Double Double
 

I had a chance to jump shoot ducks this morning, because of the snow yesterday. It was too wet to pick corn.
I don't usually get a chance for one double let alone two while jump shooting on farm ditches. It was a good morning!

Nice shooting Jeff. Im waiting on the weather to turn so I can go.

good shooting..looks like you ll have duck dressing for thanksgiving..hope i get to hunt them ducks in a few weeks...charlie

I went out late on Thursday afternoon to a small marshy pond in the woods and waited till sundown. Three mallards flew by out of range and I couldn't turn them....
All I came home with was about sixteen deer ticks crawling around on my upper body... under my clothing.

Did you bring the 10 Dean?

These birds are locals. We won't see flight birds on the ditches until December, when everything else is frozen up.

what's the limit on ticks, sounds like you had yours :shock:

Dean, here is how to solve the tick problem once and forever. Go to Dicks or EMS and purchase a couple cans of "permethrin". The brand I use is made by Sawyer. Take your cloths outside and spray your hat, coat, shirt, and pants liberally with it. Let it dry outside for six to eight hours and you will be good to go. It lasts up to six washings. It repels and kills ticks, chiggers and mosquitoes. I began using this about five years ago first while turkey hunting in the spring and have never had a tick on me ever since. It is not for direct use on the skin, just your clothing and gear. The stuff is amazing. You still need to spray your neck with a good insect repellant and tuck your pants into your boots, but that is about it.

Thanks Steve. I'll do that.

Jeff, that's the exactly what I used to do back in the early sixties with a borrowed Trojan. Sadly, there are no such places around here anymore where the 'discharge of firearms' is still allowed.

Ditto on what Steve said regarding permethrin. Just be very careful not to let the spray get into your eyes. I applied some on a windy day, and believe me, I would have rather been maced. You also might want to use rubber gloves while spraying it because sometimes the spray turns into liquid around the nozzle and you should avoid getting it on your skin.

Dean ,Are You Serious ?? No discharging of Firearms,,How far do you need to travel to shoot your guns ? I can't even imagine it , I guess I am spoiled ,A few times a week,I grab one of my Parker's and walk out on the lower patio and my wife pulls the trap and I shoot a handful of Biodegradable Clays ! Even worse I guess ,I shoot my Rifle in the front yard :shock:!!!!!

Dean ,Are You Serious ?? No discharging of Firearms,,How far do you need to travel to shoot your guns ? I can't even imagine it , I guess I am spoiled ,A few times a week,I grab one of my Parker's and walk out on the lower patio and my wife pulls the trap and I shoot a handful of Biodegradable Clays ! Even worse I guess ,I shoot my Rifle in the front yard :shock:!!!!!

This year is the first time I have bought a MA license in I don't remember how long. But for ducks and geese.
When I was a kid all I had to do was walk out my back door and in thirty yards I was in our cornfield which was well-populated with pheasants....

Today I have to drive more than thirty miles to get to a stocked state game preserve which is always well-populated with pheasant 'hunters' of every stripe..... not really where I want to be. Or I can go to the state forest where the discharge is allowed about six miles from my house for a walk in the mature woods but that the tree-huggers won't let the state cut for improved wildlife habitat.

If I drive seventy miles I can amuse myself by hunting overhunted public and private land....

So, I drive to Vermont and enjoy every minute I spend there... even if I get back to camp empty-handed but with a handful of empty shells in my pocket - and a game-bag full of great experiences and memories.

It's unbelievable how things have gotten ! I guess I am fortunate ,our area hasn't grown up much ,but.... I had to travel nearly forty miles to find work that pays enough to live on !

Russ,

I was down your way last week; near Indiana, Pa (Clymer) visiting my nephew. My nephew shoots off the porch at his home too. I grew up near Ridgway (Hallton) and spent many hours shooting 22's off the front porch. I sure miss that!

I go back "home" every bear/deer season to hunt and visit. When I am there I shoot off the porch. That sure spoils me. Here at home I have to pack up the truck and drive 20 miles to the range. I can hunt near the house but the odds of getting a shot are slim.

Deer hunting in PA..... when PA brought in Gary Alt to "manage" the deer, it was the beginning of a disaster. When I hunt deer now, I am lucky to see a half dozen deer a day where all my life I would see 50 or more in a day. I remember when there were traffic jams on the back dirt roads and the house lights were dim because of all the hunters "in camp". The fire hall and churches would serve breakfast and make money to run their small organizations the rest of the year. Farm houses rented out room & served breakfast to supplement income. None of that anymore. IMHO, Gary really screwed up deer hunting in PA, I hear that he has moved on and is now in Wisconsin.

With the deer numbers down, the young kids don't see anything and loose interest. Not only are the deer numbers down but the deer hunter numbers are down as well.

He was in VT and NH too, trashed this state and moved on to PA, I have stopped bow hunting in PA for the same reason , no deer and now lots of posted land because" not enough deer for our own family" dean when I am shooting off my deck , I can also get the used coffee out of my system too. :shock:

I have urban neighbors getting closer, but I still can shoot clays and rifles out my back yard over the corn field. I can't imagine not being able to do that. I am spoiled. If I had to pack up and drive 20 miles to be able to shoot, I wouldn't get much shooting in. In the summer after planting, I do drive 20 miles on Sunday mornings to shoot skeet with the boys.