Doc

Re: Buckmaster\'s Article (Window Shooter) [ QUOTE ] What would be the difference in shooting one out of your house window or lets say, shooting one out of the window of an elevated shooting house?Just curious [/ QUOTE ] I think I would really like to hear an answer to that question myself! I'm not sure about the appropriateness of that as a hunting article subject, but I am curious about the outrage against shooting from the house as opposed to shooting from one of these box-blinds that we see 14 times per week on the hunting channels. Just what IS the difference, anyway? Doc

Re: Acceptance and Recognition As I said in my original message, I expected the replies to vary quite a bit, depending on individual locations. My thoughts come from all of my 60+ years of living a life that basically revolves around hunting and over that time, I have witnessed massive changes in attitudes that perhaps many have not yet had the opportunity to notice. There was a time in our locality that hunting season dominated conversations and activities, just like many of you are describing here. When I was in school, opening day of gun season was basically a holiday. and it was harder to find someone who didn't hunt than to find one that did. That was a long time ago and a completely different society. Today hunting is a non-starter when it comes to conversation. Also, you could take a record book buck and very few would care or understand what you have accomplished and how rare and difficult an achievement that really is. Sure, I continue to hunt. And, yes, it is primarily a personal activity that I do for my own benefit and satisfaction. But, I'll be the first to admit that it has lost a lot of the luster when it is so difficult to find anyone who appreciates or recognizes the value of something that has dominated my entire life and has become such a large part of who I am. It's sad to watch a complete way of life starting to fade away. I hope that those of you who live in areas where this has not happened yet, continue to have the surroundings where hunting remains an important part of your local society. But I fear that time is not on your side on this. Doc

Here is another topic that will probably get a wild variation of opinions depending on the location of members. Over my 40 years of hunting, I have seen a great change in attitudes about hunting. One of the things that I have noticed is that there seems to be a lot fewer people interested in the activities and achievements of hunters. TV programs and internet forums tend to mask this, but personal, day to day contacts with other people convinces me that this is the case. Let me explain. Many years ago, (40'ish), Monday mornings at work used to be a fairly large bull session among a fairly large group of hunters at work. Everyone seemed to be genuinely interested and eager to tell someone about their hunting and to hear the stories from other hunters. Things were a bit different back then. The only compound bow that was even on the horizon was Allen, and nobody seemed to really own one. Consequently, the topic of conversation was not about the trophy buck that anyone got, but more likely about the one that they saw, or missed or perhaps even the doe that they almost got a shot at. Even the gun hunters would gather around to hear these stories. The same thing would happen at family gatherings (which there were a lot more of then), such as Thanksgiving when the topic of conversation would ALWAYS turn toward hunting and everyone would set around and listen to all the hunting stories (successful or not). Today, and increasingly for quite a few years now, it seems like hunting is only discussed with a couple of close hunting buddies and an occasional hunting relative. It seems the difference is very dramatic. So, you hunt........big deal......who cares! Ok, so this is where you start hearing comments like, "well, I hunt for my own challenge and satisfaction anyway", or "hunting is a personal activity". I suspect this was always the case, but there used to be a real good feeling when people respected and were generally excited, or at least interested in an activity that you held so important in your life. Ok, with all that droning blather out of the way, here comes my question (finally). How important is recognition and appreciation of your hunting activities in the eyes of others, to you? Do you really care if no one pays any attention to your achievements and experiences in hunting? I am sure there are other localities across the country where this change has not happened yet, but this question is more for those who have seen hunting go from a central part of local life, to a condition of almost irrelevance. Doc

Re: Snareing..(rabbits) They don't let us use snares here in NY. It's too bad because I sure would like to have the meat. I love eating rabbits. Doc

Re: I am a VICTOM!!! (I think) I just hope it doesn't escalate beyond this. Some of those lunatics are living in their own little world and really don't have any sense of right and wrong. Hopefully it was just a prank by one of your co-workers. Not everybody uses the best judgement when pulling off jokes. Doc

Re: HUNTING A FOOD PLOT!!! (not as easy as it sounds) It sounds like you only have one plot. My thought: you are probably over-pressuring the area and that's what is causing them to be nocturnal. If you make a daily visit to the same area every day, and sometimes twice a day, it doesn't take the deer very long to know you were there, even if you are not spooking the deer directly. Doc

Re: NEED TO VENT! [ QUOTE ] If hunting is something that she finds offensive you will need to watch what you say around her. There are more forms of harassment that just sexual, and she could argue that this is causing a hostile work environment. [/ QUOTE ] Sorry, but I have to agree with this quote. If you are looking for fairness and justice in the workplace, just remember that businesses are not a Democracy. Laws and company policies are not necessary on your side in this case. There may be other considerations in your situation that I am not aware of such as a dyed-in-the-wool hunting boss, or something, but under normal circumstances of normal business environments, this is a fight you cannot win and could escalate into a situation that could impact your livelihood. It may not be right, but it's just the way life in the new millenium is. Doc

Re: What has happened to this place? And of course there are also those who are just constantly looking for a way to be offended. The word "bash" is quite often stretched in definition way past the point of reality. Quite often, if there is a difference of opinion, I start hearing the word "bashing" being used. For crying out loud people, differences of opinion are what discussions are all about....you know..point - counterpoint. And discussions are what forums are all about. I often wonder just what value this forum or any forum would have if everyone just decided to never disagree with anything that is stated. Naturally, when things start escalating into name-calling or personal attacks about someone's character, or the attempts at foul language start, that is certainly over the line and those are cases where the word bashing really starts to apply. And frankly, I really don't see a lot of that here. If everytime someone has an opposing opinion, you start hollering "Bashing!", things are going to get real boring and quiet here and the opportunity to hear diversity of opinion on any subjects is going to get real scarce. Doc

Re: Brutal Day,,,, It's not a problem. I just wait quietly for one of them critters to blow by. I'm not really fond of moving shots, and trying to get one that is in a full tumble as it goes by is pretty tough. But if you can get enough arrows off, you just might get lucky. Doc

Re: Will High Wind Effect Buck Movement During The Rut Here in western NY, deer don't like wind. That's not to say that I haven't seen deer moving on windy days. In fact, during the rut, I quite often will see a buck wandering around. The only thing is that they are generally wilder than a kootie when the wind is blowing and generally are walking around in a spring-loaded condition, paying attention to every detail around them. Doc

Generally, I have found that cut leafed branches of any deciduous tree will hold their leaves a lot longer than live branches. Yes, they wither up and lose the green color, but they stay on the branches. This may be because I generally cut branches for blind cover in September. Some of the leaves may have started to change color, but at that time of year they aren't even thinking of falling. Cutting them at that time, I think, hardens the attachment and makes them stay longer. Anything cut at this time of year is just not going to remain with its leaves attached. The process of dropping is already well under way and they are just barely fastened as it is. Beech branches last a very long time and maple does pretty good too. Red ossier will not hold its leaves for very long no matter when it's cut. When appropriate, plants such as goldenrod can be quite effective and will last a very long time. Also pine boughs will last an entire season. Of course they are really only effective if there are other pines around. Using something that is not native to that particular area can make a stand stick out like a sore thumb. Now, I didn't notice what part of the country you are in, so I must state that everything I've said reflects only my experiences in NYS. I'm sure leaves on cut limbs react differently in other parts of the country. Doc

I have been seeing a product called Claroxan advertised like crazy on OLN lately. The claim is that they have this pill that will improve your eyesight to the point that you will be able to see more game and be able to shoot much better. Has anyone used this product with any success? I guess I would be kind of surprised if it really did work. Seems to me that optometrists all over the world would be recommending it and it would make newspaper headlines if it really did work. To me it looks like some snake-oil salesman trying to take advantage of gullible hunters and it kind of irritates me to see this kind of thing on OLN. Doc

Re: Seen a lot of deer! [ QUOTE ] Seen a lot of deer! [/ QUOTE ] You're really not helping my frustration level. This has been the crappiest season of my life......cruddy weather......faded deer trails......scarce sign......few deer sightings. I doubt that gun season will be any better either. Well, it's good to hear that a few people are doing well, but I think our state has done an excellent job of cutting the deer population in our area. Excuse me, but I think I'm going to cry now.....sob....sob....sob Doc

Re: how good are you at long shots? [ QUOTE ] how good are you at long shots? [/ QUOTE ] Crappy! Doc

Re: Fading Sport I believe that the national numbers are showing a steady decline. Certainly, there are spots that go against the trend, particularly the more rural areas. The perception may be different also between those that are relatively new to the sport and those that have been around for a few years. I've been in the same area for 60 years and have witnessed dramatic changes in hunter participation. That includes, not only the actual numbers of hunters, but also the enthusiasm of the fewer hunters that do go out each year. We seem to be getting a lot of 1/2 day hunters. The trends seem to be following the demise of agriculture here. We used to have a lot of small family farms that provided a lot of small crop plots that were scattered around and through the woods. As these have disappeared, a lot of the areas actually got a little better for a while, but now they are reverting back to thicker forested areas. The best green areas now are people's yards and an occasional field that someone might keep mowed......Of course 95% of these are posted and owned by people who do not hunt. I also noticed that the last decade of my career, the Monday morning bull sessions about hunting experiences started to get fewer and fewer with less people even interested in talking hunting. It's a shame, but I think it is a trend that is going to be accelerating in the years ahead. Doc

Re: what do you think There's that shoulder bone again. What do they call it........is that the scapula? Anyway, the big wide flat bone in the front shoulders. It's a tricky thing. Some of it thin and flat, and well-tune bows will send an arrow through it, but it has a hidden trap in it. There is a thick section that rises out of the bone in a perpendicular fashion that will stop or severely deflect an arrow. Also, on more mature deer, this bone gets particularly thick and hard, making penetration a lot more difficult. It sounds likely that penetration was the problem. If he could clearly see the arrow sticking out of the shoulder, it probably wasn't really in that far. The arrow could also be well above the vitals. Of course the best thing is to avoid hitting that area completely, but sometimes, things happen! The good news: it may very well be a non-lethal shot and hopefully the deer will survive.

Re: Questionable shots......... [ QUOTE ] I am new to forums and was ignorant of the attacks taken by some on here. [/ QUOTE ] Do you really think the replies were attacks? All I have seen so far is a discussion on a particular shot selection. This is a discussion that can benefit a lot of hunters and one that I think is very appropriate for this forum. I think it's unfortunate that you took it all as being critical of you personally. I know in my case there was nothing personally intended. I still believe that that shot is a low percentage shot. If you do not, that's your prerogative. I would do my best to convince you otherwise, but that is certainly not a personal attack. I have never made any statements about your ethics or abilities, only comments about the effectiveness of that kind of shot. That's not personal and in fact is not an attack. All of the other replies that I have seen have been of the same nature. It is not good to view dissenting opinions as being personal attacks. I personally welcome such comments. I have learned a lot over the years that way. Doc

Re: MISUNDERSTANDING ON \"ABSOLUTE HOG I STUCK\" [ QUOTE ] If a big ol 180 190 buck walked under your stand and you know the only shot you had was down through the back you would take it. [/ QUOTE ] The shot was not down through the back, it was 90 feet out from a height of 25 feet. That is a shot looking across a deer's back at a 15 degree angle. Also, you have apparently missed the whole point of the discussion. No one is arguing about a missed or screwed up shot or a "shot running off course". The controversy is over the shot selection. Also, I would be a bit careful about the name-calling. For the most part, that kind of crap hasn't gone over too well in this forum. Doc

Re: No Offense, But................. Many of you talk like there's only two kinds of people that might visit this forum.......hunters and anti-hunters. I think you are forgetting the most politically important voting segment, and that is the non-hunting people. I'm talking about the vast majority of the public who have no real hard opinions on the subject of hunting, but may visit here just to see what all the hoopla is all about. Now I really don't think they would jump right on the anti-hunting bandwagon if they saw the word "stuck" used here, but I do think it's important to remember that our posts and replies should be reasonably appropriate. I haven't really seen anything here that would turn a non-hunter into an antihunter yet, and it would probably be a good idea to keep it that way. Doc

Re: Hunting right on the line! Isn't it funny how people get convinced that the grass is always greener on the other side. My property abuts a large parcel of state land and every year I see tracks in the snow where hunters encounter my posted signs and then begin to walk along the posted line. I would assume that if they ever saw a deer on my side, they probably would have no problem shooting it. People can be weird. I think they have this vision of all these deer, that are able to read posted signs, all stacked up on my side of the signs. The fact is that the habitat and deer population is better on the state land than it is on mine and I spend all my time hunting state land. The posted signs are just to help safeguard my house and a little cabin that I have at the back. Doc

Re: MISUNDERSTANDING ON \"ABSOLUTE HOG I STUCK\" [ QUOTE ] I agree that certain shots are all a matter of circumstance. I used to be a stickler for not shooting at deer at distances over 20 yards. However, through lots of practice and gained confidence, I feel that I could kill a deer with my bow out to 40 yards. However, at this distance, many factors come into play. Do I have that perfect quartering away or practically broadside shot? Is the deer aware of my presence? Is there any kind of wind that may effect arrow flight? Is it definitely a clear shot? All these factors come into play. Sure, I am confident in my ability on paper, but can I keep my nerves calm enough when Ol' Freak Nasty shows himself? I don't think that much of this can be decided until that moment of truth, but hopefully it is decided wisely and we don't let the adrenaline and excitement impair our judgement. [/ QUOTE ] Sounds reasonable to me. I'm still at 25 yards maximum, but within reason, that's pretty much a function of each archer's ability. Doc

Re: Do you always stand ? I prefer standing to shoot. Let's face it 90 % of my practice is done standing. It also allows me some ability to turn if the deer doesn't come to the exact spot that I hoped. However, I have spent some time shooting while sitting just in case I get caught and don't have the opportunity to get into the more ideal position of standing. I feel pretty confident with sitting shots unless, as somebody has already pointed out, the deer's location forces some ugly contortions. Doc

Re: holier than thou forum members [ QUOTE ] Don't place blame or fault until you've walked in that persons shoes. [/ QUOTE ] Was there really blame or fault involved in this topic? I viewed it as a discussion of a particular type of shot. Is that not a proper topic of discussion for this forum? Doc

Re: Questionable shots......... I think what gives you the impression that he was being "picked on" is the fact that so many people responded with the same message about the proprioty of the shot. It may seem like "piling on", but I think it was more of a case of many different members replying with the same opinion. Of course if the guy is going to come back on and argue that the shot was indeed proper and indicate that he would do it again, then it should be no surprise that the topic would be extended further. The rest of the responses were not about the shot at all, but more relative to people offering opinions on such matters. Specifically the "holier than thou forum" topic. The other spin-off topics (of which this is one) probably were not necessary. If the whole discussion had taken place within the same topic, I think it would have been a much shorter discussion. They basically were the same subject but got new life breathed into it because they were appearing under new topic headings. I personally thought it was a good discussion that may have outlasted its usefulness, but I am very happy to see such things discussed here. I think there is much to be learned by discussing shot selections and many other such topics as long as we don't get too involved in trying to stifle free flow of opinion and don't get too carried away with the passion of the argument. Doc

Re: Need some help I have found the same thing in my locality here in Bristol. Sign and sightings are pretty darn rare so far in my hunting area. As far as more buck sightings than does, that doesn't seem to be the case this year, but I have had that happen in the past couple of years. This year, I have seen only 1 spike, but there are a few scrapes and rubs that indicate that there are a few around. The trails in the bottom land are wide and deep, but few fresh tracks on them. It's a pretty weird year so far and it has me a bit be-fuddled. We'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the season brings. Doc