airedale

The main reason why I have not yet got around to owning an old style top eject Winchester lever rifle My old eyes have made scopes almost a necessity on my rifles for precision shooting and that is pretty much the way I have gone on my Marlin 94s and 95, the 94 357 mag has a 4x, the 94 44 mag has 2.5x, and the 95 45-70 has a 1x4x. I use all three of those rifles in the woods where my ranges may hit 100 yards, I am wanting a large field of view in close cover and that is what those lower powered scopes provide. I can still shoot these rifles with lower powered scopes accurately at longer range if need be. I too like American made scopes, the problem is Leupold is about your only choice these days for new, both the 2.5 compact and the 1x4 have worked well for me and are in the $300 range. Another option is good old ebay, good used American made Burris, Redfield and Leupolds can be purchased at decent prices, although these days even used are going for big bucks. I am constantly scanning ebay's inventory for a buy on American made scopes. Al

Still do not have a traditional old style Winchester lever action, 94, 92, 55, 73 etc. almost sacrilege. Been looking for something in a handgun cal maybe 357mag, 44mag so I can shoot it a lot for reasonable money, favor the model 92, If the right one comes along I may buy it. Al

The Bean Maine hunting boot is a favorite of mine for certain conditions, they are old school but tough to beat. I have two pair one with the thinsulate liner for wet cold days and a regular 8 inch pair for all around. Al

When I was a kid I lived on a country road that was family farmed from one end to the other. None of the land was posted, the farmers back then viewed wildlife like Deer Fox, Woodchucks, Rabbits etc, as vermin, every bite of food the wildlife took off the farm lands was looked at as a loss of revenue. They welcomed sport hunting as long as the hunters were respectful of the land. As far as Deer were concerned they would have liked to see every one shot and killed. Al

Just think about it that is just the tip of the iceberg, seems like they want to ban or curtail every freaking thing we do or use. Al

Man it was not that long ago I had that same kind of enthusiasm, this was the time of the year Snowshoe Hare hunting got into full swing and I could not wait. Snow, cold temps did not stop me, I was out there every chance I could get trudging on snowshoes and wearing the Woolrich PA Tux throughout the winter, it was a blast. It sucks getting old. Good luck to you Wolc, the Deer are out there and to kill one you at times have to be out there in crap weather to do it. Al

Have a good one Wolc Al

Merry Christmas everybody!! Al

The weather is not too bad as of now, the wind is my main concern. Power went out just before midnight, still has not come on. I have my generator humming along, it powers all the house essentials, the cookstove stoked with coal, she heats the house for the most part and may have to roast my Christmas eve get together Turkey. Al

I could see this cart being useful for Prairie Dog hunting. Open grasslands, a couple of rifles and a lot of ammo, moving around a lot to different spots. Al

I hear you, not my cup of tea either, pretty much agree with everything said above. I have been happily married to my Hot Seat for many years and do not intend to go through any divorce. As for dragging them out I still use a simple shoulder harness and rope. Al

When I get down to the last few bales of hay in the barn there are always a few Rats living under them, I use one of my 44 revolvers for that action with the cases loaded with rat shot using the Speer shot capsules. They cause zero damage to the concrete floor and are pretty darn deadly at 15 or 16 feet. Al

All of my archery equipment is pretty much vintage, I still use aluminum arrows for most of my shooting. I just refletched a bunch of old aluminum shafts that should work out well for stumping. If I bend or break one it will not be a big deal. As I mention above I sent for some different points that I think will work a bit better especially on a fresher stump, my bludgeon heads will sometimes bounce off. Al

A friend sent me a photo of this 3 in 1 Swiss Army Knife Cart-Chair-Shooting Rest being sold by various vendors online and asked what I thought. The idea is OK I guess, have to wonder how well it is made and how durable it is. I would actually have to see one in person and sit on it and see how it feels. I don't think it is something for me but may work for someone else. Anyone here seen one of these gizmos up close? Al

When it comes to hunting conditions you always have to deal with the hand you are dealt. Personally I can not walk through the woods in dry crunchy conditions silently, so I am traveling shorter distances and doing more and longer sits scanning with my binoculars. I aways have my Hot Seat clipped to my belt and can make a comfortable sit just about anywhere before I pick up and move on. So yes I basically still hunt all of the time but modify my technique some according to the conditions. Going into the wind in drizzly wet conditions have been the best for me moving undetected and not getting busted. Another tip I picked up recently was to have a diaphragm Turkey call in your mouth while still hunting in nosier conditions, if you make a misstep and make a loud crunch let out a couple of soft yelps, may put any Deer within earshot back at ease. Just started using that one and do not have a concrete opinion but it was given by an old time expert still hunter who took a lot of Deer and to me it sounds good in principle. Al

Back in the 30s and 40s there were huge Jack Rabbit population explosions out west, they ate everything in sight and there were so many that the people could not afford to waste bullets on them to try and get them under control. My Dad was stationed on a base in Corpus Christi Texas back then and was involved in several drives trying to get the Rabbit population under control. When the circle was closed Clubbing and Stomping was the method used to kill them. Dad said those drives were wild and crazy. Al

As mentioned several times the methods many use to hunt Deer are dictated by the land they have to hunt on. Small land holdings take away most still hunting, tracking techniques so stands whatever type one prefers is the way to go. Personally I get wicked bored sitting on or in a stand for long periods of time, I love still hunting and tracking, for me it is all about the chase and pitting woodsmanship skill against superior senses, I guess that is why I am addicted to small game, getting after the quarry. Al

After checking out a bunch of online videos about stumping (and there are many!) as it is called, I did not realize that it is quite popular among archers that shoot with fingers. It is something that I am going to participate in a lot more as I find it quite enjoyable and laid back, just sent for some points that I may like better than my bludgeon type. What is great about this is that all of my archery equipment is suitable for this type of shooting. Al

All were taken with a shotgun, Airedales are flushing dogs for the most part, TJ was a good track dog with a pretty fair nose, he also was an accurate tree locator and would bark on the tree, which made him decent on Coons, Squirrels and Possums. Al

I have had some pretty fun days in the field hunting during my lifetime but one stands out above all, hunting with one of my Airedales named TJ. It was a combination of this remarkable dog's game finding ability and the sheer non stop action and game variety taken that made the day unforgettable. The photo shows what game we did take, a grouse, a pheasant, a cottontail rabbit, a coon and a fox, had I not missed two Woodcocks he flushed and a squirrel he treed i would have been even better. Al

This is the time of year I start doing deep cleaning and any seasonal maintenance on my firearms, also gives me a chance to play around with and inspect them. Did all of my lever action rifles this week, the lever rifles are some of my favorites and I have done quite a bit of hunting with them with good success. Had a friend of mine here while I was playing with the lever rifles and he asked me which one was my favorite, it is a very hard choice but if I had to pick one it would be the 99 Savage, it is a timeless proven design, What puts it over the top is it offers cartridges that have a bit more range in open country which gives it a bit more versatility, it is a rifle in my opinion that should still be in production today. Marlin 45-70 model 95 Marling 44 mag model 94 Marlin 357 mag model 94 Winchester 284 model 88 Savage 250-3000 model 99A Marlin Levermatic 256 Winchester mag Al

I have had my cookstove in the kitchen fired up for about a month now, on top of my refrigerator I have a quiet but high CFM Vornado fan blowing toward the living-dining room. I do not have a big house but it is heated pretty well with just this setup circulating and mixing the air. I have been using this setup for years now and it works fairly well. What you want to stay away from is one of those stove top fans that generate their power from heat, expensive, low CFMs and they do not last. Al

Actually, I still pretty much hunt many of the ways described above, I am a ground hunter so there are no stands for me, I have piled brush to make a ground blind on good runs if I am in the mood for a sit. No phones either, I have a cell phone but it sits here on my desk and use it if I do any traveling, when I do use a phone it is an old conventional cordless house phone. I do have a pocket camera that I use quite a bit these days. Never checked one in at a country store either. Al

The number one lesson a Coyote dog has to learn is recall, this step is taught with the use of an electronic collar with a tone button. When that tone button is hit the dog must return to the hunter-handler without hesitation. There is a method to the madness, part one is when the Coyotes come into the call the dog is released and goes to the Coyote and gives chase. The tone button is then hit and the dog comes back to the hunter with the Coyotes tolling in pursuit shortly after. The Dog will stay close to the hunter keep the Coyote's attention focused giving the hunter a chance for a good shot. Once the shot is taken the dog is released and will clean things up if necessary. I use my dogs in a modified version of the above method I learned from an old veteran hunter on the Airedale message board named Bob McClellan from California who has since passed away. He would never send his dogs out to toll, they were trained to stay close to him at all times. The scenario would be much the same as after the dog was recalled in the above video. Hunting mostly woods this method has worked best for me. The Coyote's attention will be focused on my dog long enough for me to get a shot. I have had a bit of success with Foxes using that method also. Old "Slick" below was the last dog I had trained for varmints as I don't hunt them anywhere near as much as I once did.