TN Bucknasty

I went to a Bulls/ Grizzlies game last night. It was the first pro sporting event that my wife and me had ever been to. After the game was over, we stood around to see if Derrick Rose would come back out and sign a few autographs. Kurt Thomas actually came out and stood around in the stands and made small talk with some of us who were waiting. He was a really classy guy. Rose came to the doorway and I heard him say, "Man if I go out there, I'm gonna get mobbed." He was probably right because there was a high school game being played and it would have turned into chaos. While I was standing there, I was talking to another guy who had a phone full of pictures with different players and celebrities and he was talking about who was nice and who wasn't. He showed me a pic where John Wall actually pulled over on the side of the road and signed his son's jersey while he was walking down the street. Then he told me how he saw Samuel L. Jackson cuss out a little boy who asked him to sign his poster. Here's the question- What athlete's or celebrities have you met, and what impression were you left with? I've met Kurt Thomas and Joaquin Phoenix, both were very nice guys. Joaquin even bought us all a case of beer a piece and invited us all to come hang out with him after we got done with the shoot. I've also met Reese Witherspoon. Let's just say she didn't act very lady-like and leave it at that. This chick I used to date worked for a casting company and she introduced me to Orlando Bloom briefly. I didn't really know or care who he was at the time... wait a minute, I still don't. I knew an American Idol top ten singer in college named George Trice. I think his name should have been Georgina, Ima Flamer, or something a little more feminine to match his personality.

Let me guess... If he didn't pay $350 or more, he got what he deserved. Is that what you're getting at?

I've killed eleven and we've already eaten 6. I figure we'll run out of meat in June or July, but I should be stocked up on fish by then. Every once in awhile, I'll kill one and dress it for some of the elderly people around or for the Mexicans when they ask for it. One year in college when I couldn't afford heat or groceries, I ate 14 deer and who knows how many fish fillets and small game by myself.

It shouldn't cost you anything if you take it to the guy who did it if he cares anything about his reputation. Depending on how badly they're split, it could be a really quick easy fix, or it could be a major pain. Are they really old mounts or something?

Have him fix it soon before you end up with curled ears.

It's unbelievable what a good taxidermist can fix. As far as what needs to be done, it depends on the tear. I'd have to look at it to tell you how it would have to be fixed. I'd have to see how the hide was tanned and how long the hair was before I could tell you anything as far as fixing it correctly. I can tell you a way to fix it easily, but it's something that won't do myself because I don't want my name associated with this kind of thing. If you're interested, you can pm me, and I'll tell you about it.

Y'all been watching my boy Wade at all? He's tearing it up. I've never seen someone who was able to draw so many fouls and get to the bucket so much. His partners aren't doing to badly either. The Heat has been really exciting to watch, especially if you like dunks and 3 pointers. The defense hasn't been preforming as well as they were earlier, but I think they'll have it all worked out by crunch time. The league is weird this year with teams that are either really strong or really weak without much in the middle. I've enjoyed watching Rose and company over in Chicago although I don't view them as a contender. Boston is still Boston. You just can't make safe predictions about them one way or the other. I think Orlando has made some good moves with personnel in the past few weeks. Ditching Carter was a smart move for the franchise and for him. Arenas was a steal. The West looks better than it has in awhile. I think Dallas could do really well this time as could San Antonio. I've really turned on the Lakers, Kobe's attitude and arrogance has totally gotten out of hand. It's like watching the bratty kid on the playground. I hope they get destroyed early in the playoffs. Its about time for someone to go Spreewell on him. Maybe Artest's shrink or Wallace's parole officer will call in sick, and I'll get my wish.

Killed 11 between 3 states.

It is over with here in TN. The cruising and chasing phase, which most people mistake for peak breeding time, usually happens the same week that gun season opens which is the weekend before Thanksgiving. Most of the actual breeding happens in late November or early December. I've hunted 14 of the last 15 days and saw 7 deer in that time. There will be a doe or two that got missed, but other than that, we're done with rutting here. Deer are hitting food really hard, but they have become so nocturnal that I might get 1 out of 100 trail camera pics that were taken during daylight. It's gotten to the "anything goes" stage for most hunters here. I can't wait for season to be over with. I've got a nice 2 year old that has managed to survive thus far. All five of the yearlings that I consistently saw and had pictures of earlier have been killed by neighbors. The two year olds have been eliminated as well. I killed the only two three year olds I've seen this year. In other words, most of the bucks are dead, and dead bucks don't chase.

The deer are much, MUCH bigger there than anywhere in the South, especially Florida. Also, the age structure is much more natural, so you will probably actually see mature deer. Be sure to take several extra pairs of underbritches, because you'll need a new pair the first time you see a deer. When you see the first shooter buck, you'll need to take a water hose and clean out your shoes. Let me warn you, after hunting there, it will be really hard to get motivated to hunt at home.

Considering where we live, I'd kill him. I'd probably bust him in the neck if he was that close though.

I meant to say book in the first post. They're expensive, but most of them don't cost any more than a nice plaque. About half of my customers have started ordering them instead of traditional plaques.

I shoot 3d with my broadheads from all angles. Sometimes I have my neighbor's kids pick up the target and run with it so I can practice on a moving object. Just kidding.

Go to Mckenzie taxidermy supply, click on McKenzie's big boon online, and do a search for wall habitats. There is some amazing stuff on there.

You know, you're right on this particular part as well as your later post where you said that "predicting how a majority will vote is not sound judgement". Who knows which way the Jindal thing will go. I mean, he did win in Louisiana. I'd say that's a feat in itself. Maybe racial issues won't be that big of a barrier after all. Outside of Huckabee, I don't know who I'd go for at this point. I can name a few I'd definitely be against on both sides.

I've seen several MS camps put weight limits on deer. That seems to work okay. On my place, I have a do not shoot list with pictures included. Anything that isn't a yearling and is not on the list is fair game for a guest. If your club members are really good at aging deer, you might try an age limit, but Southern deer are pretty difficult to age sometimes, and you're probably asking for an argument or a fight. That's why states can't put age restrictions on animals.

I'm not a big fan of prejudice either, but let's not be in denial about it. It exists, especially in rural areas where Republican support is very strong. I've heard enough tongue in cheek comments about Obama's racial and foreign background from Republican voters all over the place to know. People might vote for Jindal just to get rid of Obama, but there would be a lot of grumbling under people's breath. I doubt anyone would have enough sack to come out and say much though. I can see a Jindal vs. Obama campaign turning into a bar joke about 2.5 seconds after it began. I like Palin just fine, but the poor lady can't even debate with news anchors. Half of the country thinks she's a complete idiot based on her interviews and debates, even though she's very intelligent. Despite all of that, I still believe that she could defeat him in a race at this very moment, but what I said before still stands.

I'd take any of them, although the quartering to or frontal shots would have to be within 25 yards and the deer would have to be calm. Its hard to say. Each situation is different. I've even successfully taken a couple of neck shots at really short distances.

Very well put.

You're right. It will be an interesting experiment given the format of the party. I figured the moderate party would've taken off better than it did. I figure if the tea party thing works, that'll be next. I don't know which side will adopt it first though. I think that most Americans are actually moderates, but moderates' opinions vary so much from person to person that it would be hard to form a strong party.

I agree with everything you've stated here. Its nice to see that there are other people who are actually on the same page. I kill between 8 and 15 deer a year, but those are coming from different states and areas. I usually kill a trophy or two a year, and the rest are harvested to feed the family. That's about all we eat besides fish and small game. I wouldn't dare kill that many off of any one place that I hunt. As far as piebalds go. They seem to pop up in the same little pockets. I've seen three in the wild. All were different deer for sure, but they were within 3 miles of each other. I saw a buck, a huge doe, and a button at different times. I've seen 4-5 in the shop.

I'm not to sure about this tea party business. If you look at history, that type of thing tends to backfire in the U.S. See- Bull Moose Party, Constitutional Union Party, Free-Soil Party, Liberty Party, American Party, etc. I can't recall a time when it didn't backfire. I'm not saying it can't work, but I am saying that it's risky business in this country. I remember it working once in Germany with the German Workers Party, NSDAP. Let me clarify that I'm not comparing them to the Tea Party before someone gets pissy.

Who do you want and/or expect to win the GOP nomination for the next Presidential election? Here's a breakdown from someone who is unaffiliated with any party. Personally, I'd like for Huckabee to win it, but I don't expect that to happen. I think he has a better chance in the general election than anyone, but he won't do well in the primary. He appeals to moderates too much. If he runs, he'll end up as a VP candidate. I figure it'll be Romney although I don't give him much of a chance with voters outside the GOP. I don't think he appeals to the other side enough, and I know he doesn't appeal to most swing voters. He'd just be another old, rich, white, republican guy which is exactly what most of the country expects from Republicans. Not to mention he is a Mormon, something that a lot of Americans either ridicule or just don't understand. I think another Palin run would destroy her and her family. I'm not sure how seriously people would take her at this point. She's more of a pop culture figure now. She would probably have a decent chance at winning it all, but I'm not sure how well she would do under constant bombardment while in office. She puts her foot in her mouth too often, and being a slick President in today's climate is just as important as being a good President. Too many people don't know the difference between the two. I've heard a few people talking about Bobby Jindal- very funny, like Republicans would really elect an Indian to the whitehouse period, especially after all of the ruckus that was raised over Obama's ancestry. The name Haley Barber is getting kicked around, too. I don't know a whole lot about him. Newt Gingrich- No way. Way too many people hated him even before all of the personal scandals.

Our daily limit is 3 and you can kill 3 every day the entire season. Also, we have a very long rifle and ml season. We could probably deal with this if hunters in this area were a little more educated. However, I hear stupid things from so many of my clients that I just have a hard time seeing management "put in the hands of the hunter" as TWRA likes to put it. Here are a few of my favorite things people say: "If you kill more does, your bucks get bigger."- Only if your deer are starving and ours are nowhere close. Take a trip to southwest TX in the winter time, look around at the food that is available, look at the number and size of the deer, then come back to TN and tell me that these deer are starving. "Our bucks only weigh 120lbs., and they never have more than 6 points, they're starving to death."- No they are not starving, they are yearlings, idiot. "Deer are destroying all of the farmers' crops."-That's why the warden issues as many out of season tags to those farmers as they want. "We need to balance the buck to doe ratio."- Yes, we do, but it would be much easier just to kill fewer young bucks. Then we could have proper age structure and a balanced herd. I don't care what kind of propaganda TWRA says or publishes about the "high quality" age structure of our deer, our age structure is pathetic. They want to compare us to KY all of the time. I've been there. There is no comparison. My favorite from this season was a call I got about a full body mount.- "This piebald deer I just killed was starving. It only weighed 60lbs. It's got white spots on its hind quarters and front legs."- It wasn't a pie bald. I'll give you one guess what it was. Trust me, with the kind of culture we have here, we don't have to worry about the overpopulation of ANYTHING.

Are the Cavs fans ready to move on, yet? I think it's pretty funny that the announcers are talking about how much class the fans showed in the game last night. Thousands of people chanting "***hole", a guy in front of the camera screaming "Shoot him!" or "Kill his family!", etc. Those were some of the more polite things you could hear the fans yelling in the background. Maybe they got it out of their system. To be frank, I'm tired of hearing the whining.