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I built a lot of cars, ships & planes of the plastic variety. Eventually I got into balsa & tissue WW I planes that has morphed into larger R/C planes W/4-stroke Hemi-head power plants. This one has a 110" wingspan & is powered by a 3 1/4 HP 1.8 cu in 4-stroke. This is the biggest engine I have, 3.0 cu in 4-stroke, 5 HP. Dual carburetors, CDI ignition burning 15% nitro-methane/methanol mix. I weighs 4#.

Lots of neighbors have been getting in some handgun practice today. I'm popping apart logs and they're popping off rounds, so I was distracted. I wandered over, of course, and got to shoot a brand new Ruger LCP and LC9. New guns to me and I didn't hate 'em, but they'd take some practice and/or break in for sure. The LC9 has me intrigued. Lots of punch from a gun that's not much bigger than a phone, and it was very manageable. Tractors, chainsaws, splitters, guns...welcome to a brand new day.

I only shoot management bucks , any buck that I can manage to shoot !

Well the wife left for Florida so I decided to go get my 2014 buck from the local taxidermist & hang him on the living room wall. Maybe she wont notice when she gets home? Any way, when I shot the buck he was strutting around a bend on one of my horse trails. He was about midway between 2 scrapes he had been working pretty hard. There was about 100yds between the scrapes so he seemed to be pretty worked up from his body language & the way his neck hair was bristled. I wanted the mount to reflect his aggressive state so I had the mount done with an open mouth, kind of a panting pose. When I spotted him he had caught a glimpse of my movement but he hadn't nailed me down. Had did have his ears erect, probably trying to hear what he couldn't quite pin down visually.. Not sure if the attitude came through, but it definitely doesn't seem to project the same demeanor as my 2009 buck that is right next to him (left) on the wall. It's hard to see the way his neck hair is bristled in the pictures but it comes through pretty good in person. The mouth didn't come out quite the way I had envisioned, but I think it still conveys a dominant, aggressive mood. Both bucks were aged @ 3 1/2 years old but while the racks are close in overall score, there was quite a difference in body size. The 2009 buck was shot on November 15th & dressed 142# while the 2014 buck shot on November 29th dressed 190#. You can see the difference in size of their neck/shoulders in the picture below. If I had shot the bigger buck in early November I think he would have went over 200# by a pretty good margin.

I've run deer for dogs. Grew up on it. Running deer dogs in NY is crazy due to average parcel size of private property being much much smaller than in the southern hunt clubs. Since average parcel size is shrinking everywhere, this is creating even more friction in the South now. There isn't a property we hunt in NY where we could run dogs without screwing up other hunters' and landowners' rights. Dogs do NOT know property lines regardless of how skilled the handlers are. I ran dogs on major size public grounds and in various hunt clubs that would typically control 4-8k acres of continuous land. We still had issues from time to time when a hot trail led dogs to neighbors - and these were organized hunts with dozens posters, handlers, and a hunt master leading it, and every single person had handheld CBs. Luckily, bordering grounds were all dog runners and common courtesy ensued both ways. That crap isn't happening here in NY. The only thing that keeps dog running legal for deer is the cultural values long instilled in that style of hunting in the South and where it is legal today. It doesn't exist here. Just like tracking deer and still hunting doesn't much exist in the South as a cultural trait.

As for running dogs for deer, crazy... land is too broken up to get permission from all owners that dogs may run a deer through, that is the biggest challenge when running coyotes, it's not ok cause they are hunting if the owners don't want them there you have no way to keep them off as they are loose and you don't shock them if they cross a property line... I can see people getting permission from a small landowner on either side of a privately well mana gf ed piece and running dogs chase those buck out onto small propetris to waiting hunters... I'd hate to see the legal issues from that.. because it works in another state, averge property size and use as well as hunter density vary greatly from state to state let alone county to county..

I am abnormally intelligent and this helps dull the brain.In all seriousness, its no different than people who know alot about cars or guns, etc.

So I was checking a small patch of woods in westchester (town woods that border backyards). I was walking around for about 30 minutes and all of a sudden TEN cars roll up. Unmarked cop cars!!! A neighbor called me in as a suspicious, could be burglar! After a pat down, license check and a 15 minutes explanation of what shed hunting is, they let me go. It's is amazingly difficult being an outdoorsman in the suburbs. No shed by the way! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had a Miller Lite while cleaning the garage. Hit the spot. Went and got another pick 6. Gonna hit a few of those in a bit. Just got back from a 2 mile walk and time to make homemade Stromboli. Couldn't wait so had this with dinner

It's tough to find sheds when the deer are still wearing them, as in the case around this area. The only thing I might add is somehow, I get the feeling a shed is close by. Sometimes, I actually think I can smell them. What the hell is wrong with me?

Scotsman wear kilts because sheep can hear zippers

We beat this dead horse to death a year or two ago ..............

I made a couple of Mediterranean Cruises when in the Marine Corps . We would buy several cans of sardines . Someone would volunteer to go to the mess hall late at night and get some saltine crackers . We would have sardines and crackers and coffee and play cards until the wee hours of the morning .

Oh , with that 10 pound restriction , I won't be able to carry my wallet around for 4 weeks !

No rehab Growie . Just suck it up and follow doctor's instructions . Don't lift anything 10 pounds or more for 4 weeks so that there is no strain on the stomach muscles . I made sure I had my operations / procedures scheduled for after Deer season and Christmas .

Cooked a turkey, made garlic and basil mashed potatoes, and steamed green beans.

This is the plane that the 3.00 cu in twin will be going in. (this is not me, just a picture of an airplane like mine)

Venison burgers and sweet potato fries. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

This Turkey's time is up !

I brought this weather back with me

I talk to a lot of west coast guys on another site who are allowed to put out bait stations with antler traps and it's not always as easy as you'd think. These guys are top notch shed hunters hauling in 40, 50, 60, even 100+ antlers a season. You just can't beat putting in the time and mileage to find antlers consistently. Very few antlers actually ever turn up in their traps. I would imagine even fewer would turn up in low density woods most of us have access to in NY. I've just been doing some short hikes around home this winter with nothing to show for it yet except for one oldie back in November. We're snowed in for a while yet. I did bump into a real bruiser last week still packing both sides as well, so I'm not too worried. It sure is a sweet feeling when you expect to find an antler in a certain spot and all of a sudden BAM... there it is! Sometimes it's almost freaky the accuracy you can predict them to pop up almost to the exact tree they'll be under. Really makes you feel like you almost know what the hell you're doing out there,lol

Zag , Straight from 2 DEC foresters that I had check on log markings years ago...drop them, any popular over 30 ft is of no use to anything especially grouse. Grouse feed on the buds of popular and once you cut them down they sucker from the root. This is if it is a cluster and the cutting opens the area to sun..so in cutting large clumps you are setting up future cover and food with regrowth...I posted pics a year or 2 ago of such an area that I dropped all the SIZABLE poplar...careful in cutting big ones they tend to snap and are extremely heavy until dry.... I am seeing some regrowth in roots...but not as much as hoped for, because the area holds many maple and well a large cherry and oak...neither I'll touch ..I am thinning bad and diseased maples though...That said the cross over of those large poplar logs have the deer bedding big time. the turkey as well come in for bugs...It's funny to watch because Toms love logs...they jump up and scan the area and gobble like crazy... mini look out "towers"...Same foresters told me ...want birds...do not touch your hophorn...so I have watched over the years...they should have said deer as well...for I have oak and hophorn side by side...the deer will literally spend hours wobbling around on their hind legs to get to those fall seed clusters...with acorns under their feet.

You sir just lost your man card . But thank goodness you didn't say Barbie

Having lived in S.C. for a number of years, and hunted with dogs on a hunting club. There is no way that I see, that it could done without running into the problems, phade listed. When I want to hunt with dogs and I do, every couple years or so, I just go south to visit friends and family. Whole different culture and way of hunting down there. And it works out fine for them as it has for generations. Wouldn't work so well in NYS though.

I'm gona guess by the 3 am post he's still asleep

The outcome was a lot of crying and whining from those that allegedly lost their backtag , didn't want to put a pin hole in a jacket , etc .. It is legal to have a clerk make an extra copy of the tag so one can be on the back pack and another on a jacket . No reason to break the law and not wear one . Here is one of the threads http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/28849-tag-display/?hl=%2Bback+%2Btags#entry397939 http://huntingny.com/forums/topic/27562-looks-like-our-back-tags-may-be-a-thing-of-the-past/?hl=%2Bback+%2Btags

Steak and sex my favorite pair I get them both very rare Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

It would work on me!

If I get her drunk on the way home from the airport, maybe I can convince her she's seeing double?

The horse is still dead. Lets talk blaze orange and antler restrictions instead, those horses are still writhing around.............................

Sucks that you were FORCED to join in…LOL!! Remember SST cars, with the rip cord???

There's no predicting what any tom will do any given day, that's for sure. Heck, they have no idea. I'd seriously like to know how many we could kill if they could smell as good as a deer or coyote.

Predictable spring gobblers? Next thing you'll tell me is that they have trails in the woods!

Is it just my imagination, Biz, or are you really a snobbish, silver spoon prick ?

Well Biz, you gotta consider that this shop is in Pennsyltucky, and is kinda BACKWARD like upstate NY rather than being on the cutting edge like your shops down there in Westchester... Actually, all they REALLY had there was black powder and round balls.

My favorite spots are bedding and browsing thickets but antlers can turn up anywhere. There's no right or wrong way to look for antlers as long as you're out there looking. You know the deer habits in your area probably better than anyone can tell you on a forum like this. Follow the heaviest sign to and from bed to feed and every trail in between. I like to think I have a "fast eye", meaning that I can identify an antler with just a quick glimpse against all the clutter on the forest floor. I zip along at a pretty good pace now. Starting out you may need to take your time and really pick apart every nook and cranny for that one piece of that jumps right out at you. Good luck!

Jerkman...I was over in Elkland, PA tonite and stopped in Biekirch's Gun Shop to pick up a can of powder. While I was there, I checked out the factory loads to see if they had any .300 Wby ammo for ya. They had .300 Win, .300 WSM, and even some .300 RUM, but they didn't have a single box of .300 WBY. I figured that must be the "good hunters" had bought them all up..<<wink>>...

After working outside on summer weekends, it was common for my dad to set down in the evening, break-up a slice of bread into a coffee cup, pour in a half cup of milk, and open a can of sardines. Alternating between a bite sardine and a spoon of bread and milk, he was a happy man. He occasionally shared a sardine or two with me and I'd have my cup of bread and milk as well. I thought it was okay then and 2 or 3 times a year I'll do the same even how. In fact I just put sardines on my grocery list. Thanks for the inspiration.

Yeah Growie...I used to go mating a lot in years past too ..Unfortunately, like smelting, THOSE days are over...<<sigh>>... What is "love melt"....Sounds kinda kinky....<< big wide SMILE >>...

I bet they did.......

Had a glass last night Goose island bourbon county stout 2012. Lots of bourbon forward but less than the fresh 2015 Matching glassware to boot. 15% abv. Some venison jerky for the food paring

Is that like taking the Browns to the Superbowl?

Here is what I would do as a complete package, First I would have the property selectively logged, meaning not clear cut but not sparingly either. With the logging would be gravel roads for the birds to pick around in and for ease of access. I would then set it up on a rotation plan to have it logged in sections every few years. Grouse do best in a diverse habitat and I have found the best numbers in forest's 9-16 years old. Of course I would make sure to have the above mentioned berries and some apple tree's too. Woodcock prefer forest made up of tree's not much more than 3" across, thick but not too thick, I plan on thinning my land this year before green up of most big tree's. The side benefit is firewood for me. Currently during cutting I leave tops and branches scattered through out, this provides cover for birds and rabbit as well, I have many already with great success. I also leave a strip of grasses uncut to create a buffer zone, again birds and other game like that including deer. Water is often over looked for birds and it is important too. Other food sources such as corns, millets, oats, buckwheat, or soybeans. Weed seeds like thistle grasses, sumac, nightshade, burdock, and rag weed are heavy seeders. Trees such as dogwood, wild cherry, and hardwoods. All the wild berries and tame berry varieties are great attractants as well as beans, sunflowers, clovers, sorghums and dandelions. Look for topics like this and more coming up on our web site and facebook. http://thebirdhuntersofnewyork.weebly.com/

ya , but how you feeling this morning ?!

Ever pour model glue on them, light it and watch them burn, like it was a bad crash???LOL!!! What the hell was wrong with me??

Exactly why they often feed together..why I use folding deer decoys during turkey and Turkey decoys during deer...

Some of the worst calling I've heard is by real hens. At best I'd consider myself a 4 to 5 out of 10 on a calling scale (for realism compared to others I've heard call. Cadence, when to call, what to call, volume and location trump being a great caller IMO

I need to send a fax to Cleveland.

touché. Well played. Correction from 'dow' to 'doe'You Can't Beat My Meat!

I don't pay much attention to them, but The Mermaid likes to watch them. When she has them on I usually go re-organize my sock drawer or something. One thing I did watch that was genuinely creepy was the movie " Blair Witch Project"...