My #1 Granddaughter, Mooselette, is turning 4 this week. She came over to the house for an indoor campout over the weekend. I put her tent up in the family room, built a fire in the fireplace, and found some good night noises on Youtube. For activities, we took a … Continue reading →
For the past ten years, I have spent a good deal of time out at The Honey Hole. The Honey Hole has been my goto spot for both Turkey Hunting as well as my pre-season recording sessions that end up in my podcasts. It has been a fantastic spot to … Continue reading →
I’m not saying it’s a work of art, but I pulled it off. Allow me to introduce you to the Shamanic MK I It is a poplar over cherry with walnut ends and a cherry bottom. The goal was just to make something that vaguely sounds turkey-like. What I got … 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 →
SuperCore left today before lunch. Angus had to go home for school Sunday afternoon. That left me here at camp to watch the wall of rain roll over the ridge followed by a 35 MPH gust front. When it hit, it was like a bucket of water had been thrown … Continue reading →
So what rifles are you using this year, Shaman? There have been a lot of changes to the deer battery this year. I just thought I would give y’all a quick rundown. Mine: Savage 99, 308 WIN This is the same rifle I’ve been using for most every Opener since … Continue reading →
We have new hunting venues at camp this year. I thought you would like to see some pictures. S10: SuperCore had open heart surgery over the summer, so he’s not quite ready for the long treks out to the Jagendehutte. I remedied the situation by building a blind out of … Continue reading →
I mentioned the 2 of 7 rule a while back. I’ve had a bunch of people ask me about it. I have to come clean. It is not my idea. It is not original. I cannot even say I fully believe it. However, I know the man who seems to … Continue reading →
I’m staying home from camp this weekend to do a big project for work. However, I’ll have lots of downtime in between tasks. I’ll probably get a haircut after the sun comes up. It is giving me time to get caught up on my work here. I found there were … Continue reading →
Even though I have been hunting the early Muzzleloader season in Kentucky for 15 years straight, it always seems to catch me by surprise. One evening in October, there is a mad rush to get home, get packed and get back on the road. There is the mad rush at … Continue reading →
Scotty is turning 13 this month. Scotty’s decided that a squirrel hunting trip was a perfect birthday gift. So, he approached me to see what all it would take. No one in the family had received Hunter’s Ed, so there was an overnight trip down to a class down in … Continue reading →
I have a confession for y’all. After several years of refusing to do so, I broke down and bought a new trail camera. It was a Bushnell Trophy Cam Essential. It was on deep discount at Amazon– under $80. It does everything I could think of, stills, video, it even … Continue reading →
It has been quite a while since I wrote anything about the spiritual aspects of deer hunting. Frankly, I have been bogged down so much in the nuts and bolts of things like lead casting and such I have not had a chance to spend the time to really formulate … Continue reading →
It is not every day I get to break serious new ground in deer hunting, but I have found something with Google Earth that I simply must tell. I have been able to find actual deer trails and deer bedding areas on Google Earth. It is not easy, but it … Continue reading →
It is still only the first week in August, but I am already getting ready for deer season. Two new treestands arrived from SportsmansGuide.com. These buddy stands cost less than $90 each and by rejoining the Buyers’ Club, I got the shipping for free. I’ll be scouting for new stand … Continue reading →
The Whelenizer is back on the rack, I had a blast trying out my new cast loads down at camp over the weekend. I went with the idea of loading as I went, 5 rounds at a time, and I got a chance to survey all the territory between 42 … Continue reading →
Someone on 24HourCampfire.com recently said he was “happier than a retard in a room full of bouncy balls.” That was rolling around in my mind when I pulled into the lot at the new Cabelas up north of Cincinnati. We’d gotten a BassPro years ago. They are promising a second … Continue reading →
I have been working feverishly with new cast loads for my 35 cals. This past weekend, I finally got a chance to run them through the chronograph. 35 Whelen I pulled the Whelenizer out of the rotation last year in preference to my new 30-06 Ruger Hawkeye. This year, it … Continue reading →
I have been taking my usual summer hiatus from the weblog, but that does not mean I have not been busy. Things have been really hopping both down at camp and back at the reloading bench. The big news came back in the beginning of June. Little Mooselette came down … Continue reading →
I just purchased an 8 lb container of H4895. When I went looking, Brownells had the best price I could find: $210.44 delivered. Brownell’s cancelled the order right after I placed it. I guess somebody finally got around to looking on the shelf and realized they were out. Graf’s was … Continue reading →
Some of my deer friends over the line in Indiana are taking me to task for my support of the new centerfire rifle rules. In particular, they would question the issue of safety. To them, I offer this: Study: Shotguns not safer for deer hunting Ballistics tests, prompted by accidental … Continue reading →
Sunday Morning, I decided a little bit earlier than usual to call it quits and come in. I had just had a ball playing with a mess of jakes. I could have all of them, many times over, but held my fire. These were probably the same bunch I had … Continue reading →
The word I have is that the Indiana DNR has pulled support for the recommendation that would have liberalized centerfire rifle restrictions in this year’s deer hunt. Board to vote on use of high-powered rifles for Indiana’s deer hunters See Indiana Deer Rifle Changes Nixed “We saw it as a … Continue reading →
