personally, I would be surprised if an experienced hunter could confuse ticks and lice! Sometimes the lice are pretty big!

although our bushytails have a keen sense of smell, they do not seem to use it except to find food. Don't worry about your scent.

I predict you/we will be surprised how old a lot of us are, after all it is a "graying" demographic. I am mid-50's

you can use your muzzleloader any season that firearms are legal, I believe that pretty much settles it as a state issue [ i hunt in VA too] locally sometimes rifles are not allowed but muzzleloaders are not excluded in that exception that I know of getting a report of a bear raiding what he can at homes near where I often hunt

I was using spent uranium for my non-toxic shot until I figured out I was swallowing it sometimes when eating the ducks so I quit. [g]

I think the German Shorthairs are the thing now. Poodle? just a joke, right? Just in case you arent joking, believe it, you need to use real hunting breeds. For example, bird dogs actually have an specific instinct for hunting birds bred into them, and other instincts are bred into hunting dogs. Also, generally, these other dogs don't have a good enough nose.

I'll send something before December.

Do NOT overcook duck to "render" off grease. Duck should not be overcooked and a lot of people like the breast rare. BTW store-bought ducks and geese are very fat, but the wild ones are not. Do not use recipes for store-bought ones for those bagged in the wild. I don't think of ducks as being greasy myself.

In VA I'm getting plenty reports it's spotty, none in normally good spots and all over the place in others. My own results have been fair to middling. Got to find them, spotty mast has to be the reason.

buddy you got to get your stuff together the night before or it's trouble! I am pretty good to forget stuff like something to eat!

any kind of stew or chili will work, but thick stuff not too watery or acidy

when I lived near there long time ago, I tried a lot of places but liked Patuxent River state park just north of Olney the best

>I've been told that one should wait up >to a half hour before tracking for archery, absolutely, i'm told. Probably generally can't hurt.

I have found you can't rely on them roosting in the same place year round. Nothing like knowing exactly where a gobbler roosted in the spring!

I can't imagine you are really hitting them. If one pellet won't bring down a quail it is because you hit the foot or something. Do you see a feather floating after you shoot? If you just graze one you should at least see that. It's not your ammo unless you are not using small shot like #8. DakotaMan is some kind of dead shot using #4's !!

#4 buckshot will kill a deer, it's all about knowing your range. Myself, wouldnt use a 20 guage, but again it is all about knowing your range. A lot of us have situations/regulations where we can't [or are asked not to] use rifles.

Moishe, you are so bad!

I've saved my answer to this, with a link, will just keep trotting it out, that way I don't lose it either. "The basic principle is: just cut your meat thin with the grain, soak for a few seconds in super salty water, and let dry. Recipes get better by adding onion powder and garlic powder, hot sauce, etc. While drying you can add loads of pepper this also keeps off the flies. If applying light heat somehow like smoking, be mindful that you are drying, not cooking, the meat. No, you didnt miss anything, the basic idea of jerky is really simple don't let the people selling contraptions make you think any different." link to other answers: http://www.fieldandstream.com/answers/hunting/deer-hunting/venison-recip...

I am quite surprised the game and fish guy said you can sell a gall bladder! But what do I know? Moishe, I think it's still a hot item in the black market.

yeah, fox is dog, plus they get rabies. Nothing wrong with eating 'coon.

They would never go all winter hibernating like a bear. You have me looking this up now! I think they may do "torpor" instead of "hibernation" as clearly IMO there can be long periods of inactivity [several days] in bad weather. >They build a leafy nest in a tree they prefer a den in a hole in a tree, in which they put that nest. Some years there are squirrels aplenty and you don't see many nests. It is certainly true that wind bums them out.

>it doesn't matter with squirrel. high brass for squirrel too, sir 6's are the best for general all around elmer fudding: you might get a shot at dove, quail, woodcock as well as rabbit or squirrel, use 6's

everybody eats the whole squirrel as far as the meat goes; some eat brains, I eat the liver and heart but not the brains. The liver has a strong, varying taste, so it is not for anyone who hasn't eaten much wild game. The heart gets tough if fried for more than a minute. I like the liver and hearts for breakfast with grits and eggs: http://www.fieldandstream.com/forums/hunting/small-game/grits-squirrel-livers-and-hearts as for diseases, the squirrel is completely safe, certainly when cooked. I've never heard of any danger from cleaning them either.

very cool! >I know were to be next spring! I hope you are right, but I have found you can't count on em being in the same places spring and fall. Could be where I hunt, I swear I have no turkey flocks that ever much stay in the same place, you always have to be on alert for turkey sign ... they really wander

shouldnt be a turkey, they roost till at least dawn and don't like moving around in the dark

guys with bad hearts have paid the price I hear!

chart from 2poppa! http://www.internetarmory.com/shotgun_hunting.htm

wow, Clay, that thing will scare everybody to death. The part about how safe store meat is, is a little laughable. Never heard of getting E-coli from game myself. If you hunt rabbit in season you are pretty safe. You can figure the above cautions are good to take to be super safe. Hunting rabbits in summer brings risk.

I'd say inside 25 yards only myself

I don't know that it's so much about leaves. IMO you just don't have to pass up as many shots if you use a shotgun. Clearly what to use is disputed! You can get additional screw in chokes for that gun. Modified is OK, but I use full choke.

not counting BB gun stuff, a rabbit with a .22 it was also my first astonishment at missing and seeing the game just freeze while i reloaded my single shot and aimed better [g]

the canopy thing is really big with me. You will need to check that your unit has high sensitivity if you are going to use it "in the woods"... if not you have a lot of options and cheaper ones. Garmin is maybe the best, Magellan maybe most user friendly.

86Ram, I know they do on wildlife management areas, so I will say 'yes' for Virginia

I find fresh game is so much fresher than meat from the store. It'll keep a week easy in the fridge, my opinion, however is it fresh kill? Freeze it if longer. BTW you can't leave game in salt water too long.

The pros are saying all these things can let you down at just the wrong time. Waterproof matches require a striking material, and if the striking material gets wet, can't use em. Lighters can let you down in wind. So it seems these guys prefer to have the steel and flint fire starters as the essential item. Any matches or lighters can also be in the kit if you have room.

I think Buckeye got it right on his details. Anybody else notice that stainless steel is predominant for what you will see in Cabelas, etc., I am thinking nearly exclusively

this photo? http://www.fieldandstream.com/contest_entry/1001338417?page=140&pnid=1001340475

some of my buddies are getting trailcameras disappearing too. Can't stand a thief. Hunting brings out the best in some and the worst in some others, I think.

if it is a bear that has gotten too used to humans, a bear that has been fed, you might have something to worry about. Otherwise not much to worry about. If it does attack, I have heard what Cooner says, that you better fight for your life. This is the opposite of the Grizzly, when it attacks you do the fall to the ground and cover up bit ... these are two different bears.

apparently it is not a killer. I got it and it was as sick as I've been since a child. But it was just the flu, no need to head for the hills. How about the vaccination drive? A fiasco as usual!!!

is it sporting?

I doubt not putting enough powder is the problem. Although if you are really using 10 grains that is the answer! Don't agree 150 gr is necessary and I think accuracy suffers loading over 100. Not trying to start any s*** or say "I know", but misses with the low velocity muzzleloader at all distances is just more possible. You can miss by shooting over them when close, and at a distance the round is dropping like a dying quail and you have to have the range right on.

check out the section here for recipes, which includes Brunswick Stew. And I put in something for cleaning squirrels. Look down the list a bit. http://www.fieldandstream.com/forums/-cook-book I'm hankering myself for some fried squirrel with biscuits and gravy, havent done that simple little thing in a while. If you can fry chicken, you can fry squirrel. It is best to segregate out the young ones for frying. That LL Bean cookbook has a squirrel pie recipe that's great. Also if you can find a 40-50 year old Joy of Cooking it will have squirrel recipes.

Disney I have come to despise in all ways, so the fact he was rabid anti-hunter fits fine. Sad to think how good the very first donald duck etc cartoons were!

completely safe to eat and also clean this time of year; in summer cleaning them Tuleremia possible but these days that seems rare. they can be tough fried, you would want to par-boil em. Bigjake has good advice.

OK, let me put it to you like this. If we were a bunch of "girls" this is how we would be acting. I get my feelings hurt, I act it out, I am going to quit, blah blah blah my feelings are hurt boo-hoo. *Girls* If we are not a bunch of girls we just man up and take any shots thrown at us, pick ourselves back up dusting ourselves off and WE DO NOT VIOLATE THE CODE which says those that start whining go home and whine and cry into their pillows. NOT AROUND US. Got it? Any ladies [note my wording] out there listening, I also exclude you from this picture of a bunch of silly young girls acting up.

I wouldnt use buckshot, actually, but something that would give you a better pattern ... #2 fine shot [lead]. If buckshot use #4 buck at the largest

yes. They are disgusting, but do not harm the meat.

>I'll refrain from speaking my mind yeah, me too, the idea of this guy, one of our soldiers, shouting "allah akbar" as he did this is sending me to the moon

from what we know of this guy, he should be humiliated to get knocked out by a woman. GOOD! wish there was some way to rub it in!

too bad you can't get the rear doors for the back cab on the dakota, then you'd be set! [at least my dakota doesn't have them] I like the size of the truck tho

wow bunch of answers and I can't read em all [so why am I adding? [g].... anyway I will add this point. If you want a very young boy to get interested in hunting, you can really make a mistake by taking him out on one of your hunts. You will be disappointed in his attention span as CavRecon is pointing out. He will get tired too quickly, too, and if you keep him out there it will just about convince him hunting is not for him! I know a lot of men who never got their kids interested in their own passion for hunting and I bet a huge percent of the time these mistakes are the reason~~~~ My suggestion: start with target shooting and when too young for that, probably other types of outings are better than actual go-along-with-you hunting.

Non-hunters can be horrified enough just watching normal hunting, so I agree: those 'exploding animal' type shows should be opposed by hunters.

yeah, I hate to see them portray these low brass shells good for anything but dove. THIS IS AN ANCIENT bulls*** problem with companies marketing shells. Maybe they make more money on them. For some reason you have to learn what to avoid on your own! Not just remington in my experience.

>sighted about 1 hour north of where I live jhed67, you sure that wasnt the night you were out whooping and hollering and wearing your ghillie suit?

you can definitely call a lost bird or a pair maybe, that you never broke up yourself by calling. Done it. Have had them come up just hearing me in the leaves, hoping it's their flock. The young ones are really desperate to get back to that flock. >a kee-kee-run personally, I like to keep that in reserve, it can be dandy tho. Link to calls: http://www.nwtf.org/all_about_turkeys/calling_tips.html

killed she was 19! http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/10/28/ns-coyote-attack-died.html

turk has it right for time of day as far as hibernation, they don't do that but go into torpor, which means days and days holed up in bad weather. Kicks in hard in winter but not in November too much [in VA]

Check your local game laws, then tether a live owl in a tree near where they roost.

It is written, thou hunter who drops thy pants calls all game to come out and view. Must be irresistible, your bare ass sticking out there, "That I gotta see" says the deer or whatever

venison chili from the last season! and beer!

good stuff!

"Tungsten-Matrix shot as loaded by Kent is slightly heavier than bismuth and close to the same density as lead. Almost as soft as lead, it too can be used in vintage guns." this is from the below which is a good article. http://www.gameandfishmag.com/hunting/guns-shooting/gf_aa116802a/#cont I disagree with some of the above, you should *not* use hevishot and some others of the non-toxic shot in a gun that can't use steel.

don't worry about tearing up the quail if you use the right choke... improved cylinder or improved modified. And I also hope you meant 100 feet, but if you didnt the learning curve will kick in fast

probably just the instinctive reaction to something that is running, possibly exacerbated by continuing to run when it was time to turn around and face down the threat.

I'm sure it was the same scenario as with Dick Cheney, you need to be with people who are super aware of where everybody is, with "can't shoot over that way" burned in the brain when swinging after a bird. and sober. I remember a little hint that Cheney's group might have been drinking.

Everybody I know, once they load their blackpowder rifle, seems to just leave it loaded all season and keeps it dry is all. I suspect some of them leave it loaded from one season to the next, even, but without a cap on of course. I am afraid I have been influenced by these guys, but I never keep it loaded from season to season! Manufacturers are going to keep telling you this: if you load it one day, fire it that day, and clean it that day. So you are going to be faced with the same thing I think: can I risk going against recommendation for convenience? I have heard if you live in a real dry climate you will be in better shape with that.

you're training him right, del

I saw something about a panther in GA that had come up from FL. That's about all I'm ready to believe on sightings. To answer your question, though, it would be a shame to shoot what would have to be locally endangered, whether or not it would get you in trouble [also likely]. Go for pictures and try to find tracks.

As we get older, seeing in poor light in particular starts to go to hell. So, yep, dealing with it all the time.

Luger is hanging on because she thinks you want to play that way. When you pry her jaws open, she doesnt think it is punishment but more playing. So you might have to scold her when you pry them open, so she knows you want that and "aint playing"

I found it quite interesting in the previous post, the link there allowed comments, and right away someone noted that those people generally fell over themselves in a rush to say this does not mean the coyotes need to be hunted. Reminded me in a way with the type of person who hears of the 9-11 attacks and starts mouthing off about how we "deserved it" or something. the world is full of people like this today if you ask me. previous post: http://www.fieldandstream.com/answers/hunting/small-game/all-small-game/cape-breton-ns-woman-critial-condition-morning-after-2-coy

you should be able to order other chokes

If you want to get wet wood going carry around some kerosene [not gasoline] or lamp oil. I find an empty bottle of brake fluid works great to store it.

I leave the barrel on the stove, on low obviously, an hour or so to make durn sure it dries out. This after patches come out dry.

When I was a teenager I became convinced that the 'antis' would begin to succeed in banning hunting, maybe one state at a time, and I would see at least the start of that in my lifetime. That hasn't happened and I have somewhat lost my fear I will see it in this lifetime, congratulations to the effect of sticking together! So "B" is the fear but now in a special way: youngsters not picking up the sport means the 'antis' are more powerful by default, and what will happen then?

I would too. There's two sides to it, but at the very least it seems to me the real primitives ought to have some kind of a better season. I think the game and fish people don't want to discourage taking the deer. It might be different if there weren't so many in the typical state.

Garmin may be best, Magellan may be most user friendly, don't know anything about possible other brands. IMO "high sensitivity" is key for hunting in the woods, since it works in the trees. Costs about $300 though. One without it is surely OK if not in the trees all the time.

squirrelgirl, you will have me checking in to see what your next question is if you keep it up [g]

>what do you do with you coons? I took that a little personal at first [g]

>I heard my grandma telling me >it is bad to shoot does you would want to know if this is a condition for hunting their property. If it is just a suggestion, I agree with the others.

great story, and very honest! you should be an outdoor writer!

babsfish4life has a very scary point

steel, flint, and tinder you brought with you

Presumably cast iron? If the rust hasn't made huge pits you can probably salvage it. Buy some lard, heat up the oven enough to melt the lard. Work it in, let it cool. Work over the rusty areas with steel wool. Repeat and as it seems to be looking good get it pretty hot and work in some more lard for a final treatment.

another great story!

baiting likely illegal. Some guys are having success with predator calls I hear.

I've heard of deer like this that wind up killing somebody once the rut starts. Somebody unarmed I guess. No fear of humans is not good.

maybe too scared to say so, but some might be buying into the "endangered" bit. maybe some don't like the idea of not eating what you shoot. It's possible to be a hunter and have these objections. For myself, I reject #1 and want them to be managed. I have slight sympathy for #2 but that just means I am not first in line for that hunt. I have no problem shooting coyotes and probably could transfer that feeling to wolves.

A hunter needs either a fixed blade or one that locks in place. It does not need to be a huge knife! Also, ones with gut hooks can be dangerous [keep a separate knife with that blade] and serrated blades are over-rated and of little use.

Simple recipes sometimes have the rabbit come out too tough. This the problem?

my safety comes off silently when I spot game. I feel that is withing the bounds of safety. "when they get to the stand" is disrespect for safety, can't approve of that.

Mossberg makes a fine one.

just shows to go you how many different kind of ducks there are

IMO if it hits bone, you don't know where the bullet is going to go, might turn 90 degrees or more even.

I don't think there are any wrong answers. I am for hunting on Sunday and in city limits, the latter would have to have restrictions like 'archery only'.

I quite joyfully hardly know what you are talking about. It's called ignoring the BS.

I prefer hunting and started going out with my dad really early like Beekeeper, but probably can say I didn't use a gun till about 8 yrs old

#1 is turkey

Start hanging around Del in KS

He could have been smarter than to say *anything* ... but at 92 yrs old he probably thought he didnt care. Back in his day, people were less litigious [the mother is just trying to make money off the tragedy, which might explain how her son got into drugs]. You don't want someone you shoot to survive and have a different version of events, which in this case might be that he came over for a cup of sugar and got shot. The correct comment, which should be saved for the judge, is that the drug crazed kid was still coming at him from what he could tell. The drugs I guess.

>I'm assuming this is just a troll I think so too

Born in Arkansas, hunted there and in Maryland, now it's all in Virginia where I have lived 26 years.

know what you mean. other than the obvious, one thing I do is get used to getting up early before the season starts. It is amazing what a difference that makes. And you get to go around quoting Ben Franklin when your wife wonders what the heck

Getting a career doing something you like outweighs the money several fold. If you are an outdoorsman, you probably have those kinds of feelings in your genes. I would listen to your parents, you want to be sure it is what you want if later you think you would wish you were making the big bucks.

somebody used my beloved Mossberg .22 semi-auto and wound up using it to beat a snake with the butt [it had a tubular magazine in the stock]. He said the snake could have bit his dog, don't know why shooting it wasnt working. He broke the magazine and I could have killed him.

I have found the turkeys to be pretty tough, and me myself I just wouldn't use a .22 short or long rifle, maybe .22 magnum. All about knowing your range I'm sure.

hey, really great job!

I can't believe I missed this one, not much point in adding something now, but check out message boards / the cook book for a recipe etc

We have tried to see if small food plots would attract them, but found this couldnt compete with the big farms to really bring in any numbers. So you just need to find some where you can hunt. Look for them on wires on telephone poles, you can get where you can spot them from a pretty good distance... then you know you have some hanging around that area.

Depends. If i had to start a fire with flint and the steel of the back of the blade, I'd want my old Buck that wasn't stainless steel.

15 acres is pretty small, but it can be all about the adjoining area and be ideal.

55 acres is not all that big for hunting, of course it may adjoin another area. Plenty food plots I'm thinking.

seems to be what Clay Cooper got

for some reason I have to start over a lot, but that will fix it

are you quoting somebody with initials D.E.P. ?

fellows, the most dangerous thing we do is getting in our vehicles and driving to our hunting spot. I worry slightly about getting shot by another hunter anyway [or getting injured in some other way]. As a teenager got over worrying about getting truly lost, but I can still get "micro" lost meaning I don't know where I am [walked past my landmark probably} and have to navigate myself back to something I recognize.

I think you would have to be a guide.

I had forgotten how to do this too, thanks. >go to the home page the field and stream homepage, that is

I don't do archery, this spares me from getting skunked [g]

Congratulations and hope you get your elk

haven't heard of the tom's fighting purr, and it is not listed below. However, if you listen to the purr there it will be a hen's contentment purr and you can't go wrong http://www.nwtf.org/all_about_turkeys/sounds_of_turkeys.html

Doves in particular rapidly adjust to loss of mate. They have huge mortality seems to me, but are the very furthest thing from being threatened which is why many states allow you to shoot 15 a day of these Federally regulated birds.

chipmunks: never shot one, figuring there is not enough meat and also hard usually using the wrong shot size to have confidence. Do you like eating them?

I hate to be a wet blanket, but high velocity & smokeless is something I didnt think we would ever see. I guess if it is what you want, OK; it is surely the opposite of what the Hawken user is looking for , for his experience.

sometimes still like to navigate without GPS, but havent done exactly as you describe in quite a while, and never plan to really need survival stuff.

I just enjoy being outdoors, and if out "all day" i can't hunt hard all day especially if not seeing game. So midday I work on something else like exploring a new area, really studying the mast situation, etc. But like my brother likes to say, if you want to catch fish, you better "get your hook in the water." That is the technique that works above all others and staying home or going home early hunting too is how to not get your full chances.

It's the Feds! The Washington National Zoo to be precise. There's no doubt in my mind there are regional variations. The gray squirrels in Virginia definitely seem smaller than some other places, not sure why that would be. A link for your Blackies below. Note that at one time squirrels were so over-hunted there was a concern for them. I would have to think that was a little misplaced, but maybe regionally it could have been so in those days. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/18/AR2005051802251.html

hunterkid, your advise is valuable and appreciated, but there can be reasons to use a shotgun including finding all rifles illegal certain places. I find a real good way of missing using a shotgun is thinking the "spray" will mean I can make a sloppy shot and get away with it. Get out there with some clay pigeons and that kind of thinking will evaporate.

the woods would look prettier

I absolutely recommend a good GPS unit. *high sensitivity*, pretty expensive, is the way to go for me, as this is the only kind that works in the woods. What it has done for me is make me lose all hesitation to go absolutely anywhere and this has meant it has opened up a public hunting area for me, for example. I am quite proud of my ability to navigate and not get lost *without* GPS and just use a compass and a map etc. HOWEVER what I have found is that just knowing it is going to get dark and that there is uncertainty at times... you do get lost in the sense of not being exactly sure where you are without GPS and you know you can find your way back by knowing how to navigate, SO... again, I have just found that knowing you will waste no time with all that means you can fearlessly explore everywhere and till dark, backtrack exactly if needed... it is great and something to take away mid-day monotony too at times. Other stuff too, like saving your landmarks on the computer now. I recommend the Garmin 60 csx [ i think it is] ; make sure you get the high sensitivity if it is in the budget.

why minuses for dakotaman?

it wasnt a snort?

you shouldn't carry both kinds of shells around with you, that's very dangerous, so it is a case of carrying one or the other, just bear that in mind. I'd stick with the 12 guage unless you do a lot of upland bird hunting.

>I see a pattern of lousy hunting those of us who can't really spend that kind of time pay the price!

It's never going to be as important as good shooting, but it gives you more range and yeah, I think less mysteriously crippled incidents. I wish I could do enough duck hunting to have a dilemma about the cost of the ammo myself. I go ahead and spend the money.

>2 months I hate you now [vbg]

Lifetime I dunno, but between licenses and minimal needs PLUS gasoline and wear and tear on the truck not less than $300 plus anything I splurge on. Big game hunters who go out of state spend thousands every year, but that ain't me.

begger's lice?

>ground troops are coming after us holy cow! I'm afraid my survival interests fall more around "could I survive in a wilderness"

agreed

I always look for what McCafferty has to say

smokeless is news to me. High velocity too?

you can certainly cook the whole duck! some like the breast rare or medium rare, it certainly can be medium. Indeed do not overcook duck. check out the message boards for the cook book [later on] I'll try to put in a recipe [this is one my wife does the cooking on] http://www.fieldandstream.com/forums/-cook-book

quicklink http://www.fieldandstream.com/contest_entry/1001334698?page=0&pnid=1001334832

maybe the hunters could boycott the advertisers for these local stations

well, somebody finally answered! I would just hope you have some experience with coon hunting or it would be a lot to learn on your own. But a guy with a dog he can spend tons of time on: you and the dog can kind of figure it out. Blue tick hounds are supposed to be the best? you can probably tell I am not a coon hunter, just have done it some that's all.

think about how bad you would feel if you shot 2 deer and recovered neither. Although it is good to wait 20 minutes, recover the first deer before shooting another is my advice.

no question with me, weather dot gov. Better forecasts and no pop-up ads etc. If wind plays a big role in your hunting like me, intellicast dot com http://www.weather.gov/ http://www.intellicast.com/National/Wind/Current.aspx intellicast look my region: http://www.intellicast.com/National/Wind/Current.aspx?location=USVA0652

>he fired 3 shots ...through my floor board >of my truck and oil pan. one shot, that's one thing... 3 shots? wow I once had a guy blow a hole in my bedroom floor with a shotgun. The old story, he found it [a personal protection weapon] and assumed it was not loaded.

this has been answered many times, but then there is no way to really generally search 'answers' is there? At least this one is categorized under survival/food [which I guess is one way to search]. Here was my last response: "The basic principle is: just cut your meat thin with the grain, soak for a few seconds in super salty water, and let dry. Recipes get better by adding onion powder and garlic powder, hot sauce, etc. While drying you can add loads of pepper this also keeps off the flies. If applying light heat somehow like smoking, be mindful that you are drying, not cooking, the meat. No, you didnt miss anything, the basic idea of jerky is really simple don't let the people selling contraptions make you think any different." I noticed someone came on and posted a bunch of stuff belatedly on that old question... I was going to say it was just safety nazi baloney. But I got to thinking about it, and a lot of the contraptions I think are having you use ground meat, and, yes, I sort of instinctively rebelled anyway against using ground meat and some of the concerns might be valid for that. I wouldnt worry about it if you are using slabs of meat, although common sense always has a role to play. here are the links for the safety warnings the guy posted: .http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/jerky_and_food_safety/index.asp http://www.aamp.com/regulatory/documents/Preparation-LeathersandJerkies_... http://www.aamp.com/regulatory/Jerkycompliance.asp

do you check back to see if anyone replies? we answered this for you before, unless only people from Maine may answer? http://www.fieldandstream.com/answers/survival/survival-food/what-very-good-venison-jerkey-recipe-need-ideas-thanks

"absolutely not" sounds like a response from a guy who has been sorely tested from some idiots and for the moment couldn't tell, over the phone, you were not the same kind of guy. I vote for putting it out of its misery anyway. As others have said, if he doesnt know you he can't tell you to do it.

if time is not an issue, expose it to air in the freezer and the freezer burn will eventually mummify it

when squirrel hunting I've had deer hunters say it's good to have me out there, I'll possibly just keep the deer moving or drive them towards them. But we knew we would be in a different section of woods. One thing is to get deeper into the woods, most deer hunters don't want to be too far from a road in public areas that don't let ATVs in.

Are you going to have a campstove and get serious? Can you cook over a campfire? if none of the above bring sandwiches, and just find out what they like. Don't use mayonnaise if you don't have them in a cooler. Mustard is safe.

>Why is your dad saying no to the beagle??? that constant baying hound thing?

>they would all probably be a patio deck >some where somewhere in Japan. I have been told a lot of the nice wood harvested goes there

This might make me sound uppity, but I like to think I can avoid association with the worst offenders and just have nothing to do with them. The one sin that the type of hunter I would be associated with seems to fall prey to, out of excessive temptation, is to go over the limit. Some of the turkey hunters who do this have made me puzzled as to how to respond. This over-the-limit thing often is handled as: 4 hunters each can get one per day, one guy shoots two, two guys shoot one, one guy didnt get one, so they feel the math of 4 total turkeys gets a pass. Then there are the ones who kill more than they are supposed to in a year [by far]. I have hunted with some who had that reputation but the offense was not something I personally could confirm and it was not talked about. Still think about that and if I should just decline to go out with them based on rumor.

An article I never finished but seems to be good. It is at pipe dream stage for me... http://www.gameandfishmag.com/land/GF_place_0609/index.html

I have only had one misfire, ever, practice or otherwise, that was recently with my Hawken. So I got rid of all my old caps. I have heard of many, many misfires, though, from other hunters. One thought he got oil into the area. Otherwise it seems to be a cold weather phenom.

>How many of us can say that? Indeed, esp if no relation as this is. Putting the rest of us to shame!

No way these types of folks would allow free speech! anymore than the Communists would. And the thing they envy about Marxism-Leninism is how it is about seizing power. These folks can't sleep at night because so far they can't get their way with us by coercion.

hate the stuff for most uses [it has some]

I'd like to think they are too busy hunting to get to a computer... and that you can say the same about me soon!

funny that it bugged us so much, but the idea that they could post without signing in! ... must have been a hacker?

doves and ducks.

Doves Delaware Saute 6-8 doves over medium heat in bacon fat, turning the birds to get all sides, remove, let the skillet cool a bit but keep birds warm. Beat 3 egg yolks with 1.5 cups heavy cream. Add 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat, cook over low heat to thicken, stir constantly and you do not want it to boil. Stir in some paprika, salt and pepper. then pour this all over the cooked doves. Very rich!

not magazine articles

ditto, most kinds of game too. Stay out of the thick stuff, you will get drenched from the vegetation dumping collected water on you

pre-scout to know where the pools are. Ease up on them looking for ripples radiating out, giving their position away. Just try to get as close as possible. they can be unbelievably easy to spook if anyone has been after them with excellent hearing.

Are you required to say or bring what you will use? if not of course it won't be an issue. If so it is time to bring a borrowed shotgun or something. And if you really plan to continue to keep an interest in hunting, you need a .22 at least. Your air gun will frustrate you with its very limited range and its knuckleball trajectory. Squirrels from just a few feet away would pretty much be it for what you could shoot.

even at 1000 fps it is throwing out knuckleballs. I suggest a .22 if at all possible, borrowed or whatever.

I have looked into this a little more about air rifles... and I apologize, I was wrong about some of what I thought. Anybody I ever knew just wasn't into air rifles. It seems the better ones are true rifles and have some kind of respectable performance. You want one of those at the least, even though for most budgets .22's gotta be the way to go. BB guns are going to disappoint you in power and in ballistics, even if it is possible to buy one with more power. They have knuckleball ballistics, in other words at any range at all they lose accuracy due to not being true rifles, the same problem the original shotgun slugs had [of years ago].

How no food plots for deer in Maine, but baiting for bear is ok?

I have to say a lot of junk is sold to the wives etc. of hunters, poor quality passed off on the unsuspecting. If you are a good judge of quality, or know exactly what they want, that's one thing but a gift cert. might be better if not. Maybe you could urge them to start a wish list at Cabelas or wherever?

I saw that too. I really feel like we don't need to know how the cancer started, can't we as a country just do the right thing? IMO our politicians get off the hook by making the military the bad guy. The politicians make the laws.

you forgot the link

they don't put current or archived magazine articles here to my knowledge.

I don't think we can conclude it is the "visitor". Just a misinformed person with a mysterious hatred for hunters.

2 different dogs here. Vizsla for a bird dog, Beagle for a rabbit dog or deer dog. [I had to look up Vizsla]

"Night of the Iguana" was filmed in Mismaloya Village, Jalisco, Mexico near Porto Vallarta.... Tennessee Williams wrote it. Come up with some name out of all that. Are you going to have a less stressful life for your new one?

If my last hunt: getting into a large flock of turkeys in the Fall broke up perfectly in all directions, building a ground blind, and calling them in.

>(the ones he had ripped on a fence) that was the sort of thing that would send my Dad to the moon >if I don't see mention of your on > going adventure with Wes I'm at the point where I think Field and Stream is nuts if they don't do a story on this! BTW I think Cabelas owes you money now for the free advertising [g] ... good publicity for them

no, you accidentally made it sound like you were dissing Gator Hunting. I got it but not everybody did.

A lot of times what goes sour is the attitude of the hunters wanting to just go on a drunk and sleep in ... then they notice the outfitter is going to let them do just that. How is he supposed to know different with guys like that?

I think maybe he was saying "hey check out the hunting *babe* " and that was what was hot, not her trophy

I've been trying to find a copy of a TV program that had the Russian Aces speaking but can't find a copy. They definitely came out and said that when it was American vs Ruskie, it was pretty even, as opposed to American vs North Korean. The Ruskies even did a little bragging [clearly there were some Russian Aces] and also claim they had the superior plane at first I believe. The Mig-15 evidently. I might buy the book, see link. http://www.amazon.com/Soviet-MiG-15-Aces-Korean-Aircraft/dp/1846032997/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253703671&sr=1-3

states around here are having record harvests, @ 2200 in VA last year did New Jersey ever get a season? I think they are being overrun

My father got us started but one of my brothers kept me in it. I was going on about how I never hunted anymore because I didnt know where to hunt anymore now that we had moved away from where we grew up. He just sort of took over the job of finding places for us and planning the hunts and making me realize I was just giving up too easy. We have a lot more opportunities now than then, but it was essential not to give up the lifestyle at the time.

welcome to the world outside Microsoft! It's not that terrible place your masters had told you, is it?

For the kind of hunting I usually do, too windy is bad. I have gotten to where I check the wind report more than the precipitation report. Intellicast dot com is good btw. A drizzle with little wind can be just fine, but you still have to be careful not to get into thick stuff or pushing through will drench you. check out the link. http://www.intellicast.com/National/Wind/WINDcast.aspx?location=USVA0652

something happened? don't see the photo

thanks again also to you, Del, for letting us help

it's a new experience being able to talk so much with fellow hunters all the time... contact with my real hunting buddies is not so frequent. So, yes, it has me amp-ed up !

>9 out of 10 of the acorns had >very tiny worms not surprised >hope that you're a young man! indeed. Even with saplings I would do it with a mind to future generations and there is nothing wrong with that. I am a hardwoods forest man myself!

The LL Bean Cookbook [Angus Cameron] is a classic and is still available from used book sellers.

I do unvoluntary mix and match pretty bad! mossy oak break-up is the current favorite for me. I make sure I have camo gloves and I wear a face mask more than other hunters [ as much as I can stand to have one on]

I can recommend them, but you do want to hunt them intelligently as these guys are saying.

keep those photos coming

2 years in a deep freeze is no big deal, eat it.

Pyrodex powder, I forget what I bought last time but it's supposed to be the better stuff. I haven't shot with round ball in a while but generally I do not like to exceed 90 gr as I find the accuracy falls off... others here have said so too. From what I hear, the rounds tend to go through the deer anyway with a muzzleloader so 90 is plenty.

talk about your lifetime memories... lucky kids!

I was just talking to someone who knew a hunter who shot a bear over bait and didn't harvest the meat, because it went into a ravine. Going over the details, we agreed it sounded like he could have gotten at least some of the meat and one of the bad things about it is how this sounds to non-hunters. So there is the effect it has on us, me anyway, how does this sound to the non-hunters? That is important if we don't want hunting to ever be prohibited.

>the MP's were at my house telling my wife >where I was hunting was illegal I have hunted military reservations before and I have to say that is just plain weird

beekeeper, your site says this: ARROW - Synonym for bolt which is preferred by some modern crossbow manufacturers

left by "visitor" ? wouldnt touch it with a ten foot pole

OK, I'm a wimp! I do not hunt in that kind of heat.

I have been told the Lyme disease thing is overblown and the real thing to worry about is rocky mountain spotted fever. However, to get that you should be hearing about other cases of spotted fever in your area. Clearly some people really get sick from Lyme disease, so it is to be avoided, but most people will be OK if it gets diagnosed right. Did your doctor say he thought you had it?

Agree on all the above; I wouldn't trust a used uninspected muzzleloader too much, I'd be more suspicious than with another kind because maintenance has to be done right. Also inspect for evidence of leaking hot powder. If you can't find out the twist rate, just experiment at the shooting range. I'd lay odds that maxiballs are the way to go over round balls. Sabots I've never used myself.

it would have to have been a homing device. Sounds very high tech for the 1950's

yep, can't shoot em, protected

Now that I saw somebody kill a hog like he was Tarzan... anybody that goes hunting with more than a loincloth and a knife no longer has my respect [vbg]

A#1 realize you are shooting a low velocity weapon. This means you are more vulnerable to something that would affect accuracy [you are not working with high velocity/flat trajectory of the modern weapons] . I have found wind to really affect things in particular.

it does show there is no hurry. According to the LL Bean cookbook of years ago by Angus Cameron, hanging them improves the flavor of birds in general, but young pheasants in particular. The temperature should be cold, tho, if it is going to be warm weather for the fall, be sure to remove the guts. Apparently it is OK to hang them thus "drawn" but surely not as long. He also says to draw badly shot up birds. It is disputed how long to hang them, apparently the French hang them by the head until they drop of their own weight! Camreron says he hangs them maybe 3-5 days, by the feet unless drawn, by the head if drawn. I have never hung birds myself, but don't shoot much quail and never pheasant, and to me this is something for those kind of birds.

I buy my duck stamp online anymore. This keeps me from going "postal" at the post office when they don't have the stamps that the government is *requiring* me to have. Good luck to all the bird hunters!

Actually so many kids today have no interest in hunting. I think you got blessed, also, in a wierd way of thinking about it. I would be more than happy to do so, and will keep an eye out. The propriety of hanging out with a kid has to be confirmed, modern times, you know, has parents worrying.

any chili recipe in the world works also for venison. But you probably knew that. My new thing is to make big meatballs, adding just some mustard and worcestershire sauce. Then add a bunch of your favorite bottled spaghetti sauce, enough to completely cover. Simmer being careful not to boil for a solid hour after the heat is up to proper simmering. Then make meatball subs!

I absolutely still use em, doves, quail, small game in general: they do fine

where is that legal?

one guy who sold me a shotgun said it was just for resale value, but now that sounds like he was a moron. I have put a mid-bead on some of mine, you can line up the mid-bead with the end-bead and this is worth a million bucks to older eyes like mine when hunting in the dark woods.

old magazines? probably your only chance or practical way to go about it is a library

The last two people I know who dropped of their young beagle to "get trained" got ripped off, finding out their dog got purt near starved to death and stayed in the pen the whole time. Beware of those guys, I dunno: get references? Training them yourself as dplummer outlines, if possible. Also running them with other older trained dogs is good. One thing is they do need to be in shape for the hunting, you don't want a dog that breaks off the chase and comes back looking for you.

The basic principle is: just cut your meat thin with the grain, soak for a few seconds in super salty water, and let dry. Recipes get better by adding onion powder and garlic powder, hot sauce, etc. While drying you can add loads of pepper this also keeps off the flies. If applying light heat somehow like smoking, be mindful that you are drying, not cooking, the meat. No, you didnt miss anything, the basic idea of jerky is really simple don't let the people selling contraptions make you think any different.

that's great results at a public field! I believe dove hunting opens for us today, but I won't be able to go

what a discussion!

not satisfied, the troll returns

where there are does there are bucks, so I guess you are just not seeing them. Learn to recognize the difference in their tracks. Look for the kind of deer sign only bucks do.

this seems to be spreading in popularity. I guess he is trying to fill up his church. To justify weapons and Christians, he could quote Christ telling his disciples to go get some swords [at the point you know when things were getting sticky]. When they get a couple or so, they ask Him if they need more, and He says "no, that is enough" . So we might find the pastor skipping that last part [g] I found myself looking for that in the bible, here 'tis: Luke 22:38 (New International Version) The disciples said, "See, Lord, here are two swords." "That is enough," he replied.

you probably shot a meadowlark. I am often fooled for a second by killdeer too but I don't remember ever shootiing. Just take it down as a learning experience, as everyone is saying.

no hunter wants a single shot. You gotta be able to have that second shot, psychologically if nothing else. Of course, with muzzleloading rifles, it *is* one shot. My hunting started with a single shot .22 ... so I've put my time in on that already!

good job, del. a note about the 'gay cowboy', to those of you who asked me to update that: No such luck, it appears he is avoiding me but there may be another explanation

no votes for a .243?

this guy was not a straight shooter, so maybe just not doing business was best after all

jhgf

spiders!

sometimes it is hard to get the game enforcement going about it when it is private property

ha, didnt catch that seems to me F & S is not that concerned that maybe someone is pulling a fast one...

yeah, just figure you are frying chicken but skin them.

"Tungsten-Matrix shot as loaded by Kent is slightly heavier than bismuth and close to the same density as lead. Almost as soft as lead, it too can be used in vintage guns." quoting from http://www.gameandfishmag.com/hunting/guns-shooting/gf_aa116802a/#cont this info posted under "the skinny on non-toxic shot" in "campfire"

>Next time ... wipe the blade on your pants much better than putting it in the sheath bloody.

A beautiful time of year to be out there very soon, whatever excuse you can dream up to get out there and do it!

>This is a big hearted bunch of guys but it's you, Del, that is making this happen

well, geez, if it made the papers...

I have never heard of an august season. This is Iowa? don't see it legal in Iowa. see: http://www.iowadnr.gov/law/files/huntingregs_card.pdf

Looks like a good issue alright, just got mine

I posted this already, but it's worth putting out there again if you missed it. For some reason it's hilarious to me with the sound off, I can watch it over and over again that way. Maybe you need a sick sense of humor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WwK_1SFE_8&feature=rec-HM-r2

it is certainly true that many a hunter has "witnessed a miracle" when dove hunting: lo and behold: dead birds that kept on flying!!

I have heard that someone has tried experimenting with letting dogs "get" some of the young quail but making it so that all the quail react but most are actually safe from the dogs. The idea is that unless you do this predators get all the raised quail bar none. I never heard how this worked out maybe it didnt

Sam Fadala, wow

that is a great story. One thing that sticks out was that this was a released problem bear. I don't know where it would be safe to release such a bear, clearly here it almost cost some lives.

actually I thought this is not all that uncommon with a pump, I'm surprised at the surprise! I have a pump that will sometimes do this to me in the field when I'm twisting & swinging around with follow up shots etc, and having to chamber another round ... due to what goes on in real hunting. I can not make this happen to demonstrate to anyone at other times, going slow, fast, whatever!

agree, bring plenty of shells, and keep your jacket on if you can stand the heat, or come up with some other kind of padding to take the pounding on your shoulder. Anytime I've hunted them it was a matter of being on the edge of fields where they were feeding, no flushing them involved at all. They will fly from water to the fields and back, and can also fly to where they find gravel.

this was about a month, 6 wks ago when it happened, either that or it happened twice!

>I'm not saying it's wrong not wrong like morally wrong, but it can easily be wrong as in "don't call it hunting"... there could be specific instances where high fence would be OK with me but I am having trouble picturing that... giving it some thought

it is easy to hate the environmentalists, and they don't care about sportsmen... but in some ways all us who love the outdoors do have a dog in the fight too

I think the .410 was developed late in the game, around 1900. I believe I am right that it was invented for birdwatchers, believe it or not. Back in the old days birdwatchers collected specimens. Audubon got such great detail on those birds because he shot them!

>the Anti-Wolf Hunting groups are even >ignoring the Wolf biologist I think this is a predictable course of events. The only kind of wolf control such people likely envision is lack of prey for the wolves controlling their numbers

not fair chase, bud, and if you are a sportsman at heart you will regret it IMO. Considering what happened with Chronic Wasting Disease out west, and these places helping spread it, I think we finally have good reason to just ban them. Again, my opinion.

>I think that comment or "blog" should be reserved >for the blog page I'm not the one who gave you a 'minus one' !! you are probably right but I have given up on using this site in that way, this has just evolved this way and it is too much to try to fight

thinking about it too. They grow in Virginia? noted they need to be cooked

size 40 waist and size 9 shoes, I think you better get him out there huffing and puffing some [g] I might find something for him. Personally I like oversize stuff for my own hunting equipment, guys, so bear that in mind

Just "Loog" for Luger... I like one syllable names for dogs

R U offering?

I guess there was a claim that deer could be killed way out there with 3&1/2 inch? Looks like you nailed down the facts and the answer is "nope" not 80 yds [probably after 50 yds there is quite a decline, and you have the issue also of losing energy. the shooters also needed to be adjusting their aim, trajectory with low velocity is especially tricky

now some of the old geezers are hiding from you, I'm convinced!!

if you just forgot the powder, try putting it as much as you can by taking out the nipple, put in powder, put nipple back on, cap and fire. Works for me, the tiniest bit of powder in my Hawken will send the bullet out.

Secret fishing holes, alas, remain secret. Have you been able to catch any of those fish?

do they still have an Outing Club?

I sort of feel like reporting on August deer hunting ought to have an explanation attached... crop depredation tags you got in on, or your state has an unusual early start to archery... maybe it's just me

seems to me this is a new phenomenon, a side effect of PETA-brainwashed city folks moving to the country and thinking it's cute to have wild dogs running around. Shows ignorance of nature and really ignorance of the problems in the third world, where this contributes to the rabies problem. I could almost say I have no sympathy for these people. Old settled townfolk have dogcatchers for good reason, and regular country folk are going to be smart enough to just shoot the dogs... you really have to if there is no animal control. PETA types can't accept this [my take on what's going on anyway].

My only concern is that we are slipping into that kind of war where the enemy hides in the population and our soldiers have to make every effort to spare those civilians, amongst which... Let's hope for the best for our troops!

Like a lot of things companies wanting to make money make a big mystery surrounding jerky. Here is the simplest recipe in the world and it works and it is good~~ cut meat into thin strips with the grain. dip *briefly* into very salty water. Garlic powder, hot sauce, some sugar, onion powder can be added *or not* into this salty water. ~~ put on racks to dry. I suppose dehydrators are good but don't have experience myself. Do *not* use an oven, you want dry air to circulate but not that kind of heat. Put black pepper on like crazy at this point, keeps off the flies!~~~~~~~ let dry you're done. ~~~~~~ P.S. the stuff that comes out of some of these special jerky machines looks disgusting to me.

I think Elk hunters are the one today who might have to pack it out. Around here the ATV's go into action.

got more than one story of several ducks landing right in front of us and it sounded like WWIII started up ... all ducks escape without a single feather seen to be floating in the air. Usually first part of the season.

4 in one season smokes me pretty bad, I wouldnt want you to know how bad [g]. But then again I really only do muzzleloader in earnest. Never do archery.

I have cleaned out their crops and found they were chowing down bigtime on grasshoppers, so I would guess armyworms too , but don't know

In my opinion WD40 is really just best for loosening up rusty things. A light coat of 3-in-one oil is all you need for the outside of the barrel etc. For the innards I defer to you and others.

good article here http://www.gameandfishmag.com/land/GF_place_0609/index.html

If this hunter followed basic safety concepts, doesnt seem like there would be much chance of especially a *fatal* shot. But we never got the details of exactly how the mistake was made, I assume. The pair were possibly both unaware of the danger of hunters stalking what they think is a turkey when an experienced hunter hears what they *think* is a turkey and *thinks* he should try to sneak up on it. How much you want to bet this is what happened?

I don't think you want a hammer resting on a percussion cap, then have something bang the hammer

that's great and he's not the only one who can't wait till September!

if you are in a budget squeeze and need to trade, make sure the pump feeds and ejects OK, pumps can do a funny thing ejecting a round that you were trying to chamber. but it sounds like he is just trying to come out ahead on the trade, if he is a decent guy he'll listen to a counter-offer of giving up the shotgun plus some cash.

yeah, only thing is if the rangefinders keep them from wounding deer... I say use them

the energy transfer ought to knock him silly enough to get another shot off though

someone suggested Bill Engvall posts here, but I have not figured out his user name

this might sound funny, but I probably wouldnt get F&S magazine except somebody buys a subscription as a Christmas gift for me every year. It always seems a little silly with a lot of dubious advice for beginners. A lot of dubious "how-to." the advice you get here online is much better!! Having said all that, I certainly look forward to the magazine and read it, don't "hate it" or anything.

deer fat must never be eaten cold. Otherwise I protest at the idea that venison has a wild taste that needs to be removed. If the venison tastes bad it is for some other reason *usually* that it was badly handled on a hot day

the old Kalshnikov / Korobov / who is better debate?

I've been giving some thought to the courage it takes to be a man. Just be a man. Perhaps I'll comment on that, I've really been upset by something

it's really starting to look like reintroducing wolves is one of the dumbest things the environmentalists ever thought of

didnt know this stuff existed, interesting

if you are looking for an aswer about a good day hunting, those years when I was killing a lot of turkeys stand out with me. And any day getting the limit on what I was hunting. But no particular "day" comes to mind.

well, it's the fawns that get killed by coyotes, right?

Virginia but raised in Arkansas!

libraries usually have magazines, I'd try I assume you looked in the recipes section here

to get a link to hyperlink, leave space ~ http://www.smokewagongear.com/p-1619-12-gauge-shotgun-shells-centurion-12ga-2-34-law-enforcement-defense-shells.aspx ~

Never agree to register a firearm, it is the first step to confiscating firearms.

Winchester pump is a good value.

my wife makes something similar; the *fresh* cilantro makes all the difference

not what you think? "As Media Matters for America has previously noted, Obama's July 2, 2008, comments about the necessity of a "civilian national security force" referred to expanding the Foreign Service, AmeriCorps, and the Peace Corps." http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200907270046 I'm no Obama supporter, but if you wanted to be suspicious of what he is up to it's probably just expansion of government. I'm not sure, but I think Glen Beck is trying to make more out of it than what he seems to have actually said. I sort of like Beck but I don't pay much attention to the things he says. >ACORN. A corrupt organization that rigs the >vote in large inner cities. Hate em. They also had more to do with the sub-prime mortgage crisis than anyone wants to admit. Influenced the insanity at Freddie Mac / Sallie Mae [sp?] etc. Gotta go but no sign of that.

all depends on whether it is cold enough to hang. On warm days get that venison cooled off and processed fast

to get a hyperlink leave space on both sides when posting like this http://www.quackenbushairguns.com/index.html ~~~

it doesnt give you points, read the rules

Hope you are right, for another thing it just ain't good this type of animal has no fear of humans

I think a lot of this "discussion forum" is kind of showing there is a lot of stuff we'd like to see covered, that we arent, in the mag Heavey seems to have decided the computer is a new-fangled invention of the devil, he took a powder on his blog

Actually, if you wanted to use a dog that isnt a hunting dog to hunt, squirrels might be the way to go. Birds, I'd forget that. You'd have a hunting partner in a German Shepherd that was slightly better than you to hear the squirrels and also could somewhat use smell to locate them. You'd lose the advantage of "small dog" with squirrels: that is the effect that a small dog has of not having the squirrels be much afraid of them, sometimes they will get just a little bit off the ground and fuss at the little dog, and if you are quiet never see you. A big dog scares them into hiding more. If you are killing squirrels the dog will catch on to what you want pretty easy. You *do* want to undergo the correct training to keep from accidentally making the dog gunshy. Go to "blogs" here and to "man's best friend" and there is a good post with some great tips to keep from making a dog gunshy. Do *not*, repeat *not*, take the dog hunting and start shooting a gun around her when she has had no exposure to guns yet.

interesting. I can see you love hunting. What book is that?

not natural, an escapee perhaps, but no snake in north america, including an escaped python, is so aggressive you just scream and run

meat for me, not looking for bragging rights

surprised to find so many against using dogs with deer. I'm not so sure I am opposed, but there are *some* things I don't like about it: *training the dogs and they run the deer to death *the dogs go on other people's land and property rights get squashed as the dog owners follow those dogs around.

>Man vs Wild? More like Man a camera crew and >support team vs Wild! this one is so contrived they give a big disclaimer at the end about how contrived it is! havent you seen it? At least you have that honesty. But I like these shows, I just take it for granted a lot of it is contrived or intentionally staged to teach a survival technique one thing I like about Grylls [sp?] is when he chomps into a big bug that is supposed to be edible he makes a big face and admits it tastes awful!

never rule out that its anti-social behaviour. A way of acting up.

agree with most here, certainly am slow to give out a minus, but will do so almost automatically for rude comments. Sometimes a minus for giving out incorrect information, or an opinion presented as a fact

you wouldnt want to do anything that could be construed as "assault" ... otherwise you have a right to be there same as them. They knew that. Viewing naked women is not illegal unless you paid to do so and there was an ordinance against paying to see naked women.

"market" hunters of yesteryear used them for sure

fall is different, they don't breed in the fall and I don't think you will see any strutting. Personally, I wouldnt fool with decoys, but maybe I just havent heard of that. SO WHAT THIS MEANS is you need to try to call in towards your blind turkeys that have gotten separated from the flock. If it is a young bird it can be desperate and any calling will work. Otherwise, good calling can matter. Doing this during deer season [if legal] is good because all the activity sometimes freaks out the flocks. Practice the calls at: http://www.nwtf.org/all_about_turkeys/calling_tips.html especially the plain yelp and the assembly. The Kee Kee I would try just once in a while.

I find I am in the minority here recommending something besides steel. I'm a piker compared to a lot of hunters when it comes to what I spend on hunting, but when it comes to ammo I will spend the money to get the best. I am not faced, though, with the money I would have to spend on such shells if I got to do all the goose and duck hunting I wanted [I have to get invited to a duck marsh]. The pricey shot outperforms steel, plain and simple. Some choices are harder on the gun barrel than lead, but so is steel. Recently looking into it, you need a fairly modern gun to shoot either, and an old double barrel is particularly a bad idea. So is an old gun with an adjustable choke added on by a gunsmith, one of my hunting buddies found out. You absolutely want to use 3 inch shells if you decide to use steel. Recently I have gone to Remington's Hevishot, which is denser and less malleable than lead, keeping a harder hitting and better shaped shot pattern on out for the longer shots. Another good choice I am going to try is Kent's Tungsten Matrix, which is "almost as soft as" lead and the right choice to use in a "vintage" gun. It is actually heavier-than-lead Tungsten blended with plastic! The article I am quoting from comes very close to recommending this shot over all others, so be sure to read that section. The price is supposed to be better than Hevishot. I am providing the link below. Hevishot, btw, is growing in popularity with turkey hunters, and I also plan to switch to it for Spring Turkey. I stumped everybody here in a question a long ways back asking how some metals used now in shot can be heavier than lead. It's the density [lead is soft and not so dense]. http://www.gameandfishmag.com/hunting/guns-shooting/gf_aa116802a/#cont

>#9 bird shot and blow a hole thru ... I think some of the early duck hunters found out their steel shot was rusting together and they were shooting at ducks with sort of a slug. Now the shells are supposed to be fixed against that... as in the trade name "drylock" BTW it isnt really steel shot, it's iron shot, just for the record

you can't do a "search" on answers, but you can look under the category *if* the asker paid attention. Sometimes the wrong category is chosen, I think, because the system is too balky.

I'm a hunter. I have noticed that guys who are *really into guns* often are not that much interested in hunting. I am the opposite.

make sure you get Gore-Tex

I would hedge on #8 and go to 7&1/2 also. And "high brass" meaning plenty of powder charge

Mostly for the general area it's North Carolina I think. But check this out: "False Cape State Park Deer and Feral Hog Lottery Hunt The False Cape State Parks Deer and Feral Hog hunt is run in conjunction with the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Legal harvest is deer and feral hogs; using shotguns. Hunt dates are October 3, October 5–6, and October 29–31, with a lottery deadline of August 29. Application information is available online http://www.vaquotahunts.com or by phone at 1-877-VAHUNTS Monday-Friday 9:30–4:30 EST. Additional information is available at www.HuntFishVA.com. Aseparate lottery hunt for a Hogs only will be held on January 9, 23 and February 6 and 20, 2010. Applications are due by October 2, 2009. There is an application and hunt fee." http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/regulations/state-parks-hunting-opportunities.pdf

>do you think i can take down real big game with what i have? just a joke? you gotta at least get a .22 start off with small game if you know no other hunters. If you know some hunters maybe you could go dove hunting and squirrel hunting with them.

Field and Stream featured some dude once who trained other people to hunt deer in some weird way, like Tarzan would or something. If you excelled you learned to get so close to a deer you pulled a tuft of hair off and came back and showed it. ~~~~ Of course this guy was able to do it constantly and Field and Stream bought into the story. I ultimately figured out what you had to do was to pull some hairs off a mounted dead deer and claim you could do it too. Did I figure the deer trainer was doing this too? Yes.

it would vary from kid to kid. Let's leave it up to parents. Anybody have a link to the article?

I seem to have heard the 3 and a half inch shells can be pretty brutal to the hunter, but seems to me it has to be better but is not really necessary. My recommendation? Go to something besides steel shot if you don't like your results. Don't be chincy about the money, look at what your hunting really costs, the ammo is the least of it. If you want to get a gun that will shoot 3 and one half inch you are going to spending the bucks anyway.

consider making one from a kit like I did

keep learning. From your comment I bet you agree it's not always easy to get several, even if the numbers are up. But you will get better. Move up to a .22 if you can, it's not that a BB gun or pellet gun won't kill them, but your range will be restricted.

probably somebody somewhere has the entire collection, same way people collect National Geographic. They might put the entire collection up on Ebay.

Man, if you have a flock of birds that just stays around the same place all the time that is something. My experience in Virginia is they will cover a lot of turf and you have to look for "turkey sign" to know they are in your area again. generally around here the ideal technique is to use dogs to cover a lot of ground and locate and break up the flock, then you call them back in, calling from a ground blind. Naturally you would have the trained dogs available or not already. On your own you want to break up the flock by running into them and whooping and hollering and shooting in the air if you have a gun. I guess you could have a situation where they could be patterned for a daily routine ... build a blind nearby... seems to me some kind of special situation required. *Certainly* you can get shots at turkeys out of sheer luck, but speaking for myself I hope for that kind of luck when actually hunting something else so I am just in the woods all the time, the best way to have that kind of luck.

Beekeeper has it down! I don't get the term "shut" ... never used an inline tho

I like McCafferty's articles [I think he did this one] but the test seemed flawed to me: right off the bat it is not clear where he first places you. This might have been the fault of someone else. Most of the articles on navigating in the wild make it seem harder than it is. Best recent advice I have gotten from such is to get a back bearing to a landmark. Often the way that is presented makes no sense. Most of it is more of a common sense thing. Do you really need to study on it to be able to look at 3 landmarks and then figure out where you are? If you read such articles you might think you are too dumb but of course there is nothing to it.

cool!

2 drinks a day is the recommended level for your health according to some other "experts" so take this stuff for what it's worth. I like to keep it sober while hunting. Now when the hunting for the day is over, nothing like a beer [just always seems like the right thing, not hard liquour]. But I have regretted even taking a beer handed to me before I got my gun unloaded [and forgot and packed it away loaded].

any ranges I know of have a lot of rules, seems like he could have been reported. If nothing else you could blow out an eardrum doing that.

Can't blame states for having the 'reciprocal' license fee, but it is getting out of hand. Seems to me you ought to be able to buy a cheap 1 wk license, you know?

what would be the point? I wouldnt want to explain to the game and fish guy how it looked like a regular shotgun but was a muzzleloader actually blah blah blah

Never saw the movie "The Deer Hunter" is it any good?

what you did is what to do, then you have these other things to do when you get home. Because they are just plain going to get you. ~~~~ Especially this year, everybody is saying there are a lot of ticks.

>penut butter and malases sounds like you want him