nyantler

Wow Buck you are good an apology from Joe. He must have heat exhaustion, MR. I don't care what people think.Dave yeah I don't really care what people think... I do however care what people know... and I'd still apologize even to you if I misread your post and replied incorrectly.

Hey.. you're close to me! Welcome aboard.

you need to put that one up on my site WNY.. thats a good one!!!

I just had my friend mount this 2005 buck for me.. I actually helped with the mount ... I actually have 2 bigger that I got after him... but this one I took while hunting with my oldest son.. so it is kinda special.

I'll sticck to recurve until they have a crossbow only season

All those proposed methods are just like you say... case scenario's... which may someday be used in conjunction with hunting.. but will never replace hunting... because it has been proven that hunting is by far the best method for animal conservation... look it up.. it's fact... not my opinion I know its a fact thats why I said it! Sorry Doe... I apologize for not reading it correctly.

Like anything else it's a personal preference... As I got older and more experienced I became less challenged when it came to killing deer... so about 17 years ago started getting picky about what I shoot, how I hunt and what I shoot them with... I still however use a rifle in the ADK's simply because the challenge is the woods itself... and shooting a big buck there makes it even more of a challenge... so it's nice to have a little firepower when you finally get that opportunity to take a nice buck in the ADK's.. when I hunt close to home it's MZ w/patch and ball.. or the recurve... Harley riders have a saying about riding a Harley that applies here about shooting trad bow... "If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand." ;D

Nah.. I no longer own a compound.. got rid of all mine years ago to go traditional... I shoot a 60# bow and can shoot quite well at 30 yards but just not comfortable outside 20 yards in the woods...if I only get 1 nice buck in my lifetime with the recurve I'll be a happy man... it's really not about the buck for me.. it's about the experience... I promise my first one with the trad bow will be a beauty, but the story will be even better

"As for your desire to hunt.. that doesn't say anything about how others feel... first of all.. hunting probably shouldn't be anyones top priority but that doesn't mean they don't love it and that they don't do a lot of it... others like you may be more content twiddling your thumbs on the sofa... and that could be a lot of the reason you have the outlook you do about hunting regs. Life is about choices... if you choose not to hunt that is your right.. for whatever reason... my feeling is that losing the weekend warriors or disinterested hunters... will have zero impact on whether or not I am for or against a new hunting regulation... if I think it's good for deer management then it's good to me... if others don't... they can feel free to sit on the sofa and twiddle... maybe that will make more room on the state land for those that do still enjoy hunting." Where in that statement does it say I have anything against weekend warriors... someone mentioned that this group of hunters might quit hunting if certain things were apopted by the DEC... all I said was that losing them has no impact on my feeling (for or against) a particular new hunting regulation and if they so choose to give up hunting and sit on the sofa and twiddle their thumbs.. oh well... it will make more room for those of you that still want to hunt that complain that state land is over crowded. It makes no reference to making more room for me to hunt... I have plenty of land and game with or without other weekend warriors. Someone quiting hunting because they don't like whats going on is their choice and should not be the criteria for adopting or not adopting new deer management regulations... the only criteria should be whether the regulation is beneficial to the animal... conservation is for wildlife and habitat... not the hunter

All those proposed methods are just like you say... case scenario's... which may someday be used in conjunction with hunting.. but will never replace hunting... because it has been proven that hunting is by far the best method for animal conservation... look it up.. it's fact... not my opinion

Working on the assumption that applying for an antlerless tag would indicate interest in shooting an antlerless deer... automatically giving out a choice between either buck or doe does not make that assumption.. meaning there is a greater chance that a hunter that is actively looking for a permit and gets one will try to take an antlerless deer... sounds like simple logic to me. I am one of those that only use my DMP for antlerless deer and always save Bow/Mz for bucks...

Good stuff.. use it all the time

Dave.. I'm surprised that the DEC has missed all the decimated herds in NY... I mean if they knew that you only saw 2 bucks and no cigar with bow and a lot more does than normal.. and your camp only got one buck... wouldn't you think that they would take that info and put out an "all points bulletin" that herds in your area were decimated and call an emergency meeting to do something about it right away?? ???

Someone isn't paying attention cuz I never said weekend warriors were a problem... ??? And I hunt all week thanks

Reporting is mandatory it's just that most don't do it.. and why would you want to eliminate one species of animal over another?.. What coyotes do is natural for them... they are predators... predation is what they do... it's part of mother natures plan... mother nature doesn't care if we have enough deer for our freezer... any marked decline or increase in deer populations is directly the result of overhunting or under hunting a particular area.

Very good points

That is the only way I bowhunt... I have been able to sneak up with my recurve on dozens of smaller bucks and have had some as close as 5-10 yards, but it is extemely tough for getting 20 yards and in on a big buck... I have gotten to within 30-40 yards many times and 25 yards once in 11 years... and I am still looking forward to killing my first buck with the recurve.

Yeah it's pretty clear that I am after all the game and land for myself... I'm curious if everyone here thinks that's true... be a good way to gauge if anyone is really paying attention...

Hunting is the only proven animal control method and will continue as long as there is habitat and animals enough to control... whether or not guys decide to continue hunting is their decision... making management decisions based on whether hunters "might" stop hunting is short sighted from a conservation point of view... It is much better to have fewer hunters... that are concerned about furthering conservation efforts... than a large group of hunters that don't really stand for anything other than their own selfishness and what hunting can do for them personally... How does that kind of attitude benefit hunting or wildlife? If my buddy wants to stop hunting because licenses get raised $10, I'll be glad to pay his fee along with mine and have the extra tags... if he was only hunting opening day and not seeing deer... I'm sure I can pick up where he left off without anyone even knowing he was missing.

I think that those of us that hunt the adirondacks know that it is a different animal and deer management there would not be the same as most places in NY... for most of the ADK finding browse during the winter months is a huge problem for deer.. buck age structure is better because of the ADK vastness and lower deer densities... you could sit in a treestand in the middle of the ADK for the rest of your life and never see a buck... it's a different kind of hunting and a different world of hunting... there is less concern about age structure and doe populations and more concern over quality food source...

One of my favorite things to do with my recurve and a blunt tip arrow... great practice for deer season and you get to eat your target

I don't buy this. You probably catch your walleye in public waters, while the majority of hunters still prefer to hunt private land for various reasons, which if you didn't notice is getting harder to come by OR costing hunters more and more to have access to. Whether you own it or lease it, it costs WAY more money than catching your walleye in public waters. There lies the difference. People won't be wasting their time and money on hunting if there is very little that is legal for them to shoot. You must have forgotten the cost of the boat, gas, license... but his point had nothing to do with harder or easier.. it was that no matter what.. you don't really have a choice if the DEC says you don't... and he's right.. most guys will continue hunting.. AR's or not... the ones that don't oh well... nobody has yet mentioned that maybe guys will stop hunting if something isn't done about managing the buck age structure cuz they're sick of seeing only young bucks... or maybe some guys wanna quit cuz there are too many hunters in the woods killing the first thing they see... this "everyone is gonna take their ball and go home" is a bunch of nonsense. Lots of fishing can be done without a boat, and one gets most of the excitement involved in fishing by reeling in that fish even if it doesn't measure up and you have to throw it back. The same cannot be said about hunting. You could have a perfect set up and see scores of deer that don't quite measure up from your stand, but guess what? You don't know for sure whether your bullet or arrow would have connected on that deer unless you actually fire your weapon at it. There are only so many deer the majority of hunters will let walk because the law says they have to let them walk, before they take up other activities where they DON'T need to buy a license, pay property taxes, pay for leases, just to LOOK at animals. You can hike without a license and see scores of animals. You can photograph them on public or private land without a license. Why would hunters continue to buy licenses if they knew there was only a slim chances of even seeing a deer that was actually legal to shoot?? Yeah, some would continue to buy licenses, but don't for a minute think the many weekend warrior hunters out there wouldn't be saying "the hell with it, why am I even wasting my time!". Lots of distractions in every day life to make hunting not the most important priority for most people. All it takes is to make the sport a little less appealing, and people will very easily give it up. I for one have way LESS desire to hunt these days than I did 20 years ago. Why? Mainly because there are way MORE important things in life than hunting. Make it where my chances of getting a doe permit are slim and where I can only shoot a buck that meets AR restrictions and I will then prefer to spend my limited free time in the outdoors hiking with my wife and kids instead of sitting in a stand by myself and waiting around for nothing. I could twiddle my thumbs on my living room sofa just the same and probably be more comfortable doing it! LOL That would be because you see it as a limitation to your hunting, I don't look at it that way.. and neither do many other hunters that understand deer management... I will grant you that the DEC doesn't have a firm grip on what deer management is either and aren't necessarily making the right decisions when it comes to managing by DMU... but the concept of managing deer herds is a sound one and is needed in many areas of NY... maybe not yours and mine... but in many. As for your desire to hunt.. that doesn't say anything about how others feel... first of all.. hunting probably shouldn't be anyones top priority but that doesn't mean they don't love it and that they don't do a lot of it... others like you may be more content twiddling your thumbs on the sofa... and that could be a lot of the reason you have the outlook you do about hunting regs. Life is about choices... if you choose not to hunt that is your right.. for whatever reason... my feeling is that losing the weekend warriors or disinterested hunters... will have zero impact on whether or not I am for or against a new hunting regulation... if I think it's good for deer management then it's good to me... if others don't... they can feel free to sit on the sofa and twiddle... maybe that will make more room on the state land for those that do still enjoy hunting.

I also don't think it is much of a challenge shooting a doe, but that is ok by me... it's a great way to gaurantee meat in the freezer each year... I try to make it a bit more of a challenge by only taking a doe during the late muzzleloader and by using either my Hawkin percussion or flintlock with patch and round ball... makes it more fun for me. I am fortunate to hunt in good areas and can take my time picking out a good size doe... If I get 2 tags and fill both I always donate the second one to the venison drive.

I don't buy this. You probably catch your walleye in public waters, while the majority of hunters still prefer to hunt private land for various reasons, which if you didn't notice is getting harder to come by OR costing hunters more and more to have access to. Whether you own it or lease it, it costs WAY more money than catching your walleye in public waters. There lies the difference. People won't be wasting their time and money on hunting if there is very little that is legal for them to shoot. You must have forgotten the cost of the boat, gas, license... but his point had nothing to do with harder or easier.. it was that no matter what.. you don't really have a choice if the DEC says you don't... and he's right.. most guys will continue hunting.. AR's or not... the ones that don't oh well... nobody has yet mentioned that maybe guys will stop hunting if something isn't done about managing the buck age structure cuz they're sick of seeing only young bucks... or maybe some guys wanna quit cuz there are too many hunters in the woods killing the first thing they see... this "everyone is gonna take their ball and go home" is a bunch of nonsense.

Extremely talented guy as well...