Doc

That too is changing, depending on where you hunt. I have a section of state land that I hunt that is now interlaced with a maze of mountain bike trails. And of course the trails also make excellent hiking trails for literally mobs of people. I don't want to get into a discussion about who has what rights when it comes to state land, but I will say that these trails are very well used during bow season. There are many areas that used to be excellent hunting spots that are now so filled in with trails that it is very difficult to get out of sight or sound of the gangs of bikers and hikers that use them. In those areas, the deer are absolutely nocturnal. There no longer is any practical daytime deer movement throughout the early Fall. Now that the season is open even earlier, that problem will be even worse. I don't know whether this is just the beginning of the multi-use public facilities that our state lands are evolving into, but when this happens on hunting land, the only natural movement of deer is well after dark.

So, I was putting my bowling ball into the back of the car and I spotted deer tracks walking right up to the car. I thought that was kind of cool, but I didn't know the half of it. When I got out to the bowling alley parking lot, I was behind the car to get my ball when I spotted a funny pattern of clean spots on the back of the car. I started to look at my pants to see what kind of a mess I got into when I realized that those clean spots weren't from rubbing my pants on the car. They were small "tongue-sized" marks. Those goofy deer were licking the salt off my car.....lol. I guess I have been maintaining an illegal salt-lick at my house.

The first thing to do is to make sure you have the right to possess one. I don't believe there is an open season on flying squirrels. I have not looked it up, so I am not going to swear to that, but I suggest that you do look it up. It may be that just like owls, hawks, and any other protected species, there is no legal way to have one in your possession. So it is possible that inquiries to any taxidermist might result in a knock on your door from a local game warden. I don't know if this warning is a true concern, but it is just a thought that popped into my mind and I figured I would pass along that thought so you can see to it that you don't accidently get yourself in any trouble. Check it out.

I bought these 40 rounds when I bought the gun. That's generally what I do whenever I get a new gun. I want something to shoot right away while I am waitings for bullets, powder, brass, dies, etc. for loading. I really don't count on factory loads for absolute accuracy. They are just to get a quick try-out on the gun in case there are any problems. So while I do not count on factory ammo for precision shooting, one would expect at least the minimum in care and quality control from someone who claims to be a reputable ammunition manufacturer. The mangled things that they were peddleing really have no reason to ever see a store's shelves. And when for some unexplainable reason they do make it to a store and into a consumer's possession, there is no question that they should be bending over backwards to not only make it all financially right, but there should even be some extra compensation for consumer good-will and to make up for the grief and aggravation. I have to say that I am thoroughly disgusted with Winchester, and it will surely be reflected with my refusal to ever buy any of their ammunition or ammunition components.

Sure enough, I would imagine that keeping the peace in a school would require far more skills than just knowing how to shoot. For one thing, a guy would have to know how to handle himself in unarmed confrontations also where hand-to hand confrontations might be the required method against some 230 pound football player. He would have to know how to talk down potential violent situations, he would have to expert at not making "friendly-fire" kinds of errors in an armed incursion. He might even have some alternative peace-keeping duties that require mediation to keep or restore order in other emergencies such as fire situations. Procedures and protocols would have to be 2nd nature for him. And, as a last resort he would have to know his way around armed confrontations, particularly where several intruders are coming in at once. I don't see it as being an easy job, and I don't see any reason why the training for that job should not be specialized and unique and vigorous. But I agree, it seems as though most folks look at security jobs as being a half a step higher than the custodian. That's too bad that they don't treat the job with the skills-package and expectations that it should require. And that is why you get these kinds of incidents such as accidental gun discharges. You get what you pay for.

Here we are in the midst of an all out battle to protect the 2nd Amendment and we have these wackos pulling a stunt like this. I'll tell you, we are in the middle of a "perfect storm" when it comes to our own voluntary destruction of gun ownership. They are coming at us from all sides and we are doing our best to validate all the claims against us.

I think the question of motive will be answered when they complete interviewing friends and relatives. Someone who is so disturbed about something to the point he is willing to shoot somebody over it is usually not very quiet about it before hand.

Well, that's kind of what I was expecting from them. I first sent the pictures shown in the initial post to show the damage. and then they required shipping them the two boxes of ammo ($14.00) which I expected to be reimbursed for and tehn to be refunded less than what I paid with no credit for tax, and nothing for grief and aggravation. I thought that was a bit of a slap in the face. Obviously standing behind their product and customer satisfaction is not much of an active practice at Winchester.

I have always maintained that armed school guards should have a standardized training program so that people of that position know all aspects of gun safety, and how to handle likely scenarios that could happen in a school setting, and the unique methods that school grounds might require (armed reactions as well as hand-to-hand reactions). It is not a position for the local Barney Fife type to be holding. And when an incident such as this occurs, it should be a case of no second chances, and that should be understood at the time of hiring. This is a responsible position that should have corresponding compensation, and training that reflects the seriousness of their responsibilities.

When they get ammo on sale, let me know...... lol.

This stuff is getting out of control. First you are risking your drinking water, and the well doesn't even have to be on your property. Now it looks like there is the risk of explosion. And the beauty of it all is that it benefits nobody but a handful of landowners. Everybody gets to share in the risks, and the only people that benefit are a couple of landowners here and there. Give me a break!

Winchester got me! After months of being ignored in my attempts to contact Winchester about the above pictured crap of theirs that I bought (take a look at the photos in the initial post), I finally got paid for the messed up garbage that was sold to me ....... Kind of. They sent me two certificates for replacement ammo at $20 each, good only at local retail outlets (not on-line). However it all adds up to a $21 loss for me. $21.99 Cost of 1 box $21.99 Cost of the 2nd box $3.08 Tax for above (Rounded down to 7%) $14.00 To ship the crap back to Winchester $61.06 Total cost $61.06 Total cost -$40.00 Reimbursement from Winchester $21.06 My loss for their messed up manufacturing and quality control. And the best thing about all this is that the certificates state it is to be used for Winchester ammunition products. As has been well noted on this site, trying to buy anything that has to do with ammunition these days is just about impossible with no end to that situation in sight. Oh, and from what I can tell, the certificates are not valid for internet sales, so I have to wait until .270, 150 grain, Winchester ammo happens to become available in a local store. Who knows when that's likely to happen? So, if I sound a bit irritated with Winchester ammo ...... I am! They may have screwed me this time, but I will guarantee it will never happen again.

Most likely they will be making an example out of this guy with maximum penalties and the whole thing.

So, one thing that I haven't heard anything about is motive. Have they published anything about why he went after the ones that he went after?

Well, that sounds like a potential situation that I should be welcoming into my back yard .....Eh? Oh but wait, there are all kinds of people telling us that the process is absolutely safe. They would lie to us would they?

I think you're probably pretty safe there. These guys don't have the time it takes to put in that kind of hunt. After all, they have to drop the kids off at the babysitters, log a couple hours hunting and get back to pick the kids back up and then do some shopping and then drop back off at the babysitters so they can make to the afternoon bridge game and then head over to bowling so that they can get home in time to watch American Idol. In a few more years they'll just drop the hunting part of the day so they can get involved in a lot more stuff.

Right now we are hanging everything involving guns on the 2nd Amendment, as one would assume they could logically do. However, there have been gun laws that spit on the 2nd Amendment that have gotten passed and have become the law of the land. There have been legal challenges relating to the constitutionality of those laws that have been repeatedly shot down in the courts to the point where no one seems to have any problem proposing and passing even the most outrageous attacks on that amendment. This latest Cuomo gun-grab is clearly unconstitutional in my mind and yet there is a very real possibility that it will withstand all legal challenges that we can through at it. So, with those kinds of free-for-all legal interpretations that the 2nd Amendment has been subjected to, I'm not sure how much we can really count on it to protect us against a U.N. assault if they are somewhat careful about how they word it and what the contents of their proposals entail. Yes, they will need plenty of accomplices within this country to pull it off, but with guys like Obama, and perhaps followed by that crazy-eyed Cuomo creep, and all the other gun-grabbers that surround them in the government, there really doesn't look to be any shortages of "inside-men". I too would likje to think that we have iron-clad protection in the 2nd Amendment, but these days it doesn't seem to even be able to protect us from forces inside this country. I'm not sure that I have any confidence left that it will protect us from forces outside of the country either.

The only assault weapon that I have ever seen is Andy Cuomo. That little bug-eyed freak is an assault on every law abiding gun owner and he has turned out to be a dangerous weapon against the 2nd Amendment.

Yeah, this is the time that I start to really go berserk with the length of winter. And yet, they are talking about below normal temperatures for as far as they are willing to forecast. I've had enough!

I wonder how many other guys that maybe were planning on holding up a cabbie or looking at some other individuals and professions as being an easy mark are today reconsidering that thought because of this incident. Sometimes being a "bad-guy" can have some serious down-sides ..... lol. And sometimes being prepared can have some good teaching benefits for others that may have crime on their mind. Too bad we don't have more "teachers" of this kind. The world would be a much safer place.

If I lived next to one of those anti-gun people, I wouldn't hesitate for one minute to put that kind of sign up in my yard. It sure does put the point across.

This is another animal that can start some pretty spirited arguments. It's for sure that they can mess up some trout streams, crop lands, and other landowner properties. I occasionally have flooding problems in my driveway because of these critters. And yes, I have seen quite a bit of timber impacted by their needs for trees, although seldom are they trees that really have any commercial value. Most of what they go after are softwood, trash-trees. My Mother has lost a few fruit trees out of her yard to these animals. But on the other side of the ledger, I have seen beaver dams and the resulting ponds become some prime habitat for a whole lot of furbearers and other animals and birds. Muskrats, mink, foxes, raccoons, possums, and all other kinds of birds and animals move into these unique environments. A lot of specialized vegetation becomes a part of beaver ponds as well. These ponds become a virtual city of dense animal populations and variety. take a look at the top of a beaver dam and look at the wide variety of tracks that you find there. Beavers are an animal that requires some pretty careful control through trapping. Too little trapping can result in some severe problems. Too much can deprive an area of a unique kind of valuable habitat and ecological benefit. I was lucky enough to have been raised in an area that had these fascinating creatures and still have them as neighbors today. I have the problems and the benefits of having them in the neighborhood, but things sure would be a lot different without these animals and their weird habits.

As I understand it, this initial challenge to the law was thrown out, but will be appealed to a higher court. I also understand that the lawsuit was poorly written and had no real argument disproving Cuomo's claim of an "immediate need". And so the question of whether the elimination of public discussion periods was not properly challenged and most likely will be lost with the appeal as well. However, there are more challenges on the way that are being conducted by true professional lawyers who won't be making those same rookie mistakes. So the court challenges to the new law are by no means over with. The situation with the ammo is a different story. Most of that is due to the hoarding actions of other gun owners. There have even been reports of gun owners buying up stock and reselling at a profit on the internet. I don't know how true that is but I have heard that it is going on. Simple greed and panic-hoarding brought on by fears of where this current assault on firearms may lead.

I never said that the cure for cancer was going to come from a herd of deer. I merely asked "just how smart are these critters". The only thing that I have put out is that deer have a basic level of thought, intelligence, and even some fundamental degree of reasoning. I never said it was on the same par as human intellect. But I certainly do think that our goat proved that animals have a lot bigger capacity for reasoning and intelligence than many humans are willing to give them credit for. She had a problem. She saw the solution demonstrated. She learned and executed the solution. She got to our expensive shrubs .... lol. I think that was pretty darned smart, given that it was a goat.

I'll tell you one thing that is kind of good. Now that bow seasons are so long, and since I am retired and can use most of it, it really is kind of great to be able to change things up a bit by grabbing a gun. It puts a bit of variety into my deer hunting. LOL .... besides, if I get all the way through bow season and have not gotten my deer, it's time to pick up a weapon that will reach out and touch something. I kind of go into revenge mode to make up for all those times that the deer have made a fool out of me .