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Post by JD on Mar 10, 2013 15:42:52 GMT -5
This is the signup thread for the 2013 turkey hunting contest.
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Post by JD on Dec 9, 2012 11:43:56 GMT -5
Great pic, thanks for sharing!
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Post by JD on Dec 9, 2012 11:43:18 GMT -5
Best of luck smoke, hoping and praying for a fast and full recovery. Keep us updated as you can, and let us know if you need anything. We will try and do anything we possibly could. Take care.
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Post by JD on Dec 9, 2012 11:41:18 GMT -5
Wow, that is awesome!
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Post by JD on Dec 9, 2012 11:39:20 GMT -5
I made a comment in another thread about Ed's Red. It is the best solvent/cleaner I have ever used. Best part, you mix it up yourself, at a cost of less than $15/gal. And a gallon lasts a long time.
Ingredients
1 part Dexron II, IIe or III Automatic Transmission Fluid - GM Spec D20265 or later
1 part K1 Kerosene
1 part Aliphatic Mineral Spirits or Stodard Solvent/Varsol 1 part Acetone
(Optional 1 lb. of Lanolin, Anhydrous, USP per gallon, or OK to substitute Lanolin, Modified, Topical Lubricant, from the drug store)
Mixing instructions
Mix outdoors, in good ventilation. Use a clean 1 gallon metal, or chemical-resistant, heavy gage NFPA approved plastic gasoline storage containers. Do NOT use light weight, thin, high density polyethelyne (HDPE), which is breathable, because the acetone will gradually evaporate. Don't use PVC containers as they will dissolve.
Add the ATF first. Use the empty container to measure the other components, so that it is thoroughly rinsed.
If you incorporate the lanolin into the mixture, melt this carefully in a double boiler, taking precautions against fire. Pour the melted lanolin it into a larger container, rinsing the lanolin container with the bore cleaner mix, and stirring until it is all dissolved.
There you go. Easy, inexpensive, and one of the best products you will ever use. Hope it is helpful.
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Post by JD on Dec 9, 2012 11:28:05 GMT -5
Well, first, why are you trying to remove it? Are you just wanting to clean it, or are you replacing the extractor?
I know that they can be buggers to remove. They fall out at the worst time, only to be lost. But getting one out on purpose can be hell. Funny how that works.
Option #1 would be to call Remington customer service. They may be able to give you some good info.
Option #2 would be to take it to a smith. Normally, heat would be your friend. However, in this instance, I don't think it would really help you too much.
You mentioned that you soaked it. What did you soak it in? You would need a really good penetrating oil. Another good one to try is Ed's Red. I'll put up another post with the recipe on how to make it. Works better than anything I have ever bought.
Good luck, let us know how it goes.
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Post by JD on Nov 12, 2012 14:40:00 GMT -5
Part 15
South Dakota
We left for South Dakota on Thursday. I had picked Mike up at 5:00am sharp. We had ten hours of driving ahead of us, just shy of 700 miles. This would be our longest leg of the trip, as least it was at the start of our trip and not the last.
Dan had the whole backseat of the truck to himself, and always traveled well. He slept a lot, but would also spend time looking out the window or chewing on a rawhide. We stopped every two and half hours to let Dan out to stretch and potty. We would stop at rest areas, and first thing he had to do was mark this new territory as his own. With that finished, we would take turns throwing the retrieving dummy for him. This was a quick and easy way for him to burn off some energy. Dan was used to running, almost nonstop, all day long every day. As long as we stopped and burned off some energy, I was a champ on road trips.
We pulled into the farm drive just before 7:00pm that night. The extra stops added to the trip time, but we knew it would. The farm belonged to an uncle (John) of a friend we went to high school with. He had been in our town visiting family the previous Christmas and had invited Mike and I out to hunt whenever we wanted. That is what had been the first start of this adventure. Nebraska and Kansas were added later, when we were also invited to hunt the properties belonging to the same family.
Friday was spent helping out around the farm. It was not required, but we offered and our host gladly accepted. Mike and I cleaned out a grain bin, moved some round bales, and we even got his old Massey-Harris tractor running. Later that afternoon, John took us around and showed us the fields we would be hunting the next day. In total, we had right at 150 acres to hunt all to ourselves. Other hunters would come in starting the next week, but opening weekend was ours. The cover was similar to what we used to hunting, although it was quite a bit thicker. John showed us where he wanted us to park at each area, and showed us the property lines on all fields. Crossing over onto someone elses private property could get ugly. Pheasant hunting in South Dakota is not taken lightly. We headed over to a small grocery store and Mike and I got our non-resident hunting permits. After we got back to the far\m, we spent a while playing fetch with Dan.
Saturday morning we were up early with anticipation. In South Dakota, the opening of the season starts at Noon. We spent the time eating breakfast with John and his wife, and then helped her clean up and do dishes. John told us over breakfast that he had been having trouble with his grain auger. So afterwards, Mike and I went out and changed the u-joint on the PTO yoke. Helping is the right thing to do, especially for free hunting, but it was also something to occupy our time. We went back up to the house when we were done and washed up and had a bite to eat for lunch. We were back out the door at 11:30, heading to the first field.
After seeing the cover we would be hunting, it was apparent we would not get many long shots. The grass was just too tall. So I loaded up with the standard 1 1/4oz of #6. I was carrying the Beretta today, and had installed an Improved Cylinder and a Light Modified choke tubes. We got our vests and hats on, loaded the shotguns, and were waiting on the edge of the field with 5 minutes to spare.
The three of us stood there and gazed out at all the brilliant colors of fall. Dan stood between us, head held high and tail flagging. Within a moment, it was clear that Dan was ready to go and was not appreciative of being hooked onto the lead. He did not know, nor did he care, of any laws. He was here to work, not stand around all day. I reached down and rubbed his head, and he quickly settled down. The silence ended with the alarm on my watch going off. Hit the button twice, and I unhooked Dan from the lead and told him to “get to work”. With two quick swishes of his tail, he was off.
Dan took off right into that thick cover. I had been wondering what he would do. We had hunted some thick/tall cover in the past, but not much. Most of the cover we hunted was waist deep, and Dan could still look over it. This grass was mostly taller than us at 6’. It didn’t seem to bother Dan, but it did bother us. We had a hard time of keeping track of him. Dan never worked very far in front of you, but we couldn’t see WHAT he was doing. Very fast, we learned to listen. As soon as he started getting birdy, you could hear his tail hitting the grass at a different pace. You could also tell he was moving more slowly through the grass. Before you knew it, he had quit moving. He was on point. We eased in, and almost the instant I saw Dan the beating of wings slapping grass broke the near silence. Within an instant the cackle came out on the crisp October air. It sounded magnificent, too bad I couldn’t freaking see the bird! I jumped a little when the Fox model B barked not more than 10 feet away. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t experienced before, I just wasn’t expecting a shot. Mike made a solid hit, and the big rooster crashed back down into the thick cover. Dan took off like a shot, in search of the efforts for his hard work. We knew it would take him a few minutes, so Mike and I cut across the field and got out of the tall stuff. Within five minutes Dan was back with his prized possession, and took it straight over to Mike. I don’t know how he knew Mike shot that bird, but my best guess is he knew the sound of Mike’s gun. I simply never had an explanation for it, and it happened more than once. The rooster was an absolute beauty. It was also bigger than our late season roosters. Mike and I joked that come late winter, these monsters probably couldn’t fly at all.
We decided, since the grass was taller than we thought, we would hunt along a narrow strip next wedged between the tall grass and a small creek. I’m sure there were a lot more pheasants in the grass, but it would be tough at best. We started walking, and Dan immediately started cutting back and forth across the much thinner cover. We hadn’t even gone 30 yards when he locked up fast and hard. It was a pretty good size patch of grass, it definitely looked like it could hold a bird. We slowly walked up to Dan as I continually told him “whoa”. We got up right behind him, and nothing. So I start thumping the ground and grass with my boot, and there is an absolute explosion of birds. The sound of three roosters and two hens smashing wings and cackling was incredible. A rooster and a hen broke hard right. The rooster was trailing the hen, and was easily picked off my Mike and his trusty Fox no more than 25 yards out. The other hen and two roosters were angling up, but straight away. It took me by surprise, I figured they would try to get over cover. The Onyx sprang into action and barked twice. Both roosters hit the ground dead, and the hen accelerated off with rocket like speed. Dan fetched up the birds, and we continued on. We finished that strip almost an hour later. We flushed 8 more birds, unfortunately they were all hens.
We went back to the truck and got Dan some water. Then we headed over to another field. This patch was more to what we were accustomed to. We got our gear out, and were back hunting in no time at all. Within a matter of minutes Dan was hot on a trail. We could tell this was a runner by the way he was working. Finally the bird ran out of cover, he would either have to hide or take to flight. Dan never did hit point, but the bird decided flying was a better option. Dan was twenty yards or so in front of us, and by the time we got our guns up was pushing 40 yards. Mike and I both fired almost instantaneously, twice. One of us managed to hit the rooster on the second volley, and he came down into the grass. It wasn’t a hard fall, so we knew he was running. We quickly reloaded, this time dropping 4’s in the second barrel, and hotfooted it up to where he went down. By the time we got up there, Dan was already working the cover, trying to find the rooster. Dan came running out of the cover onto the mowed edge. I quickly whoa’ed him, and got him to stop. The rooster was running at an impossible speed down the mown path. Mike stepped to the side and fired his full choke barrel just as the rooster got in the air, no more than a foot. The old rooster was down for good this time.
As Dan brought back rooster number 5, he started getting birdy. I took the bird from him, and he was right back in the cover. He covered maybe 10 yards and locked up solid. His point was something that was beautiful. That tail flagging high being the most impressive. As we closed in, the grass erupted with pheasants. There had to be ten hens, and three roosters. I quickly snapped the shotgun up and got a lead on the last one. The Onyx barked, and once again it did its job. One hour and forty minutes into opening day and we were limited out.
This had been an outstanding hunt, and we had five more days here. We went back to the farm and cleaned/packaged our birds. John had allowed us to hook up the freezer while we were there, so we didn’t have to fire up the generator. We gave four of those first birds to John and his wife as a show of gratitude. That night she cooked us pheasant pot pie with those birds. It was out of this world.
As we settled down for the night, we couldn’t help but wonder what tomorrow would bring. Dan snored loudly, but he earned it.
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Post by JD on Nov 12, 2012 14:38:46 GMT -5
Part 14
Season of change
Dan’s third season was fastly approaching. We worked every minute we could, tracking, pointing, fetching, as well as general commands. In most areas Dan was good to go and it was just to keep skills honed. One area that did need to be worked on hard was “Whoa”. Not that Dan didn’t behave, he just got so into his “work” that he would sometimes forget he needed to listen to me. We were working extra hard, and a lot more than we had for quite some time. This year was going to be something special. I had taken 3 weeks off, and we were hitting the road. We were taking an incredible adventure that would have us hunting in 4 states, and was just under 2,000 miles round trip.
First stop, Aberdeen, SD, Pheasant hunting capital of the world. From there we would be heading south to Eustis, NE, and then on to Esbon, KS. The last stop would be back in South East Iowa and my Uncles place. This trip was going to cost me quite a bit, but we would save money where we could. I decided to pull my 18’ enclosed trailer. It was easier to put everything in there than it was to try and jam it all into the cab of my truck. With everything in there, Dan and I would not have much room to travel. Certainly not much comfort either. Since I was pulling the trailer, we decided we would pack a couple cots and sleep in the trailer. I had a small propane heater, and it would keep it nice and warm in there. Not four star accommodations by any means, but it was a ton cheaper than crashing in dive motels.
There was a lot that we had to plan well in advance. What all we needed to take, what we needed to get, and also anything we may be needing that we were not even thinking about. We knew it would be much easier to take everything from the get go than to have to stop and search for items in an unknown area.
For Dan, he was pretty simple. We needed at least 100 pounds of food, and we decided to pack 150 pounds to err on the side of caution. Even 100 pounds would have been more than enough, but he was now eating a brand that was not easy to find in stores. I didn’t want to chance having to find a dealer, on short notice. I also complied a first-aid kit specifically for Dan that bordered in size to a portable field hospital. Gauze, bandages, horse wrap, towels, peroxide, blood clot powder, scissors, tweezers, Q-tips, Neosporin, Antibiotics, aspirin, electrolyte powder, etc. Then it was a couple leads, his neoprene vest, dog boots, and his over sized pillow/dog bed he used when not at home.
Guns & Ammo. The guns were already acquired. I would be taking three on this trip. First was the old reliable Winchester 101. Next was the nimble Beretta 686 Onyx. And lastly, the tried an true workhorse 870 Express Mag. All were 12ga, so that would keep ammo more simplified. This trip had been planned for quite some time. So, I had started acquiring ammo early on. I always started the season with a couple flats of ammo, but this was different. We were going to be hunting in quite different areas with different weather, different terrain, and certainly different birds. I picked up two flats of standard high velocity 1 1/4oz #6. I also picked up a couple cases of the same load, but these were 1 1/4oz #4. I also picked up a flat of what I lovingly referred to as the “roman candle”. These were 1 5/8oz of #4. You KNEW when you pulled the trigger on one of those. They had a nasty bite, but they were the only shells I had ever used that could reliably anchor a late season wild rooster at 50 yards. I also picked up a flat of 1 1/4oz Steel #3 as there was a possibility we may hunt on land that required no-tox shot. This was the time that some areas were going to no-tox as a requirement for upland hunting. I wasn’t positive we would be in an areal that required it, but better to be safe than sorry.
For other items, it was clothes, and bedding of course. We also were taking a small freezer. The thought of changing out ice every day in several coolers was not sounding good. So my dad came up with this idea. He told us to freeze several milk jugs filled with water. Put those in the freezer. Then, using a generator, we would plug the freezer in for a couple hours each night. The jugs of ice would keep the temperature quite cold in there until the next night as long as well kept it closed up. We loaded the freezer into the trailer first, and strapped it down so it wouldn’t budge. We placed it in the rear of the trailer, so it was easy to get access to through the back doors. We put our cots, clothes, etc. up in the nose of the trailer as there was a side access door. We also made sure we had plenty of the little LP cylinders. We figured, on the safe side, we would need 18 cylinders. We packed 24, just in case. We also packed along a Coleman stove, and a small charcoal grill, as well as fuel for the stove, and a couple bags of charcoal. I also packed in a couple books and a few magazines.
Things were progressing nicely as our departure date approached. Dan was looking better in the field than he ever had. As he was getting older, his abilities kept growing. Most of it was just him. So much of it was things that I never could have taught him. In fact I would say, without a doubt, he made me a better hunter than I made him. As the days counted down, we both were getting excited. The only thing we HAD to get on location was our hunting licenses. Time was getting short now, we would be heading out on our greatest adventure yet in just 24 hours.
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Post by JD on Nov 12, 2012 14:38:07 GMT -5
I had completely forgotten about this. Life has a funny way of making that happen. I was going through old pictures the other day at my parents and found a couple of Dan. That triggered in a whole bunch of memories, and reminded me of this story. The kids have been sick, and I have had quite a bit of time being stuck at home, so I started back into this.
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Post by JD on Nov 9, 2012 13:35:47 GMT -5
My wife decided she wanted to start pheasant hunting, so I am taking her on a controlled pheasant hunt (Released pen raised birds) at a local state park. I told her she could of course use one of my shotguns, but she should really consider getting one of her ownt hat fit her better. She agreed and we went shopping.
She absolutely fell in love with a Benelli Ultralight 20ga. What can I say, my wife has good taste. lol She was pretty sure that was the one, until she picked up a like new Tristar Viper G2 youth in 20ga. She liked it, a lot more than the Ultralight. It has a wood stock, and hits the scales right at 6 pounds. The price? $300+tax and it came with 3 choke tubes.
She ended up having me go get it a couple days later. I brought it home and cleaned it up inside and out. I was very impressed with the fit/finish. The next weekend we went out shooting. What a pleasure this little gun is to shoot. Some of the loads we used:
Winchester Super X 2 3/4" 7/8oz 2 1/2Dram #6 1200 fps Federal Field & Target 2 3/4" 7/8oz 2 1/2Dram #7.5 1200 fps Winchester Xpert Steel upland game 2 3/4" 3/4oz #7 @1325fps
The little Tristar gobbled them all up with ease. Ejected empties were thrown fast and far. Being gas operated, recoil was very comfortable even for my wife.
I have heard some people talk down about Tristar. I'm sure some have gotten lemons. Just like some people have gotten lemons from Remington, Winchester, Browning, Etc. All I know is this is a great value shotgun, and you would have to spend a lot more from another company to get similar quality. I am thoroughly impressed with it, and my wife loves it.
I am hoping she gets to smack a couple roosters next week!
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Post by JD on Sept 12, 2012 18:30:55 GMT -5
Depends on you. I usually take 1-2 weeks to clear up. Every time I get exposed, it gets worse though. That is a fun thing about allergies, your reaction is usually more severe every time you are exposed. Tec-nu is pretty good stuff. The Ivy-Dry just works a bit better for me. Hope you start felling better soon.
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Post by JD on Sept 11, 2012 11:38:55 GMT -5
I know the misery very well, I am incredibly allergic to poison ivy/oak. Best stuff I have used is Ivy Dry. Get the soap, and the spray. The soap helps pull the oil out, and the spray helps clear it up/itch relief. Also, when ever you touch the infected area, wash you hands immediately. You can spread it on yourself. Good luck, I hope you get some relief.
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Post by JD on Sept 6, 2012 11:08:12 GMT -5
Hey guys, after a break I am finally back in the shop. I'm currently putting the finishing touches on On Point's Bowie From Hell, and starting the knife for the contest winner. I will be placing an order in 24-48 hours for the last big run of the year. I decided to offer a sale to our forum members. If you decide and let me know before I place my order, you can get whatever you want (if it is do-able/available). After the order is placed, and the knives are completed, those knives (that are not already spoken for) will be available for the sale price. The sale will consist of 20% off the price & free shipping. Here are some pics of a few previous pieces I have done. Bolivian Rosewood with a hand buffed (matte) finish Other side Same blade design with Cocobolo with a polished finish. Another of the same knife. Meat cleaver #1 Cocobolo Meat Cleaver #1 other side Cocobolo Meat cleaver #2 Cocobolo Meat cleaver #2 other side Cocobolo Letter opener with purple Polypearl scales These are just some pics of a few I have done. I don't photo all of them as it is very time consuming. These pics aren't very great, and they are the best of many many pics. lol The knife pictured above with the up-swept blade has been the most popular knife hands down. I have made and sold over a dozen of them. Most with Cocobolo, but i have also done some in Dymondwood (laminate). For that knife (Cocobolo or Dymondwood), with a sheath, I have been charging $65 +shipping. The sale price would be $52 to your door. That is just one example, if you have an idea of what you are looking for I can give you a more exact quote. Expected lead time will be 2-6 weeks depending on what and when the order is placed. I can give a much better time line once I know what all is getting lined up. Any questions or comments, let me know here in this thread or via PM. Thanks, and have a good one. JD
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Post by JD on Aug 23, 2012 21:39:34 GMT -5
I was extremely disappointed in the Montec's. They flew great, but for what they charge I shouldn't have to sharpen them right out of the package. Maybe they've improved that though, this would have been in 2005.
Normally, I an not a mechanical fan. But, these Grim Reaper's are the exception. They are wonderfully reliable, and do a very efficient job. But my all time favorite head has to be the 4 blade Muzzy.
I decided to put off the new string/cable until next year. It isn't fraying, it just stretched. Only downside is in loss of speed. I decided to just crank up the weight a bit and make do. It is still grouping 4" at 50 yards, just 8" low. 20 yards the arrows are stacking on themselves, but again about 2" low. I don't have a scale, but I am betting I have lost 5-10 pounds. I'm going to crank it up a bit and see if that makes a difference.
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Post by JD on Aug 23, 2012 21:31:47 GMT -5
Nice pics! Thanks for sharing them with us.
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Post by JD on Aug 23, 2012 21:31:13 GMT -5
Welcome to the nuthouse!
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Post by JD on Aug 11, 2012 23:09:08 GMT -5
First off, welcome to the forum! Always glad to see new members, as well as new members who are getting into the sport.
I will type out a reply in a day or so, getting ready to turn in for the night. Others will chime in as well.
Could you give us a little more info, such as what area you will be hunting (State, terrain, etc), and what type of hunting you prefer (tree, ground, stalking, etc.)? That will help us give you a better idea of what you may need as they require different equipment.
JD
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Post by JD on Aug 10, 2012 11:16:47 GMT -5
Drum, sheephead, silver bass, etc. Anyone who fishes long enough has caught one, or twenty.lol
Last night we took to boat out to our favorite catfish honey hole. Had a small rain system move in, and temperature and pressure dropped fast. It completely turned the cats off. My wife did hook into a nice ~4 pound Drum on a bluegil head on a circle hook. I pitched it back into the lake without a second thought.
Fast forward to today, and our daughter wanted to see a pic of one because she couldn't remember what they kind of fish looked like. In my quick search, I saw where people were eating them.
All of my life, I never held the drum in very high regard. Probably in the same category as carp. But, I also spent most of my life river fishing. And the only thing we ever ate of the river was catfish (under 5 pounds), and walleye/sauger/saugeye.
So, what says everyone. To eat, or not to eat...that is the question! We don't catch them very often, but I figure next time I will fillet it out and give it a go. Only general consensus I have seen is to eat it fresh, never freeze.
Thoughts? I figure I will try it at least once. Can't be worse than anything else I've tried. I've tried some nasty interesting things in my time. lol
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Post by JD on Aug 9, 2012 9:41:53 GMT -5
Gettin' to be dat time a year...Eh?
I know I need to replace the string/cable on my main bow, a Jennings. My backup bow, Martin Jaguar Magnum should be good to go.
I don't think I will be needing anything else. Except I do need some new broadheads. I was going to go with Wasp, but I see they have essentially doubled their prices. They used to run ~$30 for a 6 pack, and now they are ~$30 for a 3 pack. They are good heads, but I refuse to pay double. I will probably go with Muzzy 4 blade, or Grim Reaper's.
What is everyone else using this year? Needing any new toys?
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Post by JD on Aug 9, 2012 9:36:15 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that, you and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. Diabetes is a stone cold merciless bitch. I have been able to see for myself how it can be such a quiet killer.
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