I've always wondered what it would be like to shoot a gun.

It is an interesting experience. At first it can be scary since you are holding and controlling something that can take a life. There is always a certain "rush" when shooting a gun but that fades a bit the more you do it.

Every gun has a different feel to it. It varies with the type of gun and caliber. Some are very easy with very little kick and others can pack quite a wallop and/or be a handful.

If there is a gun range that will rent a gun to shoot I highly suggest checking it out.

I've put in 10 days or so this year hunting. Saw 1 buck, but passed on the shot. Lots of does.

Something to add to the list of items to take hunting. If you're in the midwest and sitting in a blind or a treestand, make sure you take something to read.

ive had about half a dozen encounters with grizzly bears over the years... here is one of them.

about ten years ago i was with my girlfriend in waterton national park in canada. i was on a high point on a hill back in the woods and as i started to go down a big grizzly was off the trail to the right side. as i went by she stood up an her hind legs to get a better look at me. i was about 50 feet away.
then i yelled to my girl ,,bear ,,bear,, so she wouldnt come down past the bear. as i got past and up the next hill i turned and looked to see two small cubs on the other side of the trail. they would have been between her and me. that easily could have been a scary encounter. but as it turned out nothing much really.

Yes People, Ray Zee is a BadAss!!!

Last day of big game season here Montana. W will try to get the boy his whitetail doe and make one last try for elk as well. Biggest problem is going to be heat. It is supposed to get up 60 degrees today.

60 degrees at this time of year is not a problem, Fish. It's been lovely here in New England the past few days.

i will be glad the season is over. as i have many big bucks around my property and cant go to near the edges of it as i might spook them to places where they could get shot.

60 is way too hot for large game to keep them from spoiling especially if you shoot one late and have to go back next day. plus no fun packing one out in that temperature.

john may think its nice but he is sitting in his overstuffed leather chair reading poetry looking out his window at the leaves he hasnt raked up yet.

lol

Future father in law and his buddies got 10 bucks in 3 days up in Wolverine

I was busy doing stuff last week but my roomates went and got 2 deer (Alberta). I think I am moving back to Newfoundland this summer so I'll be doing a TON of hunting and fishing.

NLP has been hot this year. The UP supposedly is way up as well, but we haven't seen it.

Spent the early evening between the end of work and now skinning and cutting up Deer. So now I have the two bucks broken down, Backstraps out and in the spare fridge with the front shoulders with the back quarters still hanging and bagged. Now just need to one the rest out and grind burger and make more jerky!

sounds like you missed the loins. can i have your castaways

That's what she said

For you, you betcha!

LOL, goofball.

My Dad has the same thing except its 270 caliber. It's been in the family since it was new and It'll go to me eventually. They are a great gun for a blind or tree stand but I think they're too heavy to lug around if you walk a lot.

Why would you want to go through the sternum? I've never heard of doing that before. It seems like a lot of work for no benefit.

Ray,

I have a condo, so I don't need to worry about leaves. I do, though, get to see a few deer sipping from the wetlands area right outside my window.

Actually it is not all that much work, especially with one of those saws. Cutting the sternum and then up the neck allows you to get the lung cavity all cleaned out very easily as well as getting a good bit of the wind pipe out.

Now, IF you are going to want the deer caped for a mount then you do not cut up any further than the sternum. But then it is a huge pain in the tail reaching all the way up into the chest cavity to get all that stuff out of there. i have done it but it always ends up being far messier. Actually I have had to do this to a Bison and ended up inside the chest cavity up to my shoulders!

The other thing splitting does is let the inside cool off much quicker which keeps the meat better.

most times i have been able to use my knife to cut it up to the throat, but i always carried a game saw but i dont like saws as bones get in small pieces all over everything

Pretty much how I picture you as I read this post:

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/...s/P1010413.jpg

here is a picture of an albino bear that used to hang around my front yard. after a long time he went up river to where he could get shot and would have since they are a highly valued prize. so the fish and game moved him into glacier national park.

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/...s/P1010411.jpg

another shot of him but i cant figure how to get it to open itself.