Curmudgeon

Having done most of my bird hunting over springers, I found woodcock to be almost unsporting. Except for Mike's explanation about having accustomed himself to faster birds, I'm having trouble understanding why woodcock would be someone's first choice.

World's best venison stew recipe. I dare anyone to try it and argue. Put it over rice. Click on the thumbnail.

How about Kung Fu bucks?

I initially opposed the use of rifles in Otsego County. Now I am pleased they made the change. My fears of bad actors sky-lining deer with rifles have been outweighed by fewer of those 5 shot shotgun bursts. Personally, I like the precision of hunting with a rifle.

Raven and crows:

That ain't no crow my friend.

Actually, they declared a truce and both fed. Note the antlered buck behind the raven. It froze in a curl so its head is up.

My satellite service data limit is getting close but I had to share this photo. More will be coming once the month rolls over.

I did say my job. I wasn't being literal. Being a father was my job too. Experts agree? Hmmmmmmmm.

Paid? Someone would pay me to do what I do? Any volunteers?

Shortears are really cool! Here's some photos a friend took.

Grow - Was this in NY? Are you sure it wasn't a Saw-whet Owl - the smallest eastern owl? Adults and juvies look very different. At one time they were thought to be 2 different species.

The French had a token force in Afghanistan - like a bunch of other European nations. History doesn't seem to be treating the French too badly on the question of Iraq. Friends in France told me that France had an obligation to tell its friend the USA that it was making a mistake. Where are the WMD? Long live "Freedom Fries"! Afghanistan 2001 FranceOver 4,000 personnel including the Marine Nationale (one CVBG, comprising the Charles de Gaulle, frigates La Motte-Picquet, Jean de Vienne and Jean Bart, the nuclear attack submarine Rubis, the tanker Meuse and the aviso Commandant Ducuing) 3,200 ground troops and 350 from the Armée de l'Air (12 Mirage 2000, Mirage F1 and Mirage IV ground-attack and reconnaissance aircraft). The first deployed French force was composed of soldiers from the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment deployed on 17 November 2001, to Mazar-e Sharif. As of 17 September 2011, 75 French soldiers have died.[8] In 2001 and beginning again in the summer of 2003, 200 soldiers from various units of the Army Special Forces Brigade (BFST), along with marine and air commandos, have conducted operations against the Taliban, under command and in co-operation with U.S. special operations forces present in the area. French forces have since supported the ISAF mission. In August 2008, France took over control of the Kabul regional command. Ten French troops were killed and a further 21 wounded in an attack – the heaviest loss of troops France has suffered since deploying to Afghanistan in 2002 – it was announced on 19 August.[9]

Barred Owls have been expanding their range with the return of forests. Screech are common but as with all nocturnal owls, hard to find. You can attract them using the same nest boxes as American Kestrels. You'll find Barred and Great-horned abroad in daylight in late spring. They need to hunt during the long days because their young are quite large at that time. If you are in an area with Short-eared Owls, you can find them hunting before sunset. You need to know where they are. Snowy Owls are back in NY this winter. Not in the numbers seen last year but they are around.

Live owl nest cam - http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/46/Great_Horned_Owls/

VJP - I don't need to do research to know that many hunters - probably more than half - have little use for coyotes. Hating coyotes - or believing they have no value is either prejudice based on ignorance, or a belief that only the things that benefit humans have value - as if we could even know what is in our interests. Go back to the beginning of the thread. NYantler says he was once an "avid" member of the He-man Coyote Haters Club. Then he educated himself. My job is to challenge ignorance and prejudice. That is what I am doing. Anyone with an open mind can find all the information they need on-line. Discussions like this plant seeds. Maybe some will grow. "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe it." Neil deGrasse Tyson - Applies to coyotes and the climate crisis. Call me anthropomorphic but I agree with Grow. I have an ethical problem with killing lactating mothers and leaving the pups to starve. We are already doing this since some whelp before the season ends. I have camera trap photos of mating coyotes taken on 1/26/15. The gestation period is 60-63 days. I have other photos of pups ~ a week old taken the last week of March. These early pups and the hunting season were raised with DEC a few years back. They said they were investigating and may adjust the season once they figure out if the early pups are common or an aberration. No word yet. No change yet.

I was in the car with my son - who lives there and is married to a French National - traveling on a road lined with sycamore trees. He asked me why are French roads lined with trees? The answer: because Germans like to march in the shade. I've always said the French are as arrogant as Americans.

VJP is right! Belo - Your comments seem out of character. Speaking to the people who lived through WWII, you would be surprised at how fondly they feel towards Americans and how grateful they are. The next time I speak to my granddaughters, I'll ask them how they feel about Americans. I'll let you know.

I believe Grow has had problems. We've been back and forth on this. Coyotes - any mid to large predator - can be a problem and should be dealt with on a case by case basis. However, livestock problems are a separate issue from whether or not coyotes are a threat to the deer herd. They clearly are not. The recommendations I have read re livestock are, if you have no problems with coyotes you should not kill any. Diet is learned. If your coyotes do not kill livestock, they will not teach their young to kill livestock. If you kill those coyotes, you are opening territory and inviting coyotes you don't know into the area. They are a greater risk than the coyotes you have. Even though VJP has a problem with me prompting conversation such as this (I'm not sure why), I find this discussion refreshing and informative. It has had over 3000 views - representing hundreds of different individuals. All are reading views supported by science and reason. It also shows that a considerable number of hunters reject the anti-coyote dogma. Well done folks.

"Perhaps Curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way the messenger is blamed for the message. They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor."

They can have my 100 year old cook stove when they pry it from my cold dead fingers!

Doc - I would like to see an attitude like yours prevail among hunters in general. So many know so little. Hopefully discussions like this will open some minds.

It isn't just unethical to think we could or should control every species we like or dislike for our advantage, it's hubris and a human conceit.

This isn't the "other side". It's your side. All these arguments about the benefits of a large deer herd are another case of the tunnel vision mentioned earlier. It isn't always about us and game species. What do other species gain? As Wooly mentioned, improved habitat, if not from having a huge impact on numbers of herbivores, they do affect their behavior (like the Yellowstone wolves). What do coyotes eat besides the game you want to protect? They eat a lot of nest predators - red squirrels, chipmunks, possums, small raccoons. They eat many woodchucks. I heard a farmer complaining that the coyote hunters are responsible for the large number of woodchucks. That is as misinformed as blaming them for deer shortages but it makes a point. Coyotes will kill and eat sedentary Canada Geese - on and off the nest. They eat feral cats, and those little things some people think are dogs.