wolc123

Maybe we should thank him for the help in paying for our ships.

I see more of an opportunity than a problem. Trump is planning the biggest Naval expansion since the Reagan era. Japan is unable to increase the size of her own navy, due to restrictions which were imposed following the WWII defeat. For many years, that nation has enjoyed "free" naval protection from the US, while at the same time exporting far more dollars in goods to the US than are imported. Those rockets that the North Koreans have been testing are a negligible threat to the US, thanks to the miles of ocean in between, but certainly are pushing their Japanese neighbors to panic. I see a win-win deal, where Japan will benefit from those additional ships. It should not take much more of Kim's "convincing" to get Japan to help pay for some of those new ships.

I am thankful that bait is not legal in NY. I am also thankful that foodplots are legal. Without them, it would be very difficult keeping huntable populations of deer, on our farms, during the daylight hours of hunting season. I hunt mostly for the meat, and the foodplots are a very cost-effective way to put meat in the freezer. If bait were legal, I might get lazy and try it, loosing some of that year-round fun that foodplots provide. Watching the soil roll off the plow in the spring, or the corn pop up in neat rows in the early summer is cool. Trapping and keeping the coons under control as it starts to ripen is fun. Watching a heavy-bodied, 2.5 year old buck step out from fully ripened and dried corn plot, and burring an arrow behind his shoulder, is even cooler. I must admit that hunting deer in the Adirondack mountain woodlands is better yet. The last few years, almost half of my hunting has been there. What that scenery and solitude adds to the whole experience, makes every deer up there worth about 10 times what those at home are to me.

If you kill the weeds with Roundup, then a small, pull-type disk or a field-cultivator like that shown in your first post would work ok. The old spring-tooth harrow, like shown in the prior post, would require an even better chemical kill to get the ground ready for planting. Rototiller don't do well with rocks If you want to go the chemical-free organic route, then a plow would be a good option. That primary tillage tool will turn under the weeds, but you will still need a secondary tillage tool (disk, cultimiulcher or field-cultivator) to break up the ground enough for planting. Finding a local farmer to plow it for you the first year might save you some trouble and expense. After breaking that ground the first time, you would likely be ok with just a secondary tillage tool in following years. I am not sure if there is a plow made that works ok with an ATV. If not,you could probably locate an antique tractor, such as a Ford 8n, with a 1 x14" or 2 x12" plow, in decent shape, for less than $2 K.

To me, any season that ends with enough meat (4-5 average sized deer) in the freezer is successful. As I stated on 3/11, it is only the ones where two of those are bucks, that I consider completely successful. A one buck rule would bother me a bit, but my suffering would be minimized with full inclusion of the crossbow. That would make replacing that missing buck in the freezer with a doe a much easier proposition.

Are the mod's taking a break? What's up with the language being used here?

What is shallow or selfish about that? Do you like the part you did not quote, about the penalty for non-compliance being the loss of a tag the next year? What about the AR's for just the first 2 weeks of archery and gun seasons?

I would never support the one buck rule. I would rather kill, butcher and eat bucks than does. We consume 4-5 average-sized deer per year. I like it a lot better when 2 of them are bucks, and I would prefer if they all could be. Bucks are easier for me to process, with less fat to trim. I do not consider a hunting season a complete success, unless I kill two bucks. I liked it better when a DMP could be used on a buck. It is not all about me though, and I do understand why does have to be killed. That is especially important in overpopulated zones, including that where I live (9F). I always do my part when given the opportunity, and suffer thru those added hours trimming the fat when I am able to get one. At least they all taste about the same, after you get rid of that. I know that I could do a lot better on doe control, if they ever opened up crossbow for all of archery season.

The .270 case is a "necked-down" 30/06. If you fire one in a 30/06, you will "fire-form" the case back to a 30/06. It could then be trimmed and loaded with a 30 cal bullet. There is no safety risk because the .270 case is completely supported by the 30/06 chamber. Accuracy will be terrible, because the bullet is not in contact with the rifling. Velocity will be down a bit because of the pressure loss around the bullet. The rifle will not be harmed. A quick internet search will show how this has been done (mistakenly) many times without harm (other than missed animals or targets). If I were charged by a hungry bear and had no 30/06 ammo, but did have a .270, I would try that before using the rifle as a club. If this were the other way around, the guy with the .270 becomes bear poop because the 30/06 bullet will not chamber in the 270.

While most of the push for AR seems to be coming from the antler-worshiping crowd, I see a clear benefit, for a meat-hunter. The quality of the venison from a 2-1/2 year old buck is about equal to that of a 1-1/2 year old, but the quantity is significantly greater. With each successive year, the quality (texture and taste) drops off faster than the quantity increases, making a 2-1/2 year buck the optimum age for a meat-hunter to harvest. The AR's would protect many of the 1-1/2's, which would obviously increase the 2-1/2 year olds available for harvest.

I would like to see a compromise version of state-wide AR's in NY state. I see more pro's than con's to that. Pro's: 1.) Improve hunter safety thru forcing folks to better identify their target before shooting. 2.) Allow more bucks to reach maturity. Con:, I only see one, and that is an increased likelihood of "tag-soup". If I could determine the way those AR's were written and enforced, it would go like this: For the first (2) weeks of archery and gun seasons, a buck must have a minimum of {3) 1" points on one side. If a hunter kills a buck that is short of that criteria, he may keep the deer and will not pay a fine. The penalty would be the loss of the ability to purchase a buck tag for that season, the following year. This change would also partially implement the "one buck rule" (on a one year delay) that many are asking for. This restriction would apply to all hunters, regardless of age. A youngster can go ahead and harvest their spike or fork-horn on their first year, but might choose to be a bit more selective on their next. An old hunter who thinks they may be on their last year would have nothing to fear. Anyone could still kill that wide, mature, heavy-beamed four point, if it is worth the sacrifice of a buck tag the following year. I see this as a win for all. Implementation and enforcement would be simple, mostly done by the computers. I don't like laws that increase the burden on the game wardens, who are already stretched too thin.

The only time I call anyone these days, is when I am up in the Adirondacks. I call my father in law on the cell phone, so that he can get his ATV as close as possible, to ease the recovery. I did not need the phone for the first one up there last year during early ML. The doe was close enough to his house, that he heard the shot while eating breakfast. She ran towards the house, after I double-lunged her, and he found the carcass before I did. The first thing I do, after every kill, is say a silent prayer of thanks to Jesus for the excellent food that he just provided. In my younger days, I would call a few of my buddies, on the evening of the kill, for a little "bragging". Now they often don't learn the score, until I run into them at a New years party.

I first heard of this more than ten years ago. For two consecutive years back then, I hunted the last weekend of gun season at a friends family camp in the southern tier. One of the daughters married a very a tightly-wound, former army drill sergeant. The first year, he had his brand-new, model 700 Remington .270, while I had my old Ruger M77, .30/06. I remember him explaining at length, the superiority of his top-of-the-line Remington, and the ballistic advantage of the .270 over over my mid-grade, Ruger .30/06. One evening, after a few beers in town, I asked him for a couple rounds for backup the next morning (I only had half a box), in case I ran out and had to defend myself against a hungry bear. I explained that his smaller bullets would chamber and fire out of my larger-bore rifle if necessary (certainly with extremely poor accuracy). Because my gun would fire his bullets but his would not chamber of fire mine, I claimed that as an advantage for the 06. Maybe even one that could stop a guy from becoming bear poop. That pissed him off a bit and he would not let me borrow any. I pointed out a second advantage, at the little store on the top of the hill, when we stopped on the way home from the bar. They had a few boxes of 30/06 in stock, but no .270. The next year, I was quite surprised to see him packing his old 12 ga slug gun and not his beloved model 700 rifle. He explained the trigger issue that had recently came up. I think he had seen something about it on TV, and he may have also experienced a misfire on the target range. Being a no-nonsense type of guy, he gave up on that rifle and never hunted with it again. I could tell that he was saddened by the ordeal and did not want to talk about it.

You make some good points for the mandatory AR's. I was previously opposed, but after reading that well-written post (in it's entirety) I think I could at least go along with them for the first half of archery season and the first half of gun season. As long as I got 2 buck tags, and could still shoot a spike or four point in the second half, I would be happy. As a pure meat hunter, I have never considered a season completely successful if I did not fill both buck tags. It has been many years since I have shot one with less than six points anyhow (excluding the scrappy, 2-1/2 year old 5-point that I killed last year mid-rut, that started out as an 8-point). I have enough shoulder mounts on the wall now, according to my wife. She struggles a bit to keep them all well-dusted. Those 2-1/2's give us the best combination of quantity and quality meat and the euro-mounts they are good for are easier for her to keep clean. They are also cheap, which frees up more of my spare cash for foodplots and ammo. With a past history in beef cattle, it is hard for me to feel good about killing does. I can't help but to see them more as the source of future-food, rather as food themselves. Also, the antlers make it easier for me to age the bucks on the hoof. They provide good grab-handles to drag the carcass to the loader, and nice reminders of successful hunts in years gone by. I butcher most of my own, and the bucks are considerably faster for me to cut up, always having less fat to trim away. I do recognize the importance of killing does, in overpopulated areas. I do my part whenever an opportunity presents itself, as long as I have the tag. My whole family loves venison, and it takes more than 2 deer to get us thru a year. About half of the deer we eat are usually does. When an antlerless harvest turns out to be a BB, it is a cause for celebration. We were blessed with one of those last year. Button buck liver, tenderloin and backstrap is about as good as food gets. Sorry about changing the subject a bit, but would you say the hunting has gotten better or worse in PA since they allowed full-inclusion of the crossbow a few years ago? I am ok with the NY regs the way they are now. The only little tweak I would really like to see is full-inclusion of the crossbow. That would make it much easier for me to fill my antlerless tags. In the grossly overpopulated zone where I live (9F), they tend to go fully nocturnal after a week or two of archery pressure. It is tough for me to get them with a vertical bow, because the rarely travel alone. Making that draw, around all those eyes, gets me busted most of the time.

Hopefully, the new Evinrudes do better in the cold than they did about 25 years ago. I remember when 4 of us were on a moose hunt up North in Quebec back then. We had two of them, including my old, well-used 9.5 and a friends brand-new 15. The water temperature was very close to freezing and the air was colder. The new 15 was so tight, we could not even pull the rope. My old 9.5 started and ran pretty good. A light-weight battery that works good in the cold on a 5 hp or larger electric outboard might come around in another 10 years or so. Until it does, I am thankful for that 60 some year old Mercury 2-stroke and a good set of oars Another big advantage of the electric is the lack of noise. Not firing up the gas outboard early in the morning opens up a whole new world when it comes to seeing wildlife.

I have a 1950's Mercury K-5, 2-stroke (16:1 gas/oil mix) outboard, with a built-in gas tank, that weighs less than a 12 volt deep-cycle battery. It runs good and starts on the first or second pull, when the water is down to about 40 degrees. It started for me with the water temperature in the mid-thirties, last Thanksgiving weekend, but it took quite a few pulls to go. This motor is direct-drive, with no reverse or neutral, and that saves considerable weight. I only use it in cold-weather conditions, because it's light-weight makes the icy stairs down to the lake a lot safer. It also pushes the boat as fast as a modern 7.5 hp (Mercury used to under-state the hp back in that era). I bought two of them (non-running) for $20 at an auction about 15 years ago. I gave one to a marine-mechanic friend in exchange for getting the other one running like new (new water pump, recoil-cable, carb-rebuild, new plugs and tune-up).

I can relate to that one. Getting to feel the pressure wave of a slug against the side of your face, before hearing the gunshot, is something that is hard to forget.

Are hunting and fishing sports? It depends on the participant. I do not consider them "sports", because my primary reason for participating is to gather food to eat. The fact that those activities are fun is merely a pleasant side-benefit. The lack of food makes it nearly impossible for me to justify any time or money spent on "sports" like golf, football, baseball, basketball, or hockey. I understand why those who's primary reasons for hunting and fishing are for "the challenge" or for "the competition" consider those activities "sports". I am very thankful for those "sportsmen". The younger animals they pass, or the smaller fish that they release, just might provide me with some fine eating.

Prayers sent.

Fortunately, I have not lost anything for good that I valued, but I have temporarily lost a few things. The time that scared me the most was when, as a senior in high school (a long time ago), I almost lost my grandad's model 37, Ithaca 16-gauge. It was about an hour before sunrise on opening day of deer season, and I was heading thru some hardwoods (not on a trail), carrying the shotgun in my left hand, and a climbing treestand, that I had made in metal shop, slung over my right shoulder. I stopped mid-way through the big, rectangular woodlot (aprox 200 acres), got out my flashlight and got a compass bearing towards a scrub-brush field on the other side. That was where I intended to put up the stand, near a well used deer trail. I leaned the gun against a tree. After getting my bearings, I tucked my thumb under the strap of the stand (as if it was a gun), and continued on my way. When I reached the edge of the woods, after zigzagging around various blow-downs, briar patches, and wet spots, I realized that the gun was still back in the middle of the woods leaning on that tree. Without panic, I said a short prayer and laid the stand against the tree that I intended to climb. I backtracked directly to the gun, in the pitch black darkness, only loosing about a half hour, and was still up the tree a few minutes before sunrise. It would have been easier with snow but there was not any that year. I missed a nice buck later that morning, but I was very thankful that I still had the gun. I blame that miss on "buck-fever" and not getting a good sight picture, probably shooting over his back. I put a 1-1/2 X Weaver on it the next year and have killed every deer I have shot at with it since then. The latest "temporary loss" happened this weekend. We were up my in-laws place in the Adirondacks, doing a little ice fishing. My father in law had one hole thru about 12" of ice when we got there, but I had 3 tip-ups and needed a few more. I don't have a power-auger, and it is a lot faster for me to make a hole with my hand-auger if I chisel a little bit when the auger stops cutting. I have an antique, heavy iron chisel with a 4 foot wood handle that works real good for that. I was expecting the ice to be a little thicker, and I lost it, in about 20 feet of water, as I was making my first hole. I figured I would eventually get it back, but probably not until summer. The fishing was fast and furious yesterday morning, but the action stopped completely about 9:30 am. When I pulled the tip-up, just before sunset, from the hole where I had lost the chisel, it felt like the bait was snagged on the bottom. There is an underwater brush-pile near that spot and I had caught a few perch there in the morning. I gently pulled the line and it pulled free, but a steady, heavy tug remained on the line. I had snagged the wooden handle of the chisel and I guided it back up thru the hole. No lake trout on this trip, but getting that chisel back was an even bigger prize. No one believed me when I told them I caught it, util they saw me carry it up to the house.

It is very interesting, watching the main-stream media self-destruct as Trump feeds them just enough tinder to to keep them burning. The best part is, they still think they have the majority of Americans on their side.

Ya gotta like goat season. I followed up a cream ale with one of those for lunch (only had to work half a day today). I also tried a sample of their new brew-house IPA. t was not that into that but I am sure that those folks like TF, who love that hoppy flavor, would like it. At least it is made with pure Hemlock lake water.

I agree with the importance of mast trees and cover. It is not all about foodplots. In addition to growing corn, two improvements I have been working towards on our home farm are more brushy cover (by removing some less productive ground from crop production) and more acorns. The mature woodlot at the back is only 5 acres and it is currently about 50% ash, 25% maple and 25% oak. We heat our house with wood and have been cutting only ash for the last 5 years, since the emerald ash borer scare started. I would like to have 50% oaks in the woods and the borer and continued ash harvest should help us get there within the next 5 years. Outside the woodlot, there is also many smaller oaks in the old hedge rows between the small (2-5 acre) fields and I am trying to free them up from ash, poplar, and maple competition. It seems like the only thing the deer like better than standing corn is white oak acorns when they are falling. My parents farm is about double the acreage (mostly hardwoods but few oaks). It is 15 miles away, which makes it a lot tougher for me to get improvements done on. We have not planted corn there in quire a few years. The last time I planted it there the grey squirrels got most of it (I kill 10 of those there for every 1 at home) . All the foodplots over there lately have been clover, wheat, soybeans and brassicas. I hunt deer there as much as at home, but over the last 10 years, I have killed 4 times as many at home. The reason for that comes primarily down to one thing, the availability of standing corn.

I would like to extend my sympathy to the confused, confederate battle-flag flying OP, who may have been shut-down on this site. If so, I won't miss seeing that flag on here because it is associated with racism. Donald Trump has already done more to heal race relations, in a few weeks, than our last President did in two full terms. I am willing to forgive and forget all the BS that those on the left have been spewing since the election. The days are getting longer now, and the increasing sunlight will soon give their suffering bodies the vitamin D they need to get into a better mood. Short days, coupled with a "major political upset" has got to be especially tough for them to take. How good it is to see America getting great again in real time. God and guns are in, and political correctiveness and runaway health care costs are out.

We are heading up to our in-laws place in the NW Adirondacks this weekend for some ice-fishing. My father in law drilled a hole today and said there was about 12" of solid ice on the lake, under a couple feet of snow. That sounds good to me, plenty to support us and even his snowmobile if we need to venture out a bit. I am thankful that there will not be the 3-4 feet of solid ice that they usually get by this time. It should not take much effort to drill plenty of holes with my manual auger. This weekend's forecast of sunshine and daytime highs in the lower 40's sounds good compared to the cold, wind, clouds and snow that we have often seen in past years.