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How often do you clean your computer monitor screen? How about the INSIDE of the screen? Click the link and I'll have a good friend of mine clean it for you. http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf

Glad to see things worked out for you this year Alan! Now I guess it's time to relax for a week or two and then start thinking about spring gobblers eh?

This is B&C, but might help. http://www.boone-crockett.org/pdf/geographicwhiteail.pdf

Same here, but I only have Fri-Sunday! Since Friday is my birthday I'm hopeful things will go for me instead of against me.

Not sure about Kansas, but in IL. you'll find the same problems as in TN. I will say the Shawnee Forest is pretty good prior to the gun seasons. I've heard southern Iowa is a good place for public hunting as well?

The last week is upon us here in IL. A friend of mine asked me to harvest a doe next weekend during the final antlerless gun season and he'd buy the tag. So I'm getting the smokepole out one last time. Still got a buck tag, but time is running out.

Most say 3 years, sooner if you shoot all year long.

Wind gusts of 20mph yesterday, 15 degrees and snowing. Hunted it right and never got cold or uncomfortable 30 feet in a tree. First I only planned a 2 hour hunt. I hunted in ravine near a corn field to get out of the wind and figured that's where I'd enter a corn field from if I was a deer. Picked a large tree that could stand up to the wind. Wore bibs with hot hands in my gloves and hot soles in my -30 boots. Cotton neck gator, sock cap and a goose down coat and I was set. At 5pm 3 deer came right through the ravine to get to the corn. Unfortunately they were all only 1.5 year old bucks. Two had 4-6 inch spikes and one had a small fork horn on one side and had shed the other. They walked right under me then smelled my boot prints in the snow. They seemed more curious than spooked, but after walking around directly below me for 10 minutes they went back the way they came instead of entering the field. Fun evening anyway and dressing right helps keep it that way. I love the late season!

Very nice! He does have an "I'm the main buck around here look".

A lot cheaper than a trip to Russia! Glad to see you had a great time with your father. Great looking ram and boar there!

I'm having trouble catching my breath! WOW!

Still at it! Harvested 1 button buck on opening day. I may have another harvest but I'm not certain???? I shot a decent buck in Nov. and never found it. I found the remains of a buck (105 inch 2.5 year old 9-point) that may likely be that same deer while looking for a big buck I shot in December. I never found the December buck. Last year I harvested everything I shot (2 does).

9 degrees yesterday with 5-10mph winds made for a cold hunt! Took the bow instead of the gun since the firearm late season is antlerless only. I saw over 20 deer filter out of the woods and into the cut corn field. Only 3 were bucks and only one was over 120 inches. They were 100 yards away so no shot with the bow. A coyote was trailing them. No doubt looking to pick off a weak one.

My first DOE of 2009.

No doubt the outfitters sponsered by RT are great to work with, but I got burned on my first bear hunt in Canada using an outfitter. Two grand in 2000 and didn't see a bear for 5 days! The outfitter (Black Bear Lodge) promised 90% success rates. Well the group of 18 hunters before my group managed one bear and the group of 18 I was in managed 5 (one shot by a frustrated "hunter" at a city dump). That's 6 bears / 36 hunters = 17% success rate. That's really bad for bear hunting. After that I do all my hunts myself. I drive my travel trailer to Idaho in the spring and bear hunt now. I went with a buddy in spring 08 (didn't get one) but the experience was so much better! My buddy had an encounter from his tree stand with one at 20 yards but didn't close the deal. Anyway we are going back this spring with a 3rd friend. The trip will cost me about 150.00 for hunting/fishing license and a couple bear tags, 1200.00 for gas (split 3 ways = 400.00). Add food costs (another 200.00) and since I have all the gear from my 08 hunt the whole trip (10 days) will be under $1000.00. Now if I get one then the taxidermy work will increase the cost depending on what I have done and how many I get. DIY hunts take a lot more prep work and are way more challenging, but also more rewarding (which is what hunting is all about to me). Having tried in 08 and failed will make it that much better if I do connect this spring. Good luck!

My DOH! from November.

First ever deer with a ML.

I generally don't, but I'd sure love to bring home a black bear this coming year from Idaho. I'd like to be a more tolerant person and yell less.

Changed mine as well. Will keep the same (older) signature once the deer contest is over.

Walking, eating, getting something done, etc... I'm always going full speed. I try to slow down when walking with people, but just can't help it. People always tell me to slow down. I'll bet my body will even decompose faster than most when I'm in the ground.

I have a WB and really like it. However, it will cost you a few fps in arrow speed (worse with plastic vanes than feathers). Next rest I get I'm considering the Octane Hostage rest by Diamond. Does the same thing as WB, but less effect on the vanes/feathers. As far as sights go I'd recommend getting one with all green pins. The red is the first to go in low light and the orange/peach color goes next and last to fade are the green.

Not often, especially around the family. I'm known to use the line from Tommyboy when I hit my head or something... "Son of a" (I don't finish the phrase though).

Hunting related: 1. Went deer hunting for the first time with my 8 year old daughter 2. Shot a deer on opening day of bow season for the first time 3. Shot my first ever deer (doe) with a smokepole 4. Harvested the most deer ever in a season 5. Took a good friend on his first ever deer hunt 6. Got a big Gobbler that is being mounted Family related: 1. Took the family to Rocky Mountain National Park 2. Took the wife to our first symphony Christmas concert 3. Watched my son win a 2nd place trophy in the pine wood derby 4. Watched my daughter catch a 14 inch crappie and was able to give her the mount on Christmas Eve Work related: 1. Had my second article accepted for publication 2. Won a grant to support my research 3. Finally got an office with a window Personal improvement: 1. Learned to play the bagpipes (I'm not very good yet)

Hunting is a lot more than trophy bucks as you must know. In addition, not getting one every year makes it that much better on the years you do! Congratulations on your harvest.

Thanks for having my back ruttinbuc. Wonder if this was the post that "Broke the cammels back" and got the Mooresville boy banned? Hope he finds some peace instead of anger to fuel his rocket in the future. One mistake I just realized. There are some small watermarks in the topo map, but they are not nearly as visible as others I've seen.