airedale

For still hunting where I am moving around a bit I like a light fast handling gun, the knock on lightweight guns is that they are not accurate and felt recoil. Even though light rifles may not shoot those elusive one inch groups for the most part they are plenty accurate enough for hunting big game in most situations. As for recoil it never bothered me much at all, when hunting and shooting at game, I never notice it in the excitement of the moment. Firing many rounds off the bench is another matter. For stand hunting weight does not come into play so much, I have seen some even use varmint type rifles. Al

Sounds like you are a fan of trap shooting and that a new trap gun would see far more use than the other two prospects you mention. I would be buying the trap gun. Al

I have been small game and bird hunting with doubles for many years and enjoy using them, there is just something about their classic look and handling I like especially in the smaller gauges. As with anything else you will get what you pay for and when it comes to doubles I would avoid the cheap stuff because they can be real crap! Used Savage, SKBs and some imported Spanish doubles can be had at a reasonable price if you shop around and hit some gun shows. The CZ doubles are probably one of the better buys today for new and they can also can be found used for a good deal.Save up and get a nice one and it will give you a lifetime of hunting memories. Al

Nice!

The good old "Crock Pot" is the best for utilizing all the meat on a Squirrel, Cover them with water in your crock pot and let them go a few hours from morning until afternoon. Take them out and the meat will virtually fall off the bones and is tender, put the boned meat back into the pot with the broth and add a bag of mixed vegetables and let it go until the veggies are done. Season with salt and pepper, eat it as is like soup or thicken it like stew, it is eating that is as good as it gets. Al

I have a couple of those old Normark Rapala knives that I have used for years, don't even know if they still are made, they work good, hold an edge well and don't cost an arm and a leg. They also make great boning knives for butchering deer.

I grew up in the country in a hunting culture, my Dad was the biggest influence, grandfather, uncles and my Dad's best friends were all hunters and talked hunting all the time. My neighbors were hunters along with many of my friends I went to school with. It was easy to get hooked on hunting under all those influences and hunting tales. Al

I believe the biggest cause of the decline in hunting is the loss of viable hunting grounds. When I was a young fellow my area was populated by many family farms. Most farmers back then welcomed hunters as long as they asked for permission and behaved. Many farmers looked at game animals as a direct threat to their bottom line and saw hunting and trapping as way to keep things in check.Today most of those farms are long gone, when they go out of business many times the land is sold off for house building lots forever losing it to hunting. Most of the farms that are left now post their lands, leaving long drives to mostly crowded unproductive state lands for the newbies to hunt on. Take a kid fishing and never have catch anything is a sure fire formula for disinterest and quitting, the same will apply to hunting. Small game hunting which is the staple for young hunters starting out has been pretty much forgotten, I grew up coon hunting, rabbit and hare hunting, squirrel hunting, bird hunting. Unlike deer hunting where a hunter may not even fire a shot during the season, with small game action is generally the name of the game and I had and still today have a blast small game hunting. Success will generate interest and get the bug started even the the game might just be a squirrel. Why it has faded so dramatically I am not sure but it seems like the deer hunting craze has taken over the whole fall with some kind of special season for various weapons. I am a person that loves to hunt deer and I also like hunting small game especially with dogs, That being said there is no way I am going to take one of my dogs into the field during any deer season and as mentioned above that covers pretty much the whole fall when the weather here for hunting in lake effect snow country is at it's best. Bottom line I and others like me stay home. Al

Hello all, my name is Al Kranbuhl, joined this forum a while back and I just wanted to introduce myself. I have participated in all outdoor sports such as trapping, fishing and shooting, enjoy all the various types of hunting but like hunting with a dog the most, be it fur or feathers. Don't hunt nearly as much as I once did, I hate to admit it but age has slowed me down some. Anyhow hope to read some good hunting stories here. Al