airedale

On any new hunting ground I use a combination of still hunting and sitting to get a read on how any Deer use and travel the property. For me that has always been the key to success. There is plenty enough time left to make a kill. Al

Back when Hollywood was normal, Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Ernest Hemingway, Roy Weatherby

Happy Birthday Mowin, I feel like we are related. LOL Al

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes, I am feeling pretty good this past year considering I hit seventy and three. Got the pic below from one of my compadres in an email, he said it fits me LOL.

My choice would be something that would not be just looked at and drooled over, it would be something I would use and shoot a lot. If I were to pick a rifle I think it would be a Cooper model 57 Western Classic in 22 LR and mount a Leupold compact 3x9 AO scope on it. I would shoot the Hell out of it both on targets and small game. Still I have always wanted a high classed side by side Double shotgun, A Winchester model 21 Grand American in 20 ga with two sets of barrels would fill the bill. I can hear the oohhs and ahhhs when pulled from it's case at the sporting clays field and at the gamebird shooting preserve. Nice to dream LOL! Al

I know exactly how you feel, I had a good dose of Lymes a couple of years ago and it will surely take the wind out of your sails physically and a long road back to a full recovery. Took me until this year to feel pretty much normal as I can be at this stage of the game. Hopefully you will be able to hit the timber soon. Al

Way to go Wolc, he is a nice one. Al

The scope is a Leupold 2.5X ultra light, a very minimalistic scope and exactly what I like using on my short range Deer hunting rifles. It does everything I need with total reliability and dependability. Nice Case knife collection you have, back when I was a young feller most of the hunters had some make of stacked leather hunting knife hanging from their belt including my Dad. Don't see that style being used much today. I did not have one in my collection which gave me the excuse to buy one LOL! Al

The instructions on how to use this gizmo shows several methods, I field dressed this Deer the same way I always do by gutting first and removing the butt last. Once I gutted the Deer I flipped him over on his stomach spread eagle to drain any blood. Went to the rear and inserted the Butt Out flush to the stop on the tool. I gave it a twist until I felt it grab and then made cut around the outside, gave a little more twist and pulled everything out, about as easy as it gets. I am sold. Al

There probably would be no real advantage between those two cartridges at the short ranges we are talking about in this thread, both are proven whitetail killers. I have never killed a Deer with a 30-30 but it has a long track record which I respect. The 44 mag I do have some experience with, mostly with handguns and some with this Marlin 94, it has always been a one shot killer with properly placed shots. The advantage for me is in the rifle itself, the little Marlin 94 with the 16 inch ported barrel pictured above is not chambered in 30-30. Al

As you can see when asking about opinions for the best hunting rifle and caliber to meet your specs the answers are wide and variable, kind of like asking what is the best truck or hunting dog. I would not place so much emphasis on the action because the reality is in the type of terrain you are describing you will almost surely be firing just one shot. Miss that all important first shot and the odds of getting an accurate second shot off at a streaking Deer in thick cover are not good. I would narrow it down to something light weight, fast handling and compact using an action and style that you like personally and feel comfortable and confident using. I have several rifles that will work well for woods hunting in thick cover but I would say the one that fits the parameters best in tight cover when the leaves are on and ranges short is a little Marlin 94 44 mag. Al

A Trayvon Martin "Redux" The Democrats and main stream media do not want citizens to have the right to defend themselves, family or property! Al

I love seeing the enthusiasm and excitement folks, personally I have not hunted for Deer in the southern zones in decades but back in the days I did it was a big deal for me and for friends and family. Hunted just outside of Norwich and remember driving down RT 12 before daylight and the convoy of hunter's cars as far as the eye could see both in front and behind heading to their hunting grounds. Sounded like the forth of July when the sun came up. Be safe and good luck to all. Al

It is all about food and habitat.

Apparently not, I put on a couple of new ones recently and it did not count as an update. Al

Pot calling the kettle black, as most of what you post and complain about is in the politics section of which you profess to hope seen gone. You should take your own advice and do some hunting and post some useful information about what this board's main theme is and stay out of here and save yourself all this aggravation because you are not going to change any minds. Al

My biggest disappointments have come from any outerwear or footwear made with Gore-Tex, I have purchased a lot of hunting clothes and boots that have that stuff inside and as far as keeping things dry it has been a complete bust in my experience. Al

I have a couple of small packs on my belt that carry items for emergencies and for something to drink I just do not have a need for food when I am hunting, pretty easy for me. I take a sip from the little Stanley if I get thirsty, the little Coleman first aid kit I have had to use it for my Dogs a couple of times. Al

Speaking for myself I found out years ago be it playing sports, plain old work like cutting wood or putting in a load of hay or dragging out a Deer my body operates best physically when running on empty. I will do perfectly fine on the stores in my body from what I ate the day before. Yes I get hungry but not weak, I fuel up after the work or physical activity is done for the day. I do like to carry a little flask full of an energy drink when hunting behind my dogs to wet my whistle if I get real thirsty as you can put some miles on hunting small game following hunting dogs. Al

Absolutely disagree, like the main stream media you would like nothing better than to squash this information!! All this stuff is important to know and if you do not like it a pretty simple solution is available do not come into this forum and your problem is solved. Al

Because of laws and areas I hunted long ago I had to use a shotgun firing the old Foster slugs for many years. Their main short comings of less than stellar fine accuracy and lack of long range shots is something I adapted to much the same as I do when archery or handgun hunting. I know my limitations and keep my shots within them. My style of Deer hunting which is mostly still hunting or tracking in heavier cover obtaining short range shots is well suited to the limitations of slugs. For me there is no question of a slug's killing power, placed right they always gave me great results, most fell where they stood and every season I always got my Deer so zero complaints in that respect. That being said there were a few times I would not take a tough shot because of those performance limitations and why the main reason these days I hunt with rifles and use setups and calibers suited to the terrain and ranges I am hunting. If I have a tough shot where I have to thread the needle I need in my hands an accurate rifle. Al

Technique would be determined by the hunting pressure in the area I was hunting, lots of hunters and pressure I am watching escape routes. Area to myself with very few or no other hunters I am sneaking around still hunting. Al

I love heart, chicken hearts, beef, Deer you name it, liver not as much but I will eat it as long as it is not over cooked. I did up the heart and liver rare on the Deer I got this morning and just got done gorging on it, just fried up in butter with onions and used some gourmet hamburger seasoning and it was pretty darn good. Lost a little bit of the heart because of the bullet hit. Al

It is the motivation that gets me out there grampy, in recent years Deer hunting has not been that important to me. I have gone for several years without even hitting the timber once for Deer, I still have some meat left from last year. Nothing will get get me more psyched to hit the woods than some new equipment and or firearms, I have to see how they perform first hand. The last four years has got me out there evaluating a Marlin 94 44mag, the Savage 99A in 250 Savage, the TC Encore in 25-06 and this year the Henry SS in 357 mag. Al