Doc

We don't have any. No farmland anymore, and nobody has stocked any here in decades. I remember hearing one somewhere's down the valley about 7 or 8 years ago, and it was considered a very rare abnormality. Doc

Most of the time I use a 12 guage. It's almost free. A bunch of years ago, I reloaded quite a few boxes of #6 shot (practically a life-time's supply - maybe a dozen boxes of 25 or so). Now I am looking at going after them with my .22 Hornet. Trying to add a bit more sport into it all instead of just meat-gathering. However, If I don't keep up with my annual supply of squirrel meat, I'll definitely pull the shotgun out again and get whatever I need. Doc

Yeah, it's down alright. It is beginning to look like it has been purposefully shut down permanently. I can't imagine any technical problem that would take this long to straighten out. It's too bad because it was a great site that dealt with local state issues, and I often felt that the DEC and other official groups were monitoring that site and kind of "taking the pulse" of the state's hunters. Doc

Those things can be so darned smart when they want to be, and yet they have not figured out how to cross a road and actually make it to the other side. Doc

The 1/4" lip is perfect. That's just what I was thinking. As far as the additional shelving, you never can have too much storage. By the way, you might want to consider peg board on the wall in that area, depending on what all you think you might be storing there. The only problem with that is the temptation to completely fill the pegboard up with things that really don't belong there. My shop has pegboard covering every wall, and its so full, it's hard to see the pegboard anymore ...... lol. At any rate, be sure to add some pictures when everything is done and loaded up and in use. I always like seeing the set-ups that people come up with, and the different ways they approach storage and work-space problems. It's a good way to get a few ideas. Doc

You are hitting something hard that is in or just behind the target. I'm pretty sure of that. Three of the four look as though points and inserts have been driven up into the shaft. That is exactly what happens when an arrow hits a rock, concrete block, steel, or some other hard im-moveable object. Look at where on the target you are hitting the target. Take something like a straightened out wire coat hanger and push it into one of the holes and see if it comes up against something hard like metal reinforcement. Check out if you have placed the target up against something hard like a stone or concrete wall. I'll pretty much guarantee that that damage was not caused by faulty arrows. Those arrows are getting severely abused in some fashion. By the way, I have no doubt that even aluminum arrows shot into the same part of the target would wind up with blown off nocks and tips and points driven up inside the shafts. Doc

Yes, for press operations, I have my press off to the side so those operations are not done while sitting "into" the bench. But for powder measuring and dispensing as well as trimming and priming, I like the comfort of sitting close to my work, so I generally roll myself into the bench. It's just something that I take for granted and probably others do things differently and don't really need the "knee-hole" feature. Another thing that I don't have, but which seems like a good idea would be to have some sort of shallow lip across the front of the bench to prevent run-away components from escaping the bench. I remember once when a box of primers got away from me and wound up all over the floor. Most of them found the most unhandy places to wind up. Just a little lip across the front of the bench would have kept them from leaving the bench. Doc

Love the storage space, and the general overall look of the cabinets. However, it all looks like a forced "stand-up" arrangement. There's no knee-hole to allow you to sit down and work the reloading equipment. Have you made plans for allowing sit-down operation of your equipment. I think that might be a good added feature to your facilities, don't you? Doc

I have one of the old model 94 Winchesters, and I bought it just because the thing is a super-cool looking gun with a rather historical appearance to it. If they ever legalize rifles for deer hunting here in my county, I will still feel the need to buy a new rifle for that purpose. My biggest complaint about the Mod-94 as a deer hunting weapon has nothing to do with the caliber. 30-30 is probably quite adequate for the tight brush, short range hunting that we have here. However, that top-eject has been a problem with adding a scope to it and I really don't like being forced into open sights when it comes to my deer hunting. However, I still love the Mod-94 and it will always have a place in my gun rack. Doc

What you people need is a program similar to our "venison donations for the homeless" program. I'm having an episode of brain-fade and can't remember exactly what the program is called, but essentially it is an organized effort to allow deer hunters to donate their venison for use by homeless shelters and such. Imagine how much those people would appreciate some wild pork being added to their diet. It also might inspire hunters to get out and hunt down those critters a bit more and help out the farmers. I would imagine after you get a couple of them in your freezer, that's probably enough for personal consumption. But if there was someplace to donate the meat, people might keep on hunting them and start making a real dent in the population. Doc

Quality looks pretty darn good. I think you are going to have a lot of fun with that camera. Doc

So that answers the question about the effectiveness of a .223 on wild hogs. Looks to me like it did a pretty darn good job, and probably didn't ruin a whole lot of meat. Perhaps you need to get a bunch more. As I understand it they are pretty brutal on the environment (and farmland). By the way, I have never eaten any wild pig. Let us know how the stuff is for eating if you get a chance. I'm curious. I might just have to take a trip into the "southland" and check out some of that hog hunting for myself. Doc

I believe the original message on this thread talked about making such taxes a state obligation, IN ADDITION TO the Pittman-Robertson legislation. Blacktailslayer talked about applying the same concept of user taxes to the state of Oregon to help out with their ODFW and then even extend it further to include more hand selected citizens. I am against all user taxes for the reasons previously stated. And to expand that concept is just about the worst thing that could be suggested. As far as I am concerned, any government expenditure that is worth doing is worth being supported by ALL citizens. For too many years, the U.S. hunter has been targeted as being the minority group made responsible for the financial resources of maintaining and safeguarding the natural resources of the entire population. Now, to suggest that this same burden be put on the backs of the sportsmen additionally by state agencies is merely compounding the financial burden that has to bear some of the responsibility for the declining hunter numbers. That's not something that I would ever support. Such maintenance of natural resources is the obligation of EVERY citizen, not just a targeted few. And if the P-R legislation were being discussed, I would have exactly the same arguments against that. Doc

When it comes to a state's natural resources, every resident is a user whether they hunt, hike, bike, or simply have the poulations controlled for them to lessen auto impacts and landscape predation, or even enjoy lower food prices because of animal population control and management. So, to target one small segment of the state's population and say that natural resource management is the sole responsibility of sportsmen is simply another excuse for the state to punish sportsmen for choosing those particular types of recreation. There is no real logic behind it, and it is simply a scheme hatched by those who never saw a tax that they didn't love. And now we have those that are just itching to expand that philosophy. We sit and wonder why more of our paycheck goes toward running the various levels of government than we get to spend ourselves. The attitude shown in the above quote is exactly the reason. Some people really get off on paying taxes like it is some kind of a symbol of patriotism ...... lol. There sure is no motivation to control spending and waste as long as there are these kinds of people around. I've got an idea. Maybe they would really have a good time if they payed mine as well. Just think how pleasantly fulfilled they would be. Any takers? Doc

My father was driven out of the sheep business years ago by dogs. These were not wild dogs killing for survival, but family pets that the owners simply allowed to run loose. A few of them were occasionally found by authorities, but no laws were in place back then to make them responsible for their pet's damage and the losses were absorbed by each farmer. The final count of our flock after about 8 years of raising sheep was far less than the original quantity of sheep purchased to start the operation, and that was completely due to dog depradation. These raiding dogs were not interested in a meal, and simply went from one sheep to the next killing each one or leaving them in a condition where they died of shock or had to be destroyed. In one night, a pair of dogs can eliminate a flock. So anyone knowingly allowing their dogs to run loose, should be aware that deer are not the only targets of their damage. That is, if they even care about such things in the first place. Doc

I seldom ever get involved in calling for new taxes, and this subject is no exception. Use and product taxes regardless of what they are, are simply government methods of achieving "behavioral modification". An extreme version of that is every type of "sin tax" that exists. What the government can't achieve through honest and forthright legislation, generally is handled with taxation, which eventually becomes excessive and results in a mandated and dictated change in citizen behavior. The most glaring example is the taxes on cigarettes, liquor and gas. It is a long accepted premise that if you want to curtail or eliminate an activity, simply tax it. As a sportsman, I don't like seeing hunter, fisherman and trapper numbers continue to fall, and I don't really appreciate whatever contribution that taxes and fees on our products and activities may have in that result. By the same token, I really have no interest in this same kind of thing being used on any other form of outdoor activity. So, to increase this insidious attempt at making citizens march in lock-step to government dictated behaviors by extending the list to include bird watchers, and hikers, and whatever other wildlife users there may be is simply another extention and condoning of this sneaky way of encouraging government dictation of personal activities and interests. Instead of encouraging and even suggesting an expansion of this kind of government activity, we should be encouraging removing that style of taxation of hunters, fishermen and trappers. Let the general fund of each state handle the costs of administering fish and game activities and regulations. Our fish and game management agencies are simply another government bureacracy just like the other agencies in government, and should be funded in the same way. Let's not be so quick to tax away other people's activities simply because we are getting over-burdened. It's time to eliminate this whole idea of taxing activities and begin to take away this sneaky taxing method and replace it with the proper method of raising funds for the maintenance of state lands and state natural resources. After all, that function is not just for the benefit of sportsmen and other outdoor enthusiasts. It is a state function that guards and maintains state resources for the benefit of the entire population. Doc

Yeah I know this is probably not the right place for this message, but I figured it might be a good place to find someone in the know. Is there anyone else who is unable to access the Empire hunting forum? Anyone know what is going on there? Doc

It never ceases to amaze me how so many birds defy the general camo markings of most wild critters. Many birds including these male mallards seem to go out of there way to be just as conspicuous in color as thay can be. Seems really strange when you consider that Mother Nature has made just about every other wild thing blend in almost perfectly. It looks like when it came to birds and insects, Mother Nature had a change in design philosophy. Doc

Those scrapes are really something unusual. Anybody else ever see scrapes in April? Those do look like the real deal except there is no overhanging branch. These scrapes must have some purpose or meaning other than what scrapes usually indicate. It would be interesting to undestand what these are all about. Doc

Actually, I don't think today's big leasing craze has as much to do with deer populations as it does with just the growing attitudes that everything has to be some kind of money source. There definitely is a different attitude today than there was back then. We had deer, and it sure seems that we had plenty of hunters. If landowners had wanted to back then, they could have charged people for access to their land. They just chose not to, or more to the point, the notion never even entered their minds. What a much different world of hunting might have been today if it had. Perhaps we would have been talking about the vanishing hunter numbers 40 or 50 years ago if things had been locked up as tight as it is today. Doc

It was within my lifetime when a hunter would never consider paying for hunting priviledges. In fact, it was absolutely rare and even weird to see a posted sign back in the early days of my life. You could hunt as far as your legs would carry you and never cross a posted line. How things have changed. As I read over the replies on this thread, I am struck with how far toward the european style of hunting we have come where hunting has become a pastime of the more wealthy people. It's a shame, but it just keeps on marching toward that style of hunting access. And we continue to see hunter numbers declining as hunting struggles its way toward the end. It's a real shame. However I must say that if I had to pay what some are paying to hunt, I probably would be gone from the sport myself. Doc

I know that dogs will do what centuries of instinct development have put into their nature if we as their owners allow it. I do believe that allowing dogs (or any pets) to run free without any control indicates a person lacking in basic responsibility, and I really don't have any use for such a person. Yes, occasionally a dog will accidentally get loose. That usually comes from inadequate facilities for housing the pet that you have taken responsibility for or slip-shod handling of the animal. When you come down to it, there really is no excuse for any pet owner to not be in complete control of the animal. I know the episode that I saw was a pretty nasty spectacle as the deer got tore apart alive with one bite after another. If I had had a gun in my hands it wouldn't have continued. I understand that the end to a wild animal's life is not always very kind. But we don't have to be complicit in some of those gruesome deaths by supplying the predator that brings about the slow torture over long distances of one bite at a time. It's just not necessary, or responsible behavior. Doc

I saw 2 dogs (one a german shepard, the other a smaller mixed breed) that had a ripped apart deer pretty much done in. By the time I got the gun, they had moved on, and I really don't know what the final out-come was. The deer didn't look like it had a whole lot of fight left as the two dogs took turns biting at its hind-quarters every time the deer turned to face the other. I have no idea how long this had been going on or how long it went on afterwards. It looked like a pretty brutal way to go. Doc

I maintain an awsome respect for the damage that a broadhead can do. I am also a believer in Murphy's law. I also, have never seen a situation where I didn't have time to pop an arrow out of my quiver and put it on the string. For me, bowhunting is not about fast-draw techniques and hurried shots, so if while I am still hunting (which is seldom) or walking to or from my stand, If I encounter a deer that has spotted me, it really doesn't make any difference whether the arrow is nocked or not. 98% of the time I will never get the bow up and execute a carefully aimed shot anyway. If he hasn't spotted me, then I have lots of time to remove the arrow from my quiver and place it on my string. It really is no big deal. So what's the big advantage of walking around with this razor sharp item sticking out in front of you. It just makes it one more thing that you have to keep track of one more thing to distract your attention from spotting that deer first. Unhandy, uncomfortable, and unecessary. Oh, and by the way, a word about Murphy's Law. I once was walking through some brush when my hip quiver hooked on some brush, popped loose an arrow, sprung the darn thing pinwheeling forward where it landed nock first with the broadhead point toward me and supported on some golden-rod, elevated about shin-high. Fortunately, it was just slightly off to the side so that the step that I was taking at the same moment passed by without encountering the broadhead. Freak accident? ...... You bet. But it just shows that as soon as you feel real comfortable that all is safe and well, old Uncle Murphy is there to take advantage of that over-confidence. By the way, that old hip quiver went in the trash. Doc

When it comes to scientific experimentation, there are so many little variables that can be manipulated or just out-right faked to achieve a pre-determined desired outcome, that the public can easily be conned by these methods. Add to all that the fact that each test is trying to show the superiority of their product and you certainly have ample motive to tweak results in their favor. I guess these two tests just emphasize the fact that you should believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see ..... lol. I'll admit that I was very impressed by the first video. The second one just brought all that flim-flam, Madison Avenue BS, back into focus. Doc