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So we've been up since 3 a.m hunting birds and whooped. Buddy sends text " hey , any chance you could help plant some pine trees?" Absolutely. Buddy is incredible hunter but was involved in a terrible auto accident in December of 2014. Mere inches of cheating death. He's paralyzed on his left side , battled thru severe brain injury , speech problems etc. Amaxing how far he's come in recovery and still hunts . He just got back from Ohio this afternoon from taking his younger kids and wife turkey hunting He and son doubled on birds in Texas about 2 weeks ago. Nothing going to slow him down. 44 years old with turkey slam , turkey shotgun slam , 100 + birds , 140 class deer barely make the cut. His intention of planting these trees is to get kids involved in the planting and then seeing the trees grow over the years as they will have permission to hunt there for their participation. How could we say no to such a great idea ! Lives in Bennington. He drove wheeler pulling cart full of trees, his daughter dropped them at each hole. Wife , my daughter , his buddy and 2 younger kids planted Managed to get in roughly 400 Norway spruce and white pines. All of us had a blast but sure to be sore in the morning. We also feel great helping out.

Forty one years ago today, I killed my first spring gobbler. He was a 14 pound jake with a four inch beard. I was thrilled and hooked for life. I still have his wishbone hanging on my memory shelf, labeled May 15, 1975.

I had these 2 fly by me while turkey hunting last week, cel phone pic so not the best clarity. First time seeing a pair of owls for me.

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Youth Hunter I was mentoring this morning.

A few days ago the weatherman said 15-25mph winds and rain. Wrong again.................... I think a guy could kill one today, like any day. You need to be in it to win it........ A real good friend and mentor that passed a few years ago in his early 80's killed a sub-compact p/u truck load of gobblers by being THERE. He called awful, lit one match around 5:00am then it was one cigarette after another; lit end to end while sitting on a log. He'd cough, sneeze and yes, fart too. Rare was the year he didn't kill his two birds in NYS and one in Pennsylvania. Being there makes all the difference in the world. I didn't pay attention so well as here I sit, in my easy chair.

Not hunting related . Had a female Piliated woodpecker and a Baltimore Oriole show a while ago

We had a feast. Went to a dinner for my g/f's work. Appetizers were octopus, shrimp, lamb meatballs with eggplant, roasted tomatoes, and roasted peppers. Then a pasta dish. Main course was porter house steak, duck, roasted potatoes, green beans and tomatoes, and asparagus.

I had lots of interest, just no money.

Set up on the gobbler that my buddy and I went after opening day. He went up last night at 8:10 with 4 hens. I'm not gonna touch a call...he's been coming out here in the morning for two months now. Hope the blind in the open field and dekes do the trick.

Not stripes tonight but the sea robins were hitting Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For dinner tomorrow! 18 inch brown from the Delaware river today.

Venison burger with goat cheese and Frank's sweet chili sauce. Added an egg and a smidge of bread crumbs to the burger. Good call people It turned a good burger to better

My first turkey I killed was going bananas over an owl. I hit my owl call and ended up getting a response from another owl. It wasn't until the real owl started hooting my gobbler sounded off. Ever since then my owl call has never produced. It was like a tv show on the outdoor channel, I thought I really knew what I was doing.

I love hearing the barred owls calling back and forth! One of my favorite sounds of the woods! They are just such awesomely cool birds

I put on that weight you lost Although I had to drill a new hole in my gun/hunting belt the other day. Going in the right direction (making it smaller). I was pleased until the wife said the belt probably stretched .

Lip-smakin' good! And two vid clips of bucks working over the zip-tied branch, enhanced with deer saliva soaked cotton balls. 11:12:11 working the cotton ball 8 pt. .AVI Midday 8 pt. 11 am, working cotton ball .AVI

Over all the years I have partially funded the bottled deer scent industry. But anymore, I just use the branch. Don't even need to scuff the ground because I usually put the setup (branch) at a junction of two trails, or just off it, about 20 yards from the best tree for a tree stand in that area. All about the quality of the tree stand tree to me, like a triple-trunk, etc. The deer paw the ground up as they work the branch. No sense adding my scent there any more than I need to. But I do take cotton swabs and swab out the mouth of does and bucks I kill and zip-tie them on the branches too. Saliva is the main sex, internal-clock-setting pheromone carrier in my humble opinion, much more so than urine. I don't think anybody sells it, though it would be much more effective than urine-based lures...imo. So I make my own and freeze the cotton balls in zip-lock bags, haul them out next year. I presume that a lot of the volatile pheromone molecules degrade even in the freezer, but saliva-soaked cotton swabs seem to kick-start buck action even when they have been setting in the freezer one, two, three years.

How the heck do you expect me to find the things without the scrapped up ground? My nose isn't what it used to be........................

He's gobbled a few times now right above me. Come on down big boy...

Cant beleive no one here had an interest. I put on cl last night and he sold it this am.

Ran out after dinner to look for some mushrooms in the creekbottom. I didn't find any but I did get a special treat while I was there! My first fawn of the year!

I took five pine trees down and to the curb today, my back is SHOT. I may have to take a bath like some kind of weirdo. Got the kids involved!

Made my first visit of the year to our local peregrine falcon pair yesterday, they were quite active.

Big bowl of Rock Shrimp about to go down into the old bay! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think I'd better nestle a 12 Pack in there for the town guys

Long Trail Limbo IPA. Went really well with some raw clams.

Actually, Bill, it is 43 years of spring turkey hunting..I hunted 1973 and 1974 and never killed a bird until 1975. There was not a lot of turkey hunting info available at that time, and remember saying, out of frustration, " If I ever KILL one of these dam things, I'm going to GIVE IT UP, but I'm going to kill one". Then, of course, after I finally shot one, I was hooked.

It's taken just about five years, but I've lost a total of 100 pounds even. I'm 6'1" and at my heaviest weighed just shy of 300 pounds. Weighed myself last night at 195 pounds. That is after a vacatiom in Maine eating very well, but not real healthy! The biggest change for me was cutting out as much sugar (I'm diabetic ) as possible and eating less food. That's it. But I stay very active too, walking in the woods, swimming, playing ball with my grandsons, snowshoeing in the winter, using the push mower more than I need to. It all adds up. Grow, there were many times I would hit a plateau and seemed like I wasn't getting anywhere. Just keep at it! I'll be 59 soon and if I can do it anyone can! Hoping you become a big loser!!!.......in weight of course.

I give in to temptation. The smell of homemade breakfast venison sausage, home fries, and pancakes with pure fresh hot maple syrup with a side order of toast sure slid down the hatch nicely on this cold damp dreary day, LOL. Good luck to you still out.

Sea robins are actually kind of pretty in a grotesque way. I never tried to eat one. Some of those sculpin type fish are pretty ugly. Last September fishing near Wilmington, NC I caught a big sculpin that my host called a " mother-in-law" fish.. He calls 'em that because they have a big mouth and are ugly as hell !

Sorry, going there. Limb shoot 'em????

It's snowing here; on May 15th.

I'm stuck at a hulking 152 lbs of winter weight from my summer time 150! Maybe I'll take a walk to the fridge in a bit to grab some breakfast and burn some of that off!

I'm stuck at a hulking 152 lbs of winter weight from my summer time 150! Maybe I'll take a walk to the fridge in a bit to grab some breakfast and burn some of that off!

36 degrees here this morning. I don't even like to deer hunt when it's this cold..... ain't no way I'm sitting out there for spring gobblers in it. Birds here like sunshine and 70's just like me! I'm sure I'm not missing out on much today.

But all that stuff cost a lot of money, and is still serviceable. Well, maybe with a little fixing it would be serviceable. And maybe I'll use it again someday. I have gone through all the excuses for accumulation and storage. I have 5 string trimmers. 3 functioning riding lawn mowers. How many of those things can 1 person use. 3 chain saws. multiple rakes and hoes and axes and every lawn and garden tool that was ever invented. I seem to have bought 3 or 4 of everything. Can't find it ..... go buy another one. I have compound bows that are so old no one would want them. I too intend to burden my kids with the disposal of all my "things". At that time they will be old enough to need the exercise and activity.....lol.

I started at 180 I'm 208 now Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

Not a New Years resolution, but was 186lbs on 2/29. 168lbs now. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm gonna' get weird here: The things themselves aren't important. The memories represented by the things are what's important. Especially to the people who will eventually deal with your stuff. Write down those related memories and anecdotes because that's what your loved ones will keep. Toss the pile of antlers, but spend some time putting into words why you collected them in the first place. Down the road someone will find your little book of memories even though the antlers are gone, and understand why you collected them.

I'm ditching the dekes. Twice now I know birds saw them and hung up. Woods are sparse. Going to make them come looking for me.

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Glad I saved some of these for a cold snowy day like today in May!

Heard one around 5:10 am yesterday. Heard a few gobbles after he sounded off.

Love the owl calls as well. If you ever heard a owl "laugh", it sounds just like some monkeys at the zoo!!!

Too tired to post this last night. August Schell, Dark Horse, Sun King , Perennial Artisan and Half Acre brewing compilation. Imperial brown ale with cocoa nibs and honey. Outstanding beer !

Ha! You are right. But to that point, some of the hottest, trashed, torn-up looking scrapes seem to produce only marginal branches while some of the ho-hum looking ground scrapes produce branches that bring in deer like a "Free Lottery Tickets Here" sign would bring in humans at a Walmart parking lot.

Snowed on the way in , but was actually a nice start to the morning when it stopped ... Winds were nothing , but starting to pick up now ... Just spooked a hen while takin a stroll.. First sign of life tday ... Think I'll park it here for a few .... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Koto's Japanese Restaurant last night !

I stopped at the local deli this morning after turkey hunting.This little mooch sat on my side view mirror looking for a piece of my buttered roll. I was able to feed him out of my hand.