virgil

I agree with StripedBuck. I wouldn't worry too much about it yet. I was just at my land in the southern zone, Finger Lakes region this past weekend to scout and hang stands. I didn't have any rubs or scrapes yet. I usually don't start seeing them until after the first good cold spell. I did see a fair number of tracks.

i've been finding that i have to hit the back arrow 2-3 times in order to page back. not sure if it's just me.

It would be even more interesting if you could hunt around there- that's about ten minutes from my house.

Culver, do you mind me asking how much land you lease and a ballpark yearly cost? I definitely would have considered a lease if I had found one at the time.

Just checked back in. Culver, not sure how I feel about having you agree with me. I'll have to re-think my position on this subject. Just kidding.

I just feel that I look forward to hunting season all year. Owning my own land takes away the variables- will i find someone to tag along with; if i hunt state land, will it be filled with hunters and no deer; will someone be sitting in my treestand, etc. etc. For me, it's the peace of mind that justifies the expense. All the stress each year was really taking away from the enjoyment. Since i bought my land, hunting has become a passion again.

I agree. I bought my place three years ago. My son was born last year and I'm already looking forward to bringing him upstate with me.

There's an argument to be made for owning or not owning. For me, i got tired of never having definite plans each year- always having to ask to jump in with friends; and always being given the crappiest stand. The upfront cost is definitely a factor. But, even if the land value doesn't appreciate, when and if you sell, you'll probably at least get your initial investment back- and your only expense will have been the taxes. My taxes on 20acres is about what Steve is paying each year. For now, i love knowing that every year i don't have to depend on anyone for a place to hunt. i get to learn my land, hang stands where i want, and hunt as much as i choose. maybe i'd feel differently if i had steve's setup.

i have only 20 acres and i have state forest on three sides. i don't have any specific rules that i follow. but, i usually pass up small bucks and does- unless it's been a while since i've taken a deer.

i've had the same two boxes of pellets for three years and they shoot fine. just don't leave them in the gun for any length of time. i learned this the hard way. last year, i kept my pellets and bullet in the gun for two weeks between hunting trips. the gun was kept in my garage. when i pulled the trigger on a small buck on my last day in the woods in late december, i got a small smoke cloud, a pfffft sound, and watched the bullet travel about three feet- then watched the deer trot away. condensation.... duh. i'll never make that mistake again.

i called yesterday. the woman said that they are going to mail out the results the week of october 1. she checked the list for me- i didn't get picked.

Couldn't agree more. There's nothing better than a great morning hunt and getting home in plenty of time for a nap before the football games start. My land is 300 miles away- makes it difficult to get up there as much as I'd like for scouting and hunting.

Long Island is brutal. I used to have a great spot. My buddy and I hunted there for about six or seven years and saw deer all the time. Eventually, more and more hunters started using the land and the hunting deteriorated. There were a couple of older wooden stands in the woods and we used to use them. One year, someone toar them down and actually crapped on one of them- I'm not kidding. In the span of two years, the place was overrun with hunters and we barely saw any deer. Finally, I hunted out of my climber one morning and decided to leave the climber in the woods until the afternoon hunt. When I came back in the woods, my climber was gone. That was about four years ago. I was so annoyed. That incident was the final straw for me- I'd been wanting to buy land upstate for years and within two months of my treestand being stolen, i bought my land upstate. I shot a nice 8-pointer up there on the first day I hunted my new land. Haven't hunted on long island since.

Mine too. I can't find any phone number to call to ask.

Still haven't heard anything. Anybody else?

Harbes is great, especially if you have young kids. They have a few locations. The one in Mattituck has a petting zoo and a farmstand/food court and a lot of space for a picnic. I think their locations further east have more of the 'pick your own' stuff. But, the north fork is loaded with them. You really don't need to pick a specific 'pick your own' spot before heading out that way- they're everywhere.

I work out on the east end. Other than some downed trees, I don't think you're going to find any drastic changes in the woods- unless you hunt very close to water.

Anyone heard back yet if you were selected for the Wertheim hunt? I was expecting to have heard by now.

Dave/Doc, thanks for the info and advice. I bought the land to hunt. So, I guess for the time being, there's nothing to do until/unless I get approached.

Sounds like a local county level activist group. What was the gist of their letter? Basically, they urge you not to enter into any agreement with a gas company. Their attorneys are drafting a lease agreement that will protect landowners and they encourage landowners to join their organization. This is all new to me. I haven't been approached by any gas companies.

my land is in cortland county- i've had it for less than three years. i recently got a letter from a group called the 'county line landowners association'. does anyone know anything about this group?

You obviously care what everyone believes.. you keep replying to them..lol Once again, you have misinterpreted according to what you'd like to believe. I reply because I believe it's important to show that not everyone shares some of the extreme positions and beliefs that are posted on this site. Then, I defend myself when all of you freak out.

making an attempt to validate your position would help... name calling is not arguing your opinion... I believe the title of this thread fits you perfectly virgil I couldn't care less what you believe. I stated my position clearly. Your failure to acknowledge my point, or the fact that you don't agree with it, is not my problem or my concern.

Liberal positions are only valid if you can prove them valid... something you haven't been able to do.. just stating your opinion does not make it valid Oh and calling someone racist for no reason isnt inflammatory? Calling people idiots, etc isnt inflammatory? Riiiight. Like I said, no rules against disagreeing, but the personal attacks in every thread is ridiculous and needs to stop. The same goes for conservative opinions- and posting rhetorical propaganda from biased sources does not prove an opinion to be accurate either. Calling someone an idiot may have been out of line. I was frustrated with the racist statement, and then with the ridiculous defense of it. Spin it however you want, it was a racist statement. I'm sure that none of the people who defended that statement would say such a thing in the presence of an African American person- and that's because they know it's offensive and would cause a reaction. Hiding behind the anonimity of the internet takes it from being simply racist, to being cowardly.

I suggest you figure out what an internet troll is, because your picture should go beside the definition. All you do is talk down to people on here, maybe you dont even realize you are doing it, but you are. I just looked up a definition- what I saw described someone who posts inflammatory statements for the purpose of upsetting the other posters. No. I think you're just a little thin-skinned. I simply post opinions that don't always agree with the original poster's. If that's against the rules, then you should either re-title the forum or share your thoughts with each other through private emails.