philoshop

"Open the pod bay doors Hal".

You're not alone. I've been fortunate enough to be around for a while and I spent my youth working on mechanical things like tractors and cars. Give me a site, an excavator, and a pile of materials and I can build you a complete house. I can also write a nice story, in English, about how I was able to grow up to be the person I am.

I know the guy who owns the shop that I use. I believe he's a member on this site, BTW, but I'm not certain. BIG-TIME deer hunter. His crew doesn't screw around. They're all good mechanics, even the ones doing the basic oil changes. Just to be clear, I'm not talking about some random drive-by oil change place. I've been going to this shop for about 15 years. They know my name when I walk in the door, and that means something to me. They'll change my oil for $21 +tax. I trust them not to screw things up.

How many still do it for their daily drivers? I don't have much choice with my tractor. I'm not going to drive it 5 miles down the road each way, and I don't think the guys in the shop would put it on the lift anyway. I couldn't fit under my old mini-van if I wanted to, but I now have a pickup that I can fit under and work on as necessary. But is it worth it? I suppose if the weather is nice and you're just aching to have some hot oil running down your arm and a bloody knuckle from a failing filter wrench I could see the attraction. I get that twice a year with the aforementioned tractor and all of its implements. With the daily driver I can pull into the shop, have a cup of coffee and read a magazine for twenty minutes then go home. Check the oil level a couple of days later and rest easy. It used to be substantially cheaper to change your own oil, but it's gotten to the point where it's actually cheaper to pay a shop to do it. What do you think?

The DEC or FAA would have an answer to that question. The airport you're hunting near would also have an answer, maybe more specific. The only thing I can give you is, "Don't shoot at the planes."

Sometime around two o'clock tomorrow. We tend to have the Thanksgiving feast the next day because of scheduling difficulties. The nieces and nephews who work make pretty good money for taking the holiday shifts.

The only time(s) I haven't gutted the deer where it fell is when I had to float it out of a swamp situation. They float better with an intact body cavity; and it keeps all the nasty swamp stuff away from the meat.

My friend Dan has been processing deer since he was a kid helping his father about 50 years ago. He'll tell you within five pounds what the carcass weighs , and within five pounds what the meat yield will be. A very skilled and practiced eye. He averages about 450 deer a year in his shop right now. I have no reason to not believe him. "That "250 pounder" is a lot closer 150 pounds."

A buck (or doe) that spends all year standing on its hind legs while picking fruit from trees in an orchard is likely to be heavier than one with a big "chest girth". Big legs. "Chest Girth" Is fun to consider, I suppose, but it's not the whole story. Are we still talking about deer?

Running's has something going on with lots of stuff on sale according to an ad I saw. Not sure about the actual discounts and products, though they had something about Carhartt clothing. Hard to beat if you work outdoors for a living. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

I think you all have to separate the frantic "chase phase" from the actual breeding process. Does will likely be bred well into January barring any super-snow activity. The "chase phase" is kinda like the first weekend that an 18-year-old kid gets to college for the first time out of high school. ;-)

That deer wouldn't have been safe around me. Looks like a tractor-friendly pick-up area too. On the other hand, the deer and squirrels get really nervous when I take the screens out of my windows. I swear they pay attention.

1976 in Yellowstone park. Fly-fishing without a permit, because I was a dumb kid, and wading through freezing water, the same excuse. The moose encounter was pretty cool and the bald eagle thing was definitely cool, but the grizzly bear thing left me a little rattled. They're big and they're capable of being really nasty on a moments notice. He/she wandered away and didn't even take my fish. I'm quite sure that I peed my pants, but it doesn't really count when you're waste-deep in the water to begin with. Does it?

I like the rugby reference. I'm too old for that stuff now, but it sure was fun back in the day. Check your sensitivities at the door Mabel.

Sometimes the entire point is to just screw with the other person and provoke a negative "gotcha" response. The left gets really angry when you don't give them that response. It's actually more fun than yelling at them, because they just have no idea how to deal with it. The clueless generation.

Glad to hear that you rescued your 'wheeler. Being frozen in the muck for the winter wouldn't have been good for it. And not at all surprised that a fellow HNY'er stepped up to help. My favorite internet community!!

And the DOJ/FBI can't legally break down your door at 4 o'clock in the morning. I'm sure that Paul Manafort and his wife are comforted by that legal restriction that conveniently had a loophole in their particular case. A good friend of mine is a NYS Trooper who primarily works with the DEC. I call on him often with gun questions because he knows his stuff. He's a good guy. He's told me flat out that whatever the paramilitary NYS Troopers want to do will be upheld in any court in this state. Storm your property, confiscate your guns, take your children away, make you cut your grass more evenly... I have no reason to doubt his assessment. He's been there for a number of years.

It's important to pay attention. While hunting or just living a normal life. A lot of people don't get that, and I find it frightening. It's important to just not be stupid all the time. It's fun to sneak up on an animal who's only goal in life is avoiding you. Two-legged or four-legged.

It takes practice and enormous physical discipline to sneak up on wild creatures. You make a single sound or give off a foreign odor that makes it's way to the target and your hunt is over. More often than not I'd just walk ridges above where I thought animals might be sitting on benches in the sun. Creep to the edge with a good pair of binoculars and be ready for a shot.

Thanks for the chuckle Dan!

Atlas Fit. http://www.wesspur.com/safety/climbing-gloves.html Go to a site that specializes in tree-cutting/arborist gear. Carry several pair for when they get wet. It's not rocket science. They have the blue rubber finger coatings which every cheap company now copies very poorly. They're are a little too hot in the summer and not quite warm enough in the winter unless you get the heavily insulated version. Tough as can be and flexible enough to open up a beer can with when the time comes. What else do you want? I think they're about $2.50 a pair until you buy the big box.

I had a lot of fun with stalking when I was younger. Fox, deer, woodchucks, even rabbits and squirrels. If I'm on my knees crawling in the woods or fields today there's a very good chance I'm just hoping for someone to come and help me up.

It's mostly a Western thing, of course, but I've taken a few deer and a lot of fox pelts around here by putting a good pair of binoculars on South and West facing hillsides in the winter when the sun is out. It's always damned hard work sneaking up on them to get a shot but there's something very rewarding about it if you can pull it off. "Caught ya napping in the sun did I?"

Mind control. Paula talks to Wooley, ya know. I talk to Wooley too, but he doesn't always share his secrets. It's a deer whisperer thing. Some folks just aren't worthy of that information.

Congratulations on the nice doe, Paula. Meat in the freezer baby!