CharlieNY

I have been boycotting Dick's since they came out with their new policies and wish we all would. There is no "offer you can't refuse" they can come up with to make me change my decision. My support of gun owners and 2nd amendment rights is not for sale. Kudos to those of you who are boycotting and are sending a message to Dick's. valoroutdoors.com

My son just gave me the Lifetime 55 quart cooler for a Father's Day present. It looks to be very well made and heavily insulated. It should work very well. When Yeti dropped sponsoring the NRA Foundation as part of the anti gun hysteria they lost the 2 of us as customers along with Dick's. Valoroutdoors.com

For those of you that saw my pic of the coyote vs. snapping turtle here is the outcome. I was rooting for the underdog (literally) and he turned out to be a Ninja Turtle. valoroutdoors.com

Quiet here too. Thought you fellas would like to see this pic of some video we shot yesterday morning of a coyote vs. a snapping turtle in our field. I think you can figure out who won. Good luck to all. valoroutdoors.com

Two years ago I bought my son a Mossberg turkey shotgun from Bass Pro Shops for his birthday present. I am very glad that I supported these 2 companies and will continue to support them in the future. Dick's Sporting Goods has lost me as a customer for what I hope will be their short life to come. I hope everyone contributes to their demise by supporting those businesses which support gun owner's rights. valoroutdoors.com

Went out with my son this morning. He was anxious to score on a bird with his crossbow. We neither saw nor heard anything until 9:30 a.m. Then a hen came into our field followed by 6 jakes. They went up to attack our jake decoy and my son got his wish- a perfect 15 yard broadside shot. Wish come true! valoroutdoors.com

Got lucky this morning. Second year in a row I bagged a gobbler by sitting in the same chair in the same ground blind and waiting. Never saw or heard anything until 8:10 a.m. Then they got fired up I believe due to it warming up with the sun. He ran up to my decoys after a couple of short low calls. 9" beard, 1" spurs. Patience is not only a virtue, it is a producer. valoroutdoors.com

My late father always told me about dressing up for hunting that "you can always take it off if you take it with you but you can't put it on if you leave it at home." valoroutdoors.com

In my 50+ years of hunting I have found that buying high quality gear is well worth it in the long run. The extra initial cost will pay off over the years. I have a lot of older clothing and gear that I still use. Most of it is labeled MADE IN THE USA which is the reason it has lasted so long, unlike the Chinese garbage now on the market. When something new comes along that will improve my hunting experience I will buy it, such as when things like laser rangefinders and thermacell came along. I think a combination of time tested gear and new innovations is the way to go. valoroutdoors.com

The slide down the slippery slope begins when "some of our civil liberties need to be given up." Once the slide starts, the end is predictable. I wonder how much of their constitutionally protected freedom of the press liberties the anti-gun news media would be willing to give up. valoroutdoors.com

My adult son wants us to go on an archery black bear hunt this September in Maine. We plan on a 6 day hunt with an outfitter that will include everything including lodging, food, guide, etc. I am seeking recommendations from anyone who has actually gone on a hunt there and would go back to the outfitter. Any help would be appreciated. We unfortunately went on a deer hunt to Ohio last year with an outfitter which turned out to be a complete disappointment and don't want to make the same mistake. Thanks in advance for any help. valoroutdoors.com

Your "doctor knows best." Your daughter has been under the care of a doctor who has scheduled her to get a flu shot. There is nothing to worry about as the doctor knows her specific medical history and what is in her best medical interest. Every medical professional I have heard has stated that even if the flu shot is not effective in preventing the flu, the symptoms will be far less severe should she get the flu, and less dangerous for her. As others have stated, listen to your doctor and do what the doctor says is best for your daughter. valoroutdoors.com

I too have very many fond memories, but the one that comes to mind is when my then 14 yr. old son took his first deer with a bow, a buck. Back then (he is now 33 yrs. old) the minimum legal age for bowhunting was 14. It was only his second time out and I put him in one of my favorite treestands and I got into another of my stands 100 yds. away. After only an hour, I was surrounded by does and fawns which I enjoyed watching and hoped would work their way towards my son. While I was still watching them, I saw my son walking towards me in the woods and was wondering what he was doing. He walked up to me and said "dad I just shot a buck." I got out of my stand and asked him about the shot and he told me he made a good shot right behind the shoulder and the buck mule kicked and ran off. We walked over to where he made the shot and found blood and hair and found his arrow which had made a pass through shot from his Browning 50# bow. I told him we had to wait an hour before we started tracking, and I think that hour was the longest hour ever for both of us. When the hour was up I had my son do the tracking and I was right behind him. There was a good blood trail and after we went about 40 yds. I told my son that I smelled the tarsal glands on the buck (he was in rut). Ten yds. later we found the buck dead. I don't know who was happier- me or my son. I was so proud of him. He had done everything correctly and I was there to enjoy and cherish the event. valoroutdoors.com

For those of you asking about enticing deer to feed within 300 feet of a highway, here is the law: 8. No person shall place, give, expose, deposit, distribute or scatter any substance with the intent to attract or entice deer to feed within three hundred feet of a public highway.  Normal agricultural practice of planting, cultivating or harvesting and the feeding of deer held captive for agricultural purposes or the feeding of deer held captive in zoos and wildlife parks shall not be considered attracting or enticing deer to feed for the purposes of this section. This should clear up any confusion you may have. valoroutdoors.com

Another poacher got himself nabbed, by bragging about his poaching on Facebook. He poaches 3 bucks and then wants to brag about it. I believe that his bragging mentality that some believe that they have to get the biggest and most kills leads to a lot of poaching. This contributes to poor hunting opportunities for the overwhelming majority of us true hunters who obey game laws and regulations. I also personally believe that a lot of these "big buck" contests add to the problem, and I would like to see them ended. As I have stated before, I hope the judge gives this poacher the maximum penalties for each and every one of the violations he committed. valoroutdoors.com http://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2018/01/cny_man_boasts_on_facebook_after_killing_deer_now_faces_11500_in_fines.html#incart_river_home

Bill- you have been given some excellent advice by the members who have replied. Listen to your heart doctor and follow his advice. Do not try and speed things up. My late dad had double by pass surgery many years ago and followed his doctor's advice and did not rush things. He was able to recover and I enjoyed many more years after that hunting with him. When the time comes, you might want to consider going to a lighter draw weight bow and cut on contact broadheads. This combo will be easier on you and will be just as deadly on deer. I am now 66 years old and had to do this as I grew older as you naturally lose your upper body strength with age and have to make adjustments. When I was a younger man, I drew a 70# bow and used mechanical broadheads. I now draw a 57# bow and use magnus stinger cut on contact broadheads. I actually think I have had much better results with my present lighter weight combo, and have made many pass through shots on deer with this. I wish you good health and a speedy recovery. valoroutdoors.com

The skin can be removed leaving the steel frame. We have not removed the skin and have had no problems leaving it on year round. The heavy steel frame supports the 600 denier skin just fine. The attached image shows the steel frame without the skin.

My son bought a Redneck 6'x6' soft sided blind last year. It has an all steel frame including a steel hub frame for the roof. The sides are 600 denier and it has a 77" high ceiling and both wide horizontal windows and tall vertical windows for both gun and bow hunting. They are quality blinds made in the USA. The attached photo shows that they will hold up to a heavy snow. They are very roomy inside and we have taken both deer and a longbeard from this blind.

Merry Christmas to one and all. Thank you President Trump for bringing back "Merry Christmas" to us all. And here is the hunter's 12 days of Christmas: valoroutdoors.com

My son, who is a U.S. Army combat veteran who served in Afghanistan, volunteered to film a waterfowl hunt this Fall donated by Frontenac Fowlers to 4 Purple Heart fellow veterans who are part of the Wounded Warriors In Action Foundation. My son filmed and produced this video by himself with no assistance from anyone. I think that he did an amazing job, even though I am obviously biased, and couldn't be more proud of him for donating his time and equipment and coming up with such an amazing video for a deserving group of veterans. I regularly watch the outdoor, sportsman, and pursuit channels and think this video ranks right up there with the pros. Click on the video to watch it and please leave a comment. valoroutdoors.com

These types of occurrences are properly referred to by the DEC as shooting incidents. Pulling the trigger on a gun is not an accident, it is an intentional act. As such, the "shooter" is criminally responsible for his/her actions. I'm sure some criminal charges will be brought against him and rightfully so.

I was glad to see that an ethical hunter turned in a poacher here in Cayuga County. I hope that all ethical hunters would do the same thing. There should be no tolerance for anyone breaking our fish and game laws. I hope the Judge gives him the maximum fines for every violation. valoroutdoors.com http://auburnpub.com/news/local/dec-video-leads-to-charges-against-deer-poacher-in-cayuga/article_d00fd7b1-488f-50d5-8910-9cdb8b74310d.html#tracking-source=home-latest-2

My son and I have been bowhunting since season began and have passed up on a number of young and smaller bucks. We run trail cams on my properties to check on the quantity and quality of available deer. My son checked the trail cams this week and found this picture of a buck with an arrow stuck in his neck. Someone on a neighboring property took a BAD SHOT at this buck. If you cannot make a good shot into the vitals, you should not be taking a shot. There is NO EXCUSE for this. I am hoping that this buck is able to extract this arrow and that he survives and grows to be a bigger buck. valoroutdoors.com

I have often heard rust on a gun compared to cancer. It must be attacked aggressively to stop it, or it will just resurface in the future. Your gun should be stripped down to bare metal, polished, and given a professional hot bluing in order to put a stop to it. After that good routine maintenance should prevent any rust from reoccurring in the future. Any less, and you will just be kicking the can down the road when it comes to rust. valoroutdoors.com

Notice that the video comes from the anti-gun NBC news network. This reporter obviously knows nothing about guns and cannot tell the difference between a shotgun and an AR-15 rifle. This is typical of the anti-gun news networks who try to preach to us about gun legislation. valoroutdoors.com