I have been out fishing twice over the past few days without getting skunked. The bass are now active. All my tackle has the barbs crimped for easy catch and release. It also makes landing them a little harder because if you don't keep tension on the line they will get away.
Saturday morning the 15th I got up at 4:30 and was at the club pond around 05:15. It was still dark and the fish must have been asleep because there was zero activity. That is, until early dawn at 06:00 when it seemed like a switch got flipped and they started jumping and biting. First I caught a Smallmouth Bass by hooking it in the side. It must have swam by my lure just right as I was reeling it in. It was hooked solid but easily unhooked and released with just a small wound. It swam away fast. Next I had two good sized fish on the line but lost them both about 12 feet from shore. It could have been the same fish for all I know. I then landed two good sized Bluegills. Not very long but they both tried to swallow my lure whole and the hook got them solidly in the lip. They fought hard enough to activate the drag which I tightened up. Bloop... back in the drink they went. The last fish of the day was a good sized Largemouth Bass. He put up a good fight and I successfully got him to shore. The hook was through his upper lip and easily removed. I took a good look at him and tossed him back. Our club pond is stocked with Trout, but I don't fish for them. IMHO they are too fragile for catch and release and since my wife won't eat game fish I don't keep anything.
I went fishing at the club pond again last night after shift. I only caught and landed a single Largemouth Bass just as it was getting dark. I was using a wiggly floating plug that had two treble hooks. The bass hit it right after the lure hit the water and tried to swallow the whole thing because he had both treble hooks stuck in his mouth. Again, crimped barbs so easily removed and it swam away as soon as it hit the water. As I started to leave, I passed the deep swamp created by a beaver dam. Holy cow... the fish were super active breaking the surface every where. I parked in a pull off and started casting from the edge of the road. I got one bite early and then nothing as it got darker. I will try fishing there instead of the pond on my next outing which will hopefully be tomorrow evening.
A word about Bluegills. They are the favorite fish for kids to catch and considered not worth anything by most fisherman. There is no bag limit and kids will fill a 5-gallon bucket full of them. When I was a teen, I used to go fishing with my neighbor in his canoe at Shenipsit Lake in the wee hours of the morning. We would actually fish for Bluegills because they were HUGE! They were big enough to fillet, so I would keep 2 or 3 of the largest ones for my lunch. I would dip the fillets in raw egg and roll them in bread crumbs, then pan fry them with some onions. YUM!
Once the weather warms up a little more I will expand my horizons by fishing some wild woodland ponds and some Army Corps of Engineers dammed up water ways from my kayak.
I have raised chickens for eggs for almost 16 years. While we consume our share of eggs, we give eggs to family and sell the surplus to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I will be placing an order to a regional farm supply outfit for 8 more Rhode Island Red pullets on Monday. Today, my wife had two of our three dogs at an event in New Hampshire all day, leaving our female standard poodle Lucy Petunia home with me and my father-in-law.
Her Majesty, Princess Lucy Petunia
Our dogs have a fenced in yard they access through the walkout basement. With the boys away with Mommy, Lucy could be out in the open area of the property where she stays close by. When the boys are home and all three dogs are loose they tend to run off into the woods out of sight and come back when they feel like it. Outside free separately, they come when they are called.
The dog yard is separated from the chicken yard by a 5 foot high wire fence and a gate. Once every few weeks, we let the chickens into the dog yard to go on a tick search and destroy mission. Today with the boys away, I let them have at it.
I only allow this when I am home, due to the fact that the fence surrounding the chicken yard is secure from predators, where the dog yard is not. So, as insurance against predators, this was handy near the door to the deck overlooking the dog yard.
1971 vintage Marlin 336 in .30-30
I would have a clear shot from the deck down to the yard at any critter after my birds. The magazine stays empty but the sleeve on the stock contains 9 rounds of Federal 150 gr softpoint ammo and the scope is a Bushnell Trophy zeroed at 100 yards. I can lock and load quite fast on my way out the door. The 150 gr lead pill will instantly evacuate the chest cavity of all vital organs for a fox or bobcat.
I bought the Marlin 336 second hand back when I first started raising chickens and realized I did not have a proper firearm for predator control. It cost me $265 and had the Marlin scope mount already on it. I had the Bushnell scope and mounting rings in the safe not mounted to anything. With the Federal ammo, I can shoot quarter sized groups at 100 yards. Closer and I just aim a little lower. For larger predator trouble I have some Federal 170 gr that shoots 2 inches lower at 100 yards with the same scope settings.
I went to my club range after my shift on Tuesday the 4th and was pleased to see I was the only one there. I usually enjoy the camaraderie of fellow shooters at the range, but my main reason for going was to learn how to use my new shot timer. I would have to ask other shooters to hold up until I was done so their shots wouldn't interfere with mine. I'm sure it wouldn't have been a problem but alone was definitely better.
First, I wanted to make sure the ammo I was using for this exercise functioned OK in my Browning Buckmark. It was about 1/3 of a 1 pint milk type container of some old Remington Yellow Jacket that my Dad had. They functioned perfectly, so that was what I was going to use for my timer work. This was the first time I would be shooting while wearing my new Walker electronic muffs. They worked great for protecting my hearing. But it was weird to hear only the echo of the shot off the woods and hills and not the shot. Throwing .22LR's against steel plates didn't make enough noise for me to hear, but I could see I hit the plates. It will be interesting to ring steel when I move up to larger calibers on another outing.
I had already put in a fresh 9V Eveready Energizer and set the time and date. The clock will run down the battery so I will keep it out when not in use. All the settings and shot data stays in memory, only the clock will need to be reset. The default mode is to simply measure shot strings; from buzzer to first shot, and times between successive shots. I had it set for a random start between 1.5 and 9.0 seconds. I first loaded the gun with 3 rounds, hit the "START" button, and held at the low ready. At the beep (which I heard clearly through my Walker muffs) I raised the gun, acquired the target, and shot all 3 rounds. When I looked at the timer, it said 4 shots with about 10 seconds to the last shot, That's strange, I wonder what it heard to think it was another shot. A couple more tries and I had it figured it out. I had the timer clipped to my belt, and when I pulled it off the clip snapped against the body of the timer. I need to hit a button to stop the string. That was not detailed in the instructions which after reading right after I got the timer, I thought needed greater detail. I then did a few 10 shot strings and stopped the timer after 10 and had good readings. Now it's time to try setting some par times.
Not having any standard drills in mind to try, I made one up. 10 shots on target in less than 15 seconds at 7 yards. Now I was going to have a start and stop beep. Interesting thing I didn't know, the timer continues recording shots and time after the stop beep. What I thought was a stop beep just tells you you're at the par time and missed making time if you still need to shoot. At 7 yards, putting all 10 rounds in the 10 ring and a couple in the bullseye weren't too difficult, but doing it for time was new to me. I again started from the low ready position and was under time each string. What got better were my groups each time I tried it. I was satisfied I could use the timer for training without too much fumbling around and put it away. I then proceeded to shoot the rest of my ammo by smacking the hanging steel plates at 25 yards, as well as some free standing small diameter plates to set up and knock down. The largest of these plates was 6 inches, there were two 4 inch plates and a 3 inch plate. There is a silhouette target with a 2 inch swing-out plate in the center of the chest, and a hanging 2 inch plate. I did this several times effortlessly until I was out of ammo. The Buckmark is an accurate pistol for sure.
The last thing I did was try out my new Sig-Sauer Kilo Rangefinder. It turns out the 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200 yard backstops are all a little short. The 200 yard measured 194.7 yards by laser. No big deal, just interesting. I had the connection up between the range finder and the Sig BDX app on my phone, which shows the readings on the range finder on my phone. The ballistics calculator is not as accurate as the Ballistics Buddy app which is right on with my dope card for my rifle, but also has a lot more parameters to set than the range finder. I will just use it for range and up/down angle, and let the Ballistics Buddy app give me elevation and windage.
Its between 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM right now on the East Coast. Every interior and exterior light will continue burning at my house until 9:30 as a beacon of the anti-environmentalist shithead realist I am. I hope all the air traffic flying overhead sees it among the darkness of my rural town that has its share of these Greta and Gore worshipping morons.
To borrow a term from my Sicilian friends and their "azienda familiare" structure, I like to say I became a made guy by being voted in as a regular member of my sportsman's club. I had been a probationary member since being accepted in December of 2020. During that time, I made sure I was highly visible and participated in all work parties, club events, and attended all meetings. The club membership is limited in size by our By-Laws, so a probie can only move up when there is a opening. In January three slots opened up, but I was #4 on the probationary seniority list. Recently, a member reached his 65th birthday and 10+ years of being a member in good standing, making him eligible for what's called "The Gentlemen's Club" meaning he is a regular member that no longer has to pay dues. That opened up the position for me.
Prospective probationary and regular members must stand in front of the membership and state why they should be accepted in as a probie or made a regular member. It was easy for me and I had multiple guys speak on my behalf. I was excused so they could then discuss me in private, and vote in a secret paper ballot. I was brought back in to a round of applause and congratulations of becoming the newest member. This means I can now vote on club matters and be elected an officer of the club. My plan is to become even more active and involved with the kitchen committee as well as get involved with the range committee, and pursue becoming an R.S.O.
The CGA (Connecticut General Assembly) is a bicameral body consisting of a State House of Representatives and a State Senate. Both are controlled by a majority of The Evil Party, and the minority members of The Stupid Party are powerless to stop their march to full blown socialism. And of course, the head #LIBTURD member of The Evil Party is Gov. "Jolly Ned" Lamont, who will eagerly sign into law any unconstitutional infringement the CGA passes. As a member of the C.C.D.L. (CT Citizens Defense League) I receive the alerts when it is time to submit written testimony for the public hearings, and the C.C.D.L. will recommend whether to oppose or support a proposed bill and is always on the side of the right to keep and bear arms.
The first alert I received the other day was for House Bill #5653 (tagged on the CGA website as HB5653), which is to institute a punitive "sin tax" on all ammunition purchases to supposedly pay for something called "Community Gun Violence and Intervention Program Grants." They want to charge $0.02 per .22 caliber round, and $0.05 per round for everything else. Below is my [redacted] submitted testimony.
Oppose
HB5653
My name is XXXX XXXXXX, and I have been involved
with civilian firearms ownership since 1980. I also served in the U.S. Army
from 1981 to 1987 earning my “EXPERT” marksmanship badge with the M16. I have
held my CT state pistol permit since 1983 right after turning 21. I have
competed in many firearms events in both rifle and pistol. I load my own pistol
and rifle ammunition using standardized recipes and have developed and tested
my own. I perform my own basic gunsmithing, fabrication, modification, and
repairs. I have introduced and instructed many “firearms curious” individuals
to their first firearms experience as well as an introduction to reloading
while stressing safety at all times. I belong to the N.R.A., The CT Citizen’s
Defense League, The XXXXXX XXXXXX Club, The Garand Collector’s
Association, and am an authorized purchaser through the Civilian Marksmanship
Program. I consider myself to have more firearm experience than the average
firearm owner, and certainly more experience than the majority of members of
the CT General Assembly, Administration, state bureaucrats, and sadly to say
from experience, most law enforcement.
The
U.S. Constitution; Second Amendment
A
well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the
right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Constitution
of the State of Connecticut; Article First, Section 15
Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and
the state.
Neither of these statements confer any
right to arms, but instead exist to PREVENT government from denying a
right to be armed. These rights come from God the Almighty to Americans by
birth, not granted by any government entity. That would be a “privilege” not a
right.
The pro-civilian firearm disarmament
element in the state government are once again targeting the peaceable gun
owners of the state, this time by desiring to levy a punitive tax on ammunition
purchases. Ammunition and magazines are as much a part of “arms” as stated in
both constitutions as a firearm itself.
As anyone with a shred of common
sense should know, the criminal element does not and cannot waltz into WalMart,
Hoffman's, Cabelas, or the other smaller sporting goods retailers in the state
and purchase the ammunition for their criminal activities (seenote 1). They are
forced to steal it or buy it on the black market. None of those type of transactions
provide any type of revenue stream from taxes; sales tax or otherwise. Do you
know what happens if I were to walk into such a retailer in CT to buy
ammunition and didn’t have my pistol permit on me? I would be denied the
purchase, no ifs or buts. Funny how the criminal element doesn’t seem to have such
a problem and no law can fix that. Therefore such proposed legislation as HB
5653, which is nothing more than placing a "sin tax" on constitutionally
protected activities, is yet one more infringement against The Second Amendment
and State Constitution. It is so unfortunate that our state seems to have this
bad habit of passing such infringements knowing they will end up in court, and
then state officials crying like little children when they are sued (like right
now with the multiple pending lawsuits). I will personally be more than happy
to again voluntarily contribute to any court costs and attorney fees to fight
such poor legislation should it pass. Penalizing the peaceable citizen for the
actions of criminals and forcing them to pay for the prevention of those criminal
activities is wrong… legally and morally. As far as “community gun violence” is
concerned, my community of XXXXXXX (in fact most of rural Windham County) has
high per capita firearms ownership and use. Yet the little violent crime that does
happen out here is usually caused by those that don’t live here. The nightly
news stories I see of “gun violence” comes out of Hartford, New Haven,
Bridgeport, etc. I suggest you unleash law enforcement and target those
“communities”…. and hard.
How about this novel idea? Crack
down on criminals using or caught with firearms and ammunition like the
original laws state. I’d be happy with search and seizure of person and
property upon arrest, no bail, no plea downs, and no reduced sentences.
FOR THE RECORD: I OPPOSE HB
5653
Note
1
Sec. 29-38m.
Sale of ammunition or ammunition magazine. (a) For the purposes of this
section and sections 29-38n to 29-38p, inclusive, “ammunition” means a loaded
cartridge, consisting of a primed case, propellant or projectile, designed for
use in any firearm, “firearm” has the meaning provided in section 53a-3, and
“magazine” means any firearm magazine, belt, drum, feed strip or similar device
that accepts ammunition.
(b) No person, firm or
corporation shall sell ammunition or an ammunition magazine to any person under
eighteen years of age.
(c) On and after October 1, 2013,
no person, firm or corporation shall sell ammunition or an ammunition magazine
to any person unless such person holds a valid permit to carry a pistol or
revolver issued pursuant to subsection (b) of section 29-28, a valid permit to
sell at retail a pistol or revolver issued pursuant to subsection (a) of
section 29-28, a valid eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver issued
pursuant to section 29-36f or a valid long gun eligibility certificate issued
pursuant to section 29-37p and presents to the transfer or such permit or
certificate, or unless such person holds a valid ammunition certificate issued
pursuant to section 29-38n and presents to the transfer or such certificate and
such person's motor vehicle operator's license, passport or other valid form of
identification issued by the federal government or a state or municipal
government that contains such person's date of birth and photograph.
(d) The provisions of subsection
(c) of this section shall not apply to the sale of ammunition to (1) the
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, police departments, the
Department of Correction, the Division of Criminal Justice, the Department of
Motor Vehicles, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the
military or naval forces of this state or of the United States; (2) a sworn and
duly certified member of an organized police department, the Division of State
Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or the
Department of Correction, a chief inspector or inspector in the Division of
Criminal Justice, a salaried inspector of motor vehicles designated by the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, a conservation officer or special conservation
officer appointed by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection
pursuant to section 26-5, or a constable who is certified by the Police Officer
Standards and Training Council and appointed by the chief executive authority
of a town, city or borough to perform criminal law enforcement duties, for use
by such sworn member, inspector, officer or constable in the discharge of such
sworn member's, inspector's, officer's or constable's official duties or when
off duty; (3) a member of the military or naval forces of this state or of the
United States; (4) a nuclear facility licensed by the United States Nuclear
Regulatory Commission for the purpose of providing security services at such
facility, or any contractor or subcontractor of such facility for the purpose
of providing security services at such facility; or (5) a federally licensed
firearm manufacturer, importer, dealer or collector.
(e) Any person who violates any
provision of this section shall be guilty of a class D felony.
If you go to the link for the bill and click on the "Public Hearing Testimony" radio button, you will be taken to the list of all the submitted testimony. You will see that it runs in the hundreds in opposition, and very few in support. In reading the testimony of others, those in opposition list many reasons and logical arguments, where those in support are emotionally whining "we must do something!!!" even if it infringes on the Constitutional Rights of others. Of course, those writing in support are NOT firearms owners, would never pay a penny in such a tax to pay for a cause they seem to support, nor would they even consider voluntarily contributing to such a cause. It must be paid for with the confiscated money of others. Where I wrote "It is so unfortunate that our state seems to have this
bad habit of passing such infringements knowing they will end up in court, and
then state officials crying like little children when they are sued (like right
now with the multiple pending lawsuits). I will personally be more than happy
to again voluntarily contribute to any court costs and attorney fees to fight
such poor legislation should it pass." Here is a video clip of Kommiecticut AG William "Sum-Ting-Wong" Tong whining about being sued over unconstitutional gun laws.
The next bill alert I received was for House Bill #6684 (tagged on the CGA website as HB6684) which is to remove certain precision small caliber pistols used strictly for precision target shooting that were hoovered up and into the update to the 1994 state "assault weapons ban" a few years ago. The C.C.D.L. recommends supporting this bill. Below is my [redacted] submitted testimony.
Support
for H.B. 6684
My name is XXXXX XXXXX, and I have been involved
with civilian firearms ownership since 1980. I also served in the U.S. Army
from 1981 to 1987 earning my “EXPERT” marksmanship badge with the M16. I have
held my CT state pistol permit since 1983 right after turning 21. I have competed
in many firearms events in both rifle and pistol. I load my own pistol and
rifle ammunition using standardized recipes and have developed and tested my
own. I perform my own basic gunsmithing, fabrication, modification, and
repairs. I have introduced and instructed many “firearms curious” individuals
to their first firearms experience as well as an introduction to reloading
while stressing safety at all times. I belong to the N.R.A., The CT Citizen’s
Defense League, The XXXXX XXXXX Club, The Garand Collector’s
Association, and am an authorized purchaser through the Civilian Marksmanship
Program. I consider myself to have more firearm experience than the average
firearm owner, and certainly more experience than the majority of members of the
CT General Assembly, Administration, state bureaucrats, and sadly to say from
experience, most law enforcement.
The
U.S. Constitution; Second Amendment
A
well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the
right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Constitution
of the State of Connecticut; Article First, Section 15
Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and
the state.
Neither of these statements confer any
right to arms, but instead exist to PREVENT government from denying a
right to be armed. These rights come from God the Almighty to Americans by
birth, not granted by any government entity. That would be a “privilege” not a
right.
I am writing
to provide my support for H.B. 6684AN
ACT EXCLUDING CERTAIN TARGET SHOOTING PISTOLS FROM PROVISIONS ON ASSAULT
WEAPONS for two reasons.
1). It corrects the placing of certain firearms that
are specifically made for precision target shooting on a list of firearms
referred to as “assault weapons” because of design layout characteristics that
have nothing to do with making them any “more deadly” but more precise and accurate.
2). ANYTHING that weakens those
unconstitutional/intolerable abominations from 1994 known as the “assault
weapons ban” and the 2013 “Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and
Children’s Safety” is a win for the freedom loving citizens that may still live
in Connecticut. I will keep you all updated on upcoming bills, and post copies of my testimony here.
As you can see, I use the top qualifying header on all my testimony. I want them to see that I am eminently qualified to speak about firearms, where THEY ARE NOT! And to remind them every single time of the 27 words in The Second Amendment and the 15 words of The State Constitution in which Article the First Section 15 is not even remotely debatable; and how they violate their Oath of Office every time they propose infringements. I will update you all on upcoming pro gun bills and unconstitutional intolerable infringements, and post copies of my testimony.
