Spring has sprung

What a spring. First off the only other company in the world that does what we do, bought us out. So a lot of head chopping and reorganizing is going on, but so far I've been spared. With that our Cincinnati  job is on hold so it was off to Elko, Nv for me. While I was gone a big flood came and destroyed the dock, so now I got to reconfigure that project again. Elko was nice as always, went down to the Hastings cutoff on the California trail, and picked up the big rock on side of the trail. Went I think of all the pioneers on the trail that looked at that same rock I just had to take it home. Got some projects done also. Made a new leather shirt, and a serape out of an antique Hudson Bay blanket I got at the Otway auction. Traded some venison summer sausage for an elk antler that I made a shifter knob for the Ranger, and eagle knife, and put the rest on the fence with the rest of the antlers. Even got see my first wild horses, Got home just in time for turkey season. I played with the same tom for 4 days where I shot at that one last year. Pretty sure it was the same bird, only smarter. He made a real chump out of me, even on the last day when he did everything a turkey isn't supposed to do. Be silent, cross a creek, up a vertical bank and then crawl under a barbed wire fence. We I spotted him staring at me 25yds away the jig was up. Garden's planted and just hanging in Indy in limbo until I get my next assignment. Plus a 5' rattlesnake skin that I mounted on old Otway covered bridge board

Macon Bacon

Second annual hog with boys a work has happened again. This time we went to Macon, Georgia. The trip last year was a lot of fun and this was no exception. Even better was brother Rob came along. The first night we saw no action, but it finally picked up Saturday afternoon. I was first to draw blood with a 125lb meat hog, the little brother out does me with an incredible 100yd shot thru the brush, with Dad's old 30-30, then Bruce with a 200lb solid hog and Chris followed up with a nice 100lb meat hog. So Chris got the little hog award again, Bruce the biggest, Rob the best shot, and me the best passed out picture award. Which was Bruce's fault for he had a new bottle of Jim Beam Black that had to be emptied, because everyone knows you can't have an open bottle liquor in the truck. The only downside is we didn't get an pictures of Bruce and Chris and our outfitter has yet to send us there pictures, we really pisses me off. To the point of not going back. Good times, good stories, good hunting with good friends, it DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT!

A New Year

The holidays have come and passed. Bub celebrated his 15th birthday on New Years Day. He's gone totally deaf and doing this twisted thing, almost like MS or something. Vets not real sure, but he' still getting around so we'll just our old friend as comfortable as possible. Tawny got a new t-shirt and a Griswold nickel plated dutch oven, She got me the latest Family Guy dvd and than new fangled Craftsman ratchet. Got to visit with all my brothers, dear friends Shelia and Sam,and Ivan and Vivian. And still missed some people, there just doesn't seem to have enough time sometimes. Jeff even came down and stayed a week.So its off, auction season is in full swing. Something we really enjoy, the hunt. Speaking of that got a 1902 sausage stuffer last auction and will be needing it, as a Georgia hog hunt is coming up in Feb, Turkey season in April, Tawny and I to Colorado ATV riding in June, Lake Erie walleye in July, and a possible September Maine bear hunt with Scotty. Got a full calendar and I like it. Plenty of time to rest in the grave.

Thanksgiving

Well another Thanksgiving and deer season has come and gone. Got to go hunting with Rob which was great as we don't get to hunt together as much anymore. Didn't see any deer though, which was the theme for my shotgun season. We still have that young deer that has been hanging around all fall. The good thing is she has some friends 5 different bucks, which none we seen in the daytime, and big doe #63, who now resides in my freezer. It rained, sleeted, and blew all week. Only saw 4 deer all week, now have to wait till January for muzzleloader. Taunya and I did get to stop in to see Dennis and family, Mike, and my old friend Tony Vanhook. Spent a night a Scotty's freezing in the Man Cave, drinking, smoking cigars

 and telling lies. Got some good Thanksgiving leftovers too. Time in ease into another Christmas and New Years. Lets see what that brings

Fall projects

As everyone who knows me knows fall is my time of the year. Sunday concluded Ohio's 2 day antlerless muzzleloader season. It was far my best, Why, not because I got a deer, I didn't. it was because I had a young bobcat right at my feet. As I was watching some turkeys 100 yds off in the distance a motion out of the corner of my eye and here was this young bobcat 20 feet away staring me down. We made eye contact and he bounded straight at me, then stopped a mere 5 feet away. He must have decided I was much to fat to try to eat in one sitting, so he melted off into the woods to look for different meal. That was the coolest thing I've ever had happen to me in the 40 plus years I've  been wandering around in the woods. I've been working in some more coin rings, except this time I'm rolling them over so to stamping in on the outside. Getting a certain size has proved difficult, and now have way more rings than fingers. It's therapeutic in an obsessive compulsive way. Also thought you know what else I need. Tree house/deer stand. 2 pieces of unistrut,some scrap wood and some screws, and there you go. A commanding view of the field and river is outstanding, plus a great place to ambush a big buck. I promised Taunya that her little fawn was off limits. Besides her mother was killed by a car in front of the house a couple months ago.

Backyard fawn

One of the cool things about Otway is you'll never quite sure what you'll see when you go outside. There was a eagle perched on a limb overlooking the yard / river, but by the time I got back with camera he was gone. A little while later this little fawn is just nibbling away at the clover behind the garden. Saturday while making venison snack sticks in the smoker she was back in the yard again, if she only knew what I was eating. The guy up the road how I got the wooden eagle and the welcome bear, had a totem pole, small, but I had just the right spot

Labor Day

What a busy weekend. First Scotty came over for few day to visit and try some Vinton county hog hunting. Jason had hogs hitting the feeder regular, but we weren't rewarded with any pigs. Hoarding mosquitoes were vicious, and drove us away before the hogs came. Plus sitting for hours in the pitch black staring at a red led floodlight plays on your eyes and patience. But when ever Scotty and I get together we  always to seem to have fun. The shenanigans we get into remind me of Dad and Ivan. Saturday was the ribbon cutting ceremony for Otway covered bridge, we had a good turn out, close to all 86 of us. Scotty left on Sunday and Rob and Lori came in an hour later with his new Kawasaki 800 UTV, and off to Wayne NF for some riding. Rain and overgrow trail made the going tough and wet. With Taunya and I braking the way we got soaked. Monday wasn't much better, Taunya wisely sat out, but at least the sun finally came out and we returned dry. Don't get many visitors down our way, but two in one weekend was pretty awesome.