dbHunterNY

not sure if I was lumped in there as one of those guys or not. there's at least a couple of us in here who actually hunt with antler restrictions. so some of the situations you're calling BS on we do deal with more times than not when encountering a buck (ignore the millimeter measuring, that'd take some real skill. I have to catch the deer first and break out the tape measure. then decide to shoot it or not.) we are in fact THAT hunter though.

I think the moral of the story is if you do turn yourself in don't expect laws to be completely ignored. I mean being from NY we all could probably agree that there's enough laws on the books to make our heads spin. we always seem to get more and more that don't make it any better. make the ones we've got work better or don't ignore them. if I was an ECO dealing with it on a day by day basis and he called in acting like it wasn't a big deal and like it can be swept under the rug i'd be pissed. we'll never know how the actual convo went though.

i'm with Reeltime in that knowing he's in an area with ARs he didn't do enough due diligence, and identifying a legal buck is not hard. we hunt in a large area with voluntary ARs much more complex, being there's minimum points for both sides and a spread requirement. we have numerous youth that aren't even old enough to hunt yet and new hunters successfully identifying what meets our ARs or not when they're toted along out in the field. its not hard but it takes effort and sometimes it might mean a deer walks. it's part of responsible hunting. we haven't heard really any complaints of having to let deer walk because of that. also with our restrictions being voluntary anything going wrong is easily and quickly complained about in mass. I simply have not heard any of the leaving the subpar buck to rot situation. any buck left to rot was poached with the head lopped off. also the article was he mentioned is a biased article written by someone who doesn't like them. also I've talked to enough people on both sides and reading what he wrote, i'd bet money he hated them even before he got a ticket.

it's hard to find an open lease or property that's not already packed. I don't know of any right now. honestly I've hunted Pine Bush Preserve (public) and it's not that crowded. Lots of hikers and all that but not bad. it'd hunt it as a backup versus not hunting at all.

another vote here for the 22LR and 20ga combo. My cousin had the Savage 22lr/410ga, but I feel like 410ga slug doesn't have enough for certain situations.

i'd share the same belief, except i'm leaning on the assumption that it was brought to a processor that took care of it food closet style for something like venison donation coalition. in that case I don't feel as bad. no reason to cut the man down for his mistakes. we all have the responsibility of living with consequences for our actions though. I got a speeding ticket last year in a spot where multi lane interstate speed limit slows down significantly and miles before it ends at a light. before I started to slow down the trooper taking the same route caught up to me from behind, noticed how fast we were going, and then hit me with her front radar. she told me how it went down. as much as I think that was BS, i had to pay and it was my fault. resulting bill to the court wasn't much less than fine in original post of thread.

harvest data is always used to implement management tools and make decisions, both on the state level down to a small group of hunters or landowners. setting the bar of what's "enough" protected would be based on other things too if that's what you're getting at with semantics. I would much rather DEC continue their efforts with education regardless of the outcome. Little disappointed it's taken years worth of an AR pissing match to get more of that education, something beyond having to do obscure google searches to find info of interest, buried within the DEC web domain.

I don't pay to play for anything under half a billion. even then I struggle remembering to buy a ticket.

definitely consult your doc for that question. don't try to hurry things along and do it all by the book. that said don't expect any limited outcome he foresees as truth. rehab by the book with an open mind that you can be better off in the end then the docs thought. docs said my dad was going to be in a wheelchair all his life from an accident full of breaks, aches, and pains. he does farm work and loads hay every week. wish you the best getting through it. all said and done might want to shoot the bow down south and not here in NY. weather is getting a bit belligerent.

I don't think it'd be so much of a wash. hunter that shoots the yearling 8 pointer after restrictions would be one that'd shoot it now anyway. if he/she's selectively harvesting yearlings based on antlers their misguided anyway. the thing about harvest data is it evens out the people that would pass that yearling 8 with those that say an 8 is an 8 or just don't care how many points it has. by design going off DEC harvest data AR's could protect enough in any part of the state. even then it's not a set them and forget them restriction. it'd be monitored year to year and changed accordingly say every few years or longer. that is if DEC was to have control over them. hell if that was the case DEC could have them 3" of antler on one side for your area and it'd be "no change". I don't believe how close minded people are to this type "restriction" statewide, because crap showed up from a politician in the form of a bill that never went anywhere, as if it was the only way to do it.

Being plugged into the AR crowd and DEC. it doesn't seem to be any of that with ARs. it's not driven by insurance, money, or any conspiracy like that. heck DEC's confidence in outcomes of citizen task force meetings to come up with buck take objective is even diminishing. It just a large group of outspoken hunters from particular areas of the state that have higher % of yearlings taken and don't see numbers or age structure that's seen in other places. you can't just say go find them. they're around. some areas in this state simply don't have "big" or older bucks in any noticeable numbers. In areas with higher numbers of hunters and less bucks per square mile it's practically impossible to be conservation minded, pass young bucks, and truly think it probably won't get shot. DEC is very much handcuffed by politics and general public desires, both hunter and anti-hunter. Lawmakers are only plugged into those squeaky wheels that talk to them. I mean they've got all types of interests flying at them from all directions. Hunting is a small percentage here in NY.

i'm not a habitat guru. good advice already given though from what I know. that large plot is fine. problem being many deer using it at once if you intend to hold multiple doe family groups. to do so you need to break it up visually with what's planted. also plant both late season and early season food, not just one thing in the whole plot. best you can do with that size is probably one of each type but split into 4 sections total. the deer should work through it without seeing each other are really close. it's really hard to critique something without boots on the ground. plot being at the border it's good to have it real thick so neighbors can't scout your plot. however, it's assumed topography isn't concern that would let them see the plot otherwise. I will say that the more you design your property to hold deer the harder it will be to hunt. Your pitfalls will be addressed once you remove tree and things thicken up. problem is with it all thick access into it without getting busted will be tough. also deer movement through your property is more unpredictable to hunt. if you create pockets of cover with more open/travel acreage between you'll have huntable spots without over pressuring thicker cover/bedding or the food plot. so open woods isn't always a bad thing.

Just went out yesterday and last night. It was single digits for temp but dressed for it. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I shoot in a traveling pistol matches, do deer management stuff, snowmobiling, little hunting, and ice fishing on rare occasion. Lots of other stuff and work comes up. Never left with time for much if anything. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Yea depends on the chips and temp. Sometimes I don't soak them either. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I was picking up my tip ups one outing and another individual decided to take his car out on the ice and do donuts not far from me. that was concern enough because he was drinking and really didn't want to get run over. once the ice started popping from it too, I just left them there. I actually make out well as I chipped them all out later intact. others had theirs run over.

when you say lower temps are you dropping down to a little under 200?

some of the best ice fishermen I know of don't use a shelter or anything. they go out with a couple jigging setups and a fish solar/finder. they caught a ton of pan fish in a hurry. then they pack up, crack a beer, and hangout somewhere warm. lol

I'll go out but never fully trust the ice. most fishing in front of camp is done in water 4' deep or less. they used to have winter carnivals on lake George but with mild winters we've had they didn't have enough ice. there and the lake our camp is on used to have car ice races. I think that's crazy but not saying I won't go watch.... from a distance.

I agree with others that less hunting pressure during peak breeding and extended pressure well into December isn't best for the deer. i don't think it's a major problem, same as when some argue juice isn't worth the squeeze with antler restrictions. There's little to debate, when deer are pressured by hunters they can't seek out the best food sources. they hole up in safe places of cover that may not have the best food. then go to food at night in harsher conditions, burning more calories while doing so. as I tried to mention in my other post in here, I don't think it's relevant though and more pondering than anything. DEC doesn't do anything good for deer if it's over-ruled by the misinformed general public. our season structures have remained the same forever. they worked great back in the days of growing the deer population, when everyone refrained from shooting any doe and relied on large portions of the buck population for harvest opportunity. what better time for an opportunity at a buck than right in the middle of the rut? times have changed though. we're maintaining the deer herds now. to have the most harvest opportunity and combat the more informed portion of the public with loud voices, we need to make the herd the most productive it can be and that doesn't just mean more deer.

others have said it. turning the blade around the right way should help a lot. like steveD said the plate is keyed. it all should go on right and allow you to screw the last collar piece on with lots of thread engagement. when you do use Crisco or something on the threads and just snug it hand tight. otherwise you won't get it off easy. blades are meant to sheer the meat by working against the back of the plate. i think all grinders are like that. my dad's old Hobart we wait every year to die. it just hasn't yet. meanwhile, I've looked at other grinders and the "better" ones at Gander. I took the whole things apart in the store and the fit and machining didn't seem as good. lots of slop in the fit with the auger, blade, etc.

I was thinking i'd have trouble with lower temps using the propane from using other propane enclosed cooking appliances in the past. i'll have to look into that valve. I've usually used the ones on the door but admit they're not perfect. need to check your eats anyway for internal temp though. i'll look into the maverick. some are nice if wireless so you don't have to open the unit up. I've got a turkey fryer and it came with a safety solenoid that has to be pressed in every 12 minutes or so. wicked P.I.T.A. I've got a small cast iron pan but why'd you ditch the stock one??

i'm with Dinsdale on shooting steel. instant feedback. we've got them at the club at 100, 200, and 300 yards. I use them all. pellet gun or 22LR is the same idea. lots of shooting without breaking the bank. I've got something around a case (5,000 rnds) of 22LR for pistol competition.

Masterbuilt Pro dual fuel charcoal/propane... no window and size wise the unpacked box stands up to my belt line and i'm 6'.

family farm being paid Friday here, despite local municipalities have been saying it can't be. otherwise losing $18k of deductions with a $10k cap. land costs a lot to keep.