and a strong cup of coffee

I am decent at deer hunting and I am learning how to ice fish. This Christmas, my sister and brother in law got me a couple turkey calls since inane said that I want to learn. There is a round scrape thing, a mouth piece and wooden box thing (like my terminology and details?). After I opened my gift, ironically there were about 20 turkeys on the back lawn. I stepped out on to the back porch and tried the round scrape. I thought I did ok but when the turkeys heard it, they took off! Not just like walked off, but started running into the woods and up the mountain. They couldn't get away from me fast enough. So, I need to work a lot of my calling techniques or put Dad in one location and have the turkeys run towards him. But what do you all recommend? What or how should I start to learn these new hunting toys?

I got an Ipad!!! My wonderful hubby saved since August and couldnt wait to give it to me, so I got an early Christmas gift last night. YEAH!! Welcome to the 21st century right? So now, my question to all of you is; do you blog from yours (if you have one) and do you find the touch screen works ok or that you wish you had a keyboard? It takes video and photos, which I am hoping will be better than some of the ones I have taken and posted in the past. So, what should I know about this? I dont see myself taking it into the woods with me but maybe fishing...

Apparently, I am hard to buy for. I don't think I am but I have been told that I am by multiple people. So, here is my helpful personal list of what to buy a hunter for Christmas or Hanukkah or Festivis. 1. Books . My suggestions this year are: Meat Eater by Steven Rinella. I asked Santa for it and I am pretty sure its wrapped and waiting under my tree. I have not read it, but I did read American Buffalo and it was fantastic! Suddenly the Cider Didn't Taste so Good by John Ford. John is a former Game Warden who tells wonderful Maine stories of the adventures, animals and people he encounters. Light hearted and a quick read. Tales from Misery Ridge by Paul Fornier. Paul was a Maine Guide and worked for Inland Fisheries before he retired. He tells great stories of the people and places he traveled to around Maine. 2. Clothes . Anything but cotton. If you can find women's wool pants, without the weird stitching around the knees that will make me scrat...

I am getting spoiled. Actually Dad and I both are. I am afraid to write this for what it might mean for next year, but I will; Dad and I have not had to follow a blood trail in a long time. Three years ago, Dad dropped this guy (below) on opening day. Last year, I dropped this one: and this year, I dropped him right at the base of the Sky Condo: We are getting spoiled but really, I have a great teacher who has taught me where to shoot a deer for the quickest, least painful death. And it has worked out well. This year, we spotted the buck coming to eat grass early in the day. He walked out from the upper right corner of this photo and headed down almost to where the camera is and then started to walk back and eat on the clump of brown grass when I shot him (you can see him laying there post gutting and see the brown grass just to the left). It was a good shot because it dropped him but in my mind it was a bad shot because it was SO LOW! I shot him right in the heart. If you...