philoshop

Give him a congrulatory smack on the back for me! That's a nice lookin' doe.

My trusted mechanic was a good friend of mine. He charged me $70 an hour and I didn't complain because I never felt he was ripping me off, and I just don't like doing that sort of work. He asked me two years ago to build an addition on his shop and screamed bloody murder when I qouted him a rate of $35 an hour. After the mennonites he hired to build the addition screwed up the job he asked me to come in and and fix it. I told him that if he brought his addition over to my shop I'd be happy to fix it for $70 an hour. I have a shop and a fixed base of operation with many of the same overhead costs, but I'm expected to pack and transport all of my tools and materials to his job site for half of what he charges? My current mechanic is a Jamaican pot-smokin' Rastafarian retired from the auto industry who does a little side work. I do not partake of his sacrament, but he also drinks beer, so we get along just fine. We mostly trade services. I have a great-running truck and he has a really nice kitchen.

Basil Hayden is very good! More of a scotch taste, but I definitely like it. I have a fiend in Kentucky who occasionally sends me a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle. A single barrel Buffalo Trace. It's nice to have friends. Buffalo Distilling Company is back. A home-brewed whiskey for the Buffalo folks. Very bourbon-ish. It's honestly better than some of the stuff from Bourbon County KY, but they have naming rights.

Go man, go!! I'd swap out the Makers Mark for a bottle of Buffalo Trace though. Try it.

Douse 'em with the hose and scrub the crud off. Shop-vac will take care of most of the spiders before washing. Don't over-think it. A boot drier setup will prevent this in the future. Less than 50 bucks at the box stores and they work for all shoes and keep your shoes and feet from growing stuff.

A shotgun load has ballistics very similar to a muzzleloader. It's normally about a big chunk of lead ahead of a substantial powder charge. A 40 caliber bullet is not the best choice here. Rifle bullets, though smaller, travelling at 2 to 3 times the speed at point of impact changes things a lot.

No bashing here, but you're certainly not talking about my .243 when it comes to accuracy. ;-] And mine is an inexpensive Savage, albeit with good handloads. I've never even seen a .410 with a rifled barrel, and I've never seen a proper projectile for deer-sized game in that caliber. Those are the limitations of the .410, and they're huge. Even with hand-made/cast bullets and loads you're still shooting a 40 calber gun. I love my .410. It's an excellent short-range gun in the fall squirrel woods. For deer, it would be extremely short-range at best. Think bow-hunting range.

Very nice! Good memories all around no doubt.

I got rid of the tv when it went digital and I've never had cable. A 25" computer monitor, a netflix subscription, and a bunch of DVD's works for me. Netflix is just a subscription service FL. You pay the monthly fee and watch what they offer on your computer, or purchase a Roku device or similar to plug into your tv. They have a decent selection of movies, sit-coms and history shows. All with no commercials. Well worth the 8 or 9 bucks a month IMO. Let me know if you have any questions.

Got it.

I'm the quiet old guy. Scares the hell outta the younger folks and makes it unecessary for me to think about things like this.

That's precisely what I meant by 'spooked'.

Sheesh Biz, never would have thought you'd be so easily spooked. ;-] It's like nobody here has ever seen a bearded guy with a flower basket on his head before. I won't hold my breath for the party invites.

Shooting targets at known ranges reinforces proper form, assuming the shooter has proper form to begin with. Range estimation and shot control under stress are different. Range estimation comes pretty easily if you walk around during the summer and shoot a couple thousand judo points at leaves and such. Shot control under stress requires shooting frequently under stressful conditions. Stalking and killing a few dozen woodchucks with my bow every summer used to help me with that. I like the golf analogy, though I'm not a golfer. I see where it might be similar in many ways. Another analogy would be playing a musical instrument well. I've watched a number of talented musicians fail miserably when they stepped from the practice cubicle to the stage. Practice and experience. There are no shortcuts.

Open carry is illegal in NYS. Wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm armed" is not. Personally I wouldn't do either, but it's an option.

I'm happy for you!

Welcome to HNY! Best of luck to you this season!

Use the correct carabiners also: double-locking climbing 'biner or a screw-lock device. If it can be opened easily by a wierd rope twist it's not a climbing type 'biner. Just sayin'. Btdt.

I can't even read this forum any more without some eyesight enhancement.

Here's an excellent place to get short lengths of 'leftover' rope, and high quality carabiners. Go to their 'specials' page and look under discount rope. They have lots of short pieces that will work well for hunting applications. High quality and inexpensive. If you have a club and want a bunch of short lengths, a nice letter might even get you an almost free box of 20 to 25 foot tag ends from their reels. ;-] (Arborists and loggers have little need for climbing rope in those lengths.) http://www.wesspur.com/ They supply equipment for people who hang from trees for a living, and they're nice folks. Thanks for the OP Paula. I've been a climbin' monkey for most of my life and thought everyone knew this.

I hope the guy is really proud and feels good about it. And that it comes back to bite him in the ass some day. Boomerang Karma! A tough way to view your future.

jjb, sorry you were hurt with this. I've been both benefactor and beneficiary of 'pay-it-forward' deals in the past, and all of those deals have worked out well for both parties. Sucks that you got a sour one, but don't give up. Civility isn't dead yet.

Pardon my ignorance, I haven't owned a tv for the last 15 years. What is fios?

Many of the big deer in NYS live their entire lives in peoples' back yards in suburbia or small towns. Places off-limits to any kind of hunting. Good genetics can be found in much of the state, but good hunting is becoming rare.

Yep. You probably didn't 'follow through' with the shot like you do with target practice. Pick one hair on the deer and treat it like it's the gold medal shot in the olympics.