tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61939920733398338812023-11-16T05:58:00.157-05:00North Carolina OutdoorsmanTrolling for Mahi,stalking Mountain Bucks,My Marriage,Faith,and Purpose. What I think of Daily.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-53179861851007165992015-01-16T14:19:00.001-05:002015-01-16T14:19:07.823-05:00A Rifle under $1000 that does everything I need
As I promised last week, here is a post about the perfect rifle for me. I currently have an old Yugo M48 Mauser chambered in 8mm. This gun is a ton of fun to shoot, but it weighs over 10 lbs and my options are very limited for mounting a scope. I am embarrassed to say this but last year near the end of the season I missed a decent buck at 25 yards because I had been playing with the iron site on my gun while waiting for a deer to come by.Shot right over his back... I really need a scope!! Also, although my gun is in great shape, many of these guns are in bad shape.They have been around a while. This has caused all major American ammo manufacturers to load weak rounds for the 8mm. Some European manufactures still load up to its potential, but that ammo has gotten hard to find in recent years. As it stands now, the ammo that I can find is nearly dead on par with that of a 30-30. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the 30-30. I hope to own a lever action model one day, and I think everyone should have one at some point. They are the classic deer killer with soft recoil to boot. But my 8mm Mauser is not a lever gun and it is much too heavy and long to be a good hunting rifle, although its currently what I use. A few years back, I owned a 270 wsm Remington 700 with a Bushnell elite 3200 4x12x42 scope. That gun was a hot rod with its 24" barrel it could reach out and touch something way farther than I am comfortable shooting. One thing I did not like about it, that I have read pertains to most wsm guns is that it didn't feed very smoothly. This proved problematic a time or two in the field. One other thing that I did not love about that gun was the meat damage it caused at anything under 100yrds.The 270 wsm is a powerful round that is going too fast in my opinion for close range shooting on medium sized game like deer. Now don't get me wrong, at the end of the day, I would still love to have this gun in my arsenal, I absolutely loved to shoot it and it was a perfect long range gun for me. When I decided I wanted to marry my now wife, and was saving money for an engagement ring that was out of my league, I sold the gun to a friend, who has since told me twice he will not sell it back:) One thing I have learned over the years of gun ownership is that I will never sell another gun. I have sold 4 guns in the last 10 years, and I wish I still had each of them.
So on to the my current situation. I want to invest in a rifle that will last me for as long as I need it to with a great scope to match. I do not shoot more than a couple times a year to reacquaint my self to my weapon of choice before the season starts. This is not by choice, but more just a reality of the stage of life I am in. If it were up to me, I would shoot once or twice a month and reload my own ammo just because it seems like a fun hobby.Most of my hunting occurs on public land where I am either climbing mountains or busting through brush to get to whatever spot I have decided on. Usually my climbing stand is on my back. On very rare occasions I could see the need for a 300-400 yard shot, but 99% of the time, the shots do not exceed 150 yards. Also on a couple of occasions if I had a gun that was more compact I would have probably been able to swing my gun around faster to get a shot. Twice I have been walking in on an afternoon hunt and jumped a good buck without being able to get my gun in position fast enough.
Like most hunters I know who live on the east coast, I dream of heading out west one day to chase after elk, mule deer, or antelope. I also would love to go north to Maine or Vermont in pursuit of a moose one day. Odds are, if that opportunity arises I am not going to have the extra $$$ to go out and by a new rifle at that point. I need one rifle that can cover all of these needs in a caliber that is readily available in a wide variety of ammo. And to top everything off, I really do not have any money to spend on this project.It is going to take me the better part of a year to save the money I need to buy everything.$1000 rifles and $1000 optics are not an option for me, you cannot spend what you do not have. Or I should say, it gets you in trouble when you do. So to summarize, lets list the criteria for this rifle below.
1) Rifle,scope, ammo and all accessories under $1000
2) Fairly light weight as I hunt some tough to get to public land
3) Shorter barrel is better, but not with huge loss of velocity or energy
4) A caliber capable of taking deer sized game up through elk and even moose
5) A rifle/caliber capable of shots out to 400 yards if needed
6) As a bonus feature, I would love a detachable magazine, but this will not be a deal breaker.
And the winner is the <b>Savage Axis with a 20" barrel chambered in 308</b>. This rifle will be topped with a <b>2x7x33 Leupold VXII scope</b>. Loaded with ammo and a sling this rifle/scope combination will come in weighing just under 8 lbs. For the money, this set up is hard to beat!! Much more to come on why I chose these products in the next post. Thanks for stopping by!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JhFSkThmLsMKSqbNOoZmsqhShRM2_zc2N2phyCRlb_SJSg4sW3oItLqSRlHNAPb36WX1Fa8CQRWYoPAidSGl4eqBIGg8SH9rsP6zZ7XFucOuec0Pk0mN9IcRfu24mX8UzIXesmoEyOE/s1600/savage+axis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-JhFSkThmLsMKSqbNOoZmsqhShRM2_zc2N2phyCRlb_SJSg4sW3oItLqSRlHNAPb36WX1Fa8CQRWYoPAidSGl4eqBIGg8SH9rsP6zZ7XFucOuec0Pk0mN9IcRfu24mX8UzIXesmoEyOE/s400/savage+axis.jpg" /></a></div>
Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-90175120002140484492015-01-02T20:35:00.002-05:002015-01-02T20:35:52.959-05:00 Well it has been entirely too long since I last posted anything. I have been a new dad now for 2 years, and I think I am finally getting the hang of things. What a challenge it is to be a dad that is engaged in family life and being who his family needs him to be.And I thought marriage was a selfless endeavor. Needless to say, my time in the field hunting or fishing has been somewhat limited. There have been a few highlights to speak of. Late this past September my dad turned 60. We have always talked about chartering a trip to fish the back waters around the Beaufort(NC that is), Emerald Isle, Harkers Island area. I could think of no better present for turning 60, so thats what we did. I found a guide out of Harkers Island by the name of Noah Lynk. His guide service is called <a href="http://noahsarkfishingcharters.com/">Noah's Ark Fishing Charters</a>. Let me tell you what, Captain Noah will put you on the fish. Dad and I booked Captain Noah for a full day initially. Due to family circumstances we needed to switch it to a half day. Captain Noah was happy to switch it up for us no problem. We fished for the better part of 5 hours and caught so many Reds and Specks it was ridiculous. I also caught a flounder that came in just over 5 lbs. That made the whole trip worth while for me. Another fun part was driving the boat while Captain Noah tossed the casting net at live shrimp we would use for bait. If you are looking for a fun day on the water with a laid back fun captain at a reasonable price, Give <a href="http://noahsarkfishingcharters.com/">Noah's Ark Fishing Charters</a> a call. He did not ask me to post any of this, Dad and I just had a really good time. We will be going fishing with Captain Noah again soon!! I am really excited to start writing this blog again. My next post will be about finding the perfect rifle for the Modern day weekend warrior like my self who has big dreams and no time or money. I have been in need of a new rifle for a long time, and by the start of next season I hope to have one in hand. This will be a post you do not want to miss as we will cover a lot of ground. Thanks for stopping by!!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHz-bFonS7sfG_nuPfIfzl7h0JuWJDlreAkQwsG6mrudm_Ld7jbaeCnfLyHxIDgPkWHNnPS8nvBfQtASVR4kSaI3JrVhjHu6-a0eJup5qcdSPV4PEsJ2qHhM-D8gj6kOipyz-flUVw0q4/s1600/first+redfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHz-bFonS7sfG_nuPfIfzl7h0JuWJDlreAkQwsG6mrudm_Ld7jbaeCnfLyHxIDgPkWHNnPS8nvBfQtASVR4kSaI3JrVhjHu6-a0eJup5qcdSPV4PEsJ2qHhM-D8gj6kOipyz-flUVw0q4/s400/first+redfish.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCscOiUU0Qt0hhzFbIDldCCeNzDu_mHx695BIEKgdsWJE_roXlqTmXbO_WiSCAtleof7LCJD7wQfgFQet-Lo_ep7aQZQ834aB6H8fynsOsnTuvo03jftgSe2306nouH-IlzHLv6VLlsQ/s1600/flounder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKCscOiUU0Qt0hhzFbIDldCCeNzDu_mHx695BIEKgdsWJE_roXlqTmXbO_WiSCAtleof7LCJD7wQfgFQet-Lo_ep7aQZQ834aB6H8fynsOsnTuvo03jftgSe2306nouH-IlzHLv6VLlsQ/s400/flounder.jpg" /></a></div>Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-41486828645526754042011-07-17T23:00:00.003-04:002011-07-18T00:25:19.186-04:00Summer Honey Holes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrahlMsuNUVKE8_ytWIpy7y_z20aLNZ-PwzEa-eGHPFWN2RszsDXDAmqugZqQKygjUDLn9Qy3jYjcHGRJeRRU8M3QCfPoZNWmGW35py0RM6BYUMOSWps03dTBfOETc39_7A_lsyBXVPE/s1600/BassLargemouthStuck20060706GU.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrahlMsuNUVKE8_ytWIpy7y_z20aLNZ-PwzEa-eGHPFWN2RszsDXDAmqugZqQKygjUDLn9Qy3jYjcHGRJeRRU8M3QCfPoZNWmGW35py0RM6BYUMOSWps03dTBfOETc39_7A_lsyBXVPE/s400/BassLargemouthStuck20060706GU.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630542399074607122" /></a><br />Got this picture from the <a href="http://bassmadness.blogspot.com/">Bass Madness</a> blog <br />As my wife loves to say, I have a season for every season. In the Fall its hunting, football(Appstate that is) and...well...more hunting season. In the Winter its hunting/cool mods to my truck season. In the spring nothing gets my blood pumping faster then the sound of ol Mr Tom gobbling as he approaches, other then Sunday afternoon at Augusta National. So by the time summer roles around I have not only been bitten by the golf bug, but out of no where comes this familiar obsession with needing to catch fish. The problem I keep running into these days is finding a good place to do that. Once upon a time finding a summer honey hole was no challenge at all.Here lately it seems near impossible to find a place that hasn't been trashed, over fished, or lost to some form of development. Couple that with the crazy price of gasoline these days, and us outdoorsman find ourselves unwilling or unable to find a good place to fish within a reasonable distance. Recently I was lucky enough to stumble onto a place that has produced some great fishing. A small pond only 2 or 3 acres in size full of large mouth bass, that has seemingly been ignored or forgotten.It is a ton of fun catching fish here, they are very aggressive because they haven't been caught. The biggest I have caught out of this pond so far is 4 lbs. However we have seen bigger fish swirl or jump as if they were taunting us. On average the fish here weigh in around 2 lbs. My old standby summer setup is a watermelon seed or pumpkin seed trick worm( finesse worm will work also) on a 1/0 or 2/0 worm hook(blood red usually),bullet weight or not depending on the pond vegetation. Combine this with a bump..bump...reel 1 rotation retrieval, more often then not I find a fish. What are your go to summer setups for landing that lunker? What cool stories do you have about fishing your favorite spots? Has anyone else had a hard time finding a good spot?Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-91935861577072686422011-06-01T23:42:00.003-04:002011-06-02T00:05:22.552-04:00Review of the New Cooper AT3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sueoJyZnGSqsFbWL_pjvRrDzNi4VV60vOUuYhskI8kiME3C27tLogAQaID58FTuQRyzfCB1o287yuYylR8FSYNfpr6UJfdf5mrwFUTmk02MNa7sl54UocYlAQ4lP3YnnrOboVwHJ7uI/s1600/discoverer-at3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sueoJyZnGSqsFbWL_pjvRrDzNi4VV60vOUuYhskI8kiME3C27tLogAQaID58FTuQRyzfCB1o287yuYylR8FSYNfpr6UJfdf5mrwFUTmk02MNa7sl54UocYlAQ4lP3YnnrOboVwHJ7uI/s400/discoverer-at3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613468376880170482" /></a><br />Obviously not my truck, but a great picture of the new AT3<br /><br />Well, I literally just completed a really long post about my experience with these new tires, and for some reason instead of posting to my blog, the whole post just disappeared. I do not have the energy to retype everything so I will give you the short of it all. <br />I have had 3 weeks to test the new Cooper AT3 tire. This tire has passed every test I have thrown at it including deep mud,sharp rocks, hill climbs, 70 MPH on the highway in pouring rain, and over loading my truck with fire wood for a weekend camping trip. There are three things I really like about this new tire. It has a 55 thousand mile warranty which is great for guys like me who don't want to buy new tires every 2 years. It is much more quiet and smooth riding then its predecessor the Cooper ATR, and it is a sweet looking tire. I literally look at it every time I walk by my truck. Personally I don't mind the hum of a tire rolling down the road, but some people don't like it. The aggressiveness of this tire rivals the BFG AT which has held the top spot in the All Terrain tire world for years. The AT3 has more of an open and deeper tread then the Toyo Open Country AT and the Nitto Terra Grappler which are also competitors. I have put about 600 miles on this set, so far I am really loving them. If I were to design the perfect tire for all of my needs it would be very similar to this tire. Warranty, weight, sidewall strength, tread pattern and tread depth are all important factors I consider when looking for tires. The AT3 so far has met or exceeded all my needs. I hope it continues to perform well as I put the miles on. There will be much more to come. Stay tuned, I think my fellow outdoorsman should be very interested in what this tire has to offer. And no, Cooper did not tell me or pay me to give this tire a positive review.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-29877147685820570272011-05-11T22:19:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:26:11.436-04:00The New Cooper AT3<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf3hW8WcWhCR62PHa7hbn6BkuzmZJH_7sbZYRAf_aXtIBseAPeGtSxOGJyoLHcdsUwCPir-qtzrUP0Q7acFFfmlD6oljt7OBX88pApTBRA6-eIaVN30l8B_0GoepiKTK7UKEbYuvAk6k/s1600/AT3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUf3hW8WcWhCR62PHa7hbn6BkuzmZJH_7sbZYRAf_aXtIBseAPeGtSxOGJyoLHcdsUwCPir-qtzrUP0Q7acFFfmlD6oljt7OBX88pApTBRA6-eIaVN30l8B_0GoepiKTK7UKEbYuvAk6k/s400/AT3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5605655935006038178" /></a><br />So a few months back I did a post called "Tires for my Tacoma". I wrote about the research I had done in selecting a new tire for my truck. If you have read the post you know I was very picky. The tire I choose was the Cooper Discoverer ATR. Apparently my post caught the attention of Cooper Tires because I was recently contacted by their Marketing agency with a unique opportunity. Cooper has recently designed a new all terrain tire dubbed the Cooper at3. The want to give me a new set of these tires and a video camera to document the tires performance. Yesterday I received the flip video recorder and got the tires installed.<br />For years BF Goodrich has set the standard in terms of all terrain tires with the BFG AT KO. Has Cooper changed that with the at3? Much more to come soon.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-50165278496193319182011-03-09T17:33:00.005-05:002011-03-09T18:33:51.427-05:00A special addition to my arsenal<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3gl3LO6BCkGUo8ltZqLNdYOOBJMikNem9oL6q-56dkWQt34e80HHzSxLGi3rrBJ5Nb_1oB1gTbkz_lhhMM2-iLuyqBCVYRRLTDKYMRk2XWs44Zs1AoVJT5CTPQZnPm8a1BsnHiQrjmo/s1600/fox_B_shotgun.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 90px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk3gl3LO6BCkGUo8ltZqLNdYOOBJMikNem9oL6q-56dkWQt34e80HHzSxLGi3rrBJ5Nb_1oB1gTbkz_lhhMM2-iLuyqBCVYRRLTDKYMRk2XWs44Zs1AoVJT5CTPQZnPm8a1BsnHiQrjmo/s400/fox_B_shotgun.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582226854826669234" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWd3i-TCFKj0zwQ3zp-A6VdUGHbLHqg6p7yedP5vA6iikSma8IEC6noRbVSwbfPYyAYmESso31QInspK4hisk77ADCr0cusJZriBfjQqAX3EG1yMwiGxpYv8Ywbv5Cj_VihvuZTwrOS0/s1600/fox+gun.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNWd3i-TCFKj0zwQ3zp-A6VdUGHbLHqg6p7yedP5vA6iikSma8IEC6noRbVSwbfPYyAYmESso31QInspK4hisk77ADCr0cusJZriBfjQqAX3EG1yMwiGxpYv8Ywbv5Cj_VihvuZTwrOS0/s400/fox+gun.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5582226745014033954" /></a><br />To start things off, I did not make it to the Dixie Deer Classic this past weekend. Friday and Saturday I was swamped with other stuff and Sunday just didn't work out like I had planned. I heard from several people that it was a great time and that I really missed out. I suppose if I had gone it would have been painful to just window shop since I don't have the funds to spend on any new hunting gear any way. Seriously though, I wish I could have made it, next year for sure.<br />Moving on, Recently I acquired a shotgun that was my grandfathers. It is a Fox 20 gauge side by side. I believe it was manufactured in the 1960's. At that point the Fox Gun Company had been owned by Savage Arms for quite some time. This gun is not one of the highly sought after Fox side by sides of the early 1900's. However it is still quite the specimen. It handles incredibly well and has very little visible damage. I haven't fired it yet, I plan on taking it to a gun smith just to have it checked out first. However from the looks of things this gun has barely been used. I absolutely cannot wait to take it out into the field. It holds 3 inch shells so it should be the final verdict for early season ducks. Also it will make an outstanding small game getter. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to take a few quail or dove with it next season. Here is a great link to learn a lot more about the famous fox shotguns <a href="http://www.foxcollectors.com/ah_fox/content/">AH FOX COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION</a>. Also check out the article from the most recent Winter edition of the Quail Unlimited Magazine. It goes into great detail about the story and production of these guns over the last century. I cannot locate a copy of this article on line, but if you have the magazine it is a great read. <br />I could not be more excited about this gun, not only because it is a Fox shotgun , but more importantly because it was my grandfathers. If I have any say in the matter this shotgun will be enjoyed by my family for generations to come. The gun pictured above is nearly identical to mine markings and all. Until next time...Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-35533057816516041712011-02-27T22:11:00.008-05:002011-02-27T22:59:14.402-05:00Brewer's first duck<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk945BZ7pUFIgmQYzRQM5UT5wdlxUKBgdVS0hp2MA9s9jpTaJlYYdJ_D0-pdxKqTSh07RW7_tVZda9bqtNytXGusacr6eMhWuAudroudwbazLvrOQRpcjPMEOpgMWOnbog9ke4ODvRxk/s1600/036.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfk945BZ7pUFIgmQYzRQM5UT5wdlxUKBgdVS0hp2MA9s9jpTaJlYYdJ_D0-pdxKqTSh07RW7_tVZda9bqtNytXGusacr6eMhWuAudroudwbazLvrOQRpcjPMEOpgMWOnbog9ke4ODvRxk/s400/036.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578582911346262946" /></a><br /><em>Tough life, this was after a day of shed hunting by me and Brewer. Abby our cat is always up for a nap too.</em> <br /><br /><br />Well, finally after almost 2 years, many long training sessions and several duck hunting trips that turned into wildlife viewing escapades, Brewer and I found our selves in somewhat of the right place at the right time. Several weeks ago(waterfowl season) I was hunting with a friend at Falls Lake. A merganser flew by and my friend dropped him with one shot.Ignoring his training and out of built up excitement, Brewer took off into the water without me giving the signal and was on the bird within a few seconds. Turns out the bird wasn't quite dead yet when he got to it, caught off guard he swam in circles around the bird for a good 30 seconds barking. I am certain he could be heard for a solid mile in all directions. Finally he got the courage to grab the bird and he made it back to shore. It would have been a near perfect retrieve but he dropped the bird just short of my hand, shook off his coat and just looked at me like what now. Patience is a must when training your pup. Brewer is 20 months old, and my first gun dog. We are both learning as we go but I was so proud of him when he brought that duck back to me.This was a huge step for him in the right direction, I am confident we will get there... But in the mean time I thought I would share this funny story with you about Brewer's first duck. Unfortunately I was without a camera to capture this feat, I have really got to get a camera.<br /><br />-AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-10816047978792866212011-02-09T19:25:00.002-05:002011-02-09T21:11:31.374-05:00Tires for my TacomaThis post was going to be a few weeks down the road, however having recieved a comment from a reader suggesting tires, I felt I should go ahead with this one. So if any of you are like me at all, you get into ruts where all you can think about is the next cool thing you want to buy or in this case need to buy. For the last several months I have done tons of research on the right tire for my tacoma. I have a pretty good base knowledge of tires but my situation is a bit unique. I have a 2004 Toyota Tacoma extra cab with a the 2.7 liter 4 cylinder engine. It is also a five speed manual transmission and 4WD. The truck has 1.75 inches of lift in the front and around 2.5 in the rear along with a camper shell.My dilema is that while I want to continue to run a larger then stock tire, I also have to be gas conscious and make an effort not to wear out my clutch before its time. Currently I run a 265/75/16 Bridgestone Dueler Revo in the Passenger rated (4 ply) version. This is one size larger and 3.5 lbs heavier(42lbs) then my stock tire. These tires have been outstanding, and I have gotten right at 62k out of them. If I had rotated them more and kept better tabs on the air pressure I probably could have made them last longer. Any who, I also get 22 mpg on the highway if I keep it just under 70mph.<br />I want to move to a different size tire 235/85/16, I really like the tall skinny look of these tires. Not to mention the added benefits of less wear and tear on your drive train/steering components,and being a little less likely to hydroplane. The problem is that this size only comes in the LT (light truck)E rating (10 ply rated). This makes for a much heavier tire, which defeats the purpose of a skinny tire in my specific case. One other variable to throw into the mix is the fact that whichever tire I buy has to last as long as possible(not always a priority). So here is a list of criteria for my perfect tire.<br /><br />- at least 31.7 inches tall<br />- fairly aggressive tread<br />- at least 50k warranty on tread<br />- no more then 45 lbs per tire, less is better<br />- in the ball park of $150 per tire<br />- good online reviews<br /><br />Of course I would love to run the old stand by BFG AT but in the size I want to run that tire weighs 49 lbs, which equals less clutch life and worse gas mileage. As far as tires go, that one is my absolute favorite no doubt about it. After researching many different all terrain tires and judging them against my picky criteria one has emerged a clear winner. The <a href="http://www.coopertire.com/html/products/tires_lighttruck.aspx?page=discoverer_atr">Cooper Discoverer ATR</a>. In 235/85/16 It is 31.78 inches tall, has a tread depth of 16.5/32, a 50k treadlife warranty, fits my budget and weighs in at a light 42 lbs per tire according to <a href="http://www.gripston.com/">www.gripston.com</a>. I think it will be a great fit for my backwoods adventures while still providing a good tire for all of my daily driving. Other tires I seriously considered where the <strong>Hankook Dynapro ATM</strong>, the <strong>Bridgestone Dueler Revo</strong>, <strong>Toyo Open Country AT</strong>, and the <strong>Kumho Road Venture AT</strong>. All of these tires came very close but had one strike against them. I havent purchased my new tires yet but it wont be long. Well I have to go for now, This was a brief overview of my findings, but hopefully it will be helpful to someone else.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-71958093794410249992011-02-09T17:23:00.004-05:002011-02-09T19:23:17.793-05:00Coyotes in the triangle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEier5jx9i4lf_GODXUCSYe_9Ii9_w0wiAu_5yxZgUliJV8sZQ4sEhpyMmAUgzLO7bK72gwo8goT5nkLmMVPK7IiXW7JLXXlO_qf_80apoE939w1jnpIkkxRVesnU0gAMhQz7DmssRV4IGY/s1600/eastern_coyote.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEier5jx9i4lf_GODXUCSYe_9Ii9_w0wiAu_5yxZgUliJV8sZQ4sEhpyMmAUgzLO7bK72gwo8goT5nkLmMVPK7IiXW7JLXXlO_qf_80apoE939w1jnpIkkxRVesnU0gAMhQz7DmssRV4IGY/s400/eastern_coyote.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5571838313275750370" /></a><br />If you talk to any hunter around NC or do a quick google search it is easy to figure out that we are being encroached upon by the wily <a href="http://www.ncwildlife.org/Wildlife_Species_Con/Profiles_new/coyote.pdf">Eastern Coyote</a>. Or perhaps we have encroached on him. In either case encounters with these wild dogs are becoming more and more common all over North Carolina, including the triangle area. I have written a very similar post in the past, but in the past few weeks at Raleigh Country Club, basically in the heart of Raleigh, there has been a fury visitor roaming the grounds. While the coyote hasn't been spotted in two weeks, for about a week before that he made several appearances during regular working hours in broad daylight. He was spotted one morning at 9:30 standing on one of the greens not 50 yards from the main clubhouse. While the NCWRC website linked above lists coyotes in this area topping out at around 44 pounds, I saw this one in person and I estimate him/her to be closer to 55 pounds.Regardless of my opinion on its size, animal control was called to set traps since you cant have a coyote mingling with golfers. To date there has been only a raccoon caught in the trap and no more sightings of the coyote.Maybe he went back where ever he came from or maybe he just got smart, who knows. The greenway for the city of Raleigh is not far at all from the golf course, perhaps he found a safe place along that trail. One thing I learned is that if you are suspicious a coyote may be roaming around your area, look for sign. Scat was seemingly easy to find, holes dug in search of moles and voles where abundant and a deer carcass dumped by hunters was found in pieces throughout the golf course. Even if I had never seen the coyote it was pretty clear that something similar was taking up residence close by. I will keep you posted on this on going story, but in the mean time, I would love to hear other stories of coyote encounters in North Carolina. Shoot me an email or just leave a comment.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-62940390613980610032011-02-04T14:30:00.004-05:002011-02-04T15:34:52.916-05:00Moving ForwardHey guys,<br /><br />So I guess I have some explaining to do seeing as how its been so long since I have posted anything. There are two things that I will blame for this dry period. One, having no energy to keep this up to date and two, thinking that no one was reading it any way, so why bother. Well I was caught off guard the other evening at an Appalachian State basketball game while catching up with an old friend and they mentioned reading my blog. I was blown away since I hadn't talked to this person in several years. To make a short story even shorter, this has given me a renewed interest and a new attitude for not giving up on NC Outdoorsman. I think I am going to set a goal of at least 1 post a week, maybe more, maybe not. I am excited again about writing so we will see where this goes. Recently there have been several things in my life worthy of writing about. Posts coming soon will include:<br /><br />-<strong>Coyote at Raleigh Country Club<br /><br />-Deer Season in review <br /><br />-Brewers first duck<br /><br />-Time to buy tires for the Tacoma, a breakdown of my search for the perfect tire.<br /><br />-New BBQ recipe on trial for the Super Bowl, how it stacked up.<br /><br />-Appstate football update<br /><br />-$50 DIY Camper shell paint job<br /><br />-Can my bird dog shed hunt too?</strong><br /><br />Moving on to a more serious subject. What a tragedy that occurred on Falls lake this past Sunday evening. As it has been well reported, the body of 40 year old Greg Feeter was discovered in the water Wednesday evening by authorities. Feeter was kayaking and perhaps fishing from his kayak on Sunday and didn't return home that night. We may never know what happened, but what a tragic reminder of the importance of being safe above all else while enjoying the great outdoors. Greg may have taken every necessary precaution, I am not saying he didn't, because he was apparently an experienced paddler. I know many times in the excitement of preparing for a hunt I will forget my harness or something along those lines and take a gamble I should never take.Since it only takes one small mistake, we have got to become more safety conscious in our outdoor excursions. My prayers go out to his family and friends.<br /><br />Check back in a few days to learn about the coyote roaming around Raleigh Country Club<strong></strong>Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-18440323939971519682010-09-20T18:05:00.007-04:002010-09-20T18:58:38.648-04:00A long awaited update<a href="http://www.appfan.com/blog/"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnWevz0S2YCR5h3S966wElfW5GfIxDlzHqYvBKjOhjpffCMR-7tcQUfWVwltiRCAPrUv1FCz2KvIMmsL9GmwOlg8sIx21VbKbT7Gw2ckOjm7aSHaTiqz2TCczb4w8QJxV5pNYMPkvWaI/s1600/dp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVnWevz0S2YCR5h3S966wElfW5GfIxDlzHqYvBKjOhjpffCMR-7tcQUfWVwltiRCAPrUv1FCz2KvIMmsL9GmwOlg8sIx21VbKbT7Gw2ckOjm7aSHaTiqz2TCczb4w8QJxV5pNYMPkvWaI/s400/dp.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519132811535923202" /></a></a><br />The future is bright for the Black and Gold. Photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.appfan.com/blog/">AppFan.com</a><br /><br /><br />Great spirits often encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds<br /><br />- Albert Einstein<br /><br />I heard this quote the other day for the first time and thought it was profound. <br />On another note, it is fall, deer season is getting into full swing and the <a href="http://goasu.com/">Boys up in Boone</a> are starting to look really good just like we thought they would. <br /><br />Brewer is currently sleeping beside me on the couch making it really hard to type, his foot keeps creeping up onto the key board.<br /><br />If you live in the triangle and are looking for a good church, come check out <a href="http://southbridgefellowship.com/">South Bridge Fellowship</a> in the Brier Creek Shopping center movie theatre. It is rock solid, currently we are in week 2 of a series titled "Lies we live by" For real, you should check it out. <br /><br />I recently smoked a boston butt that was probably the best bbq I have ever had, and ever since then all I can think about is doing it again. Right now I am about to give in and go to the store to get another boston butt. I think I will try to cook this one in the crock pot. One of the things I have learned about making bbq is that there are many ways to make it taste great and it is really hard to screw up. If you are in need of some simple great recipes shoot me an email. <br /><br />I finally got my federal duck stamp today, GAME ON, brewer cant wait. We went dove hunting the other day after work, only 2 doves flew over and I got one shot off that didn't even come close. He needs some good work with real birds. Hope to get after them soon. <br /><br />I know I am INCREDIBLY biased, but when will Armanti Edwards get some love from the panthers, he has been inactive the first 2 games of the season. Could it get any worse for the panthers, I submit that it could not(say it like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtLVFV40cTA">Brian Regan</a> wait for it). Who wouldn't love to see a little <a href="http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/panthers-50428-edwards-feature.html">Mountaineer Package </a>thrown into the offense here and there.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-16314078103484671092010-04-29T21:15:00.006-04:002010-04-29T21:25:51.226-04:00Football Jones<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z45OWIuI6mTALJRXjw04WAccuLaAyyQMfUsxL0_FstmAs6bVv9fqhCw__DIAtE0mbcmU4NLmKf-zs4Q2HmKnqkygE0mMNFH1CS1jm8A_tUjH_z9mQjZICPMxQm_TqrXNvjM6pW0z2WM/s1600/werenotgonnalastthesummer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 390px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4z45OWIuI6mTALJRXjw04WAccuLaAyyQMfUsxL0_FstmAs6bVv9fqhCw__DIAtE0mbcmU4NLmKf-zs4Q2HmKnqkygE0mMNFH1CS1jm8A_tUjH_z9mQjZICPMxQm_TqrXNvjM6pW0z2WM/s400/werenotgonnalastthesummer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465734019629137314" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivT7rFsKiKpPRBYUN-S5WMmCdTNxyy0tGkrpjqMeCJPJg8Tytnyz8Bi8QkGpR1pNso8HHi2GgDkX7NkeXFsZ3kIeuCNYJm6ShScw9tJPRof8rK_EM4fhiyH1DjU6vmgDFsddPGigt5400/s1600/APP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivT7rFsKiKpPRBYUN-S5WMmCdTNxyy0tGkrpjqMeCJPJg8Tytnyz8Bi8QkGpR1pNso8HHi2GgDkX7NkeXFsZ3kIeuCNYJm6ShScw9tJPRof8rK_EM4fhiyH1DjU6vmgDFsddPGigt5400/s400/APP.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465733435879582306" /></a><br /><br />No time to write, but I got football on the mind. I have always been a panther fan, but with Dexter Jackson and Superman now on the roster, I can no longer be just a casual fan. These Mountaineers look like they mean business, time will tell, but I think this could be another year to remember for the Black & Gold.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-36987720540691165152010-04-15T21:46:00.003-04:002010-04-15T22:11:49.365-04:00NC Turkeys- Public land Hunt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelR41EFMJhAvEsA7zvMPBMcIG5iYj6E67arSjRzG028RfNArt7vGJ8XyvwL3wCVxBYeqax03-SPVwIiywpVU6FyxB3DlSCqpQj-Cc4UBvxenwhiycj9N_-inQX7VnvZkYa3RHs_8HaNY/s1600/turkey1t.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 339px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelR41EFMJhAvEsA7zvMPBMcIG5iYj6E67arSjRzG028RfNArt7vGJ8XyvwL3wCVxBYeqax03-SPVwIiywpVU6FyxB3DlSCqpQj-Cc4UBvxenwhiycj9N_-inQX7VnvZkYa3RHs_8HaNY/s400/turkey1t.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460551625556372306" /></a><br /> <a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/hunting/1/0/A/1/turkey1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hunting.about.com/library/weekly/blturkeytrack.htm&usg=__Fb4UvU32dnNBu_RMDHmWuGw0yDg=&h=421&w=357&sz=37&hl=en&start=1&sig2=reLU1mgupYjM8Z-Xh2BVbg&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=VoSfznrTAuiwcM:&tbnh=125&tbnw=106&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dturkey%2Btrack%2Bpicture%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=6sbHS4KYLYK78gbNkJ2GBw">Turkey Track </a><br />Well, This NC outdoorsman finally got a free afternoon a few days ago. I could hardly function waiting around for the work day to end. When the time finally came, I ran home, let the good as new Brewer out for a little potty break, and then hit the woods. In the not so distant past, I had witnessed Turkeys on two occasions in a field just off of the game lands I would be hunting. I also frequently found lots of sign in the area. I could not have had higher hopes, but it was not to be. I probably walked 4 miles, calling every 150 or 200 yards give or take a little. I threw the whole book at those birds and never got a response, being this early in the season I was a little surprised. I found 2 sets of fresh tracks in separate locations, so I know the birds are around. I finished up about 7:00 pm and drove home thinking of what I might do differently next time. Maybe Saturday afternoon I will make it back out there. I have to say, the one satisfying thing about this hunt was that I made a game plan before hand and stuck with it the entire time. Usually my impatience gets the best of me and I call an audible. Even though I didn't bag a bird, this was a great experience for me, and I cant wait to get back out there.<br />Thanks for stopping by,<br /><br />AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-37112283432241954162010-04-15T21:24:00.004-04:002010-04-15T22:17:13.408-04:00Kayak Tuna<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BbFtjdtg8q5vUBt-cfLjJzwwgleTquPexePBDWMauoDsb33WG_8xAUfO7A_WAyYDvaYRV_wDDZ5YIiw7Z1uypEhl2X_icbStxxY7hjiCD_b1OLv8Corfb0xyfOUYHWVyKrbdJiaOyOw/s1600/tuna10.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BbFtjdtg8q5vUBt-cfLjJzwwgleTquPexePBDWMauoDsb33WG_8xAUfO7A_WAyYDvaYRV_wDDZ5YIiw7Z1uypEhl2X_icbStxxY7hjiCD_b1OLv8Corfb0xyfOUYHWVyKrbdJiaOyOw/s400/tuna10.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460543942998396338" /></a><br /> This image courtesy of <a href="http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/2010/04/biggest-tuna-ever-caught-kayak?photo=9">Field and Stream </a><br /><br />Check out this <a href="http://www.fieldandstream.com/photos/gallery/fishing/2010/04/biggest-tuna-ever-caught-kayak?cmpid=enews041510">record setting Tuna </a>caught by Matt Shepard from a kayak off of the North Carolina coast. This story is courtesy of <a href="http://www.fieldandstream.com/">Field and Stream </a>. This is pretty amazing, and now I really want that <a href="http://www.oldtowncanoe.com/kayaks/huntingFishing/predator_k140.html">Kayak</a>Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-31152583393485304052010-04-11T09:21:00.004-04:002010-04-11T09:32:09.511-04:00Interesting... Turkey Heart Research<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06AuE4E2aF6-CHAHzzsnhxryNpPZtvncbEq_lxsdxmLNSZs3VOwK4nlhEs0CgYMsPTiVX7HnD9JZtMuxwW9rtPsIoP4oYtsdAP7poG3jEBm_czjyMJ99zAYm4qRQPpoG_CQbbCewezEM/s1600/th.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 366px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj06AuE4E2aF6-CHAHzzsnhxryNpPZtvncbEq_lxsdxmLNSZs3VOwK4nlhEs0CgYMsPTiVX7HnD9JZtMuxwW9rtPsIoP4oYtsdAP7poG3jEBm_czjyMJ99zAYm4qRQPpoG_CQbbCewezEM/s400/th.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458871602647352834" /></a><br />Not my hand, but this is a Turkey heart.<br /><br />I found this over at the <a href="http://www.nwtf.com/">NWTF</a> website. This is pretty interesting. Thought you might want to check it out.<br /><a href="http://www.nwtf.org/nwtf_newsroom/press_releases.php?id=13137">Attention Michigan Hunters: Have a Heart?</a>Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-18402521658997815162010-04-11T07:59:00.006-04:002010-04-11T09:18:44.107-04:00Field Care Tips for your Trophy Tom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJfJzkQ1l6Vkl7Q63eaioyOHtwbD-xsB3n3HIPNmw1OUQ3jsaPds1oHqF_TyhnRlQqojfNsHaKecUkLafB4HyJGfrdSO6Bb4iQNyC-LbjmmcFphulSN9hQQ2yGWCElBFmsO2L0Q2S3GI/s1600/3t.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJfJzkQ1l6Vkl7Q63eaioyOHtwbD-xsB3n3HIPNmw1OUQ3jsaPds1oHqF_TyhnRlQqojfNsHaKecUkLafB4HyJGfrdSO6Bb4iQNyC-LbjmmcFphulSN9hQQ2yGWCElBFmsO2L0Q2S3GI/s400/3t.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458862311407014114" /></a><br /><a href="http://upcloseoutfitters.wordpress.com/">Up-Close Outfitters </a>had a great day on the South Carolina opener, here is a picture of their success.<br /><br /><br />Via the <a href="http://skinnymoose.com/moosedroppings/">Moose Droppings</a> blog, I found the <a href="http://skinnymoose.com/annevinnola/">Annie got her gun </a>blog. Over there I found a great right up Anne has done about taking care of your turkey in the field for mounting. Here is the link,<a href="http://skinnymoose.com/annevinnola/category/taxidermy/">Field care tips for Wild Turkeys </a>check out this article and the rest of her blog, tons of info over there. Anne and her husband own the <a href="http://www.coloradotaxidermyschool.com/index.htm">Colorado Institute of Taxidermy Training</a>, so they know their stuff.<br />I know I couldn't make it out yesterday, but hopefully some of you did. How did it go, BAG or BUST? I want to hear your stories and see your pictures. Leave a comment or send me an email with some of your pictures. To Daniel "Moose" over at <a href="http://skinnymoose.com/moosedroppings/">Moose Droppings</a>, I owe you a Thank You for finding these great resources. <br /><br /><br />Thanks for stopping by,<br /><br />AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-81439797931190548722010-04-08T17:46:00.009-04:002010-04-08T18:44:03.152-04:00Chronic Wasting Disease- The things you need to know<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBJlB_HTv7QTVhSfx2iT9EYu-9qQRHXmbTjEpT5L57GXMqAT-ucaUf23-YUbZCM6UTH4rm1g5E2V-X1m6aQQZBjAingiuqiP65nBYIW22Vd3T03EfIOIMbwdDtvfv5BGNxXygMRB1rs4/s1600/p2-buck_disease.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBJlB_HTv7QTVhSfx2iT9EYu-9qQRHXmbTjEpT5L57GXMqAT-ucaUf23-YUbZCM6UTH4rm1g5E2V-X1m6aQQZBjAingiuqiP65nBYIW22Vd3T03EfIOIMbwdDtvfv5BGNxXygMRB1rs4/s400/p2-buck_disease.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457890659168303538" /></a><br />This is a photo of a buck with CWD courtesy of <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=3641162">ESPN OUTDOORS</a> from an article written a few years ago.<br /><br />Daniel over at the <a href="http://skinnymoose.com/moosedroppings/">Moose Droppings </a>blog has just done a great short write up on Chronic Wasting Disease with some really informative links. Check it out to get up to speed on what is going on with this disease. There have been some changes made to NC law regarding CWD that hunters need to be aware of.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-78146104091131796202010-04-08T16:08:00.004-04:002010-04-08T18:15:25.875-04:00Turkey in downtown Raleigh?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-KvEXnrCvX0gqhN4aPl_ISAm35SDVDx2ecL1mutRsuoHJyvvX-xVv79FN1TmQ9ZjK7nL2qCxLEghyphenhyphen_4Dus4zDKkTy6qRvyUq5vzPfhlrwYVNtaEHTCxqPzYgH72mqNkFI3W2Rgg4C0s/s1600/turkey2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0-KvEXnrCvX0gqhN4aPl_ISAm35SDVDx2ecL1mutRsuoHJyvvX-xVv79FN1TmQ9ZjK7nL2qCxLEghyphenhyphen_4Dus4zDKkTy6qRvyUq5vzPfhlrwYVNtaEHTCxqPzYgH72mqNkFI3W2Rgg4C0s/s400/turkey2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457874751733856834" /></a><br />This is not the same turkey, just a funny picture, though I cannot decide if it is real or not. This was taken from an article in the Boston Globe about Turkeys showing up in Massachusetts a few years back.<br /><br />Today at <a href="http://www.raleighcc.com/">Raleigh Country Club</a>(my place of employment) there was a wild turkey spotted running across the golf course. I did not see it my self but one of the employees got a photo of it on his cell phone. It looked like a hen, but it honestly could have been a gobbler, it was not a great photo. RCC is located off of New Bern Ave about half a mile past the belt line just shy of downtown Raleigh. I was really surprised to hear of this at first. However when I began thinking about it, I suppose it isn't really all that strange. The Raleigh Green way basically comes through the golf courses back yard. That green way goes for miles and miles and provides a good amount of cushion for wildlife in an otherwise urban area. Also if you consider the amount of woods you see around a lot of the belt line and HWY 264, it really isn't that far fetched to have a turkey stroll through like it did. Apparently a nice gobbler crossed the golf course last year about this time too. Why the turkey came through today, who knows, maybe it was shot at on Youth Day last Saturday, or maybe scouting pressure pushed it out. Maybe it was looking for love(in all the wrong places,lookin for love in...) Sorry,I couldn't resist. Generally where there is one, another is not too far off, we will see. The peculiar thing about all of this is the direction he was headed. The turkey came from the New Bern Ave side of the golf course and was headed to Poole Rd via the neighboring church yard. There is nothing but houses and busy roads for several hundred yards until the woods parallel to interstate 440. This would be quite a feat if the bird managed to survive Poole Rd and all of the houses, dogs and people along the way. Hope he made it.<br />This gets me fired up, but unfortunately I will not be able to hunt opening day. Hopefully one afternoon next week or the following Saturday I will make it into the woods. If you make it into the woods before I do let me know how it goes. Leave a comment or shoot me an email. Until then, thanks for stopping by.<br /><br />-AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-2534541259373030182010-04-05T17:26:00.008-04:002010-04-08T18:38:03.452-04:00Coyotes.... Coming soon to the woods near you?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZvOoerTx2kqJiu9uSyWtIgWgYu7olV_GPaDJQTPFvjtNmO1eP2BXIcoKo4jKI53wonWlJ6u5in7OJxypxY8nj4CrpA9HaqHI38dRAs-ViR_NNESbFKbUaRhcAOFoTKLPJVn2nNz4NnE/s1600/coyote+2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZvOoerTx2kqJiu9uSyWtIgWgYu7olV_GPaDJQTPFvjtNmO1eP2BXIcoKo4jKI53wonWlJ6u5in7OJxypxY8nj4CrpA9HaqHI38dRAs-ViR_NNESbFKbUaRhcAOFoTKLPJVn2nNz4NnE/s400/coyote+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456783775110920594" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNeJ3cGxGzJdIIUNQjwS-VObUXADYMaAKsOuRihJ0o4P9A9_0mPPWRb7fhYWj8cznm_AX1kC03oQ0wbeN4dLqrWAQcTEegy4RbHL_urKB2RNaBCgSsqApjJZ-vZSbtQZLvZbTsxXHJz0/s1600/coyote1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNeJ3cGxGzJdIIUNQjwS-VObUXADYMaAKsOuRihJ0o4P9A9_0mPPWRb7fhYWj8cznm_AX1kC03oQ0wbeN4dLqrWAQcTEegy4RbHL_urKB2RNaBCgSsqApjJZ-vZSbtQZLvZbTsxXHJz0/s400/coyote1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456783768868629170" /></a><br />I put these pictures up on another post a few months ago. This is a coyote trapped on a friends land in Forsyth county a little while ago. I generally dont think these animals are a threat to humans. This one was hurt and cornered.<br /><br />While I was in High Point Yesterday visiting family, a friend of mine called to tell me about his coyote encounter. He hunts on a farm in north Raleigh that backs up to Interstate 540. My in-laws live in a neighborhood about 1.5 miles away from there with lots of people and pets. Yesterday, my friend was out at the farm working on his food plots. He had finished up his work for the day and was riding around the property with his dog Bennett in his camo gator. He saw motion off to the side and thought it was a deer so he stopped. He sat there for a minute until he saw movement again, this time he could tell it wasn't a deer and it was walking towards the gator. When it got close enough he realized it was a coyote and they had a stare down for about 10 minutes. The coyote apparently couldn't figure out what it was looking at. Then Bennett, an extremely small white English Setter jumped out of the gator. Mike said immediately the coyote charged with a full head of steam, when Mike jumped out of the gator it stopped and ran off in the other direction really fast. However within 10 seconds Mike happened to turn around and saw the same, or possibly another coyote stalking Bennett from behind. He turned and took a step towards the coyote now at 20 yards and it instantly fled not to be seen again.Although they are not very big most of the time, Coyotes are known to be pet killers, no doubt it could have its way with Bennett who weighs in at around 30 lbs.The Eastern Coyote which inhabits our area usually weighs between 30 and 50 lbs and stands on average 20-24 inches at the shoulders. Northern Coyotes tend to be larger. It is a good thing that it seemed to still exhibit a fear of humans but this is not the first story I have heard like this, and recently these sorts of encounters are becoming the norm. I have had a few encounters with Coyotes, but only in the western part of the state, and none of them where threatening to me. What, if any action should be taken to control these wild dogs? I know for a fact I am going to start hunting them since there is no closed season for coyotes in our state. Look for more info on this topic soon, I want to research this problem a little more. Do a quick google search of Coyotes in your area and see what comes up, you might be surprised.<br /><br />-AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-36422664598579643392010-04-04T11:37:00.010-04:002010-04-05T18:45:04.497-04:00Weekend in review<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwN1O5WzTga0rEFLadbRzxrVaV7b66bT4dn0RV70AXtfMaY27GoWFV1tkdNNcWn3qAX1QPYf8xrHkwP4-x6pcfpQMP_xpC7P0Yqp71cOeAl591BDrHWJmZQfihFchfBxBIuU6xrHBfBk/s1600/hp4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwN1O5WzTga0rEFLadbRzxrVaV7b66bT4dn0RV70AXtfMaY27GoWFV1tkdNNcWn3qAX1QPYf8xrHkwP4-x6pcfpQMP_xpC7P0Yqp71cOeAl591BDrHWJmZQfihFchfBxBIuU6xrHBfBk/s400/hp4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456759722004395938" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfaPOrP-RG-9-IHKMdD1BVBIOkixjParDZrQ01TZx6uXK62aGFZQQy5ACr-w-D3M9kDwNn5ulOgHMs0JOSs1vJn-bLueU5BUKD8n718QS6XbGwN9VohHc3-2Pi9g76HkB82qrX7y00H8/s1600/hp2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfaPOrP-RG-9-IHKMdD1BVBIOkixjParDZrQ01TZx6uXK62aGFZQQy5ACr-w-D3M9kDwNn5ulOgHMs0JOSs1vJn-bLueU5BUKD8n718QS6XbGwN9VohHc3-2Pi9g76HkB82qrX7y00H8/s400/hp2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456759718459462002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvePswkrTAW9vHyt-PMeT12kcguzQgiPRq5wtVW3EkhvRV08wiYa17O_cAcvPwOwpMDhaSlFJe-Jb8_Vsx3I7Xvk3LomR4778p1jH4ZYhT8flIGMhT1PnDb701XS5JvN-7SizXBWT2fA/s1600/hp1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAvePswkrTAW9vHyt-PMeT12kcguzQgiPRq5wtVW3EkhvRV08wiYa17O_cAcvPwOwpMDhaSlFJe-Jb8_Vsx3I7Xvk3LomR4778p1jH4ZYhT8flIGMhT1PnDb701XS5JvN-7SizXBWT2fA/s400/hp1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5456759712598841426" /></a><br />Just a few images of the destruction brought on by the tornado that ripped through High Point last week. Images courtesy of WGHP FOX 8 NEWS<br /><br /> On Friday I just had to take Brewer out to do some shed hunting. It had been three weeks since he hurt his foot and all signs told me he was ready to go. Well he jumped a deer up as soon as we got into the woods and was gone for a while. I was really worried and nearly horse after calling and whistling to him for sometime. I think it was a combination of him being so restless and a little rusty that made him run off. A couple I had run into earlier found him not far from me roaming the woods. He hurt his foot again in a different spot(just a scrape,nothing serious) and is now out of commission for even longer. Steffi was thrilled with me, and I didnt even get to shed hunt because he ran off. When I got him back we called it a day. I have got to do something to break him of chasing deer. At first it was funny, now it is potentially dangerous. I think I will have to go the E Collar route. That is the only thing I can think of that will solve this problem. Great, another expensive must have on my hunting list! I will let you know what happens with that. As for now, Brewer is on house arrest once again. Way to go Dad! <br />Saturday a friend of ours got married in Raleigh. Steffi was in the wedding so she was busy all day. My friend Keith's wife was in the wedding also, we saw this as a prime opportunity to go wet a line. Keith has a 14 ft jon boat with a trolling motor, fish finder and swivel seats with backs. If you have ever spent any time on a jon boat without comfortable seats you understand how nice those are. We didn't get to head out until lunch time.We had about 3 hours to burn so we planned to fish the local Wake Forest reservoir. By the time we picked up some minnows and got to the lake it was pretty warm. We were bobber fishing about 2 feet deep with 2 small split shots half way between bobber and hook. We mostly worked the cover along the shoreline. Keith caught a couple small large mouth right out of the gates and I followed shortly after with a small white bass. We spent the next hour or so getting skunked and then we found the crappie hole we had been looking for. We caught 8 crappie total. Keith accidentally dropped one back into the water and 2 or 3 others got off the hook right at the boat.So it was a pretty good hole. I must say it had been quite some time since I had been fishing, and it showed. It took an hour or more for me to get back a little touch and precision with my casts. I must have gotten hung up 15 times. I was actually a little embarrassed. (talking to my self, PULL IT TOGETHER) Oh well, what can ya do. Thanks for your patients Keith. There were several great photo opportunities but Steffi had the camera with her for bridesmaid stuff. I am trying to get her to buy a new camera so I can have her old one and eliminate this problem of sharing. Other then that, this little excursion was great, it could not have been a nicer day to be on the water. The wind blew just enough to keep us comfortable and we caught something. This has me really wanting to spend more money. A few years back a friend of my family GAVE me a 15ft aluminum v-hull fishing boat with a trailer, trolling motor and 4.5 hp outboard. It has been parked at my parents house ever since I got it. I have not taken her out on the maiden voyage yet because she needs a little TLC that I haven't been able to give her. Well the time has come. Saturday was just too much fun not to go back out again really soon, why not start getting my boat in ship shape, it is perfect for small reservoirs like the one we fished. I wasn't able to tow it back with me to Raleigh this weekend, but hopefully it won't be much longer. Look for some pictures soon, I will show you step by step what all I do to it. In the mean time, its almost Turkey Time, so if your not fishing, you should be getting ready to tomahawk Mr Tom, In other news, Steffi and I had just finished watching a movie the other night and just happened to turn on the news. When we did they were covering the tornado that had just ripped through High Point. My parents house was about 1 mile out of the path of the twister. I saw the wreckage and destruction first hand today since we visited family for Easter. Unbelievable. Pictures cannot describe what it was like in person. I saw one 2 story house that was now only 1 story with no sign of the upper half to be found. The house literally 20ft beside of that house was not touched, not even a shingle came off. There were many other instances like this, really strange? One house was literally split in two pieces, the roof and attic from one side was on the ground upside down and the other side still attached. It was a chilling and ominous feeling to see the literal path of the tornado. I hope everyone can pick up the pieces and get back to normal soon.<br />On a much lighter note, It was like Christmas for me at my parents house this weekend. I finally picked up all of my fishing doodads from dads garage and he gave me his old shop vac(he bought a new one) and his driver(Ping G5). I needed a driver desperately seeing as how mine was made in 1998( Titleist 975D) and is the size of most people 5 woods these days. Any who, cant wait to get out on the links and swing the new driver a little, and I am thrilled about the shop vac. I am so sick and tired of feeding the stinking timed vacuum quarters. What an anxiety attack trying to get all the dirt out before that thing cuts off.<br />Thanks for stoppin by,<br /><br /><br /><br />-AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-26643596218208596762010-04-01T15:32:00.002-04:002010-04-01T17:53:35.423-04:00Lets talk a little football<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7IH0VbDOiMjIgnBc47ylLa3zLVyRjLcJFTPV2JYjLqU71AUpmPEdLNwd-QJu8MZpw-zlz7sCHRN0t-SyoNolAW7vONTGymx_VorcJmgVK8tHhDos8V8XYbah2gzglkcjsFXemwBIBOs/s1600/app1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7IH0VbDOiMjIgnBc47ylLa3zLVyRjLcJFTPV2JYjLqU71AUpmPEdLNwd-QJu8MZpw-zlz7sCHRN0t-SyoNolAW7vONTGymx_VorcJmgVK8tHhDos8V8XYbah2gzglkcjsFXemwBIBOs/s400/app1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455290340156475170" /></a><br />I know I know, it is so early for college football talk. I just have not gotten into the March Madness this year. It has nothing to do with who is playing, I just haven't been into basketball this year. In any case, I always have college football on the brain, more specifically, Appalachian State Football. With season ticket sales opening up today for the Black & Gold Nation, it feels like a great opportunity to talk a little football. I am excited about the upcoming season for several reasons.<br />1. Some new faces on the coaching staff. I loved all of our old coaches, but I am really excited to see what these new guys can bring to the program. Bob McClain from Tulsa will take over Offensive Line duties, he replaces Shawn Elliot who left for South Carolina. I think Coach Elliot did a great job with our O-line guys, look for no drop off with Coach McClain.<br />Coach Scot Sloan comes to us from Riverside Military Academy. He replaces Defensive Coordinator John Wiley, who left for East Carolina. Coach Sloan will be Defensive Backs coach, Coach Dale Jones will move up to DC from Linebackers Coach. I really look forward to seeing what Coach Sloan has to offer. He brings years of coaching experience on the college level. I am also really excited to see Coach Jones at the DC position, he has already eliminated the Bandit Linebacker position and put a strong side linebacker in its place. Coach Wiley did a great job over the years but I really feel a fresh look to the ASU defense will do good things.<br />I am perhaps most excited about our new Strength and Conditioning Coach, Mike Kent. When Coach Dillman left earlier this fall, I found my self worried he would be very hard to replace. The intensity, motivation and work ethic he brought to our program was unbelievable. Enter Mike Kent, Coach Kent may actually be over qualified for this job. I think the only reason he took it is because he loves ASU and wanted to be back in Boone. Coach Kent has spent many years moving up in the world of college athletics at some really BIG TIME schools including Kansas State, Pittsburgh and Louisville. Before all that he spent 9 years at ASU as Strength Coach. I am thrilled to have this guy back on our home turf. Coach Dillman did amazing things with our athletes, but if there is a person that can take our guys to the next level, it is Coach Kent.<br /><br />2. Though we lost the Greatest APP of all time #14, we have 2 really solid options to take over the offensive reigns in Jamal Jackson and DeAndre Presley. Both I feel have similar abilities. Jackson may be a bit more durable at 6-3 190. But Presley 5-11 170 has the game experience. It should be a battle to the finish to see who gets the job this fall. I will spend time on our offense more later. Some expect to see a dropoff in offensive performance next year. I havent convinced my self of that just yet with the guys we have returning(we will be just fine) but in any case, this leads me to #3.<br /><br />3. Defense, in 2005 and 2006 our defense was ridiculously rock solid. Remember the days of #44 & #97 wreaking havoc in the back field, and #47 ball hawkin all day long. Bobby Lamb and UNI remember Hunter and Murrell for sure. Will we ever have another Corey Lynch, tough to say. Looking at this coming year on the defensive side of the ball, we have some great talent returning and some new comers who are sure to WOW you. Guys Like Mark Legree, DJ Smith, Dominique McDuffie, Troy Sanders, Michael Frazier, Justin Wray, Ed Gainey and Jeremy Kimbrough will be our resident Head Hunters. Others like Bobby Bozzo, Demery Brewer, Jabari Fletcher, Lanston Tanyi, Tony Robertson and Gordy Witte along with new JUCO transfer Chris Aiken will power the front line. I know I have left some guys out, but the point is, this could be a phenomenal season defensively for the Black & Gold. The guys listed in the first group are all very fast, physical players who will be aggressive and opportunistic. The guys in the second group have another year under their belt and all signs indicate great expectations for this group as well. Look for the Veterans like Fletcher, Robertson and Bozzo to play with a chip on their shoulder, and look out for Chris Aiken. Weighing in at 6-1 310 he just might be the real deal. Aiken spent 5 years in the army and served 2 tours in Iraq before going to Blinn College in Texas for 2 years and transferring to ASU. He is a man.<br /><br />All in all, we have a lot to look forward to next year. I think we will see a fresh new face to the APP's Defense that will be really exciting to watch. Lots of hard hits and turnovers coming your way soon. Offensively one really cant worry too much with guys like Devon Moore, Cedric Baker, Devin Radford, Brian Quick, Travaris Cadet, Matt Cline, Ben Jorden and hopefully Coco Hillary returning, along with the much anticipated entrance of guys like Rod Chisholm, Andrew Peacock and Tony Washington. Besides, who doesn't get excited about a team coached by Jerry Moore, in my opinion there isnt a finer coach in the country. I just couldn't resist talking a little APP Football. Since no one is here to talk with me, I wrote it out. I am sure there will be plenty more to come. Check out the splash page at GOASU.COM. See you at the ROCK.<br /><br />GO APPSAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-15467201910234372742010-03-23T20:35:00.006-04:002010-03-24T20:58:15.261-04:00Think it through, dont over think it<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_hlW3dlyXaOKw_I2SBKUH6UV2tT5lCeFpwoLvchl_j2ZYoN8KGjf7yUhef7RfyuAIaraWHqO4ZrSYN-pFCp6c6EKffBqMREyOdgFd_0-g-zehlxdjHGQVcnf1HGyFM8mXaUvZ4o7iLA/s1600-h/fs31.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ_hlW3dlyXaOKw_I2SBKUH6UV2tT5lCeFpwoLvchl_j2ZYoN8KGjf7yUhef7RfyuAIaraWHqO4ZrSYN-pFCp6c6EKffBqMREyOdgFd_0-g-zehlxdjHGQVcnf1HGyFM8mXaUvZ4o7iLA/s400/fs31.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452023252207796818" /></a><br />Random but funny<br /><br /><br />Recently on my quest to find the perfect marinade/recipe for steaks, ribs and such, I made a great discovery. The less I do the better things turn out.Just the other day I just had to finish cooking the bacon for our bacon swiss burgers on the grill. Lets just say we had swiss burgers, there was no bacon left within 20 seconds of putting it on the grill. I can laugh about it now I suppose. One of my friends at work just uses salt & pepper on his steaks, so I tried it a few weeks ago and I will never do anything different. I have nearly perfected my rib recipe, at least according to me, by not using so much stuff. My point being, often times with all of the information available to us these days we tend to over think things. I believe this holds true for hunting also. With all of the new products, TV shows and crazy fast bullets and bows on the market today, I find my self making things harder then they need to be. As you know I have a list a mile long of hunting stuff I need. I have to remind my self that I really have what I need. Scent Lok, scent free technology wasn't around 50 or even 25 years ago, but somehow people managed to kill deer. All of the great camo patterns we have today haven't been around that long, hunters killed great bucks without wearing it. These really light weight aluminum climbers haven't been around that long either. I recently watched an educational hunting video from 20 years ago that referred to a "hang on" stand with ratchet straps as a "portable" stand. Today's compound bows are approaching speeds of 350 fps and some of the new rifle calibers shoot well in excess of 3000 fps. This is all fine and good. I have absolutely no problem with any of it. I use scent lok, and take every precaution with my scent before entering the woods.I cannot own enough new camo and my favorite rifle caliber is the fairly new 270 WSM. My bow is fairly old, but I would love a newer faster one. I watch just about every hunting show I have time for, and I subscribe to a few different hunting magazines. With all of this information being thrown at me I find my self really thinking hard and analyzing every step of my next hunt. On many occasions I find my self really torn on wear to sit, or what tree to pick, and taking valuable time to make a decision. I find my self failing to commit to a well thought out plan at the first sign things aren't going right. Usually I have the latest greatest tips and tricks floating around in my head making me doubt what I know to be true from experience. Many times I have abandoned my original plan 30 minutes into the hunt only to regret it later. Hunters were successful way before present technology existed by using much simpler methods. Next time you find your self in an outdoor dilemma, tred through all the TV shows, magazine articles and latest greatest equipment floating around your head, focus and rely on your instinct, draw on your experiences to make your decision. Here are some time tested salt & pepper principals for hunting that won't do you wrong. <br /><br />-Know the area your hunting<br />-Master your weapon<br />-Pay attention to the wind and weather<br />-Stay focused, be patient and stick to the plan <br /><br />Thanks for stopping by,<br /><br />AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-68322817805830703602010-03-17T19:01:00.004-04:002010-03-19T19:31:04.789-04:00Spring Turkey Tactics<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGfzsJW-eyWydapyrXXcc6Fi0wOdK_Tx5RKB-liZD31MUkkXEhNiwgce7kEkJrIMXfjAhxEQJ4OB14AmV6O55SHwDKMjkIRPY7Qd2EO0WOe_GNJxnwTHnY4_2b8j196Jci1X1IRAkzEg/s1600-h/frank-turkey2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 356px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQGfzsJW-eyWydapyrXXcc6Fi0wOdK_Tx5RKB-liZD31MUkkXEhNiwgce7kEkJrIMXfjAhxEQJ4OB14AmV6O55SHwDKMjkIRPY7Qd2EO0WOe_GNJxnwTHnY4_2b8j196Jci1X1IRAkzEg/s400/frank-turkey2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450489751512124786" /></a><br /><br />A picture I took from a few years back. This is Frank Askew before the Up-close Outfitter days. This hunt took place in Boone,NC on private land. I remember this hunt very well because it was my turn to shoot and I never got the chance. When Frank saw the length of the beard on this guy I guess he couldnt resist. It was almost 12 inches long. <br /><br />Its approaching that time of year again. For most big game hunters spring turkey season provides the perfectly timed reason to get back into the woods. Winter has passed, thoughts of beaches and cookouts loom in our heads and that warm sunny afternoon with the window down and radio playing is almost here. I am always looking for any excuse to get out into the woods when the weather turns nice,and there really is no greater spring time sound then that of a gobbling tom.<br />These days turkeys seem to be gaining more popularity with hunters. This is a double edged sword since they arent making land anymore. Especially around the triangle area where I live, with it being one of the fastest growing places in the country. While I dont know the numbers for turkeys in our area, I believe there is a healthy population. With the upcoming season a few weeks away, here are a few tips to keep in mind if you plan on joining the masses in pursuit of our feathered friend Tom. Dont get me wrong, more hunters is what we are after. However some of the ones I have run into in the field lack any common courtesy or sportsmans etiquette. <br /><br /><br />-Scout Scout and Scout- <br />Dont just show up on opening morning and expect a turkey to be roosted 100 yards from the parking lot. Even during deer season I take note of any turkey sign I run across. Get into the woods and go for a hike, whether it be public or private land, begin to develop a game plan. Many people locate the birds on the roost the evening before the hunt. This is a great way to help you develop a game plan, but dont rely on it. Try to locate turkeys on the land you have access to a couple of times before the season. Maybe once on a rainy day and once on a sunny day. Turkeys tend to behave a little differently when it rains. Do not under any circumstances use calls to locate birds before the season starts. Your gig will be up. Just sit and glass if no sign is found.<br /><br />-Calling- There are a great variety of calls on the market now from $5 to much much more. The majority of hunters tend to use the same calls. Be aware that most of the guys you will be sharing land and birds with will be using whatever calls happen to be on sale when they go into the local sporting goods store. Turkeys become pressured and call shy very quickly. Trust me when I tell you I know how tight things can be, especially for us married guys who have to get approval for new hunting toys. Spend a few more $$ and get a better call. You want to sound unique. Ok even if you cant afford a new call, at least master the one you have, dont wait until the night before or even the week before to start cuttin and cluckin. Being a good caller means being proficient with whatever you have.<br />There are two different schools of thought when it comes to calling. One being call often and aggressively, the other being a much more conservative method of calling softly and less often. Both have produced for me in the proper context, use your judgement. Take into consideration the weather, hunting pressure and what point of the season it is. Turkeys are less chatty in the rain and later in the season.(There are always exceptions use your thinker) <br /><br />-Stay Focused- Do not stop hunting until you get all of the way back to your vehicle. Even when you are covering ground you have already covered, stay focused and remain in hunt mode. Several times I have missed out on a bird because I was walking back to the truck and thinking of other things. One time, a gobbler was literally beside my truck, I never saw him until he saw me, that bird hasnt stopped running yet. Remind your self what you are doing, stay sharp, stay aware. This alone will go a long way to helping you bag that bird. You would be surprised at the number of missed opportunities because you were not paying attention to your surroundings. <br /><br />-Cover up in Camo- While you might think this is a given, I have seen some guys who do not take this seriously. Turkeys have ridiculously good vision, camo from head to toe is a requirement in my book. <br /><br /> For more great TURKEY tips click on the link for Up-close Outfitters in MY LINKS.<br /><br />Thanks for stopping by, go get em.<br /><br />AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-12199995072431314402010-03-14T13:54:00.002-04:002010-03-14T14:51:49.432-04:00The Brew boy is sidelined for a few days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVTEhxqwUISML_kT2LpLi9mi_IsJ-gBo5TbO9NANabscMvkJ9-LyBAl9Mv5jqsrdoWT2o8UjaA0Bc1xZP5IZ6gZAfoNffWj9RyJQTA8euITlwdtM-h2PN6QuuolDO0-0YzqEl4Mnl4dk/s1600-h/351.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqVTEhxqwUISML_kT2LpLi9mi_IsJ-gBo5TbO9NANabscMvkJ9-LyBAl9Mv5jqsrdoWT2o8UjaA0Bc1xZP5IZ6gZAfoNffWj9RyJQTA8euITlwdtM-h2PN6QuuolDO0-0YzqEl4Mnl4dk/s400/351.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448563744630850802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyZVbi3k9DPmiF1U9ggu5_XJfxiI_asHm3yWkTPKB_jXOvcgb5NZm0y-044Qaf2SzfxQ6-39v97TtlP9u-t88zd82lNn_RMQvKpgoJJZc2-TSAoEowzv5UPYpMakynq-Lbflk9VP8FYQ/s1600-h/348.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNyZVbi3k9DPmiF1U9ggu5_XJfxiI_asHm3yWkTPKB_jXOvcgb5NZm0y-044Qaf2SzfxQ6-39v97TtlP9u-t88zd82lNn_RMQvKpgoJJZc2-TSAoEowzv5UPYpMakynq-Lbflk9VP8FYQ/s400/348.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448563733372670322" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbX2uB0tIC6XVWBmLN6NcX59g37YLui_rYIgt4t2PsQ3Ib04qDzPinMV39f2ARQXSdFb7JfKshp5nxIEYKPkQCimn-8_VR-hGwctS3ZaFwbQB4-Wucq03baVUdqA7SU4_qB5CkkOC6BY/s1600-h/347.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrbX2uB0tIC6XVWBmLN6NcX59g37YLui_rYIgt4t2PsQ3Ib04qDzPinMV39f2ARQXSdFb7JfKshp5nxIEYKPkQCimn-8_VR-hGwctS3ZaFwbQB4-Wucq03baVUdqA7SU4_qB5CkkOC6BY/s400/347.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448563724063031090" /></a><br />Yesterday I had Brewer out running around on the game lands. We were shed hunting and had worked our way down to the lake shore in a bedding area. Just as I began to notice all of the trash that had washed up on the shore, here comes Brewer limping up to me with blood everywhere. I was really worried at first because of the artery that runs just underneath a dogs foot pads. Luckily I noticed a chunk of skin hanging off of his pad. It was bleeding pretty bad, but it seemed to resemble a skinned knee or elbow on a person. He must have cut or scraped it on a piece of trash. He was still running around chasing things, but I figured we needed to go because he was leaving a trail of blood with every step. By the time we got home the seats in my truck and my clothes were covered in blood. We tried for a while to get the bleeding stopped, but everytime he walked around it would continue. We found the only vet open in the area on Saturday afternoon which happened to be the vet at Pet Smart. Normally I shy away from stores like this when shopping for Brewer, but I must say I was impressed with the Dr and her staff. I will not hesitate to take him there again if needed. After a long wait he was finally fixed up. I have to take him back to the vet this afternoon to change his bandage. The wound bled a little more last night but I think it has pretty much stopped now.Banfield Veterinary office(the one in Pet Smart) was much cheaper then the emergency vet we called. It was going to cost us $100 just to show up there. Yesterday it was $98 for everything and it will cost $40 more today. I know it would have been double that at the emergency vet. <br />Any who, I think he will be fine. As you can see in the pictures his paw is rapped in a bandage and then covered with a plastic bag. He hasnt really messed with it at all in 24 hours, I think he knows it is helping him. Hopefully in a week or so his foot will heal and he can return to playing outside, until then, it might get a little crazy around here because he will have loads of energy. Dr's orders for him to take it easy. They couldnt stitch or glue anything because of the location of the wound, it moves and bends with every step he takes. I will keep you posted on his progress. So far he is being a real trooper.Andrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193992073339833881.post-46074641212870253592010-03-10T18:19:00.002-05:002010-03-10T19:15:14.838-05:00Dixie Deer ClassicI finally made it over to the Dixie Deer Classic on Sunday about lunch time.(had to work in the morning) I did not get to spend nearly as much time there as I wanted. I was however very impressed with what I saw. I am sure by the time I got there some vendors had closed up shop and the merchandise was picked through, but it was still impressive. I planned on attending a few seminars, that didnt happen either, and I am kicking my self for that now. There were thousands of people that represented many different walks of life.It was great to see a variety of people interested in hunting. As many people have reported after viewing this years trophy wall, what we thought would happen with the quality of deer in our state seems to be happening. It appears that the best bucks are becoming better each year and that there are greater numbers of shooter bucks as well.Obviously this is very encouraging for us hunters.I think this will be a continuing trend. The number of people involved with deer management and conservation movements in our state and around the country is growing. One other thing I noticed about this event was the amount of information available there. Just about anything you wanted to know related to hunting was there. It was funny to walk around inside the buildings and hear all of the turkey calls simultaneously being used. It sound like a turkeys where takin over. <br />Quick funny side story. I told my self I wasnt going to spend more then 20 or 30 dollars at the show and only if it was on something I had to have. So I went to the ATM after work and entered $40 into the computer(costs $10 to get in). When I reach over to get my cash I realize it is a thicker stack then I expected. The ATM had given me $200. Not only did this nearly put us in the red, but it was already burning a hole in my pocket. Remember, my wife says I am really impulsive, and I dont deny it anymore. I thought to my self, I smell T-R-O-U-B-L-E (sing it like Travis Tritt).Luckily I controlled the urge on more then one occasion and left having only spent 20 dollars on a new lead for Brewer of all things. But it wasnt easy!<br />There were vendors from all over the country including outfitters, hunting gear manufacturers and lots of other related stuff. All I can say for next year is, clear the calendar and save some cash. I cant wait to go back. The lines for Lee and Tiffany and Michael Waddell were really long, but I would have waited if I had the time. Just the chance to small talk it up with those folks would have been awesome. If you really want to get a better look at what went on this weekend, slide on over to Moose Droppings and check it out, he spent a lot more time there, talked with more folks and took lots of pictures. His link is to your right under MY LINKS. Thanks for stopping by.<br /><br />-AndrewAndrew Brileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06280758838249993126noreply@blogger.com0