Saturday, November 16, 2013

Books for the Deerstand

Some of our party are readers.  They find that time goes faster and they get more deer because they stay on the stand longer.  Generally, they will read more when the leaves are dry and crispy.  Less when the ground is soggy.

This list will be updated as I get more recommendations.

Bible:

New Testament:  Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7) James, Timothy 1 and Timothy 2, Acts.
Old Testament: Proverbs, Wisdom, Sirach, Ruth, Psalms 23, Psalm 91.

Westerns:

The Untamed (Whistling Dan Berry) by Max Brand
Man from Montana by Walt Coburn

Popular:

Anything by Malcolm Gladwell or Steven D. Levitt

Garden/Nature/Food:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

Hunting/Outdoors:

The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark
Gordon MacQuarrie Treasury by MacQuarrie
Anything by Patrick McManus

Romance:

Nobody's Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
This Matter of Marriage by Debbie Macomber
A Fair Wind Home by Ruth Moore


Fantasy Sic/Fi:

Juniper Time by Kate Wilhelm
Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
E Pluribus Unicorn by Theodore Sturgeon

Mystery:

An Excellent Mystery by Ellis Peters
Coyote Waits by Tony Hillerman

Youth:

The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
American Boy's Handy Book by Daniel Carter Beard
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowat
Jefferson McGraw by Weldon Hill

Word of the Day

Fibernate, alt Brit Fibrenate:

Verb.  The act of napping beneath  fuzzy throws or quilts when caloric intake declines and/or cold weather, shorter daylight periods occur.

Alternate definition:  To consume large numbers of seed catalogs (made of paper, a fiber product) during the same period.

Note:


Posts are likely to be shorter during Michigan Firearm Season.

Friday, November 15, 2013

The Next Generation

One of the traditions of "deer camp" is to eat a good lunch.  This picture was taken in the parking lot of the restaurant.


The cast on Kubota's right hand may have been a factor on his missing a shot at a running deer.  I am starting a rumor that he had to pull the trigger with his tongue.


Here is a contingent from the next generation, from left-to-right:

  • Kubota
  • Papaya
  • V-Max

 

Lessons learned (and relearned)


Kubota had a shot at a buck.  It was a solid six point...maybe an eight.

He saw it long before I did, even though it came out of the south....the sector I was supposed to be watching.

He, the buck, was with a girl friend.

He was dancing with her in a picked corn field about 200 yards from the stand.  They crossed the road and started north across the chisel plowed bean field.  I did not expect them to come our way but they did.

They got closer, and Closer and CLOSER and CLOSER.

I did a doe bleated but he did not stop.

Background was clear.  Buck was 80 yards out.  I told Kubota to take the shot when he was comfortable.

BOOM!

The buck ran 15 yards into a CRP field, stopped, and flipped us the finger.  I think he knew Kubota was carrying a muzzle loader. 

Lesson #1, deer will not stop in an open field but might stop in cover like tall grass and goldenrod.

I told Kubota to watch the buck as long as he could and to mentally mark the path.  I reloaded the muzzle blaster.   The buck and his girl friend sashayed to the north east, across a two-track, a drainage feature and up a hill.

Out came the primer.  In went the powder (note:  pill-bottles make excellent containers for pre-measured amounts of powder.)  Down goes the sabot and bullet.  Out comes the ramrod.....wait.....the bullet is stuck to the end of the ramrod!

We are shooting Hornady SSTs and they have sexy, hard, red, rubbery, pointy tips.  As the bullet was pushed down the barrel, it engaged the rifling which rotated the bullet.  That screwed the rubbery tip into the tapped hole in the end of the ramrod.

Crap!

Push bullet back down barrel.  Unscrew ramrod.  Pull out ramrod sans bullet.  Agonize. Visualize a pedal of the sabot (French for shoe) bent underneath the bullet.

Look for hair.  No hair.  Mark tracks with tissue.  Attempt to cut the track along the two-track they crossed about 200 yards from where they were when Kubota took the shot.  No blood.  Look back at Kubota (still in the stand) to confirm I am where deer crossed the two-track.  Cast back and forth 20 yards in each direction to ensure I checked every blade of grass.  Still no blood.

Go back to stand.  Collect firearm.  Climb down from stand.  Walk a long way.  Discharge firearm behind large object, hopefully muffling sound.  (It did not work.  My cell phone started buzzing...."Did you see another?  Did it have headgear?!?!?)  Swab out barrel, one damp, two dry.  Reload.  Unscrew ramrod (lefty-Lucy) before removing.

Lesson #2:  Yeah....I have done this before.  You think I would write it down so I wouldn't repeat this mistake.  Maybe putting it on my blog will help me remember.

We don't hunt to fill the freezer, although that is a nice bonus.  We hunt to spend time with family, to build memories, to hone skills and to pass those skills and values on to the next generation. 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Opportunity Costs and Rational Expectations

Belladonna is learning some basic principles of Economics:  Opportunity Costs and Rational Expectations.

Basketball


This is the first time in a long time that we do not have any kids playing winter sports.  Belladonna was planning on playing Varsity Basketball but several factors came into play.

It is Belladonna's belief that the coach plans to retire after this year.  According to Belladonna, he plans to go out in a blaze of glory.  Most coaches attempt to balance the needs of the current season against the needs of the program, i.e., future years.  A coach who is retiring is tempted to focus more on this year and less on future years.

The Class of 2014 is stacked with talent.  Belladonna is pretty sure she would make the team but is very sure she would ride the bench.  Basically, she would be "the punching bag" the seniors would practice against.

At one point, it looked like twice as many girls intended to try out as there were places available.  The rumor is that the coach intended to avoid the confrontation of cutting girls by running them until they puked....then girls would volunteer to quit.

Many costs.  Very little pay-back.

Word got around.  It sounds like eleven girls showed up for the fifteen slots.  It is a case of thinking individuals making rational decisions.  The coach made his decisions.  The girls made theirs. 

Rational Expectations is one reason why central planning fails.  People anticipate consequences and move out from beneath the falling piano.

What now?


Her new plan is to have a life, work on her grades and check out indoor Track-and-Field.  Foregoing those activities were the cost of playing Basketball. 

The trainer for indoor Track and Field is a fantastic guy named Jim Fast.  Belladonna said that she went to two work-outs and he quickly identified where she needs to focus. 

She called me up when she made her decision.  She sounded a little hesitant to tell me about it.  Frankly, I am tickled with her thinking through "What do I want?"  and then figuring out "How do I get it?"  Those are two very important questions.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Getting ready for St Nimrod Day (Nov 15)

I went back to Family Shooters Corral and verified the primary firearm today.

I have never had a issue with this firearm and load; a Wolf CVA muzzle loader shooting a 250 grain Hornady SST Sabot in front of 80 grains of Hodgdon's Triple Seven. It  pokes hole in paper and kills deer with equal aplomb.  It is not bleeding edge technology, but then neither are candles, chocolate and Chardonnay.  Some combinations just plain work.

Except today.  I had a problem getting the firearm to go into battery.  Yes, it is a muzzle loader.  But if the locking lever is not fully forward the hammer will not be engaged by the sear.  I disassembled the firearm and scraped out some imaginary crud.  I was able to cam the locking lever forward and took one shot.  About 2.5 inches high at 50 yards.

Later, at home, a more complete cleaning and lube job got things happy.

That is why we try things out before game time.  We play like we practice.

Prepare for Take Off


I put together a three-by-five cheat-sheet with trajectory and range info on one side.
  • 50 yards..........2.5 inches high
  • 75 yards..........3 inches high
  • 100 yards........2.5 inches high
  • 125 yards.........1 inch high
  • 150 yards.........2 inches low

On the other side I wrote loading instructions.  Note:  Add powder BEFORE the bullet.  It makes a big difference.  The very, very, very last thing you do is put in a new primer.

The plan regarding who will be pairing up with who is still fluid.  I want Kubota to be able to reload if he is not with me.

Traditions


The last couple of years, while driving out to where we hunt, we heard this song on the radio.  And that was the classical music station.  We take our deer hunting seriously here in Michigan.


The Cavalier does not have a radio.  So you guys will have to enjoy this music for us.



A Few Tasteless Jokes

A Good Restaurant


An elderly couple had dinner at another couple's house, and after eating, the wives left the table and went into the kitchen.

The two gentlemen were talking, and one said, 'Last night we went out to a new restaurant and it was really great. I would recommend it very highly.'

The other man said, 'What is the name of the restaurant?'

The first man thought and thought and finally said, 'What's the name of that flower you give to someone you love? You know, the one that's red and has thorns.'

'Do you mean a rose?'

'Yes, that's the one,' replied the man. He then turned towards the kitchen and yelled, 'Rose, what's the name of that restaurant we went to last night?'

Rules are Rules


Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he didn't need my help to leave the hospital.

After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let me wheel him to the elevator.

On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him.
'I don't know,' he said. 'She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.'

Marital Bliss


A senior citizen said to his eighty-year old buddy: 'So I hear you're getting married?'

'Yep!'

'Do I know her?'

'Nope!'

'This woman, is she good looking?'

'Not really.'

'Is she a good cook?'

'Naw, she can't cook too well.'

'Does she have lots of money?'

'Nope! Poor as a church mouse.'

'Well, then, is she good in bed?'

'I don't know.'

'Why in the world do you want to marry her then?'

'Because she can still drive!'

This One is for Maryrose



A man was telling his neighbor, 'I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect.'

'Really,' answered the neighbor. 'What kind is it?'

'Twelve thirty.'

You are Only as Old as the Woman You Feel


Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical.

A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm.

A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, 'You're really doing great, aren't you?'

Morris replied, 'Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.''

The doctor said, 'I didn't say that.. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.'

Pantry Moths

Fleas


This story starts with fleas

Oreo is our oldest dog.  He is grumpy, sometimes hard of hearing and rules the food dish.

Over the last two or three weeks something has been tearing him up.  He has a case of dermatitis on his backside and he has been clawing and biting himself.  He lost hair on a patch of skin back near his tail.

I took him to the vet yesterday.  Being a bit of a pessimist, I feared mange.  Mange is very difficult to control.

The vet checked him out and deduced an allergy to flea bites.  She prescribed prednisone (an anti-inflammatory for the itching) and cephalexin (an antibiotic) for some infected scratches she found.  She also strongly advised that we declare war on fleas.

The Battle Plan


I vacuumed all the carpet.  I washed the bedding in hot water.  I dried the bedding using the hottest setting.

I dosed all the dogs with a product containing nitenpyram.  News flash:  fleas can jump.

I will do a follow-up on all three dogs in a couple of days with a product where you squeeze out a small line of product from between-their-ears to half way down their backs.

Then I applied a "growth regulator" insect control product to the carpet and furniture.

Pantry Moths


Q:  Why do men produce billions of sperm for every egg produced by a woman?
A:  Sperm don't stop and ask for directions either.

Don't tell Mrs ERJ, but I read the directions on the back of the package.  All of the directions.

This product functions by mimicking a growth regulator that keeps the developing insects in their juvenile, non-reproducing stage.  That is, they stay permanently adolescent, kind of like a trust fund that funds college tuition for life.  The target market for this product are people attempting to control fleas (me), roaches and ants. 

According to the directions, this product is also registered for assorted "Pantry Pests" like Indian Meal Moths.

Moths


We added pantry moths to the ERJ domestic biota about 20 years ago with a bag of rice from an Asian food store.  We have been attempting to control them ever since.

We have quite a bit of energy around this.  I like the idea of having several months of food in the house.  I don't like being one of those people who adds to the chaos immediately before a snow storm.  Kubota absolutely hates and detests moths.  I suspect he inhaled one early and life and it psychically maimed him.  That may have melded in his mind with various vampire movies.  We will be peacefully winding down our evening when books and CD cases start flying through the air as though launched by a Phalanx CIWS.  That boy really hates moths.

So I am thrilled to have another tool to add to our meager arsenal of weapons against Pantry moths.