New Addiction...

Recently, I took a class to learn how to knit. I am addicted now.  It has kept me off the computer, off my iPhone, and my hand out of the snacks at night.

Here is a scarf I started to just practice. But I like how it is turning out so I ordered more yarn to finish it.

This scarf is almost finished! It was actually a great first project. The yarn is forgiving for when I add or drop a stitch.  

After I finish the pink scarf I am going to start making some washcloths.  Then I am going to make an eternity scarf to wear with my pea coat.

The more I knit and look around on Raverly.com I keep finding more things I would like to try to make. Like coffee cup cozies. Watch out I see Christmas gifts....

So I have found something else to occupy my time when I am not hunting or shooting my bow. Hay, maybe I could knit in a blind???? What do ya think?

Friday Fish Recipes - Other Fish

Today I thought I would give you a couple of recipes for trout. I don't eat or fish for trout much. But I wouldn't mind fishing for trout now and again.

My first trout recipe I found on the Legendary Whitetails website.

Grilled Tequila Lime Trout was submitted by a fisherman. This recipe would go nice with rice pilaf or even a baked potato.

My second recipe is Lemon Smoked Trout. Charles Evans submitted this recipe to Bass Pro.

INGREDIENTS
Approximately 2 half pound trouts
1 lemon
salt 
paprika
cayenne pepper 

Directions
Clean fish leaving head and skin on.

Rub the lemon on the inside of the fish.

Mix the salt, lemonpepper, paprika and cayenne pepper and rub it on the inside of the fish.

Place the fish on the smoker rack or hang from hooks depending on type of smoker you have.

Add whole peppercorns and lemon peels to whaterver type of smoking material you are using
(I use hickory sawdust with a mix of chickory)

Smoke fish for approximately 15 to 25 minutes
(again depending on type of smoker)

Serve with potato salad, and a nice cold beer.


My last recipe for today is Pan-Fried Trout. I found this recipe on What's Cooking America website. Check it out. It has some really neat recipes and tips on all things cooking.

A Little Hunting Poem

I found a bow hunting poem a while back that I really enjoyed. So I thought I would give it a try.
Here is my little hunting poem

I climb up this ladder stand, 

15 ft up in the air,

 have to be still, quiet and stealthy,

Now I  WAIT, 

sometimes for days I WAIT to see deer,

when and if the opportunity presents itself, 

I MUST carefully place my arrow straight into my prey, 

ethically... in order to put dinner on the table.

 For non hunters,
 this is just a little glimpse of hunting. 
Providing for my family on a whole other level.
Bow hunting is not for everyone. 
Yet I love the challenge. 
 I cherish the opportunities and the successes.
The thrill of the hunt can only be felt by a hunter. 

 I am a bow hunter! :)

Amy the Huntress

Today I would like to introduce you to Huntress Amy Walker. She true country girl and outdoor women. She loves all animals but still hunts. Without further ado....Let's get to Amy's interview....

1. What was your first hunting experience?

I had been raised up around hunting and would accompany my Uncle and/or Dad out on hunting trips; however, I never had a desire to actually carry or shoot a weapon. Being around my Uncle's game bird farm is what really sparked my interest in hunting. I realized that hunting (especially pheasant) was a challenge and naturally I am a competitive young lady. I wanted to try pheasant hunting for my first experience because the birds are quick and I had never shot at a moving target. The hunt was a little frustrating at times; however, in the end I did pretty good for my first time and had gained and interest!

2. Who got you into hunting?

I deer hunt with my Uncle and my Dad. My brother-in-law takes me turkey hunting.

3. What is your most memorable experience?

During high school and college, I was dedicated to basketball and never had the free time to venture into the woods to hunt. After, I graduated college I decided to pursue deer hunting. Fall of 2012 would be my first experience deer hunting where I was the huntress instead of just tagging along with my Uncle and Dad. First day of the season I was up bright and early with my dad. Driving my truck out to our hunting spot was an experience all its own because my heart jumped every time a deer darted through the neighboring fields. I had that mixture of nervousness and excitement jumbling around inside me. We situated ourselves into out tree stand and by 10 a.m. the first deer came creeping through which would be my buck. Of coarse the buck ventured into the thicker part of the branches, I took the best shot that I could and unfortunately  he took off. After about 20 minutes, my Dad went down to see if he could find a blood trail. There was a small trail then it just ended, my heart dropped because I though that  the deer was long gone and it honestly broke my heart that I made that buck suffer. Shortly after my Dad returned to the stand my Uncle called, letting us know he found my buck across the field! Walking up to the buck, I was caught with a surprise. What I thought was going to be a small buck turned out to be the good sized 10 point that everyone had been looking for in the neighboring area! After gutting out the deer and dragging it back to the farm, Grandma came out of the house with a smile and said "you guys better watch because she might just show you up!" Killing my first buck was a thrill but the real joy was gaining the experience and beginning to learn how to be a successful huntress.

4. What are your hobbies, besides hunting?

I enjoy exercising, helping out on my Uncle's farm, skeet shooting, four wheeling, fishing and studying wildlife.

5. What are the obstacles you face when hunting?

I am still sharpening my shooting skills and need to learn how to "creep" through the woods.

6. What are your favorite hunting sites/shows?

I don't watch a whole lot of TV; however, anything on the Outdoor Channel.

7. Who inspires you to stay involved in hunting?

My Uncle takes me skeet shooting and my dad takes any opportunity to show me the "way of the woods." My brother-in-law does not hesitate to involve me when he goes out also.

8. How do you stay informed on hunting issues?

I read the Pennsylvania Game News. My Uncle keeps me informed because he runs a game bird farm/hunting club.

Backyard Fun

Now that summer has officially begun and the nights have gotten warmer, we have started having bonfires in our backyard with our friends and family. I look forward to summers and all the bonfires at our house and the bonfires we are invited to at our friend’s house. They are so nice and relaxing.

Last weekend we went to a friend’s house for a fire and mountain pie dinner. The week before, was a housewarming party with a bonfire. And a few weeks before that was a bonfire and camp out in our backyard.

Mountain Pie maker and pie

I want to start having more camp-outs in our backyard. We just need the weather to cooperate. It has been so rainy in our neck of the woods. So we have had to hold off on camping more Our tents are pretty wet now. So we have to let things dry out before we can camp again.

What fun things have you been doing with your family this summer?  Do you have backyard camp-outs?

Friday Fish Recipes - Bluegill

Sorry again. I was busy with one of my best friend's wedding this weekend.

Unfortunately, life has been busy and we have not been able to get out fishing. So we have not got to put any pike or walleye in the freezer. :( 

Since my freezer is full of Bluegill, I thought I would just post recipes to cook them.

These recipes can be found on the Outdoor Channel website. So this first recipe intrigues me. I love Mexican food, but I have not been a fan of seafood in Mexican food. But Bluegill fajitas sound delish.

Bluegill Fajitas

1 tsp lemon pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

6 Tbsp lime juice, divided

1-1/2lb bluegill fillets cut into 1/2" strips

4 tortillas

Combine lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and 4 Tbsp of lime juice in a resealable plastic bag, add fish. Seal and shake; chill 30 minutes.

Grill fish, covered with grill lid, on a grill rack coated with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes with fork. You may broil if you wish

Load up each tortilla with fish and the toppings of your choice.

Bluegill Fritters

1 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg, separated

2/3 cup milk

1 Tbsp butter, melted

2 cups bluegill fillets, flaked

oil for deep frying

Preheat oil to 370 to 375 degrees.  Sift together flout, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and baking powder. Mix egg yolk with milk and add to dry ingredients; beat well. Add melted butter. Fold in stiffly beaten egg white and fish flakes. 

Drop by tablespoon fulls into hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper bag. 

Serve at once with horseradish  and ketchup, chili sauce or wasabi sauce.

I think I will have these at our next party. Sound so yummy!

Meet Hunter James

This is the first of two "Meet Hunter".... I want to introduce you to the 2 men in my life that inspire me and help me to continually grow as a huntress.  So today I want you to meet my brother...James. I asked James the same questions that I ask my Huntresses.

1. What was your first hunting experience? 
Sparrows, in the backyard with my Quicksilver BB gun. Actual first chance to wack something nice was in Cuba, New York.  I was with my dad, it was the 3rd drive of the day, I was about 10 years old and all bundled up in a snowsuit. We had walked across a blustery field and then came to a pine block and I saw 3 ruffed grouse on the ground about 10 yards away. I told dad not to move, we stopped and I eased up my 760 with the cross-hairs on the bird. Snap PFFFFFTTTT. Dad was shocked. 

2. Who got you into hunting? My dad.

3. What is your most memorable hunting experience? 
Most memorable hunting experience, wow I need a criteria for that. I would have to say bird hunting for the first time I ever went to Tonowanda swamp duck hunting with dad. We got there late but the birds were like mosquitoes. I shot my first drake wood duck, a drake mallard and 2 green wing teal (AKA...pocket ducks). We didn't hunt the pocket ducks after the first year because there was not much to eat on them.

4. What are your hobbies, besides hunting?
Hockey, fishing, football, watching sports, movies at the drive-inn and shopping at Gander Mountain or Bass Pro shops. I really like bass tournaments. I also like to teach people to hunt and fish. It is challenging and rewarding to see them succeed.  I also like to break clay with a shotgun.

5. What are the obstacles you face when hunting? 
My patience. I have to probably be the best impatient hunter there is. I have some techniques that work for my impatience. As I get older I am more impatient. My eyes also. I will have to switch from open sights to a scope in the future. The bugs and poison ivy when spring turkey hunting.

6. What are your favorite hunting sites/shows? 
Roger Raglin Outdoors because he slug hunts whitetails, Pheasants Forever, NWTF turkey shows and Ducks Unlimited (especially now that it's dirty bird Browning sponsored). I like to research on ballistic calculators, bullet trajectory and wind resistance coefficients. I frequent Browning and other major shotgun sites. Airgun reporter is also a favorite.

7. Who inspires you to stay involved in hunting? 
Mainly my nephew and my sister. I like to help people learn to hunt. I might consider retirement after they figure out hunting and kill a big monster. lol

8. How do you stay informed on hunting issues?  
I read Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, what the news and listen to people's scuttle butt. I think it's a jungle out there and a lot of good gun owners/hunters get a bad rap. But it is like every game, it only takes one or two bad apples to spoil the whole crate.

I  hope that all of the huntresses out there have someone in their life to help and inspire them to be the best huntress they can be.

Friday Fish Recipes - Baked

Sorry forgot to post this yesterday.

I do love fish fries! However, they are high in fat. So in an effort to watch my calories, I am going to give you  a couple of baked fish recipes today. 

Baked Parmesan Fillets

Baked Parmesan Fish Fillets can be found on the McCormick website. This recipe is lower in calories and carbs. The fat content is still a little high, but if you pair it with a nice fresh salad and a light dressing it will balance out. 

These next recipes come form the Eatingwell website. They always have delicious recipes that are lower in calories and fat.

Tilapia & Summer Vegetables

I'm always looking for away to incorporate more vegetables from my garden. And I can make this recipe with tilapia or with other fresh water fish we have frozen in our freezer. I would leave out the capers. I'm not a fan of those.

Alright. I have given you a few healthy recipes.
Good eating.

My "Dream" Fishing Trip

After having my dream about a moose hunt and reading A Reel Lady's blog about her recent fishing trip, I have started thinking about what "dream" fishing trips I'd like to go on. 

What fish species would I like to catch? And where would I like to go? Oh the fishing memories we would have. I have always fished small lakes and rivers. I don't think I have caught anything bigger than 5lbs.

I guess my first trip would be close to home. I want to catch a big walleye out of Lake Erie. I have caught walleye before out of smaller lakes and creeks. But I wanna hook into a 15 pounder. I can't even begin to imagine what that would feel like on the end of my pole. Hubby has gone fishing in Lake Erie and caught a few big walleye. So now it is my turn and I will even let him come along. :)

My big fishing trip would have to be saltwater fishing.  I'm not sure what exactly I would like to catch, just something big! In A Reel Lady's blog, she talks about having Tarpon Fever. She says watching tarpon jump out of the water, really gets her heart pumping. That sounds interesting! Or maybe it would be fun to catch a marlin or shark. I think hooking into something that is going to jump out of the water would be amazing. 

My uncle does a lot of fly fishing around the world. He has seen some beautiful places and has  caught some amazing trout. So maybe someday, I will get to have my uncle take myself and my family fishing with him. However, eating trout is not one of my favorites.  That's ok...I can practice catch and release!

What's your "dream" fishing trip?

Friday Fish Recipes - Featuring my brother

Last week, I decided not to post my Friday Fish Recipes because I was on vacation and it was a holiday weekend. Sorry.

This week I want to share with you my brothers's favorite recipes. He has been cooking fish for about 15 years now.  His true passion is fishing. He is a great wealth of information to me. He sends me articles to read and recommendations on new lures to try.

Left to right: My dad, my son & my brother. My son's first fishing trip with his uncle and grandpa.

 James does love all things outdoors. He fishes all summer and hunts pretty much the rest of the year. I have even sparked his interest in bow hunting again.

Here are a couple of his favorite recipes for cooking fish.

Ameri-Chino-Citrus walleye

Ingredients

4 walleye fillets 1- 3 lb eyes optimal

1 stick of air temp butter

1 onion

4 cloves garlic super fine chop or minced or jarred minced works

1 generous shake of garlic powder

1 generous shake of onion powder

1 slight sprinkle of cumin powder

1 dash of cayenne pepper

1 generous sprinkling of black pepper red pepper mix

Lemon juice concentrate to taste

Lime juice concentrate to taste.

2 cups of cooked white rice.

Take four nice walleye fillets bone and prepared well. Take a large piece of heavy duty tinfoil not the cheap crap heavy duty tinfoil. Lay it out flat and rough butter with a butter knife your four walleye fillet area on the tin foil. Lay four fillets on foil and thin yet generous size buttered tinfoil. Then Lemon and lime concentrate walleye carefully as not to spill all over i like a good amount because this will make a sauce. Place 2 small pats of butter at each end of the fillets. Next chop and or mince garlic, cut onion into thin round ring's. Sprinkle garlic over fish, then place rings on top of fish season with all of the listed seasonings and powder. Cap and or fold over access tinfoil to form a packet. Run outside light your grill place packet on grill for 10 to 15 minutes depending on walleye size keep between 300 and 350 on your grill. Next make 2 cups of white rice. A good side for this is this packet grilling with everything minus the fish, but with asparagus or fresh green beans. When fish rice and asparagus is done place one inch of white rice on a plate put walleye on top, then cut asparagus to small pieces or place on the side. Then take fish juice at bottom of the packet and pour or spoon over fish and rice serve hot, and salt to taste but i rarely add anything. Tends to be perfect right out of the packet.

and

Chili-Dusted Catfish

This is Chili-Dusted Catfish with Cumin Rice. He got this recipe from the In-Fisherman cookbook. I know he substitutes pike and walleye in this recipe.

I hope everyone has a great fishing weekend!

Fishing different lakes...

Fishing different lakes in your area can be challenging. But what about fishing in different states? This is the dilemma I am facing now.

As I continue working to fill my tackle box…I have been struggling with what lures to buy. I struggle with wanting to buy the ones that have always worked for me in the past. The problem with doing that is that I lived in Western New York then. Now I live in Northwest Pennsylvania.

Hubby and I have different ideas about what bait to use when it comes to panfish fishing. I have always used tube jigs and minnows to catch perch, crappie and bluegill. Hubby has always used an ant jig and grubs. And the grubs work. We are catching a bunch this summer. So I can't argue with him.

Favorite tube jig

My favorite go to tube jig for panfish has not worked for me here in PA. I'm not sure if it is just the location on the lake we are fishing. Or is it the time of year? Or is it just this lake? Or maybe it is just the simple fact that we have not tried this jig with a minnow on it. (That's how it worked before. Hubby uses grubs for panfish. :p That is a whole other story.) Hard to tell. So if you can't beat them, join them...I now fish with an ant and grubs.

 We have been stocking our freezer with bluegill. So now I would like to start fishing for some pike or walleye. I want  to get some bigger fillets to try different recipes.  

WARNING ... Shameless plug ... check out my Friday Fish Recipes.  For the next month or so, I will be posting new fish recipes to try.

So what lures do I buy? Do I start with what has worked for me in the past? Or do I just buy something that looks good? What I have decided is that I will pick up a lure or 2 to try and each time I go out fishing I will try a new lure out of my husband’s tackle box. :) Then when I find one that works, I can go pick up one for myself. I will buy one that looks like it could work and I will probably buy something that has worked before for me also.

Worst case, I will have the lures I know that will work when we visit family in NY. 

How do you decide which lures to buy when you are fishing in a different lake or state? I welcome your input so leave me a message.

Now that I have been writing about fishing I want to go fish, but I have to go to work shortly. Maybe I will pick up an fishing magazine to read tonight.

Baiting Hooks

Over the holiday weekend, I overcame a baiting hook fear.

Throughout my life, I always baited my hook with either a worm or a minnow. It never bothered me to bait the hook. And once I was old enough to learn how to take the fish of the hook, I did that too.

When I started fishing with my husband, I developed a baiting hook fear.  Why? Because he uses grubs as bait. I have a fear of them. Just knowing what they really are freaks me out. So I have made hubby bait my hook for the past several years. (Granted I haven't fished much since our son was born.)

Since I had always baited my hook myself, this really bothered me to be dependent on hubby to bait my hook. Several times this year I would get the grub can to bait my hook myself, but then once I opened it ... I just couldn’t do it.

Until yesterday…

We were fishing for bluegill. We were hitting a lot of little fish, throw backs. They kept cleaning our hooks. After several times of needing my hook baited and waiting for my hubby to bait the hook, I was getting frustrated.  So finally, I flicked a few grubs out of the can with my hook and then put them on my hook. (There were a few faces and “yucks” involved.)

 After baiting my hook several more times like this, I finally just picked the grubs up out of the can and baited my hook. YIPPEEE!!!!

When we go out fishing again…I will bait my own hook! But as I sit here typing, I’m still a bit freaked out by the thought of the grubs crawling around in the can. But I have done it now, so I know I can do it again! 

YES, I overcame a fear!

Do you have any fears of baiting hooks? Hubby better not ask me to bait a hook with a leach. That will NEVER happen! Lol

Sarah the Huntress

As I said before, I want to introduce some of my friends that are huntress'. So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to Sarah Thomas (aka...soon to be Mrs. Sarah Brickner!).

What was your first hunting experience?

With my grandpa Masson. I would say I was 8 or 9 and we went squirrel hunting in the woods behind my grandparents house. I also got to use the .22 that was given to my mom on her 12th birthday from my grandpa.

Who got you into hunting?

I would say my grandfather, Masson, at a young age...but now my fiance got me back into it a little over 2 years ago.

What is your most memorable hunting experience?

Hunting with Cristy (the author) on a "girls day hunt". It was a lot of fun and we didn't have the guys there telling us what we were doing wrong or anything. :) We had good quality girl time in the woods and we didn't even see a deer. 

Since you are getting married soon. Do you plan to continue hunting as you start your new family?

We absolutely will continue to hunt and as kids arrive we will be teaching them to

hunt also. Chad and I are disagreeing on the age...but our children will definitely be involved in the hunting world.

Can you elaborate on things you are excited to pass on to your kids?

I am most excited to pass on the 30/30 that I use to hunt with. It was Chad's grandfather's gun that has been passed down through his family. I am also excited to pass on stories of my grandfather's hunting days.

What are your hobbies, besides hunting?

I love to be out in the sun! I love boating. I also want to see all the 7 wonders of the world before I die. I hope that as a family, down the road, we will travel as much or more than I did growing up.

What are the obstacles you face when hunting?

The biggest 2 obstacles that I face are: 1. being color blind. I have a really hard time seeing different colors. 2. I want to shoot to kill. I struggle with the possibility of walking up onto an animal laying there suffering.

What are your favorite hunting sites?

I don't spend a lot of time online looking at hunting stuff....however I am a sucker for Girls with Guns, Just for Does and Her Camo Shop.

Who inspires you to stay involved in hunting?

My fiance Chad does. I would say in our lifestyle I don't have much room to say no or not be interested. Also another big motivator is our friends...almost all of them hunt.

How do you stay informed on hunting issues?

Chad and his father are very up to date on all that stuff, so I always hear it from them!

Dreaming Of A Moose Hunt

Recently, I have been dreaming about hunting all the time. Daydreaming and dreaming at night. My most recent dream was very vivid. It was about a moose hunt.  I wonder if shooting my guns the other day had something to with this dream.

In my slumber, I was sweetly dreaming of hunting a moose…my ultimate dream hunt. It started with the family driving. My son was a teenager. It was a family adventure.

We arrived at the outfitter late afternoon. We were all tired but excited to finally have reached our destination. I was beaming from ear to ear, because I was finally going to go on a moose hunt.

The lodge was beautiful, beyond my expectations. I was in heaven.  We were shown to our sleeping quarters so that we may freshen up before dinner and our talk about hunting strategy for the week. We had a nice room with our own bathroom for the 3 of us. At dinner we were introduce to Todd our guide for the week. After dinner we talked to Todd about what he had planned for the week for us. Then it was off to bed.

The next morning we are out in the bush searching for moose. Todd made cow calls to no avail. It wasn’t until later that afternoon, as Todd called again and again. We saw a bull moose about 100 yards away. G had the best view of the moose. Unfortunately the moose did not come close enough for anyone to get a shot. So we called it a day. The next couple of days were the same. We saw moose but no shots.

Finally, I got my chance.  With only a few days left, Todd was cow calling again. I was hidden in the bush with a clear path for shooting. I could see him coming, walking closer and closer, grunting the whole time. He was finally in my site. I waited for what felt like an eternity for him to present me with a shot. Finally, he was standing in my path and I had my site on the sweet spot. I took a deep breath and shot. My heart started racing…I pounding was so loud that was all I could hear…did I get him? Yes…I finally shot a moose…a dream come true!

The next day, hubby and G went out and were both lucky to each shoot a moose.

Then I woke up….WOW!!! That was the best dream ever.

I can only hope that someday I will get a chance to go on a moose hunt.

Friday Fish Recipes

I'd like to start a little weekly post with recipes to try for the fish that you catch.

I will post 2 recipes on Friday for the rest of the summer. 

So if you have a recipe you would like to have featured please message me on Facebook. 

It would be great to see how many recipes we can post.

Sauteed Walleye

I found this recipe on Pinterest. Here is the link to the actually recipe.

This next recipe was floating around on Facebook.

Lemon Dill Grilled Fish Fillets
If you’re fishing, you won’t even need to carry the fish in to the campsite. These fish packets are light and flaky, and they’re a perfect way to serve up the catch of the day.
4 fish fillets, cleaned
1 lemon
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dry dill
Pepper to taste
Olive oil or butter
4 foil sheets
Lightly grease bottom of foil sheets with olive oil or butter. Place the fish fillet on top and sprinkle each with ¼ of the salt and dill and pepper as desired. Slice half the lemon into rings. Squeeze the juice from the other half of the lemon over the top of the fish. Place two rings over each fish and drizzle with olive oil or add a small pat of butter. Fold in sides and roll tightly to seal the packet.
Place the packet over smoldering white coals for 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for 3 more minutes. Remove from the fire and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes before eating.

Have a great weekend everyone! Let me know if you try any of the recipes and how they turned out.

Summer Family Fishing!

I have fond memories of fishing at a local reservoir and family fishing trips to Black Lake, NY when I was a child. This is a family tradition I want to pass on to my son and make new memories with my own family. (Oh, and invite my dad and brother to tag along too.) I want G to learn to fish and hopefully he will love it (or at least appreciate it) like hubby and I do.

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of June already. Even though the weather has not been great this month, we have been able to get out fishing weekly. I really look forward to our mornings on the lake. And getting our freezer stocked with fish. I have fished more this year so far than I have in the past several years.

Late spring fishing 

My lil fisherman

That is partly because G is 4 years old now and  is really starting to understand what fishing is about. He gets excited when the bobber goes under and when he gets to reel in a fish. He does not always fish with us, sometimes he brings his tractors to play with or pretends he is the captain of the boat telling us where to fish.  But he knows that we are on the boat to fish.

So far this year we have been blessed by the Blue Gill fishing gods. We usually catch 30 on average each trip They are soooooo tasty!

One of my catches (nice hair)

Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend and we can start to do some pike fishing. Don't get me wrong I love catching blue gill after blue gill. I just like to put some variety in my freezer. I can guarantee you that if the pike aren't biting, I will be fishing for blue gill.

UPDATE - I got a fishouflage tackle box instead of a pink camouflage. Love it! I'm still working on filling my tackle box.  Hopefully by the end of the summer it will be full.

Happy Fishing!

Dreaming of Hunting Season

This past weekend we were out on our boat fishing for blue gill. As I sat there watching my bobber, I found myself daydreaming of hunting. So today I looked up the opening date.
 There are 110 days until PA archery hunting season starts.

Typically the temperature is on the rise in June and we are starting to spend our weekends on the lake. I love the long lazy sunny days playing in the water and reading in the sun or fishing. I would be extremely happy if we had a few more weeks of warm weather here in PA. This year my mind is skipping over summer and looking forward to the fall and hunting season. (I'm NOT trying to wish my summer away by any means.) Usually I don't start thinking about the fall until August.

I have started watching hunting shows again. When ever I am home and in the house I turn either the Outdoor Channel or Sportsman Channel on. Even if I am not sitting down watching. I like to listen while I'm cooking dinner or doing other chores.  I would venture to say that I might have deer on the brain!

All the new promos for the new season of hunting shows are starting to surface. They are just fueling my daydreaming. I can't wait for July when the new seasons start.

This time of year can really get you excited for hunting, whether you are starting to watch hunting shows again, starting to practice shooting, scouting for places to put your tree stands or getting your food plot in. Which ever stage you are at, have and keep dreaming!

Are you getting excited about hunting season? What gets you excited to hunt?

Guns & Ammo, Ammo & Guns

I recently took my Hunter Safety course, it got me thinking about a whole lot of blog ideas. The first one I wanted to write about is guns and ammo.  How well do you know your guns and ammo?

I wanna go over basics about guns for those women out there thinking about getting into hunting or shooting. When I was starting to think about hunting with a gun, I thought I new more about guns. I had shot guns before and was careful with them. But taking the hunter safety course help me realize I didn't know as much as I thought and need to learn more. So I would like to pay things forward. As I learn more about guns and hunting I will share the information.

 What is a gun? The very basic function of a gun is a mechanical device that uses pressure from burning powder to force a projectile through (barrel) and out of a metal tube (end of barrel is the muzzle). The basic anatomy of a firearm is an action, stock & barrel. 

Now I would like to show you the different shotgun and rifle actions. 

Bolt action -this gun operates by lifting the handle up and pulling it back.

Pump action - this gun operates by sliding the forestock to the rear to open the action and then sliding the forestock forward to close the action. Also known as a slide action.

Semi Automatic - to operate the action on a semi-auto you must pull back the bolt's handle. To close the action, pull back to unlock the bolt and then let go allowing the bolt to slide forward. Also known as autoloading. (ie. Fully automatic firearms are not legal to use for hunting in PA.)

Lever action - this gun has a large lever located behind the trigger. To open the action you must push the lever down and forward (towards the muzzle). This will eject the cartridge.

Hinge action - This gun is very simple to load and unload because of the hinge action. To open, point the barrel at the ground, press the release and the stock will drop down exposing the barrel. Also known as Break action. I would like to own one of these types someday. There is just something about them that draws me to them.

Now a little info on ammunition. Not all ammo is the same. Rifles barrels have spiraling grooves cut into the bore. Rifle and handgun ammo is classified by calibers. Caliber is the size of the rifle or handgun bore and the size of the cartridge. The inside of a shotgun barrel is smooth. Shotgun ammo is classified by gauges. Guages measure the diameter of the shotgun bore and size of the shotshell. Here is a diagram that shows the differences between the two.

The left is the rifle shell and the right is the shotgun shell.

So  if you are like me and want to know more, start googling.

Disclaimer...I am not an expert, this is just some of the stuff I learned at my hunter safety course.