Ultradog

Mom always told me I was born with a bang - on 7/4/53 Oh, and my draft number was 22. I hope you all have a good holiday.

I haven't posted here in a while. Have been real busy with work and stuff around the house. I'm going to be working on the soffit and fascia on the new garage this weekend. Have the siding on order so that will be my next project. The building permit states all work must be done within a year and I'll be pushing that date pretty hard. About 40 days till the 2019 hunting regs are published and we'll know what our tag limits are - whether it's bucks only, does by lottery only, hunters choice, etc, etc and 138 days till the rifle opener.

If you don't mind a used one look on craigslist. Lots of cheap grills there - people moving and can't take it with them, etc. Ive been half heartedly watching for a good used propane grill. Don't want a big fancy one. Just something simple and reliable.

I got a call about 7:00 yesterday morning from my tennant. She said the 500 gal propane tank had tipped over. I thought, "Whaaat??" It's 120 mi from here and I was working and don't have a way to lift it back up so I told her to call the propane company. She had just put 300 gals in it. He came pretty quickly and sent me the photo. No leaks fortunately. I own the tank. It's been there for at least 10 years and never moved. The propane co delivered it and set it up. Seems strange but it's pretty obvious what happened - sun warmed the ground on one side. The other side was shaded by the tank. The guy came pretty quickly and had it set back up in less than an hour. Cost me $200 which was a lot less than I expected. I will do something to block it up better this summer. This is sort of hunting related as it's up at the property where I hunt.

I bought the lumber to build some shelving in the new garage yesterday. Am slowly getting it organized. Will order the siding for the exterior this week. My 83 yo pal Kenny wants to give me a big Miller wire feed welder if he can use it now and then. He brought the phase converter for it over yesterday. I will start wiring that in today. Me and the Mrs. went to the big fish dinner at the Catholic church on Friday night. We do that every year during Lent. I love to go to that. Last night we made a big venison/pork meatloaf. Got leftovers now. Mmm mmm!

My 83 yo pal Kenny and I are heading to a big tractor boneyard in Downing, WI in the AM to look for some parts we need. I will work a bit, both Sat and Sun. Am skimcoating out a bathroom so an hour of mudding saves a whole day on the end of the job because of the dry time. 232 days till the rifle opener.

There is an alternative. The modern saying is "A woman can fix anything! So long as she has a cell phone and a checkbook." You could just sit in the house, do your hair and nails and have the snow moved and machinery fixed for you. I say be glad you can do stuff - even if sometimes there are setbacks.

Like Elcoholic we finally got above freezing here for the first time in over a month - maybe 6 weeks. But they're saying another 3-5" of snow today so winter ain't over yet. I'm going to get started on building some heavy shelves in the new garage this weekend. I keep thinking about our deer herd here. We've had a brutal winter with lot's of snow and below zero temps. I'll bet it's taken a severe toll on the deer and we'll be back to bucks only and doe tags by lottery this fall. Just when the herd was getting built up enough that we had Hunter's choice and even could take a bonus deer last year. Such is life in the frozen North I guess.

Giving advice on what tractor to buy is a little like giving advice on what house to buy. Without knowing your budget we're not going to be able to give you any meaningful advice. I am into old tractors and with 4 tractors of my own and upwards of 30K posts on various tractor forums flatter myself by thinking I know a bit about them. Old tractors are cheap but you need to be a guy who can at least install new distributer points in one, change a water pump, convert one to 12 Volts or rebuild a carburator. If you can't (or won't) you are better off buying a newer machine. I know far less about newer machines but still probably more than most guys and could give you some advice on horsepower needs and brands to look for. I see a lot of people try to do the logging, mowing, deer plot stuff with a 4 wheeler which they really aren't designed for. So they wear out an $8K machine in pretty short order. An old $2K tractor will do WAY more work than a 4 wheeler and do it for years and years without breaking it or wearing it out. I would be glad to help if I can.

Snow duty here. Again! We had about 6" I think it was on Tuesday and I didn't have time to plow it out. Then we got another 5? inches yesterday. I'm running out of room to put it. If this was December or January I would be a little depressed about it all but it is March and l know it can not last now. We've gained over 2 hours of daylight since December too so that helps. PS A lot of people are going to have a heck of a time getting their fish houses off the lakes this year. They have to be off by Sunday or there's fairly stiff fines for non compliance.

I am very happy for you Frank. That looks like a great place and you have lots of ways to develop it for white tails. Maybe I missed it but do you have any tillable land? It doesn't take a lot for deer plots. Oh, and now you'll need an old tractor. They are more useful in the woods than a 4 wheeler. Congratulations!

My wife's brother passed away this week. He was unwell but it still was rather sudden. So she's in Tulsa right now. Be home Sunday or Monday. I'm batching it here and just going to work today. I got the engine block back from the machine shop yesterday and have the parts on order - pistons, bearings, gaskets, etc so will get to start assembling it probably this week.

Interesting thread. I have two parcels in central MN near Aitkin. The one I hunt on is 18 acres - just large enough for two guys. Lots of bigger woods around me. To the north about 200 acres that is rarely hunted. West - across the highway is a bigger piece, owned by a trust. About 400 acres. Never hunted. East and South are misc homesteads and smaller parcels that rarely get hunted except there is a 40 SE of me that sometimes gets hunted opening weekend. About 50 years ago they mined out the fill dirt on about 5 acres of my property. It left real high banks and not very good top soil there. One area does have some good top soil so I keep a deer plot there. My blind sits about 13' above the floor of the pit but it is only one step up for me to get in. The land around there is all heavily wooded with small rolling hills and valleys left by the glacier eons ago. No farming in that area any more so the deer have to forage. We don't get big deer up there. Between wolves, winter kill and getting massacred on the highway they rarely get real big. Plus, most years it's bucks only - does by lottery only so not much chance of practicing QDM. There is a rental house on my property but the tennants dont hunt and I reserve that right anyway. My other property is also about 18 acres but it's on the lake and lots of cabins and homes there. I've been letting a young guy bow hunt there as I rarely hunt that piece.

Hadn't seen it before so snapped a photo. Thought you guys might like it.

I bought this tractor about 6 weeks ago. Knew the engine would be stuck as the muffler was open to the rain for who knows how long. When I pulled the head this is what I found. I had another good block and crank so am building a replacement engine for It in the tiny 7'x11' "office" of the new garage. I have a temporary 220V electric heater in there. Will sell the tractor come spring. This weekend I will set the crank and fit the pistons. My mode of "stress relief" from the workaday world.

It's always interesting to read topics like this. For the most part I see a consensus that drones as a hunting tool should be illegal. Good. I also think we all agree there is a big difference between hunting and scouting and different tools and rules apply. Maybe we're all old enough to remember the days when being caught with a walkie talkie while hunting was a big no no. Here we couldn't even have one in our possesion. Now look how it is with cell phones everywhere. Things change. How do we adapt? My hunting friend and I do a lot of texting in the stand. A lot of it just bs, out of boredom. What does a guy do when you hear a bang that you know is him then a few munutes later get a text that reads: "8 pt. Knocked him down. 2 mins later he got up and slowly walked N." I'm north of him. Do I NOT look for the buck to come my way because it's still illegal for him to warn me via a 2 way device? But, but, but... I naturally would watch his direction if I heard a shot. Wouldn't need a text to warn me. A guy can get his head spinning with this stuff. Ultimately, I think each of us knows what is ethical and right. It says so in Romans 2:12 "Those who have heard the law will be judged according to the law. Those who have not heard the law will be judged according to their conscience." I say hunt so your conscience is clear. Doing so makes the joy of bagging your deer all the more fulfilling. Sorry this got so long.

Minnesota passed premptive laws to stop most of that stuff about 8? years ago. Technology had already reached a point where a guy could set up a remotely operated rifle and cameras and shoot a deer from his desk at work or couch at home. I don't know how the law is worded but I suppose it could easily be ammended to include the use of drones which have come out since then. Elkoholic, I know you and I do diverge a bit on what we consider acceptable while hunting (my heated deer blind for example) but I do say you have to be there in person to aim and pull the trigger . I don't have a problem with using a drone to scout a property before season though. To me it would be no different than using trail cams to assist in determining the routes and patterns of deer - which I have no issue with.

My wife is widowed twice. The brother of her first husband is long retired and calls her every morning for a chit chat. He still is and always will be her brother in law. Her second husband had a bunch of brothers and sisters. They keep in touch and always invite her to all their family functions. They have even welcomed me into their lives. We went to Crristmas day dinner there again this year. It was hard for me to go at first. I felt odd and thought they might resent me at their functions. They still love my wife. And they know I did not cause their brother's passing and are open minded enough to see that though they lost a brother they have gained a friend. Divorces are much harder as they tend to cause people to pick sides. A death does not require people to pick sides or end alliances. Your wife's kinfolk will always be your kinfolk - in law. My wife has a saying that she uses sometimes when someone gets a little too personal about her being being widowed and does she not feel she has betrayed a past husband by finding a new one. She just shrugs and smiles politely. Then she says, "Eat, drink and remarry." I hope you will see the wisdom and strong spirit my wife has and take those words as some that you can live by. Jerry

You guys need to get your wife some of these so she can help with the snow clearing.

I couldn't find any tiny lights for it.

I came across this on youtube yesterday. Random guy plays an old favorite on a public piano. It's worth a watch. Meanwhile, I hope everyone has a fun, happy and blessed Christmas.

I passed the framing inspection on the garage yesterday. I wasn't worried about it but am still glad. It's supposed to be in the high 30s this weekend so I will work on the wiring. Electrical code now requires at least two circuits in a new garage. One for outlets, one for lighting. Easy stuff. I'll call for that inspection maybe Monday or Tuesday. My wife and I are going to our annual "traveling feast" tonight. Hors d'oeuvres at one house, dinner in parts at two other homes and finally dessert at a 4th place. It's always fun to go. We're thinking about hosting one part of it next year.

...I might have to give this turkey hunting stuff a try. I have a beat up old 12 gauge somewhere that I haven't shot in 30 years. Find some camo clothes? Maybe watch some youtube videos. Do a little learning on calling. We never had these birds in central Minnesota when I grew up. Now they're getting to be everywhere. Brother sent this from up there. This flock is about 150 yards from my property up there. I'm thinking hard about it fellas. Never done it but thinking hard.

Lol. Excellent!

William, I was being tongue in cheek about buck hunters being trophy hunters - thus the itty bitty "trophy" I posted the photo of. I dont care why you hunt or what you hunt for. That's your business. This bruhaha about the wolf is just another attempt of the Antis to divide and conquer by setting us hunters at each other's throats.