Dinsdale

Trappings tough, took me 2 years trying to get a course and a 2 hr drive to get in one. I'm surprised you don't see many out your way as I actually signed up for another and planned on staying with family in Buffalo area to take it; but ended up somewhat closer to home.

Only project that I'm familiar with that is currently going on that comparable is the construction of cathedral Sagrada Familia in Barcelona Spain. Started in 1880's and expected completion in 2050 or so. Parts are open and completed and some is just being started; its an active work site that you can walk through and observe from many vantage points even up in the spire towers. Spent 2 days there and could have been entertained for a week. Very cool experience if you're into building/trades/architecture. I know they put a massive effort into Chartres Cathedral outside Paris for security......what a loss this is.

I still do Dibiten torch down here and there; I actually like it better then the thinner EPDM glue down systems for residential (don't care for the soft EPDM underlayment). Just have to use your head when torch is involved; Ed was never a good supervisor or good tradesman, just friends with the company owner. LOL

My supervisor on a job early in my career burned a clients home right to the ground torching down a roof and getting the fire kindled inside a wall. Left for the day and overnight it really got going. Spent the next 8 months rebuilding it. Nice job on bird.

I like my dog, shes a great companion. But its not a person and a couple hundred bucks is the limit. She was hobbling along on 3 legs and vet wanted 5 grand for scans and leg surgery. Guess what? 4 months later she was just fine and took about 2 months to get muscle tone back in shape. Most likely a broke bone in the toe from running on broken rocky ground. Vets are in business to play to the sympathy of owners and play up the "their your child" guilt.

I'd say the writing was already on the wall for the decline of local hunt traditions at the time frame Saturday opener was put in place.Between 1984's high and 2000 there was a 30% decline of license sales in the Catskill region alone. 1984 there were roughly 800,000 licences down to around 560,000 when Sat. opener came into existence 30 years later. (statewide) (There plenty of sources on sales and trends on the net) That number has just about stayed the same now for last 10 years around 560-570,000 or so.

Interesting, I've never seen a fence around any around here (Hudson Valley) including some big residential applications. I watch the resident herd of does and fawns bed under my neighbors panels from my window. They are very comfortable there with lots of browse now growing where they cleared hillside when they installed.

I care a hell of a lot more that we are going to pay internet sales tax now on everything. There goes that bargain shopping.

for the smaller operations the quality and quantity of firearms will be pretty good. Their access and choices for typical bolt action rifles/ammo/optics is similar to ours. The big outfits that are filling multiple camps and booking multiple hunters might start getting a bit interesting. Generally speaking i will say the quality of camp guns has dramatically increased since I started about 15 years ago going on trips out of US. More folks want to tour a bit before and after hunts with out toting a rifle around, and less want hassles of airlines and permits when arriving. And they want good quality rifles and optics when paying the fare. I like my own after doing a rental one time; but may come a day one may have to do with a camp gun.

Interesting development in New Zealand hunting circles last few days.... New Zealand Police have suspended incoming non resident gun permits after the mosque shooting. Right now is the start of their fall deer season and the upcoming Stag roar, and when the mountain game like Tahr and Chamois have full developed winter coats and come down in elevation for the winter; so its the peak of incoming hunters. Gonna have some pretty pissed off folks in the industry. It was pretty easy when I went, $20 and 20 minutes all done......looks like those days are long gone.

Theres several components to this.... First if there is legal quota most game animals being marketed to international hunters by reputable outfits is exportable and will tell you when they are not for your country. BUT some animal species cannot be imported due to our USF&G dept. (red stag is not one of them)Cheetah for example can be legally hunted, but not imported to US or Australia, but can be imported in Europe and Canada. Second there are some countries that allow animals parts to be immediately packed and taken home with basic in country paperwork on the spot for export in luggage.. BUT they have to be appropriately dried and salted for import and checked on import to the US by both customs and USF&W. All paperwork has to be in order. For example it quick to get export paperwork in New Zealand, you just need a few extra days after taking an animal to dry the cape and clean up the skull. (Can even bring back meat from New Zealand on a stag hunt) Third many countries (most in reality) require a quarantine period for document checks for legality of hunt when outfit must submit paperwork and a set procedure for disinfectant to be applied for export. Most African countries bureaucracies move at their own pace and 90 days legal time frames often stretch out longer depending how much grease is applied to the rails, time of year, promptness of submitting paperwork (and you are often hunting land not owned by outfit and both outfit and legal land controlling party need to submit paperwork). A year is not uncommon from hunt to arrival in US of raw trophies. Argentina has a reputation of being expensive to have trophies shipped home. There are few players in the game and they put the screws to hunters. $800-$1200 for a set of stag antlers and cape would be about average from who I have talked to. You cannot immediate export; they have to go through dip and pack at approved facility. Gun import in Argentina is also ominous and outfits are making a tidy profit on renting guns, so they seem to have little interest in changing the system. But there are outfits now including rentals with pricing. Shipping trophies is a sticky subject due to cost, I've become selective on what is shipped (its based on weight and volume), dip and pack (D&P) costs and import costs. Good portion are now leaving everything behind for hunts and rolling the taxidermy costs into more hunts.

I hunted Uruguay, right next door. Flew into Buenos Aires, ARG though; birds were better at that date in URG(slight difference in crop dates with location). Anyway; Booking any hunt domestic or international is all the same regardless of state or country; its all about finding the experience you want and how you think of it in your head and then finding the outfit who can give you that experience or as close as possible for the species. Planning is a fun part of the hunt, good luck.

I got a tractor rim and buy a grate for 10 bucks most years. Rim right now is from 1948 Ford 8N. Real fire=real taste. Propane, shit might as well just fry it in a pan and put a Bernzomatic torch on it to pretend it was a flame.

Your quips tonight might get you banned....but they are damn funny indeed.

Even better they beat Bobby Hurley... I watch lots of tournament games and some regular season college basketball.

I've mentioned on here before I am no longer posting any pics of any hunting anymore, made that mistake, learned from it and moving on; and I've also decided to extend that to fishing as of recent. The "share" just isn't worth the price; ironic it was others posting stuff that encouraged me to begin with and I can't do that going forward for someone else. Oh well. I brought up the number because the author made it sound like a big deal the Lion hunter has taken 70+ head of African game. Again implying somehow money is a evil thing for true hunters; cause this guy can afford something he must not be ethical true hunter. Just because they are better off financially has nothing to do with being a sportsman (or woman, I know one who can out shoot most with a rifle; learned quite a bit from her and changed my offhand shooting skills significantly).

Personally have never understood the attraction to Rinella and his group of holier than thou cohorts. What a load of bull shit to score card another hunter on a topic that they know nothing about, thtas no better then the anti's tactics. Someone just sent me a link to a shitty report on auction tags they posted, and every time they always have a problem with folks who have money; as if being a broke hunter is somehow superior. What a load of drivel. I have taken WAY more game by head count in Africa then the Lion hunter in question....maybe they want to grade me and my bank account.

I'd also note that many Lions are shot under penned reared and released conditions in South Africa because they are affordable and there are plenty folks just want to say they shot a Lion. I have been on one of those places and its not my cup of tea; hunts hang from shoots to hunts and everything in between depending on the individual landowner and sizes of the property.

This is a quote posted on a forum that is more orientated to African hunting by someone who I consider one of the best PH's and outfitters in the business right now. And for full disclosure I have met him and used his company to book 2 hunts..... From Buzz Charlton; Everyone jumping to conclusions before knowing the full story-Who is to say that they had not been tracking it all day and had seen and evaluated the trophy already. Who is to say they had not already had numerous trail cam pics of it from a bait and followed it out from a bait? I recognise the river, the Ph and the client. What I can the tell you is this- It aint no canned lion hunt, the Ph is well respected and the client is an extremely ethical and hard hunting gentleman that I have had the pleasure of sharing camp with before and I hope again. As to shooting the lion lying down my view on that is it is a personal decision. What I do know very well is that the Antis will and do take everything out of context but as fellow hunters please lets not help them with their agenda by back biting our fellow hunters!!!

I strap a tube outside my pack. I make the tube out of PVC that is used for central vacuum systems, its light weight (thin wall) but very durable. I have used it for rods as carry on for flights too. I glue one end, and the friction fit is good and I use a wide elastic band to secure the other. Hardly ever use the rod tubes that come with them now, too heavy.

I've hunted several times with dogs, not for black bear but for other species. We more or less kept pursuit of the dogs, just not relying on GPS; but that is now becoming more common. Its a experience to watch and follow a good team; its just not about the hunter. One dog typically will play lead nose, but the pack is comprised often composed of sight hunting dogs(coursing) and also dogs who tree an animal all working together. Toughest physically draining hunts I have ever done the way we did them. Also did one hunt for a specific tiny antelope. That pair of beagles were trained specific to sound just for that one species and they push the target animal to you, as you get set up in front of the dogs waiting on a likely game path. Like anything hunting, there will be critics, and those not interested; but I really enjoyed myself watching well trained dogs work an animal. YMMV

OK group that does a lot of good in the ADK's and through the branches. They are paying for much of the professional trail crews to do up keep and new work as the State only does drops of materials (46'ers also supply many volunteer hours and supply regular maintenance for trails/lean-tos, I know many volunteers in both groups ). Downside IMO is they don't like hunting and fishing(even though some of their members hunt and fish), and always oppose legislation that has any benefit to that segment of outdoor user. One thing I fear is the State will start to charge for a hiking trail pass now that use has exceeded ability to preserve many areas. Once the hikers start paying they will demand equal time at the table, they are more organised and have more political pull then hunting and fishing groups ever will.....and we're done. Couple popular bears have been taken in the high peaks area, and they are waiting for the opportunity to shut down large areas for hunting; and that will get discussed as new areas come about for use. Personally the automatic stance against anything hunting stops me from being a member. I'm sure they don't care. LOL

This is from 2010 in Johannesburg from a student protest; I remember reading it in the J'burg airport at the time.

Actually he has a page on barrel break in on his website and it mirrors my experiences with several types of barrels. Better the barrel, ie better machining and hand lapped of tool marks, easier to clean and less break in required. The page is a very good read to understand materials and machining for those not familiar. https://kriegerbarrels.com/faq#breakin Put a bore scope down a few barrels of mine when I had access. That'd scare the hell out of folks to see the chunks of missing rifling and scratches even across lands in most typical barrels; and most damn good shooters. On the other end the 2 best barreIs I own are remarkably clean of tooling marks, scary accurate, and clean up with just a few strokes of average cleaner.

LOL....they'd freak out even more if they knew a member here filled many damage permits taking heads shots with a 223 for a few years.