jdmidwest

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........

The concessionaires are up for bid every so many years. It is not an exclusive deal, anyone can apply when it comes up for bid. But final approval would be DNR. But it is an inclusive deal, camping fees are DNR, Daily Tags are MDC. Motel lodging, store income, food service, firewood, canoe rentals, and any other retail would all be paid to the concessionaire and DNR would receive a cut of the income. Part of the contract would allow them to be the only provider of services. Other parks run a canoe rental service located within them also and the shuttle is provided by the concessionaire owner. Some of the parks, the smaller ones, the concessionaire is responsible for collection of camping fees, campground cleanup, toilet cleanup, etc. There is a website that lists the concessions available and requirements, probably on the DNR web somewhere. Scenic Riverways float concessionaires pay up front in March or April for the estimated number of canoes they plan to float during the season and keep tabs with a form for the DNR. At the end of the season, they pay for the overages or get refunded for shortages. Other streams, there is no fee that I know of. If it is an MDC owned property, it should be open to all for no charge. If it is DNR property and part of the State Park, then the concessionaire has a right to charge a fee.

Then in MO, they should tax the shake and baker's like they do big drug companies. But instead, they give them welfare, food stamps, heating assistance, housing assistance, and other amenities.

Oh come'on, it is just like old times. All gathered around the computer on a cold winter night discussing stuff that does not amount to a hill of beans.

It was late, I was tired, I did not see them approach. They may have applied the gun to me, but instead it deterred. I tend to think my firearms are more advanced than what mad max carried. I don't wear black leather either.

But that law only goes for self defense, any other discharge would be illegal. Hunting with alcohol is illegal and unethical. That does really seem to state that it is only legal in the use of self defense, not carrying for self defense.

This has been going on for a while. Like all pets, people tend to tire of the upkeep and dump them somewhere. We have traded a bale of hay for a few fine horses in the past years. Horse prices have dropped, the killer buyers don't have a market for the meat without the USDA label. You can find nice horses for a few hundred dollars at local stockyards that years past would have brought thousands. Eminence area on the Jack's Fork is one of the places you can float and run across the wild herd. It is a fine sight to see, they are remarkably healthy and fine looking animals. But, since the area is a prime area for trail riders, the wild horses could carry disease that could infect tame horses. They tend to control the size of the herd with several means. If allowed to run unchecked, they could become like the feral hogs that are causing problems all over this part of the state.

As far as DUI is concerned, it would result in the revoking of the CCW permit and flag you every time you try to purchase a firearm thru the National Checking System. Guns and alcohol don't mix and it is illegal to use one under the influence. I would be willing to bet that there are more drunken deer hunters that only have a firearm in their hands a few days a year than there are permitted CCW individuals that are under the influence in a whole year. As far as Open Carry is concerned, I feel it is more of a deterrent to the criminal and may make them think twice. I remember a time when I pulled up in front of my apartment, got out of the truck, and turned around with a loaded 1911 I had been transporting that night from work. I heard a voice proclaim "oh s t, he has a gun" and realized a pair of thugs had followed me with the lights off and tried to pull something on me. I chuckled as I watched them peel out in their car. I have never felt it made me a target. And I can bring it to action quicker than I could pulling one out of concealment. If open carry targets someone, they would be shooting law enforcement all of the time. As far as needing a weapon, most of us travel late night to reach our fishing destinations. It so happens that that is the prime time when crime likes to happen. We all have to stop in places that we are unfamiliar with. And most travel alone. Law enforcement numbers are lower at that time of a night, criminals take advantage of it. It will be you against them at that time, most sensible persons would prefer the upper hand in case they run against that sort of thing.

I had the priveledge to sit in on a CCW class when my dad went thru the course recently. It was by the book and NRA approved instructor. Safety and what is legal was the main directive. The field course required the full amount of rounds shot and included several situations. I stepped in and shot a few myself as it was held on the family farm. The instructor was a deputy sheriff and was well trained. I know there are several instructors that just push the meat thru the grinder for a few bucks. I would not suggest anyone go thru the course with them.

Huge flocks have been migrating north in the Mississippi Flyway for the last 2 weeks. Sunday at the farm, the cloud cover was full and the weather was cooling but the snows were going north by the thousands. I have noticed an influx of Canada Geese lately, locally. One would assume that the snows migrating would signal the end of winter, but they normally follow the snow line. And the fact they have picked everything clean locally and need to go back looking for food.

Of all the vises I have tried, all of them have stood up to the test of time. All of the American made vises have been made of hardened steel that can tye thousands of flies. After that, it is just a matter of style and design. As long as it clamps the variety of hooks you put into it, it should function for a lifetime of fly tying.