Pygmy

I KNEW you would pick up on that, John...LOL... I'll probably never turn it above 1 power....hehehehehe... Actually, I bought it because it was an offer I couldn't refuse...A friend of mine was selling off his hunting stuff and I got it NIB for $100.. He had intended to put it on a Ruger #1 .375 H&H, but had since sold the rifle.

My main go- to turkey gun for the last 20 years or so has been a Remington 11-87 SP with a 21" barrel and a Kick's turkey choke. The gun came with an ivory front bead and a small chrome mid bead. Unfortunately, with this sighting system the gun patterned high and to the right, so I decided to install a sight that had some adjustment to it. I bought a Tru-Glow fiber optic rear sight and front bead that I could adjust , and used it with good effect for several years. However, many of those fiber optic sights are not especially robust or rugged, especially if you put the gun in and out of a soft case several dozen times a season, as I do. After a few years, the sight fell apart. I decided to try some kind of an optical sight next, and a friend of mine recommended a Bushnell Holosight. I bought an aftermarket cantilever that attached to my rib , and sighted the Holosight in. I killed some turkeys with it, but never really warmed up to it. I had to keep fiddling with the intensity of the red dot, and I was always afraid I might forget to turn it on of off. On top of that, it was ugly as sin, and made my shotgun look like the ray gun that Buck Rogers might use for lunar gobblers. About 2 months after the warranty ran out, the housing broke, with no way to repair it. For a couple of seasons I used another one of my guns, a Rem 1100 Magnum with a 26" full choke barrel and double beads..It is a very accurate and effective shotgun, but it's blued/walnut finish is as shiny as a baby's butt, and I did not want to tape or paint it. Just the other day I was poking around in my gun cabinet and found a scope I had forgot I had. It's a Leupold Vari-X II , 1 x 4x 20MM... I pawed around in a shoebox that is labeled " Misc. Gun Stuff" and pulled out the cantilever and a set of new 1" scope rings.. I mounted the little scope on the 11-87...Looks kinda classy on the shotgun. As soon as the weather breaks, I'll sight it in and have a new turkey sighting system to try out on those Canadian gobblers when the Ontario season opens April 25th... Life is GOOD.....<<sigh>>....

Here in 8X and 8T we did not have enough snow to limit mobility of the deer and turkeys. The super cold temps do stress the critters to a degree, but are not nearly as harmful as deep snows. Generally, if they can stay mobile, they can get enough to eat above ground.

Nice picts..Thanks for sharing... I have bear, fox and 'yote pictures on my property, but no bobcats yet. However, my buddy got a nice picture of a bobcat on the property.. He has also seen one in the flesh when he was bowhunting for deer.

I drove past my old homestead yesterday and noticed that my EX wife had buckets out.. She and one her lady friends always made the BEST maple surple. When I moved out , my supply kinda DRIED UP.. <<rolleyes>>... I've bought it from a couple other sources since then, but it's never been quite the same now that I am no longer paying property taxes on the trees that produce it..

I hunt in Ontario, Canada for gobblers every spring. There are LOTS of coyotes around, and it is legal to shoot them anytime. My partner and passed up a few that came in to our calls..Then we realized that we may as well shoot them, because they usually screw up your turkey hunt anyway. Now we smoke the coyotes and worry about hunting the turkeys after things settle down, or perhaps the next day..We have killed a couple of dogs and then had gobblers come into the calls a short while later.. BTW...Copper plated sixes work good on coyotes within 20 yards or so....

Woodsman...Those are some pretty ambitious hunts you listed... You must have pretty deep pockets...<<grin>>... I'm putting together a mule deer hunt in Colorado , scheduled Nov 1-9... The unit I'm applying for takes 11 or 12 preference points, unless one can afford an expensive landowner voucher ( which I can't).. I have been fortunate to be able to do some very good hunts over the last 30 years. Some of the ones that were on my wish list are no longer practical, for financial reasons AND the fact that I'm no longer physically able to do some of the more strenous hunts ( like the sheep and goat hunts and the DIY moose hunts). However, I have managed to hunt in quite a few wild and wonderful places... Great memories... I've hunted from southern New Mexico to Alaska, and then across Canada from Northwest Territories to Newfoundland..Most of my hunts have been DIY, the most notable exceptions being the Canadian hunts which required ( by law) hiring a guide or outfitter . Good luck in your endeavors...Do the TOUGH ones while you are still young and healthy enough to do them... Might as well do them while you can. They are not going to get any less expensive. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding specific hunts..I might be able to provide some useful info.

No fishing today... The launch and about 2 acres were open water.. Then it was surrounded by ice.. My partner has fished Keuka for 53 years, and he said this is only the second time he has not been able to launch at Hammondsport due to ice. DAMN that Al Gore for inventing global warming...<<grin>>...

....<<<< Hearty APPLAUSE !!!....>>>> Congrats, Deerthug... She's the PURTIEST girl in the band....<<<SMILE>>>...

Beautiful rifle, JB...Very classy... Don't sell it to a gunshop...They will only pay perhaps half of what it is worth. I'd put a proper scope on it ( like a Leupold fixed 6X) and go kill stuff with it. If someone offers you more money for it than you think it's worth, use your own judgement. If it were mine I would not sell it for less than 1K. As long as you take good care of it, it is never going to depreciate in value..It's value will only increase

Kevin...They are hammering the lakers right now on the Branchport end jigging through the ice, using the same lures that I use fishing open water. Nothing wrong with trolling..I did it for years. However once I discovered jigging I hardly ever troll anymore...It's just so much more fun catching the lakers on light tackle ( I use a medium light 6' spinning rod) and it is VERY effective.. All you need is a good fishfinder and an electric motor to hold the boat in the wind so that you can jig STRAIGHT down.. Trolling, in my opinion , is a lot more work than jigging and while it is very effective, I never caught so many fish trolling as I have in the last 6 or 8 years since I have been jigging. Give me a holler sometime when you start fishing and we'll go out and jig up a few..

Okay, Larry..I have my camera set out..Maybe Sis will help me post the pictures....

We're planning to hit the lake again tomorrow morning. I'm considering putting a couple filets aside and trying PICKLING them, similar to pickled herring (YUM).. From what I have read, lake trout pickles well.. I'll keep ya posted..

Ranger...I'm gun hunting..My bowhunting days are over. Good stuff, guys, keep it coming...<<big SMILE >>..

All the years I have hunted I have never owned a real warm camo coat. I have always got by with layering. I'm in the market for a cold weather camo coat or jacket that will break the wind and keep my ricketty old bones warm in sub zero weather. Any suggestions ?

Hard to believe....Why didn't they just fly farther south ?

I don't believe it is ILLEGAL to carry in bars per se, but it is RECOMMENDED not to carry in establishments that serve alcohol. The county judges have a lot of leeway as far as being able to pull a person's pistol permit. If you go honkey tonking, it's probably a good idea to leave the handgun at home, or at least lock it in the car.

Geno....To quote a very famous ( and recently deceased) person... ....." I don't think we're IN Kansas anymore, Toto ".....

I haven't been able to enjoy pea soup since I watched Patty Blair vomiting it in " The Exorcist".... Sorry, did I ruin your supper ? <<grin>>....

I did the peppers last night... They were delicious ! Thanks, Deerthug...!.. I think my next gourmet delight will be chicken gizzards.... Simmer a couple of pounds of gizzards in water with a little salt, black pepper and a bay leaf for about an hour. Place gizzards in a baking pan..I usually use a 9 x 13 aluminum steamline dish. Sprinkle with salt, coarse black pepper , poultry seasoning, and red pepper flakes to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Slice up some onions and celery on top of gizzards. Cover tightly and place in a slow ( 300 degree) oven for about two hours or until gizzards are very tender. Uncover, and turn heat up to 375-400 and allow gizzards to brown for a few minutes. Makes great finger food for the weekly poker game.

Yeah, you just can't trust those sly orientals... Reminds me of the last time I got bit on the ankle by a vicious dog.. It was a Pekinese....

Growie has been AWOL for 2 or 3 weeks now ... I'm worried about the Little Darlin ... I heard a rumor that she ran off to Bora Bora with a deranged fertilizer salesman to do some experiments in growing tropical food plots, but I don't know if it's true or not... Anybody got any skinny on her whereabouts ?? Hopes she's OKAY....I MISS her....No, REALLY...!...

Thanks, Deerthug...I just happen to have some nice peppers in the fridge and a package of ground venison thawing.. I'll give it a try tomorrow ! I have always loved stuffed peppers but for some reason I've never got around to making them.

I haven't jump shot a rabbit in many years, but back in the day I always loved jumping brushpiles. Those bunnies come flying out from under the brush like they are jet propelled, making for some FUN shooting !! Good job !! You have some good eating there. I just had roast rabbit for my supper last night and I have some leftover to nibble on for lunch today.

Nothing cuts back turkey numbers quicker than a cold, wet nesting season, and there have been several of those in the last few years. Nesting success was especially bad last spring. Broods were small and late. A couple of decent nesting seasons would help reverse the trend.