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Snack time in the stand. My lovely wife makes great molasses cookies! Hoping the action picks up this last hour of daylight. Can’t see less than nothing.

I feel very fortunate (fingers crossed) that in all my years of hunting 8H, I have had no tick problems. Now when I go down by Canaseraga, that’s a different story. The deer you kill down there are crawling with ticks and if you venture into the wrong spots, you will be too.

The fog was so thick in 8H! I could hear grunting but couldn’t see 25 yards. Too bad as there seemed to be a lot of movement. I did have a coyote trot past at about 15 yards. This pic is from last December but still an interesting standoff shot.

8H and 8N. Went to my town clerks office and took no time at all. Guy ahead of me mentioned that he had been to Sportsman’s Warehouse in Henrietta and their system was down, then Walmart in Geneseo and they ran out of paper. I always go local and have never had a problem.

First sit in this stand this year and it’s been a fun morning. Nine doe in the field behind me being harassed by a nice eight. A three point and a button buck right in front of me. Not sure why the farmer left the first 40 yards of this bean field unplanted but I imagine it has something to do with the fact that I have a stand here. He’s not the friendliest person and didn’t like when a nice eight walked out of his field right in front of me. His son watched me take it and then came over to complain that I shot “his deer”. Just makes me laugh.

I missed the first few days of deer season but honestly, I had a good excuse. Wyoming Antelope hunt with three friends. First time for all of us and we had a great time. Saw lots of antelope, made a lot of stalks, failed on a lot of stalks but in the end we all scored. Three of us within a half mile of each other in a 30 minute time span. Just a great trip.

A young friend scored well on opening morning. Bigger than anything I’ve ever arrowed.

Well done. Nothing more rewarding than passing it on.

1990 Old Town. Gotta love it. I have one also. Same model, same year. I’ve replaced the seats and we still use it regularly. Great for fishing. Still love the kayaks for recreational paddling but the canoe is the platform for fishing. Good luck with taking the kids out in it. My wife and I had my three year old son out on Minerva Lake in the Adirondacks and he was having fun splashing the water paddling with a spatula. Dropped the spatula and before I could react, he bailed over the side after it. Best grab I ever made, snagged him by the life jacket and hauled him back in. He was smiling and laughing while my wife was near hysterical. All in all, a canoe is definitely the way to go with a family.

So, if state parks are off limits to concealed carry doesn’t that mean anyone who lives in the Adirondack or Catskills parks have no recourse to be able to carry past their homes?

A local beer from Rising Storm, about two miles from my place. Nice hazy IPA with a great hop bite. I’m a fan after a good day of yard work.

A very good day in the garden. Still have the second tomato patch to harvest.

Todays harvest has been consistent over the last couple of weeks. I installed a drip irrigation system this year and it has made a huge difference.

Best of luck at the mri. If you do end up with having hip replacement please remember that the surgery is extensive but results in remarkable difference in mobility as well as pain relief. I had a hip replacement at 40 and a knee replacement at 44. Without a doubt the key to successful recovery is physical therapy and patience. You will be up and walking in a day or two but don’t think that means you’re ready to get back to all that work that needs to be done. Think long term. Patience and discipline will get you back to a good place. Hell, I’ve been skiing, hiking and hunting all over the country in the twenty four years since my hip. I say this with all good intentions, don’t be a hero.

Ah yes, Jarts. We used to use them as a form of chicken. One guy would stand a bit away while another would throw the frickin’ thing as high as he could into the air. The aim was to move yourself under it and stand still while it plummeted out of orbit and see how close you could put yourself under it without getting impaled. Honestly, only a few foot injuries and one single stab in the shoulder. Those things really had some weight and momentum behind them. Dumb, crazy and juvenile. What’d you expect?

It’s a hard truth, we all have an expiration date, we just don’t know what it is. Never knew a grandparent, lost my dad at 20, and my brother in Viet Nam a month later. My mom at 30. Good genes do not run in my family. I retired at 55 after 33 years of teaching in NY and watching many teachers work in to their 60’s only to die a few years after retirement. Not for me, retired as soon as possible and have been living my best life ever since. Every day is a gift. I enjoy working hard on my land and haven’t regretted retirement one single day. Work is important but not the reason for living.

A back injury has kept me on pain meds and off of beer for nearly two weeks. Getting old sucks but certainly beats the alternative. Started my rehab with a west coast style IPA from Rising Storm. California Love #1. Nice beer, I think I’ll have another. Who needs pain pills?

Did my recert last week. Then put it on my phone calendar for the next time I have to do it. Not gonna give the state a reason to hassle me more than they already do.

Politicians are all alike. Party distinctions aside, they are all the same. A few weeks before Election Day 1980, Reagan was favored to win, but he was struggling a bit with women voters. There was no great mystery as to why: The Republican was an opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment, and he had a record of appointing men almost exclusively to key positions of power during his terms as governor of California. And so, eager to narrow the gender gap, Reagan made an announcement on Oct. 15, 1980: He pledged to name a woman to "one of the first Supreme Court vacancies in my administration." The future president added, "It is time for a woman to sit among our highest jurists."

It’s game time! Buffalo chicken pizza and Buffalo wings for dinner. Now cracking a Hayburner from Big Ditch in Buffalo.

My place is just far enough east of the Buffalo snow belt and just enough south of the Lake Ontario snow belt that we are usually clear where everyone around us is slammed. Not expecting even an inch of snow here in Livingston county.

These are great. Peanut Butter!

I started getting serious about my weight two years ago and lost 50 pounds over seven months. No big secret to weight loss, burn off more calories than you take on a daily basis and you lose weight. The healthy eating has never been a problem for meals, my wife is a registered dietitian so she is always making good, healthy food. The big thing was reducing sugar and snacks. Greek yogurt with fruit or granola is breakfast. A sandwich or Kind bar is lunch and usually my lovely wife makes dinner. The big thing is to reduce sugar and increase activity. Walking is the best thing to be doing daily. Low impact, and it gets you moving. Get a Fitbit or other fitness tracker and that helps you set goals to motivate you. I do join a gym for the months of January thru April because my strenuous outdoor activity is limited for those months. Don’t overthink it. Simple is easier to stick with and after a short time, you feel better and that helps you to stick with it. Nothing good happens fast, so set long term goals and chart your progress. Helps you with the motivation part to see change over time. Good luck. The early weeks are the most difficult.

My suggestion would be to build the platform 8x8. Build the enclosure 8x6 and that leaves you about a foot and a half for a deck to which the stairs attach. Just remember to make that deck portion with PT lumber and don’t push them tight together. a little buddy heater with a thermoelectric fan heats mine very nicely.

Out in the stand for an afternoon watch before hustling in to get ready for a dinner with friends. Just enjoying the fine weather and hoping for a nice size doe to wander by. The sun is out in 8H and the temps are in the mid 40’s.