Daveboone

I like it just browned like a burger, maybe with some mozzarella on top. This year for the first time I took about 22 lbs of meat to Costanzas sausage co. (Webster NY) to have some of their specialty sausages made, what a great choice. Red pepper and mozzarella Italian sausage, jalapeno and cheddar salami, pepperoni, ham and cheddar sausage. Absolutley outstanding stuff, it was really nice to do something different with the scraps. Actually, one of my favorite venison cooks is simply to take a venison burger patty (strait, no pork or additives) sprinkle it with black pepper and Bucks seasoning, and brown it like sausage (medium rare please) for breakfast.

just for curiosity....what are you going to use it for? you mention the "biggest caliber " which really doesn't tell the whole story if you are looking for a hunting gun. It has been a while, but last I recall the 30-30 actually had it over most 44 rounds for muzzle energy at 100 yards, not to mention trajectory. Not only that, some vendors don't sell hand gun ammunition (as 44 mag and 45 colt is originally designed for) unless you have a pistol permit....even if you point out it is for a carbine. They just look at you dumb. No one needs to get all antsy if they want to dig out the ballistic and loading charts....I haven't compared newer loading manuals and ballistic charts, but that is one of the things with the hand gun rounds...they loose their energy a lot quicker. Not to mention the much higher cost of em. And on top of 30-30s of course, you have much more potent rounds in lever actions: 35 Remington, 45-70 which of course thumps the 30-30 for energy,.300 savage, etc. If you are just looking for "biggest", skip those two handgun rounds and just go to the 45-70. probably want to shoot one first. A lot more kick and blast than a lot of folks expect.

Culver Creek, I wouldn't be able to ….I was in Boston, and reading whatever local paper/ newspaper happened to be in a friends house. I cant help but wonder though, whether (sic?) on occasion a blind eye is turned or if it is a matter of hiding in plain sight?? Boston is historically very Irish (Go Celtics!). It was funny to note the wonderfully amazing number of beautiful redheads with accents serving in the restaurants and bars though.

Kinda a pain in the neck to refer back to someone elses note without having to duplicate the whole dang thing, which is annoying as all hell.....anyway... Apexer and Steve863, I am absolute agreement as to the importance of controlling / documenting the immigration....it is just how...., anyway...a couple of interesting things I have picked up on in my travels over the past few years.... The number one group of illegal immigrants in Massachussetts is....Irish. (per an article I read in Boston when I was visiting three years ago). But then, who the heck wants to kick out the Irish redhead gals, papers or no papers? (okay, okay, double standard) I will not remember the exact figures by far, but published in a Newfoundland Newspaper the same year were listed the total number of allowed immigrants, including refugees to the province for the same year. Broken down were the required trades/ skills that were being allowed. It was going to be less than three hundred individuals (which I think allowed for their immediate dependent families too, but might be wrong). Granted Newfoundlands total population is only that of some cities, but it still demonstrated the restricted measures they have there. And I totally respect it. Now, as pointed out, so far...surprisingly, as an example to all how we can get along....lets continue to keep this a cordial conversation!... tough to do...three things gentlemen never discuss, their wives, religion and politics!!

I am very reluctant to respond ...as someone else mentioned, this is an outdoors column, I go here to relax, not debate. Probably no one wants to get into a discussion that isn't going to go anywhere, where opinions are stated up front. I am very middle of the road, but our current leaderships absurd rhetoric alienates me. My family is very WASP (white anglo saxon protestant, for those of you who are too young to know the term). We are historically illegal immigrants. A fair part of my ancestry came to NY from Canada, crossing the border to escape their indentured servitude they sold themselves into to come to the US from Europe. They historically squatted on land for a while, until moved, no one documented as holding down a steady job until my Grandmother Billie started working in the Cortland Corssete Factory in the 1920s.( continuing into the 1970s). We have an incredible load of born Americans who are at least as worthless and a drag on the system as the immigrants we worry about. I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with countless immigrants from many countries in the role of my job. The common underlying factors are they had to leave because their families were in constant danger, and leaving a home is always a last ditch last choice. I have met folks who were surgeons in their home country who had to take jobs sweeping floors here....and were glad for the opportunity. South American migrant workers who were among the most sober, conscientious workers I ever met, worked for under minimum wage sun up to sundown so they could send their money back to their families. When I was (much ) younger, I always enjoyed working with them, they were smart, industrious and fun. Now they work the fields alone, because our youth are raised so spoiled they never even consider working in the fields. Three upstate farms I know have closed due to the lack of dependable workers. I agree that our benefits shouldn't be allowed for unregistered/illegal individuals, but will we be so inhuman to deny children with no choice in politics to suffer? America is recognized as the premier nation in the world. If we truly believe we are, then we have responsibilities, other than acting like a bully which may questionably work in the business world, but has no place in world leadership...the histories of our worlds tyrants and despots proves the point, and history does repeat itself. We are one of very few nations in the world who have undefended borders. Are we declaring Mexico an enemy? The state of "emergency", etc. is a farce....how can it now be when it has never been before? Things haven't changed that much over the years. Shall we build a border with Canada once we are done with Mexico? Once that border closes, of course the presumed threat will move north. If hundreds of miles of desert along ours and Mexicos border isn't a deterrent, oh, my, what sort of a deterrent will a measly 10 or twenty foot tall wall be?

are you near the old Seneca Army Depot (with the white deer? ) it looks like the nose is black, and eyes dark, as opposed to being pink like a true albino. Very cool though.

A couple years ago a fellow shooting at the range next to me had a new Kimber in .308....not sure of the model, but as I remember it was a hunting as opposed to target model. I had been wanting to look at one for some time, and the owner obliged me. I have to say I was ….underwhelmed. The action felt gritty, the safety so hard to engage and rough it took a concerted effort to move. Shooting...I didn't shoot it, but the owner seemed to have good technique, and was shooting from a benchrest...My original model 98 Mauser with the original 8x57 barrel I was shooting that day embarrassed him.

I have already started cutting back trees to get more light to my young oaks, apples and chestnuts, but this weather is probably putting me on hold for much more for a while! I hope to open up some more area for oaks. I will be making more of a point of getting time off in the late season hoping for snow, but darn it, I just love being in the woods in the early season.

hmm, probably answering too seriously, but... According to the African readings I have done, the hyena is one cowardly beast. Me thinking the lions toss the others into the center, just for fun and distraction then enfilade the flanks....the hyenas instantly break in terror, lose a few compadres and never look back at the lions as they depart for parts unknown.

Hey now, what about the report? any rabbits? That looks like fingerlakes country.

I would think finding farm/ crop lands bordering forest lands ….while limited in the daks, would be a best starting point. Then knock on some farmers doors as to if they have any problems with bears, when and where, and see if you can get a foot in the door. Many state parks in the ADKS (I know firsthand Limekiln in particular) have nuisance bears, and you need to be very careful with your campsite. There is a lot of nearby state land particularly at Limekiln, immed. adjacent, but those big black furballs sure know how to get scarce in a hurry. What about inquiring with the local DEC/Ranger offices about areas with a lot of nuisance complaints?

Cool. I wish I had the time/ ambition to give the calling a try. What do you do with the pelt afterwords?

Depends on the time of season.... Early season I am probably going first choice with my Lacrosse rubber backs...the old fashioned uninsulated type. For total waterproofing, you cant beat em. the only problem with any full rubber boot is they sweat, so change your socks throughtout the day (no substitute for good Merino wool). When it is getting colder, I have a pack of Cabelas 2000 rubber packs, whatever they call them. They are the warmest boot I ever had, fair support and of course totally waterproof to the top. My only complaint is the last pair didn't last as long as I would expect, but I probably got 5 years out of them. If I am walking /still hunting, I like the good old Maine hunting boot/ LL bean style boot. The relatively small foot print minimizes noise, reasonably waterproof (I so often swamp bog above the top it is a moot point anyway).

If the sun is out, we would go out regardless. Zero with the sun out and not much wind can still be a nice day, Zero with wind and snow...not so much. When we had a dog to run bunnies, they would stir up the action even in the coldest weather, but of course it isn't a good thing to keep them out very long.

The one you are most proficient with. The one you are most likely to have immediately and instantly available and able to put into action without hesitation. An 800 Magnum Express is useless if you miss. Learning,Knowing and planning for common sense hiking/ camping bear precautions are probably far more important than worrying about just which handgun to bring.

Northwest Passage by Kenneth Roberts is a historical novel on Rogers and the rangers...it is the basis of the movie by the same name, but covers a lot more ground. it is a great book. Wilderness War (I forget the author) is written of the indian wars fought in the American Revolution against the Iroquois, covering the Sullivan campaigns. All local stuff, and a great read. It is history, not a novel but it reads like one. Drums along the Mohawk...the book of which the movie was base...Like Northwest Passage, it has been around quite a while, but I read it for the first time a year ago, and it read very quickly. Both books are exciting NY history. We forget just how much upstate NY was the frontier at one time. Someone else mentioned Crow Killer....I agree, it is a great book.

I cringe in the dark when I think of some of the things I did...and didn't get caught or simply was lucky enough to survive!

over the past year or so I needed to raise some funds to pay for last falls moose hunt. There was plenty of iron that was never getting used or was duplicate, so I thinned the herd. As we all know, selling to a gun shop you take a real killing. The last time I tried to do that, I was offered on the average about 1/4 the going price....and what I was looking at was for similar used guns in other shops, etc. not the jacked up price of online. I decided to try Hessney Auctions, near Waterloo. I had been referred to them by others. They are an FFL , dealer, and periodically through the year run sportsmans/ firearms auctions. My guns were photographed and listed on line. They handle all the paperwork. They will sell for the going price of high bid on that day....sometimes you do real well, sometimes you miss the mark a bit, but overall I have been pleased with the result. Do not expect them to sell for the prices you see on "buy now" Gun Broker, and usually they are not "steal" prices. If you don't have someone interested in what you have that day, you may be disappointed. If you have something someone just has to have, you can get a foolish great price for them. Among my sales: A new in the box Lyman Great Plains pistol....50 bucks. Obviously a rotten price, but all muzzleloaders seemed to be going for similar prices. My Beretta 92 sold for what I paid for it: 590.00 (remember, commission still comes out). My Remington Wingmaster slug gun, refinished stock well used condition, 250.oo. They do get a stiff commission on the selling price (paid by the seller), but the bottom line was I was satisfied with the total of what I got (for the total of the guns, I was hoping to raise 3000.oo total, and did so within a few dollars. I would use them again if situation warranted, and My wife has been instructed on using their services if something happens to me and she needs to sell the guns. Honestly speaking, if I had a long gun that an individual well known to me wanted, ...who would know the difference if we handled it the old fashioned way?

wow, must have been a very late birth.

I agree with Jerkman….some loads do achieve best results with compressed loads....my 45-70 with 30-31 for example....BUTTTTT....they are very high end loads designed for only modern firearms approved for same, and for the beginner reloader, it is more important that they learn to closely and carefully work up to a safe load.

not far off from a normal meal schedule is it? breakfast around 7-8, lunch in between and then dinner around 4-5. They key point with any diet/ healthy eating, is to stop snacking in between and in the evening when we are bored. Most diets boil down to moderation and common sense. Stop buying / eating snack foods, soda, fast food, and watch how fast you lose weight.

For many years I only hunted state land on the Tug Hill, and still partially do. I pretty much hunt it as I would private, just being aware of the potential of other hunters. It took us a number of years working an area to really know how and where to hunt it...and be sure, there are plenty of chunks of state land that simply don't hold any deer. That is where post season scouting, especially when snow is on the ground, comes in. Most state forest and game management land you can park wherever you don't block a road. Many areas have parking spots, primarily I think to keep folks from getting stuck on the side of the road. I no longer need to, but still would go into the woods to be on stand a good 1/2 hr before sun up and usually plan to stay until legal dark. Game Cameras...depends on your take on the chance of them being found. I would allways get a compass bearing in and out, and of course be sure to do the route several times in the daytime to be familiar with it. I allways have paracord with me to help drag, but if I am going back in further than I care to rough drag it, I put a small tarp in my day pack to wrap the deer in...makes draggin ALOT easier. I also keep a couple glow sticks in my bag....if it is more than I can drag, I leave them on it until I can get back or come back with my ATV (shssss, quiet). I tend to be in the woods year round, so I start scouting seriously in September, also looking seriously for signs of other hunters, and in prospective areas, other stands/ signs of activity. I have put stands up and left them over night, frequently longer if no one is around. I have two stands on public land that have been up for over 7 years. I bolt the sections together and cable lock them in place. They are in areas that are difficult to get to from the road, but easy for me from my camp. My neighbors know they are there and also know they are welcome to use them if I am not in them. You can pull wind falls together to make ground blinds, no problem with that. I certainly feel safer in a tree and of course usually you have better views. We used to camp quite frequently. Most state land and game management areas allow it, check for the current regs….As I recall, a small party can camp a couple nights without a permit....be wise about where you do, and not on waterways. More frequently we would just camp in the back of the truck.

Ive spent my time at rock fests, and don't figure I need this one. I don't think they could pull together enough acts that I would have interest in anyway.

That pup is a BEAR at first sight!

Just remember....just because you COULD load to the upper limits, doesn't mean you should. Especially for whitetails, they aren't very hard to kill....most folks load to optimize their accuracy, not their power. As mentioned, a chronograph is a great piece of equipment, kind of a "deliar". It tells you what your load is actually doing, not what is is supposed to be doing. Never....again, NEVER, mix reloading with alcohol, or if you are tired and cant focus on what you are doing. No matter what, you can never be in a hurry. Take your time. I try to break down my sessions into steps....case preparation one night, clean the damn primer holes another, size and lube, prime, etc. I usually aim for completing a 100 rifle shells (that is, a preparation step) in a sitting.