Dear Walmart, KMart, Sears, Target, Old Navy, OfficeMax, Staples, Medieval Times, Toys
"R" Us, Michaels, Macy's, J.C. Penney, Kohl's, Dollar General, Dick's
Sporting Goods, Best Buy, and countless other scumfuck retailers that'll be open on Thanksgiving this year,
Fuck you all.
To all the retailers that are resistin' the urge to be a bunch of soulless money-grabbin' fucks, kudos. And extra kudos if you're givin' your employees the day off paid.
For all you people that decide to shop on Thanksgiving, fuck you too. I don't ever want to hear you twat waffles bitchin' about society. YOU are the problem.
Regards,
Bear
I hunt animals, wreck bikes, eat weird things,
drink good beer and bitch about society
for your entertainment pleasure.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Movin' up
I mentioned a few weeks ago that we've been pretty busy, and y'all have probably noticed the general lack of postin' as of late.
Well, my girl and I are now the proud owners of a home.
She showed it to me back in the end of August. It's a helluva nice place, with a few acres of land (littered with deer trails), a few outbuildings and a big enough house to grow into. After goin' and lookin' at the place, we decided to take the next step (nobody told me there'd be about 4,297 steps after that, all of which required a dozen signatures). So, now that we've gone though all the bullshit and gyrations, we're finally gonna move in this week. The best part is, the sellers are pretty much older versions of us, so we ain't gonna have to change the space too much to suit our needs.
It's gonna be a long week, and the uncooperative weather they're callin' for ain't gonna help much. Luckily though, we have the Thanksgiving holiday, so we have a few extra days offa work, and there'll be plenty of family in town to give us a hand.
The next few months are sure to be interestin' as we get ourselves settled, and I'm sure I'll miss livin' up here on the farm, but I'm definitely lookin' forward to takin' on a new place.
Well, my girl and I are now the proud owners of a home.
She showed it to me back in the end of August. It's a helluva nice place, with a few acres of land (littered with deer trails), a few outbuildings and a big enough house to grow into. After goin' and lookin' at the place, we decided to take the next step (nobody told me there'd be about 4,297 steps after that, all of which required a dozen signatures). So, now that we've gone though all the bullshit and gyrations, we're finally gonna move in this week. The best part is, the sellers are pretty much older versions of us, so we ain't gonna have to change the space too much to suit our needs.
It's gonna be a long week, and the uncooperative weather they're callin' for ain't gonna help much. Luckily though, we have the Thanksgiving holiday, so we have a few extra days offa work, and there'll be plenty of family in town to give us a hand.
The next few months are sure to be interestin' as we get ourselves settled, and I'm sure I'll miss livin' up here on the farm, but I'm definitely lookin' forward to takin' on a new place.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Bear Camp '13
Saturday mornin', the ol' man and I loaded up the truck and headed for the mid-state. Another day of chasin' the bear awaited us. We only get to do it one or two days a year, so we try like hell to make the most of it.
Last year, I was lucky enough to be a part of a successful hunt, when Smally killed his first bear. This year, I got lucky again and was able to see Colonel get his first bear on our third drive of the day. I spent all day drivin', so I was pretty tuckered out. When those shots rang out in front of us though, all of that was forgotten as we beat the brush to finish out the drive, then get back into the thick shit to see the bear. I tell ya, nothin' makes me happier than to have some good hound-doggin' pay off.
The bear went out in front of the two drivers to my right and ran headlong into Gene, one of our standers. His first shot dropped the bear in his tracks, but as he walked toward him, the bear jumped up and ran back into the drive. He wound up in front of Colonel, who was drivin' to my left. Three shots from Colonel put him down for good, and the whoopin' commenced. I never saw the bear until he was down, but I was definitely in the middle of all the action.
At the check station, it was determined to be a young boar, with an estimated live weight of 212 pounds.
Upon return from the check station, it was time to get it skun out. Colonel and Rat, an experienced bear slayer, did some quick knife work as the daylight faded and a snow squall moved though. I took the liberty of bein' the designated flashlight holder and picture taker.
I did take a few pictures as we drove that day, so I'll post them, just so y'all have an idea of the hell we go through to try and get these bears...
It is definitely a team effort to get a bear, and I really enjoy huntin' with that gang. It's somethin' the ol' man and I can do together, and I look forward to it every year.
Last year, I was lucky enough to be a part of a successful hunt, when Smally killed his first bear. This year, I got lucky again and was able to see Colonel get his first bear on our third drive of the day. I spent all day drivin', so I was pretty tuckered out. When those shots rang out in front of us though, all of that was forgotten as we beat the brush to finish out the drive, then get back into the thick shit to see the bear. I tell ya, nothin' makes me happier than to have some good hound-doggin' pay off.
The bear went out in front of the two drivers to my right and ran headlong into Gene, one of our standers. His first shot dropped the bear in his tracks, but as he walked toward him, the bear jumped up and ran back into the drive. He wound up in front of Colonel, who was drivin' to my left. Three shots from Colonel put him down for good, and the whoopin' commenced. I never saw the bear until he was down, but I was definitely in the middle of all the action.
 |
| Gene and Colonel, shortly after the drive finished. |
Both Gene and the Colonel are former Marines, so there was a lotta braggin' directed at the other "inferior" service members in the group.
 |
| The obligatory group shot, after the drag out. |
Upon return from the check station, it was time to get it skun out. Colonel and Rat, an experienced bear slayer, did some quick knife work as the daylight faded and a snow squall moved though. I took the liberty of bein' the designated flashlight holder and picture taker.
I did take a few pictures as we drove that day, so I'll post them, just so y'all have an idea of the hell we go through to try and get these bears...
 |
| It starts out innocently enough.... |
 |
| And then the mountain laurel rises up like a wall in front of you. |
 |
| And once you're in, you're either slitherin' like a snake along the ground, or you're six feet off the ground, climbin' around like a monkey. This particular patch was about 300 yards long, and has yielded many bears over the years. |
 |
| This is what we call the slashin's, a mile-long section of mountainside that was logged off a few years back. It's a lot tougher to get through that junk than it looks, but it's great cover. Dad got his only bear on this drive, and the only bear I've ever seen while bear huntin' came out of it, which I promtply missed. The bear we got this year came outta here. |
It is definitely a team effort to get a bear, and I really enjoy huntin' with that gang. It's somethin' the ol' man and I can do together, and I look forward to it every year.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
The Case for Constitutional Carry
One of my primary time-wasters on the interwebs these days is The Truth About Guns. I stumbled upon it while searchin' up some information on my Mosin Nagant last fall, and just find more and more gems on there. They have tons of unbiased, honest reviews of a plethora of guns, gear reviews, industry and political news in relation to the Second Amendment, and a bunch of other good readin'. You can usually find some pretty spirited debates in the comments followin' the article as well. If you have a few minutes, check it out. You won't be disappointed.
But, to wit... They posted this gem the other day on the history and merits of Constitutional Carry. There's a lot of very good points made within... what's your thoughts?
*********************************************************
By Clifford Heseltine
There is a lot of interest in and discussion of the concept of Constitutional Carry these days, but what exactly are we talking about? The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says, exactly and succinctly: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This doesn’t give you or me or “the people” the right to keep and bear arms. This amendment was simply an affirmation that the people already have the right to keep and bear arms and that the new federal government had no authority to infringe upon that. That’s not a Constitutional right; it is a natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right, one of 28 such rights listed in the first seven amendments . . .
Historically it was felt that the Bill of Rights was only applicable as a prohibition against the federal government. The 14th Amendment, however, changed that. The Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) began “incorporating” the Bill of Rights, which meant these rights belonged to all of the people and all of the states were also enjoined from inhibiting these natural rights. It was not until the Heller decision (District of Columbia v. Heller, 2008) that SCOTUS, with a bare majority (5 to 4) determined that the Second Amendment protected an individual right to keep and bear arms and that this right was finally “incorporated” against infringement by the states.
In my opinion the only reason the Founding Fathers did not make this idea of “incorporation” clear at the outset was that the issue did not seem in need of clarification. As a natural and fundamental human right listed as such in the Constitution it seemed only reasonable that the state governments would recognize this as well. Some did, some didn’t, and only one of the 50 states includes the verbatim text of the Second Amendment in their constitution.
So, what is “Constitutional Carry”? There are essentially two schools of thought: 1. The right to keep and bear arms is a natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right that is absolute and literal (mine), and 2. Despite what the actual text of the amendment says, government(s) can and should infringe on the RKBA in matters they deem important for public safety. (Wrong.)
Here is the historical evolution of the Second Amendment:
As originally proposed by James Madison in June, 1789: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country, but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
A House committee reworded this in August and submitted: “A well regulated militia composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms.
In late August the House again modified the amendment and sent the following version to the Senate:
“A well regulated militia composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
The Senate scribe made some punctuation “corrections”: “A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
On September 4, the Senate changed the language again: “A well regulated militia, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
On September 9 it was proposed to insert “for the common defence” next to “bear arms”, but this was defeated. The Senate passed: “A well regulated militia being the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
And on September 21, 1789 the amendment was accepted by the House containing the additional words “necessary to”: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
The additional wording about who was the militia and that the government could not require you to serve in a militia if it violated your religious principles was not in keeping with the intent of describing an existing human right. To have included that language would have implied that the militia was an organization created, answerable to and “well regulated” by government itself, which was not the intent, a freedom of religious practice is covered by the First Amendment. But notice what wording remained absolutely consistent from the first submission to the final approval: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” On this particular point there does not seem to have been any controversy.
***
Given the amount of debate and discussion and back and forth over more than three months is it not reasonable to assume that these learned men ended with EXACTLY the meaning they intended? If they had considered any limitations to this right being the role of government wouldn’t they have enumerated those exceptions? But these men had just endured a long and costly war against a tyrannical state and this was what they were attempting to prevent in the future. To give the government ANY authority to determine who could and who could not exercise a natural right was to change that right into a privilege administered and licensed by the very government that the amendment was intended to provide protection against. It must be kept in mind that not everyone was keen on the idea of a powerful central, federal government and in fact many of the delegates were concerned about the over-reach of this government if it had too much power. (Turns out they may have been right.) If they included in the text exceptions such as “convicted criminals (or convicted felons) or “persons with mental disorders” they would have allowed the government to pass any law making political enemies into criminals who could not exercise their Second Amendment rights.
Therefore, the Second Amendment, regardless of the opinion of SCOTUS, is and was always intended to be an absolute and unlimited right of the people. The purpose of the Second Amendment is to prohibit the government from infringing on the natural and civil right of the people to keep and bear arms to protect themselves, their family, their community, and their property. It was intended that the people should have the ability to raise and form militias to deal with larger threats, either criminal elements or against the rise of a tyrannical state. It was presumed that individuals or communities could adequately deal with the occasional madman in their midst.
It is the ABSOLUTE right of EVERY person to keep and bear arms in defense of him/herself, their property, their community, and their country. This right cannot be denied to you just because you are a criminal or are insane. The answer is not to surrender YOUR rights to the government, but to exercise those rights as intended. Even a criminal has the right to protect his own life and to bear arms for that purpose. A felon just released from prison still retains that right and WILL obtain arms for that purpose if he so desires. Unconstitutional laws will not prevent that from happening and is only relinquishes OUR rights to government control while it affects the criminal not one whit.
The answer to bad guys with guns is fortunately simple: Good guys with guns. (Where have I heard that before?) Gangs in your neighborhood? Make sure your neighbors have and know how and when to use guns. Problem solved. A psychopath bursts into your school or restaurant (or Navy Yard) intent on mayhem? Shoot the bastard. Problem solved. If this solution bothers the bleeding heart touchy-feelies, perhaps they will find more effective ways to control or care for persons with known mental issues. Crazy people cannot be expected to make good or sane decisions, but those who know people who are dangerous crazy need the incentive of knowing they will be shot dead immediately if they get out of line Perhaps then they will have the incentive to restrain them that seems to be missing today.
By Constitutional Carry we mean exactly this: No government agent or agency has the authority to determine what arms you may keep or bear, where or when you keep or bear them, nor how. They may not determine how, when, where or how often you may purchase arms. The only restraint on this right whatsoever is that if you attempt to use your arms to violate another person’s right to life, liberty or property they, their neighbors, and law enforcement agencies authorized by the community to enforce those individual rights may immediately revoke your natural, civil and Constitutionally protected Second Amendment right by making you dead.
But, to wit... They posted this gem the other day on the history and merits of Constitutional Carry. There's a lot of very good points made within... what's your thoughts?
*********************************************************
By Clifford Heseltine
There is a lot of interest in and discussion of the concept of Constitutional Carry these days, but what exactly are we talking about? The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States says, exactly and succinctly: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This doesn’t give you or me or “the people” the right to keep and bear arms. This amendment was simply an affirmation that the people already have the right to keep and bear arms and that the new federal government had no authority to infringe upon that. That’s not a Constitutional right; it is a natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right, one of 28 such rights listed in the first seven amendments . . .
Historically it was felt that the Bill of Rights was only applicable as a prohibition against the federal government. The 14th Amendment, however, changed that. The Supreme Court of the United States of America (SCOTUS) began “incorporating” the Bill of Rights, which meant these rights belonged to all of the people and all of the states were also enjoined from inhibiting these natural rights. It was not until the Heller decision (District of Columbia v. Heller, 2008) that SCOTUS, with a bare majority (5 to 4) determined that the Second Amendment protected an individual right to keep and bear arms and that this right was finally “incorporated” against infringement by the states.
In my opinion the only reason the Founding Fathers did not make this idea of “incorporation” clear at the outset was that the issue did not seem in need of clarification. As a natural and fundamental human right listed as such in the Constitution it seemed only reasonable that the state governments would recognize this as well. Some did, some didn’t, and only one of the 50 states includes the verbatim text of the Second Amendment in their constitution.
So, what is “Constitutional Carry”? There are essentially two schools of thought: 1. The right to keep and bear arms is a natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right that is absolute and literal (mine), and 2. Despite what the actual text of the amendment says, government(s) can and should infringe on the RKBA in matters they deem important for public safety. (Wrong.)
Here is the historical evolution of the Second Amendment:
As originally proposed by James Madison in June, 1789: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country, but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
A House committee reworded this in August and submitted: “A well regulated militia composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms.
In late August the House again modified the amendment and sent the following version to the Senate:
“A well regulated militia composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
The Senate scribe made some punctuation “corrections”: “A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.”
On September 4, the Senate changed the language again: “A well regulated militia, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
On September 9 it was proposed to insert “for the common defence” next to “bear arms”, but this was defeated. The Senate passed: “A well regulated militia being the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
And on September 21, 1789 the amendment was accepted by the House containing the additional words “necessary to”: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
The additional wording about who was the militia and that the government could not require you to serve in a militia if it violated your religious principles was not in keeping with the intent of describing an existing human right. To have included that language would have implied that the militia was an organization created, answerable to and “well regulated” by government itself, which was not the intent, a freedom of religious practice is covered by the First Amendment. But notice what wording remained absolutely consistent from the first submission to the final approval: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” On this particular point there does not seem to have been any controversy.
***
Given the amount of debate and discussion and back and forth over more than three months is it not reasonable to assume that these learned men ended with EXACTLY the meaning they intended? If they had considered any limitations to this right being the role of government wouldn’t they have enumerated those exceptions? But these men had just endured a long and costly war against a tyrannical state and this was what they were attempting to prevent in the future. To give the government ANY authority to determine who could and who could not exercise a natural right was to change that right into a privilege administered and licensed by the very government that the amendment was intended to provide protection against. It must be kept in mind that not everyone was keen on the idea of a powerful central, federal government and in fact many of the delegates were concerned about the over-reach of this government if it had too much power. (Turns out they may have been right.) If they included in the text exceptions such as “convicted criminals (or convicted felons) or “persons with mental disorders” they would have allowed the government to pass any law making political enemies into criminals who could not exercise their Second Amendment rights.
Therefore, the Second Amendment, regardless of the opinion of SCOTUS, is and was always intended to be an absolute and unlimited right of the people. The purpose of the Second Amendment is to prohibit the government from infringing on the natural and civil right of the people to keep and bear arms to protect themselves, their family, their community, and their property. It was intended that the people should have the ability to raise and form militias to deal with larger threats, either criminal elements or against the rise of a tyrannical state. It was presumed that individuals or communities could adequately deal with the occasional madman in their midst.
It is the ABSOLUTE right of EVERY person to keep and bear arms in defense of him/herself, their property, their community, and their country. This right cannot be denied to you just because you are a criminal or are insane. The answer is not to surrender YOUR rights to the government, but to exercise those rights as intended. Even a criminal has the right to protect his own life and to bear arms for that purpose. A felon just released from prison still retains that right and WILL obtain arms for that purpose if he so desires. Unconstitutional laws will not prevent that from happening and is only relinquishes OUR rights to government control while it affects the criminal not one whit.
The answer to bad guys with guns is fortunately simple: Good guys with guns. (Where have I heard that before?) Gangs in your neighborhood? Make sure your neighbors have and know how and when to use guns. Problem solved. A psychopath bursts into your school or restaurant (or Navy Yard) intent on mayhem? Shoot the bastard. Problem solved. If this solution bothers the bleeding heart touchy-feelies, perhaps they will find more effective ways to control or care for persons with known mental issues. Crazy people cannot be expected to make good or sane decisions, but those who know people who are dangerous crazy need the incentive of knowing they will be shot dead immediately if they get out of line Perhaps then they will have the incentive to restrain them that seems to be missing today.
By Constitutional Carry we mean exactly this: No government agent or agency has the authority to determine what arms you may keep or bear, where or when you keep or bear them, nor how. They may not determine how, when, where or how often you may purchase arms. The only restraint on this right whatsoever is that if you attempt to use your arms to violate another person’s right to life, liberty or property they, their neighbors, and law enforcement agencies authorized by the community to enforce those individual rights may immediately revoke your natural, civil and Constitutionally protected Second Amendment right by making you dead.
Saturday, November 16, 2013
More last-day magic
Jesse's buddy Dave, who has been known pull up a bunk at camp from time to time, got hisself a helluva nice buck this mornin' on his property in Perry County. It's been a few years since he's made it to camp, and with bruisers like this runnin' outside his back door, I can't say I blame him for huntin' at home.
Joe gits it done!
He's got hisself one helluva good tree up there in Bradford County. He took this nice 8-point about an hour ago, from the same tree he got his buck in last year. Gotta love the last-day magic!
Workin' every other Saturday sucks, but gettin' to share in the success of my family and friends makes it much more bearable.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Best truck description ever
I found this gem on Craigslist. Read on for your entertainment of the day...
●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●
1992 ford f250odometer: 250manual transmission
I should start by saying that if you are looking for a "Pajama party Barbie truck" you my friend, should keep looking. If you are looking for a short description of to the beast before you, I can offer you two words "MEAT & POTATOES". This is the All American chariot of the free world.
You are not dealing with any ordinary, cookie cutter truck son. This thing was forged from a single block of all American Tungsten Steel. Real sturdy! From that day forward my life has never been the same. pull yourself off that couch and see if you can handle this ford f250 7.3.
So if you are looking for a rice burning hatch back, a solar powered liberal mobile, or even a Hyundai crossover keep on looking my friend this thing is a piece of red white and blue Americana Machinery.
This baby's pulse is pumping 7.3 liters of uncensored raw fuel through her v8 nuclear power plant. And rest assured this is no metro feminine automatic. . .you command her to obey, with your calloused hand planted firmly on the shifter. And she will obey, the first time, every time. If you can't handle your stick shifter, or reach the clutch pedal, you better not ferry skip over here wanting to test drive her. If you stall her out, you can count on getting hit in the face with a piece of re-bar and sent back where you came from.
It has A/C but are you kidding me. . ..Really! If you want to blow the sweat off your brow, you do it the old fashioned way: windows down. "What if it rains?". . .You whiney bitch! I told you to stop reading. . . Any man who drives this beast doesn't give a damn about rain. Not even skin melting acid rain, Cause he's already dripping wet in blood, sweat, dip spit, and fish guts.
If you are looking for the kind oftruck that has to be pansy parked in the garage, so the "bed doesn't get wet and soggy" Then you should plant your Obama sticker on some Japanese piece of shit. Cause this thing has drain holes in the floor and rhino lined to let the blood drain out from the buffalo you just killed, with your bare hands. Because you are William Wallace from Braveheart and when you get home you can leave your "sissy sponge glove car wash kit" in the pink bucket it came in. Go ahead and spark up your 6000 psi heated pressure washer on the dually trailer in your man cave, cause you are Tim Gillespie and you can pressure wash your truck on the inside.
And forget about putting one of those " big cummins" stickers on this machine cause when you're spotted in this American Classic there will be no questions, no further explanation required, people will understand and get out of your way. . . . .real quick.
If you think you're ready to park this panty hauler on your tract of land. If you buy this truck you better go get your old lady ready for some damn changes around your lair, cause this shit will be happening. What will be Happening? Glad you asked. . ..
1. More chest hair.
2. You're growing a beard.
3. Meat Only Diet.
4. T-Rex for a pet.
5. You're taking a job at the lumber mill.
6. Your car carries five kegs.
7. Penis enlargement.
8. Catch more fish.
9. Wire bristled toothbrush.
10. Sex in the yard.
11. Sex in the garage.
12. All male offspring.
13. Chiseled jaw line.
14. Not giving a damn.
15. Flesh turning to steel.
16. Higher salary
17. Promotions.
18. Better looking wives.
19. Better looking mistresses.
20. More golfing
21. More killing stuff.
22. More dead animals in the KITCHEN freezer.
23. More tools in your garage.
24. Bigger TV
25. Wife takes out the trash
26. Four Wheel Drive
27. Wife brings trash can in from road.
28. Wife stops bitching about clothes on floor.
29. Wife stocks fridge with beer.
30. Chuck Norris.
31. John McCain
32. Steaks for dinner.
33. Winning the Lottery.
34. Women on the side.
35. Wrestling with bea
36. Building shit out of stone.
37. Riding Lawn Mower.
38. Bon Fires in cul-de-sac.
39. Bar Fights.
40. Wife picks you up from Thee Gentlemen's Club.
41. Craftsman Tools.
42. Jay Bisset.
43. Welding stuff.
44. Digging holes.
45. Huge Piece of meat.
Sounds good doesn't it?
This truck has carried me through 8,000 miles of battlefield twice as gruesome as the second half of the movie "300″. . ..And just like a trusty steed this juggernaut has never left me stranded. If you think you've worn her out you drag this beast back to me in any condition. And Ill handle the rest.
But if you think you're going to get to whip this mule you better pony up Three Thousand Dollars. . .American Cash. I'm not selling you this truck unless you are clearly a pure blooded American Species, so don't even think about it.
my number is 724 4nine3-one15nine
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
The reason we hunt
There's a million different things to see in the woods when one keeps their eyes open long enough. I'm lucky to say that I'm able to see quite an abundance of "everyday" wildlife durin' my time in the tree, be it deer, squirrels, rabbits, songbirds and waterfowl. Over the weekend though, I was treated to a few things that I don't get to see everyday.
The first was one of the purtiest gray foxes I've ever seen, and I regret that I was too preoccupied admirin' it that my video camera was a mere afterthought until he was well on his way outta sight.
The second was a first for me... a long-tailed weasel, already in its white winter coat. I've seen them in their normal dark brown coats before, but never in white. I was on the phone with Jake right after he shot at his buck, so I wasn't able to grab for my camera. He didn't stay in sight long, but it was a thrill to get to see him.
The third was a whitetail buck, but what made this one unique was the way he came roarin' in. I've never heard what the so-called deer experts call a "buck roar" until this heavy-framed seven-point came rollin' through, chasin' a doe and gruntin' loud enough to wake the dead.
He ran that poor doe all over the place, even through the middle of a small pond that was nearby. There was small spike buck trailin' the procession, I guess tryin' to learn the ropes of the rut. I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed my grunt tube and gave a bellow of my own. Sure enough, the ol' buck left that doe and stopped right in front of me about 45 yards, lookin' for the noisy intruder. Of course, the spike stopped 20 yards broadside in my shootin' lane, but the big boy stayed about 45 yards away in the thick stuff, just off the edge of the open woods.
For the next hour, we had ourselves a battle of wills, which I naturally lost when I ran outta daylight. I tried everythin' to get that buck into the open, to no avail. He stayed within 10 yards of where he had initially stopped. By the end of the encounter, my nerves were shot, and the wearin' off of adreniline had me freezin' my ass off. Regardless, it was one of the coolest deer encounters I've had to date, and reaffirms the reason why I love to hunt the rut.
The first was one of the purtiest gray foxes I've ever seen, and I regret that I was too preoccupied admirin' it that my video camera was a mere afterthought until he was well on his way outta sight.
The second was a first for me... a long-tailed weasel, already in its white winter coat. I've seen them in their normal dark brown coats before, but never in white. I was on the phone with Jake right after he shot at his buck, so I wasn't able to grab for my camera. He didn't stay in sight long, but it was a thrill to get to see him.
The third was a whitetail buck, but what made this one unique was the way he came roarin' in. I've never heard what the so-called deer experts call a "buck roar" until this heavy-framed seven-point came rollin' through, chasin' a doe and gruntin' loud enough to wake the dead.
He ran that poor doe all over the place, even through the middle of a small pond that was nearby. There was small spike buck trailin' the procession, I guess tryin' to learn the ropes of the rut. I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed my grunt tube and gave a bellow of my own. Sure enough, the ol' buck left that doe and stopped right in front of me about 45 yards, lookin' for the noisy intruder. Of course, the spike stopped 20 yards broadside in my shootin' lane, but the big boy stayed about 45 yards away in the thick stuff, just off the edge of the open woods.
For the next hour, we had ourselves a battle of wills, which I naturally lost when I ran outta daylight. I tried everythin' to get that buck into the open, to no avail. He stayed within 10 yards of where he had initially stopped. By the end of the encounter, my nerves were shot, and the wearin' off of adreniline had me freezin' my ass off. Regardless, it was one of the coolest deer encounters I've had to date, and reaffirms the reason why I love to hunt the rut.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
And the (bad) hits just keep on comin'
For the few of us that remained at camp, we was hopin' to be over our shootin' ineptitude from the weekend when we hit the woods on Monday.
Well, it just wasn't to be.
Joe's buddy Jake grunted in a helluva nice eight- or nine-point around mid-mornin', only to watch his arrow hit high. This was the first deer he'd ever shot at with his bow, and I reckon he got the shakes a bit. From what he described to me, I was hopin' that he caught either the main artery or the top of the lungs, so we decided to give it a few hours, then take up the trail.
A few hours later, we headed towards Jake's tree and got on the trail. After over a frustratin' hour of inconsistent blood leadin' into some of the nastiest shit God put upon this earth, the trail ended abruptly. Meanwhile, Matt was in the next field over, keepin' watch, and had seen what he thought was a decent-sized deer run up the treeline along the edge of the shit we were in. We fanned out and searched for over another hour more, but we came up empty-handed. We were all pretty upset, Jake especially. I'm guessin' he only caught just the top of one lung, which may or may not be fatal. Only time will tell, and hopefully the animal doesn't suffer longer than necessary, regardless of the outcome.
There's not much more of a helpless feelin' a hunter can have than makin' a bad shot on an animal. There's such a responsibility to make a clean, quick harvest, and there's a lot of anger, sadness and regret that shows up when we fail that responsibility. But, if you hunt long enough, I reckon it's bound to happen. That fact doesn't make it suck any less.
Well, it just wasn't to be.
Joe's buddy Jake grunted in a helluva nice eight- or nine-point around mid-mornin', only to watch his arrow hit high. This was the first deer he'd ever shot at with his bow, and I reckon he got the shakes a bit. From what he described to me, I was hopin' that he caught either the main artery or the top of the lungs, so we decided to give it a few hours, then take up the trail.
A few hours later, we headed towards Jake's tree and got on the trail. After over a frustratin' hour of inconsistent blood leadin' into some of the nastiest shit God put upon this earth, the trail ended abruptly. Meanwhile, Matt was in the next field over, keepin' watch, and had seen what he thought was a decent-sized deer run up the treeline along the edge of the shit we were in. We fanned out and searched for over another hour more, but we came up empty-handed. We were all pretty upset, Jake especially. I'm guessin' he only caught just the top of one lung, which may or may not be fatal. Only time will tell, and hopefully the animal doesn't suffer longer than necessary, regardless of the outcome.
There's not much more of a helpless feelin' a hunter can have than makin' a bad shot on an animal. There's such a responsibility to make a clean, quick harvest, and there's a lot of anger, sadness and regret that shows up when we fail that responsibility. But, if you hunt long enough, I reckon it's bound to happen. That fact doesn't make it suck any less.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Bowhunter's Weekend '13
Expectations were high for another successful Bowhunter's Weekend. After followin' up an unreal shellackin' in '11 and a few more bucks last year, we was hopin' for another banner year.
Well, let's just say that we'd have done just fine if we'd have actually hit what we were shootin' at.
Reds got the party started on Friday mornin' with another Bradford County "Junkyard" buck. Eight or nine years ago, durin' what turned out to be our inaugural Bowhunter's Weekend, I sent Reds in the general direction of a known decent spot. He found a tree that looked like a good spot to sit, and that hunt yielded a fine six-point for him. Friday's buck marks the third that he's taken from that tree, which ain't bad for only huntin' it one, maybe two days a year with no scoutin'. This one took a short chase and a clean up shot, but he got 'er done.
After that, we couldn't do a damn thing.
Saturday, the ol' man shot under a decent 10-point at first light. I followed up with a grossly high hit on a six-point that likely didn't do anything but make him sore and educate him. I tracked for a few hours, but after seein' where the arrow hit and the lack of sign, I'd have to say he's prolly back to bangin' does already. Lastly, Matt threw one high over a nice eight-point just before dark.
Tater spent some time on the river chasin' waterfowl with some of the other guys, and Schlongie managed to get a goose. The fowl huntin' on the river was pretty slow, but they had a good time.
Ron did us a good turn though, by showin' us how to drop the hammer on some hens... second year in a row for him fillin' his fall turkey tag durin' bowhunter's weekend.
Misses aside, though, it was a helluva good weekend. We had a packed camp, oodles of good food, plenty of cold beer and some great camaraderie. As always, many thanks to Ron and Brenda for bein' such great hosts and puttin' up with the insanity of 11 men invadin' their home.
Well, let's just say that we'd have done just fine if we'd have actually hit what we were shootin' at.
Reds got the party started on Friday mornin' with another Bradford County "Junkyard" buck. Eight or nine years ago, durin' what turned out to be our inaugural Bowhunter's Weekend, I sent Reds in the general direction of a known decent spot. He found a tree that looked like a good spot to sit, and that hunt yielded a fine six-point for him. Friday's buck marks the third that he's taken from that tree, which ain't bad for only huntin' it one, maybe two days a year with no scoutin'. This one took a short chase and a clean up shot, but he got 'er done.
After that, we couldn't do a damn thing.
Saturday, the ol' man shot under a decent 10-point at first light. I followed up with a grossly high hit on a six-point that likely didn't do anything but make him sore and educate him. I tracked for a few hours, but after seein' where the arrow hit and the lack of sign, I'd have to say he's prolly back to bangin' does already. Lastly, Matt threw one high over a nice eight-point just before dark.
Tater spent some time on the river chasin' waterfowl with some of the other guys, and Schlongie managed to get a goose. The fowl huntin' on the river was pretty slow, but they had a good time.
Ron did us a good turn though, by showin' us how to drop the hammer on some hens... second year in a row for him fillin' his fall turkey tag durin' bowhunter's weekend.
Misses aside, though, it was a helluva good weekend. We had a packed camp, oodles of good food, plenty of cold beer and some great camaraderie. As always, many thanks to Ron and Brenda for bein' such great hosts and puttin' up with the insanity of 11 men invadin' their home.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Schlongie strikes!
A week late in postin' (I know, you're shocked), but my best friend in the whole damn world put the hammer down on this fine mountain buck last Saturday.
Now, when Schlongie sends me a picture message, it almost always involves a dead critter. He ain't exactly tech savvy, so it has to be a special occasion for him to figger out how to send a picture. I was at work, and when I saw the picture message pop up on my phone, I was purty much instantly giddy. You couldn't have beat the grin off my face with a chuck of re-bar for the rest of the day. Made my day at work much more bearable.
Now he's bummed because he's done huntin' deer for the year. Tough problem to have, indeed.
Now, when Schlongie sends me a picture message, it almost always involves a dead critter. He ain't exactly tech savvy, so it has to be a special occasion for him to figger out how to send a picture. I was at work, and when I saw the picture message pop up on my phone, I was purty much instantly giddy. You couldn't have beat the grin off my face with a chuck of re-bar for the rest of the day. Made my day at work much more bearable.
Now he's bummed because he's done huntin' deer for the year. Tough problem to have, indeed.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
New shifter knobs
Courtesy of one of the mule deer sheds that my brother Joe picked up in Wyoming this past summer.
They were bleached white, so I added a little stain to dirty 'em up a bit. Didn't take long to make, and they add a little bit more character to the Blue Bomber.
Sure beats the shit outta the store-bought, Made In China junk.
Monday, November 4, 2013
Prayin' Mantis
They never get any less fascinatin'.
Humorous back story... At work, when we encounter a bug of some sort, they wind up in one of the ink fountains. Those are the rules set forth by my operator, who is even more of a sick, twisted bastard than I am. Well, we were ponderin' just the other day what would happen if we ever had the throw a prayin' mantis into the ink fountains.
Well, sure as shootin', the next day we both saw a prayin' mantis at our respective domiciles, the first ones either of us had seen in months. We're pretty sure they had overheard our conversation the day before, and are now plottin' to kill us. These were just scouts sent out to find us...
Humorous back story... At work, when we encounter a bug of some sort, they wind up in one of the ink fountains. Those are the rules set forth by my operator, who is even more of a sick, twisted bastard than I am. Well, we were ponderin' just the other day what would happen if we ever had the throw a prayin' mantis into the ink fountains.
Well, sure as shootin', the next day we both saw a prayin' mantis at our respective domiciles, the first ones either of us had seen in months. We're pretty sure they had overheard our conversation the day before, and are now plottin' to kill us. These were just scouts sent out to find us...
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Skulls from last year
I had a few skulls to finish up from last year for a few buddies. The bone had long since been simmered off, but I hadn't gotten around to mountin' 'em up on plaques yet. It wouldn't have been too much of a problem, but the one had the back of his brain cavity blowed off, so it made things a little trickier to work with.
I finally took the time to get it figured out though, and I think it turned out alright. That's two fine West -By-God-Virginia bucks right there.
I finally took the time to get it figured out though, and I think it turned out alright. That's two fine West -By-God-Virginia bucks right there.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Close encounters
The allure of bowhuntin' for most folks is sharin' close quarters with some very keen critters. There's nothin' I love more than havin' a whitetail walk right under my stand, a turkey within spittin' distance, or hell, even a simple squirrel crawlin' around the next branch over.
I just had a couple days off, and although it damn near killed me, I mostly stayed home and caught up on things that had been pilin' up. I finally managed to make it out Thursday evenin' for a sit, even though the weather was less than agreeable.
I'm glad I did... this little spike came in and made my night.
He showed up about 40 yards to my left and farted around for awhile, and wound up beddin' down behind me for about a half-hour. I looked back to where he bedded at one point, and he wasn't there. Next thing I know, he was less than 10 yards away.
At this point, the gig was up... he'd had enough of that oversized squirrel wavin' his phone around. Didn't matter to me at that point. I had a great time snappin' pictures of the little shit.
Hopefully, he'll be a bit bigger next year...
I just had a couple days off, and although it damn near killed me, I mostly stayed home and caught up on things that had been pilin' up. I finally managed to make it out Thursday evenin' for a sit, even though the weather was less than agreeable.
I'm glad I did... this little spike came in and made my night.
He showed up about 40 yards to my left and farted around for awhile, and wound up beddin' down behind me for about a half-hour. I looked back to where he bedded at one point, and he wasn't there. Next thing I know, he was less than 10 yards away.
At this point, the gig was up... he'd had enough of that oversized squirrel wavin' his phone around. Didn't matter to me at that point. I had a great time snappin' pictures of the little shit.
Hopefully, he'll be a bit bigger next year...
Friday, November 1, 2013
The Growler Diaries, vol. 6
I shoulda posted this a few weeks ago, seein' that Wade and I polished off the rest of this after our duck hunt last Friday.
I came home from work a few weeks ago and was jonesin' for pizza. My lady didn't feel like cookin', so we headed over to Gettysburg and wound up at Tommy's, where I had originally scored my growler. The growler had been sittin' dormant for most of my extremely busy summer, so I grabbed it as we ran out the door.
Not only does Tommy's have the best pizza in the area, their tap list is always changin' and always awesome.
On that particular day, I settled on Starr Hill's Little Red Rooster Coffee Cream Stout. I love dark, heavy beers with a lot of flavor, so this stuff was right up my alley. Definitely one of my favorite pours so far.
****************************************************************
Pour Five
Perpetual IPA
Troegs Brewing Company
Pour Four
Guinness Draught
Guinness & Co.
Pour Three
Troegs Nugget Nectar
Troegs Brewing Company
Pour Two
Zack Morgan's Pale Ale
Morgantown Brewing Company
Pour One
Troegs Mad Elf
Troegs Brewing Company
I came home from work a few weeks ago and was jonesin' for pizza. My lady didn't feel like cookin', so we headed over to Gettysburg and wound up at Tommy's, where I had originally scored my growler. The growler had been sittin' dormant for most of my extremely busy summer, so I grabbed it as we ran out the door.
Not only does Tommy's have the best pizza in the area, their tap list is always changin' and always awesome.
On that particular day, I settled on Starr Hill's Little Red Rooster Coffee Cream Stout. I love dark, heavy beers with a lot of flavor, so this stuff was right up my alley. Definitely one of my favorite pours so far.
****************************************************************
Pour Five
Perpetual IPA
Troegs Brewing Company
Pour Four
Guinness Draught
Guinness & Co.
Pour Three
Troegs Nugget Nectar
Troegs Brewing Company
Pour Two
Zack Morgan's Pale Ale
Morgantown Brewing Company
Pour One
Troegs Mad Elf
Troegs Brewing Company
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