Daveboone

Due to last minute mechanical failure, We had 3 of us in my Hyundai hatchback one year. We ended up transporting us 3, all gear and 3 deer (one buck, two does) INSIDE it due to the very crappy weather! I always have a tarp in my vehicles. We put it around the animal then pull it in.

I have a former hunting partner that filled his pockets with beer cans prior to heading out. You can find the way to his stand by the empties. He has a problem (thus, I dont hunt with him anymore). Another current hunting partner seldom drinks alcohol, but he does carry a small flask, primarily to toast succsess and friends remembered. He has been known to nip at it- but NEVER has it been a concern. I happily hunt with him. There is alot of gray area here. Myself, no alcohol for me or hunting partners while still hunting...but we may gently bend the rules for a toast.

If I hunt with it, I will shoot it several times through spring- fall, but will certainly make sure that within a few weeks of the season opener she is shot. Not a matter of sighting...a matter of keeping familiar with the whole gun.

As I remember, in the late 70s (when I started hunting) the success rate for deer hunting was around 5%. My hunting outfit was dads old cotten batten lined moth eaten coat, two pairs of blue jeans pulled on over cotten long underwear, uninsulated rubber packs, mittens mom knitted, and a 36" barreled 12 gauge bolt action J.C. Higgins shotgun dad bought for 25.00 ! I shocked him when I shot a deer my first year out with it (doe on a permit with 3 other people). I remember counting four other hunters not in our party in sight from my stand...well, tree I was leaning against. I have never been as cold as I was hunting in those days.

I generally agree with most of what you say, but also disagree with the city types ruining it. For decades, generations, rural sports bagged the local trophies by spotlight, then bragged it up. I am constantly amazed at the folks who claim there isnt any place to hunt, yet I drive through state and county forest where I had good luck in the past to see it empty of hunters trucks. Everyone thinks private land is the only place to hunt now. Most of todays hunters are succombing to the constantly dwindling recourse of time, and seeking whatever means they have to be succsessful in it. Can you imagine the madness in states where the hunting season is only a week long, not two months long?

Follow the manufacturers directions! I would initially try two pellets of 777 or whatever powder you prefer. I currently am shooting the 250 grain TC shockwaves. They load easily, are a bit more accurate at my ranges (50-75 yards) than the Powerbelts i used to shoot. Get yourself on the paper first before worrying about fine tuning- and remember to start close from a well padded firm rest, and dont rush it!

I like having squirrels around. They give me something to watch. Also, squirrels are one of the sentinels of the woods. I figure if they are acting natural around me, the deer likewise will be more relaxed entering the area.. They also will distract deer from you. Any activity (slingshots, bowshots with Zwickeys, pelletguns) are more likely to be noticed by unseen deer.

The deer dont wait around when I ask them for a birth certificate. A first year fawn is easy enough to tell by its stubby face and square proportions, but at the end of its 2nd summer (approx. 18 months) size can vary tremendously by region. I have shot 5 1/2 year old northern tier bucks with very small headgear, and 18 month old Yates county bucks with very long 10 pt. racks. Muzzleloading season and doe tags I look to put venison in the freezer, so the first grown deer that qualifies feeds me. If i am seeing alot of deer, I will be more patient. Dont be fooled by TV show influenced hunting partners about what is big...

After having used a # of Bushnells, Simpsons, Tascos, Cabelas Pineviews, etc. over the years, I now am strictly Leupold. I have two 1.5x5 VX 111s on a .308 and a 45-70, a VX 11 2x8 on my .300 win mag and am experimenting with a Redfield 2-7 on my inline. My .308s scope is well over 20 years old, with no hitches. The 45-70 has a couple hundred heavy rounds through it, and it is the only scope that I was able to sight in to hold its zero. The Redfield sighted in fine, but I bought the version with the funky range adapting reticle because the wait for the standard reticle was unknown. The scope I like, the reticle sucks. It only confuses fine sighting, and in low light in the woods, the little circle blures the fine sight picture. It will go back for the standard reticle, when available. I have sighted in severla guns with Nikons (friends guns) and the quality seems very high for the money. Cabelas brand scopes though, (thier muzzleloading specific scopes) are horrible. Two right out of the box were defective.

I have helped process probably 6-8 that were roadkill. Of course, you want to get them quick, and gut and cool them. Some are barely bruised up, and some are a real mess, it is tough to tell sometimes from just looking at them.

Yo, Fast Eddie: I stand corrected on the #s. It has been a long time since I have both bow and muzzleloaded, and then was happy with a buck a year. Bowhunters and muzzleloaders recieve one either/or tag, and one antlerless tag, making it a total of 2 bucks. Still, Limit to one and twice the hunters potentially can get bucks, and the 2nd buck regardless has a chance to get bigger. The hunter still has opportunities to get more venison.

In NY you can legally take 3 bucks- one each for archery, muzzleloading and regular season, as well as whatever doe tags you get. Make the law one antlered buck a season. As we all know, most bucks are taken by the minority of the hunters. Limit the game hogs (yes, you can be a hog within your limits) and the number of bucks; including older bucks, will also increase. Most important to me is to be able to be out hunting as long a season as possible: ensuring the most opportunites in different weather. I want a buck...but I want to eat it.That is what we hunt for, isnt it? There was never an emphasis on huge racks until the media started pushing it. Just having bigger racks does not mean you have better "quality". Define quality. Are you saying that people with bigger feet...if that is what you are measuring...are better people? For what it is worth, I have a pretty good collection of what would be considered "quality" deer. They came from hard work. But I still am happy to fill my freezer and will prefer to eat an 18 month old 6 pt. over a 3 1/2 hear old gnarly point.

There are lots! Give a call to the local DEC regional office and tell them where you are, and what you are loooking for. They sent me a large envelope full of information on different areas, a few years ago. Hector Land use area and the Finger Lakes National forest are great high country hunting grounds about an hr. from you.

Happy Valley in Oswego County has alot of rolling hills and ridges. Morgan Hill in ONondaga county is all high country. Of course you want to get the topographical maps of the area to understand the land layout before going anywhere.

In the late 70s we were hunting in the Bear Swamp area, near New Hope. It was mainly an overgrown farm type area. I stumbled upon an area of several dozen mouldering cow skeletons. They were an spooky greenish color, and soft as sponge. An old two story farmhouse was nearby, still standing. We couldnt figure out what had happened. We guessed the herd was shot and just left decades before.

About 10 years ago I used to sell them. They were top of the line very high quality boats. Old Town are good, but much more family/ recreation oriented. I understand M.R. is now under different ownership. This is the time of the year to buy in stock boats...most places dont want to hold on to them until spring. Your particular boat I am not familiar with. Google reviews on it.

Sorry, no oaks anywhere near Stillwater (darn few in the NE ADKs at all). There are some big Beeches, and plenty of Black Cherry if you look around. The lack of mast or crops in the region largely accounts for the thin deer population.

Stillwater can get very rough and treacherous very quickly. If going in by canoe, it isnt unusual to get stranded in windy weather. Tie everything in very well and keep the life jackets on. There are some big deer up there, but you will earn them. I agree with the old school line of thought that a gps is a helpful tool, but no where near as reliable as a map and compass. Bears are not a big deal generally up there, but keep a clean camp site in case one is hanging around. It is beautiful country up there, true wilderness hunting. You will be able to sign in at the boat launch for particular camp sites (required, actually).

Old Ted loves to have the camera around, so of course it catches him at times not exactly at his best... I myself am not a fan (though I love "Srtranglehold)) of his sportsman persona, but I do think he calls it as he sees it, and stands up for it. I do not like at all his "in your face, take it or leave it" style. I did hear him speak in person to a very mixed audience on an anti drug -family values theme, and came away very impressed. So although I dont care for him personally, I do respect him. We could do worse for a spokesman...he could choose to be quiet.

I dont understand why so many folks mention the blood trail so much with Powerbelts. Other than with archery and 12 gauge slugs, I have never in 30 years of hunting needed or noted the blood trail for a firearm shot deer. I certainly dont think they leave any more or less an entry hole (45 caliber) than from my .308, .300, 30-30,or 8x57.

I have killed a number of deer, all with one shot, with the 245 gr. powerpoint with 100 grains of 777. The compromise of easier loading to me outweighs the marginal improvement in group size with sabots at the range I allow myself. It worked particularly well four years ago on a 205 lb southern tier buck.

But want it for what? 410 shells out of a short barrel are ineffective for...well, anything. For home defence the .45 round certainly has much more energy. That being a given, the gun is oversized for that, and one of many other handguns would be lighter and more compact. They are a novelty, good for show and nothing more.

Having grown up in and around Syracuse, I had to laugh when they described Syracuse as on the shores of "pristine" Onondaga Lake. ew. Heids and the Dinosaur were both very nicely represented, but darned if I could find anyone who had even ever heard of Mothers Cupboard.

I have been a long time subscriber. It is not a hunting magazine, it is about NY outdoors: anything from focuses on particular outdoor areas, to wildlife, influential outdoor people, the environment, etc. for the very low annual price, I think it is worth it, and my sister gets an annual subscription for xmas that she loves.

I would much rather have a late muzzleloading season. Give me snow. A season following the regular season would be my preference.