Doc

I remember some of the ugliest bows from back in the old days of compounds. I had a buddy that bought the early Allen offering. That was certainly nasty-looking compared to any recurve or longbow. But my first compound was not much better. It was the Bear whitetail. It had limbs that could be used as prybars if you had a need.....virtually indestructible. However, I did take a lot of deer with that old bow. After a bunch of years, I finally sold it for more than I paid for it.

Anyone else ever get attached to an old favorite bow. I mean really attached. For me it was my old 50# Bear Kodiak recurve? Beautiful wood and glass lamination combos, no stacking, killed a lot of deer, it was kind of a work of art. After a bunch of years I finally saw a bit of glass lifting off the top limb and had to retire it. I almost shed a tear when I saw that. I've had some compounds that I really liked including my current 26 year old Mathews MQ-32, but no bow ever compared to that bear Kodiak. That one was my favorite.

So, where do you bowhunters anchor. For me I anchor under the center of my chin with the string touching the center of my nose. It provides a two point anchor that keeps my head from tipping to one side or the other.

Have you considered a couple of strands of heavy-duty electric fencing around the bees? Might be good insurance. Maybe a solar unit if the hives are too far away from any electric source. All it takes is one visit, one night from one of those critters and the whole deal can be ruined.

Shed hunting can be frustrating when you get to see the racks of some of the deer that eluded you all through the season....Ha-ha-ha-ha.

Any special events or activities planned for this special day in your life? I hope that you have a great day today. Do something fun to celebrate.

I am always amazed at the capabilities of these ATVs. I have pulled some pretty large logs with mine, and compared to the HP of some of the machines available today, mine is just a baby. One of those pictures above shows the ability to climb the snow piles to push snow over the top and make room for more snow piling. Don't try doing that with a 4WD pickup truck....lol. I have the ability to turn around right in the middle of the driveway, or push snow sideways anywhere in the driveway. It has maneuverability that no truck has. I do not know the capabilities of the bigger side-by-sides in the maneuverability category. The only drawback is in wet snow depth. But I have found that a lot of trucks have limits too. One storm that I couldn't even begin to clear was a 36" dump in March back in the early 70's. Nobody with a truck would even discuss it. It took a payloader to clear a skinny one lane trail up the 1000' of driveway. Everything has its limits, but there has only been a few times when I had to call in outside help for snow removal. I hope I have not jinxed myself now.

You guys all have your tackle boxes and fishing gear all organized and ready to go. Guys have been trying for the crappies down in the old West River Marina down by Naples. And the bullhead will be biting pretty darn soon. And of course we are right on the eve of trout season. I'm all set.

Ever wonder if CWD is as devastating as is popularly believed, why are the woods not littered with dead deer bodies everywhere. I do not know why the scare stories are so popular to pass on, but a little common sense goes a long way toward calming all the panic.

Here's a sign that I have to put out in front of our driveway.

I have noticed that funny looking shape on the end of two of the tines in the picture. I have seen that same shape on the tips of a few of the antlers around here. Does anyone know what causes that weird disruption in antler growth so often? Is it some kind of injury or something that occurs at the end of antler growth sometimes?

So how has your winter been so far this year? Here in Bristol, I only had to plow once all year, and that probably wasn't really necessary. That time the snow-dump was only 6" or so. I probably could have driven through it. It has been colder than recent years but it seems that the snow has gone all around us, but mostly not here (so far). We did have some nasty ice accumulations on the driveway for a while. So how did winter treat you all in your section of the state. I know that with the lake effect of NY off Lake Ontario and Erie, snow levels vary all over the place depending on wind direction. However, beware of March snow. Some of the nastiest storms that I can remember have happened in March.

If I had to guess (and that's all it is), I would say that it is badly distorted picture of of a fox, dog, or coyote with possibly the far right leg extended forward, blending in with the neck and snout of the head. Terrible motion distortion.

The one thing that I would like to do before I croak would be to make, by hand, my own longbow and arrows with knapped broadheads and take a deer with that stuff. I don't think that it will happen, but everything on a bucket list does not necessarily ever happen.

For those that do not know what a "Bucket List" is, it is a wish-list of things you want to do before you croak. I am curious as to what outdoor activities (Camping, trapping, hunting, fishing, hiking, etc.) you want to do at some point during the rest of your life that you so far have not done.