RoadKill44

Ok “BROWTINES” was the answer but only partial credit for Don C while Moog5050 gets full credit for completing the puzzle correctly. Oh Heck! Don C gets full credit too. I did enjoy the seeing his solution. Wrong but it resulted in a lasting grin. Also because he expressed he’d like to see another one. I do have more similar SuDoKu puzzles and the program I talked about can generate others. However, I think we need to set some ground rules to avoid “Spoilers” so that others have a chance to solve them. My first thought is to ask: For the first three days no one responds with anything more than they solved it. Other chat is welcome but no hints, words or answers for three days. If there is enough interest maybe I could make this a weekly thing. But schedule-wise bow season is coming up so I’ll be spending a lot of time at camp and I’ll be out of pocket at times. Anyway here is PUZZLE TWO. No spoilers until Saturday please. Enjoy.

Hint to solution: Something nearly every mature buck has.

I've managed to create a program that generates SuDoKu Puzzles. Some of you might enjoy this hunting related puzzle.

You are right there. I couldn't beat it with a stick. LOL. That's a terrific shed you came up with Wooly. I'm impressed with your talent. Who comes up with these ideas?

P&Y, B&C, F&S and others can be called antler porn by some. Playboy and the SI swimsuit issues could be called porn in a different venue. All can be a good read but the reality of what you take home and enjoy the most has nothing to do with size. I do have a nice evenly balanced ten point on the wall but, in spite of the pride I have in taking it, looking at it reminds me of the four hour endeavor and excitement to harvest this guy. It took me awhile to realize that even my closest friends only see a ten point. One can win while hunting regardless of the final score.

I never gave it a thought before but, how does that work when it comes time for your kid to go hunting? I assume they still have to take the hunter education course by age 12. Right? Normally you have to be 11 to take the class and you have to have the class certificate before getting the license. Does this lifetime license bypass these rules?

Don't know if you all realized "found April First". To be honest I thought it was a great find when my hunting buddy first pulled it from the dingweeds. Being April Fools Day, I had to share the experience with the serious shed hunters. Still grinning.

Found my first shed in my backyard hedge row this last Sunday April first. Twelve (12) points on one side. It would have been a 24 pointer if I’d found the matching side. It measured up 82-4/8 and would have scored over 180 live.

I don't know if this will help anybody but this is what I extracted to figure out how much Lime I'd need for a small deer plot. I haven't tried this myself yet and if there's someone who'd like to comment (Right or Wrong) it would be appreciated. Adjusting the pH for deer food plots Soil pH In most cases soil pH of 5.5 to 7 is optimal for all seed blends designed for food plots. Soil typically tests in the acidic range one or more points below normal (IE: 4.5 pH). Typically, most suggest adding lime at 2.2 tons per acre to raise soil pH by one point. Doing the math Conversion references: 2.2 Tons = 4400 Lbs. and 1 acre = 43560 SqFt. This divides out very close to one tenth of a pound of lime for every square foot of land. So the formula you’d use to calculate how much lime is required would be: Pounds of Lime = (Desired pH – Measured pH) X 0.1 Lbs/SqFt X the Area in square feet. Using a measured pH of 4.5 for a reference and assuming your intended pH is the minimum of 5.5 pH. Lets also assume the food plot is a small 20 foot by 50 foot patch or 1000 Square feet. (5.5 – 4.5 ) X 0.1 X 1000 equals 100 pounds of lime. You would need 100 Lbs. of lime for 1000 SqFt to raise soil pH from 4.5 to 5.5

Yes they do. This was one of those playground forts. Legs, roof and stairway were added. I think placing next to a grove of wild apple trees was the real drawing card though. At 5' X 6' it's great for archery too.

My first was a 1906 savage 22 pump, hex barrel and 7 round clip. It was really my dads gun but I started to hunt it pretty much became mine. It had problems where, if you got through a clip load of shots without a shell hanging up and not ejecting, you were lucky. Still it took a lot of squirrels, chipmunks and blackbirds when I wasn't just plinking a cans. When I turned 16 and became a deer hunter, I think it was then dad traded it for my 16Ga Mossberg bolt action. That was in 1960 and I still have the Mossberg but at this point I wish I could trade back. Right now I really like my Remington 7600 (WIN270) for deer.

I've hunted deer since 1960 and never ventured a hunt outside NYS. I always had a Colorado elk hunt on my bucket list. Maybe some day it'll happen.

That is just a total shame. Sooo many things he was doing wrong. 1) Safety off, 2) Handing a gun by the barrel, 3) Not keeping it pointed in a safe direction, and 4) Putting it away in a case while it was still loaded.

Donna's first cat commission. Donna has also started a Facebook page "Art by Donna"

There is one crossbow disadvantage that I've experienced that is seldom talked about. Maybe someone has mentioned it, if so, here it is again.Trees (big and small) grow vertically. In a "Still Hunting" scenario getting around is not the only concern. Yes lacing through heavy cover is a bit more problematic with a crossbow but shooting from such cover is almost impossible. 1. The horizontal bow limbs of the crossbow need clearance. Yes, a standard bow may have a few branches to contend with but a crossbow has many vertical trunks to clear. There are fewer opportunities to hide. You ether step out sideways away from a tree or place the horizontal bow limbs and drawn string out in front of any vertical obstacles. 2. With a bow you can turn and pan past vertical obstacles before the draw. If drawn and following the target you have the option of dropping the draw and drawing again on the other side. The crossbow is drawn and the extra effort to monitor limb clearance and the motion to drop the crossbow to raise it up in a new channel is far greater than an inline let off, pivot and redraw required for the standard bow. It's been mentioned about the difficulty of a second shot. There crossbow involves more movement and takes three to five times longer (when compared to a bow) to cock an load that second shot. Not really an issue though as second shot opportunities seldom occur. For me the bow is a better weapon if I plan on still hunting for the day. The crossbow is my choice if I plan to sit in a blind. I can't speak for tree stand use because I've never been able to feel comfortable up there. I do know it's NOT recommended to cock a crossbow while in a tree stand.

Back in the day and growing up in a "More cows than People" county, we always blamed the %^&$ city hunters.

I'm in too. It's got to be the first shot of the day. Some guys have practice regiments all year long and others are starting to tone up the muscles and begin practice as the season approaches. But, practicing first and then taking a shot is cheating. It can be anytime of the day but It's got to be the first shot of the day before any practice shots. Who has other rules for this August Challenge? Who else is in.

Just looked at some statistics. Last November alone (during our hunting season) there were 39 shooting deaths in Chicago. Could it be the Safe Act is working in New York State? Just kidding guys. While the facts are true (Yes, 39 in Chicago alone) I was joking about the safe act. I'm sure a NYC government official somewhere is going to spin that to support the Safe Act somehow.

Five or six years ago I had a Gladius Snow Falcon land in a tree in a hedge row about 200 yards down the field. I'm watching out the window of the house with binoculars and my wife pops in. "What are you looking at". A Gladius Snow Falcon" I replied and handed her the glasses. "Oh its beautiful" she said immediately. Then quiet set in. She's focusing. "No. It looks like a white bag". I roared laughing. "Glad makes bags, the bag is white like snow and it's as big as a hawk. Hence Gladius Snow Falcon.

There are slight differences between indoor and outdoor range shooting but a couple of comments address the fact that field situations are far different. An adrenaline high can do all sorts of crazy stuff to the mind and body. Being a gun hunter for 50 years, before picking up the bow for the last six years, presents a hurdle to think about judging distance prior to release. The practice through attending 3D shoots has helped and it doesn't seem to be a issue now. Some of you also mentioned the first shot being the most important shot. I've never tried it but I like the "One shot per session" method of training concept. No warm up practice or monitoring sacrifice shots. The take aim and shoot is all you have when the game shows itself. Another practice I do while hunting is to practice draw. I may be a blind or stand where I plan to stay for a time. The practice draws at various objects give you a feel for your range of good shot locations and it doesn't hurt to provide muscle activity in cold weather. Other factors coming into play when measuring your skill level is bow tuning and arrow consistency. One surprise discovery I found was using a glow nock for the first time. The glow nock worked the nuts but I happen to notice my shots were consistently three inches low while the other arrows were spot on. H'mm? got the grain scale out and found the glow nock was 30gns heavier. Wow! That little 30gn difference dropped my arrow speed by 7%, resulting in the 3 inch drop at 30 yard difference. Back to the thread. My initial goal was to see if there was any standard way to measure proficiency and suggest a challenge to some sort of standard method by which we could judge ourselves. To compare how good we think we are with how good we really are. I allude to the comment "I'm never as good I think I am. So I strive to be as good as I can be." I liked that.

I believe the DEC is responsible for setting seasons and the State sets the laws. You could be right about upsetting hunters though. lots of guys here have got a gripe about something. It's hard to say whether a little something for everybody would be a compromise to make more hunters happy. So if the State makes it legal the DEC has to cater to produce happy hunters to promote more license sales.

I don’t know if any standard method for measuring ones proficiency even exists. If you know of one lets hear it. I know for guns hunters say they hold a such and such diameter pattern. But I'm asking about archery skills here. One method I’ve seen, fires five consecutive arrows at a six inch diameter circle centered on a standard 8-1/2 X 11 sheet of paper. As you move the paper back and forth down range, you must have all arrows on the page with four of those arrows inside the six inch ring. If you have no problems doing so at, let say 35 yards, that is the measurement of your proficiency. Most 3D targets for deer have a ten ring about five inches in diameter. So let’s also establish this scenario. At what distance do you think you could release five arrows and consistently hit the ten spot of a standard 3D deer target given the allowance for no more than one arrow of the five scoring an eight. Now I’m not a sharpshooter and I haven’t done a test run myself. I’m thinking 30 yards is doable. Having said that, I must now try and report back. I've taken deer at 40 yards but for me that's a reach and not a measurement of proficiency. So here is the challenge. Let us know how good you think you are. Then using either the six inch circle on paper or standard 3D target report back your measured proficiency. Don't be afraid, be honest.

If a hunter were to approach the early deer season with the alternate option of a draw lock attached to a standard compound bow, would Anti-Xbow-ers be opposed to that? I think most agree that a disability or age reasons are ok. But the new bill proposes the use of draw locks will no longer require a disability permit. Essentially the guy has got a vertical crossbow with no disability.

Recently asked questions: 1) Can you do two subjects in one portrait? Not really. But will do two separate portraits at $80 2) Can you show photo before and resulting portrait? Yes. Below are a. Photo, b. Portrait & c. typical work in progress. 3. Can she do Cats? Very willing to try cats or most any pet. 4. Can she do deer in Habitat. Well deer less habitat.

I wonder if "Big Game Hunter" programs have any influence. They sit comfortably in front of a screen while eight and ten pointers come by every minute or so. Then every 5 minutes a big griz comes to get them. The kid is free to talk "There's One" and buck to doe ratios are two buck for every doe. The same kid sits in the cold, quietly now, for two hours and sees nothing. when they do show up its doe and the deer seem to be more aware than in the video. They get out of sight faster too. He comes home cold, hungry and empty handed. Mom gives him lunch, he sits down and bags three 12 pointers in 10 minutes. You want to go hunting tomorrow son?