scolopaxmatt

Thanks for the links guys. Good to know.

I've never had a gun double, but I imagine it would be quite a shock and suck a whole lot.

The 555 replaces the 512. I haven't heard or read anything about doubling issues... yet. Perhaps this was a problem with the 512?

That is light. I wonder what a 20ga goes. The gun seems to have been pushed pretty hard at the SHOT show. Both FS and OL ran blog posts and videos reviewing it. That wasn't that long ago, so why would they cut the supply off after a market blitz?

There's a nice little shop in Warrensburg that has a nice shotgun selection. Nothing doing there though. I even looked on Davidsons Gallery of Guns and nothing doing there either. I can always use another blue collar double hanging on the wall.

Not yet. But it's headed there.

That's more like it. Thanks man.

Has anyone seen or had a chance to handle the new Stevens 555 OU? If so, where as I've not seen a single one for sale in a shop or online.

I'd take a job there any day. Getting paid to raise and release birds and then hunt them is a no brainer. Hell, I'd take a pay cut for that gig here in our fair state.

I can't believe no one has jumped all over this post. I've been waiting all week for a bunch of posts about Stoegers being cheap junk and advising the OP to save up for a "B" gun. Sometimes it's nice to proven wrong.

I experienced the same sort of thing. There was sign everywhere but always within 5 or 6 feet of their holes. There seemed to be no shortage of rabbits though. I thought about just sitting on a hill with my .22 but if I sat down I'd essentially be buried.

Ha! I agree. Getting skunked is a fairly common phenomenon in my world. If it came easy it wouldn't be worth it. According to the DEC survey the average grouse hunter only takes 1.5 birds in a season. And that comes after 16 hours of hunting. William Tapply works it out to 1 in every 13 birds you flush falls. While we can take into account the hours it takes to bring a grouse down, the miles is another matter. Last season on a weekend hunt out in Region 7 I estimated it was 10-12 miles of hiking to take the grouse I did. But that's what it's all about, what makes it a worth it. It's hard work to pin that fan on the wall.

Despite my best efforts I failed to take a single grouse this season. My flush rate was slightly higher than last years and some shots were fired, but none fell. As far as numbers go, there seemed to be more birds around than last year which is encouraging.

Sadly, today marks the end of grouse season. How'd we all do? Anyone exceed last years averages from the DEC hunter survey? Anyone else participate in the log survey?

Thanks for the bold type interjections. In case I missed the point.

As I understand it, a lot of decoys are recommended. A LOT. I've seen guys use gallon bleach bottles and milk cartons, cardboard cut outs spray painted like geese and plain old plastic bags in their spreads. The sky is the limit for waterfowling as far as gear is concerned. Or you could keep it simple and jump or pass shoot. As a novice myself (and a broke one at that) I opted for jump shooting. I can't afford the gear and as an upland hunter I prefer to be on the move.

That only makes me wonder, why even mount the study and take the time to draft a management plan? This will probably end up like the revised fishing regs where few substantial changes are made, at which point Grow is right. A waste of time and money.

I once found a hen pheasant that had run into a trap. Also had one clamp onto the toe of my boot.

Left, right, center... Who the hell cares. If you hold office you're a villain. Period.

Thanks. It's a start.

There certainly should be. I have a house cat and I love that little guy, but he's a murderous SOB and damn efficient when he gets outside.

Could you elaborate on that a little. Are the traps pressure sensitive and is that adjustable? There must be a fair amount of scouting involved to see what sorts of animals are using in what areas but I'm really in the dark on this one and it's something I've never had the opportunity to ask one who actively engages in trapping.

The recent thread concerning NYSDEC's DMP for fisher has sparked my curiosity. I don't trap. I don't know anyone who does. I've hunted on some tracts where someone was actively trapping but honestly don't know anything about. So, once the trap is set how do you ensure that you don't trap unintended or possibly illegal targets?

Given this information do you as a trapper feel that the population is healthy given the 60+ taken from your local population and therefore not in need of management? Or is this an argument for management to sustain trappable populations?

And here I thought they were all just moving into town where the pickings were easier. Take that rodents.