Jennifer

Yes, search for "(your county) county GIS". I know Allegany and Catt. counties have them and you can turn layers on and off to show the property markers and such. Be advised that these are close to the real property lines but can be a little off (I know on my property the lines are about 20-40' off), and should not be considered actual legal property lines-- only a true survey can show those. Here's the Catt. county viewer: http://maps2.cattco.org/parcel/

I know most of you are joking about your spouses, but a few of these-- owch! I know you don't want to spend every moment together but I hope most are jokes, it almost sounds like some of you hate your spouses. Anyhow, I got my husband into hunting.. he was raised in an anti-hunting gun phobic household so it took some doing, but now we really enjoy our time out together. It's pretty much understood that once we are in the woods, it is woods time and no talking, not that I was ever very chatty anyhow. I haven't quite gotten him to where he is comfortable with the aftermath-- I still do all the gutting/cleaning/butchering but he's getting a lot better about it. He's not squeamish, just inexperienced. It has been really wonderful teaching him. He took his first turkey this past spring and I was really proud of him, and he really enjoyed it! The time in the woods together are some of our best memories, and it's not always when we see our target game. We still have separate hobbies, and hardly spend every waking moment together, but the silent shared experience of the woods and hunting together is something that I really cherish. I also understand that many of you have spouses that are indifferent or downright hate hunting, so of course I wouldn't expect you to hunt together. Just wanted to share my experience. Where I live in WNY I have only met one other female hunter-- actually a lot of people seem surprised I hunt if they learn I do. I am a wildlife artist and I do shows where I display my work, often featuring game animals, and I have had some fellas seem really surprised when they learn why I paint what I do!

These threads never end well... You did the right thing, as frustrating as it was. If your neighbor is approachable, just politely inform them that it's illegal to let the dogs "run at large" and that it can carry hefty fines. If the neighbor seems receptive to such a discussion, you can mention that even sweet dogs will harass a deer to death, and it's not a pleasant way to expire. Mention the barking, and that you'd appreciate it if they could be more considerate to their neighbors with the noise. Sometimes this helps, sometimes it doesn't. I really hope it does. If it doesn't, well, it's time to start making calls and complaints. What they are doing IS illegal. Trust me, this really gets a fire under my collar too (I can't tell how how often neighbors dogs have come over and harassed me and/or my poultry) but the last thing you want to do is harm the dogs, unless they are offering direct threat to you, your family, or livestock. It is always best to follow all legal routes first, if talking doesn't get you anywhere.

This is a region 9 thread... But I am happy to hear you have one! I was very lucky to get a 9X doe tag this year. It's been two years since I've had the fortune to draw one.. took 2 preference points. I always find this interesting because there are very large deer populations in very localized areas (all winter last year I had a group of 16-18 come through my yard daily!). Determining the deer density must be difficult for the DEC in some areas.

A doe always drops twins in the woods behind my house every year. Of course, we don't know if it's the same individual from year to year, but there is always a doe with twins so we say that's the case. Curiously, when we are outside with our chickens, the deer will approach quite closely. I suspect that they use the chickens as indicators of risk-- deer do this with wild turkeys. It makes sense... a turkey can see forever, and a deer can scent (and hear) forever. I think that the deer use the chickens in this way as well, and as we pose no threat to the chickens, we are little threat to the deer. This is only a theory but I have noticed that even though the deer don't react at all to our voices and scent, if a neighbor drives by or steps outside, they spook. Regardless of theories, the doe always brings her fawns quite close, for whatever reason. We always just sit quietly and enjoy. They come quite close. This is full frame-- not cropped. The twins, together.

Sorry, I think there was a misunderstanding. My comment about turkeys being precocial was only indicating that the majority of squirrel predation probably stops once they eggs hatch out (once the poults are mobile, the predator ballgame changes for them, as you mentioned). I agree with you that before hatching, and especially before incubation, there is a huge chance for turkey eggs to be predated upon by squirrels if the hen is nesting at the base of a tree. Mortality rate is high enough after they hatch. As you said, anything that reduces the clutch size also weighs in. Smaller clutches mean that any predation of the poults or young birds takes even more birds out of the equation.

NYchick, I have hunted my whole life so I hunt more than just for meat, but the food aspect of this has become an important part of my life. Sustainability, local foods, and no commercial meats has been important to me for a long while (not part of any fad or movement, though I am glad for the increased awareness). The ability to supplement with wild game-- especially big game like deer-- depends greatly on the number of tags you can get for your WMU, the deer population where you hunt, how much pressure they get, your skill and knowledge, and luck. As you can see, that's a lot of variables. It's hardly a guarantee. The years that we take no deer, well, we sure do eat less meat. Is it cost effective? I don't know. Price out what local farms have for half or 1/4th a cow (seriously, the best way to buy it in terms of cost) if you can find some pastured/ grass-raised beef. http://www.localharvest.org/ is a good place to start. If you find that buying beef would be less in terms of financial investment, and time invested, you will need to decide if hunting is something you want to do and learn anyhow. If the answer is yes, go for it! See if you can find someone local to mentor you. There is nothing like learning with someone. If I were closer I'd be happy to take you out.

Absolutely, studies have shown that rodent predation on bird nests-- both eggs and baby birds-- may be much higher than previously thought. I don't think it's a stretch to say that rodent predation on unattended turkey nests is a factor. Poults, being Precocial (born with eyes open, feathers, and ready to go) have less to fear from squirrels and the like than nest-bound Altricial (naked, blind, helpless) birds but then they have a whole different type of predator to worry about. Predation of turkey nests/eggs and poults is less than straightforward. I wish it was as easy as pointing at one predator, but it's not.

If it was me, I'd leave it be and enjoy the pest control it provides. They can do a number on mice, rats, chipmunks, even smaller snakes. Either way, thanks for not killing it. That's sort of a knee jerk reaction to an animal that actually can do us a lot of good.

I have to laugh a bit. In years past, when I was quite young indeed, my dad and I would spend an entire season, excited to hear a single gobble. There was a year or two we heard nothing, and this is when he was younger and hunted hard and we had a lot more land open to us. This isn't poking fun at anyone. I'm just saying that I get excited just to hear a bird or two! It's exciting just to "talk" with them. They are the only species I hunt that you can really have a conversation with and interact with so much.

I don't know about others, but I have a heck of a time judging the size of an average, single bird by itself. In a group, no problem.

She just really doesn't like it. She wouldn't try to stop us or anything but it does not sit well with her. Funny enough she is a lot more okay with bird hunting than deer. I think she is slowly changing her mind, but it is just the common disconnect some people have between what we eat (meat) and its origins. I respect and love animals which is actually one (of many) reasons I do hunt-- I know what happens in (large scale) commercial meat farming. She is respectful though, and never gives us a hard time or anything. She just disapproves.

Thanks! I should clarify that the situations prior were not unsafe, but he was just inexperienced enough that was was unsure and erred on the side of caution. As you guys know things sometimes play out perfectly and you have a lot of time to decide, and sometimes things happen way faster and you only have a few seconds to access and decide on things (Is it safe, what's beyond the target, is it an ethical shot, etc). We enjoy going out no matter if we take something or not, so we are both okay with just "watching" sometimes!

His mom is pretty against hunting and the rest were non-hunters during his childhood and on up. I guess his dad used to hunt but refuses to talk about it now so who knows what happened there!

They seem to flourish regionally and locally. I have hunted some areas and never seen a tick on myself or my companions, and then 5 or 10 miles down the road have had to pull them off by the dozen. It is thought that their numbers vary so much because of acorn production, of all things (in addition to variables such as animal population density, and possibly extreme cold). Their cycle seems to depend on the mast of the prior year( specifically acorns); in areas with a good mast the prior year, the white-footed mouse population explodes because of the greater availability of food. The white-footed mouse is actually the main vector for deer ticks! The tick population grows fat on mouse blood, especially at the nymph stage. This is further compounded if the next year has poor mast, and the mouse population drops. Suddenly there are a lot of hungry ticks with not many hosts. Less ticks feed on mice and are looking for other hosts (people, pets, deer). Have some of you ever noticed that some years the deer we take just seem to be loaded with ticks, and other years they aren't so much? The relationship between tick, mouse, and acorn mast is still being researched. I actually have a friend that does that research for a living. It's a complex cycle.

I am so excited for him! My husband took his first turkey today, and his first game critter other than squirrels. I should probably give a short backstory... I grew up hunting with my dad and I love spending time in the woods with the people I love. My husband grew up in an anti-hunting family, and he wasn't sure about the sport when we became a couple. I introduced him slowly and taught him what it was about, and cleared out the stereotypes and whatnot, and he grew to love it! People actually seem to get a kick that I got him into hunting and not the other way around. He's been hunting with us now for the last several years. He's had few chances at turkeys, mostly in the fall, but he was still learning and didn't know if it was safe to take the shot so he didn't. Today we were hunting on a lease that my uncles are on, with permission. They only deer hunt so they don't mind us spring turkey hunting up there. After a day of hunting hard and not hearing a peep, we were just on our way out, walking down a logging road at around 11. My husband hurt his knee yesterday and was in need of a rest and I knew I had to get home and start working on dinner for my mom so we were leaving a bit early. I stopped near a small clearing (before trudging down the road in plain sight) and gave a few last 'desperation yaps' and was surprised to get an answer from two gobblers. It was very hard to tell the distance because the wind was simply howling at that point in the morning, but I had a gut feeling they were pretty close, so I had us dive up into the woods and set up on the small clearing. I waited for the wind to temporarily die down and called just a little bit more, quietly. No answer, but I shut right up and waited. The wind kicked right back up again and it was gusting pretty hard, maybe 30-40mph. I was scared the wind would have them extra spooky even if they came in to us, and I was feeling extra spooky and must have checked for dead limbs overhead a dozen times. Yikes! It was actually snowing on us at one point, strangely enough. About 15 minutes later, a pair of hens came across the clearing. I was so excited just to see them! I must confess-- I don't know if the birds around here are just extra tough or if I am just not good at hunting them but I've never been able to connect with a spring turkey before. Fall birds-- yes, but we don't often even get any gobbles out of the local birds and they are a very tough hunt for me. So even seeing those hens was a delight. Seconds later, two jakes popped out and it was clear that they were the double gobbles we heard. It was hard for me to make a beard on the first, but the second one had a 4-5" beard sticking out for sure, so I guided my husband onto him and told him it was a legal bird if he wanted him. I don't know who was more excited-- him or I! When the larger jake got in range I putted softly to get him to stick his head up. Well, the setup was perfect and it was a safe and clean shot so he took it and the jake went down cleanly. What a blessing this bird is! I am so proud of him and I know he took joy in this. I cleaned the bird when we got home (after getting mom's dinner started, whew) and am happy to do a nice tail mount for him. I know it is 'just' a jake but this experience has been pretty awesome for us both and we're super thankful that we can hunt these beautiful birds.

A mature gobbler will often have a startlingly red/white and blue head (when he is alive). But, it might well be easier to mistake a bearded hen for a jake that's not flushing. I cannot promise that I wouldn't make the mistake, as sometimes you only have a few seconds to decide on the shot or not. Other times you have a long look and can pick out the differences. I should amend what I said and say: I would pass on a bearded hen that I was sure about. I'm not perfect!

Yep-- a very dominant hen can sure put on a show. I know folks who have chickens, and without a strong rooster presence the boss hen will sometimes take on the role. Crowing, wing-dancing, even growing a larger comb. I imagine all social galliformes are similar in this way. I'd pass on a bearded hen right now. Our turkey numbers are down and any extra poults that come from her nest are very welcome.

Yep! I'm south of you. Those are full sized chairs, haha.

I'm currently self-employed, full time artist. A lot of people laugh and tell me it must be nice, but let me tell you that I put more hours in now than I ever did working full time anywhere else. No weekends or free evenings! And the extra self employment taxes are killer. It's stressful but I'd rather work my rump off doing something I love, than work my rump off doing something I hate. I also raise chickens.

I lived in TX for a while. Looked into hunting while I lived there, but everything I could find was leases only, and at prices I sure couldn't afford at that part of my life. It's kinda getting the same way around here (WNY) but at least I have the option of large state owned lands if I am willing to drive a bit. What really did me in down there was the heat-- I get ill easily if it's too hot and I was miserable for 8 months out of the year. TX isn't as free as it likes to think. Do a search on what's going on with the Keystone Pipeline on private property down in TX if you're curious. To be fair, this is happening in many areas, not just TX. That said, TX is fine for those that don't mind hot summers, and they do have a lot of game animals down here. If it floats your boat, awesome! A wise friend of mine once said: "It's okay to not like things, just don't be a d**k about the things you don't like." Beware the fire ants. First hand experience. For me, I'll do what I can here in NY to fight some of the insanity, though I know that my letters and calls will only do so much. I won't stop trying, though.

I am a bit confused about this part: Q: What about ammunition magazines? A: Before the law’s passage, a magazine capable of holding 10 or more rounds was unlawful, but any magazine manufactured before 1994 was exempt. Law enforcement officials said this grandfathering provision made the ban difficult to enforce, and it was eliminated in the current law. Now those magazines are banned, but anyone who has one with a “reasonable belief” that it was lawful and disposes of it within 30 days of being notified by a law enforcement official that it is now illegal won’t be guilty of violating the law. Otherwise, it is a Class A misdemeanor charge. If you already have a magazine that holds up to 10 rounds, you can lawfully keep it, but you can’t load it with more than seven rounds. If you’re caught with a magazine containing more than seven rounds in your home, you’ll get a ticket for your first offense, then be subject to a misdemeanor charge. If you’re caught with a magazine outside your house, you’re subject to a misdemeanor charge. Do they mean "If you are caught with a magazine that is loaded with >7 rounds outside of your house, you're subject to a misdemeanor charge"? Or does this mean that you may not leave your house with a clip that has the capacity to hold 10 rounds?

That's fantastic news. It is rare and wonderful that they got it all, I hope that you recover from post op quickly and get back to doing the things you enjoy!

They are debating it live. You can watch here. http://nystateassembly.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2&event_id=81

Glad he made it right. Like I said, sometimes problems happen, but then it's on him to be honest with you from the start.