LUNCH REPORT for Friday, May 25, 2012

[Ches]

Is it really Friday already? Hell yes, it is! I’m taking a day of vacation and heading to the golf course to play some pasture pool with my buds. I don’t have as many hobbies as I used to have, but somehow golf, guitars, and guns never go away. I enjoy target shooting in the winter, but I don’t hunt anymore. Golf takes over for shooting in the warmer months, and guitars are a year ‘round passion.

What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?

LUNCH:
Since I’m heading to the golf course, my lunch will be kind of light. An apple and half a chicken sandwich will do the trick. I don’t want to load up on chow and walk 18 holes in 80 degree heat. Not good!

G&L TOPIC:
Are you a collector, professional musician, semi-pro, or home hobbyist? We had some world class collectors on the old GbL. Two who come to mind are Yamato and Josey Wales. I think Yamato had over 100 G&L’s, and Josey Wales had about that many (not sure how many) including some really rare one’s, like a G200. He brought it to one of the Michigan Jam’s. I’d love to find one of those. I just wouldn’t want to pay for it! Every now and then you’ll see Josey Wales selling something on ebay. He had a PILE of G&L’s, and one was nicer than the last.

I can’t help but mention one of the custom built G&L’s from one of the Just-A-Jam’s. Does anyone have a picture of the Cajun Boy’s Sponge Bob Double Neck? Hilarious.

Me, I guess I’d classify myself a semi-pro since I get paid to gig, but I don’t make a living at it. I’m not comfortable with the word “pro” in that description, though. Hell, we’re a cover band playing bars and some outdoor festivals. I started playing with a band back in 1970, or so. Here we are, rockin’ the high school gym. I’m on the keyboards.


Got any old pictures of you gigging or playing? Post ‘em up so we can get a look at your mug when you were a kid!

NON-G&L TOPIC:
Get on your bad motor scooter and ride . . .
Let’s step totally away from music for this discussion. Being a Detroiter, I dig cars, and yes, I prefer Detroit iron. I know we have some real hippies around here who like that offshore stuff, and that’s ok. That’s what free markets are all about!

My current ride is a real economy vehicle . . . an F150 Super Crew Cab with a 6.5 foot bed. I ordered mine with the Ecoboost engine. Great power, but I don’t think the mileage is all that much better than the V8. Here it is. My friends at Ford call this color, “Old Man Buick Tan”. Personally, I like it because the dirt doesn’t show. I guess that makes me an old man!


My wife drives an Envoy, and while it’s a smaller vehicle compared to the F150, I’d like to get a car as a 3rd vehicle because there are times when a truck just isn’t the best choice. That day will come . . . eventually. I wish I had a 3-car garage, but that won’t happen any time soon, either!

So, what’s your ride of choice? Got a dream car in your sights? Were you into muscle cars as a kid? Do you long for a purple ’71 Challenger?

Thanks to Craig for the honor of being the Lunch Reporter this week. It’s been a lot of fun and I appreciate all the responses. I'll give a final tip of the hat to Dave McLaren, too. Not sure if Darth hangs here very much any more, but we used to see him on the GbL fairly frequently. I'm sure he's busy, especially since G&L is coming out with new gear on a fairly regular basis. Dave's a real prince of a guy and he came to my aid (and plenty of others) on a regular basis.

Well, that's it for this week, guys. I'm off to the golf course in a while, so I may not respond till later tonight. Again, thanks to Jay for stepping up as next week's Lunch Reporter. I’m looking forward to seeing what Jay has in store.

Ches

[Sprinter 92]

What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?

My other hobbies are riding ATV's and sprint car racing. I've been a crew member with a team for 20 years. That team is currently sidelined due to engine issues. I was preparing to start helping another team. Unfortunately the guy I was going to help was killed two weeks ago at Valley Speedway.

G&L TOPIC:
Are you a collector, professional musician, semi-pro, or home hobbyist?

I'm a collector and home hobbyist. Playing in a band has never appealed to me.

NON-G&L TOPIC:
So, what’s your ride of choice? Got a dream car in your sights? Were you into muscle cars as a kid? Do you long for a purple ’71 Challenger?

My ride of choice is always a truck. I'm a big Chevy/GMC and Dodge, Ram fan. My current truck is a 2012 Chevrolet 1500 LTZ extended cab with a 403hp 6.2 liter engine. I was into muscle cars as a kid. As I get older I'm finding that I like even older cars. I've become a big fan of cars from the 20's and 30's.


Nice job this week Ches!


Sprinter 92

[louis cyfer]

i have a few hobbies. cat and dog rescue, body building, photography, ping pong, water polo, dog training, motorcycle riding, martial arts (muay thai), weapons (swords and bows mainly, but also guns and doing some snake whip lately), period costume dressing, married women, just to name a few.

as far as music, i am just a player. not a collector and not a professional.

as far as cars, i do not care what it is. i will not spend more than a grand on a car. when it breaks down i buy another one. that is it. i usually stay ahead, i buy one if i find a good deal and park it until i need it. i have a 93 corolla with 250k miles and still runs great. also have an accord and a jag xj8, but that one needs a timing chain and i am not sure if i want to do that or just get rid of it as is. i love motorcycles though, it is the way to go to get performance on the cheap. you can get 2.5 sec 0-60, 9 second quarter mile, 200+ top speed for 5-6k.

[Ches]

My other hobbies are riding ATV's and sprint car racing. I've been a crew member with a team for 20 years. That team is currently sidelined due to engine issues. I was preparing to start helping another team. Unfortunately the guy I was going to help was killed two weeks ago at Valley Speedway.
What a shame! That's got to be a pretty rare occurrence, isn't it?

I'm a collector and home hobbyist. Playing in a band has never appealed to me.
There are plenty of times it doesn't appeal to me, either. Like when I'm carrying the PA to my basement at 3:30 am!


My ride of choice is always a truck. I'm a big Chevy/GMC and Dodge, Ram fan. My current truck is a 2012 Chevrolet 1500 LTZ extended cab with a 403hp 6.2 liter engine. I was into muscle cars as a kid. As I get older I'm finding that I like even older cars. I've become a big fan of cars from the 20's and 30's.
We have a few car shows here where the older rides are the focus. They sure made some elegant vehicles back then!

Nice job this week Ches!
Thanks, Sprinter. Glad you could post!

Got any sprint car action shots to share today????

[Ches]

i have a few hobbies. cat and dog rescue, body building, photography, ping pong, water polo, dog training, motorcycle riding, martial arts (muay thai), weapons (swords and bows mainly, but also guns and doing some snake whip lately), period costume dressing, married women, just to name a few.

as far as music, i am just a player. not a collector and not a professional.

as far as cars, i do not care what it is. i will not spend more than a grand on a car. when it breaks down i buy another one. that is it. i usually stay ahead, i buy one if i find a good deal and park it until i need it. i have a 93 corolla with 250k miles and still runs great. also have an accord and a jag xj8, but that one needs a timing chain and i am not sure if i want to do that or just get rid of it as is. i love motorcycles though, it is the way to go to get performance on the cheap. you can get 2.5 sec 0-60, 9 second quarter mile, 200+ top speed for 5-6k.

Fascinating list of hobbies. You certainly have enough there to keep you busy!

[Jaystrings]

Unapologetically, I'm a home hobbyist with a 1995 Maxima, a 1997 Chevy longbed Cheyenne truck, & a 1999 Acura. Nothing from this millineum except 2 kiyaks. Now, when it comes to the geetar business, I'm a home hobbyist with an oversized collection that needs a few strings changes - some never get the fondling they truly deserve. For the last 2 years I've been moving some out & replacing with more expensive ones that should appreciate. My most recent purty thang was a 1962 Gibson ES-125TDE that left with me at the last Michigan jam.

I'm gonna make your day, Ches. Although this particular guitar didn't exactly appeal to me, I did keep an image of it & its proud owner, the unique Mr. Cajun Boy:


Great job this week. Enjoy that golf.

Jay

[Aussie]

Hey Ches.
Good to see you and a few of the old-boarders back this week! Haven't had much time to participate this year but its a quiet Friday night here so I'm catching up on some G&LDP postings. Some interesting reading in this weeks LRs.

What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?

Not much time for anything thase days but I manage to stay sane with the music and my other interset in Video production.

Got any old pictures of you gigging or playing? Post ‘em up so we can get a look at your mug when you were a kid

A press clipping from one of many side projects way back when LOL ....

So, what’s your ride of choice?

Work provides a Toyota Aurion which is a nice, solid vehicle. "Our" car is a HSV Grange which I love more than anything I've had to date. And I still have an old Nissan Pintara that we bought new about 25 years ago - its currently being driven by my youngest son.

I've enjoyed reading this weeks discussions and hope you'll be sticking around. :Looking forward to hearing from Jay next week also.

cheers, RObbie

[Ches]

Unapologetically, I'm a home hobbyist with a 1995 Maxima, a 1997 Chevy longbed Cheyenne truck, & a 1999 Acura. Nothing from this millineum except 2 kiyaks. Now, when it comes to the geetar business, I'm a home hobbyist with an oversized collection that needs a few strings changes - some never get the fondling they truly deserve. For the last 2 years I've been moving some out & replacing with more expensive ones that should appreciate. My most recent purty thang was a 1962 Gibson ES-125TDE that left with me at the last Michigan jam.

I'm gonna make your day, Ches. Although this particular guitar didn't exactly appeal to me, I did keep an image of it & its proud owner, the unique Mr. Cajun Boy:


Great job this week. Enjoy that golf.

Jay

No need to apologize for being a home hobbyist. I'm more of a home hobbyist than a semi-gigging bar cover band dude, and that's ok.

That 125 is a nice, nice guitar.

Thanks for the picture. Not my overall design favorite, but it kind of represents a little corner of what the old GbL was like. We had some real characters!

Thanks for the props, and I'm getting ready to go tee it up!

[Ches]

Hey Ches.
Good to see you and a few of the old-boarders back this week! Haven't had much time to participate this year but its a quiet Friday night here so I'm catching up on some G&LDP postings. Some interesting reading in this weeks LRs.

What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?

Not much time for anything thase days but I manage to stay sane with the music and my other interset in Video production.

Got any old pictures of you gigging or playing? Post ‘em up so we can get a look at your mug when you were a kid

A press clipping from one of many side projects way back when LOL ....

So, what’s your ride of choice?

Work provides a Toyota Aurion which is a nice, solid vehicle. "Our" car is a HSV Grange which I love more than anything I've had to date. And I still have an old Nissan Pintara that we bought new about 25 years ago - its currently being driven by my youngest son.

I've enjoyed reading this weeks discussions and hope you'll be sticking around. :Looking forward to hearing from Jay next week also.

cheers, RObbie

Hey Robbie!
I'm glad you liked the LR's this week. We had some interesting responses!

Nice hair, dude!!

Company cars are the best!

Thanks for stopping by and posting. Hopefully, we can get more old timers to come back for a visit!
Brian

[sickbutnottired]

It's easy for me to pickup hobbies. I consciously killed a few about 4 years back, and golf didn't make the cut for me.

I love all things mechanical. I shoot and hunt, but not avidly. I fish, poorly. I drive old crappy vehicles so I do a lot of vehicle maintenance. Together my wife and I have taken up camping, MT is camping paradise 4 1/2 months a year. I am just taking up open canoeing to go with the camping. Then I play music.

I consider myself semi-pro, but have not been gigging much. Like Ches said, I am a little uncomfortable with 'pro' part of that. But I always try to provide as high quality show as I can. We rehearse, and try and entertain people. We are on-time, and sober, and do what we say. So I am proud of that kinda being 'pro'.

One thing I love about guitar as a hobby, is that I feel that I can play at a high-level(ish) for a long time. I am 35, and definitely feel that I can make better music in the next 20 years than I have in the past 20 years.

Cars.....I got rear-ended. Killing my daily driver, a Hyundai Elantra. So now I am driving my toy hauler and work truck, a 2002 3/4 ton crew cab, long box Chevrolet. I am shopping for a new daily (and saving money). Kinda leaning toward breaking down and getting a new rig-a Toyota Tacoma appeals to me. We will see.

I am speechless about a sponge bob guitar.

[bassman]

What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?

I try to make time for my bicycle and I sort of collect old tube radios, although they are getting hard to find for good prices. I am pretty busy just dealing with house maintenance issues to have time for my hobbies. I just redid 2 bathrooms and finished a kitchen renovation. Whew!

Are you a collector, professional musician, semi-pro, or home hobbyist?

I am not a real collector although I have a good arsenal of guitars and basses. I really am after the sounds they create more than the guitars or basses themselves. I have fun finding the cheapest bass that has the best tone when I go to Guitar Center or my favorite used music store- Atomic Music. I guess I am a semi-pro, since I gig regularly with two bands and a church folk group.

Got any old pictures of you gigging or playing? Post ‘em up so we can get a look at your mug when you were a kid!

I actually have one from 1975 but I have to scan it or just take a picture of it sometime.
It is my band playing at a local Chevrolet dealer (Loving Chevrolet)on the day they introduced the Chevette!
Unfortunately, the dealership no longer exists but its a great picture of me playing my 1966 Precision Bass.
More recent pictures are available courtesy of Zapcosongs( Ed Zolt) who has graciously come out to hear my band RAGs and he has taken a few shots that are among the best of the band.
For instance, Here I am playing my G$L Lynx bass, which is one of the few that has a maple fingerboard:

This is a shot of a RAGs out door show featuring Brittanie who is a great vocalist and I am playing my Tribute L-2000:


What do I drive?

I drive a 1997 Ford Ranger with only 90000 miles on it. I have been using it sparingly for over 11 years but its now my daily driver since I lost another Toyota Camry. My daughter was rear-ended into a school bus. Oww! That totaled that car so my 4 cylinder days are on hold until my daughter buys a new car.

I hope all of you have a great weekend and good job on the Lunch reports Ches!

[glvourot]

Hi Ches, great Lunch reports this week.

Besides music , Golf has reappeared as a hobby of mine. I played yesterday for the first time in a long while. I had a few good holes but it was one of the worst rounds I have played in years. I had fun though and I look foward to getting back to where I was playing wise.

I do play bass in a band which is named " The Sun's Horse " . Our guitarist's first name is Sun, but that was a coincidence ( go figure ). And since I play bass in this band I am always torn when I get some time to practice, I usually play my guitars first then pick up the bass. I have an S-500 which has three tremolo springs thanks to you, an SC-2 and a Gretsch Corvette. Two basses and a nice Gibson acoustic round out my guitar collection. The only additions I see in the future is maybe a new bass and an electric with humbuckers. Oh yeah, and maybe a decent bass amp.... and so it goes.

I don't have any pictures of me playing that I know of.

Right now I drive a 2009 Rabbit. I really really like hot hatchbacks so I will looking hard at GTI's next summer. I could never drive a truck unless I needed it for a specific purpose. Gas is up to about 550 a gallon up in these parts ( 6 bucks for premium ). So that is a consideration when thinking about vehicles.

Have fun on the course !

[oneeyedog]

Hey Ches, great reports... I'm new to these but this and last weeks were great... most enjoyable
What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?
since I started the business up I dont have as much/anytime for hobbies! used to do Tai Chi , which I WILL get back to! I have to dogs which make me go for a walk each day which I love to do

my wife does cat rescue so i'm kinda involved too........... and we now have 4 chickens in the garden so free range eggs!



G&L TOPIC:
Are you a collector, professional musician, semi-pro, or home hobbyist?
def not a collector..... although I'd wouldn't say no! I'd love another couple of G&L's... US models, Legacy and Classic would no nicely....
I play in a band, we are just getting going again after personnel changes (!) , i'l post some stuff once its done. Wouldn't dare call myself pro!! Guitar owner , maybe



Got any old pictures of you gigging or playing? Post ‘em up so we can get a look at your mug when you were a kid!
didnt start until 6 years ago so no young uns!! this from 2006


So, what’s your ride of choice? Got a dream car in your sights? Were you into muscle cars as a kid? Do you long for a purple ’71 Challenger? I had a company car since 1985!! until January this year when I was made redundant. always fancied a BMW so thats what I have...

[Sprinter 92]

My other hobbies are riding ATV's and sprint car racing. I've been a crew member with a team for 20 years. That team is currently sidelined due to engine issues. I was preparing to start helping another team. Unfortunately the guy I was going to help was killed two weeks ago at Valley Speedway.
What a shame! That's got to be a pretty rare occurrence, isn't it?

I wish it was rare occurrence. It's not unusual lose a few drivers every year but it's slowly getting better. The HANS head restraint system and containment seats are two new safety devices that have made racing safer. The guy that died two weeks ago didn't use a head restraint system and had the same injury as Dale Earnhardt.

Got any sprint car action shots to share today????[/color]

Here's a couple of action shots:

This is Pennsylvania driver Logan Schuchart





This is Minnesota driver Craig Dollansky

[Ches]

It's easy for me to pickup hobbies. I consciously killed a few about 4 years back, and golf didn't make the cut for me.

I love all things mechanical. I shoot and hunt, but not avidly. I fish, poorly. I drive old crappy vehicles so I do a lot of vehicle maintenance. Together my wife and I have taken up camping, MT is camping paradise 4 1/2 months a year. I am just taking up open canoeing to go with the camping. Then I play music.

I consider myself semi-pro, but have not been gigging much. Like Ches said, I am a little uncomfortable with 'pro' part of that. But I always try to provide as high quality show as I can. We rehearse, and try and entertain people. We are on-time, and sober, and do what we say. So I am proud of that kinda being 'pro'.

One thing I love about guitar as a hobby, is that I feel that I can play at a high-level(ish) for a long time. I am 35, and definitely feel that I can make better music in the next 20 years than I have in the past 20 years.

Cars.....I got rear-ended. Killing my daily driver, a Hyundai Elantra. So now I am driving my toy hauler and work truck, a 2002 3/4 ton crew cab, long box Chevrolet. I am shopping for a new daily (and saving money). Kinda leaning toward breaking down and getting a new rig-a Toyota Tacoma appeals to me. We will see.

I am speechless about a sponge bob guitar.

I LOVE Montana! We took a family trip to Jackson Hole, WY about 10 years ago. Jackson Hole is one of my favorite places on the planet, but we took a side trip to MT. Beautiful, beautiful place. I'd like to spend more time there.

You and I are on the same wave length when it comes to the "pro" part. Our band is like yours - we're sober, well rehearsed, entertaining, and we have a solid set list. I'll call our band "professional", but I'm reluctant to use that word referring to myself.

Toyota builds a great vehicle. It'd be a good replacement for the Elantra. Although, a long box Chevy is a winner in my book!

That Sponge Bob guitar is nuts, isn't it?!

[Ches]

I try to make time for my bicycle and I sort of collect old tube radios, although they are getting hard to find for good prices. I am pretty busy just dealing with house maintenance issues to have time for my hobbies. I just redid 2 bathrooms and finished a kitchen renovation. Whew!

Hey Bill! I need to get back on my bike. Maybe I'll use your comment to get me motivated again. I'm also going to mention to my wife that you redid a couple bathrooms and a kitchen. If a 58 year old, 5' 2" blonde kidnaps you and drives you to Michigan, just fix up the kitchen and everything will be fine! The beer is in the fridge downstairs.

I am not a real collector although I have a good arsenal of guitars and basses. I really am after the sounds they create more than the guitars or basses themselves. I have fun finding the cheapest bass that has the best tone when I go to Guitar Center or my favorite used music store- Atomic Music. I guess I am a semi-pro, since I gig regularly with two bands and a church folk group.

You are definitely a semi-pro, or pro. Guys rave about how good your band is, and I trust Ed's opinion on music, and pretty much everything else!

I actually have one from 1975 but I have to scan it or just take a picture of it sometime.
It is my band playing at a local Chevrolet dealer (Loving Chevrolet)on the day they introduced the Chevette!
Unfortunately, the dealership no longer exists but its a great picture of me playing my 1966 Precision Bass.
More recent pictures are available courtesy of Zapcosongs( Ed Zolt) who has graciously come out to hear my band RAGs and he has taken a few shots that are among the best of the band.

You need to scan that picture! Nice shots of your recent gigs. I've never met Ed, but he seems like a heck of a nice guy. Come to think of it, so do you!

I drive a 1997 Ford Ranger with only 90000 miles on it. I have been using it sparingly for over 11 years but its now my daily driver since I lost another Toyota Camry. My daughter was rear-ended into a school bus. Oww! That totaled that car so my 4 cylinder days are on hold until my daughter buys a new car.

I hope all of you have a great weekend and good job on the Lunch reports Ches!

Yikes . . . we've got a few accidents in our group! Hope your daughter is ok.

Thanks for participating, and I'm glad you enjoyed the LR's!

[Ches]

Hi Ches, great Lunch reports this week.

Besides music , Golf has reappeared as a hobby of mine. I played yesterday for the first time in a long while. I had a few good holes but it was one of the worst rounds I have played in years. I had fun though and I look foward to getting back to where I was playing wise.

I do play bass in a band which is named " The Sun's Horse " . Our guitarist's first name is Sun, but that was a coincidence ( go figure ). And since I play bass in this band I am always torn when I get some time to practice, I usually play my guitars first then pick up the bass. I have an S-500 which has three tremolo springs thanks to you, an SC-2 and a Gretsch Corvette. Two basses and a nice Gibson acoustic round out my guitar collection. The only additions I see in the future is maybe a new bass and an electric with humbuckers. Oh yeah, and maybe a decent bass amp.... and so it goes.

I don't have any pictures of me playing that I know of.

Right now I drive a 2009 Rabbit. I really really like hot hatchbacks so I will looking hard at GTI's next summer. I could never drive a truck unless I needed it for a specific purpose. Gas is up to about 550 a gallon up in these parts ( 6 bucks for premium ). So that is a consideration when thinking about vehicles.

Have fun on the course !

Glad you liked the lunch reports, and thanks for joining in!

Golf is an interesting, and at times, a very frustrating game. Hope you get back into the swing of things! Today was frustrating. I hope tomorrow will be better!

Wow, I forgot I sent you a spring! Thanks for remembering! You should get some shots of the band gigging. The guys like seeing each other up on stage!

VW is making some nice vehicles, and I agree on the truck thing. If I didn't have to haul equipment around, I'd rather have something smaller!

[Ches]

Hey Ches, great reports... I'm new to these but this and last weeks were great... most enjoyable

Thanks! The lunch report is a good way for all of us to get to know each other. Glad you participated.

used to do Tai Chi , which I WILL get back to! I have to dogs which make me go for a walk each day which I love to do
my wife does cat rescue so i'm kinda involved too........... and we now have 4 chickens in the garden so free range eggs!

You're like Dr. Doolittle! Dogs, cats, and free range chickens! You might need that Tai Chi to unwind!

G&L TOPIC:
Are you a collector, professional musician, semi-pro, or home hobbyist?

def not a collector..... although I'd wouldn't say no! I'd love another couple of G&L's... US models, Legacy and Classic would no nicely....
I play in a band, we are just getting going again after personnel changes (!) , i'l post some stuff once its done. Wouldn't dare call myself pro!! Guitar owner , maybe

My wife says a "collection" is when you have three or more of something. There's our target!

Personnel changes in a band can be a bit rough. We've gone through a few. It can be a little unnerving, but it all works out in the end. If you guys are playing for money, you're a semi-pro!


Got any old pictures of you gigging or playing? Post ‘em up so we can get a look at your mug when you were a kid!

didnt start until 6 years ago so no young uns!! this from 2006

I got back into it after a 25 year break. Glad I did, and I bet you're glad you got started - late or not! It's a hell of a lot of fun!

I had a company car since 1985!! until January this year when I was made redundant. always fancied a BMW so thats what I have...

BMW's are SWEET! My brother in law has one. What a great car!

Thanks for participating!

[Ches]

I wish it was rare occurrence. It's not unusual lose a few drivers every year but it's slowly getting better. The HANS head restraint system and containment seats are two new safety devices that have made racing safer. The guy that died two weeks ago didn't use a head restraint system and had the same injury as Dale Earnhardt.

I guess I didn't think sprint cars had the degree of injuries as stock and indy cars. Not sure why since the guys are flying around a dirt track and have the same risks as the guys we see on TV. I wonder if they'll make the head restraint system a requirement?

Thanks for posting the action shots. I always enjoyed seeing them!

Thanks for posting this week. It was good to hear from you.
Brian

[blargfromouterspace]

I wish I had the money for other hobbies. I'd love to hunt - deer and ducks. Me and my girlfriend are planning on moving to the country some day in the next few years, it'll have to wait until then.

I guess I'm semi pro too. I get paid for playing but don't (couldnt?) make a living out of it. I love playing in bands, its great fun. A friend recently took a bunch of photos of us at a gig he was also playing at, and managed to make us all look very nice - almost like professionals! He's a pro photographer, and this is buy far the best photo of myself I've ever seen



I drive an older Toyota Corolla. It's 1.8L automatic - it's totally gutless but does the job of getting me from place to place. Once I'm through with uni I'll get myself a proper car. Dream car? Easy. HT Monaro


Thanks for a great week Ches, hope to see you around a bit more

[Ches]

I wish I had the money for other hobbies. I'd love to hunt - deer and ducks. Me and my girlfriend are planning on moving to the country some day in the next few years, it'll have to wait until then.

I guess I'm semi pro too. I get paid for playing but don't (couldnt?) make a living out of it. I love playing in bands, its great fun. A friend recently took a bunch of photos of us at a gig he was also playing at, and managed to make us all look very nice - almost like professionals! He's a pro photographer, and this is buy far the best photo of myself I've ever seen



I drive an older Toyota Corolla. It's 1.8L automatic - it's totally gutless but does the job of getting me from place to place. Once I'm through with uni I'll get myself a proper car. Dream car? Easy. HT Monaro


Thanks for a great week Ches, hope to see you around a bit more

I really enjoyed hunting. Hope you get the chance to give it a go.

That's a great picture! It helps to have a good photographer who will take the time to get some good shots. My gig pictures are usually taken by one of my sons after he's had a few too many!

I had to google HT Monaro. Cool car! From the little bit I read, it looks like Holden was an Aussie division of GM. I had a Chevy Malibu with that 350 V8 (might be the same block as the Monaro) but unfortunately it had a 2 bbl carb. Not that great off the line, but a good cruising car. I'm guessing the Monaro with the hood stripes had a big V8 and a 4 bbl carb. I bet it flew!

Thanks for joining in!

[louis cyfer]

i highly disagree with people hunting with guns, but i am all for people hunting with a good bowie knife. make it a fair fight. i think a lot of the brave hunters roaming the forest with high powered rifles would choose to bravely sit on the couch instead of hunting if that was the way they had to. i am kind of ok with bow hunting, but not with a compound bow.

here is a pic from about 12 years ago playing.



this is a few years ago



and the pic from last october that made me decide to get back into shape.

[Ches]

i highly disagree with people hunting with guns, but i am all for people hunting with a good bowie knife. make it a fair fight. i think a lot of the brave hunters roaming the forest with high powered rifles would choose to bravely sit on the couch instead of hunting if that was the way they had to. i am kind of ok with bow hunting, but not with a compound bow.

I think it's safe to say there are a lot of hunters who are glad you're not in charge of the DNR.

[KenC]

So, what’s your ride of choice? Got a dream car in your sights? Were you into muscle cars as a kid? Do you long for a purple ’71 Challenger?

I'm driving a 2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen diesel. It's surprisingly comfortable, handles nicely, and gets well over 40 mpg even in DC traffic. I hope to get at least 200K miles out of it, like my previous Jetta. The last car I owned before the diesel was a '99 Subaru Forrester. I loved that car right up to 100K miles, when everything started falling apart. I had high hopes it was going to reach 200K, but then everything started going at once on the drivetrain (coincidentally right after the drivetrain warranty expired).

The first car I ever bought was a purple '72 Matador. It was really sweet when it wasn't moving. In motion, every part of that car rattled. I can't complain though. I paid $200 for it (this was in '84), drove the **** out of it, and got $500 as a trade-in three years later. The only time it ever left me stranded was in front of an ex-girlfriend's apartment, on the day I broke up with her. It was a bit awkward standing out there waiting for a tow truck. When the tow truck finally got there the driver (who was a family friend) popped the hood and smacked something three or four times with a rubber mallet. The Matador started right up and I had no more problems for the next year that I owned it.

What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?

Not a whole lot right now, especially with my job's demands. I did just get a touring kayak last weekend, and have had one very enjoyable paddle on one of the creeks that surround my neighborhood. The kayak is large enough (14.5') to handle bigger water, so my goal for the summer is to learn to handle the Severn River and maybe venture into the Chesapeake Bay. My oldest son is also learning to paddle, so I'm really looking forward to sharing this hobby with him.

Are you a collector, professional musician, semi-pro, or home hobbyist?

I'd call myself a hobbyist on electric bass and guitar, as all of my post-college gigging experience has been on the string bass. I definitely wouldn't consider myself semi-pro on the string bass though, as I can't come close to all of the conservatory-trained bassists out there. I would call myself an emerging collector at this point. Two years ago I had one G&L, but now the total is well over a dozen and destined to increase. I admire recent G&Ls, but it's the Leo-era stuff that gives me GAS. Several of my instruments are rarebirds, and a lot of the others are first-year production for their models. I guess that's kind of collector-y.

Ken

[zapcosongs]

DNR. Do not resuscitate? If the bear wins, so be it. I'm with Louis here. Target shooting is great. But if you're after other life forms, make it fair - unless be hungry and use everything you kill.

Another great day, Ches. Hope the wonderful response(s) you've gotten causes you to stick around and be regular. And I can vouch for a heaping teaspoon of Metamucil when it comes to regularity. Ha!

Old photos: I only have two and I've posted both in the last year or so, but you asked and they are all they have. Forgive me if you're reading this and are tired of them.

1977, High School Stage Band. I was seventeen. I'm the moron with the refinished '66 Jag that was stolen months after this was taken:


This is about three years later, doing original songs with my brother at a Coffeehouse at our college:

I'm the moron with the facial fuzz.

Regarding cars, I drive a "Sport" trimmed Corolla manufactured three or four years ago. My wife drives a Lexus RX 330 from 2004 that she bought used. I used to have a thing for a Mach 1 Mustang, 1972. Then I fell in love with a college buddy's Shelby Cobra. But I think that if I ever strike it modestly rich, I want an Audi. So sue me. Ha! - ed PS: '69 Chargers sometimes make me turbid.

[zapcosongs]

Oh, hobbies.....

I like to fish and to grow flowers and vegetables. Also, I'm a news junkie. And (not coincidentally) a moron - in case I haven't mentioned that. Also, I've written a song or three, though I still can't play worth cr*p! - ed

[louis cyfer]

i highly disagree with people hunting with guns, but i am all for people hunting with a good bowie knife. make it a fair fight. i think a lot of the brave hunters roaming the forest with high powered rifles would choose to bravely sit on the couch instead of hunting if that was the way they had to. i am kind of ok with bow hunting, but not with a compound bow.

I think it's safe to say there are a lot of hunters who are glad you're not in charge of the DNR.

i am sure they are. to me hunting is a sport, and that denotes some fair fight. killing animals with guns is just that. not hunting. it's just slaughter.

[Ches]

So, what’s your ride of choice? Got a dream car in your sights? Were you into muscle cars as a kid? Do you long for a purple ’71 Challenger?

I'm driving a 2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen diesel. It's surprisingly comfortable, handles nicely, and gets well over 40 mpg even in DC traffic. I hope to get at least 200K miles out of it, like my previous Jetta. The last car I owned before the diesel was a '99 Subaru Forrester. I loved that car right up to 100K miles, when everything started falling apart. I had high hopes it was going to reach 200K, but then everything started going at once on the drivetrain (coincidentally right after the drivetrain warranty expired).

The first car I ever bought was a purple '72 Matador. It was really sweet when it wasn't moving. In motion, every part of that car rattled. I can't complain though. I paid $200 for it (this was in '84), drove the **** out of it, and got $500 as a trade-in three years later. The only time it ever left me stranded was in front of an ex-girlfriend's apartment, on the day I broke up with her. It was a bit awkward standing out there waiting for a tow truck. When the tow truck finally got there the driver (who was a family friend) popped the hood and smacked something three or four times with a rubber mallet. The Matador started right up and I had no more problems for the next year that I owned it.

What other hobbies do you have besides guitars and music?

Not a whole lot right now, especially with my job's demands. I did just get a touring kayak last weekend, and have had one very enjoyable paddle on one of the creeks that surround my neighborhood. The kayak is large enough (14.5') to handle bigger water, so my goal for the summer is to learn to handle the Severn River and maybe venture into the Chesapeake Bay. My oldest son is also learning to paddle, so I'm really looking forward to sharing this hobby with him.

Are you a collector, professional musician, semi-pro, or home hobbyist?

I'd call myself a hobbyist on electric bass and guitar, as all of my post-college gigging experience has been on the string bass. I definitely wouldn't consider myself semi-pro on the string bass though, as I can't come close to all of the conservatory-trained bassists out there. I would call myself an emerging collector at this point. Two years ago I had one G&L, but now the total is well over a dozen and destined to increase. I admire recent G&Ls, but it's the Leo-era stuff that gives me GAS. Several of my instruments are rarebirds, and a lot of the others are first-year production for their models. I guess that's kind of collector-y.

Ken

40 mpg is fantastic, especially in city traffic, and VW builds a good car. I think you could get 200k out of Jetta, no problem. As for a Matador, not so much, but purple was a hot color for American Motors back then. I think back to the cars we all drove back then, and if you dropped $500, you got yourself a sweet ride!

My next door neighbor kayaks. I bet it's fun, but I'd want a pile of training on how to flip that sucker back over if I find myself upside down!

The Leo Era gear still has a solid following, but I don't see it for sale as often as I used to. I wonder if more collectors are getting their hands on them and they just aren't on the market as much? Good for you if that's the case!

Thanks for joining in this week!

[Ches]

DNR. Do not resuscitate? If the bear wins, so be it. I'm with Louis here. Target shooting is great. But if you're after other life forms, make it fair - unless be hungry and use everything you kill.

Another great day, Ches. Hope the wonderful response(s) you've gotten causes you to stick around and be regular. And I can vouch for a heaping teaspoon of Metamucil when it comes to regularity. Ha!

Old photos: I only have two and I've posted both in the last year or so, but you asked and they are all they have. Forgive me if you're reading this and are tired of them.

1977, High School Stage Band. I was seventeen. I'm the moron with the refinished '66 Jag that was stolen months after this was taken:


This is about three years later, doing original songs with my brother at a Coffeehouse at our college:

I'm the moron with the facial fuzz.

Regarding cars, I drive a "Sport" trimmed Corolla manufactured three or four years ago. My wife drives a Lexus RX 330 from 2004 that she bought used. I used to have a thing for a Mach 1 Mustang, 1972. Then I fell in love with a college buddy's Shelby Cobra. But I think that if I ever strike it modestly rich, I want an Audi. So sue me. Ha! - ed PS: '69 Chargers sometimes make me turbid.

Great pics, Ed! That's too bad about the Jag. You never got that back, did you?

I'm with you on the Mach 1. I wanted one, and thought about it several years ago, but prices are through the roof on those if they're in good shape. As for Shelby Cobra's . . . I need to hit the lottery!

[Ches]

Oh, hobbies.....

I like to fish . . . . - ed

I hope you aren't using bait, hooks, poles. That's not much of a fair fight.

[Ches]

i highly disagree with people hunting with guns, but i am all for people hunting with a good bowie knife. make it a fair fight. i think a lot of the brave hunters roaming the forest with high powered rifles would choose to bravely sit on the couch instead of hunting if that was the way they had to. i am kind of ok with bow hunting, but not with a compound bow.

I think it's safe to say there are a lot of hunters who are glad you're not in charge of the DNR.

i am sure they are. to me hunting is a sport, and that denotes some fair fight. killing animals with guns is just that. not hunting. it's just slaughter.

I have too much respect for the animal to slowly kill it by hitting it with a rock and stabbing it to death repeatedly with a sharp stick. That's torture, and that method of "hunting" would leave countless injured animals to escape only to die a slow death. It would also be deemed inhumane by just about everyone on both sides of the hunting argument. Put a video on the 6:00 news with a trapped deer surrounded by "modern cave men", stoning, beating, and stabbing the deer repeatedly as it's legs break, eyes gets gouged out, with blood spurting out of it's mouth and wounds, and tell me the phones wouldn't ring off the hook. Even the anti-hunters would agree guns are more humane.

[zapcosongs]

Oh, hobbies.....

I like to fish . . . . - ed

I hope you aren't using bait, hooks, poles. That's not much of a fair fight.

LOL! You may have a point here, Bri. Still, the fish has a choice as to whether or not it wants to bite. Also, I always practice catch and release. Once you pump hot lead into a warm-blooded creature, it's kind of hard to let it resume its life.... - ed

[meowmix]

Hi all.

Been busy. It is summertime and all.
My other hobby is DIY and fishing.


We recently had a wide open bite. Louis wouldn't like the fish because it was too easy to catch. Not much game to it.
Not to mention it is high in FAT!!!



I am a @ home player. I prefer a full size bed + shell on my truck. That way I can setup cot, and sleep just about anywhere.

Kind of hard hunting quail with bow. Give me a gun please.

[louis cyfer]

i highly disagree with people hunting with guns, but i am all for people hunting with a good bowie knife. make it a fair fight. i think a lot of the brave hunters roaming the forest with high powered rifles would choose to bravely sit on the couch instead of hunting if that was the way they had to. i am kind of ok with bow hunting, but not with a compound bow.

I think it's safe to say there are a lot of hunters who are glad you're not in charge of the DNR.

i am sure they are. to me hunting is a sport, and that denotes some fair fight. killing animals with guns is just that. not hunting. it's just slaughter.

I have too much respect for the animal to slowly kill it by hitting it with a rock and stabbing it to death repeatedly with a sharp stick. That's torture, and that method of "hunting" would leave countless injured animals to escape only to die a slow death. It would also be deemed inhumane by just about everyone on both sides of the hunting argument. Put a video on the 6:00 news with a trapped deer surrounded by "modern cave men", stoning, beating, and stabbing the deer repeatedly as it's legs break, eyes gets gouged out, with blood spurting out of it's mouth and wounds, and tell me the phones wouldn't ring off the hook. Even the anti-hunters would agree guns are more humane.

i didn't say anything like that. i said a bowie knife. that is a very quick and kind kill. by a skilled person that is. and an unskilled person wouldn't have a hope of getting close to an animal to be able to hurt them. that is my point, it should require skill, bravery, and a fair chance, and like other predators, getting in close contact with the prey. i also didn't suggest trapping, or a group of people surrounding anything. that is misrepresenting what i am talking about, or just simply misunderstanding it. meow made my point perfectly. it's hard with a bow, give me a gun. if it required actual skill, and close contact with wild animals, the number of brave hunters roaming the forest in their camo gear would plummet greatly, and the number of animals getting injured would be very small.

[Elwood]

....with a trapped deer surrounded by "modern cave men", stoning, beating, and stabbing the deer repeatedly as it's legs break, eyes gets gouged out, with blood spurting out of it's mouth and wounds, and tell me the phones wouldn't ring off the hook.

Sounds like bull-fighting. How come in your scenario there's all of a sudden "men" against a single animal?
To keep with the 'sport' analogy, that would seem to be to an 'overteamed' situation.

In Golf there are handicaps, do you consider making it a fair fight with the same sort of chance as losing
as the animal? and with the same fate? ...if so then that is approaching what I might consider a sport.

In sport, don't both contenders agree to participate and behave within agreed rules.
Now I know we can't spell things out with animals like we can with humans , but hitting them with a projectile they never saw coming doesn't seem too sporting to me.

I don't think there are any legal sports that end with death as an expected outcome.

Playing frisbee with dogs is a good sport to play with animals.
...not so much with the cats

take care,
[youtube]86cwNhCNdU0[/youtube]

[Ches]

I assume all you righteous people who condemn hunting are PURE vegetarians - as in grow your own food and don't harm any burrowing animals with mechanized farm implements. If you eat store bought meat, your argument has absolutely no merit. The animals you eat are treated worse than any game animal taken by a hunter. If you buy store bought vegetables, your diet includes killing burrowing animals.

[Sprinter 92]

i highly disagree with people hunting with guns, but i am all for people hunting with a good bowie knife. make it a fair fight. i think a lot of the brave hunters roaming the forest with high powered rifles would choose to bravely sit on the couch instead of hunting if that was the way they had to. i am kind of ok with bow hunting, but not with a compound bow.

Hunting is a necessity here in the Midwest. The deer and turkey populations are too high. If you drive a car in this area long enough you will eventually hit a deer. The roads in this area are littered with dead deer. I know very few people who haven't hit one. I believe we need to shoot and kill more of the damn things.

Sprinter 92

[louis cyfer]

i highly disagree with people hunting with guns, but i am all for people hunting with a good bowie knife. make it a fair fight. i think a lot of the brave hunters roaming the forest with high powered rifles would choose to bravely sit on the couch instead of hunting if that was the way they had to. i am kind of ok with bow hunting, but not with a compound bow.

Hunting is a necessity here in the Midwest. The deer and turkey populations are too high. If you drive a car in this area long enough you will eventually hit a deer. The roads in this area are littered with dead deer. I know very few people who haven't hit one. I believe we need to shoot and kill more of the damn things.

Sprinter 92

population control can be a valid reason, but don't call it hunting then. it's just killing. killing can be justified.

[louis cyfer]

I assume all you righteous people who condemn hunting are PURE vegetarians - as in grow your own food and don't harm any burrowing animals with mechanized farm implements. If you eat store bought meat, your argument has absolutely no merit. The animals you eat are treated worse than any game animal taken by a hunter. If you buy store bought vegetables, your diet includes killing burrowing animals.

killing animals for food is one thing. predators in nature have a pretty low success rate. 10% or so on getting their prey.

[Elwood]

I assume all you righteous people who condemn hunting are PURE vegetarians

I didn't mean to be pigeon holed as righteous, I was trying to point out the fallacy of calling hunting
Sport .
I'm Vegan and I do whatever I can to keep my needs from feeding any caged creature industry,
My impact is low but not non-existent. Just because we can't completely eliminate all the incidental
suffering with our present system doesn't mean we should stop trying to find improvements and throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Where would G&L's be today if Leo didn't keep stirring the pot?
(see what I did there?)

VegWood

[blargfromouterspace]

Thats a nice haul there Meow

If you buy store bought vegetables, your diet includes killing burrowing animals.

Absolutely. All machine harvested vegetables and fruits kill a lot of animals - frogs, birds, rodents.

I don't think of hunting or fishing as a sport at all. I want to hunt/fish for food, not just to kill something. For me it'd be like going shopping in the forest. Shopping is definitely not a sport, therefore hunting is not a sport. The hunting 'scene' is not something I'd ever want to be a part of.

EDIT: Better add that I don't think hunting is cruel. High density feed-lot meat production is cruel. Foie gras tastes fantastic. Fur coats look good.

[Ches]

I assume all you righteous people who condemn hunting are PURE vegetarians - as in grow your own food and don't harm any burrowing animals with mechanized farm implements. If you eat store bought meat, your argument has absolutely no merit. The animals you eat are treated worse than any game animal taken by a hunter. If you buy store bought vegetables, your diet includes killing burrowing animals.

killing animals for food is one thing. predators in nature have a pretty low success rate. 10% or so on getting their prey.

Hunters kill for food in most cases. We're not just trophy hunters throwing a head on the wall. I stopped hunting because my sons moved out of the house. We could easily eat a deer in a matter of months, but since they moved out it takes me almost a year. Not worth the effort, and not worth taking that animals life.

Check the success rates of hunters in most States. Humans with weapons aren't much better than any other predator. One report puts natural predators at 10% to 20%. Human predators have a success rate in some States up to 40% - and that includes farmers killing dozens of deer on their farms. The real success rate in the wild is less.

Take one of those high powered rifles out in the woods and see if you can get close enough to shoot and adult deer. Take a shotgun and see if you can snap that gun up to your shoulder in a matter of seconds to shoot a grouse before it's long gone. My guess is you can't unless you've practiced. Real hunting is not like shooting penned animals. I was a damn good hunter, and I came home empty plenty of times because I didn't take risky shots and I don't take immature adults. I ate what I killed, and I made sure my sons grew up with the same mindset.

A true hunter doesn't kill what he doesn't plan to eat. A true hunter won't take a shot unless he's completely confident he can take the animal down with one shot. It's a poor excuse for a man who wounds wild game and lets it lie under some bush to die.

[zapcosongs]

I'm on the same page with you, Ches, as it turns out.

I'm not preachy at all about this issue. I value the freedoms we have here, and reasonable minds can and do differ on lots of things.

It's funny. I took my kayak out last night with one jig and I caught a mess of fish, putting them all back.

Tonight I went out again and didn't land a single fish. It's mysteries like this that keep me trying the waters. There's some rhythm to it, but after many years, it still escapes me.

My favorite book as a young kid was McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss. It gave me a great sense of wonder and kind of opened my mind to infinite possibilities. Check it out if you're not familiar with it. I think it's worth the trouble and the twelve minutes it takes to read. Wonderful book.

Still, as Popeye often said, "I yam what I yam" and I just cannot shoulder a rifle and launch a lethal projectile at an animal. It may just be that I'm a pussy. Then again, we are what we eat. ;+) -ed

[louis cyfer]

I assume all you righteous people who condemn hunting are PURE vegetarians - as in grow your own food and don't harm any burrowing animals with mechanized farm implements. If you eat store bought meat, your argument has absolutely no merit. The animals you eat are treated worse than any game animal taken by a hunter. If you buy store bought vegetables, your diet includes killing burrowing animals.

killing animals for food is one thing. predators in nature have a pretty low success rate. 10% or so on getting their prey.

Hunters kill for food in most cases. We're not just trophy hunters throwing a head on the wall. I stopped hunting because my sons moved out of the house. We could easily eat a deer in a matter of months, but since they moved out it takes me almost a year. Not worth the effort, and not worth taking that animals life.

Check the success rates of hunters in most States. Humans with weapons aren't much better than any other predator. One report puts natural predators at 10% to 20%. Human predators have a success rate in some States up to 40% - and that includes farmers killing dozens of deer on their farms. The real success rate in the wild is less.

Take one of those high powered rifles out in the woods and see if you can get close enough to shoot and adult deer. Take a shotgun and see if you can snap that gun up to your shoulder in a matter of seconds to shoot a grouse before it's long gone. My guess is you can't unless you've practiced. Real hunting is not like shooting penned animals. I was a damn good hunter, and I came home empty plenty of times because I didn't take risky shots and I don't take immature adults. I ate what I killed, and I made sure my sons grew up with the same mindset.

A true hunter doesn't kill what he doesn't plan to eat. A true hunter won't take a shot unless he's completely confident he can take the animal down with one shot. It's a poor excuse for a man who wounds wild game and lets it lie under some bush to die.

i agree with all that ches, that is feeding your family. but that's not a sport, as blarg so eloquently pointed it out, it is like going shopping. so obviously you don't belong to the people i am talking about, namely calling it a sport and killing animals for enjoyment. unfortunately there are a lot like that, the hunting scene, and what i am saying, if you want to call it a sport, make the odds even. if the stake for one party is losing a life, so it should be for the other. that goes back to the old days of sport, when dying was a reasonable expectation for the participants, most people don't do that today, but if someone does, so be it. grab a knife go take down a grizzly or a wolf or a mountain lion, and if you live, get to be proud of the trophy. please understand this is not directed towards you, just in general, as i don't have a problem with what you do, you do exactly what a predator does, hunt to kill your food, the only difference being (i think) is that most predators don't choose to take down the biggest adult, but the weak, the small, the young, the slow, as the meat still tastes the same.
my problem with trophy hunting is that they kill exactly the specimen that managed to survive all the predators, and instead of improving the species hunted by killing the weak ones, do the opposite and take down the most successful ones.

[Ches]

Still, as Popeye often said, "I yam what I yam" and I just cannot shoulder a rifle and launch a lethal projectile at an animal. -ed

Ed,
You and my youngest son are of the same mindset. He liked eating venison steaks, but the thought of killing a deer was something he couldn't bring himself to do, and that's ok. I never pushed him to hunt, but we did go out in the woods when he was young (without guns) to sit and watch wildlife. I enjoy that now quite a bit, and might start "hunting" with a camera.

Oh, I asked him about fishing when he was about 14. He loved to fish as a kid. He said, "fish are stupid". Ok . . . I guess that answers that!

[Ches]

I assume all you righteous people who condemn hunting are PURE vegetarians - as in grow your own food and don't harm any burrowing animals with mechanized farm implements. If you eat store bought meat, your argument has absolutely no merit. The animals you eat are treated worse than any game animal taken by a hunter. If you buy store bought vegetables, your diet includes killing burrowing animals.

killing animals for food is one thing. predators in nature have a pretty low success rate. 10% or so on getting their prey.

Hunters kill for food in most cases. We're not just trophy hunters throwing a head on the wall. I stopped hunting because my sons moved out of the house. We could easily eat a deer in a matter of months, but since they moved out it takes me almost a year. Not worth the effort, and not worth taking that animals life.

Check the success rates of hunters in most States. Humans with weapons aren't much better than any other predator. One report puts natural predators at 10% to 20%. Human predators have a success rate in some States up to 40% - and that includes farmers killing dozens of deer on their farms. The real success rate in the wild is less.

Take one of those high powered rifles out in the woods and see if you can get close enough to shoot and adult deer. Take a shotgun and see if you can snap that gun up to your shoulder in a matter of seconds to shoot a grouse before it's long gone. My guess is you can't unless you've practiced. Real hunting is not like shooting penned animals. I was a damn good hunter, and I came home empty plenty of times because I didn't take risky shots and I don't take immature adults. I ate what I killed, and I made sure my sons grew up with the same mindset.

A true hunter doesn't kill what he doesn't plan to eat. A true hunter won't take a shot unless he's completely confident he can take the animal down with one shot. It's a poor excuse for a man who wounds wild game and lets it lie under some bush to die.

i agree with all that ches, that is feeding your family. but that's not a sport, as blarg so eloquently pointed it out, it is like going shopping. so obviously you don't belong to the people i am talking about, namely calling it a sport and killing animals for enjoyment. unfortunately there are a lot like that, the hunting scene, and what i am saying, if you want to call it a sport, make the odds even. if the stake for one party is losing a life, so it should be for the other. that goes back to the old days of sport, when dying was a reasonable expectation for the participants, most people don't do that today, but if someone does, so be it. grab a knife go take down a grizzly or a wolf or a mountain lion, and if you live, get to be proud of the trophy. please understand this is not directed towards you, just in general, as i don't have a problem with what you do, you do exactly what a predator does, hunt to kill your food, the only difference being (i think) is that most predators don't choose to take down the biggest adult, but the weak, the small, the young, the slow, as the meat still tastes the same.
my problem with trophy hunting is that they kill exactly the specimen that managed to survive all the predators, and instead of improving the species hunted by killing the weak ones, do the opposite and take down the most successful ones.

Louis,
I see where you're coming from, and I agree with your point. I don't get the whole trophy hunt thing, especially when someone pays $15,000 to shoot a deer inside a fenced in area. I'd be embarrassed to hang that buck on the wall and tell people how I got it. I couldn't hunt like that even if I had that kind of cash. One of the TV news shows (20/20?) did a piece on that type of hunt. It was really troubling to watch.

I'm not a "trophy" hunter, but I have shot some big deer. One of the recommended ways of building a deer herd (for instance) is to leave the younger deer, allowing more yearlings to grow, breed, etc. It really works well in a lot of cases, but it takes discipline to allow the younger deer to grow. You can't have any outside influences (people). After a few years, you can have a large, healthy herd to manage. A friend of my brother has a large chunk of property and managed the deer population like that. It really worked. When they first started managing the deer population, the herd was small and the deer were all young. When they hunt now, they all see good sized, healthy deer, and lots of 'em. That said, one of the deer I'm most proud of was a stinkin' 4-point that I worked my arse off to find, track, kill, and drag forever in 3 foot deep snow over fallen timber to get it back to the truck. I thought that would kill me!

[louis cyfer]

ches, i think we agree more than what would appear on the surface. i love animals, and so do you. way may express it differently, but the motivation is still the same. managing wildlife population is a very important thing, and killing is required as part of it. it is very obvious it is not a sport to you. i take animal welfare very seriously, from treatment of food stock raised to slaughter, to pet and pet breeding, rescue, to wild animal treatment, and endangered species preservation. and i would be proud to call you my friend.
i have killed animals before, one example is when i pulled over to check on a squirrel that was hit by a car, and broke its neck to end the suffering. to an outside observer it could have seemed cruel.
i don't like killing unnecessarily or cruelly. even when people have to control pests, a still think it should be done as humanely as possible, and it should not be a cause for joy.
i do a lot of cat and dog rescue, from fostering and placing abandoned dogs, to raising kittens that have lost their mothers, and spay and neuter feral cats, and any dog i find running loose. we have way too many cats and dogs getting killed every year in shelters, no need to produce any more unwanted ones. i am very involved in fighting breed specific legislation against dogs (the latest one is fighting the army in not allowing servicemen bring back their pets from overseas because of discriminating against the appearance of some of the dogs), and fighting to ban pert stores from selling puppies and kittens, as that fuels the puppy mill trade and allows impulsive buying of pets that get discarded later. no reputable breeder will sell to a pet store, and people who want to buy dogs should buy them from breeders, as they have the welfare of their animals as their focus. any good dog breeder will tell you, you do not make a living breeding dogs, you may make some money to offset some costs, but won't be getting rich for sure.

i agree with blarg "Foie gras tastes fantastic", one of my favorite foods growing up (hungary is one of the main producer of it), but i don't eat it anymore, and i do think it should be stopped as it is a very cruel thing done to the geese to produce it.

a side note, one of my fosters has found a forever home, he's been there for 2 weeks now, i am really happy for him.

[oneeyedog]

Hey Louis, do you work within an orginisation or on your on with the rescue service? My wife is with Cats Protection as a volunteer
http://www.facebook.com/groups/124740124205585/

john

[louis cyfer]

Hey Louis, do you work within an orginisation or on your on with the rescue service? My wife is with Cats Protection as a volunteer
http://www.facebook.com/groups/124740124205585/

john

i am involved with several organizations for different causes, but the actual rescue i do on my own. i have a couple of friends and we help each other when needed, but i keep any cat and dog i rescue until i find them a home. a lot of organizations have to crate their animals for space reasons, the ones i save get to live with me as pets.
they let me put a booth up at the local street fair, and when i have kittens or cats i take them there to try to find them homes. i check the homes out, and ask for a donations to another organization such as voice for the animals, best friends, cats on the king etc. i don't actually take money myself.
the dogs i take to adoption events.

[Ches]

ches, i think we agree more than what would appear on the surface. i love animals, and so do you. way may express it differently, but the motivation is still the same. managing wildlife population is a very important thing, and killing is required as part of it. it is very obvious it is not a sport to you. i take animal welfare very seriously, from treatment of food stock raised to slaughter, to pet and pet breeding, rescue, to wild animal treatment, and endangered species preservation. and i would be proud to call you my friend.
i have killed animals before, one example is when i pulled over to check on a squirrel that was hit by a car, and broke its neck to end the suffering. to an outside observer it could have seemed cruel.
i don't like killing unnecessarily or cruelly. even when people have to control pests, a still think it should be done as humanely as possible, and it should not be a cause for joy.
i do a lot of cat and dog rescue, from fostering and placing abandoned dogs, to raising kittens that have lost their mothers, and spay and neuter feral cats, and any dog i find running loose. we have way too many cats and dogs getting killed every year in shelters, no need to produce any more unwanted ones. i am very involved in fighting breed specific legislation against dogs (the latest one is fighting the army in not allowing servicemen bring back their pets from overseas because of discriminating against the appearance of some of the dogs), and fighting to ban pert stores from selling puppies and kittens, as that fuels the puppy mill trade and allows impulsive buying of pets that get discarded later. no reputable breeder will sell to a pet store, and people who want to buy dogs should buy them from breeders, as they have the welfare of their animals as their focus. any good dog breeder will tell you, you do not make a living breeding dogs, you may make some money to offset some costs, but won't be getting rich for sure.

i agree with blarg "Foie gras tastes fantastic", one of my favorite foods growing up (hungary is one of the main producer of it), but i don't eat it anymore, and i do think it should be stopped as it is a very cruel thing done to the geese to produce it.

a side note, one of my fosters has found a forever home, he's been there for 2 weeks now, i am really happy for him.

Thanks, Louis. It's all good, and the GbL is a better place if we're all friends. There's no upside if we aren't! I'm ok with people having different opinions or different approaches to a problem. That's what makes life interesting! As long as we all have respect for each others opinion, people can make positive things happen.

Nice work on the dog and cat rescue. Very necessary and I'm sure, very rewarding. We had a Lhasa Apso named Buster that bit my youngest son when he was little. I knew I couldn't keep the dog, but when I found out the Humane Society would probably put him down, I stood outside their building until an older couple walked up looking for a dog. Theirs had just died. I told them why we had to let the dog go, and he was ok with it. His biggest question was whether or not the dog would sleep with him. I told him it'd take a stick of dynamite to keep him out of bed!

Five years later, we're watching the evening news and they reported on a pet show in the same town where the old couple lived. The focus was dressing up your pet and having them do tricks. First place was a Lhasa named Buster. It was our old dog! I saw the old man holding him with their blue ribbon on the news. We got a real chuckle out of it and figured the dog was living a great life! Felt pretty good.