airedale

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

I am disappointed that Hochul won but I still think Republicans did well. Hochul will hang herself by her inept handling of the state. In a few weeks the state gas tax is back on (typical Dem vote buying) and I would not doubt it rising well above $4. And as crime keep surging and her piss poor handling of it she will face the consequences, she is going to show how weak she is. The four upstate conservative congress seats were all won by Republicans, the state senator that represents me won. There are going to be enough Republican seats won country wide to retire nervous Nancy Pelosi for good and hand over the house to Republican control so sleepy Joe is screwed. The senate as of now is up for grabs but even if the libtards hold on in a couple of years it is going to be crying Chucks turn to get the axe when Desantis scores the knockout. So I remain optimistic and am pretty happy. Al

Man you have got to be real close on a top of the lungs hit, hopefully he is leaking bad and his lungs fill up and hopefully you will find him dead, good luck. Al

Where I do most of my hunting is still feeling the effects of the Gypsy Moth infestation from last year. They defoliated all of the mast trees so there was almost zero acorns or beechnuts. Made the defoliated woods around here look like winter in the summer. This past summer there was some recovery for the trees but with leaves only, none of my apple trees had a blossom, the oaks bear no acorns and same for the beech trees, no beechnuts. Without food game animals move on to greener pastures, I have been seeing few Deer, and few Squirrels, been giving what few Squirrels I see get a free pass and the same for Deer so far. I have a good friend that has a large farm not too far from me that was untouched by the moths so if I really want to kill something I guess I will be hunting his place. At this stage of the game for me it is just fun getting out into the woods and hunting, I really do not need to take any game but I still sure like to see some activity. Hopefully next year things up this way improve for the forests and recovery improves. A couple of photos from last spring when the moths were just getting started.

As of now I am still getting my orders. Al

Having run a few message boards I can say there is actually known message board etiquette rules, one is "never go on someone else's board and publicly mine it to lure members to another board", was always a banning offense. Malcontent members now have a new board setup the way the way they always wanted, so leave here on a good note quit the banter and use your new home. Al

Anyone looking for 22 ammo these folks have a good selection and ship to your door, they also have some primers. Some Centerfire stuff is also in stock. https://www.targetsportsusa.com/ Al

Shooting rests and benches can run significant money but there are some options that work great and are priced reasonable. The Caldwell tack driver is a winner and does not break the bank. There is an unfilled version that can be had for under $20. Al

Get out and vote! Al

1000 ft lbs is one of the benchmarks some use to qualify a cartridge for Deer, I am sure in the hands of a good hunter and a good shot it can be done with the right bullet. Al

This little piece goes along with the 256 win Marlin Levermatic thread in so far as producing your own ammo from 357 mag cases. It is not so simple as to just run the 357 cases through a die. The brass is somewhat hard and has to be softened a bit in the neck area (annealing) or it will many times wrinkle or split. Rifle cases are usually set in a shallow pan of water, the neck heated with a torch then tipped over into the water and quenched. The 357 mag cases are much easier I just do them over a kerosene lamp flame holding the case with a pair of pliers for a minute or so and that is enough to take the hardness out. Below is a case run through the die not annealed and it can be seen to have a split and crumpled, the case on the right was heated and came out good. Al

When I was a kid there were a couple of hunters in our Deer camp that used Remington model 25 pump actions chambered in 25-20. Not my first choice but they did kill Deer. Even though the 256 Win has a case not much bigger than the 25-20 it's performance beats it out by 400 to 500 fps which is substantial. Like you said Steriods! Al

Good job young lady, good old You Tube has saved the day and helped me get through many projects. Al

One of the advantages of being a handloader is the ability to produce ammo no longer being made. I already have the Redding 3 die case forming set for 256 Win, have done case forming for several other cartridges so I am familiar with the process. Ran a few test cases and so far so good. The barrel on the Levermatic is 23 inches. Al

Just getting it all setup to shoot, scope bases and rings, sling stud installation and ammunition. 256 Winchester ammo has not been produced since the late nineties, any new old stock found is going for up to $5 a round. I will be rolling my own, just waiting for all the components to come in. Al