airedale

Years ago I spent most of a day in freshly fallen snow tracking a Buck that ended up evading me by crossing a creek with waters that were well over my boots. I walked the bank up and down looking for a place to cross but it was no dice. I had a long way to go to get back to my vehicle and there was no way I was going to get a wet ass at that stage of the day. The Buck had been in a standing corn field bordering the creek and on the other side was a brush lot and golden rod that went several hundred yards. I sat down on the bank and started glassing with my binoculars and about 150 yards out laying low in the golden rod a nice 8 point looking right at me. He had been watching me the whole time. I was hunting in shotgun country back then and was hunting light carrying a Smith and Wesson model 29 44 mag revolver. The Buck was too far away for my abilities to make a good shot. He finally sensed I was watching him and he got up and trotted off and I quit for the day trudged back to my truck before it got dark. Being a Coon hunter I always packed a set of these chaps and put them on when heading into swamps at night which was often. I would just tie and cinch them up tight on the bottom against my boots and would be able to cross fairly deep water without getting wet feet. They are light weight and very tough, mine were made by Wick Outdoor Works and I still have them. Did not think to take them along on the Deer hunt described above but you can be sure I had them on me from that day on for any tracking hunts. The ones shown below are very similar to my Wick Chaps and can be found online. Al

The scope CharlieNY mentioned is about perfect for what you are looking for, I have two of those scopes, mine are mounted on short range woods rifles and will echo what Charlie had to say about his. Al

You ain't seen nothing yet, these moron democrats are just getting started, it all has been predicted and they are doing everything stated in their commie party's platform. Get the moderate "gutless Joe" elected and then make the turn. Piss away money like there is no tomorrow, open borders, immigration laws unenforced, Higher taxes, Green New Deal which squashes energy and vehicles along with higher transportation costs, inflation on the rise, law and order down the toilet, ruining our schools, mandate after mandate. Free everything!! A big freaking mess and only getting worse. And do not worry gun control laws are coming!

I purchased this old rare book many years ago and just got it out off the shelf for a reread, Being a hunting dog breeder and trainer and hunting with some of the same breeds as Shelly used in Africa it is my kind of book. Al ========================================== Hunting Big Game With Dogs In Africa! The author, Er M. Shelley, was the big-game dog trainer for a rather prominent American sportsman, Paul J. Rainey. While gathered `round the fire with several of his hunting pals Mr. Rainey declared that "wouldn't it be royal sport to hunt African lions and leopards with these dogs?" Well, shortly after the turn of the 19th century there wasn't anyone in east Africa to say they couldn't give it a try - so off they went! Can anyone in today's world imagine being able to do that? Hunting Big Game With Dogs in Africa is Shelley's recounting of the several years he spent in east Africa doing just that.

My views on hunting are much like when I go out to eat at the "Garden Buffet" at the Turning Stone Resort, I love trying everything. My hunting consists of much more time spent on small game, varmints and birds than Deer which I try to get done and out of the way as quick as possible. So becoming proficient with decent quality rifles, muzzleloaders, shotguns, handguns, airguns and archery equipment to the best of my ability has been always been my goal and I like them all. I know my limitations and and use each implement accordingly. Al

Zero influence on me because I do not use them, I have an area that I hunt and it is what it is, I like being surprised as to what I find using successful hunting techniques I have learned over my lifetime. Al

Jack O'Connor was born in Arizona in 1902, a land that he described as "the last frontier." He taught English at the University of Arizona, and became its first journalism professor. His first love was the outdoors and writing about hunting, firearms, and the natural history of big game animals. As the longtime firearms editor for OUTDOOR LIFE magazine, O'Connor hunted and collected trophies throughout the world, and introduced millions of readers to hunting and firearms. O'Connor moved to Lewiston, Idaho in 1948 and he lived there until his death in 1978. From a time before the internet when books and Outdoor magazines were the way to educate yourself about hunting and shooting. Personally probably the biggest influence on my outlook on hunting firearms and shooting, I have collected most of his writings and while published many years ago the information is still solid and relevant today. His books can still be found on Amazon and ebay and well worth owning and reading. Al

Savage also made a similar clone called the model 720, a slight difference was they had no magazine cut off. You really have to know your stuff taking apart these shotguns, they are complicated. I am pretty handy when it comes to taking down firearms but the A5 type shotguns are a real nightmare and I want no part of that job. Old Bill Demare who was part owner of Lefever Arms in Lee Center NY could put them back together blindfolded. We had to send him quite a few to put back together after some owners decided to take them down for a good cleaning. Best way to clean those guns is to take the barrel off and use a good spray solvent and hit it hard inside. Al

A good quality compact tractor with a diesel motor and a quick attach loader is my choice, a good tractor with proper maintenance will last you almost your entire life and the amount of different jobs they can do will amaze you. Don't be afraid of buying good low hour used like the one below on Craigslist right now. Al

While these pants are not sold as hunting pants I have found them to be just about as good as it gets for early season hunting. Comfort, fit, water resistant, wind resistant, stain resistant, brush resistant and they have built in stretch everywhere and they wear like iron. I got them in OD green and Ranger green for hunting and spray them down good with Sawyers. They can be ordered direct or from Amazon. Al

Just about every firearm I have that has open sights have been converted to fiber optic type sights, for old eyes especially in low light conditions they are better I think. Nothing like old school hunting, good luck on the upcoming season. Al

Actually I have run several, the one listed below is a small private board that has been up now for almost 20 years, I pay for everything. The costs charged are are based on exactly what I posted above. Al

These message board forums cost money to operate and maintain, costs revolve around the amount of use and content which utilize server bandwidth. The traffic does not have to be from just members, an open board like this one has many non members reading it's content, in fact there are many more visitors checking out content than members all of which incurs cost. Popup ads are a source of revenue to fund a message board and I can tell you a board with traffic and amount of content stored like this one has costs pretty good money. They can be annoying for sure but they keep the board funded and online. Al

The long legs and big paws point toward being a Lynx. Al

Love the Bisley, for me the Bisley style grip has about as good a feel and natural pointing characteristics as one can get with a handgun. Good luck on your hunt. Al

I had the Moderna series and will get the booster when it is available and the right time. Will be getting the Flu shot sometime in the next few days getting that one out of the way. Preventative maintenance! Al

A Setter and a side by side double hunting birds, not too many things in my book better than that! Al

Redding loading equipment is top notch, the micrometer adjustment is nice. I have to set the Lyman's length settings with a Vernier caliper which is no big deal. One of the things that attracted me to the Lyman is they use common press shellholders to hold the cases. Al

Case Trimming, the one operation in handloading I do not like and anything that makes it move along I appreciate. As most handloaders know brass cases that have been used several times will stretch in the neck area, especially so with hot cartridges like the 220 Swift and will need to be trimmed back to spec to avoid excessive pressures. There are all kinds of options for this job ranging from a simple file trim die to dedicated tools. For just a box or two of hunting ammo a file trim die is all you need but if you are a shooter that pulls the trigger a lot a dedicated case trimmer is the way to go. I started out with an original Lyman that used a hand crank, it worked decent but but for doing up a large batch of cases a bit slow and tedious. I acquired a newer model Lyman that could be used with a power drill, it was just super on a big batch of once fired 223 Lake City military brass. It made that job a comparative breeze. I did find my Milwaukee drill a case of overkill and plain bulky. So today just tried out a different option, a relatively cheap little "Skill" cordless screwdriver. Jeeze it worked great, plenty of power for a few boxes of brass, and I just rolled off a batch of old Swift cases lickety split. This is a good little setup for anyone thinking about a new case trimmer. Al

I purchased this mint old style CZ 527 about 15 years ago at the Syracuse gun show, it had a couple of things about it's design that prevented me from really warming up to it. One is minor, while I do like a detachable magazine I do not like the way it protrudes taking away from the trim lines this rifle has. Two the bolt handle was not designed for mount a scope low where it ought to be. I had a scope mounted with high rings and it did not line up right giving me a poor cheek weld. That being said I love the light weight and easy carrying trim stock, she is a tack driver and that set trigger is SWEET!!! So to make it right I found an outfit that makes a long low bolt handle that is easily changed out allowing me to mount one of my all time favorite scopes (Very Compact Burris Timberline) 4.5-14 nice and low with clearance to spare. There is also a fellow that will trim and modify the trigger guard group and use a three shot magazine making everything flush giving a big improvement is the looks department for my eyes. For now I will use it as it is and sent that trigger guard group in after hunting season. Today I hope to try out some 70 gr Speer dual purpose handloads and hopefully they group, I have a Chicken killing Fox around here and I am out for blood. Al

These "Holier Than Thou" AKA as real ethical hunting arguments crack me up, this is the age of instant gratification and easy-peasy, it is legal and is what it is. 75% let off compounds, crossbows, scoped muzzleloaders that can fire spitzer bullets with ballistics the same as cartridges, ATVS, tree stands and blinds with all the comforts of home overlooking fields of cultivated Deer food on private land, preserve hunting of everything. Who here can can suit up and track down a big buck in the Adirondacks and kill him with a stick bow and cedar arrows or use a flintlock firing patched balls? As the old saying goes people in glass houses should not throw stones. Al

Below are a couple of what I call dual purpose hand loads for a couple of my light sporter "walking" varmint rifles that I use, a CZ 527 223 and a Ruger 77 220 Swift. These rounds are loaded with the Speer 70 gr semi pointed soft point that have been around for as long as I have been reloading and were always touted to be efficient Deer killers when placed properly. Now I will not be going Deer hunting with these rifles per se but I will be using them at times during the Deer season while varmint hunting. An interesting fact when using a varmint call is many times I have had Deer show up out of curiosity. If I have not filled my tag I want to be able to be able to take that advantage if an opportunity for a good shot presents itself at a decent Deer occurs. Al

As an old Indian once said "many many moons"

Fred's style of hunting was a far cry from what techniques are being used today. He had many hunts that aired on the old ABC American Sportsman TV series and he was not sitting up in a tree, tripod stand or in a ground blind overlooking a pile of corn or a field planted with Deer food as what is shown as hunting on the outdoor channels these days. He was mostly a still hunter-spot and stalk and one of the reasons he liked hunting in the rain, It helps cover noise and scent. I do not like getting wet myself but I have had pretty fair luck hunting in rain and have got shooting close to Deer many times sneaking around in it. Get a good set of rain gear and or wear wool and you will be surprised how much rain you can tolerate. Al