Daveboone

Non event for me. I am amazed that so many folks follow this stuff as closely as they do, yet are totally ignorant on what is going on in their own country. I do see the significance of the groom being the future king, and pseudo leader of our historic greatest ally. And actually, the royal family is well known for being active sportsmen and women (even The Queen, in her day). I think she is a grand ol gal.

YOu are probably long gone, but I just found the thread.... I have been on spring bear 6 times, and love it. The chill mornings and evenings, the quiet of the woods, the sudden mysterious appearance of the black spot in the woods as it moves closer (or just suddenly appears 10 yards away)...I am hoping you have your thermocell and refills. Keep your head net / gloves and duct tape with you! If you have the patience....all bears look big in the woods until you get used to looking at them. Unless you have a truly monstrous one show up right off the bat, try to sit it out so you can compare sizes. Sometimes you can see multiple bears the same sitting. One great evening I had seven different bears coming and going all evening long! It was great!

Kind of late to this round up , but... Galloo Island in Lake Ontario is known for having massive bucks. At one time they offered hunts there. I would love to check it out. I would love to spend a couple weeks back in Lows Lake (ADKs). I spent a lot of time in scout camp in the area, and have had several canoe trips since. True wilderness setting hunting for deer/ bear, grouse, fishing.

I have killed enough deer that I take little thrill in filling my tag, but it is the only way I can get venison. Luckily everyone in the house loves it. We Americans have gotten so used to eating beef, pork or chicken, anything else isn't considered as "good". I love trying new meats, and seldom find one I don't like...they are just...different. Venison needs to be cooked different than beef My wifes favorite is country fried. Mine is sprinkled with Bucks seasoning and seared over an open fire...but I don't get it that way very often. I served tenderloins blackened on the cast iron to a friend who says he didn't like venison...He does now! There are times I crave venison, times I want a fatty chuck roast, or a pork shoulder roast. Different type. no such thing as what is best. (Lately I have been craving some curried goat or lamb....awesome stuff!)

I was just out wandering the woods today near my camp, and was finding them everywhere. My concerns: how many should you remove, how do they propagate? When is the best time to dig them, from the stand point of optimal size/ eating?

My favorite relax at home beer is a Guiness...lots of flavor, low in alcohol, but with spicy food/ chili, wings, etc. Bush is my go to for session drinking. I have grown very fond of a good bourbon....my opinion (oh oh, here it comes), is the most popular and advertised brands are...skunk water. My current favorite is Woodford Reserve, with several NY offerings a close 2nd: 601, brewed near Ithaca is outstanding, and Lonely Logger great, and very reasonably priced. Crown Royal is a great Canadian blend for the money, (both bourbons and whiskeys strictly strait up!).

The girls will have separate troops from the boys, but supposedly the exact same program. Considering the Girl Scouts were founded by Baden Powells wife , it is amazing how far apart they are run. I remember the most excitement my sisters ever got out of the program was making their "sit upons" (a thinly padded square for sitting upon....). My only concern is as far as how can you create an equal program/ opportunities? My wife and other kids mothers would go along frequently on Boy Scout camp outs and trips. I wonder if fathers in the new all girl units will be treated as equally?

The boat safety class is allways a good idea...MANY folks out there in boats have no clue on expected safety, right of way, basic navigating, etc. This is a real good idea for any one else who may be driving the boat too...spouse, etc. Actually, Ijust remembered my wife took it on line a few years ago. You can google NYS parks and recreation for an interactive map showing fishing access sites, boat launches, etc. You may want to rent a small runabout to get the feel for one. In this neck of the woods (Central NY near Oneida Lake), most marinas offer them. You can find boats up to and including large pontoon boats, day cruisers for rent. It is very wise to start with a small very maneuverable boat to learn on.

Grouse are my favorite bird. I used to love to hunt them, but seldom do any more. They love the area around my camp...its loaded with overgrown apples/ thornapple, and poplars. Just listening to them drumming away makes me smile. They are loaded with personality, and can be very territorial. A few years back, we had a cock pheasant that was very sociable. whenever we went outside walking in the woods he would show up and tag along with us. I am sure he was released.

It takes a lot of practice, and a vice with a good fine jaw on it makes life a lot easier. Do you use a spindle to hold your thread? that and a hackle clamp are essential. In the long gone days, flies were tied strictly with fingers, but those three basic tools (and a fine little pair of scissors) will greatly improve your abilities. After that, just practice, practice , practice. But don't be afraid to use your earlier efforts...amazing what fish will bite on, Panfish / bass in the shallows are a riot on fly rod, and aren't finicky at all!

holy mackeral, it would be an easy four day week end just to get started... Like someone else mentioned, Sonnenberg Gardens is a great nice weather stop: Victorian era mansion with sprawling gardesns. The Rheinblick German Restaurant is a fun stop. A small family owned first generation German restaurant, great REAL german food and service....reservations usually required, but not expensive. Nearby in Rochester is the George Eastman Mansion, Owned and built by George Eastman, of Kodak fame: who was a very avid hunter and traveler. Rochester has a nice zoo (Canandaigua is essentially a suburb of Rochester). More wineries than you can shake a stick at....but I get bored with them. Canandaigua proper probably offers lots on its own, being right in the fingerlakes. google their chamber of commerce calendar to see what is going on nearby when you are going to be there.

BACK to the topic at hand... I hunt primarily northwoods, where a long shot is 75 yards. You spend a lot of time scouting for not just an active area, but a place you can actually put a stand. I shoot most deer well inside 50 yards. That said, when I used to hunt more open areas, sometimes I was set up for 200 yards in open fields. The trick isn't finding deer, it is actually shooting frequently and good enough to be proficient. When I am at the range I am constantly amazed at the shooters who cant hit crap at 75 yards and think they are fine for two or three hundred.. It doesn't help that a lot of hunting shows and firearm merchandisers particularly market the long range capabilities of their equipment. Bragging rights. It does boil down to though, that it takes more combined skills to hunt successfully in close than from afar.

I was in the Cicero NY store last week. Shoes are much more self serve, nowhere near the selection. camping/ fishing/ boating selection looked about the same, hunting gear about the same. Firearms were pretty mainstream to todays market, lots of duplicity. Obviously the store was still being stocked with a lot of stuff missing. It looked like a lot of emphasis on bicycles, water sports. Prices appeared comparable. I really didn't buy much at the old Gander unless it was on clearance, or basic fishing stuff, I doubt I will do any more there now.

Yo. Several weeks back I drove down to check the boat ramp....The water was 20 feet behind it! Does anyone know how the water level is there recently/ is the state boat ramp launchable? I figure with our recent rain, the water has got to be going up. It has been a long winter, and the perch are calling me!

I find them near overgrown farmsteads, frequently on state land, but beware, no removal of plants from state lands. ( I don't pick em)

The Whiz Comics (featuring Captain Marvel) is an oversized reprint from the late 70s. Marvel put out a series of comics, some reprints, some original, in that format. I have quite a few of them around, somewhere. Last I checked they weren't worth enough for any effort.

I love the Winchester 94, have owned four of them. no rifle is a greater joy to carry, but it is not designed for scope use, even the later angle ejects are a big compromise. With an aperture sight, good enough for typical woodland ranges if you do your work at the range, 30-30 can do the job, but in my opinion I prefer increased performance. The Marlin 336 is a splendid rifle. It is side eject, allowing practical scope mounting, but that really throws off the balance of the gun. You can get it in beefier rounds than the 30-30, which I feel the gun is disproportionately heavy for. I am going to get cat calls here, but......gotta stick my hand in the can of worms! I think the Henrys are beautiful, but I always thought the actions were sloppy, although they use nice wood, the metal finish/ hardware are chintzy to me. I can say nothing about the accuracy....by reputation, supposedly very good, and reliable (see, being fair!) Browning BLR: beautiful, accurate, expensive, available in heavier calibers then most lever actions. but, darn, they are long with that action! Ok, now my go to rifle for NY : Savage 99 in .308. Slick as butter machined action, many very capable rounds to choose from, a scope mounts appropriately, and as accurate as any bolt gun I own (I guess that could be interpreted several ways). It is kind of goofy to load and unload with its rotary magazine, but that is part of its reliability. And Darn, they are great looking! It is the gun that smiles at me whenever I look at it.

An elderly friend of mine sets the standard for me. He is 92, lives on his own on his own farm and still lights up like a xmas tree if you mention hunting. He shot his deer last year, and is planning on it this year. Physically he is really doing great....upstairs...gotta keep an eye on him. One of the reasons I have my own little hunting camp is so that no matter what, I will always have a spot I can wander/ walk/ wheel/ dump myself out in he woods to at least smell the pines and watch the squirrels. I cant imagine life without it to look forward to.

I have also read up quite a bit on the American Chestnut. Cornell is putting a lot of effort into reintroducing a blight resistant strain . No Question at all the habitat has changed tremendously, esp. when you think of the incredible amount of mast forage a Chestnut tree based forest provided to the wildlife. As with the NYS elk population, obviously bear also benefited greatly. Without this change in habitat holding capacity, doubtful our forests could sustain a larger large mammal population. Bear are expanding, but are doubtful to establish too much more widely exactly for that reason. The current bear season was changed allowing to the best of my recollection, an open season across the state to allow culling the heard as needed. Oswego county (where I am at) is a perfect example. Folks are seeing a few bears, but they aren't sticking around.

The PA store is about a five hour drive for us, but is time better spent than the 3 hr drive to the Buffalo store. Buffalo is much smaller, more of a Bass Pro shop size (well, Upstate NY Basspro at any rate). We try to combine our visits to the Hamburg store with an overnight to some nearby attactions: Valley Forge isn't far away, Philadephia offers a lot...including an awesome zoo, and there is the coal mining destinations to check out.

Model 98 Mauser. Often copied, never improved. The model 70 is only a civilian recreation of it. Many other bolt actions (with many great designs have come along, but none offer its versatility, dependability or longevity. Still in production after 120 years. A couple of decades ago I bought a then new RUger 77 mark 2, and had to laugh at the realization that it was through and through a 98. Even Remington a few years back were selling the 98 under their name, renumbered/ named something else.

a life long friend of mine transitioned to vegan from vegetarian over a course of years. He used to love a good steak and a bucket of wings as much as anyone. One day he was eating chicken and got a vein caught between his front teeth, and said to himself "ya know, this is gross", and went vegetarian. I cant argue with him. it is, if we think about it. but he has no issue with hunting/ shooting, my leather jacket, etc. It was just a choice he made for himself. I respect that, he respects my carnivorous gallivanting.

I have used most all of them for that purpose at one time or another. Keep in mind any cartridge/handgun barrel length for dispatching game must be legal for hunting with, even if just for dispatching, For dispatching, I am assuming an animal that is down, and you are just planning on finishing it off. anything from a .38 special with wadcutters up will do. I have always just walked around behind it and shot it at the base of the skull. The problem with larger calibers/ magnums, is shooting near the ground and close up to an animal you get ALOT of ground blast back at you, with the potential, if you aren't careful, very messily blowing the had apart. A very long time ago I came to the conclusion it was much easier, efficient and practical to just finish off with my rifle. After going through this phase, so will you.

Keep it out of reach of the doggies!

I am going to borrow one of my best friends experiences.... He was duck hunting up near Lake Ontario in the late sixties, was very excited to be trying out his new Ithaca 12 pump. He dropped a duck and left the blind to wade over to get it, and slipped down an underwater embankment well over his head, with his feet burying into mud. Luckily he still was holding onto his shotgun, and pushed it butt first into the mud as far as he could which enabled him to pull out of his waders, and thrash out of the water. HIs shotgun is still there, and it was the last time he ever went duck hunting! It makes you wonder how many other unfortunate duck hunters may have disappeared without a trace over the years.