Farflung

Fast Eddie- The G.I. picture is interesting. Looks like it is a early WW2 picture. Is that a Mauser 98 leaning against the tent? Wearing putties.

I suspect that it will be spot and stalk. Last time, the weather was in the 80's and my main concern was meat spoilage from heat.

glad to see this thread. Will need them in Wyoming in 2023. Going for antelope this year, but I doubt I will need gaiters, except maybe to keep junk out of the top of my boots.

When the top breaks off or is first killed by the weevil, the lateral branches will start to grow.

Possibly the results of a White Pine Weevil attack (they love Norway Spruce) or snow damage to the leader?

the two homeschool groups that I was somewhat familer with seemed to have good parents and (generally) very respectful kids. What always interested me was the variety of reasons that they homeschooled. Some were for a variety of religious affiliations, some were anti-goverment, or quasi-survivalists. Some did not like to quality of the public schools. A few had one parent who was trained as a teacher. A couple of the kids were slightly disabled. But all the parents seemed to work well together.

When I was with DEC, I worked with homeschoolers. Usually worked with a couple of loosely affiliated groups that would get together. Very interesting folks. Were interested in most anything forestry or tree planting wise. One of my guys worked with them also, and he considered it one of the most rewarding things that he did.

I have some "disks" that you throw in standing water or ponds that contains a bacteria that attacks and kills the mosquito larvae. Seemed to work pretty well the couple of years I've used it. supposedly it is harmless to pets, wildlife and people. Won't kill those that have already hatched. I believe they contain Bti, a bacterium that attacks larva of "skeeters" and also blackflies.

Old slate bed pool/billiards table. Found out later that it was brought in disassembled by the factory.

yes, I agree with all you said. Some of the fields I have been observing have had all of the alfalfa and essentially all of the clover either run out or never had it in to begin with. A lot of these fields originated from the original clearing although they may had grain crops or corn in them at some time in their history. luckily, in this area, although the pH may be low, they have some native fertility in them.

Deer hunting won't be affected, as most of mine is right out my door. Turkey will hurt since I do a lot of scouting and hunt some remote locations, but I guess I will just "grin and bear it". So for turkey, about 1000 miles scouting and hunting or 50 gallons of gas. If it costs a additional $2 per gallon, thats $100. Guess I will have to live with it.

There is a expression that "everything is relative". Not sure if this is true about morality, but it seems like it is with deer plots. Over the years, I've watched a lot of old fields that haven't had any liming/seeding or fertilizing done that still attract deer. Because everything around it is woods or brush land. The only work that has been done is too mow it yearly. Depending on the field, a first and sometimes a second cutting of hay is taken off the field. In the cases I'm thinking about they are usually not manured. In some cases the field is just brush hogged and left But they still attract deer, both before and especially after they are cut. Is the hay nutritious? Certainly not compared to good grass or clover hayfields, but apparently it is relatively better than the forage they can get in the woods and brush. Not suggesting that this is optimal, but a field that is yearly mowed will be a adequate deer plot even if you cannot till it. A little lime and fertilizer may be all you need. Your thoughts and observations?

Knehrke- I helped put on a couple of grafting workshops years ago. I learned a lot. Had a research "pomologist" from Cornell (Geneva experiment station actually) come up and he did a hands on thing with a mixed batch of DEC and private landowners and wildlife managers. I did it for several years after with pretty good luck. I just use cleft grafts now. Two take aways is to keep your fingers off of any of the cut surfaces and to put the scion wood in at a angle, rather than trying to put the scion perfectly aligned with the phloem of the tree. Make your cut so that it is tapered so that there is pressure on the phloem of the scion. put two scions per cleft graft and cut the weaker one of after the second year. Don't put the cleft grafts where a bird is deciding that it would make a good perch (voice of experience there!)

Knehrke had some good advice. The root stock is very important. A lot of the root stocks are not suitable for colder sites, especially the Dwarfs and Semi-dwarfs. Also, I like to put some weed barrier cloth down to eliminate the grassy competition. I've had good luck with stock from St. Lawrence Nursery. They specialize in fruit and nut trees for very cold climates. Also have a lot of the older varieties.

lots of motorcycles in Utica, and some bikes.

beautiful gun. let us know how it shoots. Is this going to be used for Hunti'n, or just as a great looking gun. Nothing on this continent that it can't handle.

When buying packs of hand/toe warmers, check to make sure they are very soft and flexible. Ones that are hard and/or stiff are the result of air infiltrating thru the plastic covering, and slowly activating the sawdust/iron filings/salt mixture. Need to be especially careful with those end of the season ones. I keep the platic envelope available when I am using them and slip them into the sleeve when they are getting to hot. I used to use a set of goose down "slippers" when I was on stand. I would throw a toe warmer in each of the boots I walked in with and they would be toasty when I put them on.

Dinosaur is great. You might be distacted by the waitresses in their leather skirts.

WNYTRPR - On the photo you posted, the black boots that are in the foreground of the photo appear to have a opening with buckles in the rear. Could you tell me the brand? I have real high arches and getting off most rubber boots is pretty difficult for me. I currently use Lacrosse side buckles but I wear out the front on them very quickly.

There are very justifiable concerns about the amount of lithium that is available for batteries, both politically and economically. A fundamental question would seem to be, is the lithium in "defunct" batteries recyclable? Does anyone here know?

I just start mine once a month. Keeps the battery charge up. Roll it outside to run it. Get it up to temperature before you shut it off. I prefer the sealed type. Buy it locally. try to do it on the same day, like first Sunday of the month.

good for you!! Sounds like a great trip for anglers, great scenery, and lots of wildlife. Remember some of that wildlife occasionally wants to eat you! All the folks that I've known that worked in Alaska always carried either a 12 gauge short barrelled pump or a .44 magnum. Might be a good excuse to buy a Marlin 45-70 guide gun. A couple of folks went out for Halibut and had a great time.

Ice Fishing Derby on Hinckley Lake. Saturday February 19th from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. $1000 in Cash Prizes. Mostly Perch (Adult and Kids divisions) plus Crappy, trout, and Pickeral. Adults $25 and Kids $10. For more info, call Dennis at 315/794-4259. Event is on NYS Free Fishing Weekend.

A lot of the enthusiasm for buckwheat comes from its name. Who wouldn't want to plant something that is like wheat to deer. Problem is that the name supposedly derives from the german word, buche. That means beech as in the beech tree. If you look at the buckwheat seed, it does look like a small beech seed. I planted buckwheat for a number of years. It is easy to grow if it has no weed competition, even on soil just lightly tilled or dragged if it had a bath in round-up. Does not get much use by deer, is a great green manure crop. Mow mid summer and plant to something deer like. As mentioned, the bees like it.

Somewhat related, at least to the trespassing, was about 20 years ago when I go to hunt and there was a unknown vehicle in on my uncles property. I parked in the gateway and went hunting. Came back to a note saying that I was rude for parking where they could no get out with their 8 point buck. I thought that was amusing and came back about 4 hours later. Suggested they get out and stay out. Brought a number of our hunting party along. Got them kicked out of the adjacent F&G club. Good riddence.