Uncle Nicky

I do tax returns to pay for my hunting & fishing addiction, that should keep me occupied from mid-January to mid-April. Also planning trips for next year. Deer season in my section of PA is open until late January, so is fall turkey in VA, if the weather cooperates (ie. WARM) I may get out a few times before it's all over.

I made it before, when I had a processing business. It was good, I used a mixture of venison & pork, but wasn't as good as just pork sopressata. Biggest thing to remember is STUFF THE CASINGS AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT BREAKING THEM, and make sure you get the right humidity, or they will not dry properly.

Agreed, pre or post rut caribou IS excellent, right up there with moose. Whoever told you rutting caribou was rank is absolutely correct. I shot one one time, the guide said don't bother, just keep the head, but I figured he was just being lazy, and quartered it myself, twisted my knee in the process bringing it down the hill. Once I got it home and cooked it (was really expecting a great meal), I realized it tasted like STRONG mutton, the family was not happy that night, I think we ordered Chinese. I tried giving some to the security guard at work, he only took one package and turned the rest down after that. My dog wouldn't even eat it, finally my sister took the rest for her dogs, she said they ate it, but weren't real excited. Lesson learned- listen to the guide!!

It is excellent, very similar to pork from the store, just a little darker and a little tougher. Old boars can be a little rough and are an acquired taste, and do have a strong smell and sometimes ejaculate when you are field dressing them, that's probably enough to turn anybody off to eating one, LOL. But the smaller hogs and sows taste great. I've probably brought 20 or 30 of them home over the years, and not one went in the garbage, even the bigger boars. Also, need to make sure and cook hog meat all the way through, since they may carry trichinosis. Best tasting-moose and bison Worst tasting-Canada goose

You will get a lower yield not only because you have to trim off the black crust that will form, but a little moisture is going to evaporate from the edible meat also. The pillow case idea sounds good, I've never heard of it, but you may be on to something! Let us know how it works out. Also, here are a couple pictures of what dry-aged beef and venison are supposed to look like.

I worked in the meat business a number of years. Cryovac meat did not improve with age, actually the blood started to get sour and gave the meat a gassy smell if it got too old. Aging meat, unfortunately, involves drying it (on the outside) and a lower yield, that is the price you pay for fork-tender steaks.

Got back from a deer hunt in Texas a couple days ago, just getting around to posting pictures. Great time as usual, killed a respectable buck, an Axis deer doe, and a fall turkey. Missed a hog the first night. Saw lots of quality deer every sit. This is all low fence hunting, NOT A PRESERVE.The outfitter treated us to a duck hunt the one morning after a few of us were tagged out. Already planning my next trip!!

In a strange way, I do sense their frustration. Dealing with self-important clerks, overseas customer service people, and career government employees at the DMV and courthouse can try the most meek person's patience at times. But, obviously there is a right way and a wrong way to handle things.

My all time favorite has always been, "Anyone can pee on the floor. If you want to be a hero, crap on the ceiling". A couple others: "What are you laughing at? The joke is in your hand". "We don't pee on the floor at your crack house. Please don't do drugs in our bathroom" (From the management). "Bucks with short horns stand closer. The next brave may be barefoot". And from my high-school days, "Flush twice. It's a long way to the cafeteria".

Perfect! One more thing I will add, and that is drive and bordeline addiction. As I move deeper into my middle age years, I'm running into more & more guys I've known or hunted with who are either dropping out or cutting it back. I don't have a lot of hobbies beside hunting & fishing, so this is what I spend all my spare time doing. I will admit once it gets into the low 20s and colder, my desire to be outside is not very great.

I don't think it is as difficult as some like to make this seem.... A bullet placed SQUARE in a deer's pooper is going to result in a very quick death. I am talking about a shot with a .270 or larger. You are either going to break a hip and drop the animal in it's tracks, or you are going to do so much damage to ANY internal organs that the deer will not survive more than a minute or two. AGAIN, NOT THE PREFERRED SHOT by any means, but it is highly effective. You have to make the decision for yourself if you want the deer badly enough, and it really doesn't have much to do with religion or God, more to do with ethics, marksmanship, and confidence.

E-mail sent

Texas Heart Shot WILL kill a deer, no doubt about it, provided your aim is true. I've killed a couple aiming for the heiny-hole (rifle, wouldn't attempt it with a muzzleloader, slug gun, or arrow), my results were slightly different, it made a mess of the insides, but a rinse in the creek or with a garden hose fixed that. Obviously, it's not the preferred shot, but it's just as ethical as attempting a neck shot or shooting at a deer facing you head-on.

I've always found a fifth of brandy warms me up quite nicely. By 2:00 or so I don't even realize it's cold anymore.

I try not too analyze any of this to much, and just try to enjoy my time in the woods and enjoy hunting. If I had to classify myself, I would say I am against antler restrictions (like we have here in PA), but I will say we do have a LOT of bigger bucks walking the woods here than we did 20 years ago. I also know deer roam a lot, especially if they are on the search for food or sex, so the only way this can work would be to impose restrictions on a lot of land (county, WMU,state), small parcels just saying don't shoot the dinkers isn't going to work. My opinion is, if you want to shoot big mature deer, save your pennies and hunt in the Midwest, Texas, or Canada, and let the guys and girls in the crowded Northeast states shoot whatever buck they want.

Not the biggest deer I've ever shot (LOL), but the only buck I saw during this odd weekend (weather-wise). VERY FEW shots heard, maybe everyone is planning to hunt Thanksgiving weekend? I'm just as proud of these dinks as I am a Booner. 9P-Allegany county private land.

Yes, I did it once years ago, before I got serious about locking up some private land to hunt.I just stopped at a hill that looked promising, sat on a ridge, and a buck ran practically in my lap. It never hurts to ask for clues or look at a topographic map for ideas, but if luck is on your side that day, it can be done,

I started hunting in NY after they went to a Saturday opener. But we still have a Monday opener for rifle in PA. I hate it, just sit around and kill time, watching the same old guys get drunk all weekend and tell the same old stories, even more aggravating if the weather is nice Saturday & Sunday & starts to rain on Monday...It's boring enough sitting in a tree waiting for something to show, without all the down-time beforehand. Probably why I hate that spring turkey hunting quits at noon, just too much time wasted when you could be enjoying the hunt. With my current work schedule, I can leave work early Friday, make the ride up to camp by Friday night, be hunting by Saturday morning, and only burn 1 vacation day on Monday.

Forecasts I'm seeing for Hornell are all over the place. I'm not panicking yet, a couple inches of snow would be a good thing, a foot or more not so good.

I look forward to this weekend all year, I'm not going to let wind stop me. If you hunt in the woods, it will be a lot less windy than hunting an open field.

Private land, West Almond/Allegany county, Savage Model 99 .358 Winchester. I'm ready to hunt deer with a gun!!

I really believe the nail in her coffin was calling voters who didn't jump on her bandwagon "a basket of deplorables". I guess she forgot who put her husband in office 16 years ago, and who she stole from to get where she is today...the working people of this country.

LOL...that was necessary? I put the word peacefully in there because that's what I meant to say.... Things get out of hand, set the dogs on them, turn on the fire hoses, and break out the rubber bullets and tear gas.

I'll go against the grain, I'm not that wound up about people protesting or complaining, it's well within their right, and the constitution says they are allowed to assemble peacefully to protest. Let 'em vent and blow off a little steam if they want, the reality will eventually sink in that things will probably be different in this country, mostly for the better. Just don't block the road if I'm late getting to work or on the way to the woods, I might run ya over.

Anyone near Philadelphia needs a ride to the airport, let me know.