MellyMcSmelly

Well Gollyyy, and dadgumit! LMAO!!

CUTE!

Love it!

I got new waterproof pants, my old ones were not insulated, and were not as waterproof in the bum anymore. These ones are insulated, comfie, and chick-sized so the legs aren't 8feet too long, LoL! I got a scent-lock sweatshirt, a funny tshirt, gloves for winter trapleague, a pink Browning keychain, camo fleece socks. I got Jay 2 sweatshirts (not outdoor-related) lighted nocks, bloodtracking spray, and a headlamp.

Nice story, and NICE RACK!

Breathtakingly beautiful!

I am an LPN, and have been for a looooong time. I've been working on upgrading for a looooong time, also. I'm doing it through Excelsior college, it's a self-paced, nontraditional program, designed for upgraders. Last weekend was my CPNE, which is a clinical proficiency exam. It's a weekend-long clinical, partially simulated lab settings, partially real patients. All portions are timed, and you can fail any part if you run over. It's $2000, plus preparation workshops, plus hotel. So it's stressful, and financially stressful! I had to repeat my first of the "simlabs" because I was so nervous I ran out of time. The other ones I aced. I repeated the lab on Saturday, and aced it. I passed the live patients with flying colors. I PASSED!!! My graduation will be processed in a month or 2. Yay me! So I stopped at the New Hartford Gander, to do a little Christmas shopping, then headed home on the thruway. Did some shopping closer to home, and meandered my way home. Got home, unloaded the car, kissed my husband. Told him I was going hunting. (He had to go in to work for nights.) Took the Yukon, and drove out to out friend's place, where we have a ground blind set up. I Sat, sat, sat....JUST before dusk, 2 doe came out of the woods to the left. 2nd was bigger of the 2. Lined up, pulled trigger, and she dropped in her tracks, wadded up. Lucky thing, because my gun jammed after that shot! Texted hubby "got one." He called, was almost to work. Offered some suggestions of people I could call for assistance with dressing her, unless I "thought I could handle it." I told him I planned to do it myself, that I would call around if I needed help but that I was fairly certain I would be able to dress her alone. (He'd just gotten a doe less than a week prior, so I'd also had a recent refresher, LOL.) So I dressed her, and just as a was finishing, heard a few coyote yips. As I got the drag harness on, and got her moving, the yips were getting lots closer and more exuberant. Had to stop backat the blind on the way to the truck to get my jammed gun, then dragged her over/through the snow up the hill to the truck. It was c-o-l-d, windy, and snowing. Stopped a few times to catch my breath! I get up to the truck, and try like hell, but can't get her up. Called Jay for advice. He gave me a multitude of useless suggestions. Didn't seem to grasp the concept that I was flatout tapped, and at 5'4", my center of gravity is too low, LOL! Ended up callinga friend who lives about 5minutes from where I was, who I had texted when I got her. "Murney, it's Melinda...are you home?" "Yeah, what's up?" "I shot her, dressed her, dragged her.....but I can't get the bitch in the truck!!!" He showed up in about 10minutes, and helped me heave her in the truck. All that rescue cost me was a beer and a pack of steaks! Jay's deer was a little bigger, but I think mine's perfectly respectable. Figuered her for about 120 dressed. Freezer's full!!! [glow=red,2,300] All in all, a fantastic weekend! [/glow]

Pathfinder Fish & Game in Fulton, NY (North of Syracuse) The pheasants are released for purposes of propagation, other than the ones we get for the yearly youth hunt that we put on. Not to say that the ones that we release aren't hunted, (by predators with 2legs 4legs, or 2 wings) but cannot be released on club property. It's part of the deal we have.

I'm trap-curious. Actually have a friend that traps, he does it only for the sport, not the money. He took me out last weekend. My husband's hunting plans for that day fell through, so he tagged along. He set 4 traps, one of which he actually really let me do. He set 2 fox traps, and 1 coyote trap, and let me set the other coyote trap. One of the fox traps produced. My husband went hunting with him today, and Bob sent the fox fur home to me. (Haven't seen it in person yet, but below is a pic) I think I do want to take the class, but there aren't any in the near future.

LMAO!!!

Our club does a few pheasant releases each year, we get the birds from a rearing program at the prison in Jamesville. There are usually a few birds that either fly into the walls, get tangled in the nets, or don't survive the 45minute trip from the prison to the release site. The guys get a kick out of it, I out-catch most of them. And, of course, the inevitable jokes when I come out of the pen with several male birds in each hand...

*shrugs* I prefer to wrestle 'em by hand, then eat 'em!

EXACTLY!!!! I spotted that too!

Wound care and Hyperbaric medicine nurse. I (heart) pus and gangrene!

It's all about the bucket list, baby! My dad was a big hunter, fisher, all-around outdoorsman. He died when I was 10. Every year I'd say I was going to take the hunter safetycourse, and every year, something else took precedence. Then my mother died unexpectedly. She hadn't even retired. That was my wake-up call. I'm now living my bucket-list, living each day to its fullest. My husband used to hunt, and had gotten out of it for various reasons. I took the huntr safety class, an he bought beme my first gun of my own (I do have all of my dad's guns.) Then the bow class, and he bought me a bow. I've gotten my first deer, unfortunately it was a buttonbuck, not the doe I thought it was. I look at it in a positive way, though- 1) I was out hunting alone when I got it, so extra proud. I did call my husband for coaching on the dressing it, since I'd not ever done it myself. Good thing he came, turns out he'd given me the dull knife for my fanny pack!!! (Got a nice sharp one for Christmas that year!) 2) I learned to LOOK CLOSER before taking the shot. 3) Because it was my first year out, harvesting a deer has helped to fuel my love for hunting. It's certainly not all about the harvest though. I enjoy just being out there, hearing the trees in the wind, even hearing those obnoxious squirrels! (Is an 85grain broadhead overkill for a squirrel? LOL!) We also started fishing this summer. We are blessed to live in a great area. Our neighbor has a bass pond in the woods behind his house, and we have carte blanche. It's about 4acres. Hasn't really been fished in several years. We've done almost all C&R there, but did keep on nice nice bucketmouth, and a few suicidal pumpkinseeds. (hook-swallowers) My husband is a member of a hunting camp in the ADK. We actually got married there. Outhouse, no running water, gas lights, and a generator. We spend as much time as we can there, and would like to ultimately retire to that area. Unfortunately, I'm banned from there now until Dec 5. : Ok, I'm getting carpal tunnel from this! I'm happy to be here, and hope to be posting pics of a grownup deer this year!

I agree. I remember a few years back, sitting at the kitchen table with my stepsons. One of them remarked on the big kitty in the woods across the road. Peeked with binocs- Bobbie!