airedale

I have a bunch of quail eggs in my incubators to hatch out for training and polishing up my English Setter pup "Matty", hopefully she should be ready to go by time the bird season opens, Al

I would have no problem using an accurate rifle chambered in 22 mag for hunting Turkeys where it is legal. Some years ago I purchased a pair of Merriman wild Turkeys, they are native to the western mountain states and are similar to the eastern version except their tail and back feathers have white tips. When the hen Turkey made a nest and laid a clutch of eggs I gathered them and put them under a couple of sitting game chicken hens. The chicken hens hatched them out and raised the poults with great success and after a couple of years I had a whole bunch of Turkeys. When raised along side domestic fowl these Turkeys became remarkably tame especially the Toms, they could become quite evil and ornery. Problem with these Turkeys is when I wanted to catch them for processing for dinner or the freezer, they did not follow the other fowl into coups at night, they roosted in trees. Even if I did manage to run one into a pen where I could catch it by hand you had a battle, an adult Tom would beat the hell out of you with his wings while trying to subdue him. So I found the easiest way to put one in the pot was to just go out and pop it off with a gun and this is where the 22 Mag comes into play. I never let the the Turkeys see me when it became time to harvest one as I did not want them associating me with their demise and becoming wary of me. I would take them out concealed from inside the barn. I would use the solid nose 40 gr Winchester ammo aiming behind where the wing is attached to the body similar to a heart lung shot on a Deer. This is a much easier shot to take than a head shot which always seems to be moving. The range was usually 75 out to 100 yards and all birds dropped pretty much where they stood. The solid bullets went clean through and meat damage was minimal. I knocked off at least a couple of dozen big Toms with the 22 Mag. The last birds I took out I used the 17 HMR which I liked a lot also because the bullets did not pass through and kill just as well. Below is the last of the Merriman Toms and he was one mean SOB that loved to blind side you, he tasted good. Al

Like Uncle Donald says "The Failing New York Times! Like Woodchuck hunting Prairie Dog hunting is all about the skills involved for precision long range marksmanship, taking out a small target in the field with superbly accurate rifles and top quality ammunition loaded to match the rifle's capability. Always wanted to go out west and have at it in one of those big Prairie Dog towns with my varmint rifles, have not got around to it yet but still may some day. I have done a lot of a lot of Chuck hunting over the years and it is one of my favorite types of hunting. Al

As far as I am concerned the state's people and their elected officials should be the ones determining how it is to be used. What you are insinuating is that the people of a state and it's elected officials are not bright enough to determine how to use public land for outdoor recreation, such as game management, setting seasons etc etc. Using the scare tactic that all the good public hunting lands will all be sold off or prevent access willy nilly screwing hunters and fishermen is ridiculous, the residents of those states would not stand for it. States like Wyoming and their residents do not want or need outsiders or elected officials like Elizabeth Warren or Chuck Shummer both of whom probably could not find their way out of NY's Central Park, having any say on telling them what, how and when they can they can use the public lands of their state for hunting, weapons or ammunition to be used, fishing and other outdoor recreation activities. The Adirondack park run by the state of NY while not perfect it has not been sold off, the sky has not fallen in, the access has not been shut down for most recreational use and that status will continue to roll along in the foreseeable future. I would expect other states would use and protect their public lands entrusted to them much in the same way.

As far as I am concerned there has been no bad news for hunters from the Trump administration just a lot of typical fake news crap twisting the story in an attempt to fit special interest narratives and make his administration look bad at every turn. Trump is the best possible thing that could have happened for shooters and hunters in this country. Al

I have an affinity toward many precision mechanical devices and the high quality firearms like the S&W and Colt revolvers rank high for me. To me they are like a fine watch, lots of wonderful craftsmanship made from beautifully hand fitted steel parts they just reek of quality, gunmaker's art. Years ago I was once watching an anti handgun news segment and the reporter had a few handguns on a table in from of him. He picked up a beautiful new Colt Python revolver to look over and after a minute or so of playing around thumbing the hammer and pulling the trigger his face lit up and he said " I can somewhat understand the attraction to these things, this is a beautiful piece of workmanship." Al

Rummaging around the gun room and found these two Speer 44 cal 225 gr half jacket HPs, they were fired out of the S&W model 29 and recovered from the hog above. That style of bullets are some of my favorites out of handguns, they were very accurate and performed great on game, I handloaded them over a charge of 21 grs of 2400 for a velocity in the mid 1400 fps area. That half jacket style bullet was also made in 240 gr soft point and in 357 cal in 146 HPs and 160 soft point. I used the 146 HPs frequently which also had good performance when fired in several 357 revolvers and a Marlin 94 rifle. Looks like all of these half jacket styles were dropped from the Speer line and are no longer produced, glad I have a few stashed away. Al

Western- "Shane" & "High Noon" Horror- original "Night Of The Living Dead" & "Dawn Of The Dead" Fantasy- "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy Action-adventure- "Jaws" & "Raiders Of The Lost Ark" War- "Saving Private Ryan" & "Full Metal Jacket" Sci-Fi- Star Wars

The key for locating squirrels is finding forest that hold mature trees that grows food they like, oaks, beech and big white pines are a good bet. Years ago I was sitting around with some of my hunting compadres and we were having a discussion about the palatability of oddball game animals. The subject turned to squirrels, red squirrels in particular and none of us had a clue because none had cooked one and tried it. Easy enough to find out, a squirrel hunt was scheduled for the upcoming weekend. We met up at a good stand of oak woods and decided that everything squirrel was fair game for the cook pot including chipmunks. So between the four of us we ended up taking about a dozen and a half assorted red and grey squirrels and chipmunks in pretty much equal numbers. They were all dressed out and cleaned up good and it was decided a good stew recipe would be the best way to give the rodents a try. Bottom line we all felt as far as taste there was not a lick of difference, all three species tasted pretty much the same, very good! The only way we knew which animal we were eating was the body size. Al

Looks like a flying squirrel and they do come out at night, I have seen them on my bird feeders in the middle of the night. Al

There are many good choices available and priced for everyone's budget. I do a lot of benchrest shooting and the main problem I have always had is the fit of the front rest to the rifle's forestock so I have several different style rests that I use depending on what firearm I am shooting. A couple of years ago I had a gift card to use and so I purchased a Caldwell Tack Driver shooting bag. It is just a simple heavy large one piece setup that will hold a your firearm rock steady and will fit just about any rifle out there, for a casual shooter just trying to get their rifle sighted in this works great and is priced right. I like it a lot and use it frequently.

Condition, condition, condition, did I say condition? Blew the photos up to large size and I am seeing very poor condition with a lot of rust and pitting and that is on the outside. If the internals and bores are pitted up as bad as the outsides some are pretty much parts guns or beaters which still makes them worth something but not anything I would want to mess with. Al

Earning her keep last week cleaning up after the Blizzard.

The ultimate big game hunting rifle by Remchesterby. A new 4 shot magazine fed auto loader made from space age special top secret ultra light titanium alloy in both the image of the old Remington 742 auto carbine & rifle. The stock is made from a carbon composite that duplicates the exact look of fine walnut, the total weight of this rifle, 6 pounds loaded. Chambered in Remchesterby's new propriety round the new 300 Remchesterby short magnum round duplicates the ballistics of the Remington 300 ultra mag in a short 18 barrel with zero muzzle blast and flash. The new rifle's space age recoil reduction muzzle brake, recoil pad and in the stock shock absorber makes recoil feel like a 22 rimfire. A new secret propellent and a new 100% weight retention a controlled expanding 200 grain bullet allowing it to exit the barrel at a blistering 3200 feet per second. With the new compact bight clear extra wide field image stabilizing laser ranger finding bullet drop compensating Leuweaverfield 1X24 scope that is only 10 inches long and weighs 6 ounces these new Remchesterby rifles with their crisp 2 lb single stage trigger can print half inch groups consistently at 200 yards with no problem. Shoot em as far as you can see em! Soon to be in your favorite sporting goods store at a retail price of $50.00 in the plain jane standard length barrel version below.

Have a good one "GEEZER!!"

This has already been discussed if you will take the time to open the link Lead in ammunition that was posted you will educate yourself. But for starters briefly there are millions of shotguns whose barrels are not proofed for steel especially older doubles, they can be ruined by firing steel. Read the disclaimer on a box of factory steel shot. Al

So because those methods of killing are not going away it is OK for those animals to die, Running over 350,000 Deer a year is no problem but a couple of Eagles that might possibly eat some lead fragments is a big enough tragedy to ban traditional ammo and screw millions of shooters and hunters. To me killing is killing Period! Keep on deflecting that is what you people are good at. Al

The same way it is OK for those who enjoy, benefit and utilize Vehicles, Agriculture, Wind Turbines and Tall Buildings that kill millions upon millions upon millions of birds, animals and insects, dwarfing the effects traditional lead ammunition had or will ever have on wildlife. As the old saying goes "don't be throwing stones if you live in a glass house!"

To be specific my statement was mainly pertaining to eagles. https://www.google.com/search?q=bald+eagle+population+graph&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS384US384&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjxw6uc6dPSAhXFMSYKHR9ODxYQsAQIGw&biw=1280&bih=580&dpr=1.5 Golden Eagle populations appear to have been stable between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates their global breeding populationto be 300,000 with 35% spending some part of the year in the U.S., 15% in Canada, and 3% in Mexico. Golden Eagle, Life History, All About Birds - Cornell Lab of Ornithology

If it was decimating the population to extinction of course not, but that is not the case. The raptor population has grown year after year and it continues to grow by leaps and bounds..

I disagree Teddy Roosevelt would not ban traditional ammo, if you read the books you would know why. Lead is not safe when not used properly, no one disputes that. Traditional lead ammo is completely safe when used properly and precautions are taken when butchering your game. to remove all contaminated meat.

I should stop email notifications for this thread but with you guys pulling these huge red herrings out of your pockets, I think I best keep monitoring it. ==================================================== It is all a matter of perspective Pal, you champion a hand full of eagles that possibly "MAY" get lead poisoning but what about all the other wildlife that is dying by the trillions, the list above is only birds in the US and Canada. That is not even counting the millions upon millions of other animals that are dying every day. It is estimated in deaths by vehicle 41 million squirrels, 26 million cats, 22 million rats, 19 million possums, 15 million coons, 6 million dogs, 350 million deer and ten and tens of millions of assorted small animals and trillions of insects. remember this is just vehicles here in the US. Buildings, farming and wind turbines kill countless others. You are right it is the 21st century and things are sure different, Casualties are unavoidable, "ingestion" of Traditional lead based ammo in the grand scheme of things is but a pin prick when it comes to actual causes of wildlife casualties! So who wants to give up their vehicle, farm raised food and electricity??

Kill all the cats, Humans can go back to living in the stone age and the bird casualty problem will be solved.

If you like the old time hunting rags like Sports Afield, Field and Stream or Outdoor Life you will probably enjoy this online outdoor magazine. It is free with a quick simple registration. Al http://www.americanoutdoorsmanmagazine.com/#!/page_home

Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation Lead Ammunition and Fishing Tackle Bans Summary The use of lead ammunition and lead tackle in hunting and angling is a contentious issue, with the primary concern being the potential effects on wildlife. However, to this date there has been no documented evidence that sportsmen’s use of lead has had significant deleterious impacts on wildlife at the population level in the United States, despite the ongoing use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle since Europeans arrived in North America. Bans on such lead products can cause a decrease in crucial conservation revenue for state fish and wildlife agencies and decreased hunting and angling participation. Therefore, these bans should only be considered at such a time when a state’s respective fish and wildlife management agency finds irrefutable scientific evidence that lead is having a detrimental population-level impact on a particular species. Introduction Recently, legislators, sportsmen, and the outdoor industry have seen an increasing number of bills directed at reducing or eliminating lead ammunition and fishing tackle. These efforts are generally not based on sound science, but rather on the emotional assumption that isolated incidents of animals ingesting harmful levels of lead translates to impacts on entire populations. However, to date, there has been no documented evidence that sportsmen’s use of lead has had significant deleterious impacts on wildlife populations in the United States. It is important to ensure that changes to or prohibitions on the use of lead-based ammunition and fishing tackle are based on sound science and not on unfounded and emotion-driven assumptions. If lead ammunition or fishing tackle is banned, manufacturers will be required to retool, which is a costly and time consuming process, leading to an increase in consumer prices. Additionally, many alternative metals do not perform as well as lead and can be prohibitively expensive for many hunters and anglers. These financial impacts have the potential to create a barrier in participation, which would lead to less sportsmen and women being able to enjoy these time-honored traditions. Should a loss of hunters and anglers occur, state fish and wildlife agencies would also see a reduction in revenue, considering that the majority of this revenue is generated by the American System of Conservation Funding through the sale of sporting licenses and excise taxes collected on sporting goods. A sharp decline in the number of hunters and anglers visiting these states each year could also lead to devastating local economic impacts in many states. This decline will be a significant one, considering in some states over $1 billion dollars per year is generated from hunting and angling alone. History In 1991, due to waterfowl population health concerns, the Federal government officially banned the use of lead shot in waterfowl hunting. This mandate was handed down out of concern for waterfowl ingesting spent lead shot in small, confined wetlands. Yet, there is still no peer-reviewed scientific evidence that lead was causing population-level impacts to America’s migrating waterfowl. In 2013, California became the first state in the nation to pass legislation banning the use of lead ammunition for all hunting purposes. Likewise, the use of lead sinkers in fishing has also become a contentious issue. Although precise estimates are not currently available for the amount of lead that sinkers add into the environment each year, it is estimated that about 4,300 tons of lead sinkers are sold each year in the U.S. Approximately 80% of the fishing weights and tackle sold are lead sinkers weighing a ½ ounce or less. In 2000, New Hampshire became the first state to implement a ban on lead tackle. The primary concern surrounding the use of lead sinkers is the potential effects on waterfowl, like the loon, that ingest whole pebbles (or small lead sinkers) to aid in the digestion of their food. Although there have been documented individual loon deaths linked directly to lead fishing sinkers, there has been no documented evidence that lead fishing sinkers, of any size, have a detrimental impact on local or regional loon populations. In fact, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, loon populations are either stable or are increasing across the nation. In July 2015, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC), despite protests from California’s angling community and a lack of scientific evidence suggesting that fishing tackle is a source of these threats, has declared fishing tackle to be one of the top seven most significant threats to Californians and their environment in its priority plan. This could create onerous regulations on fishing gear leading to bans on commonly used tackle or drive up the cost of purchasing it exponentially. This in turn would likely reduce angler participation in California and would ironically have a negative impact on revenue directed to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to support their mission of protecting and enhancing the state’s fish and wildlife resources. Points of Interest Any ban on the use of lead ammunition and/or tackle will likely have a significant negative economic impact on your state’s fish and wildlife agency, as well as its economy. Wildlife management focuses on populations, not individuals. Isolated incidents concerning individuals within wildlife populations do not warrant bans on lead ammunition and/or tackle. The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study of hunters and others that have consumed game, allegedly containing lead shot fragments, to determine whether they have an elevated level of lead in their blood that can be attributed to the ammunition used to harvest the game. Indications of the CDC study released by the North Dakota Department of Health (DOH), which is participating in the study, show none of those tested had unsafe blood lead levels. The readings were far below the level considered elevated for a child (10 micrograms per deciliter); let alone the level for an adult (25 micrograms per deciliter). On August 3, 2010 and March 13, 2012 a petition was submitted to the EPA to ban the production and sale of lead based ammunition and fishing tackle which argued that lead bullets and fishing tackle should be regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Both petitions were denied. On February 21, 2013 a bill titled CA AB 711, was signed into law in California which requires the use of non-lead ammunition for the taking of all wildlife with any firearm by the year 2017. California began implementation of the lead ban in 2015 (Timeline of implementation found here). California introduced Assembly Bill 395 in early 2015, seeking the repeal of the lead ammunition ban in northern and central northern regions of CA, but failed in February of 2016. . Fish and wildlife agencies in Utah and Arizona have adopted voluntary programs which provide hunters with incentives to utilize non-lead ammunition or carry entrails from harvested animals out of the field in areas where California condors have been reintroduced. New York and Vermont have banned the sale of lead fishing weights weighing one half ounce or less. Massachusetts’s Fisheries and Wildlife Board, Maine’s Senate Bill 268 (2013), and New Hampshire’s Bill SB 89 (2013), have all banned the use and sale of jigs and sinkers weighing one ounce or less. Alternative metals (such as tungsten, steel etc.) for small split shots (1/2 ounce or less) are available, but are considerably more expensive and do not offer the same level of performance as lead. In 2015, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposed regulations to the DNR Commission that would ban the use of lead shot for upland game on certain Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in the state. In March of 2016, Minnesota introduced two sets of companion bills attempting to prohibit future regulation of lead shot in the pursuit of wildlife.(H 3209/S3387 & H 2844 /S 2558) Moving Forward In an effort to prevent the far reaching implications lead ammunition and tackle bans would have on conservation funding, legislators should explore and support preemptive legislative and/or regulatory mechanisms to ensure changes in the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle are prohibited unless valid scientific justification is presented. Furthermore, such language should clearly specify that if it is scientifically determined that lead-based ammunition or fishing tackle is having a negative population level impact on a species, either locally or regionally, only reasonable regulations to that area or for that specific species will be implemented. Contact For more information regarding this issue, please contact: Zach Widner (971) 303-1043; [email protected]