Daveboone

Just please expect the same sort of group size expectation for yourself from your handgun that you would expect from your rifle before you take to the field with it. I have seen way too many handgun hunters who are happy with dinner plate size groups at 25 yards, and think they are prepared for 50...even though they wont take to the field with their rifles until they can keep a group under 2" at 100. I used a 18o grain soft point with good results. Test heavier bullets carefully through your revolver. The heavier/ longer projectiles may bind the cylinder.

I have bought several homelites, Poulans, McCullochs...none lasted or were reliable. I finally anted up and bought a Husqvarna (sic?), and it has been totally reliable and trouble free. Both actually were used. My 20" bar I use for felling, but it was too heavy for extended time for limbing, smaller trees, etc. I found a barely used 16" at a local equipment shop for 150.00, about 1/2 price of the new. Chainsaws definetly are worth buying the best you can afford, and a quality 16" saw can do alot of cutting. Stihl and Husqvarna owners are both very vocal as far as which is best....both are very good.

I agree that if the gun has a removeable barrel, a replacement bbl may be the most practical way to go. You may even be able to find one with the variable choke on it already. For a competent gunsmith though, I doubt the installation would be that expensive, and they should be able to quote an accurate price. Not my first choice, but Gander Mtn. does theservice around here.

When I was in the market for land, before I found what I wanted pre-built, I was looking long and hard at Dura- Shed. They are stick bilt sheds/outbuilding built to your specs from their base plans. A couple of my neighbors used them, and were very happy, and I was very impressed. At the time, a 24/24 building with a gable roof, and 2nd floor was around 13,000 (7 years ago). They are online. They are rough finished.

No substitute for pre season scouting: crops, orchards, etc. Of course, the Old forge area doesnt have much of that, and most of the bears in the area are there for the easy garbage, tourist pickings at campgrounds. Once tourist season ends, they disperse a bit. most bears in the ADKS are incidental to deer hunting.

On a canoe trip in the Adirondacks (on the Bog River Flow, if I remember right) , one portage had a former great camp along side. On the point at the canoe landing was a terraced area with memorials for race or show horses. The memorial plaques were there in the early eighties, but the last time I went throug in the mid 90s, they had all been pryed off .

For a great deal of the Tug, the deer yard up. They migrate into wintering "yards", or off the hill. My camp is located right on the edge of the hill, and when the snow starts in earnest, they move through the area to winter in the lower areas west of the hill. I love driving the accessible side roads as spring breaks, to find the herds. Theresa is a beautiful area. I guess it is off the Tug Hill itself, but it certainly knows winter just the same.

I wont have electronics with me in the field. It distracts from what I am doing. Hunting. On the otherside, I do love my lunar calendar and sunrise sunset apps on my tablet, which help me plan my time. I have made use of satellite photogrophy to eyeball areas from above, more to look for hidden roads, builldings and ridges. When I am in the woods, If it has a battery, it can and will fail.

Doc, It is north country hunting....I have no problem filling my freezer, but you will work for your buck. Right on the edge of the plateau where I am, the deer population is very healthy, but it is big woods hunting (but much better than say, in the ADKS. There is little agriculture for numbers. I dont hunt turkeys, but they are around. Again, not much for crops, but alot of overgrown apples. There are alot of grouse, and snowshoe bunnies.

.JPG]Here is my camp. Western Tug Hill. I have 10 acres, but border on two sides 900+ state and county. I was just there this week end. Only about a foot of snow there right now.The end with a door will be getting a 16x8 4 season porch this summer. I have no public services, and like it that way. Propane for cooking and lights, wired for generator throughout but usually only need it when it is very hot in the summer for fans.

We have been burning pellets for almost 20 years. We start the stove as soon as we need to heat, and kick in the boiler about thanksgiving through easter, when its coldest. We put our own stove in, which is easy enough BUT...make sure to meet local codes, and be sure to connect you vent properly. We have burned many brands of pellets. Our last stove ( A Breckwell) was awesome, and burned any brand we poured in it without a hitch. Our new stove (Jamestown) puts out more heat, but is finickier- I think the auger motor isnt as strong, and binds on dust and long pellets. Even though premium pellets meet the same BTU ratings, as mentioned, they do vary in quality, which i find more affects stove function than heat output. We do have a preference for soft wood also...lighter ash, doesnt need cleaning as much. Be aware- many folks dont care for the pellet hauling, dust and clean up that you still have, even though tremendously less than burning wood.

Kind of an old thread, but ... I have been to Lindsays Sporting Camps, just over the line from Maine in NB. This year is my 5th, and many other hunters I see yearly have been back many times. Great food, comfortable, the guides work hard. Bears are not generally huge,there allways being more small and avg. bears than huge, but each time I have been there a 300 lb plus bear has been taken, and two of my 4 have been better than 250. I have heard complaints often of guides favoring repeat hunters, but I also know that repeat hunters request stands they have been succsessful at, which is fair My best bears were shot at the same stand, and I certainly will ask for the same spot again. As well, new hunters usually take several days to acclimate to the style of hunting. Guides do not need to be reminded that each new hunter is a potential repeat hunter.

Even with a climber you can hang the gun, and I have many times. leave the cord extra long so when you get to your desired hight, there is still slack in the rope. Just gently lift. Same going down.Gently lower the gun until it is lying on the ground and proceed. Otherwise, use a sling . Then I prefer it across my chest.

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.