jrm

Sorry to jump in late and resurrect this topic. I just noticed it and wanted to point out some inaccuracies. In NYS, you are required to register an ATV. There are a few exceptions (farm use, etc.) but a DMV form still has to be filled out to qualify for the exemption. (Which effectively means you are registering to not register). Minimum liability insurance is required ONLY if you operate the ATV outside your own property. No insurance needed if you operate exclusively on your own property. Public land, your sister's land, your son's land, your neighbor's land... insurance is required. ATV insurance if pretty inexpensive. The best part is that you can be covered for theft as well as liability. With the cost of a decent ATV, the theft insurance is great to have. While some people choose not to register, an insurance company will not issue a policy to an unregistered ATV. You may not operate on a public road (unless specifically allowed by the state/local authority). You can cross a road (90 degree angle, etc.). The "side" of the road is actually considered the road (shoulder). The "side" of the road owned by the entity which owns the road is a no no. However, you are certainly able to ride on private land which is on the side of the road (assuming you own it and/or have permission). The DMV has a good web page with all this information: http://www.dmv.ny.gov/broch/c29.htm I was recently talking to a neighbor in Delaware county. He rode his (unregistered) ATV onto his next-door neighbor's property to help move some items. The DEP was passing by and gave him a real hard time. (Unregistered, no insurance while off his own property, no helmet). He ended up with some tickets. The DEP guy even threatened to confiscate the ATV although I am not sure if he had the legal authority to do that. It's only $12.50/yr to register. Since I would not do without insurance, even on my own property, non-registration is not an option for me. Even without that consideration, the $12.50 is still much less expensive than the ticket.

My head hurts too, but I think I understand it now. Thanks much for taking the time to explain.

Forgive me if this is a hijack of the thread, but I think it is pretty on topic. I am also a newbie trying to sift through the details of what is correct. From the above post and looking through the DEC website, I find the following: Regular license which includes "big game" - one regular season deer tag Bow privilege (must have regular license to obtain): one bow/mz season either sex tag AND one bow/mz season antlerless deer tag Bow/Mz tags can ONLY be used in Bow/Mz season. You can hunt with a bow during regular season, but must use you regular tag for that harvest Regular tag can be used in regular season OR late Bow/Mz season. To use in late Bow/Mz season, you must have the appropriate Bow/Mz privilege. Of course, to use the regular tag in late bow/mz season you must also be hunting with a bow or muzzleloader. Am I correct so far? Now my newbie questions. I am in the southern region in the Catskills. My WMU has an antler restriction. Rifle hunting is allowed in my county (during regular season). The DEC web page here: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8305.html talks about Deer Tag Types and Privileges. When discussing bow hunting (either with the Bow tag or with the regular tag during late bow season) it indicates the antlerless tag restriction only applies to "certain Northern Zone WMUs which are for Antlered Deer Only." Has that page simply not been updated to include the southeast WMUs in the antler restriction program? In a WMU with antler restrictions, how do the bow tags work (including regular tag during late season)?

I'm not sure this was fair for the Go Pro. The first two cameras seems to be at about the same position. The GoPro is set up facing the opposite direction and has significant backlighting. The backlight is what is causing it to look darker, especially in the "low light" version. I bet the other cameras would produce a similar picture if set up in the same position as the GoPro.

Thanks for the welcome. Yes, I plan on hunting this season, both bow and gun. I have some trail cameras set up on my property right now to get a feel for things. Also plan to connect with an experienced friend to take me out and "show me the ropes." I think I have a pretty good handle on things, especially considering I would be hunting my own land which I know well. Also plan to connect with an experienced friend to take me out and "show me the ropes." Am sure I will benefit having someone experienced nearby to help me along.

Fair question. Right now I am not a bowhunter (or hunter), nor do I consider myself proficient enough to go after anything. I am just finishing my bowhunter class and this will be my first season hunting using bow or rifle. Once I complete my bow course (already have my regular hunter ed class) I will get all the appropriate licenses and take full advantage of all I can. I have property upstate. Turkey is plentiful. I have almost walked into several deer in my woods. There were recent bear sightings on adjacent properties. We have a very healthy local coyote population. Based on the numerous tracks and scat I have found, there is at least one bobcat who frequents my property. In short, I have a numerous hunting opportunities right in my own "backyard." It's all these different opportunities that is creating confusion. Had I only been interested in "deer" for example, it would simpler to figure out. I know experienced hunters who will advise and mentor me. I still have this "OCD" mentality where I like to know the rules for myself. I have already heard too many "experts" misquote or misrepresent rules/laws to me and others. Before I go into the field to hunt a coyote, deer, rabbit, turkey or just target shoot I want to make sure I know what the rules "really" are, and not just "we've always done xxx and never been caught." I harbor no misconceptions of going out back one sunny afternoon after lunch, harvesting a bobcat or coyote with my bow and getting home in time for dinner. I know there is a lot to this and much to learn. Doesn't mean I'm not going to get out there and give it a go and have fun while learning. Fun for me is _knowing_ I am legal when I am out there. I do NOT want to be in the field and have a DEC officer bust my horns (or worse) because I am ignorant of the rules. Shawnhu mentions one possible scenario - hunting a coyote at night (which I plan to do). There is also hunting a coyote in the day before or after deer season. Being new to this sport, the laws are a bit confusing and overwhelming. Seasons overlap and it isn't immediately clear what you can do when. The information provided here has been very helpful. I appreciate all your patience with the "new guy" (or FNG as we used to call them). Armed with these clarifications, I will contact my local DEC office and make sure we are both on the same page. It is good to hear that other have had positive experiences with ECOs.

Thanks for the input. Seems at least some of my questions fall into a gray area. I will definite check the local DEC/ECO to make sure there is not any trouble. One thing that I find curious is the warning to not be in possession of broadheads. I do plan on hunting coyote (my bad - i wrote small game and was thinking fur bearers). That would mean broadheads. @growalot - I am aware of the rule you pointed out. I am not "primarily engaged in farming" so cannot use that (although it would be nice). Another interesting point. Someone mentioned the 500' discharge rule. i recently heard some folks instructing others about this, which is something I am familiar with from my involvement in other shooting activities. While it may be obvious to the experienced folks around here, there is another point to that rule which at least some people are not aware of. I know it confused the new people I saw it being explained to. The "other part" is that the 500' rule applies to a building UNLESS "you own it, lease it, are an immediate member of the family, an employee, or have the owner's consent." May be obvious to some, but not to everyone, especially when the rule is explained with the "unless" left out. Again, thanks everyone for the information.

I have received different answers on this. Hopefully someone here knows the definitive answer. I understand you may NOT "Possess a firearm of any description when bowhunting or when accompanying a person bowhunting during special archery seasons." (from the DEC website). A few questions: 1. What about when not hunting? I have some land and have both archery and rifle targets set up. Is DEC likely to give me a problem if I continue to target shoot on my property during hunting season? Will I have a problem target shooting with my rifle/handgun during bow season? 2. What about hunting during _rifle_ season? If I decide to use my bow for hunting during regular season, can I carry a (licensed) sidearm (not for hunting with the sidearm)? The above quoted rule only seems to apply for special bow seasons - there is no mention of regular season. 3. Can I carry a rifle and a bow (during regular season) and decide which to use? Or can I only enter the field with one or the other? Also, on the DEC website it states: "Residents may use a bow to take legally antlered deer and bear during the regular season provided the taker possesses both a valid Big Game license and either a current bowhunting privilege or a valid bowhunter education certificate." Does this mean you do NOT need to purchase a "bowhunting privilege" on top of the regular license to hunt with a bow during regular season? The wording suggests that the bowhunter class is all you need. Finally, the wording for a small game license is: "Hunt small game species with gun or bow during appropriate season." It would seem that with this license you can use a bow for small game WITHOUT the bowhunter class. Is that correct? If that is the case, what happens if you are in the field bowhunting small game during the time that overlaps with deer/bear season? Does the DEC hassle you claiming you are improperly hunting deer/bear when you are actually legally hunting small game? I'm new to this and just trying to figure out how it all works.

I would be careful with that. By setting a trap, you are creating a "known dangerous condition" on the property. While the perp may be prosecuted for trespassing, you could still find yourself facing criminal or civil charges for setting the trap. Fence or no. Setting a trap is "pre-meditated" and an attempt to harm or kill someone. If someone is simply trespassing, you are not allowed to use "deadly force." I am not a lawyer, but everything I have read on the topic of posting and trespassing confirms this. Allowing a "dangerous condition" to exist is bad, creating one with the intent to harm others is just asking for big trouble. Someone broke in and stole $30 of copper pipe. You retaliate by setting up a trap which seriously injures, maims or kills them. You don't stand a chance in court. Let's say someone broke into your home in NY and was simply trying to steal your TV and run out the door. You catch them in the act and shoot them in the kneecap. You are pretty much guaranteed a criminal trial and a very expensive civil suit. A trap that doesn't discriminate between someone with mal intent and someone who is simply lost has to increase your liability.

Actually, I believe there is a provision in the SAFE act to allow for an opt-out of having your name released. You are correct that prior to SAFE, that information was publicly available with no way to opt-out.

I am not sure we are thinking about the same SAFE act. I have read the legislation several times, and I know of many others who did the same. There is no "pork" or unrelated items in the bill. It is not very long. It is not in layman's terms, but then no law ever is. There are reasons for that... just think back to Clinton on the stand questioning the definition of "is." Law, like many other fields have developed specialized terminology. Love it or hate it, that's the way it is. There are grey areas in the law. Some are there because the people drafting the law have no experience with the subject matter (guns). Others are there intentionally to give the police/courts wiggle room in application. The unSAFE act can be a little confusing because to really understand what is written you need some knowledge of other laws regarding guns. The new law is not so much a "new" set of rules, but a re-write of existing rules. If you already were familiar with NY law sections 265 and 400, unSAFE is easier to digest. While also a lot of legalise, 265 and 400 are not that long either and fairly simple to understand. When dealing with all this, the first concept to realize is that NY law declares all guns illegal. The law goes on to include other "weapons" such as knives, but we can skip that for now. Then, the law lists various exceptions. No handguns - unless you have a NYS license. No rifles, unless they don't have x number of "evil" features. And so on. When tragedy strikes, some people turn to the government to fix the problem. Some people in government feel they must fix a "problem" whether or not people turn to them. Others in government look for a problem or make a situation into a problem which they define, just so they can offer their "solution." Newtown was a terrible tragedy. People want a bad guy to crucify and are looking for a white knight with a magic solution to prevent it from ever happening again. Life doesn't always work that way, but that doesn't stop people from dreaming it does. Cuomo wants to be president (lord help us all). He felt compelled to rush legislation through to ban "evil assault rifles" and be the first in the county to do so. In his small, egocentric mind he felt this would rally people around him as a pioneering leader in "making our kids safe." As with any politician, the contents of the law are irrelevant. As long as it has enough provisions to prohibit _anything_ which the general public can be made to believe is "bad" or "scary." Let's look at two major points in the unSAFE act: - limits the amount of ammo in a magazine from 10 to 7 rounds. Imagine if that shooter couldn't have "high capacity magazines" (or "clips" as the halfwits on TV like to call them). Going to 7 means three more lives saved! - Prohibits the sale of those "evil" assault rifles that "only the military and police" should have. If only the Newtown shooter didn't have a Bushmaster "killing machine" those poor children would be alive today. Why does anyone need such "killing power?" We don't need these "automatic" weapons. There is more, but I think you get the point. Common sense tells a different story, but when does logic ever come into politics and lawmaking? Most of the population is un- or under educated about guns. When an entire political party sends all their minions out to talk about "evil" guns with "evil" features, many people believe what they are told. Long Island's Carolyn McCarthy runs around screaming about the evil "barrel shroud" but doesn't know what one is (she believes it is a "shoulder thingy that goes up.") That doesn't stop many people from believing her that "only the military need a barrel shroud." Do you realize how many people believe a rifle that _LOOKS_ like an AR is more dangerous than a rifle which looks like a hunting rifle. Show them a Ruger 10-22 with a wood stock, and they say "that's fine." Show them the SAME rifle dressed up like the black "arch angel" model and they wet themselves in fear. The lawmakers and media all help to further that irrational thinking. The ultimate goal of the unSAFE act (and other laws like it) is confiscation and elimination of guns. Look into the steps leading up to SAFE... confiscation of "assault" rifles, along with other draconian measures, were part of the original draft. It was taken out because they realized even with the backdoor way it was pushed through it would not have been passed. Of course, no one here needs to worry because this is not about "hunters." You don't need an AR to hunt, you don't need a "black" rifle to hunt and you don't need more than 5 rounds to hunt. So YOUR guns are safe from Albany. You know that's all true because the tooth fairy and Easter bunny both told me personally. (i.e. it's BS) So it comes down to this: - They would like to outlaw all guns. It is a control thing. They can't do it all at once, so they take what then can when they can. (Death by 1,000 cuts) - Never let a tragedy go to waste. Newtown presented an opportunity to advance an agenda AND theoretically gain some political points. (It may have backfired for Cuomo as he took a lot of heat for it). - unSAFE does nothing to reduce crime or gun violence, but does harm law-abiding citizens. However it is being sold as the opposite. - unSAFE shows our supreme leader is doing SOMETHING about these "terrible tragedies." He is not standing by waiting for others to take the lead. Anyone who speaks out against this wonderful law must enjoy watching children being murdered! This is not the wild west! We are a civilized society where guns are no longer necessary. Disclaimer: I completely oppose unSAFE. It is not only un-Constitutional, it is wrong. Anything in the above post which seems to state otherwise is purely sarcasm and intended to show the misguided "thinking" of those who support it.

I don't know about the other brands mentioned, but I have had some very good experience with the Swisher 44" roughcut. I have the one with the pull-start. For old horse pasture and overgrown fields, the unit should last you forever. I wouldn't worry about the belts either for that use. I picked mine up almost two years ago. Needed something I could pull behind an ATV. I have about 2-3 acres of overgrown fields around a house that needed tending. The Swisher handled it without breaking a sweat. My other use really put the machine to the test. I cut some horse/ATV trails through some rougher parts of my property. Some wooded areas and lots of very thick and high brush. Lot's of uneven ground and many large rocks.I don't know what the brush is, but it is not grass. It's about 4ft high and so heavy and thick that you cannot walk through it in most places. Easily took out some 1" thick growth. I cut about 2-3 miles of trails through that brush last year. And another mile or so this year. My biggest problem was rocks. The rough cut has the swinging blades, but when you hit a really large rock it can cause the machine to stall. That and the uneven ground does add a lot of wear on the belt. Belt replacements are $12 through Amazon with free shipping. I don't think that is overly expensive. Granted, changing a belt for the first time isn't fun, but once you get the hang of it, it is an under 5 minute task. For all the punishment I gave this machine, I don't think it is bad that I only went through two belts. I just put my third in a few weeks ago. Again, cutting new trails and rocks are what wore the belts out. Maintaining those trails and cutting the overgrown fields are easy work for the unit. I have cut quite a bit of fields and weeds - sometimes wet - and never had a problem with anything getting clogged up. There is a blade engagement lever. When moving from area to area (or over very rock ground or down a gravel driveway where you don't want to gravel to blow around) just disengage the blade and go. Re-engage when you get to the next area you want to cut. Sorry for being so contrary in my first post here, but I was also pleased with the build quality. I would not compare the metal to a cheap lawnmower deck. I have taken this through some nasty woods and brush and there isn't a dent on it. Deck and all the attached pieces look as good (albeit a little less clean) as the day I bought it. If looking at the Swisher, you may want to shop around. Northern does carry it, but I found that Amazon had a much better "delivered" price (for me). Unless you have a dock or forklift, you will need liftgate service with this unit.