Two Track

Unless you are a re-loader, for some calibers or gauges there are no choices - hence it becomes an anti-hunter legislation. Example: there no choices in stores for 410 or 16 gauge shotgun or .300 savage rounds. It is take it or leave it. Unless you have the money to spend, who wants to buy another gun, get use to its characteristics, accuracy, and also pay more for pricier non-lead ammo just to spend 10-15 days a year hunting. No-lead for hunting on federal lands is stupid for another reason.. If you fire a lead projectile in self-defense on federal lands, does not it still end up some where on federal lands and can be devoured by an animal? If they truly wanted to reduce the lead issue affecting animals/birds, and humans, the smart thing would be to have a law require stop manufacturing lead ammo by ____ year. Otherwise it is an anti-hunting law because affects only hunters, and less to the financially well-off hunters that can afford the pricey alternatives to lead. Doesn't apply to target shooting ranges - also makes it anti-hunting legislation. There are people who love to shoot targets, but would never hunt an animal/bird. How dare they affect those the city target shooters that keep them in office. That also makes it seem to be anti-hunting policy. But then again this is just my two cents.

How many don't report and then reuse the tag because they used erasable ink or a pencil? What more accurate harvest numbers, go back to mandatory deer checking stations. They recorded the hunter tag, sex of the deer, area it was killed in, weight, number of points, etc. It not to cold, it was a social area, checking out other hunter's takes and swapping stories. Unless there is an automatic expiration after year or two, it will never leave the books if the AR bill gets passed. The DEC can modify the current regs as needed, the state will take too long to remove or modify it when it is not needed. The DEC can do studies as they collect the data any way, will our legislature even have a clue on how to do that correctly to keep changing the hunt laws as the game numbers, sizes, and ages change?

So I guess the dog tracks did not have sporting events because they use to chase a live rabbit. What about the Fox Hunts (horse, rider, and pack of hounds) that were primarily for pleasure for the upper class/nobility. I guess the ultra-animal-rights people would declare horse-racing is not a sport - we nail shoes to their feet and use a riding crop or whip to make them run faster. Make horses jump over barriers they could get hung up on and break or sprain a leg, etc. Of course those same people would have starved 100 years ago or more because we would not have been allowed to hitch a horse, mule, or oxen to plow/harvest a field and bring in the food to town on wagon. But I digress... Guess depends on whether you hunt and fish just for fun or for food if it is a sport.

Belo, I do enjoy seeing a large rack on a buck, but there just aren't that many around. Sometimes its age, some of it can be genetics, some of is the environmental factors (not enough food, minerals, etc). Not everywhere can support large deer. Some people just don't understand that and try to regulate it. Its like the deer crossing sign, moving the sign does not change where the deer cross the road (as it happens they cross into my neighborhood 50 yards before the deer crossing sign) I have the antlers of my two bucks from before I moved to NY, but I don't hunt for the largest antlers or go for yearlings. My family never has. It was meat on the table. When I was 3-4 years old, my dad's first deer is what put meat on the table for that winter - he was out of work, a couple years out of grad school, only a part-time job and with a pregnant wife. That's where my views come from. I figure free-ranging, anti-biotic-free meat is healthier when you have family members that are sensitive to the grain-fed, hormone injected grocery store meat and milk. You really don't want a 6-point of bigger deer to impact a car - over $17000 in damage to my father-in-laws new 2017 car. He hit it in Nov while driving in Pa 11:00 PM in a 65 mph zone. Car looked fine from the driver's side. The passenger side, hood, grill, and left-side lights and left side of bumper, totally another story. Had the car for 3-4 weeks - then in the repair shop for 6 weeks(mostly waiting for parts).

No matter the number of points the antler has, you can't eat them. I don't care how big the antlers are, or if they have any at all, just want to put some meat in the freezer. If it looks like a very young deer, then will let it pass - not much for meat any way and they typically hang out close to mom - a dead giveaway that they are a yearling. Who wants a 40-60 lb. deer any way. I never saw any of those surveys - never asked my opinion and I am in one of the areas listed that they supposedly surveyed. The phrase opportunities to take a large buck is should be clarified. What if the issue is lack of available good places to hunt and/or time to hunt. There are people who want opportunities to take a large buck but may only have 2 days the whole season to hunt - the big issue may just be the lack of time to pre-scout and actually hunt. All they may want is a longer season, not have to told that besides their limited time they have to look for deer of a certain size if it is a buck. If they have no doe tags, then why bother wasting the little time they have to hunt, the odds have then having any opportunity for any deer have gotten worse.

Tying fishing flies or collecting them is a hobby. Building models, model railroading, photography, collecting (antlers, stamps, coins, comics, memorabilia) tinkering with old cars, re-enactment particapation... are hobbies. Never heard of fishing as a hobby - but as a sport, recreation, or occupation yes.

By the way, yes balls are involved firearm use for hunting. Black powder pumpkin balls bird-shot (ever open up a shell?) buckshot Probably could make an argument about a rifled slug or sabot - being a modified ball. Hey you throw a discuss which is basically a squished weighted ball and that is a sport, so why not a rifled slug or sabot at an animal. Hunting not a sport because death is involved: Mayan's losing team decapitated or hearts cut out Roman gladiators fight to death was a sport Roman lions, tigers, or bears vs captives was a sport Wasn't part of Columba's soccer team killed because of World Cup loss a few years ago. Well there is another item you can cross off why hunting is not a sport - death/taking a life involved.

I never hear that soccer, football, tennis, volleyball,... are sportsmen/sportswomen - They are called athletes because they participate in athletic activities. Some athletes are sportsmen, not all are - not saying that those athletes are hunters/fisherman, but those that display fair play, encourage others (whether team mate or opposition) and help another that is down. They perform that way because they respect others and have compassion for their opponents and team mates. They have a sense of fair play and ethics. Those that don't and act like that do get called for unsportsmen-like conduct and suffer penalties -they are not called for un-athletic conduct. Participating in a sport does not make you a sportsman, your conduct does. A bad athlete lacks skills. A bad hunter lacks skills. An athlete that cheats gets suspended, disliked by others and fails into disgrace with the public, maybe has to pay fines or relinquish a trophy. They don't go to prison. If caught for drugs use during season, suspended and go to re-hab. A hunter that cheats is called a poacher - fined, loss of trophy (animal killed) and may have to turn in all their firearms, temporarily or banned for life from hunting, and/or prison time. Caught using drugs/alcohol hunting, may face jail time. An athlete displays poor conduct - they a viewed as a person. and their sport or team is not affected. A hunter displays poor conduct - they make all hunter looks bad to the public. We are held to a higher level than athletes are - we are the sportsmen.

Welcome to forum. You have a couple days left for rabbit and Pheasant season (ends on Feb. 28th) if you already picked up your license . I suggest either finding a good YouTube video of skinning techniques or even better, a mentor. Next season that opens up is Spring turkey - bearded gobblers (toms) only and from sun-up until noon in May. It is never too early to take walks/hikes in areas you want to hunt to get the feel of the area for deer and turkey. Some hunters one have only one game animal they hunt, others hunt multiple species - do as much or little as you like (and like to eat). My family's rules are: if you won't eat it, don't hunt it always hunt safely - you can't take back the shot once you pull the trigger, if it looks questionable don't go on/down/up it, or jump over it. someone has to know where you are going and when expected back carry your cell phone with a freshly charged battery If want to deer hunt from a stand, find someone who has a couple different types to try out before purchasing one of your own. You have to use what you are comfortable with (ladder, hang-on, or climber). You want to be confident with what you use and be comfortable in it.

Garmin Rhino - GPS with a walkie-talkie bulit-in. They have 3-4 models. I don't have them, but seems like a good idea if they work well.

Another option to outfit swapping with someone: shave your legs, put on short-shorts or skirt, close-shave face, makeup and wig and just walk right past them. Then take public transport out of state. Once far away, resume your normal self or hide out among transients or something. By the way, dessert is a food group - tasty fats, sugars & carbs.

I watched one episode. The guys popped up from under cover on the boat to look for the drone that was buzzing the marina bad move. I say pack a couple totally different outfits so if spotted and slip away, harder to re-attain due to different look. Take cash and lose your phone (or stash it in some relative or friend's car to lead the search elsewhere). If need a phone, burner phone and set it up in another name and not call any relatives. If in a city, blend in with the transient population - countryside, deep woods with lots of cover and some place to hole up from thermal cams. Use snares for small game or a bow, and some fishing line. Have other ideas that I am keeping close to my chest...

Sounds kinda of like where my parents live. One end of their house, almost no cell service(it's intermittent) on the other side 2-3 bars. Too far from town for Cable or DSL line, so only have a Mi-Fi device for internet. Take it into the wrong room and lose internet service. So it's over-the-air stations (you can see the three TV antenna towers from the house) and satellite dish for TV. Needless to say, they have to keep their land-line phone in case of emergency. Sad part - only 3 miles from the center of town. A lot of the local farmers have still have radios in their trucks because of low cell coverage outside of town.

Sorry about your loss. I had two put down when I was growing up. My mutt from a ASCAP shelter sleep in my bed from 4th grade until I left for college. I am sure you can guess where she slept when I came home every break and the occasional weekend. They had to put her down just before Christmas before break started my junior year. She had gone blind, and could barely get up the steps into the house (and only 3 steps at that). My parents called me before hand that she was in bad shape, and asked if they should wait until I could come home. I said if she is that bad, I didn't want her to suffer for two more weeks until I got home. Sometimes I still miss her ~25 years later. My mixed breed, supposedly Sharpei mix, is now 7 and starting to slow down. Still gets bursts of energy wanting to play, but the neighbors' puppy is tiring her out running around the yard. After 30-40 minutes my dog is ready to come in and take a break, the neighbor's dog is still running and jumping try to get her to continue playing. My brother-in-law's dog actually looks old, her face turned gray. Then again she is 10-11 year-old shepard that had a black and tan face. I suspect he will be looking for another dog to look after his wife and daughter when he works long hours.

Voice coverage and data coverage for phone are not always mutual. I have been in a spot that I could text, but not make a call and other places where I had voice coverage, but no data service.. Visitor center and main camp grounds in Shenandoah had limited (spotty) phone service (on Verizon) a few years ago. Go off on the trails or driving along Skyline drive - nada. Kennesaw National Battlefield Park just outside of Atlanta Georgia, has limited cell service too, and that is just a hilly area, not remote at all. I picked up a pair of Uniden FRS/GMRS radios specifically for the Shenandoah trip in case we needed to split up with the kids. If I had to buy them now, I would opt for the ones with the NOAA alerts (no phone service or TV in the campground I go to in the Catskills). Four days off-grid, you need able able to swap-out batteries if you really use the radios, so models that also use AA or AAA batteries is a good investment. Also allows the option of just buying rechargeable AA or AAA batteries when the battery pack dies completely. Just this year I needed to replace the rechargeables in them, as they finally stopped holding a charge. Replacement re-chargeable battery packs are not cheap - but less than buying a new radio. Every camp out and hike, we had them in case we needed them, - including for calling the kids back from playing in a spring to have dinner. Ended up needing a bag of rice once because one of the kids dropped it in the water. I carry a radio with me when I go out hunting (even alone) in case I need help and there is no phone service (which I can show you a few places on public land in Orange County, NY that has no phone coverage, even on top of ridge staring at a paved public road less than 1 mile from a firehouse).

I think you are referring to GMRS radios that have the longer range - if using GMRS bands you should have the FCC license to use them (listening is free, but to communicate, you need a license). FRS and GMRS are both UHF frequencies. As for marine radio, that is suppose to be used on water or water-to-shore communications - if marine M-HF or HF bands are used then an FCC license is required. For "walkie-talkies", I recommend the type that uses the rechargeable packs and AAA/AA batteries. That way you swap-out if your batteries go dead until you return home to re-charge the battery pack. The distances they mention with the walk-talkie radios is in laboratory conditions (or estimates in the extreme ideal conditions) The FRS radios all are 1/2 watt power maximum (as per federal law) and the FRS radios can only have a permanent fix antenna. No age restrictions on FRS (Family Radio Service) GMRS (Generl Mobile Radio Service) radios can use 1-5 watts, so in combination with a base station (fixed position with antenna on tower or tree) 5-25 mile range. FCC license is required. You need to be 18 to apply for the license. Do not buy the BaoFeng/PoFung/BTech or Woxun UHF/VHF radios you see on Amazon and eBay - those are for Amateur Radio use and an FCC license is required (after taking and passing the exams). FYI, the FCC has arrested, jailed and seized equipment of some recent offenders (mainly those that were interfering with Police and other emergency radio systems) in NY. Another option is the CB hand-helds - no license required, more range, but more expensive than the FRS radios, .

Stewart, but I think you are limited to two dogs (and it is shotgun only). Sterling Forest, but not sure what areas still have rabbits, as I see fox and coyote (or signs of them) in areas I have been in. Sterling requires a permit to hunt.

Elmo, if Pygmy slips and falls by the fire, you'll miss laughing at him sitting on a bucket of ice with a pair of cheeks looking like a baboon's. Seriously though, week-day meet up in Westchester county after work could be nice. Could plan a bigger meet up from there... or not. Some ideas for a Southern meet up picnic and hiking at Bear mountain (or for the more adventurous - back-country camping [firearm free]) a meet up at Stewart or Sterling Forest look into a group permit to camp overnight at Stewart (before hunting season) picinc at __ park in Westchester for an afternoon Rockland Lake picnic and fishing Occasionally we go up to Cooperstown and family camp up there in the summer for a long weekend - so if the timing was right.. could meet up with people up there.

I swear those squirrels know when they are in season. See them everywhere Spring and Summer. The seem to come out once they figure out you are deer hunting during gun season, If you switch back to looking for squirrel they seem to disappear. Perhaps look into Huckleberry Ridge by Port Jervis. Stewart is another place to go, but shotgun only. I haven't been to any of the NYC Water Supply Lands, so no advice on that. There is always the Catskills, and Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest in Sullivan county.

There are a few DEC camps in the southeastern Catskills if you want a campsite to park at in a staffed camp that has canoe/rowboat rentals, playground, fishing pond/lake. Some have pull-in/tent sites short walk to bathroom and water, others have electric/water hook ups for campers. I have gone to Mongaup Pond a few times. hiking trails, fish pond, canoes, beach for swimming (in season). A few miles down the road you can visit a trout hatchery. Couple latrines and places to get water in each site loop. By the beach is boat rentals and showers. There is a guy that comes through in a truck with firewood, ice and other basic supplies once per day. Mongaup is probably ~3 hours from NYC. If you want to backpack and not travel far from NYC, check out Harriman State Park, otherwise head to southern Catskills (and book soon) if you want a DEC staffed camp. Mongaup and North-South lake fill up fast. Not sure about the other ones. If you want to visit Cooperstown on the cheap - Glimmerglass state park and campground. It is a DEC camp, so it is less expensive and was nice - beach, boat rentals, boat ramp, hiking trails, covered wood bridge, museum, hot showers in the camping site loops. The sites are kind of open though, so not much privacy. Nice place for 4th of July. Fireworks are right on the lake.

If just hiking and camping (w/o firearms) Harriman State Park may be the closest (no firearms are allow PERIOD, ...ever) They have springs, streams, ponds, a few trail shelters, abandoned mines,.... Some areas have letter-boxing/Geo-caches to find along the trails. The Appalachian trail goes through there, and there are several options for circuit hikes within the park land. There are maps with the various trail and guide books on hiking suggestions. I know of a few scout troops that backpack there. If you go, keep your food stashed at night, suspend from a tree - bears, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and chipmunks all want to sample/steal it. Non-hunting season - you can get a permit to camp in a couple selected areas of Stewart Forest, not sure if they allow camp fires. Never tried camping there. If you want to get a bit further out of civilization, head to the Catskills.

My two close bear encounters last spring while turkey hunting. First encounter as in Sterling forest, one came in behind me 20 yards or less. Since turkey hunting of course I had a tree at my back. Hear a huff, turned around and there was the bear. behind me. Yelled bear and it ran off. A week or two later on another state parcel, heard something move behind me. Look behind me, see nothing. A minute later, same thing. Figure it is just squirrel by the ferns. heard something move a again, even closer, now I see a bear, 20-30 yards behind me. So, as last encounter, I yelled bear get out of here. It runs down the slope I am on and across the trail I need to leave on. I wait a few minutes and it comes back. I yelled again, and it sounded like it ran further than just the brush on the other side of the trail this time. I wallked on slope's ridge as long as I could see the trail below. Then took the the trail back to the main trail/fire road to the parking lot. The the direction the bear ran could have put him on/by that fire road. Every squirrel and bird that moved, I jumped - all the way back to the car.

When I get home I am putting a venison steak that has been marinating in Italian seasoning into a cast iron pan broiling it. Roast a potato and finish off the bottle of Merlot. Wife is out with the girl scouts camping, so it is all mine to enjoy with the dog for company. If I get out and find pheasant tomorrow, then that will be tomorrow's dinner.

I had a cap gun like that one, except mine had the "Ivory" (plastic) grips. A couple times took a short-cut over the train trestle bridge during track practice on the 6 mile run "easy" day.

Public land in Rockland County yes - ones open to hunting Zero. Fishing - several places. Some listed are not even in Rockland, but, in Sullivan County - Painter Hill Multiple Use Area, Neversink Unique Area, Wurtsboro Ridge State Forest, and Shawangunk Ridge State Forest. Those do allow hunting, but you are looking at 2 hours or more from NYC. Before moving, check all the firearm regulations for NY and NYC. Make sure you do not have illegal mags/features (items that NY considers an assault rifle). NY Safe Act, etc.