airedale

Got to say that you are getting some good real world practice in which is always a good thing. Al

Tough to lose those old timers, I have learned a lot over the years from guys like that, very sad when they are gone. Al

I believe the local hens have started sitting and incubating their eggs, I see them singly out in fields for a few minutes getting a quick bite to eat and disappearing back to their nests, the Toms are wandering around by themselves. Al

Cleaned up some of my old vintage reels and stripped off the old line and put on some fresh Trilene XL and XT, everything is in tip top shape and even tough these reels go back a long way they are proven fish catchers and I will be giving them a workout. Al

Like landtracdeerhunter said things on a whole started a little early this spring. My domestic hens have been laying for weeks and had the eggs been incubated some would have hatched some time ago. Al

That button is the barrel selector on your particular model, it will push forward and backward giving you instant selection on which barrel and cartridge will fire. The current model 42 uses the same type of selector. Al

I believe Turkeys can have quite a large range constantly on the move and will travel pretty far in search of food and mates, they have probably moved on to what they consider greener pastures. The Turkey pattern around here has changed some from what is has been the past few years. Because of the low snow impact they seemed to get an early start on strutting and mating behavior. Al

Congrats WWJD-Hunter Al

I am a stump sitting ground blind dweller too, I like being able to make subtle moves, I have had several times where I snuck, stalked and cut off distant moving deer and repositioning to a better spot for a clear shot. Al

I stayed with the 22/410 combo, for me that will work out best for the way I will use it. Al

A couple of Jakes down in the barnyard flirting with the Royal Palm hens.

One of my favorite hunting guns for casual small game hunting is my old Savage side button model 24 22LR/410 combination gun, as the old advertising states "there is no gun as useful as the famous Savage model 24" and there is a lot of truth to that statement. Over the years the 24 has gone through some changes and design along with a plethora of shotgun/rifle chamberings. As the old saying goes all good things come to an end and the model 24 was discontinued. A few years ago the gun was somewhat reincarnated with something vaguely similar called the model 42.I purchased one a short time ago for it's ability to be taken down into a compact package. Comparing the two side by side for me the old model wins hands down overall. That being said for me the newer 42 does have it's use, it works and shoots perfectly fine, it is just an aesthetic thing for me but will fulfill it's place under the seat of my scooter and any other reason for having a compact packable firearm. Al

You got that right, in fact I do not ride it in any city unless I have to, and I keep pretty much off the main highways, she is for the most part a back roads proposition. Al

They seem to be pretty much the same and a tossup density wise, the top one printed slightly lower, all would be killing shots I think. Al

Pictured below is my Honda ADV Scooter for getting off the beaten path. This little off road scooter is great for hitting gravel-dirt back roads, fire trails and logging roads to places holding out of the way hunting and fishing spots, the key with this scooter is storage. The under seat storage has enough room to hold pack rods-tackle and takedown firearms, my Diawa Mini Spin kit and Savage 42 takedown combination gun fit easily under the seat. I have did a bit of personal accessorizing, I added a rear rack and mounted a lockable top box on it for even more storage. A little bit bigger windshield for better cold weather riding and some good crash bars in case I dump it. Also I went with a custom seat that I like better than stock, like my firearms I am always doing things to make them mine. This is a great little bike that gets at least 80 MPG and is just plain fun to ride in itself, no shifting, just twist the throttle and go.

Thankfully Big John is pretty mellow, friendly and not aggressive, I have had Roosters that I categorize as man fighters that will not hesitate to attack, if they have longer sharp natural spurs they can be dangerous. I had a Rooster put a Pearl harbor hit on me once and his spur went right through my rubber boot and puncture my leg. Those kind I keep penned up and trim off their spurs until it is time for them to end up in the pot. Al

All is well with the poultry, I am getting eggs up the ying yang. My favorite is the giant Leige Fighter, I call him "Big John" he is broad in the shoulder and narrow at the hip and none of the other chickens give any lip to Big John. He got into a battle with an Asil Stag earlier in the spring and killed him so he is not anyone to mess with. He will weigh around 10 or 11 pounds and tall, I would say and still has a little growing to do as they do not fully mature until they are around 1 1/2 year old. I will take some more pics when I get a chance. Al

Congrats on the Tom, Bear looks to be a nice size. Al

Congratulations, you have had a heck of a spring!! Al

I threw away the box it came in and there are no markings on the target itself, I am pretty sure it was purchased at a Runnings store, they stock and sell a lot of steel targets. Al

Mounted a green dot on my Savage 42 and sighted it in, it is my first time messing around with this type of sight. I have a couple of compact scope type Sigs mounted on target guns but have always shied away from anything battery operated on a hunting gun. This one has been working good so far and what I like about it is if the battery and dot ever fails while in the field I can still see my front sight and use it to get a reasonably accurate shot off. Al

Gobbling up a storm around here, my Royal Palms are gobbling non stop and the wild birds in the woods answer them. Al

This afternoon I put together a new steel reactive target I got last Christmas, rated for 22 ammunition it is one of those spring loaded jobs that falls back on a hit and flips back up for the next shot. Got out the new Charter Arms Target Pathfinder and got it sighted in half way decent and then let a few fly at this new target, the standard velocity ammo I was using out of the four inch barrel did not have enough ass to knock the steel down, but a good audible clank and slight movement let me know when a good hit was made. I am pretty sure with high velocity ammo out of rifles the plate will tip back with a good hit. All in all it will add some interesting variety to my plinking. Al