If you're an avid hunter, I'm sure you'll realize that hunting can soon become a rather expensive hobby. Especially with all that buying of rifles, rifle scopes, hunting knives, accessories etc. And not to forget, those self financed hunting expeditions. But before you discard your love for hunting, here are some ways you can probably mitigate the cost issue.
(1) Buy Used Rifles Instead of Brand New Ones
One of the great ways to lower the cost of hunting as a hobby is to purchase used rifles. That can amount to a great bargain especially if you're doing it correctly. A brand new rifle can cut you back by at least a few hundreds of dollars and naturally branded ones can cost even more.
To reduce this cost outlay, you'll need a dealer that distributes used rifles. Do a check on the seller's via the dealer to ensure that the rifle was legitimately used prior to being resold. And yeah, always insist on an inspection. Some used rifles look good on paper but when handled, are actually nothing more than a piece of worthless metal.
There are a couple of things to take note of when inspecting the used rifle. First, ensure that the area around the firing pin to ensure that it's not eroded. If it is, it's very likely that the rifle you're looking at wasn't handled with care by its previous owner.
Also, check if the bolt is in working condition. You can test this out by pulling the bolt backwards and let it go forward. If it's a good rifle, the firing pin will not go off. Ensure that there is no rust in the rifle's bore and that the grooves in the barrel are clean too.
If the thought of buying guns online ever come across to you, you may want to reconsider though. Such procedure is mandated by the law and guns purchased online has to be shipped to a Federal Firearms License holder for inspection before release, delaying the entire buying process. The FFL holder will in turn charge a fee for their service, which will probably erode the savings you obtain from getting the rife in the first place.
(2) Get Rifle Scopes, Hunting Knives & Accessories Online
Unlike the purchase of guns online, buying expensive accessories such as rifle scopes, hunting knives & accessories is much more effortless. In fact, I do highly recommend that as such are offen offered at real bargains off reputed online stores. With lower operating costs, such online stores are able to transfer their savings back to the consumer, thereby slashing retail prices.
For example, a Nikon Monarch 2.5-10x42 Matte BDC is 30% cheaper online than what some local retailers are offering! If you want a better deal, pop over to ebay where some sellers are even offering their products for bidding at $0.01. Who knows, you may end up saving more than 30%!
(3) Go On Group Hunting Expeditions
A solo hunting expedition can easily cut you back by thousands. Sometimes even tens of thousands. To take advantage of the economies of scale you can derive from a shared guide, accommodation and other travelling expenses, it definitely makes great sense for you to go hunting in twos or even threes. In fact, there are special hunting packages which offer fantastic group discounts.
If you're an avid hunter and are very familiar with the terrains, you may even want to do away with the expense of engaging a guide, which can be really add up to the cost. However, if you're a beginner or aren't familiar with the remote surroundings, I wouldn't recommend doing so as taking a guide may help you save you more time and hassle than money!
All in all, do your research and exercise your discretion. Although what works for others may not necessary work for you, but it certainly doesn't harm to tap on some conventional wisdom!
Have fun hunting around (for bargains, I mean)
About the Author: James Smith writes on a part-time basis.
More details on Nikon rifle scopes, Leupold rifle scopes or Burris Rifles Scopes here (THS optics).
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Florida Recreational Hunting Licenses & Permits
Click on the title of this post to find all the information you need to get any type of hunting, fishing or recreational license in Florida.
Before purchasing a recreational hunting license or permit, please make sure you understand what qualifies as Florida residency, that you really need a license or permit based on the exemptions and you have met the hunter safety requirement.
If you are interested in quota hunts, there is a separate section on quota hunt permits with information on hunt types and how to apply.
If you need more information about this just write to me and I will help you.
Join our selected group of floridian hunters
Welcome!
Before purchasing a recreational hunting license or permit, please make sure you understand what qualifies as Florida residency, that you really need a license or permit based on the exemptions and you have met the hunter safety requirement.
If you are interested in quota hunts, there is a separate section on quota hunt permits with information on hunt types and how to apply.
If you need more information about this just write to me and I will help you.
Join our selected group of floridian hunters
Welcome!
Hunting Season Dates 2010-2011
(Seasons and dates are not applicable to wildlife management areas.)
Wild hogs, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, skunks, nutrias, beavers and coyotes may be taken year-round.
* No fall harvest of turkeys allowed in Holmes County.
** Only youths under 16 years old are allowed to harvest a turkey while supervised by an adult, 18 years or older.
*** Spring turkey season is limited to March 19 - April 3, 2011 in Holmes County.
New Hunting Zones
* No fall harvest of turkeys allowed in Holmes County.
** Only youths under 16 years old are allowed to harvest a turkey while supervised by an adult, 18 years or older.
*** Spring turkey season is limited to March 19 - April 3, 2011 in Holmes County.
New Hunting Zones
Gun rights case: Supreme Court rules on second amendment
By Robert Barnes
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 28, 2010; 2:40 PM
The Supreme Court ruled for the first time Monday that the Second Amendment provides all Americans a fundamental right to bear arms, a long-sought victory for gun rights advocates who have chafed at federal, state and local efforts to restrict gun ownership.
The court was considering a restrictive handgun law in Chicago and one of its suburbs that was similar to the District law that it ruled against in 2008. The 5 to 4 decision does not strike any other gun control measures currently in place, but it provides a legal basis for challenges across the country where gun owners think that government has been too restrictive.
"It is clear that the Framers . . . counted the right to keep and bear arms among those fundamental rights necessary to our system of ordered liberty," Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote for the conservatives on the court.
The victory might be more symbolic than substantive, at least initially. Few cities have laws as restrictive as those in Chicago and Washington.
Alito said government can restrict gun ownership in certain instances but did not elaborate on what those would be. That will be determined in future litigation.
Alito said the court had made clear in its 2008 decision that it was not casting doubt on such long-standing measures as keeping felons and the mentally ill from possessing guns or keeping guns out of "sensitive places" such as schools and government buildings.
"We repeat those assurances here," Alito wrote. "Despite municipal respondents' doomsday proclamations, [the decision] does not imperil every law regulating firearms."
The decision came on the final day of the term and at a time of great change for the court. Justice John Paul Stevens sat at the mahogany bench for the last time, and will end more than 34 years on the court when his retirement becomes official Tuesday. Confirmation hearings for Solicitor General Elena Kagan, President Obama's choice to replace Stevens, were scheduled to begin Monday afternoon.
And Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 77, was with the court despite the death of her husband of 56 years, Martin D. Ginsburg, on Sunday.
Besides the decision in McDonald v. Chicago, the court completed its work by issuing opinions in its final cases of the term:
-- It ruled that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, an independent board set up by the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the aftermath of the huge corporate failures of Enron, WorldCom and others, is unconstitutional. The board was designed to provide much tougher regulation of the auditing of public companies than under previous regimes, but the court said that because it was insulated from direct control of the president, it violated the separation of powers.
It also said, however, that the problem could be corrected by allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees the board and is more accountable to the president, to remove the board's members at will.
The case is Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
-- By a vote of 5 to 4, the justices said that a public university does not have to recognize a student religious group that wants to exclude gays and others who do not share its core beliefs. The University of California's Hastings College of the Law said its anti-discrimination policy required officially recognized student groups to include all who wanted to join. The Christian Legal Society argued that being forced to include those who did not share its beliefs violated constitutional protections of freedom of association and exercise of religion.
The majority included the court's liberal wing plus Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.
The case is Christian Legal Society v. Martinez.
-- The court rejected a claim from inventors who wanted to have their business method patented. A majority of the court said such a claim would be possible in some cases, but not in this one, where a patent was sought for a strategy for hedging risk in buying energy.
The case is Bilski v. Kappos.
The guns case was the logical sequel to the court's 5 to 4 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. That decision established for the first time that the Second Amendment's "right to keep and bear arms" referred to an individual right, not one related to military service. But the decision that there is a right to keep a gun in one's home did not extend beyond the federal government and its enclaves such as Washington.
Gun rights activists immediately filed suit against the handgun restrictions in Chicago and the suburb of Oak Park.
"Today marks a great moment in American history," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, in a statement. "This is a landmark decision. It is a vindication for the great majority of American citizens who have always believed the Second Amendment was an individual right and freedom worth defending."
The court's decision means that the enigmatically worded Second Amendment -- "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" -- identifies an individual right to gun ownership, like the freedom of speech, that cannot be unduly restricted by Congress, state laws or city ordinances.
Also voting in the majority were Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.
Justice Stephen G. Breyer objected to the majority decision, and read his dissent from the bench. He disagreed with the majority that it is a fundamental right, and said the court was restricting state and local efforts from designing gun control laws that fit their particular circumstances, and turning over all decisions to federal judges. Joining him with dissenting votes were John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. Stevens wrote his own dissent and did not join Breyer's.
"Given the empirical and local value-laden nature of the questions that lie at the heart of the issue, why, in a nation whose constitution foresees democratic decision-making, is it so fundamental a matter as to require taking that power from the people?" Breyer wrote. "What is it here that the people did not know? What is it that a judge knows better?"
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 28, 2010; 2:40 PM
The Supreme Court ruled for the first time Monday that the Second Amendment provides all Americans a fundamental right to bear arms, a long-sought victory for gun rights advocates who have chafed at federal, state and local efforts to restrict gun ownership.
The court was considering a restrictive handgun law in Chicago and one of its suburbs that was similar to the District law that it ruled against in 2008. The 5 to 4 decision does not strike any other gun control measures currently in place, but it provides a legal basis for challenges across the country where gun owners think that government has been too restrictive.
"It is clear that the Framers . . . counted the right to keep and bear arms among those fundamental rights necessary to our system of ordered liberty," Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote for the conservatives on the court.
The victory might be more symbolic than substantive, at least initially. Few cities have laws as restrictive as those in Chicago and Washington.
Alito said government can restrict gun ownership in certain instances but did not elaborate on what those would be. That will be determined in future litigation.
Alito said the court had made clear in its 2008 decision that it was not casting doubt on such long-standing measures as keeping felons and the mentally ill from possessing guns or keeping guns out of "sensitive places" such as schools and government buildings.
"We repeat those assurances here," Alito wrote. "Despite municipal respondents' doomsday proclamations, [the decision] does not imperil every law regulating firearms."
The decision came on the final day of the term and at a time of great change for the court. Justice John Paul Stevens sat at the mahogany bench for the last time, and will end more than 34 years on the court when his retirement becomes official Tuesday. Confirmation hearings for Solicitor General Elena Kagan, President Obama's choice to replace Stevens, were scheduled to begin Monday afternoon.
And Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 77, was with the court despite the death of her husband of 56 years, Martin D. Ginsburg, on Sunday.
Besides the decision in McDonald v. Chicago, the court completed its work by issuing opinions in its final cases of the term:
-- It ruled that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, an independent board set up by the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the aftermath of the huge corporate failures of Enron, WorldCom and others, is unconstitutional. The board was designed to provide much tougher regulation of the auditing of public companies than under previous regimes, but the court said that because it was insulated from direct control of the president, it violated the separation of powers.
It also said, however, that the problem could be corrected by allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees the board and is more accountable to the president, to remove the board's members at will.
The case is Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
-- By a vote of 5 to 4, the justices said that a public university does not have to recognize a student religious group that wants to exclude gays and others who do not share its core beliefs. The University of California's Hastings College of the Law said its anti-discrimination policy required officially recognized student groups to include all who wanted to join. The Christian Legal Society argued that being forced to include those who did not share its beliefs violated constitutional protections of freedom of association and exercise of religion.
The majority included the court's liberal wing plus Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.
The case is Christian Legal Society v. Martinez.
-- The court rejected a claim from inventors who wanted to have their business method patented. A majority of the court said such a claim would be possible in some cases, but not in this one, where a patent was sought for a strategy for hedging risk in buying energy.
The case is Bilski v. Kappos.
The guns case was the logical sequel to the court's 5 to 4 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller. That decision established for the first time that the Second Amendment's "right to keep and bear arms" referred to an individual right, not one related to military service. But the decision that there is a right to keep a gun in one's home did not extend beyond the federal government and its enclaves such as Washington.
Gun rights activists immediately filed suit against the handgun restrictions in Chicago and the suburb of Oak Park.
"Today marks a great moment in American history," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, in a statement. "This is a landmark decision. It is a vindication for the great majority of American citizens who have always believed the Second Amendment was an individual right and freedom worth defending."
The court's decision means that the enigmatically worded Second Amendment -- "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" -- identifies an individual right to gun ownership, like the freedom of speech, that cannot be unduly restricted by Congress, state laws or city ordinances.
Also voting in the majority were Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy and Clarence Thomas.
Justice Stephen G. Breyer objected to the majority decision, and read his dissent from the bench. He disagreed with the majority that it is a fundamental right, and said the court was restricting state and local efforts from designing gun control laws that fit their particular circumstances, and turning over all decisions to federal judges. Joining him with dissenting votes were John Paul Stevens, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor. Stevens wrote his own dissent and did not join Breyer's.
"Given the empirical and local value-laden nature of the questions that lie at the heart of the issue, why, in a nation whose constitution foresees democratic decision-making, is it so fundamental a matter as to require taking that power from the people?" Breyer wrote. "What is it here that the people did not know? What is it that a judge knows better?"
Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST)
Trail Rules
Firearms and fireworks are prohibited.
Camping on the trail is allowed only at the designated sites or at Public Campgrounds.
Pets must be kept on a leash.
All trash must be carried out.
Fires must be kept within the fire rings provided.
Groundfires are prohibited.
Water
Potable water is available at locations noted on the map. Many of the local businessses will allow you to obtain their tap water, or they have bottled water for sale.
Campgrounds
There are 13 camping areas available on or adjacent to the LOST. The maximum distance between campsites on the LOST is ten miles. Four of the campgrounds are operated by local governments in the towns of Pahokee, Belle Glade, Okeechobee, and South Bay. They charge a fee while providing toilets and showers. The other primitive campsites are provided by the Corps of Engineers and consist of a shade shelter, picnic table, and fire ring. The Corps camping areas are free and have no water or toilet facilities. If there is not a fire ring at a campsite, then groundfires are not permitted.
Special Concerns
The trail route requires the hiker to come down off the levee at several locations around the lake. The hiker is reminded to stay well off the highway and walk facing the oncoming traffic wherever possible. In addition, the hiker is reminded to respect the boundaries of privately owned lands.
Alligators are common along the LOST. Store food away from sleeping areas. DO NOT FEED ALLIGATORS!
Lightning storms are common during the summer months. Seek shelter or low ground during such storms.
Sanitation
Garbage can be deposited in any of the developed recreation areas along the trail. When camping in undeveloped areas along the trail, sanitation becomes each individual's responsibility. The goal is to always keep the evidence of humans substantially unnoticable -"Leave No Trace". Combustible material should be burned. Any soft food scraps such as fruit and vegetable peelings should be buried away from the campsite so they will decompose without being an eyesore. Empty cans, bottles, plastic, and aluminum should be carried out of the area to the nearest refuse container.
The proper disposal of human waste is most important. The individual cathole latrine is used by experienced hikers when no developed toilet facilities are available. Use a 5-6 inch deep hole in a screened spot away from the campsite, and at least 100 feet from the nearest water. After use, cover the hole with soil, and nature will take care of the rest.
Emergencies
Emergency situations will arise occasionally. It is always a good idea to locate the nearest telephone before you hike. should someone in your group become sick, seriously injured or lost, dial 911. Some public phone locations are designated on the map. Users of cell phones should be aware that there are some areas on the LOST where reception is poor.
History
Designated a National Scenic Trail in 1986, the Florida National Scenic Trail is more than 1,300 miles long. It begins at the Gulf Island Seashore near Pensacola, and ends in the Big Cypress National Preserve near Miami. The Florida Trail is part of our National Trail System. This trail is dedicated to foot travel and motorized travel is discouraged. The Florida Trail passes through a variety of ecosystems, and around Lake Okeechobee, the trail follows levees and water control structures built by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Certified segments of the trail are designated with the logo shown. Markers with this logo are supplemented with paint blazes, usually orange, and wooden signs that provide distance and directional information.
Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail
US Army Corps of Engineers
South Florida Operations Office
525 Ridgelawn Road
Clewiston, FL 33440-5399
(863) 983-8101
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Hunting Supplies That You Absolutely Must Have
There are a lot of stuff that you need to go hunting or have a good hunt like those that Mr William "Cole" Doggett mentions in his article.
You can find these gears, and many other, in our store http://www.thehunterstore.com/.
You can also find us in Facebook at http://facebook.dj/thehunterstore/
*********************************************************************************
This is William "Cole" Doggett article "Hunting Supplies That You Absolutely Must Have"
Hunting supplies are the things you need to bring with you on a hunting trip. They are the items you need to make the trip as comfortable as possible and help you have a more successful trip.
Large Hunting Supplies -
Some of the larger hunting supplies would be something like a blind, which is like a tent, only completely dressed in camouflage. They call it a blind because the deer or other game you are hunting cannot see you in it. Some blinds pop up and fold away easily, while others need some assembly. There are simple blinds that can hide you and all your hunting supplies, or more complicated ones that have thick netting over them that cover a wider area so you can walk around more like an indoor campground. Blinds are a must have to hide from your prey and keep your hunting supplies hidden if you venture off to a tree stand or another part of the forest.
Decoy Hunting Supplies -
Decoys are another large hunting supply you may want to take with you on your hunting trip. There are deer and elk decoys, such as the elk Montana decoy which is a flat cutout of the elk, yet looks very natural and is life sized. It has helped bring the elk back to the south and in many studies, has proved to hold the stare of elk bulls so you can get the shot of a lifetime without being noticed.
Other decoys are large Whitetail Doe, Cow elk rump (which is just the back end of the elk and it looks as if it is grazing), Tom turkeys, thief Jake turkeys, Hot Hen turkey, the Call Girl Hen turkey (which is an inflatable decoy), the breeding Tom (which his feathers are in the mating stance) and the bad act strutting Tom turkey, all of which are life-sized and life-like. Each of these decoys have been field tested and have been carved and spray painted from an actual live animal to give your decoy more life-like features.
Tree Stand Hunting Supplies -
Another large item to bring on your hunting trip would be a tree stand, which you sit in a tree for long periods of time, waiting for a deer or whatever it is you are hunting to pass you for optimal shooting. There is the simple tree stand, one called the baby gorilla which is simply a seat with a strap to go around the tree and a web or messed area for your feet to rest on. You must hold very still so your prey cannot detect you or your movements. Even though you are high above the ground, some animals, deer especially, have great hearing.
Large Tree Stand -
There is also a Kong sized tree stand where you sit more comfortably with a padded backing and a wider webbing for your feet. It straps around the tree just as the baby gorilla stand does, but it has more room overall.
Various Tree Stands -
Other tree stands are more elaborate and can accommodate more than one person; they are more like tree houses than stands. They take more than the one man to set up and are usually made of wood painted with a camouflage and leaves. Along the same line as the tree stand is the tripod stand, which is a free standing platform on three legs, thus the reason they call it a tripod stand. It is also covered with a camouflage tent and has a small ladder that allows you to climb up into the above ground tent as it were. There are several windows which allow you and at least two other people to look out for approaching deer or other wild game you are hunting.
Trail Timer or Photo System -
An additional hunting supply you might consider bringing on your trip would be a trail timer or photo system which allows you to do a little homework before you start out hunting. Both of these systems attaches to a tree and can monitor motions and snap a photograph of what moved, and then store it in the memory for you to retrieve it when you return. This way you know when and where the deer or other game you are hunting has crossed this way.
One item that is most helpful to hunters, almost as helpful as the calls would be a feeder. There are several varieties of deer feeders available today, such as the tree stump feeder, in which the deer attracting feed is falling out the bottom of a fake tree stump. There are also hanging bags of feed and tripods set up to lure the deer out into the open with special feed they are attracted too.
Author: William "Cole" Doggett
You can find these gears, and many other, in our store http://www.thehunterstore.com/.
You can also find us in Facebook at http://facebook.dj/thehunterstore/
*********************************************************************************
This is William "Cole" Doggett article "Hunting Supplies That You Absolutely Must Have"
Hunting supplies are the things you need to bring with you on a hunting trip. They are the items you need to make the trip as comfortable as possible and help you have a more successful trip.
Large Hunting Supplies -
Some of the larger hunting supplies would be something like a blind, which is like a tent, only completely dressed in camouflage. They call it a blind because the deer or other game you are hunting cannot see you in it. Some blinds pop up and fold away easily, while others need some assembly. There are simple blinds that can hide you and all your hunting supplies, or more complicated ones that have thick netting over them that cover a wider area so you can walk around more like an indoor campground. Blinds are a must have to hide from your prey and keep your hunting supplies hidden if you venture off to a tree stand or another part of the forest.
Decoy Hunting Supplies -
Decoys are another large hunting supply you may want to take with you on your hunting trip. There are deer and elk decoys, such as the elk Montana decoy which is a flat cutout of the elk, yet looks very natural and is life sized. It has helped bring the elk back to the south and in many studies, has proved to hold the stare of elk bulls so you can get the shot of a lifetime without being noticed.
Other decoys are large Whitetail Doe, Cow elk rump (which is just the back end of the elk and it looks as if it is grazing), Tom turkeys, thief Jake turkeys, Hot Hen turkey, the Call Girl Hen turkey (which is an inflatable decoy), the breeding Tom (which his feathers are in the mating stance) and the bad act strutting Tom turkey, all of which are life-sized and life-like. Each of these decoys have been field tested and have been carved and spray painted from an actual live animal to give your decoy more life-like features.
Tree Stand Hunting Supplies -
Another large item to bring on your hunting trip would be a tree stand, which you sit in a tree for long periods of time, waiting for a deer or whatever it is you are hunting to pass you for optimal shooting. There is the simple tree stand, one called the baby gorilla which is simply a seat with a strap to go around the tree and a web or messed area for your feet to rest on. You must hold very still so your prey cannot detect you or your movements. Even though you are high above the ground, some animals, deer especially, have great hearing.
Large Tree Stand -
There is also a Kong sized tree stand where you sit more comfortably with a padded backing and a wider webbing for your feet. It straps around the tree just as the baby gorilla stand does, but it has more room overall.
Various Tree Stands -
Other tree stands are more elaborate and can accommodate more than one person; they are more like tree houses than stands. They take more than the one man to set up and are usually made of wood painted with a camouflage and leaves. Along the same line as the tree stand is the tripod stand, which is a free standing platform on three legs, thus the reason they call it a tripod stand. It is also covered with a camouflage tent and has a small ladder that allows you to climb up into the above ground tent as it were. There are several windows which allow you and at least two other people to look out for approaching deer or other wild game you are hunting.
Trail Timer or Photo System -
An additional hunting supply you might consider bringing on your trip would be a trail timer or photo system which allows you to do a little homework before you start out hunting. Both of these systems attaches to a tree and can monitor motions and snap a photograph of what moved, and then store it in the memory for you to retrieve it when you return. This way you know when and where the deer or other game you are hunting has crossed this way.
One item that is most helpful to hunters, almost as helpful as the calls would be a feeder. There are several varieties of deer feeders available today, such as the tree stump feeder, in which the deer attracting feed is falling out the bottom of a fake tree stump. There are also hanging bags of feed and tripods set up to lure the deer out into the open with special feed they are attracted too.
Author: William "Cole" Doggett
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