[Etter1]

in reply to: Public Land hunting ethics #7926

Dave, I agree with you entirely on most of your points. I’m digusted to read the average hunting forum. Most people know absolutely nothing about ecology. Most don’t know plants, trees, birds, etc, etc. I took up traditional archery and recently, flintlock muzzleloading to add challenge and make hunting more intimate. To most hunters, that idea seems silly. Why hunt a bedding area with a stickbow when you can climb into a tower over your food plot and kill deer at 400 yards with a 7mm mag?

What I don’t understand is when you knock hunters who use legal tactics to kill animals in a way that is entirely necessary for the management of the species. Bear hunting over bait in a lot of areas, or hounding for lions is the only way to keep population numbers in check. I understand that you don’t want to hunt that way, but why criticize a form of hunting when it is necessary for the management of the species? Lion hunting was outlawed in california. Now, there are more “problem lions” killed than when they allowed hounding. That doesn’t make sense. The closing of Ontario’s spring bear hunt is another example of feeble-minded politicians making decisions about hunting ethics and hurting the very creatures they claim to protect.

I’m an avid reader of your writing and appreciate your posts on here, but I just can’t understand it. It seems to me that sitting over a waterhole in an arid landscape would be like shooting fish in a barrel. I’ve never done it and I’m sure it’s not, but neither is hounding for lions or baiting for bears.

I can understand how you could have an ethical dilemma but as a person with a background in wildlife biology, I can’t understand why you would want these things ended when they are, in a lot of cases, the only way to manage (and I hate that word when referring to critters but it’s a necessity these days) wildlife populations.

-ps, I have hunted bears over bait many many times. More often than not I’ve been unsuccesful. I am going on a guided lion hunt this february over hounds. I have no qualms with either of these tactics. I do, however, live in a state that allows baiting for deer and I’ve never done that and never will. I also would never hunt turkeys or ducks over bait. I can’t explain the difference, as I don’t know what it is myself, but that’s how I feel

[Etter1]

in reply to: Public Land hunting ethics #64034

I don’t know how big your public lands are (sounds like the one you were hunting is pretty small), but if you can find some bigger tracts, you just have to push deeper than most others are willing to go. It is first come, first served on public land. I have never knowingly climbed a tree near somebody else, but I won’t hesitate to go into an area where somebody has a stand and just get there earlier. There are no private areas out there.

Most of the wma’s and national forest areas that we hunt here are pretty huge. If you can find places where you have to walk .5 mile or more, you will not likely encounter anybody else. That’s always my philosophy on public land whether it be in PA for the gun opener or turkey hunting a ga wma. Any place that’s easily accessible is going to give you fits.

Good luck and hope your season turns around!

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dog Question #58823

R2 wrote: Hope that works for ya! Glad dog’s blood is good. Maybe some professional help will do the trick.

I spoke to my neighbor, about midnight thirty, one night about his dog that had been barking for hours and we live on the edge of town for the quiet, and that maybe something could be done? Sometimes being nice works. Dog is quiet, neighbor is still friend and I can sleep. I’m tellin’ ya tho, being nice was sooooo haaarrrddd that night. 🙁

My dogs bark some during the day if I leave them out, but I don’t EVER leave them out past 8 o clock.

Glad it worked out for ya

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dog Question #58657

Blood tests normal. Thundershirt only worked for a few days. Scheduling a meeting with a canine behaviorist at uga.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dogs About #47589

By far the best album, I think

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dog Question #47586

vajd wrote: Glad things are getting better. My favorite dog is Henry a Treeing Walker, He’s 11 now and showing a lot more grey now.

He is one of the smarter dogs I have had and is a great coondog, he is bigger than I would choose about 100 lbs.

He was making a fuss tonight, wanting to go out (in the storm Sandy) after he came back in I figured out what he wanted, it was his nightly milkbone before bed. If he was younger I would teach him to blood trail deer for me as well as coonhunt.

Beautiful. Looks like my 1st girl Tallulah. Miss her every day

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dogs About #46685

“You better watch out…There are many dogs about”

Sorry, you reminded me of the pink floyd song.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Primitive Rifle Kill, Okay to Post??? #45274

Konrad wrote: Congratulations!

I have a “modern” front loading weapon (cap lock) but still get tremendous satisfaction when fellow marksmen saunter down to my bench and inquire as to what devise I am using to produce that large, single hole in the target…and all that smoke.

I hand cast my own projectiles and use large quantities of fffg black powder.

What great fun until the cleaning time comes.

Removal of the barrel and placing the breech end into a bucket of hot soapy water, then pumping a swab up and down is the fastest, easiest and most effective bore cleaning method I have yet to discover.

That’s the way I do it too. Wonderful guns to shoot, and remarkable to hunt with.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Primitive Rifle Kill, Okay to Post??? #44491

colmike wrote: Nice buck. When I hunted with the smoke poles my comment was –I don’t know how the Indians lost.

Defiantly Trad. But I don’t have to clean my long bow. Oh what a mess. congrats.

Semper Fi

Mike

Oh yeah, the cleaning is a nightmare:D

[Etter1]

in reply to: Primitive Rifle Kill, Okay to Post??? #43977

It’s been the year of no reactions for me. I killed a pig on opening morning of bow season. The arrow zipped right through behind the shoulder and the pig showed no reaction. Next, I shot a buck in the same spot and the arrow went right through. He trotted a few yards and looked around like nothing happened. I shot both of those critters a second time before they realized what happened.

I was sitting with my .50 flintlock in a little tripod in a dry swamp when I spotted this 8pt slipping along the edge towards me. He got inside thirty yards and I fired. He bounded like nothing happened and then walked a few feet out of my sight. I climbed down to look for blood and came face to face with him in the thicket. He blew at me and bounded away. I figured I must’ve missed.

I climbed back up and heard thrashing behind me. I kept replaying the shot over and over in my head. Nope, no way that I missed him. Climbed back down and immediately found blood. He was spraying from his left side only (entrance) and it was every time he landed. I found lung blood and rumen sprayed on limbs about mid body height. I followed that for thirty yards and called my buddy Tailfeather. Decided to back out.

Headed back to camp and waited for my buddies (Tom and Tommy) to come and meet me. 2 hours later, we went back in. The blood trail instantly ended. We started running transects in the direction I heard the thrashing and my buddy Tom walked right up on him.

The bullet had gone in behind the shoulder and gotten one lung and a very loaded paunch. Bullet stick in skin just in front of offside hip. The rumen coming out the hole blocked it up and he didn’t bleed for the last 80 yards.

I was starting to feel nauseous when Tom yelled to me. Amazing critters!!! The first deer I’ve killed with a flintlock since my first one!!

3.5 year old by jaw

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dog Question #43300

colmike wrote: Etter1

Great posts. Trust the blood-work will be helpful.Let me tell a tail (pun intended).

16 years ago my wife rescued a wild dog on Okinawa after she dealt with shaving its coat, fleas, ticks, broken teeth, and the dog survived heart worm infestation with arsenic doses. She started the long road of socializing the Beast–named Wolf. For months it was tethered in the house, house trained,slept with in storms, hugged, ears held shut from the thunder-get the picture. I returned from deployment to watch the commanding general leap out of his car to pet wolf while Linda was walking him. I asked what was that about? He said “that is the luckiest creature on earth and I hope some of it rubs off.” Wolf was a pet for the next 8 years. Traveled all around the country when I retired, his ashes are still with us. Later we discovered he was a Japanese Akita. Great chick magnet when I would walk him in D.C.

But he could never be trusted around other dogs (except for a few surprises in Co.Springs) or strangers.

Constant awareness kept him safe and us out of court.

Point being–dogs are not just possessions they are family and some require more attention and lots of money. In the end you will cry when they die–as this ole Marine did.

Best of luck with your problem dog. And guess what you will get another or 18 of the demanding creatures as we have.

Ya gotta love it.

Semper Fi

Mike

You might not have gotten it from my previous posts, but I love dogs more than almost every human I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t give up on this one either. We have just felt like we’d exhausted our resources. Apparently, I was wrong and I’m so glad to have been. She’s sleeping next to me on the couch right now. I’m so glad to finally see her happy. Blood work is ordered for next week

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dog Question #43191

R2 wrote:

Our dog is a pit and very well trained by a professional and by us with his coaching but by the nature of the beast we have somewhat more responsibilities than many other dog owners not only personal but legal responsibility also. Some dogs are proven guilty before innocence.

Diamond barks, something is stirring that needs not be around. She doesn’t bark just because she has a “barker:D”.

By the way, she doesn’t point arrows but she’ll mosey to where they’re at and look at me. Pit pointing? 🙄 She’s a great companion and friend.

Hope I don’t get tromped on here but I think archery ranges and functions are not the place for pets. For the safety and well being of all. I’ve seen some tempers flare over the issue before, even some pretty serious threats.

Anyway, good luck with the hyper dog.

Beautiful Dog.:D

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dog Question #43068

R2 wrote: Some people (because of genetics?) don’t seem to understand that their neighbors don’t like to hear their dog barking all the time. I wonder if they make a shock collar that shocks the owner every time the dog barks um……….:D:evil:

I’ve never understood this. My dogs may tune up sometimes in the yard, but I never leave them out before nine am or after dark. My neighbors still complain. Same as the boat that was in my driveway for TWO DAYS. Living in the suburbs sucks. 90 percent of my neighbors are awesome but one in ten just love to complain and stick their nose in everywhere. It’s amazing too. I’ve gotten notes in the mailbox, emails from unknown senders, and phone calls, but nobody’s ever walked up to my door or stopped me to say anything in person. No testicles left in the world I guess. Now my poor dogs stay kennelled inside while I’m at work because I’m worried one of these pansies will do something crazy.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Are these broadheads legal??? #42134

Rogue wrote: Those would be considered barbed by Oregons definition and wouldn’t be legal here.

Bill

Yep, depends on the state. I shoot Simmons Tree Sharks. They are legal here, but have a similar swell at the bottom that some states consider barbed.

[Etter1]

in reply to: Dog Question #42104

Here is a picture of my two viscious walker hounds that my wife took, while I was hunting last week. Problem child on right

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