Doc

I have never had anyone from the tobacco industry force a cigarette into my hand. I will also say that I do not take my marching orders from any tobacco company. I do take responsibility for my own decisions (good and bad) as opposed to randomly blaming others. I've been around a lot of years and I can't say I was ever confused about the fact that smoking is bad for you. I also don't know anyone else who was unaware about health risks with smoking. So when it comes to looking to assign blame, make sure you put it where it belongs. And as far as my having opinions, I believe that that is the main purpose of internet forums. If you find yourself opinion-challenged, that's your problem, not mine, but don't be whining about people having and expressing opinions.

Lol ..... The old "speed" argument. Makes me wonder how we ever killed deer back in the recurve days, or even with that old Bear Whitetail Hunter that took so many deer. Those old arrows were probably doing well if they broke the 200 fps barrier. Technology for technology's sake. Don't feel bad ..... I went through the same phase. You'll likely grow out of it ... lol.

There is a very likely thought that I would be checking into. Perhaps you just got a little "heads-up" about a problem that could be a whole lot more serious in the future.

And now it is clear where the phrase "cradle to grave" came from. And even more scary is the fact that some of us actually believe in that sort of government.

We probably should be strangling those that market sugary, greasy products that are laced with fats and other unhealthy ingredients. Let's at least be consistant.

Were the swings bought as pre-built units or did you have to build each one?

When it comes to the "experts" (the DEC), and what thoughts go into the limiting of coyote hunting to a specific part of the year, I am not sure what all issues they incorporate into that decision. I really don't even know how much actual science is a part of that decision. Hopefully they have well thought out reasons. I have always thought that they see the coyote as a financial resource (a furbearer) and therefore a critter that has a "useful" place in the outdoors like foxes and such. But whether or not they are being managed properly or not .... I don't have a clue. I can only point out that other than disease and starvation, we are the only population control that the coyote has. And given what appears to be exploding numbers along with a low level of actual coyote hunting, I have to wonder if the job is getting done. Perhaps it is the same question that those proposing year-around hunting are asking as well.

Hopefully someone noticed the forgotten guns and is holding them waiting for the proper owner to show up and claim them.

That basically is the definition of an "opinion". And I am not claiming that anything I have said is anything other than my own opinion that is based on logic and observation.

Hard to imagine. Is there any kind of manufacturing going on upwind? Are the brown marks on anything other than the flags? On bushes .... on the sidewalk .... on the side of the house?

No .... no!!! Get another camera. The beaver pond is where the action is. You are getting great pictures there.

Now there is a slick fine line if ever I heard one. The government has single handedly put cigarettes completely out of reach of the poor. Not a mandate? .... excellent playing with words, but not really fooling anyone. Come on, that kind of silliness is something I would expect from some kind of politician trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. I doubt that many will actually buy into the kind of distinction you are trying to push. They have done everything but take the honest route of making tobacco illegal. I do debate that point because I don't think that the cost of maintaining old people into the nursing homes has been accounted for. I don't think that the routine handfuls of expensive medication that older people take daily has been accounted for either. I will not argue the point about which category of people are healthier, but I will say that non-smokers most likely live into that age of required 100% care and stay there long after smokers are dead and gone. And those that ignore the cost of the elderly likely will believe the statement in your quote. But you can't just count the cost up to age 50 and then stop counting ....lol. I love that soft-peddled phrasing of "discourage"..... lol. But anyway, assuming that healthcare costs are a legitimate justification for mandating standardized individual lifestyle habits, it sounds like you are ready to abdicate your lifestyle choices to the rule of the government. Most likely you believe the concepts of mandated government dictated diets, and required exercise programs are a good idea. I arrive at that because you seem to think such activities by the government are fine when it comes to tobacco. It really is the same mentality. Well, personally, that kind of capitulation to government control is something that I will never agree with. Interesting thought. That little phrase can have very wide-ranging interpretations. Are you also in favor of the government using the same tactics of gross public service ads, and massive taxation being applied to those who are obese, or have unhealthy eating habits or some of these other kinds of harrassments aimed at forcing people to have regular exercise activities? How about some Twinkie taxes? Certainly there are plenty of studies that show links between these kinds of risky eating activities and catastrophic health problems. Why don't you come out in favor of government getting involved in these parts of your life? Or perhaps you do. How about if the government decided that red meat was unhealthy? Would you be in favor of punitive taxation on meat? Certainly you must be in favor of a good punitive tax being placed on sugar. I'm just curious where you draw the line when it comes to government intervention into your life .... all in the name of the negative public impacts. It seems to be ok with you when it is smokers that are on the receiving end of this government harrassment. I wonder how you feel about government intervention and harrassment into things that you engage in?

One thing is for sure ...... The coyote sits at the top of its domain and for the most part, with only one exception, is at the top of the food chain with no effective controling predator .... except humans. The only other controlling features are disease and starvation, and the population has to be way out of balance for those two controls to begin to have much of an impact. So, to fear that liberalizing coyote hunting limits might jeopardize their population or existance, is probably misplaced fears. In reality, increased hunting may actually improve the lives of those that remain. Without some meaningful control (intervention by humans), the populations would be controlled by catastrophic population collapses through disease. That shouldn't be viewed by coyote lovers as being a good result. The other thing that is pretty obvious is that coyote hunting does not have the popularity that something like deer hunting does. If all seasons were to be made unlimited, I doubt that there would be an over-kill of coyotes. But perhaps we might be able to keep the populations more in tune with the habitat and food supply.

Well, here's the deal that I just can't buy. This idea that smokers cost more in medical care than those that don't smoke. The assumption apparently is that if you don't smoke, you go through life without any ailments and then quietly pass in your sleep without costing anybody anything. Well folks, I hate to break it to you, but perhaps you should take a trip to a nursing home to see just what good health and longevity costs us. Most of the people there are not there because they smoked a pack of cigarettes (or more) each day. Smokers generally pass away at a much earlier age and die on theiir own dime. Ever wonder what kinds of cash those poor old souls in nursing homes eat up daily? Old age isn't cheap! Surprise .... surprise ... we all die and it is seldom "cheap". But anyway, even if we do accept the assumption that our living habits can cost extra money, I would like somebody to point out the clause in the Medicare and Medicaid legislation that gives the government control over our personal living habits. Just imagine all the freedoms we can eliminate from diabetics with that philosophy of imagining extra costs involved with poor dietary habits. We can get to the point where we have a mandatory government approved diet. How about the cardio problems that are laid at the feet of "diet & exercise" ..... How far are you willing to go? Should we eliminate anything in our lives that could cause medical problems? How about a government mandate requiring compulsory exercise? Do you people think that tobacco is the end of this kind of thinking? It's only the beginning. Stay tuned ... as ridiculous as some of these remedies sound, believe me, there are a lot of people who have those kinds of things rolling around in their minds. Quitting tobacco use is a great idea, but it should be an issue of personal choice, not a mandate of government.

Nice job!!! And the good thing is that when the smoke from the fire starts chasing you around like it always does me, it's easy to just keep changing swings .... lol.

35.8 degrees right now at 6:17. That doesn't mean we're out of danger, but it looks pretty good. If we can get by this morning, the temps are supposed to keep going up for the next bunch of days. I've got all the plants in, and bunch of little tiny peaches on the trees (first time in several years). Quite a bit at stake, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Actually, it appears that "Big" tobacco must not have paid off enough politicians seeing how the government has done their best to put them out of business. So now government is trying their hardest to wrap themselves around everyone's personal lives. They're doing a damned good job of it too.

So, how about re-loading components? Are they still scarce? Anyone find a good source of pieces and parts where you don't have to start changing your favorite recipes to suit availability? There is another question that I haven't seen answered yet. Does the "back-ground check" on ammunition apply to components, or is it only finished ammunition? That is going to take a lot of the economy out re-loading if mail-order procurement is made impossible because of a background-check requirement. I am assuming that back-ground checks will need in-person sales with all the appropriate paper work to prove you are who you say you are.

Lol ..... It really has become a national pastime to get into everyone else's business, and critique their lifestyle. Must be we all feel like we are the only ones who know the right way to live, and we all intend to live forever. It's probably not a news flash, but we are all going to get sick and die of something eventually. As far as I know, nobody has perfected immortality. Also, I haven't heard of anyone who has figured out how and when to die in the most convenient way. In fact, for the rest of us, the smokers are the most thoughtful types. They usually die early and don't force the rest of us to provide them with all the geriatric needs and care for decades into their old doddering years. It's interesting to visit nursing homes and look at how we are warehousing all these people for years way beyond what we would have if they had continued to smoke. Maybe I should be apologizing now for having quit smoking a handful of years ago......lol.

And who says you can't eat antlers?

I have to agree that government has probably way over-stepped its boundaries with the smoking issue. In fact I am not totally convinced that cigarette smoking costs us anything. To say that assumes that if we eliminated tobacco products, no one would ever die or be hospitalized or get sick from something else ..... and we all know that's not true. But what I like least is the proven concept that government with all of our limitless resources can effectively get engaged in mass behavior modification through taxation. Look for this remedy to be exploited on all kinds of other things in the future. They decide they don't like obesity, expect sugar taxes. They don't like anything else that they deem is harmful behavior, expect new taxes. Oh and by the way behavior modification through taxation can be applied to hunting and gun ownership if they should take such a notion. Here's the deal .... if you can prove that something should have government backed elimination, at least have the stones to declare it a controlled substance and make it illegal rather thanusing the back-door and turning it into a tax issue. That solution (taxation) to control citizen behavior is getting to be an all too popular remedy.

Shot in the arm ..... That's probably a good trade-off rather than sitting and watching the guy get eaten alive by the bear waiting for the perfect shot .... lol.

Another feature that I have found that is a natural deer magnet is what I call "seeps". They're not exactly flowing springs, but they are super sloppy-wet muddy spots of water seeping out of the ground. I have never found one that wasn't completely mucked up with deer tracks. I believe these may be mineral springs that provide minerals that deer really crave. I know of only 3 of them in the area that I hunt, but they are traditional hot-spots and often get visited well within daylight shooting hours.

I gave up on trying to salvage roadkilled deer. Too much clotted up meat lost. Wasn't worth the time it takes to butcher them.

So, I am trying to picture how this became a fatality. Was the injury caused by some part of the deer wacking him in a lethal part of his body or was it the contact with the pavement after the collision? Was the guy wearing a helmet? Yeah, it's got to hurt to be clobbered with a deer running full-tilt, but it's hard to imagine that would be fatal. Normally deer collisions become super violent because of the speed of the vehicle. But a bicycle ??? I've got a feeling there may have been some secondary contact that actually caused the death that they collide with. Whatever the details are that were left out of this story, it really does sound like a "freak" accident.