Five Seasons

i can't remember if you bow hunt or not stubby, but if you don't your opinion is invalid. You have no say if you're not out there with us. If they took your buck away during opening weekend you'd lose your sh!t. but because maybe you're bad at math or just felt like spewing nonsense without doing some research let me enlighten you. http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/26368.html bow stamps - 46,944 small and big game - 103k sportsman - 150k super sportsman - 116k assuming all the sportsman and supersportman aslo bowhunted you still have over twice the amount of hunters buying small/big game tags. And the DEC hasn't clued us in to how many doe need to be shot so we don't even know if every bow hunter shot a doe if 46k would be enough. What if every sportsman shot a doe is that 150k enough? non-resident might be the best gauge 18k big game <2k bow hunters So maybe we can assume the gun to bow hunter ratio is conservatively 1 bow hunter for every 8 gun hunters... why again are bow hunters attacked? Why again does your statement even make an ounce of sense when statistically bow hunters make up the smallest population of hunters in the state? Oh and the cherry on top? 57k mz stamps or $1.19M dollars... lets see how that goes this year.

Excluding the mocking part, the guy who only shoots 140's shouldn't be made to feel bad either. It goes both ways. The attack on the horn hunter on this site is disappointing. Like some how the meat hunter is the only real way to do it.

the trophy hunter still will. Average joe wont. Do you not know the same hunters I do? Need to shoot horns every year no matter what?

use it or lose it. that is exactly what it is. not only does this regulation remove some of our rights, it sends our age structure plummeting.

your buck tag rolling over is useless if you can't use it. I've been skunked in archery and always thought it was nice I could still shoot 2 bucks with my shotgun then mz if I had the chance. No longer. Like culver said, more bowhunters will take out 1.5's knowing full well that their tag becomes useless after archery.

again i'll respectfully disagree. The native americans and ancient tribes have been using racks, tusks, teeth or whatever since the beginning of time to symbolize greatness. Sure their main purpose was food, but there no corporations romanticizing the racks back then. I never once said it's what it's all about, but it's a big part.

you're confusing "ALL" with "Most". the proof is all around you that the increase in out of state tag sales to the midwest states, the 3 networks on cable now devoted to hunting and fishing, the marketing and billion dollar industry of hunting filled with gadgets like ozone and mineral licks and scent control are not around because a guy is trying to fill his freezer. I have admitted and never will deny that I love me some horns, and I do totally understand the meat argument. Last year hunting unfamiliar public land and not shooting a deer till December had me terrified of an empty freezer and the least of my worries was any antlers. But please at least agree with me that the majority of the "modern hunter", the one who doesn't need meat to feed his family is a hunter looking for a challenge and the reward is the rack. The rack is the gauge he or she uses to measure their success. Sure I can show you a 5.5 year old jaw bone of a mature doe I shot. A small minority will understand how big a feat that was. Harder than shooting a 3.5 year old buck in fact. But what picture gets more attention? Which story gets more ears at work? Which harvest gathers more respect from the "average hunter? The horns or the jaw bone?

you just need a lion and you're good

Why do I hate coyotes and think so much of wolves haha? Very cool video. It is interesting though how a tree hugger can hate a hunter for killing a deer or lion but other animals doing it is just fine?

I've only been busted drawing once and I'm not sure how that sly doe even did it. I typically wait for an opportunity where the deer is behind a tree or head down. Hoping it will just be 30 seconds or less for them to step out. I hunt enough thick stuff where it's never been an issue. I don't practice holding and releasing and probably should, so for me my muscle memory is to hold till i can steady my aim and release.

that statement is just as bad as a guy who only has a few shotguns not worried about the safe act. It's a step towards affecting you. Just because you're a meat hunter only means you don't care that this does impact a lot of other hunters? You don't have our back just because it doesn't directly affect you?

being 70 or any age for that matter and trying to find new land and stands when you live out of state is really only for the super dedicated and the guy with money and time. Point is, they're pushing away the guys who grew up hunting the neighbors farm with his brothers. It's bad enough 2 of the 3 farms are now subdivisions, but now he's handcuffed on what and when and how he goes hunting. A few hours more in bed on a cold morning sounds pretty good. I'd like to add the most buck activity I ever saw was during MZ one day about 5 years ago. It was a fresh snow and a tough season deer sighting wise. So it could have been a late doe in heat but the amount of bucks I saw that day was something I'll probably never see again.

I didn't hear anyone say they were quitting. Just spending less time in the woods. Therefore less chances to harvest deer... and the regulation change totally backfiring on the DEC.

open question. By definition shooting an animal out of season is considered poaching. Would you all consider it just as bad as shooting a buck in velvet or spotlighting?

there is no perfect method. I just feel it's the best. Honestly after this bs with doe only, I will give up on ARs for now. This state is so messed up from taxes, loss of jobs, safe act and the DEC we can't expect it to get better.

it's You're grow. and I have never hunted deer in a field. You wont win the 10 minute after sunset argument. Most other states give you 30 for crying out loud.

that was about 10 years ago. I guess I thought I was cool. haha.

we had a thread a while back on how many guys would hunt if bucks were illegal and while I'm sure a few honest and a few were lying, most of us said we'd probably still go out, but our time and dedication would significantly decrease. Love me some venison, love the challenge, love the woods but I'll be darned if I'm to be made to feel bad about liking a nice big rack. I can recount every story of every horn on my wall. I only have pics of the doe.

since i moved south I've come back to hunt in the fall. Last year coordinated with a wedding on 10/4. That would have really sucked to not be able to shoot a buck. This year my plan is to hunt the last week of bow and opening of gun... but I'm certainly happy I can shoot a buck down here on 10/1 should I get the chance.

I don't buy the out of season comment. Going hunting on 9/14 is not the same as hunting during a legal season on 10/13 and being told you can hunt deer... but not any with headgear. not all violations are equal. Seasons and weapons have changed many times in NY, but never once since I've been hunting have I been told what I can shoot. Don't forget that the first 2 weeks of archery were added the same time the last weekend was lost. Archers already gave up one of the best weekends to bow hunt so gun could open on a saturday and timmy wouldn't have to miss school. Then we wanted little timmy to hunt when it was warm out so we added a weekend of loud bangs during archery. Then we said lets get more guys in the woods and allow crossbows. Fine... But now we can't even shoot a buck the first 2 weeks or the last week. WHEN DOES THE ASSAULT FREAKING END!? Like I said earlier... next year it becomes primitive weapons season and we no longer have a bow season in NY. I didn't say you'll have guys out there still shooting just any buck. I said, what would you do if a P&Y walked by? Yeah I know a lot of you don't care about horns (yeah right), but maybe Phade was right. Instead of risk temptation you don't hunt at all? All I know is that it's early august and i have a bad itch to get in the woods. Don't care if I get skunked, I just can't wait till 10/1 to lace up the boots and spend some time alone in the deer woods.

I pass plenty of doe and also buck for that matter. But every year I still take 2 with one of the 3 weapons I'm allowed to hunt with. So why is the government now telling me when I should take the doe? And in fact asking me to pay extra for the privilege to take a doe? I disagree that bow hunters hunt only for an opportunity for a good buck. I believe bow hunters are just more passionate about hunting. They started with gun and then saw an opportunity to spend more time in the woods and learned how to bow hunt. It's warmer and more of a challenge. It's more peaceful and the deer aren't spooked. Not every gun hunter bow hunts, but 90%+ of us bow hunter do gun hunt. So yes, bow hunters do go after buck, but it's not because we're all trophy hunters, we're just more in to hunting than some average gun hunters. 2.5 months in the woods and if you're lucky to hunt good land you're going to be more selective than the guy who just hunts opening weekend. It's statistically impossible for bowhunters to manage the herds and expecting them to is asinine. Furthermore when and where did it become the bow hunters job? Why can't the orange army manage the herd? That's the whole argument. You have a problem with doe you say, but put ZERO regulations into affect for the gun hunter!

if you can't see 10 minutes after sunrise or sunset then you need to get your eyes checked.

and a 1.5 year old 8 point. there's always exceptions, no way around it. the spread and beam is not that difficult

I know a lot of today's hunters who are super serious became bow hunters. 30 years ago the bowhunter was a very small minority and the gun hunter was all we knew. Bowhunting is a solitary game and you can't reek of jack and cigs. Then deer camp rolls around and we still partake, and we have the group that shows up and drinks and doesn't even go into the woods... but that group is shrinking. Somehow society has changed where having "guy time" doesn't seem to be ok anymore for the family man. My wife's awesome about hunting time, but once gun rolls around I know I've tested her patience and the time away dwindles.

real good point as well. Now I have more pressure and less time? I might not pass that 6 point that I passed on 10/9. It'll be like opening day of gun without all the gun shots.