Too good to be true
As popular as online shopping is, it’s not without its perils, especially when buying archery equipment and supplies.
New York – Mike Raykovicz
Woodland apartment
For no good reason I was recently thinking about this past deer season and the things you notice when you sit for hours in a deer stand. While on watch, my eyes constantly search for a tell-tale flicker of a deer tail in the evergreens or, for a horizontal shape among mostly vertical trees. For the most part, though, much…
Reloading revisited
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAFew things give me greater satisfaction than taking a deer with ammunition I crafted at my reloading bench. As satisfying as that is, it’s just part of it. I can cite numerous additional benefits and pleasures of loading or reloading ammunition, but they would be too numerous to list here. Most people who begin to reload say they…
A tangled web
Things seem a little slow around our house nowadays. Other than an occasional trip to the grocery store and a daily walk, my wife and I haven’t been anywhere and have no plans to go anywhere, at least until we get the proper dose of the COVID vaccine. When I talk to some of my friends who are taking similar…
Is there a future for lead ammunition?
One has to wonder if there might be a better, perhaps safer way to kill game such as deer without running the risk of accidently ingesting any lead fragments. Fortunately, for those with this concern, there is.
Another ammunition shortage
About a year ago, I was visiting friends in Pennsylvania. They live near a gun shop I often did business with and so, I decided to stop in. Reloading supplies are tough to come by where I live here in New York because some dealers have gone out of business and the big box stores don’t carry reloading components. The…
Taking a break
By the time this blog appears, Christmas will be over. However, for many New York outdoorsmen and women, the week between Christmas Day and the new year offers hunting opportunities for small-game species, including rabbits, squirrels, grouse, snowshoe hares and even pheasants. I’ll admit that, other than wild turkey hunting, which I consider a passion, I don’t hunt small game…
Goodbye, Rocky
When the traditional Christmas tree for Rockefeller Center in Manhattan was cut in Oneonta last November, no one had any idea of the attention it would create. The tree itself, a Norway spruce, wasn’t much different from the others that stood in place for scores of years, it was what was hidden among its branches that caused all the fuss….
Better tasting venison
I like to cook, and I like good food. As a result, I’ll admit I’m somewhat of a food snob. I drive my wife crazy when we eat at a restaurant and I occasionally comment on the dish I ordered by saying, “mine’s better.” That’s why when it comes to venison and preparing it I’m very particular. Venison will only…
All the rifle I need
When it comes to preferred rifle calibers for hunting deer there are as many preferences and opinions as there are hunters in the woods. Some would say they wouldn’t consider hunting deer with anything but a lever action Winchester or Marlin in 30-30, .32Winchester or .35 Remington calibers. However, today it seems the darling of the hunting fraternity seems to…
A haunting we will go
For a variety of reasons, hunting with my friend Jonathon was a memorable experience each time we went and, that was nearly every day after work. Jonathon and I both worked at the same high school and after school hours we would head to his place for an evening hunt. Jonathon owned a 200-acre farm and we hunted together for…
A shot too far
I spoke to a good friend who has never hunted with a bow and arrow until he bought a crossbow two years ago. We discussed how the season played out and he told me he shot a beautiful ten point a few days before the archery season ended. I was happy for him because of his fine trophy, but my…
Trail cam tricks
Of all the gear and gadgets I own, none give me as much satisfaction and pleasure as my trail cameras. By strategically placing them in appropriate locations I’ve gotten pictures of fishers, turkeys, bears, racoons, coyotes, foxes and yes, even deer. However, this success didn’t come without a learning curve. I bought my first trail camera years ago in the…
A lot to do
Archery season is just about here, and the firearms season will be here before we know it but, before all the fun begins, there’s work to be done. I’m fortunate to still be able to hunt my friend’s farm even though he passed away several years ago. Nature has a way of taking over and if it isn’t kept in…
Deer urine ban may not be a good idea
While this blogger is in favor of doing whatever it takes to slow or prevent the spread of CWD, banning the use of deer urine may be the least effective means.
Consider letting the big ones go
Who hasn’t dreamed of catching a big fish? I know I have but, that was a while ago, and any big fish caught I might catch nowadays is photographed and released. My altruism is rooted more in practicality than principle because if I want fish for supper, I’ve found the smaller ones make the best and safest eating. Scientists tell us…
And the three top bass baits are …
Bass season is finally here and I’m glad. Bass are found just about everywhere in New York state including rivers, lakes and even farm ponds. They are game fighters and the smaller ones make a tasty addition to any frying pan. As a youngster, Susquehanna river smallmouths were our favorite bass species and our fishing equipment was minimal. The only…
Lessons learned
I first fished Black Lake in the early 1970s after moving to the Southern Tier in August of 1969. My next door neighbor Bob, who quickly became my long time fishing and hunting buddy, had a place on the lake in Edwardsville, and I was more than a little excited the first time he asked me if I’d like to…
How ‘knot’ to let the big one get away
Learning to tie effective knots is not hard to do and can make the difference between bringing home a bragging-size fish or just talking about it.
Some early notes on turkey season
To say the first two weeks of turkey season were unusual would be preaching to the choir. Anyone who went out or who still goes out every morning can attest to the crazy weather that drove most of us to break out our deer hunting cloths rather than our turkey hunting togs. It wasn’t supposed to snow, but it did,…
Of turkeys and ticks
Turkey season has finally arrived, and for this hunter, it hasn’t come soon enough. Because of shoulder surgery in February, I was doubting whether I would even been able to go. Three years ago, I missed the entire spring season because of a bilateral knee replacement and the thought of possibly missing yet another season was more than I could…
Killing time at the reloading bench
I was sitting around one morning several weeks ago and wondering what I was going to do that day. The outside temperature was near freezing while a mix of wet snow and rain kept me from going on my daily walk. Suddenly, it occurred to me. I would reload some deer rounds for next season, but first I had to…
Hemlock trees under attack in New York, Pennsylvania
I have a special fondness for hemlock trees because to me they symbolize the very essence of the northwoods. Between New York and Pennsylvania, I bow hunt from at last six different treestands and they are all hung in hemlock trees. The thick branches of a hemlock give me plenty of cover and even offer some protection from a light…
Battling for the bay: Chesapeake Bay cleanup likely heading to court
The Chesapeake Bay takes in water from 150 major rivers flowing from six states, including the Susquehanna here in New York. It is an invaluable estuary from which a dying breed of watermen still make their living, but it is getting harder for them to do so.Pollution of the bay’s waters is a product mainly to unsanitary stormwater runoff, over-fertilization and pollution from animal wastes. Deforestation, wetland destruction…
Thoughts on neighboring Pennsylvania’s Saturday deer opener
A Saturday opening day has its merits as well as its drawbacks, but if more hunters can get to go, then why not? For this hunter, keeping it to a Monday would prove far less frenzied.
Preserving the memories: affordable options exist
A good taxidermy mount can be an expensive option, but for this blogger, there’s a more practical and far less expensive way to make the memory last.
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