smitty55

Lol Chris that's a perfect example of the EAP (extended arm pic) I'm with the OP on this one. I don't see it as showcasing as much as trying to make a fish look bigger to boost someones ego. Honestly, it just kinda bugs me when I see guys intentionally making 2-3 lb fish look like hogs, hoping to fool the unsuspecting. But whatever... With the real big ones you can usually tell but even a 5lb walleye can easily be made to look like a 10+. Just look for the sausage fingers hehe. That's why as a rule I rarely comment on pics anymore, except for the obvious ones. Even then it's still hard to tell for sure sometimes. A tape picture is great to prove length, and a weight to justify the pic would be nice but I fully understand that posting a weight just puts folks at risk of criticism, as pics are so easy to manipulate. Btw Chris, that's quite the buddy you have looking in on ya from the garage door window lol. Must be a story there. Cheers

Wow, quite the machine, but I wonder what happens if you get it stuck though.

From what I understand those electronic devices are junk, more of a gimmick than anything, and are not recommended at all. Cheers

Just like the libs said the gun registry was only going to cost 1 million and ended up being way over a billion. Either they are totally clueless or blatant liars, likely a combination of both. Cheers

Not sure exactly what your job entails but for pressing bearings into an end bell make sure to press only from the outer race of the bearing and be sure it's square going in. If you heat up the casting good you may even get the bearing to almost fall in. IMO you will only need loctite if the bearing is loose fitting and you'll worry about the outer race spinning. If pressing a bearing onto a shaft make sure to only press on the inner race or you will damage the bearing. The proper sized socket can work well and a drill press can be used as a makeshift arbour press, which is the best tool to use. Cheers

I agree. Huge difference between 28% and 98% deet. I recently got 4 bottles from the states. Repel 100 and Maxi Deet. I'm good for a long time now. Just have to be careful around plastics with that stuff. Cheers

Very well said. Couldn't agree more. Cheers

That's for sure. And guaranteed not a fish would be released either...

Butchers will never take the time to clean a deer up like you can at home. Time is money to them. Not that most don't do a good job but they won't be meticulous trimming like doing it at home. Cheers

Good news for sure. It's about time. The only line I'm a bit wary of is this..."Baiting of bears during all bear hunting seasons would be regulated to help address possible public safety concerns." Not sure what that means exactly so we'll have to wait and see on that one. Cheers

OUCH. $2600 is a huge pile of coin to pay, but they kinda know they got ya, plus at least you get the satisfaction of knowing they're insured and really know what they're doing, so the chance of misadventure is slim. Wouldn't surprise me at all if other quotes came in the same ball park. On the other hand, I'll bet that nice healthy tree is looking better all the time right where it is. Good luck with it. Cheers

Just saw this posted on FB. I thought it was quite well written so I figured it was worth sharing. Sorry for the caps, that's how it was posted. Cheers HUNTERS ARE THE WITNESSES OF THE WILD. OUR PASSION DRIVES US TO RISE EARLY IN THE COLD DARK HOURS OF THE DAWN AND TO TRAVEL MANY MILES TO LOSE OURSELVES IN FAVOURITE LANDSCAPES, THE ONES THAT RESONATE IN OUR SOULS. WE MAY GO WITH FRIENDS OR... FAMILY BUT AT SOME POINT WE END UP ALONE, MOVING QUIETLY, TOTALLY INVOLVED WITH THE BREEZE, THE UNDERGROWTH, THE HIDDEN PLACES IN THE VEGETATION AND THE VAST, OVER ARCHING SKY. WE BECOME PREDATORS, AND THUS ONE WITH THE ECOSYSTEM - NO LONGER CASUAL OBSERVERS, BUT FULL PARTICIPANTS. WE ARE THERE, WHOLLY AND COMPLETELY, AND OPEN TO WHAT WILL COME. AND SO IT IS THAT WE SOMETIMES COME HOME FOR THE FINAL TIME AT SEASON’S END WITH OUR TAGS UNFILLED, BUT OUR HEARTS OVERFLOWING. A SUCCESSFUL HUNT DOES NOT REQUIRE A KILL, ONLY THE POSSIBILITY OF ONE. IT IS THAT POSSIBILITY THAT PLACES US OUT IN THE HEART OF THE LIVING WORLD WHERE WOLVES TROT CASUALLY OVER THE ALPINE RIDGES, SMALL BIRDS DRAG THE SUNRISE INTO THE WIND AND BIGHORN SHEEP SURVEY THE WILDERNESS FROM HOLLOWED OUT BEDS ON HIGH TALUS SLOPES. SOMETIMES WE FORGET WHAT THOSE WHO DO NOT HUNT CANNOT UNDERSTAND, BUT IT IS NOT THE KILL THAT MAKES US HUNTERS. IT IS THE WITNESSING, THE BEING THERE, AND THOSE INTIMATE MOMENTS OF DISCOVERY WHEN THE LIVING WORLD REVEALS ITSELF TO THOSE WHO WORK SO HARD TO FIND IT. THAT IS WHY WE WILL BE THERE AGAIN IN THE COLD AND THE RAIN AND THE SNOW, WORKING HARD TO PENETRATE TO THE MOST SECRET OF WILD PLACES AGAIN NEXT SEASON. BECAUSE AT THE HEART OF IT, WE ARE NOT SEEKING DEATH. WE ARE ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN, AND CELEBRATING, THE INCREDIBLE RICHNESS OF LIFE. THAT IS AT THE HEART OF WHY WE HUNT. Good luck to all this deer season.

One of my favorite treats to eat are homemade preserves. Between wifey and I we put some good hours in the kitchen this fall. Most years I like to try something new. This year it was garlic and jalapeno preserves (second shelf,far left) and salsa verde made with tomatillos. The salsa is quite different and tasty and I haven't tried the jalapenos yet, but it won't be long. We should be good for a while now... About half of these are from this year.

Nice fish guys. Good to see the day worked out for you. Kev I see you still can't get away from the EAP lol, but whatever. Cheers

Here's a good one from there Lucas. "Harper cut the GST by two percentage points – wiping out $13 billion in potential revenues for this year, according to Finance. His corporate income tax cuts have reduced the public purse by $10.4 billion for 2011-12; and personal income tax cuts another $13.6 billion. Without these cuts we may have avoided a deficit altogether." So now she's complaining because Harper cut taxes. How clueless can she possibly be? Tax me more and that's OK? WOW Cheers

I couldn't agree more.

Thanks Cliff.I'm going to vacuum seal some of it as well and then I can break it down as needed. Cheers

Well I finally got a good sized puffball. Unfortunately a lot of small worms had made their home in it, so I lost almost half of it after trimming. All of it went into the 8 trays of my dehydrator and it did work well. Almost weightless very brittle pieces were the result. Looking forward to trying them in my next soup. Would like to find one more for sure. Btw all the pieces are chalk white, there's just some shadows in the pic. Cliff I'm wondering if you have a preference in how small you break them up and what the texture is like after adding them to soups. Tks Cheers

One more thing to consider is not to overfeed or your water will go bad much faster. Also as a substitute for fish food you can grind up soybeans or get soybean meal. Easy for the fish to digest too. Cheers

I buy a tandem load of logs every two years. Last one cost me $1250. Mostly Red Oak. I have 12 10ft long rows of 14" pieces. They were dropped last winter. Stacked by mid May. I'd prefer to be a year ahead for that oak, but I split it smaller so it cures faster. Regardless, two years is best for red oak. Still quite cheap heating anyway you look at it. Most exercise I get all year as well. There's just something about wood heat that can't be duplicated. I love it. Cheers

I always leave some behind to go puff. I'll even give them a little helping boot sometimes lol. Cheers

Thanks Cliff.I went out this afternoon for a walk and found the weirdest shaped puffball I've ever seen. Shaped like a small cow patty but full of ridges and valleys. I left it there. Cliff, now I'm confused. Is it 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup of dried puffball you add to that soup? You mentioned both. Cheers

Good to know Cliff. It was probably your post I saw then. How fine do you grind it and how thin do you cut it for dehydrating? Tks. Cheers

When it comes to eating, the primary commandment for me is to enjoy it asap after picking. Under 12 inches is best. Big ones get shared if I can, or I'll leave them to mature, specially if there's only one. With steak of course . Cooling slows the process some what, but it doesn't take long to start yellowing. I've frozen raw chunks and even tried freezing quick fried slabs. Meh... This could be on the cooking thread, but it's on topic so here goes lol... Maybe here, or OOD or Hank Shaw even, I came across a post on dehydrating giant puffball. I am so gonna do it if I'm lucky this year. I'll likely then lightly smoke some of it too, if I get enough. Then I can even customize a mix if I want. You then grind/process and end up with a very unique and quite versatile gem. As a thickener and/or flavor enhancer for stews, gravies and sauces,soups, casseroles, even stir fry or breading. Sounds tantilizing. I'm sure hoping to get my fall treat this year. Klinker you folks have it made down there. Even summertime. Good for you. I've never even heard of finding puffball at a farmers market. Must have dedicated customers and lots of farms. T'is the time of the season for sure. Good luck Gerrit. At least you know where they normally are. That's the main thing by far. Cheers

I have a field near here that I get puffballs from every year. It's usually always in Sept after some cool rainy weather. I'll be checking tomorrow just to make sure. Here's one from two years ago. Cheers