coonhunter

Good to see that the girls are joining in on the fun and excitement. I have had mostly girls the last couple years. They shoot my 270 more than I do.

Both of you enjoy your hunt together, and I hope she piles up a nice one to share with you.

I am mix of old school and modern. I use my phone for work mostly, and that is only occasionally. If my wife didn't get me a smart phone, I honestly wouldn't have it. I am a face to face person, so I have never been a big fan of phones. I am not ignorant enough to not realize they are useful at times, but I am not one to live in my phone like it seems the majority of people do. That said, I love my kindle, and spend a ton of time reading 20 feet up in a tree. I also like to chat on walkie talkie with whoever is with me so I know when they leave the woods, shoot something and need help, or just to share a little information. Does any of this help or hurt me? Don't care. Like others, this is how I hunt. I have always had a book or magazine in the stand.

Hell, I have an extra pack for food and water. And that's not counting my thermos of coffee. I take two ham or roast beef and cheese sandwiches, two bottles of water and a bottle of juice if it is warm, some fruit, and some sort of candy. Some days I eat and drink it all, some days I have a lot left over. But, i can't stand sitting in a tree wanting a drink, or listening to my stomach growl.

I go to a ton of dirt modified races from April to October. Hit up a few bull riding events during the year also. As for watching on tv, I do a lot of recording and fastforwarding to watch football. I love hockey, but usually can't sit for a whole game until the playoffs. There never seems to be enough hours in the day for me to do the things i do, plus watch tv.

No hot hands for me yesterday. For some reason, last year I put the empty package back in the mesh side of my pack instead of my garbage container. The rain and cold had me reaching for them early, and it was a surprise to find an empty package.

I do love seeing first timers with the huge smile on their faces. Happy for both of you.

I am in the club of just draw, anchor, put the pin behind the shoulder, and fire. Until now, I have never even heard of using the housing for anything but holding my pins.

I read a lot in stand. Used to be books, now it is a Kindle. I am an avid reader and i figure if i am going to be sitting there doing nothing most of the day, i might as well be reading.

Crappyrice good score on those hens. It has been a good year for mushrooms, but that is a really nice batch.

I do love these stories and all the pictures when guys are finding shed antlers. But I will always be a sucker for a working dog, having trained several for coon and rabbits and hares. I appreciate the time and effort it takes to become a team.

Pygmy, even my wife is laughing at that classic!!

I spend from April to October going to as many dirt track races as I can on the weekends. During the week I enjoy fishing the southern tier rivers for walleyes after work off and on all spring and summer. I will say that with the heat this summer, I did a lot less fishing. Once the lakes ice up, I am ice fishing a lot, mostly for perch, crappie and bluegills. It is probably my favorite hobby now because I can get more interested in trying it out. And, I love getting kids out there running tip ups when the pike or pickeral are hitting minnows good. Nothing gets kids interested quicker than success and bigger fish.

Sorry for your loss. I've been through the same with my best friend and bowhunting partner. I can honestly say that it hurt me worse than anything in my life. Make sure you and your family find a way to grieve, and I am giving you and yours my sincere condolences. It's a tough one.

I killed one at 42 and one at 37. All others have been at 25 and less. The majority of my stands are set up for close shooting. I am a woods guy, and don't set up on field edges. Not that field edges can't be effective, it is just my preference and style of hunting. I also prefer my shots to be 15 yards at least just because of the shot angle from the height.

Great catch on the cam. I have never seen any color other than black.

My wife and a couple friends went with me to watch a Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour bull riding event in Wilkes Barre over the weekend. My wife hates just about any sport there is, but she loves bull riding. This is one level below the PBR, where the riders try to score enough points to make it on, or back up to the top level. These events are family and patriotic oriented. At this event the crowd sang the national anthem. There is another event coming up in Rochester if anyone thinks they may be interested. They are very exciting and action packed. It's always nice to get out for a whole night with my wife. She puts up with a lot from me with going to the races every weekend all summer, then hunting season, then ice fishing. Hell, I am hardly ever home, and she knows she is always welcome to go with me and to bring friends, but would rather shop and ram around with the girls most of the time. That is why we were abundantly clear on how we spend our free time before we got married. She knew that it just isn't in me to sit around and relax very much, just like I knew she loves to lay around on the weekend til she is ready to do something.

I am not afraid to get in an exposed tree. I just get up higher in my climber. I know if I start picking my bow off the ground, I am between 21 and 22 feet at my bottom section. I am not afraid of heights, but I sure do a good inspection before I climb up that high. I don't want any surprises, and I am hooked to the tree from the ground til I get back on the ground 100%. On the rare occasion I forget my strap, I am hunting from the ground. Thankfully, this hasn't happened in a few years. Good luck, and if you plan on going up higher than normal, try a few arrows to see where you hit from the same height.

Boy Predate, that is a nice mixed bag and they look about as prime as a man can find.

You say you are using them for walking paths. Know now that the deer are going to be using these same paths without a doubt. Use this fact to your advantage when you set up your stands.

As far as I'm concerned, driving is a lost skill. It is crazy what you see every day just travelling back and for for work. The one that irks me the most is, when did it become common to just leave your high beams on with someone in front of you?

My wife has no interest in hunting or shooting. She does enjoy walking in the fields and woods as long as there are not too many hills. During gun season she will sit in a blind with me for a morning or afternoon once in awhile just to see the animals and birds. Funny thing is that although she has no interest in fishing open water in warm weather, she enjoys sitting in a shanty ice fishing. During the open water season, she will go if I go with a buddy on his boat, just to relax or drive the boat. I have helped several young girls and adult women get into hunting and fishing. In my experience, they are way more easy to teach than young boys or men. They are there to learn and succeed with no preconceived ideas, and much more patience. And, you have to remember that everyone has fun outdoors in their own way. I have had two teen girls in a pop up with me texting and tee heeing all weekend, but when it came time to shoot, both girls were up to the task with one shot kills. They both had a great time and always stay in touch with me, and come sit a couple times every year.

The meteor showers are one thing I miss about coon hunting. There were nights that we saw a couple hundred or more. Most of them were just quick white streaks. But once in awhile we would see big ones that lasted for several seconds and actually started breaking apart.

I like a lot of different things on my hotdogs, just depends on my mood or taste at the time. My favorite is probably chili with some good sharp cheddar. A close second is sauerkraut, dill pickle, shredded cheddar, and mustard.

Wow! From what I can see of it, it is damn near a work of art. Definitely a beauty.