Pygmy

My nose is very sensitive to the smell of fox and coyote and I have smelled them several times before I saw them.. Another smell that carries well is that of elk.. I can smell elk from 100 yards upwind..

Well, when a moose is involved, game care is a WHOLE LOT more work if you are successful than if you are not. I am aware of that, because most of my hunts have been DIY rather than guided. My guide worked hard trying to get me a moose, and I tipped him the same amount that my buddies who WERE successful tipped thier guides. He felt bad that he could not get me within rifle range of a moose. If I had killed one, I would have tipped more for the hard work of taking care of the game.

Biz- Or -World... Can I be your Daddy ? You are 5 years younger than my daughter. Do you live in NYC ? Ny ship was homeported there back during the Vietnam war. Maybe I AM your Daddy... hehehe.. Just kidding.. No disrespect intended. You are starting your wolf hunt on my birthday. Good luck.. I had one 400 yard poke at a wolf in Alaska in '96 with my .338. Made him run faster. He was a white one. On a caribou drop in 2001 in AK I thought I was going to get GOOD shots at 2 different wolves. Both times it did not pan out. One of my buddies missed 2 shots in one day, but both wolves were carrying the mail. Damn things are like coyotes..They don't hold still very often and are hard to get a good shot at. I hope you get one. Or six....<<smile>>...

Hell yes, I would shoot him, but not if I was practicing QDM....Which I am not. He has the potential to be a nice buck in a year or two. I would happily shoot his mother or his sister, tho.. Even if I WAS practicing QDM.

You missed a golden opportunity by not aggressively scattering the birds off the roost, then setting up and calling. That should have been a perfect setup. Often if you scatter the birds well, you'll have several turkeys amswering and approaching from different directions...Lots of fun and excitement. For me, THAT's what fall turkey hunting is all about. Good luck. If you hear those birds on the roost again, don't be afraid to head directly at them and bust them out of the trees. Then stay in the general area and assembly yelp like an old hen..

It is not #3...The closest I ever came to taking a turkey illegally was one year when I shot a bird and realized that I did not have my tag with me. I took the bird home and tagged it, but if Officer Ferndip had caught me hauling it into my truck, I may have gotten a ticket. I am an old fart . I killed my first turkey in the fall of 1965. I killed my first spring gobbler in 1975 and have killed at least one every year since then. Several years I killed 3 or 4 turkeys... I hunt NY, PA and Ontario Canada evry year. I have also hunted turkeys in Georgia, Virginia, Kentucky and Maine, and was successful everyplace but Georgia. I'm counting fall birds as well as spring gobblers, although the majority of my birds were gobblers. I have shot 6 adult gobblers in the fall. All but one of them were called up. The other time I shot over a flock of longbeards to break them up and when they flushed one of them made the mistake of offering me a good flushing shot, and I dumped him like a grouse.

The problem with head shots is that if you are off by just a little bit, you can shoot off a jaw, an ear, or perhaps perforate the esophagus and have the deer escape to die a slow and agonizing death. I have shot a few deer in the head when they were very close and I had a very steady rest, but generally, I don't think it is a good idea. A center rib shot is just as deadly, albeit the deer might run a short ways. And it wastes very little meat, with much less chance of a maiming, non fatal shot if you happen to be a little off in your aim.

It is illegal for a citizen to shoot a dog running deer. Fish cops and police officers can do it, but you can NOT do it legally. If you do, you are taking the same chance as the poachers that you all deplore. You may be subject to legal and civil charges for doing so. However, if a dog is damaging or threatening you or your property ( as in livestock) you are legally allowed to shoot it. Just because a dog is close to your goats is not reason enough...If the critter is in the pasture chasing them, blaze away...

P. S...Just being NEAR your goats does not necessarily mean the dog is THREATENING them. Kinda like those guys sending those evil light beams across your fields...<<grin>>..

It is not legal to shoot a dog for running deer. Law officers can do that legally, but you cannot. You would be subject to legal and civil charges. However, it is legal to protect yourself and your property (aka livestock) from depredation from dogs, coyotes or whatever. If dogs or wildlife are threatening you or your livestock, you are within your rights to shoot them. # 4 buck works well...

Of course he didn't want to stick a .45 in your face.. If you were a large person approaching him very aggressively, he MIGHT have considered it. I am too old to take a whipping, and I am also on medication that makes a blow to my head or face potentially as dangerous as a gunshot or knife wound. That is why I WILL defend myself if necessary, especially if parked along a PUBLIC road doing no more than listening for a turkey to gobble. I agree that it is a good idea to let people know that you are willing and able to defend yourself and your property. When I answer a knock on the door in the middle of the night or investigate a REAL incursion or trespassing on my property, I am armed, locked and loaded, make no mistake. However, that is very different from harrassing people who are legally spotlighting deer, or simply observing wildlife from a PUBLIC road that happens to run past your property.

I agree...My first guided hunt was a caribou hunt for central barren ground caribou in NWT, Canada. The hunt fee was $2800 and the hunters in my camp were tipping $100-200... Hunt prices have increased dramatically since then. Still, for a $4000 hunt in 2006, most guys still tipped $100-200. My hunt cost this year in Newfoundland was $4200...The guys that I was hunting with tipped the guides about $100 and the cook about $50 and they seemed very pleased. Perhaps I just hunt with a bunch of cheapskates. I never talked to anyone that tipped $500 to $750 for any hunt. My experience with guided hunts has been limited. Most of my hunts have been unguided DIY...

WAAAAAY cool... I love birds of prey and have never been involved in falconry, but I find it fascinating.. Keep us posted on your endeavors.

Bucky wasn't a local, growalot...He was an a native American from out Allegany/Chataugua county way. He did shoot a trooper here while he was passing through Steuben, who was fortunately saved by his kevlar vest... Then those goobers who robbed a bank in Horseheads shot poor trooper Andy Sperr down near the airport..I believe that was in Chemung County, though..Andy was a fine young fellow and he and I used to hunt the same duck swamp near Caton. His wife was my financial advisor...Terrible tragedy. Fortunately Andy managed to return fire and seriuosly wound 2 out of three of the scumbags, which led to thier arrest.

I'd say 10% would be plenty, ESPECIALLY if the guide/outfitter is the same person. On the few guided hunts have been on, a C-note was about as much as anybody tipped. That's what I gave my guide this fall for my Newfie moose hunt. I was not opposed to tipping higher, but that is what my hunting partners were tipping, and they have been hunting with the same outfit for several years.

I have always worn a beard spring and fall.. Now my current significant other HATES whiskers... I can't use the camo excuse because my whiskers are WHITE now.. I don't want to bother shaving mornings before hunting, but I don't want to get SHUT OFF either... Decisions, decisons..Why is life so complicated ?

Geeze, growalot...Maybe you should hire Tony Soprano to police your land for you. That should take care of your problems, except perhaps for the buried bodies...

As I said, G-Man, it is a personal thing. It really doesn't bother me the least if you shoot turkeys out of the roost or ducks on the water. It is legal and that is your choice. It's just that I grew up learning from my Dad and other role models that gamebirds ( other than turkeys, which are more like big game) should be shot on the wing, and that is the way I prefer to do it. Concerning shooting roosted turkeys, once again, I prefer to shoot birds that I have called in. I have shot well over 100 turkeys, and the great majority of them were coming to my call, both spring and fall. It's just the way I prefer to do it.. I'm not passing judgement on anybody else , as long as they do it legally.

Modern plastic shells..? Not a problem...Perhaps with paper casings.. Can you remember paper casings ? Actually, they were pretty weatherproof also, with thier wax coating, but not as impervious to moisture as plastic shells.

Good weekend, Mooky.. Congrats.. I suspect that birds my be a little tough to come by here in the southern tier this year, also...

Too bad that goober is still in the gene pool and able to breed..

Being in the woods at dawn is important in the fall. Because that is the time when you are most apt to hear birds on the roost.. The fall flocks usually do some talking before they fly down and this gives you a chance to move in and bust them off the roost..After which you can settle in and call birds trying to re-group with the flock. After flydown time, it's a matter of covering ground, trying to find a flock to scatter...If you find an area with LOTS of fresh scratching. it is worth spending some time blind calling. Sometimes you can call up a whole flock, and you NEVER know when you may encounter a lonely bird that has been separated from the the flock that may respond to your calling and come right in.. Simple strings of hen yelps work as well as anything.. Good luck..

Nice rig, Bushwhack.. I especially like your choice of optics. Thank you for mounting a quality, practical hunting scope on your rifle rather than some high powered monstrosity with a bulbous, oversized objective. This has helped to restore my faith in mankind...<< GRIN >>

For years I felt rather strongly about this subject, but I have mellowed and become more practical in my old age. I have shot 3 or 4 grouse out of trees in heavy cover while rabbit hunting. I still have never shot a pheasant on the ground or a duck on the water( except for cripples, of course) and I certainly would not shoot a turkey off the roost although I've had many chances to do it over the years. But it doesn't matter to me if the next guy does..It's a personal thing.

I have a stand in a hedgerow that I somtimes hunt during deer season. It also happens to be on a flyway that geese often fly over. I have hunted it several times with my XP-100 pistol in .260 ( which now belongs to Lawdwaz) or my rifle, PLUS my Browning Citori. I have not killed a buck from the stand yet, although I have seen several. I have, however killed a few geese, including one that I THOUGHT was a snow goose flying with Canadas, but turned out to be a feral white domestic goose.. Damn thing flew just as good as the Canadas he was flying with.