steve863

I agree with all of the above. I'd also shave my head to avoid a scalping. LOL

Those are some really nice animals. Good job! On the photo with your father, those two muley bucks your holding look like they could be father and son also. Antler formation is so similar on them.

20 inches is a BIG spread on a whitetail. The attached field judging link gives a good example of what a true 20 + inch spread can look like. If the smaller buck in that example is only 21 inches, the one in the video above is probably a couple of inches under 20. http://www.boone-crockett.org/bgRecords/records_FieldJudging_WTDeer.asp?area=bgRecords

It even has an eerie human look to it once you skin it out, with it's arms to side in a human like fashion. Thus, I would NEVER eat one no matter how good some people say the meat could taste.

Honestly, if you save them and put them into an album like Biz-R-O described above, maybe it makes some sense, but otherwise I really think collecting them is kind of silly even though I collected a good many myself. For my old backtags, along with my winning smile, I might be able to get .02 cents at auction. LOL

I really don't know why I did, but I did collect them for many years. Probably couldn't find all the ones from recent years, but I know I have about 20 + years worth starting in 1978 in a box somewhere.

Only looking out for you, buddy! The last couple of seasons your property was rated as "one of the safest for a deer to live on during hunting season". Just trying to make sure that this might change this season!!

18 7/8 inches. You'll have to kill him to prove me wrong.

Burt, that close up of you makes me want to remind you to have your prescription on your eyeglasses checked. You need all the help you can get. We don't want to hear about all the misses again this year while out hunting. LOL

No, I didn't read that report from beginning to end, although I have read enough things from QDMA in the past to know that all they care about is BIG bucks. They give us the song and dance that they are about the health of the herd, habitat, etc., but I will never be convinced that BIG bucks is not what they are all about. The QDMA was started in Texas where having BIG bucks to shoot is all they really care about. For many hunters like myself, killing BIG bucks is not what drives us to go hunting, thus I think any organization or author who belittles the idea of killing bucks that in their opinion are too young to kill, I consider one and the same in ideology.

There is a footnote in the article, that he got his data from the QDMA. Being that he is using plenty of this data in his article, mostly the percentage of young bucks that are taken in these "worst" states. This seems to be a very BAD thing in the view of both the author and QDMA, so I will take it that the QDMA is not objecting to what this author wrote here. If people feel that the QDMA's opinion is something different, someone should get them to make a rebuttal.

Completely LAME article. But then again it was brought to us by the QDMA, so I am not surprised in the least.

If it's anything like past years on this forum, they all made poor shots and are still out looking and praying that they find the deer dead! The lucky ones will recover it in 5 or 6 days. LOL

That's interesting that you don't see many other hunters in a park so close to NYC. I was looking at a map of the park, and noticed quite a few woods/logging type roads that cut thru the park, along with other hiking trails. I would think that one could be successful still hunting from these roads/trails, especially later during the gun season and the M/L season. I've never been to Sterling, but have hiked in Harriman state park on the other side of I87 for years and have come upon plenty of deer walking the trails. I think an observant still hunting may see MORE deer in a park like Sterling in comparison to someone hunting from a stand. Harriman is only a stones throw away from Sterling, so I can't imagine it couldn't work there.

Yes, I kill and gut deer, but I don't show pictures like that to hunters or anti-hunters. Reason being that I have way more respect for the animal that I've killed. You guys who don't agree with this can flame away to your hearts content.

I think people shouldn't forget that shotgun only counties in NYS go back decades. Same in other states, some that are completely shotgun only. These laws were implemented long before the words "gun control" were household words. It's not today's politicians who implemented them. It's only in recent years that anyone even considered looking into them and possibly changing them, so go figure?

OK, I'll send you a check to reimburse you for your share of the pie since you think they sent me your money. I think .35 cents should cover it. LOL

Don't know if I could agree with you. There are exceptions to every rule of course, but women in general have way more patience than men when it comes to nurturing and child rearing. Other than humans, how many male mammals take part in any nurturing of their young at all? Not too many. As far as hunting, I'm sure like yourself there have been some women who hunted, butchered, etc., but in general that has always been predominantly the male role in most every society and culture.

15% more velocity and energy from a 24" barrel compared to a 20"? That's quite a stretch. Generally the rule of thumb for loss in velocity per inch of barrel is around 50 fps. I know it can vary by rifle or load, but how do you get 15% if we use this rule of thumb? A .338 Federals listed velocities at the muzzle are anywhere from 2600 fps to 2800 fps. 15% of velocity from these speeds would be roughly 400 fps. If you use the rule of thumb 50 fps by 4 inches of barrel, that is only 200 fps or half of what you are calculating. So your calculations are off in my opinion. I can understand your point that a short action rifle with a 24" barrel will be about the same length as a long action rifle with a 22" barrel, but thinking that 22" rifle in .338 Federal will somehow be inferior to one with a 24" barrel is honestly silly in my opinion. As I've said before, the animal will NEVER know the difference.

The check to Paula could be viewed as a redistribution of wealth, but the check from Cuomo is people getting back their own money. It's not like the money given to people with kids is being taken from single people only. Most of the people with kids have been taxed more than enough and are only getting some of it back here. Yes, it would be great if everyone got something back, or paid less taxes to begin with, but I am sure ANYONE getting some money back won't be returning it back to Cuomo with a NO THANK YOU note!

I would not argue with you on that point. I try to look at it from both perspectives. It would be nice to take a kid hunting in a quiet time of the Fall season to help them get their first deer, but in other ways you are not exactly giving the kid a true picture of what a typical gun season will be like. What we are trying to do here is to bring young people into our ranks by giving them a sort of preferential treatment. I don't know if that's the best way to go about it. Giving preferential treatment to people on other matters doesn't exactly sit well with the conservative minded hunter mentality, yet most aren't complaining about the youth season, so go figure?

My check is in the mail. But please don't cash it until the $350 check from Cuomo clears my bank.

If someone is looking for a very good cheap knife for the field, this is it. I have better and more expensive knives, but there is nothing wrong with this Swedish made knife. Would make a great backup knife for sure. It's amazingly good for the very low price you can get it for. Other knives at this price range are usually complete junk. http://www.ebay.com/itm/MORA-OF-SWEDEN-11863-840MG-COMPANION-MG-CARBON-STEEL-BLADE-KNIFE-/231190464671?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item35d406889f

May they rest in peace.

Very well put! You are absolutely correct that hunting is not for everyone. I always get a kick out of new fathers who buy their kids a gun before they could walk and a lifetime hunting license before they could write their names. Like they are absolutely sure that the kid will love to hunt. All one could do is expose the kid to hunting, but it's FAR from a given that the kid will want to make it a lifetime pastime. Actually the odds are against it, since the majority of society does not hunt.