airedale

Nice collection you have there. Always yearned (Still Do) for a Kimber Super America 22 LR like the one below, maybe someday.

All I can say is I never used the Kubota for mowing, it did a lot of loader work and towing, it was reliable. My step son now owns it and other than a few minor repairs it is running strong he uses it on his farm on a regular basis.

I owned a B 7500 Kubota Hydro and it did pull that dump trailer it was a great tractor that I liked a lot but I needed something bigger and purchased the TYM geared shuttle Tractor in the background, which has been stellar performer and trouble free for the ten years I have owned it.

Pictured below is my Classic Power King 3 speed gear Tractor, just rear wheel drive and the engine is a 14 HP Kohler single cylinder. In the background there is a dump trailer that this Power King easily tows when full of dirt. I also have a 25 HP Cub Cadet Hydro mowing Tractor and a Polaris 40 something HP 4 wheel drive ATV, Neither of those two machines can move that trailer very well when it is full but the Power King has no problem. It is all about gearing, weight and traction. Al

Never used a bench for chuck hunting myself, for me personally I find it still takes quite a bit of skill to knock off a chuck at 300 to 500 yards in a sitting position shooting off my knees or laying on my stomach and using a bipod. Al

So this morning I am going through the pages of the current "Predator" hunting magazine, there is an Air Gun column written in each issue and this month's article was one about caliber-weapon recommendations for hunting big game with an Air Rifle. The author's choice is a 35 cal PCP rifle firing a 140 something grain pellet at 900 fps, he gave many examples of it's lethality showing a wide variety of game he has taken from Deer to Javelina and other assorted smaller game animals. Of course he pointed out that the ranges were relatively short and shot placement was critical. There is no argument from me on what he had to say because it is all true. The rub is had someone put out an article promoting hunting with a 9mm Rifle or Handgun firing ammo that is ballistically superior performance wise to the above fellow's Air Rifle it is guaranteed he would receive a pummeling of criticism. Al

Hunting Chucks will provide many different hunting scenarios and can definitely refine one's hunting skills, they are sharp eyed and wary. Spot and stalk with handguns, rimfire rifles and archery equipment is not easy, it is a lot of fun and rewarding as is long range shooting with a precision varmint rifle. I have spent many many hours doing just that and it is one of my very favorite ways to enjoy a day afield. Al

What is dumb shit to one person may not be dumb shit to another and that is where the problems start. Al

Game farms can be a positive, one of the best ways a young-new hunter can gain some actual field experience and get their feet wet. Al

I did a makeover of my reloading room a few years ago and looked over a bunch of benches to do the job. I did not see anything made specifically for a corner. You probably would have to make one of your own design if you decide to go that route. I did a write up here on the board for the choices I ended up going with. Might be something in it that can be useful to you.

Mine came in the mail this morning. Al

Was reading the latest issue of Fur, Fish & Game and a fellow gave instructions on how to get a fire going in rainy conditions using a small 9 volt battery and fine steel wool. Roll the steel wool into a fine rope and touch both ends to the 9 volt battery terminals and it will glow red and is hot enough to set dry tinder on fire. I just happened to have those items readily available and just gave it a try and sure enough the steel wool glowed red hot and would surely catch on dry fine tinder. Gloves are a good idea when doing this as you can get a burn. Just another possible option to start a fire. Al

Ruger is now chambering this rifle in the 40 S&W, fired out of this carbine the 40 adds substantial power and bullet weight over 9MM making it a better choice for someone wanting to hunt Deer, still a little light but quite a bit better than the 9MM. Al

I killed a couple of Deer with a 357 mag firing 146 gr Speer HPs handloaded to around 1250 fps, a friend of mine used the same loads on a Boar hunt and killed a smallish 150 pounder. The 9mm can be loaded with 147 gr bullets of various makes close to 1100 fps out of a pistol so out of the longer carbine barrel the ballistics should be similar for all practical purpose to my 357 handloads so they will kill a Deer with good shot placement. I have seen you tube videos on that 9 mm Ruger and it is reliable and fairly accurate, in the hands of a good hunter I believe it can take a Deer at shorter ranges so the store clerks tale could very well be true. That being said if using a rifle, I personally would prefer a cartridge with more power to hunt Deer. Al

I have found that an old metal file will get some real good sparks off the ferro rods I have, like them better than any of my knives, they are cheap and come in all sizes. I had an old one laying around, put it in a vice and snapped it into a convenient size for carrying. Al

I am not someone who backpacks into wild country for extended periods camping out with a tent and sleeping in a sleeping bag. My jaunts be they hunting, hiking or scouting day or night are planned for extended hours at most not days so I do not carry a lot of so called survival gear. I do have most of the items mentioned in this thread and it was fun learning how to use them but for the activities I have done mostly I stick with the basic items I previously mentioned along with something I forgot to mention, a high quality lightweight light source. The long burning compact and light weight LED lights available today are great, both flashlights and headlamps. What I do carry depends on what activity I am involved in and what I consider to be essential and try to keep the weight down. I have come to rely of various multiple pocket outdoor vests of different styles to carry these items, some are light weight material for warm weather others are heavier and made to keep me warm. All are very comfortable and make carrying many small field items including hand guns with some styles easy and secure. For me the two most important things I have actually used with frequency is a lighter to get a fire going and a good compass. The good old reliable Zippo windproof outdoor lighter is something I have been sold on for a long time especially learning in my younger days I could light a cigar going down the road on a motorcycle with no problem. As with any equipment they have to be properly maintained and as long as they are they are infallible. Spent a lot of time in the woods Coon hunting and made many little fires when taking a break with zero problem using a Zippo with just natural tinder. By the way on July 4th I have family over for a big cookout, I have one of those firepits and the kids do the marshmallow smores thing. When making the fire I decided for the heck of it to try Stormy's suggestion of using some flammable fluid. Got the Zippo lighter and the little Zippo field fuel on the go kit out which I have for just keeping the lighter maintained, gathered up some twigs and pine needles and put a few drips of fluid on the pile and touched it off, Easy Peasy ignition and fire was going and being used in a few minutes. Yes the reality is I could have started the fire without the fluid by just using the dry tinder, first time I have ever used fluid and it worked well, would be handy in less than ideal wet conditions in getting a fire started. Bottom line is flammable fluid can be carried safely and easily to start a campfire if one wants to do it. Al

If I buy one now it is going to be in another caliber, Henry sent me a questionnaire a little while back and I suggested to them to chamber that single shot in Rimfires, I will buy one in a second if they chamber in the 17 Winchester Super Mag. Al

I think just about anything is safer than this disaster, totally nuts!

Seen some pretty crazy stuff but this downhill bike race on ice takes the prize! https://www.facebook.com/UNILADAdventure/videos/401709573790752/

A close call

Congratulations, I was looking to purchase one of those Henry single shots in 45-70 for a couple of years but could never find one anywhere and ended up buying a 45-70 barrel for my Thompson Center Encore. I like the top lever design of the Henry single shot a lot and from what I have read they are nice shooters. I have looked them over in other calibers at gun shows and can see these are very well made rifles of very good quality. The 45-70 has been surely proven on Buffalo! Al

This past spring's rainy-wet-cold weather could not have been much worse for young Turkey poults, will probably prove to be a poor hatch-survival rate. Have a Hen wandering around my place most of the Spring, stopped seeing her about a month ago and suspected she was sitting on a nest of eggs. She turned up the other day wandering around scratching for food with no poults in tow so she most likely nested unsuccessfully. Al

Back when I did a lot of big woods Coon hunting much of the time I guess I could say I was lost because following my dogs in the dark sometimes for miles there would be many times I would not know exactly where the heck I was. Finding your way through the woods after dark is quite a bit different than traveling through them in the daylight. Really did not care because what I did know from topo maps was the lay of the land what direction and approximate distances all the waters, roads and trails were pertaining to that block of woods along with my confidence in being able to use a compass. I would take an initial compass reading where I entered the woods and from that point on it was all about hunting but I would take readings on my compass at regular intervals. When it was time to head back to my vehicle between a lot of educated guessing and my compass I would always make it back out with not too much problem. Al

This light weight container would be the ticket for the fellow that wants to safely carry fuel to start a fire, a little tinder, some lighter fluid and your Zippo lighter no problem. Al

I would guess someone that wants to safely carry along some liquid fuel for whatever their reason, those containers are made in several sizes and there are some that are pretty small and easily carried. The folks that pack and use those small foldable alcohol stoves would find them to be useful I think, A person can carry the gear want they want as far as I am concerned, the point I was making is there are safe ways to carry liquid fuel if one desires to do so.