jperch

The old silver CP Swing was probably the favorite lure for bass and perch back when I was a kid, in the late sixties. I still have a few and I see them for sale on Ebay. They shine up well with a pencil eraser and some ashes. I don't know if they are still made. There are lighter, "knock off" versions around. jperch

I've had a few unpleasant encounters, none that got too ugly. I've had more trouble with trespassers during turkey season actually. I think it may have to do with camo clothing! We even had someone post part of our property. The local sherif took care of that in one day, they have software with the property lines. Anyway, in NY where I hunt one has to wear a back tag. My advice is to avoid nasty confrontations with idiots in possession of firearms. It's just not worth it. Get their back tag number, maybe a picture, and make a phone call. Word gets around quickly. We probably all remember this story: http://www.twincities.com/2015/03/21/tree-stand-murders-recounts-st-paul-mans-wisconsin-deer-hunter-killings/ jperch

Us "old farts" remember when there was a dead rabbit every few hundred yards on the highways. Limits were common if you had beagles. I believe the most likely cause of the drastic bunny decline is the increase in hawks, owls, etc. For that matter, there was not as many songbirds either. Back then, due to DDT, there were almost no birds of prey in these parts. Now they are plentiful and they do a great job at taking out a high percentage of the young of the year. I often see a fair number of them this time of year but by Fall most are already gone. jperch

I read somewhere a quote from a DEC officer. He said it was not legal for himself to carry his service weapon while bowhunting. That seems extreme, given that I believe they are essentially always on duty. jperch

Tractor Supply often has a sale late summer on lime and fertilizer. Last year I bought all the 40 lb bags they had, I think for $2.49/lb. This is still not a good option. A couple of times I have been able to arrange for a local farmer to lime a couple of acres in the spring when he was liming adjacent ag fields. It seems like liming is the most troublesome aspect of making food plots for many. jperch

I can't post pics, guess I should learn how. I have an 8 point archery buck with two normal looking antlers. One side is oriented as usual and the other is backwards! I call him the wrong way buck. He went under my stand and I was so surprised at first that I didn't try to shoot. Then I grunted and he came back and gave me a shot. The skull on the side with the backwards antler is much thicker than the other side. I always thought it may have been the result of an auto collision from a previous year. It seemed to be a perfectly healthy deer. jperch

I suggest you do your research and decide what the property is worth to you and what you can afford. Don't forget about property taxes, which will probably increase after you purchase the property. In a live auction situation it is likely that the bidding will start with a low ball offer followed by a flurry of small increments. Don't be too eager early on! After things slow down make a modest but sizable increase and see where things go. You just have to remember that if you get the property for anything less than what it is worth to you, and that you can afford, then you should be happy. If the bidding goes over that, walk away. This has worked very well for us. Good luck! jperch

Also, it's convenient. Your new license just shows up in the mail each year. Another thing to consider is that fees seem to only go up. jperch

I have a small pond which is 14' deep in the center. A friend dumped some smallmouth in the pond many years ago and they lived for several years. I would let kids fish the pond, the bass would bite on anything including bits of hot dog. Those bass terrorized the frog population. From the smallmouth nests I have seen while scuba diving I think they require a hard bottom in order to spawn. Gravel areas, hard pan, rock will work but I have never seen a nest on silt. I think the DEC is very fussy about transplanting any fish these days, I believe they require a permit. jperch

On one of the properties that I have earned permission to hunt on the landowner gave me a set of rules, one of which was not to harm any coyotes, the landowner enjoyed watching them. They were bold, it was common to see them during the day. Then her son's cat was taken and the rules were completely changed. I don't hate coyotes but everything must be in balance. Given the chance I think coyotes will kill a cat for food, I think dogs are primarily killed as a competition thing. That's just my opinion, could be wrong about that. jperch

It looks to me like the yotes ate everything on that fawn except the spots. I deer hunt three different properties now, one in Cayuga County, one in Oswego County and one in Livingston County. There is not much coyote trouble in Livingston but on the other two properties if you leave a deer over night most likely there won't be much left in the morning. jperch

I believe in Pa they think that bears are responsible for at least as much fawn predation as coyotes. By the way coyotes are capable of tearing a fawn in half also. jperch

My GF has 6 cats on the farm, they were picking up some ticks this spring. I wear light, skin tight thermal underwear with socks tucked in. My outer clothing was treated with Permethrin. I did not find a single tick on me since I started doing this. I leave my outer clothes in the garage and check myself carefully, especially my hair/neck area. I think I'm more likely to get a tick bite from the dang cats then when I am in the woods. jperch

I have read that mice are actually more important than deer as tick carriers. I think controlling the ticks is not feasible. There is/was a human vaccine for Lyme disease. You can read up on it online, apparently the demand for the vaccine was not high enough to be profitable when potential law suits are taken into account. A friend of mine received the vaccine in Europe. jperch

I also received the survey. It asked if I participated in the youth hunt and how many days I hunted, and dates of harvest. There was no place to give additional information, which I would have liked to have given. jperch

I believe they were relatively slow but heavy (large diameter) slugs. I imagine if you hit big bone that it would make quite a mess. I liked to use them in heavy brush which is where I find most deer a couple days after gun season starts. I went with the Rotweiler Laser slugs, similar in design with the attached sabot. Unfortunately the company is in Pa so I can't order those online anymore.

I loved the Remington Buck hammers. They shot the best out of my 870 and were very affordable. Of course they stopped manufacturing them, I guess their higher end sabot slugs were more profitable. They made a big hole and sure did hurt at both ends.

I have a cheap vest that I have used for a couple decades. But most of my calls and other expensive stuff goes in a fanny pack that I got from Beans. I manage to lose stuff like shells and pot strikers out of my vest but never have lost anything from my fanny pack. I'm happy with this arrangement, works very well for me.

They seem to have made an impressive rebound during the last 5 or 6 years. Prior to that I think I may have seen one or two. I see several a year now in northern Oswego and Cayuga counties.

Not much is true all the time for turkeys. In general I have found that they tend to gobble a lot less when the temperature is much below 40. But so what, they are still there and might still respond to my calls. And for sure the bugs will not be a problem when it's cold, and I like that! jperch

I only saw a couple of long beards last spring but during deer season I saw many, many jakes. So I am hoping for a good gobbler season here in northern Cayuga County. jperch

Of course there are no excuses, we are all responsible every single time we pull the trigger. I don't know the exact statistics but for those of us who are avid turkey hunters it is worth knowing and constantly thinking about the inherit dangers. Yes, it is a close up game. It often takes place on ground level in thick areas, hunters don't usually pursue turkeys from elevated blinds. Hunters make turkey noises and the reality is that other hunters sometimes try to approach turkeys who are being vocal. We conceal ourselves to make it hard for us to be seen by our quarry. Some use decoys. I think about all this every day I hunt and remind the GF regularly. What do you think would happen to deer hunting accident statistics if deer hunters all wore camo and walked through thick brush grunting like a buck? All I am saying is please think about this and do everything you can to protect yourself, especially on public land. jperch

I agree that under 30 yards the most important consideration is simply to know exactly where your pattern hits. But I actually prefer to shoot my turkeys at extremely close range, 10 to 15 yards if possible. It's exciting and there won't be any damage to the meat. Any yes, I have racked up a few misses. For me getting close shots depends mostly on how and where I set up. I am an average caller, at best.

I think there is some dispute about the length of time it takes a tick to transmit Lyme. It's important to know that deer ticks have different life stages and the smallest larval stage is extremely tiny and hard to see! I have been bitten and treated for Lyme. I had the bullseye rash but got the antibiotics right away and had no long term effects. There are also other nasty diseases that are transmitted by ticks. Every creature has its niche in nature I guess but really, whose idea was these dang ticks??? Permethrin on my clothes works for me, I try not to get it on my skin. I believe this is the same chemical, in a higher dosage, that is used to treat humans for head lice.

I was surprised when our cats were picking up ticks this winter, when there was snow on the ground. I buy my Permethrin online in a concentrated form, it's cheap. I also spray the foundation of my house on the outside, does a very good job of keeping carpenter ants and wasps away. As has been said you must be very careful if you have cats, my clothing that has been treated is kept away from the felines.