The last bit of rain hit about 0300. By 0700, I was loading up the washing machine with hunting clothes. By evening, they’ll be dry and packed in sodium bicarb, waiting for the November Opener I’m following the same Baking Soda regimen that I’ve been doing for years: See: Shamanic … Continue reading →
In the previous missive, I examined what makes an ideal deer rifle from the perspective of chambering. The answer was “Yes, one of those will do nicely.” Now, I’m going to start getting into the real meat of it. What action? What length? The answer is still the same: “Whatever … Continue reading →
Folks seem to think there is a lot more to deer hunting than there really is. General Mattis: ‘The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.’ This is your most important tool. The rest is gravy. Whitetails are not hard to kill. Equipment is largely unimportant. … Continue reading →
With the Covid-19 plague keeping the Shamanic Dream Team sidelined, I decided to do something to get my mind occupied. There was a back-burner project that seemed appropriate for the situation. One never knows how far things are going to slip before the “S” hits the “F.” From my writing, … Continue reading →
I’ve tried a couple of times to write this Deer Season Post-Mortem, and every time I get bogged down in darkness and regret. The fact is this season turned out to be something other than planned. It’s over– ’nuff said. I suppose I should be standing proud that I made … Continue reading →
Angus and I were just pulling onto our street back home as Rifle Season officially ended on Sunday. We had a cooler full of frozen venison. The truck was packed with all the rifles and gear. It had been a crazy season for all of us, but that was that. … Continue reading →
I woke up this morning in my suburban bedroom. Two inches of snow fell overnight. In other situations, I would be kicking myself that I am not going out this morning to hunt. Here it is Tuesday Opening Week, and I’m passing up a chance to hunt Kentucky with snow … Continue reading →
Life changes you. I can remember one of the highlights of my life was being taken to the 1970 All-Star game. I heard as well as saw Pete Rose bowl over Fosse at home plate. To this day, I can close my eyes and see Pete and Fosse like it … Continue reading →
Now is about the time of year that a landowner should start thinking about who is coming hunting in the Fall. Hunting is an important management tool. Every year, a guy like me should be thinking about how many hunters, how many deer, what sizes. The answer for the past … Continue reading →
Back in 2006, I was in the process of pulling in my horns. There were signs they might close the plant. I wanted to get down to the bare minimum, expecting a layoff. One thing I bought was an 8lb keg of Hodgdon H4895. I was pretty well already set … Continue reading →
With the Polar Vortex about to sweep down from the North, and the Super Bowl nearly upon us, I thought I would check in. I normally look at Super Bowl Weekend as the half-way point in the wait between the end of Deer Season and the beginning of Turkey. It … Continue reading →
I put the last of the deer rifles away for the winter yesterday. It’s time to begin playing with my meat until Turkey Season. Angus gave me a wonderful gift for Christmas, a food dehydrator. This is a serious jerky machine. I just finished unloading load #1 from it. It … Continue reading →
I looked back and found my first mention of Ed’s Red clear back in the first month of this weblog. Rude, Rusty Surprises in your Smokepole. Since then, I’ve gone through many pints of the stuff. I whipped up a batch a couple weeks ago. Much like I was doing … Continue reading →
With all the hoo-haw over KYHillChick, a lot of chores have needed to be spooled off.   She’s fine, by the way. Thanks for asking. I tried a few weeks ago to start mowing around camp. After less than 10 minutes, the belt on the Cub Cadet went smoking into oblivion. … Continue reading →
As you read in the last post, we pulled the plug on Turkey Season a little early this year. Before I put everything away and start thinking ahead, I first want to thank everyone for the kind words, thoughts, and prayers for KYHillChick. The surgery is tomorrow. We’re are hoping … Continue reading →
I spent Saturday reading in John Barsness’s book, The Big Book of Gun Gack. You have probably read the author, he’s published in a heck of a lot of magazines, and he’s got a slew of good books on Amazon.com. This one is a collection of articles about a select … Continue reading →
It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing yesterday of Lily, our beloved beagle. She was 16. She had been suffering from a bladder tumor and she took a turn for the worse last week. We had to put her down. Lily was a rescue. She … Continue reading →
From 24hourcampfire.com Help getting to my stand, please TreeMutt Offline Member Hello, I have a really good spot for Whitetail hunting on a ridge overlooking a hollow. The problem is getting to my stand. I have about a two mile hike, then climb a low high wall, then up the … Continue reading →
Here it is, 4th of July weekend. I’ve got less than 19 weeks until the Rifle Opener here in KY. I am starting to make a list of what needs to be done. First off, the time to establish a new salt lick for the year is probably over. I … Continue reading →
This is an interesting thread on 24hourcampfire.com Favorable Rifle Season Buck Weather  A lot of folks like snow and cold. Here at Genesis 9:2-4 Ministries, the Shamanic Dream Team takes deer in a lot milder weather. Here is my answer: As patriarch of camp, I keep the log. It’s … Continue reading →
In a lot of ways, this Opener started out as a replay of last year. By the time Angus pulled out on his way back to town Sunday afternoon, there were two big bucks on the pole, and neither of them were mine. For the second year in a row, … Continue reading →
It was a big weekend for Mooselette, #1 Granddaughter. First off, she got Grandpa’s “This is a gun” speech. All my kids got this speech somewhere between 3 and 5. 1) Let the kid handle an unloaded firearm. Let them see that it is about as interesting as a hammer. … Continue reading →
I mentioned to Angus last week as we were on our way out to Campground that it seemed like everything at Deer Camp had become a ritual. Even the most mundane things, when repeated for a decade and a half take on a ceremonial quality. Last weekend was the yearly … Continue reading →
0630 ET Although it is still dark, it in a little while it will be light enough to hunt. I still have a tag. The end of the season is over ten hours away. Why am I back in town? Why are the rifles already back on the rack? … Continue reading →
We are heading home today from deer camp, marking the end of week #1. It is time to go home, do some wash, eat a big turkey dinner, and watch some football before heading down after dinner on Thursday. No, I have not gotten the big buck. Nor have I … Continue reading →
