Hunting Update

Tuesday was the last day of deer season. Sat in a great clearing on a ridge over looking the confluence of two streams and three trails. Two hours I sat on my butt in 15F while snow and Canadiam geese honked all afternoon above me. A bb gun or slingshot could've nailed them, they were so low! But I didn't get up once. I had only five slugs, not one shell of shot! My stand was 200 yards north of the north bank of the Hoosick River in Schagticoke, RensCo. The geese used it as a flyway between the cornfields and their river roost. It drove me nuts, when I got back to the car I checked the waterfowl regs and saw geese were open again. No deer this year, and I had the doe permit for 5N, northern RensCo, eastern WashCo, 25000 doe permits in that one zone alone!

Then yesterday Eileen & I went to NYC, via the MTA Harlem River line from North Brewster, off I-84. It had ample parking but not one other amenity. No station house or concessions stand, just a heated crossover to wait in. The station is out in nowhere between the malls and the village and you can't even get coffee! It was supposed to be a big deal when they built it in the 80's, it's junk, leave it to socialized, overpriced mediocrity mongers at the MTA! For all the suburban space, it's still a long walk to the car! Next time we'll use the cool little village station or go to Croton-on-the-Hudson, the line is electrified from North Brewster to Grand Central. Hint: Always go for electric commuter trains, much quicker and smoother than diesels. We talked with this E.E. and this old knickerbocker who ran fly fishing trips to Siberia and East Africa. Tried to sell him on nyroute30.com! Grand Central is my favorite building in NYC, it's so grand (how lame an adjective!) and it connects to every building within 20 blocks via pedestrian tunnels! The pulse of the Big Apple's life is there! We went to the Diamond District and Times Square with my fiance Eileen. People looked at me and asked if I was duck hunting, "Dummies, ducks are closed, it's geese now!", they're so ignorant. 32F and people thought i was a bear cause my army jacket was unzipped! Played the hick-in-the-city to the max. Checked out the middle of Times Square for some digital shots during my lunch. The city was really nice and clean, except for the occassional ruffian or waif, and the people were interesting and nice, for the city!

Today, I went back to the same place, with the hatchet also and cleared out all the freaking thorny vines and other dead crap. I had this lame-o #6 steel shot junk that was less effective than a bb gun. Total waste, but at least I cleared a good ground stand behind this big blowdown's base. I bought this ultra high price bismuth, 3", 1 5/8 oz magnum loads for tomorrow, where its behind Grumme's garage over his pond after I do some repairs for him.