The Redneck Rant

Winterfest Pictures

2012-02-23T20:40:00.000-05:00

Jaclyn and I wreckin' shop in the kitchen

There was a ton more food yet to show up...

One of our landowners, Jeff Smith with Ron.

What was left of my little brother Joe's excellent deer steak.
He might be an airhead, but he can cook.

Ron givin' out some door prizes.

Joe and Spangler followed the splittails all night. Whodathunkit?

Winterfest

2012-02-19T22:55:00.000-05:00

Another Winterfest come and gone....

Our annual trek up to Ron's house for his Winterfest party yielded the usual awesome food, ample adult beverages and tons of laughs and good times. This was the 7th official year that he's hosted the party, basically a mid-winter cure for cabin fever. Lemme tell ya, if you go away from Winterfest hungry, sober and angry, it's yer own damn fault. Plenty of good stories told, and we even had time for a low-stakes game of Hold-'em.

Even though some of us were nursin' hangovers this mornin', we spent the afternoon blowin' shit up. A buddy of ours had a clay-bird thrower and figgered we outta burn some gunpowder. It's a damn shame that I wasn't prepared for that kinda thing, or I woulda brought more guns and ammo to play with. As it was, we had five shotguns and four pistols at our disposal, so we made the most of what we had. Wish I'da had the foresight to take some video and pictures, but shit happens. Regardless, we had a damn good time.

A weekend well spent in food place with good friends... never a bad thing.

Wednesday Grind

2012-02-15T19:36:00.001-05:00

As much as I hate to do it, my Wednesday and Friday music segments are gonna have to get tabled for the foreseeable future. Postin' links and video are a bitch to do on this phone, which is currently my only source of internet. I also don't have reception at the new job for the rare occasion of havin' nothin' else to do, and by the time I get home, I have other things that need attention.

I'm just as bummed as the two of you are, trust me. I love me some good heavy shit on a Wednesday.

In the meantime though, the fine folks over at GGDF can sate your metal desires...

The adventure continues...

2012-02-14T21:25:00.001-05:00

A few quick and random observations from my first two days at the new job...

- Gettin' up at 5am for anything other than huntin' is for the birds. I don't much care for goin' to bed by 9pm either. Although doing both regularly will make gettin' up to hunt easier.

- My skills (or lack thereof) with a skidloader need to improve, quickly.

- I'm havin' severe withdrawl of the internet in general and blogs in particular, both readin' and writin'.

- I'll like my new boss a lot better when I don't have to rely on him to answer questions to shit I don't know.

- Neccesito apprender hablo Espanol (or somethin' to that effect).

- My brain and body are gettin' a major wake-up call. After essentially spendin' my whole life as an 8-5 desk jockey, all this walkin' will hopefully whip my ass into shape. On that note...

- I don't have time to snack, somethin' I did faithfully to pass time in the office.

- It doesn't matter how large a farm is... Somethin' is still bound to be redneck-rigged together.

- Feedin' newborn calves ain't as fun as it looks like. Neither is bein' shoulder-deep in a cow's ass to make sure she's indeed pregnant (weird cow fact: you can feel an unborn calf through the intestinal wall).

- Irate cows are much better than irate people.

- I miss my old co-workers. I sure as shit don't miss my old job.

Movin' on

2012-02-10T12:10:00.000-05:00

Startin' Monday, I'll be takin' on life's next great adventure. I accepted a position as a Dry Cow Herdsman at Mason Dixon Farms, one of the largest dairy farms east of the Mississippi. In simple terms, pregnant cows stop gettin' milked a few weeks or months before they have their calves. Those are the animals that I'll be responsible for, anywhere from 200-600 animals at any given time.

For many years, MDF has been on the forefront of technology and research in the dairy industry, as a Google search will quickly reveal. As large as it's become, however, it's still a family-owned farm. After spendin' the last few years jumpin' through hoops for some faceless bobblehead in Denver, it'll be a nice change of pace to regularly exchange pleasantries with the head men.

This'll be quite a jump, as my professional life to date has more or less revolved around newspapers, computers and design. All things considered though, it's significantly more money, access to thousands of acres of prime huntin' land, and hopefully more physically and mentally stimulatin' that what I've been dealin' with here. I've never been entirely comfortable in an office environment, so hopefully this job will feel more at home for me. I've worked with some great people here and I'm sure to miss them, but I sure won't miss all the corporate bullshit that came with it.

I apologize in advance, because my postin' (and readin') of blogs might go a little light for awhile. I won't be spendin' much time at a computer with my new position, which is a blessing and a curse.

Friday Honky-tonk

2012-02-10T11:36:00.001-05:00

There ain't much better than ol' Junior Brown with a guitar. I could listen to him pick for hours...

Recorded live in Michigan in 2003. You won't find a studio cut anywhere that I could find, but you can find a similar live track from '05's Live at the Continental Club.

Spring Hill Song Dogs, Part 2

2012-02-09T12:50:00.000-05:00

More photos from they coyote-huntin' gang up around Ron's house. As of Sunday, they were up to 16 dogs for the year. Keep it up, fellas!

Makin' the rounds on Facebook....

2012-02-08T10:34:00.001-05:00

Some things I thought I'd share with you.

Some humor, from Hoagy:

The Pope and obama are on the same stage in Yankee Stadium in front of a huge crowd.

The Pope leans towards obama and said, "Do you know that with one little wave of my hand I can make every person in this crowd go wild with joy? This joy will not be a momentary display, but will go deep into their hearts and they'll forever speak of this day and rejoice!"

obama replied, "I seriously doubt that! With one little wave of your hand.... Show me!"

So the Pope backhanded him and knocked him off the stage!

AND THE CROWD ROARED & CHEERED WILDLY and there was happiness throughout the land!

And a more serious matter, from Jaclyn:

Wednesday Grind

2012-02-08T09:37:00.000-05:00

I know I just did Maiden a month or two ago, but fuck it.... I'm doin' it again. I could listen to Maiden seven days a week, 365 days a year and not get enough.

Live track's from '02's Rock In Rio DVD, recorded live on 19 January, 2001. The original track is from '81's Killers.

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Happiness is some trigger time

2012-02-06T20:25:00.002-05:00

Checked out the 500 project gun with the buckshot, then ran a few rounds through the .357 revolver and emptied a few clips through the .380. Hardly organized but a helluva fun way to burn an hour and piss off the neighbors.

The weatherman is an asshole

2012-02-04T20:07:00.002-05:00

Yup. Slight chance of rain in the morning, clear in the afternoon. Nice prediction, you asshat.
Yes, that's about a quarter inch of ice and snow stuck on my windshield. Not quite a butt-puckerer, but not the funnest ride home.

Friday Honky-tonk

2012-02-03T10:38:00.000-05:00

Recorded live on 20 November, 2011 at Clifton Park, NY. He's got a ton of live footage out there, but unfortunatly most of it's cell phone quality. For that reason, here's the studio cut for ya too...

I won't list the studio album though, since it was released more or less a "fuck you" from Curb Records to Hank III.

If you've never had a chance to see him live, make time and get it done. Basically he plays three sets; a traditional county set, a rockabilly set, and then a speed/doom metal set. Most of his shows are anywhere from three to four hours... he makes sure you get your money's worth. Schlongie and I went to a show about five or six years ago, and it was fuckin' awesome. I wasn't quite as much into the speed/doom metal at that point in my life, so we took off after the Hellbilly set. I've been tryin' to get a chance to see him again ever since, but I just haven't been able to make it work yet.

The Mossberg 500 project

2012-02-02T11:41:00.001-05:00

The "before" picture. This ol' gal has shot hundreds of ducks
and geese in her day, among other critters.

A little bit of a back story first....

For as long as I can remember, there's been a Mossberg 500 layin' around our house. Dad's always had one for a primary or backup bird gun, and he's got another one rigged up specifically as a slug gun for deer huntin'.

Perhaps I'm biased for that reason, but I'm rather partial to 'em. They've got a great history and a tradition of dependability. There are other good all-purpose shotguns out there, but O.F. Mossberg and Sons does it just as good, if not better, than the others.

I'm not sure where this particular gun's story begins, as Dad bought it used after retirin' his first 500 for reasons I can't recall. Shortly thereafter, he won a Mossberg 835 from a gun drawing, so the 500 was primarily used by me and Jesse. Long story short, Jesse wound up with his own 835 as a graduation gift, so I wound up as the sole user of the 500.

A few years back though, it started actin' up. Nothin' major, but every now and then it would go into full auto mode; basically, as soon as the forearm was locked back into place after I pumped it, it would fire another shell regardless of what my trigger finger was doin'. It would have been awesome if it was controlable or predictable, but it was neither. A few months later I picked up another 500 at an auction, so the ol' warrior went to the rack and stayed there.

Since then, it's only come off for the occasional cleanin', so when I was at the gun show on Sunday and saw a tactical home defense kit for a good price, I spontaneously decided that the ol' warrior needed a new cause.

Now, don't get me wrong... I don't really live in fear where I'm at. We're in the sticks, and with my grandparents at the bottom of the hill and my aunt next door, there's almost always someone around to keep an eye on things. Alas, it seems that home invasions and overall thefts are up in the area, and there are some crazy fuckin' people out there. Havin' a reliable shotgun within easy reach is cheap security in an uncertain society.

The Ultimate Arms Gear kit I picked up is not top of the line, but from tinkerin' with it, seems to be well-built and relatively rugged. Only time will tell on that, and given the fact that I won't be usin' this gun on a regular basis, should be more than enough. The stock has five adjustable positions and included a 5-shell holder and a pretty stout recoil pad. Five minutes and two hex-head screws takes it to a plain pistol grip if that's whatcha want. The forearm has three Weaver rails, two of them removable. Installation was a cinch... it took me longer to get the old wood furniture off than it did to throw everythin' else on.

I had a buddy who does metal work whack down an old barrel we had layin' around from 26" to 18", which is the legal limit without havin' to jump through hoops. To finish it off, I picked up a new fiber optic sight to replace the bead that was cut off, and a cheap laser sight from Hellmart. And by cheap, meanin' it probably won't hold a zero after the first three shots. However, the reviews on it were decent, the price was right and a potential burglar likely won't want to take chances when he discovers the red dot on his chest, zeroed or not. Either way, I'm gonna put that 1-year warranty to the test. Last but not least, the beast needed to be fed. To feed it, I picked up a box of Federal Premium 00 buckshot.

Overall, it was a quick, cheap conversion from a rack rider to a closet queen. I won't lie, I did sleep a bit better last night knowin' that it could be in my hands and ready to roll in a matter of seconds. The gun is pretty old and worn, but it's one endearing quality is that it's never failed to fire. Ever. That's a good quality to have in a home defense gun. Couple that with a whole new look, and I'm pretty pleased with how it worked out.

Now that it's done, let's hope I never need to use it for what it's rigged up to do.

Wednesday Grind

2012-02-01T09:25:00.000-05:00

Live cut's from 5 August, 2006 at Wacken Open Air Festival. Original track is from '80's Ace Of Spades.

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Rainbow

2012-01-31T10:00:00.000-05:00

I was out and about this weekend on the scoot for a little while, and it was over 40° and sunny so I decided to go commando. This time of year I normally wear a full-faced helmet due to the weather and the increased risk of off-season ridin', so it's been several months since I've gone without a lid. And just for the record, it was awesome.

But I digress...

As beautiful as it was outside, I still managed to run smack-dab into a rain squall after I left my grandmother's house. I had to ride through a few minutes of light rain, but the trade off was seein' this awesome rainbow. Doesn't matter how old I get, they never get old... one of the coolest natural occurrences I can think of. I yanked the Yami into a nearby parking lot and snapped off a few pictures. Cooler yet was that it was a double full rainbow, although unfortunately I couldn't get all of it in the pictures.

And a picture of my hair, just for grins. Some people spend hours and use several cans of hairspray to get their hair to look this awesome. I just go for a ride, sans helmet.

Gun Porn

2012-01-30T11:53:00.003-05:00

Yesterday found me and Uncle John in Gettysburg for the Eagle Arms Gun Show. He'd been at this show before, but I'd never been able to get there to check it out before.

Lemme tell ya.... There is some serious gun porn over there. I figured we'd be there for an hour or two. We finally rolled out close to four hours later. Talk about a fuckin' redneck candy store! CharlieDelta would have died and gone to Heaven.

John was lookin' for a cheap pop gun to whack starlings around the farm, ad he walked away with an old Smith and Wesson 12-gauge for a steal. I'm pretty tight on my budget right now, but I grabbed up some ammuniton that I needed and got a good deal on a tactical stock and forearm kit for a decommisioned Mossberg 500 I have layin' around. Since it's just sittin' there lookin' old, I decided I might as well dress it up and do somethin' with it. More on that little project later.

Guns, guns and more guns.

Just for you, CD.

Black guns. I will have one someday.

I'm not sure what they are, but they're fucking amazing.

Friday Honky-tonk

2012-01-27T15:01:00.000-05:00

From '84's Home With the Armadillo. He was featured on The Texas Connection several times, so I'm not sure when this was recorded.

Tragic

2012-01-26T11:30:00.001-05:00

Long story short, a couple little teenage shitstains tried to rob and beat up a 65-year-old man on a rail trail in Eastern PA. He was able to defend himself against this assualt, as any good American should. You can read the whole story here.

The tragedy is that he didn't whack all three of 'em.

Cheers to you, sir!

I thought of CenTexTim as soon as I read this. I know he'll be pleased.

*Update with picture.... too good not to share!

Wednesday Grind

2012-01-25T10:55:00.000-05:00

An orgy of metal....

Recorded live on 22 June, 2010 from Sofia, Bulgaria as part of the Sonisphere Festival.

Coast to coast

2012-01-23T10:01:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine that I used to work with and her husband (who gave me the Yota) are in the process of movin' to Bethany Beach, Delaware, to take care of her mother. Awesomely enough, they'll be livin' about 300 yards away from the beach. They needed some help movin' their mattress and boxspring, and I had nothin' better to do, so we made a beach run yesterday.

Her husband used to live in Mexifornia and Oregon when he had the truck, so I know it saw the Pacific Ocean. I don't think he ever had it out this way, so since we were so close I took it to see the Atlantic. There was nobody on the beach so I went ahead and rolled right on up to the water. Good to know the ol' truck has now officially been coast to coast across this great land.

On a side note, it's been a few years since I've been across the Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore. Sure was good to be back, and it was awesome seein' thousands upon thousands of geese. We used to deer hunt on the Shore several times every year, and I always enjoyed the sounds of geese flyin' over all day in the deer stand. I really miss doin' that... Maybe I'll get a MD license this year.

JoePa

2012-01-23T09:30:00.001-05:00

I'm definitely not a State Penn fan, and I sure as shit wasn't a fan of their ~~figurehead idol~~ head coach. I wonder almost daily how I manage to put up with the inane antics of the girl I sleep next to every night, who was bred, born and raised to cheer everything Penn State. I guess I put up with it because she's beautiful.

But I digress.

I've been waitin' for years for the old bastard to swan-dive and die on the sidelines durin' a game. Don't get me wrong... I never wished for his death, I was just simply waitin' for it to happen. He predicted many years ago that he'd probably kick the bucket soon after his coachin' career came to an end, just like the Bear. Reckon he wasn't surprised or disappointed.

That said, college football took on a whole new light in November without him prowlin' the sidelines, and yesterday mornin' marked the end of an era. The only thing I liked about Paterno was that in this day in age of big schools changin' coaches like we change underwear, the one thing we could put money on was seein' ol' Joe on the sidelines in the fall. College football would be a better place if all schools and coaches could have that kinda long-term commitment to each other.

I can't say that I'll miss the man, but he meant an awful lot to a lot of my friends and lot of other people.

Friday Honky-tonk

2012-01-20T09:27:00.000-05:00

A double-shot of classics for ya today, from the Grand Ol' Opry on 16 February, 2002.

Eyes of Waylon is from Hank Jr's '95 album Hog Wild. The Conversation is from Waylon's '83 album Waylon and Company.

Spring Hill Song Dogs

2012-01-19T12:33:00.000-05:00

I don't know any of these folks personally, but they do one helluva job on the coyote population up around Ron's house. They get together and run 'em with dogs, and they've been pretty successful so far this year. Here's some photos that they've been sendin' to Ron of their success...

Great job, guys... keep whackin' and stackin'!

Wednesday Grind

2012-01-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

Some Tenacious Motherfuckin' D. Jack Black is like Beavis and Butthead... so ridiculous, it's almost good.

Live track's from the 2008 DVD The Complete Masterworks, Vol. 2. Original track's from '06's The Pick of Destiny soundtrack.

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

SOPA can suck my balls

2012-01-18T08:48:00.002-05:00

And so can every liberal commie fuck in our government.

Read more about it here.

I don't have enough readers to worry about figuring out how to black out, but I can at least spread the word and bitch about it.

Vote against it and spread the word here.

Sign Google's petition here.

Taylor's first grouse

2012-01-16T10:24:00.001-05:00

Small game weekend up at Ron's is usually a pretty laid-back affair. Except for the goose hunters this year, nobody is in a hurry to get outta bed. We stay up late and drink beer, then hit the woods whenever we feel like leavin' the next day. It's a nice change of pace from the hard-huntin' group we normally are in deer and turkey seasons.

When we finally made it out of the house on Saturday, our first push was the brush lot behind Ron's house as usual. Several years back, we managed to put up and whack a pair of grouse back there, and this year we got lucky again. Matt's brother-in-law, in his first trip to Bradford County, managed to drop this young male grouse. Took him a few shots, but he got it done. We don't shoot a lot of grouse, so everyone was pretty excited. Taylor's a good kid too... he fit right in at camp and we were all happy for his harvest.

As far as I'm concerned, our state bird is one of the prettiest birds around this side of a drake wood duck. He opted not to get the bird stuffed, but kept the meat and the fan, and as an avid fly fisherman is lookin' forward to makin' some flies out of the feathers.

We got a lot of scoutin' done with the rest of our day, but Ron was the only other critter buster, linin' his game bag with five squirrel tails.

The rest of the weekend was spent eatin', drinkin', watchin' football and enjoyin' time with Ron. A very good, relaxin' weekend indeed.

Wade and Matt... Nothin' like some Lienenkugal's Summer Shandy
and a hot tub to make a 4° Sunday mornin' a little warmer.

Oh, and for your Texas gentlemen... Y'all done sold me on the Shiner. I enjoyed everything except for the Shiner Blonde, their golden lager. Reminded me of ~~horse piss~~ Coors Light. Everythin' else... really damn good. My favorite was the Old Time Alt, with their Black Lager and Bock runnin' a close second and third.

As always, a huge thank you to Ron for your hospitality and bein' an excellent host!

Friday Honky-tonk

2012-01-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

Questionable quality, but a damn good song by one of the few new guys I can tolerate.

Recorded live 29 April, 2010 at the Key West Songwriters' Festival. It might be on a studio album somewhere, but I couldn't find it.

Small Game Weekend

2012-01-13T09:22:00.000-05:00

'Tis time for our annual trek upstate to chase some furry woodland creatures. We've been doin' it for several years now... gives us an excuse to go visit Ron and do some off-season scoutin' before turkey season. Last year, we were lazy.... we pushed out a few hundred yards of hardwoods, then spent an hour shootin' skeet with snowballs. Didn't get much huntin' done, but we had a good time.

That said, the weather's gonna be shitty and it sounds like there will probably be more goose huntin' goin' on than anything. Like always, after the hunt we'll eat well and drink copious amounts of cold adult beverages.

On that thought... CharlieDelta and CenTexTim, my Texican readers, will be happy to note that I'm prepared to break my Shiner cherry this weekend. I was reachin' for a case of our good ol' Lager when I thought of y'all, so I grabbed the Shiner Family Reunion case instead. Lookin' forward to seein' what all the excitement is about.

Farm Show

2012-01-12T12:46:00.001-05:00

'Tis one of my favorite times of year, even though I haven't gotten to spend enough time there in recent years... the Pennsylvania Farm Show. It's a great event that garners tons of visitors from all over the country. It's a lot of work to get the animals up there and care for them, but most of the exhibitors agree that it's well worth it. It's a time to get away from the farm a little bit, show off some of our finer stock, meet up with friends old and new, and maybe cut loose a little bit after the crowds leave.

It's been a staple in our state since 1917, and I've been lucky to have been able to exhibit my dairy heifers there many times when I was in 4-H. Hell, me and my buddies used to get into so much mischief up there... I'd say "if only my parents knew...." but I've heard enough stories to know they raised twice as much hell up there as I ever did. I get it honestly, that's for sure.

My little brother's got a Guernsey heifer up there this week, so my and my lady ventured up to hang out for the evenin'. Since I wasn't spendin' the night, there wasn't much hell-raisin', although I happily accepted a Lager when it was handed to me. We hit up the food court (excellent local fare, not carny food), did a quick loop in the Main Hall, then hung out at the tie for the rest of the evenin'.

I'll let the pictures do the rest for this post...

The crowds in the food court.

My second cousin fittin' her heifer for the show.

Joe and Breanne, chillin' with Moxie.

Longest lines in the food court are for these. We got 'em
just before close, so no wait.

Over 1,000 pounds of butter for the 22nd annual Butter Sculpture.

Wednesday Grind

2012-01-11T13:06:00.000-05:00

Mastodon ain't my favorite... I don't know much about 'em except that when I get in a certain mood, they're fuckin' awesome.

Live track's from BBC's Later with Jools Holland (That's Limey television to us Americans) on 18 October, 2011. From '11's The Hunter.

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Drake woody

2012-01-09T08:50:00.002-05:00

There ain't much purtier in nature than a drake wood duck. My little brother dropped this one a few minutes ago, and I'm jealous as hell.

Better him than me though. The goin' rate is prolly around $600 to get one stuffed, which is exactly what's gonna happen when I get one.

Friday Honky-tonk

2012-01-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

I could listen to Dale for hours on end. Prolly the best thing to come outta the great state of Texas since Shiner Bock.

Not sure when the video was shot, but it was taken at one of his regular Continental Club shows a few years back. Song's from '98's The Truckin' Sessions.

Wednesday Grind

2012-01-04T16:59:00.000-05:00

No decent live video found, nor is one needed. Turn the volume the whole way up and find something to smash.

From 93's Transnational Speedway League: Anthems, Anecdotes, and Undeniable Truths.

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Goodbye, Holidays...

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Been runnin' around like a crazy bastard the last few weeks, and while it was certainly good to see my family and friends, it just plain sucks the drive outta ya to do anythin' after goin' full throttle like that. Add in a good ol' fashioned bout with a sinus infection and sore throat, and I'm kinda glad that everythin' is behind us.

But a few items of interest over the holiday, one of which was long overdue.

After putting it off long enough, the hole in our kitchen floor finally got tended to. Once we got to rippin' shit apart, we found the source of the problem... a leaky pipe fitting, one that had likely been sprayin' water up onto the subfloor for quite a while. With a lotta help from Schlongie, who is a plumber by trade, and my girl's dad, we were able to get that fixed up on New Year's Day. My girl's mom also brought some leftover pork and sauerkraut, a New Year's Day staple here in South Central PA. I still have to put down the leveler and lay some new linolum once things dry out a little bit, but it's rather comforting to not have to worry about fallin' through the floor anymore.

The source of the problem...

New subfloor down, ready to be covered up.

I also managed to fit in some football on New Year's Eve with my cousins and some friends. Great time was had as always, but sometimes I find it hard to believe that I was playin' full pads, full contact football just three years ago. The game is five days in the rearview and I'm still limpin' around like both my legs are broken. Might be gettin' too old for this. Or I'm just outta shape. Likely both.

Not that it's hard to be outta shape this time of year. I've said it before, my family and my girl's family have been known to whip up a mean feast around the holidays, and I've been known to stuff my gullet with too much at once. Or it could be the fact that I get awesome presents from time to time. My cousin Nate knows me well... he hooked me up with some some good beer for Christmas, which I thoroughly enjoyed while watchin' the Fiesta Bowl the other night. Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale... Dark red, with a roasty, malty taste. T'was an excellent brew, and an overall great winter beer. Served in a well-designed bottle that's destined for my shelf of cool things.

Friday Honky-tonk

2011-12-30T09:59:00.000-05:00

I've been sicker than a bag fulla assholes, busy at work, and the whole family is in town... hence the reason for my lack of posts. I'm sure my readers are distraught, all three of ya.

I'll pick it up a bit next week, I promise.

In the meantime, one of my favorites... makes my skin crawl every time I listen to it.

Can't find a date on this, but it was recorded live with Verlon Thompson at The Cactus Cafe, Austin, Texas. From '09's Somedays the Song Writes You.

Wednesday Grind

2011-12-28T16:00:00.000-05:00

Some new Crowbar for ya...

From '11's Sever The Wicked Hand.

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Friday Honky-tonk

2011-12-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

A new segment... My Christmas gift to y'all.

Live track was recorded 19 May, 2011 at the KEXP (90.3 FM) Studios, Seattle. From '11's KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories).

Who boos Santa? We do.

2011-12-22T12:17:00.000-05:00

Here's a good read on a long-told tale from Philly. I'm not a superfan, by any stretch of the imagination, but I'll always follow my team through good times and bad. As my friend on the Main Line can attest, that's what bein' an "Iggles" fan is all about.

Full drop-rack buck

2011-12-21T12:59:00.000-05:00

Droptines are cool.

Drop racks? Damn, son.

Read about this Michigan goofball here. Awesome buck and a cool story.

Wednesday Grind

2011-12-21T10:36:00.000-05:00

Any metalhead knows who does it better, but I gotta give KSE their due for pullin' off a pretty solid cover...

Dio's version recorded live, 22 October, 2005 in London. Originally released on '83's album of the same name.

KSE's version recorded live, 10 June, 2007 at the Download Festival in Leicestershire; Originally released on '07's As Daylight Dies.

And just for kicks and grins, in case you haven't seen them, I'm posting the original music videos as well because they're both hilarious...

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Ronery no more

2011-12-19T09:02:00.000-05:00

So long, Kim Jong Il... Enjoy getting Eiffel Towered by Saddam and Osama.

Christmas cookies

2011-12-17T15:06:00.002-05:00

A Reinhart tradition for many, many years:-)

Bradford County Bucks, 2011

2011-12-16T12:56:00.000-05:00

Take a look at some of these pictures.... this is just a sample of the quality huntin' we have in NEPA. A buncha these bucks were taken either by our group, or a stone's throw away from where our group hunts.

Wednesday Grind

2011-12-14T11:42:00.000-05:00

From '98's Inquisition Symphony. Live track is from the 2001 DVD Live, recorded in Munich 24 October, 2001.

Little bit of a slower grind, but still good stuff. Who else can rock out that hard to a cello?

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Six steps to meaty bliss

2011-12-14T09:07:00.002-05:00

1. Whack a big fat buck (or doe, as the case usually is for me).

2. Cut that sumbitch up and make all the big pieces into little pieces.

3. Find all of the good, lean hindquarter meat, trim the junk off, slice it into 1/4" strips (across the grain), and marinate it in this for 24-48 hours.

4. Load up the dehydrator. Try not to let your mouth foam all over the meat.

5. Cook on high (about 150°) for eight hours, give or take a few. (Warning: Simply walking into your kitchen, if not your house, will induce automatic salivation for several days after this procedure.)

6. Remove the jerky from the dehydrator (eat a few pieces.... yaknow, for quality control), bag it up (eat a few more pieces), clean your mess up (eat a few more pieces just for good measure), throw the bag in the fridge (grab another piece for the road) and enjoy!

This is the first time I've made deer jerky. I gotta say, the recipe was fool-proof and this could very well be the best damn deer jerky I've ever had. I've let a buncha people try it and everyone loves it. I'll definitely make a batch of this every year now.

A real tree

2011-12-13T22:59:00.002-05:00

It wouldn't be Christmas without it.

.700 WTF - A new reason to live

2011-12-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

It ain't the biggest.

It ain't the baddest.

But it's pretty damn badass.

Seriously... most rifles with a caliber this large require a bipod or a tank to use them. Oh, but not the .700 WTF rifle.

This can only be described as a gun nut's wet dream come true. Check it out for yourself, and make sure you watch the video all the way through.

CharlieDelta, in case you're wonderin', you're the first one I thought of when I saw this.

New Oxford's Angels - Follow up

2011-12-09T13:54:00.002-05:00

When things like this happen, a community wrapped in disconnect can join together and do amazing things. It doesn't take away the sting of the tragedy, but it brings the community closer and helps out the families who need so much support.

Most notably, a local businessman who put all his children through New Oxford High school donated 100% of his restaurant's profits on Thursday night. It was initially supposed to be from 5-7pm; he kept it going until they ran out of food. Other businesses have followed suit.

Folks who didn't even know the victims have created projects such as stickers and ribbon angel ornaments to sell, all to benefit the families.

Multiple candlelight vigils have been held.

Friends of the victims have written a song.

The school's wood shop teacher used a borrowed router and, with the help of students, created several wooden plaques for the families and one for the crash site.

I write this as one of the victims, Chelsea McFalls, is being committed to earth. The Mass for Diego Aguilar and Anthony Campos was this morning; Oscar Banda's Mass will be this evening and Casey Sheridan's Mass will be tomorrow morning. With the support of the community, hopefully their families will find peace and that their scars can slowly begin to heal.

Da Turty-Point Doe?

2011-12-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

It's true. Look at this goofy bitch...

Olney, Ill. — A true “freak of nature” was taken west of West Salem during the second shotgun season over the weekend.

Richard Lomas, a farmhand for George Knackmuhs, shot this 30-point doe on the late Richard Knackmuhs Farm.

The deer, which features a non-typical rack, a drop antler still in velvet and no evidence of male genitalia, also does not appear to have ever given birth.

Locals estimate the deer to be about 4-5 years old.

That'd be one helluva buck to kill. To whack an antlered doe like that is somethin' else. I'm purty sure I'd be gettin' a full-body stuff job on that one.

Wednesday Grind

2011-12-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

I'm lazy and don't feel like typin', so I'll point y'all to Wikipedia for the extensive background on this song. This track's from '02' DVD Rude Awakening.

Horns Up! \m/ \m/

Hail to thee, our Alma Mater...

2011-12-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

My community suffered a terrible blow last night. Five teenagers who had just left school for the day were killed in a horrific accident, just several hundred yards away from the home where I grew up.

Nobody really knows just what happened yet, but the fact of the matter is that these are kids that my little brother went to school with; brothers, sisters and cousins of kids that I went to school with. New Oxford is your typical Small Town, USA, where your school and community mean a lot to everyone. This is the kind of hurt that everyone in the area feels.

The bad thing is that it happens to almost every high school class in America... this kind of situation brings back vivid memories of some of my friends and classmates who left us too early. To lose five at once is a different kind of pain.

Things are gonna be kinda rough around here for awhile.

More deer, more bucks

2011-12-05T10:12:00.001-05:00

Finally gettin' my hands on some pictures from the last week, in addition to more success from the weekend. Matt got a big ol' warrior in Huntingdon County on Friday... all scarred up and broken off. On Saturday, I whacked another doe for one of my farmers upstate... a big, fat doe that spent way too much time eatin' his corn, so he was pretty happy. My buddy Mike took his second buck ever, a Bradford County five-point on heavily-hunted public land. Cousin Nate whacked a humongous doe, and as always there were a buncha misses and lots of good stories.


Matt's buck... look at the scars. This buck pounded lots of doe ass, and fought for all of it.

Mike's first Bradford County buck, a public land 5-point.

I also got my hands on some other pictures from the previous week...

Uncle Bill's opening day 8-point

My buddy and co-worker Brett whacked this
huge York County 9-point on the opener as well.

Still another week to go, so hopefully there'll be more to post!

Grind make-up (again)

2011-12-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

I swear, between deer season and the holidays, I'm just gittin' dumber. I promise that one of these days I'll get my shit together and the Grind will return to its regular Wednesday slot.

In the meantime, I haven't done Maiden in a while...

From 2000's album of the same name. Live track is from the Death on the Road DVD, filmed from Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany, on 24 November 2003 during the band's Dance of Death Tour.

I may have mentioned before that seein' Maiden live with my ol' man and brothers is a bucket list item. If their DVDs are any indication, their live shows must be fuckin' amazin'.

Horns Up! \w/ \w/

Deer Camp - A great read!

2011-12-01T09:47:00.001-05:00

Please take a few minutes to visit my friend on the Main Line and read this fantastic story.

With most of my readin' bein' news, political or informational in nature, I've learned to put up a pretty thick wall between my readin' and my emotions. This read, however, busted right through that wall and set me back to reminiscin' back to the good ol' days...

Our deer camp used to be an old trailer with no electric or runnin' water, somewhere in the hills of Huntingdon County. It was set back up in the woods a few hundred yards back off the hard road, and if you were goin' too fast you'd miss the lane.

We'd always hunt on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, then we'd head to the PA camp. Dad had no stake in the camp, but it was owned by family friends from Maryland and we were always made more than welcome.

We'd arrive in the daylight on Sunday, and we'd set about gettin' things situated around camp. The few that hunted the lands around the camp would go check on their stands. The rest of us hunted a nearby mountain, so we'd work on stackin' wood for the stove and other busywork. Anyone that felt it was needed would climb up on the porch and throw a few rounds at a pie plate on a tree about 40 yards off. The boys from Maryland always had somethin' exotic layin' around to eat. I remember eatin' shark, mountain lion, elk, moose and caribou in addition to good ol' fashioned venison. I'd usually wind up explorin' the stack of ol' Playboys in the corner, which was nothin' short of a goldmine to a 12-year-old.

As the sun went down, the gas lights would come on and the wood stove would be fired up. Since I was the pup of the group, or Camp Bitch as I was commonly referred to, I'd get out the mustard, ham and bread and set to makin' a few dozen sandwiches. The old guys would settle under the old Budweiser poster at the table with their bags of change and commence to playin' poker. It was always like a scene from an old movie... several grizzled men clouded in a sea of cigarette smoke, sittin' at a table loaded with beer cans, playin' cards and loose change. The best part was always the stories and dirty jokes that flew faster than the cards. Sometimes, if I finished my sandwich duties in a timely manner, they'd let me play a few hands. I don't remember winnin' many hands, and I'd guess that if I did it's because they let me. Someone would gather up the buck pool from everyone, and it'd be stuffed up into a crack in the ceilin' until a winner was decided on Wednesday.

We'd eventually get around to makin' our final preparations for the mornin' and they we'd head off to the rack room for a few hours of shut-eye before we left to climb the mountain.

My formative years of huntin' were spent at the Huntingdon County camp, until antler restrictions swayed the Maryland crew from comin' up. We still went up and hunted the mountain for a few more years after that, but that went by the wayside when we began stayin' with Ron at our current camp. I've always wanted to make a day trip on the bike to the old camp, but I reckon it's been so long since I've been back that I likely couldn't find it anyway.

First rifle whitetail buck

2011-11-29T10:57:00.000-05:00

It's been said that even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Well, I reckon I can relate yet again.

I've done things backwards... I've managed to arrow a few bucks with the ol' stick and string, but for some reason a buck with the rifle has always eluded me. I can think of a few misses and close calls over the years, but it just never happened.

Well, I finally got it done yesterday in my 16th year of huntin'.

This buck came over the hill to my dad, who was a few hundred yards away. He didn't have the best shot, but he threw one at him and missed. About five minute later, I saw the buck sneakin' through the brush, and as soon as I got a clear shot, I laid 'im out with one of Jesse's special handloads.

I still think that bowhuntin's where it's at, but I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't shakin' like a dog shittin' razorblades before and after the shot. He's far and away my best buck, and I'm just tickled. I'm equally as pleased to finally have a buck accounted for with my deer rifle, which I've had since I was 14. I'd have been just as happy to see Dad get him, but he killed an equally nice eight-point off of that hill last year so he wasn't too bent outta shape about the miss.

This buck wasn't that old, but he'd definitely been ruttin' hard... his neck was the size of a basketball and there was hardly any fat left on him.

Me with the ol' man, my favorite huntin' buddy.

Reflectin' for a few moments before the drag

Mainframe eight-point with a small droptine - 16" inside spread

Truck fulla buck.

153 lbs dressed.

Jesse's Barnes TSX loads did the job again.

A little behind/Grind make-up

2011-11-25T12:17:00.002-05:00

Work, family, slavin' over the stove, gettin' ready for the PA gun opener, waterfowl huntin' with the ol' man and my brothers, more work... This week has pretty much been batshit crazy.

Yesterday was the ol' Turkey Day. After our tradition mornin' waterfowl hunt with Dad and the bro's, I spent all day surrounded by my best blessings, my family. That, and shoveled copious amounts of fantastic grub into my gut. Between my girl's family and mine and the combined culinary skills, I'm pretty sure I'll never be thin.

I'll be workin' tonight at the bar, which is nothin' new. The difference tonight is that my 10th year class reunion will be in the back. Hopefully one of the pricks that spent 13 years givin' me shit will do it again tonight, just so I have the satisfaction of cuttin' 'em off and throwin' 'em out.

Monday marks the PA rifle season for deer. I didn't whack a buck in bow season, so hopefully I'll git 'r done with the gun on Monday. I posted this gem before, and I present it again for your viewin' pleasure. Sadly, it's not far from the truth on most public (and even private) land.

Last but not least, let me make up for missin' yet another Wednesday grind with some heavy hammers...

From '05's Octavarium. Live track is from Santiago, Chili in '05

And it's been awhile since I've posted some Slayer, and I'm in the mood. From '85's album of the same name. Kerry King is a fuckin' boss.

Which reminds me of a Slayer joke a buddy sent me a long time ago...

Hitler, Justin Bieber and Tom Araya went to Hell. They met the devil sitting at his throne. He asks them why they're in Hell.

Hitler said, "I killed twenty million people and caused a holocaust on the Jews." The devil replied, "Good job. Sit to my right."

Bieber said, "I poisoned the world with my shitty music and whiny-bitch voice that irritates the hell out of every normal person in the world." The devil replied, "Well done, asshole. Sit to my left."

Then, looking at Araya, the devil asked, "Why are you here?"

Araya replied, "Get off of my fucking throne, bitch..."

Mule deer European mount

2011-11-22T15:44:00.000-05:00

On a less angry note, I officially wrapped up the Wyoming trip by finishin' the mulie skull the other night. Lemme tell ya, that was one of the most difficult skulls I've ever done. He was old and nothin' but gristle... took forever to get that shit off the bone. Regardless, it turned out well and I'm pleased.

Hopefully some ol' shittin' buck will wander too close on Monday and I'll have another one to work on after I get Joe's done.

Angry

2011-11-22T12:05:00.000-05:00

I'm sick of this fuckin' place.

Bear Camp

2011-11-18T11:16:00.000-05:00

Well, it's about that time. When the clock hits five, I'll be off 'n gone to pick up the ol' man and head to Centre County to "chase the bear". We only get tomorrow to hunt, but at least we'll be out there.

We had a great time and some success last year, and although I didn't connect with my first opportunity at a bear, in my mind's eye I can still see that black ball come rollin' out of the thicket like it was yesterday. Hopefully it won't take me six more years to see another one, much less get a shot at one. And hopefully, when it happens again, I can make amends for last year's miss.

From last year's check in:

Thursday Grind

2011-11-17T09:17:00.000-05:00

Work beckoned, and I missed my hump-day grinder. So, we'll try again today... one day closer to the weekend. That said, I dedicate this song to my place of employment...

From Damageplan's '04 album New Found Power, and also featured on Corey Taylor's '09 album Be Sides.

Horns Up! \w/ \w/

Antelop European mount, part 2

2011-11-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

The finished product...

When I detached the sheaths, there was a pretty thick membrane between the bone and the sheaths that had to be simmered off. I solved the problem of fillin' that gap by usin' some thicker automotive O-rings. Slid them over the bone, and the sheaths went on nice and snug.

Once I get my hands on a table saw again, I can get around to buildin' a display board for it. In the meantime, I have the mule deer rack to do, and Joe's buck from last weekend. Hopefully I'll have my own whitetail to do in a few weeks...

Zombie Apocalypse

2011-11-14T16:13:00.001-05:00

I had a long-ass weekend. Too much work and not enough play.

Managed some time in the tree... had a few close encounters with some buck, got to full draw on a nice buck, but no arrows thrown. T'was an excitin' end to the early PA bow season. A good time was had, but I definitely paid for not sleepin' instead.

That said, I'm feelin' apathetic as hell today, so we'll head to the J-Ro archives for an entertaining way to deal with those pesky zombies (or nosy neighbors, stuffy bosses, or other parasites that may be botherin' you at the time).

It's shiny, sharp, and invariably awesome. What's not to like?

Thank you, Vets...

2011-11-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

Today, I honor all veterans, past and present. This includes my grandfather, Maj. Kenneth G. Reinhart, USAF and his brother, Lt. John E. Reinhart, USMC. John was killed in '59 during a training exercise, if memory serves me correct.

A hearty thanks to my friends and all the others who have served or are currently serving. You provide us with many liberties and securities, and us as civilians are all forever indebted to you!

236 years

2011-11-10T15:19:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday, y'all. I appreciate y'all doin' what you do to keep us huntin', drinkin' and bloggin'.

Thanks to my buddy Kyle, who (last time I heard from him) is stationed in Turkmenistan. When his service is done, we're gettin' on the bikes and just ridin' for a few days. Lookin' forward to that.

Wednesday Grind

2011-11-09T14:13:00.000-05:00

The only problem with newer music is there ain't really any good live tracks to be found yet.

Thus, you get the campy music video. At least there are fine women in this one too.

From '11's American Capitalist.

Horns Up! \w/ \w/

Deer everywhere, and the arrows were flyin'

2011-11-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

We'll try a long, long time before we top a weekend like this. In two days of huntin', nine bowhunters harvested seven deer, including four buck.

Schlongie's ol' man, Reds, started the action on Friday night by arrowin' a beautiful ol' nine-point. Unfortunately, they weren't able to recover the deer until Sunday, so it was the first one shot but the last one found. Saturday mornin', my ol' man started things off by smokin' a button-head. Both of my brothers followed suit, with Joe arrowin' a nice eight-point (also recovered on Sunday) and my big brother makin' us all proud with his first bow harvest, a fine Bradford County six-point. Joe also whacked a big ol' doe after backin' off of his buck's trail. I got a young doe, and Schlongie's Uncle John hammered a big ol' wide nine-point at last light.

On a cool side-note, this was the first time that my brothers and our dad all killed deer the same day, so that was pretty special to be a part of.

Sunday at Bowhunter's weekend is usually a laid-back affair, but seems like all we did this year was cut up deer all day... which is a fantastic problem to have, I might add. We were short a few hunters as well, so who knows what kinda damage we'd have done with them in the woods.

Overall, it was a great long weekend spent with my family and close friends, as always... we certainly set the bar pretty high for next year!

The 2011 Bowhunter's Weekend crew

Reds, John and Schlongie with John's 9-point - 167lbs dressed, 20" inside spread

Joe and Jesse with their deer

Reds' big 9-point, dressed out at 175lbs

This is how we spent our Sunday!

Many thanks again to Ron for takin' us all in and takin' great care of us, and thanks to all our landowners who allow us to use their land.

Bowhunter's Weekend

2011-11-04T10:33:00.000-04:00

Every year, a buncha my buddies and I get together up at Ron's house for a weekend full of huntin' and hangin' out. This started out a handful of years ago when Schlongie and I decided that we needed to get his ol' man up there to bowhunt with us, and has turned into an annual gatherin' of sometimes epic proportions. Last year was purty good... we harvested two bucks and had a ton of action, then had a helluva party afterwards.

Well, it's upon us again. As soon as the work day is through, I'll be loadin' up the truck and hittin' the pavement. I'll be one of the late arrivals, as some of the guys are already up and huntin' as we speak.

I'm a little bummed though... two of my good friends work for the power company, and they have been workin' like dogs all week gettin' power back to everyone after last weekend's snowstorm. Not sure that they're gonna make it up, but there should still be a pretty good crowd up there.

We'll have a good number of bows in the woods, and hopefully we'll be able to lay the smack-down on some whitetails like we did last year. It's the peak of the rut... it's always an amazin' time to be in the woods with all the activity. I'm gonna be babysittin' my trail cam location or in the general vicinity... hopefully I can get an arrow into one of those nice buck that were in there all summer.

I'll be up there 'till Monday... hopefully I'll have some pictures for ya in the upcoming days.

Wednesday Grind

2011-11-02T14:35:00.000-04:00

From Liecestershire, England at the Download Festival on 10 June, 2007... The headliner that night was Maiden so I can't begin to fathom how fuckin' crazy this show was.

Horns Up! \w/ \w/

Antelope European mount

2011-11-01T22:13:00.002-04:00

My evenin' project... And that's what it all boils down to (pun intended).

Watch your pets

2011-11-01T09:31:00.000-04:00

As the peak of the rut is upon us, J-Ro took time out of his day to remind me where I sit on the deer huntin' totem pole. I've always known there were better deer hunters than me out there...

But I never thought I'd be bested by a snake, however.

Officials in south Florida were in for a surprise last week when they cut open the belly of a 16-foot Burmese python they had captured and killed in the Everglades.

Inside the reptile they found a 76-pound, fully intact deer, the Sun-Sentinel reports.

For you folks that don't hunt, that's a decent-sized yearling doe.

The girth of the snake's stomach, stretched to accommodate the carcass, measured a whopping 44.1-inches. From head to tail, the reptile measured 15.65 feet.

I'm 6'4" and wear size 44 jeans. Note to self... never get one of these bastards for a pet.

Read the rest of the article, and be sure to check out the pictures. Gives me another reason to keep my ass away from Florida.

Stay thirsty, my friends

2011-10-31T09:52:00.001-04:00

The Most Interesting Man in the World's guide to life: Keep thyself surrounded by a sea of D's...

My favorite bartenders, Michelle and Jen.

Sharin' interestin' stories with a 50's pin-up girl and a Trophy Rack...

There are perks to workin' at a bar, and one of them is Halloween when all the crazies come out. It's nice to be able to dress up as somethin' fun to go to work. I didn't have a lot of pictures taken of me in costume... ironically though, most pictures involved beautiful women.

H/T to The Beard Coach for an awesome costume idea. My original thought prior to findin' his blog was to go as the Macho Man Randy Savage, but I had no clue where I could quickly and cheaply come up with that much neon. My other options were oldies/goodies, but this was a much more relevant idea, somewhat easy, and I looked snazzy to boot.

Pumpjack

2011-10-28T16:12:00.000-04:00

Holy duckfuck Kerrcarto, why didn't you tell me about these fuckin' guys earlier?!?

I'm gonna have to work on aquirin' more of this shit!!!!

•••

The weatherman (who apparently gits his rocks off lyin' to me) has predicted a late October snowstorm that should give us six-eight inches (that's what she said). Hopefully it's just a lie... I'm all about snow, but I'd prefer that the ground be a bit drier beforehand. It's so damn wet from all the rain the last two months that the alot of the area corn has yet to be harvested... there's new sprouts growin' outta the ears that are still standin'. Crazy shit.

Either way, I'm gonna be out and about so I'll hope for the best. I'm plannin' on gittin' up a deer stand tomorrow evenin' before the Halloween festivities.... love me some deer huntin' in the snow.

Wednesday Grind

2011-10-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

Some good heavy shit from the other side of the pond. This Danish rock will clear your fuckin' sinuses on a hump day!

Video is from '07's Live - Sold Out! DVD. Song's from their first album, '05's The Strength/The Sound/The Songs.

Horns Up! \w/ \w/

New Toy

2011-10-24T14:02:00.000-04:00

The trip to Wyoming did a number on my personal funds as expected. However, I stumbled upon this at a gun show over the weekend and couldn't help myself, and the price was right and doable.

It's a CVA 12-gauge black powder shotgun, 1999 NWTF Limited Edition "Gobbler" model. Being that a long-time bucket list item is whackin' a turkey with a black powder gun, I'm really excited to finally have one. They ain't easy to find used and priced right, especially with a sidelock. Been lookin' for one of these for several years now.

Hours of figgerin' out how the work the damn thing and copious amounts of load development await me, but I'm lookin' forward to it. Hopefully it'll pay off come next April.

•••

And a new song that I heard over the weekend that's stuck in my head... might as well share the joy. The video is actually purty funny, and there's some fun cameos at the end.

Drink up, bitches.

A beautiful fall evenin'

2011-10-22T18:04:00.002-04:00

Napped a lil' too long this afternoon, and didn't want to take the time to git up a tree with the bow. Gives me a good excuse to take the ol' flinter for a walk. It's a perfect evenin'...

Uncle Bill's buck hunts from Wyoming

2011-10-20T11:36:00.000-04:00

More Wyoming pictures to come... it's takin' a while to crop and tone all of 'em.

In the meantime, here's some video for ya.

Wednesday Grind

2011-10-19T08:51:00.000-04:00

Back on my normal big-boy schedule, which mean back to the Grind...

From '04's New Found Power. Crank it the fuck up!

Horns up! \w/ \w/

Days 13 & 14 - Another one in the books

2011-10-15T16:15:00.002-04:00

Alotta miles, one last dinner and one more hotel, done, done and done. We're back in good ol' South Central Pennsyltucky.

It's a little bittersweet to be home from such an awesome journey, but the fall foliage is here and bow season is in full swing. It's good to be home:-)

Day 12 - The long road home

2011-10-13T23:46:00.002-04:00

Headed out after breakfast this mornin'... Some 730+ miles later, we're settled for the night in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Lots of miles today, but we did manage to stop for a bit at the original Cabela's in Sidney, Nebraska, and we also grabbed a meal at a Whiskey Creek, courtesy of our friend Budrow.

Long day tomorrow... 800+ miles will find us back in Sandusky, Ohio.

Day 11 - Nearing the end

2011-10-12T23:49:00.002-04:00

The meat's been picked up. Everyone's packed up and ready to go. We had another fantastic dinner and got to spend one last evening with all the great folks here at Bear Track.

Leavin' in the mornin' will be very bittersweet. After over five years of plannin', it's hard to see this awesome vacation windin' down so quickly. Three hard days on the road and it'll be back to the real world again.

My laptop is packed up for the ride home, so the last of the pictures will have to wait for a few days.

Dear PETA...

2011-10-12T18:17:00.002-04:00

Stop over for supper sometime. We have plenty.

Day 10 - My first Merriam turkey

2011-10-12T00:47:00.003-04:00

Laid-back day today. Slept in a bit, got my mulie head skinned out, took a nap, all that fun stuff. Ron and Karl were both done huntin' so Karl spent the day nappin' and Ron spent the day with Pete Dube, the owner of Bear Track, helpin' at the ranch.

Bill and I got to spend the evenin' with another guide, Roman... Talk about a wild-ass, and a helluva hunter and a quality guide to boot.

As soon as we got to the ranch, we saw a lone jake feedin' in the same field we shot at 'em in yesterday. We made a quick stalk and I whacked him with Ron's .223 Remington. Not quite the luster of smokin' a spring bird, but I was quite pleased with my first Merriam bird. Gives me a little more resolve to get out here in the spring and call in an ol' longbeard someday.

We cleaned the bird up and then headed to the field where I killed my doe yesterday to fill Uncle Bill's last tag. The deer were out by then, so we made another stalk. Bill missed his first shot, but more came out about a half hour later and he put a young doe down, so he's tagged out now as well. His friends, Bill Sr. and Jr., also both got doe antelope and Jr. got a doe mulie, so Sr. has a doe tag left.

Roman and I will hit that field again in the mornin' to try to fill my last doe tag. Then we start packin' for the trip home and enjoy our last day of vacation.

Day 9 - Whackin' and Stackin'

2011-10-11T00:20:00.002-04:00

Put some serious meat on the pole today!

Our guide, T.J., wasted no time this mornin'... Uncle Bill dropped a beautiful 4x4 mulie with eyeguards and kickers on each side just before 8am. By 10am, I had a beautiful antelope down and we were headed back to the lodge.

On the way out, we joined up with Ron, Karl and their guide, Scrawny. Karl had whacked a wide, tall antelope just after I got mine and we were both headed to the lodge. On the way out, we found a nice doe antelope and Uncle Bill punched another tag.

After hangin' out at the lodge for a bit, Scrawny decided it was time to go "Whackin' and Stackin!" We headed to a nearby ranch that has a problem with the whitetail population and did some work. Ron filled both of his doe tags, and I took out a nice big doe as well. We also had a few good turkey stalks while we were there. I did a buncha missin', but Uncle Bill managed to drop a young jake.

We've just had a blast huntin' with these guides out here. T.J. has been awesome. He's been very patient with me, and I've learned a lot from him the last few days. The best part is it's just like huntin' with one of my good huntin' buddies back home. Ron and Karl have hunted with Scrawny on previous trips, and I know they have a blast. I'm gonna miss these guys when we have to head home.

Came back to the lodge to see that Uncle Bill's friend, Bill Sr., also got a dandy mule deer buck.
All our buck tags are filled now, so we get to fill our remainin' doe tags at a little more relaxed pace.

Karl's wide antelope buck

Uncle Bill and I with our awesome guide, TJ

Uncle Bill's mulie buck with awesome kickers

My first antelope

TJ and Uncle Bill with his Merriam jake

Day 8 - Another awesome day

2011-10-09T23:58:00.004-04:00

More meat on the pole today! Ron filled both his tags with a great mulie and a goofball antelope, somethin' he's been tryin' to find for years.

I scored on a nice ol' mulie this mornin', and Uncle Bill got a dandy antelope soon after. Bill's friends Bill Jr. And Sr. also got goats, although I didn't get a chance to get pictures of them.

Ron's mulie buck

Ron's antelope with a unique damaged horn... very rare!

My first mulie buck

Bill's antelope buck

Day 7 - First day success!

2011-10-08T23:14:00.003-04:00

Ron got his turkey, Karl got a beautiful mule deer buck, and Uncle Bill's friend, Bill Jr., also got a beautiful old mulie.

Ron's Merriam longbeard

Bill Jr.'s old, wide mulie

Uncle Bill and I had a great day, but no shootin' for us. We saw hundreds of antelope and made a few good stalks, but just couldn't seal the deal. Had the crosshairs on a shooter, but he gave me only a few seconds to shoot, and between me shakin' and the stiff wind, couldn't get a good shot so I held off. Didn't expect to get buck fever that bad... Whatta rush!

The weather was a little sketchy today and some productive roads were impassible. It'll be real nice the rest of the week though, so the huntin' will only get better.

Day 6 - Kickin' Back

2011-10-07T18:53:00.004-04:00

Lazy day today, very relaxing. Went into town for breakfast, then spent an hour at the range makin' sure the guns survived the trip okay. Felt good to touch a few off again.

Other than that, purty much a lazy day. Kickin' back with some good Montana beer, Madison River's Copper John Scotch-Style Ale. Got my pack loaded and things ready to go for tomorrow's hunt. We'll get our guide assignments and other info after dinner tonight, and after that it's just a short night's sleep and we'll be hard at it.

I'm ready... Hopefully a lot of pictures for you tomorrow.

Beer

2011-10-06T22:43:00.002-04:00

New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale from Fort Collins, CO and Big Sky's Moose Drool Brown Ale from Missoula, Montana. Prime rib dinner with a power outage. Good times:-)

Day 5 - Assorted critters and such

2011-10-06T20:30:00.002-04:00

We're settled in at the lodge at Bear Track Outfitters. Purty laid back day, but I'll post some pictures from our drive around the ranches this mornin'.

Day 4 - Things every American should see

2011-10-06T02:42:00.003-04:00

Today was insane.

We left Murdow, SD early this mornin' with a long day ahead of us.

After breakfast at a lil' hole in the wall diner with surprisingly good food, we headed off for the Badlands. We spent a few hours tourin' around there. The highlight there, aside from the amazin' sights of course, was spottin' a group of Bighorn Sheep. None of them were big rams, but they aren't often seen so that was purty neat.

After that, we headed off to see the Crazy Horse memorial. I'll be lucky if it gets completed in my lifetime, but it was awesome to finally see it in person. If we had the time, I easily coulda gotten lost in the museum and visitor's center for a long time... Lotta cool stuff in there.

Next was Mt. Rushmore. I gotta tell ya, it should be impossible for any American to set foot near there without gettin' the chills. Just awe-inspirin' to see somethin' like that and learn about it in the visitor's center... Nothin' else like it.

We also did a drive-by of Devil's Tower, stopped at the bustling metropolis of Spotted Horse (pop. 2) and had a beer with the locals, and saw plenty of critters along the way.

A fantastic day, and I'm happy to lay my head down in Buffalo, Wyoming at long last. We'll check into the lodge at Bear Track Outfitters tomorrow afternoon, and who knows what else we'll get into.

Bighorn Sheep at the Badlands

Crazy Horse Memorial

Mount Rushmore

Every biker's Mecca

Some of the first antelope seen on the trip

Devil's Tower

Day 3 - Continued

2011-10-05T07:49:00.001-04:00

So, my apologies for the discrepancies with picture sizes on the previous posts. I'm still messin' with my mobile settings to try to get you guys the best pictures.

More drivin' today, although we stopped a few places. Austad's first for Karl, who is the only golfer in our group. Then the redneck Utopia known as Cabela's for a few hours in Mitchell, SD, followed by a great dinner at Al's Oasis in Oacoma, SD.

We passed within a half hour of where our pheasant huntin' trip was back in '07, so it was another day of thinkin' back to that awesome trip. We'll have to do it again sometime soon.

We're startin' to get into some beautiful territory now, so I've been takin' more pictures...

Cheap lodging at an Iowa Rest Area

A close-up of the wind towers in Iowa

New tires for my truck

Iowa Landscape

Some goofy statue along I-90 in South Dakota

Bronze pheasant at Cabela's, Mitchell, SD

Drivin' down towards the Missouri River

Bridge over the Missouri River

Another view of Al's Oasis

I'd like this more if the camper wasn't parked there, but oh well.

Ron at Al's Oasis, Oacoma, SD

Day 3 - Austad's

2011-10-04T14:15:00.002-04:00

Austad's Golf Shop - Sioux Falls, SD

I don't golf, but i'm told that the people that do really like this place.

Day 2 - Memories of Iowa

2011-10-03T22:39:00.002-04:00

Indiana rest stop

Uncle Bill drivin' us over the Mississippi

A great '07 hunt with good friends and my family

So I got my itinerary confused a bit. Nebraska's on the way back. We're crashed for the night in good ol' Newton, Iowa.

We had a great day of travel. The weather was fantastic, in the 80's without a cloud in the sky. T'was a welcome change from the duckfest that has been the last six weeks in PA. Got to see the mighty Mississippi River again, it's been a few years so that was cool.

Passin' all these big ol' cornfields and soybean fields is bringin' back some awesome memories of a great pheasant huntin' trip with my family and good friends a few years back. We had a great time... Bagged a buncha birds and found a hammer buck layin' dead. Picked up some great stories and memories on that trip.

Big day tomorrow, including stops at Austad's Golf Shop, Cabela's and a big dinner at Al's Oasis Steakhouse. I'll have the camera up front with me tomorrow, so I'll be posting more pictures from here on out.

Day 1

2011-10-02T20:48:00.000-04:00

After over five years of plannin', I am finally headin' out on a dream western hunt with my uncle Bill, our good friend Ron, who hosts our huntin' camp upstate, and Ron's father, Karl. Ron and Karl have done this many times before, and Uncle Bill has been out with them once. This will be my first time, and prolly last for a while. For our mutual benefit, I'll be postin' updates and pictures daily, as internet connection allows. Our quarry will be mule deer, antelope, whitetails, merriam turkey and coyote, along with heavy doses of sightseein'... there will be plenty of pictures to share along the way.

•••

Crashed at Grandma's house for a few hours after work, then Uncle Bill and I left Gettysburg about 7:30. Met up with Ron and Karl in Watsontown, PA, loaded everything into Bill's Suburban and the U-haul, and off we went. Rainin' the whole damn way.

Arrived in Sandusky, Ohio in the early evening. Finally drove outta the damn rain and it looks like we shouldn't run into too much more from here on out.

Had dinner at a nearby Applebee's and sat next to former Miss Ohio and Miss America Jacquelyn Mayer. Karl spent most of dinner talkin' to her. I enjoyed my first Sam Adams Octoberfest of the season. A good day was had by all.

Tomorrow's leg of the journey will take us to Lincoln, Nebraska. Talk at ya then.

The time has come

2011-10-02T03:02:00.001-04:00

Let vacation begin... Breakfast of champions.

Wednesday Grind

2011-09-28T13:05:00.000-04:00

I've been a little light in posting recently, which I apologize for. I'm preparin' for a huntin' trip to Wyoming, a trip that's been many years in the makin'. Tryin' to get packed and get all my shit in order without goin' insane. Good times.

But I will bring you today's Grinder, courtesy of Fear Factory. This will be the last one for a few weeks, until I get back.

The video's from the Australian Big Day Out '04. Song's from '95's Demanufacture.

H/T to CharlieDelta for turnin' me on to these guys. Fuckin' awesome, heavy shit. Love it.

Horns Up! \w/ \w/

That's No Rubber Band Gun. This Is a Rubber Band Gun.

2011-09-22T14:27:00.001-04:00

From the J-Ro archives, we have this epic kid's-toy-gone-batshit-insane. Be sure to watch the video.

I know I want one, and I'm sure CharlieDelta does too. Although I'm pretty sure neither of us could own one without windin' up in the clink. Then I'd have to go through the trouble of makin' someone my bitch, and that's just too much work. So I'll ogle this stretchy wonderment from afar and dream "What if?"

Wednesday Grind

2011-09-21T08:44:00.000-04:00

A doubleshot for ya of some good ol' shit... from the DVD Live Shit: Binge & Purge, filmed live in San Diego 13 & 14 January, 1992. From '83's Kill 'Em All and '86's Master of Puppets, respectively. These boys have been rockin' the fuck out for a long damn time, and it never gets old!

Horns up! \w/ \w/

Redneck shootin' range

2011-09-18T18:11:00.001-04:00

Don't mind me... I'm just out here pissin' off the neighbors.

An awful day indeed

2011-09-16T14:55:00.000-04:00

Ford is takin' my first beloved of the production line.

The last Ford Crown Victoria rolled off a Canadian assembly line Thursday, marking the end of the big, heavy Ford cars that have been popular with taxi fleets and police departments for decades.

My grandma gave our family her '91 Crown Vic around the time I turned 17, so I wound up drivin' the old beast for the rest of my high school and college career. After school, I picked up an '88 with a lot less miles on it and drove that for about five years. Fell very much in love with the big ol' 302 V-8, sure-footed handlin' and roomy, comfortable interior along the way.

The Crown Victoria and its cousins have been popular with fleet users because of their roominess, legendary ruggedness and relative simplicity.

Most cars today are built with so-called unibody engineering in which the body sides and roof play a role in keeping the body rigid. The Panther Platform vehicles were engineered with an old-fashioned body-on-frame design that's mostly used by pickup trucks today because, while heavier, it's better able to bounce back from heavy, punishing use.

"You couldn't kill it no matter what you did to it," Ford spokesman Octavio Navarro said of the Crown Victoria.

I can attest to that, as I put mine through a gamut of abuse over the years. Although I will admit that I killed the '91 by seeing if it fit into the trunk of a Geo Metro. Didn't fit very well

But before that, when I was workin' at the farm on a regular basis, I'd beat the ol' bitch around the fields lookin' for groundhogs to shoot, among other attrocities. Discovered somewhere with the '91 that I could fit 11 adults in without too much trouble. Also discovered that the backseat was very, very roomy. Aside from other endeavors, I spent many hours sleepin' in the back of 'em, especially durin' school.

Truth be told, I had both of 'em well over 100mph many, many times. I had no fear of whippin' into corners, drivin' on bald tires, takin' chances every chance I could. I had no business livin' through my Crown Vic years.

Dug around and found some ol' pictures of the '88 from when my cousin Jordan and I took an epic roadtrip back in '06...

Some tough-ass blockin' the view of a perfectly good car.

We had no fun on that trip whatsoever.

Sad day indeed. Hopefully in my future I'll be able to find a good used one somewhere.

I miss them ol' bitches.

DEAR ATTACK WATCH...

2011-09-15T10:40:00.000-04:00

... ~~President Obama~~ Caliph Cooncracker is a socialist, narcissist, racist, incompetent, cum-guzzling, greedy, whipped, power-hungry, teleprompter-reading, lying pile of worthless batshit whose asinine, shitty policies have run the country I love into the ground. I can't wait, CAN'T WAIT for this asshat clown and his socialist-fuck cronies to be out of DC so we can hopefully start cleanin' this mess up.

I'm an eeeeevil God fearin', gun lovin', self-sufficient redneck and I approve this message.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

•••

As with my friend on the Main Line, with a few exceptions I try to stay away from the political bullshit on my space. However, thin-skinned, cowardly fucktards from the left and their "snitch" websites are hard to ignore.