jdmidwest

People kill people for no reason at all. It started with Cain and Able and has been going on thru time. According to the FBI, violent crimes have declined since states have allowed conceal or personal carry. It is a deterrent more than anything, a safety net if you need it. Trouble is, most criminals do not think straight like normal humans, they act on rage or desparation, you can not predict what they will do. It will never make sense, but sticking your head in the sand and pretending it could not happen to you is plain ignorance.

It depends on the snows, some farmers hate them and will allow you to go after them because of the destruction they cause. Some farmers lease out the ground to hunters so they will be off limits. I have never really targeted snows, it seems like they leave out here around the end of Jan when the conservation order starts. The article on Outdoor Life suggested using a cell phone, most have the capability to play mp3. The old Blackberry I used has a problem with the antenna for the phone connection. But it works for the rest of what I needed it for. The rest was available at the local Radio Shack.

Muzzleloading season has really changed since its inception. It started out as a disadvantaged hunt with primitive weapons and evolved in to something almost along the lines of a hunt with modern weapons. I still hunt with my Hawken Rifle and Hawken Pistol. I picked up a Thompson Center White Mountain Carbine this fall at a shop to try next year. Modern muzzleloaders, inlines, scopes, electronic ignition, powder pellets, and now modern centerfire pistols will just increase the harvest. But the herd needs increased harvest, so it is not really a big deal. Look how Archery has changed thru the years. I started with a traditional longbow and moved up to a compound. My compound bow from the 80's would be the modern equivalent of a percussion rifle.

The ones that carry for self defense are not worried about being heros. Note the part about "self defense". Concealed carry is for personal protection and your family which you owe some responsibility. Most are not going to run in and break up something that does not involve them personally because they are Carrying Concealed. If you are lucky and can't defend yourself, they will dial 911 and let the pros help you.

Most "outdoorsmen" have lost perspective on what it really means. Understanding nature and enjoying it to its fullest. Going out for a good day in the woods and enjoying the fine day that God had given you. Take some food for the table, catch some fish for relaxation and enjoyment, it is not a job but a passion. Kick back on the boat and feel the warmth of the sun, listen to the ripples of the water. Don't make it a competition, mine was bigger than yours. That adds stress. Then you make a JOB. You will not see the meaning of what you have to enjoy. Unless it is a friendly competition you share with a friend. MDC does a good job for the most part. Most of the employees I deal with are great and really care about what they do. I think the article is some BS created from someone with a hardon for the MDC.

I did not think you would run over your Glock and pick it up and start shooting without checking it out thoroughly for obstructions, but I did not want the gun newbies to think that you could get away with that. Your 1911 and 686 should be safe to drop without them going off. Series 80 on the 1911 added a hammerblock to the original design. That is why series 70 and earlier are so popular and why they started making them again a few years back, for some ungodly reason. It must be a trigger thing. My Officers is a series 80, I carry cocked and locked with one in the chamber. The 686 is the same, it has a safety to prevent an accidental drop. But, many older firearms will go bang if the hammer strikes something hard in a fall and ignites the primer. AD, accidentally discharge happens, that is why they call it accidental. I have one famous AD, it was on a Single Six Ruger 22, 3 screw, old style, one night in the house after I went out to shoot a possum in the chicken coop. I went to drop the hammer and put it on safety nock, slipped, and put one into the floor in the bedroom. Dad never missed a beat in his snoring in the next room. Years later, we pulled up the carpet and reverted back to the original hardwood floors and there it was, a slug in the floor under my bed. 30 years later and I spilled the beans.

In reality, a self defense shooting takes place in close quarters. It is harder to shoot close range under pressure than it is to shoot at a target with a sporting arm at hunting ranges. You don't have the time to stop, take aim, breath, release the air, squeeze the trigger. Its threat, draw, identify and make decision, fire. Most of the time, 7 yards is where you will need to practice. If the threat is 30 yards away, you should have time to evade and escape, avoiding a need for a firearm. In self defense, you are being attacked in a home, getting out of your car, etc. You will not be engaging a sniper that wants to shoot you and steal your stuff. Try spinning with the target behind you and shooting 2 to the heart and one to the head with a strange firearm and see how you can do in a timed drill. Or do it with multiple targets behind you, pick out the bad guy between 2 friendlies and do it in a timed drill. Advanced courses are really fun.

Eric is a sadist and loves to torture for no reason, I just kill outright. Cable restraints are the humane way to trap, it does no harm to the animal. It essentially leashes it until the trapper returns to dispatch it or sell it live to someone that lets his dogs chase it. I use them for cheap predator control. The predators are killing my innocent little bunnies that we raise for profit. What is this thing called PETA anyway?

Outdoor Life did an article for the Feb. issue. Download the sounds from the web, buy a small amplified speaker from Radio Shack and (optional) a bull horn speaker from online or Radio Shack also, cables to hook them up. I picked up the amp powered by a 9 volt battery and downloaded some mp3's to an old Blackberry I had and made a pretty nifty little game call for $14. Google "game sounds" or "varmit mp3" and you can find a ton of them. Varmits, waterfowl, deer, and turkey. Just don't try to use the deer and turkey or the waterfowl during the respective seasons as a call as electronic calls are prohibited. Will work for varmit hunting and snow goose during the conservation order part.

I planted lettuce and radish seeds today to get the garden off to a bang. The beds I covered on Sat. had dried out nicely and the dirt worked up fine. The rest of the garden is a mud pie. Ness, The glass heats up the soil and gives me a head start on the cole crops. It also helps control the temp and moisture. Last year when I set them up, I put a remote thermometer and monitored it from the desk. It would heat up greatly even on a cold day and hold the temp well above the outside temp later on into the night. This helps the germination. The glass is about 6 inches above the dirt line, My beds are made from 1x12x10' scrap boards that some of our product was crated in. I filled them with store bought topsoil and manure about half way. They are on a slight slope in the back yard facing the south. They get full sun all day.

In support of Ron, civilized people feel that the taking of a life is about the worst thing you will ever have to do. Soldiers do not enjoy what they have to do, but they realize why. Law enforcement is the same way. But the reality of it is, a civilized person would not try to harm me for my possesions or something I have done, but there are plenty of people in this world that do not hold life to the same standards as I do. They are less civilized than I, so I have to deal with it. I stand firm and correct those that carry a firearm for self defense. If I hear someone state on occaision, I will just shoot them in the leg and it will be over, or fire one in the air to scare them. The reality I stress, if you feel you need to use a gun, "You Will Shoot to Kill or Incapicatate Them". Don't take it lightly, you are going to do grave bodily harm to another human. If you are not grasping that properly, you should leave it on the dresser and carry some Mace.

There is no fear, it is just another thing to have, to cure what may happen. I wear a life jacket because I am smart enough to realize that I may fall out in too deep of water and can't swim to save my life. I carry a compass because I may lose my sense of direction and need some guidance. I carry a flashlight because something may keep me out after dark. I keep a first aid kit in the truck because I may hurt myself in the pursuit of the outdoors. I carry a pair of dry clothes because I may get wet. And I carry a gun because I may need it to shoot something or signal someone.

The glass warms up quicker and I can control the temp and moisture better by opening them up. Kept the snow off of them so I can plant my lettuce today. Hoops are a good idea for frost on a row crop.

The target is 7 yards. Actual course material varies per instructor. http://www.carryconcealed.net/

The qualifying rounds must land in the center of the target and not out of the 9 ring. 150 total, split between both firearms, 20 each are fired to score, the remainder is practice rounds. Most instructors will end up making you fire more rounds if the practice does not improve. Most instructors suggest minimum 200 rounds brought to the class.

The CCW course is designed by the NRA. It teaches the laws regarding concealed carry, where you can and can't carry, It teaches the legal part of what self defense is. It has a basic course on design and cleaning of handguns. The practical part is 150 + rounds at a range with both a revolver and a semi-auto handgun. It has sections on firearm safety. It has a portion on lead poisoning in the air and on your hands when shooting. There is no written test. Most instructors stress the fact that using a firearm for self defense is the last resort. If you use it, you will probably end a human life which would be the most important decision you will make in your lifetime. They teach how to avoid the use of the firearm, how to try and retreat and do so tactifully to minimize the threat. Some will teach a few moves for close encounters. It is the last resort. You are not law enforcement, you are not to jump in and try to do their job. Your only responsibility is for yourself or your family. Most instructors offer advanced courses and many continue past the basic qualification.

Waterman, if you can find some old well rotted sawdust and work it in, it will help loosen the clay. Make sure it is rotted, fresh sawdust is not good because it heats up as it decomposes. There are stables around here that use rice hulls or wood shavings in their stalls and you can find some nice manure with extras for looseness. Otherwise, compost lawn grass and leaves and till it in. Some sand never hurts along with lime. Plant a green cover crop on the garden in the fall with something like clover, wheat, or rye and till it under early in the spring to add organics. Ness, I don't know what the size of your raised beds are, mine are 2' x 12'. I use storm door glasses I picked up from a remodel one time. I picked up a few old glass shower doors from the farm today for my other raised bed I made last fall.

MO only allows snares in under water sets for beaver and otter. The cable restraints use a relaxing lock that does not choke in case a dog comes by. I have been targeting the coyotes and foxes that are hanging around our rabbit pen. I am going to try that tack thing Eric, sounds like fun.

Pulling tomato stakes was not a choice today, frozen pretty good. All else went well. I put the glass on the cold frames and things started warming up good with the sunshine. I even moved my compost bin to a sunny location, it had not been doing well since the trees was shading it. Last year was the worst garden season ever, the heat and dry weather from June to August was hard on everything. But the fall picked up with rain and late frost. I think my tomato plants were still green when duck season rolled in. I am shooting for a better year this year. I am going to use more raised beds for some of the items, easier to control moisture and weeds.

Otters are doing a fair job of keeping the numbers low. Lately, I have noticed far fewer watersnakes than ever before. And I see more otter sign.

I have tried my luck at trapping with Cable Restraints this year. I made my own restraints from supplies at local hardware stores. It has been a fun project, a lesson on trial and error. I have been running about a dozen sets on the farm for the last few weeks. I have been using a system of game cameras to scout the trails. So far, 2 catches and several knocked down. But the catches were Catch and Release, one must have caught before the ears and pulled out, the other had a failure of the 350 lb breakaway. Both left coyote hair behind. Does anyone else use Cable Restraints on here?

20 below and our first dusting of snow was what I woke up to this morning with a howling wind. My mission, get the garden plots ready for the new season. First on agenda is to remove old fencing and tomato stakes. The mud should be firm with the change of weather. I have to clean out the raised beds and remove the radishes that have survived the mild winter, I will take them out and feed them to the rabbits at the farm. Rake some leaves. Clean off the flower beds. Move some Horseradish roots. Plant some flower bulbs. Cover the raised beds with glass panes and let them start drying out. Then on Valentines day, I will plant lettuce for the ones I love. Anyone else thinking about a garden today?

I shoot on the farm for the most part. When I do make it to the MDC Range, I sit and wait till the idiots clear off of the pistol range section to shoot. Handguns are somethng that most have a hard time to figure out. Rifles and Shotguns are a breeze for most. Proper stance and handling with handguns are different. Back when I started with handguns, it was a weaver stance and one eye closed. Now days, you lean into a handgun and keep both eyes open. And most go for automatics now, which was a luxury cadillac back in the day.. Instead of shot placement, its how fast can you empty the mag. Learning on a single action revolver was more simple and accurate. As for the CCW grads, the selection of instructors for the permit process can vary. Locally, we have deputy sheriff with law enforcement credentials, marksmanship trained. And we have joe blows that teach the course for an extra buck and spit them out with little training. The teacher makes a lot of difference in the finished product. And most students are new to handguns and don't shoot them after qualifing for the course. At least the ones at the range are trying.

Why would you treat a firearn in that manner in the first place? I personally would not do that to my hammer if I could avoid it. And I would check for mud in the barrel if I dropped a gun in it before pulling the trigger. Most modern firearms since the 80's have been designed with a hammer block to prevent discharge when dropped, an excellent safety feature to check for when purchasing a handgun.

Snake have excellent hearing and will retreat at the sound of gunfire. Just another reason to carry a signaling device with you on the river........