10-Ring

I am a TTU graduate and lived in Cookeville for four years, I will tell you what I can about Cookeville. Not I moved away July of '08 so take that into consideration. -I worked loss prevention for 3 of the years I was living in Cookeville. I had lots of interaction with local PD, back then anyway it was a very good department. Most of the officers were very good people that really wanted to do good for the community, of course there were a couple of bad apples, but all in all it was a good department. Bad thing was that the pay was really bad, $27,000 per year IIRC. -The sheriffs dept has a reserve deputy program that was pretty easy to get onto, it doesn't pay anything but is a really good way to get your foot in the door. -Cookeville is one of the cheapest places in the country to live. A few years ago it was ranked #2 nationally. Rent could be had when I was there for as little as $300 a month utilities included and that was a decent place. -Lots of great scenery and outdoorsy things to do if you are into that, you really don't have to drive far out of town to be in the middle of nowhere. -You can get about anything you need in Cookeville, I always wished they had a good electronics store like Best Buy, but besides that I was able to get anything I needed locally. -Jobs period, but especially good jobs are really hard to come by, that was the main reason I moved after I graduated was that I couldn't find a good job. 6 months after I quit my job in Cookeville I moved to Nashville doing the exact same job for the same company but they were paying me $3.25 an hour more. Don't know what it is about that town but unless you want to bus tables decent jobs are difficult to find. -Best gun range ever is 10 miles out of town (Bend of the River) it's a little primitive but Charlie, the guy that runs it, is super nice. He will help you fix your gun, run the skeet range for you while it's snowing, show you the easy way to zero a scope, and loan you guns if you don't have what you need. The guy just really loves guns and wants to help you anyway he can I can't say enough good things about him. If you are a TTU student he will give you a year membership at the range for $20 I think. Oh yeah and TTU offers the following electives...Handgun safety and familiarization, riflery, archery, and trap and skeet, all taught by Charlie at the range. Those are just a few things off the top of my head. If I can be of any assistance or answer any questions for you please shoot me a message and I will do my best to answer it.

I'll play. Most all of these were shot with a Canon Mark III, Canon L series 1:4 lens. I've shot all of these this summer.

IRRC killing a dog is a felony offense. Probably not the best advice. I was on the opposite end of this situation one time. My dogs back at everything that comes into the yard, which I like. Other people in the neighborhood let their dogs and cats run loose and my dogs would bark at them when they would come into the yard. My dogs stayed in a fence all the time BTW. No one ever approached me about the dogs. They went straight to the police. I happened to be very well connected with the local PD through work and knew the officers everytime they responded, they told me that the person calling was just an old kook and not to worry about it. Then the neighbor got a hold of animal control. They left a warning on my door one day, it said that if the problem continued I would be cited and have to appear in court and be subject to a $500 fine for each offense. My dogs at that point became indoor dogs. I'm really glad I live in the sticks now, don't miss the city life one bit.

I do my own. I also kill a couple or so deer each year for friends but they go to the processor. I figure 8 hours of labor per deer by the time I skin, quarter, debone, and grind. I am VERY picky about how the meat is handled and separating the sinew and silver skin from the meat, it is very labor intensive but I've had several people tell me "this is really good BEEF!" yeah I don't always tell my guests what they are eating. It feels like I throw away a lot of stuff when I am separating out all the junk but that's just the way it is, besides something (racoons maybe a coyote) will eat it when I throw it out so it's not going to waste.

"American Psycho" an ex left it here. horrid movie, took several attempts to get through it without falling asleep.

Does she want a DSLR or a point and shoot? I have my big cameras but I like to carry a point and shoot around in case I see something that I want to take a picture of, I usually just use my phone for that though. The sky is the limit pricewise, I have used Canon and Nikon and prefer Canon. I am assuming that you would like to keep costs somewhat low? A Canon Rebel DSLR has a whole lot of capability for general use. Unless she is really wanting to tackle some serious stuff (like blowing up landscapes really big or shooting in low light) that would be fine.

Amongst other things wrong with this story is the fact that the shot on the "bear" was taken unethically. No ethical hunter takes a shot like that. It is obvious that the "hunter" did not know what part of the "bear" he was shooting at. Good hunters don't go putting bullets into an animal willy nilly, we pick and chose shots to make a good clean kill. Very sad.

Sounds like firing would have been a good way to make a boss that has been really cool about allowing you to carry change his mind on the matter. I'm sure that in an upperclass West Knox neighborhood someone would have freaked out at the sound of a gunshot, likely would have called the police, your boss would have gotten an ear full, and you would have gotten an ear full, especially if the client whose yard you were working in didn't like the idea of you shooting a snake in his yard. Most of those people in that part of town don't cotton too well about shooting and killing around their houses. Now if it had been a legitimate threat you may be justified, I just can't see a snake in that situation being a legitimate threat.

My first shotgun was a single shot 20 at the age of 11, then I moved up to a 12 gauge 870 at the age of 12. I only weighed about 80 pounds when I was 12 and I handled the 12 gauge just fine. I was just shooting field loads then, no magnums or 3" loads. I was very good with that gun, I remember out shooting some snobby kids with O/Us at a skeet and trap shoot when I was 14. I still have that gun, it is my go to shotgun and really the only shotgun I keep in my house. I still use it on a regular basis. Go ahead and get your boy a gun that will last him a lifetime. Of course every boy needs a .22, which I see you are covering already. Hard to go wrong with a 30-30 for deer, good solid gun with little recoil.

That's just part of my daily regimen take my pants off before I go to bed and they lie next to the bed, when I get up the next morning I typically put on a new pair of pants or wear the ones from the previous day if they are not dirty. At which point I transfer everything (including gun) from one pair of pants to the other. I would love it if someone would come over and throw my pants in the washing machine, lol. Very good point about the gun lying on the dresser. I try to make a point of not leaving guns just lying around the house. In a robbery that would have been gone in 2 seconds, I just got lucky that I wasn't robbed. I'm really trying to make more of an effort to be aware of where my sidearms are at all times. I took an extra minute this morning to verify everything and I am happy to report everything went as it should today. Got a good chuckle out of that one Lagerhead. Not much of a drinker these days, I drank my share for life in my younger days.

I've been carrying for about 7 years now. I haven't always been able to carry 24/7 but I am now fortunate enough to be able to do so most of the time (only exception is when I have to go into a gov't building or something.) So everyday I get ready for work, do the check before I leave (keys, check, work stuff, check, gun, check.) The last few days I have been failing miserably. Saturday morning I headed to work at about 4 am, sometime around 5:30 I realized that I did not have my gun, I was wearing a holster but no gun. I had taken the gun out of the holster and laid it on my dresser while putting my belt on. Then yesterday I was running errands in town and realized that I was wearing an empty holster, I was however carrying another gun in another location. Note of reference, I switch up between a S&W 642, and a Glock 26, or 27. I carry the Glock at 4 O'clock in a belt holster and the 642 rides in my right front pocket. I tend to carry the Glock more as the weather cools off, the 642 is just easier to deal with in the summer heat, this time of year I tend to switch up a lot. When carrying the Glock I also carry an extra mag in my right front pocket. Today I had to run into town I put the same pants on I was wearing yesterday and strapped the Glock on. Got to town and realized the 642 was in my pocket as well, so I was double armed today, no big deal, I just didn't do that intentionally. I don't know if the issue is that I switch up guns a lot this time of year. Maybe I was in a hurry? Maybe I'm coming complacent? Fortunatley I haven't done anything that is a safety issue. There are no untrained people around my house or anything. Probably the scariest thing I did was not having a gun while being out and about at odd hours Saturday morning, but I lived through it. Comments, criticisms, suggestions? Let me have it, my skin is thick, I can take it.

Thanks, a lot yall. I have a stubborn habit of defending my beliefs even when it gets ugly. Just got done arguing on Facebook about a peaceful demonstration where firearms were carried. The guy I was arguing with was a guy I knew from college and is in law school and will likely be a politician one day. He ended the conversation after I said my piece by saying "Um we'll have to agree to disagree b/c I don't really want to get into a full blown internet argument, lol" which I read as "I don't have a comeback for your brilliant point." @Roverboy, yes my uncle still talks to me, he knows his wife is an idiot. I'm not a huge fan of him either.

I started a massive family argument once at a restaurant (actually she started it.) My uncle's wife, (not calling her my aunt, as I don't claim any relation to her) said something over the meal about how people shouldn't hunt because it was cruel to animals and people should just buy their meat at the grocery store. Now she says this as she is stuffing her ignorant face with a cheese burger. I just couldn't take it I went on a rant right in the middle of the meal. I told her she was ignorant, I asked her if she had experienced the conditions of a corporate farm and personally seen the ways the animals there lived all of their life. Then I told her that she would appreciate the sacrifice that animal made by giving its life if she had to look it in the eye, kill it, gut, skin, quarter, debone, and grind the meat. Then I said anyone that has a problem with those things shouldn't be allowed to eat meat, it doesn't come from the grocery store it comes from an animal. Yeah but that family dinner didn't go over so well...

I love my Glocks, they just work very well and do what they are supposed to.

This is turning into a sticky discussion, although everyone is good intentioned. I think I would support legislation allowing for a reduced cost hunting license based on income, lets face it, although not as expensive as some states, it's getting downright expensive to hunt in TN. A person can buy quite a bit of food for what a license costs, just as WD-40 was saying. Someone compared poaching to stealing steaks from Walmart. I worked loss prevention for six years at a couple of different stores including Walmart. I was always dreading catching someone stealing because they really were hungry. I dreaded it because I knew I would have to prosecute them and it wasn't my call to make. Fortunately that never happened. I have caught people stealing steaks because they were hungry but I wasn't very sympathetic to that because I wasn't making enough to buy steaks then. If it was bread and peanut butter I would have really have had a hard time with that. I have had people tell me they were stealing DVD's because they were hungry, I tried to explain to them that DVD's are not edible.

Take a hard look at a 27, I hate carrying my 23 but forget the 27 is there. I seem to get about the same accuracy out of both.

I'm suited up alright but there are a few things I would like. No real need for a 4 wheeler it's an easy walk in to anywhere I hunt and I don't have a very far drag if I have one at all to get to where I can drive my truck. I would like a muzzle loader. I have an extra Mosin Nagant lying around. I am wanting to turn it into a custom job which will require stock, scope mount, scope, rings, bipod, and sling. When I get it done I will post up some pics. Lots of cheap stuff in there and no really expensive stuff, most expensive single part will be the $60 stock and a $100 scope that I already have. I have a stock Mosin as well but have no plans of bastardizing it.

As far as should you buy a G22 or G23 because you have magazines that will fit it, if the wheels on your car fit a Ferrari would you buy a Ferrari just so you could take your wheels off and swap them out? Doesn't make a lot of sense does it? 22 Vs. 23, I have a 23 and a 27, and no I didn't buy the 27 just because I can put 23 mags in it. I don't like carrying the 23 except in the coolest of weather. I'm 5'8" 150lbs so it's not really easy for me to conceal. The 23 has been relegated to a range gun and I wish if I just had it to shoot I would have gotten the 22. Just my opinion.

Actually I noticed that this way doesn't tear the hide at all, and no holes either. May actually be better, but I guess there is more than one way to skin a deer. I don't use my hides but if anyone can use them I hunt in middle TN and live in East TN so if you are anywhere in between and want them you are welcome to them.

I actually tried to video both times I did it but it was dark and didn't come out at all. I'm not going to get a chance to hunt until gun season but I will video and post up if at all possible.

A friend of mine showed me this trick last year and I tried it on two different deer, it worked great so I thought that I would share. Go to a hardware store and buy 10' of small cable, I think mine is 5/16", anything about that size should work. Buy two ferrules and put a loop on each end, a loop that creates about 4-6" circle is fine, again this isn't rocket science. So your finished product is about a 10' cable with a small loop at each end. Hang your deer by it's head, I use a tree for this. Cut around neck and around leg joints then up to belly midsections, just as you would normally do when skinning a deer. Then start at the neck and pull down about 8-10" of hide. Go find a fist sized rock (I also hear a golf ball will work but I haven't tried it.) Wrap the rock up in the hide and run one end of the cable through the other then around the rock/hide. It helps to have a friend hold it like this until you start pulling. At this point you should basically be able to pull at the other end of the cable and be pulling the hide off. Now, slip the other loop over your trailer hitch on your truck or 4 wheeler, put it in drive and pull away from the deer slowly. The skin should just slip off the deer. That's it! If anything is unclear feel free to ask for further clarification.

Why would they care about a pig? I know for a fact a blind eye would be turned for poaching pigs around here, they are a nuisance.

Pretty much since I've been deer hunting I've carried a backpack with me with several odds and ends in it that I tend or may need in the field, do others do this and what is in your pack? Off the top of my head I carry... -A box of bullets. I used to load my gun and go until one day in Unit L, I had 3 shells loaded, took down three does and one jumped up and ran, I vowed then to never run out of bullets. -Knife -Neoprene decoy gloves and a plastic shopping bag to put them in if they get bloody. (use them to gut and keep hands and arms completely clean) -A large pack of white cleaning patches, not for cleaning my rifle but these make excellent markers should you have to track a deer. Put them down to mark the blood, they are easily seen, cheap, and should you accidentally leave them in the field it really won't hurt anything. -Length of rope about 20 feet for dragging or whatever else. -30 feet of 550 cord for hoisting weapon into stand, or 1000 other uses. -Hand warmers in case I start getting cold. -Extra gloves if needed. -Extra socks if I'm going to be hunting a long way from truck or house. -A few power bars. -Binoculars -Cigarette lighter. -Backpack is Camelback compatible so I have water, but bottled water if you don't have this option. -Book or magazines. -When I used a tree stand (rarely do anymore) I kept my harness in there to make sure that I had it at all times. -Any calls, scents, or cover scents that you may use. I think each person would choose different things for their pack. Currently I am only hunting a couple of private farms and I am no further than 10 minutes from home or my vehicle so most of the stuff I carry is geared towards hunting needs and comfort, if you hunt more remote locations you may want to add basic survival and first aid gear so if you had to spend a night in the sticks you could do so somewhat comfortably. So what's in your pack? Always looking for things to make the hunt better!

^Yep, stay on the stand. I've always been bad about leaving the stand a little early, kind of like if your boss tells you to go home at 4:45 on Friday you go, just human nature I guess. I took two deer last fall a couple of days apart within 5 minutes of legal shooting time ending. There is no telling how many deer I've missed an opportunity at because I left 15 minutes too early. But, take good binoculars, both of the deer I took were difficult to see in the low light and both were spotted and shot at 200+ yards, mainly because I didn't have enough legal light to wait for them to get closer. -Also take a book, magazine, or even your smart phone to the stand, although considered unconventional by many, you will kill more deer in a stand reading a book than you will at home in front of the TV. -Scout the area before hunting if possible, the more scouting you do the more you will know about the local deer. Look for bedding areas, water sources, and food. Then find a funnel between these things, preferably the thickest, nastiest, cover you can find, this is the route the big boys take. -Make sure you have what you need to be comfortable in the stand all day. Bring plenty of food and drinks, but nothing noisy. If you are using a blind or permanent stand make sure your sitting arrangement is comfortable, if it's not you won't stay out all day like you should. -Keep your feet warm when the weather gets cold. Once my feet get cold I am done! They won't warm back up until I start moving. This can be challenging when you are sitting still in a stand. Invest in good boots. -Binoculars....Get the best ones that you can't afford. Besides using them to size up and locate game, they are a good way to pass time and learn more about your hunting area. -I usually hunt from the ground, I've killed the majority of my deer simply sitting at the base of a tree. I don't wear camo either, kind of pointless IMO when you have to wear orange anyway. Anyway if you are in a wooded area, kick back all the leaves around where you will be sitting, that way you don't make a lot of noise whenever you move. -I could go on and on but I think you will see mostly my secret is staying on stand and not making noise. Here is one more for after you have been successful. Carry in your backpack (you do have one of those right?) a pair of neoprene elbow length decoy gloves, Wear them when you are gutting. I have found I have enough dexterity to do the job while wearing the gloves. Once I have the deer gutted I remove them and stick them in a plastic grocery bag until I can get home and rinse them off. This way my hands and arms are completely clean and I don't have to find water in the field to clean up with.

Don't go starting the "they were hungry so it was okay to poach" junk. In case the massive amount of government assistance issued these days doesn't solve that problem there is a church on about every corner in this state and not a single one is not going to help a hungry person. I depend on a fair amount of wild game to eat throughout the year, I hunt legally and freeze it. No need to poach and I always have meat in the freezer.