steve863

I find this thread quite interesting actually. I don't hunt Long Island and never would no matter how big the bucks are out there, nor would I ever join a hunting club because I can only imagine the types of shenanigans that one would see especially with todays typical hunting mentality. I think if someone wants more peaceful hunting, then they shouldn't join a club and probably shouldn't hunt Long Island either. Long Island after all is FAR from rural terrain where one would ever get very far from having humans interfere with your hunting in one way or another. The commute will be longer, but hunting in the more rural parts of upstate NY will no doubt bring you an overall more satisfying hunting experience in my honest opinion.

Wow, that is a very informative video! That pretty much explains the big oil drum that is in the middle of the woods on the property I hunt then. It must have been a mountain lion drop site!! LOL

I think many people haven't seen too much movement in the first couple weeks of the season. I also think it has been considerably more windy this season than any I can remember in recent years, and this surely doesn't help matters in the area I hunt. I see very little movement on windy days. It is supposed to be windy again this weekend so it sure isn't giving me much optimism.

I thought I read somewhere that it would be illegal to shoot a mountain lion in NY if someone did happen to see one? If it were legal you would think someone would have shot one already from all the claims that NYS has a good population of them. That would surely lay the rumors to rest, don't you think? Maybe a few of them would have DEC ear tags on them. LOL. Amazing how many people believe that! Just talked to someone this past weekend who is convinced of it!

Just because someone wears a badge and uniform doesn't mean he is an upstanding citizen. This is just another example of it.

My wife adds a lot of veggies to the ground venison for making burgers. We don't add any other meat or fat. She chops up onions, celery, carrots, pretty much any veggie might do along with a little chopped up bread and it holds together pretty well. Makes a pretty healthy and tasty burger.

Well, I am pretty much a weekend warrior and my hunting time is rather limited since I live 3 hours away from my hunting area. I for one won't go all that way and carry the minimum amount of ammo with me. One never knows what might happen. On more than one occasion I had an deer run over to me that was hit by someone else. If I had already used up ammo with a kill of my own, I surely would not have been able to finish off and help avoid a lost animal for someone else. There is some good ethics in that also. You guys think that all those who carry some extra ammo are sure to use it all up on every deer they see. That is where you fellas are wrong! It is more like that these hunters come prepared with something that weighs next to nothing in the scheme of things and is an essential part of the weapon they intend to use while hunting. I have never tried it, but I don't think any of my rifles would fire rocks that I picked up from the ground if I tried to load them into them. I rather have some extra ammo that was made for them!

If you are hunting with a repeating firearm, why carry only what can be loaded into the gun? Some here seem to carry even less than can actually fit into the gun. I feel that one should carry at least an extra full reload. We are hunting with firearms after all. People lug in cameras, food, blinds, portable stands, everything but the kitchen sink, yet want to take 5 rounds or less with them. Sort of sounds funny if you ask me. Like Doc said, sooner or later you guys will be in a situation where you will be needing some extra rounds. If you haven't already, you probably haven't been hunting long enough. Better to be prepared for such a situation, instead of being left with a gun and NO ammo out in the middle of nowhere. Now that there, would be an Elmer Fudd moment if you ask me!

I think balloons would work also. You can buy a whole bag that will last you years in a dollar store.

Exactly! I see people carrying all sorts of contraptions into the woods that weigh a heck of a lot more than 5 to 10 extra rounds. Better being safe than sorry.

I have one VERY vivid memory of one of those hotseats. Had to do #2 out in the woods and somehow forgot to unhook the thing from the back of my pants. Lets just say that I hope you fellas have such good aim on a big buck this coming weekend! Bullseye!!!

Don't know if I know anyone from central NY, but I do have a few candidates from some of the Catskill AR units that I can offer. And all of them are frequent posters to this site to boot!!

Yeah, while AR supporters here are throwing 77% figures from their units at us here from a sample of 350 and we are supposed to buy that as gospel also??? I wish they would do a survey of everyone and I agree that it just might be drastically different. WAY different than how you guys expect it to turn out, that's for sure!! LOL

Yeah, you are right that it's the hunters responsibility to know what they are shooting at, but do you trust every hunter out there to make that right decision on when to or not to shoot? If you do, you surely have way MORE faith in your fellow man than I do! If blaze orange will give me a fraction of a percent more safety than I don't know why anyone wouldn't wear it?

15. 5 loose that will go into the gun and 10 in the belt pouch. Years ago I carried an extra box of 20 in my backpack which was quite silly when I now look back at it. The 5 that are in the gun would probably be more than enough in the majority of cases.

That was a bit before my time, but I remember hearing about this system. I wonder how many in the party actually abided by the law where only armband wearer did the shooting? I guess they made up this law to avoid the shooting of more than one doe by the party, but it sure didn't sound fair to the party members who weren't wearing the armband. I guess the best they could hope for was to get a piece of that backstrap since huntingwise they might as well have stayed home since they weren't legally allowed to shoot.

There are many younger hunters who hang around here, so I don't think there are too many who can reminisce about the old days. I have hunted for about 30 years and can say that we have better hunting today than we did 30 years ago. Maybe I'm a bit better hunter than I was then, but I surely see way more deer today than I did 30 years ago. Yeah, it may be harder to finding hunting spots and these days hunting can cost you some money, but what do we get that is totally free anymore? Just the way the world is, I guess. I guess there is some nostalgia when you look back on how hunting used to be, but in general the HUNTING itself is better now than it ever was. These days people can hunt longer, have more tags available to fill and yet there are plenty deer left for next year. Quite honestly I don't know if I want to go back to the old days.

not to disagree but the 58% said the MOST important thing is the ability to take the buck they want to. Yup, saw that too. And 53% support voluntary restraint on shooting yearling bucks.

This is some good stuff, Doe. I am glad some are noticing the small margin difference of those who support AR's and those who don't. An issue so evenly divided by hunters will NOT become statewide law any time soon. This I can assure anyone. Most especially with hunter numbers dwindling in recent years and the DEC in need of hunters dollars.

By the way the boots can stay on even if the fruit of the looms are off!

I guess dying in the hunting field (your # 2 way!) would be dying with your boots on while dying your #1 way would be dying with your fruit of a looms OFF!

All I'm telling these people is to do themselves a favor and don't get into tree stands. The truth CAN hurt some people, and it's obviously hurting you also, but it doesn't mean anyone should sweep it all under the rug just because some people are the sensitive type. I would think it would be better for these people to face some blunt words instead of some real serious harm or death thru a tree stand accident.

No one is telling anyone not to hunt. One needs to know there limitations. that's all. I for one have seen plenty of big guys in tree stands. Most especially these days with the emphasis on trophy deer and tree stands being one of the most effective ways to score on one. A person who is seriously overweight should most definitely remain on the ground. Better yet would be to get into better shape. Not only will it enhance your hunting abilities, but it just might give them a few extra years of life which would be even more important. I think that is reason enough for anyone to make an effort to get into better shape.

Yeah, that shouldn't be asking for too much. Any activity should require some preparation, most especially if it will be a physical one. What other outdoor pastime sells XXXL garments like we see sold in Cabelas, Bass Pro, etc? These stores sell them because there are plenty of hunting bubbas who fit snuggly into these oversized clothes. You have these couch potatoes sitting on their sofas drinking beer and stuffing their faces the rest of the year and come hunting season they think they could climb trees like monkeys in order to kill a deer while they can hardly walk 50 yards without breaking into a masssive sweat. They are accidents waiting to happen and nothing more.

Even if you are considered "in shape", the ability to swing ones own weight back up into a treestand when it is above your waist and to your side is still not something most can do. Think about it, you are usually wearing more than a pair of shorts and some tennis shoes and a tee shirt when you are hunting, you also have extra gear, etc. Saying that one that is not in shape shouldnt get into a treestand is just silly. Fits with your "Im the ultimate" attitude on alot of subjects though. "I'm the ultimate" LOL!! OK wiseguy, have it your way! I have seen plenty of lard butts in the hunting field who can barely walk on a sidewalk. Can't even go the 150 yards to their stands without needing to fire up an ATV to get there. Just keep telling them it's OK to get up into a treestand in the shape they are in. I hope your not the one they call when it's time cut them down.