Scrounging Firewood (and other stuff)

[svk]

And American Elm I believe, at least I think that's the one that has the oranges and purples in it when split.

Correct. I didn't include that as it's real easy to tell American by the bark

 

[MustangMike]

If you have a garden, Wood Chucks are the worst! I can fence out rabbits.

 

[Cody]

Correct. I didn't include that as it's real easy to tell American by the bark

Red(Slippery) and American are easy for me to decipher, but I don't think I've ran into any Chinese Elm down here. Got the trunk of what I'm pretty sure was Siberian last summer, looks almost like Walnut. I ended up throwing it all in the campfire stack but wouldn't have any issue burning it in the house. In fact I might clean up that campfire pile and do just that with it.

 

[nighthunter]

I will say, in my back woods behind the house I have shot at and missed that same buck 4 times, the last time he looked up at me as he ran away. With in 10 minutes he walked back towards me, looking up the whole time. Yes they look up, and yes around here they are more likely to circle back. Upstate at Uncle Mikes property, you fart in the woods and good luck for 5years.... they know your there and they are NOT coming back. I think they have year round pressure on them. The other part that stinks about up there, is all the other land owners, nice guys, but they bait. The one group got busted baiting and having two does hanging with no tags, they paid the fines and the next year were back to baiting... The story goes, the state police drove there Crown Victoria's up the logging trail whooping the **** out of them the whole time and made the busts after they were tipped off. Hey fellas, why not go back up the next year?!? Its super frustrating to have these fellas that are all "friendly like, super sweet guys" but they all cheat and your in a family of "good guys" and we do things the right way and teach our kids to do the right thing... ****, last year the guy is hunting with his crossbow well before crossbow season opens, Uncle Mike calls him out on it, and he just shrugs his should like oh yeah who cares and offers us a beer..... ARGHHHHHHHHH

I had a FREAKING GIANT buck running the back woods, I could always see him from my bedroom window at 20 yards, never see him in the woods.... Im talking 12point record deer. Anybody know how badly I wanted to put the .22mag in its ear?? But I didn't, later that year one of the neighbors left a bushel of apples in his back yard and nailed him....... ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!

Its super frustrating, but when you do things the right way in life your kids can walk around town and not be afraid to tell anyone what there last name is...
I have relatives that have a less than decent parent, sadly they know and we all know they can't do that same....

Hey matt is know the feeling of disappointed and angry because lazy hunters in ireland and i haven't got a nice buck yet because the bast@rds rather go out in the night and blind a deer with a high powered lamp to blind a deer before they shoot it. I bring it up constantly at my gun club meetings about a neighbour who bragged to me about shooting 15 deer out hunting one night in asked him what he did with them he left them in the ditch but no one cares

 

[Jeffkrib]

I have this vision of everyone in America being into guns and hunting and no animals left to shoot. Clearly you guys have rules and a hunting seasons (regulated) or that could become a reality. Pretty sure here apart from duck hunting season it’s open slather. Mind you most of our game are feral animals which cause massive environmental problems.

 

[nomad_archer]

Yes.

So how do you hunt. Please inform us of your methods that are sportsmanlike?

 

[cantoo]

Jeff, there are different rules all over the place. Lots of restrictions where I live. Shotgun or muzzle loaders only, lottery type draw to get tags, limits on number of deer etc and 2 short 1 week seasons. Not to mention the cost of tags, $50 something this year I think. 1 mile away you can use high power rifle, I went one year and after the idiots I seen shooting with no regards to where bullet was going I never went again. Also went from "party" hunting to going with just my kids and me in a stand. Less worries of some dumb azz shooting us. I don't even go firewooding during gun season. We have lots of good healthy deer here. Of course we have the "goog guy" poachers too. They will never go away.

 

[JustJeff]

I have this vision of everyone in America being into guns and hunting and no animals left to shoot. Clearly you guys have rules and a hunting seasons (regulated) or that could become a reality. Pretty sure here apart from duck hunting season it’s open slather. Mind you most of our game are feral animals which cause massive environmental problems.

America, despite the population, has lots of wide open spaces. One state I lived in had voted in a sportsman’s tax, which cost just pennies but was on all things hunting or fishing related. The money was shoveled directly to the game and fish commission. This led to fantastic boat launches, fisheries management and public lands for hunting. Don’t believe everything you see on tv. Lol. Hunting is fantastic in America. 99% of guys I met or hunted with were ethical and well educated on game management. I live in Canada now (the populated part in southern Ontario) and can say that I enjoyed better hunting and fishing when I lived in the U.S.

 

[nomad_archer]

Agree. I was just stating my opinion and wanted to hear other folks take on the subject. Thankfully only a couple resorted to mud slingin'.
To the rest of you, thanks for chiming in.

There is better ways of getting other people's opinion without telling everyone they way most of us hunt from a treestand is unsportsmanlike. I am a firm believer that as long as you are within the legal mean of hunting then thats fine by me. I will be honest I don't care how your hunt as long as its legal. But dont call someone else's legal means of hunting unsportsmanlike, no one is forcing you up into a treestand. I quit worrying about what everyone else was doing a long time ago and just worried about my hunt and enjoying my time out in the woods. For the record I hunt with a bow and a rifle, I hunt on the ground with a stool, I hunt from ground blinds, I hunt from tree stands, We do deer drives, all of this is legal and considered sporting. You worry about you I will worry about me. I have never been to MT but I imagine that hunting out there requires different tactics and a different approach then hunting the mountains of PA.

 

[svk]

There is better ways of getting other people's opinion without telling everyone they way most of us hunt from a treestand is unsportsmanlike. I am a firm believer that as long as you are within the legal mean of hunting then thats fine by me. I will be honest I don't care how your hunt as long as its legal. But dont call someone else's legal means of hunting unsportsmanlike, no one is forcing you up into a treestand. I quit worrying about what everyone else was doing a long time ago and just worried about my hunt and enjoying my time out in the woods. For the record I hunt with a bow and a rifle, I hunt on the ground with a stool, I hunt from ground blinds, I hunt from tree stands, We do deer drives, all of this is legal and considered sporting. You worry about you I will worry about me. I have never been to MT but I imagine that hunting out there requires different tactics and a different approach then hunting the mountains of PA.

Amen

 

[svk]

I have this vision of everyone in America being into guns and hunting and no animals left to shoot. Clearly you guys have rules and a hunting seasons (regulated) or that could become a reality. Pretty sure here apart from duck hunting season it’s open slather. Mind you most of our game are feral animals which cause massive environmental problems.

There are two extremes in America and most people are somewhere in between.

I've mentioned it before but I received death threats from anti hunters when my wolf pics hit the internet. Which itself is laughable considering the source. But it's very polarizing like most things these days. Wolves especially.

I very much try to support my fellow hunters although those who only hunt for body count/bragging rights leave a bad taste in my mouth. But if you follow hunting sites there's enough infighting to make saw builder arguments look like child's play. And it's silly because we are all out to do the same thing and have a good time doing it. Although it seems like that's the same way this derail started

 

[rarefish383]

I love off shore fishing too, and I'm here to tell you, I'm not getting out of the boat to give the fish a sporting chance. The sport isn't in just sitting there while hundreds of deer flock to your stand. I really don't find anything sporting about hunting. It's not a competitor you are going to shake hands with after the game. It's dinner before it's processed. It's an adventure, it's comradery, it's being in nature all year long. Looking for sheds in the spring, tending the stand and clearing shooting lanes in the summer. Going to the farm for a weekend get a way with your best friends and family. By the time deer season comes in, I've got hundreds of hours invested. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work. How did those 4X4's get half a mile up the side of a steep mountain? If you want to give a deer a sporting chance jump up and down and yell at it first. If I'm not successful on the first or second day, at dinner the night before, as we discuss our plans for the next day, I say "I'm gonna cheat tomorrow". Every one knows what I mean, I'm gonna walk the fence lines and logging roads. You can still hunt the fence lines on the tops of hills, and deer 100 to 200 yards down the hill won't even stop browsing, or get out of their beds, they think they are safe. So whats sporting about shooting a deer while he munches on acorns or snoozes in his bed. So, what's the difference. There used to be two brothers on the Eastern Shore of MD that dressed up in home made Gilli suites and sneak up on deer and slap them, I would call that a sport. Shooting out of a vehicle, or tractor or shining a light in their eyes is illegal in both of the states I hunt in. I call that a crime, you get caught, you get fined, go to jail, loss of vehicle and fire arms possible. I just don't understand, "give them a chance". The idea is to make sausage and steaks. If you want to give them a chance stay home and watch football. The goal of a successful kill is a one shot, humane kill. If building a stand to elevate your self above their line of sight, to mitigate your scent a little, to let them get close enough unspooked and jittery, so the one shot kill and be made, that's the sport of stand hunting, Joe.

 

[rarefish383]

America, despite the population, has lots of wide open spaces. One state I lived in had voted in a sportsman’s tax, which cost just pennies but was on all things hunting or fishing related. The money was shoveled directly to the game and fish commission. This led to fantastic boat launches, fisheries management and public lands for hunting. Don’t believe everything you see on tv. Lol. Hunting is fantastic in America. 99% of guys I met or hunted with were ethical and well educated on game management. I live in Canada now (the populated part in southern Ontario) and can say that I enjoyed better hunting and fishing when I lived in the U.S.

Jeff, down here we have the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937. That's an 11% tax on all firearms and ammunition. It goes to the Dept of Interior for research, surveys, maintenance of game and habitat, and the acquisition of new land. So, hunters and shooters pretty much pay for most of our game lands. Obviously others benefit from the taxes placed on the hunters and shooters. Hikers, boaters, skiers get to use these lands free, at a price we paid. They may have to pay ramp fees and such, but they don't have to shell out 11% on a new kayak or ski's before they get to head to the woods or waters, Joe.

 

[svk]

I've heard that guys make fire starters with wax, and dryer lint in an egg carton and then break off one cup per fire. No washer/dryer at the hunting cabin so had to improvise. Had a jar candle that the wick had burned out but it still had a little wax left. Set it in the stove and rendered the remaining wax. Stuck scrap paper towel into this egg carton and poured a little wax into each cup. As a warning the wax did leak through the egg carton a bit but I was prepared.

Total cost, about 1 cent for the paper towel.

We'll see how they work tonight.

 

[tnichols]

I've heard that guys make fire starters with wax, and dryer lint in an egg carton and then break off one cup per fire. No washer/dryer at the hunting cabin so had to improvise. Had a jar candle that the wick had burned out but it still had a little wax left. Set it in the stove and rendered the remaining wax. Stuck scrap paper towel into this egg carton and poured a little wax into each cup. As a warning the wax did leak through the egg carton a bit but I was prepared.

Total cost, about 1 cent for the paper towel.

We'll see how they work tonight.

View attachment 612449

I’m glad you clarified and explained WHAT that was. When I first saw the picture I was in hopes you weren’t going to eat it

 

[rarefish383]

Good luck, hope it works well. I cheat and use my propane torch, it lights with a pull of the trigger, keeps my finger tuned up. It also lights first time every time, even in a downpour. Steve, I think I asked this before, but I'm getting old and don't remember. How far are you from Duluth. I used to have family up there, but they are all gone now, Joe.

 

[MustangMike]

Jeff, down here we have the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937. That's an 11% tax on all firearms and ammunition.

Yea, that funding pays for land purchases, management, game studies, etc. I always get a big kick out of hikers complaining that people can "hunt" on the land. I look at them and say "we hunters paid for the land, we allow you to hike on it for free, and now you complain that we should not be allowed to use it, you have to be kidding me". Some of them try to argue with me, so I ask them how much they paid to hike on it, and I get a blank stare!

Also, FYI, the NRA conducts great hunter safety training (required in most states). It is so good that last year, in NY, there was not a single firearm related death from hunting last year. That is damn impressive, maybe they should have the NRA teach driver safety too!!!! So hunting is not as dangerous as you think, even with all the NYC hunters (driving to the mall at night is far more dangerous).

 

[Philbert]

We still in the 'Scrounging for Venison' thread?

Hikers, boaters, skiers get to use these lands free, at a price we paid. They may have to pay ramp fees and such, but they don't have to shell out 11% on a new kayak or ski's before they get to head to the woods or waters, Joe.

But I do have to comment on this.

A lot of license fee and excise tax dollars go to support game management and habitat. But they do not fully fund all public lands, national forests, range lands, etc. A lot of tax dollars and fees from other sources are involved.

We have X-C trail fees on many public lands. We even have state watercraft fees to maintain boat access, control invasive species, etc., that specifically exempt boats used for waterfowl hunting.

And many trails used by hunters are maintained by other users (hiking, mountain bike, ski, snowmobile, ATV, horseback, etc. clubs), although, there may be cross-over (hunters who also ride ATVs, etc. ).

Hunting and fishing fees do not just 'create open spaces for everyone'. Much of that money goes to fish hatcheries, game wardens / enforcement, herd surveillance, CWD management, and other directly related costs.

No one who pays taxes uses public lands completely 'for free'. Go tell the timber harvesters, cattle grazers, grain farmers, etc. how they owe their use of the land to an 11% excise tax on ammunition.

Philbert

 

[panolo]

But it's exactly that advantage that take the sporting element out of it. If all you want at the end of the day is a dead deer, just shoot one out you truck cab window with a spotlight shining in his face. Sport is supposed to be a challenge, where's the challenge in shooting down at a something that has no natural instinct to look up for danger?

You've never hunted in the woods then. I've hunted Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Canada, etc. Completely different than hunting MN, WI, ILL, Iowa. Stalk, spot, glass, cover ground. Can't do that it in these areas. Doesn't work and the land won't permit it. Plus I have been busted by many a creature sitting in a stand. These animals are conditioned to look up. Much different than a deer, goat, or elk that has spent it's time west of me.

 

[nomad_archer]

We still in the 'Scrounging for Venison' thread?


But I do have to comment on this.

A lot of license fee and excise tax dollars go to support game management and habitat. But they do not fully fund all public lands, national forests, range lands, etc. A lot of tax dollars and fees from other sources are involved.

We have X-C trail fees on many public lands. We even have state watercraft fees to maintain boat access, control invasive species, etc., that specifically exempt boats used for waterfowl hunting.

And many trails used by hunters are maintained by other users (hiking, mountain bike, ski, snowmobile, ATV, horseback, etc. clubs), although, there may be cross-over (hunters who also ride ATVs, etc. ).

Hunting and fishing fees do not just 'create open spaces for everyone'. Much of that money goes to fish hatcheries, game wardens / enforcement, herd surveillance, CWD management, and other directly related costs.

No one who pays taxes uses public lands completely 'for free'. Go tell the timber harvesters, cattle grazers, grain farmers, etc. how they owe their use of the land to an 11% excise tax on ammunition.

Philbert

This is very true and we need to be wary about those types of statements because each state handles its hunting/fishing regulations, funds, and management very differently. In PA there are State Game Lands, these lands have been paid for 100% by hunters for license fees and are managed for the purpose of hunting. However state forest lands and national forests are an entirely different matter. When non-hunters try to influence how State Game Lands are managed, I get salty. When talking about management of state forest lands or public parks that are paid for via tax dollars thats' a totally different conversation.