Hunting Washington Forum

Today I turned a bunch of grapes into a bunch of grape jelly.

Awesome story! Great bull! And in the road, doesn’t get any better than that.

Heck ya congrats 👏👍
Looks like a dang nice bull.

As in my earlier post about getting my Marlin .22 mag back that was stolen and in non-functioning condition, I have since gotten it relatively cleaned up and firing. 

Have an issue with it extracting a fired case, but likely needs the chamber better cleaned up with and polished and the bolt torn down for a deeper clean as well. 

What I am thinking about is that since I replaced it right after the theft with a new Marlin .22 mag, I really don't need two.

Looking to see if anyone has any idea on the feasibility of having the barrel bored clean and a new sleeve installed in .17 HRM and where something like that could be done, if it can be done??

I know the Marlin barrel is pinned in and possibly "glued" as well and would like to talk with a gunsmith that is familiar with this process, so hoping for some recommendations.

In the meantime, pulled the moldy wood stock out of an overnight soak in white vinegar and got the bulk of the "live" mold off.  After air drying will check it to make sure it doesn't have any big warps or other damage then start refinishing it if it is good to go.

Thanks much!!

Awesome! Thank you! So, they pretty much eat everything lol.

I heard that they dont really eat snowberry or Oceanspray, that they provide good cover but not good forage. Same goes for grasses

You're welcome. 

Mule deer especially browse those "tough shrubs", but white-tailed deer do as well (see Thilenius and Hungerford 1967, citation below), although they are not the most preferred browse species (after fire, though, the fresh adventitious sprouts are great, even for the picky whitetails).  Grasses are going to be most important in the spring, of course, as they either germinate (annuals) or send up a new crown (perennials).  However, in late October and early November, or around springs that admit relatively warmer groundwater to the surface, some grasses will be green in the fall and attract deer.  I took a 2.5 year old whitetail over a spring hidden back in a timber stand that had green grass, even when the surrounding forest had a snowpack.  Why?  The groundwater coming to the surface kept the snow melted, and the perennial grasses there remained green well into December.  A good hunter looks for those wet spots and both the water and the browse they afford.  Bucks love food and water sources deep in cover, especially as they feel hunting pressure. 

Thilenius, J.F. and Hungerford, K.E., 1967. Browse use by cattle and deer in northern Idaho. The Journal of Wildlife Management, pp.141-145. 
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3798368