Jdubs

Scouting, scouting and more scouting. Did I mention scouting? My gear is GTG, I'm fairly OCD about staying organized. Other than scouting, I'll send some bolts downrange to stay sharp. Probably won't need more than one trip to confirm rifle scope zero. My longest shot would be under 100 yards.

Just for the heck of it I threw a cam down by the creek bed. Looks like a party!

Cooked my last package of venison brats yesterday. I still have some prime venison bacon burgers left, but that's it. Time to make the donuts.

Nice catch! I never had one on cam during daylight before until this last pull.

Seeing a nice assortment of 6 and 8 pt bucks for my small area in 5R. We'll see if they stick around for game time.

Well, the bottle was too big for a coozie and I was all outta Solo cups!

Venison brats.

I'm surprised at the rapid response to recert online versus by mail and a full year ahead of the requirement. Thankfully, I live in Saratoga County where the sheriff is on record opposing this latest infringement. There is a cost though. Who do you think is paying the NYSP to establish this new database and then process the info? Who pays the people doing all the work at the county level for them? We do, the tax payers. And to what gain? County judges are already empowered to revoke a pistol permit at any time. Why give the state a new-found power to revoke your permit as well, overriding the county judge? Isn't it bad enough that the NY Pistol Permit you have issued from Western NY isn't valid in the entire state, ie. NYC? Or that many counties routinely issue restricted permits while others routinely issue normal unrestricted ones? NY's gun laws are a cluster and I don't see any reason why turning over more power to the state, run by a man who actually said, "confiscation is an option", is something one would NOT oppose! It's sad how easily New York gun owners will incrementally give away their Second Amendment rights. So many don't even put up a whimper of opposition. Those quoting the recert process in states like Florida or Utah seem to forget that those recerts apply to ccw permits, not the fundamental right to purchase and possess a handgun for your home. Where is the opposition to THAT?

I own a bunch of Surefires and swear by them. The E2D LED gets carried every day, hunting too. Bright as can be and tough as nails. It even survived an accidental run through the washing machine.

I went with a Tikka T3x in .308 when looking for a similar rifle. It checks all the boxes that the Remy does, other than the .280 caliber, if you're set on that.

One of the biggest mistakes I made starting last year was not buying a quality predator light. I missed out on two greys because I was either fumbling with a clunky spotlight or had a gun mounted light that was too dim. End of last season I picked up a Wicked Lights 250 that works great. I'm adding a Night Eyes red headlamp for scanning so I can stay totally hands free. If I miss out on anything again, it won't be the lights fault!

Dang, my mind must be playing tricks on me. I tried searching for the thread, but came up empty. It was a post with multiple photos of all kinds of taxidermy, very impressive in terms of the variety and quality! I could have sworn there was a pic of a grey fox tucked in a corner of one of the pics. If the thread/post rings a bell with another member, could you please post the link?

Your entire collection of taxidermy was already inspiring beyond words! I'll have to go back to that thread, but wasn't there another piece with a solo grey? Something like that might be nice for my home office, if I can find a talented taxidermist.

Last year I tried predator hunting for the first time. Loved night hunting! No kills, but I had two opportunities at grays. This time around I'm much better prepared to close the deal, but then what? I wouldn't want to waste the harvest by jacking up the fur. What do you guys do with your furs? What would you suggest for me if my goal was to, for example, make a fox fur hat or do a coyote fur wall mount? Looking for personal use ideas not gunning to harvest and sell a huge fur pile. Also, I'm in Saratoga County if someone suggests using and can recommend a local taxidermist. Thanks!

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas in our house is always focused on the kids. Still, we each make up our own Lists just in case Santa needs some ideas. I was very pleasantly surprised (and impressed!) to find this Hooyman saw under the tree. Never would have guessed that she would actually buy it for me. The Cabela's gift card will most likely go towards a new ground blind. I'm a happy guy.

I have a 2.5-10x variable on my rifle, but darned if it doesn't stay on 3x for each hunt. The only times I have dialed it up were to get a closer look through some thick areas. If you can save weight with a fixed optic, then lighter is better, IMO.

There is no more satisfying meal to me than the one I worked hard to put on the table. Some of the best meals I have ever had were freshly caught fish (Mahi Mahi, Wahoo, etc) that were on the table within a couple hours of being caught. Everyone who gathered around enjoyed a mouth-watering feast fit for a King! I think of those meals often when my toes start going numb and my back is aching in the stand. Why did I leave my perfectly warm and comfortable bed at God o'clock in the morning for this? What the heck am I trying to prove by taking up hunting for the first time as a 40-something man with zip for deer hunting knowledge? For me, it's the challenge of figuring this out; carefully preparing for and working hard to accomplish a successful harvest. I have made many mistakes on every hunt so far, but I'm learning from them. Hopefully, all of those experiences will lead to taking that first deer next season. My mind will be on that glorious meal, making all of the discomfort and hard work worth it.

13% alcohol?!

Lighter body than you'd expect, but very tasty as I'm sitting by the fireplace after shopping all day.

Helped my neighbor and his nephew dress and haul out their 3 deer (the nephew's first deer ever) on the second day of rifle. Awesome day all around, even though it wasn't my harvest. A couple days later we butchered the deer together and processed it into all kinds of goodies. We celebrated completing that absurd meat pile at 1 am by grilling up a couple of the filet mignon cut bacon burgers. Every time I've been in a stand since all I can think about is that mouth-watering venison burger!

In my area, nearly all of the action has been at night. Night hunting is addictive! A good light setup is key. This year I will be using a red headlamp to scan for eyes and a good rifle-mounted red light that I picked up at the end of last season. Any thoughts on preferred spots to place a bait pile? I have a wide creek bed with steep banks leading up to wooded areas. Last year I set the pile up in the woods maybe 50 yards up from the creek bed. Should it be set down low instead?

Sure does! I read about the 'baitsicle' and made one with chicken livers. Put a cam over the site and got a ton of pics and vids! The fisher in particular loved those livers. Later I found a roadkill deer and wired that down in the same spot. At least one yote came in, but my cam batteries died on the second night when he came in and started feeding. If I had a better gun and light setup to start with, at least one fox would have been taken. Now I have a bunch of scrap deer meat in a bucket for this season's first baitsicle. Hopefully my buddy still has the rib cages in his shed too.