G-Man

Belo, you have to take a comparable crossbow to a comparable bow,the tac 15 did not meet the regs when x-bow had a sunset reg in ny. axle to axle requirement. and poundage of pull. a 150lbs longbow blows a compound even the tac 15 out of the water. it does take more skill and stregnth to use. your comparing a 45-70 tragectory to a 300 win mag... the regs are not yet set but i expect them to be the same as the sunset clause. as for long distance with bow..its done by hundred and thousands of archers every year, although i'd like them to shoot that far in the woods i hunt 50 yards is about max distance you can see. ps . i also like th efact that the crossbow shooter is a highly trained marksman with the army there are people that are above average in everything, but for a normal person, especially the slob gun hunters you think are going to pick up this like crazy ..its not going to happen.

I use and still shoot side hammer muzzleloaders, although i do also own inline, ease of clean on a modern inline is a big reason for change ,but you cant beat a good kentucky longrifle for accuracy and pure fun! As for a shot gun with a bead still used on drives cant beat point and shoot, i use a scoped rifle for a sit ting hunt, and opnsights when still hunting(battle peep) I had a recurve when i was much younger and when it broke i bought a coumpound from bowhunters wearhouse. been using them since. I do wish they had a primative season for traditional archery and one for flintlock.

stubby68, As you included all bow hunters as a lumped group i am guilty of doing the same with gun ...i am saying most gun (only) hunters do not do those same things nor do they put the time into the sport, hunting weekends or a weekend they huint the same stand for 30 years and complain about lack of deer when the habitat has grown around them and the deer population has moved to better habitat. Although archery age is younger than gun for big game, most new hunters start with a gun usually a 22 for small game ,plinking , unless they have been or are exposed to archery by family or friends.

Doc , i agree with the dec officials you overheard, bow hunters look for a BIG BUCK more often than not. I really think archery should be an earn a buck tag especially in high population areas, 9f for example. we as a group pass many deer up waiting for the big one, the dec exists to manage deer numbers..thats it and that is controlled thru doe harvest.. the ar's bow hunters push for and place upon themselves are counter productive to teir goal. so why not get the brown its down group out there more.. problem is after you take a few doe with archery equipment even they will wait for a buck and some will transform into the wait for a big one mentality.

Honestly with today's bows, sights , releases. My bow is a pick up and shoot weapon. No real practice needed to kill a deer under 20....form practice and further distances yes practice and proper form is needed Honestly I can kill a deer with bow every year, several if I wished. But archery is a time for me to learn more about the game I pursue. I like to try for a top 5 buck off my property (via trailcam photos). That makes it a challenge. But Gun is much easier to take a longer shot, but the increases in hunter densities make the deer harder to find in their natural movement patterns. As for why bow hunters complain the most or loudest. They are usually the most dedicated and have studied and researched their game habits, habitat, nutrition, travel patterns, food sources, and in general are more educated about the game they pursue, whether it be whitetail, mule deer, elk, moose, caribou,ect... along with the fact they generally have more experiance than most,as they have already hunted with various weapons before they took up bow, new hunters usually start as gun hunters and if they choose to become more dedicated turn to bow, or muzzloader hunting. Therefore bowhunters usually are better conservationists in general than the average guy off the street who may just gun hunt a few days or is new to the sport..

Glad to see them in at least part of the archery season. Have a few older friends and a few younger with shoulder problems(work and age related) who have always been bow hunters be able to get back out to camp and enjoy the hunt. For those of you the follow the hype how much more powerful a crossbow is than a bow and how much further than can shoot, simple math shows the extreme drop off in a bolt vs an arrow. Due to power stroke and weight and velocity. You still have to get close to get a deer with bow or crossbow. On the bbright side think of all the people watching deer get close enough for a shot,learning more about the game they pursue and the possibility of more voluntary qdm happening because of it.

I see the budget passed and i know crossbows were part of it. so when are they legal and any size limits (poundage/ axle to axle legnth?

get into landowners foresty association. get registered as a tree farm, sell some firewood , timber every year and be registered agricultural with town for tax purposes.

i wish nys was like ohio, no posting nessary but have to have written permission to hunt all private lands.

Really... it would be on the TV news.. they report about everything mundane.. I'm sure they would of jumped all over a story like that... a news story with just pictures...the one that wandered thru nys and was hit in Vermont/Nh area was on national news....Lol but this on is just.photos? Some one would of taken a video with a phone and sold it to news station..... think logically.

Another good way to deter people is if you know someone with a "winter car" ask to borrow it and park it in the.driveway. Now they think someone is there , have a friend or neighbor move it around the driveway so it looks like your driving in and out... tresspassers love to go when they think no one is there the more they wonder the less the go...

Well here is an example, a large piece of property nearby was posted by a local resident and he let everyone know he leased it.kicked everyone off it and hunted for several years (at least 5 i know of). Last year my neighbor was doing work on a summer residents house and was asked if he hunted, in exchange for a dealn price o he was given a piece of land to hunt that was owned by this out of state summer owner. turns out this guy who said he had leased and posted this propery never leased or had right to be there. i helped repost it and saw the written lease signed between my neighbor and actuall owner(who was very upset his land was being used with out his knowledge)He wanted to go after the guy but we convinced him that the embarrasment he would face from everyone (its a small town of local residents) would be more than enough. All this took place 5 days before bow season.. Perhaps they want to see who new owner is if it is anyone at all. I have even had a piece of property in the middle of my property posted and was told that i had given the guy permission to hunt there.. funny look on his face wheni told him i gave him permission? last i saw of him as well. Paula spend the money on good metal signs you wont be dissapointed just leave enough space with nails so tree can expand 1/4-1/2 in . but no signs or all the signs in the world do not help if your not there to kick people off for a while.. if there is a chain up on parking area / driveway remove it . no better way to know your not there than to advertize it with a chain or gate.. if you have a trust worthy friend in the area have them drive in and out of drive on random days to leave some tracks.

i have orange and black and yellow and black, made of aluminum..they last forever and no need for backer board. best way to keep off tresspasser is to kick them off and follow up..walk them right off your property,take down their tag number licence plate number.. a year or two of that and word spreads and it just stops..

I sure doesnt seem like spring , but the youh hunt is a month away.. Good luck to all the youths and for those mentoring or taking a youth out hunting Thank you!!! http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/27836.html

i have never seen a persimmon with a long stem, i still believe it is a crabapple. they are small fruits not like you think on an apple.. here are pics i could finf of persimmon stems on trees. mark the tree and the leaves will tell you for sure in the spring.

Three buds on the limb you are grafting and remove buds from limb your attaching to. I still use grafting wax to help seal the joint. But there are new products out there that are available. You may have to attach a splint to limb to help support it. I have best luck with 30-40 degree cut .

Corn is a great winter food as it stands above deep snow, the question is can you provide enough to last from nov-march.. deer need carbs in winter... protine is great when they need it but the carrying capacity is determined by late winter early spring available food. Turnips will work if the snow doesn't get to deep. The deer will do fine but turkey do not do well in deep snow and corn is great for them as well. Diversity is the key try provide a feed plot plan that provides what your game needs in all seasons.

They just abandoned a road by a friends camp down the road. The owners on either side own half the road to centerline each.. he owns 30 acres on both sides and the property beyond is now land locked with deeded access.. he was having problems with the Amish using it as a short cut and tresspass, he is allowed to place and did put up gate and had keys made for 2 landowners past his. But its foot access only.. just don't get burned make sure access is allowed for vehicle s...

The difference is private or abandoned is , abandoned the property owners on both side own the property and access is usually by foot . Private road makes it accesable to vehicle and up keep is the landowners users responsibility.. You need to see what right of way is deeded for.. if your a mile back on it and its only footpath access..you might want to reconsider... your neighbors could theoretically place posts across old road making it foot only...(some neighbors can get nasty.)

you would/just need to keep it clear for ease of plowing untill your done usuing it for the season. a tractor or truck would do the job, but a build up of deep snow you would have to bring in an excavator...easier just to pay some one to plow it every time it snows, or buy a good used snowmobile and just plow a parking area at end of road. it will depend on how much snow you expect to get..some years we dont even get snow deep enough to worry about till late muzzloader...

i like the aluminum rapid rails , and a good aluminum stand...

get a reed type and a barrel type owl hooter... sometimes one will work when the other doesn't. any brand will work ,primos,hs strut,lohman,quakerboy, mad... they are only as good as the person using them, i even use an elk bugle.. practice is key.. you dont need to sound perfect but need to get cadence and patterns down.

Happy Birthday!!

mossberg 835 turkey gun, backbored and jugged barrel .65 comp n choke with either 5 or 6 winchester xx 3.5 in topped with a reddot sight. ... good to 60 yards... cant shoot a bird closer than 20 though its like throwing a slug....

a 1/2 acre plot of corn will work ok for the first few years... coon can get into it but a 22 or traps can control that easy enough. i started with an acre plot of corn and deer had it cleaned out by mid november. You need to know what your goal is a hunting plot/kill plot or a winter food source. i use brassica and clover and oats as my hunting plots and my corn now 7-10 acres is my winter feed/ destination plot. if your using it for hunting by all means plant a 1/2 acre. if your trying to draw late season or create a winter food source your wasting your time. Try and find a corn that will be maturing in late october. 97day corn planted in june .. the deer and coon will hit it hard in milk stage (bow season) and again when dried and brown in late october.... get after those coon by trapping/hunting them and you'll have a great hunting plot. a lot will depend on deer numbers on how long it will last.. and plant it in a square block..the first 4-8 rows will be lost to coon and possum. but deeper rows tend to last longer for deer... Doing anything is better than doing nothing......