airedale

Reading some of the after the shot episodes on hunts both firearm and bow leaves one scratching their head after what appear to be good shots with adequate weapons and yet still tough recoveries or even losses. Nothing is set in stone and Deer are one tough, tough animal. I have used a wide variety of firearms and while most Deer are found within a very short distance from where the initial hit took place there are those conundrums that seem to defy everything. I have killed Deer with muzzleloaders, 12 and 20 ga slugs, a bow, 222 Rem, 220 Swift, 250 Sav, 243, 25-06, 280 Rem, 338 Win mag, 45-70, 44mag and 357 mag in both handguns and rifle. I would say 90% were hit similarly in the heart lung area within a few inch circle of each other yet some Deer will drop in their tracks, some run a short death sprint and go down, yet some went over 100 yards and beyond! The only certain drop where they stand episodes I ever had were neck shots. The weirdest shot I ever saw was on a Caribou, my guide and myself came up on a lone Bull grazing at about 80 yards, he was broadside and I let him have one right behind his front shoulder, I thought I missed as he put his head down and continued eating. I was going to let another one fly but the guide grabbed my arm and told me not to shoot, about the time the bull became jelly legged and keeled over dead. Again it seems nothing is set in stone no matter what kind of weapon is being used. Al

Cutouts of animal silhouettes used to get close for a shot can be effective when used properly under certain conditions, I have seen hunts out west on the open plains where cow-deer cutouts were used to get shots at antelope and mule deer. Some turkey hunters use a cutout also with decent results. While they can work it is not for me. Al

Same problem I have with the 256 Win, what you will run into is someone that has a box or two but will not ship to NY, I did a quick look at some of my favorite places and could only find one old box that was listed already sold for $95. I am pretty sure the brass can be made from 30-30 brass, the rim has to be removed and the extractor groove cut deeper then sized with a 30 Remington die. I will keep my eyes open for some and let you know if I see any for sale. Al

When it is time to leave I slip out with as little commotion as possible. Al

Fingers Crossed Al

No, I used a regular long stock stud, I only use the studs with the nut when stock is thin in the area to be drilled. The model 62 has a lot of wood in that area the long stud screw will have plenty of wood to grab on to, and along with a dab of Gorilla glue it will hold no with problem. Al

So today it was sling stud installation, for some reason this Marlin did not have any from the factory, very odd because when I researched this rifle every single photo of a model 62 had sling studs. I use slings on all of my rifles so it had to be done. It is an easy peasy job, back in my gun shop days I installed more than I can count. The stock holes can be drilled with regular drills but it is so much easier to use the dedicated drills made for sling studs. This Marlin 62 has plenty of meat up on the forend, trimmer stocks where the stud would hit the barrel the stud pictured on the bottom with the nut would be used and many times it has to be ground off for a flush fit. Just take your time and all will be well. Al

All else aside I think that was a pretty fair shot you made on that guy with a crossbow Wolc. Hard to judge size by just looking at them, this Coyote is beside an 80lb Airedale for scale, I would guess it is more than half the dog's weight. I have never weighed any I shot but I would guess most to be in the mid 40s to 50 lbs. Al

The grates in the stove are what the wood or coal rest on while burning, the grate in my stove are shaker grates used more for coal burning. As their name suggests a handle placed on the end allows them to be shaken which lets the ash drop below them into the ash pan and keep the air flowing. The old grates are about 20 years old and were getting warped pretty bad, I already had an extra set and replaced the old ones which will be taken to a guy with a forge to be heated and straightened out and made useful again. Al

Saw on the news this morning home heating oil is up almost 70% from last year, YIKES! I have my heating plans all set for this winter and have backup for the backups. As the Boy Scout motto says "Be Prepared" Put new grates in my kitchen cookstove Put in 3 cords of wood Five tons of Nut Coal Topped off the 500 gal propane tank Have kerosene and electric heaters on stand by if for any reason failure of the above. There are some that would like to ban just about everything I use. I am not going to freeze!

Well the little guy could not overcome his injuries and succumbed, my best guess is he probably got rolled over by a vehicle. Al

Could not stand it and had to hit the range and try this gun out before the rain. The only ammo I have now is some old Winchester 60 HPs that is not even being made at this time including the bullets so I can not even reload them. I have plenty of heavier bullets so hopefully I will be able to duplicate accuracy wise the light factory stuff, the last three were basically a one holer at 50yds so the rifle has potential. Just waiting for the powder suited best for the bullets below, Missouri Bullet company hard cast, Win 60 gr factory, Sierra 90 gr HPs and Barnes 80 gr copper. Al

So in this morning's daylight I could see much better and it appears to me this Fox has an injury, having problems with his rear leg I think. Moved him to more comfortable and larger quarters, he has a good appetite as he has downed two quarter pound hamburgers. No big deal to wait and see if he can come along and get better physically. Al

I use a saw on larger Deer for splitting right down the center, small ones I just take the legs off at the joints. The ends of the legs with feet I use branch lopping cutters. Al

A lot of blood, I would personally be pretty optimistic. Get out there at daybreak. Al

I know many hunters that feel hunting the weather pattern as described above is a good strategy. Al

Hey Dan I hear you, there was a time that fox would have been shot on sight, but I believe this guy is the same Fox that was hanging around the place for most of the summer. I would see him out in the pasture catching mice and as long as I did not get too close to him he paid me no mind. Gray foxes are kind of rare around here and so long as he did not cause me any problems like the chicken killing reds I have to deal with from time to time I gave him a pass and actually enjoyed watching him. I will be the first to admit that as I have become an old man the free passes I give when hunting keep climbing, I hardly kill anything anymore. I have dealt with wildlife my whole life and am very careful especially with all the Coons I hunted, if I see any hint this Fox is sick with something bad it will be put down. Al

Well not really, I have a long driveway that has alarms and it is common to hear them go off because of various wildlife. Well tonight they were really bing bonging and I took a walk out with a flashlight for a look see. Did not see anything, the wife comes home from the store and tells me there is a fox in the driveway, she thought is was a cat because it trotted right up to her car. Came in and told me about it and I went out and there was a gray fox just walking around grubbing for food, I believe it is the same one that was here in the spring I photographed with the Turkeys. We pulled up close and I did a mouse squeek and he came right up to the car and laid down beside it. Man something not right here, Rabies is the first thing I think when I see wild animals that are not afraid of humans. So I watched him for a while and he did not appear sick and appeared nothing like any rabid animal I have seen on video. But it does seem to have an injury. I was not going to have him running around by the house for my dogs to mess with and I did not want to kill him for basically nothing, so I decide to catch him, cage him and if he is OK tomorrow I will take him for a ride, if he acts goofy I will put him or her down. So thats is what I did, caught him in my chicken catch net and put him in a cage with some food and water and will wait until morning and see how it goes. Al

Got the scope mounted, found a old new stock set of Redfield two piece senior bases and mated up to a set of Leupold rings. The scope is a USA made Burris mini 3X9 with an AO, I think about perfect for this rifle. She all bore sighted and ready for the range, will start out with the factory Winchester 60 hps. Waiting for some components yet for my handloads and will be getting that done during what is supposed to be a rainy weekend. Al

I just bucked up and paid the price a couple of pounds of powder and a couple of thousand primers, ouch! Powder Valley was quite a bit cheaper than 60 dollars, 44 a pound to be exact, it is that darn Hazmat fee on top of shipping that makes prices frightful. Al

I would describe myself as just a dabbler when it comes to serious Varmint hunting, but if it ever took hold of me in a serious way I would be just like you and go at it 100%. Al

Nice outfit you have, my equipment is stone age stuff compared to yours, Al

I agree the best way to learn how to butcher would be to have someone experienced walk you through it but if that does not happen youtube is your next best option. There are all kinds of detailed videos that will show you the way. Having the equipment needed to get it done is most important, a good work area, meat saw, sharp knives, knife sharpener, wrapping paper or a food sealer. For me a good knife is probably the single most important tool for butchering. My favorite knife is a USA Cutco fillet knife that I keep razor sharp, I do a lot of boning and it just works great. It really is not that hard, just take your time and dive in, good luck. Al

Varmint hunting has evolved quite a bit and has become very sophisticated from what it was back when I started out, back then everyone hunted in the daytime. For my woods hunting I used to carry a Browning 3inch mag 12 ga side by side, the ranges were fairly short and back then hides were bringing big money and the deductions were nil when it came to damage. I almost always have a call in my pocket when I am out hunting, it has brightened up a slow day many times even if I do not pull the trigger. I can not wait to get my new Marlin 62 256 mag in operation, should be just the ticket for some daytime calling. Al

I know most folks hunt Varmints at night these days and they use electronic calls and it works out well for them, I have a couple of electronic callers myself. But do not discount the effectiveness of old fashioned mouth calls, it does not take long to learn how to use them and they can work great especially for run and gunning. My old Black Creek 3 in one call along with a Squirrel whistle have made for some pretty exciting days afield in the daytime., the big orange whistle is for my dogs which I take with me many times. Al