happyness is a full woodshed

[Bullshop]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/bullshop/IMG_0411.jpg

G'Day All, Bullshop here.
Well we made it througe another summer. The wood shed is full of wood, the freezer is full of moose, BS Mom has filled every jar she can lay hands on with some fruit or veggi so its almost time to come home to roost again.
God willing we will begin casting again about Oct 1. WOW! lots a new faces here. I feel like a newby. I hope to find time through winter to participate in some of these interesting discussions.
I have lots to share about things we have been testing. BS Jr. x2 got his first moose this year, a very nice large size bull with the 35 Whelen and an experimental design boolit that worked wonderfully well. Hope to give some details on that soon. It has worked out very well so far in several 35,s including 357 Herrett, 35 Rem, 358 Win, 9x57, and 35 Whelen. It even functions through our pre micro Marlin 35 Rem.
I have one more hunter to take out starting tomorrow to the 15th. After that I hope to slow down and reset my throttle to winter mode. God willing I will have something worth while to add here. Lord knows I have gained from many here.
BTW that little wood shed holds 7 full cord filled. Yes happyness!
Blessings on ya!
BIC/BS

[dsmjon]

I'm not so sure about the thread title. I've met many folk whose woodshed was far from full, and they seem happier than most other folks I know. I guess ignorance IS bliss!!! :D

That's a whole lotta cuttin' right there, you need a bigger shed!

[SWIAFB]

Daniel, just think how big that pile of wood would be if you had have the boys use a chain saw instead of a buck saw. Glad to hear from ya. SWIAFB

[carpetman]

That little pile of wood is probably ok in the tropics where you live but here it would only be a weeks supply when the cold sets in.

[1Shirt]

Made me feel a bit homesick for Alaska. The pic by itself with the burlls on the standing as far as I know from experiance says Alaska to me. Looking forward to hearing about that expermental blt.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[shdwlkr]

bullshop
had a house in new york state once thst burned 14 real cord of wood a winter, but is was a boiler as the house had hot water heat.
Now in nm my place uses only 4 could or less as we enjoy solar heat a lot

[45nut]

Looking good ! Say hi to everyone for me!

[yondering]

That's a good pile of wood Bullshop! I wish mine was that full; I'm still out back splitting logs this week.

Looking forward to more info on that 35 Whelen boolit.

[Bret4207]

Welcome back Daniel and family!!! Sad to say I'm way behind on wood. But, between the beaver, Emerald Ash Borer, Tent Caterpillars and Dutch Elm Disease I have lots of standing dead wood. It's still nice to get it down and split though.

[HORNET]

Welcome back Dan. Glad to hear from you again. Are you sure that little bit of wood is going to see you through the winter or are planning on global warming kicking in?
SWIAFB, if he'd let the boys use the chain saw instead of the buck saw, he wouldn't have kept them out of trouble as long. As Ruark commented in "The Old Man and the Boy", boys have endless amounts of energy that must be used up. If you can't keep them busy doing something useful, they'll find trouble to get themselves into.

[twotrees]

I got the lube I ordered in fine shape. Please tell Mrs. BS Thank You from me. I know you had her busy canning and what not, but she still found the time to get it off to me.

As for wood,, last weekend I just about got a "Barber Job" by my chainsaw. I'm fine and the cuts are all healing. Still have a lot more cutting and splitting to do here, but Georgia doesn't get cold as fast as where you are so i still have time. I'll Just be a LOT (!) more cautious from now on out.

Glad to see you back, get the client a good 'un.

TwoTrees

[Mark Daiute]

I'm definitely behind in the wood department. We use about 10 chords a year, more if we have it. Actually fired up the woodstove tonight.

Mark
Maine

[garandsrus]

Dan,

What type of guiding do you do? I might need to make a trip up there in the next couple years :)

John

[Matt_G]

Made me feel a bit homesick for Alaska.

Same here 1Shirt. Spent two years up there. Lord, I sure do miss that place.
I've wanted to go back since the day I left.

[xr650]

Sounds like a good summer Dan.
I have 3 cord in and 3 to go.
Hope you have a little more time soon. Always look forward to your posts.

[crowbuster]

It will be good for you to switch gears and get ready for winter. I eagerly await news of the new boolit as my 35 rem is always hungry, take care.

C.B.

[Shepherd2]

Sounds like most of us are behind getting the firewood in. I've got several cords stacked by the outdoor woodburner but I need a couple more. I need to get out in the woods and get busy with the log splitter.

[runfiverun]

i am bout 60% on the wood but have some left from last year.
i think i'll go get some coal and save some time for hunting this year...

[Bret4207]

$250-275.00 a ton for coal around here. And a ton is supposed to be equal to cord of wood? That's a lotta money for me.

[Wayne Smith]

Looking good, Daniel. Only wood I use is in the smoker, but that's living in the suburbs. As a kid in Maine I believe Dad used 14 cord - full cord, of wood a winter. Course, he sold firewood and pulp in the winter, too. My brother Paul and I split most of it, too.

I'm gonna have to order a couple more bottles of Sprue Lube, Dan. No, I'm not drinking it! I've got a couple of casting friends who are not on the internet.

[largom]

Know the feeling of a FULL woodshed. Mine holds about 12 cords. I usually burn between 10 & 11 cords a year heating the house and shop. Like to get mine in at the end of March or April before it gets to hot. Also, like to be out of the woods before the Does start dropping their fawns.

Wish I had some boys to help with the cutting and splitting.
Larry

[dragonrider]

I split my last stick of wood about 12 years ago, did it for 20 years that was enough, I now use pellets and coal. 75% less work and the cost is the same or less than cord wood.

[MT Gianni]

Glad you summered well Dan. I am looking forward to hearing stories about your boys hunting trips. Gianni.

[carpetman]

The tribe got a new chief and asked him if it were going to be a cold winter. He did not know how to read the signs, so he said yes a cold winter. They gathered firewood and asked him if it was enough. To be safe he said no, gather more. He then decided to call the national weather bureau they told him it would be a cold winter. So when they asked again if it was enough firewood, he sent them for more. He called the bureau again and they said it would be a very very cold winter. He asked them how they could tell. They said the Indians are gathering firewood like crazy.

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

CARPETMAN-

Thats Funny!

[oldtoolsniper]

Heating with wood is so much fun! I am glad we have oak here.

[BD]

Well, I'm back down in the stinkin' hot low country once again. So, no firewood cutting for me this year.

Our first house in Maine was a 100 year old 4 bedroom place in town where we burned a wheeler load of tree length every year. All cut, split and stacked in the cellar by the end of October.
That place had two boilers for the baseboard hot water, plus a stove in the kitchen and another one in the attached small barn. Every night there was a midnight trip downstairs to restoke and when the power went out I had to go down in the basement and thread my way through a field of T&P valves popping off steam to over ride the dampers and open two huge valves which let the boilers thermo-syphon through the system while the fires died down.

That experience fueled my interest in energy efficient passive solar design. In 1986 we built a new 3 bedroom house which we heated comfortably on 1 1/2 cords a year. Even if no one is home during the day to operate the curtains it will stay comfy on less than 3 cord. That house had no automatic heat until 2007 when the insurance company made us put in a Rinnai when we told them we'd be renting it out for a few years.

To be honest, at 3 cords a year I miss the firewood. I wish I could figure out how to burn it for the AC in South Carolina.
BD

[sundog]

BD, how about a steam powered generator?

[runfiverun]

we get coal for bout 90 per ton round here.
since i don't rely on it for daily heat a couple of cords of wood and a ton of coal will see at least a year.
i use it to heat the garage for casting in the winter,and it just happens to produce enough extra heat to run you outta the house.
since the garage is attatched and fully insulated it helps immensely the pot of water helps produce a nice humid environment also.

[Bullshop]

G'Day All! Got in yesterday, TIRED! Bad news! First time for me and the hunter we lost one. Dont know what went wrong. I made the mistake of not backing up the shot.
75 yards broad side from a solid rest I didnt expect to have to.
Two weeks earlier the same load from the Whelen dropped a nice bull at twice the range.
The hunter tells me the shot was good, right behind the sholder in the middle.
I hope to target the rifle today to see if there is a problem with the zero.
We searched an area of about a 1/4 square mile of thich brush but didnt even find blood.
We both heard the solid wach of a hit and I believed I was seeing him getting wobbly and when he disappeared from sight thought he fell over. It was 6:30 am and light was poor. The three cows that were with him stayed for the next hour. We were so close to them milling around us it was a bit unsettling. I was sure the bull didnt leave the area because the cows wouldnt leave but we just couldnt find him. I feel sick about it but at some point had to let it go. The law gives us one additional day past the end of the season to get game out. That ended yesterday evening which is when we came in.
He was or even possibly is a magnifasant bull that I put at 58" to 62" and 4x4 brow tine.
BUMMER! I should have backed up the shot, BUMMER!
God willing in a few day I will spend a day rabbit hunting the area and looking for bird activity. We may find his trophy but the meat is lost, BUMMER!!!
I think I better go get some more wood to get my mind off of it. It just keeps playing over and over in my mind even in my sleep.
The Bible says to give thanks in all things. I am ! There have been some lessons learned!
Blessings to all!
BIC/BS

[shdwlkr]

bullshop
I hope you find the animal so you don't have to keep thinking about it. I can remember one city person who shot a dear and never went to look to see if it was hit. Well I did and with the help of one of mentors we found the wounded deer and ended its suffering. The meat didn't even taste good as every time I had some it reminded me of how stupid that city hunter was and they never got any friendly help from me.
Then years later I saw a wounded deer making its way through the brush and dropped it as soon as I could clearly see it and that deer tasted great because the fool who shot it was only a few hundred yards from where I was and again never even came to see what was going on.
I learned many years ago a good shot is only good if it puts the animal down otherwise shoot again and again if necessary to make sure that animal is down and not suffering. Now I use larger calibers and heavier lead bullets as my legs are not what they used to be and I am not what I used to be.
I can so relate to your being upset and hope that you can find the animal and at least know it is not suffering.

[carpetman]

Dan--What rifle and what load, what bullet?

[fishhawk]

dan i know the feeling about loosing a animal but remember there are other things that also need to feed yotes,wolfs,ravens and the many smaller critters out there. steve k

[Bullshop]

Ray, (gulp) I think I know what your gonna say and maybe your right, I duno!
Rifle is a 35 Whelen imp.
Load is doin 2400 fps with our 270gn wfn style boolit. Alloy is 6/1 ww/lino. It has worked. I fired the rifle today and after bouncing about for several weeks on the 4 wheler it hit about two inches right at 100 yards. Add to that that the bull was standing faceing to our left at about a 10:30 angle and the hunter told me he held behind the sholder I think the hit was too far back. I dont think he compinsated for the slight angle the bull was standing to us. He didnt aim between the front leggs like he should have but he aimed behind them. Add to that the 1 1/2" right the scope was off and it may be just too far back. Also the sound of the hit was different, less smack and more tik to the sound. Maybe just not enough there to make the boolit work.
The other bull shot high on the sholder made a hole in the blade that I put my finger into up to the first knuckle so did show good expansion.
All speculation at this point but as I now see it two things went wrong.
First the shot was too far back, and second I didnt back up the shot.
I was telling him to shoot again the whole time but he said he couldnt see the bull.
The night before I spent 45 minutes pointing out a nice bull at about 200 yards but he couldnt see it. I know this fellow to be a deer hunter and assumed he would do what I would do which you know is shoot until he falls. He just did not have the trained eye that can penitrate the brush too see the animal. All he saw was a wall of brush.
Shot too far back, and poor guiding I believe are what caused the loss.
Blessings!
BIC/BS

[beagle]

No, real happiness is a full woodshed with WW ingots stacked a foot deep around the foundation like mine. Now, that's real happiness./beagle

[Bullshop]

Beagle
Ya cant see the back side of the shed. The 12 foot wide rows of buckets are three deep and three high.
BTW that stack of poles outside the shed are 12 feet long. Also its one of a few stacks.
Blessings
BIC/BS

[carpetman]

Dan--You can second guess forever what went wrong on a shot that turned out bad. Possibly you find the animal you may have better insight? Don't know what distance your rifle was sighted for or how much drop at that range??? The only constant I have found in shooting game is that you don't know till you take the shot. You mention shoot till they drop---I agree with that. The high hope is that it's only one shot. Now for the part I think you expected. I think the odds of it being done with one shot are much greater using a jacketed bullet---that's why I hunt with them.

[Lunk]

That experience fueled my interest in energy efficient passive solar design. In 1986 we built a new 3 bedroom house which we heated comfortably on 1 1/2 cords a year. Even if no one is home during the day to operate the curtains it will stay comfy on less than 3 cord. That house had no automatic heat until 2007 when the insurance company made us put in a Rinnai when we told them we'd be renting it out for a few years.

BD

I am most curious about your home design. Was it a pre-printed set of blueprints or did you do the design incorporated passive solar systems? At some point in the future I'd like to build a new house, off the grid if possible. So I'm very interested in individuals experience with efficiency systems and technology.
Is there any major maintenance?
Are you using passive solar water heat?
Did you have to pick a specific facing or is it just a general direction?
Do you like it or merely live with it?

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Dan,

I hope for your sake you get this figured out as far as where the shot actually went, but sometimes we can not change how things are, once the time is past . . .will you back up the shot next time, I'm sure, unfortunatley we sometimes have lessons learned the hard way, but they last.

In a nut shell we can not go back and change history.

You did your BEST in trying to locate it, and that is all anybody could do, you can't do more than your best!

It is very possible that it is still walking around with some extra weight, maybe next year you will get to shoot it again!

A few years ago in the early morning, I was bow hunting in Vermont, I had a nice big doe stop broad side to me about 30 yards out . . . only her shoulder and butt were visable to me as the rest was behind two big birch trees . . . as I shot . . .my first bow hunt . . . she sprang and my arrow hit her high in her shoulder blade, she ran about 20' and stopped, turned around and yanked the arrow out of her shoulder and took off lickity split . . .there was a small amount of blood and hair on the arrowhead, but she did not drip a spot, (other than what little came off the arrowhead as it was laying on the leaves) I spent all the rest of the day, and the next, combing the area, I finely found her . . .next spring . . .with twin fawns on my lawn after she had visited my garden! (She had a scar on her shoulder from my poor shot) I figured she had earned every veggie in the garden she and her little ones had eaten, for the trouble I put her through!

I'll pray that you get closure on this sad event.

[Bullshop]

Ray with my head hanging in shame I have to agree with you. Not because I am agreeing but because I didnt use them. I am trying to promote my business but as you say not using the best. That thought will haunt me over this for as long as I live.
Shawn you are right Sir, I will never forget what I should have done and never repeat the same mistake.
Thank you for your prayers! God Bless!
BIC/BS

[beagle]

Well, glad you ain't slipping on your lead supply. When I moved, I didn't have access to the house at first so I started hauling buckets of ingots and stacking them in the barn so I could reuse the buckets for the next haul. Really pissed off the guys when they resided it last year as they all had to be moved and they moved them./beagle


Beagle
Ya cant see the back side of the shed. The 12 foot wide rows of buckets are three deep and three high.
BTW that stack of poles outside the shed are 12 feet long. Also its one of a few stacks.
Blessings
BIC/BS

[leadman]

Daniel, with a shot too far back a jacketed bullet probably would not have changed the outcome.
The only thing I see that you could have changed was relying on another individuals experience level. As you stated you won't make the same error again.
I do know how a thing like this can work on a guy as I lost an animal years ago, but one never forgets the feeling.
I do give you much credit for doing a thorough search and planning to continue to do so.
Time will dull the memory, just don't forget the lesson.
Glad you are back and most things are well with you and your family.
Looking forward to your posts, as they are always interesting.

[carpetman]

Dan--I agree with Leadman if it was a bad shot a jacketed bullet would not compensate--a bad shot is a bad shot --bigger gun same same. Not only your reports, but several others have given me the impression that cast bullets on moose do usually require more than one shot. My experience with moose is that most of time 30-06 with jacketed bullet brings them down. NOT ALWAYS--no doubt many do take more shots.

[Bullshop]

Yea but I just cant help wondering if my old stand by load with the 250gn Speer Grand Slam at 2600 fps was used if maybe the outcome would have been different.
Maybe not but I cant help wondering. That load is 100% for one shot kills from my rifle for me and my boys. Maybe thats another reason I slacked off on a back up shot, everything else the Whelen has shot has simply dropped to one shot.
BTW Ray you will like to hear this. Early in the season I shot a small meat bull with my Kimber mauser 30/06. 165gn Hornady at 3000 fps range 150 yards bull dropped at the shot. I had been hunting with the Whelen but range was an issue where I was hunting. Turned out at 150 yards the Whelen would have done fine. Ya never know as we had been seeing game in the oped more like 400 yards and my 30/06 is set up for that kind of range and we practice often out to 600 yards.
I and my boys were practicing this summer and I offered $10.00 for each hit in a 2" bull at 570 yards. After paying out $30.00 in short order I retracted my offer.
BIC/BS

[Ed K]

I'm not a very experienced hunter. I took a similarly angled shot at a caribou in Newfoundland: Entrance hole exactly where it was supposed to be but due to the animal's angle the result was too far back. As caribou are not too tough, it did drop but the point here is while quartering the animal I witnesses the bullet's (not boolit) track and it scared me. I learned more in the cavity of that caribou than I ever did in class or looking at pictures and no I will not make that mistake again - that is the good that comes of it.

[carpetman]

There's your answer Dan--the 30-06 dropped it one shot--with jacketed.

[Bullshop]

Ray how did I know you were gonna say that? Well maybe your right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/bullshop/IMG_0523.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v239/bullshop/IMG_0522.jpg
Here is something for the 3000 or so new members since I checked out in April to do the Mr. Hide part of my life. Just want to let the new guys know what we do here.
These pics are of part of my first order starting a new season.
The RCBS pot is set at 750, the mold is an NEI 4 cavity 375 cal 320 gn, alloy is straight clip on WW. Timing my rythem by the second hands tic on the big westclock at eye level just behind my pot the mold was getting exactly 7 seconds between the cooling fans between pour and sprue cut.
Boolits are well filled with clean sharp edges. They all fell from the mold with just a light tap on the but end of the handle. A random selection of 5 went 323.5, 323.5, 323.5, 323.5, and 323.3 on the Dillan digital, not bad!
The mold was treated with bullplate and was clean and lead free after casting.
You new fellas here if ya didnt know we have a custom service offering any size order large or small from our current mold inventory of over 200. If you need a sample of something chances are we have it.
Welcome to all you new folks that joined since April. I know it seems like I am the new guy but really I been around awhile.
Give us a holler if there is anything we might help with.
Blessings
BIC/BS

[405]

Bad deal about the bull. Yes, it sounds like a hit a tad far back for that angle. Unknown if the Jbullet would have made any difference. Cast usually tract as well as if not better than Jbullets. The only possiblity with a higher velocity Jbullet would be for an errant shard to peel off and catch something forward of the diaphragm.... in effect a bullet failure leading to a good outcome. Nah, the only thing that coulda, woulda, shoulda would have been a follow up... and that was up to the shooter.

Wood pile looks good! Also, judging from the pic, looks like the air has cleared up quite a bit. I was thru there July 14- headed from Fairbanks down to Copper Center then on to Seward/Kenai. Man oh man those fires sure messed things up for a while. Didn't cool down or lose the smoke until near the coast!

Have a good winter and best to all!

[badgeredd]

Dan,

Glad to see you back. It sounds like you had a very busy summer.

I snickered at your reward system for bullseye shots. You can be proud that the boys have learned well from their Dad. Looking forward to your posts and more info on the new Whelen boolit. God bless and take care.

Edd

[carpetman]

Dan--Maybe you knew I'd say it because it's a no brainer.