Hunting season is now over. What amI going to do with my time. I am retired andI really need to be doing something. I do have a couple of mission trip's later in the summer. All my weapons are cleaned and I do plan to go to the range at least 2 times a week. I shoot 15 arrows with my bow every day. WellI made a list of all the thingsI need to do. I have a cabin on 410 woody acres in North Alabama and it needs some attention. Going to build a firepit and grilling areadown off of the back deck. When I get that area all done I need to paint some trim. Reminds me I need a new roof and it is going to be tin. Food plots need work. I need 2 new home made 55 gal feeders. My tractor needs work. Come to think of it where am I going to get the time to do all this? Maybe it will all be done by hunting season.

What about you?

I'm retired too. Well I was and still am during the late fall and winter. I still wonder how I had time to go work for some one else every day back when I held a postion other than laborer like here.
When spring arrives we start working again. Feeding the girls till mid May then doing splits and making nukes till about the first of June. Mid June the honey supers go on but we get calls all the time to come get swarms or remove from buildings. That keeps me hopping building equipment. Some I can build during the winter and also melt wax too
but that is done on the wood burner which I am in charge of keeping full.
Today it sure feels nice too.

Being retired myself for many years (and loving every day of it) I will just continue on with the day to day. I keep the house up, work in the yard when it is not covered in snow, shovel the roofs when they're covered in snow, shovel out the yard, hike the woods cur 20+ face cord of wood, split and stack all that, and shoot my rifles almost every day.

Today the temperature is -11ºs and that's not windchill. Not too strong of awind so I will try to shoot this afternoon. I really like shooting when it is real cold. The rifles act different, the smoke from the rifles hangs in the air so nice, and the woods crack BOOM! when the rifle goes off.

Yesterday I shot a .54 caliber Lyman Flintlock trying some powders and sabots of all things. Wind chill was -22ºs and I have to admit, it really go to me yesterday. I was only shooting at 50 yards (since my bench rest if froze solid to the ground at that distance).



Not real fun to sit outside, but at least it was sunny, but there was a nasty cross wind. In fact the second group shows a little sign of that wind, to the right.

I started with 90 grains of Kik 3f powder and some 250 grain XTP sabots. They have the red arrows to them. I was not real happy with them but wanted to try them anyway in the rifle. They loaded real easy, but I think I need to work on the powder charge. That group is far too spread out.

Then to make sure the rifle was not at fault, I changed flints and shot 90 grains of Goex 2f with patched roundball. That is the rifle's bread and butter load. I was real pleased with that group. Those are the blue arrows. This Lyman Trade Rifle flintlock .54 caliber will really throw roundball well.

I felt pretty good about getting my ducks in a row for the work at thecabin. I actually got some volunteer help lined up. In walks the wife with a list that isn't all that impotant to me but it must be to her. After 50 years I would have thought she would give me a break. Oh well I will get to her list after my cabin work is all done.I forgot that we agreed to chip in and build us a 200 yard range up there.

They call them honey do list. [&:]First off who is THEY, and what makes them the experts?
[8D]Cause I for one have never found any honey in those list, rewards or other wise.

Al

I'm retired also. I started a "part time" business making bicycle lubricant. It expanded to firearm lubricants and now I have less time than I had when I was working full time and had kids at home. The garage needs new doors, the pool needs work, my yard is a mess, and the wife hates my side yard that she calls my junk yard. Can't throw away good stuff like the old car parts and such. The wife also says the house needs painting inside (I thought the paint from 1980 looks just fine). I guess they have different eyes or something. She sees black fingerprints on the doors that she claims are from me (how could that be?). The bottom line for you guys that are not retired, stay working if you want any spare time.

I found a great trick on the Honey Do List.. I would simplyadd to the list. I would write on the bottom, after her suggestions, my own projects. After all, inspection of the paper did not indicate anywhere on that, giving her sole right to make the list. I would add such things as;

- go fishing with George
- go shoot your rifle.

When I accomplished them, simply cross them off. When she complains you can show her the list and what you were able to accomplish. You then simply confess there was not enough time to get everything done, so you had to be selective with what projects you started for the day. Normally it did not go over real well, but sometimes the quiet produced by her refusing to talk to you, was a welcomed addition to a wonderful day in the field.

I been retired now for some time let see 18 years but 20 years on the job need 2 more years to make 20/20.
I have lot of things too do around the house but do too a bad back (*neck)I am limited in what I get into,most of the time my sons stop by when it comes to the heavy work,I do have some things for them already set up for the this winter project.
I just started last night taking apart a PA Hunter percussion I pick up and will be making it into a 45 cal, flinter
I set the lock last night too see were I need to do some minor fiting seem the lock was hanging up inside the lock cut out,easy fix had to sand a little wood away so that the sear woulkd not hang up on the wood.The lock seem to sit tight at the vent liner and will need some glass beding to square up the lock when drawn into the stock.I did strip the stock from the old finish and will start sanding and glass-beding the tang area.The barrel is a new old stock 45 cal. flinter barrel t/c that was never fired early 80's year.I go with FORMBY'S TUNG OIL LOW SATIN LOOK I run about 30 coats to finish ,rust brown the steel but plate and screws,hope it turns out to be a good shooter and think it will be the last flinter I will do.
I already have a t/c 50 cal. a 54 renegade flinter and now a 45 flinter hard too choose which one shoot the best the 50 and 54 are about the same tack driver .I have a GM barrel on a vintage hawkens stock in percussoion I like to shoot for target but not crazy about percussion guns,I would like to keep the PA Hunter barrel which is a 31 inch deep groove rb barrel but does have some pitting in the bore,I bet this barel don't have a box of balls threw it.

I am also retired, Been doing a lot of rabbit hunting and ice fishing
Cutting firewood, Winter has been real nice until now. It was-15 this morning wind chill took it to -35. I went for a little walk in the woods
and thats it. Ice fishing then maple syrup time then spring turkey
and walleye fishing.Then panfishing,trout fishing, and in Sep its ML elk hunting. I quessI have to do a little around the farm. Of course I shoot a lot. I got a new U-Mag a couple days ago and I have a White 410
That I want to try a lot of different loads. I have my own range in backyard.
YOU youguns keep working so we can get our SS checks
Redclub

You da man, Dave.