Will_C

I have an idea for those who don't like winter. I have been thinking about buying a snow blower for my tractor and a snowmobile to play around on. If you would all send me some money, and I buy them, I guarantee they'll gather dust for the next 6 years!

Congrats Jerry. I'm eligible for my penalty free pension 9/1/2022-have 30 years in. I'll have to start making some decisions and planning on what I want to do. Not sure what I'll do but it is a great option to have in your pocket.

I am planning to have a house built next year and a transfer system is in the plans. My contractor tells me he hasn't built a house in the last 15 years without one. I kept my refrigerator, freezer, computer, TV, and a couple of lamps going during the 5 days we were without power due to flood of 2011 with a 2000 watt Honda generator. As I have electric thermal storage unit heat in this house, I haven't bothered with a larger generator as it wouldn't help me with heat in the winter-I'd need a 30,000 watt generator to charge them.

I went that the same thing in 2003. I wanted a ATV for hunting and occasional puttering around. Looked for a used for months, answering ad after ad. Finally broke down on New Year's Eve and bought a new Honda Foreman. It still sits in the garage, 17 trouble free years later. 17 years! Didn't realize it had been that long until I just typed it. Hope Lawdwaz's works as well for him!

Scopes on a shotgun...a problem I'm glad I don't any more! My father had the side mount on an Ithaca Deerslayer. Worked well. I bought a Deerslayer myself and had a saddle mount. Wouldn't stay tight. I bought an 11-87 and had the top strap drilled and tapped-that wouldn't stay tight-not enough metal there. Replaced that with a cantilevered barrel. That worked well. I remember seeing a mount for a Remington that had was top based and attached by 3 screws on each side of the receiver, No experience with it but I thought it looked like it would work. I think a gunsmithing in Ilion that was loosely affiliated with Remington had them. I'm so glad that with rifles being legal since 2005 my slug days are just a memory!

I'm an educator by profession, and firmly believe no on line course can compare to an in-person experience if it is a quality course and available. Unfortunately I know there was/is a lack of hunter education courses, and judging by everyone's comments, some lack of quality as well. I took the bow course last summer to be ready in case crossbows get full inclusion. It was merely something for me to check off-can't say I learned anything but I took it as an adult who has shot over 70 deer in my life and have been hunting over 40 years. I took a traditional classroom/shooting range course 43 years ago and learned much from that-I don't think any on-line course could compare.

I took my archery course on line last summer for this exact reason.

Real model of consistency. Never hit 50 homers in a year but managed 755 in his career.

I can spend a lot of cold days watching either one. Much better than current movies.

I have a Leupold Rifleman 3-9x on my Encore and it has worked well.

It seems to be to me another niche cartridge for western hunters that have the talent and need to shoot 400-500 yards. No interest here-but someone may think they need it!

When i had to use a slug gun (thankfully don't have to anymore), I'd sight in at 75 yards-it put me about 2" low at 100. I shoot an Encore with 100 grains of Blackhorn. I sight in 2" high at 100, where I can get 1.5" 3 shot groups. That puts me about on at 150 yards,

Have always used the same anti-seize I have in the garage for mechanic type uses. I think I have had the same can for 20 years.

When I built my 30 x 50 pole barn, we set the poles before the gravel. When we had the poles set we put up the top plates and trusses. Then we put in the gravel and compacted it with a plate compactor. Put the roof on and then poured the concrete.

The only positive about 2020 was a productive deer season-a total of 6 deer harvested between NY and PA, including a decent 8 point buck. The rest of the year was terrible, from some untimely deaths of people I know, some health problems, and trying to work as a school administrator with 1/2 the kids in remote learning and shutdowns due to quarantines. I am more excited to see 2021 than any New Year ever,

That is a rugged little true TLB, a scaled down version of a full sized machine. Backhoe is integral to the tractor, so it would be some what of a chore to remove and install 3 point arms-do they come with a tractor? I think they were an option. Price too high for the hours. I'm taking a guess, but I'm thinking around high 20's for a new one. You can get a MSRP on a new one on the Kubota website.

Learned to drive off road in a 1970 Chevy C60 dump truck, 5 speed transmission with a 2 speed rear axle. I had a 1978 Nova with a 3 speed column shift, a 1981 Corolla with a 5 speed, a 1982 Accord with a 5 speed, a 1983 Tercel 5 speed, 1989 Toyota 2wd truck with 5 speed, a 1989 Celica 5 speed, a 1989 Acura with a 5 speed, 1995 Camry with a 5 speed, and 1996 Tacoma 4wd with a 5 speed. First auto was a 2004 Tundra when I was 41 years old. Yeah, I think I could still shift if I had to!

Best advice I have is to not get sweaty walking in. I don't have any long walks to stands, but I force myself to go slow. One of stands is a short, but steep 300 yards from my truck. I'll wear my clothes, but coat will be open, bib legs fully unzipped, 1/4 zip shirts open, no gloves or hat, and I've learned to walk 20 steps slowly, and then stop for 10 seconds, repeat. Not practical for those who walk long distances, but good for me. I also do not get fully dressed until I'm ready to hunt, Even on the short drive to my NY spots, I don't wear coat, bibs, or boots. I dress in my brother's garage or while seated on my tailgate when I hunt in Pa. I lost a bunch of weight this year, and needed new baselayers. I splurged on First Lite, a set of lightweight and a set of heavyweight. Merino wool and worth every penny-cost more than my first car!

Hoping to get out of work by 1:00pm and sit for a while. I remember in 2009 there was a big snow storm the first Saturday of PA rifle season. The snow starting falling at noon and we got 8-10 inches. I shot a doe that morning at 7:30pm and a buck at 11:00am, and saw 6 other doe-and that was on a stand in the woods, not watching a food plot or crop field. I'm a believer in more deer activity right before a storm.

Much like everyone else-location or people's name. We have the Cherry Tree Stand, upgraded to the Cherry Tree hut Kim's stand Jake and Dan's (2 ladder stands put up by my brothers buddy on the same tree when he used to take his 10 year old out with him-darn kid is 24 years old now) Will's back stand Kenny's stand Hedgerow stand Gully stand Back Corner stand Buddy Stand And probably a couple of other's I can't remember

I wasn't real happy with my shooting the last few years, couple of misses and a couple poor hits. I bought a ,223 last December and shot around 250 rounds with it last spring and summer, both off hand and rested on a rail, like being in a tree stand at 100-200 yards. I didn't have any shots longer than 80-90 yards, but hit every deer I shot this year within a couple of inches of where I aimed.

I go back 40 years. Did my hunting on the hillside behind our village. Probably 7-800 acres owned mostly by 2 farmers-one hunted a bit, the other didn't hunt, First day probably had 25-30 men hunting-the farmers let anybody local and well known hunt there. Plenty of doe-but permits were very limited-4 hunters on one when I started. If there were 20 bucks in the area, I'm guessing 15 were killed. No drives, but someone was always moving, Today I hunt my brother's 80 acres, and the neighboring 75 we lease. Not a lot of other hunters in the surrounding 500 acres. Plenty of deer, but we don't see many after the first few days until around this time of the season. I am convinced they settle in the area where there is little hunting pressure for most of rifle season. Five of us hunt regularly, and we have killed 3 bucks and 2 doe. Both my brother and nephew won't shoot anything but mature bucks. Better % of kills than my old area, but not the deer sightings.

Food plots are often a great place to kill deer, but the deer don't just drop in on them from the air! They have to get there somehow. I have my own plots in NY, and I (and friends) shoot deer over them, but other deer are shot 2,3, or 400 yards away as they head in the direction of the plots. I don't hunt over food plots in Pa., but most of the deer I shoot and see there are heading to my cousin's "food plots" -large 20-100 acre ag fields that are over seeded with cover crops, not necessarily for deer hunting but for erosion control-the hunting is a bonus! It sure will help your hunting anywhere on the property-but I agree, if $$ is on the line time for a talk about where people will be hunting, what crops, etc.

I shot a buck with my crossbow, and another opening morning so no decision for me. If it was in Pa, where I still have a buck tag...boom!

I was a senior in HS. Heard it on the radio the next morning.