Pygmy

DAMN, Joe.. That would be some tough hunting. albeit more challenging... Perhaps some of the hunters who need more of a challenge in thier deer hunting might consider that... As per MOI and a lot of other hunters who grew up here in NY and have lived here for 50 or 60 years , we would just like to be able to take the 1 or 2 or 3 deer per year to eat that we are accostomed to taking... I am beginning to think that this obsession with big bucks is somewhat of a perversion... Actually, I have been feeling that way for several years..

Eddie..... Isn't Etowah, NC, the site of the largest CLOROX BLEACH factory in the US....??...

Cool...I see whistling/tundra swans often down here in the Southern Tier, but seldom see mute swans...

They've been there forever, too..I can remember back in the 60's guys from my local gun club would drive up there and buy large quantities of shot, powder and other components at good prices..

I'm sorry to hear that you have had so many problems... However, the the state of NY does have trespass laws and they can be effectively enforced... For get the DEC...The fish cops are understaffed and are concentrating on game violations, environmental issues and other stuff... Call the Troopers or the Sherriff's Dept..It is thier job to enforce the trespass laws... You may have to be proactive to get results, but once you have a few people arrested and fined, word will get around and you will have MUCH less trouble....

Star nosed mole.. I used to have a female Lab who was very good at digging them out.. Nothing eats them, tho..I understand that they, along with shrews are poisonous, and dogs and cays instinctively know not to eat them... Or perhaps they just don't TASTE very good... : ...

I saw my first pair of hooded mergansers and my first pair of wood ducks today.. Been seeing robins, redwings, grackles and turkey buzzards for about a week.. Now I'm heading for Florida for a week and I'm gonna MISS all this good stuff... : ....

Must have been one of those CAMERON girls...They're pretty SCARY alright... .....

I skin, gut and disjoint them right after I shoot them..I take the four legs and the back and leave the ribcage and offal for the predators...Then all I have to do when I get home is clean 'em up a little and they are ready for cooking or freezing...One rabbit (disjointed) fits nicely in a quart freezer bag..I run some cold water in the bag to discourage freezer burn..Works well, I have some from last season that are still good.. I do squirrels the same way..

That's a new one on me, too.... ??? ...... I suppose it would be one way to avoid freezer burn... As long as the bunny was gutted and fresh when he froze it, I see no reason why you couldn't thaw it, skin it, clean it up, cook it and eat it... Let your nose be your guide.... :-\ .....

I would certainly consider it... I've been posting on forums like this since about 1998, and have attended several forum "rendezvous" type events... I've met a lot of fine folks and have made some really good hunting/fishing connections..

I don't know any foolproof field ID tips that are easy to make QUICKLY, but here are a couple of things that might help... Unlike crows, ravens are not flocking birds ,at least not in most cases..A single large black bird responding to your call may be a raven... Crows often call when responding to a caller..Ravens seldom do..If they DO they have distinctly different vocalizations than crows...Google up some sound bytes and listen to thier calls, to help you ID them... If they happen to pass directly overhead, look at the end of the tail..The end of a crow's tail is FLAT and the end of a raven's tail is distinctly wedge shaped... Good luck....Have fun....Don't let fear of shooting a raven spoil your fun crow hunting..It's just best to be aware that it is a possibility...

Yeah, Dave, back 30 years ago when I was doing a lot of crow hunting, it wasn't an issue.. Then one day while running the electronic call up near Monterey , a big ol' crow came in and I dumped him.. I went over to pick him up, and he was at least half again the size of a common crow.. I knew what he was, because I had seen ravens in Canada... Since then ravens have become very common here in the southern tier..I see and hear them daily when I am hunting..They WILL come in to crow calls and they are federally protected.. I'm not saying that it is a great crime if one accidently gets mistaken for a crow, but crow hunters should be aware that there is a difference.. Enough said...

It was a nice day.. I saw plenty of robins and one PROBABLE bluebird while I was cleaning out my bluebird boxes... Deer mice were plentiful....Quite a few of them ran up the trees after I rousted them out of the boxes...Probably after I leave they will move right back into them... NOTE TO SELF....Next year, carry my .22 revolver with shot loads to shoot the cute little varmints so they don't re-inhabit my bird boxes after I clean them..

It's a sad state of affairs...Back when I was in school, a teacher or the principal would of kicked the snot out of both antagonists, and then they REALLY would have caught hell when they got home and thier parents learned what they did.. Nowadays the teachers and administrators don't dare TOUCH the rotten little bastards and the parents are just DYING for a chance to sue somebody.. Sorry.. This is why I don't often post on legal/ethical/political subjects.. I just get too UPSET with what is going on these days... I better have a beer and take my nap... : .....I'm glad I'm getting old and won't have to put up with such BS much longer...

Martin... Adult crows and crows that were hatched last spring would be the same size... You wouldn't be able to tell the difference at this time of year.. If you shot a bird that was significantly larger, you may have shot a raven , which are protected... I'm not busting your chops, just letting you know ...

So you really think the guy is the first clip was Canadian, EH..??...

Culver....Good luck on the perch.. Where are you planning to fish..??.. I hear the guys are doing well on perch in Seneca, whenever the wind lets up enough to fish.. In my opinion, perch are the easiest fish to do with the electric... They are my favorite..Much easier to do a clean job on than bluegills or sunfish.. Each species has it's own little differences, as far as bone structure, skin toughness etc...Once you learn these idiosyncrasies of the species, the job becomes much easier..

If I shot a buck like that I'd be drunk for a MONTH...!!... ....

Fortified wines, like Ripple and Thunderbird, have around 17 or 18 %, I believe... By the way, do they still make that vile stuff..??.. Last time I drank it I wasn't of legal drinking age, which was 18 at the time...

I used to do it a lot, but don't do it much anymore....It's worth trying, if you have the time and inclination... If you get a bird to sound off on the roost, at least you know he is there... However, that doesn't mean he is going to GOBBLE the next morning.. Also if you DON'T hear anything, don't assume they are NOT there..I have tried roosting birds many times at night and heard nothing, and then returned to the same area the next morning and had birds gobbling all over..

Never tried the pellets..My rifle is an old sidelock TC Hawken with #11 caps, and I would worry about getting good ignition with the pellets... I have always got reliable ignition with loose 2F black powder or Pyrodex..A few years ago I switched to Triple 7 and I thought the ignition was little sluggish with 2F.. I switched to 3F Triple 7 and CCI Magnum caps and that fixed the problem.... I'm sending you a PM....

Holy CALCIUM, Batman..!!.. What a hog...

Yeah, the snow has finally receded enough so that I can get out this weekend and clean out my bluebird boxes on my fiance's property...I have about 30 of them up...Usually I clean them in February, but this year I couldn't due to the snowdrifts... A few years back, I cleaned them in December..A waste of time because deer mice build nests in them before spring...It's time now for me to EVICT the little rodents and make room for the bluebirds.. Kinda fun...About half the time when I open the box, I'll have mice running up my arms, jumping off my shoulders.... ??? .....

Actually, it would be an exaggeration to call her a FRIEND... ??? ... Let's just say that we retain a civil relationship mostly due to the fact that we share a daughter and some mutual friends.. I kinda like the idea that now I still get to hunt the land and SHE is paying all the taxes... ...