airedale

At least with the 358 Winchester you can form the brass with the right dies, brass for those short magnums is going to be tough to come by down the road. Al

While I think the fur maybe could be used for something I have not ever seen a hide tanned or made into any kind of garment. Probably because the fur is not very dense especially on the belly and it somewhat coarse and hard feeling in my opinion. As for eating I have had Woodchuck several times and it was always very good. A Woodchuck taken out of a nice green alfalfa field has fine flavor and is not tough if prepared properly. If you like eating Rabbit or Squirrels it is a good bet that you will like Woodchuck. Al

Well I am going to guess the OPs "Big Woods" question is geared toward shots taken at shorter ranges which is the case most times when hunting large forested areas. Most of my Deer hunting is done in woods and I believe every one of my shots taken in the woods have been under 100 yards especially early in the season when all the leaves are still on. Back in the shotgun slug only days I killed plenty with a weapon that I do not consider to have gilt edged accuracy when compared to most rifles but accurate enough to place those old Foster slugs in the kill zone. In the last 30 or so years almost all the Deer I have taken have been with a rifle and few with a muzzleloader. Most with my 280 Remington Husqvarna and several in recent years with my Dad's model 95 45-70 Marlin lever gun. The common denominator on all those guns was I know exactly how they perform and had enough confidence in them that I could hit where I was aiming. So I guess what I am saying is as long as your Deer gun has enough power and you can shoot it and hit what you are aiming at with confidence it will do the job for you in big woods. Al

To release thousands of un-biodegradable balloons only to have them come back down and crap up the landscape has never been a good idea. They do provide a spectacular sight for a few minutes and if some smart person came up with balloons that degrade in a short period of time I would have no problem with them. I once found one of those mylar balloons hung up in one of the trees on my place, I got a pole and pulled it down and found a note on it. Some little girl from I know not where had wrote to her Grandma whom she believed to be in Heaven and sent it on it's way by balloon. It was sad to read and readily apparent they had been real close. Al

A 22 LR in an accurate gun will work well for hunting Chucks at shorter ranges and around populated areas where a high powered rifle may cause problems with noise. Ammunition is a critical factor and the differences in 22 LR performance can be huge. When hunting Chucks with a 22 LR I like using one of the so called Hyper Velocity types such as CCI Stingers Remington Yellow Jackets or CCI Velocitors etc, they have a big edge in killing power over the standard stuff. Some rifles will have a definite preference for one brand-type or the other so it is wise to try them out and see what works best in your particular gun. As for range I have found that about 100 yards and under I get reliable kills with the 22 LR with good shot placement which is also critical because Chucks pound for pound are one of the toughest animals to kill and anchor in it's tracks for their size. Al

http://ez2url.com/good-bad-ugly.html A pretty good theme from a pretty good movie. Al

When my eyes were young I hunted quite a bit with handguns, way more for small game than for Deer. I have taken a couple of Deer with a handgun and went on a couple of hog hunts. Mostly I have taken Woodchucks and Snowshoe Hare with handguns. I also liked using a handgun Coon hunting when I was out hunting by myself. It is not as easy as a long gun but can be a lot of fun and satisfying because of the extra difficulty not to mention ease of carry. Al

I once spotted a big one waddling across a cut off corn field while Woodchuck hunting, I let him have one from my 220 Swift at about 100 yards. The best analogy I can make when the bullet made impact is what happens when fireworks get up in the air at their apex and burst into a shower of sparkles. Quills in a porky seem almost loose and will come out very easy, when that Swift bullet hit the Porcupine broadside a huge amount of it's quills just went flying up in the air in all directions in spectacular fashion reminding me of fireworks. Al

Humans can also contract Mange by coming in contact with animals that have it. Mange is caused by tiny mites that burrow into the skin and cause severe itching. On animals the mites will thrive and reproduce eventually to the point of covering the whole body. On Humans they will not survive and reproduce but for the short while they are alive and active you will itch worse than having poison ivy. Al

When I was a young fellow chucks were many more in number than what I am seeing these days. Back then I was an unrelenting chuck hunter and loved it. A great way to learn range estimation and long range marksmanship in the field. Al

Had he stayed the size of a small rabbit I would have considered it but this guy became huge, at least 30 lbs maybe more and with those long quills it made him look even bigger. Living the good life eating Rabbit feed and vegetable produce along with pine and hardwood branches put the fat on him. Big time mess maker also. Al

When it comes to varmints and vermin for the most part I am a live and let live kind of person as long there is no personal conflict. The vast majority of the time I have no problems but when I do I take care of it. For example a Fox that is killing my chickens gets shot, Starlings nesting in my chimney plugging it up get shot, Rats in the barn crapping up hay and feed get trapped, poisoned or shot etc. etc. for Coons Skunks and Possums. I live and hunt in an area of the state that seems to have plenty of Porcupines, As long time hunter that hunts with various breeds of hunting dogs porcupines have caused me more grief quilling my dogs than I care to remember. I have also had a couple of incidents where my Cows apparently came up to Porcupines in the pasture and got close enough to get quilled in the nose. Any Porcupines spotted where I hunted with my dogs I would kill, any porcupines that are around my property I find I kill. They also have an appetite for chewing on odd things, I had one destroy several sheets of styrofoam insulation before I took him out. I once caught a baby Porcupine and kept it in a pen and raised it to adulthood. It became quite tame and was always happy to see me and made a big fuss when he saw me coming at feeding time. I had an ulterior motive and that was to use him to break my hunting dogs off of the wild porkies using this captive guy and an electronic collar, and it worked out well for all involved. After my dogs were well trained to leave the wild porkies alone I crated the boy up and released him in an area that I through he would do well and where he would not be a problem with someone's dogs. Al

Hog Al

Many times it seems they like getting out in open fields best when the rain is coming down steady. Al

I have purchased mostly reloading components from them and have had no complaints with what I bought or their service, like mentioned above they many times do not have the best prices on some items so it pays to shop around. Al

I have a strap on seat that I like using when not in a permanent ground or tree stand. There are times when I like moving around checking out places for different stands. They are much better than sitting on the ground as they are comfortable for long periods and when comfortable I fidget less, also your outline is not well seen as you are backed up against a tree. Mine is a bit bulky and a little cumbersome but worth the effort to carry. Al

Cut the breast into 3 or 4 inch strips about and inch thick, soak in buttermilk for a few minutes, coat with seasoned bread crumbs and deep fry. Al

The best source for trapping equipment and how to trap is the Fur Fish and Game magazine, about anything you want to know about trapping can be found. In my opinion probably the best outdoor sports magazine available today, I have been a subscriber for years. Al

Good to hear you are getting some action, I took a ride down to Bass pro in Auburn a few days ago and saw about a dozen chucks out in the fields, the most I have seen in some time. Keep after em! Al

Congratulations! Al

Good luck and have a good time. Al

Nice find Dan, those 92s are fine rifles. Al

They sell just the bullets and other reloading components, no live ammo. Al

Don't do it, go online to Natchez or Midway and get the 380 bullets they will have them in stock and will ship them to your door. Al

I have been told that the FMC ammo in 223 is manufactured to function and give decent accuracy in the AR type rifles many of which have a different twist in their barrels from hunting type rifles. Al