Core

They will be back. You need a security system, possibly something with a cellular connection so that it can contact you when it goes off so that you can catch them in the act.

If in doubt, contact the DEC for your area's WMA's. I contacted mine recently via email and was told clearly that target shooting (with guns) was legal as long as the targets were not breakable, no trash left around, and targets are not hung on trees. They will nail you badly and without mercy if you damage the environment in any way at all. Email/call yours get an idea! Mine was unfortunately not forthright on where they recommended I do this in my area, so regular rules would at the least apply (not over road, near buildings, etc.) Alabama Swamp WMA just east of Buffalo has some shooting lanes with berms set up, so it's not only allowed there but also blessed.

I enjoyed this post.

Good luck!

I am not positive, but assume my personal umbrella policy that I recently got for $150/year for $1M (was tagged onto home insurance) would cover me if I did something bad, though in terms of protecting a land owner if I try to sue them, I think we'd need to refer to the NY state law in general, though if you pay for them then they are now in a separate situation. What unnoble run-ins do you have?

Once cellular trail cams become more ubiquitous this kind of thing will go away. You'll know real-time when someone is there, at which point you can either pay them a visit or call the cops.

Regarding the many recommendations for boots, what kind should I be buying? I figure ideally I'd have a pair of knee-high water proof, and also some hiking, but with the absence of enough money for two, what should I get? How much insulation? Problem is a warm day in october can be way, way hotter than a cold day in December!

Cathloic Relief Services? Comes up first on google. But yeah it does. I'm not even "old". I'm at the point where I'm so sick of not being able to find tools that I just buy extras. I have purchased multiple tape measures at a time just so that I can be reasonably sure I'll find one. I also am about to buy 5-6 pairs of scissors soon, though that's because the kids use them and put them who knows where.

Canada also can't pull off a pub like in the UK. I know what you're talking about. Most people in North America don't seem to want a pub, and even if you tried to build one there aren't enough old buildings to do it in, so it doesn't feel right. In North America people get together in a place, drink beer, and have to scream at each other over the loud music.

I bought a PSE DropTine SX, which is a big-box package (bow plus accessories) and appears to actually be the PSE Stinger X, under a different name. It claims 316 fps and maxes at 70#. I have it set at 50. The two guys in the shop both thought it was better than the diamond infinite edge. I fired both, but I know too little to make a meaningful comparison on how they feel.

Okay, will request a nice pair of boots as an early Xmas gift. Last pair I got were $30 from Walmart and not the best. Sufficient for snow shoveling only.

Thanks for the last few posts! Since my last post I've joined a range (can't shoot a bow in the backyard, but the range is spectacularly well located for my needs, so I expect to make it there very regularly) and today purchased a bow. Have also read two well-rated books, but I think at this point I just need to get out to where I plan on hunting and look around, plus obviously get lots of time behind the bow. While the guy at the shop was tuning the bow I got into chats with a couple of other hunters. I guess people involved in this activity like to talk a lot! I don't expect to take a deer this year, but hobbies aren't that much fun unless you're getting better over time anyway

Interesting, but pointless The same site had this, which I found far more interesting and clever, assuming it works as it seems to: http://americangg.net/a-new-type-of-axe-shows-us-an-easier-and-smarter-way-to-chop-wood/

Pro gun in victor did have a great selection of used rifles, but as mentioned is gone!

I'm partial to this argument of the importance of boots. I have junk ones now and I know that wet and/or damp feet can ruin a mood like nothing else. Would fairly cheap waterproof, uninsulated ones with a bunch of nice socks cut it? I've really been greedy this year on buying stuff for myself and barely got the budget passed on a bow purchase, so need to keep costs constrained

Not familiar with that product, but this seems on track and is way, way cheaper--provides GPS tracking with a several mile range (larger as more people use it and a net is created): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1226890823/iota-never-lose-sight-of-whats-important

I have to jack my shed up because it sank a bit last year over the winter and the door is slightly misaligned. Summer is running out quickly. I'm still relaxing after a huge indoor project in the spring. Was going to grudgingly extend my deck this year but the building inspector flaked on me one day when we had a meeting scheduled and I eagerly took that as a sign that it wasn't a project I should do this year anyway

Ricky, I won't ask for the exact location, but which state park is this? You're right by me and I'm going to be on state land. I was thinking lake shore marsh because it's close by. Are you going south to a different WMA or is this state land like letchworth?

Everything is on my list as I own nothing other than a shotgun and a knife, so I need at least boots, binoculars, pants, shirt, hat, headlamps, rope, backpack. And a bunch of other stuff!

I suppose it would! I wonder how many deer have been scared off by the sound of people snoring in their stands.

Thanks for the insight, Doc. I can tell you're not overly impressed with stand hunting, and the few hunters I know only do it this way. One guy, who bow hunts, and does quite well, dismissed still hunting as not worth the effort. I have to think it's more satisfying to get that close to a deer with a bow than letting it come to you as you're not moving. In at least two cases it's because the guys are hunting small plots of land so more or less are forced to sit there and hope something happens. Maybe DEC should incentivize owners of huge plots of land to allow public hunting, similar to this concept: http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/32722.html

I have never hunted. Nobody in my family has ever hunted; I have never heard of an ancestor hunting (probably one did at some point). On my wife's side her grandfather used to hunt and she has an uncle who used to. This will be my first year, so for me I never did it. I see some interesting posts here but some sense of loss as well, but I think that's common in hobbies that change over time. I see people lament the past, but I also know that the percent of people who are hunting is about half what it was even 20 years ago, and at the same time deer numbers are the highest they've been in civilized history, with many states actively trying to suppress population. I also read that the general public's view on hunting has actually gotten quite a lot more positive during this time period. Although access to private land is difficult in some cases, I think 90% of NY hunters hunt on private land. With less hunters and more deer, shouldn't this be a time of celebration? Or am I missing something as only a newbie can?

Sounds like there is really no brush too thick for a deer to pass through, regardless of thorns, etc.?

Nice, so that means you can definitely leave a stand on state land during hunting season. As for this thread, some interesting info, as long as this newb ignores what is obviously a history between some posters Though it's interesting to read that, too. Good question...

I don't know what I don't know, so I can't speak to how realistic it all is due to lack of experience, but if I do go ahead with the bowhunting for this year I'll give it the old college try. I tend to ramp up on new hobbies quite aggressively and research extensively. I'm in good shape to get into bow physically speaking, but need to spend time in front of a target. Playing around last year with my dad's compound bow I felt like I was doing fairly well after not too many arrows, but the distance was fixed, no adrenaline, etc. I'm most worried about simply walking around in the woods like an absolute buffoon, not getting within a mile of a deer. But I think that's part of the learning curve.