Gas Pains

Time for Tosa Trivia.

This is a two-part question.  The first person to submit a correct answer to both questions wins.  

1.  Where is the tallest flag pole located in Wauwatosa?

2.  What Tosa personality has recently gone above and beyond the call of duty in this community to specifically advance the flying of the colors?

If needed, be prepared to submit an authenticated height for your flag pole.

This is a prime opportunity to win valuable prizes that you can stuff into Christmas stockings.

Good Luck.

Tom

Contact me if you have some Trivia you would like to submit.

Hunting has been slow. 

On Friday my wife and I decided that the only deer I should shoot would be a doe for the food pantry or a trophy for the wall.

I have seen neither.  Only yearling bucks - mostly immediately before sundown.

While the temps were a bit more tolerable today the wind was howling with gusts up to 26 MPH 

I decided to hide from the wind as best as I could in a bow stand nestled in a swampy stretch of creek bed

.

There has been beaucoup sign of deer continuing to move along the natural cover and corridor following the creek.

This part of the trail looks like a regular deer and turkey expressway.

In case you haven't noticed we've had a full moon and clear and cold evening skies.

The trail camera confirmed that there are plenty of deer - moving after hours.

Who can blame them.  They've been chased, pushed, shot at and general persecuted for eight days.

That's it for now.

There's a late season antlerless gun hunt in December and the bow season goes thru the end of the year.

Smile for the trail cam...

Cold.

17 degrees yesterday. Fingers stopped working.

Guests arrived and hunting was put on the back burner.

Cut a Christmas tree, bought a wreath, fetched some wonderfully scented pine and fir boughs.

Sat around and visited.

Made some really good food.

Venison loin medallions:

Wrapped in bacon and pan-seared:

Followed by the flambé - seems like a terrible waste of good Irish whiskey -but a spectacular display.

In case any of you want to try this at home, here are the recipes.  These came from an Irish cookbook purchased by our friends when bicycling across the Emerald Isle.

For the venison medallions (don't forget your juniper berries)  Receipe.pdf   

In case you want to get your presentation correct here is what the cookbook says it should look like  ReceipePicture.pdf

This is a really delicious potato side dish (it is not approved by the American Heart Association)  Champ.pdf

We did a side of garden green beans sautéed with some garlic, olive oil and slivered almonds.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.  We live in a great country and have much to be grateful-for.

Quiet today.

I would have figured that with the day-off there would be more hunters in the woods pushing and stirring thing-up.

The neighbors have their traditional gang of about a dozen hunters here and I was sure they were going to conduct a deer drive or two and push something over toward me.  Not so; they're siting-tight.

Maybe things will pick-up after the Packers finish thrashing Detroit.

The snow is wonderful.  It adds contrast.

The trails are obvious:

Especially trails that are traveled recently:

A pair of tracks.  One set larger than another.  Conclusion:  Doe and a fawn 

Nothing happening today. Saw a handful  of nubbin bucks, that's it.

Up before sunrise with the best of intentions.

A blast of cold and steady rain in the face convinced me to return to bed.

Errands today included dropping-off a big bag of venison scraps at the butcher shop for grinding into burger.  Then, off on an unsuccessful scavenger hunt for juniper berries.  Invited guests sent me an email this morning requesting, among other things, venison loin medallions prepared in a fashion that calls for juniper berries and a flambé of Irish whiskey.  The Jameson Whiskey was easy.  The berries a wild goose chase.  I'll have to improvise.

Out to hunt at 1:30.  The weather has been awful.  Winds out of the north at 17 with gusts to 27 miles an hour.  Temps in the mid to low 30's.

After an hour in a tree - more like an hour in a twirling crows nest - I radioed my wife to tell her I was getting down to find some way to hide from the wind.

I sought refuge in a bow hunting blind set-up along a trail. 

I wouldn't ordinarily recommend hunting on the ground, in a blind, during gun season.  Nonetheless, nobody appeared to be hunting (the conditions were so awful) and it was a secluded spot in the middle of private property.

Warm at last.

The only deer I saw was a nubbin buck that sauntered along the trail feeding.  I watched him and waited patiently to see if anyone else would come along.

Usually when there's one deer there are more deer.

After about 20 minutes of this observing nonsense, with no additional deer and about a minute or two of legal shooting time I shot him.

With my camera. 

If you look closely at the middle and bottom of the picture you will see the reflection of his eye in the flash.  To the left of the eye spot you might be able to see his right foreleg, outline of his body and tail.  He is broadside to the camera.  If you don't see him use your imagination.

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It is snowing!  Yes, the ground is white as can be and the forecast says "up to two inches of accumulation".

Good news.

Shoot straight and be safe.

Tom

I received an email from the Mothership recently with an elaboration of policy for MyCommunityNOW.com Blogs.

While it has not been a problem with commentary to any of my posts it is probably worth noting that all of us Community Voices have to be mindful of personal attacks, insults, threats; ethnic, racial, religious or sexual slurs; or other hateful conversation.  Any comments falling under that category, or otherwise crosses the line, will be deleted.

I have been reminded that both posters and commentators must not knowingly give out personal information about other individuals or participants of these blogs.  I can respect that.  We all know that candidates, elected officials and folks in the public eye are fair-game.

It is noteworthy for you readers to know that unlike many bloggers who are somewhat obsessive about the identity or IP addresses of visitors to their blog; I have only a casual (if any) interest in who you are.  JSOnline.com respects your privacy as well.  It is their policy that I'll never know your identity or IP address.  

I won't moderate comments unless I have to.

There, I am now in full compliance. 

Rain today.  Nothing moving - not even the chickadees or woodpeckers.  An altogether appropriate day to cut-up deer.

First things first.  Breakfast of fried bologna, eggs and toast.  Yum.

Our machine shed doubles as a butcher shop during the deer season.  This includes a game hoist, a cutting board for the workbench and a refrigerator for freezing and keeping refreshing adult beverages cold.

We do our own butchering so we can freeze everything in proper portions and be assured of safe handling and getting our own venison.

Me, Sees in the Dark and Lawyer.

The secret to excellent venison is proper handling.  That means everything from efficient field-dressing to clean butchering.  We trim every vestige of fat, tallow and silver skin from our meat.  No gamey venison for us.  The scraps go into a bag which I'll drop at the butcher shop in town for grinding into burger.  If you add 10% pork to the burger it isn't so dry.

The Wench and Mennonite are the designated skinners.

Braumeister is in charge of packaging.  The invention of the FoodSaver vacuum packaging has revolutionized the processing of fresh meats.  Excellent for freezing your garden vegetables too.

We processed four deer today and were finished and cleaned-up by 3:30 PM.  We broke for lunch after the third deer - enjoying a marvelous venison, barley and vegetable soup.

The boys have left for home and I'll follow shortly to return to Tosa and fetch my lovely bride.  We're coming right back to spend the balance of the season and the Thanksgiving holiday hunting and hanging out with friends.

Stay tuned.

Back at it.  Out in the stands before sun-up.  Cold - 28 degrees and so still you can hear a pin drop.

Screech owls calling back and forth.

 Pheasants cackling at first light.

 A handful of shots from the neighbor's forty to the east.  That's it.  No deer.

Sunrise

View from my stand.  Tamarack, swamp white oak and cedars.

Sees In The Dark - ever vigilant

Braumeister has one of these rascals living under his stand.

Can you  identify it?

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Took a break for the Packer game.  Lawyer pan-fried a big batch of pheasant fingers served with a couple of dipping sauces, pickled herring, smoked pheasant and fresh cheese curds. Yum! 

The Packers spanked the Carolina by half-time. 

At half time I walked out to a previously unused stand and no sooner than I climbed-in a massive multi-pointed monster jumped out of the willows and scampered thru the tree plantation.

No shot situation.

I am cursed.

Slow afternoon.

Cocktail hour was accompanied by a DVD of Blazing Saddles. 

Dinner tonight is the traditional venison fare prepared by our legal counsel.

I was hoping that I could turn the keyboard over to the lawyer for an accounting of his recipe - unfortunately he is sleeping in front of the fire.

Maybe tomorrow.

Anyway - here are the pictures.  More later....

(Post dinner movie was a DVD of Patton)

Menonnite, Brau and Android enjoying a batch of (beef) marrow bones. Yum.

Lawyer pan frying venison cutlets as part of our signature meal

Deglazing the pan with garlic, white wine, and a reduction of veal and pheasant stock.

Fresh-frozen green beens from my garden. The big pot has smashed Red Pontiac potatoes, turnips and parsnips and shallots - from the garden too.

Here's the crew. Mennonite, Wench, Lawyer, Brau, Android and Sees in the Dark..and a fine Bogle red Wine.

.

Up at 4:30 AM.  We scarf coffee, oatmeal and donuts.  We head-out in the dark to settle into our stands long before sunrise.

It's balmy 32 degrees, winds from the north and snow flurries.

View from my tree stand.  The tamaracks are just beginning lose their brilliant golden needles.

Bingo.  Braumeister bags a nice buck at 7 AM.

Back out to the field following a very late breakfast of Lancaster, Pennsylvania scrapple and farm-raised eggs (you know, the brown eggs).

I start my half-mile hike.  So I'm walking north on a trail thru the farm take a right turn and find myself face-to-face with a buck deer.  Well, not quite - but at least 50 yards - right smack in the middle of the trail.  I'm not sure who was more surprised.  I struggle with a pack on my right shoulder, chambering a round and bringing the rifle to bear on a deer now beginning to bolt.

Missed shot. 

Pathetic marksmanship.

I just missed (what could have been) my third deer for the year.

I am not amused. I am p****d.

A quiet and cold and windy afternoon follows. 

Lawyer saves the day with about 30 minutes left to shooting time. 

One shot.

A second shot.

Then a third shot.

Three baldies down.

Prompt field-dressing is the start of proper processing

The lawyer at work

Android, Lawyer and the Wench back from the registration station.  How do you like those

blaze-orange smurf hats?

Android, me and the Wench. 

These are the Official Camp Wear t-shirts.

More tomorrow.  I have to get back to a nasty sheepshead game.

Shoot straight and hunt safe.

Tom

I arrived last night around 11 PM.  Stoked the wood burner and unwound with a book and the Cowboy Junkies playing softly in the background.

Errands today include grocery shopping for the crew, testing the temperature and Ph of the outdoor hot tub, fetching the memory chip from the trail camera to see what's been going-on over the past week, and securing a new ladder stand along the creek.

Allow me to introduce you  to my buddies.

The first to arrive is the Camp Wench (since this is a family-friendly blog I will refrain from the more colorful term used).  Wench is the patriarch of the crew.  He and I have hunted, fished and been fast friends for almost three decades.  We joke that someday we'll write a book about our adventures.  He keeps us all in line and in good humor. 

The second to arrive is the Lawyer.  I am of the opinion that every deer camp should have their own legal counsel.  One never knows when an infraction or legal dispute might need to be adjudicated.  Lawyer is as good a cook as he is a solicitor. 

Next is Braumeister.  Our camp is fortunate to have our own resident Beer Baron.  A past winner of the National Home Brewing Competition, he's kegged a batch of the camp's signature brew.  Brau has been a frustrated hunter ever since the coyotes devoured his deer last year

Mennonite arrives.  A transplant from Lancaster, Pennsylvania he has been drawn to the dark side and joined the ranks of the English.  Mennonite's favorite deer stand is The Stand of Death (a moniker earned for it's threat to the safety of both hunted and hunter).

Last to stumble-in are Sees In The Dark and son, Android.  Maybe this makes a difference, maybe not, but Sees In The Dark has Oneida blood running thru his veins and has remarkable powers to kill deer in very low light conditions.  This is only a rumor hereabouts.  He is also a great cook.  Android is the youngest member (and newest addition) of the camp and is The First Assistant to the Camp Wench.  He hauls firewood, mixes an excellent Manhattan and is proving himself to be a skilled hunter.  The hunting community needs to recruit more young people like Android to its ranks.

Our traditional Friday fish fry

Wisconsin perch, bluegill, crappie, walleye - accompanied by  Alabama hush puppies 

Relaxing before turning-in.

Shoot straight and hunt safe.

Tom

Wisconsin’s deer gun hunt is one of the most exciting times of the year for many residents, but it is important for everyone to follow the rules and regulations for gun deer season so that everyone stays safe in the woods. Here are some answers to the 10 more frequently asked questions:

1. Can I hunt the day before deer season? Generally, no! It is illegal to possess a gun on the Friday before the regular November nine-day gun deer season in any part of the state outside of the CWD zones unless the gun is unloaded and enclosed within a carrying case. There are a few exceptions, which include target shooting at established ranges, sighting in firearms by landowners on their own land, hunting on licensed game farms and shooting preserves and hunting waterfowl during the open season. The archery deer season is closed on Friday before the Regular November nine-day gun deer season except in the CWD zones, but hunting small game with a bow and arrow is still legal if the season is still open for that species of small game. Hunting small game, such as pheasants with a firearm is legal in the CWD zones on the Friday before the Regular November nine-day gun deer season

2. Can I take my child hunting without a gun or license? Yes. He or she can tag along to observe the hunt. We recommend anyone in the woods wear blaze orange.

3. What handguns are legal for deer hunting? Deer may be hunted with handguns loaded with center-fire cartridges of .22 caliber or larger that have a minimum barrel length of 5 1/2 inches measured from the muzzle to the firing pin with the action closed.

4. What are the casing requirements for firearms? The rule is as follows: “Enclosed in a carrying case’ for firearms means completely contained in a gun case expressly made for that purpose which is fully enclosed by being zipped, snapped, buckled, tied or otherwise fastened, with no portion of the firearm exposed. No person may place, possess or transport a firearm, bow or crossbow in or on a vehicle, unless the firearm is unloaded and encased or unless the bow or crossbow is unstrung or is enclosed in a carrying case. A vehicle includes ATVs and snowmobiles.

5. Can someone else transport my deer after it's legally tagged and registered? Yes. Any person may transport a lawfully taken deer if it is properly tagged and registered, whether they possess a hunting license or not.

6. Once I have killed a deer, can I continue to hunt? Any member of a group gun-deer hunting party may kill a deer for another member of the party with a firearm if both of the following conditions exist:

A) At the time and place of the kill, the person who kills the deer is in contact with the person for whom the deer is killed. Contact means visual or voice contact without the aid of any mechanical or electronic amplifying device other than a hearing aid.

B) The person for whom the deer is killed possesses a current, unused deer carcass tag that is authorized for use on the deer killed. The person killing the deer may not leave the deer unattended until after it is tagged.

7. Can I hunt small game during the deer season? Yes, if the season is open, and -- with the exception of waterfowl hunting -- if 50 percent of the person's outer clothing above the waist is blaze orange.

8. Can I use a light to shine wild animals? Persons may not use or possess with intent to use a light for shining any wild animal while hunting or in possession of a firearm, bow and arrow or crossbow. Further, between Sept. 15 and Dec. 31, during the hours of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., you may not use any light for shining wild animals.

9. What do I do if I lose my hunter education certificate? Wisconsin law requires that anyone born after Jan. 1, 1973 must have successfully completed a hunter education course before he or she purchases any hunting license. This certificate must be presented when a license is purchased. If lost, a duplicate can be obtained by going in person or applying through the mail to a Department of Natural Resources license sales office. The current fee is $2.75.

10. How close must my 12-year-old son or daughter be to me to be under my supervision? The law states that anyone ages 12 and 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Accompanied means within sight and voice contact (without the aid of any mechanical or electronic amplifying device, other than a hearing aid).

For answers to additional questions, consult the Wisconsin Deer Hunting Regulations pamphlet – available on the Hunting and Trapping Regulations page of the DNR Web site and at businesses where licenses are sold, county clerk offices, and all Department of Natural Resources offices or contact the DNR customer service call center or the DNR Bureau of Law Enforcement at (608) 266-2141

Shoot straight and hunt safely!

Tom

Wisconsin's gun deer opener is Saturday. 

A successful fall bow hunt has already yielded two deer for my freezer - an abundant harvest.  The edge is off and I've earned a couple of buck tags.  

Bow hunting is a quiet, solitary sport.  I would describe it as Zen-like. 

On the other hand the gun season is an altogether different matter.  The camp comes alive with a collection of the usual suspects. This is a social event.  It is difficult not to anticipate the excitement.

For you non-hunting Tosans, I'll try to share with you a glimpse of our deer camp over the nine-day season.  So, stop-by periodically for updates.

For you hunters - shoot straight and above-all, hunt safe!  If you have a story or a picture to share - please do.

Tom

P.S.   I haven't seen much sitting in a tree lately but there is sign of deer everywhere.

Rubs

Scrapes

And

These

Nocturnal

Visitors

Anyone want to speculate as to why these critters have all of a sudden stopped moving during daylight hours?

Last weekend I had an opportunity to participate in some outstanding upland bird hunting.

Girlfriend and I traveled to South Dakota with eight other guys and five additional dogs for three days of hunting.  We rented a house in Doland - population 305.  The local economy is agriculture and hunting.

We hunted for three days with access to portions of 30,000 acres of Ag and CRP land - utilizing the services of a most excellent outfitter - Randi Dix.

Hunting begins no earlier than 10 AM and closes at sunset.  Shooting Dakota birds is unlike anything you'll find in Wisconsin.  Large numbers of birds that are as cagey as can be imagined.  These are birds that will take to flight at the mere sight of a vehicle or blaze orange, the slamming of a truck door, or bark of a dog.

The weather was generally sunny and windy with temps below freezing and rising to the high 40s to low 50s.  Chapstick is a necessity.

Interstates, state highways and a few town roads are paved - mostly everything else is a simple dirt track.  The land is flat, dry and generally blowing through the air.  Dakota dust was everywhere - your vehicle, your dog, your clothing, your nose and your gun. 

Hardly any cellular service.  Sporadic data on a Blackberry.  No DSL.  I never read a newspaper. 

I felt like I walked a hundred miles through corn and switch grass. 

Tons of birds and the profligate expenditure of ammo.   

We hit our bag limit each day. 

Girlfriend was in doggy paradise. 

At the end of the day the telling of stories over a whiskey was the perfect send-off to an early bedtime. 

Life is good. 

Staging to begin driving a corn field.

Planning and strategizing

Billy with some birds

Girlfriend and me

A refreshing adult beverage at the end of the hunt

Yes- you CAN get the Packer Radio Network - and we managed to catch fragments of the Kansas City game on Sunday during breaks in the hunt. 

Here's some more Tosa Trivia coming at ya.

On the southeast corner of 76 and Center Streets is situated a Walgreens. 

Walgreens gutted, renovated and built-out the structure that previously stood at that site.

Can you name the two principle businesses that occupied that building - beginning with the most recent AND the business before then?  

You must answer both correctly to win. 

Tosa Trivia players who can correctly answer the question can win VALUABLE prizes like an official WauwatosaNOW.com mouse pad, coffee cup and some other goodies.

If you have a Tosa Trivia question you'd like posted send me an email.  I won't identify you unless you wish.

My daughter and her beau were recently married here in Tosa.

You might be thinking "what's so remarkable about that?"

Daughter moved to the gulf coast after college and her husband happens to be from that same stretch of the bayou; actually the same community as Brett Favre. 

Bottom line: it's a bit of a trek to travel all that distance to get hitched here. 

Just goes to show the pull that Tosa has on it's migratory children.

Anyway, now that the run-up to the final denouement of wedding festivities has passed, my wife has intimated that she is ready for a vacation. 

Make that several vacations. 

She refers to this plan as the vacation of the month club.

She deserves it.  She shepherded this wedding stuff from beginning to successful end.  Without her hard work the entire gig would not have come together so completely.

I'll let you in on a little secret. 

Step-moms make mighty fine moms.