Tacti_Steve

I agree there are different kinds of pressure. Obviously shooting at them is going to back impact their movement. patterns. And I'm not saying Deer don't spook. I'm talking about their over all movement. My point is hound hunting does not scare that big buck off the property like everyone thinks it does. It doesn't load the property up with scent so that they never come back. They simply spook to point where they feel safe and go back to what they were doing. Now sure if you get a whole bunch of guys a drive the woods for a week straight they're going to leave for a while. That's different then how houndsmen hunt. YOu get a few hounds maybe once or twice a week making a munch of noise so the Deer know where they're at; a couple of guys with big lights on their head. An hour or two later they're gone. Or in the case of yote hunters you get a bunch of hounds running and making noise and a group of guys standing around the boarder of the property. And then they're gone a few hours later. I just don't understand where the idea came from that people think this is so bad for their Deer population and how this is going to scare off their big buck. Last summer I ran into a guy out where I run and he was mad I was running the dog. It wasn't his land so he couldn't tell me to get off. But he says well I guess that's why we didn't see any Deer last year out here. I replied with I shot two. I wanted to tell him the reason was because he and his guys drove the piss out of it everyday for a week. But no its me that scares them all away.

I'm glad there are others out there that recognize that. Whenever I talk to someone that only Deer hunts they get combative and don't believe me. It seems like the only people that think this way are houndsmen. I don't like that. I like for us all to share and enjoy the woods.

I walk less than 20 yards from Deer at least once a week at night while hunting. My dog does the same thing. And I'm not saying they don't spook. But spooking a Deer doesn't mean it impacts the hunting the next morning. So they bound off 50 yards and go back to what they were doing. The point is I run across so many people that when I ask for permission to hound hunt their land they say no they Deer hunt it and allowing hound hunters out there will disturb their Deer. Or the several properties I can hunt but not during Deer season. The study proves there is no negative impact on Deer hunting by hound hunting the same property.

Agreed

At close range 650 would be perfect for urban hunting. One of the reasons I use 22 shorts for hunting coons with is because they don't go all the way through, but the HP still opens causing max damage inside. The slugs get stuck on the exit side of the pelts. A larger slug going that fast is going to carry more momentum and make it therefore further. A Deer is thicker than a coon so the slug would still not go through. Which where I hunt and is the intention behind the DEC is a good thing. 650 fps would be fine for 20-30 yards. It's the slowest I would go and would like to see closer to 900 fps but it would do the job if you aim right.

Awesome pics! Keep up the good work

I've heard that there was a study done more recently than this one here in NYS. If anyone has that or knows where I can get my hands on it I would be thankful. This study is a little old but as an avid houndsmen I can say it still holds true. While yes it is true that dogs are a natural predator for deer and if Deer are not used to human activity they spook off. The attached study proves however that this has no impact on their movements and Deer harvest. In fact while not statistically significant the data suggests Deer harvests increase. Why is that? Well lets think about it. How many times have you gone to a public park and seen Deer at the other end of the field from a kids soccer game? They get used to the activity. Likewise, they can get used to activity in the woods where you hunt. I make a habit of Raccoon hunting the properties I Deer hunt and often will hunt the night before I Deer hunt. I will even go set up a spot to sit the next day. This gets the Deer used to my scent and people moving around the woods. Now I'm not saying that if a Deer walks by and smells me they're not going to care. It gets their attention. But they become used to the smell and activity and do not spook off as easily. I wouldn't do it if it didn't work. Additionally Hound Hunters reduce the number of predators (like Coyotes) and the number of other animals competing for the same food sources. Therefore helping the Deer herd to thrive. I offer two similar supporting examples. One of the property owners, of a property I both Raccoon and Deer hunt, mows and maintains trails on the property until two months before Deer season. This becomes normal activity to the Deer. Likewise, when he stops, the lack of activity becomes normal. Therefore when suddenly everyone begins using the trails again during the Deer season the Deer spook off. I'm not saying this changes their patterns or overall movement. Neither event does that. The Deer bed, travel, and eat wherever they're going to. I'm saying the change makes the hunt more difficult. Likewise, when (and this is probably most people) hunters do not enter a piece of property all year, until right before the season when they go in quickly and blaze new trails and setup their stands; they are creating activity that is not "normal" to the Deer. Yet countless times you'll hear a Deer hunters say ah that doesn't bother them. I see them on that trail the very next day. So why would a hound hunter being out there bother them? What does happen though in that situation is the Deer spooks off when the hunter is sitting in their stand, because it is not used to the activity in the woods. This also goes for the guys who only hunt the borders of properties. Of course they spook off if you go into the property to track your Deer. Because you never go in there. The point is Hound Hunting does not impact overall Deer movement. If anything it improves Deer harvest and helps your Deer management. Also whatever you do on your property do it consistently. Going out and sitting in a stand for one month out of the year is not consistent. Find some Hound Hunters and ask them to hunt your property! raccoonimpact.pdf

I've heard there is a place in phelps that does it. Don't recall the name though.

Congrats!

My hound had a bot fly on him a few years ago. Luckily I caught it quick. Nasty things! Interesting that they end up in the antler. The one my dog had was sticking out of his shoulder as it was eating him. You can't just rip them out. I had to put super glue on it so that it suffocated and let go. Then I could remove it. Still left a hole about that big around and 1/4" deep in his shoulder. I think it had only been in there 2 days tops.

Actually have a quick in and out Monday night. It never happens when you want it to. Parked and crossed the 400 yard field. The fields are actually starting to freeze finally so the walk was manageable. Hit the riverbank and found a coon walking towards me. Watched it go up the tree. Dog hit the tree, back tracked about 20 yards, came right back and blew up the tree. Knocked it down to him and went home. Half hour tops, I was home in time to put the baby to bed.

I'm the guy that only checks the mail once a week. I have gone completely paperless. Any mail work looking at goes in the scanner then shredder before it even gets read. My postman is horrible at it. I've found other peoples mail with tire tracks on it in my box before. I had to permanently put my name on the box and below it I put no one else lives here. Sometimes I think they just don't deliver it because it gets full of spam after a few days.

Take up coon hunting with a hound! Oh wait I do that now. Maybe that's why I don't hunt for the big buck. I already found something better. lol

Welcome

Congrats!

Get a hound! Tons more fun. Other than that baiting is the easiest way.

Nice Job! I had a redbone that I had to break of chasing rabbits one time. He was fast enough in open field to catch them. Moved through the brush like an elephant though.

650 fps with a hollow point would be enough for a 30-40 yard shot. The DEC wants to open them up because they want people like me to hunt closer to villages (which I do). I have a .22 spring pellet gun and it does 1200 fps. Its no joke. I would like one because they're quiet. No need for everyone in the village to know I shot. I hate how loud guns are. I lost a lot of my hearing because a 50 cal went off next to my head in the military. There is no reason we can't and shouldn't use suppressors (not silencers). This is a step towards that.

I mostly agree. It is redundant a lot of the time. But so is a safety on the trigger if your finger isn't on the trigger. Granted a much more extreme comparison. I take safety very serious. I hunt a lot of the time within a mile of the village I live in. Shooting in the air isn't safe. I miss and that bullet goes a long ways. I therefore personally place a high value on anything that increases my accuracy. Likewise if anything makes me less accurate I don't want it. And I do often times shoot shorts or longs instead of long rifle rounds. I also have a good light on my pic rail and another on my head. They light up the scope rather well but I find that still I can't see branches in-between and bounce the rounds off of them. I'm just trying to play devils advocate here don't get mad at me. You don't see the need for it and I love the thing and think everyone should at least have one even if they don't use it. That is what makes our freedom great.

Interesting. I find it most helpful at night when I can't see everything clear as day. Most of my shots are 15-50 yards so I'm with you there. I shoot a semi. I used a bolt action for a while but found the semi easier. Kind of off topic but you wouldn't believe the number of times Raccoon's will come down or jump out at you. You get into a fair amount of rapid fire situations. Because I shoot at night I use a scope but I see your point there. My question for you (and anyone else) is that if a laser helps with target acquisition and accuracy thereby improving safety why wouldn't you want it? Even if it doesn't help all the time for the situations it does isn't it worth the $20?

So what is a good reason to you? Really just curious.

Yes I use a Marlin Model 60 22 because here in NY it cannot be considered an assault weapon when I put a foregrip, buffer tube and pistol grip on it. When Raccoon hunting you're not shooting far enough to worry about the bullet dropping. I sighted it in for 25 yards. A 40 yard shot to the top of a tree is a long shot when Raccoon hunting. I'm not saying you're going to miss every branch because of it, but it's another thing to help. And for $15 (the cost of that laser) it's worth it.

No I usually only shoot them once and wait for them to pass out and fall. I unloaded like that because I was impatient and recording it. A scope is almost a must have at night. Trying to pick through the branches, they blend into the tree really well if they're not looking at you. Plus it picks up the light better. Often your light doesn't hit the iron sights to even see them. The laser (this is the second time I've used it) seems to make it much easier to pick through the branches and you don't have to worry about enough light in the scope. Granted you still need something once in a while to help you look through the tree. Plus it was just cool

I have a light on the pic rail too. I like the laser as it makes sure there's no branches in the way. You know right where that round is going to go. I do have a scope on the gun but now that I have the laser that might go.

NYS