sailinghudson25

I read that it's best to do the hinge cut during the growing season and not the winter, survival of the tree is lower in the winter. I do firewood culling during the winter. I cut down the tree, cut the main section into chunks to dry out quicker, and cut down the higher branches so the deer can reach the buds. I have noticed deer don't care much for white birch buds. Atleast when they can eat maple buds. Still not quite sure if they like the hemlock or not, I am leaning towards no from my experience so far.

a few ideas. -Contact Church groups in the area and offer your help or advice. -Everyboy is technology based. Why not make a website directed towards enjoying the woods near NYC, but without vehicle transportation. Several campground specialize in this, equipment rentals, shuttle buses to train stations, etc. Some even have greyhound bus stops right at their driveway. Get the site started, then post a bunch of flyers for it in areas. Local hunting clubs in the city might be interested in helping too. Maybe even promoting a fair in a local park or other public meeting place. Like someone said before, it's about money. Maybe start a charity that collects gently used camping and outdoors gear. They got stuff like that for work clothes for finanically challenged folks, why not do outdoor gear. Lots of enthusiasm in NYC amoung the cyclist crowd, maybe combine camping gear and used bicycles to the cause. I like in the catskills, alot of frugal folkd from the city enjoy it as an affordable vacation. Generally, people who don't have alot of money live a little more close quartered than most folks. So, having a place to store things cna be a challenge. Maybe have a no cost rental service. Let's say have a place on a tuesday or wednesday night where you can borrow these things and return them next week. Or already be there for the weekend at a campsite area. Like north sotuh lake or something like that. If you can find a used trailer, I am sure no park manager will say no to having you guys keep it up there for the season.

I gave up on 3 years worth of points with the VT lottery. I only do the NH lottery now. With the draw numbers getting fewer and fewer, you guys think it's worth it still? Ticks and the cold past winters are taking a toll on the population. I boycot the Maine Lottery, it's per chance, not per person. Just a cash machine for the state to accept from the rich. Next year I am going for New Brunswick's Moose Lottery, takes about 3 or 4 years to draw instead of 20 or so.

I'm talking about just letting whatever grow in a tilled and fertilized spot and then just moving it periodically. I have about a 1/4 acre of cleared maple tree forest I raked cleaned, burned the branches and spread ash, added some lime and 12-12-12, and then let mother nature deciede what she wanted. I got yellow clovers, trefoil, and dog's ear in there now. The deer seem to enjoy it more than the clover this summer. I left this spot alone because it had more rocks in it that the other spot. It is alsohas more bumps and dips, so I am worried about flipping my tractor in there. Tempted to pick the rocks out, till it up with some discs, and put some cereral grains and clover like the rest. Think I should leave it alone. I only got 3 acres on this spot to work with.

What kind of clover did you grow? IF you grew annual clover, it is best to let it go to seed. Perennial clovers expand their root systems as well as use seed to expand and thrive. So, it's less important there. I look less at the clover and more at the weeds when I deciede to mow.

Anyone seen a article on this. Looking to learn the forest better. Knowing what deer enjoy eating the most would be real helpful. Also, it would be real helpful when it comes time to improve your hunting spot, or prevent you from making the spot worse by removing it.

I read hinge cutting is good for deer habitat. But, I read little else past the cut. In NY what's a more ideal tree to hinge cut. Also, if you plan on making a spot brushy by hinge cutting, what ground prep would be ideal? Obviously applying lime and fertilizer is good, but should you rake up the debris. Should you buy seedlings of a certain kind, or buy or collect seeds from certain brush? MY goal is to make a 70 yard long by 10-15 yard wide dividing wall of brush between two 1/2 acre food plots. I just feel making this spot too big will end up having the deer go there at night. Also, if there isn't and ideal tree to hinge cut, do you hinge cut a less than ideal one, or just completely remove it. This spot in mind has ash, white and black birch, and maple trees. I have lightly raked and spread firewood ashes down there so far. The 2nd plot will be done next year. So far, I have planted a small strip of the 2nd plot, with about 50 yard between the two. Since the brushy area is small, I could just buy the right seedlings.

Would this be considered baiting? I haven't hunted around downed trees, but I do cut down maples in the winter for the deer to eat.

IF you cut firewood. Cut some maples down from time to time in the winter. The deer eat every lat bud off the trees. sometimes the bucks get hung up in the branches and shed. I found 3 antlers in one big maple tree once.

What are we talking about here. Magnification, on a battery light recticle as a "powered" scope. I like low power scope because of field of view. I NY distance is rarely a problem. A lot of really successful hunters using just a shotgun or a 30-30. I am very picky on the rectile and the range of the eye relief. Some scope are very picky on where your eye lines up. Range of distance, as well ass being off slightly up/down or right/left. Some scope you have to hunt to find a good sight picture, while others are just on instantly. Well thought out mounting distance and a selection of rings to get the height right is key to a good scope mounting. I like thick rectiles and maybe a recticle with contrast. Some Nikon scopes have a reflective shimmer to them. My Nikon slughunter transitions from black to orange to help me see it in low light. I have a few bushnell firefly scopes that actually glow in the dark. An illuminated rectile is nice, but your asking for temptation there. A good scope test is to try to read stuff at a distance. A good scope will be easier to read stuff with. Like reading boxes of stuff at the store. It's not easy comparing scopes in a well light building.....

I am hooked. I really like the bushnell elite 3200 1.5-4.5x32 with the thick glow in the dark firefly recticle. I remove 3-9 scope and put these on my guns when I find a good deal. Got one on a 450 marlin BLR lever gun, a 30-30, and a T/C omega inline muzzleloader. I think I am leaving a 3-9 on my 30-06. I bought that gun for elk hunting out west. Although I could easily take a 300 yard shot on an elk at 4.5 power. First year I put it on, I lined up a shot on a doe during muzzle season. At the edge of the scope before I pulled the trigger, I saw another deer. Anice 8 pointer. I would of hit the doe with a 3-9 scope. Lower power scopes collect more light, and seem brighter in low light. Also, high power makes you picky on a shot. You take too long looking for the perfect alignment. I shoot high power scopes worse than lower power ones for this fact.

IT wouldn't be hunting without a few dumb ass moments......... I was opening the action on my inline last year on a table, and the gun went off. About one inch my my knee. That kind of stuff makes you think good and hard about gun safety.........

I really have not done any State forest land in the Adirondacks, but I have done State Forest hunts in the Catskills and the NY/MA border. I have been with a hunting lease for a few years now. I do see a deer more or less every day I hunt. How do the two compare. Let's say in this lease about 10% of the forest is young, brush, yong trees, or grassy logging trails. What's your guess on population density. Also, does the increase in food and more mixture of terrain make the deer a little more habitual in travel patterns? Finally, do you think a hunting spot like is worth sitting in a known decent spot, or going at it on foot. Let's assume no snow cover at the time.

Great............ Another guy thinking of Jacking up 22lr prices on gunbroker............ Great. Personally, I would do it a little bit, but not in competition with your employer. However that would be accomplished. Maybe local friends and family, and that's it. Maybe sell two to fund the third for yourself, something like that. Honesty is the best policy.

MY neighbor did spray foam to their trailer in the basement. The stuff insulates so well, he froze his pipes that were in the foam. One thing to get R-49 out of 2x10 is to put that R-38 stuff in the beams then lay R-13 over the top of it. Spray foam is good, but your going to transfer heat through the beams. The Cross cover of R-13 with a base of 38 might be superior. You'll be glad you did if you want some new outlets, or want to put some HVAC or other stuff in there. Over the the catskills, this is completely allowable with the building code officers. Are you planning to use the crawl space for storage? Are you planning on heating post big game season, or draining the pipes and leaving dormant. IF the house is not done yet, I'd build bigger. 4 digit square feet. Atleast it will make it easier to sell if you want to, and your doing the majority of the work for it anyways, a bit bigger pour and some more materials will be much cheaper than a later addition.

I'm return the pasture mix and will get a few bags of rye. I am going to look for Landino clover. I know rye seed germination goes down a few months. I had some 7 year old dutch clover that germinated well. I had 2 year old plotspike mostly crimson clover germinate well is barely scratched weeds going in a cut down sapling tree filled abandoned hayfield. How does the landino clover fair? You think anything else other than clover will do OK in poorly amended soil. Trefoil, Timothy, or maybe vetch would be good. I am basically looking to make an "engineered" fallow hayfield specific to deer, maybe ruffed grouse, and turkey too. As self sustaining as possible. Maybe I could mow once or twice a year and possibly a fresh-up of some light fertilizing and lime.

All depends...... Most likely not though..... If I am very rural, I don't need to worry about 2 legged critters. Regardless of caliber, people will duck no matter what you throw downrange. However, If I am very rural in NY, small or even big game is real tough to come by. Here in NY, steady food is fish. Indians proved that for thousands of years. Today is no different. Line and hook will keep you fed better, easier, more conspicuously, and is non time intensive. Set your lines and do something else, come back, reel them in. IF given anything, a capable medium range rifle capable enough for deer hunting. Preferably a repeater that quick to reload. Given the choices, I'd lean towards the 12 gauge. I got a 20ga 870 that will shoot 4" groups at 100 with cheap clip on rifle sights and most 5/8oz slugs. A sloppier shotgun with unproven slugs would be good for minute of mayhem at 75 yards. Most places public or wooded is too thick cover wise to get closer or farther than 75 yards anyways. A few slugs and I'd be good to go. 12ga would be eaiser to find ammo for than most any rifle caliber, since shotguns are almost all 12ga anyways, versus a half dozen rimfires and maybe a dozen common centerfire rounds out here in NY land.

How has inline muzzleloaders increased the number of people doing late season muzzleloading? Or were roughly the same number of people hunting before them. I know they've been around for about 20 years now... Also, any old school shooters here. I am in the middle of building my 1st flintlock. An 45 cal flintlock Early Virginia kit dressed in iron. I jumped the gun a bit and bought my next gun at a big muzzleloading fair in PA. A maple stock blank, a 41" 54 cal swamped barrel, a big D profile, all the trimmings in rough cast brass, and a left hand large siler lock. Hopefully, the 45 cal will be done by December. Sure would be nice to pop a deer in PA this January with it. Besides early bear, all my big game will be flintlock only. I got a 54 cal lyman great plains flinter. Sure have a ton of fun with it on those woodswalk shoots.

With frost seeding, do you need bare ground, or if there's a few inches of snow, can I drop it ontop of that? Can the pasture blends be frost seeded too? I'm thinking the blend might be better than regular clover.

We got to an agreement with the other guys. We are discing up about 5 1/4 to 1/2 acre spots. We're still going with the plotspike forage feast, but were putting down bot annual and perennial clover. I got some landino and red crimson, and the whitetail institute clover. Most of the plotspike seed should grow. Whatever clover takes over. What we do have is about 30 acres of logging trails we can seed. We do not have the time to prep all this well. The soil is mostly bare with little to no dead leave or thatch on it. However, nothing is growing there, which is probably a bad thing. We're not looking to claim all of this, but getting something to grow and expand in the area. In all reality, if we could get 5 acres ontop of the 2 or so acres we're tillingup, that would be great. Two thoughts here, apply some lime and fertilizer to the 5 acres and some hayfield pasture blend. Not ideal, but it's still nutrition and maintains shooting lanes. Plan B, lime, fertilize, and possibly try some rye for now. Then go back in March and frost seed some clover. This spot may be inpassible that time of year with ATV's. So, that why I would like to fertilize now. This spot has been clear cut with the smaller trees and tops just knocked down. It's just too much work to get that much done this far away from home.

A post season scout can be extremely valuable info. Also, don't be quick to give up on an area. Knowledge is key here. You go somewhere else, it starts all over again. Again, learn your plants. what the bark looks like, what the leaves, buds, and flowers look like. What color the leave turn in the fall. You could think your in a spot where deer will nibble, but they really wouldn't touch that until everything else has been eaten up in febuary or march. IF you can go back in the next weekend if it snowed a few inches, that's a really good thing. Find a local place where the hunting is easy too. I hunt the edge of burbs legally with a bow and arrow for easy meat, then use the rifle for more challenging hunts, then go back to muzzleloading for easy meat again. Also, September is great deer hunting practice. Sneaking up on squirrels, practicing being quiet, pracitcing focusing with all your senses, trying out new equipment, and getting psyched about being out hunting, even more so in good weather.

I like surveyors tape to mark trees. The knot points to where you came from...... A good pad is worth the money. However, spend the extra time to prep the ground, pick out rocks and sticks. The pads are no where near a foot thick mattress, but still help. Learn to ID plants and learn what deer like to eat. check out www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7195.html Remember, bucks are out for two things. To get some tail, and to kick some ass. Just like middle school, got the bullies and braves one reaking havoc on the shy ones. Deer are hiding from each other as much as trying to find each other. They pressure each other. Also, invest in a frame pack. You can gut the deer, sking and debone, and just bring leg quarters and straps out. Moose hunters sprinkle pepper on the meat so the flys don't bother it. Moisture damages meat, keep it dry. A deer that takes it sweet time getting out of the woods may shed fur when taxidermied. So, you may want to go with the skull only. Also, edges of towns, edges of farmland or pasture, and sides of road are not bad areas. Don't feel you need to go in deep. Usually these spots have the best forage for deer and will likely be located where they can find food easily. You may be in a spot where everywhere you see has not be step on by deer in months or years.

Think like a deer. Where you would want to go at any given time. Would you like to nap out in the sun on a souther slope? Or a northen one. Would like like to find a place where good food is, is near water, and near a spot where you can both hide in a bit, but get some sun to keep you warm. Some animals are similar. A spot a grouse likes might be enjoyed by a deer as swell. What kind of spot do you hunt. Is it actively logged? Describe it a bit better. ADK is fun, but tough hunting. Find a few acre spot on the edge of the suburbs you can bow hunt. I got 2 or 3 places like that on the edge of town. If I want venison, it can be done in a few hours. If I want horns it can be a day, maybe two during the early rut. An experienced hunter told me the second rut in southern NY is the main rut in ADK. Can't tell you if it's true or not, but considering how rough may can be over there, it does make good sense. I'm still trying to figure this out for myself with trail cameras, however, the past 2 winters has been very harsh, so I'm still judging it myself. Also, buy a cheap trail camera and put it out there. If you put it far enough back there, no one will mess with it. I forgot about one on public land for 2 years until I stumbled back on it. Covert MP6 has been treating me well. I know someone who puts a lot of cameras out, he like the primos 35. 8AA batteries can last from april to November if put on low sensitivity so it doesn't get crowded with false triggers from windy days. OVerall, where I hunt, and from experience other hunters, swamp edges seem to be good. Between a swamp and southern face can be good too. Let the birds accept you, if the birds get quiet, you moving to loud and fast. Learn to date snow tracks. A few hours old versus a few days. Sometimes deer can move 100 yards in few hours. They can move a lot, or little at all. Always think why when you see something. Write a journal. Maybe 2 paragraphs per hunting day. That really helps me hone things well. Maybe draw a small smap, or put down some GPS points.

A few things I have learned. Learn to move quietly. A dedicated and very successful ADK hunter I know does yoga to make him more quiet in the woods. I personally roller skate with my daughter for better balance and foot control. Sounds funny, but it makes a big difference. Exercising in general is good too. Walk about a dozen steps, then glass. Definitely walk slow enough so you can hear well. A good compact binocular with about 7x power helps a ton, get a good sling for the binos. By all means bring a gun sling, but put in in your backpack. Get a backpack as small as you need. Deer need to eat. However, people go to places where it open "to get a good shot". Complete conflict of interest there. In the woods, you need to scout post season. See where the snow tracks are, but early. Deer do migrate in the Adirondacks, but just to different spots, not many miles. In a general 1000 acre area, they could be all in the swamps mostly during one part of the year, then maybe go to a brushy area another time of the year. 3 days after the first snow that will hold tracks, get out there for next year. IN the summer you can still scout. Look up deer winter foods. Here is the NYSDEC link, learn what they look like. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7195.html Variety is the spice of life. They think much like us. If they can get to a spot with little effort, they will do it. They do not mind going through brush though. A spot that goes around a steep spot that is near something they can eat or has a good water to drink, they will use it. Gun wise, I prefer iron sights, but if using a scope, leave it on low power, then put it on high power if sitting. Adjust the scope mounting height and distance from your eyes to suit you. There is a sweet spot where the crosshair are instant and you don't need to adjust your eye. Most scopes do this for different power. General your eye need to be close on high power. This can make or break a good shot in short period of time. IF you sit in a spot and you can improve the area legally, do so. A good weedwacker, a bag or two of lime, a bag of fertilizer, a rake, and some cereal rye and perennial clover can make a small log clearing a little sweet spot. A little bit of brassica can make some sweet greens after a few good frosts. The hunt can be made or broken the moment you start. A door slamming close or a brisk walk to where you want to sit can be very bad. I used to get there in the dark and get mad if I was late. 1/2 the deer I have seen or harvested has been while I travel to where I thought was a good spot. The best deer in my hunting camp was shot by a guy who drank too much the night before. Everyone left to their spot, and he woke up an hour after dawn, he got ready and out the door cabin, and the deer was 70 yards away in the parking lot by the outhouse. No need to go a mile in. you never know when it will start or stop.

Bullets are designed to ideal velocities on specific types of game. Depth of penetration and overall thickness of tissue in area. A bullet suited for whitetails in a 7mm rem mag won't expand well in a 7mm-08. When finding a good load or commercial ammo, keep this in mind. Even more so for ammunition of not so popular sizes, like 7mm versus 270 or .308". Sometimes they like to use the same bullet for regular and magnum calibers. Lower priced ammo usually ends up having the magnum cartridge having ammo that over expands or breaks up. I know 2 people who use that hornady ammo and do well with it. Bullet construction vary a ton. A cup of copper-ish metal with lead poured into the middle, (cup and cone). Bonded lead to a copper jacket. What type of "copper-ish" metal is used in construction, Also, the dimensionality of the bullet. Is the copper hollowed out section just a simple hole, or does it having something like rifling on the inside which makes it expand to a leaf pattern. Some use no lead at all, other have a hollow point with a plastic tip. Some are a thick shell of the copper-ish metal, like a casting. Some might be a thin shell. While others are a electroplating of copper on the lead slug. Powerbelts and some other muzzleloader bullets do this often. The alloy of the inner material matters too. How pure the lead is. How well it expands and how well it adheres to the jacket material is effected by stuff added to the lead. This can matter a little bit, or a lot. People who use handgun bullets in rifles know this well. Recovered bullets or just measuring the exit wound is a good gauge of effectiveness. If the bullet hits a rib or not can make a difference in the results too, so keep that in mind.