Well, I'm on my long vacation - 8 weeks total!  Can't believe it - get to make my own schedule for that long.

Doing more camping and more hunt research.  Sometimes I think you can do too much research and really confuse yourself.  I think that's where I'm at now!  Arg.  Oh well. 

Also doing a bit of research on my Native heritage - Shawnee & Cherokee (along with English and Irish).  Geneology can be a fun past-time when you find some long lost bit of information.

I want to go do some shooting, but it's just to darn hot.  Supposed to be 102 this weekend - yuk.

OH!  We do have a new family member - he's a week old German Shepherd/Golden Retreiver mix.  He was a bit of a suprise!  I've got pictures to post and will get them up soon.

Take care, everyone.

Ok - so maybe this post will be a bit more than a rant.  I've been spending several weeks now, combing over topo maps, looking at Fish and Game stats, talking to CO's and Forrest Service folks, all trying to find a spot where I can take my soon to be 13 year old son big game hunting this year.  Last year we got skunked due to wolves moving into the area.  Even found the carcass of a wolf kill.  So, this year, I'm looking and looking and finally think I found a spot.  Talk to a guy who backpacks up there fairly often - elk and deer and black bear in the area, never seen wolves in this place.

Well, that was last year.  He hasn't been up there this year as it's been too wet.  So, what's the problem? Now the area is included on the Fish and Game map for documented groups.  Talked to another friend - yep, he's seen and heard them up there, too.  Looking at the map Idaho Fish and Game has put out puts the damn dogs ALL OVER the prime hunting areas.  I am just fried.

Oh yes - I know, beautiful animals... but cold blooded killers!  Read someplace that they are the only canines that seem to kill for sport, meaning that many times they kill and do not feed on their kill.  I don't know if it's true or not, but none the less, it doesn't endeer them to me any more. 

Looking at the elk harvest stats for 2008, we had a dismal year here.  Mule deer weren't much better.  Sure, there can be other factors leading to this - but listening to all the folks who've been in the hills hunting where wolves have been spotted is enough "proof" for me to see the correlation - Wolf lovers can go jump in a lake before I believe otherwise!  Why else would the elk of this state not be bugling anymore?  It's because they have learned not to, or they'll lose their lives!

I hope the F&G map is wrong and that my friend is wrong - that they aren't in this area.  We will be scouting up there in a couple of weeks, and then again in August for a September 15th opening for both elk and deer.  I'm willing to bust my butt to find game.  I'm out there for the love of the sport and to teach my son the joys of hunting, as well.  I don't necessarily want a trophy buck or bull - although one sure would be nice.  I'm more concerned about seeing game to keep my boy interested.  I'd also like to fill up the freezer with some meat!

Ok - rant over.  Can't control any of this... will just have to do my best.  Oh, and buy a wolf tag for my son and myself!

Boy - I guess it's been a long while since I've been on my little corner of the Outdoor Channel site.  I kinda feel bad.  Well, not really.  Things have just been crazy-hectic the last several months.  No excuses - that's just the way it is.

Quick update - been doing some "horse trading" for different guns and even found one at a store that I had to have.  My two new favorites?  My Ruger Blackhawk .357.  I've always wanted one of these.  Now I just need to find a good leather "cowboy" rig for it.  I think I have a line on one.

Got a new deer rifle - well, not new, just new to me.  It's a Remington Model of 1917 (m1917) 30-06.  The military stock was taken off and sporterized.  This is the Remington version of the same rifle I had from my dad, except his was a Winchester.  Now my son has it.  These are awesome rifles.  Really built to last.  This one's got a peep site on it.  Took it out last week and was hitting an 8"paper plate at 150 yards with 3-4 inch groups!  I was so happy with it.  That was with no site adjustments either.  So now my boy and I are carrying essentially the same rifle.  Makes it nice for ammunition purposes.  I'd like to find an "Eddystone" someday of this rifle.  All three manufacturers made it in WWI.  If you are looking for and interesting history read, just google the M1917.  Heck, I even saw it profiled on Outdoor Channel a couple of weeks ago on one of the Shooting USA programs.

I'm getting to take a bunch of time off this Summer - paid, thankfully.  This is going to give me lots of time for hiking, camping, and most importantly, scouting.  I've got my eye on a back country unit here with a concurrent "any weapon" general season for Mule Deer and Elk - it starts Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 31!  It's a nasty place to hunt - well, not nasty, just tough.  I'll probably take a week off just for that hunt alone.  Should be fun.  My preliminary info gathering is that there are both mulies and bulls up there - the rims I'll be glassing from are around 9000 feet.

Well, it's time for me to get to bed!  Hope all my friends are doing well on here.

The temps were supposed to be in the upper 30's, the sun was supposed to be out, calm winds... a good day to hit the shooting range.  Of course, the forcast was for downtown Boise, not 15 miles South of the city.  Upper 30's?  Not even close.  Sun?  Nope - cloudy/foggy.  Wind - a nice steady breeze that made you feel like you had ice forming on your ears and nose.  BUT a cold day shooting is better than NO day shooting!!

I had mounted a scope on my 45-70 a few weeks back, but hadn't had the chance to take it out yet to zero it.  I used the Hornady Leverlutions this time.  Boy, I like this ammo.  Nice, clean and accurate.  The rifle is zero'd in to 100 yards.  I was really happy with how easily I was able to get it to zero.  I had 10 total shots within thje 3.5" bullseye area.

On to the Mossberg Plinkster in .22lr.  I had mounted an old 4x Bushnell scope that I'd had since I was 12.  Well, I think this scope has seen better days.  I was never able to get it to zero in.  It would move for windage, but not elevation.  So, to make sure there was nothing wrong with the rifle, I yanked off the scope and put a couple of magazines on paper at 50 yards with the open sights.  It's not the rifle.  Even with my eye problems, I was able to hit where I wanted to.  So, the scope is going to be officially retired.

The range was getting close to closing time, so I ran over to the pistol range and put about 50 down range with my .40 S&W.  This was a recent trade I made.  It's a S&W Sigma.  This was the first time I'd been able to take it out.  It ran through the cheap ammo that came with it like a champ.  There's a bit more muzzle jump with this than the Ruger .45 I had.  But, I'd also 9 ounces lighter, which I'd assume is the reason for the greater jump.  None-the-less, I was happy with my groupings, including some double taps that I did.

So, that's the latest from here.  I can't wait for it to warm up.  I've got to get ahold of some Turkey regulations to see about some Spring hunting for gobblers.  I've never been, but got a lead on where I need to go.

Take care, everyone!

My son and I were finally able to get out to the desert this weekend and do a bit of shooting.  Mom and I got him a used .22 LR - Remington 597 for Christmas that he really wanted to shoot.  Also, I still hadn't been able to take out my H&R 45-70 Buffalo Classic.  We also took my new Remington 870 Express Magnum 12 ga, which I stumbled onto this last week when a friend said he wanted to sell it on the cheap.  I won't even say how much I bought it for... lets just say it was less than a quarter of the normal retail price.  We also took my marlin model 99 M1 .22 lr, on which I'd put a spare scope I had lying around.

So, anyway - getting out was nice.  It was pretty chilly, but not too bad.  The desert was nearly a mud bog, though.  We shoot at a local military training range that is also open to the public.

So, here's the mixed bag:

My son's .22 - we had two magazines (used) that came with it.  One was worthless as the spring was worn out.  But the other worked fine and we sighted in to the bulls eye at 50 yards.  It was a fun little gun.  The only problem, besides the magazine, was that we were shooting some bulk federals that I think were a little on the cheap side for this gun.  As a result we had some hickups.

My marlin model 99 M1 .22 lr.  For those of you who are not familiar with this gun, it's a .22 lr, basically built on the model 60 action, but with a shortened barrel and ammo tube, and the stock is cut to look like an old M1 carbine.  I picked it up used at a local gun shop.  When I bought it, I don't think the rifle had ever been cleaned.  When you pulled the bolt back, you could hear what almost sounded like grit inside the action.  Well, I still haven't gotten this little shooter to work right.  Out of every nine shot loading, I'd get at least two fail-to-fires.  The rimfire primer would be only slightly dented.  I'm thinking I need to replace the bolt and the firing pin.  Finding parts for it may be interesting, though.  I'm really bummed about this one.  It may be easier to just pick up a new .22  I saw a Savage .22 semi auto (can't remember the model name) for $110.  If anyone has an opinion on Savage .22 semi's, let me know.

My H&R Buffalo Classic in 45-70.  BOOM!  Everyone said this would kick like a mule.  It really didn't.  My Winchester model 1917 Enfield 30-06 kicks a whole heck of a lot harder!  Anyway, while it was fun to shoot, the ammo I shot had been given to me was kind of old pretty dirty stuff and left a lot of junk in the barrel.  They were 405 grain lead, flat nose bullets.  I think I'll stick with the new Hornady's I picked up for it.  The only downside to this gun is the price of the factory ammo.  The Hornady is $29 at Cabelas, and that's the least expensive I've seen.  I wish I had room in my home for a reloading setup.  I did learn one thing with this rifle when I took it out... my eyes aren't what they used to be.  Ok, I already knew that - but the peep sights were really tough to use.  So, I've ordered a rail, scope rings and a hammer extension so I can put my old Weaver V9-B on it.  It's a tough scope and should hold up just fine to this rifle. 

We finished the afternoon with some clay targets and the shotgun.  My boy is only 12 and is really trying to figure out how to lead.  He did a lot better this time, hitting 4 of 15 or so.  He shoots a Mossburg 500 20 ga. pump.  Nice little gun. 

So - that's the mixed bag.  Some shooting frustrations, but overall a pretty good afternoon.  Besides, any day out shooting in the desert is better than staying at home doing "honey-do's!"

Take care, all.

Mark

I have to say that I'm glad 2008 is over, and I hope 2009 will be a bit less stressful.  Christmas at my house was good... the days leading up to it were a bit hairy, but aren't they every year?  This New Years Eve, my wife and I actually went out and celebrated for the first time in 18 years.  Didn't stay home and watch the ball drop this time.  That was great.

Hunting in 2008 was fun and frustrating.  I love to simply get out in the woods or in the fields.  But, I had only two pheasants on the kill list.  The thing that really ticks me off about that is that we went to a WMA that was supposed to be stocked with pheasants each week.  I don't think they stocked it nearly as much as they say they did, otherwise I would have at least seen more birds.

Also, no deer, no quail, no grouse.  Not happy about that.  But, I've started working on plans for next year, including checking state stats, etc.  It will require some serious Spring and Summer scouting, as the areas with the best harvest rates I am not at all familiar with.  Thankfully, my wonderful wife got me a spotting scope which should make it easier to glass with.

In the meantime, I'm going to do some coyote hunting, and this Spring I hope to chase some turkeys.  I've never done either and am looking forward to it.  Tell me this - do turkeys have excellent eye sight, which is why guys camo-up so much?  Seems like the turkey hunters I see on ODC are camo'd to the hilt!  I'm just curious.

Well, that's it for now.  Happy New Year, everyone.

It's been a few days since I've been here! 

Well, at the risk of quoting a "entertainer" (those quotation marks are intentional), "Oops, I did it again." 

My last blog post talked about the .223 NEF rifle I bought myself right before Christmas.  It was one of those deals I simply couldn't pass up.  I took it out this weekend with the new Tasco scope I put on it and zero'd it to 100 yards.  It was a blast to shoot - no pun intended.

So, here I am, thinking I've gotten it out of my system and avoided, for the most part, the evil eye from my wife for buying myself something.  Then low and behold, a different friend from the shooters group is selling a NIB H&R Buffalo Classic in 45-70.  :eek:  So I spent the last few days trying to figure out (also known as scheming) how it was I could swing this rifle.  I knew I didn't have the money (he only wanted $300 for it).  Not right before Christmas anyway.  I looked on line at prices for the same rifle and convinced myself that this was far too good of a deal to pass up, even with the higher ammo prices (Next investment is going to have to be a reloading system).

So, I went to the gun cabinet and stared at what I had, finally deciding to give up my "fun" gun - my Yugoslavian SKS.  Yes, it was a fun rifle, but not too practical.  So, I sold it, along with some ammo to a gun broker who wanted it for his ranch house.  It was a really clean rifle and I hated to part with it.  But the H&R had stolen my heart!  What else could I do.  :)  Now, I can't wait for Fall to roll around again to take it hunting!

Oh - by the way, here's a pic of my NEF .223 with the bull barrel

My lovely wife for the past 18 or so years had accused me of ruining Christmas for her... well, not necessarily ruining Christmas as a whole, but I seem to have this habit of finding things around this time of year that I just can't live without, lol.  So, I hem and haw, trying to decide if I should buy it, or put it on the Christmas list.  But if I put it on my Christmas list, what if she doesn't buy it, or it's gone when she goes to get it!?  I know - I'm bad... I've had lots of practice.

So, I come to this Christmas season with the FULL intention of not buying myself anything.  Then a friend of mine in a shooters club that we both belong to tells me he has an NEF (New England Firearms) chambered in .223, with a scope and some ammo that he's wanting to sell.  He know's I've wanted one for a while.  I think it's a pretty cool rifle and the fact that you can switch out the barrels for different calibers is like a dream come true.  Plus, being affordable, just sweetened the pot that much more... so, I broke my promise to myself and ended up buying it.  I don't think my wife was too happy with me, but I did ask to do it first.  I figured I better at least do that.  So, if I ruined Christmas again, I have a way for her to get things back on track!  She can always buy me the 30-06 barrel and the 12 guage turkey gun barrel that I'd like to get for it!  See, I told ya I was bad!

Saturday was Buddy's first day of formal training.  It's not a class, just one on one work with the trainer, who seems to know her stuff.  Right now, we're just working on the basics.  He's learning quickly and has gotten come, heal and sit down pretty well.  He's started sitting when he comes to us, without being asked, which is good.  The trainer gave us some "games" to play with him so he learns to obey all of us in the family.

So, as I'm sitting in the training room, getting ready to leave, I happen to glance out the window.  Now for reference, this place is in an area of Boise that used to be farm land and is now a bunch of commercial buildings, with some small fields separating developments.  So, as I said, I was looking out the window when low and behold a hen pheasant flies by!  I make a comment, "Hey, look at that!"  Then... not 10 seconds later, two roosters and another hen fly by!!  What the heck!!  No, wait, more birds... two more hens and one more rooster.  I couldn't believe it!  I had my shotgun in my truck, but it was in the middle of town, so obviously I couldn't shoot them.  I couldn't believe it.  That's where all the pheasants have gone - to TOWN!!  Go figure, lol!  :-(   ;-)

Arrrg!  Well, I guess my impatience from earlier this week was rewarded.  What do they call it... Karma?  I dunno.  So, Thanksgiving morning, we head out to our pheasant spot at a local WMA.  We got a late start out the door because my buddy overslept.  We paid for it by having our best spots being taken.  It was a quick hunt as we had to be back early.  Only 90 minutes in the field - no birds for us, but the guys who had gotten to our spot got some!

Today - back again.  We decided to try a spot at the WMA that we hadn't hunted before and noticed that only a few people hunted at.  It "looked" good as far as cover, food, etc. goes.  Well, we get over there and it's a muddy muck under all the grass.  Yuck!  No birds - just smelly mud.  If I was a bird, I wouldn't have been over there either.  I'm thinking it was wet from ground water and the nearby river and some ponds.  So, we go to another field that had been gone through earlier... they got the birds, we didn't.  My son (12 years old) was starting to get cranky by this time, so my buddy and I got sick of it and just packed it in.  Arrg!

There was quite a bit of shooting going on around us - just not from us.  Not a good day.

Tomorrow is the first day of puppy training with the new Golden.  Should be fun.  Maybe we'll try our luck again in Sunday.  It's gotta get better.