It's been confirmed, I am again going to Arizona for my job. This time I'll be in Phoenix. I had hoped to get Tucson again but it does not look like that is about to happen. I am still keeping my fingers crossed on that one though since I like Tucson so much better.
I'll be leaving home right after Christmas and be out there for 3 months. Since I'll be staying in an apartment complex this time around I suppose there will be no blogging by me for up to the whole three months unless I can find access to a public computer at a library or someplace like that. An apartment setup will be nice for such an extended stay but it will be lacking some of the amenities of a hotel such as daily maid service, free breakfasts, premium cable channels, and a guest PC. I suppose that having a fully stocked kitchen will make up for that. By fully stocked I imagine they only mean with pots, pans and utensils but that will do. I have not cooked in quite some time but used to enjoy it and I like to eat my own cooking so it should be a plus over lots of eating out.
Maybe, eating my own cooking, will help me lose weight. One can hope.
All the best,
GB
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Wow - No Blogging Since Saturday!
That must be a record for me. I'd be willing to bet my wife would give almost all she had to hear me shut up for that long.
As for the blogging, I have been kind of busy, lots of different things have kept me preoccupied. Not necessarily important things mind you, but certainly issues which have had my mind elsewhere than here. If you were to place all of those issues in juxtaposition to my blog I suppose some would be more important and others, well let's just say they would be not so much a waste of my time as idle pursuits. One of them, a total waste of time, but lots of fun, has been Fallout 3. Others have not been so trivial but not of much import either.
While whatever it is that has been keeping me from blogging may linger a day or two longer, it will be banished from my thoughts by the weekend and I promise, barring further disturbance of my literary faculties, to blog up a storm over the coming weekend.
All the best,
Glenn B
As for the blogging, I have been kind of busy, lots of different things have kept me preoccupied. Not necessarily important things mind you, but certainly issues which have had my mind elsewhere than here. If you were to place all of those issues in juxtaposition to my blog I suppose some would be more important and others, well let's just say they would be not so much a waste of my time as idle pursuits. One of them, a total waste of time, but lots of fun, has been Fallout 3. Others have not been so trivial but not of much import either.
While whatever it is that has been keeping me from blogging may linger a day or two longer, it will be banished from my thoughts by the weekend and I promise, barring further disturbance of my literary faculties, to blog up a storm over the coming weekend.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Kids Are Getting Older...and so are the Mali's
Yes the kids are getting older. Brendan just turned 20 not too long ago. Celina will be 25 in the not too distant future. Heck they really are not kids any longer. Next thing you know they will be married and Linda and I will be grandparents.
The Mali Uromastix are older too, they are only just about 2 years or so old I think. Can I call them kids? I suppose not any more. They are starting to to acquire their adult coloration. The male, the one in the pic to the upper right, is really showing his adult colors with the blacks and yellows starting to come in nicely and the female has some slight yellowish in the creamish colored areas but as to be expected she is much more drab than is the male. Note that in the pic of the male, the yellowish light in the upper left hand corner of the shot is from the tortoise tank. It is not 
effecting the color of the Mali at all - he was right in the flash and you can see from the surface there is no yellow from the lamp interfering with his coloration. The way he looks in this shot is the way he looks with some variation due to temperature.
All the best,
The Mali Uromastix are older too, they are only just about 2 years or so old I think. Can I call them kids? I suppose not any more. They are starting to to acquire their adult coloration. The male, the one in the pic to the upper right, is really showing his adult colors with the blacks and yellows starting to come in nicely and the female has some slight yellowish in the creamish colored areas but as to be expected she is much more drab than is the male. Note that in the pic of the male, the yellowish light in the upper left hand corner of the shot is from the tortoise tank. It is not 
effecting the color of the Mali at all - he was right in the flash and you can see from the surface there is no yellow from the lamp interfering with his coloration. The way he looks in this shot is the way he looks with some variation due to temperature.Hopefully within another year or two they will be breeding and producing fertile eggs. My guess is that in the wild they may take longer to mature but in captivity when cared for well with a readily available good diet they mature earlier. My pair is well cared for. No I don't treat em like my kids but they do eat well and get the light and heat they need to grow big and strong.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wishing A Merry Christmas or Happpy Chanukah to the ACLU
Oh those crazy emails that I get. I have friends and family send me emails covering just about every subject both normal and kooky of which you can think. I get em okay: ones about gators eating hogs, others about safety tips for women, or about our current president being the greatest (I told you some of em were kooky), ones with pictures of cute animals, ones with games atatched like stop the illegals (a shooting game at that), ones about our current president being less than competent, others about gun rights, ones full of dirty jokes, ones with videos about the holidays, ones with news, ones with petitions, ones asking for money, ones with lots of pictures of our military, one with pictures of girls and there attributes (yes I mean big-uns), ones about health care, ones about religion, ones just to say hello, millions (it seems ) with advertisements, others just to say I stink, more to comment on my blog, and on and on and on.
Out of all the emails I have ever received, there is one that has the potential to be the best so far. That one, read by me just minutes ago, is one that has an idea in it. The idea is brilliant. Not a knew idea I am sure, but one that has been resurrected (I chose that word carefully) and that is being brought forth at this time just before Christmas and Chanukah when it may well have the most effect that it could have over any other time. As you are all probably aware, the ACLU has often sought to ban religious symbols on government property - or at least they often are supportive of the person(s) who brought such case(s) against the government and therefore in essence against those of you who practice religions of any sort. They also support such anti-religious things as Gay marriage and are against Capital Punishment. Yes, truth be told, they also have often supported religious freedoms (bet you did not know that).
To me though, they seem to have a twisted outlook and therefore a bad track record though of what is right and wrong when it comes to government involvement in religion. Our Constitution says this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Thus it allows for the freedom to practice your religion and assures that Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion. Get it - no law "respecting" an establishment of religion. They did not say no law about a religion or effecting a religion but the courts, due in great part to the efforts of those akin to the ACLU, have decided that is what they meant. It also does not say that there should be no government involvement in religion. Now I am not saying I would like to see our government run by a religion or religions. I am very against that. I am saying I would like to see prayer as allowed on the floor of Congress to continue, prayer in public schools, religious symbols freely erected on government property on the religious holidays of all faiths, 'In God We Trust' remaining on our currency, religious symbols being erected in honor of our war dead and so on. I would also like the ACLU to realize this is how most Americans want to see things in our country and realize they need to pay attention not only to the minority but to the majority because we too have rights and liberties.
Well, time to get back to the idea. The idea, in essence, is that all of you go out and buy a Christmas card and stamp, then send the card to the ACLU (yes it was specifically a Christmas card but allow me to add on Chanukah cards also). Don't stop reading yet - I know the thought of spending money in these hard times can be a turn off - an especially big turn off for most of my readers if it includes spending money regarding the likes of ACLU - but hear me out before you click on another blog. The rest of the idea goes like this: you buy a regular postage stamp at .44 cents, then buy a cheap religious Christmas card (and I will add that it could also well be a Chanukah card). I figure $1.50 including tax for a card although you may already have lots of cards at home already that you are waiting to send out this season and you likely will have one left over. You then send the card to the ACLU wishing them a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah, keeping it respectful, and you address the envelope as follows:
ACLU
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor,
New York NY 10004
Of course, you can also contact you local affiliate of the ACLU in the same manner. Look for their contact information here: http://www.aclu.org/affiliates.
Why do this? Well first of all it will make the ACLU realize that - We The People of the United States of America - do want to see religion practiced freely as it should be and that includes on government owned ground. Secondly, it is a nice thing to do at the holidays - isn't it? Sending out wishes for a Merry Christmas and for a Happy Chanukah are the good Judeo-Christian things to do at this time of year and, after all, our whole form of government is based upon many of the principles found within those religions. It also will give the ACLU something to think about in more ways than one. If enough of you send out cards to them, they will wonder if there is some type of revolutionary movement going on among the religious of our great nation - one geared at sending them a message. Maybe the message will have an effect - stranger things have happened. The effect could be anything from the ACLU reconsidering its stance on some issues (maybe realizing that as oppose to whom they usually represent - we have rights too) all the way down to someone just taking the cards and destroying them. Of course, before they destroy any such mail, they likely will open each and everyone looking for important correspondence or donations. Because of that they will in all likelihood see each and every religious card they have been sent and will get the message from us about religious freedom. Sure it may only be a mailroom clerk who opens them, but I think otherwise. I think this will go all the way to the top if they receive enough cards. Of course, they will be busy, very busy indeed, opening our mail for some time to come if we send enough cards, and I suppose that would be a good thing too because it again will make them realize how many of us their are who feel strongly about the issue of freedom of religion without ACLU interference that supports only the minority. There may also be another effect, it may cause a few (or even one person) at the ACLU to go out and actually celebrate one of these religious holidays who would not have done so otherwise. I am not saying or implying they are all atheists, but who knows on whom these cards may have an effect or how - they just may prompt someone at the ACLU to celebrate either of these religious holidays or maybe both.
The thing is that we would need to send enough cards to have any of these results - lots of cards. Remember the movie classic Miracle On 34th Street - the old one from 1947 (that was a nice movie). Remember what the post office did to help out the guy on trial as to whether or not he was Santa Claus or was crazy instead. The postal workers delivered all the mail in the post office to him that was addressed to Santa Claus. It was quite the pile of mail - lots of mail at that. The result was that the case against the guy claiming to be Santa Claus was wisely dismissed because the state court judge did not want to contradict the Federal Government about the existence of Santa Claus since the G had obviously decided Santa Claus did in fact exist and was in fact the defendant since the federal government delivered his mail to him. Just think how joyfully wonderful our wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy Chanukah will make the workers at the ACLU feel if they get a pile of cards about the same size. So I am asking you to let others know about this idea. Tell other bloggers and ask them to post about it on their blogs or to link to this particular blog post. Email your friends and relatives and associates from work. Let the ACLU know that we will not stand for the destruction of our rights for the protection of those of just a single person or a small group of person. Yes they have rights that also need to be protected but not at the cost of the majority losing their rights too. Let them know the majority intends to celebrate their religious beliefs and at the same time wish them a joyous Christmas and Chanukah.
Drum up enough support for this and you can bet there will be a good outcome if nothing other than someone at the ACLU having a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah because of all the nice cards they will have received. Even if you consider the ACLU your opponent when it comes to your liberty to exercise your rights, sending them a religious holiday card is the nice thing to do and if it results in even one member of the ACLU celebrating one of these religious holidays or having a nicer one or just a nicer day in general, then it will all have been worth it.
One other thing, keep your cards religious in nature (at least saying Happy Chanukah or Merry Christmas) and keep them respectful. To be disrespectful would defeat the purpose in sending them out because it would not be very Judeo-Christian of us to do so. So keep em nice and keep em right in the spirit of the upcoming Chanukah and Christmas holidays. Remember, we don't want to harass them, we want to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy Chanukah while at the same time sending them a message from the heart of America about our freedom of religion.
All the best,
Glenn B
Out of all the emails I have ever received, there is one that has the potential to be the best so far. That one, read by me just minutes ago, is one that has an idea in it. The idea is brilliant. Not a knew idea I am sure, but one that has been resurrected (I chose that word carefully) and that is being brought forth at this time just before Christmas and Chanukah when it may well have the most effect that it could have over any other time. As you are all probably aware, the ACLU has often sought to ban religious symbols on government property - or at least they often are supportive of the person(s) who brought such case(s) against the government and therefore in essence against those of you who practice religions of any sort. They also support such anti-religious things as Gay marriage and are against Capital Punishment. Yes, truth be told, they also have often supported religious freedoms (bet you did not know that).
To me though, they seem to have a twisted outlook and therefore a bad track record though of what is right and wrong when it comes to government involvement in religion. Our Constitution says this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Thus it allows for the freedom to practice your religion and assures that Congress shall pass no law respecting an establishment of religion. Get it - no law "respecting" an establishment of religion. They did not say no law about a religion or effecting a religion but the courts, due in great part to the efforts of those akin to the ACLU, have decided that is what they meant. It also does not say that there should be no government involvement in religion. Now I am not saying I would like to see our government run by a religion or religions. I am very against that. I am saying I would like to see prayer as allowed on the floor of Congress to continue, prayer in public schools, religious symbols freely erected on government property on the religious holidays of all faiths, 'In God We Trust' remaining on our currency, religious symbols being erected in honor of our war dead and so on. I would also like the ACLU to realize this is how most Americans want to see things in our country and realize they need to pay attention not only to the minority but to the majority because we too have rights and liberties.
Well, time to get back to the idea. The idea, in essence, is that all of you go out and buy a Christmas card and stamp, then send the card to the ACLU (yes it was specifically a Christmas card but allow me to add on Chanukah cards also). Don't stop reading yet - I know the thought of spending money in these hard times can be a turn off - an especially big turn off for most of my readers if it includes spending money regarding the likes of ACLU - but hear me out before you click on another blog. The rest of the idea goes like this: you buy a regular postage stamp at .44 cents, then buy a cheap religious Christmas card (and I will add that it could also well be a Chanukah card). I figure $1.50 including tax for a card although you may already have lots of cards at home already that you are waiting to send out this season and you likely will have one left over. You then send the card to the ACLU wishing them a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah, keeping it respectful, and you address the envelope as follows:
ACLU
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor,
New York NY 10004
Of course, you can also contact you local affiliate of the ACLU in the same manner. Look for their contact information here: http://www.aclu.org/affiliates.
Why do this? Well first of all it will make the ACLU realize that - We The People of the United States of America - do want to see religion practiced freely as it should be and that includes on government owned ground. Secondly, it is a nice thing to do at the holidays - isn't it? Sending out wishes for a Merry Christmas and for a Happy Chanukah are the good Judeo-Christian things to do at this time of year and, after all, our whole form of government is based upon many of the principles found within those religions. It also will give the ACLU something to think about in more ways than one. If enough of you send out cards to them, they will wonder if there is some type of revolutionary movement going on among the religious of our great nation - one geared at sending them a message. Maybe the message will have an effect - stranger things have happened. The effect could be anything from the ACLU reconsidering its stance on some issues (maybe realizing that as oppose to whom they usually represent - we have rights too) all the way down to someone just taking the cards and destroying them. Of course, before they destroy any such mail, they likely will open each and everyone looking for important correspondence or donations. Because of that they will in all likelihood see each and every religious card they have been sent and will get the message from us about religious freedom. Sure it may only be a mailroom clerk who opens them, but I think otherwise. I think this will go all the way to the top if they receive enough cards. Of course, they will be busy, very busy indeed, opening our mail for some time to come if we send enough cards, and I suppose that would be a good thing too because it again will make them realize how many of us their are who feel strongly about the issue of freedom of religion without ACLU interference that supports only the minority. There may also be another effect, it may cause a few (or even one person) at the ACLU to go out and actually celebrate one of these religious holidays who would not have done so otherwise. I am not saying or implying they are all atheists, but who knows on whom these cards may have an effect or how - they just may prompt someone at the ACLU to celebrate either of these religious holidays or maybe both.
The thing is that we would need to send enough cards to have any of these results - lots of cards. Remember the movie classic Miracle On 34th Street - the old one from 1947 (that was a nice movie). Remember what the post office did to help out the guy on trial as to whether or not he was Santa Claus or was crazy instead. The postal workers delivered all the mail in the post office to him that was addressed to Santa Claus. It was quite the pile of mail - lots of mail at that. The result was that the case against the guy claiming to be Santa Claus was wisely dismissed because the state court judge did not want to contradict the Federal Government about the existence of Santa Claus since the G had obviously decided Santa Claus did in fact exist and was in fact the defendant since the federal government delivered his mail to him. Just think how joyfully wonderful our wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy Chanukah will make the workers at the ACLU feel if they get a pile of cards about the same size. So I am asking you to let others know about this idea. Tell other bloggers and ask them to post about it on their blogs or to link to this particular blog post. Email your friends and relatives and associates from work. Let the ACLU know that we will not stand for the destruction of our rights for the protection of those of just a single person or a small group of person. Yes they have rights that also need to be protected but not at the cost of the majority losing their rights too. Let them know the majority intends to celebrate their religious beliefs and at the same time wish them a joyous Christmas and Chanukah.
Drum up enough support for this and you can bet there will be a good outcome if nothing other than someone at the ACLU having a Merry Christmas or Happy Chanukah because of all the nice cards they will have received. Even if you consider the ACLU your opponent when it comes to your liberty to exercise your rights, sending them a religious holiday card is the nice thing to do and if it results in even one member of the ACLU celebrating one of these religious holidays or having a nicer one or just a nicer day in general, then it will all have been worth it.
One other thing, keep your cards religious in nature (at least saying Happy Chanukah or Merry Christmas) and keep them respectful. To be disrespectful would defeat the purpose in sending them out because it would not be very Judeo-Christian of us to do so. So keep em nice and keep em right in the spirit of the upcoming Chanukah and Christmas holidays. Remember, we don't want to harass them, we want to wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy Chanukah while at the same time sending them a message from the heart of America about our freedom of religion.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Safety Tips Email???
I received the following email from a couple or a few people over the past 2 or 3 weeks. It give advice on what to do if a woman is accosted by a bad guy seeking to do her harm or rob her or hijack her car and so forth. I suppose it is just about as applicable to a man who is accosted by a criminal. I read it and said to myself, wow I wonder if all the facts stated are true. Then I thought what does it matter because some of the advice seems pretty good to me. Now I will not say it is all good or that it seems that way to me, but some of it is. All the parts about defending yourself seem good to me in my opinion.
Of course, along those lines, I think there are several,pother points that should have been made but were left out for some reason. So, when I received essentially the same email tonight, I decided to reply to all recipients of it with what I thought and still think is some good advice (again just my opinion).
Below for your perusal is the content of the email I received. That is immediately followed by my reply to it. I can not say with certainty that either contains good advice, but I know for sure that in my opinion it is better to fight back than allow yourself to be seriously hurt or killed.
The Content of the Email:
Crucial
Because of recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation...
This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about.
It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do : The elbow is the strongest point on your body.
If you are close enough to use it, do!
2.. Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their chequebook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR , LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.. If someone is in the car
with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you.
If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door..
Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead..)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!) 7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
10.. Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and
then attack. Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!
Please pass this on This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America 's Most Wanted when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well. Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry. Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or love one's life.
The Content of My Reply:
They left out, I think, a couple of very important ones, they are in my opinion:
If you can afford it - buy a handgun and get a carry permit if required.
Get training on how to shoot and get training on self defense with a handgun.
When you are an innocent and are threatened with imminent loss of life or serious bodily injury by a criminal - shoot the bum in self defense!
Want to go advanced: Get training on handgun retention and handgun take-aways; you would be surprised how easily you could shoot a bad guy with his own gun.
More people carrying and using their firearms when legally justified will probably help save lives, it happens more often that you probably know.
Never be too afraid to defend yourself or other innocents from people who are about to do you serious bodily harm or kill you; if you cower in fear you my die like a cowering dog. You deserve better than that from yourself.
As my mother has often said over the years: "Life is cheap." I never quite knew what she meant by that, I always thought life was precious. Then one day, out of the blue it hit me like a ton of bricks. What she meant was that these dirt-bags who want to rob you, rape you, molest you, hurt you, kill you consider life cheap - that is when it is your life they are considering.
If you cannot bring yourself two buy a gun, then buy a TASER (note only buy these things if you can legally do so) or a stun gun, or pepper spray, or mace, or carry a knife (very difficult to master the use of one though).
Think about it. If you are willing to crash your car to get away from a bad guy who you think is about to really hurt you or kill you, would you not also be ready and willing to defend yourself with a weapon to even things up some or better yet to have you come out the winner and alive. I would, I have, I will again if necessary.
Again, let me say, I do not know if either actually gives good advice, but in my opinion I think that fighting back is the best key to survival although, of course, there is still a risk of being injured or getting killed if you do fight back. It is a tough decision to make and one you need to make for yourself if you are ever in an encounter wherein someone is threatening you with imminent serious bodily injury or death.
All the best,
Glenn B
Of course, along those lines, I think there are several,pother points that should have been made but were left out for some reason. So, when I received essentially the same email tonight, I decided to reply to all recipients of it with what I thought and still think is some good advice (again just my opinion).
Below for your perusal is the content of the email I received. That is immediately followed by my reply to it. I can not say with certainty that either contains good advice, but I know for sure that in my opinion it is better to fight back than allow yourself to be seriously hurt or killed.
The Content of the Email:
Crucial
Because of recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation...
This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about.
It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do : The elbow is the strongest point on your body.
If you are close enough to use it, do!
2.. Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their chequebook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR , LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.. If someone is in the car
with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you.
If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door..
Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead..)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!) 7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
10.. Water scam! If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and
then attack. Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!
Please pass this on This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby Theory was mentioned on America 's Most Wanted when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well. Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry. Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or love one's life.
The Content of My Reply:
They left out, I think, a couple of very important ones, they are in my opinion:
If you can afford it - buy a handgun and get a carry permit if required.
Get training on how to shoot and get training on self defense with a handgun.
When you are an innocent and are threatened with imminent loss of life or serious bodily injury by a criminal - shoot the bum in self defense!
Want to go advanced: Get training on handgun retention and handgun take-aways; you would be surprised how easily you could shoot a bad guy with his own gun.
More people carrying and using their firearms when legally justified will probably help save lives, it happens more often that you probably know.
Never be too afraid to defend yourself or other innocents from people who are about to do you serious bodily harm or kill you; if you cower in fear you my die like a cowering dog. You deserve better than that from yourself.
As my mother has often said over the years: "Life is cheap." I never quite knew what she meant by that, I always thought life was precious. Then one day, out of the blue it hit me like a ton of bricks. What she meant was that these dirt-bags who want to rob you, rape you, molest you, hurt you, kill you consider life cheap - that is when it is your life they are considering.
If you cannot bring yourself two buy a gun, then buy a TASER (note only buy these things if you can legally do so) or a stun gun, or pepper spray, or mace, or carry a knife (very difficult to master the use of one though).
Think about it. If you are willing to crash your car to get away from a bad guy who you think is about to really hurt you or kill you, would you not also be ready and willing to defend yourself with a weapon to even things up some or better yet to have you come out the winner and alive. I would, I have, I will again if necessary.
Again, let me say, I do not know if either actually gives good advice, but in my opinion I think that fighting back is the best key to survival although, of course, there is still a risk of being injured or getting killed if you do fight back. It is a tough decision to make and one you need to make for yourself if you are ever in an encounter wherein someone is threatening you with imminent serious bodily injury or death.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Ballseye's Gun Shots 41 - Hunting Season Almost Over - How Do Your Guns Spend The Winter?
Well, here in the great State of New York (the so called Empire State but maybe it should be called the Socialist State) the main parts of the hunting season are soon to come to an end. By the end of this month, the season for just about everything for which you can hunt will be over. I imagine that is much the same across a lot of the country. So I wonder: Does that mean you clean and oil your guns and then put them away?
Not me. Of course, this year I will make sure to take the scope off of my Marlin to see if any rust developed under the scope mount. Shame on me I did not do that at the end of last season and then earlier this year I found a lot of rust under the scope mount atop the receiver. Only surface rust and easily removed but so was some of the bluing. So I will make sure to get it done this year. For now a good squirt of WD-40 under there may help to keep out moisture. I do not use WD-40 on my firearms regularly because I do not like its properties, I much prefer Breakfree CLP to lubricate and protect my firearms but in this instance I can spray the WD-40 under the part and maybe that will work. I hope so.
I will also clean the rest of the guns that were used on the hunts, but they are simpler to clean since we did not use another scoped gun this year. Then into the gun locker they go but certainly not to remain there until the next hunting season. Late fall, winter, and spring all see me shooting my firearms when I have the chance. The indoor range may only be 25 yards long but it will do for something to stir up the boring doldrums that always seem to come with colder and drearier weather, and shorter days of this time of year. Yes I realize the days actually are getting longer after the first day of winter but they are still pretty short, and therefore pretty dreary and pretty boring pretty often even if they look pretty when covered with snow. I guess you can tell I am not a skier or I might feel differently.
So, since I don't practice many other wintertime activities, I like to shoot. Of course, there are other activities I enjoy over the winter, but none as much as shooting I suppose. I have my tropical fish tank to keep me busy, and my cool water tank too, and my reptiles and amphibians that all require care that helps me enjoy spending my time; but if I can get to the range to shoot, well that is just the best way for me to break up an otherwise monotonous day. I truly envy folks who live where they can utilize outdoor ranges in the winter while wearing only a light jacket, places like southern Arizona (I do love it there) but I live here in NY and make it work as well as I can. This year I may call the outdoor range that Brendan and I use to see if they are open throughout the winter for outdoor shooting. It might behoove us to try to get in some longer distance shooing than we normally do.We usually shoot at up to 50 yards. That is mostly because if we hunt here in NY, 50 to 75 yards is about the furthest distance we would shoot, with 25 to 50 being much more likely than the longer distance. Still though, shooting at 100 to 200 yards would be fun even if I could not see the target at 200 yards (only kidding about that last part). This would certainly give Brendan a chance to sharpen his shooting skills far beyond the point they are at now. I hope he will have enough time with school and all, but I think we ought to be able to swing one or two trips per month. I suppose that is a plan, and I will go with it if I do not go back to Tucson on another temporary work assignment. If I go to Tucson, I will push him to go to the range on his own.
Besides just shooting, the winter months are a great time to work on your firearms. This is a good time to add a scope, put on new sights, refinish a stock, reblue the metal and so on. I am not a gunsmith, so unless there is something wrong, I do not work on the actions (bolts, trigger groups, sears, etc...) of any of my firearms except to clean them. If they are broken and it looks too complicated for me to fix, I would send them off to a qualified gunsmith. Despite that though there is enough with which I can keep myself busy - for instance I may have to refinish the stock of one of my Mosin Nagants, and my Remington 870 stock sure could use some more boiled linseed oil and lots of elbow grease.
So what do you do with your guns over the winter. Are you one of those who puts them into the gun locker to await the next hunting season, or are you one of us who likes to shoot whenever the opportunity presents itself?
All the best,
Glenn B
Not me. Of course, this year I will make sure to take the scope off of my Marlin to see if any rust developed under the scope mount. Shame on me I did not do that at the end of last season and then earlier this year I found a lot of rust under the scope mount atop the receiver. Only surface rust and easily removed but so was some of the bluing. So I will make sure to get it done this year. For now a good squirt of WD-40 under there may help to keep out moisture. I do not use WD-40 on my firearms regularly because I do not like its properties, I much prefer Breakfree CLP to lubricate and protect my firearms but in this instance I can spray the WD-40 under the part and maybe that will work. I hope so.
I will also clean the rest of the guns that were used on the hunts, but they are simpler to clean since we did not use another scoped gun this year. Then into the gun locker they go but certainly not to remain there until the next hunting season. Late fall, winter, and spring all see me shooting my firearms when I have the chance. The indoor range may only be 25 yards long but it will do for something to stir up the boring doldrums that always seem to come with colder and drearier weather, and shorter days of this time of year. Yes I realize the days actually are getting longer after the first day of winter but they are still pretty short, and therefore pretty dreary and pretty boring pretty often even if they look pretty when covered with snow. I guess you can tell I am not a skier or I might feel differently.
So, since I don't practice many other wintertime activities, I like to shoot. Of course, there are other activities I enjoy over the winter, but none as much as shooting I suppose. I have my tropical fish tank to keep me busy, and my cool water tank too, and my reptiles and amphibians that all require care that helps me enjoy spending my time; but if I can get to the range to shoot, well that is just the best way for me to break up an otherwise monotonous day. I truly envy folks who live where they can utilize outdoor ranges in the winter while wearing only a light jacket, places like southern Arizona (I do love it there) but I live here in NY and make it work as well as I can. This year I may call the outdoor range that Brendan and I use to see if they are open throughout the winter for outdoor shooting. It might behoove us to try to get in some longer distance shooing than we normally do.We usually shoot at up to 50 yards. That is mostly because if we hunt here in NY, 50 to 75 yards is about the furthest distance we would shoot, with 25 to 50 being much more likely than the longer distance. Still though, shooting at 100 to 200 yards would be fun even if I could not see the target at 200 yards (only kidding about that last part). This would certainly give Brendan a chance to sharpen his shooting skills far beyond the point they are at now. I hope he will have enough time with school and all, but I think we ought to be able to swing one or two trips per month. I suppose that is a plan, and I will go with it if I do not go back to Tucson on another temporary work assignment. If I go to Tucson, I will push him to go to the range on his own.
Besides just shooting, the winter months are a great time to work on your firearms. This is a good time to add a scope, put on new sights, refinish a stock, reblue the metal and so on. I am not a gunsmith, so unless there is something wrong, I do not work on the actions (bolts, trigger groups, sears, etc...) of any of my firearms except to clean them. If they are broken and it looks too complicated for me to fix, I would send them off to a qualified gunsmith. Despite that though there is enough with which I can keep myself busy - for instance I may have to refinish the stock of one of my Mosin Nagants, and my Remington 870 stock sure could use some more boiled linseed oil and lots of elbow grease.
So what do you do with your guns over the winter. Are you one of those who puts them into the gun locker to await the next hunting season, or are you one of us who likes to shoot whenever the opportunity presents itself?
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Do You Have The Patience Required?
If you read my immediately previous post straight through, then I suppose that maybe you do. Sorry but that was sure a boomer on my part, a long one at that. I just measured it, 8 pages in MS Word format! Hope, that if you read it, you enjoyed it too. If you didn't read it, well read it in parts - it may be easier to take that way and may help you develop one of the finest hunting skills of all - Patience.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Still Hunting - A Lesson To Be Learned - Patience Required
The deer have won again...then again so did the squirrels. Yes I remembered to take along a .22 revolver this time, just in case I was stampeded by squirrels like the last time I went deer hunting a week ago. I don't know what it is about those little bushytailed nut thieves, maybe they can smell blued steel revolvers or maybe their eyesight is keen enough to discern certain looks of shiftiness on the faces of hunters. You know, the type of shifty eyed look that tries to convey being at one with nature, an animal lover, a nice guy bearing nuts-a-plenty but instead that is covering up the fact that I am a maniacal killer of forest friends who is on the prowl for the ingredients for a good sized pot of Brunswick Stew. Whatever it was - my not so nice and all too nefarious look -the smell of my blued steel Smith & Wesson Model 17, the good clip of the wind through the willows (yes it was whipping at a speed that would have made clipper ship seaman of your quite happy because with winds like that they probably would be home a week early) or just that they had me figured out because they listened to me muttering miserably at myself the week before for not having brought along a 22 - they were nowhere to be seen or heard!
On Friday, I started out kind of late. Now that may have had something to do with me not seeing anything that day but I doubt it. The fact that I was pretty hung over may have had more to do with it. I stayed in a hotel in Binghamton, NY that just happened to be about a block and a half from a busy little strip of bars in the downtown area. Being the curious type of adventurer that I am, I decided to check out most of them. Oh my aching head. Nothing that a good long snooze restful watch for critters while under a hickory (or was it a white oak) tree could not cure. After just a few seconds in the transcendental state of mind I rapidly achieved - little men bowling nine pins could not have disturbed me. While I was sleeping keeping my eyes peeled and pondering insightful thoughts about how to snare my next dinner, I was so engrossed in dreamland deep thought that maybe I missed a squirrel or three that came to visit because I was so intent on looking for deer. Of course, there were several times that I rolled over changed my point of view and looked for squirrels in the tree tops so maybe, just maybe, I missed a deer too. It is a tricky balance of ones powers of observation that must be maintained as one attempts to keep a sharp eyed lookout for denizens of the tree tops as well as for those of the forest floor. Just a glance in the wrong direction at the wrong moment, or the blink of an eye, let alone a relaxing slumber for a few seconds, and all hope of bagging supper can be lost. That is unless you have about $7 handy and there is a McDonald's nearby. Let me just say this: Rip Van Winkle had nothing on me - not even the dissatisfied wife. Well maybe he had the dog to bring along, my wife would not let me take one of ours.
Saturday was a different story. Where as I slept fine on Thursday night, late into Saturday morning for that matter, I suppose thanks to an overindulgence of fine spirits, it was the spirits that kept me awake on Friday night. On that fateful eve the winds began to howl and by the wee hours of the morning they were literally screeching or should I call it more akin to the whistling of the dead. Yeah that's it - the way whistling zombies would sound. At least that was how it sounded to me. Besides the howling and whistling giving me the heebie-jeebies keeping me awake for most of the night - I must also admit that when the window of my room was whipped open by the wind, then slammed shut, I jumped out of my bed about three feet straight up. When I landed - it was lucky for me - and for the hotel door and walls (and maybe for the guest in the next room) - that for some unknown reason I had left my pistol on the other side of the room instead of on the night stand as usual. I thought I was about to become the victim of a hotel room invasion. All in all, I was awakened on and off about twenty times, at least, by the howling of wind throughout the late night and early morning plus that one almost heart stopping slamming of the window. I can see now how it was that people who lived in drafty old houses were the best authors of ghost stories. It kept me awake almost all of the night, much like I suspect it would have kept you awake as your awaited the ghost ofBob Jacob Marley to announce the three ghosts of Christmas. After all, in the old days when awake at night what was there to do but make babies - or if by yourself then to light a candle and write. Of course, maybe you would have slept more soundly than me once you put your pistol under your pillow (I don't do that ever, and recommend against such - I only use this as a metaphor of security for a night full of howling, whistling wind and banging windows - otherwise you might shoot yourself). Must have been a night like that, in a cold and drafty house, without a gun nearby, and a lot of candles, a good quill with a deep inkpot, that inspired at least that part of Dickens' Christmas Carol. Let me tell you, I could have written a masterpiece that night by flashlight with a Bic. Next time, I am staying at Motel 6 where they leave a light on for you instead of at a place named after a Bing Crosby movie that is noisy and drafty!
So as it turned out, on Friday night/Saturday morning, I was pretty much wide eyed and awake when my alarm went off at 0345. Note I said wide eyed, not wide awake! As it turned out though, I was out in the woods before dawn. I can tell you this, on a cloud covered night, with the winds howling and screeching and the treetops snapping cracking and rustling as they are whipped into an angry frenzy because the wind is making so much noise - you have to be one brave son of a gun (there I go with guns again) to even step foot into the not so enchanting forest. Me, I was already to head out to my deer stand at about 0515 - about 10 minutes after I had parked my car on the roadside of the state forest. I had been thinking of waiting in the car and staying nice and toasty as I enjoyed my cup of Java from Mickey D's (not much else was open at that hour on the way to my hunting spot) but I decided if I wanted to really do my best to get a deer I had best be on my stand well before first light. So I was out of my car, with my trusty little head lamp strapped to my noggin (using the red light so as not to scare any of the forest beasties), and had just taken my very first step into the woods, having planted my left foot on terra-firma, when I heard large gust of wind, akin to a hurricane force gale going through a subway tunnel, go through the woods in front of me. That was followed by a loud cacophony of tortured sounds - the rustling, and slapping together of the treetops, the grinding together of tree against tree, an almost creaking moaning of the trees as if in protest, a vibration of the ground under my feet (I swear it so), and then a loud cracking noise followed by a crashing the din of which I have not heard even at construction sites in New York City. At least it sounded like that to an ardent observer like me - who at that precise moment had stopped in mid-second step with right foot in air so as to be able to take in every minute aspect of it though someone might have thought I looked like a deer frozen with fear in the headlights of an oncoming truck - almost as if the forest had just given me a warning - pass this way at your own peril!
All of a sudden, that have drunk coffee in the cup holder between the front seat of the Corolla was singing a sweet Siren's song of promised delights to me. I opted for the warmth of my heated car, a semi warm cup of Joe, and a Johnny Cash to keep me company either until the wind died down a bit or until I could see where I was going and not wind up directly in the path of a tree that looked as if it were about to be blown over. I could tell you precisely when first light came, that is if I had paid attention to the clock on my dashboard. For some reason, I was just checking to make sure my door was locked (about the 20th time or so since I got back in my car to stay safe toasty and comfortable, as the light turned on. It was ever so dim at first, almost imperceptible but when I looked up after checking the locks, I could see that the eastern sky was a bit grey where it had been dark, very dark, just moments ago. When I did look at the clock it was 0600 precisely, so maybe it was light just a minute or less before that. Still though, the forest was dark. It was not until about 0615 that I felt brave it was light enough for me to safely venture into the woods and head to my selected slumber hunting spot.
The walk to my stand was uneventful. The wind had died down some, but was still blowing at a pretty good clip. I don't know if it was because the wind had died down slightly, because dawn was well upon the forests in those parts, or because this time I took my first step with my right instead of left foot (not that I am superstitious mind you but because I am the curious type who always wonders about how one thing may effect another even if seemingly unrelated) but this time there was no angry din, the forest remained noisy but relatively calm as compared to its earlier state and nothing - like an old rotted tree trunk or a huge branch, that could have just as easily landed on me - crashed to the ground this time. I was about 10 paces down the old abandoned logging road toward my goal when I was suddenly illuminated by light much as if lightning had struck at my feet. Someone in a pickup truck had just turned in on the road and came darned close to hitting me. You would have thunk that the knucklehead driving had just seen me enter the woods as he drove up on my car parked at roadside but apparently he had not or maybe just wanted to give me a scare. If the latter was the case, little did he realize that I, the intrepid hunter and adventurer, had been given a run for the money by good old Mother Nature herself and there was nothing that was going to deter me from reaching completing my quest. About 10 minutes latter I was seated, in relative comfort under a tree. Was it an oak, a hickory, an ash, I know not, but it was to be my back rest for the next few hours. As it turned out, it really was a good hunting spot. No I did not bag a deer while there, but you certainly remember those other hunters in the pickup truck. Well they apparently spooked a deer and it came by me on the very trail off of which I was sitting awaiting just such an opportunity. The thing was it was still too dark to see, what with all the cloud cover it was a gray dawn indeed. I heard it go by though, and though perhaps I caught the glimpse of a ghoulish shade shadowy deer like figure pass me by. Then again, in that light, for all I know it could have been one of the other hunters trying to creep and crouch by me through the woods - that light, with the wind still moving around the bushes a bit - can play tricks on a guy.
Oh well, the rest of the morning, up until about 0930 was uneventful. I had wisely set the alarm on my cell phone to go off at 0930 and had put it on vibrate just in case a deer was about to get shot by me at that precise moment. I would not want to have ruined my concentration what with my alarm going off sending the deer into a leaping and bound run through the woods toward safer haven nor would I have wanted to be awakened my an unnatural sound after all the commotion of the night before. That is of course, had I been sleeping. I can tell you, and this is no lie, a tree of proper width against your back at proper angle with head propped and held in place by a folded sweater can be a comfortable and sleep alluring trap. Not for me though, I stayed wide awake - and I saw nothing. After that I tried rattling up a buck. Then I waited about another half an hour to see if a deer would actually show up after I made more commotion than had the forest with all the wind just hours before. Truth be told the wind was still giving a good blow now and again so I am none to sure the sound of the rattling carried all that far over the noise of the treetops whipping about.
Once I had waited that ever so long 30 minutes, I decided to get up and go with my plan. My plan was to get up and get going. No, I was not going home. I was going to do some Still Hunting. It is kind of funny, the vernacular of the hunt. You "sit" on a "stand" (yes you can stand to, but most sit sooner of later, some, but not me, even lay down and sleep) and you walk while you "still" hunt. 'Still Hunting' amounts to stalking game animals. It is not easy, it takes patience, skill and luck. I have the patience usually, and I have the skill; no bragging but I have walked to within 15 of deer, 30 to 40 feet of a bear, and about 20 feet of a bobcat before because, most of all, I was patient. That is most of the skill in still hunting - being and remaining patient. In other words you move slowly; it has sometimes taken me 3 hours to walk a mile while still hunting. The trick is to walk and make any movements slowly, to stop often, to wait from about 10 seconds to 2 minutes (or more) before walking on again, and to observe what is around you and to remain patient and let the deer move. I have had deer stand there looking at me, and actually had a young buck (button horn) walk right up to me and sniff me from only inches away, it took patience not too move. It was a thrilling experience. Patience would prove to be the ticket I needed to see deer on this hunt.
While out and about, I headed from south to north walking upstream against the course of a forest stream. No I was not in the water, but on a deer trail that ran along the stream. I passed on hunter in the woods who I saw had looked around and seen me (otherwise I would have spoken in a loud voice letting him know I was there but he waived acknowledgement of me - something I do not recommend when you do not know the other hunter and his hunting skills - people have been accidentally shot when they moved by other overzealous and less than safe other hunters). I waived back, but only because I was sure by his waive that he had seen me, and I continued on. All in all I probably walked 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile and the break neck pace which allowed me to do so in about an hour and a half. As I got to the point where the stream turned toward the west, I kept headed north. I was in a mixed forest of pines, hemlocks and hardwoods and the going was crunchy. There were an awful lot of branches on the ground (having been cut previously and what with the wind last night - the dead, dry, branches were in abundance in my path in this particular stretch of my path). Best as I could, I tried to avoid snapping branches, but at about 215 pounds with a 25 pound backpack and a 7 pound rifle, and some heavy clothing and boots, I weighed in easily at about 250. It is virtually impossible not to snap branches, but that really does not matter all that much if you do the rest of the Still Hunting thing right. It seems I was doing it right. I had made sure to eliminate my scent with proper washing before the hunt (using a scent eliminator soap), I had some deer scent on a drag (deer urine on a pad dragged behind me on a cord). I try to keep it off of me to avoid having a buck attack me either in a buck on buck rage or in a mating frenzy depending on which type of male or female deer pee I use. Either way, it would hurt and hunters have been attacked and hurt by bucks before.
Back to the hunt. As I said - this time I had again gotten it right despite the cracking of branches underfoot. Well part of it right anyhow. The stream bed was about ten feet lower than foot level for me down a gentle slope at that point. There was a fairly large down fall about 15 to 20 yards in front of me and to my left about 15 yards. I had stopped and just started walking again, I had taken one or two steps both of the rather crunchy variety when I saw two dashed of gray ghost like swaths moving toward me from behind the downfallen tree branches. All I could tell was that it was a large animal or animals, I was uncertain if it was a deer or a bear. I stopped and out stepped two does. One an average sized doe and the other one was pretty huge looking sort of like a large wooden barrel around her belly. I had to give a second look to make sure it was indeed a doe and not a buck but there were no antlers anywhere to be seen. My heart was immediately in overdrive, I suppose due to the quart of high test adrenalin that had just been flooded into my system. I froze, one deer just stopped directly in front of me - only 15 yards away at most, maybe even half that distance, but I'll say 15 yard because I know that tunnel vision during times like this makes things seem closer. I glanced to the left, moving just my eyes, and the other deer - yes there were two - was still behind the down fall though close to the end of it nearest me.
At that precise moment, a lot of things were coursing through my head like Santa's reindeer course through the nighttime skies on Christmas Eve - at the speed of impossible x 20: Should I move, should I stay frozen, should I try to take a shot - no don't shoot all you can see of the deer right in front of you is about 8 inches of its right hindquarter, there is a wide tree between you and it, did the deer stop like that on purpose, are deer that smart, my back is killing me, my hips are killing me, arthritis sucks, this is it, the big chance I have worked so long for is here, this is the moment, this is it, look at that huge doe right in front of me, damn that tree and whomever planted it there, her head is behind the tree she cannot see me, when the deer leaves it will present a shot, don't move, wait for the deer to move, as the deer walks away it will present it self from behind the tree, wait, don't move, why are you lifting up the rifle, she cannot see you - lift it get it ready , sight in on where she will come out from behind the tree, do it slowly, move very slowly, no don't move, why not, do it now, she cannot see you, okay I am doing it remember to quietly take it off of half cock, heck I already did that a second ago, finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, okay it's where it belongs, move slowly, you jerk too late there they go, oh ^%&*$%##@....." Yes I had lots of thoughts and the last one was a discordant symphony of me cursing myself for not being patient enough to let the deer make the next move and for not just standing still no matter how much I was ready to run a marathon with all that adrenalin coursing through my arteries.
Of course, she did not see me raise my rifle for a shot. Chances are, even if she had, had I waited and let the deer move first, she would not have been alarmed enough to run. They were not all that afraid of me, that is evidenced by them stopping. They were uncertain of what I presented to them. Was I a threat or a harmless forest beast? They almost assuredly had thought a buck was approaching, they come on none to cautiously when they think they are walking up on a ready to mate doe or on another buck itching for a fight. Does react to buck snapping branches and rustling the leaves in stride - as part of their lives - and they are attracted to it. I also had been using a buck call and a doe bleat. They may have thought it was a buck and doe approaching. They came right over toward me and were in no big hurry - that is until I raised my rifle. Once I moved like that, they made me out most assuredly as an upright threat, not as a four footed deer. Had they moved first, they may have trotted or walked of a little bit then stopped again. That is the way of deer, even ones slightly frightened and unsure of a possible threat. The one I had wanted to shoot could not see me, no way she could have, her view of me was blocked by the tree that blocked me from seeing most of her. For the life of me though, I have no idea how it is that I just completely disregarded the other deer that still could me.
I forgot all about that one in the matter of mere seconds. So when I raised my rifle, ever so slowly, that one was watching from about 17 to 20 yards away to my left from behind the deadfall. It took of like a bat out of hell, may have been shot at before, but certainly has encountered humans that scared it. Why had they not run outright. Well deer cannot see all that well, certainly they cannot distinguish a hunter from the background of trees with all that much ease, not even a hunter in blaze orange as was I. First of all, they are color blind. Secondly they have trouble distinguishing one thing from another. What they do not have though is trouble scenting things nor seeing movement. Their hearing is also good, but as I pointed out they can be deceived. They did not scent me, even though the wind was blowing from right to left carrying any scent from me right to them. They would have bolted right away or hidden behind the downfall had they scented me as human. Instead they came to me likely expecting another deer or two. It was only when I moved that it keyed in on me not being another deer. Both of them bolted, maybe more like Santa’s coursers is a better analogy that like a bat out of hell - but they were gone in almost no time. I did have a good opportunity for a running deer shot. The one I wanted presented a spine shot. I could have hit it, of that I am pretty certain, I am a fair shot. The thing is that they were within 50 yards of a road to the left, from when they came. Should they have veered that way and I followed with them in my sights, well then I may have shot and should I have missed there were cars of hunters along the road, and a house in that direction. They ran straight then right - further into the forest. I figured a shot at a running deer even toward the woods was a bad chance to take with all the other hunters out and about on state land. I waited about 10 minutes then tried to stalk them, but they had gone much further once spooked than they would have had I put into practice the most important hunting skill of all - patience.
If you doubt I would have gotten a shot had I been patient, let me just say you probably are very wrong. I once walked dup on three deer, two does and a fawn on my uncles farm. I was on an old overgrown logging road, they were coming across it, at least headed to et, feeding on acorns (or whatever) on the forest floor. I had stopped and was looking around slowly and there they were about 15 to 25 feet (not yards but feet) away from me just having come over a small rise. I had no human scent, I used deer scent, I was moving at a snail's pace and stopping frequently, and when I saw them I did not move. I stood there looking at them, only turning very slowly a few inches so I faced them straight on, and I watched them for at least 5 maybe 10 minutes. They had absolutely no clue that I was there, or if they did they ignored me totally as they got closer and closer while foraging in the leaf litter on the forest floor. I was hunting - not practicing as I had done often before. I had my shotgun, even if they ran I could have snap shot at least one of them. The thing was I had no doe permit, so I watched. After awhile my back started to ache badly. I also had on a small but fairly heavy pack then (I almost always have one when hunting). I squirmed a bit they did not notice. The big doe close, I probably could have jumped a bit and touched her before she took off - that close. I figured oh well, I'll take a shot doe permit or not. I fired a single shot into a safe backstop and the three deer took off for the life of them. I figured I would make them a bit more cautious and more fun to hunt the following year if I got a doe permit. I stayed put after the shot because while the two does ran over the rise in the direction from which they had come, the fawn hid in some pines and a down fall. It bleated and guess what. With about 5 minutes, the two does were back, the fawn had come to their sides, and they were feeding again right there in front of me. This time though I was moving a bit more because I was uncomfortable from the pack and from holding my shotgun all the while pretty much without moving except to fire the shot. The older doe came very close to me but this time realized something was afoot. She sniffed a few times in my direction, snorted, stomped her front hooves but I did not move. Then she came even closer sniffed, snorted loudly and took off for parts unknown followed by the other two. Why - probably smelled the burnt gunpowder residue - enough of a foreign smell to spook her.
The whole point is, had I been patient with the two deer on this recent hunting trip - I likely would have scored some venison for the table. There is no way to know how you will react and then continue to act in any given circumstance. Other deer have fallen to my guns before because I remained patient. This time though, I don't know what it was - was it the hangover of the day before, combined with a lousy night's sleep caused by the howling wind that had me thinking Jacob Marley's ghost was about to introduce me to those other three specters in my hotel room, or just my buddy Arthur I. Tis who always accompanies me nowadays (and is a pain in the neck and back and joints) and who was especially bothersome with that backpack on my back, or if it was just the excitement of seeing a shot present itself like that after my not having bagged a deer in a few years now - but patient I was not. In fact, I was so impatient as to have completely disregarded, in fact forgotten, all about the other deer that was watching me as I raised my rifle. While I can blame a lot of things for my impatience it all comes down to it being me who is still hunting and that is what happens to most hunters who try to Still Hunt!
Mind you, I did have one more opportunity to hunt coming up. That would have been today. Truth be told tough, while I faced lots of perils in my life, especially during my 30 year career as a federal agent, I can say without a doubt I was not brave enough to go at it again. Maybe it was just the prospect of spending another night facing the unknown - I mean who knowingly plans on getting hangover, or trying to sleep in noisy, drafty hotel on a windblown night, or to walk through the woods in the dark as huge limbs crash to the earth after being broken by a gale. So I decided to take the safer course and to head for home last night, besides that I was just not patient enough to give it another day and as I have said somewhere before - patience is required. Funny, I am not a patient guy at home but I can be while out hunting. Anyway, I would rather face the prospects of an accident with one of the many crazed and raging impatient motorists on the New York highways, even the part of it through sections of New York City, than to face the prospect of hoping another day would do the trick. That would mean that I would have had to have remained patient enough and have all else go right enough again other than having my hopes come crashing down as did that tree limb in the windstorm - or those deer go crashing through the woods - both scenes not witnessed and unthought-of by any but one impatient man.
I decided to be patient and wait until next weekend or the one after that because until the season ends, tere is always next weekend, or the one after that, if I can get one of our cars. Who knows, maybe by then I will have gone over this failed hunt enough times in my mind to really learn the lesson that I should have already known about patience and Still Hunting. If not, then maybe I will, at least, embarrass myself into getting it right the next time I have a dream shot like that with a deer only 15 yards away presenting itself broadside to me. And no, no matter what you may be thinking by now, I do not mean to infer that I was dreaming when it happened.
All the best,
Glenn B
On Friday, I started out kind of late. Now that may have had something to do with me not seeing anything that day but I doubt it. The fact that I was pretty hung over may have had more to do with it. I stayed in a hotel in Binghamton, NY that just happened to be about a block and a half from a busy little strip of bars in the downtown area. Being the curious type of adventurer that I am, I decided to check out most of them. Oh my aching head. Nothing that a good long snooze restful watch for critters while under a hickory (or was it a white oak) tree could not cure. After just a few seconds in the transcendental state of mind I rapidly achieved - little men bowling nine pins could not have disturbed me. While I was sleeping keeping my eyes peeled and pondering insightful thoughts about how to snare my next dinner, I was so engrossed in dreamland deep thought that maybe I missed a squirrel or three that came to visit because I was so intent on looking for deer. Of course, there were several times that I rolled over changed my point of view and looked for squirrels in the tree tops so maybe, just maybe, I missed a deer too. It is a tricky balance of ones powers of observation that must be maintained as one attempts to keep a sharp eyed lookout for denizens of the tree tops as well as for those of the forest floor. Just a glance in the wrong direction at the wrong moment, or the blink of an eye, let alone a relaxing slumber for a few seconds, and all hope of bagging supper can be lost. That is unless you have about $7 handy and there is a McDonald's nearby. Let me just say this: Rip Van Winkle had nothing on me - not even the dissatisfied wife. Well maybe he had the dog to bring along, my wife would not let me take one of ours.
Saturday was a different story. Where as I slept fine on Thursday night, late into Saturday morning for that matter, I suppose thanks to an overindulgence of fine spirits, it was the spirits that kept me awake on Friday night. On that fateful eve the winds began to howl and by the wee hours of the morning they were literally screeching or should I call it more akin to the whistling of the dead. Yeah that's it - the way whistling zombies would sound. At least that was how it sounded to me. Besides the howling and whistling giving me the heebie-jeebies keeping me awake for most of the night - I must also admit that when the window of my room was whipped open by the wind, then slammed shut, I jumped out of my bed about three feet straight up. When I landed - it was lucky for me - and for the hotel door and walls (and maybe for the guest in the next room) - that for some unknown reason I had left my pistol on the other side of the room instead of on the night stand as usual. I thought I was about to become the victim of a hotel room invasion. All in all, I was awakened on and off about twenty times, at least, by the howling of wind throughout the late night and early morning plus that one almost heart stopping slamming of the window. I can see now how it was that people who lived in drafty old houses were the best authors of ghost stories. It kept me awake almost all of the night, much like I suspect it would have kept you awake as your awaited the ghost of
So as it turned out, on Friday night/Saturday morning, I was pretty much wide eyed and awake when my alarm went off at 0345. Note I said wide eyed, not wide awake! As it turned out though, I was out in the woods before dawn. I can tell you this, on a cloud covered night, with the winds howling and screeching and the treetops snapping cracking and rustling as they are whipped into an angry frenzy because the wind is making so much noise - you have to be one brave son of a gun (there I go with guns again) to even step foot into the not so enchanting forest. Me, I was already to head out to my deer stand at about 0515 - about 10 minutes after I had parked my car on the roadside of the state forest. I had been thinking of waiting in the car and staying nice and toasty as I enjoyed my cup of Java from Mickey D's (not much else was open at that hour on the way to my hunting spot) but I decided if I wanted to really do my best to get a deer I had best be on my stand well before first light. So I was out of my car, with my trusty little head lamp strapped to my noggin (using the red light so as not to scare any of the forest beasties), and had just taken my very first step into the woods, having planted my left foot on terra-firma, when I heard large gust of wind, akin to a hurricane force gale going through a subway tunnel, go through the woods in front of me. That was followed by a loud cacophony of tortured sounds - the rustling, and slapping together of the treetops, the grinding together of tree against tree, an almost creaking moaning of the trees as if in protest, a vibration of the ground under my feet (I swear it so), and then a loud cracking noise followed by a crashing the din of which I have not heard even at construction sites in New York City. At least it sounded like that to an ardent observer like me - who at that precise moment had stopped in mid-second step with right foot in air so as to be able to take in every minute aspect of it though someone might have thought I looked like a deer frozen with fear in the headlights of an oncoming truck - almost as if the forest had just given me a warning - pass this way at your own peril!
All of a sudden, that have drunk coffee in the cup holder between the front seat of the Corolla was singing a sweet Siren's song of promised delights to me. I opted for the warmth of my heated car, a semi warm cup of Joe, and a Johnny Cash to keep me company either until the wind died down a bit or until I could see where I was going and not wind up directly in the path of a tree that looked as if it were about to be blown over. I could tell you precisely when first light came, that is if I had paid attention to the clock on my dashboard. For some reason, I was just checking to make sure my door was locked (about the 20th time or so since I got back in my car to stay safe toasty and comfortable, as the light turned on. It was ever so dim at first, almost imperceptible but when I looked up after checking the locks, I could see that the eastern sky was a bit grey where it had been dark, very dark, just moments ago. When I did look at the clock it was 0600 precisely, so maybe it was light just a minute or less before that. Still though, the forest was dark. It was not until about 0615 that I felt brave it was light enough for me to safely venture into the woods and head to my selected slumber hunting spot.
The walk to my stand was uneventful. The wind had died down some, but was still blowing at a pretty good clip. I don't know if it was because the wind had died down slightly, because dawn was well upon the forests in those parts, or because this time I took my first step with my right instead of left foot (not that I am superstitious mind you but because I am the curious type who always wonders about how one thing may effect another even if seemingly unrelated) but this time there was no angry din, the forest remained noisy but relatively calm as compared to its earlier state and nothing - like an old rotted tree trunk or a huge branch, that could have just as easily landed on me - crashed to the ground this time. I was about 10 paces down the old abandoned logging road toward my goal when I was suddenly illuminated by light much as if lightning had struck at my feet. Someone in a pickup truck had just turned in on the road and came darned close to hitting me. You would have thunk that the knucklehead driving had just seen me enter the woods as he drove up on my car parked at roadside but apparently he had not or maybe just wanted to give me a scare. If the latter was the case, little did he realize that I, the intrepid hunter and adventurer, had been given a run for the money by good old Mother Nature herself and there was nothing that was going to deter me from reaching completing my quest. About 10 minutes latter I was seated, in relative comfort under a tree. Was it an oak, a hickory, an ash, I know not, but it was to be my back rest for the next few hours. As it turned out, it really was a good hunting spot. No I did not bag a deer while there, but you certainly remember those other hunters in the pickup truck. Well they apparently spooked a deer and it came by me on the very trail off of which I was sitting awaiting just such an opportunity. The thing was it was still too dark to see, what with all the cloud cover it was a gray dawn indeed. I heard it go by though, and though perhaps I caught the glimpse of a ghoulish shade shadowy deer like figure pass me by. Then again, in that light, for all I know it could have been one of the other hunters trying to creep and crouch by me through the woods - that light, with the wind still moving around the bushes a bit - can play tricks on a guy.
Oh well, the rest of the morning, up until about 0930 was uneventful. I had wisely set the alarm on my cell phone to go off at 0930 and had put it on vibrate just in case a deer was about to get shot by me at that precise moment. I would not want to have ruined my concentration what with my alarm going off sending the deer into a leaping and bound run through the woods toward safer haven nor would I have wanted to be awakened my an unnatural sound after all the commotion of the night before. That is of course, had I been sleeping. I can tell you, and this is no lie, a tree of proper width against your back at proper angle with head propped and held in place by a folded sweater can be a comfortable and sleep alluring trap. Not for me though, I stayed wide awake - and I saw nothing. After that I tried rattling up a buck. Then I waited about another half an hour to see if a deer would actually show up after I made more commotion than had the forest with all the wind just hours before. Truth be told the wind was still giving a good blow now and again so I am none to sure the sound of the rattling carried all that far over the noise of the treetops whipping about.
Once I had waited that ever so long 30 minutes, I decided to get up and go with my plan. My plan was to get up and get going. No, I was not going home. I was going to do some Still Hunting. It is kind of funny, the vernacular of the hunt. You "sit" on a "stand" (yes you can stand to, but most sit sooner of later, some, but not me, even lay down and sleep) and you walk while you "still" hunt. 'Still Hunting' amounts to stalking game animals. It is not easy, it takes patience, skill and luck. I have the patience usually, and I have the skill; no bragging but I have walked to within 15 of deer, 30 to 40 feet of a bear, and about 20 feet of a bobcat before because, most of all, I was patient. That is most of the skill in still hunting - being and remaining patient. In other words you move slowly; it has sometimes taken me 3 hours to walk a mile while still hunting. The trick is to walk and make any movements slowly, to stop often, to wait from about 10 seconds to 2 minutes (or more) before walking on again, and to observe what is around you and to remain patient and let the deer move. I have had deer stand there looking at me, and actually had a young buck (button horn) walk right up to me and sniff me from only inches away, it took patience not too move. It was a thrilling experience. Patience would prove to be the ticket I needed to see deer on this hunt.
While out and about, I headed from south to north walking upstream against the course of a forest stream. No I was not in the water, but on a deer trail that ran along the stream. I passed on hunter in the woods who I saw had looked around and seen me (otherwise I would have spoken in a loud voice letting him know I was there but he waived acknowledgement of me - something I do not recommend when you do not know the other hunter and his hunting skills - people have been accidentally shot when they moved by other overzealous and less than safe other hunters). I waived back, but only because I was sure by his waive that he had seen me, and I continued on. All in all I probably walked 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile and the break neck pace which allowed me to do so in about an hour and a half. As I got to the point where the stream turned toward the west, I kept headed north. I was in a mixed forest of pines, hemlocks and hardwoods and the going was crunchy. There were an awful lot of branches on the ground (having been cut previously and what with the wind last night - the dead, dry, branches were in abundance in my path in this particular stretch of my path). Best as I could, I tried to avoid snapping branches, but at about 215 pounds with a 25 pound backpack and a 7 pound rifle, and some heavy clothing and boots, I weighed in easily at about 250. It is virtually impossible not to snap branches, but that really does not matter all that much if you do the rest of the Still Hunting thing right. It seems I was doing it right. I had made sure to eliminate my scent with proper washing before the hunt (using a scent eliminator soap), I had some deer scent on a drag (deer urine on a pad dragged behind me on a cord). I try to keep it off of me to avoid having a buck attack me either in a buck on buck rage or in a mating frenzy depending on which type of male or female deer pee I use. Either way, it would hurt and hunters have been attacked and hurt by bucks before.
Back to the hunt. As I said - this time I had again gotten it right despite the cracking of branches underfoot. Well part of it right anyhow. The stream bed was about ten feet lower than foot level for me down a gentle slope at that point. There was a fairly large down fall about 15 to 20 yards in front of me and to my left about 15 yards. I had stopped and just started walking again, I had taken one or two steps both of the rather crunchy variety when I saw two dashed of gray ghost like swaths moving toward me from behind the downfallen tree branches. All I could tell was that it was a large animal or animals, I was uncertain if it was a deer or a bear. I stopped and out stepped two does. One an average sized doe and the other one was pretty huge looking sort of like a large wooden barrel around her belly. I had to give a second look to make sure it was indeed a doe and not a buck but there were no antlers anywhere to be seen. My heart was immediately in overdrive, I suppose due to the quart of high test adrenalin that had just been flooded into my system. I froze, one deer just stopped directly in front of me - only 15 yards away at most, maybe even half that distance, but I'll say 15 yard because I know that tunnel vision during times like this makes things seem closer. I glanced to the left, moving just my eyes, and the other deer - yes there were two - was still behind the down fall though close to the end of it nearest me.
At that precise moment, a lot of things were coursing through my head like Santa's reindeer course through the nighttime skies on Christmas Eve - at the speed of impossible x 20: Should I move, should I stay frozen, should I try to take a shot - no don't shoot all you can see of the deer right in front of you is about 8 inches of its right hindquarter, there is a wide tree between you and it, did the deer stop like that on purpose, are deer that smart, my back is killing me, my hips are killing me, arthritis sucks, this is it, the big chance I have worked so long for is here, this is the moment, this is it, look at that huge doe right in front of me, damn that tree and whomever planted it there, her head is behind the tree she cannot see me, when the deer leaves it will present a shot, don't move, wait for the deer to move, as the deer walks away it will present it self from behind the tree, wait, don't move, why are you lifting up the rifle, she cannot see you - lift it get it ready , sight in on where she will come out from behind the tree, do it slowly, move very slowly, no don't move, why not, do it now, she cannot see you, okay I am doing it remember to quietly take it off of half cock, heck I already did that a second ago, finger off the trigger until ready to shoot, okay it's where it belongs, move slowly, you jerk too late there they go, oh ^%&*$%##@....." Yes I had lots of thoughts and the last one was a discordant symphony of me cursing myself for not being patient enough to let the deer make the next move and for not just standing still no matter how much I was ready to run a marathon with all that adrenalin coursing through my arteries.
Of course, she did not see me raise my rifle for a shot. Chances are, even if she had, had I waited and let the deer move first, she would not have been alarmed enough to run. They were not all that afraid of me, that is evidenced by them stopping. They were uncertain of what I presented to them. Was I a threat or a harmless forest beast? They almost assuredly had thought a buck was approaching, they come on none to cautiously when they think they are walking up on a ready to mate doe or on another buck itching for a fight. Does react to buck snapping branches and rustling the leaves in stride - as part of their lives - and they are attracted to it. I also had been using a buck call and a doe bleat. They may have thought it was a buck and doe approaching. They came right over toward me and were in no big hurry - that is until I raised my rifle. Once I moved like that, they made me out most assuredly as an upright threat, not as a four footed deer. Had they moved first, they may have trotted or walked of a little bit then stopped again. That is the way of deer, even ones slightly frightened and unsure of a possible threat. The one I had wanted to shoot could not see me, no way she could have, her view of me was blocked by the tree that blocked me from seeing most of her. For the life of me though, I have no idea how it is that I just completely disregarded the other deer that still could me.
I forgot all about that one in the matter of mere seconds. So when I raised my rifle, ever so slowly, that one was watching from about 17 to 20 yards away to my left from behind the deadfall. It took of like a bat out of hell, may have been shot at before, but certainly has encountered humans that scared it. Why had they not run outright. Well deer cannot see all that well, certainly they cannot distinguish a hunter from the background of trees with all that much ease, not even a hunter in blaze orange as was I. First of all, they are color blind. Secondly they have trouble distinguishing one thing from another. What they do not have though is trouble scenting things nor seeing movement. Their hearing is also good, but as I pointed out they can be deceived. They did not scent me, even though the wind was blowing from right to left carrying any scent from me right to them. They would have bolted right away or hidden behind the downfall had they scented me as human. Instead they came to me likely expecting another deer or two. It was only when I moved that it keyed in on me not being another deer. Both of them bolted, maybe more like Santa’s coursers is a better analogy that like a bat out of hell - but they were gone in almost no time. I did have a good opportunity for a running deer shot. The one I wanted presented a spine shot. I could have hit it, of that I am pretty certain, I am a fair shot. The thing is that they were within 50 yards of a road to the left, from when they came. Should they have veered that way and I followed with them in my sights, well then I may have shot and should I have missed there were cars of hunters along the road, and a house in that direction. They ran straight then right - further into the forest. I figured a shot at a running deer even toward the woods was a bad chance to take with all the other hunters out and about on state land. I waited about 10 minutes then tried to stalk them, but they had gone much further once spooked than they would have had I put into practice the most important hunting skill of all - patience.
If you doubt I would have gotten a shot had I been patient, let me just say you probably are very wrong. I once walked dup on three deer, two does and a fawn on my uncles farm. I was on an old overgrown logging road, they were coming across it, at least headed to et, feeding on acorns (or whatever) on the forest floor. I had stopped and was looking around slowly and there they were about 15 to 25 feet (not yards but feet) away from me just having come over a small rise. I had no human scent, I used deer scent, I was moving at a snail's pace and stopping frequently, and when I saw them I did not move. I stood there looking at them, only turning very slowly a few inches so I faced them straight on, and I watched them for at least 5 maybe 10 minutes. They had absolutely no clue that I was there, or if they did they ignored me totally as they got closer and closer while foraging in the leaf litter on the forest floor. I was hunting - not practicing as I had done often before. I had my shotgun, even if they ran I could have snap shot at least one of them. The thing was I had no doe permit, so I watched. After awhile my back started to ache badly. I also had on a small but fairly heavy pack then (I almost always have one when hunting). I squirmed a bit they did not notice. The big doe close, I probably could have jumped a bit and touched her before she took off - that close. I figured oh well, I'll take a shot doe permit or not. I fired a single shot into a safe backstop and the three deer took off for the life of them. I figured I would make them a bit more cautious and more fun to hunt the following year if I got a doe permit. I stayed put after the shot because while the two does ran over the rise in the direction from which they had come, the fawn hid in some pines and a down fall. It bleated and guess what. With about 5 minutes, the two does were back, the fawn had come to their sides, and they were feeding again right there in front of me. This time though I was moving a bit more because I was uncomfortable from the pack and from holding my shotgun all the while pretty much without moving except to fire the shot. The older doe came very close to me but this time realized something was afoot. She sniffed a few times in my direction, snorted, stomped her front hooves but I did not move. Then she came even closer sniffed, snorted loudly and took off for parts unknown followed by the other two. Why - probably smelled the burnt gunpowder residue - enough of a foreign smell to spook her.
The whole point is, had I been patient with the two deer on this recent hunting trip - I likely would have scored some venison for the table. There is no way to know how you will react and then continue to act in any given circumstance. Other deer have fallen to my guns before because I remained patient. This time though, I don't know what it was - was it the hangover of the day before, combined with a lousy night's sleep caused by the howling wind that had me thinking Jacob Marley's ghost was about to introduce me to those other three specters in my hotel room, or just my buddy Arthur I. Tis who always accompanies me nowadays (and is a pain in the neck and back and joints) and who was especially bothersome with that backpack on my back, or if it was just the excitement of seeing a shot present itself like that after my not having bagged a deer in a few years now - but patient I was not. In fact, I was so impatient as to have completely disregarded, in fact forgotten, all about the other deer that was watching me as I raised my rifle. While I can blame a lot of things for my impatience it all comes down to it being me who is still hunting and that is what happens to most hunters who try to Still Hunt!
Mind you, I did have one more opportunity to hunt coming up. That would have been today. Truth be told tough, while I faced lots of perils in my life, especially during my 30 year career as a federal agent, I can say without a doubt I was not brave enough to go at it again. Maybe it was just the prospect of spending another night facing the unknown - I mean who knowingly plans on getting hangover, or trying to sleep in noisy, drafty hotel on a windblown night, or to walk through the woods in the dark as huge limbs crash to the earth after being broken by a gale. So I decided to take the safer course and to head for home last night, besides that I was just not patient enough to give it another day and as I have said somewhere before - patience is required. Funny, I am not a patient guy at home but I can be while out hunting. Anyway, I would rather face the prospects of an accident with one of the many crazed and raging impatient motorists on the New York highways, even the part of it through sections of New York City, than to face the prospect of hoping another day would do the trick. That would mean that I would have had to have remained patient enough and have all else go right enough again other than having my hopes come crashing down as did that tree limb in the windstorm - or those deer go crashing through the woods - both scenes not witnessed and unthought-of by any but one impatient man.
I decided to be patient and wait until next weekend or the one after that because until the season ends, tere is always next weekend, or the one after that, if I can get one of our cars. Who knows, maybe by then I will have gone over this failed hunt enough times in my mind to really learn the lesson that I should have already known about patience and Still Hunting. If not, then maybe I will, at least, embarrass myself into getting it right the next time I have a dream shot like that with a deer only 15 yards away presenting itself broadside to me. And no, no matter what you may be thinking by now, I do not mean to infer that I was dreaming when it happened.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thanksgiving Dinner Over And All Gone - I Am Going Hunting...
Well dinner is not all gone, there are plenty of leftovers even though we had a pretty small bird at just over 10 pounds for this year's dinner. We also had butternut squash with lots of garlic, stuffing made with corn muffins, pecans, almonds, shitake mushrooms, raisins and whatever else was in there (some made in the bird, the rest made in a casserole dish in the over), baked potatoes, asparagus, and Brussels sprouts. What a dope, I should have taken a picture because not only did it taste great but it was picture perfect too! Only Linda, myself, Celina, Brendan and my mother-in-law were together this year.
Celina and I took my mom out last night. She is in an assisted living place and has a hard time walking any distance and stairs. Since she cannot make it to our bathrooms what with the stairs to climb we went to her to take her out; my sister, brother-in-law and nephew will visit with her today. My brother is otherwise engaged and cannot make any dinner's tonight, and my sister-in-law (his wife) is going to her relatives for dinner. Of my wife's 2 brothers, one is working and the other had other plans for today.
Now that dinner is out of the way, it is time for me to go pack whatever I need to go hunting again - almost all of it is already packed though. Brendan has to stay home to get homework done and to study for finals so I will be afield solo. It is going to get him fairly upset, while at the same time making him happy, if I get one when I am by myself. I will miss him for sure. I have a full belly, the car has a full tank of gas, I have a shotgun and a rifle to bring along - and this time I will not forget a 22 pistol too for squirrels while I am out with either the slug barrel on the shotgun or the rifle - and heck, I have got to go soon so I had best finish up here.
Hope all of you had a very nice and happy Thanksgiving. For those of you who are under the weather, ill or otherwise, you are in my thoughts and I said a prayer for you before dinner. I did likewise for our guys and gals in Harm's way on foreign soil too. Hopefully they had something to celebrate today with the news that our commander in chief is finally supposed to announce his plan to win the war in Afghanistan - well to increase troop numbers anyhow. I truly do not know if we can win with him in command. I hope we can. That is more than enough about politics - I just wished you a happy Thanksgiving and meant it too, so I do not need to ruin your day with more political babble.
Probably no blogging from me until Sunday night.
All the best,
Glenn B
Celina and I took my mom out last night. She is in an assisted living place and has a hard time walking any distance and stairs. Since she cannot make it to our bathrooms what with the stairs to climb we went to her to take her out; my sister, brother-in-law and nephew will visit with her today. My brother is otherwise engaged and cannot make any dinner's tonight, and my sister-in-law (his wife) is going to her relatives for dinner. Of my wife's 2 brothers, one is working and the other had other plans for today.
Now that dinner is out of the way, it is time for me to go pack whatever I need to go hunting again - almost all of it is already packed though. Brendan has to stay home to get homework done and to study for finals so I will be afield solo. It is going to get him fairly upset, while at the same time making him happy, if I get one when I am by myself. I will miss him for sure. I have a full belly, the car has a full tank of gas, I have a shotgun and a rifle to bring along - and this time I will not forget a 22 pistol too for squirrels while I am out with either the slug barrel on the shotgun or the rifle - and heck, I have got to go soon so I had best finish up here.
Hope all of you had a very nice and happy Thanksgiving. For those of you who are under the weather, ill or otherwise, you are in my thoughts and I said a prayer for you before dinner. I did likewise for our guys and gals in Harm's way on foreign soil too. Hopefully they had something to celebrate today with the news that our commander in chief is finally supposed to announce his plan to win the war in Afghanistan - well to increase troop numbers anyhow. I truly do not know if we can win with him in command. I hope we can. That is more than enough about politics - I just wished you a happy Thanksgiving and meant it too, so I do not need to ruin your day with more political babble.
Probably no blogging from me until Sunday night.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Funny Thing About Coincidence...
...it happens right when you least expect it. Today, I found out that a blogger whom I link to and whose blog I have enjoyed for years, has cancer. I was shocked and saddened and very surprised I had not realized such sooner since I do read his blog but somehow missed it.
Then, maybe an hour, or two later at the most, I found out that my father is dying of cancer and needs to go into a hospice. Again I was not keeping in touch as maybe I should have but then again he and I have not kept in touch. It has been a very cold relationship - really no realtionship at all for years now - that I will not go into further.
It just amazes me how coincidence works, that I would learn, in one day, of two people I know having cancer. It is often said that bad news, or bad things, come in threes. I certainly hope not.
All the best,
Glenn B
Then, maybe an hour, or two later at the most, I found out that my father is dying of cancer and needs to go into a hospice. Again I was not keeping in touch as maybe I should have but then again he and I have not kept in touch. It has been a very cold relationship - really no realtionship at all for years now - that I will not go into further.
It just amazes me how coincidence works, that I would learn, in one day, of two people I know having cancer. It is often said that bad news, or bad things, come in threes. I certainly hope not.
All the best,
Glenn B
Soldiers' Holiday Care Package Donations
Well, it is one day before Thanksgiving and not one red cent has been donated to my drive for the Soldiers' Holiday care packages for my assigned solider from Soldiers' Angels this year. To say the least, I am amazed and puzzled. Over the past 2, or is it 3, years you all have been very generous. I can say that without a doubt the soldiers have appreciated that very much. Maybe I just have not publisized it enough - so I have moved the link for donations to the top right side of my blog page. It is now much harder to miss.
Time is running short for me to be able to go out shopping and to get the packages sent out in time for the holidays. It would really help to raise the spirits of our young men and women on foreign soil, who are protecting our freedom, if we could get together to send them some special and extra nice gifts for Christmas and Chanukah as we have done in the past. I do not care how much you donate, even a dollar would help.
All donations (after PayPal takes it cut) go toward the purchase of items that go into the packages. I pay all shipping costs out of my own pocket and I donate at least $25 for the purchase of items per package we send.
I also want to take the opportunity here to thank Al S. and Jim McK. from my job for their donations, for my current soldier, that went to the package I sent out prior to the Holiday Care Packages.
All the best,
Glenn B
Time is running short for me to be able to go out shopping and to get the packages sent out in time for the holidays. It would really help to raise the spirits of our young men and women on foreign soil, who are protecting our freedom, if we could get together to send them some special and extra nice gifts for Christmas and Chanukah as we have done in the past. I do not care how much you donate, even a dollar would help.
All donations (after PayPal takes it cut) go toward the purchase of items that go into the packages. I pay all shipping costs out of my own pocket and I donate at least $25 for the purchase of items per package we send.
I also want to take the opportunity here to thank Al S. and Jim McK. from my job for their donations, for my current soldier, that went to the package I sent out prior to the Holiday Care Packages.
All the best,
Glenn B
Right Wing Prof. - Keep Him In Your Prayers
Right Wing Prof. of Right Wing Nation and of Central Pennsylvania Orthodox is ill, very ill. He has cancer, and it does not sound good, in fact it sounds dismal - yet somehow he sounds strong. I have enjoyed his writing for a few years now but apparently had not been keeping up with my blog reading because I was absolutely shocked to find out about his health problems. I remember reading in October that he had fallen and fractured his spine and wound up in the hospital; then the next thing I realized was that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer of a type that metathesizes in the bones.Heck, I just realized, I do not even know the man's name. Yet, there are tears in my eyes just from knowing him through his blog - Right Wing Nation.
Please, keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Deer Hunt Results: Us - Still Hunting, Deer - Still Laughing; My Advice: Bring a Squirrel Gun on a Deer Hunt
What could be better than a couple or three days of deer hunting in the woods with your son? Well, for me three days in the woods with my son could only have been made better had we at least seen a deer! Man - this hunting on state land ain't easy; it sure is a lot tougher than hunting on a farm or on any private property of which you know the lay of the land and to which you visit frequently. When my uncle owned his farm, not 2 miles from where we chose to hunt this year, I saw deer on almost every hunting trip I made there. Sure, sometimes I saw only does and fawns when I did not have a doe permit, and other times I saw deer to far away to get off a shot with my shotgun, and other times I just missed the shot, but I did see deer. This hunting on state land though baffles me. Of course I went on a few scouting trips to the spot at which we wound up. I did all the things the books and outdoor magazines say to do. I have been there before too, many times over the years, and I know where deer sign has been over the years, same place as it is now. Yet, we did not see even one white hair of a white-tailed's tail! Our trip was disappointing in that regard but it had other rewards.Brendan and I got out in the woods together on Friday, the day before deer season. I do not like going to my stand that soon before the hunt, I would rather visit my stand a week before the hunt but Brendan had not been there yet this year. I wanted him to be able to get out there before the hunt to see where it was that we would be hiking to at zero dark 30 on opening day. Less chance of an accident that way. While we looked around we made sure that we had the Remington 870 with the 28 inch barrel attached to it. That way, should we stumble across some turkey or some squirrels we might wind up with dinner. Brendan spotted a gray squirrel about 25 to 30 yards away and pointed it out to me. He had a perfect shot but the thing was he did not take it. When I asked why he pointed it out to me instead of shooting it, he said he thought it was too far away. Granted 30 yards would be about the maximum range for effective hunting with that gun, but I think it was within that range. Oh well - one missed opportunity.
Come Saturday and opening morning of deer season we set out from our room at Motel 6 in Binghamton, NY toward Windsor at about 0330-0345. We got to the hunting area at about 0410. Not to cold but certainly not warm out at the time but we were ready for it. We grabbed what gear we needed and headed out into the woods with small LED headlamps for illumination. used to be illegal for deer hunters in New York to go afield with lights and deer rifles or slug guns, but thankfully times have changed and now I do not have to commit a criminal act to avoid falling over a deadfall or into a woodchuck hole as I walk through the dark forest with my hunting gun. We, as rote, walk the woods with unloaded guns in the dark for safety reasons; we only load at out stands. I imagine though some others trudge through the woods with loaded gun at that hour and without a light the footing can be treacherous. The combination of loaded gun and walking through darkened woods is one that adds up to the potential for disaster so it is a good thing lights are now okay. Of course, it would be better if everyone also kept their guns unloaded until they reached their spots but not everyone is as safety minded as are we when it comes to guns.
We both walked to Brendan's stand. I wanted to make sure he would not miss it. That would have been difficult what with all the orange tape and reflective tacks I had marking the trail but I am the ever watchful father and will be for life (I helped him make it this far and plan to help him keep going for as long as I can). So, even if he is 19 and about to be 20, I walked to his stand with him and gave him deer hunting advice along the way. Then I went off on my own back to where I planned to make my stand. We sat on stands about 1/6 to 1/4 of a mile apart (yeah, I know - if you don't deer hunt you are wondering why we 'sat' on a 'stand' - some other time for the explanation). As for the site we chose for Brendan it was in a natural funnel that had the deer coming into it from from a homeowners green grassy lawn and apple trees. There was a lot of deer sign. There were a few deer trails coming out of a swampy area (which was between his stand and the grassy area), one coming from along a stream (the stream that fed the swamp), and a few coming out of the woods. There was deer poop galore. His spot had at least 7 scrapes with 50 yards, most within 25 yards. Those scrapes were active too!
So what did he see - a woodpecker, a squirrel, some chickadees. The chickadees were right over his head pecking at the tree under which he sat and looking for whatever it is that peck at when flying from bush to tree to bush. I am always amused by their antics and get kind of a feeling of satisfaction knowing that wild birds come so close to me when I am out hunting. Brendan, on the other hand, was a bit put off and shooed them away because he was worried they would bomb him with bird droppings. I never quite thought of that before, I told him it would have brought him luck. He did get a kick out of watching them though. As for the squirrels, Brendan had our Marlin 336 in .35 Remington, ready for deer. As tempting as those squirrels must have been to shoot at, especially the one who gave him the squirrel finger (shaking of a curved tail), he restrained himself and kept up his hopes for a deer. I am happy he did because there would not have been much squirrel left had he hit one anyplace other than the head with a .35 Rem.
My spot was near where a buck had a veritable playground when it came to rubs and scrapes. There were a few scrapes and at least 6 rubs within 25 yards of my stand. There was a trail going north/south and one going east/west. It was not so much in a natural funnel as was Brendan's spot, but was a spot well traveled by a buck that meant business. The scrapes nearby looked to be pretty recent. I had two possible spots picked out in y area at which to make my stand but as it turned out I moved to yet another spot. Same area, just a better spot for my stand. As I sat there, for the hour and a half or so before first light, my hopes were high - not so much for me getting a deer but for Brendan. It would be his first if he got one. Just before sunrise, and legal shooting time, shots rang out from the other end of the state land and from somewhere down in that direction but across the road. As usual some hunters were at the right spot but were firing at the wrong time. I had instructed Brendan that if he saw a deer he was to wait until legal hunting time. He is pretty good in such regards and I am pretty certain he would have waited. I told him if he saw one in the faint early morning light, chances are it would not be too far off by legal shooting time and he could call it within range if need be. Thing is he did not see any.
As for me, I did not see any deer either. I had hoped that since most hunters hunted this piece of state land at the northern end, we would get any that were spooked by them and that came down toward the southern end. No such luck. Now when you sit out in the woods, virtually for two days, in one spot or another, you begin to wonder have you done something wrong when you do not see any deer. I have done some thinking about that and here is what I came up with:
*Our stands were in areas well traveled by deer.
*We were pretty much scent free if not totally so. I washed the clothing in a good detergent made for hunters and we sprayed down with scent blocker before the hunts each day (all good enough on my successful deer hunts and on Brendan's successful bear hunt).
*We moved slowly when we needed to move.
*We stayed quiet except when calling or rattling or when we too a break and jawboned a bit (and that was not much).
*We had a scent trail and scent markers set properly.
*Our outfits, though blaze orange, were of the camo variety. (Deer are colorblind and thus the camo in blaze orange is actually camo in their sight although it is a bright warning to other hunters that we are indeed hunters - not an animal to be hunted.)
*We had other animals approach within close proximity of us either not seeing us seeing us and just not being fearful of us.
Since we did not even see deer at a distance, let alone close to our stands, I figure it was either crappy luck or bad choice of a stand site. Yeah I know there was plenty of sign, but maybe it was all just from bucks. I read, not too long ago, that to find bucks during the rut you need to find the does. That makes sense, next year I have to remember that and scout out where the does are going. Bucks are sure to be there too.
Now as for my hunting experience, I was very disappointed that I did not hear Brendan take a shot. I was also disappointed he did not even see a deer - especially the one that I think walked right up to a scent pad he had placed on the trail near his stand on day two. Deer tracks clearly showed a deer had walked up the trail, and then turned in right where the scent pad hung from a branch as if the deer had sniffed it, then turned back to the trail and walked on. Brendan did not hear or see the deer and I figure he must have been asleep. He said he did not sleep that whole second day. I have to wonder because they sure looked like fresh tracks and Brendan did not have a scent pad on the first day (we did have others up around the area though). Since he readily admitted sleeping on and off on day one, I had to believe him that he at least thinks he did not fall asleep on day two. He also admitted that he fell right out of his chair when sleeping (we bring along those fold up chairs with nylon seats). Now with honesty like that - who could not believe him when he said he did not fall asleep on day two? Of course, since the leaves in that area were still wet, I suppose a deer could have crept up and gotten away without being heard or seen if Brendan's attention was on something else at that time, or if he was day dreaming. The scent pad was behind Brendan over his right shoulder so it is quite possible. Oh well!
My hunt was not all disappointment. I was happy to have Brendan along, he makes a great hunting partner. He is nice to be around, he is a safe gun handler, he has good hunting ethics (just read above where he did not take a shot because he thought it was too far off), and he is my son. I have hunted by myself for years so it is always nice to have a partner and better yet when it is Brendan. Besides that I had some other fun while on my stand. It was while I was on my stand on day one that I realized, or is it that I remembered, that I should always bring a pistol or revolver in .22LR along on a deer hunt. Why? For squirrels - what else! The first gray ghost I saw was scampering along the branches about 8 feet off of the ground about 20 yards in front of me. He mad his way down to the ground, then onto a tree trunk only about 10 yards from me at most. That took him about half a minute what with frequent stops to look about for danger and to nose around in the branches looking for a meal. I followed his movements turning my head as I watched. I moved as if to pick up my shotgun and aim in for a shot. He did not notice me and if he did he was not afraid of me. He was a nice plump one ready for the long winter and I am sure he would have been good eating, that is had I had anything smaller than a once ounce shotgun slug with which to hit him. Later on, as I
A couple of other quick things about the hunt before closing: I also did a bit of still hunting (for you non-hunting types let me just say that 'still' hunting means you are moving, walking through the woods or stalking game - go figure wacky terminology). For my efforts I was rewarded with a find of a pile of bear poop. Too bad for me, and lucky for it, that I did not see the bear. I saw some deer sign but not as much, not anywhere near as much, as close to our stands (remember that is where we sat while hunting - wacky terminology again).
One of the best things about the trip was that Brendan did about 90% of the driving. It is nice to have a young hunting partner along. Had we gotten a deer or a bear, not only would he have done most of the driving, he would have done a lot of the dragging! I'd bet though after that, I would have at least done the driving on the way home. For now, I am doing the laundry, a good amount of it for just three days worth of clothes being that we had hunting clothes and regular clothes along. All in all the deer (and their buddies the squirrels and probably their spies the chickadees) are still laughing (I guess they are imagining me doing the laundry), we are still looking for a deer, and I am kicking myself in the head for not bringing a 22. There is always this coming weekend though, I'll be up there gun in hand and hope Brendan will be with me; I don't think not getting one has smashed his hopes just quite yet. Was that the end of cycle signal I just heard? You can bet it was! Gotta go and do more laundry to keep those deer and squirrels laughing.
All the best,
Glenn B
A New Shooting Sport
I can only wish that someday I could own, enjoy and afford the range set-up in the embedded video. It sure looks like fun.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off To Hunt We Go...
...so I am sorry to have to inform you that there will be an absolute paucity of blogging by me for the next 4 days. Brendan and I will be leaving for upstate NY after he gets home from his classes today and after we are done packing. I said we because while he already put his clothes in a bag, I am not about to get all the gear together by myself. That could only mean, that when we arrive at the hunting area, we would be missing something for sure, what with my muddled middle aged memory. Better to share such responsibilities anyway and not leave it all on one person's shoulders.
So, for now, that is it! I have to get the clothes out of the dryer. Then I have to start packing the hunting clothes and gear. I'd best remember to grab the cooler out of the garage too, and to make some sandwiches for the trip. Ice, got to get ice! Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhh! Gotta go.
All the best,
Glenn B
So, for now, that is it! I have to get the clothes out of the dryer. Then I have to start packing the hunting clothes and gear. I'd best remember to grab the cooler out of the garage too, and to make some sandwiches for the trip. Ice, got to get ice! Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhh! Gotta go.
All the best,
Glenn B
New Addition to the Blog Roll
Smoke signals - this one may become addictive. It is on my blog list under: Rootin - Tootin - Shootin Bloggers. I found it by way of a comment left at The Jungle Hut (thanks Rita).
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Ballseye's Gun Shots 39 - Range Report - Remington 513T Matchmaster
I had a lot of good things to say about the Remington 513T Matchmaster in the post immediately prior to this one. The proof of a rifle though is in the shooting. I took it to the range this afternoon, and set up targets at the 50 foot line. The targets were NRA standard 50 foot rifle targets for 22's. The black bull's eyes are 1 3/16 inches across if I measured right. As you can see I am posting 2 pictures. The reason I am only posting 2 pictures is because I only shot at two targets. Each has 12 bull's eyes. In all I only shot at 18 of those in the hour that I was shooting and the total number of rounds I fired was 88. It would have been 90 but I ran out of a particular brand of ammo and just shot the last three of that offhand, and that was not too shabby. For all the other shots, I fired them from a seated position, arms resting on the bench, with a coat folded up and placed between my arms and the bench surface. Yeah I know, really professional, but obviously it worked just fine.
As for the ammo, I fired a variety. Some was just cheap stuff, which is the bulk of the .22LR ammo that I have. Some was more expensive but nothing of the high end target type ammo used by competition shooters. Ammo types I shot were: CCI Blazer, CCI Mini Mag, Federal's American Eagle, Federal Champion (target velocity), Remington Thunderbolt. Nothing special as far as .22LR ammo goes, some of it even considered to be pretty low end - the CCI Blazer and the Remington Thunderbolt. There can be some surprises though when you expect something to be junk and it isn't. A look at the targets will show you what I mean. Click on each to enlarge it. They are annotated to show which ammo was used on each bull's eye, and as to group size. All groups were 5 shots except for one in which I fired 4 because I made a mistake when I loaded the mag, and the other because I ran out of ammo - so I discounted both of them. As for measurment of group size, I measured the widest spread from the outside rim of one to the oputside rim of the other. I think that is not the proper way to do it
and that normally you would measure from the inside edge of one shot to the outside edge of the other. That would have been tough since the groups were pretty tight. It was just easier to measure the way I did it but had I done it the right way then the group sizes would have been a bit smaller, maybe by as much as 2/16" for some groups.
Looking at the first target, you can see that every shot is to the left of center. I probably had not fired this rifle for at least a year, maybe as many as 2 or 3 years, prior to today and do not recall if it was sighted in right before or not. It is possible that the sights got messed up during a cleaning or moving or rearranging of the gun locker. Whether or not it was shooting at the center of the target is inconsequential for all the shots on that target. The thing was that it was shooting pretty consistent groups and all groups were to the left. That was good. A bit of twiddling with the sights and the result was target 2 where many more shots are at center of the bull's eyes. The groups on the second target are not too shabby but I could not again achieve the best two groups on target 1 which were only 6/16" across each.
When I was shooting on the second target, I think know I was getting a bit rattled by two other shooters who just would not stop talking, one of them was exceptionally loud. Even with all the shooting going on all I heard was him. It was friggin annoying. I was about to say something to them when I noticed one of them pointing his shotgun directly across the firing points at a right angle to all of them next to his. In other words, had he let one loose, it probably would have injured or maybe killed a shooter on one of the other points. Lucky for them there were no other shooters at that moment, the other two guys in that bay of shooting points had already left. So, I gave them a good but restrained lesson in where to point firearms, when to have a finger on the trigger, and to consider all guns as loaded. They both listened and I think they got it too. That was it for me though, no more shooting. My getting annoyed combined with the strain of trying to shoot as well as I could , and taking my time doing it, had me at the point where my shots would not be getting any better.
By the way, yes it is pretty stressing to try to shoot as well as you can when hand holding an 8 to 9 pound rifle even if resting on the bench. Maybe I should invest in some shooting bags or a rifle rest. I suppose that working out a bit to better develop my arm muscles might also help, heaven knows I have not worked out recently because of Arthur I. Tispain. No excuses though, and heck I don't need any, I shot pretty good for a muddled minded middle aged guy whose eyes are not what they once were back in my day. In closing, I have to say that the Remington 513T Matchmaster is one heck of a tack shooter and is obviously capable of better accuracy than it can get with my finger on the trigger.
All the best,
Glenn B
As for the ammo, I fired a variety. Some was just cheap stuff, which is the bulk of the .22LR ammo that I have. Some was more expensive but nothing of the high end target type ammo used by competition shooters. Ammo types I shot were: CCI Blazer, CCI Mini Mag, Federal's American Eagle, Federal Champion (target velocity), Remington Thunderbolt. Nothing special as far as .22LR ammo goes, some of it even considered to be pretty low end - the CCI Blazer and the Remington Thunderbolt. There can be some surprises though when you expect something to be junk and it isn't. A look at the targets will show you what I mean. Click on each to enlarge it. They are annotated to show which ammo was used on each bull's eye, and as to group size. All groups were 5 shots except for one in which I fired 4 because I made a mistake when I loaded the mag, and the other because I ran out of ammo - so I discounted both of them. As for measurment of group size, I measured the widest spread from the outside rim of one to the oputside rim of the other. I think that is not the proper way to do it
and that normally you would measure from the inside edge of one shot to the outside edge of the other. That would have been tough since the groups were pretty tight. It was just easier to measure the way I did it but had I done it the right way then the group sizes would have been a bit smaller, maybe by as much as 2/16" for some groups.
Looking at the first target, you can see that every shot is to the left of center. I probably had not fired this rifle for at least a year, maybe as many as 2 or 3 years, prior to today and do not recall if it was sighted in right before or not. It is possible that the sights got messed up during a cleaning or moving or rearranging of the gun locker. Whether or not it was shooting at the center of the target is inconsequential for all the shots on that target. The thing was that it was shooting pretty consistent groups and all groups were to the left. That was good. A bit of twiddling with the sights and the result was target 2 where many more shots are at center of the bull's eyes. The groups on the second target are not too shabby but I could not again achieve the best two groups on target 1 which were only 6/16" across each. 
When I was shooting on the second target, I By the way, yes it is pretty stressing to try to shoot as well as you can when hand holding an 8 to 9 pound rifle even if resting on the bench. Maybe I should invest in some shooting bags or a rifle rest. I suppose that working out a bit to better develop my arm muscles might also help, heaven knows I have not worked out recently because of Arthur I. Tispain. No excuses though, and heck I don't need any, I shot pretty good for a muddled minded middle aged guy whose eyes are not what they once were back in my day. In closing, I have to say that the Remington 513T Matchmaster is one heck of a tack shooter and is obviously capable of better accuracy than it can get with my finger on the trigger.
All the best,
Glenn B
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