Dinsdale

Hudson River, thats the Catskills peeking through the clouds. Chunk bait fishing for catfish from shore; caught 3 small ones early and a bass when reeling in to freshen bait. Had one good hit but lost that one. All in all a nice morning. Biz fishes the DEP reservoirs about an hour and change south of me, don't get down that way much.

Starting to rain...

I'd say you're not far off the mark. LOL Lefties can have a tough time with some types of guns. Drilling a compromise and most have cheek piece to get optics shooting decent for rifle. I have seen more current manufactured guns, say 1970's on have triggers bent and custom stocks for left handed shooters. But not many. But a true left handed version would be a rare bird indeed. Biggest issue with drillings is everyone thinks the gun uncle Joe brought home from the war is a treasure even after it bounced around in a duffle bag and someone lost scope and the matching claw mount rings. Thats changing a bit I feel; new shooters want to be play with what they see in the movies....prices are now more realistic for condition as demand has waned. Have owned a few, and have been playing with boxlock German SXS as of recent; but when a good buy comes along I'll see how the piggy bank is looking.

If you're looking around, don't be shy of a Dural receiver on a Sauer 3000 series. Makes all day carry more pleasant shaving some weight. Careful of some rifle chamberings , brass can be difficult to find/ pricey for some options. Avoid guns with claw mount bases but no rings. Few smiths', NECG being one , will work on claw mounts and almost always new bases and rings sets are required, unless you are OK with just open sights. And if you do want open sights only, make sure rear sight pops up when switching between rifle and shotgun barrels. Most shoot Brenneke slugs well enough to regulate decent and are OK in even full choked guns (without damascus barrels,which I would serious avoid). Cape guns, combination, and drillings can be some fun to play with..... A good condition (wood needed refinish) 12ga SxS Sauer with scalloped receiver sold on another forum today for $800 from a very respectable dealer in Pa. Was a nice buy for someone. Dealers son runs owns of the largest Sauer/Simson/Merkel import companies in US and always has something interesting listed.

You'll find your quote about conflicting info to be very true when you start looking around. I've owned Merkel, Simson, and Sauer SXS and sometimes they have scalloped receivers and sometimes not in the same grade. The forgings are done in batches, and especially in the case of Merkel and Simson they were built on the same assembly line. Same with the cocking indicators and side clips as seen in this post. Often "royal" or similar term is often an indicator of a few upgrades in finishing and often a better quality wood grade for the stock. They are a fun, easy box lock gun to work on and there are several forums with lots of information on them; can often find under $1k, never paid more then that even for more desirable sub gauges.

Still plenty of folks using aluminum. Americase and ICC still sell plenty of product. This case is a favorite for full length guns and has flown numerous times and I have no plans on getting rid of it. Technically a 2 guns case but I use one half for gear for multi week trips so I can just use a carry on, rifle case+ ammo case as checked bags.(Ammo international has to go separate from rifle; most US carries allow ammo in the rifle case domestic). A bit funky looking in pic as it has some clear plastic film that I never fully removed from manufacturer. I always take a pic for any claim for lost bags just in case of luggage and a pic of the contents before packing. My travel/gun insurance covers a documented loss worldwide. Here the gun goes in right way up, not on its side. I have foam for 2 rifle and have fit 2 rifle and one sxs shotgun in this case too. Just happen to think a Pelican case is a good product for reasons in my previous post, and factoring in cost also. Good luck on hunt!

Bow sample size is small; 15-25 yds so far. I'm very conservative at shot selection with a bow. Long gun....maybe 5 yds with the muzzleloader; shot a springbok at 423 (almost a yard of hold into the wind in very open terrain and plenty of time to figure it out) . Couple chucks closer to 500. That was a 300RUM with 180 gr load. Was consistently practicing in some hayfields owned by farmer I was buying from and where I took the chucks. I'd say at most rifle hunting the distances are frequent at 60-150 yds. Some a lot closer, and a few pokes at 300+ here and there. Depends on terrain, cover, species, style of hunt, weather. Eastern hunters think anything past a 100 yds is a hail mary; and judging by what I've seen at sight in days here and there, it is.

I have flown more than a few times with both aluminum (Strong Case, similar to the typical premium aluminum offerings) and Pelican. I'll still use both depending on what I'm taking and destination since I own them. But I'd buy Pelican if needing a flight case. No sharp edges, super durable, never dents or dings, built in place for locks separate from latches. I had a folk lift wheel/dolly tire mark across a 1700 one trip and other then a black marking from the rubber, case is perfect. Avoid the cheaper Pelican look a likes; examined side by side they are not even close to the real thing for strength.

posted the text, some of the bar charts won't show, but gives the gist of the article. All I can say is try and draw a tag for better units anywhere in the US and see how few hunters there are.

SHARE TWEET Orchard Park resident Paul Barnas, a hunter for more than 50 years, remembers when he and his brothers would join hundreds of others for the opening day of big game hunting season in small towns through the Southern Tier. "They used to be mobbed," said Barnas, 71, recalling the local bars and restaurants. Nowadays, he might spot a handful of people like him. Hunting culture runs deep in Western New York. More Erie County residents hold hunting licenses than any other county in the state – by far. Monroe and Niagara counties also fall within the top 10. Many hunters are wrapping up turkey hunting season today. But the number of hunters – the majority of whom are white men in their late 40s and early 50s – is shrinking at a rapid rate, according to data provided by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. ADVERTISEMENT Over the last 10 years, the DEC's six-county western region has gone from having roughly 100,000 hunting license holders to only 80,000. A similar pattern is holding true across the state and the country. "Our hunting fraternity is getting older," said Lockport resident Dale Dunkelberger, a veteran hunting education instructor and Western New York representative to the state's Conservation Fund Advisory Board. "A lot of guys, they just stop hunting because of health reasons." This poses long-term challenges for not only the hunting industry, but also for conservationists. Erie County is the heart of NY hunt country Erie County has more hunting license holders than any of the 61 other counties in New York State. Here are the number of license holders for the top 10 counties in the state for 2017. JeffersonOswegoOrangeNiagaraSt. LawrenceSaratogaOneidaOnondagaMonroeErie13,71413,88013,98515,22815,72615,96317,98518,09322,37237,00613714 The Buffalo News » Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DATA × County 2017 hunting license holders Erie 37006 Monroe 22372 Onondaga 18093 Oneida 17985 Saratoga 15963 St. Lawrence 15726 Niagara 15228 Orange 13985 Oswego 13880 Jefferson 13714 ERIE COUNTY IS THE HEART OF NY HUNT COUNTRY DOWNLOAD CSV Hunting and fishing license revenue flows into the state's Conservation Fund. While some conservationists do not view hunting as compatible with nature, without the money voluntarily paid by those who hunt and fish, the DEC would lose more than a third of the financial support it needs to keep its conservation and wildlife management programs going. Thanks to broader recruitment efforts, more women and youth are taking an interest in the sport. But the growing difficulties accessing private hunting land, competition from indoor entertainment and other cultural forces are keeping more potential hunters from picking up a rifle and spending a day in the woods. "We’re losing the older hunters faster than we’re gaining the younger ones," Dunkelberger said. Dwindling numbers DEC officials say New York State isn't losing hunters at the same rate as other states, which have been forced to cut wildlife and habitat restoration programs because of the drop in hunting license revenue. But while the number of hunting license holders has leveled off in recent years, they show no signs of returning to the levels they were 10 or 15 years ago, according to DEC data for Region 9, which includes Erie, Niagara, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Allegany counties. The 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation not only showed a sharp drop over a five-year period in the number of hunters, but also a steep drop in the number of days hunters spent out in the field, and the amount of money they invested in the pastime. Barnas has watched with disappointment as hunters have gone from devoting full weekends out in the woods to showing up for maybe a day at the start of the season. "Then you don’t see hunters again until Thanksgiving," he said. The 45-54 age group comprises the region's biggest group of hunters. It's the group most likely to have the time and disposable income to invest in the pastime, said Mary Bailey, the DEC's environmental program specialist who oversees the issuance of sports licenses. But these same hunters are giving up the sport at an astonishing rate. Fifteen years ago, 10,000 Erie County residents in this age group held hunting licenses. Last year, they accounted for only 4,100, half the number of even a decade ago. Fewer hunters across every age group The number of hunting license holders in Western New York has fallen by more than 20% over the past decade. While every age group has been affected, the biggest decline has been among those 45-54 years old, which has historically comprised the largest number of hunters. 2008-09 2017-18 70+65-7055-6445-5435-4425-3416-24< 15 years old6,02710,25814,60735,99412,4229,4988,7348,6514,9848,57112,25526,06510,3807,9796,4936,22960274984 Note: Data is for Region 9, which includes Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Wyoming and Allegany counties. The Buffalo News » Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DATA × Year 2008-09 2017-18 < 15 years old 8651 6229 16-24 8734 6493 25-34 9498 7979 35-44 12422 10380 45-54 35994 26065 55-64 14607 12255 65-70 10258 8571 70+ 6027 4984 FEWER HUNTERS ACROSS EVERY AGE GROUP DOWNLOAD CSV Why fewer hunt There are many reasons why hunting has fallen in popularity. The changing cultural and political landscape, workplace demands and the lack of accessible hunting grounds have all been blamed for the decline. Population loss may also a contributing factor, though the decline in hunting license holders is a nationwide trend. In an age of handheld digital devices, streaming video services and gaming consoles, the competition for leisure time is fierce, particularly among young people. Such entertaining and low-effort options contrast sharply with the hours of silent and patient watchfulness required for successful hunters. Paul Solomon makes his daily pilgrimage before work in his quest to bag his second turkey before the end of the season. (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News) Holland resident Paul Solomon has been waking at 4:30 every morning since the start of turkey hunting season on May 1. Each morning, he pulls on his camouflage gear, makes his way into a neighbor's field with his shotgun and push-button turkey call and waits until it's close to 7 a.m., when he needs to get ready for work. "It’s peaceful, and I eat the game that I shoot," he said of his hunting commitment. "If I didn’t eat the game, I wouldn’t kill the game. I would rather see it running around, living its life, than wasted. It’s not about the killing though. It’s the actual hunt, the pursuit." But Solomon, 58, recognizes that attraction can be hard to instill in younger generations. "Kids nowadays are more into computers and their phones," he said. "Even my one nephew, who's in his 20s, is kind of bored with it." Fewer hunters in New York State The number of hunting license holders in New York State dropped by 33 percent from its peak in 1985 to 2015. 0100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,000700,000800,000900,00019651970197519801985199019952000200520102015726561 The Buffalo News » Source: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DATA × Year number of licenses 1965-01-01 726561 1970-01-01 758512 1975-01-01 775994 1980-01-01 741376 1985-01-01 803112 1990-01-01 737112 1995-01-01 721706 2000-01-01 695622 2005-01-01 641572 2010-01-01 597006 2015-01-01 535915 FEWER HUNTERS IN NEW YORK STATE DOWNLOAD CSV While moral opposition to hunting is nothing new, hunters also acknowledge that anti-gun and anti-cruelty messages have sensitized people, as has the community and political focus on gun violence and school shootings. Barnas, who grew up in a time when schools had rifle teams and taught students about hunting and gun safety, found he couldn't convince his own son to become a hunter. While his son will join him at the gun club for skeet shooting and target practice, he draws the line at shooting living things. "He just doesn't like it," he said. Finally, hunters themselves are grappling with barriers to the sport that makes them more likely to cut back or give up on it. Access to private hunting property has been greatly diminished as small, independent farmers are selling their land to larger farm corporations that may not permit hunting, or are being turned over to housing developers. The loss of habitat is driving wild game like deer out of the woods and into the suburbs, said Jeff Jondle, president of the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs. "The number one taker of the deer is the Buick," he said. Solomon parks his car and gets ready to head out into the fields to hunt turkey before the close of the spring season this week. (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News) Hunters also accuse new property owners of buying large tracts of land and denying permission to other hunters who were granted access in the past. "State game lands aren’t big enough," said Dunkelberger, who used to enjoy hunting trips to Chautauqua County. "I hunted in Sherman, N.Y., for years. We had access to thousands of acres. Now all that land that we used to hunt on down in Sherman is all posted up." Hunters also point to workplace demands and changing family attitudes about how to spend vacation time. Ransomville farmer Herb Lederhouse, who helps run the Niagara County Gobblers with his wife, Pam, said he's known friends who used to hunt on the weekends until their employer started asking them to pick up shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. "They can’t afford not to," he said. "What are you going to do, turn down eight hours at time-and-a-half or sit in the woods for eight hours and get nothing?" Sharpest decline among middle-aged hunters The decline in area hunters age 45-54 has shown the sharpest drop than any other age group, falling by 28% over the past 10 years. This to age group represents the largest block of hunters. 010,00020,00030,00040,000200920122015201835994 Note: Years are fiscal years. Data is for Region 9, which includes Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Wyoming and Allegany counties. The Buffalo News » Source: New York Department of Environmental Conservation DATA × Year number 2009 35994 2012 33779 2015 27324 2018 26065 SHARPEST DECLINE AMONG MIDDLE-AGED HUNTERS DOWNLOAD CSV Enticing newcomers Hunting declines have been anticipated for years by government wildlife officials, local gun and sportsmen clubs and businesses. These groups have responded aggressively by investing huge sums in attracting more women and youth to the sport. Pam Lederhouse, a former hunting education instructor, has hunted for decades with her husband. She remembers when it was impossible to find any camouflage hunting gear made for women. "It was awful," she said. "I had hand-me-downs that didn’t fit right." That is no longer a problem. Fitted, female camouflage gear and even fishing waders now hang from the racks of sporting goods shops. Meanwhile, national hunting organizations are promoting outdoor skill-building programs aimed at women with little to no prior experience in hunting, fishing or outdoor survival skills. The DEC also offers a three-day "Becoming an Outdoorswoman" program and will be featuring images of women hunting and fishing in its annual fishing and hunting guides. "Women are going to be our near-term target audience for some of our recruitment, retention and reactivation efforts because that’s 50 percent of our population," said Doug Stang, the DEC's assistant director for the Division of Fish and Wildlife. He also noted that while trophy hunting meets with widespread disapproval, surveys show that 80% to 90% of people support recreational hunting as a source of food. Some hunters have knocked the DEC for not being more proactive, but agency officials said they're using traditional and social media platforms to improve their outreach. "I think we’re doing a little better job of balancing it out," said Bailey, who oversees the issuance of sports licenses. Local hunting/fishing clubs, hunting-based businesses, and national organizations are also pushing hard to promote programs for nontraditional hunters and to personally recruit newbies to the sport. Pam and Herb Lederhouse recalled attending the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville in February. Every participant was asked to sign a pledge promising to take someone new to hunt. They also attended a workshop focused on how to talk with millennials about the benefits of hunting – focusing on the fact that the meat they hunt and eat is all natural and organic. DEC officials say the collective outreach push is making an impact. The percentage of women taking up hunting has risen in recent years. "We’re not going to give up on it," Bailey said.

The "1/32 of an inch" part is all you need to know about the vast experience of shot placement and knowledge of ballistics.

If you like Western US history the book on parallels between Crazyhorse and Custer is a good place to start. I read the multi volume Nixon set last, and its long, and you have to be interested in politics. But interesting behind the scenes info on what made that period in US history tick.

Anything written by Stephen Ambrose is a terrific read. I think I have read all but 2 of hiss works. Someone should snap this up, I wouldn't give away my copy.

Well done.

Its a Peri Peri sauce made with these little tiny chile peppers that are always for sale on street corners dried......some garlic/onions/lemon backround. I think its somewhat on the sweet side but has more flavors then typical hot sauce ; designed for chicken thats grilled. Its not just adding heat. My first stop on any trip into southern Africa is a Nandos for a 1/2 chicken, chips (french fries), and a Smirnoff ice made with vodka. Til next year when I can eat the real thing, doing my own will have to do.

Looky what my local Tops had for a isle display! A taste of South Africa in every bite. (Nando's famous SA chicken fast food chain in several countries) A Mopane fire would make life perfect.

In NY you do NOT need an FFL to send a rifle/shotgun as a SELLER to an FFL. You can mail any long gun (not handgun) right at the post office. There are lots of FFL's operating out of their homes with no store front and often will do transfers FTF or receive shipped firearms fairly inexpensively for transfer. You can search for them right on Gunbroker; https://www.gunbroker.com/ffl/index The FFL will want a copy of a sellers drivers license in the box along with who the gun is intended for (don't laugh, my FFL gets boxes with no idea who they are for until he gets a phone call). A seller should ask to receive a copy of the FFL where the firearm is being shipped; that can be a scan or hard copy accompanying payment. You can see if the FFL is legit by searching online ATF data base; https://fflezcheck.atf.gov/fflezcheck/

Who "patterns" a rifle? Varmint loads are a good choice.

I have posted this before, met the guy in the film. Amazing trackers, its a joy to watch. Fellow in Poughkeepsie area has championed the Bushman cause for political autonomy for many years and sets up visits; they want to be able to travel/hunt/migrate as needed in an area between Namibia and Botswana. You can do a bow hunt with them if you wish. They hunt with little tiny bows with break off tips laced with a grub, nut, and chewed with spit, and thats allowed to dry on the arrow head; after a day of tracking the animal dies. If you search You Tube you can find a video of them cooking a whole Porcupine buried in the ground with coals. I shared a meal done the same way......its "different".

FWIW this isn't the first time this has been knocked about in NYC DEP circles about watershed lands. When they started opening them up to recreational use years ago this topic was discussed. For those from out of the area.... NY City Department of Environmental Conservation is its own enforcement agency and NY City owns thousands and thousands of acres surrounding their extensive reservoir system and in the water sheds surrounding them in I think 8 counties. It used to be all off limits except for fishing but they have opened up many specific parcels and areas to hunting/hiking/rail trail as they keep on buying up acreage that deem protecting the resource of fresh water. They pretty much get their way when it comes to rules of discharges of water flow and anything to do with watershed land use.

Dutchess County won't give anything but full carry and no course work or meet with anyone like a judge either. Slow at times to get initial application approved and slow on amendments at times as they always are short staffed.

Several guys at work took opening day off and hunted the area.....all scored on nice birds. Personally not hearing lots of calling but seeing birds in fields on way to work early. Good luck.

The whole Ackerman-McQueen relationship has always been a pile of stink with multi millions of dollar billings and no accountability....this has been in the press many times. Wayne is hunting buddies with the Ackerman rep that handles all the NRA stuff for years and years, Tony Makris. Makris has had a few TV shows centered on African hunting that I'm familiar with and is a noted expert on paradox guns of the turn of 20th century. Not sure why NRA thinks all the sudden they need accounting. Theres a book that covers much of this published several years ago, and all kinds of backroom whispers centered around the SCI convention where many of the players attend.

If you go to Accurate Reloading forum in the Big Bores section and do a search of Big bores from hell threads you'll find several threads on rolling plastic and using metallic hulls and info on the machinists technical drawings used to make dies.

Do the Ele. And I'll make you a cool trade we can talk about. Good stuff.