Daveboone

I dont understand ... It is an individuals right to dispose of firearms as well as own them (legally), and myself, I think a buyback is an excellent tool for minimizing firearms in househols that most likely arent suitable for them to start with.

Been a while since you started the thread, but just the same.... I have been shooting the .308 for about 20 years, and can see nothing new out there that offers any improvements. It is the modernized version of the '06. Ballistics throught 180 grain bullet are almost nonexistent in comparison with the 270 or '06, but it comes in a short action. In over 40 kills with it, i have never needed a 2nd shot. It is ample for moose, bear or what have you with the right bullet and placement, and has minimal recoil. As I remember, the .243 case is based on it. Sure, some new wonder rounds tout to be flatter shooting or more energy, but so what? Our average distances in NY make that a moot point. A long shot for me is a very rare 200 yards (for several years I was trying to prove something to myself, and was picking off my doe tags at a measured 195 yards, base of the skull shots. Piece of cake). Ruger is now making their American Rifle, which has been getting fantastic reviews, in .308, for a listed 400.00. Now post season, I would think you could do a very good deal on one, and a fine scope for well under 800.00.

Every threatening contact from him should be reported to the authorities, especially the threatening behavior with the shotgun. Ideally, never even be in the area of him without witnesses. Your piece of land is small. I hate to mention this, but under NY law as written exactly in the hunting regulations, are you a legal distance (best with room to spare) from all buildings on his property? Even though it is your land, it does not mean you can legally hunt on it unless zoned, and have permission from all landowners within 500 feet of any building on occupied properties. Lastly, given the nature of the situation, is it worth the percieved risk?

Very nice shed. At our camp, we had to go a different route due to things coming up missing, and my existing shed getting broken into.. I bought a 10'x20 steel shipping container.

You must be in posession of a current small game hunting license for coyote hunting (and of course the season be open) Under furbearing hunting regulations you may not hunt at night with a centerfire rifle in any area that has an open deer season. It will not fly to use that as an excuse.

You wash your hunting clothes?

A day late, but darn tootin I was hunting. I love hunting the slop. There are no deer indoors. The wind and rain help conceal you, and with snow on the ground here (the western Tug Hill ) the deer will show nicely. The rain helps on warmer days, to move the deer. Otherwise they would probably be bedded tight, so as not to overheat. Sunday wass the last day of NT hunting. I saw three going into the woods, and three in the evening. I shot a nice doe at 4:00. I never worry about blood trailing. Pick your shots, and anchor them. ( I vastly prefer I high shoulder/lung shot for the instant drop). Yesterday concluded what I consider a perfect season. I was able to hunt alot, see plenty of deer, and fill my freezer the hour...allowing me to enjoy the whole season. (Actually I have a couple more week ends of southern tier to go yet). The only weather I will not be out in is high winds (breaking branches, etc. and torrential downpours. I actually even have an enclosed tree stand just for those days, but the stand is just a reason to still be able to go.

I bought a TC Triumph two years ago, after having shot ML (preferring black bowder as a powder) for many years. I was very exasperated working up a load, working with initially T/c sabots and pellets. Shots all over the place, I replaced the scope (one of the new redfields) and 1/2d the size off the groups...replaced with a NIkon Prostaff. The groups were acceptable, but this year I went back to the drawing board. I switched to 777 powder, and the groups again shrank - 100grains. Then I switched to 245 power belts, and the group stayed the same. I then moved up to the 295 grain aero tipped power belts, and shot clover leafs at 75 yards. I was content with that. With 777, I just run a dry patch between rounds and dry fire a primer. uP to 5 shots, I dont notice any real increase in crud, but at 5 I run a wet patch, then a couple dry, then dry fire.

After many years having very limited access to private land and otherwise hunting state land, about 7 years ago I chose to buy. Doing so, I recognized I couldnt afford much land, and that I wanted more access. I found a 10 year old semi finished cabin on 10 acres in the middle of thousands of acres of Tug hill land, on a seasonally maintained, but year round accessible road. I have an overgrown orchard on my property as a draw, and the freedom to hunt immediatly adjoined 900 acres of county land. Luckily it is seldom hunted by others, and I am able to get my venison each year. It is certainly not a "trophy" parcel, but few places in NY are. I have the best of both worlds. Minimal investment with considerable returns.

I never saw a coyote that had a hoove.

Yo. A near neighbor with a camp in Lorraine. You may want to look at Dura Sheds. The sheds are stick built to your specifications from their base models on site, and are a dang fine deel. I was considering using a 24x 24 gable roofed 2 story garage modified to a camp front, approx. 12,500 at the time (6 years ago). My neighbor ended up building a 2 bay garage on the same design, and it is very well built. They arent a kit, but for the money, I would have had them build it.

We have had a Breckwell stove for about 18 years as our primary heat. From mid december through the beginning of march we run our oil boiler, as we have a very big and old house, not the most conducive to a pellet stove. The hot water is set about 60, and just helps keep the corners warmer. We have burned both soft and hardwood pellets. As has been mentioned, if they are rated premium the heat output is basically the same. Quality of the pellet manufacturer will make more difference. We like the ligher ash of the soft wood premium though. Locally, we have been buying our pellets for about 215. a ton, delivered in july. I saw Home Depot has them for 195 right now. We have burned theiir brand before, and they are ok.

Any easy button in reloading is very dangerous. If I am loading a relatively small number of a round I load infrequently, I will hand weigh each round- especially if the load is a higher on the loading end. I use a volume dump measure for rounds I am loading alot of ...primarily handgun rounds. But...I am very careful handwieghing in preparing the powder measure, and hand weigh every 10th round. 2 years ago I bought an electronic scale, which i love, and is much quicker

Why would you want to ?

Darn few bears are actually shot in NY by hunters "hunting bears". They are usually incidental to deer hunting. Without dogs or baiting, it is very difficult to pinpoint them without putting in alot of time. There are certainly areas where bears frequent, but usually they are neighborhood bears, and shooting them is like shooting cows in a farm yard. Keep in mind the avg bear shot in NY (and out of state) are usuallly what are most common: one and two year olds, 125-175 lbers. Spend alot of time driving back roads in potential bear country in the summer, looking for rural farms and orchards. Then knock on some doors, (probably alot of doors), to find farmers-growers who have beer problems in their fields and orchards, and are willing to let you set up a stand. Set up some game cameras along likely travel routes, etc. It is similar to plotting out a buck....except there are something like a thousand times more whitetail in NY than bears.

I started with 250 grain shockwaves and two 777 pellets, was very unhappy with accuracy. I moved up to the 300 grain shockwave with improved results, so decided to try 3 pellets. Accuracy went right in the hopper. I also could feel and hear the difference between rounds. With a little internet research, I found that others were having problems with three pellets burning consistently (I actually found one pellet lying on the ground about 15 yards from the rest- by the way, by far I find the Winchester 777 primers the best performing). I then dropped down to 100 grains measured of 777 and had much better performance than anything else up to this point and stuck with that. Next spring as time allows, I hope to chronograph the variance between the pellets and loose powder for performance.

I will pull a load if i realize that I didnt pop a primer first. It is probably the single easiest step to eliminating misfires. After cleaning your rifle, I allways pop a couple caps to remove any traces of oil or moisture from the breech, then run a patch. Then alllways without exception I pop a cap prior to loading, and between loads to be sure I dont have fouliing interrupting the spark flow. As well, I allways start my shooting with a primer fouled barrel, for shot consistencies sake. I have never had a misfire since I have followed this routine.

I shoot 777 with sabots currently, but if you are familiar with your black powder and patch and ball, dont sweat switching. I think it is still the most reliably igniting powder out there, and will certainly do the job. The newer powders are geared to making siighting in, clean up and the general learning curve easier. If you know what you are doing already, dont sweat the change.

Which ML season are you referring? Northern Tier, which is in October or Southern Tier, which is in December? By deep woods, are you thinking ADKs or southern tier state forest? Although it is possible to run into similar weather either place, the potential for trouble is greater in northern NY with its much more secluded areas and increased likelihood of unseasonable cold and snowy weather. I take it you are planning ahead for next year, as this year only has a couple days left. Regardless, basics II would be very confident in: Compass use (GPS is designed to be an augment to map and compass, not a replacement...as you quickly learn with dead batteries or thick overhead conditions that render them useless). Excelllent appropriate footgear becomes more important than when you are only out for a day or two. Totally avoid any cotton clothing: it absorbs moisture insteads of disperssing it, which will chill you. Learn to depend on the basics, and leave the toys at home. Make darn sure someone knows wherre you are going. Do not depend on cell phones for an emergency. Even the best reception companies are poor in most parts of the ADKs, Tug Hill, and rural hilly areas. Do not plan on having a fire for warmth or cooking. First, you dont want a fire in an area you are hunting. You dont want to spend time gathering the wood and tending a fire, and weather conditions may not allow you to even have one. A quality single burner stove is very compact, will heat your meal quickly , and can be safely used under a tarp (NEVER in a tent)....by the way...allways be sure you have an area for a tarp to cook under, keep gear in, stretch out under when it rains, etc.).

Last spring I macerated a bear skull- that is, soaked it in water and let the soft tissues rot off. Just fill a 5 gallon bucket with water, put the skull in and put a top lid on. Place it somewhere warm (at least where it wont freeze). I kept mine in the back shed about 3 months, then scoured it with a heavy brillo. Give it another month or so in a bucket with some strong detergent to get the grease out. I have previously boiled bear skulls, and they tend to shrink a bit. You still have alot of hard scrubbing to do. I found the macerating easier and did a better job. The teeth will all fall out though, so be careful to strain the gross water as you pour it out, or pull the teeth out when they come loose. Just use a little Elmers to glue them back in with.

My main deer hunting knife is my Buck 110 folder. Tough to improve on it for utility and edge holding. I have also cleaned many a deer with a good old boy scout knife and swiss army.

My grandfather used to use a ferret back in the 20s and 30s. Even then it wasnt legal. The animal they used was actuallly called a "fitch" and was not the same critter as you can buy in the pet stores now. They were semi wild critters, that you had a harness on, sent down the hole then pulled back up. The problem was you were never quite sure what else might be down the hole! Sometimes the fitch got ate instead! Not legal now, no special permits available.

I have been amazed by the number of posts on hunting/ shooting websites by individuals advocating minimal maintenance on their firearms (I do not mean to imply that with this thread). I have a couple friends who keep complaining of the need to clean their firearms, yet I am consistently asked to unfreeze or clean thier guns. I wipe mine down after each time the firearm is handles, and wipe the bore, thoroughly wipe the exterior with a gun solvent followed by oil after each firing, and probably once a year at least, go through the cabinet giving each a thorough breakdown and cleaning regardless. Several of my arms are over 60 years old, shoot as well as any, are 100% reliable, and never have and any rust.

No exceptionis: Only NYS residents may be issued (maybe) a pistol permit. You may not even have it in your vehicle or on your property. I agree with the previous post...a 12 gauge pump with a slug barrel will put a ANY handgun to shame. You have little to fear about your bear. I wouldnt cook on your porch (grill, etc) , keep a clean area (dont throw wash water, food scrap into the brush), or burn garbage. Anything like that will attract a bear. Any kind of dog (even effeminate ankel biters) will keep any bear away while you are there.

Its a matter of cash in hand. If you arent in a hurry and network, check the Swapsheet, ask around, visit garage sales, etc. 100.00 in your hand at the right time can get you alot of gun...sometimes a heck of alot of gun, depending on how bad the seller needs cash.You just have to be patient, and be ready to jump.