late Maryland rifle season

This evening will wrap up the Maryland rifle season and the last chance for you to take that trophy with your rifle. I like to shoot a 8M Mauser that my dad brought home from Germany at the end of the second world war. It is a hard hitting weapon that does not wound if you hit the vitals.  At this point dragging them out of the woods is becoming a chore for me so I like to shoot them on the lane cutting through the field, that way I just back the Explorer up to them and load em up.  Now this gun will also destroy much meat if you just shoot the center of the body mass so to speak. Opening the stomach, destroying the shoulders and tainting the meat so it is unfit to eat is the reward for such a shot. I like to shot them where the back joins the neck, 3 inches down, spine shooting and killing quickly. Out to 80 yds this is very  easy shot, and extremely effective, resulting in little to no meat loss. A neck shot at the base of the head where it joins the neck is also  very effective, and destroys little neck meat which is great in the crock pot with a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. Served on a bun with a little cole slaw, okay okay.
This morning I went early. it was damn cold but my wife has gotten me wool shirts and pants over the years and I got to admit I love em, so I was nice and warm. I set up in the root ball of a huge oak tree that has fallen on the corner of my property, a nice hide on the ground with the wind in my favor. I was there well before light having hiked in from the cabin half a mile away,  Also it was 50 yds off the road and the deer trail passed quartering away, allowing me a nice shot. Now my gun has peep sights and are spot on but it does take some light for me to use them effectively, so I waited patiently for the sky to turn pink as the forest came alive. I could see a field off to my right bright with the latest snowfall, not shootable but visible to me through  my binoculars, and the fox crossing it  was profiled clearly against the snow. Glassing through the lower forest, the sun lite the woods up and my sights were clearly visible on the Mauser. Then without warning I hear the sound of a truck coming down the lane crushing the ice and snow like a T Rex on a feeding frenzy. These two guys arrive and have no ideal I am  in the hollow of the old oak that has fallen They proceed to get out and dress for their stay in a huge box stand out in the middle of the field. It is well past daylight by a good hour and they are smoking (something) and talking like they were at a party, loading guns and relieving their bladder in the woods. I let them get past then I got up and relocated deeper into my property setting up under a low hanging holly tree. I stayed there for a bit but the ground was wet/cold and my buttocks were chilly, plus after the boys arrived it kind ruined the hunt for me some. So I stalked my way back to the cabin, and arrived around 9 am. I let out the retriever and debated if it  was worth setting out a jerk string for some black ducks, but the marsh was frozen and a man should not go out in boats alone in this kind of weather, so my better judgment won out. Some might say that it was not worth the effort today, but they did not get to see the sun come up, or the fox cross the field. They did not feel the cold on their nose and the warmth of the jacket as they snuggled down deeper in it's folds. I walked a good half mile before the sun came up, and was treated to the greatest show on earth, for me it was worth it.

Gun Show a coming!

Some would love to shut down the gun shows but for those of us who love the shooting sports, and support the NRA, there is nothing better. You can find a scope for your M1 Garand, bi pods, and parts. Hard to find military items, and conversion kits for your SKS. They also have antique guns, and reproductions from Pedersolli that are excellent. Timonium gun show at the fairgrounds  is coming up quick a 4 day show Jan.14-17 entry is $7.00 and parking is free. Then Feb. 12- 14, June 19 and 20, and finally Oct.2 and 3rd. Entry is still $7.00 and once again free parking. Now why would anyone want to stop gun shows? Okay you know some people don't like guns so they think NO ONE should have a gun, then there are some who don't like guns that just don't own one, but if you want to defend your self okay with them. Like vegetarians ever meet a veg. that always wants to go on every time you want a steak, telling you how cruel it is to eat meat, then there are some who don't really care what you eat they order the salad with no lecture. Seems more and more people want to get into everyone's business (and wallet) these days, and if they don't like something then no one should like it either. I love my guns, and have an extensive collection of modern, older, and reproduction antique weapons, and ammo for all of them. Some I hunt with and some I shoot, some I have to look at, like a pair of drop hammer 10 gauge Damascus barreled shotguns. Now I would love to hunt with those bad boys, brass shells with black powder, a stool of wooden decoys I carved myself and my Chesapeake retriever. Like my mom said I was born just to late.

New puppy in the house?

One of my hunting friends just got a new yellow lab, and naturally wants to train it to hunt and be a faithful companion to his family. The first thing to understand is that dogs are pack animals, and now this house is it's pack. If you let it it will become the alpha dog and you will be doing his/her bidding. First thing you must do is establish yourself as the alpha male in the pack. Let's start with just going out the door, who goes first out that door. The dog will want to if you let it. This is a sign of dominance and you have to let them know that you are the dominate one. Now this may seem kinda silly but it is the first step in training a good dog, It is never to early to start. I brought the wonder dog Tom Brown home he weighed 8 lbs and could not really walk so good. I put him in his crate (in the man cave), and training began right then with me telling him to Kennel everytime I placed him in the crate. After a few weeks he moved into his kennel outside and he was told to kennel every time I placed him there. I never have a problem getting him in the pen, or car. Keep in mind if he was in the pack his mother would teach him. Teach him to be quiet, to retrieve game, to hunt,  and she would never use a shock collar or beat him. A tug on the ear or a stern tone of voice will enable you to train your hunting dog with a min of stress. Stay posted as we train my friends dog and watch as he becomes a faithful companion and hunting partner.

The armed Citizen and The Judge

Reading through my American Hunter magazine, the official journal of the NRA, I always go to the "Armed Citizen" first.  It is filled with accounts of people who have saved their lives or property by the use of firearms. Once again proving that someone who is proficient, with firearms is better suited to protect themselves against the unsavories amongst us, then those who elect to become victims. Now taking a life is a big decision, and once the trigger is pulled you cannot change your mind, but if it is you or them then I am going for me and my family. There is a new handgun out that fills the need for home protection called "The Judge". It shoots a 410 shot shell or a bullet your choice, but coming down a hall way, the shot shell is spot on. I saw one of these bad boys in action and believe me it will stop an intruder in your house. If you are looking for home protection look no further than "The Judge".

New york Mayor Bloomberg does it ....again

I promised I would not get political but sometimes I have just got to vent. The mayor of New York has once again bought his position with his billions of dollars. Now if you don't know about this guy he is the mayor of New York and wants to take ALL of the guns out of the hands of EVERYONE. Now he has just sidestepped the term limits, (by political trickery), and is going for another term. If anyone is the devil to the second amendment  it is this guy. Look personally I don't care what political party you belong to, so long as you like to hunt and fish then hey I am okay and you are okay. But people like these are a cancer to the rights of the people and should be removed from office. Okay I am out of my element and have vented so I feel better now. I encourage everyone of you who follow this blog to check out this guy and his whacked views on gun control. Believe me it is not using two hands, breathing, and a steady trigger squeeze. Also join the NRA, help us keep guys like this contained and their hands off out guns. Keep in mind they may never take our guns but they can control your ammo, as we have already seen them try and do. Term limits you bet!

Damn it's cold (and pretty windy also)

I have to admit as I get a little older I find that I have less tolerance for the cold, and the wind compounds that intolerance. Sure like most who duck hunt I have gore-tex clothing, which is great when it is raining, wool gloves and shirts, dress in layers and all that. But face it once you get cold then you are done. Yesterday was such a day. With the wind howling across assawoman bay and whitecaps making I decided that maybe I should just skip the marsh and hit the tree stand. Now I have my deer patterned pretty well and figured if I got to where I needed to be before they got there I would be in good shape. So at 3:15 I was up dressed and out the door by 3:30 in the trusty Explorer, hit the WaWa for a hot Columbia coffee and two home-cut doughnuts, and down the road. The thermometer in the car read like 17 degrees, and the wind blowing a stiff one, but I was determined to get a chance to put the big boy on the wall so off I went. I arrived at the property and parked my car at the entrance gate, electing to walk in to my stand not wanting to give up any advantage I might have by arriving early. I have a good 1/4 mile walk in to my hunting cabin, and my fav. stand for this morning was another 600 yds on the edge of the marsh, just inside the wood line by 50 feet.  I was pretty toasty from the walk, and feeling great about my chances this morning, so the cold did not figure in to the equation .....yet.  I got situated and tied  my bow to the pull string, along with my lunch and water bottles, it was going to be a long morning so I was prepared. I gave my stand a safety check and climbed into it and jacked up the tree about 17 feet which is all I want to fall. By now I am real warm and wonder if maybe I had on just to much for one mornings hunt. After 20 min of the wind blowing off the bay like a banshee, my buttocks were frozen like a token of Tom Browns affection in the yard. But like the rest of us who are addicted to the hunt I stayed put and balled up just a little tighter. Pulling the wool toboggan down around my ears, fluffing the coat just a little more, and putting on my wool mittens I sat... and...waited for my chance to score. You know when you are on the verge of freezing to death in a deer stand you wonder if they will ever find the body. The wind screamed, the trees swayed and I questioned my sanity again for the 100th time wondering if the wind had blown out the sun, because it was not getting any lighter to the east! Finally the moon got behind some pines and the east turned pink, and I was able to just make out images in the forest. I could not hear anything but I could see movement through the woods coming my way. The first little doe came by, followed by another of identical size, and I just knew Mr. Big would be following as they kept looking back. Finally the old gray doe that I like to call the Matriarch of the property came picking through, and I knew that her Buck (Mr. Big) was following. By now I am questioning my sanity for sitting in this stand for so long, but holding out for the one shot that could make my day. By 10 am I was done, no big deer, no sighting of big deer, and frozen. I jacked down my stand, climbed out gathered my gear and made my way to the edge of the marsh, there in the frozen marsh mud was the track of Mr. Big, Still wet not yet frozen solid, once again he gave me the slip. I was cold, hungry, and ready to get to my car and get warm. I had planned on spending the rest of the day behind some great bird dogs my friend Gus has, but had to pass. I got home and took a 20 min. hot shower not concerned about wasting hot water just trying to shake the cold. Funny thing I never did get warm all day, I was always chilled. Finally when I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over my head, snuggled up to the wife, I got warm. You know some may question our sanity, up at the crack ass of dawn, freezing in a deer stand or duck blind, but at the end of the day I had walked in the light of the moon, watched the sun come up, saw some beautiful critters who had no Ideal I was there, (okay Mr. Big knew it) and even though I was cold I was alive and on my death bed will not regret a morning in the stand.

Snjow goose and the rain

Snow geese have been falling into the area like the rain, and when they both happen at the same time the results can be very wet and cold or very wet and shooting. If the shooting is slow then the morning can be long, but if the geese are falling into your spread then the rain does not seem to matter quite so much. I was talking with a local outfitter the other day and he was telling me he had a group come down to hunt and the rain was falling pretty good in the morning of New Years Eve. When they arrived at the site he explained that it would be wet and uncomfortable in layout blinds, but if they were game he was willing. So the spread was set and the hunters in place and the rain fell hard occasionally. Some geese were falling into the spread but after a bit the men had had enough and the shooting was spotty, so they left the field and called it a day. Now here is the gray area, the outfitter did not stay with the group, but left them to scout geese for the next day. So here is the party laying out with no guide, spotty shooting, and wet to the bone, and let's throw in cold also. They packed up and left the field decoys out, layout blinds left out, and drove away. They called the outfitter and told them that he did not provide a guided hunt, shooting was poor and they wanted their money back. What do you think about this? Were the men right in asking for their money back? Did the outfitter provide a guided hunt? If you book a Bear hunt the outfitter does not sit with you, if you book a deer hunt the outfitter does not sit with you. A Turkey hunt or elk hunt the outfitter may stay with you or drop you off depending on what you agreed to.
In my opinion, you knew that was coming didn't you, a waterfowl hunt I would expect the guide to stay. I mean he is the caller and calls the shot for the group, adjust the spread to meet the weather conditions, and makes sure everyone follows the rules of the hunt. If he needs to scout then he should have provided a guide for them while he scouted, or after the hunt was over do his scouting for the next day. To avoid any hassles or misunderstanding the group should ask up front if a guide is provided, or are they on their own. Will the hunt be called because of weather, or must you make good clothing choices for the day, come hell or high water you are going to hunt. I am sure this will make it's rounds and it will cost the outfitter customers, and I am equally sure that the same mistake will not be made twice with this outfitter.