MAINE - Life in the Slow Lane
Ziggy
First let me say that this is a great post and I do hope we get a lot of answers to this question.
My Take on it is this, just as you said what ever is legal is fine, I really think you hunting with Bow and Arrow is much more fair chase then with a rifle.
This is a great topic and lets all give some response to it.
See Yah
Lee
IMHO, it's why they call it hunting and not killing, same as with fly fishing rather than catching. If it was a gurantee it would tire quickly.
My right shoulder is pulp from shooting "elephant" guns in the quest to drop em as quick as possible with no suffering.
There are two types of hunters and fisherman. Those who hunt and fish for food, and those who hunt and fish for trophy animals and fish. A good set of horns is a bonus to me, the size and weight of an animal is more important since it's meat in the freezer
I think to a degree we all get sucked into the advetising hype, but just as you said Ziggy, they're aids and come with no absolutes. No matter how much time any of us has to hunt, the fact of the matter is they are full time deer and we are part time hunters.
Down south what we call baiting up here is legal down there. In Texas and some of the southern states they erect taj mahal tree houses and wait for the deer to come to feed and light em up. Not quite sporting IMO but that's just my 2 cents on it.
I watch a lot of the Sportsman channel on TV. And I'll make a wager that a lot of those hot shot "Pro" deer hunters out West would not do so well up here in NH Vt and Maine. Once they don't have fields and farm plots to hover over it's a different game.
I know for fact there are places in Maine where a buck deer has never seen a man, I've been there. And yet, those bucks are every bit on edge as a buck in the flatlands.
Up here, if you get a deer with a bow and another with a gun every year you're one Hell of a hunter. I don't know that many that do both so I'd venture we're chasin em as fair as it gets 
ype i always say if you can harvest a mature deer inthe northeast you can harvest a deer in any other state we are the proving grounds 
As far as TV shows comming here I have been telling everyone for a few years they don't come here because its not consistant and really have to work to get a mature buck like they shoot all the time .
i liked the hunting in VA and all the deer i saw but prefere to hunt up here more.... not saying i won't go back cause i am gonna LOL but it really is way diffrent ..
How many times have you shot a deer with 5 others standing around and the only one to run off is the one shot the rest just stood there ??? Doesn't happen here that i have ever seen...... down there there small herds are like 20 deer here we are lucky to ever see double digit deer in the same piece....
Kype and his Vermont Red Neck buddies out for a bit of sport October 2011!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkN6C1ur1t8
Dangerous game in the hills of vermont!
Kype
That first video can't be embeded, but the second can so I did it for you.
See Yah
Lee
Lee
When I click on it it plays. Really something to see. Unbelievable!!!!!!!!
Bobby
Bobby
I reckon that about nulls and voids any conversations we've had about guns and cartridges in the pursuit of taking game cleanly. Obviously, 10 fps with a few pounds of weight behind a sharp object is capable of bringing down everything up to, and including elephants.
Personally, I find this disturbing. I don't believe those people were out for a leisurely sport hunt after church on Sunday morning. Looks like they were trying to lay down food, or at least that's what I hope they were doing. It can't be otherwise as any man who sticks Mbogo that close has a huge set of nads, or is disparate enough to do so. I'm thinking the later.
We, as human beings have evolved. We've traveled to the moon, explore space, and build weapons capable of total annihilation of the entire planet. Gun powder has been around for a long time. One has to wonder why those chaps are still hunting with spears? But then, with that many in the field at one time somebody would surely get killed if firearms were in presence.
I sit here knowing that some clown in Walmart corporate makes $17 million a year for a salary plus perks, Romney is worth $250 million, and the list goes on and on. Yet we have people still running around with spears that date back to ancient history :wtf:
Perhaps mankind as a whole has not evolved far enough just yet.
Quote by: KodaBobby
I reckon that about nulls and voids any conversations we've had about guns and cartridges in the pursuit of taking game cleanly. Obviously, 10 fps with a few pounds of weight behind a sharp object is capable of bringing down everything up to, and including elephants.
Personally, I find this disturbing. I don't believe those people were out for a leisurely sport hunt after church on Sunday morning. Looks like they were trying to lay down food, or at least that's what I hope they were doing. It can't be otherwise as any man who sticks Mbogo that close has a huge set of nads, or is disparate enough to do so. I'm thinking the later.
We, as human beings have evolved. We've traveled to the moon, explore space, and build weapons capable of total annihilation of the entire planet. Gun powder has been around for a long time. One has to wonder why those chaps are still hunting with spears? But then, with that many in the field at one time somebody would surely get killed if firearms were in presence.
I sit here knowing that some clown in Walmart corporate makes $17 million a year for a salary plus perks, Romney is worth $250 million, and the list goes on and on. Yet we have people still running around with spears that date back to ancient history :wtf:
Perhaps mankind as a whole has not evolved far enough just yet.
Koda
It gave me the creeps! It does sort of puts a different slant on our rifle cartridge conversation doesn't' it?
The next one is just as creepy!
I do get upset with the Nazi guard towers used for deer hunting and have been banned from "bowsite" for bringing home that point and others regarding fair chase. Nice to know those here like you and Ziggy get it stick to fair chase in your hunting. As to my bow hunting, which is my favorite method of hunting, I use compound bows with peep sight, and fiber optic pin sight but continue to shoot with fingers. My bows are a Hoyt accutech 1999 and a Martin Cougar 2000 both 38 inch bows that can be shot with fingers. New bows except for the long target bows are all intended for release shooters now.
What do you think of the rapid turn over in bow models? It is worse than automobiles in my book.
Oh! BTW my red neck buddies hunt like they do for food, sport and to prove they got a big package!
Wealth is securely held in the hands of a very few in this world. I sometimes think they play with the rest of us as if we were pawns in a big power game and matter very little in their view of the world. I see the West is itching to go to war again in Syria and Iran even as Republicans want to cut SS, Med Care, and now my personal retirement fund! I don't see them doing that with their perks, insider raiding, which has been watered down so it doesn't stop the insider trading, healthcare or their continued pay long after leaving Congress!
Last night i heard on CNN that special interests like big oil spend more to lobby Congress to prevent increased taxation than they pay in taxes!
Do you invest in gold Kodak or other precious metals like lead, brass and copper?
Bobby
Bobby
If you hunt deer long enough, sooner or later you'll chance upon a funnel. A place where it's not a matter IF a deer will come through, only WHEN. I had such a thing when I lived in Litchfield NH. One telephone pole down from the house, hang a right, go 50 yards, sit down on bank. Within 5 minutes or less, thump thump thump......BANG! I shot 2 deer with a 58 cal muzzle loader at a measured 5 feet from that spot 2 years in a row within 5 minutes of the season opener for mzl loader. I felt screwed in a way as the season was over real quick. Oh sure, I had easy meat in the freezer but I felt like I cheated. Never hunted that spot after that.
On one of my gun cabinets there is a quip from one of the masters on mega bucks. It goes along the lines of...."The next world record buck will not be taken by a stand hunter, but rather by a very skilled still hunter. That buck will be nocturnal and super reclusive and never seen by a hunter in normal daylight hours unless he is moved from his bed in a place so thick the Lord himself would have a hard time getting through."
That's the buck I'm after, perhaps a dream. But in looking for that buck I have chanced upon his Brother, not quite as wise, not quite as big, but none the less, I have matched wits with him on his terms in his domain, and I have prevailed over him. That to me is the true spirit of the hunt.
In my life I have found that a sure way to rile a man up is to piss on his choice in a weapon, tell him he picked the wrong woman to bed down with, or tell him his method of hunting is all wrong. However, that does not mean I agree with any of it, which of course is my prerogative, as it is anyones.
Regarding the "Nazi" towers you speak of, there are two ways to look at it my friend. I lived in Texas for a couple of years when I came back from Nam. Texas is the ultimate in flatlands, at least where I was. A deer will make you a mile away, cover is slim. Mind you, I took my deer there in the traditional manner, but I had to really work my tail off to get a shot.
We as humans are prone to think in terms of a level playing field. That is to say, we assume that we're all pretty much equally capable shots. The harsh reality is that once off the bench, the average week end warrior who pulls his rifle out the day before the opener couldn't hit a bull in the ass if he were sitting on its back. Unlike you and me and the really true dedicated hunters who burn a few thousand rounds all year long, the average Joe just isn't up to any tough shooting.
I would much rather see that chap in a tower over a pile of food that goes off on the clock. He'll have his bench rest, he needs no stealth, and his shots will be close. The deer will more than likely be killed quickly. For that I am thankful. Myself, I could do without the pursuant story of what a tough hunt it was after the fact though. Then, it may just have been a tough hunt as far as that individual is concerned. I guess everything is relative.
I agree with Ziggy 100%, we in New England are faced with the toughest deer hunting anywhere in the states. If it were not so we'd see the camera crews and the hot shot celebs out here in deer season. NH & VT are really tough, Maine has more bucks, bigger bucks, but you have to go back in after them, I mean way back in. I've seen bucks in Sebois that I swore were moose that's how big they were. Other places like PA, you have to be next to dead not to take deer, even with a bow.
Be it guns, bows, or even fly rods, we as a society are victims of the pitchmen. The manufacturers are well aware of this weakness. They appeal to our desire to succeed by bringing out new gear, faster gear. They lead us to believe that new equipment will turn the tides in our favor. Missed that big buck last season? If you only had one of the new Remchesters you'd have gotten him. Biggest fish of your life kicked your ass? Ya shoulda had a $750 Sage Z axis, you'd have whooped em. I believe the young ones fall for the pitch more so than us old bucks, but admittedly, some of it is real tempting.
These days speed sells bows. You better be shooting 340 fps with your compound or you're sucking hind tit. But speed has a price, you can't eat your cake and have it too. The high speed bows can be a bitch to tune. And a lot of good broad heads can't be dialed in at the higher speeds which is why the trend is towards the mechanical heads now a days.
Truth be known, a man well versed with a stick bow will kill just as well as the fastest compound if he puts his arrow where it belongs. He'll pay closer attention to his stand placement, ensure his lane is within his ability, and he'll be sure of his shot. In other words, he's gonna work harder for his game. Some folks just like a challenge.
If every time we went to the stream we caught a 5 pound brook trout we would tire of it quickly. If each time we hit the wood lots we took a 250 pound 12 point buck what would be the challenge? For me, I know there are some of each out there, the fun is trying to find them 
I do not horde gold or any precious metals, if I could be accused of stashing anything it's ammo. My thoughts are when it all falls apart I can't eat gold, but I can feed my family with my guns and protect them.
Since the first cave man bashed in the skull of his buddy with a club over some long haired dame we have been a waring species. I believe in the end it will be the demise of mankind. It is in our genes and we just can't seem to breed it out. If one follows the bible it's pretty much all spelled out. And from where I sit, it's spot on!
If I were involved in Government I'd be very nervous about now. A lot of countries have rebelled against their governments over the very thing we keep pointing out about ours. Unlike the ones you mention who have no means of protecting themselves, the Americans have quite an arsenal in the hands of the citizens. Nuff said.
i have spoken with many about this topic and had a conversation yesterday with a friend about deer hunting . we were talking about how they have all these products to help you be sucessful in the woods during the season. Even with all these calls and gadjets they claim will bring the big boys in, they still have no fool proof way to harvest a deer or any other wild animal for that matter . I have used most of the stuff i have thought would work :scents, calls, game cameras , gps etc.... I can tell you one thing none of these will guarentee you will be sucessful. Its takes lots of hard work and lots of walking and reconizing deer sign, figuring them out can make the best hunters in country scratch there heads and shake there heads, thats what to me makes it worth the effort , its like the biggest chess game you have ever been involved with .
We also were talking about technology and how in 10-15 years we may be shooting broadheads with gps in them for hit deer that run off with arrow still in them ..... would be nice but in my opinion think it would allow more people to take marginal shots just to get arrow in the deer , Another thing that goes along the same lines are these broadhead companys claiming if you use there heads you will put them down ..... well i hit one with same type head , It didn't end up hitting where i had anticpated , and wounded the deer, with the size of the hole they make you would think no problem but i eneded up losing that deer , would i have shot it with a diffrent head had i had one yes, i would , i didn't take shot due to the broadhead i was using, i took it because i felt it was a killing shot and didn't work out that way . I feel slopy for losing a deer, not usual for me, and 2nd i hit and lost in over 20 years but it doesn't sting any less, still think about it and its been a while. it happens.
Now on to the point of the topic: i have spoke with a few guys that claim treestands and gadjets range finders ect.... are out side the relm of "fair chase", using compund bow and the newer equipment they offer is not fair chase? they claim fair chase is recurve bow with wooden arrow , you stalk or ambush the deer on there level . To me what they desribe , is fair chase but i also take into consideration the animal i hunt. i feel its only fair to them to use the best equipment offered and use the technology to get the shot wanted. Its my duty as a hunter to take my quarry as quickly and morally as possible. I feel if we havn't progressed with the equipment we have now, people would not hunt,or alot less would, because it would require hard work and dedication and great archery skills (hard to get a deer within 30 yards often while on the ground) never mind the shooting part .....
So for all you hunters out there what are your thougths on "FAIR CHASE" My definiton is what ever method legally used to harvest wild animal. all the flies in your box will not guarentee a fish , nor will all the hunting gadjets they offer . it still takes knowledge and work to be sucessful and i am toatlly happy when i do harvest a deer , i feel its hard enough as it is with a bow , i ll take any legal help that is availble to do so .
my small buck i shot this year required me to move my stand location 3 times to finally get the shot i needed to take him as quickly as i could.
Just like anything else this thread could easliy be speaking of Flyfishing . i think some feel the same way about all the gadjets and new technology to catch fish ? what do you think?
+Hunting and Fishing "Thats What I Do"