wolc123

That is what I always used to do, but the fillets never tasted quite as good as fresh, and it took a while to thaw out all that extra water. The fillets that have been dried with paper towels and frozen in vacuum sealed bags taste exactly the same as fresh after 8 months in the freezer, and are much quicker to thaw out and bake and eat.

I do that also, especially on the larger ones. Keeping them alive until filleting is not that difficult and a big plus, is that it lets you release the larger ones unharmed, so that you can replace them with smaller, tastier ones. Most fishing boats have live wells these days anyhow. I use mine a lot. I have worn out and replaced about 5 live well pumps in the 30 years that I have had my boat. The vacuum sealer is also very important for making them taste good. It honestly tastes the same if it has been frozen in those for 8 months as it does the day it was caught. I always dry the fillets with paper towels prior to vacuum sealing.

There are different advisories for different waters and depending on your age and sex. For example, it is ok for women and children to eat bass from Lake Erie and the upper Niagara river, but not so from the lower Niagara, Lake Ontario, or the St Lawrence river (men over 50 are ok to eat those however). I am not a catch and release guy (I believe that is mostly just the sensless maiming of a fine food source). What I do is separate and mark the vacuum-sealed freezer packages. My wife and kids get the Erie & upper Niagara river stuff, while I get the St. Lawrence river stuff. I can be on the Upper Niagara or Lake Erie in a half hour from my house and my family has a camp on the St Lawrence, so those waters are where all of our fish comes from. I much prefer eating (and catching) bass over any other fresh water species, but I save the walleyes and perch that I catch (by accident) for my wife and kids because they like them. We eat fish from those waters (mostly bass), about twice per month on average. That keeps everyone happy and healthy and stays within all the state recommended guidelines. I also mostly target and keep smaller bass (12-15" long) because they taste a bit better and have less chemical buildup in them. The reason most guys don't bother with bass is they have no clue how to care for the meat. You cant just throw them in a cooler and let them suffocate and die, with the guts in them, like you can with perch and walleye. They have to be kept alive and as fresh as possible (an aerated live-well works wonderful for that, and lets me cull out the big ones (over 15"). The fish should be dispatched with a small club between the eyes, and the meat removed and vacuum sealed while it is still twitching. If it is not twitching it wont taste as good. Bass meat has more oil in it than walleye or perch and that keeps it moist when using healthier cooking methods like broiling, or baking. Walleye and perch are better for frying but that is not such a healthy way to prepare fish.

It all depends on your soil type, regarding what tires are best. My dad has an older JD CUT about that size (model 770 I think). It is a 2 wheel drive and does ok for light foodplotting work (bush-hog, disk, drag, cultipacker, etc) with turf tires. His ground is high, well-drained and mud is never an issue. I don't think it would do so good at my place however, which is all dark, mucky, low-lying soil, and poorly-drained. I usually need 4 wheel drive with loaded R1 tires, if I want to get my spring tillage done on time. Some years with heavy spring rains (like last year), even that did not work. I could not get any spring plantings in last year for the first time ever. If you don't have to deal with mud, you might be fine with 4 wheel drive and turf tires. If you do need to deal with mud on occasion (or snow/ice), then a set of tire chains for the front and back might be a good option. Turf tires with chains will provide significantly better traction in any conditions than R4 (industrial) tires without chains.

Have to wait till October-fest time for more of those. None around at Spring Bock time.

yes sir

That is my favorite at this time of year. I am enjoying one of them as a type in fact, along with the last of the pickled deer heart that my wife made me for Valentine's day and a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich. Not a bad combination at all. She is out of town for a few days so I have to "fend for myself".

I agree that the eyes are the most important part of the mount. Too many guys these days get hung up on the whiskers, eyelashes, pedestals, leaves, sticks, weird poses, and other nonsense. If they only put half that effort into getting the eyes right, they would have some happier customers. I have had several shoulder mounts done, but I am really only completely satisfied with one. My uncle, who mounted that one (9-point on left) was the taxidermist at the city science museum. He did a few whitetails on the side, for friends and relatives. It has been more than 30 years, but I still remember him telling me that "getting the eyes right", was the toughest part. He has been gone for a while now (rest his soul) and none of the guys I have used since have quite figured it out. There is a real "knack" for making them look alive. He had it down, and it looks like Biz's guy does also. p.s: the little 10 pointer on the right looks like he just finished a fat one.

The only living Democrat who I could support is Jimmy Carter (because he is a Christian and a hunter). A couple of dead ones I would have supported were Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. All the rest did or are doing this country more harm than good. I am very thankful that they only hold 1/6 of the power in Washington and hopefully they will loose their hold on that in the next election.

That is similar to what I do. There is no need to dump lots of cash to gain the same effect. I bought a used stationary bike (Life Fitness Life Cycle 3500) for $ 10 at a garage sale about 6 years ago. It has an electronic adjustment for various resistance levels. I always use it on the "random" setting, with the resistance on the maximum setting (12). I do that for 20 minutes, 3 nights per week. After (6) years of that, it has yet to give me any trouble. For simultaneous "entertainment", I have a large flat-screen TV, VCR and DVD player. I prefer the VCR tapes and they can usually be had for free or nearly so. I am just starting "Roots" now (my wife picked up the 6 tape set for $ 1 at the local thrift store). I also have it on DVD but I definitely prefer the VCR tapes.

I am thankful that this is an even-numbered year, so I should be good for a button buck this season.

It would be fairer if the charge were based on waist circumference.

I think last season's deer kill was up a bit, due to good snow during gun season. Fortunately, the cold and snow petered out after late ML season, and this winter might turn out to be the most mild on record. That should result in our deer numbers being good again this fall, despite the big kill last fall. The only ones really getting screwed by this weather pattern (snow during gun & ML season, not much after) are the snowmobilers and skiers.

That is an excellent mount. The eyes look just right. That seems to be the most difficult part of making a realistic looking mount.

I seem to recall that was one of the first things that Trump attempted to do after he was elected but the effort was defeated by an uncooperative congress. I believe that he will try again in his second term, when he should be greatly strengthened by a much more cooperative congress. Considering the ludicrously dismal field of candidates that the Democrats are fielding for the Presidential election this year, it is almost certain that Democratic turnout will be down, and even many of those who do show up to vote, are likely to switch sides. Heck, even on this thread, some have already stated their plans on doing that. A pleasant side-effect, of the horrible slate of Democrat presidential candidates this year, will be big Republican gains in both the Senate and the House, as many ride into office on Trump's coattails.

What is your stance on abortion ? Do you realize that there have been about 10 times as many of those in the USA, since Roe vs Wade, than the number of post-birth human exterminations carried out by the Nazis during WW II. The single best thing about the current collapse of the Democratic party will be the end of this 10 X Holocaust. Ethically, the abortions are even worse because the innocent victims had zero chance of escape.

US Grant (depending on your definition of "modern").

I am very thankful for the current crop of Democratic candidates. It is hard to imagine how Trump could not win another huge electoral blowout, since the entire field this year is weaker than Hillary was in 2016. The only one who might even have an outside shot at a popular vote win is Bernie. Thankfully we are a constitutional republic, not a true democracy, so there will be no worry of a "nail-biter" this year. The best part for me will be the additional, conservative Supreme court justices that Trump will appoint over the next (4) years, and the end of the "Roe vs Wade" BS that has been going on in this country for so long.

Cool, my kids have often decorated one of mine with a red nose for Christmas, they could skip that step with that one.

Very much so. I always wondered why they called those from cattle "Rocky mountain oysters", until I gave them a try, with lots of pepper. I learned that trick from Steve Rinella from the "Meateater" video series on Netflicks. He cooks up some from antelope in one episode and mule deer in another. Both times, he used butter and "lots of pepper" when frying them up. The pepper is definitely the key (I used olive oil instead of butter). What keeps most folks from giving them a try, is a lack of the primary ingredient. If you ever get a pair yourself, and decide to try them, don't forget to slit thru the outer membrane first, or they will "explode" in the frying pan. No problem, oddly enough, my wife just mentioned that she would like to try a new meatball recipe (we have an abundance of ground venison in the freezer). Maybe she can give that "porcupine" one a try.

I have killed a couple porcupines, including one up in Quebec about 30 years ago, while I was on a moose/bear hunt, and one last October up in the Adirondacks. They were both big, but I did not check to see if they had balls. I see that recipe is not about that kind of "balls" though. The rice must stick out of the ground beef "meatballs" and resemble the quills of a porcupine. The secret ingredient, to make the "real" balls of any species taste similar to sea oysters, is lots of black pepper.

I had to twist my wife's arm a little on Wednesday, to convince her to make me pickled deer hearts, like she has done every year for Valentine's day, since we have been married. I only got two last year, so I asked that she add a couple of beef tongues to the mix. She dutifully performed the task. I got her a half dozen yellow roses, from the local produce market, on my way home from work yesterday. Those are her favorites. She was overjoyed with that $ 10.99 token of my appreciation. I am enjoying some of that pickled tongue right now as I type, and saving the heart to take Ice-fishing up at the in-laws this weekend. They love the heart but won't touch the tongue. I always preferred tongue and it is too bad that deer don't have bigger ones. Pickled moose tongue is my all time favorite wild game meat (they are bigger than beef tongues), but those from Black Angus or Holstein is almost as good. My wife does not mind preparing the hearts, but always complains a bit about the tongues. She says that skinning them, after they are cooked, grosses her out a bit. It has been a few years, since I had tongue on Valentine's day, so I will agree that this was the best Valentine's day in a long time.

I have driven only GM trucks (about 50/50 Chevy & GMC's), since 1980, and none have left me stranded. That is 40 years with no tow -trucks or flat-beds, so I really can't complain. I did have a close call one time with my 2000 Chevy Silverado. My wife was backing it up to the boat launch, up on the St Lawrence river about 5 years ago, as I waited in the boat out on the river. I heard a loud "bang" and she stopped suddenly, then started yelling for me to come and see what happened. The drive shaft had broken off (from lots of corrosion), just forward of the rear universal. Fortunately, that truck was four wheel drive. I pulled what was left of the shaft out the transfer case, tossed it into the back of the truck, engaged the front-axle, and pulled the boat out with it like that. I nursed it over to a local mechanic, and he welded me up a new shaft the next day. The truck handled very well as a front-wheel drive. When corrosion started to get the best of the frame a couple years ago, I was planning on taking that truck off the road and making a field vehicle out of it. Instead, I gave it to my father-in law, who still uses it for plowing snow up at his retirement home in the Adirondacks. He got the frame welded up and has taken care of most of the other corrosion issues in his "spare-time" such that it is almost as good as new now. I still get to use it while hunting up there every fall. I do save a lot of money in gas by driving my little Chevy Sonic back and forth up there these days. Thanks to climate change, I really don't miss the 4 wheel drive at home in western NY. Our current Chevy Silverado is a 2000, 2wd, "rustless" extended-cab from Florida. As long as I can keep that one rust-proofed, I should have no further need for a four wheel drive.

Corn is the only spring crop that I put in for deer. I think you can get up to two bags of RR corn thru NWTF if you join, at $ 50 per bag (compared to aprox $250 per bag retail price). I have always used free, leftover seed that I picked up from farmer family and friends. It keeps very well if stored properly (I have not noticed any drop in germination when stored up to 5 years on a shelf in my basement). I have also never paid for soybeans, but they don't store nearly as well due to their high oil content. I only planted them once in the spring and that was enough to teach me to not try that again. The main problem for me was they drew in lots of coyotes. I would much prefer the deer to be somewhere else during fawning season (whitetail fawns may be the coyotes #1 preferred food source in NY state). Soybeans are most attractive to deer during their early growing stage. Even the coyotes eat the plants at that stage (probably because they are so high in protein). Until NY state opens up a year round coyote season, I will not plant soybeans again in the spring. It is always easy for me to find free soybeans at the end of planting season (June). I use them the same year, mixed with white clover, and winter wheat, which I plant starting around September 1st. Those sprouting soybeans draw deer to those plots like candy, and "climate-change" has resulted in late frosts, which keep them drawing deer to the plots into October (when you can kill them). They don't survive the first hard frost, but usually they have completed their mission by that time anyhow. Corn is the only plot that holds deer on my ground after gun-season begins. Obviously, that is because it provides cover in addition to exactly the type of food they seek at that time (carbs). Last year was the first in the past 25 seasons that I did not plant corn and I did not even see a deer on my land after the first shot was fired on opening day. It was way too wet in the spring for me to get any in. Fortunately, the soybean/wheat/clover plots kicked some but, and the best 8-point that I have ever taken fell dead to my crossbow bolt (with a bellyfull of that stuff) 2 weeks before gun season opened. He was also the only deer I have ever killed in WMU 9F, that did not have any corn in his stomach. Here is how I found him, just off the edge of one of those plots:

It is no wonder that Democrats are coming unhinged, given all of the stunning defeats that they have suffered over the last week.