Gettin caught up before the New Year

[watchman]

This morning we took down all the Christmas decorations outside except the house lights. It is snowing fairly hard and they can wait until later as they are unplugged. Liz will put the inside stuff away tonight. I got my deer antler mount finished yesterday but I am undecided as to where to hang it. Right now it is in the bed room until a joint decision is made. I still have the deer rifles to clean, I was waiting to see if anyone wanted to hunt the late season. I guess I will just take several days and clean all the guns and consider it there yearly cleaning.

Last night I pretested the Crown Reserve I got for Christmas to make sure it would be ready for the New Year. Tired of eating left overs from Christmas dinner so Liz and I have been eating dinner out the last two nights. We should have everything but some ham and noodles gone after lunch today. I am thinking about making some ham and beans for New Years day. Nothing like starting the year out on a fine note.

A very dear friend of ours has been diagnosed with cancer and is in St. Louis today getting her first radiation treatment. Our hearts and prayers are with her and her family.

I truly hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas has a great New Year!

[Cajunrider]

Prayers go out to your friend for healing. I didn't put up any outside decorations this year so nothing to pick up here. Does Missouri have a late muzzleloader season? I always preferred hunting with the "smoke pole". Happy New Year to all.

[watchman]

They had a doe only season that ran into December. You can use any firearm durning that time. After that it is archery only, buck or doe, until January. I have seen several nice deer taken around here in the last couple of weeks. A couple of really big bucks that was caught going to feed, trying to put on weight after the rut. Most are taken now right before dark.

[Cajunrider]

Game wardens arrested a couple of bad guys down here for shooting deer from a moving boat, taking over the limit, not tagging kills, evading, and not leaving evidence of the sex of the deer that were in the ice chests already quartered. We have had over 25" of rain this month resulting in the swamps being flooded up to the bayou levees. The deer herds are all piled up on the levees and these clowns were shooting them while motoring. They are in very deep. They will have to pay hefty fines, over $3,000 in restitution fees for the over limit deer, and probably serve 6 months to 1 year in parish prison. Not to mention they will lose their jobs and the hell their families will go through for a long time.

[watchman]

Fines up here can be pretty rough as well. When we where trying to get the turkeys back to a viable population the fine for poaching was $25.00 per ounce for estimated live body weight, loss of hunting privilages for 2 years and loss of firearm. I was told that a guy either last year or the year before in a county north of us got caught road hunting deer, lost his hunting privilages for life, a $5000.00 fine with a 2 year prision sentence supended, lost his rifle and pickup. I understand that his house was searched and the officers found several fresh large buck antlers and no record of him even buying a license. I just don't get it. If he and his family was hungry and needed the meat I could understand poachng a deer. I am told that antler poaching has gotten to be a big business with lots of money to be made.

[trip]

Since I don't hunt deer, you guys are speaking Greek....but that's OK......I hope you guys filled your freezers this year.

I didn't put up any lights this year because.....well.....because I'm not in my house yet......we'll be moving the third week in January.

Here's wishing all you guys a Happy New Year......I hope 2010 is prosperous and healthy for you.

[Cajunrider]

Happy New Year to all. Be careful on the highways.

[chainsaw]

In the 60's here yesterday. Took down all the lights outside and inside is also down for another year. On to 2010. Happy New Year everyone.

[oldbikers]

Happy New Year Everyone