BSmaster

They use the same technology yes but for someone to sit and wait with the weapon cocked and all you need to go is raise the crosshairs onto the animal and pull the trigger isn't bow hunting.

Good point.  I can accept that as an advantage crossbow, but not a definition of "not" bowhunting. 

I had this debate a couple years ago with a few purists and it is the same outcome.  A cross bow is cheating.  Very strong feelings about it too.  I believe it will open up hunting areas that were previously harder to hunt because of dwellings.  Not everybody will want to use a bow but maybe a bow that looks and feels like a gun will be of interest to them.  Anyways, MHO they could split the bow season and let people use the crossbow the second half.  Doesn't matter to me regardless.  Besides, The definition will change when they (The Man) want it to.  Kinda like pot.  It use to be an evil drug - now not so much.  Same plant - different generation.  Smoke poles, Pistols, Single Shots I have seen them all used during regular gun season.  It was treated as a preference.  I still use my 1100 instead of my 30-06 during deer season because I really like my 1100 not because I think the rifle allows me any unfair advantage.  I guess what I am saying is I lack the strong feelings about the different killling methods.  I am honestly indifferent to whatever changes they make to the current bow season.

I agree that your argument is sound except that I disagree with the definition of what archery is.  For those of you that use compounds, shouldn't you be using long bows?  I mean that would keep it pure - this is the argument.  From my understanding from a professional shooter, the compounds have surpassed the crossbows in technology.  Just saying.  I hear your point all the time and i get it.  I just think the logic is flawed.  It is like the group that believes using live bait to fish is cheating.

It is plausible to think that they are considering crossbows as an implement to sell more licenses.  I always say follow the money.

I do not own a crossbow.  I own 2 compounds.  If this becomes legaized, I will get a compound and not feel bad about using it.

Crossbows experiment ended last year.

From the DEC page.

The law that formerly allowed big game hunting with crossbows was written with an expiration date of December 31, 2012. As the law has expired, crossbows are not currently legal hunting implements in New York State.

The 3 and 5 year licenses sound like PA to me.  Are you referring to NY or PA?  That would make sense where the crossbow information came in too.

Maybe another light house? 

Seriuosly, does it still need to be dredged?

For those of you not in the twin tiers.  This happened yesterday.

http://www.the-leader.com/article/20140109/NEWS/140109736

This is the problem that I have.  We don't require educating our children in anything considered politically incorrect, however, my kids tell me everything that's wrong with the Polar bear's habitat & the rain forest.  This young man shooting at squirrels in City limits probably suffers from a severe lack of common sense and never had a strong role model for gun safety.  City limits - really?

My Dad drilled us boys in gun safety continuosly and added that I will crush you look if you didn't obey.  #1 rule.  Always check to see if its loaded.  #2 Never point a gun at something unless you intend to shoot it, #3 Always know what is behind what you are shooting at. There are more but these are the big ones.  As a Father I have determined that it is best for me to hold off showing my cubs how to use a gun not because of political correctness but because I do not think they are ready.  I was using a 4-10 & 22 rimfire at there age but everyone is diffferent.  I feel it is my responsibility and not the Government to teach my kids gun safety and I believe that is where things fall short.  How many people can buy a gun but have no idea about the simple rules I stated above.  When I was a kid, I think everyone naturally took hunter ed but it isn't required to purchase - only to hunt.  What if a hunter or an owner education certificate was required.  This would make me feel better knowing young people who have zero influence with a firearm and may decide to own one have something that outlines true safety.

Mental issues are a big one that won't be solved when they try to legislate evil away.  We all know the safe gun act is full of crap and doesn't address any of the things that truly need to be addressed.  That kid shooting at squirrels in city limits isn't ill or evil - just had a moron moment.  A felony conviction might fix it but who knows?  My point is education.  Different generations had a different level and maybe we should be talking about this instead of 10 round clips or pistol grips on turkey guns.

Just MHO, Joe

Just a thought here but if I pay for a launch fee and the launch has a massive amount  of loose floating weeds at the launch I think it would make since that the entity in charge of the launch would remove those weeds in the launch area that will certainally get stuck to the carriage of the trailers.  Doesn't this make since?  If it doesn't then I will bring a stone rake.  It is much easier to clean the water my trailer is going into than cleaning the trailer once the boat is on it.

As for the livewell, I do this at home.  It will not change.  My boat is completely dry before my next trip.  I am always thinking about it as we all should be.  It is going to push my anger button if they decide to enforce these regulations when they don't seem to be enforcing a lot of the other important ones we really care about.  Rant over.

Joe

60 percent of the time it works every time.  Haha.

Nice Video - clay in the water was very interesting.

I understand.

As to the why.  I mentioned they are predators.  Very skilled at disorienting young of the year. 

Also very good eating.

Grind up the breast meat and make a meatloaf with a BBQ sauce topping.  Slice about an Inch thick and serve with bourbon.  I call them Crow Bars. 

geese and ducks are in corning year round too,,but the crow is a migratory bird probly just the way north birds (canada) head a little further south,usually a few 1000 go through corning every year and stay near wegmans the trees turn black ,,didnt see them this year..seems like i heard they go to Mexico ,maybe they speak spanish..

I just assumed they always stayed in the general area since I seen them all year.  I had one a few years back that had only one leg.  Came to the back yard every day all year.  Last week I was finishing up my Mom's deer out on the back of my tail gate and for an hour one solitary crow flew around in a circle or landed in a tree cawing at me the whole time.

what exact problems do they cause?

I don't know but they sure do creep me out when there are over a hundred flying around in a big circle cawing and all that.  Something mystical about it.  They are smart and will probably be noted as one of the most adaptable birds we have on our planet.  They hunt, scavenge and steal.  The are omnivores.  Its like a little bear with wings.

Sounds like a crow hunters haven, case of shells and a 12 gauge

  It was a big deal when I was a kid.  there are a lot more crows now so I figure not too many people are into it as they once were.

FYI, crows Are migratory.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Lake Ontario United mobile app

 From Crow Busters:  Crows are called short distance migrants. Some may only move a few miles from the nesting territory to ones that move a few hundred miles. This seems to occur more in the northern climates where winters get fairly harsh.

Click on the map below and off to see the migration.  I still don't think they migrate too much around here.

I made my way to Bass Pro yesterday evening - arrived in Auburn about dusk.  I was overwhelmed by the volume of crows in the air, in the trees, flying over my car.  It was eerily like that movie by Alfred Hitchcock.  Is there an open landfill near there or is there a sacrifice made to the pagan gods?  I just have a hard time understanding how that many non migratory birds could be in one place.  We have a murder of them here in Corning but it is such a small fraction compared to what I saw up in Auburn (I thought we had a lot til yesterday).  In Corning they have learned how to rip into garbage bags left out for curbside pick up.  I wait til morning to put mine out.  Anybody witness this?

Are you getting it mounted?     

Rabbit hunting just got harder.  I noticed during deer season that a lot of the rabbits were out of cover at night.  Soon to be "they gone"  When I use to come home after a long night of bar hopping I would look up at a barn in the middle of the fields with a nice sky line and could see an Owl perched up there watching.  Those things are magnificent to say the least.  Its too bad they eat rabbits.

Avoid the sun, bridges, trees, weed lines, and large riff raff under the water.  I meant this to say Avoid the sun, fish the bridges, trees, weed lines, and large riff raff under the water.

There isn't a charter or guide out there that can help with small river fishing on one trip.  It is hit and miss and in a big way.  I think it was the 20th trip out with a guy who did it for decades and told of great catches that I finally caught a walleye. 

Some things I have learned...

• Walleye that are well fed will usually only feed at night.  This means some of the areas that hold walleye are part of nurseries for other fish and when these species peak in numbers and optimum size, good luck catching a walleye during the daytime (or at all).
• Match the bait fish when possible.
• Morning bite versus night bite.  This switches and I find it irritating.  When it is night 1/2 hour before and 1/2 hour after sunset - if they are not biting it won't be til after midnight.  When it is morning get there well before sunrise.  If they are not biting, wait til the fog presses down and then starts to rise.  If there is nothing biting at this time, try something else or go home.
• Live bait is my favorite.  I like to use suckers, stone rollers, chubs and sometimes stone cats.  All of these will catch walleye but will catch a lot more bass and catfish.  Spring time people use leeches and night crawlers.  I don't.
• Stick baits - specifically crank style like rapalas in perch, fire tiger or shad.  This is a reaction bite.  Helps when they are fed well.
• Somebody is always going to fish the same spot as you and get better results - get use to it.
• Avoid the sun, bridges, trees, weed lines, and large riff raff under the water.
• If you find an area with a lot of snags, you found an area that holds walleyes.
• Your name is not Lindner - no pressure.  Don't ever give up.

I am thinking it would be easiest to make a friend who fishes them in those waters you are intending to fish.  One thing I have learned since devoting my time to catching them is that I catch a lot of other fish while trying.  I suspect that you will be catching a lot of Bronze, browns, lakers, and pike, while trolling for them in the big O.  I use large sticks and jigs in the southern tier and I absolutely hammer the smallies.  Few if any walleyes to bass.  But when I do get into them it feels rewarding.

This makes my point.  If it was easy then it would be bass fishing.  Stick with it.  People don't fish for them because they fight hard.  No tail dancing or big runs - just shoulder shakes.  They slow bite at times and don't feed at others.  Challenging (and good eating)

Another idea I have is that you get your buddies to go in on a charter (probably Erie) to learn how it is done in the lake.  As far as Genny goes, I don't know if I would want to catch and/or eat them from there.  Good Luck.  Hopefully some of your neighbors will shoot you a PM and give you some solid pointers. 

Joe

Coyotes around Corning don't bother me or anyone I know.  I am sure someone down here has a story.  They seem to know they are the hunted but a few years back I had to grab my beagle when I saw a Bobcat hunting the same area where the dog was running a rabbit.

In the late summer I fish last light in a few of the rivers looking for ever elusive walleye and there have been a few times that every hair on the back of my neck has stood up listening to them chasing deer and pups howling.  It is spooky when you can't see and the animals are making al that noise.  Raccoons screeching can be nerve racking too.  I carry my filet knife more for protection than anything else.

Never really fished Owasco but I guarantee Walleye are not the problem.  It seems more like balance of fishery issue.  I like Kevin's analysis.  Good luck to those passionate about the lake.  I hope it works out.

Good read Ray.  I am actually happy to see you made it back down to Earth this year.  Last year was impressive.  I was a little green with envy.

ME... I went all season without seeing antlers.  I started that quality deer management thing last year (I think it jinxed me) and realized at the end of season this year that the kids like venison hotdogs.  They do not care about trophys.  So I was reminded that I am a hero when the hotdogs get back from the packing plant, not when I let deer possibly get bigger for someonone else in the following years.  I still tell people no small bucks or fawns but certain times a deer needs to make it to my freezer even though it doesn't classify as a shooter or a trophy.

Now I am the one whining.

Exactly.

Orleans County is a great place to start. 

BTW, Those are some nice looking fish.

Sooo?? Who took the deer home?? The driver or jogger?

I saw a news clip later and there were no real pictures of the accident but showed the area and a guy that lived close to there followed the accident home.  The next day he saw vultures overhead and discovered the dead deer.  Apparently the deer managed to knock the jogger out and run into the neighbors yard.  After seeing the running/walking path next to the roadway I am more inclined to believe that the deer (running full out) was knocked a$$ over tea cup side ways and for those of you that understand vectors it is like a power slugger hitting a foul ball in MLB.  The baseball (deer) The bat ( SUV) and the Jogger (poor sap in foul territory not paying attention).  The flying deer sells the story but I doubt it ever went up in the air.

Give up some rabbit dish ideas.

Back straps.  As a kid we would chunk them up, bread them, and deep fry them and eat them with BBQ sauce.  Now I treat them like venison, marinating them for 2-4 days and grilling them quick.

Front legs.  Most people chuck em because they don't look like much.  I keep them.

Back legs.  Easy to debone, they make for lots of dishes.  Most people like to smoke em.  I take the legs and crock pot cook them with garlic, bay leaves a little salt and pepper, sometimes some sage and sweet basil, a can of non hoppy beer.  Meat cooks off real easy and shreds nicely.  So from here you can mix with a BBQ sauce and make a pulled pork samich, or put in your spaghetti sauce, or chili.

I have heard of other dishes but these are the ones I have most experience with.  One word of caution - the bones splinter worse than chicken bones.  It is hard to find them sometimes and biting into them is not pleasant.  I use a plastic container and shake the meat (bone on plastic makes a sound) to make sure I have gotten all of them.

With a dog like that and young legs I would be out getting rabbits every chance I could get.

Good times,

Joe

(NEWSER) – We're guessing the chances of this happening rank somewhere between one in a million and one in a gazillion: Krystine Rivera was jogging in northern Virginia around 6 p.m. on Thursday when the 27-year-old was hit by a ... flying deer.

A 71-year-old behind the wheel of an SUV hit the animal on her front passenger side while driving southbound on Clairborne Parkway. The impact flung the deer into the air, where it hit Rivera on an adjacent path, reports NBC Washington.

Rivera was treated at a Loudoun County hospital and released that same evening, having suffered a concussion and a few cuts and bruises. She then talked to theWashington Post, and her story is painful in more ways than one. She explains that she decided to set out on the seven-mile run after having a bad day at work. Things, of course, "got astronomically worse" around mile five. She says she didn't see the deer coming and lost consciousness after being struck, and first learned that a deer was involved when a paramedic explained they had to cut off her running shirt "because it had deer blood all over it."

The deer didn't make it.

The rabbits are fine.  The old timer rule of thumb was to wait for a hard freeze to kill all of the sick ones.  We have had plenty of them.  In the fall you will see more spots on the livers than in February.  This is the only guage that I was taught and I do not have a higher learning explanation for any of it. 

Beautiful dog.  I spent much of my youth running 1-2 beagles around the hills.  It is a lot of fun.

Rabbit is a zero fat meat so it really has some advantages.  I can eat rabbit for dinner and not feel guilty eating a tub of ice cream for dessert.

Joe