Gun Buying - It's A Disease

Yet how is a man, even one of modest means such as you humble host, expected at any given time in his life, whilst being in possession of even some meager financial means, to pass by such an offer as the one from this purveyor of fine arms:

http://www.rkguns.com/rock-island-armory-1911-a1-tactical-45-auto-full-size-pistol-51431.html

At only $369.99 plus $9.99 flat rate shipping you probably will not find a better price on a Rock Island Armory 1911-A1 Tactical .45 Auto Full-size Pistol 51431. Even with the FFL fee added on,  none of my local dealers could come within $50 of what would be the total price. Hopefully the deal will have still been available and the link will have worked for you if you fancy yourself a person of some financial means and as aficionado of armaments. Let me just say, I tried an eighth time and I will leave it to your imagination as to what happened on that attempt. So, no, I am not about to say whether or not I purchased one but I at least will admit that I both salivated and quivered simultaneously at said prospect. 

I tell you - it's a DISEASE!

All the best,
Glenn B

Abedin Off Of Campaign Trail...

... as in no longer accompanying Hillary Clinton but instead seen dropping her son off at school (source). Do you think Hillary may be a little leery of keeping her around if there really are 650,000 emails on Weiner's laptop. Just imagine if even just a few are classified and went through Clinton before winding up on the pervert's laptop. The suspense is killing me - come on Comey get your agents' arses in high gear.

All the best,
Glenn 

 

Up To 650,000 Emails...

...are reportedly stored on the laptop that was being investigated as part of the sexting investigation of Anthony Weiner. While I think that to probably be a high overstatement (just my guess) I suppose it could be that there are actually that many emails on it. Mind you, that laptop was apparently shared by Anthony Weiner and his spouse Huma Abedin and also reportedly contains emails with a .gov suffix, which is indicative that government emails are stored  on it.

Just yesterday or the day before, I saw it reported somewhere that an ex British diplomat of some sorts supposedly stated that he is 100% positive that the emails leaked by Jason Assange of WikiLeaks were not hacked by the Russians nor supplied to Assange and or WikiLeaks by the Russians. I believe he was reported to have said so after he met with Assange. 

What sweet irony it would be if it were discovered that the hacked emails (and I mean each and every one of them  pertaining to Clinton, her aides and the DNC) were among the 650K of them on the computer under investigation and that Weiner and or Abedin were responsible for the all of the disclosures to WikiLeaks. Just a thought that is quite pleasing for me to imagine as true even though probably very far fetched but a man can dream. Time will tell I suppose.

All the best,
Glenn B

The FBI Reportedly Has A Warrant...

...to further search the emails on the computer seized during their sexting investigation of Anthony Weiner, the same computer on which the FBI has discovered emails with .gov email addresses(source). If that is the case, the case against Hillary Clinton could become quite interesting if any of those emails were sent or received by her on her unauthorized server. That would be especially so if they contain even one bit of classified information. As for Huma Abedin, Weiner's spouse, this also is potentially big trouble for her as she essentially, as I understand it, testified that there were no more government emails on any of her computers.

Of course, this could also simply mean that Weiner had .gov emails on the computer because he had been in contact with someone with such an address. That could be interesting in and of itself but my bet is that Clinton's emails are on that pervert's man's laptop.

All the best,
Glenn B

With What Charges Can Hillary Be Charged

Former U.S. Attorney Rudy Giuliani should know and there are a bunch of such charges.



All the best,
Glenn B

Time To Start Drinking Some Yuengling

The owner of Yuengling breweries has endorsed The Donald and as a result many are boycotting that brand of beer (source). Leave it to the leftists to punish someone for their political stand. Anyway, that is enough reason for me to support his company and say screw the leftists.

All the best,
Glenn B

Not Voting For The Bullies

Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, tells why he is endorsing Donald Trump.

All the best,
Glenn B

This App Has Been Out For Over 3 Years...

...and today was the first time I heard of it. Had it been available to me sooner, it would have included several somewhat exotic locations in my log log.



All the best,
Glenn B

Comey May Have Advance Info On Who Will Win The Election

All the best,
Glenn B

I Should Have Heeded My Own Prediction And...

...taken my own advice to buy more 7.62x54R ammo when the prices were still low and said ammo was still plentiful. Sadly, the last order I placed for said ammo was back in June 2013, the same month I wrote the linked blog-post. Sadder still is the fact that back then, a sealed tin of military surplus, usually of Russian or Bulgarian manufacture, was going for 89.95 plus shipping. My last order worked out to a total of $110.98. Shortly after that, prices went up maybe $20 - $30 per tin of 440 rounds. I held off on getting more of it and that was a mistake. Today, when I gave a look to see if any was available, I was able to find a place, FedArm, offering 440 round tins for $164.59 plus $18.00 shipping thus making it a total of $182.59. They only have 6 shown in stock.

Wow, what an eye-opener was that! It does not look like I will be buying another 440 round tin for right now. I would love to buy one today because I only can imagine that they are going to go even higher in price but with the recent new car that is not going to happen soon. That is unless I sell another gun or three and by that time my guess is they will be out of stock.

By the way, the reason for the shortage of this stuff at the current time is, by my guess, related to some restrictions the Obama Administration placed on imports from Russia during the last year or two or so. Just another reason to vote for Donald Trump.

All the best,
Glenn B

Real Road Rage Incident Or Staged...

...either way it makes for an amusing 20 second video.


 

All the best,
Glenn B

Make Sure You Vote

Your vote can prevent this:

All the best,
GB

The Renewed FBI Investigation - My Predictions

The way things have been going with the federal criminal justice systems,  especially the FBI and The Department of Justice's handling of the Clinton email probe, I am going to guess/predict that the latest FBI investigation will again result in the exoneration of Clinton but will have the added benefits to her of:

 

1.     The FBI alleging that Donald Trump is a security risk and Russian spy.

2.    The FBI presenting allegations to the public that Donald Trump shared sexting messages with Anthony Weiner.

3.    The FBI making allegations that The Donald grabbed Huma’s private parts (witout telling us how much she finally enjoyed a real man) while Anthony Weiner watched from the closet.

4.    The FBI alleging that Trump grabbed Hillary Clinton’s private parts pussy after which, at first, Bill will vehemently deny he was ever grabbed by Donald. Bill will finally admit, in a tearful speech during an interview conducted by Anderson Cooper on CNN three nights before Election Day, that he was in fact manhandled by Trump several times.

5.    That the FBI has filed charges against Donald Trump for felonious mopery.

That is all,
GB
 

There May Be Some Small Hope For America Yet...

...in light of the fact that the Bundy brothers have benn acquited. 

"PORTLAND, Ore. –  The leaders of an armed group who seized a national wildlife refuge in rural Oregon were acquitted Thursday in the 41-day standoff that brought new attention to a long-running dispute over control of federal lands in the U.S. West."

More here.

It is about time we hear about some sanity in our judicial system.

All the best,
Glenn B

Going, Going, Soon To Be Gone

I've got to start putting some money back in the bank that I took out to by the new Toyota Corolla and I have a long way to go but if I sell these things at GunBroker, it will be a bit of a help. One of the things I have up for auction at GunBroker is my Marlin X7 rifle in 308 caliber. It has a bid on it and closes tomorrow so it truly is going, going, soon to be gone (at least if all goes well with the transaction):

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/593231362

I am keeping my fingers crossed that all will go well. I didn't necessarily want to sell the Marlin X7 but since I have a Savage Axis in 308 at least I am not left without a rifle in that caliber. maybe I should have sold the Axis as it has a crappy trigger compared to the adjustable, down to 2.5 pounds, trigger of the X7 but then the X& only has an internal magazine, a feature I do not like. I much prefer the box mags of the Savage Axis. Time will tell if I wind up with seller's remorse.

The other things I have up for auction  over at GunBroker.com are:

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/594582066

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/594767064

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/594661976

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/594607713

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/594604931

Note that this post is in no way, shape or form an offer to sell any of the items linked to above. Those things are being sold legally on GunBroker.com and I want to keep it that way while not violating the terms of service for Blogger. So, this is merely an informational post in case you are interested in that sort of thing or want to berate me for selling guns instead of hoarding them.

All the best,
Glenn B


 

Snowman Season Is Just Around The Corner...

...no hunting license required.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sensible Protests On College Campuses...

...seem to be a rare manifestation of a better way but every now and again one shines through like a beacon of sanity within the malestrom of
leftism that has plagued our halls of higher education. Thus it was with the affirmative action cookie sale conducted by the Young Conservatives of Texas Club at the University of Texas at Austin. More here.

Dieting or not, I would have bought at least a few dozen to support further such efforts.

All the best,
Glenn B

Caption This

If I'd had opposable thumbs, this never would have happened.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

On A Personal Health Note

The blood sugar is down. I guess that means my lower carbohydrate diet, the one I more or less have been on, since the second week or so of August, has been working. I've also lost 9 pounds in that time; although, that is hard to tell by looking at me. I plan to keep it up. Maybe by 2 1/2 months or so from now I will have lost another 9, that would be excellent.

On the not good side, my PSA level is up - again. It is getting to be concerning because it keeps going up. I've had a biopsy (which I do not want to go through again) about a year and a half or so ago and an MRI about 2 months or so ago. Both wee negative for the Big C. Hoping it stays that way. Maybe I need to do more of something, but I am not saying what, to get the level down.

All the best,
Glenn B

Dear Mainstream Media, A Video - Folks Watch This Video...

...it is well worth the 8 minutes and 24 seconds of your time.




All the best,
Glenn  B

Those Republicans Are At It Again Trying To Deny The Right To Vote

A hat tip to imgflip.com, the site where I made the pie-chart.

All the best,
Glenn B

Yes There Is A Problem - A Potentially Big Problem

Pennsylvania has reportedly wrongfully sent out voter registration forms to thousands of legal and illegal aliens. (Source.) Mind you, there is not other way to send voter registration forms, for a presidential election, to aliens than wrongfully.

Only seven people came forward to say they received those forms and were ineligible to vote. Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State, Pedro Cortes, does not see a problem because there were so few who notified authorities. Now Pedro, you should be able to think of why that may be so significant and a potentially huge problem, should you not! Since you do not see it as a problem though, my bet would be that: you Mr. Cortes are a progressive (aka: liberal, aka: leftist). Yes my guess was right (source of my saying I was right).

The problem is the ones who did not come forward and who will register illegally and then vote illegally and who knows how many there will be of them since PA sent out thousands of registration forms to aliens both legal and illegal ,none of which have the right to vote in our national elections! That is a right reserved for U.S. citizens.

A hat tip to Colette D.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Clintons' Digs

If the video rings true, then it is simply amazing that the Clintons, who left the White House complaining they were utterly broke, have lived in each of these places.



All the best,
GB

I Love My Wife

I Will Be On The Right Side - What About You?

Just read a very interesting and what quite possibly will amount to a prediction if Clinton is elected. It is in essence a warning to the left but I think it is also a good reminder to those who are not on that side as to what we may have to do to regain our Constitutional Republic if things come to the worst. Here are a few snippets flowed by a link to the whole article:

"You cannot expect to change the status quo for yourself and then expect those you victimize not to play by the new rules you have created. You cannot expect to be able to discard the rule of law in favor of the rule of force and have those you target not respond in kind."

"Liberals imagine that their president can simply take whatever actions he pleases – including ones he previously admitted were unconstitutional – and that the next Republican president won’t do the same. Except then it will be to negate their cherished policies."

"Liberals need to understand the reality that rarely penetrates their bubble. Non-liberal Americans (it’s more than just conservatives who are under the liberal establishment’s heel) are the majority of this country. They hold power in many states and regions in unprecedented majorities. And these attacks focus on what they hold dearest – their religion, their families and their freedom."

"And let’s be blunt – these are the people with most of the guns and the training to use them. That’s the reality of the rule of force. I’ve seen it – it’s there behind me in that photo."

I have to say it is one heck of a thought provoking piece, read it all at the source of those quotes at this link:

http://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2015/04/05/liberals-may-regret-their-new-rules-n1980933

All the best,
Glenn B

Tinnitus disappearicus

I awakened from sleep minutes ago and went through the channels on my TV to see if there was anything I could watch to bore myself to sleep. After a couple or few minutes, I realized there was something very different about me - no ringing, as in my ears.

I have had tinnitus in my left ear since about 1981 when I fired a shot at a skunk I saw out in broad daylight acting strangely. There was a rabies epidemic in the area, so I leaned on the hood of my Border Patrol Ram Charger, drew my issued Colt Border Patrol 357 and blasted it. For 4 or 5 days I was virtually deaf in my left ear, the one that had been closest to the windshield and my right ear rang for that time. By day 5 the ringing in my right ear had stopped and I could hear in my left ear again but there was a ringing in that ear that persisted all these years until a few minutes ago. That ringing got worse, much louder, after chemo treatments 5 years ago and new ringing, started in my roght ear though not as loud as in the left.

I don't know how or why and hope it will be permanant yet doubt it but the ringing has stopped - as in completely. How nice it would be not to be incessently pestered by that annoying ringing that rarely turns into the sound of water rushing out of a faucet then back to ringing a short time later. Keeping my fingers crossed for now.

All the best,
GB

A Thought About The Road Leading To The Election

It would come as little surprise to me since the thought has crossed my mind since early on; however, that would be a disappointment - a truly big disappointment. If though that was proven to be the case,then the remedy (if anyone actually wanted a remedy) likely would have to be a revolution since we already have seen that federal law enforcement has given Clinton a get out of prosecution card let alone a get out of jail card.

Hat tip to John B for that meme.

All the best,
Glenn B

 

Knives

Yep, I've got some of them, other than those used in the kitchen and at the grill.; I suppose most of us do.

Out of what knives I do have, I have one, maybe two pretty nice looking knives. Most of the rest are very utile and nice not so much in looks but in that they have stood up to a lot of tough jobs. I must point out though, I just broke the point off of my Buck 110 folder (funny but it does not show in the pic). The missing tip is only a small bit of the blade but it will require a little doing with a few stones to set it right enough again. Then there are the blades on the two smaller K-Bars that my son decided to sharpen along the leading top edge, one of them is pictured. Oh man, what a job but at least he tried. Anyway, it still works as good as new. 

As you can see, some of my knives have taken a beating over the years. I can only hope that the Case Christmas Trappers I gave to my son and my three brothers-in-law have survived better than most of my useful knives. Too bad for me, I never got myself one of those.

The bottom two get a lot of daily use. The other was a gift from my
brothers-in-law. I keep it in my basement and get some use out of it.
It is excellent at opening bottles of beer when I can't find the Hunstman.

I use these a lot when in the great outdoors & sometimes around the house.

Two on your left inherited from my brother were gifts I had given to him
over the year. The other three were a cheapo set I got for a bargain price;
they may come in handy sometime but are kept in a cigar box for now.

 

A Kevin Johnson, DNZ Trading Co., custom Bowie with 8"
Damascus Steel blade, bull bone handle and leather sheath.



Kevin Johnson, DNZ Trading Co.,  C Series, 11" Trapper Knife with
a 6" Damascus Steel Blade, Pakka Wood Handle and leather sheath.

Spyderco, Bill Moran knife with Kydex sheath.

There are some other knives that are not in the pics, such as two more of the large K-Bars (one brand new in the box and hiding somewhere) and one more of the small K-Bars. There are some Swedish Mora(?) knives in my emergency kit. I also have several Schrade knives, used to love their Old Timers when made in America but I think only one or two of my current Schrade knives were made in the USA. There is also a supposedly collectors Schrade also in hiding somewhere in my basement. Except for the 3 yellow handled Schrade knives in the one photo, all the other Schrade knives pictured were all inherited by me from my brother. I had given them to him as gifts long ago and my sister-in-law asked me what I wanted and that is what I took. There is also a machete, I think by Gerber Knives, around here someplace. My son gave me that and I have not used it in the few years since then; I have been saving it for the Zombie Apocalypse.

As for my knives that are not pictured, Heaven knows where they are hiding cause I sure don't. I imagine I will come across them again sooner or later.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Bucket List

MY BUCKET LIST

Become a better and calmer and better man, husband and father (and, I should add, grandfather).

 

Save a person’s life (I may have done it already when there was a fair to good potential that the person’s life was threatened but I would like to do so and know for sure that I saved someone from certain death).

 

 

Travel to North Dakota and Hawaii (Which I think are the only two states I have not visited.)

 

Walk 100 miles, or more, in one trip. 

Move out of NY to a free state.

Get a job having to do with firearms (not carrying them but servicing them, being a firearms instructor, selling them, something like those jobs).

Drive cross country and back. I have driven one way several times.

Teach my grandson to shoot (he is only a month and a half old, so that is pretty far off from now).

See my grandson graduate High School.

Take my grandson (my daughter’s son) and my son hunting and fishing together.

Live in relatively good health, health that is better than mine now with much less pain than now, until I am at least 80 to 85.

Catch a fish weighing 75 pounds or more.

Bag a large black bear.

Bag a 12 point (or higher) buck.

Get into reloading. (I am working on that, just ordered almost everything else I need except powder and primers and a new reloading manual and once the floor in the basement is either painted or has linoleum down on it I can set up a bench and start.)

 

See my son set out on his own to become successful in his life and be happy with it.

 

There are probably other things I could think of that I would like to do in my remaining time on this earth and in this life but those would be enough to keep me happy now and again.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Can't We All Just...

All the best,
Glenn B

Meth Ad, The Police Should Try It...

...because maybe there are some meth heads who do not have enough living little gray cells left to realize it's a sting. Then again, maybe they should rewrite it to tell those zombies to bring their meth to a clinic instead of to the police station and then set up a fake clinic with undercover cops staffing it. After all, it is possible that even the nearly dead little gray cells of a meth head's rotted brain could figure out something is wrong with that offer.

All the best,
Glenn B.

Former FBI Assistant Director Endorses Trump

https://youtu.be/cof09-Baloc

All the best,
GB

What Unmitigated Swill...

...Is Anything That Spews Forth From Clinton's Mouth!

See this video reportedly of her lecturing employees of the Department of State about cyber-security! Amazing she has not been arrested and indicted and that she is not awaiting her trial.

All the best,
Glenn B 

I Missed Some Hot News Over The Weekend

I have not been following the politicians much lately in the news. I already know I will vote for Trump if only because I could never vote for that nasty cunt other candidate. Nor can I vote for anyone on her side. So why watch anything political especially when I was away hunting and having other fun. Maybe that is why I missed this bit of hot political news that definitely transcends mere politics; after all the firebombing of any political group's local headquarters truly is much more than just politics. I would hope that the arsonist will be captured, convicted, and then fried extra crispy incarcerated for a good long time.

All the best,
Glenn B

A $99 Shotgun Supposedly Available At Walmart

According to these YouTube videos, Walmart is offering for sale the Hatfield 12 gauge single shot shotgun for only $99. Granted, it is supposedly made in Turkey but that is probably better than being made in China.

I looked online and did not see it offered on the Walmart website but they could have it in stores. While I was in a Walmart that sold guns recently and did not notice it but I have to admit I was not looking for it.

Anyway, if you might be interested, watch these videos.





All the best,
Glenn B

Any E-ZPass Clairvoyants Out There?

So I got the new car on Friday and went upstate for a drive of over 500 miles (or maybe it was 600) during the course of the few days from Saturday through yesterday. I was lucky enough to remember, before leaving home, that I would need my E-ZPass or at least that having it would make passing through the toll booths much swifter than paying cash. I looked for mine for hours, could not find it. I borrowed the one from my son's car.

I have a vague recollection, that on the night my prior car was totaled, back on September 3rd, just before leaving the scene of the accident with the state trooper who was nice enough to drive me to my brother-in-law's house, I remembered to grab my E-ZPass. As  I said though it is merely a vague recollection. Anyway, this weekend I got in touch with my insurance company and the other guy's insurance company and they both got in touch with the lot where the wrecked Corolla is being held and asked the staff there to look for it. I also called, only because my insurance company (as well as the other driver's insurer) asked the folks at the lot to mail it to me. I wanted to pick it up so I made arrangements since I was in that neck of the woods. That did not matter much because they said they looked for it and could not find it.

I just checked my E-ZPass account and saw that the missing tag has not been used since September 3rd, the day of the accident. What that means is that someone did not swipe it and start using it and that is good. That also means I probably grabbed it just as my little gray cells foggily remembered. It means one other thing, I need to look for it again. There are not many places I have not looked but I guess there are one or three. I will look through them first and if I do not find it then I will start all over again.

Those mischievous beings - that hide the things we look for once, look for twice, maybe even look for three times - are little rotten bastards because sure as shit they wind up putting missing items right back where you already looked for them at least a few times. Don't even try to tell me you have never searched for something repeatedly over and over again and again in the same places only to find the item that was missing in one of those places later when you really weren't looking for it any longer. Well, even if that has not happened to you, it sure has happened to me all too frequently. I swear it has to be due to gricnhes or gnomes or those little guys who climbed up out of the well in Superman And the Mole-Men (I bet my buddy Charlie K knows who I mean). 

Anyway, I have no time or patience to deal with grinches, gnomes or Mole-Men so I am seeking clairvoyants. If anyone out there can tell me specifically where is my missing E-ZPass, and tell me so before I find it on my own or report it missing to get a new one (hurry because that will likely be tomorrow or the next day) I will send you a decent thank you gift. First person to get it right and let me know in a comment to this post will be the winner. The gift will be a $10 scratch off NY State lottery ticket of my choosing and I will mail it to the person who accomplishes the mind boggling feat just mentioned (bearing in mind it must be before I either find it myself or report it lost and I will wait to do that until at least 3PM tomorrow, so you have at least until then). You must be 18 or older and the prize (a lottery ticket) must be legal for you to receive at your residence address.

By the way, when I say you must tell me specifically where is the E-ZPass tag, I do not mean that you tell me things like the following:

1. In my house.

2. In NY.

3. In my basement.

I mean you must be very specific, such as answers like:

1. It is in your range bag.

2. It is in the gun case you had the night of the accident.

3. It is in your brown jacket pocket and don't simply say in a jacket pocket, I have too many for that to be specific).

Anyway, I checked all those places twice already and it was not there but you never know with those friggin grinches on the loose.

If nobody guesses right within the limits mentioned above, or if nobody even tries, then I will buy myself the scratch off ticket.

All the best,
Glenn B


 

Home From Hunting, At Least For Now

I arrived home last night from my road / hunting trip with the new Toyota Corolla. I remain deerless and also without the brace of squirrels I had shot over the weekend. I shot one on Saturday and another one on Sunday. That second one was taken very close to the spot where I got the  first one on Saturday in a small grove of oak trees. I gutted and cleaned each immediately and washed out the body cavities. Amazingly, the second one's stomach, a male, was about the size of a small lime. I took it out of its body cavity when gutting the squirrel and separated it from the rest of the innards to take a picture of it. It burst as soon as I placed it on a fallen log for a photograph. It was chock full nuts (pun intended for those in the know) or at least full of acorn meal and overfilled at that. Darned little critter sure ate a lot and certainly chewed its food well enough as it was a fine mash.

The first of only two squirrels I shot. I got
this one on Saturday, it was a plump female.

Squirrel number two, taken on Sunday from an oak tree within 20 yards
or so of where I got the one on Saturday. This one was a male. My
guess is that they probably were a mated pair.

Sadly, those two squirrel turned bad while in the cooler. Lesson learned, next time freeze them as soon as possible or cook them hat day. Having them in a sealed Ziploc bag did not prevent water from the melted ice getting into the freezer-bag and ruining them. So, next time, I will use something like these Glad Freezerware containers until I get them to the freezer and will get them frozen as soon as possible (or cook them fresh).

While hunting for those squirrels seen in the photos, I heard what I figured were at least two more squirrels close by in oak trees. Actually what I mostly heard were acorns and the remains of acorns falling from the trees as the squirrels foraged for them. So I moved, after getting that second one, to a spot on the ground close to the oak where I heard another one of them. I waited even longer than the half hour or so that I had waited to get squirrel number 2 but did not see the little booger and I can hear, from the sound of acorns falling, that it had moved further away. The other one still seemed close by so I moved toward that tree. As I scanned the new tree, all I could see that stood out was what looked like a bole on a limb. As I scanned more of the tree, the bells and whistles in my head went off and I looked back at that bole. I had to do a triple take to assure myself that what I thought I was seeing was right and it was no bole. There out on a limb, pretty far out on one of the limbs branches, a relatively narrow one at that, was a porcupine.

As a rule, I normally do not shoot animals merely for sport or for trophies. This porcupine though was about to become one of the rare exceptions to that rule. It was about 30-35 yards from me, pretty much broadside with its head angled pointing to the distance over my right shoulder from where it sat. I gave it a little thought and figured that this fat little vermin would make a nice mount and would be a bit of revenge for our mutt Mimi who had gotten a snout full of quills not too long ago. So I blasted it. It fell from the tree, after my single shot, like a ton of bricks. It marveled at it as it fell because it looked more like a small bear when falling than a porcupine.

Mimi's Revenge!

 Not bad shooting - a head shot with #4 lead shot out of my Remington 870 with 28" barrel at about 30-35 yards and 20-25 yards up on a tree limb. Now some may think I should have kept it to eat it since I shot it but I have heard they taste pretty much like turpentine and that is not my idea of a tasty morsel. I left it belly up for a scavenger to feast upon. At least now it cannot terrorize and badly injure any of the local dogs and the state land is bordered by several homes most of which have dogs. Porcupines also do great damage to homes and hardwood trees and thus some of the reasons they are completely unprotected in NY State.

Luckily I had my pair of Hatch Resistor, Kevlar
lined, gloves. So, I picked it up for a close up
examination. Not only are the quills formidable
but so are a porcupine's claws, both front and rear.

Upon closer examination of it, I discovered a couple of things. First off, that it was a female. Secondly, by my guess after hefting it, that it weighed about 12 to 15 pounds (probably close to the average weight for a female).  I also saw that it was not worth having mounted because my shot, as I said already, was true. The thing is it was all too much so and I blew of part of the top jaw and almost all of the bottom one on the left side of its head. Sometimes I can be an idiot, I don't know why I aimed at the head since I wanted to have it mounted. I did learn though that my oldest Remington 870, 12 gauge, with the 28" barrel and with whatever choke I have in it now, would pattern well for turkey because at least two to a few pellets must have hit it to do that much damage.

After seeing that damage I was dismayed and kicked myself in the arse
for having taken a head shot. I left it there, belly up for the scavengers.

 

There was one other thing I noticed about this porcupine and I guess all of them in North America. Not only did it have an excellent built in defensive system in the form of those quills but it had another set of potential weapons often not thought about when discussing porcupines. Those other potential weapons were its claws. They were a decent size and I am sure could put a hurting on the snout of any predator that might be agile and adept enough to flip a porcupine to exposes its quill lacking underside. Normally, a North American porcupine spends most of its time in the trees as opposed to its ground loving cousins in Africa. Those claws can only be a great help in climbing trees and maybe ripping apart a bobcat's or bear's snout.

 

One of the rear claws. The front ones were bout 3/4 the size of the rear ones.

 As far as deer hunting went, I hunted on my brother-in-laws 10 acre plot. I saw very little sign, only three piles of pellets (deer shit for the uninitiated), no rubs or scrapes, no deer trails and only two sets of tracks. I may have to plant a small patch of soy beans and another of corn for next year. There are no nearby farms and very - very few mast trees on his property so there is very little there to attract them. Then again, I saw little sign of deer on the state land I hunted the first two days of my getaway on the tract of state land where I shot the squirrels and where I got revenge for the snout full of porcupine quills that Mimi suffered not too long ago. Of course, I was not looking all that hard while there, thinking I would hunt at Hans' place for deer this year but that may change.

What I did get to see a good deal of was the spectacular show that Mother nature puts on for us here in the northeast every Fall. It is one of my favorite seasons and October probably at least tied for my favorite month all in good part because of that spectacular and colorful presentation of Nature's palette and besides that there is good hard cider and excellent Oktoberfest bier waiting to be imbibed.

It gets even more spectacular than that during the peak of the color change.

I also got to see some wonderful things when looking own for
deer sign, this mushroom being one of them. That is a 2 3/4"
12 gauge shotshell for size comparison.

Oh yeah, did I just say something about good cider and excellent Oktoberfest bier. Well, on my way up to the sate forest, in which I hunted for those squirrels, I stopped by Roscoe, NY. I was looking for a place to eat and also stopped in The Little Store, a sort of hunting, fishing general store combo. Surprisingly their stock of guns and ammo was minimal this year and that had me scratching my head but I did not bother asking why as the women at the front counter was busy. Anyway, while in town, I spotted what promised to be Paradise for that day for me, a brewery outlet.

My heart sank when I read the sign in the door, Closed For The Season!

As my luck had it, the darned place was closed for the season! I guess it is dependent on the trout fishermen (Roscoe is in the middle of some fine trout fishing) and tourists in the warmer months but the owners seem on the daft side to me as they apparently have forgotten all about the hunters who would flock to such an establishment every Fall.  Next store to that was a store that may have been the reason that The Little Store had so few guns and ammo for sale. Just a few doors down and across the street from The Little Store was a fairly recent addition to the town's businesses - Big Dog Guns & Ammo. It was a nice enough shop, the guy behind the counter was friendly and courteous but their prices seemed somewhat a tad on the high side to me, at least those I could see on ammo and accessories. Then again, they are a small mom and pop type gun shop and that seems to be the norm for those types of shops. I did not even bother to ask about their firearms' prices because I needed no temptation to buy a new gun especially after having just taken cash out of the bank to buy our new car last Friday that left us only 16% of our former savings. Yes the insurance company is going to give us something but that wils amount to slightly above another 16% of what we had in the bank. I will have a long way to go to get the amount back up to what it had been and am fairly certain that unless I do some gun selling, there will be few if any new guns bought by me for quite the while. 

I would rather shop at The Little Store but if they do not resupply ammo
and firearms, I may have to consider this place in the future. Heck, if they
have a decent sale on ammo I need for a hunting trip I will shop there!

Over all, it was an excellent trip. The new Toyota Corolla L ran just fine and got 36.5 mpg on my first drive with it. I had a good first night at an economy motel in Binghamton and then I had an enjoyable few days at my brother-in-law's place. Even though I did not see a deer, my two squirrels went bad in the cooler, and I blew off too much of the head of the porcupine to have it mounted, I had an excellent time out in the woods and fields. I hope to get another chance for a getaway in the very near future and you can safely bet that if I get any more squirrels they will either be cooked that day or the next or will go into a freezer as soon as possible. As for the porcupines, one was probably enough for Mimi's revenge and if I ever decide to shoot another for a trophy, it will not be a head shot.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

First Drive

I was hoping drive the new Corolla to the Hessney Auction House Geneva, NY very early this morning. I dragged my aching bones out of bed at about 0230 to try to get up that way by 0800 but it just wasn't happening. I was too tired and too achy to try a 5 hour drive, in my brand new set of wheels, with only about 2.5 hours of restless sleep. So, back to bed I went. I crawled out of the sack again at about 0800, turned on my laptop and made several bids online (turned out none were the high bids). 

Then I grabbed my oldest Remington 870 and some things I needed to hunt squirrels and turkey and hit the road. I took a leisurely drive toward the Cascade Valley State Forest in the town of Windsor, NY near where my uncle once owned his farm. I stopped in Roscoe, NY to get some #4 shotshells, deer lure and chocolate fudge. I noticed their shelves were almost bare of ammo and they had very few guns for sale where they used to have a fair sized assortment. When I left and walked up the block, I think I saw the reason - a gun store across the street and thus competition. That may not be the reason but I suspect it as such.

Only got to the state forest just after 4PM leaving me about two hours and 20 minutes to hunt. I wasn't in the woods all of 5 to maybe 10 minutes at most whenI bagged a nice fat busy tail rat. That should taste delicious but I hope to add a few more to the bag tomorrow because a nice few in a stew in the pot would taste better.

I am staying the night in Binghamton, will go back to same state forest to hunt tomorrow and after that to my brother-in-law Hans' place for the night. I will likely hunt there on Monday for deer with my crossbow. Then back home on Tuesday or Wednesday if I do not wear out my welcome.

So far the new car has run like a charm although while it has some new doodads, I must say they cut back on some things they should never have eliminated that had been in the 2005 model. Oh well, such is progress or so the progresives think.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Toyota Corolla Is Dead - Long Live The New Toyota Corolla

Finally got my new car to replace the one that was totaled last month. Basically the same car but seems cheaper overall although it was much more expensive in price than the other one that I bought new 11 years ago.

If I can fall asleep within the next half hour or so and then sleep until about 0200, I may take a ride up to Geneva, NY for the Hessney Auction; I am addicted, so to speak, to their firearms' auctions. That would be a nice break in, about 300 miles each way. If I am up for it, I may drive east to my brother-in-law Hans' place after that, if he will have me of course.

All the best,
Glenn B

Excellent Way To Mount A Scope...

 

 

...NOT!

 

Just imagine bringing your rifle and scope to a friend, Bubba, so he could mount the scope for you. I cannot say with certainty that I would kick Bubba's arse but the thought surely would cross my mind. Thanks goodness I have no scopes that need mounting and if I did then luckily I have no friends named Bubba because then I might wind up going to jail for assault or worse.

 

All the best,

GB

To All My Readers Of The Jewish Faith

When you return from temple tonight, I wish you gut yom tov or chag Yom Kipur sameach - both in essence meaning happy holiday and specifically the second meaning a happy Yom Kipur. Might I add: I hope you had an easy fast.

All the best,
Glenn B

NY City Democrat Board of Elections Commissioner On Voter ID

Get a load of this video before it is removed from YouTube. It is allegedly a video of the NYC (or Manhattan - a borough in NYC) Board of Elections Commissioner essentially blasting the policy to allow voters to register and vote without showing valid ID. He also blasts NYC Mayor Bill de Arsehat Blasio's policy of issuing NYC ID cards to just about anyone with little or no verification of their identities. Furthermore he readily admits the practice exists of bussing voters from one polling place to another to cast multiple ballots on election day. This guy is a democrat but I have to hand it to him, he is quite candid about the deplorable system we have in place to register voters and then to allow them to vote.



I must point out that I work in a place where aliens are processed for U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services. Many of them write down United States when asked for their country of citizenship, yet since they are aliens none are U.S. citizens but are either residents or some other classification of alien who is living in the US. I inform them they are aliens and not citizens yet quite a few recently have asked me how they register to vote.

We truly have lost almost all sovereignty as a nation. The U.S. in essence has no borders, is made up of diverse cultures that refuse to unify but would rather do the liberal thing of celebrating diversity instead of unity, and that refuse to come together under one language - American English. We are doomed as a nation to become a third world country controlled by diverse factions akin to the various clans under the tyrannies of the warlords of Afghanistan. The lunacy of the left, in ultra-leftists states like NY, is killing our country and the electoral process.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

God Damned Capital One Bank

Back in April, Capital One Bank notified my wife that they suspected someone had opened, or attempted to open, a credit card account in her name. Luckily for us, no charges had been made. This week, we received a letter from Trans Union saying there was suspicious activity on her credit report. I checked both of our credit reports and saw another inquiry made by Capital One just last month on each of our reports. I called Capital One's Customer Service department. I explained the situation and the representative put me through to their credit card department saying they had to handle this.

I got a rep in the credit card department and was told there is a credit card in my name, never got around to checking on my wife. The Cap One rep said he had to call their fraud department, explain the situation to them, and then put me on the line with them. I was on hold several minutes and was then disconnected, just my luck.

I called Capital Ones' Fraud Department. The rep there found all the info about the current mess already typed into the system by the rep I spoke to earlier. Then the rep told me she was in the general fraud department but I had to speak to someone in credit card fraud department. She put me through to yet another rep in credit card fraud. That rep said the fraudulent account was closed and had been closed in April 2016. Apparently his grasp of the current situation was nonexistent. When I explained, he said there had been an account in my name in April but that was closed. he said he would check on the current situation since the rep in the credit card department had told me (during my first call) that there was a new fraudulent card in my name. The rep on this call did not see that new fraudulent card and again said he would check but it would take 20 minutes and he would call me back. 

I also explained that I had tried to input my ID into their phone system but it would not take it because it said my telephone PIN was incorrect. I know my PIN, I use it frequently. Evidently the fraudster changed that too. I made sure to tell the capital one re I needed to change that ASAP so as not to lose any money in my accounts He said he understood and would get back to me in 20 minutes. Now I wait.

Anyway, I cannot believe the ineptness of Capital One in as much as they issued yet another fraudulent card in my name (and I am guessing also one in my wife's name) after the fraudulent activity back in April, less than a full 6 months ago. In addition, I cannot believe that the guy in credit card fraud could not see that a new fraudulent card was issued in my name, apparently since last month, yet the rep in the credit card department easily brought up all that info and typed notes into their system about it and the other rep to whom I spoke between those two, in the general fraud department, saw those notes immediately. I think it may be time to start looking for a new bank wherein to keep my money!

Update: So, the rep from Capita One's credit card fraud department called me back. He said there has not been a card issued in my name since a fraudulent one in April. He has no reasonable explanation as to why my the earlier rep told me there was a new card issued in my name. he also had no reasonable explanation as to why my PIN did not work except to say I must have forgotten my number. That is extremely unlikely as it is the same number I have used recently and frequently probably for too long. I decided to change the PIN which required yet another call. At least the call to change the PIN went relatively smoothly. I also made yet another cal and ordered a new ATM card and suppose I should change my PIN on that to.

Still though, as I said above, I may have to shop around for another bank in which to keep my money, what little of it I have needs to be safe and when you get conflicting info from a bank as did I, well then, something stinks in that bank.

All the best,
Glenn B