Did zero running for 2 weeks. Then on Sunday did 6+ mile hash plus 2-mile hump back to the start so I could make my 7:30 softball game. On my 3rd at-bat I'm on first and our first baseman hit's a shot down the rightfield line. I jumped over it, took one step, and the calf said enough of this shit. I hopped to 2nd and almost got thrown out. Getting old sux.
Hitlerifick
After 4 years we finally got Shadow to bark on command. He rarely barks so this was quite a trick. Cindy accidently found out that word's with the 'ka' sound get him excited for some reason. It started with "Kitty Cat", then "Coo-Coo Clock". He gets riled up, starts whining, and will and eventually bark. "KKK" even works. Hitler wasn't such a bad name for him afterall.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Wild Boar Hunting
Went to Harper, TX this weekend to cull some ferral hogs. Here's my bloodbrother John & I with our pigs. I whacked the smaller one first with the bow. I was closer than I thought so the shot went high into the spine. Squeeeeellll!!! I stuck him through the heart and he shut up pretty quickly.
John's pig gave us a workout. His lever-action shoots a 45 Colt but the rounds he was using sucked; I think he said they were MagnaTech??? The didn't have enough velocity t0 expand properly so he ended up shooting it full of holes w/o killing it. One of the rounds went through the lungs and another hit the shoulder but it didn't really even slow down. After he'd shot it about 6 times and was down to his last round I took a couple of pot-shots at it with the bow. The first one he was running at about 75 yards and I aimed a little high - had to climb the tree to get my arrow back. The next time, with my last good arrow, was about 45 yards but I was guessing 35 so it went right under him and drilled a tree. (I had to saw my broadhead out with a multitool later...) That shot was enough to get him to move where John had a clean shot. With his last round he wacked him between the eyes & dropped him in his tracks.
John's pig gave us a workout. His lever-action shoots a 45 Colt but the rounds he was using sucked; I think he said they were MagnaTech??? The didn't have enough velocity t0 expand properly so he ended up shooting it full of holes w/o killing it. One of the rounds went through the lungs and another hit the shoulder but it didn't really even slow down. After he'd shot it about 6 times and was down to his last round I took a couple of pot-shots at it with the bow. The first one he was running at about 75 yards and I aimed a little high - had to climb the tree to get my arrow back. The next time, with my last good arrow, was about 45 yards but I was guessing 35 so it went right under him and drilled a tree. (I had to saw my broadhead out with a multitool later...) That shot was enough to get him to move where John had a clean shot. With his last round he wacked him between the eyes & dropped him in his tracks.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Katemcy
Went rock crawling at Katemcy on Sat with the black CJ. My old 4x4 club, FWD-FWD (Ft Worth-Dallas 4WD) , had their annual run. It's 800 acres of nasty granite. There were probably a half-dozen rolloevers but I only saw two. No major carnage like last year so we moved along pretty well. I was really pleased with how well my CJ got around. It was definatly one of the lesser rigs there but I was able to follow them on all but the worst of obsticals. The biggest thing was my tire size; I've got 33" tires and most were running 37" or better. That equates to 2" of ground clearance at the diffs which is a huge difference. I took it pretty easy cause I didn't feel like fixin anything. Brought my digital camera and of course left it in the truck at camp. Shadow didn't like wheeling at all. There were about a half dozen kids there so he got to do some herding. He wore the kids so they went to bed early and the parents love us.
This morning I gave it the once over and the only real damage was the rear bumber which looks like it was made of sheet metal. The slave unit on the hydrolic clutch seems to have died so getting it off the trailer was "intersting" (no clutch). I think I've got a spare slave, somewhere...
The trailer really gave me fits though. I re-wired the whole thing, re-welded the fenders, and fixed the wheel bearing last week. I had 2 good tires and 4 dry-rotted ones for the 110 mile trip. 20 miles down the road I blew the first tire. I also aired everything up again until my tire pump quit. Ya just can't buy a good $5 airpump anymore... I found a tire store in Betram and bought a good used tire for $20. About 40 miles later another tire was getting warm so I swapped out the new (used) tire. When I was done wheeling for the day another tire was flat so I swapped it out. I left around 10PM and aired everything up in Mason, 100m from home. 20m later the new used) blows. I pulled into the ditch and the tire had trashed the fender & taillight. With a little muscle and a lot of foul language bent the fender back and put on the best dry-rot spare I had left. After it's on I see it's low, only 18lbs. The other one was at 28. They both had 35lbs only 20 minutes earlier. Uh-oh... So I swapped them again, all by moonlight. I'm getting pretty good at changing trailer tires now. Then I moved the jeep as far forward as possible so most of the weight was on the good tires (the front ones) and on the Zeburban. It was 40mph the rest of the way to Llano, stopping every 5m to check the tire wasn't getting hot. I found some stop-leak and put half in both spares that were left. I alway thought that shit was snake-oil at best and I know it ruins the inside of the tire but I was desparate. The rest of the way home I stopped every 10 miles & checked pressure & temp. No more blowouts. The tire-goo sealed it well enough for the last 60m.
I need better springs & axles anyway, guess this is a good excuse to rebuild the trailer right. Then everyone will want to barrow it. :( Lucky for me it's only got an 11' bed so nothin but a CJ5 will fit on it.
This morning I gave it the once over and the only real damage was the rear bumber which looks like it was made of sheet metal. The slave unit on the hydrolic clutch seems to have died so getting it off the trailer was "intersting" (no clutch). I think I've got a spare slave, somewhere...
The trailer really gave me fits though. I re-wired the whole thing, re-welded the fenders, and fixed the wheel bearing last week. I had 2 good tires and 4 dry-rotted ones for the 110 mile trip. 20 miles down the road I blew the first tire. I also aired everything up again until my tire pump quit. Ya just can't buy a good $5 airpump anymore... I found a tire store in Betram and bought a good used tire for $20. About 40 miles later another tire was getting warm so I swapped out the new (used) tire. When I was done wheeling for the day another tire was flat so I swapped it out. I left around 10PM and aired everything up in Mason, 100m from home. 20m later the new used) blows. I pulled into the ditch and the tire had trashed the fender & taillight. With a little muscle and a lot of foul language bent the fender back and put on the best dry-rot spare I had left. After it's on I see it's low, only 18lbs. The other one was at 28. They both had 35lbs only 20 minutes earlier. Uh-oh... So I swapped them again, all by moonlight. I'm getting pretty good at changing trailer tires now. Then I moved the jeep as far forward as possible so most of the weight was on the good tires (the front ones) and on the Zeburban. It was 40mph the rest of the way to Llano, stopping every 5m to check the tire wasn't getting hot. I found some stop-leak and put half in both spares that were left. I alway thought that shit was snake-oil at best and I know it ruins the inside of the tire but I was desparate. The rest of the way home I stopped every 10 miles & checked pressure & temp. No more blowouts. The tire-goo sealed it well enough for the last 60m.
I need better springs & axles anyway, guess this is a good excuse to rebuild the trailer right. Then everyone will want to barrow it. :( Lucky for me it's only got an 11' bed so nothin but a CJ5 will fit on it.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Explaination of Tax Cuts
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 "windfall" so that everyone would get his "fair share?" They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink
for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right", exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20." Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 "windfall" so that everyone would get his "fair share?" They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink
for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right", exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Another hunt story
We had over 3 inches of rain last night and for some reason the deer are getting active. I saw 15 in one pack last night, not a single one with horns. The "real hunters" are killing anything with a rack. (Don't get me started...)
I left work early because some corn that got spilled on the ground needed to be guarded. My post is in a tree about 25 yards from the yellow gold. I've got a bent nail tied to some twine that I use to pull my bow up once I get about 25 feet up. It's a helluvalot easier than climbing up & down with the bow. Well tonight when I started pulling the bow up the twine broke and the bow hit the ground - hard. BAD! Down I go, nothing broken or bent (I hope), so we try it again.
Since I got winded last time I doused in scent killer. The wind picked up and shifted to the SW and then to the south. The deer normally come in from the north so I figured they'll wind me again tonight, even with the scent killer. I stuck it out anyway. I brought my camera tonight - here's the sunset I enjoyed:
About 15 minutes after sunset a small doe appeared. I move ultra-slowly & quietly into shooting position and waited a good 5 minutes before she turned slightly away. She was about 25 yards and I've shot many, many arrows from this tree at targets right where she was standing. I drew and focused on the point right behind the shoulder. When she dropper her head I released and watched the arrow arc and hit the pumpstation. She jumped sideways, rolled, and took off hard. It looked like the arrow was stuck in the ground right behind where she was standing, but I couldn't tell for sure. An arrow can be hard to see from the end. I waited until after dark before climbing down and checking for the arrow, but it wasn't there. Since I was now less-sure about the shot I gave her time to expire before tracking. You don't want to push an animal if it's a paunch shot. Good excuse to cook dinner: wild boar combo w/hash browns, tomatoes, maga-garlic, & carrots.
After supper I found her about 75 yards away under a tree. When I last I saw her she was running full stride, which is how she died. Couldn't have been more than 10 seconds after I shot her. Is bowhunting cool or what?!?
Here's a pic of the arrow entrance wound and another with the entrance & exit. It would have passed through but it hit the bone far upper leg.
I tagged her, skinned & gutter her. Then I heard a pack of coyotes howling, which they do after a kill. I've seen what coyotes do to a deer - brutal. Anyway, here's the last pic, her heart. I used a 4-blade magnus stinger, which has the standard 2-bladed arrowhead plus a 2 bleeder blades. They're tough, fly true, and really do the job. This same broadhead has now been in 3 hogs and 2 whitetail, and will be ready to go again after re-sharpening.
My boner really got a workout tonight. The edible meat is in the fridge and all that's left of her is hide, bones, & a gutpile. Forgot to get a gutpile pic. Next time...
I left work early because some corn that got spilled on the ground needed to be guarded. My post is in a tree about 25 yards from the yellow gold. I've got a bent nail tied to some twine that I use to pull my bow up once I get about 25 feet up. It's a helluvalot easier than climbing up & down with the bow. Well tonight when I started pulling the bow up the twine broke and the bow hit the ground - hard. BAD! Down I go, nothing broken or bent (I hope), so we try it again.
Since I got winded last time I doused in scent killer. The wind picked up and shifted to the SW and then to the south. The deer normally come in from the north so I figured they'll wind me again tonight, even with the scent killer. I stuck it out anyway. I brought my camera tonight - here's the sunset I enjoyed:
About 15 minutes after sunset a small doe appeared. I move ultra-slowly & quietly into shooting position and waited a good 5 minutes before she turned slightly away. She was about 25 yards and I've shot many, many arrows from this tree at targets right where she was standing. I drew and focused on the point right behind the shoulder. When she dropper her head I released and watched the arrow arc and hit the pumpstation. She jumped sideways, rolled, and took off hard. It looked like the arrow was stuck in the ground right behind where she was standing, but I couldn't tell for sure. An arrow can be hard to see from the end. I waited until after dark before climbing down and checking for the arrow, but it wasn't there. Since I was now less-sure about the shot I gave her time to expire before tracking. You don't want to push an animal if it's a paunch shot. Good excuse to cook dinner: wild boar combo w/hash browns, tomatoes, maga-garlic, & carrots.
After supper I found her about 75 yards away under a tree. When I last I saw her she was running full stride, which is how she died. Couldn't have been more than 10 seconds after I shot her. Is bowhunting cool or what?!?
Here's a pic of the arrow entrance wound and another with the entrance & exit. It would have passed through but it hit the bone far upper leg.
I tagged her, skinned & gutter her. Then I heard a pack of coyotes howling, which they do after a kill. I've seen what coyotes do to a deer - brutal. Anyway, here's the last pic, her heart. I used a 4-blade magnus stinger, which has the standard 2-bladed arrowhead plus a 2 bleeder blades. They're tough, fly true, and really do the job. This same broadhead has now been in 3 hogs and 2 whitetail, and will be ready to go again after re-sharpening.
My boner really got a workout tonight. The edible meat is in the fridge and all that's left of her is hide, bones, & a gutpile. Forgot to get a gutpile pic. Next time...
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Defenseless Deer
We've got several days of rain on the way so I'm predicting the deer will be active today. I climbed a tree this morning about an hour before dawn in hopes of collecting backstrap. After about 15 minutes one walked right under me and another walked by just out of range, but it was still too dark. When shootable light arrived I saw three more but they stayed just behind the trees. I dropped my buttpad to the ground but surpisingly it didn't spook them. But then the wind shifted to the SW and when they got about 40 yards SW of my tree I heard snorting and stomping - they winded me. A spike came closest, about 5 more yards and he'd have got an arrow but he also smelt me. I'm not sure what they picked up on... I've left the buttpad and pullovers I wear hanging in the tree for several days and I was wearing activated charcole pants & jacket underneath. They're not scent-loks but I figured they'd help.
Whoever claims that deer are defenseless has never bowhunted. They get stupid sometimes and let their guard down and some yahoo collects and easy deer. But this is not the norm. Their sense of smell and level of awareness are incredible. On a positive note this was the most movement I've seen all year. Deer season ends on Sunday in Williamson county so hopefully the stars will align again and I'll get another one.
Here's a pic a fellow hunter sent. I saw a similar sunset last weekend albeit minus the snow and deer.
Whoever claims that deer are defenseless has never bowhunted. They get stupid sometimes and let their guard down and some yahoo collects and easy deer. But this is not the norm. Their sense of smell and level of awareness are incredible. On a positive note this was the most movement I've seen all year. Deer season ends on Sunday in Williamson county so hopefully the stars will align again and I'll get another one.
Here's a pic a fellow hunter sent. I saw a similar sunset last weekend albeit minus the snow and deer.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Long Live the Beast
Last night I climbed a tree for about the 25th time this season in hopes of flinging a sharp stick through the vitals of a whitetail. It's been really tough hunting this year. We've got a bumper acorn crop so they've got much more feed than normal. Plus they've been doing heavy construction on N. Parmer and don't quit until almost dark. The noise pretty much keeps the deer bedded. From the tree I was in last night I've got about a 30 degree shooting window to a creek where they often pass between their bedding and feeding areas.
About 10 minutes before legal shooting time ended the construction noise subsided. The noise ruins not only the hunting but the tranquility of watching the sunset. It was almost dark when I saw a couple deer behind me. They sometimes come from that direction but they stopped to feed. If I waited for them to quit feeding and reach my shooting it'd be too dark. The nearest one was broadside and I had a small hole to shoot through. However the setup was far from optimal. My bow was pointing the wrong way and there was no foliage behind me so I was silhouetted against the sky. Since the shooting lane was so small I hadn't planned on ever taking a shot so I didn't know the yardage and have never flung a practice arrow that way. The arrow shows it was standing.
The far deer was facing me dead-on so I figured she was wise to me, but I tried anyway. Though exaggerated slow movement I was able to the bow turned around without getting busted. I drew, anchored, aimed, and released. It was too dark to see the arrow in flight but I heard the telltale "thwack" of a solid hit. The button-buck dropped in his tracks - spine shot. I climbed down, put another arrow through the vitals, and choked him out.
Since it was cool last night I just tagged, gutted, and skinned it, and left it hanging so it could age a little before I butchered it this morning. I'll try to jerk some of it tomorrow & send a care package to RainBlow. 3 tags & 2 weeks left...
About 10 minutes before legal shooting time ended the construction noise subsided. The noise ruins not only the hunting but the tranquility of watching the sunset. It was almost dark when I saw a couple deer behind me. They sometimes come from that direction but they stopped to feed. If I waited for them to quit feeding and reach my shooting it'd be too dark. The nearest one was broadside and I had a small hole to shoot through. However the setup was far from optimal. My bow was pointing the wrong way and there was no foliage behind me so I was silhouetted against the sky. Since the shooting lane was so small I hadn't planned on ever taking a shot so I didn't know the yardage and have never flung a practice arrow that way. The arrow shows it was standing.
The far deer was facing me dead-on so I figured she was wise to me, but I tried anyway. Though exaggerated slow movement I was able to the bow turned around without getting busted. I drew, anchored, aimed, and released. It was too dark to see the arrow in flight but I heard the telltale "thwack" of a solid hit. The button-buck dropped in his tracks - spine shot. I climbed down, put another arrow through the vitals, and choked him out.
Since it was cool last night I just tagged, gutted, and skinned it, and left it hanging so it could age a little before I butchered it this morning. I'll try to jerk some of it tomorrow & send a care package to RainBlow. 3 tags & 2 weeks left...
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Whackin & Stackin
Hunted feral hogs last weekend near Harper, TX. This is a high-fenced ranch with exotics but the hogs find their way though the fence and cause havoc. On Saturday the dogs got out and chased the pigs all over hell. They had one hunkered down and the guide told me to shoot it, so got about 20 yards away, waited for the dogs to clear, and release an arrow. The shot was dead-on, right through the heart. She got up and ran about 15 yards and collapsed, probably died 10 seconds after she was hit. It was one of those bow-kills every bowhunter loves to see. It'd have been great to have that one on video!
Back at the skinnin-shack I butchered her. She had 2 bullets in her, actually one that had separated. It had to have hit her in the vitals but she survived. It was all abcessed (sp?) and pussey around the wounds so they told me I could get another one. We BBQ'd her backstraps anyway - great stuff.
Sunday morning we chased them around again w/o the dogs. The pasture is a couple hundred acres with lotsa cover so the animals have ample opportunity to get away - definatly not fishing in a barrel. We spotted a group of about 25 about 300 yards away and the guide turned me loose for a stalk. I kept in the shadows and crawled the last 200 yards to them. The shits bedded down just as I got withing bow-range so I had not shot. Pigs like pile up on one another and you have to be careful about pass-throughs. They finally got up and moved 50 yards so I belly-crawled after them. Just as I got to them they moved another 50 yards so I continued crawling, all the time dragging my bow along side me. Over rocks, leaves, cactus, thorns, et al. There was a decient breeze and I was down-wind, but almost no cover and lotsa dry leaves to go through (noisy) so it was a tough, slow stalk.
I got about 20 yards from where they beded. Every few minutes a few would get up. I thought for sure I was busted but they'd grub a little and settle back down. This had gone on for well over an hour. The damn fire-ants were getting to me and I was growing impatient. A big black boar on the far side of the group got up and then laid down broadside with noone behind the front half of him. There was a pile of pigs about 5 feet in front of him though. To hit him I'd have to shoot over the near pile of pigs and hope they didn't jump while the arrow was in flight, I missed, mis-judged the distance, et al. I knocked an arrow (for about the 20th time), aimed a little high so I wouldn't hit the other pigs, and released. Fred Bear guided another one home, YOWSA! Since this one was an old boar it had a pretty solid plate (cartilage under the hide around his vitals). The broadhead penetrated to the far shoulder but no pass through. They all got up and took off, one with an arrow sticking out like a flag. I got our guide and we tracked for about 1/4 mile. Even though it was a double-lung shot this old boar was tough and not giving up. I was afraid if they took off hard that he might separate and die somewhere we couldn't find him so I told him to go ahead and shoot him if he got the chance. He put 2 243 rounds into him before he went down and I stuck another shaft though his heart to finish the job. He weighed in at 130#. The teeth were well worn so he was old. This was probably my best stalk yet so I was elated afterwards. I'm so alive!!!
Back at the skinnin-shack I butchered her. She had 2 bullets in her, actually one that had separated. It had to have hit her in the vitals but she survived. It was all abcessed (sp?) and pussey around the wounds so they told me I could get another one. We BBQ'd her backstraps anyway - great stuff.
Sunday morning we chased them around again w/o the dogs. The pasture is a couple hundred acres with lotsa cover so the animals have ample opportunity to get away - definatly not fishing in a barrel. We spotted a group of about 25 about 300 yards away and the guide turned me loose for a stalk. I kept in the shadows and crawled the last 200 yards to them. The shits bedded down just as I got withing bow-range so I had not shot. Pigs like pile up on one another and you have to be careful about pass-throughs. They finally got up and moved 50 yards so I belly-crawled after them. Just as I got to them they moved another 50 yards so I continued crawling, all the time dragging my bow along side me. Over rocks, leaves, cactus, thorns, et al. There was a decient breeze and I was down-wind, but almost no cover and lotsa dry leaves to go through (noisy) so it was a tough, slow stalk.
I got about 20 yards from where they beded. Every few minutes a few would get up. I thought for sure I was busted but they'd grub a little and settle back down. This had gone on for well over an hour. The damn fire-ants were getting to me and I was growing impatient. A big black boar on the far side of the group got up and then laid down broadside with noone behind the front half of him. There was a pile of pigs about 5 feet in front of him though. To hit him I'd have to shoot over the near pile of pigs and hope they didn't jump while the arrow was in flight, I missed, mis-judged the distance, et al. I knocked an arrow (for about the 20th time), aimed a little high so I wouldn't hit the other pigs, and released. Fred Bear guided another one home, YOWSA! Since this one was an old boar it had a pretty solid plate (cartilage under the hide around his vitals). The broadhead penetrated to the far shoulder but no pass through. They all got up and took off, one with an arrow sticking out like a flag. I got our guide and we tracked for about 1/4 mile. Even though it was a double-lung shot this old boar was tough and not giving up. I was afraid if they took off hard that he might separate and die somewhere we couldn't find him so I told him to go ahead and shoot him if he got the chance. He put 2 243 rounds into him before he went down and I stuck another shaft though his heart to finish the job. He weighed in at 130#. The teeth were well worn so he was old. This was probably my best stalk yet so I was elated afterwards. I'm so alive!!!
The spotted one on the left is the first one I killed:
#2. He reminds me of like Michael Moore without the hat and body odor...
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Bohemian Rhapsody
I've always liked this Queen tune so I've been trying to learn this lately. Started with piano sheet music and tried to convert to guitar. This is going to be a tough one. It's in Eb or Bb; I'm not sure which because of all the weird chords. Not a single open cowboy-chord in it. Weds night I made it all the way through; it took an hour and a half. Stairway & Hotel California were tough at first too but I don't remember them being this hard. Hopefully I'll get it before I give up.
Here's a link to one impressive version of it to see what I'm shooting for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGs5mn-rM5k&search=Bohemian%20Rhapsody
Here's a link to one impressive version of it to see what I'm shooting for: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGs5mn-rM5k&search=Bohemian%20Rhapsody
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Centisorus!
Found this above the front porch this morning. This is NOT a photoshop hack!
That post below it is a 4x4.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Bandits Caught Red-Handed
My neighbors were out of town for a few days so they had me care for their critters; 3 cats and 2 guineas. The guineas are ferocious bug-eaters and also provide eggs, albeit small eggs. They’ve got a little coop for them which I need to lock up at night to keep the predators out.
So last night I was locking the door and Cindy noticed a small raccoon inside climbing up the wall after the guineas. (They roost in the rafters.) So I ventilated him with my .45 (along with the east wall of the coop – oops!) The hens were upset so I wasn’t going to be able to get the dead coon out without them taking off so I shut the door and left them to settle down. About an hour later I checked on them again and they were all upset. There were 2 more coons locked in the coop with them. 2 more corbons fixed that. I’m really surprised they didn’t catch the guineas; guess they were upset about their sibling lying dead in front of them.
Here my ever faithfull coondawg checking out the guilty trio. Smallish, but the meat will be really tender. Can't decide where to jerk the meat or just grind it and make lasagna again.
So last night I was locking the door and Cindy noticed a small raccoon inside climbing up the wall after the guineas. (They roost in the rafters.) So I ventilated him with my .45 (along with the east wall of the coop – oops!) The hens were upset so I wasn’t going to be able to get the dead coon out without them taking off so I shut the door and left them to settle down. About an hour later I checked on them again and they were all upset. There were 2 more coons locked in the coop with them. 2 more corbons fixed that. I’m really surprised they didn’t catch the guineas; guess they were upset about their sibling lying dead in front of them.
Here my ever faithfull coondawg checking out the guilty trio. Smallish, but the meat will be really tender. Can't decide where to jerk the meat or just grind it and make lasagna again.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Pantera
There was a pretty good documentary on Pantera on VH1 that I finally got around to watching. Most of it focused on Darrell. He was a huge KISS fan, which I knew because they got into a "KISS" mode one Thursday night at MetalWorks (little club in Arlington). He took it so far as to join the KISS Army. A few days after he got his first guitart (age 7) he had the whole Ace Freeley makeup on and was jamming. Anyway, they buried him in a KISS casket. The funeral was a who's-who of the hard-rock world. EVH put his guitar in the casket with him. It wasn't just a random axe he had either, it was the one he toured with. Prolly worth well into 6 figures, although it's not like Eddie can play anymore... A bunch of his buds put bottles of Crown in the casket for "the trip". Hopefully he's jamming now with Hendrix and Randi.
The other main focus was on Phil. I never was that crazy about him, although his voice and style fit Pantera like a glove. The massive substance abuse kicked his ass like it always does. He blamed the heroine use on his back problems. HorseShit! There are effective prescription pain-killers for that, although it's still possible to get addicted to them too (ala Rush). He's just another fkn doper and, like all others, will always be a liability to those around him. In the end he tried to paint himself as Dime's brother but everyone else pretty well called him on that lie.
Vinnie started his own recording company, I give him a good chance at making it profitable. He's got decient business sense and knows the music biz too.
Download's are done, gotta go. Nite.
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