#1 Best way to Weigh a Deer w/o a Scale. Find your Deer Weight Easy!

Easiest Way to Weigh a Deer

This is an easy cheap way to "weigh" a deer and it is surprisingly acurate.  Take a cloth tape measure and mark the inches with the weights as shown in this picture. 

Now when you harvest a deer put is right behind their front chest and measure the circumference of the chest.   Then that gives you the weight from the chrt below.   This is usually to within 5 lbs.

Get the tape measure here  -  Fabric Tape Measure - https://amzn.to/46Xineq

See a good video on it in action below.

#deer

#deerhunting

weigh a deeer

Shooting a 70 year old Shotgun Shell - Buck Shot

I have several old paper shotgun shells that I have had for at least 45 years. These shells are at least 70 years old and I have been wanting to shoot one to see if it would even shoot or go bang. The results were surprising and now for next year I want to kill a deer with one.

The  shells,  20 Gauge #3 Buckshot and a slug

Test firing results at 25~ yards.  All 20 pellets hit the paper. 

See the video where I test fired a 70 year old # 3 Buckshot on Youtube.

#buckshot

#shooting

My 2016 Fox Squirrel Season #foxsquirrel

Hello Guys,   I Fox Squirrel Hunted 3 or 4 times this Season.   The First was with my Dog Pete.
Now, Pete and I had a blast and we saw 2 that day but they both went into holes and eluded us.
They are a lot smarter than most people think, maybe they get a bad wrap from the tame ones on golf courses but these ones we hunt are ELUSIVE.

The next time I went was November the 28th.   This time I took a friend of a friend who had never seen a Fox Squirrel and wanted to kill one and mark it off his bucket list. Lee is his name and it was a wonderful day hunting with a very nice hunter. We met up at 11:00 am and made the 1hr drive south to my  Fox Squirrel hot spot.  You could immediately tell that Lee was an expert hunter  and the pressure was on for me to put Lee on one.  

My plan was to go to good spots and sit at each one for ~30 minutes and if no action to move and repeat. On the first move I spotted a big Black saddleback one ahead of us but he gave us the slip.
This move and repeat process continued until 3pm  when I told Lee That we were in my # 2 spot and we should sit here till dark.  Lee sat up against one big pine and I another approximately 70 yards from him.  There wasn't much happening until 5 pm when I heard something running between Lee and I . I looked that way and a big Silver one climbed a small oak. I  Rushed the tree and Lee was getting there as well. The squirrel then jumped to a big pine and both lee and I had him spotted.  I told Lee that the honor was his and His trusty Winchester 37 in 410 put the hammer on that squirrel.    An awesome ending to a great afternoon in the woods.

Here is the picture of Lee's Fox Squirrel -

Lee then presented me with a Turkey Wingbone call that he made himself from a turkey he killed !!
Wow! what a special present.  Thanks Lee, I hope we can do this again next year.

Fast Forward to 12/12/2016 and I was after one for me.   Somehow I was daydreaming or just not paying attention and I missed my turn to where I hunt.    I went over a little hill and I see what I think is a dead Fox Squirrel on the side of US 1. I have to turn around anyway and as I pull up to it I can see that it is a Fox Squirrel.
 Crap,  I sometimes shoot them but it is a shame when one gets run over.   What a nice example of a Saddleback color phase.  I put the squirrel just off the road in the woods so it could return to the earth.

Now, I was headed in the right direction.   I arrived at my spot and since my time was limited today I chose to make the sit till dark in the same place that Lee and I hunted  a few weeks ago.  I sat down and was about to nod off and in 5 minutes and I hear something in the tree 5 yards in front of me.  I look up and there is this big beautiful Black one coming down the tree not 5 yards from me.   The squirrel gets to the bottom and knows I am something but doesn't know what.   Anyway, I got a video of it which I added the going in and out of the woods.  I ain't  the best movie maker  but watch that sucker check me out from the bottom of the tree.

Here is the video ----

 and a picture,  shot with a 20 gauge Savage S x S using # 6 shot at 25 yards

Though I only got to Fox Squirrel Hunt 3 or 4 times it was a fun season and one I will remember.
Thanks, Mack

#foxsquirrel

#squirrelhunting

Fox Squirrel Hunt with "Pete"

Me and my son hit the Fox Squirrel woods with "Pete" Saturday October 24th.    We only hunted a short time  today this being an evening hunt.    Pete had a blast and we did also.

2 Fox squirrels treed and 1 harvested.  Took almost an hour to finally spot the one if the top of the tall pine and the other, well, we got tired of looking for it and left it for another day.  You would be amazed at how well a 3 lb black Squirrel can hide on a limb or it the very top of a 100ft tall pine

 An hour to find a Black Squirrel in the top of a Pine and not in a hole??  Yes.  I have seen that several times.  We got lucky and finally spotted it and then made  a good harvest.

Date  10/24/2015
Location-  Moore Co. in the Sandhills of N.C.
Hunters- Mack N., Pete and myself

Here are a few pictures.

#foxsquirrel

#foxsquirrelhunting

#Hunting

Meat in the freezer

11/4/2014

Chatham County, North Carolina
2:30PM  till Dark
Gun- T/C Black Diamond 50 Caliber
Load- 100 grains Pyrodex Select pushing 240 grain XTP bullet

11/4/2014 I Hunted a box blind with a Pine plantation to my right and an Oak lot to my left. Aprox 4 pm A 6 point buck came in through the pines chasing a doe. Now, normally I don't shoot bucks this small but last year was a bad year for me seeing deer and this year hasn't been too good either.  Anyway, I lowered the hammer on this boy and he dropped right there.  Aprox 40 yard shot. The 45 caliber bullet(in a sabot) expanded to .73 and still weighed 221 grains.  That is very good bullet performance.

I was in this box stand

With this view

The result- Meat in the freezer

                                                     This Bullet did it's job nicely

Thanks, Mack

Fox Squirrel meet 16 Gauge

Well , I finally shot a doe 2 weeks ago to put a close on my most frustrating deer season in a long time but getting in the woods and not killing something beats not getting in the woods. After this deer I knew I may go deer hunting a few more times(twice to take Otto hunting and maybe a News years day hunt in Moore Co) but the rest of the winter I was going to concentrate on small game hunting and predator hunting.

So, on the 18th I headed to my Fox squirrel hotspot and for the first few hours I scouted around awhile to check things out, and then before dark I planned to settle in to a good spot and wait. During my trek though the woods I found 5 fox squirrel nests in an area where I could sit in the middle of those and be within 50 yds of every nest. Now, a fox squirrels nest is pretty easy to identify from a grey's as it is almost twice as big and due to that size it is usually in a fork in a tree instead of away from the trunk. All of these nest were like this with plenty of other sign around. Bout, 4pm I decided to head back and sit near these nest and I notice my camera has fallen off my belt. Crap, its in a camo pouch and I have walked alooong ways! To make matters worse , its not easy to find a camo camera pouch when the woods is full of wiregrass clumps and Longleafs in the grass stage plus I had zigzagged through the woods. I finally found it just before dark so I didn't get the chance to hunt the cluster of nests.

Fast forward a few days later and I get to this spot at 3 pm. Sit down and plan to wait it out. This is where I will see one. 5 minutes later this jet black one comes back and my new to me 16 gauge barks and I am limited out. Not the biggest Fox squirrel I have shot but still a lot bigger than a grey. Gonna be some good eating and the tail will be used for tying some flies. I have 3 pumps but would rather hunt squirrels with a single shot. I guess it reminds me of my younger days.

Date- December 21, 2013
Quarry- Fox Squirrel
Location-  Sandhills of North Carolina
Gun used- Winchester 37A 16 Gauge, 28 in Barrel, full choke
Ammo -  Remington 2 3/4 inch gameloads #6 shot

Fox Squirrel Hunting in North Carolina
Mack

Sluggun Doe

My 2013 North Carolina Deer season has probably been my worst in 30 years. I have seen very few bucks and of the bucks I have seen all have been small. I finally decided to take a decent doe for meat then switch to small game hunting as this year has been a frustrating one in the deer woods.

On December 13, 2013  I hit the Deer woods in Alamance co. with my Ithaca Deerslayer.  I settled in my stand at approximately 2 pm and got to watch gray squirrels for a few hours. At 4pm 5 does came up from my right and then the biggest one turned back around and started to leave. I had an 80 yd shot and it was now or never. Now, this gun shoots excellent groups so I put it on her shoulder and let the slug fly. She dropped at the shot.  She had moved at the same time I shot  so my shot wasn't where I wanted it to be and as you can see in the picture I hit her way back but that is one reason I like slugs as they still drop right there when the shot is a little off..   A nice doe that will provide some needed meat

A frustrating season as far as seeing lots of deer and buck but still a good season any time you can enjoy the outdoors and put meat in the freezer.

Where- Alamance County
Time 3pm-dark
Gun used-  12 Gauge Ithaca Deerslayer with 24 inch barrel
Ammo- Remmington 1 oz Slug

Thanks for looking. Mack

#hunting

#ithaca

#deerhunting

Son's First Deer with Bow

 This  July my son informed me that he wanted to bow hunt . Well, that meant he had to get a bow so I took him to an archery shop in Sanford and had him outfitted with a Matthews bow. Heck! he has a better bow than I do now.  He has practiced A LOT since then and  has become very proficient with his new bow. So, this  past Saturday he wanted to go hunting. On our way there he said he was gonna get one today and I told him that shooting one on his first try out would be slim. He was confident he would nail one.
We arrived at our destination at approximately 3 pm and I put him in a ladder stand on an oak ridge. He then asked what he could shoot. I told him anything as long as it didn't have spots.  Fast forward to 5 pm and I am watching a doe and he calls me and tells me he has shot one. I arrived at his stand and he tracked the blood trail to his first bow kill! Now, he has taken deer with his rifle but this was pretty good, harvesting a deer the first time out with a bow. He made an excellent 25 yd shot.  A small doe but still a deer and this will be some good eating.  Nice job son!!!.

Equipment- Matthews Bow w/ Rage broad heads
Stand- Metal ladder stand than you can see behind his left shoulder
Stand location. - Oak Ridge
Time- 3pm till dark

Him practicing

 

The results

 

 

 

Again, nice job son

Back To The Fox Squirrel Woods

My son and I headed back to our hotspot for the Wiley ole Fox Squirrel.  Last week when we went my son saw 3 Fox Squirrels but didn't get a shot on one which is ok since Colby got one but he wanted to end the Fox squirrel season right by getting one.
So, back to the Hotspot we went. My good friend Rodney met us there and we split up. We kept seeing lots of grays but I told him to hold out for a fox Squirrel. The day was pretty uneventful until right before dark.  Right before 5 I hit the Squirrel in distress call and had 4 grays charge us and climb up a tree 30 yds from us and they wouldn't quit barking. We probably would of shot them since it was late in the day and they were small we passed on them to let them grow. I told my son lets head to one more spot.
We got there and he immediately spotted one and we chased it up a tree. The ole 37A Winchester barked and my son had a nice silver Fox Squirrel . He was shooting 6's today. The pictures don't do his Squirrel justice as it is a silver one with a red tail . When we met Rodney back at the truck he had also connected on a Saddleback colored one. A nice day in the woods. Mack

Thanks for Looking

The High Cost of Fox Squirrel Hunting

I have been real busy with a new promotion and trying to fill the freezer with Deer meat. The freezer is full  with 2 deer taken this year so now  I can get to what I really like and that is small game huntin.
Todd, Colby, my son and myself  headed to the Squirrel woods in search of some big ole fox squirrels. Last time we did this all four of us managed to limit out which imo is pretty hard to do with Fox squirrels. This time was nearly not as good but it is not always about killing. It is about  spending time in the woods with people u love. We met up at a gun shop around 11am and Then I proceeded to spend over 200 bucks on ammo. OUCH! Then we went To Smithfield Chicken and BBQ and I spent 19 bucks. Then  to a nice tackle shop and I laid out over 100bucks for some lures. throw in gas and Wendy's that night and my lay out was nearly 400 buckaroos. Ouch again.




But, Time spent with son.......PRICELESS



Ok,  back to squirrel hunting. We made it to our squirrel woods by 1 pm. Colby and My son saw 2 Black ones as soon as they entered their Hotspot. My son(Mack also) got 1 gray squirrel and Colby managed a head shot on a nice Saddleback color phase one after a long wait under the trees they were hiding in. Todd and myself struck out but we saw 3 other fox squirrels but with it being windy and the woods crunchy there was no sneaking up on these squirrels. I could of managed a few grays but was holding out for a fox. We saw lots of Fox Sq sign, Deer sign and some Hog sign. Hopefully I can make it there in a few days. A nice afternoon in the woods. Oh, Todd brought along a Winchester Leveraction 9410 shotgun. If you have never seen one of these it looks just like a Win 30-30 but it is a 410. That is one nice shootin gun. I may have to find one of those. Anyway here are a few pics. first is just a pic of a little hotspot I have .

Thanks for looking, Mack

The " Well house Buck "

I haven't had much to post about this winter as the Hunting has been only ok at best. I have passed up a lot of does and a few decent bucks but I have been waiting on the big one. I also just received a promotion so my hunting time between now and the end of deer season may be limited so I have planned to shoot the next deer that was either a big doe, a cull buck, or a monster buck. No small young bucks would be shot.

Last Thursday(Nov 29, 2012) I headed to a special spot to deer  hunt. This is a spot where my friend Eddie and myself actually would get off the school bus when we were 13 or 14,  go grab our single shot shotguns and rush to this hardwood ridge to shoot squirrels. His was a Topper 58 12 Gauge and mine was a Winchester 37A 20 Gauge.  Man did we kill a bunch of   tree rats on this place!

              This is the Ridge with a pine thicket to the left.

This creek is at the bottom of the Ridge.

Behind this Ridge is an old Pecan Orchard that is grown up.  It has A well house that was Eddies Grand Dad's sitting at the top of the orchard. I shot this buck right at sunset making his way through the orchard.  He is probably one of the smallest racked bucks I have shot but he was a good cull to take out of the herd and it was special day to shoot a buck on this old stomping ground. He was  Shot at Aprox 60 yds with an Ithaca 37 Deluxe with a 24 inch Deerslayer barrel. I was shooting Remington Sluggers. This Ithaca with a 28 inch modified barrel has also killed a lot of squirrels and a few rabbits in this area as well. He was a very big bodied deer.   Thanks for reading , Mack

#deerhunting

#deer

Rabbit Hunting and Trapping

One of my passions is also rabbit hunting. I grew up rabbit hunting behind a pack of beagles and harvested plenty of rabbits as a youth in Alamance County and Person County. One way I like to Rabbit Hunt is to just "walk" them up . Pretty easy as you just walk into the thickest and nastiest Brier patch and kick every clump of debris you see and be sure to keep one eye ahead as some will bolt before you get to them.
I use a pistol or a short barreled shotgun with an open choke. Here are 3 I got earlier this month. All shot with in 3 minutes of each other.

Some years I use Havahart traps and wooden rabbit gums.. This was one of those years. Rabbits can be caught with apples, onions, corn, and a variety of other baits. Sometimes I even plant pansies(yes pansies) in front of the door and that lures them to the entrance.  Here are 2 sets I made.

Here is a rabbit I trapped in the above wooden trap.

Now I just need to dig out a few rabbit recipe's!

Mack

Fox Squirrels in Eastern North Carolina ( Sciurus niger niger )

Fox Squirrels In Eastern Nc

Published 12/11/11 and updated frequently 

The Fox Squirrel found in Eastern North Carolina are the biggest squirrels in North America . The scientific name for this squirrel is Sciurus niger niger. The Fox Squirrel found in Northwestern North Carolina and a few spots in the piedmont is a different subspecies. Most biologist call Sciurus niger niger the Southeastern fox squirrel or the Southern Fox Squirrel  as it is found from SE Virginia to Northern Florida. In Northern Florida some call it the Carolina Fox Squirrel.

This squirrel favors  Mature Longleaf pine forest that are burned and have a scattering of oaks underneath and also the surrounding bottoms. The can and do live in other habitats like big mature Loblollies that are open(and burned) but the Lonfleaf pine forest is the best habitat. A preferred habitat is some golf courses in eastern North Carolina.  The fox squirrel has to have favorable habitat so some areas have good populations and then others the Fox squirrels are scattered in isolated pockets of favorable habitat.  This squirrel(S. niger niger) always has a Black head with white nose and ears. Some call this a mask. The rest of the squirrel can be any color. North Carolina allows hunting for The southeastern fox squirrel in 21 eastern counties(it is now allowed in all 100 counties). North Carolina allows hunting for the subspecies found in the west in only 2 counties. Here is a list of the 21 Eastern counties and I will add some tidbits of what I know. 
 
Anson- found in predominately loblollies in this county.
Bladen- Good habitat
Brunswick-  good habitat
Cumberland- good habitat especially on Ft. Bragg
Duplin -
Edgecombe- only opened recently-  Edited 2016 - I Saw a big Black one a few miles east of Wesleyan

 College  in March of 2016 and more recenty (2025 & 26) have seen bunches along Hwy 64 between Rocky Mount and Tarboro
Greene-  Seen 2 there recently along Hwy 264 (2026)
Harnett-
Hoke- good habitat
Johnston- most found east of I-95 but a few pockets of them west of I-95
Jones- I have seen a few in this county
Lenoir- I have seen a lot in this county
Moore- good habitat-I have seen a lot in this county
New Hanover- good
Onslow-
Pender-
Pitt-
Richmond-good habitat
Sampson- good
Scotland- good
Wayne- Lots of reports from this area
 
Now for counties where I know this animal exists but hunting isn't allowed. These are usually counties that border the above counties. and I will list then in no particular order.

*****added these counties below you can now hunt them as in the last few years the NCWRC has opened up every county to hunting fox squrrels***  
 
Union- eastern part
Stanley-
Montgomery- candor south mostly
Chatham- Limited to a few isolated "pockets" Especially around Jordan and harris lakes but hunting them there is mostly useless as while they are there they are still "limited"
Lee-
Wake-Limited to a few Isolated "pockets"  a few found within a few miles of Apex/Cary
Wilson-
Halifax- Edited 8/2016  Getting more and more here,  Most east of I-95 but a few west of 95 as well. A lot near the Community of Tillery.

Nash-  I saw 1 near Spring hope 2025  
Northhampton-  

Martin-Good reports from there- some on Roanoke River Refuge
Craven- I have seen a lot in this county - I have wondered why there is no season here???
Carteret-
Robeson-I have seen 1 there, it is decent habitat but not great.
Columbus-
Bertie-
Hertford-
Beaufort- Plenty arount Choccowinnity and especially Cypress landing golf course and Mauls Pt Rd
Pamilco- used to be a lot around Minnisott - edit 2026  some at Minnesott Golf and country club)
Randolph-a few reports from very southern part 

  
 
The counties above defiantly have some , other counties maybe Gates,  and a few others.
The key to more Fox squirrels in eastern North Carolina is more controlled burns in the Longleaf  and  The Loblolly pine forest  but to leave some oaks underneath. The restoration of the Longleaf to its habitat it has lost will do a lot for the fox squirrel. The  Loblolly  forest around Jordan lake is being  thinned and burned some  by the forest service and the maturing of that forest may lead to very good habitat in the future.  If you look closely (But be careful while driving) you can see some Longleafs (very few) scattered along us1 in Wake and Chatham counties. Virginia also has some S. niger niger in a few counties above Northhampton and Hertford but it is very rare there.
 
I have hunted and studied  S. niger niger  since 1990 and Even though my favorite animal to hunt is the Fox Squirrel , I would never hunt them in a place where they were not common. if you have some on your land in a county where they are not allowed to be hunted please make sure they are protected and if you can,  plant some Longleafs and possibly do some controlled burns.
Like I said in my last post, this week I am planting 100 Longleafs. 100 is not that many but if every hunter in NC  planted 100 we would be in good shape.

Here are a few pics of ones I have harvested.  I will post some more pictures at a later date.

This is what is called a "saddleback" color phase.  Except most saddlebacks do not have the white tipped tail.

This was my son's first Fox Sq. he harvested about 5 years ago. He spotted it in the top of that big loblolly he is in front of.

This Black Phase Fox Squirrel was the first Black one I harvested back in the early 90's.

This squirrel measures fron the tip of his nose to the base of the tail 17 inches. Then from the base of the tail to the tip of the tail it is 17.5 inches making this squirrel 34.5 inches long!!!!!  When someone unfamiliar with these squirrels sees one they have no idea it is a squirrel because they are twice as big as a gray squirrel. Note - 25 percent of Fox Squirrels in Eastern NC are Black. This varies from county to county but usually 25 percent are Black.  

This Old guy below was a brute  going 3.4 lbs.  His Black face is almost faded out. This is one of the best looking ones I have harvested. You have to see him in person. The color is a blue-silver. I was about to quit squirrel  hunting that evening as I hadn't seen a Fox Squirrel all day so right before dark I went where the Longleafs give way to the thick bottoms and proceeded to call on a dying rabbit call to coax a Bobcat out of the bottom. Instead of a bobcat coming out of the thick bottom I kept hearing something behind me getting closer and closer every time I called. When I finally turned around this old guy was staring me down. Sometimes animals come to predator calls just out of curiosity. 

This is a recent one, This is one of the common color phases. Reddish gray. You can also see really good the black head with white nose and ears that they all have.

Mack

#foxsquirrel

#foxsquirrelhunting

Fat and Sassy Fox Squirrels

Gotta luv Fox Squirrel Hunting in North Carolina.  The Longleaf pine forest is one of the  most unique ecosystems  around. There is only 5 percent of this forest left which ranges from Se Virginia to Florida and then over to Texas.  My favorite animal to hunt is the ole wiley Fox squirrel that is found in this ecosystem.The fox squirrel can live in open burned loblollies but the ideal habitat is the longfleaf pine forest and the surrounding bottoms...I started hunting fox squirrels in 1990 and it is truely a great  game animal. ...If I had only one animal to hunt it would be the  Fox Squirrel .


So Wednesday , me and my buddy Rodney hit up our Fox squirrel hot spot.....Soon as I got there I headed down 1 path and saw a big ole Fox squirrel running from me(a fox squirrel will just run away most of the time staying on the ground) He made the mistake some do and that's after he was a good ways away he jumps 3 ft up a turkey oak to look back. 60 yds out and Kabooooooooom!. I wing him, rush in and finish the job. I am now limited out. Go to another spot and see another big black one. I Can't legally shoot him so I let him climb into his nest and now I know where my son can get one. Right before dark it started to pour so I went and got Rodney and he had just seen a big monster gray one but it ran away without him getting a shot.......It was a good day.....3 seen and 1 harvested. Today I used a 20 double both barrels full choked loaded with #6 shot( I Usually like 4's or 5's for Fox squirrels but was out).

Normally when I  hunt Fox Squirrels  I use a 20 ga single shot(Winchester 37A) with a full choke.
The reason behind this is I guess it brings me back to my childhood when all we ever hunted with was a single shot. I have 3 pump 12 gauges and 3 double barrels but the pumps rarely see a day in the squirrel woods. My shot of choice is High brass 4's,5's or 6's with 4's and 5's being my favorite. I use these as a lot of shots are way up big pines but most are at squirrels running away from you. If you happen upon a big ole Fox Squirrel on the ground a lot of times instead of  it going to the nearest tree they just take off like a deer...You need a good load to stop one of those runners.  I also usually bring along a couple of  3 in magnum shells as you never know when a big ole Fox Squirrel is gonna get 100 ft up a big pine .
Here are a few pictures

If you see cones heaped up in pile that look like these you know a Fox Squirrel is around. Gray squirrels will eat them in different spots but Fox Squirrels gather the cones and eat them in one spot.

Next week I am going to help out with Longleaf pine restoration and plant 100 longleafs.

Thanks Mack

101 Yard Shot with Pistol

Ok, so I cheated with a scope!.......looks like Otto did bring me some good ole luck....sat on the stand today from 2:30  until I Harvested her at aprox 4 pm. Saw several  squirrels and lots of crows and also 1 button buck then this gal came out twice....1st time for just an instant and 2nd time she was moving pretty quick so I had to rush the shot but connected.....I have seen this gal a few times and she is a wary one....101 yards and no tracking...... Gun used was  T/C contender with 14 in barrel chambered in .30-30 winchester shooting Remmington 150 grain sp.

Mack

Hunting with Otto

OK,  I don't fish much in the fall and winter as I am too busy Hunting......This year so far has been one of my worst I have ever had.....Too many acorns in the woods surrounding our property or too many deer being killed in the surrounding area?....Who knows but it hasn't been a stellar year. My son hasn't seen a shooter yet(nor have I ) and neither has his friend whom I have taken twice. My old friend Otto came to my store last week asking  me to take him hunting. I told him that if he wanted to see a deer this year he may need to go with someone else. He insisted that he really didn't care he just wanted to get out and enjoy the outdoors. It has been over 2 years since I have taken Otto hunting as 2 years ago my mother was really sick and this past year I have been busy dealing with all her stuff.




A little background on Otto. He was born in Germany and when he was a young lad his parents immigrated to Queens. For most of his life Otto ran a liquor store in Queens and he is an expert on wines and liquors. He is also an expert woodworker, and last but not least He is also an expert at hunting but now he is pushing 80 and a operation on his back that went bad has severely limited his ability to get outdoors. 

There are several reasons I cant say no to Otto. 1. He is a good friend. 2. He is pushing 80 and we have to look out for our older friends. 3. he is handicapped and 4th he is a Brother Mason.


So, today was the day,(Tuesday Dec 1, 2011)  I pick up Otto at 130 and by 2 I have him in a box stand that sits on the ground overlooking a power line. By 2:15 I am in my ladder stand . I was having a good time watching the birds, squirrels and even saw 1 gobbler and then right at 4:30 I hear some crunching heading my way. He walked straight at me and then turned broadside at about 30 yds. I leveled my Ithaca Deerslayer and sent a Remmington 1oz slug his way.....He never knew what hit him. I have a .270 and 4 30-30's but when that slug hits em you think they have been hit by a tank!..... I then drag the deer to the truck and get him loaded up right before dark. I shut the tailgate and hear KABOOOOOOOOOM!.......Did Otto get one too? Since it was right at dark I drove up to Otto's stand and he says he shot a buck 200 yards out. I go to where the deer was standing and find blood!.....I track the blood trail for aprox 80 yards and find his deer piled up in a heap. 2 guys 2 deer . Cant beat that with a stick. Now, I don't have to work out tomorrow after dragging 2 out of the woods. Here are our deer. Nats Dad, please don't look if u wish to have a good Friday.

Oh, I got a bucktail for Fly tying!!!!

What a nice day. Mack