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Ok so getting ready to head out, I just did a pack dump of exactly what was in it from my last day of hunting the big woods. Here’s my list. Folding saw Life straw Spare batteries AA&AAA Spare wool socks and gloves Compass Zip ties Head lamp Electrical tape Candy bar Cliff bar 20’ of 550 cord Lighter Matches Medical kit “the basics, bandaids, bandages, burn cream, antibiotic ointment, iodine, water germicidal tablets, medical tape,etc” Fire starters 2 50gal trash bags Foam ass pad Pens 2 sandwich baggies Small folding knife in pocket Outdoor edge folding knife Small flashlight Head lamp I usually have a leatherman multitool but I must have lost it this deer season. For clothes I’ll be wearing my normal wool pants and wool shirts, Merino wool base layer, smart wool socks, neck gater, merino wool gloves and lacrosse burly boots, my pack is a mystery ranch pop up 18, I doubt I’ll use this pack again next year but it’s what I used this year so I’ll use it today. I’m going to carry a 22lr Henry carbine instead of a deer rifle for obvious reasons, I considered a shotgun but thought the 22 would be a lot more realistic, should I find some small game. I don’t carry a pistol when gun hunting but will for this quick trip, it’s a Taurus TX22. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm in my 60's, slightly overweight (sounds better than plain overweight), and I smoked cigs until I was 50. I'm in good health at this point and I am trying to keep it that way. As soon as the vaccine is available for my age group, I'll be there with my sleeve rolled up. I got every required vaccine in my childhood, and I've been getting the flu shot every year since I was in my 40's. Besides being so new, this is no different to me. I do not want that damn Covid in my system if I can do anything about it. Hopefully it's a cute girl that jabs me. I'm going to look her in the eye and say "send it".

Jack couldn’t let this button buck walk. Can’t eat antlers, right?

Well as it turns out the fox that abandoned it's buddy at the first catch site just couldn't resist the open field set where we remade it from the coyote catch he other day. That is about 100 yards from this initial catch site. We went to the edge of the catch circle and reinstalled the pipe and left the catch circle. Made kind of a combination hay set / pipe dream set. Zero for coyotes today.

Haven't seen this buck before. Must have finally come out of his groundhog hole! LOL Interesting how many new bucks I've gotten pics of post season! I didn't expect them to be venturing out of their core area right now.

My buddy got a cow tag in PA this year. He shot this one two days ago. I was suppose to go as help but life got in the way. This was state land no outfitter.

Sounds crazy but you can go cheap and with a little work, get started. Garage in a box. We used it as a base camp for our out of state trip and it was perfect. Open floor, similar to alot of wall texts and cheaper. It withstood not one but two massive windstorms. We added ground anchors and ratchets, but in large it worked well. Way better than any tent set-up (short of an actual wall tent). You can set up a floor off the ground with pallets and rubber mats, etc. We had an electric hook up and ran one of those little fireplace heaters and also had a propane space heater to warm things up in the AM or evening and then the electric heater did fine. I wouldn't have a concern with rigging up a stove, with some ingenuity. Will it be your long-term solution? Probably not, but heck, you could cost justify buying a new one every year and be money ahead. I think we spent $250 all in on LED lights, the garage, the tie downs and ratchets, etc. That is cheap...

You've got a good point, but with this dysfunctional government, they'd tax American drinkers more and give all the money to other countries.

On January 1st I put all my whiskey in the basement cabinet so I'm not too worried about this one. Seems I indulged a bit more than usual the last 6 months of 2020 and just had to tell myself that I didn't have an issue with it. On February 1 I'll pull it out and get blasted......... Sorry for the sidetrack to this epic thread.

Went out for my last long island shotgun hunt took a [very]small doe.It was nice to check out the area for one last time before I leave this island for good. All the places I've hunted in 30+ years none compare to the east end of long island even if the hunting isn't the same the woods will always be beautiful.This time next year I'll be starting a new chapter in my life in the ADK's looking forward to learning how to hunt the big woods.

Prepped for dinner, venison backstraps butterflied, stuffed with cream cheese, Asiago cheese, fresh garlic, red pepper, scallions, sun dried tomatoes and prosciutto then wrapped in bacon.

Well, I went up to my friends house Friday PM to deliver his TM384 thermal and give him a tutorial on how to use it. I stopped at my local range along the way, mounted the Thermion on my semi auto 35 Gunner, checked Zero at 50 and 100 yards, all set. It was crappy weather outside when I arrived, so we decided to hunt Saturday night if the weather was better. It was a little breezy, but I don't think any type of weather was going to stop him from getting some field time with his new toy. After getting busted by a Yote on the first set because of the swirling wind, we decided to head down into the low lands and try our luck. We got to our second set and didn't have to wait 5 seconds into the first call, before my friend says he see's something at the edge of the field. I look over there and it's a freaking Yote, 60 yards away. My friend didn't have his rifle loaded, so he racks a round and of course the Yote starts moving. He's new to night hunting, so I give him a pass this time. I start recording, stop it with a bark and the rest is history. How my PIP was set a 6x is beyond me, but a miss is a miss x2. To top it all off, I got a stove pipe after the second round fired. A lot of cursing was going on after the 35 second mark, when I realized I had a jam. I was going to take another shot as it stop's about 300 yards away to give us the Paw, but it was in the line of sight of the neighbors house up the hill. Why did I change rifle's before this hunt ? I guess I was bored with the rifle that already dropped 8 Yotes this season so far. On the way home Sunday I stopped at the range, mounted the thermion on the 20 practical and it was dead on from 50 to 200 yards. Next time !!!! We ended up seeing a coyote at each set and my friend is totally hooked on coyote hunting now. Thermal is addictive.

Id eat both bars in the truck on the way out there and be SOL

Well last night we had a little action. We had a camera on this set so you'll see what looks like a good sized coyote come onto the set but stay back and not approach. then about an hour later 2 fox come in and only one gets to leave. Also the pic of the big male from yesterday after the skinning.

If you're putting it on someone else's land I would go with the canvas tent and a good wood stove. Even just on here you can read some horror stories of people losing land that was even being leased. If something were to go wrong you can use/move a tent elsewhere a lot easier then a building. Then you have to look at how a building will effect the owners taxes. Unless it's on wheels like a travel trailer and considered readily moveable there's going to be taxes.

20-40' shipping contaners are cheap. Check out youtube.

If you can get it back to the spot and can swing it I would go the amish shed route. Some come with a loft and porch all ready to go.

Kimchi again. Imitation really, just cabbage, onions, carrots and Korean spices. My son eats it by the gallon. Going legit next time though with radish, dashima and raw shrimp. Gotta man up sometime lol.

Just a tip, I found when I was trying to line the wraps up on my mouse pad a x-acto knife or any blade tip helps tremendously in moving / lining the warps up straight with out it sticking to a finger.

You are more likely to win the lottery for 12 million or so, than to draw a PA elk tag, especially if you are a non-resident......... If you want to hunt elk, you should hunt elk in the rocky mountains.....I realize that in colonial times there were elk here in the east, but since the mid 1800s most elk hunting has been done west of the great plains.. lots of good elk hunting out west, and in my opinion, a big part of the hunting is experiencing The Rockies... I'd rather shoot a raghorn bull in the west than shoot a monster 6X6 in somebody's backyard in Benezet, PA...

Got fire and a “shelter.” Got snow melting in the bag to drink. Didn’t kill anything so will be hungry by morning. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

New grinder and some spices to try for next season. Looking forward to trying the moonshine breakfast sausage.

Half lobster and Tiger shrimp over fettuccine and red sauce. From Dubrovnik in New Rochelle Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Quitter Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Wife and I both signed it. Eff that guy.

Still waiting for that to happen!

Paid a guy at 7-11 $100 bucks to do it! Never liked that neighborhood! lol

Right over his back. Still sounds like a fun night.

Done a fair bit of lightweight back packing, much of the gear crosses over well into staying out a night when hunting and have done so in the past. Have an e vent bivy that's a terrific piece of kit to carry along. 12 oz., wind /waterproof and best it breathes. Size of a water bottle and folded fits in a coat pocket. That and a 600ml ti cup that has travelled all over the world with me are go to items. A few cotton balls with vaseline to start a fire and good to go. Its fun to be able to stop as late as you want, and not work back to a camp/car/trail head at end of day.

I haven't done this specifically in a long time. Not since my late 20's. I do run a lot of things like practice fire making, shelter building, and a few other tasks a few times a year to keep skills sharp. Over the past few years I spend a lot of time in my yard dialing things in so in the event I get turned around I don't flip out. Panic is the #1 killer when people get lost. I do have a plan for this Summer or Fall to only put a few things in a small pouch and tin, and go out for a full day and sleep out there with only what's in my pouch on a patrol harness. No pack, no water, and probably no food. Small fire kit of flint and steel, a good size tin like an Esee to be able to boil water for consumption, and a small amount of fishing gear. 24 hours isn't too hard, even in the cold as long as you have a way to make a fire. A water source is great but not always possible. I have no advice to offer as you were in the military, so I'm certain you know how to set up your pack for the trip. Good luck and make the best of it.

I’ll definitely take some pics for you guys. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As soon as I think I have a bird coming to my calls I move 20yds left or right of where I called from. I always try not to call again unless I think I he’s lost interest. Too many times I’ve gotten spotted by birds before I see them. It would be unbelievable to think a turkey can know what tree you were at when you called from a couple hundred yards but I’ve saw it too many times to not be a believer! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Honestly, it's not so much the call as the caller. You have to experiment a little with every call you buy to get the best sound.

My son has one too. My little guy is 17 days old...

29 from a BB doesn't seem out of the ordinary unless it was a really big BB.

I made 3 bobcat sets last week and on 12/30/20 , I found this guy waiting for me. He weighed in at 30 pounds.

Then we can blow billions on the war on booze , the media will have all their sheep convinced it's the right thing to do.

These are 40 yards from an empty trap lol Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

X2 ( did you read Medical History file ?)

I tend to see about 38-40% good meat yield. So 38-40 pounds for a healthy 100 pound deer with no shot damage. Sometimes you lose some meat when you think the shot is perfect. Sometimes bullets fragment. Also I've had bow shot ones bleed into a quarter when the bow shot was not directly in the quarter. Most likely due to what blood vessels it hit and how it was laying before recovery or hung up? Also the weapon, bullet type can make a big difference. No need to be using a 300 win mag with explosive tips to kill a 150 pound animal!! I have a good butcher and if I lose some meat they make notes on the paperwork and let me know exactly why.

Flounder Rice Broccoli Cauliflower Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Pepperoni is awesome.....has a little kick to it which makes it great. We had friends who cooked it over a bonfire this summer and it tasted even better hot and crispy. Kielbasa is great..... casing is on the tougher side, and it seems to have a garlic aftertaste but we love it in our house. Ham and Cheddar sausage is a family favorite as well. There fresh sausage blends are great too.....the Italian with peppers and onions mixed it......then there is one with mozzarella too. I am trying the Bologna for the first time this year as per Turkey Feathers recommendation. And of course the cheddar snacks sticks get devoured by my 4 and 6 year old. This year they convinced my dad to shoot a deer for them so they could get TONS....of snack sticks! That made him a happy Grandpa! Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

it's up for vote in some western states with the understanding that it has a snowballs chance in hell to pass. However, bino's do get taxed so there's some benefit there. Also a few states have park use permits that many hikers, bikers and watchers purchase. The best idea i've heard was to include the "backpack tax" as they call it, but to separate out the 2 funds. The backpack tax would go to hiking trails and resources that are used by both, but would not go to resources that support hunting. I feel that's a good compromise and probably the only way to get it to pass.

There have been numerous times when a gobbler responded from hundreds of yards away to soft clucks or yelp that I wouldn't have been able to hear from 50 yards away... I remember one bird in PA that was gobbling down over a steep hayfield a couple of hundred yards from me... I took the rubber band off my Lynch Foolproof, and when I set it down beside me to get situated, the paddle slipped and gave a soft cluck...The bird immediately gobbled and made a beeline up over the field ..I never touched the call again and killed him at 30 yards, standing in the field and looking directly at my position..

One more thing I will add, and most probably know this already... A turkey's sense of hearing & direction are INCREDIBLE. I am convinced that they can hear you 400 yards away, and know within 10 feet of where you are calling from. As a beginner I remember being told about their eyesight, which IS quite good, but their sense of hearing is mind-boggling. Just one man's opinion, of course.

Probably posted these already