stubborn1VT

Congrats Moog, and the rest of the successful hunters out there. Recurve? Glad you found him. He's a dandy!

I will start it any time it's below 55 degrees. Like Wolc, I have a pretty much endless supply of firewood. We have oil heat, but I do my best to make sure the furnace never runs.

The interwebs suggest that a size SMALL will fit the 870 Express. I just threw a tape measure on my wood stock 870 Express. The measurements suggest that a SMALL would indeed fit correctly.

Girlfriend came home from work feeling under the weather. Think she's coming down with a cold. It didn't take much arm twisting to get me to fire up the woodstove. Pretty comfy in here! I like the cool weather, but the heat feels good on a damp day.

It's not the size of your peep. It's how you use it.

I carry a pair of 8x25 Leupolds. They are small, so I carry them all season. I agree that a bigger pair of binos would get left home. Think I only paid $120 or so on mine and they perform well enough. I would like a pair of 10x50 to keep in the house.

Vermont season opener is October 6th, so...

To each his own. I don't feel like I miss much while I'm reading. It helps me pass the time on stand and figure it keeps me on stand longer, which translates into more success. Do what you like!

Why are the Fitzgeralds losers? I used to get a kick out of Dan, way back in the day.

I will have to look for that book. The show is just about the best thing on TV.

I'm a big fan of the Prey novels by John Sandford. I tend to re-read books when I'm on stand, so I don't have to focus too closely on reading.

To heck with the mushrooms! The burl at the base of that tree is something.

Is Didi done for the season? Or not?

You at the brewery? I live just 5 miles south. I drink a Second Fiddle now and again at a restaurant. Never seen to make it to the source.

Browning A bolt synthetic stalker in 7mm Rem Mag Used, spray painted 870 that has killed many turkeys My Grandfathers Savage 99 in .250-3000 (I like my Ruger .22 Mag pretty well too.)

I have no idea what point you think you are arguing. Carry on.

Acorns smell strange and unnatural to deer? I hope not. They generally eat them.

Had 39 here early. There was frost in our horse pasture.

I have no idea where you get "open" from the pictures either.

Not open at all. It's on the edge of a hill. There is acres of woods choked with honeysuckle where you cannot walk. It's actually thicker than any place I have ever hunted.

Glad you had a good trip Uncle Nicky! And you didn't sink!

Sorry to read this Firstlight. Loss is a fact of life, but that doesn't make it easy to experience. Thinking of you and yours.

Pick a good trail out of the woods, play the prevailing wind, then cut a spot big enough for the blind a few rows into the corn field. If you cut a trail in to the back of the blind, then you can use those stalks to "brush" up your blind. Tie it on with baling twine or zipties. Trim out a shooting lane, and keep as many windows closed as you can. I'm not a big fan of popup blinds, but they can be awfully nice on poor weather days. Hope your blind can get you close to some venison for the family!

Oh NOW he's befuddled.

Some pictures of a little woods plot I put in this summer. I cut some firewood here over the winter. I tried a new method (new to me) this time. I scraped off the pine needles, sticks and little honeysuckle with the tractor and box scraper. I spread a couple tractor buckets of lime-ash. Then I roughed it up with the 4 wheeler and chain harrows. I was left with some exposed tree roots, so I went around and cut them by hand. Broadcasted a mix of chicory and clover, with just a smidge of brassicas. Then seeded some free rye over that. I rolled it with a poly lawn roller behind the wheeler. It rained a couple days later. I was worried about acidic soil, lack of sunlight, and lack of moisture (it's on top of a hill). I was pretty pleased with the outcome. I think it's only 18yds x 40yds, but it's connected to a clover plot just down the hill. The clover plot is just inside the woods next to the soybeans that I overseeded with brassicas. The soybeans are screened by the broadcasted strip of corn. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of feed for our local deer. I see the same 3-5 does and that's about it. I just keep trying to add things to make our 12 acres a deer destination. Some day I hope to actually hunt here!