airedale

There are basically two groups of hunters that pursue varmints (Fox-Bobcat-Coyotes), one group hunts mostly for sport, fun and to keep varmint numbers in check. The firearms this group uses is an almost anything goes mindset. All calibers and weapon types come into play, bolt actions to deluxe outfitted AR platforms, just about every so called varmint cartridge from the old 222 Rem on up to the 25-06 Rem and everything in between. I see in my current varmint hunting magazine the 6.5 Creedmoor has some advocates. The other group of hunters I would classify as "fur hunters", their weapons and ammo are somewhat specialized with the main concern was obtaining the most killing power but in turn causing the least amount of damage to the hide. A now defunct message board I belonged to aptly called the "Coyote Gods" were in the "Fur Friendly" cartridge crowd. This bunch consisted mostly of hunters located in the southwest and these guys were really good at what they did. Almost to a man they favored the 17 Remington, their reasoning was simple, good long range capability, small bullet entry hole and no exit hole with good killing power = a good hide with almost zero damage that retained maximum value. It would be hard to argue against their point as they stacked up varmints like cordwood with minimal damage to hides, as the old saying goes "proof in the pudding". Getting back to the OP's post about the 204 Ruger, with the right bullet loaded I believe it would be in a similar category to the 17 Remington, a very effective and fur friendly varmint cartridge. Al

You can not have too many loading manuals Grampy, they are all a bit different and something can be learned from each one. I have one of those little Lee presses, it is handy, I have used it along with the universal Lee decapping die quite a bit for depriming cases. I did a thousand Lake City 223 military cases a little while back with that setup. Al

So I have been puttering around loading some 45-70 ammo and got to looking at the powder measure setup I was using, what a conglomeration! The powder measure is a vintage Redding, it is mounted on a Lyman powder measure stand which in turn is mounted to a Lee quick change base plate. The powder measure has a Prairie Dog powder baffle installed inside and the lid is off from an old Bair powder measure. A lot of manufacturers contributing to the cause and all works well. I like this old Redding a lot because it works really good with long grained powder. Al

Called running the hair off their tail, one of the reasons some hunting dog breeds tails are docked. Hard to get those tails healed. Al

I will take the black powder stuff it will go good with the new Crockett Squirrel rifle. Al

If you decide to go for a lever action carbine make it easy on yourself and get a 44 Mag, Like I posted earlier the ammo selection is much better. If you are not crazy about Marlins maybe a Henry carbine will fit your needs. I have three pre merger Marlins and I have had good luck with all of them, there are plenty good used ones available. Don't have any experience with Henrys but their reputation among those that do have them has been positive. Treat yourself Stormy

As of now you can still buy black powder muzzleloaders and get them shipped without messing around with FFLs. You can not buy something like a Thompson Center Encore muzzleloader without going through an FFL because of it's barrel interchanging design allows a regular smokeless powder cartridge barrel to be used.

The 45 Colt handloaded would be the one out of the choices listed. Personally I would buy a lever action carbine (which I actually have done) or maybe find a Ruger auto loader chambered 44 mag especially when it comes to the much better variety of available ammo suited for bigger game. Al

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee, greenest state in the land of the free, raised in the woods so’s he knew every tree, killed him a Bar when he was only three. Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.” You have to be pretty old to remember those words but I remember them like it was yesterday, Walt Disney’s TV “Davy Crockett” on the corny side by today’s standards the series was a big time craze for us wide eyed kids in the mid 1950s. Myself and all my friends wanted a Coonskin cap and a rifle like “Old Betsy”. Finally got me one some sixty something years later, a Traditions “Crockett” Squirrel Rifle 32 cal. While not an exact replica being a cap lock and only 32 cal it is close enough for me. Been wanting one for a long time so when I saw that Midway put them on sale I said to myself it is now or never so I pulled the trigger. The folks that have these Squirrel rifles have nothing but good to say about them., they are accurate, economical and fun. Now to make things right I surely have to kill a Squirrel with this rifle, with these old eyes it might take some doing.

The type of hunting methods used will have much to do when it comes to tolerating cold temps. Like Deer hunting, if you are on stand sitting for long periods of time hunting for Squirrels in really cold temps you will have to bundle up and have good warm socks and boots on. I did a lot of Hare hunting behind Beagles throughout the winter, there is a lot of walking involved to get in position for a shot so you have your blood circulating and it is easier to stay warm. The same with Grouse and Pheasant, a lot of walking involved so it is easy to stay warm. Once the temps got below the mid teens I stayed home, not so much because of getting cold, the scenting conditions for the dogs were lousy and they could not move a track with consistency and most game is holed up sitting tight keeping warm. The right clothes and boots are the key to keeping you out there, I always favored Woolrich wool because it always kept me warm even when wet. Al

I won't be around but I would bet if you make it another 35 years you will be singing a different tune. Al

I grew up in the sixties Friend, I probably have forgot more about drugs than what you know, The notion and rational that because something grows in nature it is harmless is laughable, drugs are what they are, don't make no difference whether it is a flower growing in the ground, made by some pharmaceutical company or cooked up in someone's garage they are all bad health wise. Al

I use similar cases for storing my best arrows, it is made by MTM

So is Tobacco, Heroin Poppy Plants, Cocaine Cocao Plants

So I have an assorted bunch of loose practice arrows I refurbished and refletched and came up with a simple rack to keep them stored. PVC pipe cut to length with end caps glued on. Secure to a board with metal straps and paint. This will be put out in my "shootin shack" close to my archery backstop. Al

I predict years down the road when the smoke clears the evidence will show weed will be found to be at least as but probably more harmful to one's health than tobacco is. I have been around long enough to remember the same arguments about cigarette smoking. Al

Back when I was going on outfitted big game hunts I would always spend time in the summer using the rifle I was going to hunt with and chuck hunting with it. Becoming well acquainted with the rifle in the field and picking off Woodchucks at fairly long distances made shooting and hitting big game as easy as rolling off a log. One of the rifles I used back then was a Sako Finnbear 338 Win Mag, many would think those big bullets would totally destroy something like a Woodchuck but that was not the case. Bullets made for big game are so heavily constructed for the most part have zero expansion on chucks and just punched clean holes. Something like a 220 Swift on the other hand loaded with a thin jacket varmint bullet will give those explosive results some term as "Red Mist". Al

I am still shooting my Bear Super Kodiak recurve bought in the late 60s, I have purchased an assortment of other recurves and compounds over the course of a lot of years and other than a couple of Turkeys I did not like and sent down the road the rest are still here, enjoyed and still shot frequently, much like my firearms most will probably be with me until I croak. Al

If you do purchase one of these knives I am quite sure you will be pleased and even though the handle is a plain white color, the material looks to be of very good quality. By the way the fellow selling these knives is very good with communication and seems to try hard to work with what you are wanting inscribed on your knife, also Utica does make a few relatively higher end pieces if you are wanting something with more pop. Got caught up gabbing about these Utica Cutlery knives and forgot to mention the other knife find, been looking several years for something made by custom knife maker "Jack Hawk" and finally hit pay dirt. A guy on ebay had one out of an estate sale, it had actually been used which is kind of unusual for a high end knife. The blade had several small blemishes right on the cutting edge, but nothing serious. If I had to guess it looks like blood damage, the knife was put away after a field dressing job and not cleaned up thoroughly. I have been working on those blemishes getting them polished out by hand, it has been tedious job but I have got it looking pretty good. Jack Hawk's Dad was Joe Hawk AKA "Joe Dakota" an early member of the knifemakers guild, also an western stand in actor and trick shot artist. The whole clan was into making knives, a couple of other brothers and a nephew. Al

Standing up is the best way to shoot these things for the least amount of pain, sitting on a bench they will drill you pretty good, this kind of shooting is where a Lead Sled earns it's keep. Al

When you see one of these knives up close it is very apparent that it is a quality product.

Lyman has some very nice scaled down versions of the Sharps made by Pedersoli out of Italy, they only weigh about seven pounds about half of what the Quigley model weighs. The Lyman in 22 Hornet would be fun, they have one out now in 30-30 and it would make a good Deer rifle. There is also a Chiappa mini Sharps in 22 LR that would be fun on Squirrels and just plain cheap plinking. Ahhh so many good one out there, too bad I don't have the coins to match my appetite.

Was at one time hot to trot for one of those Martinis in a 22LR, never could find one that suited me. I practiced in the summers on Woodchucks with all my big game rifles, (some were pretty big)I could have cared less what anyone thought. Al

I would open them up so the Crows can get at them and also send out more scent, varmints can read Crow activity. Light them up at night once they start getting hit, if you have varmints in the area you will see all kinds of eyes. Al