wolc123

I know of a handful of others who also preferred the Monday opener (one or two will probably chime in here soon). Monday was not so bad if you are retired or have lots of vacation days. It sucked the worst when I was in school or starting a new job. We really need more young hunters in the sport, so I think it is important for the rules to cater a bit more towards those folks.

Since no one seems to agree on whether or not gly is harmful to humans, it makes sense to minimize its usage. The way I do that, is to only apply it where it is really needed. For me, that is directly on rows of corn. Using a tiny bit of gly there, saves me a lot of money on fertilizer. Every where else (including in between the corn rows), I control the weeds with tillage, or with mowing in perennial clover plots. I find the tillage (especially spring plowing), one of the most enjoyable and stress-free tasks of food plotting. One thing that I really don't like about spraying, is the delay needed before results are seen. There is always a little stress there, wondering if the spray will take effect, plus some more wondering if folks might be harmed eating animals that eat the sprayed "weeds", or that I might be harmed from handling the spray. Cultivating a corn field, turning over sod with a plow, or preparing a seedbed with a spring-tooth harrow, makes it look good and weed-free while the job is being done. There is no delay, nor is there any worry over harmful chemical side-effects. Controlling the weeds in a clover plot by mowing also produces that same "instant satisfaction". Possible harmful side-effects are much more likely from the selective herbicides, often used for weed-control there, than they would be from gly.

They got to be running low on fracking dollars now, so you would think they would do it just to bring in some more tourism cash.

I don't care for it, mostly because it don't look natural. A tongue hanging out (like this "real" fresh kill) would improve it. To me, it looks like a regular mount fell off the wall and landed there. Good beer choice though. That is what I usually go with at joints that do not have Genny.

Good for PA. Hopefully they will soon allow Sunday hunting there also. I loved it when NY moved the opener from Monday to Saturday. It sucked having to burn a vacation day or skip school for that.

The scrumptious Genesee "Ruby Red Kolsch" was 12 oz. That Lake Erie Walleye probably was about 6 pounds, but we did not weigh or measure it. I rarely target Walleye out there, because they start tasting like zoo plankton smells around mid-summer every year, especially the big ones. That was in mid May though, prior to them suspending under that crap, and it was still pretty tasty. We catch some of them by accident, while trying for smallmouth bass.

My favorite line in any movie was "I will take a Genny cream". Vitto Mortgenson said that to the bar tender in Philadelphia PA, in the movie "A History of Violence". There was a big Yuengling poster on the wall above the bar. Ed Harris played a bad guy in that movie. It is definitely one of my "top five" movies, mostly because of the line mentioned. Apparently, that actor was a big fan of that particular brew. Personally, I cant wait for the current hoppy/craft fad to end and for beer to get back to what it used to be. Genny cream ale is a fine example of what that should be, an ale that is smooth like a lager.

Genny is my favorite beer. Nothing washes down a raw walleye cheek, eaten right off the fillet knife, better than a Genny cream ale. I usually have a Genny light with my dinner every day. They came out with something in a yellow can last year, that tasted good out in the sun, and seemed to bring us luck with the walleyes. I think I even posted a picture with a big one and a can in the the "live from the water" thread. I do remember that contest while growing up, and I think I have one of them booklets around somewhere.

One of the best things about processing them yourself is that you are always certain it is your own deer. If the meat was tough, it probably was not aged long enough, prior to freezing, such that the rigor mortis did not have time to break down. A 2-1/2 year old deer takes about 10 days at 33-43 F, for that to happen. A 1-1/2 year old deer (buck or doe) takes about a week. 6 month olds can be processed immediately, but even those benefit from a couple days aging prior to freezing. I have only had two processed by others over the last 15 years. (3) years ago, I dropped a 1-1/2 year old doe off at a processor, up in the Adirondacks, because it was 80 degrees on the day I killed her (early ML season) and I had no way to cool the carcass up there myself. Nolt's in Lowville did a great job, had my meat back in a week, charged just $ 48, freezer wrapped, and I am 95 % sure it was all my deer. (15) years ago, I dropped a thin, rutted-out, 2-1/2 year old 10-point buck off a a big local processor in Western NY. It seemed like the amount of meat they gave me back, which included 10 pounds of excellent pepper sticks and a huge box of grind, exceeded the carcass weight of that deer. I think it must have included at least some from other deer. It was almost like they looked at the tag, saw "ten-points", and heaped up the box. I wonder what the folks with does, spikes and 4 pointers got. There is no way I would drop a button buck of at a processor. The odds of you getting your own deer back if you do that would be low, unless you have a very good relationship with them. Also, I have never and would never leave the inner tenderloins in a deer when I took it to the processor. It takes under a minute to cut them out. They fit easy in the fridge, if it is too warm to hang the carcass outside. They also never seem to get rigor mortis. I usually eat them, cooked rare, with my eggs for breakfast the day after the kill.

Those look great. Everywhere I try fish tacos in NY state fries the fish and I don't like fish cooked that way. The best I have had, north of the border, is at the South Beach bar in Ocean Beach SanDiego CA.. About a month ago, we were down in Cozumel Mexico for some "real" ones and they were awesome - made with grilled mahi-mahi (those are also my favorites at South Beach). My wife makes them with grilled NY smallmouth bass and they are pretty good, much better than any others I have had in NY.

We are still eating like royalty. Spaghetti with meat sauce tonight (doe fawn). The party will soon be over however. There are only a couple packs of that "fattted calf" grind left in our freezer. When it's gone, we will be eating like peasants again, because all the rest of our grid is from mature bucks. I am saving a couple packs of vacuum-sealed button-buck backstrap, just in case FSW shows up at the casino meet and greet this summer. If you all can talk him into going, I will do my best to make it (bearing that special gift for him, along with a lower jaw from a "probable 3.5" that I would like him to verify). .

I think that a big problem now days, is that the smart phone has put a real hurting on the patience of most people. They are getting too comfortable with always getting what they want, when they want it. I still use a flip phone and never even text, so my patience is ok and tailgating don't bother me much. I usually set my cruise 9 mph over the posted speed on the big highways, and try and stay in the right lane if it is clear. I do run the passing lane sometimes, if the right lane is too rough. In that situation, I will always move over if someone comes up behind me. Otherwise, when folks tailgate me, I just ignore them, and adjust my mirror to eliminate the headlight glare when it is dark. I always pay attention to what is ahead, and only behind if there is lights and sirens. I have to assume that most tailgaiters are very stressed out. Fortunately, I learned the answer to that issue a long time ago, and the name is Jesus.

Part of the reason it is tough to get young deer hunters started in NY, is that the rules force them to use the most difficult weapons first, ie bowhunting. There is even a group dedicated to keeping it that way (NYB). They must be very proud of themselves - more deer for them.

For me it is a little of both. Over the last (6) years I have been hunting mostly the same 500 or so acres. The first couple years, there was another hunter who worked that area pretty hard. He hunted it the whole season from opening day of archery thru the end of gun. He would never sit in a spot for long and was almost constantly moving. Unfortunately, he passed away while he was way too young, and I only got to hunt with him one time. On that hunt, he dropped me off in a spot up along a ridge, and then went back and still-hunted thru the swampy area down below. The plan nearly worked, but the deer that walked slowly by me, just 10 yards away, was a mature doe and they are "off-limits" up there during gun season. The most important thing I learned on that hunt was where the doe hang out, and that has been the key to my killing a couple of bucks in the years since. I have been going up there on 3-4 day hunts, 2-3 times a year. I always keep an eye on the weather, and hunt the area depending on the wind, trying not to spook those does. Each of the bucks that I killed was on his way to check up on them, when I happened to be sitting in a comfortable chair in the right place at the right time. The chair that I use now is the hammock-style that straps to a tree. It has a single pedestal, is very easy to carry, and offers a full 360 degree around shooting ability. I killed my first and largest buck up there from one of those cheap folding camp chairs. It was comfortable, but a real PIA to carry and only allowed about 45 degrees around of shooting. I have yet to see a mature buck, while still-hunting between spots, but have "passed" a handful of small ones, and I did manage to kill a doe that way during the early ML season. The full-sized, scoped, bolt-action, 30/06 rifle, that has been my primary weapon and killed both of my bucks up there, is less than ideal for still-hunting. That situation should improve a bit with the two Marlin lever-actions that I will be using this season (one standard model with 3-9x scope, and the other an open-sighted compact version).

I doubt that very many non-hunters would be content to get all of their meat from the store, if they knew what they were missing out on. That excellent article provides a good hint. I know that I feel a little guilty, every time I walk past the folks standing in a long line and holding a number at the local market's meat counter. Why stand in line and pay hard-earned money for somewhat unhealthy meat from domestic animals and fish ? That from wild ones is usually much better for you and can often be had almost free for the taking. It sure makes me wonder sometimes.

We just polished off a bunch of tacos for dinner, since my prior post. That is our girl's favorite meal for sure and they can really put them away. My wife made a little chicken meat too, but they both went for the venison. They are still in high school. It would be nice if they would help a bit with the harvest, rather than just the consumption, but it don't look like that is going to happen anytime soon. Our supply is holding out ok. I froze the grind from the first two last fall (big button buck and small doe fawn), in zip-lock bags and there are only a few of those left in the freezer. Once that "milk-fed" grind is exhaused, there is a good supply of vacuum- sealed stuff, from a couple of mature bucks, that should see us safely into next season. The vacuum-sealed stuff always keeps real well, and I like to have a deer or so left in the freezer the following year, just in case I get skunked. I am not certain that I could survive without venison. My wife and daughters like chicken a lot more than me, so they might be able to get by.

Someday, after retirement, I might have "the luxury of a lot of time in the woods". At this point, it takes about (4) average sized deer, or roughly 200 pounds of venison, to last my family of four a year. That makes meat my number one priority when it comes to hunting. I really do appreciate those, like FSW who have antlers as there number one priority, because if meat was it for all of us there would be a lot less to go around.

I think you are right that NY politics may have reached the tipping point of being so dis-functional that we might never see full-inclusion. Out best hope may be the split up of the state into three separate entities: Upstate, NY city, and Long Island (apparently most of the folks down there would also prefer to be "unleashed" from "the" city. My best suggestion would be to embrace and enjoy what we have now. The crossbow currently has the best two weeks of southern-zone archery season. There are other fun things to do earlier, like turkey and small game hunting, fall fishing, etc.. It does suck that the crossbow only gets 3 days before the guns come in up in the Northern zone. I think I now understand why that is. Apparently, the NYB had a lot more say over things up there thanks to the political influence of some NYC firefighter who was/is that lobbing group's president. Hopefully, he is proud of himself for keeping all the tourist dollars out of that hard-pressed area, which another weekend of crossbow hunting might have added.

My own wild turkey killing experience is limited to a single young hen last fall. When it comes to non-wild turkey, I always liked the dark meat better than the white meat. The drumsticks from that wild hen were very good eating, especially compared to those from older, wild spring toms that friends have given me on occasion. They were actually on par with those from farm-raised domestic turkey, and a bit better than any of the grocery store stuff that I have had. I can only assume that the eating quality of the drumsticks from a wild spring jake would be somewhere between those from that fall hen, and an older spring tom. I have a couple of spring tags and I would not hesitate to use one on a Jake, if the opportunity prevents itself, just to find out. My experience with eating the drumsticks, coupled with the bugs in the woods at that time of year, has cured me of any desire to pursue mature spring toms. As far as the "young buck" comparison goes, the big difference in eating quality happens between 6 months and 1.5 years. The reason for that is the 6 months old bucks have been primarily milk fed. Since turkeys do not eat milk at any stage of their lives , the young ones might not be that much tastier. Only one way to find out.

Beat me to it, probably NASSCAR fans. I gave up on that sport when they took out the cigarettes and let in the foreign cars.

I can not tell the difference in taste or texture of 1-1/2, 2-1/2, or 3-1/2 year old deer, provided that the carcasses were properly aged prior to processing. The older the deer, the longer the meat should be aged at 33 - 43 F, to break down rigor mortis. 1-1/2 should be aged about 6 days, a 2-1/2 about 8 days, and a 3-1/2 about 10 days. Most hunters have no clue how to properly age venison. If they knew how, their girl friends and wives might not turn up their noses at the venison and might actually encourage them to hunt more like mine does. If, by "younger", you are talking about 6 month old deer, then I agree with you 100 %. They are definitely in a class by themselves in both texture and flavor, and they require little or no aging time to break down rigor mortis. We have been blessed with many button bucks and one doe fawn over the years and all have been top notch on the table. I rarely see my wife happier than when I bring home a button buck. If she had her way, I would shoot them all before they grew antlers, which would also give her some more wall space for pictures and paintings.

It is wrong for me to punch a buck tag on a young one, early in the seasons, because my family depends on venison for most of our protein and the younger antlered bucks (typically 1.5 years old) provide considerably less of that. Being patient and holding out for a 2.5 or 3.5 always pays big dividends in more meat. It is mostly about the meat for me, but antlers are a nice bonus, making cool wall decorations and great reminders of successful hunts in days gone by. Most of my hunting is done in areas where antlerless deer get hammered by farmers with "nuisance permits" before October 1. I can't always count on punching many antlerless tags myself. That makes me be selective with my buck tags, and pass on the young ones early. I don't care much about what others shoot, but I do appreciate others who choose to pass the young antlered bucks. Some years, a young buck that they pass might keep some chicken off our table. I get a lot less selective later on in the seasons. My basic rule is 3 points on a side for the first half of crossbow and gun seasons. A single 3" or longer horn is enough after that. Thanks to the Good Lord, it has been more than 10 years since I had to "settle" for one with less than three on a side.

How was the meat damage on those deer ? I would think it would be minimal with the medium diameter, slower velocity bullet, especially if bone is struck. On the two mature bucks that I butchered last fall, the one my neighbor gave me was hit on the hip, and on the spine with a .243. Both bullets remained in the deer. More bloodied meat had to be trimmed away and discarded on that deer than on any that I have ever butchered (I have done over a hundred total, including a few road/automobile kills). By contrast, my own mature buck last year was struck on the spine twice, one way behind and one forward of the shoulder. Both 12 gauge sabots passed thru after striking bone. A total of three slugs passed thru that buck, including my initial shot, which passed just under his spine and behind the vitals, hitting no bone. I thought the meat damage was going to be intense on that one, after taking those three slugs. I was surprised when it was minimal, probably less than a pound total. Only a little trimming around the three bullet paths was required. The two slugs that hit further back were copper-jacketed, pointed-nose Hornady SST's, fired at a hundred yard range. The one forward was an older Federal solid lead sabot, fired at point blank range as the buck was pulling himself back up with his front legs. After seeing the meat damage from my neighbor's .243, I took it off the list of rifles I would consider for deer. I have never had excessive meat damage with my 30/06. I am still waiting to see what my new 30/30 will do. My guess is that it will be less than the 30/06, because the same diameter bullet is slower (probably half way in between the speed of you .30 cal carbine bullet and the 30/06).

He is cleared of the 16 state felony charges, but not the federal charges relating to the letter he sent to himself regarding "lynching". This story is far from settled. It might help heal the racial divide that has been flaring over the last 10 years or so. It is especially good to see the outrage from Chicago's mayor and police chief. If and when he apologizes for what he has done, it will be a watershed moment in America towards ending both racial and same-sex attraction discrimination. Now that the Trump / Russia thing is over, the press has plenty of time to cover this story.