BilletHead

No Harry not really. Have done a couple with success. The guys that I know that can do this have taken this knapping habit to another level. So much failure for successful points made. Clovis points were very well made and thin. I have a couple casts from lithic casting lab of actual Clovis points. I don't know many that can replicate those points. Folsom are even harder. BilletHead

As I do you and your hobbies friend. As far as that goes everyone's hobbies on this board of many talents, BilletHead

So this has got to be one of the most important reasons I like to hunt and eat squirrels . Squirrel aurora , We have some great neighbors. Our neighbors are not next door but a couple miles away. We seen her and her two children at the farmers market yesterday. We were discussing meals and I mentioned squirrel was on the menu for Sunday. She squalled and said you really eat squirrel? hahhaha Well she and the kids came by today and Kelly had a sample. Oh my gosh that is soooooo good and Garret her youngest polished off a big back leg. Fun day in BilletHeadVille, BilletHead

Yum Ness, Mom used to do a variation kind of like that. Slumgullion We have done it too with seasoned ground meat and some type of tomato based sauce. Good easy eats, BilletHead

It has be it a few years since I knapped a point. Close to seven I think. So yesterday I decided to get my tools out and go. Found a spall and began to work it. Setting up platforms and then using a piece of sandstone to grind that platform to take a strike from the moose billet driving off a thinning flake. Take off the high places and generally work the preform to a shape. Then continue this process with percussion and with a whitetail antler tip pressure off and set up more platforms. I finally got a triangular arrow point preform and put it down for the evening. Picked it back up again today to attempt to finish. So much can go wrong during this process. A miss hit will break it in half. A hidden fracture in the stone can show up. So the notching can go awry too. All the work can go to rubble. After checking some of my lithic point books I decided to finish the point as a Morris point. Started notching with a flattened antler filed down about a dime thickness. Then dishing the base some with a pressure flaker. After the long hiatus I was satisfied with the point, Sharp and thin. If I was still able to hunt and shoot my self bows I wouldn't hesitate to haft this to a shaft and shoot a whitetail. I thought I would see if I could make another? Grabbed another spall and began to thin it. Same way as above. Thinning and shaping to a preform. Again picked up a text for guidance to a point type and decided it would become a Jakie. Not a truly notched but a stemmed point. Also not a true arrow point but a blade or atlatl point. True arrow points were and are small. Again success, I then broke two preforms in a row. Have another preform beginning to take shape. Here is another photo so you can see somewhat the thinness. All points were not thin like these some are downright clunky actually. What most modern knappers try to do is replicate point styles. Some go all fancy too. I prefer to work with chert I find myself and replicate point types from our area, Mrs. BilletHead the hand model. The larger Jakie point was not held quite straight for picture. Thanks for letting me share. Felt good to hear the billet contact stone again. I have too many hobbies, BilletHead

Confit of duck, Saved a bunch of duck legs last season. Time to get ready for the upcoming season so duck legs on the menu for today. So yesterday it was after thawing time for the cure that consisted of salt, sugar, garlic, dried thyme and black pepper. Rubbed on each leg then covered and put in the fridge overnight, This morning rinsed off the cure and patted dry, Legs then placed in vacuum seal bags with a bay leaf and big wad of goose fat then sealed, Seven packages with eight to nine legs in each. When Sous Vide bath was ready bags put in for cook. To help with evaporation got some practice plastic golf balls to cover, Pulled from cooker. Two for today and the rest to an ice water bath and into fridge for another day. Oven set to 400 and legs on racks to crisp the skin, The fat and cooking liquid was retained. In fridge to cool. Fat will separate for more other cooking applications. The other liquid separated will be used also. Maybe in a pan sauce? Sides today of dirty rice and salad. Hope to save legs again this duck season. Darned good meal, BilletHead

BilletHead is in barring any unforeseen circumstances and lodging yes please, BilletHead

Seen that before Dan! Pretty neat, BilletHead

Nice Mr. Loyd thanks for sharing it with us, BilletHead

Check this little honey out, Not sure of age it was my Grandmother and Grandfathers. I want it rebuilt so I can shoot it. Not sure if it is worth sending to a rebuilder or not. Wrench has seen pictures of it before. would either of you @Wrench or @JDMidwest like to rebuild it for me? BilletHead

So you are saying the smack across the knuckles with ruler doesn't work? Did you threaten to call child protective services on her? Oh probably right we are living in different times. Spare the rod, spoil the child is so old fashion. Looking back I am glad I got my backside whipped. I am sure I needed it! BilletHead

AND his Girl friend is a teacher so Ness doesn't get away with anything. A swat with the paddle if he messes up then he has to sit in the corner , BilletHead

Good question. Depending on distance you are shooting as you know. I ran two 8 shot clips just a few minutes ago. I really have a poor rest and am battling a sinus problem including watering eyes. This is 30 yards with a starting PSI of 3000 and it dropped to 2000. No drop, All me and my shooting today. When i tested this at 50 yards one day I felt I get 12 to 13 premium shots before dropping. Here is my resetting squirrel at 40 yards and 16 shots, I did refill after 8 shots. Plus what the spent pellets look like after hitting the steel. Flat as a pancake, I might add I have to rebend the target as it isn't rated for the .25 . Then there is a sighting in day when I settled on the pellet. Keep in mind I am not much of a bench rest shooter. I get sighted in and want to hit the woods. At 50 I had one flyer before I figured hold over with my scope of one dot. At 10 working my way to center I need to hold over at 2.5 dots. I feel the air gun is right on it's the shooter that causes the missed hits, Then this morning I did some you tube surfing and found this video on this marauder. At 50 yards he found the same thing on shots before dropping off. I still need a bit more tweaking but today is not one of those days, BilletHead

Just game day food, A mountain of fried wild turkey. Potatoes sliced three times each and baked. Covered with smoked sharp cheddar and crumbled bacon. Another Quick re bake to melt cheese well. Then green onions added, Of course hot wing sauce and chunky blue cheese dressing. Tall glass of ice water, Better when your team wins also . Leftovers for the week too! BilletHead

Good luck man, Happy Birthday too! Looking forward to report and stories, BilletHead

Got another pair of PCP air rifles at a good deal from my uncle. Both Benjamin Marauders. One a .22 and the other a .25 . Scopes that came with them we kind of so-so and I opted for better ones to install on them. Got the .22 shooting spot on and have taken several squirrels with it. Finally decided on a pellet for the .25 and it is now on the money. Shooting a 25.39 grain pellet out of it doing 46.28 foot pounds of energy with the first shot. Did a sight in at 30 yards but does the same at 20 and 40 yards. Holdover at 50 one dot on scope. So this morning early while Pat and Sadie dog did a three mile walk I went to the woods for the .25 first hunt. Was not disappointed. Spent 45 minutes sitting and then a short stalk for the first one, Then a couple more followed giving me a trio, They will taste good , BilletHead

Scored on three more bluewings this morning so put them with last weeks three for a meal. To go with was Cajun Dirty Rice. So for the dirty part of the rice we used wild turkey liver, heart and the gizzard. To that supplement todays teal gizzard and heart plus a few dove hearts. Needed one pound of meat total so ground venison filled that gap. The ground and chopped meat was browned well in goose fat until a crust was formed. This was deglazed in broth. Then came celery, onion, garlic, green pepper (cubanelles from garden)and jalapenos from garden. Dried garden oregano and some Cajun seasoning. This all was mixed in and veggies softened and again all crusted up. Then came the rice, more broth and stirred up again. Then four sliced green onions. This was a meal in itself but the teal took it over the top, Grilled over coals and peach wood. Perfect medium rare with crispy skin, So nice we were able to eat on screened in porch. As we finished deer showed up in food plot 40 yards from us. Wonder if they knew we were snacking on their kin? BilletHead

That will catch Travis, BilletHead

Best Birthday present ever and biggest smile for me today and I bet for the week! EPIC, BilletHead

Nothing like that Duane character. Makes me want to create again. Kind of slacked off this Summer, BilletHead

Everything he does he takes it up a notch or two. BilletHead

Mine will never be fished. Like an uncirculated proof coin, WORTH MORE! BilletHead

Still some doves here and there in BilletHeadVille, Get a few here and a few there. Like they are in for a day or two and disappear. Have a friend down. Brad who hunts waterfowl with us between Christmas and New Years. Well he is retired now and can get away more often. We wanted to hunt teal but it has been bad for us. Pat one and myself three and it ends Sunday. So we opted for a dove hunt. Yesterday morning we shot 7. Field we were on they flat vanished. We scouted another field for the next morning. I called the farmer for permission and told which field we wanted to hunt. He said knock yourself out and then said hey you need to hunt another field it might be better. Nice to have friendly farmers . We drove by it to see many birds in trees, power lines and flying through the field. So a plan was hatched and this morning we were there for a hunt. We set up not in a hurry and did not take a shot until after seven. Brad brought his two chocolate labs and we both got to see their first retrieves. Pretty neat to have dogs. The field was cut corn with lots of weeds. We never lost a bird! The male dog still needs work but the female was doing well. it would hunt dead until bird was found. Brad sent her once on a bird. Bird flushed low over the ground and dog on bird tail. Dog actually snatched bird out of air. It was a hoot. We each had our limits by eight thirty. Best hunt I have been on in awhile. My shot ratio was 22 fired for 15 birds and Brad about the same. Brad leaves in the AM and I will rest. Been a circus in the house with his big chocolate labs and our 13 year old Sadie dog. Fun times with a fine friend, BilletHead