nyantler

I have seen some unexplainable talents in my 28 years of martial arts... I believe some individuals, for some unknown reason, are able to do things that defy comprehension by the average person... they are able to feel, see and do things that most people consider humanly impossible... I am pretty sure that there isn't enough time in the world for me to learn how to shoot a bow like that.. the concentration level alone I think is beyond the capacity of most people... kind of makes me believe that almost anything is possible, even if it is beyond our ability to understand how.

The DEC manages hunters more than they do deer.

I'm pretty sure this is way above my skill level or even potential skill level... I mean he just killed the whole attacking army and I'm still nocking an arrow... just amazing stuff!

Sorry I meant, "how can anyone believe that is good management as a statewide plan... I'm with you on assessing what is needed in different areas of NY.. and yes the idea has a place maybe in some areas. But, lets face it... other than you and maybe a couple others here... nobody is offering up this idea based on how it will help manage whitetails and or how it serves conservation... all we have here are guys jumping on a bandwagon that they think will give them more deer and bigger bucks to hunt... again NY is NOT Ohio... especially in that it doesn't have 6 million acres (over 1/4 of the state) of State land that goes virtually unmanaged to deal with... there is a lot to think about for managing NY whitetails before reducing buck tags and seasons. That's a hunter thing, not a management thing.

I agree 100 %... I think that's why I have such a cynical view of all the ideas hunters have about what ought to be done in NY by the DEC. If I'm a proponent of anything it would be to shut up and hunt. At least until there is some sign of a true mission to manage the deer herd in NY properly based on all the different habitats and conditions across the state. It is hard to get behind a movement that simply doesn't exist right now. The DEC acts as if they are struggling with ideas just to keep the sport of hunting alive in NY... ideas and plan are all over the place... and it does appear that they are starting to cave when it comes to pressure groups. No rhyme, no reason... just doing... and always without a true plan backed by good management.

Depends on who you're asking as far as how well the herd is managed... I tend to agree with that statement... but the DEC's objective is population control... and a shorter season and less tags won't get that done... if we're talking about managing a herd properly you and I are in agreement. But the suggestion of a 1 buck rule and shorter gun season might be what some hunters want, but it has nothing to do with managing the herd properly and by no means the objective of most hunters that suggest it... it is simply about somehow getting more and bigger bucks to kill... nothing else has been offered to balance out a good management program that fits the need of all NY deer herds.

Anyone that believes that Archers can achieve the same kill numbers as gun hunters in the same time period is delusional. Much of what Ohio has achieved also involves out of state hunters that have flocked to Ohio because of their big buck rep. NY does not have that attraction and to think that the DEC is going to adopt an Ohio-like deer management plan based on a hope that maybe someday we could be Ohio-like is a pipe dream at best. We are not Ohio.. our habitat is different... our hunter attitudes are different... our deer management goals are different and so on, and so on... oh yeah.. and our politicians are different!

I don't understand how anyone can believe that taking less bucks and shortening gun season is good deer management... it only serves the selfishness of NY hunters who want more deer and bigger bucks and does nothing to keep deer populations in check... especially as a statewide program... might be okay in isolated areas, but I'm not even sure about that. I don't know what is broken that actually needs to be fixed, other than we need to kill more deer.

True... Those deer could be deer that have left snow county in search of a place to survive the winter... you won't find a deer this time of year in say Redfield. They migrate out to wintering areas with the first sign of snow early in winter. It is their only way of surviving those heavy snowfall areas like Tug Hill.

Although I think we may see more AR areas... I doubt that they will reduce the number of bucks we can take or shorten deer season... neither plays into their goal for population control... the only reason they're caving on the AR thing is because it has already been proven that buck kill numbers will recover to normal levels after just a couple years.

I don't think the DEC has a "goal" when it comes to bucks... there only concern is population control and trying to keep hunter numbers up.

Hence.. the reason 3 on a side is not an ample antler restriction for getting good buck age structure and only serves to protect a portion of smaller bucks. It falls way short of extending age classes beyond 3.5 years old.

Not this time.. the Feds don't arrest people unless there is going to be hell to pay... not to mention they said to "Stay tuned".. meaning this is only the tip of the iceberg... he's gonna turn over and others are gonna go down as well... you watch.

The truth is that if we're doing AR's to stretch the age structure... that would be part of a deer management move, which is about conservation and any affect it has on the taste of deer meat is irrelevant... unless hunters do what they always do and look at management in terms of what it can do for the hunter over what it can do for the deer... If we as hunters do what is necessary to properly manage whitetails based on the habitat available, everything else that benefits the hunter will fall into place. There will be plenty of healthy deer to hunt, plenty of mature bucks to hunt, plenty of healthy young does to eat, etc. etc. I find it funny that hunters will eat hamburger, hotdogs, sausage and other meat products made with the lesser parts of a cow or whatever other animal meat is thrown in that stuff... Yet when it comes to venison, and those that need it to "feed their families", only the prime most tender venison will do... LOL

Yeah I agree with you about the competition thing... I never understood the hunter vs. hunter thing either... I have always been for recording exceptional examples of big whitetail bucks for future generations of hunters to see... probably because I am one of those that appreciates the majesty that the antlers give the mature whitetail buck.. and like it or not, those big antlered bucks are the rarest and hardest to find (let alone kill) of all the whitetails. At this stage in my hunting life, that challenge is where I get my satisfaction... along with the adventures of each hunt and the stories those hunts create. The implementation of AR's would have no impact for me personally... My only acceptance of AR's comes from the belief in a broad buck age structure in a good deer management program... The idea of using AR's to increase the amount of trophy bucks in the deer population does not interest me... I have spent most of my hunting life trying to find the most challenging ways to kill a mature buck... not the easiest. I don't see the fun or satisfaction in that. You and I aren't that far apart with our views ... we might not be on the exact same road, but they both go in the same direction

It's the same as playing games and sports... not all games are the same and each has a different objective... I grew up playing sports that were very physical... football, lacrosse etc. But I also liked baseball and basketball... I like the shooting sports like trap and skeet, but also enjoy a good game of chess... each has it's own attraction.. for some reason most deer hunters have an attraction to antlers, in fact, BIG antlers... and to say it isn't so would not be honest... each sport, game, animal hunted... has it's own attraction that makes it fun for the participant... I believe that deer hunting wouldn't have nearly as many participants if the bucks didn't have antlers... I think hunters like to rate themselves as a hunter, whether we admit it or not... Big antlers, being rarer and harder to come by over the years got chosen, for some reason as a gauge of hunting prowess... Why? That's anyone's guess... but I think true none the less.

What? Like you didn't understand? Okay I'll make it simpler for you... Always real butter, rather than a butter substitute... when we use it. Feel better now that I bit on your trolling?

I believe it has more to do with the cook... my grandmother could make a boot taste great. Even the worst cuts of meat can be cooked to taste delicious. Yeah, if you're just throwing the meat in a frying pan you might see a difference. But if you're truly cooking the meat correctly, probably not.

The majority of bucks are not killed opening weekend.

Always real butter... when we use butter... olive oil is the main staple in this household.

Good age structure can't be attained short term... it takes years and much more restrictive AR's to build a solid age structure with age representation past 3.5 years old... it would have no more affect than the current voluntary AR's have had on age structure in the last 5-10 years. If you're looking for good age representation of 4.5, 5.5, 6.5 and so on it can't and won't happen with a weekend of "3 on a side" AR's each year.

Not true... I'd get into why but it's a long answer... and in the scheme of things won't mean much to anyone anyways... nor would most even care... so I'll just say it doesn't work that way.

I think you could hurt yourself way worse at a bachelor party than on a fishing trip... and a honeymoon???... you definitely might sprain something there... just sayin'

yeah.. just the air power of a small country would render our measly rifles, shotguns and pistols useless. But, in a ground war... things could get interesting.