NOT READY!!!

Okay...this is what they are saying now. They are still not sure what track it will take. Does anyone want to swap states?? PLEASE!

Antlers or Horns.....

This has been bugging me for a long time now. I want to know how many know the difference between Antlers and Horns?? Hmm?? So many times I have heard and read Hunters refer Antlers as Horns. So my mission is to do something about it. I plan on writing every outdoor magazine out there. Email every TV program there is and ask them what the heck are you hunting? You certainly are not hunting Deer, Elk, Moose, Caribou. They have ANTLERS! So what are you hunting that has HORNS?? Cows? Sheep? WHAT???

Turkey Day

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

You Know You Are A Horse Person When......

...You say "whoa" to the dog

...Your mother, who has no grandchildren, gets cards addressed
to Grandma, signed by the horses and the dog.

...You don't even want to think about how your car would be
paid for, your mortage would be much smaller, and you might have some
savings if you didn't have horses.

...Your horse seems the right choice when you need to talk something
out with someone.

...You pull change from your pocket at work, and hay falls all over

...The real estate agent asks what kind of house you are looking for, and
you say, "More than six acres."

...you save the hoof shavings for the dog

...you poke your honey in the ribs, saying, "over", in the kitchen

...you yell at the kids, and the horse's name pops out

...your tax refund is targetted to a new saddle, not the family vacation

...you are unreasonably pleased to get a horse item, ANY horse item, as a
gift. "They really cared!!!"

...books and movies are ruined for you if horsemanship references are
incorrect.

...you actually get to a point where flies don't bother you so much

...You see the vet more than you see your child's pediatrician.

...You clean a horse's sheath and don't hurl.

...You groom your horse and you haven't been to a beautician in ?

...You patch your mud boots with duct tape and slog through knee deep mud to
get hay to your horse, who has commandered the ONLY dry spot for miles.

...You are totally grossed out by human hair in the sink or tub, but don't
mind horse hair in your washer, on your clothes, in your food...

...You kiss your horse more often than your husbanc or boyfriend, and
enjoy it more.

...You find yourself analyzing leg and foot conformation on your
friends, and thinking how corrective shoeing could improve
their way of going.

... ALL of your pockets have hay in them.

...When you have more pictures of your horses in your office than you have
of your family.

...You can find your boots in the dark by the aroma.

...You drive up in the yard, get out of the car and inhale the perfume
of the manure pile.

...You talk to the horses like they were kids.

...All your stock has 4 legs.

...You chirp to, cluck to or spur your truck/car.

...You don't notice the barn smells on your clothes/shoes and wonder why
"regular" folks are sniffing the air

...Most of your social life is with other horse folk.

..you have a _terrible_ fall off your horse, and your only concern is if the
horse is okay.

...You live with electric fencing tape around the lawn, so the horses can
mow it for you.

...After it snows, the pathway to the manure pile is the first thing that
gets cleared, then the front porch and sidewalk.

...You RUSH to the front window to watch the horses run & buck in the pas-
ture, even if you're in the middle of a meal. Good, clean fun!

...Your first sign of spring isn't see a robin, but seeing a fly

...one of your favorite smells in the world is horse sweat on leather

...You live hand to mouth and somehow come up with the $800 for
emergency vet bills.

...your house is "decorated" with bits, saddles, bridles, halters,
blanket racks, trunks, trophies and ribbons.

...you save every horse magazine you have ever bought

...you drive by ANY field ANYWHERE and look very hard for horses.
This includes trips to foreign countries.

...you feel tired all day at work and then go to the barn and ride 3
horses.

...you teach your sisters how to post on the arm of the couch before their
first riding lesson.

...You longe your dog and she listens to you.

...You do stalls the morning before your labor is to be induced

...you don't have to be asked by your non-horsey family what you want for
Christmas anymore, cuz they now get their own Horse catalogs.

...Your truck looks like a bomb exploded in a tack shop

...Your most prized possession is your saddles (next to the horses of course

...you pass a Marlboro billboard and immediately notice the horse's
color, conformation, possible breed, gait, tack, bit, expression, and
whether or not his mouth is being yanked on; but all you notice about the
cowboy was that it was some guy in a rain slicker.

... you start using baling twine to repair non-horse-related things


AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST................

...you sprain your ankle and reach for a roll of hot-pink VetRap.

Birthday

Happy Birthday today to Kris.....he celebrates his 30th today. Not quite over-the-hill yet but making progress in that direction. HaHa! HeeHee!

Hunt Is Over For Another Year

Another Zone 2 Deer Season has ended. It was a long 9 days and we really worked hard for the 8 deer we got. We had 11 licenses and only 8 deer. Again the weather played a major role in this years hunt. It went from warm to rain to freezing drizzle, snow on the ground and back to warm. Deer movement was not that great. The bucks were not really in rut with the exception of one buck we have hanging.

I started by getting the first deer, a doe, and Barry harvested the biggest deer. An 8 pointer which was fairly large and had a big neck. The neck on this showed the signs that he was in full rut. My brother Tom...the most deer. Four in total. He took 3 Does and a button buck. He took the small buck because he saw this strange lump on the side. With the possibilities that it may have some sort of sickness he took the deer. Called the DNR and talked to them. Story behind the deer...probably sustained an injury and it healed, formed a lump while doing so. It really looked weird. Again, this was a button buck, so was it an old injury due to someone shooting it with a gun or bow? The more we looked at it the more we thought it may have been caused by fighting with a buck that had antlers. The little button had a hole in the rib bone. Another buck must have gorged it to get the little buck out of his territory. Weirdest thing we have seen this year but a real good possibility that is what had happened.

Okay so back to the deer count...Terri with one. Did knock one off its feet but when we tracked it..we lost the trail it was leaving behind. Felt kind of bad about that but I must not have hit too hard if it was able to get up and go like it did. Barry with one buck. Tom with 3 Does and a small buck. Steve E with a small 8 pointer and Philip with a Doe. Overall and despite the climate it was hard work and a decent hunt.

One thing I did hear...On my way to the station to register the deer I heard that so far hunting has not been all that productive. Numbers coming in are low. The DJ was talking to someone who owns an Archery business and they were running their usual big buck contest. They had one 10 pointer that came it with a weight of 201 pounds but a small rack. And another 10 pointer came in weighing less but had an impressive rack. Also, he said what I had said earlier, the weather was a factor and the bucks were not 100% in rut. Then they talked to another guy who hunts in the most northern part of Minnesota. He said after one week of hunting, one station only had 14 deer registered. That is not good. Beside the bucks not in rut and the weather being way too nice, they had a different problem to deal with. I am sure because of the recent BWCA fires it made the wolves move. This guy said the night before opener the wolves were howling. He was out in the stand and saw many wolves. So therefore the deer run off and stay out of the area until the wolves move on. What was funny is he said within 4-6 days the wolves will be gone and the deer will be back. I am not so sure I really believe that because the wolves we had around the cabin hung around for a LONG time. We still saw deer and didn't do too bad with hunting either.

Oh yeah! Welcome to Deer Camp to our Newby's, Aaron and Simon. Aaron is Mikes stepson and he came up on the opening weekend. He did see deer but didn't shoot. Simon is our nephew and he came up the second weekend. He didn't see any deer but still had a good time. Both of them are planning and ready to come back next year.

6th Wedding Anniversary

It is time again to hit the woods in search of that almighty elusive Whitetail Deer. The hunt begins in the morning.