The sound was something that you never forget and the feeling of knowing that despite all of your care and all of your effort, someone else can end your day with their own stupidity is something you just never forget. Just like driving, when you’re out hunting, make sure that you know not only what you’re doing, pay attention not only to your own actions, but watch for the other guys. It’s a lesson that sticks with you for a very long time.

1/2 c Flour
Salt and pepper
garlic powder
Margarine or butter for frying
2 Chopped green onions
bay leaf
4 black peppercorns
2 tsp vinegar

Boiled potatoes for an accompanying dish

Skin the rabbit and cut it into standard pieces, back, hams, front legs and etc. Salt and pepper your rabbit and add just a sprinkling of garlic powder, or rub a piece of garlic on the pan you’re going to use. Dredge the rabbit lightly in flour.

In about two tablespoons of butter or margarine, which has been heated to hot but not smoking, drop the rabbit pieces. Fry them til lightly browned and then remove them from the pan. Into the same butter, chop your green onion and slightly brown them, as well as a cup of water, a bay leaf, and two of the pepper corns or a dash of ground pepper and your vinegar.

Return the rabbit to the pan and cook til done on a very low flame, covered for about 45 minutes or a bit longer. Watch that the pan doesn’t boil dry. Remove the rabbit and add enough water to make about a cup of liquid again, letting it make a broth of sorts, then using the remaining flour, make a roux and thicken the broth that has come from the pan, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Serve it piping hot with the potatoes and you won’t believe the flavor and the tenderness of the rabbit.

Wild Turkey in PA- R.Drake

This could be a good year to get into feeding them.It’s fairly easy to get started and  and can actually be fun, plus you get some fresh air and exercise as well as getting some good scouting in.

An easy to build  turkey feeder is a spool such as the ones that wire comes on. You’re also going to need somesquare fencing with the squares that aren’t big enough to let the corn  fall out.  Fasten the fencing to the out side of the spool leaving an opening at the top to load the corn in. You will need to build some sort of legs to hold it up off of the ground a small amount,  but also low enough so that the turkey and other animals can get at the corn that you’re going to load in. Saving a few of those five gallon will work quite well to carry your corn into the feeder area.Bear in mind that the turkey like to hang out in the woods or on the edge of a clearing, so if you park your feeder in the center of a field, typically you’ll get a lot of squirrels and a few deer, but probably not a lot of turkey.

With a little scouting you can find out where the turkey are hanging out. Good places to check are near spring runs and creeks. Once you find a good looking area and get your feeder set up you check it every couple of days and take more corn in to refill it if needed.

Feeders such as these are great ways to get photos. Set up a wildlife camera in the area and check it when you come back to refill the feeder. You may get a few shocks such as wildlife that you hadn’t expected who are coming in to feed as well.

This can also be a good way to view a lot of different wildlife and even get some pictures. Not to mention you’ll be helping a lot of  wildlife get through the winter in a lot better shape.

Keep in mind that you want to remove your feeder a couple weeks prior to spring gobbler season and that its very poor hunting technique to hunt near a standing feeder. Turkey are smart and it doesn’t take them long to figure out that someone is taking care of them. It also doesn’t take them long to figure out its a trap. Be a good sport.

Lay the animal on its back with the head pointing uphill if at all possible. You will want to make several cuts immediately in order to assure that the mean stays clean. The first cut will be to remove the male anatomy if necessary. On any animal your next cut will be around the rectal area.

Some people will tell you to pull out the rectum in part and then tie it off with a rope. You don’ t have to do that but it does help to prevent fecal contamination of the meat. Then working from the rectal area forward, you’re going to begin to cut down the abdominal area making sure not to cut too deeply.

Flip your prey on the side and allow the organs to fall forward, severing the tissue that holds them into place. Be sure that you’ve severed all of the tissue. If you keep the organs or part of them, have a cooler or some other way to carry them with you.

Once you’ve gotten your deer or other animal home, hang it to let the excess heat and blood flow from the body. If you choose to have someone else butcher your deer for you, then make that phone call. otherwise, its fairly easily accomplished to clean and freeze your own deer if you have the stomach and the talent for it. If you’d like to give it a try, several good items exist online on how to clean and butcher your own venison.

CPR and Rescue Breathing
If you’ve never had a course in CPR, take one. It could save the life of someone you love, hunting, hiking, or even at home. Just an hour or two to learn CPR could save someone’s life. Fire Departments, The American Red Cross, and the American Heart Association typically offer classes in CPR on a regular basis.

Safety in Crisis or Injury

The first and most basic rule is going to be one that not many people want to pay attention to but it pays off. Take care of your own safety. Don’t risk a broken limb or worse climbing out into somewhere that may not hold you, or attempting a rescue when it’s difficult or impossible. The bottom line is that you can’t help anyone if you’re out of commission yourself. If you are injured you’re going to delay the care of the other victim and make the rescue workers on their way trying to rescue you as well.

Just a few seconds will help during any kind of injury or crisis, but at the end of the day, make sure that you assure your own safety before you attempt a rescue.

Basic First Aid

Healthcare personnel know that the way to assure the continuity of life is to assure that three things are taken care of. These are known as the ABC’s of first aid. They are Airway, Breathing and Circulation. Make sure that the airway is clear and patent, that the Breathing is taking place and that Circulation is happening.

Control any bleeding, provide for breathing and for circulation and then call for help. If necessary use CPR and keep pressure on any bleeding wounds or apply a tourniquet until help arrives . If there are any others available, instruct them on how to help you. CPR and first aid can be difficult and tiring. Use help if you have it.

Never move someone who has fallen from a high area. Be sure that no neck or spinal cord injuries are there. If your victim can move fingers and toes and does not have any obvious injuries, don’t assume they are not injured. Hold their spine in alignment until help arrives. They are breathing and not bleeding, and there is no immediate danger to them, don’t move them until help arrives who are trained to move them safely.

Never hunt alone and never hike alone. Always be with someone who knows a little about first aid and be sure that you are educated in it as well. Hunt with a partner and wear bear bells or find another way to avoid animals that may be aggressive. Hunting is one of the most wonderful sports going, but taking some extra steps to remain safe will keep it enjoyable and prevent a hunting injury or disaster.

Know your weapon and practice with it

Practice taking apart your weapon and inspecting it thoroughly. If you know what your weapon looks like normally, you will be quick to recognize any abnormalities of the weapon in the field. If you drop your weapon or fall while carrying it, take it apart and inspect it for damage. Make sure that the slide operates smoothly. If you are in doubt in any way about how it’s going to work or if it has water, snow or mud in the barrel, don’t fire it.
Likewise, know the ammunition that you choose to use. A .22 caliber bullet fired from a rifle can travel over two and a half miles. That means that lining up a shot that is safe and will hit what you’re aiming at is more than important.

Transporting the weapon

Always carry your weapon unloaded.That’s the law in most places, but realistically, many people simply ignore it. If you are going to hike to a new location, unload and then hike. Store the rifle and ammunition separately and, if possible, keep the storage container locked. Never carry a loaded rifle in your vehicle or on a four wheeler or other type of ATV.

Sighting your prey

When sighting your shot, you have a lot of things to take into account. If the target is even partly hidden, the answer is, don’t shoot. Make sure that what you’re shooting at is in full view and that you have a safe pathway to the target. If you have any doubt about what’s moving, then wait. Don’t hunt in darkness, at dusk or until the daylight has fully broken. Realize how far your bullet can travel. Deer season a couple years ago had me on a hillside sighting in a nice fat doe when a loud THWACK hit just above me and to the left. Thank goodness the hunter below was not a decent shot. The bullet hit about two feet above my head and took out a tree rather than me, but needless to say, I made it a point to shout loud enough to scare the doe and him too.

Don’t shoot at an animal that is standing on a hillside unless you’re also on that same hill and can readily identify anything that may be between you and the animal. Bullets don’t stop til they hit something. Rocks, Trees, or water can actually ricochet a bullet and send it on a path you can’t control. Sight first with your binoculars if you have them. If the animal is too far away to see clearly with your binoculars, then common sense says, don’t shoot. Use binoculars first, if the shot is clear, switch to the scope.

Treat Your Weapon as if it IS Loaded All the Time.

Never go hunting or handle a weapon if you have had any alcohol or medication that may impair your judgment. Even a sleeping pill the night before can affect your reflexes during the day. Get plenty of rest the night before your trip and go home early if you find yourself becoming drowsy.

Sighting a big buck or a fat bird can be exciting. It’s important to keep a level head at all times and not let your emotions cloud your judgment. Don’t allow yourself to act without thinking through the action to determine if it’s safe first.

Wear your safety gear all the time.

Bring eye protection and wear it when shooting. Include safety orange in your choice of head gear and upper body clothing.That’s particularly true in the fall. Typically your choice will be camo or browns for hunting and you want the other hunters in the area distinguish you from the prey.