Outdoorsman Thread

[keithlong]

This past Saturday, there was a wild game cookout fundraiser, so I decided to go, was going to carry my grandson, however he went out of town with my wife, so I carried my nephew instead. To my surprise they had several different meats to enjoy. I ate my first Alligator, and Racoon, there was also wild rabbit, frog legs, wild pork, deer, duck gumbo and crab soup. So I decided to try a little of all of it. My nephew had never had anything wild other than deer jerky. I thought he was going to make himself sick. I did bring a couple of pieces of rabbit for my grandson, as he really likes wild rabbit. I was surprised how tasty the alligor was. It was a great day. Just wantedd to share.

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

Keith believe it or not I have eaten your list of wild meats and add rattlesnake, possum, wild boar, bear, moose and a few other things from the south forty,(down around the hip area) LOLOL insides and outsides. I would add a few variety of insect but don't want to make ya sick. I know it sounds crazy but some of the stuff like frog legs, snake and such taste like chicken to me! Some I really like, some a little to strong as far as that wild, gamey, metallic,mineral taste probably from their environmental location and from what they eat. Never the less I am always ready to try something new and exotic.

[jerryd6818]

I've never had venison that didn't trigger my gag reflexes. Coon is greasy or at least the Coon I've had was. For me, frog legs depend on where they came from. Some taste fishy and some don't (to me). But that Gator? Mmm Mmm. Tastes like pork to me. I get it every chance I get.

[carrmillus]

...jerry, the only time I ever get gag reflexes on venison is when I eat over a pound of it!!!...(after it's been in my Cajun microwave for about 12 hours)!!!!.......... ............

[keithlong]

Just cant bring myself to eat possom. To many memories of watching what thet eat on the farm in my younger days. Would like to try bear.

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

LOL Keith, it's like anything else ...mind over matter... if you don't mind it dosn't matter!.
Like a lot of meat from scavenging animals it can be very strong or "wild" tasting,( you are what you eat applies here) it is stringy and is greasy. For me best served in a crock pot with some veggies and good seasoning.
I got a lot of exposure as a younger man when I lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Great choices when I traveled through out South America and the U.S.as a whole.
The one item I have difficulty with are eyeballs in general. Very gritty, sandy and juicy.

[djknife13]

This is a Stevens Maynard Jr. that, back about 1955 or 56, an old neighbor named Roy asked my Dad if he could give to my brothers and me. Roy was crippled as far back as I knew of and drove around my little home town in a Model A using the hand controls, and would crawl out his car and into the store or post office. I used the gun for rabbit hunting but I can't remember ever actually shooting one. I think I mainly shot fence posts. It would take two or three trigger squeezes before the gun would actually fire. The screw that holds the gun together where it breaks open fell out one day when I was hunting fence posts and I couldn't find it. I stuck a nail in the screw hole and kept hunting. When I got home I put the gun in a hall closet where it sat for many years until my parents had both passed away and my older brother lived in the house. My brother must taken the nail out and replaced it with the machine screw and put the gun on a shelf in the basement where it sat until he was in hospice dying. We were talking about old times and I asked him what ever became of that old gun. I hadn't seen it for almost 60 years. He said it was around somewhere and that he'd have his wife find it and give it to me. It took his wife almost two years after my brother passed away to see it on the shelf in the basement behind some boxes. She gave me the Stevens and a cap pistol that was also my brothers. I plan on having the screw replaced and maybe the firing pin. I might even take out a fence post or two some day before I pass it on to a grandkid. ___Dave

[keithlong]

Well I hope that I never get hungry enough for possom, or nuts off any animal. We did hunt and eat groundhog when we growing up. My daddy would eat turtles also. I was fond of canadian geese and ducks also.

[tjmurphy]

The attachment Stevens Maynard Jr 001.JPG is no longer available

This is a Stevens Maynard Jr. that, back about 1955 or 56, an old neighbor named Roy asked my Dad if he could give to my brothers and me. Roy was crippled as far back as I knew of and drove around my little home town in a Model A using the hand controls, and would crawl out his car and into the store or post office. I used the gun for rabbit hunting but I can't remember ever actually shooting one. I think I mainly shot fence posts. It would take two or three trigger squeezes before the gun would actually fire. The screw that holds the gun together where it breaks open fell out one day when I was hunting fence posts and I couldn't find it. I stuck a nail in the screw hole and kept hunting. When I got home I put the gun in a hall closet where it sat for many years until my parents had both passed away and my older brother lived in the house. My brother must taken the nail out and replaced it with the machine screw and put the gun on a shelf in the basement where it sat until he was in hospice dying. We were talking about old times and I asked him what ever became of that old gun. I hadn't seen it for almost 60 years. He said it was around somewhere and that he'd have his wife find it and give it to me. It took his wife almost two years after my brother passed away to see it on the shelf in the basement behind some boxes. She gave me the Stevens and a cap pistol that was also my brothers. I plan on having the screw replaced and maybe the firing pin. I might even take out a fence post or two some day before I pass it on to a grandkid. ___Dave

Neat old rifle. Looks a lot like my Stevens Model 26 Crack Shot. What's the caliber of yours? Mine's .22LR.

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

I love your story, very touching. Nice little rifle but the memories are priceless. Hope you get a shot or two at a roaming wild fence post.

[djknife13]

TJ, it's a .22 also. I think it shoots long rifle. I suppose I should check with the gunsmith if it's still safe to shoot when he fixes the screw and pin. I'd hate to damage it after all these years. Your's is alot nicer than mine but I wouldn't trade it for the world. ___Dave

[Colonel26]

Wow! Some great stories and some awful nice hardware in these last few pages. I'll have to dig some of my old treasures out in the next few days and take some pics.

Col. Bruce and TF, while my passion might be old Ithaca 37's my first love is double barrels. My first was as a teen. It was a Stevens 311 12 gauge. It had 30 inch mod and full barrels. Like any good quail hunter back then, dad and I cut two inches off the barrels, filed and crowned them, leaded in the mid rib, installed an Ithaca Raybar sight, cut the thickness of a pad plus 1/4 inch off the stock and installed a pad. When we were finished it looked good and shot better. With Rem super handicap shells it would hold an imp cyl pattern farther than any gun I've ever shot. I sure wish I had it back. I'd give considerable more than it's worth to have the old gun again.

Daddy has a MINTY 311 20 gauge that is ear marked for my middle boy right now.

I don't have any doubles as nice as y'all but I sure do love them. And TF 16 is the perfect gauge for a double! 16's and 20's are my favorites and what I have the most of. I have some nice 12's but they don't speak to me like the 20's and 16's do.

DJ Dave I like that old 22! I love old 22's. I was just shooting my old Stevens gill gun the other day. First one I've shot since my elbow surgery.

[garddogg56]

OK so I made my spring pilgramage to L.L.Bean to get there Bean marked knife and sum flies and streamers,as I'm walking amonst the yuppies I spot a clerk then we discuss the new Beans knife from an unidentifyed country,and man was this a horrable knife. then to the flies most made in Bangladesh horrible lucky for me there were some flytyers at the show and I came home with a few.the Bean knife in this pic is an old Schrade but I guess I' m done collecting Bean knives.....ok sorry done ranting an done with LL Beans

[Old Hunter]

Too bad isn't it Dogg? LL Bean is an "American Heritage" company, and like so many others, has become a dealer in off-shore products. That wouldn't be so very bad IF they were at least equal to what they've replaced, but that isn't the case in anything I've seen i.e., Filson stuff made offshore, Redwing boots - offshore, Browning boots - offshore, etc., etc.. etc. OH

[Old Hunter]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X7wOQEETjs[/youtube]

Spring turkey season is just a few weeks away - need to practice sitting very still, no matter what! OH

[Dinadan]

Dave - I have always liked the look of those old Stevens .22 rifles. I have never owned one, or even touched one that I recall, but I still like the look of them. Thanks for sharing the memories.

[garddogg56]

OH; thats too funny while I was at Beans I was thinking of you cause they had a beautiful Winchester 88 I was fondling what a rifle $799.00 priced up there with my Savage 99 and for some reason Beans does not sell pistols but the knife dept is horrible the clerk thought all Bucks were made overseas and new Shrade was USA

[garddogg56]

DJ great story and gun I was reading your story and looking on the mantle at my Stevens visable-loader my Grandpa gave me

[edge213]

OH, what kind of snake was that? I would have been out of there.

[TripleF]

Oh, hell no......I woulda dropped a duece on the spot and took off running like a scared 3 yr old Bruce!!!!

[treefarmer]

edge213,
At the left side of the screen, as the snake was crawlin' toward the hunter, you could see what looked like a set of rattles on his tail . My wife said she saw that on Face book a day or so ago. That just gives me the creeps! I've killed a pile of them things over the years and that's way too close for comfort. I'd love to know the Paul Harvey part of that tale!
Treefarmer

[Old Hunter]

It's a rattler, got those black and white stripes near the rattles. OH

[Dinadan]

Spring turkey season is just a few weeks away - need to practice sitting very still, no matter what! OH

I loved that video! Looked like a young diamondback rattlesnake to me. A few years ago on a hot summer morning, I was trying to get a GPS fix in a swampy area. I was super hot and tired after chopping my way into the place with a machete. While I was holding the GPS pole antenna stationary, in hope of getting a fix on some satellites, I noticed a small cottonmouth snake crawling toward me. I was just too hot to care, and let him crawl between my feet on his way to wherever he was going. He went his way and eventually I went my way. I met a lot of snakes, but that encounter was unique.

[Unk]

Yep, that was a diamond back. That would sure get your attention!

I'm going hog hunting around Junction, TX next month....lots of them around there.

[Old Hunter]

Unk, Be careful out there and good luck. I do a fair amount of turkey hunting and that puts you on the ground more so than most hunting. When I pick a spot to sit I'm scanning for snakes, poison ivy, and fire ants - the big three nuisances around here, and you don't want to sit on any of them! OH