Lack of response from NY hunters might be the fact that you started this thread at the end of our last season. I personally haven't checked this site since last December. There's more to life than just Deer Hunting. (My hunting friends won't believe I just wrote that!) There's Trout and Steelhead Fishing also!
As far as what you see as the perfect Deer Season, all I can say is mine would read like this:
BOW SEASON: October 1st thru December 31st
Everything else......ILLEGAL !!!
BUT SERIOUSLY, I'm an avid Bowhunter who uses Shotgun and Muzzle loader also. Not to start a pissing match with anyone, but crossbows are for the handicapped. Lighter restrictions wouldn't bother me at all where they are concerned. Blow tubes ARE a little over the top.
I'd leave everything else the same except to extend the late M/L season to the end of December. Early October is just to thick in the woods to really be effective with any weapon in my eyes. I also like to try and hunt unmolested animals during the Archery season. It's tough enough as it is.
Rifles are fine for those who feel they need them. I only own one center fire rifle. It's a .22 Hornet, which I use for woodchucks and Coyotes. I live in Broome County and they haven't passed any new legislation on rifle hunting here. I doubt they ever will.(county-wide)
I'd agree we should be able to introduce our children to hunting at an earlier age.
Blaze orange is a no-brainer. I wear a hat and a vest whenever I go out.
Antler restrictions should be self-imposed. Last year I held out for a nice 8 Point I had seen many times, only to find out he was hit by a car in the middle of Bow Season. I ended up taking a decent 6 Point during the last week of early Bow. There really are quite a few nice Bucks running around in NY State as it is. I've got trail cam pictures of a beautiful 8 Point and a slammer 10 Point that I got late in December, right through early March. Really gives you something to look forward to. Everyone in my neighborhood just gasped when they saw the pics. They all hunted the same area as I do. I think a lot of A/R advocates are guys who want a 10 point behind every tree. Opening morning, walk out to your stand, suck down half a cup of coffee, shoot the first 10 that walks by, finish your coffee and then go home and call your taxidermist. Better yet, call him right from your stand! Don't tell me what I can or can't shoot. And especially don't tell my young sons what they can or can't shoot. 3" on one side has been and should still be fine for those who choose to harvest small bucks!
Saturday vs. Monday opener? I liked Monday. I hunted both of the last two Saturday openers. Never saw a Deer or another hunter two years ago. Last year my older son(first year) passed a nice shot at a doe. HIS CHOICE! Saw two other hunters, both up in years. Haven't seen any younger(16-18 yr) hunters yet. If they hadn't changed the dates, I would let my son take a day off from school anyway.
And as far as a 1 Buck limit goes, that only seems to me to be something that would be needed if we had a seriously large shortage of Deer overall. I don't really think that we do in NY State! I saw at least a half-dozen smaller Bucks last Bow season that I passed on. None of my neighbors harvested any of them. They did, on the other hand, harvest some doe. I believe it was said earlier in this thread, "Does control the Deer population", or something to that effect. I agree 100%. Maybe this year they'll see no Bucks again and LESS doe than last year. We don't need a 1 Buck limit. We need more Deer hunters who know how to hunt Bucks!
Anyway, these are just my thoughts and opinions. Like I said earlier, "Not to start a pissing match with anyone", but you asked for some input. Here it is. Please don't chastise me for my beliefs. More times than I care to think about, I've been told how wrong I was about this issue or that. It only makes me believe more in what I feel is right. People I don't know on a hunting forum are not going to sway me in any other direction!
Let The DEC Do What They Think Is Right!!!
J-Bow