Jaeger

I get that, but most "horror" stories are from one guy having one bad time. It's not that frequent or frequent at all. I've personally never had any issues or problems with too many hunters or careless hunters on public land. But I have had a host of these problems with trespassers on my own private land after I purchased it. I started out driving up from Southold to the eastern catskills between kingston and margaretville. I hunted the slide mountain and surrounding areas for about 10 years before heading further west to get to affordable land for my own. The worst I had was a little old lady in sneakers wiz by me on the trail, she waved hi and kept going. That was 10-15 years ago and there just are not the volume of hunters out today as there were then. 100's of thousands of acres of public land in the catskills and hardly no one there especially if you get above the route 17 corridor and hunt off the route 28 corridor. (old route 17, the quick way is now call by some interstate number but it's the southern east/west road across the bottom of the catskills, rt 28 goes east/west right through the middle). These guys are exactly right, get more than 1/4 mile off the parking areas (and especially off the dang trails!) and you'll not only have it all to yourself but will probably be near some productive active privately farmed land. Stay on the public land side and you should do very well. If your the kind that gets lost ten feet off a trail, stay on LI. Get a good compass, relevant topo map and gps. P.s. boning out the deer and taking out proof of sex is a great and legitimate way to get a deer out of deep woods. Bring in plastic bags and a light backpack. As I've said above, I've had much more horror problems on my own private land than I ever did on public land. My other land owning friends report the same.

Finn Aagaard did a whole series of tests with open sights both barrel and receiver (peep), scopes low and high power and those optic sights with fiber optics (cant think of the term, you know the short tube firedot illuminated sights) for speed and accuracy. If I remember right, there wasn't but a few tenths difference between the peep and the low power scope sights in perfect conditions for speed and the rest fell behind in the accuracy department. The low power scopes won out for speed and clarity. His conclusion, open sights offered no advantage in speed over the scope and the fact that the low power scopes put everything on a single sighting plane was a huge advantage over having to line things up. That from a guy who professionally hunted Africa for buffalo, cats and elephant for over 30 years, a low power 4x (early on a 3x) on his .375. (he did prefer an open peep on his .458 for really big, mean close follow up stuff, like 15' close!!) For us, or at least me, I'm ordering a leupold 3x20 long tube custom shop (swfa) for my 7x57 as we speak. It's all the gun will ever need. JMO. Jaeger

I had a large Liberty safe at my old home, was about 72" x 36" x 42" if I remember correctly. Weighed about 1200lbs and cost me close to $1200 back in the 80's. It was solid as a rock and fireproof. If you're putting it in the basement, it will probably be a capital improvement as it's hard to get them back out. I had to hire a company to remove it when we sold the house and that cost me another $700 and they got to keep the safe! Great safes tho'. Put all the family jewelry etc in it when the folks went to fla. Point is, if you are buying a big heavy fireproof safe, keep in mind it may become a permanent part of the house or cost a lot to remove. (buyers of our house didn't want it and we had to remove it at our cost).

Me. Not good enough with compound yet and even if I were, opening day is for me, the dog and the birds! So, no I'm not going out "opening day" for deer but yes I am going out "opening day" (same day, tomorrow) for birds and a mixed bag, rain or shine.

Charging up Schatz's collar and washed her blaze vest. Putting her emergency kit together, neosporine, bandages and tape, tick remover. Getting my vest together, probably 16 ga. shells, water bottles, my lite blaze hat. Footwear will probably be uninsulated Muck's, it's gona be wet! Birds or no, off a 'huntin we will go!!!!

Perfect timing. My new compound is noisy as H E double hockey sticks! First I have to remove the cheap quiver it came with, the plastic "loop" at the top is loose and rattles with every shot. Also, it's a 70lb model but lowered to 55lbs (said I'm new to it and want to be able to pull easily without praying to the sky), so I think it's not at its optimal settings. I agree the best silencer is a heavy arrow, at a clinic I was shooting 200gr heads out of my longbow and they all nicknamed it the "stealth bow". I'll be shooting 100 gr monotec's out of my new PSE. To late to go heavier and re-sight it in. I'm keeping my range to ~20 yards.

First time in 30 years I'm hunting the Bow Opener and with a new compound. Absolutely!! I'll take the first full size doe to come along. Given that I'm in AR 40, and the local genetics favor no brow tines, it may be the only legal kind of deer I see all season. Have only two buck on cams, a spike and a 4 pointer (forkhorn, no browtines).

Use the camo kind on my metal tree stands all the time. Us it to quiet and secure the attachment pins, quell any squeaks, etc. Put it on early enough and the scent washes out in the rain.

Please keep us informed. I'm interested in a home model more because I like the idea of descenting wool without washing them or waiting for decenting type sprays to dry (which to me seems to take forever). Obviously you have a field model. Old timers used to put lanterns under blankets between their knees to keep warm, wounder if putting it under a small blanket to keep it dry would still allow the ozone to escape through and up to descent you.

My first center fire deer rifle was and is a Rem 7600. Growing up with the 'ole wingmaster in hand made it a natural transition. And having all the same functions, pump, safety location and operation, etc. is nice. That being said I do have a few dislikes. First is the narrow butt and plastic but plate. Causes a 30-06 to sting more than it needs to. Would cut the stock and add a pad, but the most beautiful part of the stock is right at the butt and can't bring myself to do it. Second, it carries wonderfully in one hand without a scope but really begs for and could use a scope. This ruins the wonderful carry. Darned if I do and darned if I dont. (don't think bolts are in the same situation, for me that carry awful regardless). The older 7600 and 760 stocks were cut low with the use of open sights in mind, the newer 7600 stocks have a semi-monte carlo raised portion designed to align the eye with a scope. I had a 1-4 on it for quite a while, but pulled it and put on a williams peep. (also couldn't get proper eye relief with heavy clothes and not shortening the stock) Works great around here. Has the detachable mag. so that is a plus. Just my observations/experience.

Frankly, I think you said it. It would be cool or something to that effect to shoot a deer with an old war horse. And if you had proper ammo, it would be possible. But if all you have are fmj's it is, in my opinion , a stunt with no or little regard for the animal. All of the above assumes nothing goes wrong and you put the bullet accurately. That is not realistic. Things can and do go wrong. Even with soft points but, as stated above, fmj's transfer very little energy. Softpoints do and cause trauma. Poking a tiny hole in an animal simply because it would be cool is not, in my opinton, ethical or responsible. Others opinions may differ.

IF YOUR NOT INTERESTED IN THIS KIND OF LEGALESE SEARCHING STUFF, SKIP OVER THIS POST. I just provided it here because some of us get into this kind of thing. Ok, so I went to the site, got to the DEC section, the hunting section and found this: b. No person shall hunt deer: (1) with the aid of a dog, or aircraft of any kind; or (2) with the aid of a jacklight, spotlight, headlight or other type of artificial light; or (3) with a pistol, revolver or rifle using rim-fire ammunition; or (4) with a shotgun of less than twenty gauge or loaded with shells other than shells each carrying a single round ball or a single slug, provided however, the use of a shotgun of twenty gauge or larger having a rifled barrel or a smooth bore barrel fitted with a rifled choke, loaded with shells each carrying a single round ball or a single slug, shall not be prohibited so long as only shells having a non-metallic case, except for the base, are used; or (5) with a long bow with a draw weight of less than thirty-five pounds; or (6) with an arrow or bolt with an arrowhead that measures less than seven-eighths of an inch at its widest point or that has fewer than two sharp cutting edges; or (7) with the aid of a pre-established bait pile other than those areas established by standard agricultural production practices; or (8) with an arrow with a barbed broadhead arrowhead; or (9) with a crossbow unless such crossbow shall consist of a bow and string, either compound or recurve, that launches a minimum fourteen inch bolt, not including point, mounted upon a stock with a trigger that holds the string and limbs under tension until released. The trigger unit of such crossbow must have a working safety. The minimum limb width of such crossbow shall be seventeen inches, have a minimum peak draw weight of one hundred pounds and a maximum peak draw weight of two hundred pounds. The minimum overall length of such crossbow from buttstock to front of limbs shall be twenty-four inches. c. No person shall hunt bear: (1) with the aid of a dog, or aircraft of any kind; or (2) with the aid of a jacklight, spotlight, headlight or other type of artificial light; or (3) with a pistol, revolver or rifle using rim-fire ammunition; or (4) with a shotgun of less than twenty gauge or loaded with shells other than shells each carrying a single round ball or a single slug, provided however, the use of a shotgun of twenty gauge or larger having a rifled barrel or a smooth bore barrel fitted with a rifled choke, loaded with shells each carrying a single round ball or a single slug, shall not be prohibited so long as only shells having a non-metallic case, except for the base, are used; or (5) with a long bow with a draw weight of less than thirty-five pounds; or (6) with an arrow or bolt with an arrowhead that measures less than seven-eighths of an inch at its widest point or that has fewer than two sharp cutting edges; or (7) with the aid of a pre-established bait pile other than those areas established by standard agricultural production practices; or (8) with an arrow with a barbed broadhead arrowhead; or (9) with a crossbow unless such crossbow shall consist of a bow and string, either compound or recurve, that launches a minimum fourteen inch bolt, not including point, mounted upon a stock with a trigger that holds the string and limbs under tension until released. The trigger unit of such crossbow must have a working safety. The minimum limb width of such crossbow shall be seventeen inches, have a minimum peak draw weight of one hundred pounds and a maximum peak draw weight of two hundred pounds. The minimum overall length of such crossbow from buttstock to front of limbs shall be twenty-four inches. Soo, looking at deer section b (3) can't use Rimfire for deer and section c (3) has the same prohibition for bear. The enacted regulations are promulgated as prohibitions on the use of rimfire ammunition for deer and bear hunting and, by impilcation, allowing any centerfire rifle. Guess it was easier for the DEC to write up the regs that way in the Implements sections (still cite no rimfire in the general regs section) NO OFFENSE MEANT TO ANYONE. Just wish we all could have these discussions in a civilized manner without insulting each other. Thank you shawnhu (sp?, can't read posts and type responses simultaneously). I also had read .22 centerfire, but that I think was way in the past.

With all due respect shawnhu, where did you see that written? I pulled the "any centerfire rifle" quote from the DEC implement description website page. I am now reading the "Big Game Boundary Descriptions/Legal Implements" page 24 of the printed regs. booklet and it also says, in the black box bottom right "Implement Descriptions for Big Game Hunting". It reads "Rifle-any centerfire rifle". I see no where in either the on line regs. or printed booklet that it reads "any center fire rifle .22 and larger". If you can point it out to us, I stand corrected and better informed.

Raised a very good issue in choosing a gun. Padding, it can greatly effect the length of pull and your ability to see through the scope. Either get a shorter length of pull than you need in summer and add a pad or mount the scope farther back and use a pad during the summer. Get the scope mounted with the clothes you will be wearing. If not, the eye relief may be too short and you will not be able to see and shoot that huge buck come dead of winter with multiple layers of clothes on! Speaking from a hard lesson learned!!

For a very long time now the Description of Legal Hunting Implements for deer hunting has been "any centerfire rifle". Bothers me that no one actually reads the regs. anymore, we all did it and looked forward to it while growing up in the 70's and 80's. Actually challenged each other to pick out changes from prior years, but that's another story/topic. The confusion about both bow/muzz tags, both and either seasons come to mind, been that way for a very long time. Back to the Topic. Gentlemen, and ladies, that includes .22 hornet and all the centerfire .20 and .17 cal.s out there. It's up to you to decide if you're skilled enough to use 'em and if you think it's fair or ethical to try. If you're good enough, great. If your doing it as a stunt or to see if it just can be done, not so much.

Stand hunting or still, on any given hunt, it all starts in my pack and winds up in my pockets! And, year to year, I never seem to remember that I always carry way to much gear in the start of the season and am winnowed down by the end to just bare essentials.

WoW! That's a ton of information since I last posted! A brief scan leads me to believe (3pages a lot to read) that you are a leftie, yes? 12 guages are good and the older wingmasters are great but slugs can kick hard, more of a shove but still in the 30-06 feel class. Tikkas are excellent values for the money, built by the same co. that makes Sako's and are extreemly accurate out of the box, I have two - a .308 compact lite and a .204 stainless lite. Be careful with choosing a synthetic stock, the kick thing again, as they can make the gun on the light side. My Tikka .308 Lite compact with it's 20" bbl weighs about 6 1/4 lbs and around 6 3/4 with a simple 2-7 x 33 scope. It kicks. Somewhat surprisingly hard. Relatively hard for what you would expect. Only gun I almost got a crescent moon eye from. A fantastic woods gun, but I would not recommend it for beginners at all.

Congrats!

I'd like to add one other feature, totally camoflauged. It seem all of them have some part with exposed stainless steel that flashes every time I lift it up. Been thingking of covering it with a wool cover. Are there any insulated bota bags? sloshing is a big factor still hunting.

All I can add is double check the door gasket, looks good tho' and possibly see about straightening the damper bar. A little elbow grease and some stove black paint as above and good to go, it will get extra toasty in there.

Filson and Johnson Woolen Mills in VT come to mind and have excellent wool hunting coats, last you a lifetime. I did hear the "beagle" line was great. I am weaning off my King of the Mountain as much of the latest stuff is made outside US, in mexico and falls apart. Keeping the old pants, jacket and very versatile wool hooded sweat coat tho'. Herasy, but I do use a noisey camo coat that I get for $79 at Dicks in frigid weather for stand hunting. I think it's the field and stream one, but exceptionally warm as it is an excellent wind breaker. But did I say it's noisy? I'd probably go with a Johnson Woolen Mills coat with a hood. I still hunt in their "Benoit" shirt jacket and it's perfect. Extra front pocket for GPS or radio and inside back pockest for lunch, dry socks, etc.

I am writing this without having read any other posts(no offense guys, just want to give it to him fresh). First off, relax. It is almost impossible to "get it wrong" when choosing a rifle for NY deer hunting. Any thing between a .243 winchester through a 45-70 and in any pump, lever, semi-auto or bolt is "right". For a new hunter who's shot a few guns, get what appeals to you as far as the type of gun, lever, bolt, etc. You'll practice more if you like the gun. For a caliber, .243 on up. Again, don't worry or panic, if you're like the rest of us this will not be your only or last gun, it's just a start. Pick you gun style, then pick a caliber you are comfortable shooting recoil wise. When in doubt go lighter. Say the .308 family, .243, .260Rem, 7mm-08 or 308. And, by the way, a 30-30 is not wrong and an excellent choice to start with, ammo inexpensive and available everywhere. Practice, practice, practice. Leave the longer cases 30-06 for later, they are great and you'll probably wind up with one but get started comfortably first. Scopes are recommended as most new hunters didn't shoot when young and didn't grow up with open sights. Any good quality (read ~ $150+) scope will do, stay away from $49 bargains. Low power 2-7 or 3-9 or a simple straight 4 power will set you up nicely. So there it is, my advice to a new deer hunter. Keep it simple, and don't sweat getting it "right" or perfect, there is no such animal. Get a comfortable gun that fits you and buy as much ammo as you can afford (try different brands and bullet weights, some guns are picky and prefer a particular load). Then practice, practice, and practice some more. And get it off the darn bench after you're sighted in. Oh yeah, have fun, good luck! Jaeger

The old rule of thumb was an inch longer than your draw length. That was because most rests put the end of the arrow near the far side of the grip, the extra inch was so you didn't cut your bow hand/fingers with a broadhead. Now the rests are so much higher and further back, any of the above sound good. But I wonder about the spine stiffness statements, the carbons nowadays seem to cover so much ground and the arrows are so center shot that at least the manufactures don't seem to believe they are a spine sensitive as they used to be. The box the arrows I use came in says they cover from about 25"-31" and 40-65 lbs in about any combination.

Like airedale, I'm old school with wool and with a high marino (whoops, quaterback) merino percentage. Except, when my folks went to Australia, they brought me back some possum wool socks that make even merino wool feel like sand paper. So I use my wool/merino socks most all the time, and he is right always warm even when wet, and my possum's for that one hunt day we all have when we just want to doll up in our best and enjoy ourselves. By the way, do the insoles make the boot fit tight? Seems like they would take up space underfoot.

I started with the cheap sight that came with my vengence and quickly ditched it even before the first season opened. The preset cross bars did not match up with the bolts flight. I added a zeiss xb75 and was able to dial in the lines. It works by changing the power setting, mine is now between 3-4x. Now the 30, 40 and 50 lines are dead on. Better than I will be able to shoot in the field. I agree with the above, most cross-bow and especially designated muzzleloader scopes have way to many lines and are too busy/complicated. Do we really need all those lines? Max range on xbow about 45 yds and we are shooting at a 12", better 6", hit zone. Similar with muzzleloader, the drop is just not enough to require confusing us will all those lines. anyone who grew up with a simple duplex can use Tennessee elevation and compensate at the distances we, or better I, shoot. I'd like a good scope for muzzleloading, but will probably use a plain ole M8 4x, good enough for all my needs.