airedale

Some nit pickin here, have you ever taken the time to watch one of those press briefing from the white house, I have seen multiple times when anything about the border crisis is brought up the first talking point out of their mouths from both of Biden's press spokespersons is they inherited the broken immigration policies from the previous administration.

Sending the illegals to their sanctuary states and cities should have been started long ago and in way bigger numbers, when these libtard phonies living the good life in their elite neighborhoods have to actually deal with the shithole problem themselves then maybe there will be action taken to relieve this mess. When you are insulated from anything rotten it is easy to blow and shrug it off. I would like nothing better than to see illegals moved where these libtard blowhards live by the tens of thousands. The best part about all this is they show their true colors when it happens to them, "hypocrites in spades"! Al

Now that photo above of that bag of rabbits brings back some memories of tales I heard as a young fellow, there was a time according to some old timers I knew when European Hares were in huntable numbers here in NY. Found up by the St Lawrence and in the Hudson valley if I remember right, they were twice as big as our native rabbits and hard to hunt with dogs as they would line out of the country. The guys that hunted them liked to track them in fresh snow and jump them out for a shot. Never got to ever see one myself but would have liked to give them a go. Nice little piece about the European Hare below for anyone interested. Al ============================================================= European hares of upstate New York. Editor's Note: This summer we heard from William Weckesser of Middlefield, CT, a 74-year-old gent who waxed poetic about bygone days. In his letter, he asked a question that piqued our interest. A few phone calls and e-mails took us back to earlier times and brought forth an interesting short story worth retelling: that of the European hares of upstate N.Y.Mr Weckesser writes, "When I was a boy, my grandfather would tell me stories of getting in a horse-drawn wagon and going out to Millbrook to hunt what he called 'jack rabbits.' I found out later that they were actually European hares that were brought to eastern Dutchess County and released. The 'game guide' (as we called the hunting regulations booklet back then) used to list them as a huntable species in Dutchess County, but it no longer does. I often wonder what became of the hares.I've included a picture of my great uncle and grandfather after a successful hunt. The hounds in the picture appear to me to be Walker fox hounds. It is only conjecture on my part, but I'm thinking that these hares run such a large circle that the hunters wanted a fast dog to bring the hares around more quickly.Thinking back on my own 60 years of hunting in Dutchess County, I'm thankful for all the great outdoor experiences I've enjoyed. Still, there is one thing I wish I could do: I'd trade a lot for the ability to go back in time to the 1920s for just one day. I'd spend it with Grandpa Lou and Uncle Carl, hunting for those big 'jack rabbits.' Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. I'll just have to do it in my dreams."Not knowing anything about European hares myself, I thought I should do a little research, and what better place to start than with the Conservationist magazine itself?European hares made several appearances in the Conservationist over the years, most notably in a February 1957 feature article aptly titled "The European Hare in New York." The article, which was also reproduced as an information leaflet, was written by the then Conservation Department's rabbit specialist, Game Research Investigator, Joe Dell.Although I met him on several occasions, I can't say I knew Joe well as he had retired by the time I started my DEC career as a wildlife biologist. But like so many biologists "bitten by the bug," Joe had a hard time making a clean break from work; he continued to visit friends and colleagues in the office, even years after he retired. And it was then and there that I came to know him. Joe passed on recently, so I didn't have the luxury of asking him in person about the hares.No matter; Joe's article on the history of European hares in New York is very informative. I'd encourage you to read it yourself at a local library, or perhaps we can post it online if enough folks are interested. In the article, Joe tells of how the hares were introduced from Hungary beginning about 1893, onto a wealthy landowner's estate in Dutchess County.With messages that should be heeded today, the article goes on to explain that even a nine-mile-long fence couldn't contain the hares, and they expanded their range outward, first into neighboring counties, then into Connecticut and up the Hudson Valley. Dell's article reported that in a series of severe winters in the early 1900s, the hares damaged Dutchess County orchards, so the county paid a bounty of 25 cents a piece on 12,000 hares between 1912 and 1917. That's equal to nearly $6 in today's money! For you small game hunters out there needing no additional incentive to pursue your pastime, can you imagine being paid to hunt hares?Next, I called and e-mailed a number of older colleagues and recent DEC retirees, asking if they knew about the hares. Around here, retirees become a sort of institutional memory, mined when necessary, such as in this case. It's a little alarming to me, how many times I am taking on just such a role now!In turn, colleagues pointed me to former wildlife technician and later conservation officer Collin Bursey, who, like Joe, retired just before I began my career. Collin worked on hares for a couple of years after being discharged from the service in 1955. He spoke of the hares once reaching as far north as Washington County, and as far west as Cherry Valley.Sometime in the 1930s, European hare populations began a dramatic decline which continued for decades. According to Bursey, the hares liked large expanses of open area. Abandonment of farms during and after the Great Depression, and resulting landscape-level habitat change from open fields to brushlots to young forest stands certainly aided in the hare's demise.As far as Bursey, or any of my colleagues knows, European hares (not to be confused with snowshoe hares) are no longer found in the wild. Although who knows--maybe an astute Conservationist reader can demonstrate otherwise!In today's busy, rush-rush world of 100 e-mails a day, and tweets of no more than 140 characters, it's important once in a while to take a deep breath, power down the computer, read a handwritten letter, and enjoy a conversation with an elder. Someone who was there, well before we were.Someone who can tell a story.Dave Nelson is editor of Conservationist.

The shell holder is put on the top of the press ram, pull the handle all the way down so the ram is all the way up. Screw the sizing die all the way down until it makes contact with the shell holder. Screw the decapping rod down just far enough to knock out the old primer and tighten your die locking rings, that is it. As far as cases being sized effortlessly that all depends on the case, some rifles have a bit of a sloppy chamber and when a cartridge is fired the case will expand and become enlarged and more out of spec than a gun with a tight chamber. I just did a batch of 30-30 once fired cases and I had to put some muscle into pulling the press handle and I have a very heavy duty press. Do not over do it with the case lube as you will put dents in the shoulder, a very thin coating is all the is needed. As far as I am concerned there is zero downside to handloading and a huge multitude of upsides, like anything else a bit of experience goes a long way and once you get the hang of things handloading becomes practical, money saving along with great performance, personal satisfaction and fun. Al

From what I have seen all the loading equipment companies stand behind their stuff 100%, if you have anything defective box it up and send it back with a note explaining what is going on, they will replace it for free. Al

The problem can be diagnosed through the process of elimination. The full length sizing-decapping die is where to start. But first just for the heck of it take one of your unsized empty cases and see how one of your bullets fits inside the neck. The fit should not be sloppy as you described. So if the fit is tight that points to a problem with the full length sizing die. Unscrew the decapping stem and remove it from the die and run a case through the die which will bring the case to factory specs and then check to see how a bullet fits in the case neck, if sized properly it will be a tight fit. If the bullet slides into the case neck easily the die is not sizing properly. If the case neck it tight that means the expander button on the decapping stem is where the problem is and it is opening the case mouth too much. The only other thing that would cause that problem though very remote is a batch of bullets that are slightly undersized. The expander button and bullets can easily be checked with a micrometer or Vernier caliper. Al

It is a Heartland Sweetheart made in Canada, they are no longer in production. Elmira Stoveworks makes a very similar model. Al

I finally have good internet with no data caps and can stream games on my firestick to my projector and 10 ft screen, a whole new TV world, one word, "immersion". The Wyoming Tulsa game was a double overtime barn burner.

As they say "Low & Slow", I do ribs and briskets all winter long in my wood cookstove when she is fired up for heating. I like using various dry rubs and put in on both sides liberally, I place the meat in a rectangular high side baking pan and seal it good with aluminum foil and put it in the oven early in the morning say 6 AM. The oven does not get real hot because of the hot water tank on the side. I will remove from the oven at supper time around 6PM, the meat is tender and falls of the bones and so good. Al

Go to youtube and type in Remington 788 bolt disassembly, you will find videos that will help you solve your problem. Al

I once owned a Remington 788 chambered in 243, it was one of the early models with a beautiful figured walnut stock, in later years they were stocked with walnut stained Birch. I had two hunting partners that also owned and hunted with 788s, one a 243 and the other a 22-250. All three produced superb accuracy and would easily print sub one minute 100 yard groups. Produced and sold as an entry level modest priced rifle it had some novel engineering features that made for high accuracy. Multiple rows of locking lugs like Weatherby uses on their Marks but they were on the rear end of the bolt instead of the front. The lock time on those rifles was about as fast as could be made and still fire reliably. Remington also used a mini size rear lug design for their rimfire 580 series and 540 series. I have a Remington 541S sporter 22 with rear locking lugs, this 22 will shoot with just about anything and one of my favorite rifles. As for rings, medium height will clear most 44mm bell scopes and prefer the Weaver style two piece bases. Remington's tough Dupont RKW finish they used on some of their firearm stocks was supposed to be the same as what Bowling pin manufacturers used on their pins. All and all I believe the Remington 788 rifle to be one of the most accurate out of the box hunting rifles ever made and it was bargain priced. Al

I am a big double fan myself and have a favorable lean toward classic side by sides but I will admit I can shoot just a tad better with an over and under. Al

I have been stung more than a few times in my lifetime but whatever nailed me today had the most potent venom of any that I can recollect. Swelled from the ring finger to most of my right hand, she looks like a Ham Hock LOL. Starting to go back down now. Al

I got nailed today mowing with a walk behind in front of my barn, got me on the joint of my right hand ring finger, never actually saw the Bee so I do not know what kind it was but it hurt like Hell. Got a basketball size paper nest hanging from a limb out in the pasture back of my house. Al

I have hunted both small game and Deer with handguns and there was a time I was quite fanatical about it, a lot of fun sticking with techniques and range similar to those used in archery. Both the 357 and 44 mag are cartridges I have used with modest success on large game. I am a plain Jane revolver person for the most part and stick with open sights, the very large handguns with long barrels and optical sights are not for me as it kind of takes away from the whole handgun theme of lighter weight and portability than one has with a long gun. My problem these days are my old eyes getting a clear sight picture, changing over to the fiber optic open sights now available have kept me in the game. Al

This simplified method will work for you, along with a detailed map of the area you are traveling. As you hit trails, streams, hills etc. shown on your map you will give yourself an approximate location in relation to your starting point. A map is important in a virgin area being hunted for the first time. I do a lot of moving while hunting and as time goes by I become pretty familiar with the landmarks of a block I am in after many hunts and rarely use a map but it is still in my pocket just in case. The video posted below is pretty much how I use a compass while hunting. My favorite compass these days is wrist job worn like a watch, it is convenient and I look at it often. Going on a long distance hike in in very remote country is a horse of a different color , a good detailed map is essential as is a specialized map lensatic compass for map use. The longer and deeper the distance traveled have potential to make for more error coming out to your starting point. There are many youtube videos that give good tutorials on in depth wilderness navigation. It is a fun skill to learn and was essential for me especially when Coon hunting at night in big woods. Al

I am a fan of the bottom ejection design the Remington 17 had along with the Ithaca 37s and the Browning BPS, the main advantage is it is user friendly for both right and left hand shooters also the empty cases are easily found right at your feet, just makes sense. Nice 17 you have there Grouse. Al

Sez the Pete Buttigieg fan

Poetic justice for Cheney- The Traitor Cheney is one of many recipients of poetic justice in the past year, the Cuomo Brothers, Terry McAuliffe, Kinzinger and even the libtard darlings of msnbc and cnn Madow and Stelter have been knocked off their high horses. There will be plenty more going down the toilet as time goes on. The great the "Progressive" experiment has been exposed and people are getting their heads out of their butts and coming to their senses as they can see this country is turning into a major shithole!!! Al

Good quality equipment is a given, half assed equipment can make for a half assed hunt. For me the most indispensable item is a good quality compass, I am a wanderer for Deer and when hunting Rabbits, Hare or Coon with dogs you can end up a long way from where you started, it is easy to get turned around in big woods, learning to use and having a good compass makes getting back to the truck easy. Al

The scope is a discontinued Simmons Atec 3.8x12 back when Simmons was producing high quality Japanese scopes, I purchased several on closeout from "Optics Planet" about 20 yrs ago for rimfire rifles, these were Simmons top of the line models and I have nothing but good to say about them. Al

I look forward to Squirrel hunting, it is my favorite type of hunting these days. I have an accurate Winchester single shot Low Wall 22 sitting in the safe begging for some hunt time, she is a little on the heavy side but I will manage. Al

I have several hunting firearms I have yet to make a kill with, each hunting season I try to get them in the field and take game to see how they perform. So my goal will be to get something in the bag with one of those virgins. I am on a single shot roll the past few years and am leaning to use my TC encore 45-70 or maybe my Dad's Winchester model 88 in 284 Win. One and done for me at this stage of the game, I will kill the first legal Deer I see getting the Deer hunting out of the way as I spend most of my time in the fall woods hunting various small game. Al

I had one get into my coop years ago, my Airedale alerted me something was going on outside one night. Slipped on my boots and grabbed a flashlight and we went out the door and immediately could hear squawking coming from the chicken coop. Looked through the wire and could see a big possum had a Rooster by a leg, even with me shinning the light on him and the Airedale going berserk he would not let go of that Rooster. I opened the door and the Airedale went in grabbed him by the head and it was bone crunching time and all over for the possum. The Rooster had some pretty severe damage to his leg, within a few days infection had set in and he died. When you raise poultry it is like ringing the dinner bell for every stinking varmint in the area.

Back in my Woodchuck hunting days when their numbers were fairly high I would on occasion see a black one, heck these days other than the one living in my back yard I do not see any Woodchucks period. Last Fall I did see a couple of black Squirrels. Al