… The post Yellowstone Prequel 1883 Premiering This Month appeared first on Nerdtropolis – Movie News, Movie Reviews, and Movie Trailers.
Yellowstone Prequel 1883 Premiering This Month — Nerdtropolis – Movie News, Movie Reviews, and Movie Trailers
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury had only a brief NFL playing career, but he was drafted by the Patriots in 2003 and spent his first year in New England. And he came away from it with a lot of respect for Bill Belichick. In fact, Kingsbury says Belichick ought to win the NFL’s coach of…
Kliff Kingsbury: Bill Belichick should win Coach of the Year every year, name the award after him — ProFootballTalk
If you know anything about me, you understand I am an avid deer hunter. If you’ve read any of my outdoor articles, you’ll know that I’m a stand hunter, meaning I find an area that I think a buck will come through and I sit and wait for him. What you may not know is that I am having a flirtatious relationship with the art of tracking. While I haven’t pulled the trigger on that yet (get what I did there?), I have been reading about and gathering information on the method. Maine’s Hal Blood may be the best in the business, and his book, Hunting Big Woods Bucks: Secrets of Tracking and Stalking Whitetails, is a must have for anyone interested in tracking.
This book and Hal’s teachings are more than relevant whether you are hunting the mountainous regions of New York’s Adirondacks, the never-ending green bluffs of Northern Maine, or even the remote forests of the Midwest. Heck, even a food plot hunter in North Carolina will get plenty from the book. Precisely, there is useful information for anyone who hunts where the big boys roam.
Anyone can wake up and say they’re going to tracking. To track a mature whitetail in the snow, however, one needs to find a track. While Hal and his Big Woods Bucks team nowadays utilizes the OnX Hunt app, his knowledge and understanding of reading maps and topography go a long way towards locating an piece of wilderness that will hold deer, one in which he may find a track he deems worthy to follow.
Once deer sign is located, the hunter must understand what the sign is telling him. For instance, the track must be fresh enough to potentially catch up to the deer. Big bucks during the rut can cruise miles and miles searching for and checking on does. It is imperative not to get on a track that is two days old. Hal explains to the reader how to age tracks, as well as how to understand the behavior of the deer that is laying down the tracks. Is he cruising endlessly? Is he tired, something that happens in the late season? Is he meandering and feeding? If so, he may be able to catch up to. We also learn what buck rubs and scrapes are telling us.
While tracking on bare ground is possible, it is much more challenging than with snow on the ground. Since we cannot control the weather, Hal provides us with options in the event we cannot track. There is always my method of stand hunting. While this requires incredible patience and mental toughness, there are tricks to the trade that are important to understand so the hunter doesn’t blindly sit in a stand he has no shot in holy hell of seeing anything. Not Hal’s preferred method of hunting at all, he is still extremely knowledgeable in what areas hold deer, information that will clue the stand hunter where to sit. More than once, Hal has successfully guided a hunter into sitting on a stand every day for a week.
Another way to hunt bare ground is to still hunt, a practice that requires the hunter to take a few steps, scan the entire area, and take another few steps. It is easy to still hunt at an incorrect pace, one in which the hunter may miss a deer lying down on a bank well within shooting range or blowing every deer on the mountain out of there. Hal provides the reader his expertise on this mobile method.
One of the features of the book is how Hal breaks down each week of the hunting season in his state of Maine. While many states are quite different, it gives the reader an understanding of how deer behave from week to week. For instance, a buck in early November is on the search for does. He may travel miles and miles, sometimes taking a loop that will last a week or more, attempting to breed as many females as possible. By the December muzzleloader season, however, that buck is most likely finished with his travels and may be exhausted. How you hunt that buck in November differs dramatically in December.
Throughout the book, Hal provides stories and antidotes related to his personal hunting experiences or those in which he guided other hunters. Each scenario is pertinent to the chapter or point he is making. As someone who enjoys listening to or reading about deer hunting stories, this feature alone is worth obtaining the book. Of course, we are also treated to stories about some of the legendary whitetail bucks he has taken, including The King.
Tracking may not be for everyone. Some, like me, may be on the fence for one reason or another. One thing is for certain. Hal Blood is the master on the subject. For anyone looking to gain more knowledge or understanding, it is imperative that they read Hunting Big Woods Bucks: Secrets of Tracking and Stalking Whitetails.
Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III has some things to say about his time with the team. He’ll defer all commentary to a book that debuts in August. A couple of other former Washington players recently criticized Griffin for not saying what he had to say far sooner. “My career in Washington was spoiled, ruined,…
LaVar Arrington, Fred Smoot criticize Robert Griffin III for waiting to “speak the truth” about Washington — ProFootballTalk
Simply a wonderful band
It came to my attention recently that drummer Graeme Edge of the Moody Blues passed away on 11 November 2021. In tribute to him, I am reposting this piece which I first featured in 2017 before a lot of you were following my blog. Graeme wrote one my favorite tunes on this album, the opener “Higher and Higher.” I’ll give this album a spin today and I think you will dig it too.
Proto-prog is the first wave of British progressive rock musicians who branched from psychedelia … that slightly predates the full-fledged prog era. Progressive rock evolved from … a strainofclassical/symphonic rock led by the Nice (Keith Emerson’s band – ME), Procol Harum, and the Moody Blues. Proto-prog musicians harnessed modern classical and other genres usually outside of traditional rock influences, longer and more complicated compositions, interconnected songs as medley, and studio composition.
When…
View original post 869 more words
Robert H. Milroy’s Federal advance from Cheat Mountain leads to defeat in the last significant clash of the year in northwestern Virginia.
The Camp Allegheny Engagement — The Civil War Months
An End to Muzzleloader and the 2021 Season
If you read my post from last week entitled, “So This Is What the Deer Look Like,” or saw it on CNN, my own two eyes saw a deer on December 4. Actually, it was five deer. In the woods. While I was hunting deer. If you recall in my post, I was in quite a state of shock.
Well, after a short, four-day workweek, I headed to the great outdoors again this past Friday. Hoping to capture lightning in a bottle, I headed right back to where I saw the five does the previous weekend. Maybe, just maybe a buck would accompany them this time.
It was a windy day on Friday, a cold, biting, punch you in the face wind that was relentless. This was not a day conducive to sitting all day in a stand. Determined to spend some time in the area I know funnel deer from their bedding to the acorns below, I split the day into thirds. I sat for a couple of hours and when I couldn’t take it any longer, I got up and went for a walk to warm up. It allowed me to grab a trail camera that was set up a couple of hundred yards away and proved to me that the recent deer sign was right where I was sitting.
The final sit of the day would be the longest one; from 2PM to dark, which is about 4:45 PM. This would also be the most important part of the outing, seeing as deer are known to bed during the day and come out in the final hour of legal shooting light. I have been blessed with seeing a lot of deer from 4 o’clock on, including the nice 7-pointer I got in 2013 (See the post “Last Minute Buck”).
At about 4:15 PM, I caught movement out in front of me about a hundred yards. It was a deer trotting from the left and toward the acorns over the bank off to my right. I pulled up my muzzleloader and checked in the scope. A doe. She was followed by a young fawn. A couple of minutes later, a third deer, another doe, stepped into view about 70 yards out in front. I heard a snap and looked to my immediate left. A fourth doe was closing in, coming down the slight bank to me. She stopped at about 30 feet and finally realized something wasn’t quite right. She took off around a brush pile and circled to where she was standing about 15 yards broadside in front of me, checking me out with her nose. I could tell she wasn’t sure what I was, as she wasn’t looking directly at me, however, she stomped in my direction several times, trying to get me to flinch. She also attempted to put her head down and immediately lift it back up to call my bluff. A veteran of these games, I didn’t budge. After a few minutes of watching this amazing performance, she lifted her fluffy white tail, whirled around, and beat feet out of there. A fifth doe came into view at this time, oblivious to my presence.
I’m positive these were the same five deer I encountered on December 4. Alas, there was not a buck with them. I’m not surprised, as it being this late in the season, the rut is most likely winding down and these deer have probably already been bred. I didn’t care though. It is always a treat to see this amazing animal up close and the skills they utilize to survive each day.
It wasn’t a great season regarding shooting a deer, or seeing many, for that matter. I’ve learned over the years not to measure success by these two categories, however. In a world that is fast becoming unmanageable, and with stress levels through the roof many days, I was able to spend countless hours in the woods with my dad and on my own. I feel my batteries have recharged as the calendar flips to 2022. Plus, the next deer season is only eleven months away.
Mmmmmmmm
These are the BEST Pizza Dough Garlic Breadsticks you will ever have! I guarantee this recipe is the perfect balance of salted browned butter and savoury garlic flavour. Is there anything better than fresh garlicky bread? This recipe uses my 72 hour cold ferment dough as a base for amazingly soft and chewy garlic breadsticks. […]
Concert Review Archive
Scorpions with Great White, Trixter
Knickerbocker Arena
Albany NY
April 22, 1991
The Scorpions have always been one of those bands that have flown under the radar for me. While I have enjoyed them, I have rarely loved them. This, even though they have authored some of the greatest songs in hard rock history. Upon the coaxing of my then-girlfriend, who badly wanted to see opening band Trixter, I scored a couple of tickets for the Scorps’ Crazy World tour stop in Albany, NY.
Surprises come in many shapes and forms. I’ve been surprised by wives and girlfriends that have informed me they didn’t want to be in a relationship with me anymore. I’ve been startled by people quietly coming into the room. I’ve been surprised when my trail camera didn’t pick up any new pictures despite being set up in an area conducive to deer activity. And, I was pleasantly surprised by the solid and workmanlike performance turned in by the Scorpions at this show. While I don’t always give them credit where it is due, this concert is one of the best I have ever been to.
The house lights went out and a smattering of strobe lights lit up the darkness, tastefully accompanied by the sound of thunder. Once fully lit, the stage displayed long ramps on both sides of the drum riser, as the group tore into the lead single from the Crazy World album, Tease Me Please Me. Klaus Meine’s high pitched vocals were in fine form as he led the group through new album cuts, Lust or Love, Hit Between the Eyes, Don’t Believe Her, and the not-yet huge hit, Wind of Change. Not to be left out, some of the band’s earlier hits found their way into the first half of the show, including, Bad Boys Running Wild, The Zoo, and their cover of The Who hit, I Can’t Explain.
Visually, fans were treated to a blinding light and laser show that effectively reflected the mood of the song being played. Meanwhile, Meine commanded the stage with his presence and vocal prowess. While lead guitarist Matthias Jabs, bassist Francis Buchholz, and drummer Herman Rarebell personified the solid but unspectacular charisma the Scorpions hold in my mind, it was rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker who fans had difficulty taking their eyes off. Schenker bounced around the stage like a giddy school child, playfully interacting with fans and never taking his foot off the gas pedal.
The second half of the show saw more hits and deep cuts, such as Rhythm of Love, Blackout, Coast to Coast, Can’t Live Without You, Dynamite, and the main set closer, Holiday. Not close to being finished, the band returned for the classic four song encore of Big City Nights, No One Like You, Still Loving You, and Rock You Like a Hurricane. From the guitar solo to the end of the finale, the lighting rig transformed into the shape of a giant scorpion, a very cool effect for 1991.
I was originally reluctant to buy a ticket for this show, only relenting as a young guy wanting to appease his girl. I suppose I thought by doing so, and bringer her to see Trixter, I may be rewarded in the end, and if memory serves me correctly, I was indeed. However, the biggest reward was being able to witness a longstanding and professional rock and roll band such as the Scorpions.
Scorpions Setlist:
Tease Me Please Me
Lust or Love
Bad Boys Running Wild
Make It Real
Hit Between the Eyes
The Zoo
Wind of Change
I Can’t Explain
Don’t Believe Her
Rhythm of Love
Blackout
Concerto in V
Coast to Coast
Can’t Live Without You
Dynamite
Holiday
Encore:
Big City Nights
No One Like You
Still Loving You
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Show opener Trixter was the newcomer to the hard rock scene in 1991 and the New Jersey quartet delivered a brief set solely from their self-titled debut, including the MTV hits, One in a Million and Give It To Me Good. Meanwhile, blues rock veterans Great White, reaching the waning moments of their peak in popularity, and long before their career-defining involvement in the tragic Station night club fire in Rhode Island, delivered a solid set that combined tracks from their newly-released album Hooked, as well as hits from previous records, including, Mista Bone, Save Your Love, and Once Bitten Twice Shy.
Trixter Setlist:
Bad Girl
Heart of Steel
Play Rough
Ride the Whip
One in a Million
Line of Fire
Give it to Me Good
Great White Setlist:
Call It Rock ‘n’ Roll
All Over Now
Cold Hearted Lovin’
Mista Bone
Desert Moon
Save Your Love
Can’t Shake It
Once Bitten Twice Shy
Whipped Owl 