Food-Plot Rx: Keep Deer Happy, Fed, and On Your Land

 

It’s frustrating: You ­invested a lot of time, effort, and money into creating food plots on your property, but you’re not getting a lot of production. Worse, what grows on those plots gets eaten up so quickly that deer don’t stick around—which is the whole point of putting in food plots.
Diagnosis
Deer are moving to nearby property where there’s more acreage in plots, with crops that offer better nutrition and palatability. So you need to improve existing plots and break ground for future sites.
Rx
To improve your output per acre, buy a plow such as the CountyLine Middle Buster ($150; tractorsupply.com) and plow plots 8 to 16 inches deep where you’ve only been shallow-tilling or disking the top by 4 to 8 inches. Your plants need softer, uncompacted soil so roots can dig deep and grow stronger by utilizing phosphorus, potassium, micronutrients, and moisture they couldn’t reach before. After deep plowing, let the plot sit for a few weeks, then till to a smooth bed. Now test the soil to determine lime and fertilizer needs, and disk those into the soil.
Preventive
Clear fresh sites for new plots in areas that you’re not hunting now; in areas that you are hunting, plan to make plots after the season closes. Existing forest trails are good potential sites; you can increase light on them by cutting back shading trees on the sides. Natural clearings in woods, log landings, and abandoned fields are other possibilities. If you have none of these, hire a bulldozer operator to create openings in your woods. Clear debris, kill existing vegetation, mow, and then disk or plow the organic residue into the soil. Also consider planting perennials such as clover or chicory,  which are rarely destroyed by overbrowsing and will keep whitetails on your land even if they eat annuals down to the ground.

Via Field & Stream Here

Pentagon confirms Army blimp was shot down

 

The massive Army blimp that broke free from its mooring and drifted from Maryland to Pennsylvania is "actually still deflating," a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday. 

"I am not able to give you the mechanics of exactly how they're deflating it," said Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.   

The blimp traveled almost 200 miles north at 30 miles per hour, reaching an altitude of 16,000 feet before it lost altitude and speed, landing in northeastern Pennsylvania. 

Another Pentagon spokesman confirmed reports that the 240-foot blimp was shot down, but did not know how close to the ground the blimp was when it happened.

It is not clear who shot down the blimp.

The blimp, formally known as an aerostat, was part of a three-year research project for the JLENS program, which stands for Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System. 

The system consists of two aerostats: one that provides broad surveillance, and the other that provides more specific surveillance. The blimp that provides more specific surveillance is the one that broke free. 

The blimps were both flying at about 6,800 feet, and were tethered to the ground at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., when one of the cables broke near the base.  

The blimp then drifted along with the about 6,800-foot long cable hanging down. It snapped power lines and left tens of thousands of residents in central Pennsylvania without power. 

 Read the rest Here

Turns Out Police Stingray Spy Tools Can Indeed Record Calls

 

The federal government has been fighting hard for years hide details about its use of so-called stingray surveillance technology from the public.
The surveillance devices simulate cell phone towers in order to trick nearby mobile phones into connecting to them and revealing the phones’ locations.
Now newly released documents confirm long-held suspicions that the controversial devices are also capable of recording numbers for a mobile phone’s incoming and outgoing calls, as well as intercepting the content of voice and text communications. The documents also discuss the possibility of flashing a phone’s firmware “so that you can intercept conversations using a suspect’s cell phone as a bug.”
The information appears in a 2008 guideline prepared by the Justice Department to advise law enforcement agents on when and how the equipment can be legally used.

The Department of Justice ironically acknowledges in the documents that the use of the surveillance technology to locate cellular phones 'is an issue of some controversy.'

The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California obtained the documents (.pdf) after a protracted legal battle involving a two-year-old public records request. The documents include not only policy guidelines, but also templates for submitting requests to courts to obtain permission to use the technology.
The DoJ ironically acknowledges in the documents that the use of the surveillance technology to locate cellular phones “is an issue of some controversy,” but it doesn’t elaborate on the nature of the controversy. Civil liberties groups have been fighting since 2008 to obtain information about how the government uses the technology, and under what authority.
Local law enforcement agencies have used the equipment numerous times in secret without obtaining a warrant and have even deceived courts about the nature of the technology to obtain orders to use it. And they’ve resorted to extreme measures to prevent groups like the ACLU from obtaining documents about the technology.


Read the rest Here

Rutherford Institute Challenges Virginia Over Its Cancellation, Revocation and Recall of License Plates Displaying the Confederate Flag

LAWRENCEVILLE, Va. — Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have filed a petition with a Virginia Circuit Court challenging an order of the state Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) cancelling, revoking and/or demanding the return of specialty commemorative license plates issued to the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) bearing the Confederate battle flag on the grounds that such a recall is unauthorized by Virginia law and beyond the power of the DMV. The DMV’s order comes in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision holding that states issuing specialty license plates may engage in viewpoint discrimination when granting applications for specialty license plate designs. However, in the petition challenging the DMV’s September 2015 order, Rutherford Institute attorneys assert the order is unlawful and does not comply with Virginia statutes relating to the cancellation and recall of license plates.


“No matter what the U.S. Supreme Court might say about the matter, the First Amendment is unmistakably clear about the fact that the government has no right to dictate how we should act, what we should believe or what we should say, nor should it be in the business of determining what is or is not offensive, whether such expression appears on a license plate, a T-shirt, or a protest sign,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and author of Battlefield America: The War on the American People.


Under Virginia law, specialty Virginia license plates bearing an organization’s logo and motto in addition to letters and numbers as found on other Virginia license plates may be issued to members and supporters of various organizations or groups. In 1999, The Rutherford Institute and the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of citizen-soldiers who fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War, brought a lawsuit against Virginia and the DMV challenging its refusal to include the logo of the SCV which includes the Confederate battle flag. A federal district court ruled in 2001 that the State’s refusal to include the Confederate battle flag on SCV specialty plates constituted viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. This ruling was upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2002.

Read the rest Here

7 Awesome Rifles For Mountain Hunting

There are several different aspects and features of guns that make them desirable for different uses.
These guns are made for extreme weather, light weight, and precision in a mountain environment.
Whether you hunt for sport, food, or protection, a good rifle is important to have when spending time in the mountains.
Take a look at 7 of the top rifles made for these conditions.

1. Remington model 700 XCR II

This gun is an extreme weather and conditions ready remake of the classic Remington. This rifle is very scratch and weather resistant due to it’s stainless steel coated with Trinyte.
 
This rifle is sturdy and rugged, a feature which makes it well worth the extra heaviness of this gun.  Full review here. 

2. Kimber 84M Mountain Ascent

This reputable brand for mountain rifles has truly outdone itself with this model. This featherweight rifle weighs in a less than five pounds, making it the lightest rifle you’re likely to come across on this market.

It is also incredibly resistant to even the most extreme weather conditions. This rifle has a great look to it and fits well on the shoulder. Full review here.  

3. Winchester Model 70 Extreme Weather SS

Another rifle modeled after a classic, this version stands up to the weather in a big way.
 


Weighing in just a bit heavier than a featherweight rifle, this gun is lightweight but far from delicate. Full review here.  

Read the rest here

The Best Days of the Rut 2015

Via Field& Stream
You know that the biggest bucks will be tearing up the woods, smashing heads, and running does everywhere. The only questions are: how will you hunt and when? Here are the seven days you must be in your stand.
Day 1: October 27
This day will kick-start pre-rut activity across much of the country, particularly in the Northeast, North-­Central, and Great Plains regions, as bucks start trolling hard in search of that first hot doe. Farther south and west, bucks will be increasingly active within their core areas. While it may seem early for midday hunting, the full moon will make that 11-to-1 window a killer time to be out if it’s cold.
Day 2: November 6
There’s bound to be a doe or two popping in the northern regions today, and you can bet that the most experienced studs will be cruising to find them. Meanwhile, across the West and into parts of the southern regions, bucks should be focused on seeking does. All across the country, the moon will be up in the daytime sky for much of the day; activity should be high, notably so in the morning.
Day 3: November 11 
The deer woods will be on fire today. Most of the country is on the cusp of peak breeding—the magical time when some breeding has started, and there are new does coming into heat by the hour. Much of the southern regions will see ramped-up pre-rut action, too. And the moon will be up all day.
Read the rest here

Apologies for the Lack of Posting,Had/Have a Nasty Respiratory Infection

I’m now about halfway through the second course of antibiotics-Levofloxacin this time-finally starting to feel a little better, the phlegm in my chest is breaking up.and my breathing is improving.
I’m also on card # 2 of Methylprednisolone-@ 21 tabs per card.
If you get this one-it starts with a bright yellow/green colored phlegm-get to a Dr. ASAP-it’s an especially nasty strain of infection.
This is week # 2 of this infection,which had started out as a “normal” case of bronchitis at end of Sept.

My apologies for the lack of posting.

I had bronchitis-which then turned into a lung infection-it’s kicking my ass!
Hopefully back to normal tomorrow.

Are Americans And Britons Being Prepped For A Military Coup?

 Via NC Renegade  Here
By Brandon Turbeville
A recent poll conducted by YouGov revealed that a sizable portion of the American public is open to the idea of a military coup in the United States. The poll was conducted amid the continual polling that takes place during the U.S. Presidential election yet it did not focus on the elections per se, but the potential lack of elections in the future.
The YouGov poll surveyed 1,000 people online and determined that 29% of Americans, over a quarter of the population, could imagine supporting a military coup against the civilian government. Only 41% could not imagine supporting a coup.
The numbers supporting a potential coup were highest among Republicans with 43% of them saying they could envision supporting a coup, 29% of independents followed, with Democrats trailing at 20%.

1. The numbers apparently increased in support when the question asked “whether they would hypothetically support the military stepping in to take control from a civilian government which is beginning to violate the constitution.”

More…

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Did you think our founding fathers could have envisioned a day when their great experiment failed so miserably that the people would support a military overthrow of the government? Their faith in the “people” may have been valid in the late 1700’s but not today. When you expect someone else to fix your problems, you will either be disappointed or you will find that the price to pay is too high.

In either case, the price of slavery is too high as the replacement of one form of tyranny with another form is the same end result.

David DeGerolamo

 source