airedale

Some pretty good tips on what to do after the shot, they can go a long way even with a perfect hit. Al

Them days are gone for me, I have done just about everything I wanted when it comes to hunting and fishing. I do take a few game animals to eat but nothing like I did in my younger days. From here on out I just want to enjoy myself being in the woods and give a lot of free passes when it comes to taking game. Most hunting now is more about using and testing new rifles and ammo to see exactly how they perform or training a young hunting dog. Al

Heck no, I have zero talent when it comes to art work. Like I mentioned above I have a pile of old Deer antlers laying around and just wanted to do something with them. I came up with the idea of a Totem Pole hat-coat rack some time ago and finally decided to do something. I had most of the stuff laying around and purchased the Tikki Carving online. Uga Booga is still a work in progress as I have other horns and decor I want to utilize, the goofier it becomes the better I like it, gives me something to do when I get bored. Al

You got that right Doc! Al

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Al

Have a box of old Deer antlers laying around and came up with a half assed idea to use some of them, a creepy Tikki Totem Pole hat rack LOL!

Watched this last night, it was pretty interesting, some good insight.

That big Buck you took makes for a good celebration I think. Al

He is a beauty! Al

Hell these days you can kill a human and get less of a sentence, sounds like baloney to me. Al

Thompson Center is back in business and will soon be available, Greg Ritz the new owner doing a piece on one of my favorite firearms the TC Encore.

Commercial from years ago when I was a kid, I had a Fanner 50, politically incorrect these days!

Sounds like a winning combination to me, I do not have any Winchester 94s but I do have lever action Marlins and a Savage that wear low powered straight 2 1/2s, 1x4 and 1x5s. They have all worked out great for any hunting I did with them. Al

Congratulations. Al

The shots fired in my neck of the woods have been few and far between in recent years, years ago there were shots to be heard somewhere off in the distance on a regular basis. No hunters ? No deer? Dont't know for sure but I would bet there are a lot fewer hunters. Al

At this point in time reloading your own ammo is the only relief from the draconian NY Democrats and I am sure they are looking for a way to regulate handloading. It is never too late to get started and I suggest not wasting any time getting into it. Shoots100 suggestion of a Lee Handloader will get the ball rolling for a small outlay of money. From there the sky is the limit for whatever one can afford. Believe me you will not be sorry for taking the plunge as things around this state regarding firearms and ammo will probably just keep getting worse. Al

There is a lot more than 2 or 3 that left, many of them were sneaky and did not want to expose themselves. Al

I have been hunting the same property for almost 40 years 90% of the time, hunting Squirrels early helps me formulate a Deer hunting plan as I can read their sign and figure out a plan where to be for a Deer hunt when I decide to go. I am not picky and just take them as they come. This year I have seen very little Deer sign and thought there would be a good chance getting skunked but I got lucky the first morning and had a buck walk right into my lap. And then there was a year I think I hunted just about every day and saw zero bucks, on the last day in the last half hour of daylight I had a buck show himself and I scored, you just never know. Al

I have noticed this too, missing shots and poor hits are most times the result of poor marksmanship. I know there are many hunters that do not even check the zero of their firearms before season. To be good at anything requires practice and "PLENTY" of it. I know ammo these days is very expensive, but one can get all the practice they need with rimfire firearms and even good quality airguns and become good shots. Also a well hit Deer can travel unbelievable distance, too many throw in the towel early. Each animal is a story of it's own and you can expect the unexpected some days. I shot a spikehorn buck a few years ago with a 45-70 firing a 350 grain bullet at 25 yards, I had to track him through thick woods for a good 200 yards before finding him. The bullet placement was perfect and the bullet went through his heart., I had a hunting partner with me tracking and he could not believe the Deer went that far. A couple of years ago I shot a duplicate spikehorn buck at close to 100 yards distance with a 357 mag with almost the exact bullet placement, he only went 25 yards and went down. So here you have one Deer shot with a cartridge that can probably kill elephants tearing off to parts unknown and one shot with a cartridge that many would consider marginal that piles up almost immediately, go figure! For me one thing is for sure, if the crosshairs are where they are supposed to be when my gun fires I know I have a dead Deer and it is up to me to find it. Al

I have killed a half dozen Deer with a neck shot and they all dropped right where they stood. As for the ethical part several factors come into play. Distance is a big one, I use the neck shot for relatively short shots, under 100 yards. A firearm that is capable of precise bullet placement with a good hunting bullet. A good steady rest with total confidence in my ability to make the shot. I aim for the center anywhere on the neck, I think it is a fairly big target and an easy shot to make when one has the right circumstances. Al

I do not use trail cameras, I like being surprised, I grew up in a different era, old timers, books and magazines is where I learned about hunting techniques. There were no food plots, tree or ladder stands or enclosed purpose built blinds with heat and all the comforts of home. Most folks did not even have scopes on their guns. A sprinkling of stand hunting, drives, still hunting and tracking were the methods most used back then. It was all about learning woodscraft, reading sign and animal behavior. It is those skills that define hunting for me and I still use those methods today. Al

Hit the timber for the last couple of daylight hours, zip for Deer, saw two gray Squirrels and one Red, that was it. Al

Come on, if it was easy it would not be any fun. I would say you have done alright for yourself. Al

A portable version of the skinner I have, this one can be taken into the woods when hunting and used to dress out Squirrels as they are taken. They skin much easier when they are freshly killed. Al

To be honest I think it is pretty much impossible to stay warm sitting still for extended periods on cold windy days without being bundled up in somewhat bulky clothes. Sweating and getting your base layers wet from it will be a big problem. You can get by with sweating so long as you stay away from cotton materials period, good poly or wool next to your skin for any base layers. I have always had decent luck staying warm in real cold weather wearing high quality wool from top to bottom. While it is bulky and heavy I will take that over freezing my ass off. Al