steve863

I don't think anyone should ever get into hunting thinking that it's a slam dunk, because it definitely is NOT. That's why they call it hunting and not killing. I think the big problem these days is the hunting shows on TV. They make it look like you will be seeing deer around you at all times, and you'll get one down in about 22 minutes. I had NO such shows to pollute my perception of hunting when I started out. What shaped my views on hunting was what I saw in the field and by those who took me hunting, which I think might be the better way to go about it.

I've tried all sorts of products, but I find this to be the best and quickest way to get a rifle barrel clean and shiny. Doesn't have the chemical smell like the other stuff, neither. One tube has lasted forever, it seems, too. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Blue-Wonder-Gun-Cleaner/707679.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dblue%2Bwonder%2Bgun%2Bcleaner%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=blue+wonder+gun+cleaner&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

You big buck guys can go at it with each other all you want. I have always said that their is a heck of a lot of ugliness when it comes to trophy hunting, and now the internet brings just another element into it. This ugliness is one big reason I have never been a big fan of those who obsess over antlers. It's just not important, and the only people big antlers will impress are others who are obsessed by them in the same way, and then things quickly turn into jealousy, accusations, vendettas, etc., etc. Not my cup of tea, for sure. Hell, I killed the biggest buck I ever got in NYS the day after Thanksgiving this season. A very respectable deer actually. Was I happy? Yes, sort of, but no more happy than with any other deer I am lucky enough to take. Don't care to post pictures on the internet neither for the whole world to see. Just not that important in the scheme of things.

That's just it. It's probably MORE rampant than anyone will actually tell you. Sending sharpshooters to kill deer is a much quicker solution, than having hunters hunt year around and struggle to find private land to even hunt on. Sharpshooters have the advantage of hunting at night, where they could find concentrations of deer, and put down a whole bunch within minutes. I'm sure they'd be allowed to drop them anywhere they might spot them, too, as long as it's a safe shot. A bowhunter is lucky to get one clean shot in several days of hunting, so there is really NO comparison whatsoever between which method would be more effective.

It is already being hunted, yet hunters aren't making much of a dent. You can extend the seasons, but you can't let private landowners allow hunters on their land if they don't want to. So extended seasons wouldn't help. Plus, you have to remember that many of the hunters who are hunting the island already, are out there looking for one of the big bucks that roam there. Good luck convincing any of these hunters to put aside their trophy hunting time to help cull the herd. Won't happen. Even those who do take a buck early in the season can get plenty of doe tags afterwards, yet few go out again just for the sake of reducing the herd if they don't need the meat themselves. Even the sharpshooters may not make much of a dent, but surely will make more of a dent than sport hunters on LI where access to private land is the main problem.

Do you think he's sending a selfie to German chancellor Merkel's cell phone??

Definitely NOT interested in killing deer off someones porch. I can find them and kill them in a more natural environment as I have this season and past seasons. If I want to shoot just for kicks, I will go to a rifle or bow range and shoot at targets instead.

The only way you are really going to make a dent in the deer population is to use these snipers in an area like LI. Bowhunting just won't get the job done, plus like someone else said, just try getting private land access. Don't happen very easily. You can't get private land access for bowhunting, so you can forget about anyone allowing you to hunt with a firearm. Lets face it, LI isn't exactly pristine wilderness, so many hunters, including myself wouldn't be interested in hunting in someone's backyard even if they were allowed. If LI wants deer taken out, then the snipers are honestly the quickest and most effective solution.

That's very true about the cost, but I think the 783 has features that can make it an even more accurate rifle than the 700. The 783 along with the Ruger American pretty much stole some technology from Savage, and Savage rifles just might be the most accurate out of the box. These new inexpensive rifles don't look pretty, but they can shoot. I wouldn't be surprised if Remington adapts some of the 783 features into a new 700 somewhere down the road. The 700 is still a great rifle but it's been in production for 50 years now, so an upgrade will probably happen sooner or later. Of course anything new that comes out these days, generally requires less labor to make, so that's only another reason to adapt some of the features that they put into the 783.

Well actually we are. The thread took a turn to this discussion when SteveC said that he'd put his shotgun up with any rifle at 100 yards. Go back and check for yourself. I don't think anyone will argue that a rifle isn't better at long range, but if his shotgun is hitting the bull at 100 yards, and the majority of shots in NYS are UNDER 100 yards, I don't think he is short-changing himself by hunting with that shotgun.

So now we are going from a discussion of deer hunting in NYS where the vast majority of deer that get shot are within 100 yards to varmint shooting to 1000 yards?? Yeah, then MOST rifles surely won't cut it. And even if the rifle cuts it, the shooter probably won't.

My point is that one hole accuracy is very over-rated and will not make someone a great hunter. A good hunter with a 3 moa clunker rifle will bring down a hell of a lot more game than the guy with the one hole gun who couldn't find a deer in the woods if his life depended on it.

Send them to me. I have NO doubt that I will put deer down with these rifles that you think should be melted into scrap. I have seen plenty of shooters at the range who get all excited over their 1/2 inch groups from the bench, yet can't shoot worth a $#!+ when a deer is staring them in the face!

I'm not very big on the single-shot gun idea for youth hunters. Yes, they should try to learn that the first shot should count, but since they are youngsters, we can't exactly expect them to be perfect. Having that quick second shot available can mean a successful hunt in comparison to an unsuccessful one. A lot depends on the time one will spend hunting and the game population of an area, too. If the hunting time is limited and you hunt an area where you don't exactly see game every time out, having only one shot available can mean a LONG wait for a youngster to bag his first animal. Waiting until next year is a LONG time for a young person. Make them wait too long, and they will probably start losing interest. That's my take on this anyway.

I've always liked that one! Did you know that there is a sure-fire way of telling whether a guy is single or married? All you need to do is ask them to get into a helicopter whose blades are spinning. The single guys will be crouched over getting into the chopper, while the married guys will walk in straight up. Why is that you say? Because a married guy could only hope that he gets clipped by one of the blades!!

Yes, I did some bashing. No regrets either. However, why did he feel the need to crawl out from under a rock and accuse me of only killing 50 lbs deer?? Just because I feel strongly that current day hunters need to toughen up a bit and get their hands dirty once in a while and expend a little physical energy for a change?? Of course, you will take his side, to justify yourself here. I wouldn't expect you to do anything else, quite frankly.

Yes, your 3H buddy TheHunter who said I was incapable of killing a deer over 50 lbs.

Fact of the matter here is that YOU accused me of only being capable of killing 50 lbs deer. I have now shown you that I have taken a few that are a bit bigger than that. This should end matters here, yet YOU continue to take what YOU have started further into the gutter.

Your impression is incorrect. We are two married men, with two children each. We have never met, only talk about hunting and life thru emails and such. Our philosophies on both subjects are very similar.

What in God's name are you talking about?? That we have had a gag about being Tanzanian on this site? We had that going long before you showed your mug on this site.

Honestly, why don't you stop the BS?? You have repeatedly accused anyone who doesn't support AR's like you do, as "brown and it's down" guys and "50 lbs deer killer". This goes back a couple of years. All anyone needs to do is go back to your past posts.

What's your problem with us Belo??? You shouldn't forget that you are as popular here as fly on someone's picnic sandwich.

Random old antlers in gun cabinet.

Bobcat 1994

some more.