wolc123

I am not so sure about that. I spent 4 of the last 5 Memorial day weekends up in the NW Adirondacks without suffering a single black fly bite. I never even used any insect repellant. Most of my time outside was spent on a lake that was loaded with fish which may have something to do with that. Good choice, you are less than 10 minutes from Buttermilk falls, which is a free "natural" attraction that your kids will love. I remember the Adirondack museum in Blue Mt being a little pricey and that is about 30 minutes away.

We took our kids up there when they were about that age. Their favorite spot was Buttermilk falls, which is just upstream on the Racquet River from Long Lake (actually not a lake but a "wide" spot on the river). They liked it so much that they still talk about it, almost 10 years later. The falls are just a short hike from the main highway. The kids had lots of fun jumping between the rocks at the base. I can not think of any finer scenery in the lower 48.

It would certainly stop the gun purchases of some law-abiding folks. They are not the ones who use the guns for crimes however.

Arming some teachers and staff seems like it would be a cost-effective step in the right direction. Those folks should get some type of bonus, but due to the increased frequency of school attacks lately, many would volunteer to do it for no additional compensation. Besides more bang for the buck, they would offer additional advantages over armed security guards. They could be put into place quickly. Some may already be there, especially pistol permit holders in states like NY which already have tough gun laws. They already have a feedback system in place to provide clues of where and from whom danger might be expected. The bad folks are going to be a lot less likely to strike, not knowing who may be armed, than they would against students who are protected by a known and lesser number of security guards.

Thankfully, it is very good. I probably hear 3 deer first for every one that I see first. That is a big help up in a stand for getting my gun or crossbow in position to make the shot. I always wear hearing protection while shooting firearms on the range except with the bb/pellet guns with which I do the bulk of my target practice. We have all been required to use hearing protection at work over the last (3) years, and it seems like my hearing has gotten better over that time. The nurse at the hearing test remarked that my hearing was very good compared to most whom she had measured. I use it like radar when hunting, and would definitely have to alter my technique without it.

You must have missed the "in the last 13 years" part. No big deal, none of us are perfect. Think about a little more research before throwing stones, or skip it altogether. I am sorry to hear about the loss of the goat and your bad mood is understandable. I forgive you completely for your latest oversight.

As Buckmaster has already mentioned, if you are taking it on and off a lot, then and aluminum cap is a good idea, because it is a lot lighter. Almost anyone can remove a 5-1/2 or 6-1/2 foot aluminum cap, using just one hand. The downside is that aluminum caps are uglier (in my opinion), but looks don't matter to everyone. My current cap is an 8 foot fiberglass model. It is heavy, but with some difficulty I can move it from one truck to another by myself, by backing them up to each other, getting under the center, lifting and then turning it around, and walking it onto the other truck. Some variation of that with a raised rack and platform might work for do it yourself unloading from a single truck. To take it of a truck and set it down on lower racks, I need a helper. Since that is not always available, I made a set of wood fork-extensions for the front loader on my tractor, which makes it an easy one-man job. A sliding front window is nice in the front of the cap, if you ever have passengers back there. The locks on most of the rear doors are garbage and when they crap out, I just bolt a hasp one side of the door and use a padlock to lock. Most truck caps come with brake lights which must be properly wired to pass inspection. You can not just splice it to a back side brake light wire of your truck or it will flash with the turn signal and not pass inspection. A cheap way out of that is to remove the entire brake light assembly from the back door of the cap. As far as the color of the cap goes, I like a contrast with the truck. A black cap looks good on a white or silver truck. Those are the only truck colors I run because anything else takes too much effort to keep looking clean. If you are thinking long-term, about what to do with the cap when it reaches the end of service, you can't beat a construction-style cap with fold out sides and a ladder rack. These make great covers for ground blinds. Those sides make nice sun and rain screens when they are folded out, and the ladder rack can support a second floor to be used in fair-weather conditions. I have a few of those two-story blinds and they are definitely my favorites. I shot a mature buck from the upper deck of one last fall with my crossbow. He was fooled by the sound of me scraping the leaves off the upper deck, probably thinking it was a rival buck clearing a scrape. When he came in to investigate, all he caught was a bolt thru the lungs.

What kind of barrel was that? I bought a Hastings barrel with a cantilever scope mount for my Remington 870 many years ago. That thing would vertically stack the slugs as the barrel heated up and the cantilever deflected. After missing a deer clean (I think), and hitting a few in spots away from my point of aim, I verified the issue on the range. I got by with it for a few years by only shooting with a cold barrel, but that took considerable extra effort. I traded it in at a local gun shop, to partially offset the cost of a new T/C Omega 50 cal ML, which served me well thru gun season until the previously explained mishap 14 years ago. These days, thanks to my Marlin 512 bolt-action rifled slug gun, that ML is relegated to ML season only. There, it is only used for shots under 100 yards, unless the deer is perfectly broadside. It has never let me down in those situations.

Other than the occasional hunt for pure nostalgia, I would probably not hunt deer with a shotgun if rifle were legalized in my home WMU. I can still handle the weight and recoil ok, but not so much the cost of the ammo. When and if I do spend that kind of cash on ammo these days, it is always on those 2-3/4" 12 ga Hornady SST's like you used for your group. They group as well as any from my primary shotgun (Marlin 512), and have always put the deer down in their tracks. Some of the other sabots I have experimented with thru the years have tested my tracking skills considerably more. I used my ML for a few years at home throughout the regular season but discontinued that practice after loosing a single-lunged buck 14 years ago due partially to lack of energy at long range (175 yards), along with my poor tracking. The bolt-action 12 gauge, firing those SST's, gives me nearly equal accuracy at that range. My farthest kill with the 12 gauge sabots was a big doe at 163 yards. My favorite thing about that shotgun is having those two extra shots, each packing nearly 3X the downrange energy. That has allowed me to quickly end the suffering on a couple, and also kept a few deer families together in "deer-heaven" (our family's food supply). My only problem with the Hornady SST's slugs is that for some reason "shooter" antlered bucks have not showed up when I am carrying them. Maybe they give off an offensive odor or something. My last antlered buck at home during gun season was about 6 years ago, on one of those "nostalgia" hunts, using my grandpa's old Ithaca 16 gauge model 37 and a foster slug. Even last season, the only antlers I saw at home during gun season was on the one hunt when I carried that old Ithaca and cheap foster slugs. Some years I am thankful for having that gun-season buck-tag available later up in the Adirondacks, where I can punch it with a "real deer gun", Like my Ruger M77 30/06, or my new Remlin 336 30/30 (I still need to christen that one).

Electronic devices are largely responsible for the increasing rate of stupification. It started with the radio and got worse with the television and computer. Where would we be today without the "smart-phone" ?. No longer does one have to use their own mind. If you don't use it you loose it.

Where and from what did that start ? Do you really believe that something can come from nothing ? That takes a lot more imagination than a simple belief in a Divine Creator (aka God). It is no wonder that 70.6 % of this country currently identifies itself as Christian. Even the famous discoverer of the "theory of relativity" eventually accepted this Gospel truth. Most of us lack your level of imagination. My prayers go out to all who were affected by this latest shooting tragedy. We can all take comfort in the fact that Evil has never and will never Triumph over Good. The Divine Creator Himself always makes sure of that.

Doewacker is apparently one of those rare individuals who believes that "something" came from "nothing".

No recorded calls but many years ago, I had a red fox come in to a dying-rabbit mouth call in the late morning (around 10 am). That was before predator hunting was very popular. It got within 15 yards of me. I was not able to get off a shot with my .22 single-shot. It was moving fast and really took off when it caught my sent, never offering a good shot. I was wishing I had a full-choke shotgun loaded with #4's. That is what I have used to kill a few red foxes in the years since then. They also responded to the dying-rabbit mouth call, but were all taken on snowy moonlit nights, usually between 8 pm and 10 pm. I have never visually identified a coyote responding to that call, but I may have heard a few (if they were not foxes). They seem to have a real knack for getting down-wind before exposing themselves. I have had the most luck on coyotes without a call. They respond well to the scent of a deer (or other) carcass. I throw my butchering remains, as well as the occasional road kill, on a pile that is about 100 yards behind my bedroom window. I still have to search that pile for the lower jaw of this year's crossbow buck, so Doewacker can properly age it. There is an untouched (except for a missing tail) semi-frozen road-kill doe out there right now, but the snow has melted and there is not much moon. If she thaws a bit more and starts throwing some scent, and the moon and snow cooperate before the end of June, I might see some action. All this action is in zone 9F

That is a very good guess on the total weight of boneless venison that we ended up with last season from my only two kills. We would have had to start rationing in the early fall, had it not been for the vacuum sealer and a record haul the year before. Next time I get one, if you pm me your address, I will send you the lower jaw.

I am sorry I thew away the lower jaw. The skull on the left is about average for a 3-1/2 in our zone (9F), while that on the right is on the small side for a 2-1/2. The skull in question was just a bit wider and longer than the one on the left. I should have saved the cape, as it would have been nice for someone looking to restore a shoulder mount.

I did think that one was a 2-1/2, until I finished the euro and got a good look at the skull and teeth - definitely 3-1/2. The antlers were certainly not all that impressive though. Sorry about any weight estimate errors. I inquired about a scale availability in the classified section but apparently that post got deleted under the new "thread crapping" clause.

The last aluminum arrow I shot at a deer was more than 5 years ago. I have been using carbons the last (4) years with my crossbow. You did the right thing harvesting that wounded buck. I am thankful he did not offer me a shot on the first weekend of crossbow season last year, or I might have been tempted to punch my tag on him. That would have cost me that stout 3-1/2 year old that is squatting down my wife's minivan in that picture you posted. Thanks again for your "good deed" in our hunting area.

This is not really a nuisance permit situation. Per the NY state DEC website (see note 2 when you go there), a landowner may destroy "damaging" coons without a licence or permit of any kind, but the carcasses must be buried or burned immediately, if this is done prior to the opening of trapping season. That means not just tossing them out in the fields until after October 25. Waiting until October 25 is too late to save much of the corn in my fields and garden and fish in my pond (that stuff is included in the "damage" definition on that same website). As long as I carry a shovel along with my .22 when I am checking traps, full compliance with the regulations is no big deal. Coons are about the easiest fur-bearer that there is to trap. A few box traps, baited with peanut butter coated marshmellows, combined with a couple "dog-proofs" baited with cat food can quickly eliminate most of them in a given area. Tinfoil wrapped around the pan of a leg-hold trap, placed under shallow water near a run is also effective. Growalot never seemed to understand these regulations and came after me a few times on this issue, apparently seeing herself as the protector of those cuddly little nest robbers.

He only posted a photo of a few inches of the front part of a broken arrow and claims to have seen but lost the back half. That would have showed all of us if it really came from a crossbow or a vertical. Aluminum arrows fell out of popularity long before crossbows were legalized in NY, so based on that, my guess is that it came from a vertical bow. We will never know for sure.

How many years have you been hunting ? I ask because you don't seem to know the difference between a crossbow bolt and a short arrow fired from a vertical bow with an overdraw. Hint, not many crossbows use aluminum arrows. I killed three with a vertical bow over the span of 5-13 years ago. I stopped using it when crossbows were legalized 4 years ago. The last jumped the string so far (down and back) that he took the arrow thru the neck and juggular vein. That made for a quick easy recovery anyhow. I think you know the secret of my 100 % recovery over that stretch. If not, it is all based on keeping myself on good terms with He who controls the fate of all living things. After you see the reaction of a few more deer, you will go along with the 25 yard peak string jump theory. You can almost see it from the others who have posted on it on this thread. You sound confused. I did post a picture of a 198 pound buck (approximate per the PA chest girth chart) on the back of my wife's grey van, but I think my doe was only around 126 pounds per the same chart.

Are you sure they were misses ? What "proof" of it do you have ? The reason I ask is that the single biggest mistake I ever made as a hunter was 14 years ago, when I "assumed" I missed a buck with my ML. I followed his tracks for over 300 yards in fresh snow, from where he stood when I shot, without locating a single drop of blood or any hair. It turned out he piled up at 350, but I never found him until a week later. 3/4 eaten, with the help of the crows. Since them I have discovered that fresh snow does not always "prove" that a shot was a miss. Small drops of hot blood often fall right thru fresh snow, not leaving any trace on top. Without an exit wound, the odds of that are very good, as was the case with that ML buck that most likely was single-lunged and struck right at or near my point of aim as he stood quartering away at 175 yards. In the last 13 seasons, I have killed and recovered one buck for sure that I would not have, and recovered another that I might not have, had I not assumed that EVERY shot was a hit until PROVEN otherwise. I hope you realize that every time you pull the trigger, the odds of the bullet striking your point of aim is higher than any other spot.

I struggled a bit with string jump in my early years. I have observed that the trouble from that peaks at a range of 25 yards. Everyone seems to understand that the closer the deer are, the less distance they can cover in the time it takes for the arrow to arrive. Few seem to grasp the fact that the farther the deer are away, the less likely they are to flinch. My experience has been that string jump is a non-issue beyond 40 yards, although I have only shot a single deer over that range with an arrow (technically a "bolt"). That buck was at 59 yards and he never flinched and never had any clue what hit him. There is a lot more to it than distance though, with the biggest factor being the "alert" status of the deer. These days, I really go to extremes to avoid shooting at "alert" deer with archery tackle. That means no rattling or usage of a grunt call, or even a whistle to stop a walking deer. It also is why I no longer hunt with a vertical bow. With a crossbow, I don't have to worry about alerting them as I make the draw. Those measures have paid off in no wounded and non-recovered deer for me in the last 13 years. Aiming for the heart is very a good idea though, because there is no way anyone can know for sure just how alert that deer is when you make the release. Also, the broadhead does not mess up the heart like a bullet does, which might deprive me of my favorite Valantines day treat.

My wife made me up some pickled heart for the special day, like she usually does. Only two deer for me this year, so she threw a beef heart in with one today. She pickled the other one on Thanksgiving with a beef tongue. It is too bad deer tongues were not a little bigger. Pickled moose tongue is the best wild game I have ever sampled. I got her a bag of her favorite candy and a hand-written sticky note with a loving message of thanks.

We probably have some very healthy coons around here because we keep up the trapping pressure, even though the hides are worthless. I figure that a coon trapped around Labor day might save me about 10 bushels of corn. Coons start the chain of destruction on corn, by knocking down the stalks, allowing other species (like birds, mice and squirrels) to finish it off. Folks would understand the value of trapping a lot more if they or their kid/dog/cat got bit by a rabid or distempered coon.