G-Man

Burt, depending on where that deer was taken in the state,sunset being 439pm he could be leagaly hunting untill 503 pm if he was in chautauqua co. like i said if your going to be a 100% law compliant you better have an atomic clock that updated your position as you move! And the state seems to only give 3 minute guidelines so i guess 3 minutes is acceptable in their eyes..

Well unless you have an atomic clock that is adjusted to your exact position i would bet a lot more people have broken this law, move a few hunderd yards and your time is different by 1/32 of second than where you started from. For those of you that are 100% rules compliant i sure hope you have one! or you'll never be able to live with yourself! For those of you who like most follow this law as close as possible we'll continue to enjoy our time afield guilt free. And for the blatent violators... it may take awhile to get caught but eventually i'd like to think you will.

Well if i hear a shot way early i think that the guy is unethical and more or less a criminal. a shot within a few minutes..well maybe his watch is off or mine is. There are a lot of laws out there and if one took the time to look at and learn them all i'm sure even the most ethical guy could be found in violation of something. How many people report their deer? is that as bad as shooting a minute early or late?. I cannot control the actions others off my property and do the best i can to follow all the laws i know of, the violators just have to live with themselves....

not worth it, i changed to verizon, if you get cellphone service their usb modem works great,or just plug your smartphone into your computer.

just put up a hawk or owl decoy up...

ok then what about bow season over gun.. has to be close then...1/2 hr before and after there would work.. don't see errant arrows flying thru the woods as a concern there..

well the same would hold true for turkey hunting then..must be a bearded bird. have to identify it but its 1/2 hour before and after for that?

I have a neighbor who is a trophy hunter "self proclaimed" except every deer he shoots seems to be so dark he can't find it and he requires help (not that he gets a lot but the last one was within 10 ft of the logging road) i'm halfway thru my dinner when i hear the shot more times than not. He has the money for good optics and says if it s a full moon he could hunt all night. He's old and will be gone sooner than later but its funny to hear him brag at different dinner/banquets about the deer he got..funny he never seems to mention the time..lol! Maybe a change to the regs to a half hr before sunrise to half hr after sunset like turkey season should be in order?? I know a lot of hunters don't know what time sunset even is.. not that ignorance is ok, but another example , there are a lot of old timers,and guns that are hand me downs to younger hunters out there with winchester model 12 without plugs in the mag tube and have no idea a law was passed that restricts it to 5.. they don't break the law on purpose but they are braking it...

When game is close the overwelming feeling is to shoot fast before it can get away!!!, not look at a watch,check the regs,aim properly,or debate with yourself wether or not its the right thing to do, especially if one is newer to the sport or lacking experiance in harvesting game. Experiance is what would cause you to think about your actions first, the average big buck only gives you 3 seconds or less to make the decision you have to live with...

Like i said if they take the bow hunting course and pass it . i am sure they have the right kind of parent to mentor them.

Yeah you might want to find someone who as one to let you try...

Nice! seems she only want to find the big ones on her own!!

Wooly, i understand your apprehension but for gun a lot more than bow. Well i can't say i'll see mass 12 year olds picking up a bow and bowhunting, for those who's parents have started them early and the kids have the love of archery it will be a nice benifit. For a kid just to pick up a bow and hunt is not going to happen especially if the parent is a slob, fist the kid had to pass the bowhunters course...just sitting thru a hunting course now is a true test of grit..i think mine was 4 hrs long now they're 10 + ?? and practice... wow any 12 year old that has the dedication to do that deserves the right to bow hunt!

Wooly, maybe i grew up in some bygone era, but i recieved a bb gun when i was 10 and a .22 when i was 12. I had been shooting .22 in boyscouts since i was 10. I remember the first bird i shot with a bb gun and how bad i felt to this day! Unlike this law which requires the parent to be present, we were out back of the barn(my brothers and i that is) shooting old cans,lighters(trying to blow them up) woodchucks, pigions, ect we learned the hard way. Yes there are bad parents out there do you want a law to stop them from having kids? My oldest nephew is almost old enough to hunt he's 11 this fall. But he knows how to clean, handle, load,unload pistols,rifles, and shotguns. His modivation to learn how to read was to learn was so he could take the hunting exam so he could hunt with his dad and uncles. He helps skin and cut up deer. He goes out and sits and takes pictures of game with his camera (since he cant hunt he shoots them with his camera) He is ready to hunt and experiance what it is to take an animals life and the respect that one should show as such a moment. He'll be able to do this soon with a gun, why not let him try with a bow? I know all kids are not the same as one of my hunting companions has a boy now 15 who he will still not allow to hunt as in his eyes hasn't learned and reached the maturity his father feels is nessisary. Although he accompany's his father on hunts and has taken his hunting course. Yes there are parents that won't properly supervise their child but there are a lot moe that would like the ability to have the choice. jmo.

Wow you guys must like hard work all that digging! At least with the stakes you don't have to dig so deep ..otherwise deer can jump like 7 feet so you'll need to go what 8' ??? I'll take my 30 sec. snare, bet i'll have a few caught before you even finish 1 pit!! LOL...

I think there are a lot more older bucks out there than one might think.. they just learn to find a quiet place and stay put. There are a lot on non-hunters who are buying lots with acreage and the deer find them amd stay. they seem to know how close they can stay to a building and be safe. I have seen them lying in a neighbors yard during gun season only 50 yards from her pool, and not just doe there was a monster with them...though about lying my gun across the hood of her car for a minute or two... anyway went hunting for the afternoon and when i was walking out 4 hrs later they were still there..car was gone. lol!! I am a firm believer for every deer you see there are 2-3 more in the woods hiding.

It's a good idea, remember just beacuse the law says the age a kid can hunt, a parent still has the final say. If he/she isn't mature enough just don't let them. At least it gives an option to let the parents who's kids want to hunt a chance to do so. If they're in the woods they are off the street/ out from behind a computer!!

Every guy that has 25 years plus exp started sometime. You'll need to get your name out there best is word of mouth, someone will get a mount done by you and tell a freind and so on. Just be a little cheaper in price than the next guy it ill get you buisness and you can raise the price next year as you become swamped in buissness to keep your turn around time reasonable you will probably be able and need to raise your price again. I know several taxidermist that raised their prices to rediculous amounts to try to ease into retirement, and some that were doing almost 400 heads a year and wanted to cut back, but some will still pay what you ask if the quality is there. I guess the main thing i am trying to say the Price will initailly draw them but the quality of your work will bring them back...

Snare's most definaley...

Sure wish this global warming would hurry up ..... its pretty cold and snowy out!!

That will go thru a rib cage. I've use a lot of different head and only shoot 52lbs of draw weight and a properly placed shot will go thru the ribs of a deer at a resonable range 30yrds or less every time. Most non pass thrus hit bone. And most not found deer are from a poor hit that was tracked to fast and jumped or wasn't hit where the shooter though it was. A deer hit thru the lungs will expire within 100yrds almost all the time. Arrows do strange things when passing thru a body cavity after hitting bone.

Well april 1st is almost upon us, for me that means trout fishing and turkey scouting! I like to trout fish early and listen for the birds on the roost, later you can hear them walking the ridges gobbling as they go,holding up in a spot (strut area). Best part is i might even catch a few fish! Any one have a method or tradional way they scout?

Well i hear a lot less shots than i heard 10 years ago, now wether there are less deer being taken,less huters, or the change from shotgun to rifle increased accuracy i can't say..

Find some stateland, or private if you have access. and go out in april and listen!! going trout fishing early in the morning and listening to the birds gobble will tell you where they are plus you might catch a few trout ! Do Not Call a turkey call!!! this is most important as all it does is educate the birds and make them harder to call when season arrives. Just listen you may hear them fly out of a roost, gobble while walking along a ridge. Turkeys are creatures of habit and what you hear them do one day they will do another. They will roost in the same area,feed to the same area, go to the same strut area year after year. As the season gets closer maybe you'll want to slip into the woods and get a little closer so you can pinpoint their exact location.(start far enough away so you don't spook em') When opening day comes while a lot of hunters will be waiting to hear a gobble you can be set up on your bird even if it doesnt gobble it's probably still there.. Once you find a good roost area all it takes is quick listen to confirm its still being used every year. There are turkeys everywhere and for those willing to put in a little time scouting a good spot can be found pretty easily.

Yeah Bill Mansell was a judge for a few years in taxidermy contests, (i remember seeing a lot of best in show and blue ribbons in his shop when i was a lot younger). I think he use to work under the name j&b taxidermy as well. He speciaizes in whitetail deer but is easing out of the buisness, he's in his mid 60's i believe had to talk him into mounting my buck for me this year... whish i had the time i'd love to learn from him..