DirtTime

I am no expert on smoking, but I have learned enough over that last year or so to give this bit of advice. Think about what you want to smoke, and buy a smoker that will be the best for you. I have two smokers, both are vertical water smokers, one charcoal, one's propane. You cannot beat the flavor food gets from the charcoal smoker, and the propane is a close second. I have to make some mods to the charcoal smoker, I have to drill some holes on the charcoal pan so when I 'shake' the ash actually falls away leaving good air flow to the charcoal and wood whips. Keeping a foil pan to catch the ash will help keep the smoker bottom clean. Bullet smokers are pretty much the same as a vertical smoker. "Offset" is IMO the best smoker out there. When we bought the charcoal smoker the first thing I did was try to find a place with the best advice I could. Fletch from this site gave me a link to this smoking site, but I had already been there. You don't have to join the site to learn, but you can gain more knowledge in a couple weeks on reading this site then you might learn in two years. On your own. https://www.smokingmeatforums.com

I have taken the kayak off the list. I looked at videos on using them for fishing, and even hauling ultra light backpacking gear. Just not for me. The aluminum boats including johns are out as well. I do not have a pick-up, or trailer anymore so hauling them isn't in the wheel-house. My back and trying to lug one of those on top of my Cherokee? Yeah, I see busted out windows, an ambulance, and a hospital stay, LOL. I am really leaning towards the Bantam type. Stable, they come with swivel seats, wired for an electric trolling motor if I ever decide to put one on it an register it. Canoe is my fall back. Not always the most comfy, but versatile in I can use to maybe camp on an island on public land with small lakes that allow camping. I am really appreciating the feedback, it's made me look at: What are all the possible uses I would have for a small boat? Can I load it on my vehicle and unload it alone? Storage. Room for plenty of gear. Stability.

Totally forgot this thread was here when I made my post this morning. Sorry about that. Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Grilled steaks, hobo taters on the grill, and steamed corn. Used a little rosemary on the taters and steak along with my usual spices. Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Picked up 1/2 bushel of pickling cukes yesterday. Pickling them today. Garlic dills and jalapeno-garlic dills. Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

We just bought a 1/2 bushel of pickling cukes. Already have the spices and pickle crisp. Got some fresh garlic, and jalapeño to make the spicy pickles. Doing those up tomorrow! August, we will be getting a few bushels of tomatoes and making our homemade pasta/red sauce again this year.

I did consider a "John Boat" actually. But even the lightweight ones seemed a little wide for rowing. Like I said, I don't want a motor. I also need to be able to load it on the top of my truck by myself. I agree 100%, getting off the shore line will get me on bigger fish! Gencountyzeek, I'm still at an impass on the kayak. I like to have my tackle box in front of me so swapping out lures is fast and easy. I am not discounting your posts, please don't take it that way. If you use a kayak please post up some pics of your set-up and how you cast from the kayak.

So more comic relief then actually hunting. Figures as much. If it hits anywhere but just on Netflix i'll give it watch.

Any game taken in the flick or is more or less like "The Great Outdoors"? More comic relief then about the great outdoors.

Probably not this year, but, next year I want a boat of some sort I can put on top of either of our vehicles to fish out of. It will just be me in it. With all the small lakes ( ponds in reality ) I have around me that do not allow motors, it's a narrow selection of choices. Also, I really don't want a motor, rowing is just fine by me. I have always looked at the Bantam boats ( they aren't called that anymore ) for years and years, canoes are always great for this type of fishing, or a kayak. Here's my breakdown of the three: Those two man Bantam style boats are nice, been on a couple in the past, most are very stable and you can even stand up in most of them, but trying to row one seems like a PITA. Lots of room for gear, nice elevated-rotating seats you can put a cushion on. Good way to go. Canoes. IMO, the best light weight boat out there. I can get it on the top of my Jeep solo, and just go fishing. Lots of room for gear, pretty damn stable, and easy to row and get in tight places. Kayaks. This is where I hit a wall. About the same as a canoe, easy to row and get into places, lighter then most canoes, just as durable as both my afore mentioned watercrafts, and some are much more affordable. Back to the wall I hit. Where do I put my tackle box, tie up the stringer, in fact, for fishing, where do I put anything? I was shore fishing this morning, I cast spinner baits, tubes, spoons, rubber worms, and even was flipping a weed free frog lure off lilly pads. What say the masses? Of these three choices, what would you choose and why?

I think they make a scent free Ivory liquid. There are ways to make your own soap, bar soap, without using lye. But it's expensive. Every summer I think about making real apple scented soap, then I look at the cost and pass.

Late lunch. Smoked kielbasa. Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Not bad. Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Green Lake again. At least caught something besides blue gills this time. Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk

Still just old fashioned Ivory soap. Shower with it, shave some off for washing my hunting clothes. When I wash my deer hunting clothing, I do run a few empty loads through the washer with some of the shavings, to get rid of other smells. I don't know it it works wonders, but if you are using any of that top dollar scent control in a washer and still have stink form your normal washing you defeated the purpose.

Not sure it's a real win as it has to back before the "9th", but certainly gives some hope in........CA! Most people in NY don't stand up like they do down south, the mid-west, or even out west. After reading this I tried to see when the last Pro-gun protest was. It was last April, and I would bet most on here didn't have a clue it was happening, if they did they sure didn't share to help get more people involved: http://liherald.com/stories/gun-owners-decry-safe-act-in-albany-rally,102405 If I had known I sure as hell would have been there. It's funny in this state, people will drive from NYC to WNY for wings, but won't make the trip to defend the 2nd Amendment. I again stand my ground, I am not paying anyone who doesn't do their job. If I pay you to mow my lawn and you half-ass it, "You're Fired!".

Pics of Law ( Larry don't count ).

I don't care how cute you think you are, lets see some pics of the blonde.

The terms "back-country" or "back-woods" can be applied to certain/different situations. I'm not talking a bushcraft adventure here. That would be pure in both aspects. We are not in a campground, there are no lights, showers, toilets, or porta potties. We have to dig a hole as our toilet. You need a shower, you take a hike to the local stream and hope it has water. No one delivers our wood, we have to work for it to get enough, and that's the biggest PITA! So, yes, in a way, this is back-country camping. If I wanted or could go really old school, and do a bushcraft set up for myself, there would be no tent, no buddy heater, and no cot. It would be me, a tarp, a good knife with a ferro rod to make a fire ( which I do have and know how to use ), and a 100% wool blanket. I can't camp that way anymore. My health doesn't allow it. I just want to plan a trip or two for bow hunting up there, have the amenities and to be able to ride out a passing rain storm.

I like the suggestion. I did look at the walls and roofs that would fit my canopy. But a little out of the price range I am willing spend. I see people when we camp at state campgrounds going more and more to this set up.

Please try and remember people, I am talking about setting up a hunting camp with tents in the back country, not a "car camping trip" at Butlog State Park. Been looking at a few other tents today, will post links if something better then the tent I posted comes up for the price.

Happy birthday.

NO! This has nothing to do with political threads, it has nothing to do with anything.

Yeah, that stuff is rugged. The best ones are made of a vinyl coated polyester if I remember right. That s*** is heavy.

The feedback is very much appreciated. It's nice to get advice and hear what other people think. I have a canopy, 10x10, and really don't want to buy another one. Even a pop-up style. I also have a bunch of tarps. A few 12x16, the huge 25x30 we put over the canopy when we are doing week long trips ( the tarp is actually big enough to put over the canopyand it covers three sides, steak it down and it's just about bomb-proof with wind and rain ). I also have a system for putting tarps over a tent and making a vestibule over the front of the tent if the tarp is allows it. My only issue with using tarps in a situation like this is the set up and break-down time. I want to set up fast and make take-down time fast. Yes, for the most part it's haul in. When I had my quad it was easy, drive right up to the site. Sold my quad a few years ago to buy a rifle, but I can drive my truck to within about 200 yards of the site, then the rest has to be hauled. Like I mentioned, even in Summer, a plastic sled to haul gear will work. I just don't want to get carried away. The tent I have now still works great. the tent material itself is still water proof after I treated the surfaces and seams twice. But the poles are really getting weak now. I mentioned this a while back in another thread. After last weekend, it's time to do something. The cost of replacing the poles and shipping are almost as much and just replacing the tent. So I keep looking at options. Please keep the feedback coming, links to tents in the same price range you have used, small tables that are cheap to play board games on...