Daveboone

I remember wearing two pairs of jeans over cotton Kmart long underwear, two pairs of socks in Kmart rubber boots...with bread bags over my socks to help me slide my feet in and keep dry...Wearing dads thoroughly worn out wool coat and Filson style hat....a bandolier of slugs (always lost half of them by the end of the day).

Remember the days of seemingly bumper to bumper traffic , cars and trucks filled with orange clad hunters on 81 and the thruway? Opening morning, I didnt see any, and darn few vehicles in all the old road side parking places. When either northern tier or southern tier opening day came around, those were the days by far most hunters got out. Now, i know few hunters who arent multi season hunters...Bow, ML, regular season....Bow season for most now means crossbow, ML is modern inline. Effectively, people start hunting in september. I was very surprised last week end to go through a DEC traffic stop in the north country, southern Jefferson county. First game stop I had seen in probably 30 years. I was glad to see them, but at the same time I wanted to know why they didnt have it a month earlier, when the camps were way more full. Darn few hunters out at that time (last week end).

BS. When they catch poachers red handed on feeders at night with multiple deer shot from a car, they get a slap on the hand. Myself, I believe game law penalties are woefully ineffective....when you read about the "cuffs and collars", most are repeat offenders.

I am a total hot dog snob....Hoffmans or nothing! I ate way too many weiners as a kid.... That said....the only venison hot dogs I ever had that were worth comparing to a Hoffmans were from Costanzas in Webster NY. But all thier sausage products are a huge step up from the normal venison butcher sausage.

I have used both Williams and Lyman apertures quite a bit and love them ( I sometimes forget without looking which rifles I have wear which...I have used them on Mausers, 94s, Krags, and on my Lyman Great Plains caplock, which I shoot in league with. If you arent used to open sights, they take getting used to, but much greater accuracy potential than with just open buck horns....Hey, Just ask Quigley!

94s were top eject until their last run, when angle eject came out..that is, under the long time ownership before they went bellyup in the nineties. Before then, you could use an off set scope mount, but they were alwasy very clumsy. I had never heard of the AR...is that the angle eject? My own thoughts...I dearly love my 94s (I have owned four), but to me ...a scope kills its easy natural handling. I have a Williams aperture on mine, and it is amazing the improvement in accuracy. They used to be all pre drilled for them.

For a lot of folks, hunting is all about the toys they can buy. I enjoy one game camera in a popular area, just to know what is in the area, as well as the other wild life that is around. I know some guys who use them so ...scientifically, they will not hunt at all unless critters are showing at those times. Thus, some years they almost dont hunt at all...instead of just putting on the boots and ....Hunting!

I have shot quite a few with neck shots...but only when I can place it from behind at the base of the skull/neck, from a rest, when a good broad side shot was not available. Not much margin of error.. No meat wasted, drops them in their tracks. BUT>>>>Given preferences, give me a broad side boilermaker shot every time. Larger margin of error with quite a large kill area. I am not proud....I have goofed "gimme" shots trying for the fancy shot. Go for the sure thing, every time.

I think .243 is fine for smaller southern deer...but big bodied northern deer...big plus with a .30 caliber bullet (or bigger). No substitute for putting the bullet in the right place, but on marginal shots...fat and heavy bullets break more bone, penetrate deeper...less deflection....There is a reason the good old 30-30, 30-06, etc. have been favorites for well over a hundred years.

I have always tried to be in stand well before sun up, and often stay well after...just so as to not spook critters as bad. Even with the old times, I often stopped officially hunting...but may still be on stand....well before legal stopping. With snow on the ground...big game changer. Overall, I dont think it has changed how I hunt.

63 here. I have always been up bright and early, so getting up and into my stand still doesnt bother me. What does, is that all my hunting buddies are scattered, so I hunt mostly alone. I really miss the company/talking about the day, etc. I bagged a buck with my ML early, which I am happy for the meat. I have the last week of the season of which is when i usually see the most deer, and more bucks, but I really dont have much drive to get out in the woods now.

I may be too old school....but even though I enjoy checking out a few different forums, really....I do not consider it "socializing" like so many do. I may get annoyed with on line silliness but cant take it personally. I doubt anyone misses me if I am not participating for a while, and it isnt like I (no offence anyone) miss a "pseudonym" relationship from online.

I have a ring eye to a beam extension on my porch, which a block and tackle hooks to. The winch on my atv does the rest of the work.

Good go! NIce buck! I had last week off for NT ML season...strictly traditional cap and ball for me that week. It was so warm it was only worth going out a few mornings early on, but I made sure i was up there for the end of the week when the warm weather broke and the temps dropped very nicely. I was able to take a nice heavy bodied 3 ptr with my .54 Lyman. North woods, shots are close which is a great equalizer. I wont be out much over the next few weeks, I take the last week of the season off ...usually have snow by then and more deer move into the area...and fewer hunters.

BAck in the seventies when I started hunting, the Buck 110 was the accepted standard. Tough, held a good edge, good quality. I carried mine for decades, reserved exclusively for hunting, and still have it. It has been retired for quite a few years as I realized it really was clumsy to hold onto, and the blade design really was lacking for gutting. I have used a number of different blades over the years but a vintage Sharpfinger is my go to now. The smaller blade is much more maneuverable, it holds an edge as good as a 110 and the overall design is much more ergonomick....sometimes smaller is better...and to boot...it has a lanyard which means you can let go of the knife to change a grip/whatever without dropping/misplacing the knife.

I have used a call when I know there is an actively rutting buck in the area...known by sight/activity. In some areas, calls are way overused, and the bucks get used to them/ignore them....( I am sure it is the same as them recognizing a friends voice, as telling the difference form someone trying to imitate a voice). I have used bleets to call does in closer, but seldom use them anymore. With a rifle/muzzleloader, generally if you can see them, they are in range, no reason to entice them closer. (I generally hunt north wood, where 75 yards is a looong shot.

Neck shots can be very decieving as far as placement, much more so than the good old boiler maker shot that gives actually quite a large margin of error. I have made them plenty of times with a rifle, but only from a steady rest...and I myself prefer to take only the back of the neck, base of the head from behind, obviously. Not a good shot at all for a bow. At the same time, I have seen quite a few deer where neck shots missed the bone, and after initially dropping the deer from the shot, they get back up and run. Generally with a bow, few folks go for a "bone" shot, leaving the narrow window for the jugular/etc. which is very easy to miss if you really dont know your anatomy. A shot not taken is never to be regreted. Dont pressure yourself into thinking you should have taken it. There is never wrong in not taking a shot.

I have actually seen quite a few of these, in different forms. They were quite common for manufacturers, armorers, etc. to check the quality of the powder.

Reload. 30-30 is super simple, lots of components

I have to say I was doubly pleased after firebombing my hornets nest, digging it up....and torching it more....(yep, kinda vengeful!), that raccoons or some such finished the job a night or two later, further diggin them up and finishing the job. They must like them roasted!

About two years ago, I was mowing the lawn up at my camp when I drove over a nest of white headed wasps (ground bees). They were all over me before I knew what was going on. In a panic, I ran inside to get away from them, trying to brush them off me. They followed me in. In the process, I was stung...alot. My guess, about 75 times, mostly along my R hand, ankles, lower legs and feet. I pulled off my socks, to find them down inside them, and in my pants leg. I was in a bit of a panic ,and knew this could be serious. I grabbed our allergy relief benadryl and took four, then went to my neighbors explaining what happened, asking to stay there for an hour or so to be sure I didnt have a severe reaction. Luckily, I didnt...but an hour later, I was still picking them off. I called the wife to tell her what was happeining, and headed home....it was a long drive, and the next few days were the most miserable I ever had. I had to call in sick a few days, and two months later, my R hand was still swollen twice the size. It took a couple weeks, but we returned to the camp with a vengeance.....fire bombed and dug up the nest, and several others we found. Everything has its place...but not those little bastards. My recommendations...dont do what I did....IF you get attacked with multple bites...get around someone to watch you, and dont be shy about going to urgent care/ED.

There are always some sneaky snakes in my shed too...make me jump a mile every time, but I know they are harmless, and let them be.Way too many mice, etc. around, and they help.

Is the garage heated? How do your taxidermy heads hold up ?

The old Coleman white gas (coleman fuel) stove is a work horse, but they can be gimmicky, shouldnt be used inside, and have a learning curve to simmer/ light cook with. They do require periodic maintenance, and keep them clean. A propane version is much safer if you arent used to them (( no flare ups, no gas to spill) and are fine adjustable easily.

The important thing is getting all the air out of the bag before sealing. I have eaten three year old meat with no problem, but choose to make chili/etc. out of it. Although fine, it may not pass for #1 prime.