airedale

Well if you think that a poll involving 70 members of a message board should the determining factor for what goes for 600,000 other NY hunting licence holders you are even nuttier than I first thought. Personally I am all for a democratic solution, if the majority of NY hunting licence holders can be legitimately polled and they are for full inclusion of crossbows so be it. Al

Not even 70 members have participated in this poll up to this point, this board has almost 8000 members and beyond that there are somewhere around 600,000 hunting licences sold in this state. One could go to another hunting board and find the numbers completely reversed. As Doc said 70 members voting on this matter on one particular message board is about as insignificant as it gets. Al

Three more manufacturers from NY, all producers of quality American sidelock side by side doubles Hunter Arms, Fulton NY- LC Smith Shotguns Lefever Arms, Syracuse NY Baker Gun, Batavia NY

Any time muscles go for extended periods of time without being used and then when some serious stress is put on them pulls and strains can result especially when you get some age on you, as the old saying goes "use em or lose em"! If you are an archer that shoots your bows on a regular basis the muscles you use for drawing your bow will stay in decent shape and the chances of getting "stove up" are kept to a minimum. Now if you do not shoot every day there is a device that will keep those muscles in top condition without having to shoot every day and in fact even make them measurably stronger. The old tried and true Bullworker which has been around since I was a kid, this thing is no joke, it works and works well. I ain't no spring chicken but I can draw my old Bear Alaskan which has always been set at 75 lbs with no problems, I believe it is the use of the Bullworker for a few minutes several times a week that makes it possible and keeps me hanging in there without sprains,strains and pulled ligaments and muscles. The benefits are not only seen when drawing a bow, a little exercise goes a long way in preventing injury any time something physical is required from your body doing every day chores. Works for me.

Par for the course, my power has gone out twice today, the generator will be on standby most of the night with these high winds. If you actually think about it when it comes to so called picture perfect "Chamber Of Commerce" weather, out of the 365 days we have in a year, percentage wise there are really not many of those days here in NY. Al

With things being a bit slow here and with some of the squabbling I am seeing down in the politics I thought I would post this small game hunting piece to lighten things up a bit Some years back a fellow Airedale breeder (Pete Bassani) and good friend of mine who was writing the Airedale column for "Full Cry Magazine" a hunting dog publication bugged me to write something up for the column. I had been working a young at the time Airedale male named TJ and had had a pretty good day afield hunting so I wrote up how the hunt went and sent in to Pete. I called it TJ's big adventure. TJ's Big Adventure I have been pretty busy the past few months and have not had a lot of time for writing. Most of my older dogs have passed on and I am left with a bunch of half trained youngsters. So this past fall has been one of the busiest years ever, too many dogs and not enough time. I've been working the dogs mostly on squirrels, coon, and some grouse and there comes a time when you have to put some game in their mouths. I started looking at some new areas as close to home as possible where I could do some hunting and put something down for the dogs. I decided to check out a state land pheasant release area and give it a try. I usually stay away from such places to avoid crowds, but I wanted to at least check it out as I knew there were pheasants there. So I signed up and got my permit and maps and took my young male Airedale, TJ with me to scout this area and see if it was worth messing with. TJ is a 70 pound male that is one of my yard dogs, and far from any kind of finished dog, I have messed with him some on squirrels, coon, and some retrieving work. I would say TJ's biggest turn on is birds. He is crazy about them. This turned out to be one of my best days hunting with a dog ever and I call it "TJ's Big Adventure". I opened the gate to this area and pulled down the dirt road and went about half a mile. We came to a parking area and mine was the only vehicle there. I let TJ out to stretch while I signed the 'sign in' board. I got my gear out of the truck and my .20 gauge double along with the maps and sat down at a picnic table to plot some strategy on where to hunt. I was not sitting there but for a couple of minutes when I heard TJ bark once and I saw him tearing through the woods. I grabbed my gun and went over to see him run a gray squirrel up an oak. As I approached the tree I saw the squirrel timber over to a big evergreen and disappear into the top. I wanted to put the squirrel down to reward TJ and bring home, as he was treeing pretty good, but I could not find the squirrel to get a shot. I was not too happy about missing an opportunity right off the bat, but I petted TJ up well and decided to move out on a trail that cut through a huge swamp and see what we could find. I had not walked too far when I could see TJ was again working scent. I got up close to him and all of a sudden two woodcock flushed. I shot twice and never touched a feather. I reloaded quickly and walked into T J and he flushed another woodcock and I shot and missed again. To say I was not happy was an understatement. I do not claim to be an expert shot, but I was not this pathetic either. TJ was doing his part but I am zero for four on game in the first half hour of hunting. So on we go. I was in an area of some old growth trees that one doesn't see much around here as we come up to a ridge. I saw TJ getting gamey and as I got close up to him I heard a grouse flush but I had no shot. About the time I am thinking what else could go wrong, another grouse flushed straight up and landed on a branch looking down on TJ. Not being proud, I immediately dumped him, as they say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and we were finally on the scorecard. About a mile up the trail I heard TJ bark and I could see that he was working around a big pile of brush, looking to get in it. I got over there and looked around and saw nothing, so I climbed up on the pile and jumped up and down a couple of times and out shoots a cottontail rabbit which I bagged. Now I am feeling a little better, as things are now starting to go our way. On we go heading for an old railroad bed that cuts through a huge swamp. I hear TJ bark and whine a couple of times working scent along the edge of the swamp. He was having a hard time moving it out so I figured it must be some kind of feed track. I just followed behind him and let him work and after a bit I moved out some. I had no clue what he was doing but I was ready. He started checking trees for scent and I started looking around myself. The one big oak that he was especially interested in I looked over well and there sat a good sized layup coon. He kept getting up on the tree and whining so he knew the coon was there but lacked the confidence to tree hard. I encouraged him and he started to bark treed well. Now this was the situation I wanted for TJ. My problem was I had the shotgun and didn't want to ruin the hide so I took careful aim at the head and touched one off. It looked like I shot just a tad low and just splattered the coon with bark and maybe a couple of BBs, but out he came. He was full of fight but was no match for TJ as things were settled in short order. I was real happy with his job on this coon and it looked like we were now on a roll. We found this railroad bed and started through the swamp to an open area where the pheasants were supposed to be. I got my map out and took a trail towards some open fields. We then went about a half a mile and came up over a small knoll and there stood two cock pheasants on the trail about 30 yards away. I could have probably gotten both with one shot, but I put TJ on them. One flushed and went to my left and I shot. I could see him go into the woods with T J in hot pursuit a long way and I assumed I missed clean. The other bird ducked into a field of goldenrod to the right. I called TJ back to me and was just about to see if we could flush the other bird when a couple of other hunters appeared and said they saw the whole thing and were positive I had hit the other bird good and said they saw it go down I should be able to find it. So I took a good look at my map and saw that where the pheasant had gone was a several hundred acre patch of woods, and was surrounded by a trail, oval in nature and kind of looked on the map like a giant oval race track. I got TJ in there as close to where I thought the pheasant flew and he started quartering back and forth. I could see that TJ had scent and was working it so I started following him, staying as close to him as possible. After several hundred yards, I started to think we were not on no pheasant, but definitely on something. Finally, we came out on the other side of the woods to the trail surrounding these woods and there was that huge swamp full of water facing us, I began mumbling about those two guys being full of it about me dinging that pheasant. I was just about to call TJ in as he was heading towards the big swamp when up flushes the pheasant and he lands in a tree looking down at TJ just like the grouse had done earlier. Needless to say the way I had been shooting, I flattened him right where he sat. I must say that TJ put on quite an exhibition of tracking on this pheasant. I forgot to say this was getting to be a fairly hot day. It was now 3 PM and we had been going since 8AM and I was beat. I found a resting place and sat down to eat one of those power bars. While sitting there I got out my new varmint call, I always carry one in my pocket when hunting. It is produced by a local outfit called a Black Creek and it is a three in one call: squirrel, rabbit squeal, and coyote howler. I cut loose on the squealer a few times and was just quietly sitting there when I saw TJ coming to attention. Looking in the direction he was staring I see a red Fox coming in on the run. We were busted immediately and the Fox spun off in the opposite direction but I got off two quick shots with three inch number fours. TJ got on the trail and went only about 50 or 60 yards and he found the Fox dead. Well by this time my old bones had enough for the day and it was a long way back to the truck and I make it a point if I shoot anything while hunting it has to be taken out. So with Fox and Coon slung over my shoulder and the small stuff in my game bag I haul my tired butt back to the parking area. I can't remember when my feet hurt more but I also can't remember having a better day afield. A beautiful Fall day with your Airedale in woods that contains a good population of game animals, man life don't get much better than that. TJ was still pretty green and could stand a lot of improvement in order to be a number one hunting dog, more experience and some polish would take care of and bring that out. That being said for the actual amount of hunting he has had, he sure made me proud. The thing I was most interested in seeing and looking for was that real natural ability and drive-versatility geared toward hunting multiple types of game animals. If I would have done my part, we would have bagged seven different species of game this day which in my opinion is a pretty good feat in any hunter's book! In traditional Airedale hunting fashion, he showed he is a versatile meat dog and game for anything that walks, crawls or flies, I am sure the breed founders would have been happy with him.....a pretty good hunting Airedale. TJ and our catch and another photo of me and the boy out after Squirrels, old TJ is gone now but is certainly not forgotten, he was a good one!

About halfway between Camden and Oneida lake.

A few years ago I changed out my old reloading benches over to a couple of Harbor Freight woodworker benches, they have to be put together which is a pain and the drawers are not smooth as silk but they work good enough, they are pretty solid and heavy duty they make a wonderful loading bench. I could not be happier and for $129 on sale (which is all the time) the price was right. I also have a Frankford Arsenal portable loading bench, they are are space saving with folding metal extensions, a good and solid movable piece if space is a concern. I have two presses mounted on mine and just spin it around for which one I am needing to use. Al

Grampy that kit is of high quality and has all of your needed basics to load accurate top performing handloads, you will have to purchase loading dies for each caliber, a shell holder, it will be the same one for both the 7mm 08 and the 270. Powder, bullets and primers along with empty brass and you will be set to go. All manufacturers dies will fit that press. Lee dies are a best buy and come with a shellholder. Handloading is not hard, there is a bit of a learning curve but it is fun, between youtube videos and the loading manual that comes with the kit you would be able to find the correct components and instructions to load ammo to suit your type of shooting and hunting. Nothing like shooting a ragged hole group or drilling a buck with ammo that you yourself concocted and made. Al

That question covers a whole lot of territory, enough to fill a book, there is plenty of models to choose from both new and current and a bunch of discontinued old timers that still can be purchased in good used to new condition in calibers for just about any kind of hunting. Most of the deer I have taken have been with a bolt action rifles and autoloading slug shotguns. I ain't no lever action expert but I have hunted some with various lever action rifles and have had some success on Deer and Varmints. Like the other types of actions the lever guns come in a wide variety of barrel lengths, calibers-chamberings for just about any big game species and any types of terrain and cover. So as to the question which lever guns are the best and what caliber to use will come down to the habitat and terrain you hunt, thick woods vs more open country, stand hunting or still hunting with a lot of walking involved? I have a couple of Marlin 94s, they are short fairly light, and I think the nicest handling lever rifle, and importantly "accurate",one in 357 mag and one in 44 mag. I like using these in heavy cover early in the season when the leaves are still on, the ranges where I hunt in these areas do not exceed 100 yards. These two are nice carrying when doing a bit of still hunting and walking. My Dad left me three lever action rifles, a Marlin 95 in 45-70, a Savage 99 in 30-30 and a Winchester Model 88 in 284 Win. I have used the model 95 45-70 quite a bit and have taken several bucks with it. I use it quite a bit because of the connection it has for me with my Dad as it was the rifle he used most the last few years he hunted and what he took his last buck with. Personally I doubt that I would buy one for myself but I have to say it has a lot going for it. I am truly amazed how accurate it is, cloverleaf groups are the norm for the Winchester 300 grain ammo it is sighted in with. Even though the 45-70 cartridge is a relic from the past it is more than viable for a wide variety of big game and at long ranges if one learns to dope it's trajectory. A reloader has bullet weights from 300 up to 500 grains to choose from, with an 1895 45-70 a person can hunt just about anything that walks with the right loads. As for the magazine fed Winchester 88 there is a cult following of folks that love that rifle but I am not one of them, although I do think a lot of the 284 Winchester cartridge which is ballistically the same as my favorite big game hunting cartridge the 280 Remington. The 88 is pretty much the same as a bolt action as it has a bolt with rotating locking lugs, it is just operated by a lever instead of a bolt handle. Basically it does everything good but nothing great. It is not light, she groups decent but is not a tack driver, the action is the least smooth operating of any lever gun I have messed mostly because of the way it feeds from the magazine, the experts tell me that it needs to be operated like you are angry. And last but not least the trigger is just fair and there is no fix on making it better. Because of the connection with my Dad the 88 will stay with me and be passed down to one of my boys, I gotta kill at least one Deer with it first. The Savage 99 in 30-30 has even a bigger connection with my Dad as he worked for Savage Arms when it was located in Utica just before he went in the Navy. This is a firearm in my opinion that still should be in production. I really like the Savage 99s a lot, talk about a design way ahead of it's time, they can easily hold their own with the modern lever guns made today. The action is smooth and super strong allowing the use of high pressure cartridges, the rotating spool internal magazine allowing pointed bullets, the little window on the side of the receiver displaying a shell counter, an indicator on the top of the receiver showing she is cocked and locked and very good accuracy. Whats not to like? A new 99 A in 6.5 Creedmoor would be one sweet Deer hunting rifle. I have no experience with Henry rifles but from all accounts they are of very good quality and their customer service goes above and beyond if any problems arise. The long range model appears to a somewhat of a copy of the Browning BLR. The main complaint heard about Henrys is they are heavy. I think if I were to seriously move to a lever action for most of my big game hunting and had to have new I would go with the Browning BLR. Like the Winchester 88 the bolt is similar to a regular bolt action rifle, a bolt with rotating locking lugs operated by a lever instead of a bolt handle making it able to handle the pressures of all modern cartridges, magazine fed so spitzer bullets can be used with no problems. My brother has been using a BLR in 243 for many years and has killed a lot of Deer with that rifle. Good variety in calibers, weights and lengths along with ease of scope mounting if needed and decent accuracy, pretty too! Al

This site goes over a bit of the history of many US firearms manufacturers that have ceased to exist or have changed dramatically. Most were located here in the northeast and it is sad to see the way they have gone and what has happened to them. I found the historical photos especially interesting, the old Savage factory in Utica was a place my Dad was employed before he joined the Navy, I have his old model 99 30-30 produced during the time period he worked there. http://tincanbandit.blogspot.com/2016/02/ghost-gun-factories.html

Agree about the anonymity, I surely do wish I had the opportunity to attack and ridicule and debate this 16 year old lib puppet face to face and I would not be gentle about it! Al

Will hit the big Seven O this fall, as long as I am physically able I will continue to hunt, there is no doubt that I have slowed down a lot from when I was a young buck. I make a concerted effort to keep my weight under control and to stay fit enough so I can get in the woods among other things that require condition. As of now I can get along pretty well, dragged out the smallish 115 lb Deer I took last fall by myself with no problem, something bigger would have made me take it a little easier and would have taken more time to get things done. My favorite hunting has always been with dogs but Coon hunting days are pretty much over, following dogs at night through swamps and woods for hours and miles at times would be tough at this stage of the game. Most of the time I was by myself and you never know for sure where you are going to end up and if I happened to keel over and drop dead it may be tough to find and recover my old carcass. Sometimes I wish I was out in one of the western states where they ride mules when they hunt Coon. I still can get out and follow my bird hunting dogs without too much problem, a big plus. I do know that taking game is not so important to me as it once was, when a young guy if I did not limit out be it hunting or fishing that day was a bust. These days I think with a totally different perspective and admittedly have become a bit soft in my old age. Many times I have a critter in my crosshairs and do not pull the trigger and let them walk, in my mind they were as good as dead and on that particular day that was good enough for me as I just enjoy being out there. And then there are days when get the yen for some game meat, have the same type of scenario happen and I say as I draw down "kiss your ass goodbye" and dump whatever where it stands. As for hunting equipment it is part of the whole hunting picture and there seems to always be something that catches my fancy that I would like to try even though I have everything I need. New firearms and their accessories are my Achilles heel and I am still a buyer. When involved with a sport like hunting a whole lifetime and have to actually come to the point of calling it quits would suck big time and be depressing as Hell when Fall rolled around. Al

Always amazed about human edgenuity especially hunters to come up with ways to insure maximum results. Talk about a mega blaster! A punt gun is a type of extremely large shotgun used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations and private sport. A single shot could kill over 50 waterfowl resting on the water’s surface. They were too big to hold and the recoil so large that they were mounted directly on the punts (a small skiff boat) used for hunting, hence their name. “Used for duck hunting” isn’t the right expression for aiming this piece of artillery in the general direction of a flock of ducks, firing, and spending the rest of the day picking up the carcasses.

Hell no! Weapons development is never ending. As we have progressed from crude matchlocks using black powder to our modern weapons we have today the real good stuff like lasers, phasers, death rays and who knows what will be viable weapons in the not too distant future. I won't be around to see it but when they hit the market I am sure there will be squabbling on who can own one just like they are squabbling about the bullet firing weapons we use today. Al

So back in the days when I worked in a sporting goods store I had a good customer who was a Rome cop come in with a Fenwick rod he had just purchased a few days before with a broken tip. He told me he hooked into a nice fish and the tip just snapped. I told him man I am sorry that happened, Fenwick rods are top of the line and we have had zero problems with them, but have no fear Fenwicks warranty will cover this deal no problem. I will box it up and send in back to the company pronto and get it replaced. So the rod was sent back and in a few days a brand new replacement rod arrived at the store and I called the cop to let him know his rod came in and was ready to be picked up at his convenience. So that afternoon the customer comes in along with his young daughter to pick up his rod, he is very thankful and appreciative that all ended well. And as he is leaving his little girl chimes in and says "now the next time you go fishing Daddy don't close your fishing pole in the car door!!" Al

Same deal for me, I had a floater for the tractor added to my homeowner's policy. Al

Mine is one of the early Ithaca SKBs imported and sold by Ithaca Gun, a 280 model with the straight English stock, it is the same length as yours Dan, imp/mod-25 inches and also I bought mine used in the early seventies. Al

There was a time when I lived for Hare hunting with Beagles, the best part about Hare hunting is you actually like winter and want some fresh snow on the ground every day. Nice photos and like Dan said they bring back some great memories. A blast from the past me dressed up in my Woolrich PA tux, Sorrel Boots along with my old SKB 20 ga double that I still have and use today, I would be after those Hare from dawn to dusk.

Congrats, Franchi is a great brand that has been around for many years, the Affinity is carrying on their tradition of lightweight reliable auto loading shotguns. They stopped producing the long time favorite 48AL long recoil operated models for the newer Benelli inertia type that is supposed to be an marked improvement. Good luck on the upcoming season with your new Franchi, will be interested on how she performs for you. I have some experience with the older Franchi 48 ALs and they were no slouch even with their old outdated design, I have my Dad's mint 20 ga 48 AL, he had a Buck-Slug barrel on it for deer hunting. I picked up a 24 inch vent rib bird barrel that utilizes screw in chokes and use it for upland hunting. Weighs just slightly over 5 lbs, I can shoot that gun exceptionally well and it is a nice carrying light gun for an old geezer like me. Al

The TYM model I have is the 433 (Perkins 43 HP Sync/Shuttle-16/F16R trans) and have owned it now for 8 yrs, in that time it has been worked hard and I have zero complaints. TYM not only sells under their own name but makes and sells various models under other manufacturers badges such as Mahindra, Cabelas and Branson I think. Knock on wood "So Far So good" Al

Hey you are still a young buck, have a happy birthday. Al

Especially snow removal!

The wife's back gives her problems every now and then, she would be laid up for several days at times, ibuprofen and rest was the best she could do for relief. For the heck of it I picked up one of the Aleve tens units for her to try and it has been a game changer for her. Once she got the hang of using the thing she she is pretty much good to go and swears by it. https://www.cvs.com/shop/aleve-direct-therapy-tens-device-prodid-1090314?skuId=439364

What in the Hell are these goofs supposed to be doing? I see on some movies this what is supposed to be the cool way to fire a handgun, "Gangstas" running around blasting away in a gun fight firing their weapons sideways with their pants hanging half way down their asses. maybe that is why they have to hold on to their crotch so the drawers don't fall down!