chas0218

No doubt, I have watched where people use leaf blowers to push the fire around when there is no wind. We haven't done a controlled burn in years but they are effective to remove junk under brush and multiflora rose. God I hate that stuff.

At least it clears all the junk off the first couple passes and you don't have to pick it all up by hand. I hove my spring tooth hate it brings up rocks love it can get places other things can't. Not to mention it works for scratching up the dirt enough to plant something.

I was thinking the same thing, I would be replacing the nylon for a chain if it were me. A lot of stands boast 300lbs. limit but if I were only 20 lbs. from the weight limit I wouldn't feel comfortable. I'm 190 so being 110lbs. under the limit on my stands it doesn't bother me using a nylon strap. I think even some of the cheap straps are only rated to 400lbs. I fell out once while climbing down. I was using branches as steps and of course it was at the top and fell 22' to the ground landing on my pack. I honestly think the pack saved me from hurting myself and cushioned my fall with my jacket and seat inside. Long story short I only use screw in steps and ladder sticks. Either way I'm glad he didn't hurt himself.

Yes you will save money, how the tax rate works is you are taxed on a parcel for the first so many acres as "buildable lot" then the rest is vacant land. Where I live it is 3 acres. If you have 2 different lots then you will be taxed twice at the "buildable lot" rate then taxed for "vacant land" twice. By combining lots you will have 1 "buildable lot" being that set amount of acreage then taxed on the "vacant land" for the rest. Depending on your tax rate you might not be saving a lot but any money you don't have to pay to uncle sam the better. On your off the grid living, do you already have a suitable living quarters with plumbing and electricity? I would highly consider a small cabin built with 2x6 construction with a loft, vinyl siding, and spray foam insulation. You could heat a small cabin with a match if you wanted to with 2x6 spray in insulation in the roof and walls. It won't be cheap but well worth it. The vinyl siding is a must as it seals out basically all weather and will not need maintenance. The loft is nice for a place for visitors to stay without cluttering up your main living quarters being a small cabin.

Yup x2, I have deer on camera that we labelled Holly's buck (a deer my wife wanted to shoot) and my buck. No different than naming them some whacky name except you don't call it "my" or "whoever's" deer.

That's the problem, a couple of dogs are not a priority until they hurt someone. They careless about 2 dogs that are chasing people when they have tickets and summons to hand out. Honestly if you get further than a phone call back about it I will be surprised. Nothing against LEO's just they have bigger fish to fry.

Dig an hole and never talk about it to anyone kind of thing.

Very true, he mentioned the neighbors I was thinking it was more than 50 acres. If not then they were still being picky and trying to help the herd in the area. If he and the neighbors are on the same page then it is possble but 50 acres unless they are in the middle of a suburban development then they could be managing it.

Not the point he is shooting fawns but he claimed one was a medium sized doe. Not sure if he is lying about it or truly doesn't have a clue. Anyone can judge anyone on what they shoot, its your choice whether to let it bother you. People can judge me on the deer I shoot and do it doesn't matter to me I take the deer I want to take. I'm not trying to shame anyone into doing anything they don't want but being that the OP manages the land then someone comes in taking fawns it isn't good management. That is what we are all talking about not judging the guy for shooting fawns. I have hunted 8F for 20 years and it isn't that hard to figure out what a medium and big sized doe are.

So 2 fawns? I don't think he knows his butt from a hole in the ground if claiming medium sized doe.

Take a phone or something and record them chasing you and the only thing you could do to defend yourself is shoot them. I'm sorry but if a dog is going to go after me or my family I'm shooting it end of story. I don't care what people on here think if the dog has acted aggressive towards you on your own property then it is only a matter of time before one latches onto you. Imagine walking to your stand and one going after you in the dark.

Sounds weird but can he get his thumb in their so the bottom is facing the guard then have him us it like a lever against the trigger? The recoil shouldn't do anything to his finger being it bends backwards a good amount.

Need fire breaks when doing controlled burns and never on a windy day. Unfortunately where I am there are very few days that aren't windy.

Gun 161" gross/Bow 137" gross Both in N.Y. Gun was 8F and Bow was 8N.

I don't usually put it out until later in the season. During the rut it is almost useless being that the mature bucks are already locked up on that early doe. Also it will spook other doe that are not "hot" yet. In my experience using it during the rut brings in younger bucks 1.5 year olds and 2.5 year olds at best.

FWIW I watch the local farmer use cultivators to break up the ground then hits it with the disc if needed then plants to corn. This is usually after he plants soybeans. He has only plowed the fields once every 4 years I'm guessing just to turn over the soil to get to the better stuff. He has had great yields every year from what he tells us. Also he doesn't use any manure on these fields only soybean, corn and once in awhile he lets it grow up one year no plowing/ground work then the next growing season plow it under.

Looking at the temps tomorrow it might be a very good day to be in the woods. Going from raining and 40* real feel to 19* real feel and partly cloudy Tuesday morning I am thinking the deer will be up and moving. Not to mention it seems like there is more chasing the last couple days than all season. Decisions, decisions....

No doubt, hunting from a bait pile doesn't seem like it would be much different than a small corn plot. Where I hunt in the southern tier browse is limited and have seen food plots bring deer to property where browse is lacking. On my parents property in 8F with close to 70 acres in ag fields food plots have very little draw.

No different than bringing a couple apples with you and eating them and throwing the leftovers onto the ground. If that's the case I bait them next to the highway too when I chuck my apple cores out my window. Like I said I really could careless how people want to hunt legal or not. The CWD argument is bull crap.

Yup, no difference in my mind and could careless which people prefer to do legal or not. Either way you are using some sort of non-natural substance/something that is not normally in that area to draw in deer. Either way you're bringing deer in with something they don't usually have in that area.

You better believe it, I live on the southern tier I couldn't believe the amount of pushing they do. My father and I have pushed deer to each other on our property in 8F but usually don't need to with deer still moving during daylight hours all thru gun season. Once you push a property and do it every year every weekend deer become a custom to it and vacate the property quickly once they just hear something that sounds like a human and their normal travel routes are gone.

I mean we manage to hunt 4 sometimes 5 people on 40 acres, if done correctly you can be very successful. I will say that thickets and pines are your friend for breaking up scent and pushing deer to other people while still getting deer in front of the people you are using to push the deer.

To be honest I would point out he was a little close to be hunting but not hunting together. Your hands are a little tied being he is "part of the family" now so it isn't like you can tell him to piss off and still be able to hunt there. It sounds like he doesn't have a clue on how to hunt or good practice. I get trying to not be a dick but the harsh reality is that he is screwing up both your hunts not just yours. He sounds like an alright guy and is trying to make friends, or it is just a cover to get you and your dad out of there. If I managed a piece of land and someone came in shooting fawns I would be a little upset whether they were family of the owner or not. I would get a little background info, how long has been hunting? Ever tired bow? Where is he from, did he hunt there? Just general chit chat kind of stuff probing the guy to see what his intentions are. I would tell him it is a small piece of property for 3 people to hunt and really need to coordinate your plans to have successful hunts on all your parts. Ask him if he is open to some advice especially if he mentions that he hasn't hunt long or hasn't been that successful. It sounds like he wants to be successful and you could use him to your advantage while having a deer or 2 walk in front of him to keep him from getting wise to you. Hopefully he doesn't visit the forum! haha.

A decent snow sled and couple quarters and that bear could be out with 2 guys easy. Might be a few hours worth of work but I know Sterling and it isn't that big. Not like it's the ADKs, it's relatively flat.

I don't like shooting at running deer so I don't do them. I also like seeing deer walking around naturally so we don't do drives on our property. I can still sit on stand 3 weeks in and see deer walking around. Really not that much more on edge than bow season.