Gator

You and me both, brother.

Like most of you, I'm far less worried about eating locally sourced fish than I am about all the other crap that's used to make the stuff around us, things that we'd have never even considered a decade ago. Teflon coatings. Microplastics in our shaving cream. I'm no Chicken Little, but there's enough data out there to conclude that many of these things are not entirely benign. The issue is determining cause-and-effect. I mean, look, it took 40 years for public acknowledgement that cigarettes might have some nasty stuff in them that's bad for you. And that was like, "Duh, of course" to most folks. I can't imagine how long it will take to do the same for the less obvious stuff we use every day. And it's cost-benefit, too. Try weighing some ridiculous allergy again the benefits of plastic. Non-starter. That is, until we find out that we've sterilized the human race by creating a cosmic Dr. Snip through some unanticipated avenue - like applying flame retardants to baby's clothing - we won't move on the issue. So, since we can't do jack all about it, we should all just grab some wings and a beer and enjoy the games this weekend. Go Bills!

I source my PFAs straight from the lab, so I know exactly how much to use to get that perfect flavor. Seriously, though, and not to hijack this thread, but over the past decade I have become severely alcohol intolerant. I have a hangover before getting a buzz!! I'd think that it's a me thing, except that there's at least several of us on this board alone that now have the same issue. It happened as we got older. Knowing how some of these chemicals manufactured in labs can interact with our genome in unexpected ways makes me wonder how prevalent this sort of age-onset allergy is these days, and whether it's linked to environmental toxins. There's begun to be some interest at the national level in this sort of general phenomenon. We know the incidence of childhood food allergies are rising, and it's not crazy to extrapolate to older adults. Anybody else here experience unexplained allergies with age? Of the eight or so folks I know with alcohol intolerance, all are men. Obviously, I'm not claiming cause-and-effect with fish borne toxins, but it's enough to make me raise one eyebrow and throw this out there for discussion.

Buy once, cry once. Price out lithium 12V disposable batteries, then figure how many you'd need over a few years. HInt: twelve Energizer plus lithium AA cost almost as much as a single 10 Ah 12 V cell. Not only does a 10 Ah battery perform for longer, it ends up being cheaper in the long run. 2000+ charge cycles lol if you believe it. You also don't risk batteries leaking into the camera...which has happened twice to me. Luckily, the external setup works even when the internal battery case is corroded. Honestly, I can't think of a single reason that anyone would use AA batteries. Just make sure to wrap the cord in corrugated, split electric conduit between the battery and camera to keep critters from chewing on it (happened once a couple years ago to me) and loop the cord over the top of the camera before connecting it so that it isn't dangling down and can't be pulled out easily. Pm me if you need pics or details. Trust me, this is the way to go. Another upside is that you can use them to power your ice fishing cameras and flashers after deer season is over!

I've had mixed experience with Tactacam. I had a couple Reveal X that worked well on trails but their detection circuit wasn't as good as a few other brands on field edges. One of them started having issues with signal this year. It would have one bar where others have four. Barely enough to squeak by, not enough to send HD photos. So, I contacted customer support, and they were very responsive - they're located in Michigan. Long story short, after multiple trips to the field to try various "fixes" and having sent the camera in TWICE now for service, I'm finally getting a new camera. Supposedly. The check is in the mail, as they say. I agree that XB is a great camera and I have no use for the LCD screen, but the XB is also discontinued. The Pro is identical is all ways that matter. Spypoint are great when they work, but when they don't, forget about it. Customer service is a joke. Finally, I'm running all of my cameras on external 10 Ah lithium batteries ($40 from Amazon - I look for cheap and have used Nermak) inside a Remington shell box ($8). The cord for Tactacam is not the same as most other manufacturers, you need a 4.0 x 1.7 mm cord. They're cheap. This setup will last at least three months in our weather taking 30-40 pictures a day, with power to spare. You also need a charger that works with lithium, but they will charge VERY fast with the right one.

Wow, that's a tough one...did you have him hide the tail on purpose lol? 95% of the time, I'd call it a salmon, but it's got a long jaw more like a brown.

I've certainly heard that before - I use bean bags or my shooting stick rather than a lead sled. Rob, did you ever figure out definitively whether the issue was your scope? When Scotty's went, it wouldn't hold zero, period, and he ran out of room with the scope adjustment screws trying to get it on paper even. That doesn't sound like what happened to you. Good luck in Ohio.

I love that you prefaced this with, "I don't fish as much as I used to" lol. I suspect that for most folks, your photo journey would represent a decade of effort. Those are some great shots!

You go, MacGyver!

Nice late season buck on a tough stretch of weather! Good for her.

If she was hurting after the drag and grimacing in pain, that would have been the perfect time to have had her take a "Rob picture"

You are shooting exactly the same setup as I am. Based on what you've said, it's almost got to be the scope. Scotty had a scope that he'd been shooting on his shotgun for 20 years sh$t the bed this year while we were sighting in. Drifting all over the place every other shot. It wasn't an expensive scope and didn't owe him anything, so he replaced it. I definitely wouldn't be relying on the Leupold for your Ohio hunt - it's good you ordered something else. But if your mount is too low, and you have some weird reverb thing going on through contact, then you could see the same eventually with a new scope too. This sounds like an issue that's best left until after the season to sleuth. Too nice a scope to just ditch though. One thought - I'm no expert, but I do know that if you over torque the mounting rings, you can damage the inner workings. Any chance you "tightened things up" when you sighted in this year?

I heard 2 to 2 1/2 inches. It will disappear quick with the temps being forecast. Not my cheese.

I looked back through the thread, and didn't get the same vibe you did. IMHO, everybody loves story tellers. And we know that fisherman is Latin for liar, right? This is an easygoing, friendly community. Sorry you felt the need to defend yourself (not quite sure against what, but that's okay). It sounds like you've had many successes. I smell mahogany and rich leather lol. Be well, aim small, shoot straight.

Putting in the time and keeping the faith! That's how you move mountains. She's probably still riding a high this morning. Great first buck, and worth waiting for. Does she want a mount or a Euro? Given my choice, I prefer Euros, but I am known to be a cheap date.

NAP Spitfire, maybe? That's what I shoot out of my crossbow. Didn't lose one though lol. I think Grim Reapers are similar. Leg hits are rarely fatal, no matter what brand you shoot...it seems like MZ season provides lots of "clean up" opportunities.

You two are definitely sexy bi$ches. Now it's Mal's turn. I'm assuming she let you pull the trigger on Wednesday, but today's her day!! Tell her she's impressing the he$$ out of me, gutting it out (pun intended) in that wicked weather. It WILL pay off.

I was reading something about this veto, and at first glance it seemed like a win for sportsmen, but the authors made the point that it's actually the state exerting the right to supplant local decision making, and goes right along with the executive branch making decisions that agencies like DEC should be making. In other words, like most things in Albany, it's about power. I'm not sure whether I buy the argument, but I remain skeptical, even when the dice fall in my favor.

If you use Google maps to find Cumberland, Iowa, there's literally a marker tab that reads, "Middle of Nowhere". I'm not making this up.

LOL. Good luck with that Holstein. One hour until the fat lady sings. For five days, at least.

You got to put in your time...