How about a fresh pot of coffee, or a glass of nice iced tea? The other thread was getting long, and since the site took a break, well I thought we could start anew.

How was your weekend? Have you done anything as a family recently? I took a day off last week while my son was on Spring Break. Visited a mall, went shopping, had lunch, nothing real special. But it was special to my boy, and to my wife because it is not a normal thing I do. I did it for them.

Saturday I went to the the shooting range and shot some sporting clays with some friends. My wife and son came along to watch. They both loved it, and enjoyed being a part of my outdoor activity.

All too often we get wrapped up in our own wants, and sometimes unintentionally neglect our loved ones. I found it quite refreshing to get the family outdoors and away from the TV, and just have fun.

-Dan-

Saturday I went to the the shooting range and shot some sporting clays with some friends. My wife and son came along to watch. They both loved it, and enjoyed being a part of my outdoor activity.

If you were to try that up here on Sat., those clay pigeons would have come out shivering! :vfunny: But, you are in a southern state! Are your flowers coming up yet?

Hey! We have a bumpersticker up here that reads: "hunt with your kids, not for them". It is important to include our kids (and spouses) in our activities, as it is important for us to include ourselves in theirs as well.

My oldest is starting college in the fall. they grow up too fast! :( Unfortunately, she chose Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Major dissapointment considering I am a Centeral Michigan University graduate. How can I ever face the alumni association again knowing that my daughter chose a competing school. Oh well.

db said:


Hey! We have a bumpersticker up here that reads: "hunt with your kids, not for them". It is important to include our kids (and spouses) in our activities, as it is important for us to include ourselves in theirs as well.



Hi, y'all

I don't have kids, but we have a few kids who come with their fathers to our hunting camp. Yeah, they can get a little rambunctous (sp?) at camp, but very very rarely do they ever get into real trouble, at camp or anywhere else. There is something about learning responsibility (firearm safety, for instance) respect (for wildlife - and humans) and following the rules (game laws) that helps build character . They also learn about hard work, and the rewards of hard work. All while having a good time. Imagine that...

Somehow, Simcity (or however you spell that video game) just seems to lack these characteristics.

I am proud of each of these young people (guys AND girls). Hopefully if I ever do have kids, they will share many of the same traits.

Craig

D_Wood said:

How was your weekend? Have you done anything as a family recently?
-Dan-

I think I'll put a fresh pot of coffee on. Nice to hear from everyone again.

The weekend was cold as described by db. But we finally got the basement remodeling underway. Have 4 -16yr old wrestling friends of your son overnight - feed them a great breakfast - and say - rip down those walls! Watch them argue over the crow bar. I could barely move one of the garbage bags, and they pick it up like its a pillow! (And I'm pretty tough!) The drop ceiling is next. Nothing like a little home project to keep the family together.

(Somehow its my job to clean up the resulting dust, however.)

Coffee's done - gotta go.

Craig,

I share your thoughts on teaching kids hunting (and shooting, fishing, and camping), and in the process teaching them so much more. But sadly there are many adults who look at you with shock and disgust if you mention the fact that you let your kids touch guns and/or hunt game. (Most of these misguided souls are not vegitarians, either.) This is a sad thing. Some of my fondest memories of growing up involve those sports and I let my kids get into them to whatever degree they want to. Never have I or any of my friends had any problems enjoying these sports. Unfortunately, places to do this become fewer and fewer over the years. When growing up I used to be able to walk to hundreds of acres of farmland I could hunt on and shoot on whenever I wanted, and I spent hundreds of hours doing so, but unfortunately this is not the case any longer. Heck, my buddy who lived in town used to ride his 10-speed thru town to my house out in the country with a 12-guage double-barrel over his handlebars and no one said anything -- but that was 20+ years ago and now this might result in the SWAT team being called-out. This isn't progress, but it is the past. :(

Mike S. said:

Craig,

I share your thoughts on teaching kids hunting (and shooting, fishing, and camping), and in the process teaching them so much more. But sadly there are many adults who look at you with shock and disgust if you mention the fact that you let your kids touch guns and/or hunt game. (Most of these misguided souls are not vegitarians, either.) This is a sad thing. Some of my fondest memories of growing up involve those sports and I let my kids get into them to whatever degree they want to. Never have I or any of my friends had any problems enjoying these sports. Unfortunately, places to do this become fewer and fewer over the years. When growing up I used to be able to walk to hundreds of acres of farmland I could hunt on and shoot on whenever I wanted, and I spent hundreds of hours doing so, but unfortunately this is not the case any longer. Heck, my buddy who lived in town used to ride his 10-speed thru town to my house out in the country with a 12-guage double-barrel over his handlebars and no one said anything -- but that was 20+ years ago and now this might result in the SWAT team being called-out. This isn't progress, but it is the past. :(


Mike,

It is indeed very sad that "political correctness" has robbed many of our younger generations of these traditions. For those who have bought into the anti-hunting line, I really have no argument that they will buy, and after the recent difficulties, here is not the place to discuss it. Let me just say that the killing, for the vast majority of sportsmen, is not the primary "thrill" or reason for participating in the activity. Those few "hunters" (and I use the term loosely) who feel otherwise need not ask me to take them hunting...

As for hunting land, what is happening around here is that, instead of asking permission, you now usually have to lease hunting rights. These leases are getting so that the average person has to start making judgements on just what they can afford.

All of this when the average age of hunters is increasing, and smaller percentages of young people are being introduced to hunting and fishing, or even camping and other outdoor sports. At the same time, deer herds are booming, to the point that CWD and overcrowding problems are emerging.

"This isn't progress, but it is the past"

Yeah. Sad, ain't it?

Craig

To whoever is making the coffee now, throw on a pot of decaf for me. Apparently I am already spun up enough and don't need any caffeine. :vfunny:

Sure could use another weekend to relax though. Nothing quite like my son to put everything in perspective and make me forget about everything else. :D

Not a coffee drinker, how about I crack open a bottle of Yoo-hoo? :biglaugh:

Glad to see the Cove open again. We've been doing a rewire of our house. Family and in-laws are pitching in, making it a big family affair. Only one minor electrical shock, a twisted ankle, several puncture wounds from exposed roofing nails, and a tetanus shot. I think we're ready to join the International Brotherhood of Jack-Leg Electrical Workers :bonk: :) .

Joe

Unfortunately, places to do this become fewer and fewer over the years. When growing up I used to be able to walk to hundreds of acres of farmland I could hunt on and shoot on whenever I wanted, and I spent hundreds of hours doing so, but unfortunately this is not the case any longer.


Sorry to hear it's happening in your part of the country also. I remember 16 years ago when we moved out of the city for a quieter life. The 40 mile drive to work was rather pleasant each morning because you could always count on seeing deer moving along the hilltops along with turkey, fox and maybe a coyote. Now, all you see on the hills are houses with bright yard lights.

Yea, the old hunting lands are long gone but not forgotten. The sweet sound of a beagle on a bunny trail, the flush of a wild pheasant, the flock of huns you chased for miles without a shot. Sweet memories.

Joe Cruse said:

Not a coffee drinker, how about I crack open a bottle of Yoo-hoo? :biglaugh:

Glad to see the Cove open again. We've been doing a rewire of our house. Family and in-laws are pitching in, making it a big family affair. Only one minor electrical shock, a twisted ankle, several puncture wounds from exposed roofing nails, and a tetanus shot. I think we're ready to join the International Brotherhood of Jack-Leg Electrical Workers :bonk: :) .

Joe


Joe:

Know the feeling. Want to join me in my new venture:

The Great Balls of Fire Electricians?

Been adding wiring to the new house myself. Believe me, my insurance company has no idea I'm doing it.

Although there is alot to be said for family togetherness, sometimes its easier, cheaper, and less spectacular, to hire a pro!!!

:bonk:

Craig

Craig H. said:


Been adding wiring to the new house myself. Believe me, my insurance company has no idea I'm doing it.

Craig
Shocking! :eek:

(Sorry -- I couldn't "resist". Get it -- "resist"? Watt, you don't like my electrical puns? That Hertz. Okay, I'll stop now. ) :bonk:

Mike S. said:

Shocking! :eek:

(Sorry -- I couldn't "resist". Get it -- "resist"? Watt, you don't like my electrical puns? That Hertz. Okay, I'll stop now. ) :bonk:


Mike

Simply reVolting.

Craig

Sorry, CURRENTly I think I'm suffering from too much time spent in this FIELD such that the FREQUENCY of my episodes of crazy behavior leave me in constant FLUX and zap my creative ENERGY making me feel almost POWERless. Maybe I need to do some meditation and just chant "ohm, ohm, ohm" over and over again.:ko:

I'm not a hunter myself, but my office mate said he saw 4 deer on the hillside today on his way to work and 8 were playing in his backyard last evening.

My father sees turkey almost everyday in his yard. In fact, I almost hit 3 of them on Saturday as they flew in front of the car. I was taking a back road to our shopping destination. The outlet mall is almost 2 hours away - we are rural here with a capital "R"!

I would say the population is decreasing so I don't think the wildlife is in danger. Hunting is a boost to the local economy and the back roads are sprinkled with hunting camps - some owned by the city folk from Pittsburgh.

I reside in Elk county and yes we have plenty of them too!

Sue

Sue

I have never hunted in PA, but I have heard about the schools closing, etc. for the season. And I thought we Georgians are sometimes a little nuts about hunting.

A friend of mine's sister in law's dad has a place there, in the mountains. His hunting camp has a hot tub!!!!

Although I have not hunted there, I have been through the PA mountains. Beauty beyond description. I imagine Spring is 'specially nice.


Mike and Sue
Your behavior has given me a jolt. I live an insulated life, and feel that we must pull the plug on this subconnection, lest we create a magnetic attraction to such things as our polar opposites. Above all, we must stay firmly grounded.

Craig

You need to experience hunting and fishing in Montana (used to live there for several years) to see true fanaticism. Although you might want to be careful, I swear the favorite thing to hunt there are tourists. :vfunny: :biglaugh: :vfunny:

We never ran into any of the problems that are being described here, but Montana is still partly in the 19th century which is a nice thing sometimes.

Craig, not just schools close - businesses do too. My last place of employment and this one as well, close for Thanksgiving, the day after and the following Monday for the First Day of Deer Hunting - makes for a nice long break.
As I said, I don't hunt except for bargains and they offer specials for hunters' wives!

PS - I'm no longer married, but they still let me purchase the bargains:p

Sue

I'm not a hunter but I do some hiking. I don't have anything against hunters just never was interested. I grew up in Detroit - believed milk came from a truck not cows until I was 7!! So I never was introduced to hunting. I love to hike and backpack.

Look what you guys started!!! Here's a picture of a Volts Wagon pulling a mobile ohm!:biglaugh:

I've hunted in PA and can attest to many of the schools closing for deer season. Otherwise, they'd have half-classes, so why not? The kids are surely learning many valuable lessons, and they do the required number of in-school days anyway. But I wonder how long until some PC and/or anti-hunting nuts try to get a court to rule that they can't close schools for hunting season if they don't close for their "tree-hugging day" or some such nonsense. I hope not. And, I'd love th hunt Georgia and Montana, too, if I had the bucks. Craig -- do you guys have wild hogs down there?

Sue -- You've done it now. Telling these guys you're not married. Lookout! ;)

Randy,

You win. Very punny. :vfunny:

I have a few friends who hunt Turkey and Deer frequently. I have nothing against hunting or hunters. For some reason, I can fish and do all the things a fisherman does. Cut, clean, fillet, etc., that is when I don't catch and release. Salt water fish such as Flounder, Fluke, Blackfish are my favorite eating fish so they usually go under the knife. But, I can't kill warm blooded animals. I once shot a bird with a BB gun when I was kid. It was a lucky, or unlucky shot and it died. I was sickened and guilty for a long time. Even now, I remember how it affected me. It's just a strange thing that I make such a distinction between fish and game such as deer. I know that there is little difference in harvesting both. They are both killed. Weird. But, so am I.:bonk:
:ko: :smokin:

Mike S. said:

Craig -- do you guys have wild hogs down there?



Mike

Yes, they are a real problem. Come shoot some, please. They mess up our food plots and our roads. They scare off the deer and compete for their food. It has gotten to the point where I really think the state is going to have to jump in. It might be just a matter of time before we hear the first story of some kid getting attacked by a boar.

Craig

Randy

:truce:

Please, I give up. The punic wars are over!!!



Craig:biglaugh:

Craig H. said:

Mike

Yes, they are a real problem. Come shoot some, please. They mess up our food plots and our roads. They scare off the deer and compete for their food. It has gotten to the point where I really think the state is going to have to jump in. It might be just a matter of time before we hear the first story of some kid getting attacked by a boar.

Craig
Are they considered game animals with a set season, or varmits with no season and no bag limit, or what? Don't you guys hunt them? I don't understand why deer hunters would not also want to get them some free bacon and chops as well as venison. :confused: From what I read, in some states they are second only to deer in big-game hunting popularity. I'd love to try it. They sound like quite challenging animals to hunt.

Energy,

If hunting's not your thing, I have no problem with that. At least you don't try to prevent me from doing it while snidely dipping your crackers in caviar and goose liver pate'. :agree:

Talk about great roadkill...pork on the grill (truck or car)!



I'll take a couple dozen of those hogs. Wisconsin could use some more wild game. Chasing pot bellied pigs down the road gets boring after a while. Hardly any sport to it. I guess it is sort of hard for them running down the road with their belly dragging.


Use to deer hunt with a guy who would get really queasy once he saw the knife come out. By the time he saw the bloody arms from gutting the deer he was laying in the grass flushing his innards. When you tried to hand him the heart and liver he was running half way down the road already. Never before seen anyone run and vomit at the same time...priceless! :D

It's amazing what one can learn at advanced electronics training for the Navy!!!! One of our instructors would have a picture like that on the board every morning.

Mike S. said:

Are they considered game animals with a set season, or varmits with no season and no bag limit, or what? Don't you guys hunt them? I don't understand why deer hunters would not also want to get them some free bacon and chops as well as venison. :confused: From what I read, in some states they are second only to deer in big-game hunting popularity. I'd love to try it. They sound like quite challenging animals to hunt.



Mike, they are game animals - kind of.

By that I mean we do hunt them. Anyone hunting deer in our club who sees one ond does not shoot it is in for some wet noodle lashes. But, there is no set season, no limit, and you can hunt with a 6 volt light at night. Our game warden, now retired, was rumored to have said that he would not even arrest someone he found hunting hogs over bait or from a dirt road (not that I would).

So, yes they are game animals, but such bad actors that methods guaranted to get you in trouble with other animals are OK for hogs.

The technique is the same as with deer. Find a tree and sit in it.

Mike, if you want to try 'em, email me.

Craig

Mike said
Sue -- You've done it now. Telling these guys you're not married. Lookout!

I was going to tell you avid hunters that I would be glad to put you up over hunting season as I have a 4 bedroom home and only utilize one of them, but after Mike's warning, I thought better of it:biglaugh:

Sue

Oh thanks Mike. I had started to think about taking up hunting!!!:biglaugh:

I go to New Castle PA once a month to see my kids and grandaughter.

:vfunny: :biglaugh:

Would you folks "up north" mind taking your weather back? That cold blast you sent down here yesterday has got my camellia's toes froze off! :eek:

Thanks, y'all



Graeme
------------
(I moved south so I would not have to shovel the weather out of the way to get to work!)

Sue said:

Mike said


I was going to tell you avid hunters that I would be glad to put you up over hunting season as I have a 4 bedroom home and only utilize one of them, but after Mike's warning, I thought better of it:biglaugh:

Sue
Me and my big mouth...:(

Craig H. said:



Mike, if you want to try 'em, email me.

Craig
I truly appreciate the offer of help, Craig, but I just don't see me gettin the time to get down GA way anytime soon -- at least not on my own time. But if I had the place to hunt and it had hogs on it I'd be an all-season hunter. The only "hogs" I get a shot at around here are groundhogs -- and even then it's hard to find a place to hunt 'em. C'mon warmer weather -- time to get the boat out soon and go "fish hunting".

Would you folks "up north" mind taking your weather back? That cold blast you sent down here yesterday has got my camellia's toes froze off!

It actually hit 70 today, Graeme. I ordered some more chilly weather for you all down there! I don't know where Lilburn is, but I spent many a summer nights down at Ft. Benning (the army's school for wayward boys [and now girls too]). I've heard locals complaining about the heat from time to time. Sooooooo, when we send you some of that northern "refreshing" air, just bottle it up and wait til August! :thedeal:

It's too late by August. They need some dry COLD air by June!!!
I spent 8 years in Charleston SC and in that time saw 2 inches of snow, that cummulative. If it got to 40 I was froze. Now if it gets to 40 the bike comes out or the top comes down (on the car db). As far as I'm concerned, this disproves the Global Warming Theory. My mom is looking at 12 inches of snow in southern WV right now - or as they put it "a god awful bunch".
Speaking of WV, a POW has made it home. God Bless those Special Forces. Sorry didn't mean to get into that.:smokin: