Pygmy

So what made you think those shots were being fired illegally ? Lots of guys today were shooting their guns to make sure they are on zero... I happened to be at a friend's house tonite and his nephew returned home from college , set up a target across the pond and fired 3 " confidence" shots, just before dark... out of the 125 shots you heard today, a few may have been illegal...There are some outlaws out there and always have been..But I'll bet the great majority of them were legitimate...

Sumbitch changed his user name but not his avatar......Hehehehehe...

With a simple 4X fixed Leupold, I could easily take safe shots 1/2 hour before and after NY shooting times...In most states where I have hunted, shooting time was 1/2 hour before published daylight and sometimes 1/2 hour after and it was no problem getting a clear sight picture with a quality scope...Not night vision scopes either, just garden variety quality optics.

I dunno...Used to be around 105 grain.....It is safe to assume that any .244 bullet of 100 grains or more is designed for deer sized game rather than varmints.. however, nowadays there are a number of premium bullets available weighing as little as 80 grains ( like the Barnes) that will handle deer sized game nicely.. Don't expect great blood trails, however....

That sounds about right, Chris...Especially if the rain holds off until daylight... Actually, if I were betting man, I'd go with 630 to 6:40 ( due to overcast) and then maybe 8 or 10 more shots before legal shooting time... Back in the shotgun days, before rifles were legal, I would double or triple those numbers...

I would never say that a .243 is too small for a deer rifle.....Too many dead deer would prove me wrong... However, there many better choices for a dedicated deer rifle, the 7mm08, .270 Win and .308 Win being just a few of them... They will do everything a .243 will do on deer, and if you ever decide to hunt anything bigger than deer ( like elk) they are a much better option...

I had a similar situation arise this summer when I put up a tower blind on our property...The neighbor is pissed because he can no longer shoot in that direction...Wait a minute...he has always known that we hunt the land and prior to my erecting the tower he thought it was OKAY to shoot across our boundary, with the knowledge that there were hunters there and he had no idea where they were ? What's wrong with THIS picture ? There's no way I would consider shooting across his boundary, or anybody other property lines..The reason I placed the tower where I did was so that all shots would be directed onto our own property, where we know everyone's location..

I'll be carrying my Rem 700 Mountain Rifle in 7MM08 because it is my favorite deer rifle.... I have several other rifles I like to hunt with, but the 7MM08 nearly always gets the nod for the first couple of days... It has a Burris 2x7 scope and will easily handle any shots I can get from my tower stand, about 250 yards max... If I get lucky early, I'll probably give one or two of my other rifles some trigger time..I haven't shot a deer with my Garand M1 in several years, so I'll probably let it go play a few times this season, just so its feelings aren't hurt..

Who cares ?

" slather some vagisil on"......Hehehehe... TF, you are my HERO !! Hehehehe...

Hehehehe...The first time I shoot a fenced in deer will be right after the Bills win a Superbowl....

The Mermaid and I had lunch with bugsnbows and his LOVELY wife Sue today at Fran's Landing east of Addison... We had a great visit....They live in FLA but have a camp here in Steuben County and come up each deer season... Sue got a deer with her crossbow....Bugsy is still waiting for his..Hehehe... In any case, they are fine folks and we really enjoyed our visit.. I was also impressed with how much Chicken N Bisquits Sue can eat for a little girl....Hehehe.. Friday, I am looking forward to meeting Wildcat Junkie here at my house...He and his son are down for the opener of the ST season. and he is stopping in for a visit... He is bringing a couple of his beautiful custom blued metal and walnut rifles along for me to fondle.....<<sigh>>...

I hope you do...Good luck !

Whatever Aricept is.....

Perhaps my memory is just better than yours.....<<grin>>...

You speak of this poor decision making and reckless behavior as being something new.. Consider the reduction of the rate of hunting accidents over the last 50 years or so...Admitedly it is the result of improved hunter education, but I hardly think that today's hunters are LESS responsible than those of 50 years ago...I personally believe that today's hunters are more responsible and ethical than they were 50 years ago, and I was hunting then...

Bulls**t,,, I have been hunting deer since the early 1960s, and although I choose to no longer bowhunt I did it for many years... It is the same as it has always been.....Many hunters take marginal shots and with bowhunting tackle there are lots of little things that can crop up even with a GOOD shot that can cause a bad hit, or make it difficult to recover a deer even after a good hit.. The idea that the availability of tracking dogs encourages hunters to take marginal shots is ludicrous...A bad hit is a bad hit no matter what, and whether the tracker is human or canine doesn't make much difference in the end result.. There has always been a significant loss/wound rate associated with bowhunting...The only thing that might make it seem worse today than it was 20 years ago is the fact that today it is related all over the internet...

I want to date the girl that can conceal an 8 3/4 inch S&W M29......

I think it's Growalot cleverly disguised as Tom Selleck....

I tawt I taw a puddy tat......I DIIIID, I did taw a puddy tat !!

Ahhhhhh !! The marvels of modern technology ......<< SIGH>>...

It also makes an excellent sandwich spread....Mix the contents of a pint jar with some mayo, maybe some minced onions and seasoning to your taste...Kind of like ham salad except with venison, instead... Good stuff.... Also makes hot venison sandwiches...Simply dump it in a saucepan with the liquid, heat and then thicken to make a gravy..I use corn starch.... Season to taste and serve over bread, bisquits, noodles or what ever... Makes you wanna SLAP yo MOMMA !!

Hehehehe...I have wanted one ever since a buddy of mine let me sit in HIS enclosed tower stand a couple of times several years ago...Over the last 50 + years of deer hunting, I have put in my time shivering in treestands, and on the ground in all kinds of weather...I still enjoy being out in the elements if the weather is REASONABLE...If not, it's TO THE TOWER for me....Hehehehe...

Saturday sounds like a good day to sit in my new, enclosed tower stand....<<SMILE>>...

I never wore them hunting, though.... I'd just put 'em over my face and sit in a tub of warm water......<,SMILE>>....