jperch

That is a nice one, congratulations to him! And they are yummy!

Well, interesting. What would it be used for? Seems a tad heavy to be carrying around for upland hunting.

I went hunting for a package of venison loin in my chest freezer earlier today and I bagged one! It was trying to hide beneath a bag of burger but I was not fooled. I might go out once for bunnies locally. I used to love hunting for them and partridge. At 68 jumping up and down on brushpiles is tough. I count it as a successful outing if I get a shot at one. They sure are tasty.

I used to hunt sea ducks in Lake Ontario off Rochester from a small aluminum boat. It was amazing, hundreds of thousands of them. You could sometimes attract them by waving a boat cushion, we used plastic gallon jugs as decoys sometimes. They were feeding on crabs, like we would use for bass bait. They would be just stuffed with them. They must be able to dive to significant depths. I thought they were fair table fare, kinda beefy as I recall. I don't see those massive rafts of ducks these days. I suspect the zebra mussels have reduced the crawdad population. That is just my observation as a SCUBA diver.

Absolutely. Fifty (or so) years ago I would go rabbit hunting with my uncles who had packs of beagle up in the Henderson Harbor area and farther north. Nothing was posted as I recall. I don't know how you could run beagles now other than on state land. Beagles don't respect property lines and sometimes would take off for a long period of time, perhaps chasing a snowshoe rabbit.

That is a big wow. I wonder how the populations rose to such a level? Were some predators removed from the area that would ordinarily keep the jack rabbit population in check?

My experience was different. As a high school student (16-18 years old) I had a part time job working at the sporting goods department at Woolworths in Greece. I was hired on the spot because I knew how to make change and about firearms. We often GAVE a box of ammunition to a customer who bought a relatively expensive gun to sweeten the deal. I learned a lot about the general public and firearms while working there. Customers walked in with loaded rifles that were jammed, a customer who wanted to return a shotgun because it blew a hole in his ceiling (I took that one back!), a lot of crazy stuff. It was a great job for a high school kid.

I remember, believe it or not, that when I was in High School (1970) you could buy an 870 at the local JC Penneys in Rochester. I got my Wingmaster at Beikirchs for around $140 as I recall. My father bought it for me, that was a lot of money for us back then. Still have it, still use it, will pass it on to a family member when I move on.

I believe bucks are quick to react to hunting pressure and human presence in the woods. Does also, but maybe to a lesser extent. Yesterday evening as I was preparing Thanksgiving dinner for my GF who just came out of the hospital I counted over 20 deer in the cut bean field. Not a single buck amongst them. I'm pretty sure they were joined by some bucks within an hour after darkness. There is plenty of swampy, nasty rosebush covered area around here where deer can hide out around us. That stuff is almost inpenetrable and certainly no sneaking up on a buck in there!

I could be wrong, but I think lithium batteries don't leak? For that reason I use lithium batteries in my expensive electronics.

I agree it's a better situation if the deer is not alert. But depending on the distance, shot angle (uphill or downhill), I have seen deer duck an arrow for a clean miss. That is their first reaction to the twang usually, to crouch before taking off. I certainly don't believe they are purposely ducking the arrow, it's just what they do. For that reason my aim point with my bow is a bit lower than with the thunder stick.

I was hunting near Ossian,NY this weekend. It was very sad to see all the dead ash trees. We are not seeing it as much near the lake in Oswego and Cayuga counties. But I guess it is just a matter of time. There are lots of ash saplings still. I wonder if things will go like they did for the native chestnut tree.

As was said, if it recently succumbed it might stand for years. Look at the very base of the tree. Is there rot? This is where many or most ash trees will fail. Then look up the trunk for any obvious decay, fungus, etc. I would stay out of that blind on windy days. I think it would cost a small fortune to have a professional arborist come in with a lift or even using ropes. I would have it dealt with after the season, the longer you wait the more difficult it will be to predict the results, even with a good tree guy.

I think there was a Clint Eastwood movie like that!

It's hard to tell from the picture but I think we have a lot of those here in Oswego. They hang out near the lake and also prey on dropped french fries in the McDonalds parking lot. Seriously, very neat and unusual.

Well, since nobody else mentioned this I guess I will. I started bowhunting at 16, took my first deer 4 years after that with a Shakespeare recurve bow. Now I am 68. For two years I was where you are at. On a warm day I could pull my bow back on the ground but when up in a treestand I was unable to do so. A few deer got a pass, oh well. I have hunted with family since age 16 and didn't want to give it up. Last year I got a Drawloc device and installed it on my bow. My doctor was well aware that my left shoulder is shot and was happy to sign the form you download from the DEC website. Yes, it is kinda sad to not use the archery skills I acquired in 50 years of bowhunting. But at least I am still able to hunt. You have to make certain adaptions as you get older. It took me a while to come to terms with it. Next up is climbing on top of my house to clean the chimney, not so good at that anymore either!

Wow, great doe and a beautiful shot! Congratulations!

Yes, as said, I think that is the theory about the difference between xbow vs compound mechanicals. But I have had both versions of the 3 blade NAP side by side and really could not tell the difference in how easy the blades opened. Not saying that there is not a difference, but I could not tell.

Yes, same here. My first gun, an 870 Wingmaster, came from there was I was 16. We had a friend named Jack Strong who did some gunsmithing for them. I don't have a "go to" shop anymore.

I have thought about upgrading the plain jane stock. I forget what I paid for mine, bought it from Beikirchs in Rochester, I think forty years ago.

I have the same rifle, surprised you feel the need to replace the trigger. They were a steal back in the day, I see them (in excellent condition) on GB for a grand or more.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about the decline in the turkey population. In my area there has been no change in habitat. It is a mixture of farmed fields, woods, swamps and overgrown brushy areas. There has always been coyotes during the last 25 years and they prey on turkeys. There is an abundance of raptors too. The one new predator on the scene are the fishers. Maybe they have made a difference, who knows. I have seen a very few hens, no poults.

Safety ropes with prussic attachments. I always used harnesses but once the rope is attached to the tree for the season, I feel pretty safe. At 68 I'm just not that athletic anymore. About five years ago I stepped into a hang on stand that was secured with a chain. The chain was weakened by tree growth and it broke when I stepped on the stand. Luckily I was able to bear hug the tree and get back on my ladder. No damage other than some scrapes. I'm not sure I am strong enough to do that today. All ladder stands for me now.

For the first decade or so of my hunting career my hunting crew hunted on a beautiful 200 acre parcel South of Rochester that was privately owned. There were tons of deer, although they were mostly does. In return for permission to hunt and camp on his land we had a couple of "work days". I was a kid without many skills but I could paint, stack firewood, etc. My buddies were in trades and could do pretty much anything the elderly gentleman needed done. He would make us lunch. We had a good time on those work days. We were friends and it was a great relationship until he passed away. On "the farm", over the last 20 years many have asked to hunt. But never once has anyone offered some help in exchange for hunting access. For those looking for private land to hunt on I suggest offering to do some work for the landowner. It sets a tone and perhaps might start a long term relationship.

I have not "steered" deer as such. But, for archery season, I sometimes place some limbs on a well used trail near my stand so that a deer coming down the trail will give me the slightly quartering away angle that I want. It has worked for me and it's not very intrusive.