nyantler

Doc.. I graduated in a class of nearly 500 students... today my HS graduates only about 250 with twice the teachers, twice as big of a school building, and twice the budget... figure that one out!! I can't!

With the kids all grown and off on their own 2 deer is more than enough for my wife and I ... and I always give my Mom some since my Dad's passing.. because she loves it... still i always make it a point to try and fill the DMP's for my areas and donate to the veison drive what I cannot eat myself.

I know everyone has their own thing when it comes to hunting... but if I spent all the time you spend figuring out how to use your tags and waiting in line for extra tags... It would take the fun out of hunting for me... a buck tag for bow and a buck tag for gun are plenty for me... I am lucky to always have gotten at least one DMP tag which I always save so that I can hunt the late muzzleloader. I also am different in that I have always put in for DMP second choice in a high chance area regardless of what WMU it is in.. and will hunt state land in that area with muzzleloader if need be so that I can hunt the late season. But I know you enjoy spending more time getting your land ready and working hard on your property to get ready for deer season..and from what I've seen from some of your posted pics you're good at it.. so it must be fun for you... If thats the case.. God Bless You... I like to keep hunting as stress free and less like work as possible...

Unfortunately, I find myself starting to slide into that reality. I'm trying to fight it, but lets face it, I don't really have that many years of hunting left in me. So little of all this has a personal impact on what hunting days I have left. But the future is getting quite clear. I won't make any predictions as to how many generations before it all disappears or heads into insignificance. But even while staring that scenario of hunting decline right in the face, I still have this desire to see outdoor activities last well after me, and for me to be thought well of for having invested so much of my life in hunting, fishing, and trapping and all the other peripheral activities outdoors, So it does bother me to see it all heading down the drain. However, you are absolutely correct. The time will eventually come that the people of future generations are going to take on the destiny and direction of hunting. I just wish I could see some small sign that that is actually going to happen. We can only do what we can do and hope for the best... after that its up to the generation behind us to carry on... funny how progress can be good and bad at the same time... us older folks know how to juggle all the new technology and old traditions... some of the youngsters have not been exposed to older traditions and I'm sorry to say have become consumed by the new technology.

My great grandmother taught, grandmother taught, mother taught and wife is certified to teach. My great grandmother had classes of 50+ and never had an issue. By the time my mom was ready to retire she had kids that routinely hit, kicked, spit, swear and do every damn thing opposite of what was said. My great grandmother had consequences she could dole out and if that wasn't enough i will guarantee you the kid would get what was coming to them at home. Now days what are you going to do? And if you have parents that don't give a damn your up a creek without a paddle and you will most likely get the blame. You can argue that the quality of the teachers has gone down hill and I am not saying they are all spectacular but the quality of the parents isn't exactly a shining star either. There i corrected my spelling so it look like my mom dun learned me good. Yeah I agree that the teachers hands are tied when it comes to disciplining problem kids... but i think a good teacher knows how to gain respect even from the bad students... sometimes those bad kids need to get a little encouragement that is lacking at home... give a bad kid some self worth and make him feel like he's got a chance and you gain a lot of respect... I remember some of my better teachers being very good at gaining the trust of troubled students.

Yeah that is baffling... guys that have trouble killing one deer want 4-5 tags and get pissed if they don't get them... I would think they would be more concerned about their method of hunting or ways to obtain more hunting land than how many tags the DEC will be giving them.

Why Dave.. you did your homework on that one.. good post... I think their want to get as much volume as possible from the area is probably the reason for the overfracturing of the ground... I wonder if they could do it safely with just water to a point where the cracks are only expanded enough to gain a bit more volume than is aquired by simply drilling?.. maybe their greed and wanting to extract every last bit of gas could be why the fracturing fluid is used.. Makes no sense to me to use a dangerous chemical anywhere that can contaminate the earth... let alone peoples wells and drinking water.

With all the concern with how many tags there might or might not be I'm surprised anyone still hunted back when you only got a buck tag and possibly an antlerless party permit. Guys get way to rapped up in "how many" instead of "how much fun". If I paid the same as I do now (about $100) and they only issued me one tag... I would still hunt and have a great time doing it with any weapon they allowed... I know a lot of you that don't see it that way and I feel sorry for you... Although I have reservations about how the DEC decides bag limits and seasons... I don't.. and won't... let the decisions they make affect my hunting experience. If they said I could only hunt one day a year with just a doe only tag and a spoon.. I'd be out on that day looking to take my first whitetail with a spoon... now that would be a challenge!

The sad part is that when our generation and maybe the one behind us are all gone... nobody left will think it's as important as you, I and many others here...I will enjoy my hunting regardless of the future of hunting... the onus falls on whoever is here when the rest of us are all gone to keep up the tradition of hunting.. if they choose not to be interested then so be it... at least I won't be here to witness it.

Not sure what you mean by teachers having their hands full... but when I was in school we had 30 kids in a class... the teachers then had no problem teaching that many kids... and we all could read by the 1st or 2nd grade... someone needs to tell me why its so much tougher for teachers when they have less students in the classes and way more teachers than I had.

not at all.. two handsome bucks

I think hunter selfishness is the biggest threat... I believe most hunters wouldn't care less about whitetails if they had to give up something for the benefit of the animal... The "I have to get a deer every year no matter what" mentality along with apathy... is a big divider between conservation and hunting. Hunters need to remember that hunting is a priviledge, not a right... and the priviledge is tied directly to wildlife conservation... without conservation, there is no hunting. The want to put antlers on the wall and venison in the freezer will not preserve the priviledge to hunt... the effort to preserve wildlife and habitat will.

Exactly.. maybe something like Reading ;D ... seems that somehow kids have a tough time with that these days... It amazes me how anyone can graduate from high school not knowing how to read!! How does a teacher miss that one??

Good analogy... the hardest thing to do is age a deer beyound 3 1/2 on the hoof... simply because the body differences can be very subtle beyond 3 years old... but telling a young buck from an older buck is not that hard at all if you've seen enough bucks in your lifetime... its like the difference btween a teenage boy and an older man... and even easier if you take the time to learn a little about aging on the hoof.

That's your choice... lots of guys like waiting for bucks... I never worry about invading a bedding area or stinking up anything...even in my own back yard...the idea is not to go in and scare the buck it's to sneak in and kill him... I'm usually more worried about how long of a drag it's gonna be to the truck or my home Seriously though.. I think guys get too rapped up in all things they're told they shouldn't do when hunting a buck... that might be part of the reason a lot of guys don't kill bucks... if a hunter is constantly worried about doing the wrong things he will never learn to do the right things. I never worry about pushing a buck to another hunter.. if it happens then oh well... thats part of hunting.

You obviously care what everyone believes.. you keep replying to them..lol

Yes ..... a lottery is a competition. No.. It's a game of chance... with everyone having the same opportunity to get a DMP. A competition pitches one team against another... to see who is better.

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

Good read.. thanks Muzzy

The nocturnal thing is the hardest thing to overcome when you are a stationary hunter... that goes away when you are actively looking for bigger bucks... younger bucks seldom go nocturnal because they aren't experienced enough to know to do it... I focus on hard to reach areas when the hunting pressure is high... and have been very successful catching big bucks holed up in those areas over the years.

Rabbits are not a good judge of small game population because they tend to cycle up and down anyway... might not see any rabbits for a few years... then all of a sudden they're everywhere for a few years.

Yeah a tough angle still, but big enough body structure and antler width to say at least 2... good video too!

Like I said Dave.. I'm not saying I don't agree with your position... I do... I was just stating what the fact is... until it is a proven fact that hydrofracturing caused the well contamination... it is still open for debate... but yes I am of the OPINION that chemical hydrofracking is environmentally dangerous in some cases... and needs to be examined further... but I also think it is no less dangerous than drilling for oil or storing nucleur waste if regulated properly.

LOL.. thats like asking how old the tree is next to him... you need a lot more info than is in that photo.. to even begin to guess his age... but he is at least 1 1/2 old..

That's true. I suspect the greatest buck hunters are the ones that zero in on doe movements. Although doe movement may be a good way to see an occasional buck or two... focusing on bucks themselves I believe is far better way to see more and better bucks... Although I am by no means one of the greatest buck hunters and don't expect to be any time soon.. I have killed my share of good bucks and passed on well over a hundred in past years.... by focusing on places where bucks would hide, bed, travel and by actively looking for them I am fortunate enough to see on average at least 3-4 buck a day usually when I hunt... in some cases I come on the same buck a couple times a day... As for doe movement... a single doe would be better to keep tabs on than the movement of many does in my opinion... and if you are watching doe movement you will certainly eventaully see a buck.. but it could be days or weeks before that happens... If you focus on buck sign your chances of seeing a buck more often are far greater.. and the more bucks you see the greater your chances of harvesting one...