Weather

[loggy]

Not the best weather here today and the ducks have moved on. Looking back at Josh’s Klein book. Amazing!

[Foxnut]

Looks like there is going to be some rough weather for the next day or two across a good swath of the country! Brrrr!

[fox-admin]

I attempted to hunt Saturday. Got to the landing and 8 inches of lake effect snow with the wind blowing 25-30mph. Decided to scrub the mission. That's a wrap on my 2024 duck hunting season. Now the long wait.

[vaturkey]

We are shutdown in Va now for bird hunting. I'm too old to hunt grouse in the mountains and it will be nothing but ice up there for the next two weeks, plus there is no grouse in the mountains.

The Woodcock will all head south. Agree, we are probably in a wrap mode now.

[Sporrns]

Next door neighbor and I joined forces yesterday to clear our 4-house pipestem driveway of the demon drifts from our first real snowfall in years. He was riding his son's plow-equipped Kawasaki Gator and I wielded my now-legendary 9HP Combat Model Craftsman snow blower, "Mothra", former hero of all snowfalls exceeding 4 inches for the past 35 years.

Things went great for about 40 minutes; he broke a plow lift cable fitting on the Gator and a few minutes later Mothra sheared an impeller pin. We both went into tool wielding mode and were up and running in about half an hour. About 2 hrs. later he quit after having traction problems as the second sleet storm hit. I continued until Mothra started doing the "Bucking Horse", never a good sign! I shut it down and inspected the auger bin and drive sprockets. Seems I ran over one of my wife's self-retracting soaker hoses (always handy in a snowstorm!). If you are familiar with these goofy contraptions, you know that they have an elastic inner tube core inside of a shrinking casing (picture a rubberized Slinky). But wait!; There's more! (Yeah, she got the second one free from some midnight hawker on cable TV).

True to the Japanese science fiction movie of the same name, Mothra completely devoured the soaker hose, winding it tighter than a Penn reel Marlin spool, complete with both brass end couplings and fittings. As darkness approached about an hour later, after wielding pruning shears, tin snips, and a magnum-grade Craftsman Phillips head screw driver (my marlin spike!), I succeeded in dismembering the vinyl serpent from the drive gears and rotors, fired her back up and dressed some of the raggedy driveway corners.

A most invigorating afternoon for two 80+ geezers turned loose with motorized equipment. Sure beat the hell out of grouse hunting in the snow! Happy New Year! Kevin

Mothra, Master of Drifts!

Squadron Insignia

Aftermath: Craftsman vs. Popiel

[eightbore]

Linda's son in law has more than 25 years working part time Saturdays for a Deere dealership, so we had multiple pieces of equipment working on our place and others on the street. Oddly, nothing broke and the bar opened on time.

[bbman3]

Global Warming!!! It is COlD in Georgia!!! Bobby

[Jeff S]

Kevin, I’m glad that you and your neighbor survived your snow removal ordeal.

[Stan Hillis]

Great narrative, Kevin. It's so nice to see snow, IN PICTURES!!!

I sure hope it doesn't come this far South. We're forecasted to get rain Friday, with some forecasting agencies saying sleet or snow. I'm thinking I'll just spend the day in the pool hall with my buddies.

[Foxnut]

Looks like most of the country is in for some deep freeze weather beginning tomorrow through Tuesday. It was almost 40 here in West MI yesterday so we got some of the snow and slop cleared off the roads. High of 4 degrees forecasted for Tuesday with strong winds. Brrrr. Everyone be smart and safe in that kind of weather!

We’ve had a good covering of snow on the ground for the last two weeks. The deer are browsing anything they can. We have a Hawthorne tree about 10 yards from our front porch. It is loaded with berries this year. Usually one of the last things that the birds and deer eat. Both Cedar Wax Wings and deer have been in there regularly this week.

[vaturkey]

Snuck in the last hunt of the year yesterday for Woodcock. Drove 3.5 hours to hit a spot that had melted some and linked up with a couple other folks. 3 hours of slip sliding on half snow covered ground we bagged it. Moved one Woodcock and it was missed. At least we can say we were out there. BTW, fellow I hunted with is 72, I am 69 and the third hunter was a 29 year old lady with a 10 year Brit.

We were about to die after walking 5 miles, but she was fresh as a daisy. Youth is amazing.

PS. 4 to 6 inches of snow tomorrow and the Polar Vortex arrives. 4 degrees above zero on Tuesday. Us Sothern folks have a hard time with this.

Her Brit with Annie backing attached. Could not take Sophie on snow and ice. She can't handle that and 3 hours if hunting. Annie did 20 miles yesterday.

[ROMAC]

That's great that you got out Tom.

I had today pencilled in to try down the Easter Shore of MD but we nixed it based on the reports from a local.

I sat last evening with my bow here in PA to put some meat in the freezer but I didn't see a thing. If the rain isn't too bad I'll probably go out again for a few hours a little later today.

I usually get out for rabbits about now but my beagle buddy just had back surgery, so I hear you about getting old. I can't imagine brush busting without a dog like I used to for rabbits.

[Foxnut]

Hats off to Tom and ROMAC for braving the elements. Always good to get the last hunt in while you can. I thought about sitting in a tree stand Thursday evening but my neighbor’s son was hunting so I deferred. We have a late “urban” deer season for 12 counties where they are trying to thin out the deer herd. Usually our season closes January 1st but this year they had a late antlerless season than ran through the 12th and the “urban” season that runs through the 31st for 12 counties. I don’t think many will be sitting in a stand tomorrow through Tuesday!

[fox-admin]

Many of you know Tom Wyraz. I spoke to Tom last Saturday and he had 38 inches on the ground and this week it appears he received another 1 to 2 feet of lake effect. Tom lives north and west of Utica. I live east of Rochester and we have maybe 5 inches.