airedale

I always want the wind in my face from the direction I am watching over, an area that the Deer move and feed through. I will contend with a quartering wind if I have to to place myself in a good position to see clearly but for the most part I want it in my face if possible. If I can not play the wind properly I will go to another spot where I believe I can instead of gambling and getting busted and maybe ruining a good setup. You have the hard part done by finding a spot you can set up over with known Deer activity. Moving sow and quietly, playing the wind, patience and sitting still on watch are the virtues of Deer hunting Al

I frequently hunt a spot similar to the one illustrated and wind is an important consideration and a reason I do not use permanent stands. The first thing I check is wind direction when going in and that will determine where I will be watching the runs in the saddle. I have several spots surrounding the saddle where I can see well enough to shoot. I simply sit or stand quietly with my back against a tree to break my outline, clear the ground of leaves so I can silently and easily move to a comfortable shooting position if need be and watch, killed a lot of them using that technique. Al

I have three single shots that have yet to earn their stripes on game. two TC Encores, one in 338 Win Mag and a 45-70 along with a Henry 357 mag. I went with a scientific method of choosing, Eeny Meeny Miney Moe and the winner was???? The Henry Al

Should non-citizens of the US have the right to vote too? Absolutely not!!! Al

As the title of Elmer Keith's book I just got done reading sez "Hell I Was There", I grew up and lived through the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s etc etc and have the perspective of seeing how life was lived first hand and what has evolved. While photos, second hand info do give some insight it is in my opinion the knowledge gained is not even close to actually being there living in those times yourself. Things were not perfect for sure but a Hell of a lot better than the mess this country has become today. Al

That mounting system should handle just about any scope mounting problem a Ruger 77 would run into, looks like fine quality too. The downside is it does take away from the clean look of the stock Ruger mount. Al

About all I will say is I am so happy to have lived during the time period I did, they really were the "Good Old Days" compared to the mess we live in today. Al

Or mandate you consume a GasX like product so you do not fart because like the farting Cattle the Democrats want to get rid of you will be causing climate change.

I know that problem well, if you can not mount the scope back far enough you will not see a full field of view and the only way of getting around it properly is a scope that has extra long eye relief, higher rings or extension rings that get the placement just right. My old Ruger heavy barrel 77 220 Swift 12 X Leupold is back as far as it will go , the front bell is just above the barrel and the adjustment turrets almost touching the back scope ring. As it sits I am just barely getting the full field of view and that is with light clothing, being used for summer time chuck and crow hunting. I do not have a heavy thick coat on that might be worn during the cold months and putting the rifle just a bit father away from my eyes. It is something to be taken in consideration when mounting your scopes. Now I also have a sporter weight 77 in 220 Swift that I do use for cold weather varmint hunting wearing heavier clothes so I needed a scope with long eye relief like the Burris Timberline to get it back far enough for a full field of view and even then it just barely made it with the front bell back as far as it will go before hitting the ring. Back when these rifles first came out the mounting of a favorite scope could be tough, these days there are options that can make it happen. Al

I have a Russian SKS rifle that I just plink with, I use the cheap Russian Wolf ammo which works perfectly fine in it. Not a tack driver by any means but it is sure a lot of fun. Al

While farting in the wind may be somewhat overboard the fact of the matter is the Democrats are against the Second Amendment and would like nothing better than seeing it gone. Gun control is in the forefront of their party's platform for all to see, they preach it not stop, and they are using every conceivable way they can to get around the Second Amendment. Al

Congrats, that is a nice rig and a combo that can cover just about any big game hunting you would want to do here in NY and also the rest of the country. I am a long time Ruger affectionado and for me Ruger 77 series bolt action rifles have one of the best styled factory stocks in both look and function so I can see why you favor that rifle. Those scope caps mentioned above I never knew existed and are about the fanciest and most expensive I have ever seen, being made by Leupold you know they are quality. When it comes to scope caps I have been for the most part won over by the neoprene sock style that completely covers the scope, while they look dorky they offer the best protection for both the scope body and the lens and do wonders preventing safe dings.

You sound like you are describing yourself. Al

I know what you would like to do and say and nobody can blame you but this is one of those deals where it is best to say nothing. You do not want your daughter facing an incident right from the get-go in the biggest and hopefully the happiest day of her life. Just let your daughter know you will do the best you can to help have her day and let the chips fall where they may. Al

Sorry to hear about your Dad, I have several of my Dad's firearms and use them frequently, in their way they keep the connection for me. You did a good job on that old Marlin, that old walnut stock has some pretty fair figure in it. Al

I participated in my first Rimfire Challenge a few days ago at my local rod and gun club, did not have a clue on the particulars and went just to see how they were shot. I have a bunch of high end rimfire rifles but they are for the most part bolt actions and I did know that in the challenge matches autoloaders that can hold ten round magazines are what are used for the most part so I took what I felt was my best suited, the Kingston Garand with open sights. So I found the shoot interesting and fun, I should have had 5 magazines for the match and while not required the match will go along much smoother without the time screwing around reloading. Also an optical sight would have speeded times some as these 73 year old eyes take a little bit of time to focus open sights. Anyhow the Garand performed great making those steel plates sing and I shot well having several clean runs out of the five I shot. So in next week's match I am a bit better prepared as I know what to do and have. I have 5 magazines with polished lips that function well and I mounted a Sig Romeo red dot that really speeds up my sighting. Al

It will depend on what kind of hunting methods and techniques one employs, if you are still hunting, snow tracking or using drives it is guaranteed you will be seeing plenty of running Deer. Sitting in a blind or up in a tree stand not so much and from what I see on this board that appears to be the way most Deer hunting is done these days. Also shooting practice on game that is moving is not restricted to Deer, small game hunting and upland game shooting is invaluable for learning good hunting marksmanship. Al

I have down through the years acquired an extensive collection of hunting and shooting books going back to Teddy Roosevelt's writings on hunting. At one time there was plenty advice and direction on how to take shots on running game and how to place shots at all kinds of angles including rear end shots. It was always advised those shots were to be taken when a hunter's marksmanship, nerves and confidence was up to the task which was accomplished by plenty of practice with whatever weapon one chose to use. There was never anything I read of of sending out a hail of lead and hoping for the best. There is a reason Howard Hill and Byron Ferguson shot and shoot a Bow so well, "practice", why Tom Knapp could do all that fancy shooting with those Benelli shotguns, "practice, why Jerry Miculek and Ed Mcgivern were and are such fancy shooters with handguns, "practice" and so on and so on. You will never be a good shot unless you practice and you have to be a darn good shot to hit moving game. Al

Well we shall see how much backbone and conviction she has and I hope she stands by what she said back then, that is how I measure a person, taking a stand for what the Hell you believe in! Kirsten Gillibrand had the same type of talking points before she was anointed Senator and look what happened to her, anti gun libtard through and through! Al

There are no pro gun Democrat politicians, there are just some worse than others!! Al

Pretty simple for me, I do not like getting sick! Al

If those knuckleheads could come up with any correlation of Deer having transmitted covid to Humans they would try to do just that. You can bet the animal rights organizations (who are in bed with the Democratic party) would be looking to see if it is a possibility, they are always looking for an opening to curb hunting in any way they can. Al

I agree with old Fred and have proven many times to myself that "being quiet and sitting still" works, whether I am wearing some sort of camo or my many varieties of red plaid hunting clothes. Al

That about sums it up for me, but I am having a blast! Al

Put up some new reactive steel targets today on the backyard range, got them as a Christmas present and painted up the old ones. The Rod and Gun club I belong to is going to have a rimfire challenge shoot Wednesday afternoon, something that I know nothing about but it sounds like fun and I think I am going to give a try for the heck of it. Al