a once in a lifetime! When is the season? How long is it? Whatcha going to use?

Growing up in the seventies as I was getting into hunting, small game was far more popular than deer. The success rate for deer was a small fraction of what it is now, due to lower numbers mainly. The huge number of farms, fallow land and a more active lifestyle kept us out on week ends from the end of September right through the winter, chasing rabbits, squirrel, partridge, what have you. We considered a deer season as successful if we saw a deer. With the increase in predators with their legal protection, prey species are fewer and more aware, and all the farms we used to have access are largely gone. It is difficult to interest kids in small game. We don't go as much as we used to for lack of productive areas. By the beginning of the eighties, deer populations were booming everywhere, and we began to expect to see deer consistently, and seldom went without venison (Dad started deer hunting in the forties, and when he passed away in 82 had never had a shot at a deer....not uncommon then). Now deer hunting is highly promoted by commercial / retail outfits and manufacturers. It is a steady money draw that is much more easily advertised and promoted than small game.

I guess my 50 cal. ml with patched ball, 90 grains black powder. dropped right on the spot (several times). Although relatively slow moving the big round balls actually transmit their power very efficiently. Otherwise, I have always been a very firm believer in owing it to the animal to be sure of a clean kill....not "challenging" myself. I was raised hunting with pumpkin balls out of smoothbores in the southern tier, and although a 12 gauge slug appropriately applied has devastating power, a deers will to live can be amazing...multiple heart shots /boiler maker shots that the deer have gone very considerable distances. I believe shot placement is by far the most important part of taking a deer, but even premium bullets don't have the say in all circumstances once they leave the barrel.