airedale

One of the first things a new handloader is going to notice is the differences in the data of loading manuals, that is why one of the rules of thumb when it comes to powder charging is to begin on the low end of the scale and incrementally work your way up looking for signs of excessive pressure at all times. I have old manuals from the fifties and sixties that list much hotter loads than what one would see in the newer manuals, back then a lot of folks loaded by feel and pressure signs, they had no way of knowing actual pressures. Today with liability issues and bullet manufacturers having access to accurate equipment to measure pressure I have noticed much more conservative loading data in the newer manuals. There are many more powder choices today also. I have around 20 different manuals from different time periods and while the loads may be close component wise none are listing data exactly the same. It is all about the many many slight variables, the firearm, the chamber dimensions, cases from different manufacturers, different style bullets and weights, barrels, rifling, throat, primers and powder. Most manuals cover and explain these aspects to some degree, read and understand your manuals carefully and stay close to their load parameters and all should go well. Also a good chronograph can be purchased today very reasonable and it goes a long way in telling the truth showing what kind of performance your handloads actually have. Al

If you are patient you can find some pretty nice Thompson Center items on ebay either a complete rifle or build one out of new parts or like new parts I put together a beautiful 45 cal Hawken a few years ago by purchasing a used stock which I refinished and put new furniture on and then found a brand new Green Mountain direct fit stainless barrel in 45 cal. She shoots like a dream. A word about Traditions, I bought the 32 cal Crockett Squirrel rifle a couple of years ago and the fit and finish is outstanding, I am more than happy with it and it shoots very well too. Al

Had some fun a few years ago on this particular day with my Airedale "TJ"

Just seems like these cruise ship are in the news constantly for all the wrong reasons, probably the percentages are low that these mishaps occur but it does turn me off personally plus I get sea sick. If I had the time and money the Trans Canada railway roundtrip across country from Toronto to Vancouver sounds like it is a real winner for scenery and wildlife, it would be something I would enjoy. Al

I have had several of my hunting dogs contract Lyme, the first symptoms are lethargy, limping and pain in the front shoulder joints. Having had Lyme myself I know there is not many things in this world that can make you feel as lousy health wise. Seems it is becoming more and more prevalent in recent times, I never remember seeing a tick when I was a kid. Amoxicillin for 30 days will usually clear it up with marked improvement showing within a couple of days of the first doses. Al

Something was going on with that hog for sure, that kind of behavior is totally out of the ordinary. A check for rabies would be in order for starters. Al

Been riding all my adult life, don't put on the miles like I used to. Today I lean toward older classic bikes that I like to tinker with. The top three in this list are gone, the bottom four I still have and ride a bit. Al Chronologically in order of acquisition. 1970 Honda CB 750 1978 HD Electra Glide 2003 Honda Valkyrie 1987 Honda CMX 450 1974 Honda CB 450 1974 BMW R 90/6 Airhead 1974 Honda CL 200 Scrambler

I picked up one of these Ponchos and gave it some use this fall and have been pleased with it's effectiveness in providing pretty good concealment at a moments notice for not a lot of money. I do a lot of still hunting and moving around from spot to spot, I like the very light weight and compact size, it can be folded into for easy carrying package and put into a pack or game bag, also for being easy to put on over any outdoor-hunting clothing I may be wearing when I get to my hunting ground. Been using it mostly for Squirrel hunting and have called a couple of Foxes in close and have had several Deer pass by without detection, so far so good. I think it would be a winner for Waterfowl, Crows, and Turkey too. Al

The Llewellyns are great bird dogs, my all time favorite outdoor TV show was Dez Young's "Hunting with Hank' and "Upland Days with Dash" on the old Outdoor Life channel. Two beautiful Llewellyns, I liked it so much I purchased the whole series of both shows on DVD. The field English Setters like the Llewellyns are much different that the AKC show types, much smaller and a lot less hair. I have owned and hunted with a couple of Grouse Ridge setters and they are great bird dogs. Below is my first one named "Stickers" after a friend and I got home from a Pheasant hunt. Stickers had birds on the brain and he is zeroed in on a Finch eating out of a bird feeder.

Here is a vintage one of me about 50 years ago in Newfoundland

Rattler as the old saying goes "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink!" trying to explain anything to these guys is a waste of time!! Al

No he is not making it up, that is what pretty much happens., same deal with wolves. Al

I wasn't sure as I see coyotes so infrequently. They are typical western Coyotes.

That RCBS 5-5 is a good quality solid scale. I did the opposite a few years ago Grampy, I purchased a digital scale to try out thinking it was an upgrade. It seems accurate enough but when it comes down to actually loading my shells I get out my old Lyman beam scale, I am just more comfortable using, it has many years of a proven track record with total reliability. Al

In my lifetime I have never seen the Fisher population very high in areas I have been afield, their relatively low numbers make their actual impact on prey species minimal. From what I know about them they will eat just about anything they can find or catch which in turn makes them fairly easy to trap by a good trapper. There have been times I have seen their pelts bring in really big money, these days their value is low so their populations will be on the higher end with less trapping. If someone feels they have too many in their hunting grounds the problem is easily solved with some trapping. The area I live in is ideal Porcupine habitat and there are many of them in the woods, anyone that hunts with dogs in porcupine country knows what that means, any Fishers on my place get a pass from me. Al

I am a big believer in the Boy Scout Motto of being prepared, for anything. Al

On One of my favorite things to do was hunting Rats with Terriers. Al

I have been around long enough to have seen this whole Coyote story evolve, from what was a Chupacabra like myth to what we have today. When I was a kid they were called Coydogs and they were as rare as Hen's teeth, many believed they did not exist and even the DEC did not acknowledge them. As their population grew they started getting shot by hunters and caught in traps proving their existence. Back in the late seventies I worked for a good friend of mine in his sporting goods store "Johns' Sporting Goods" in Rome NY. John was also one of the biggest raw fur buyers in NY and we had trappers and hunters from all over NY and neighboring states come in to sell their catches. The fur trade was a great barometer to gauge the Coyote's population growth from just a few pelts coming in to the hundreds in later years as populations exploded. Anyone who does not believe their impact has not been significant has their heads up their ass. As someone who has always been an enthusiastic small game hunter I have seen a big drop in several species populations. Cottontail Rabbits have just about vanished from my neck of the woods, it is a rare event to see one these days. When I was a kid they were all over the place, you could not drive down a country road a mile without seeing one dead from being run over by a vehicle. Same with Woodchucks, when I was a young fellow there with so many, one could not look over a large hayfield and not see plenty of Woodchucks standing on the hind legs looking for danger. The same fields today you will not see even one. Some will say farming practices are the cause of these declines and while I agree that is part of the blame it is not all of it. I attended a NY state Houndsman banquet and we had a state biologist expert in the Eastern Coyote as a guest speaker. He and his team examined the contents of Coyote's stomachs and during the warm months almost every single one contained woodchucks and his exact words were "if anyone has wondered where all the woodchucks have disappeared to there you have it". Master Wolfer Gary Strader feels that Rabbits are also one of their favorite foods. He says if you want to hunt or trap Coyotes find a good Rabbit population and you will find Coyotes. Being opportunists Coyotes will eat just about anything they can catch or find, Turkeys, Grouse, Pheasant and their eggs are on the menu all of these gamebirds populations are declining recently. They will kill Foxes, Possums and Coons which may be taken on occasion but I have a hard time believing they kill Fox or Coon with any regularity. Having hunted both Fox and Coon for over fifty years with some pretty fair dogs it is a rare thing to catch a Coon on the ground and if you do catch a big one they can hold their own in a fight. Catching Fox outside their den pretty hard to do in my opinion, I think they just move out of the territory when they are Coyotes around. And of course it is no secret that new born fawns and deer taken during the winter are very common. They will also eat cats and small dogs if they can get the opportunity to grab one. I know of several Hare hunter whose Beagles just vanished while running a Hare and like Gary Strader points out where the are Rabbits you will find Coyotes and it is probable those Beagle got picked off. I don't think anything should be completely exterminated but animals like Wolves and Coyotes belong in wild places and let them thrive there, once they get to have large populations around people the problems start showing up and that is when the gloves come off. Al

Do not discount that being someone's dog. Al

She is a beauty Grampy, hope she lays them in there for you, good luck. Al

A 20 FPS deviation is very good uniform velocity and better than average. Al

A few up in the Adirondacks where the Moose are but for the most part I would not miss them if they were gone. Al

Try a clipper that catches the nails, I picked up one of these a few years ago, they cut very good and catch just about every clipping.