nyantler

Entries vary each year... I have seen years with 150 and yearswith 400... on average maybe 200 + entries... a very small percentage of overall bucks taken, but there are many bucks that are never scored and bucks that just miss the book that would be considered big bucks by most. Still, you're probably looking at less than one half of one percent of all bucks taken would be considered big bucks.

I think that I mentioned here last year about having talked to a couple NY wildlife biologist from the DEC about a plan to get 100% deer harvest reporting from hunters to get better numbers to help with future decisions on DMP and other population control plans. Neither biologist thought that 100% reporting would be any better than their existing statistical formulas that they use now with the low hunter reports they get currently. I found it very odd that they thought their math was as good or better than actual numbers... Not sure how that kind of mentality plays out for coming up with good information as a basis for making good management decisions... I understand that even with 100% of the hunters reporting there would be deer killed that were not reported.. but the numbers would have to be better than simply using educated guessing... I made me wonder a little about the guys making the decisions.

Big upswing of turkeys on the 1000 acres I hunt in Madison County... been very sparse the last 3 years or so, but I saw some very large flocks during the last couple weeks of the deer season... even a couple good flocks of long beards as well.

We aren't talking about the amount of deer or size and quantity of big bucks as much as overall herd management based on the different habitats in NY... there is absolutely no deer management plan in the ADKs and hasn't been for years... the only proactive plan at all in NY in the last 30 years has been with the reduction of the doe population and even that falls a bit short based on where you are in NY... the DEC has spent more time appeasing the hunters in NY and not so much time on the actual health of deer herds all across the state. In my opinion the TDM movement by most "hunting shows" has made it more difficult to do the right thing as far as the deer are concerned... in my opinion making it easier for hunters to kill deer or kill bigger deer has no place in proper deer management... if that happens as a result of good management then great! We are behind the 8 ball because we really have NO plan that could be considered good overall deer management in NY

Yeah I suppose you're right... deer management can be a challenge anywhere in the US. I guess our problem might be that we are so far behind the 8 ball it makes it difficult to get footing for a good plan or plans that benefit all NY herds.

Last year Redfield got 96 inches of snow in 3 days and it barely even made the news... but I suppose its a big deal if you're not use to big snowfalls... and I'm sure it is crippling to a big city.

Agreed.. and probably the reason why it would be hard for this state to emulate any other state in it's attempt at better deer management... our hunter population is fickle at best, with a healthy dose of apathy and uneducated thrown in for good measure.

Redfield NY would call the storm a dusting..lol

I don't see anyone here calling him an expert... It's just a cool video showing some talent that most archers could never attain... even with editing its a cool video... 99.9 percent of all archers couldn't do what he does the one time it would take to get it on film... I don't think anyone here is saying he's God... it's just a cool video no matter how much editing it's had. I don't get the pro wrestling comparison at all so I can't comment on that.

LOL.. what you just described is how every egghead scientist would explain their own random poll... when really its just a random poll just like the NY Outdoors News Poll, just sent out by so called scientists that think they're smarter than the rest of us. I've been at deer forums with rooms full of these so called scientists from all over NY... believe me, a piece of paper from your local college may designate you a scientist, but it doesn't necessarily make you any more credible as an expert on any subject. I would trust a poll taken by deer hunters way more than one taken by the egghead NY biologists.

I'd like to see a video of this authors skills... I'm betting he's a jealous "wanna be"... JMO

This is kind of weird for a bow hunter these days that's been bow hunting for 30 years... But, I have never shot a bow with sights... ever. I have always shot instinctively... even with a compound. Shooting a new modern bow with all the gadgets would feel so alien to me. Honestly, I wouldn't have a clue. It's been 15 years since I even held a compound bow in my hands.

Love 'em... great old school look!

Congrats!! Good for you Growie!!

I think education works over the long run... there will never be 100 % participation by hunters with any aspect of hunting... but I think there have been positive trends based on education... a good example is the amount of hunters that pass on younger bucks which has increased quite a bit in the last 15-20 years with the QDM movement... habitat enhancement is another aspect that has gotten better with education of food plotting... and even though I'm not a fan of the motivation of most hunters concerning either... both still have a positive affect on the deer herd... I think we should also be educating hunters on why some of the education is important to the future of deer and deer hunting. I don't think its fair to say education doesn't work, it may not work at the speed some of us might like, but it works none the less.

Can't carry a side arm while bow hunting... it's illegal in NY.

Its illegal to carry a sidearm while bow hunting in NY... but if I'm carrying for bear protection it would be my .44 mag... I've never had a need to carry for bear protection though... I'm sure a .45 or 10 mm would be sufficient.

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.