Uncle Nicky

If you're looking for poundage, head to Montauk in the summer and go fishing for blues, stripers and sea bass. Slim chance, but if you are in the right place at the right time, you might hit a tuna/tilefish trip out to the canyons (NY/NJ/OCMD) and come home with coolers full of fish, but those days are rare, and getting skunked is more often the norm. Hatteras/Oregon Inlet in NC used to be hot for tuna, but even that is only mediocre these days, coincidentally the sushi/sashimi craze at restaurants happened at the same time most tuna fishing got crappy. I know the OP asked about salt water, but Walleye fishing on Lake Erie looks to be red hot for the next few years. A couple very good hatches in a row a few years ago, and those fish will just keep getting bigger. Last year we had to pick through shorts to get enough keepers, and we were still limited out by 11 AM. Charters are fairly inexpensive.

Ponce DeLeon spent his whole life looking for the Fountain of Youth and never found it. One thing is for sure, we all have to take a walk with the Grim Reaper some day, so enjoy your time here as much as you can. Rob- sorry for your loss.

They are right on time, as usual. With some luck, the late winter will have them gobbling later into the spring (fingers crossed).

I made a smoker out of an old refrigerator & hotplates. It worked great for about 10 years. I used to smoke jerky & sausage in it, I kept it in a shed down the bottom of the yard, rigged up with extension cords. One day I came home and found the shed burned 1/2 way to the ground, the hotplate must have shorted out. Thank God for homeowner's insurance, they bought me a new shed, and I used some of the proceeds to buy a commercial smoker, which I plugged into a real receptacle on the back porch.Haven't had a problem since.

Hate to disappoint...

This goat looks like he's about to go another round with his boyfriend Abdul, and not really liking the idea....

I'll go against the grain here, and say it can be pulled off, and can be very effective (first-hand experience). But, like anything, a lot of common sense should be employed, not only if you plan to stalk a turkey behind a fan/decoy, but also if you plan to sit in a blind behind a gobbler decoy. You need to be very aware of where you are hunting, as well as who may also be in the woods with you. In states where they allow you to spring hunt with a rifle, I don't think I'd even consider it, nor would I hunt behind a decoy or a fan on public land. But, I'm glad most people frown on it, or there would be a lot more guys hunting this way, and I'd assume a lot more accidents would happen. No more dangerous than riding a motorcycle (with or without a helmet), IMHO, and lots of folks do this.

No. It may be part human, beside many other reasons not to.

Maybe an AR chambered in .308? Or a Ruger Mini 30?

Everything I have read says that 7.62 X39 154 grain soft point has similar ballistics to a 30-30 round. A little light IMO, but enough to get the job done ethically. I'm heading down to Georgia in 2 weeks, I'll hog hunt a couple days, and plan to bring an AK style rifle, so I will do my own field test. I do recall a hog hunt about 10 years ago, I brought 3 other guys with me, all deer hunters who had never shot an AR type rifle before. The outfitter had a night vision scope on an AR that shot .223/5.56 rounds, we all thought we were undergunned (even though the outfitter said it was plenty of firepower), and it turns out we were right; out of 5 hogs shot, only 1 was recovered, and that was because it was spined, and needed another 2 rounds to be finished off (BIG old tough boar). Granted, it was night hunting, blood trails were hard to pick up, and the guide didn't want to go in the woods after wounded hogs...but, still an experience I don't plan to repeat again.

For an ethical kill, spend the money and get a deer rifle. A 223 is for shooting at woodchucks.

You heard correctly sir; caribou is great, but a rutty bull tastes like old mutton, probably worse. I have never had eland or any of the African game that I hear is so good, but my favorites in order (so far): Any FRESH fish, outside of trout, bluefish, and mackerel Bison and Axis deer Moose Caribou & elk Wild hog Alligator Wild turkey Rabbit, squirrel, groundhog Pheasant, grouse Black Bear Whitetail Antelope & mule deer Wild duck and goose

All fish I keep stays at Casa Uncle Nicky, with the exception being bluefish and mackerel. I keep all wild game, with the exception of some deer jerky and deer kielbasi I give to family, neighbors, and co-workers. I used to give more deer away, but I only shoot 2 or 3 a year now.

2 come to mind. First was my first turkey kill ever. I'd been trying on my own for a couple years to tag a bird, both fall and spring, but couldn't seem to do much of anything right. One November afternoon I was up at my camp bow hunting and a buddy stopped by and said he knew where some birds were roosting, lent me a shotgun, even showed me the tree. Next morning I was at the tree, and as soon as it started getting light, there must have been 30 birds roosted in the tree, all calling and putting & cackling. They all pitched into the field where I was up against a scrubby apple tree, it all happened so fast I couldn't get the gun up and aim, I was surrounded. After what seemed an eternity, I had eased the gun up to my shoulder, took aim at one that was 10 yards away, shot, and watched him flop and roll down the hill. When I got up to get it, there were 2 birds flopping around. The other was years later. I took a new turkey hunter with me to hunt with friends in Georgia. As I listened to him talk the whole drive down, he talked about turkeys like they were pheasants, and I kept trying to explain it was a whole other ball game (but I don't think I was getting through). I wanted to have him sit with me and learn, but he insisted he knew what he was doing, and set up at the other end of a huge field with a gobbler decoy (I went into the woods). About 2 hours later I heard BOOM-BOOM-BOOM..and thought "this doesn't sound good". I called him on the cell and he said "You aren't going to believe this". I made the long walk over, and he had 3 longbeards laid out...first question out of his mouth was "how many birds are you allowed in Georgia'?(lucky for him it's 3, and you can kill them all the same day). I wound up killing 2 myself before we headed for home, and he's never killed more than 1 a year there since then.

Crazy as it sounds, I hunted with a guy in Florida who did just that. I think he had 12-15 decoys out, mostly hens with a couple jakes mixed in. Oddly enough, one particular morning 3 longbeards came in, even pecked at some of the decoys. I was trying to double up with him, we couldn't coordinate it all, but I shot my first Osceola bird that morning.

Not sure who is having more fun, the dogs or the humans!

I think you'd have better luck making a brush blind out in the middle of the field.

I don't think there is any superhero type dog available, birds dogs are best for upland, hounds are best for treeing raccoons and running rabbits, and retrievers are best for retrieving waterfowl. If I was looking for a dog that is passable at all, I'd think of a lab, springer spaniel, or GSP. I'm sure everyone will have different opinions on this.

What are you planning to hunt with your new pup?

LOL...looks like I missed all the fun, my post was deleted.... Anyway, congratulations on your trip, I've deer hunted in Texas 6 times so far, it's always been a blast!

6/10

Leftovers, and TV. We're not too big on this holiday invented by Hallmark Greeting cards.

Not since Mrs, talked me into getting the snip about 20 year ago, no.

I had raccoon before, it wasn't bad. I'm pretty nervous about the thought now, because so many are rabid in this part of the country.