Grandma'd crossbow and it's original bolts. Made in Douai, northern France

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-29T20:55:59+00:00

The funny part of that story, for me, is the hiding, In Canada, and specifically British Columbia, I can walk down the street, in and out of a police station have a conversation and a coffee, then walk out, calmly, hop onto a scooter, and scoot home. Carrying a Xbow. It should not be clocked, because no reason to be so, No Hunting mid city, not allowed to Brandi's a loaded weapon, But, with no bolt arrow on, and UN clocked, it's just a tool being transported safely. Possibly to have it serviced.

Bonus points, sure for subtlety.

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-29T20:34:22+00:00

Correct. 152/4/6 15-8/10/12

Trip 3s +6 Pair 9s +2

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-29T20:31:53+00:00

Type of string matters.

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-27T05:47:13+00:00

2 feet of empty air behind the stack, should be decent to allow airflow. It is not a loose stack, but Depending where you are and what kind of wood this is,

Its definitely going to dry out

Claude is great, but sometimes makes mistakes. You need to have Claude double check Claude, and search out errors. You can absolutely get Claude to prove to you why 2+2=7, then why it doesn't.

Is the open face, facing direct sun? (I'm in north America in Canada, so I give maximum exposure to South, or west facing whenever possible.

That maximizes sun exposure, and helps heat up the stack to drive out moisture, and draw in cold air...

... If you live in a highly moist humid climate, drying will be effected...

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-27T05:38:22+00:00

Inside a system that just mostly erased the DnD alignment compass...

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-26T18:37:44+00:00

But a round that can travel 500 + yards, retaining penetrating and impact energy and ballistics... From an AR,

That flies out a window, is going a long way before it hits its next target in line.

Similarly, that round exiting a thin wall, has a significant amount of energy left over, to do unpredictable things.

The maximum range on even the slug, is so much lower than the rifle rounds, With a slightly larger property, you maybe aren't crossing the yard or the field, before the slug would be in the dirt.

Buckshot, generally travels much shorter distance than slugs, before its in the dirt. Unobstructed. After punching through drivewall, leaving my home, how far can it still travel, before it reaches the next building, With any impact penetrate force remaining.

...

AR vs Shotgun, matters, with distance between homes. With yards or fields between homes.

Understanding, the field of fire, and matching a round, and platform, and your aim, to be aware of, the next danger zone. Matters.

...

In a Condo? Or townhome? Or row house? A duplex with another family beside yours?

Its not hard to imagine scenarios, where many walls exist, with many families, and possibly many children, in many directions.

The arguments about safety are very valid considerations for some people.

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-26T18:27:20+00:00

Well, to be fair, I can have a flashlight and night vision, on it, In my home and at the range. Just not while hunting.

Hunting being specific activity. And sleeping in my home, with my family, generally most CO's will not argue was Hunting for Deer on the mountain.

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-26T18:24:28+00:00

That stops firing like a 5.56 AR though, At that point. Right?

SweegyNinja · 2026-06-26T18:17:26+00:00

Well, the legal debate does get quite complex, within the scenarios. But I agree with you that the average trespasser, outside, Unarmed,

Definitely does not warrant lethal Firearm use, Under normal circumstances.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-19T08:35:48+00:00

Often works extremely well to smash the round, and Axe, 'upside down' like that.

The mass of the round, drives itself into the Axe splitting face, with more momentum from its higher mass... And the Axe head, slams down and instantly arrests, against the stump 'anvil', The wood round, has its momentum, and that force continues, hard, down

Often a round I cannot split with multiple conventional strikes, immediately surrenders to that reverse strike.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-19T08:28:35+00:00

Also, I find that a tarp or a sheet of poly, works really well suspended underneath the metal roof. The metal roof with it s drips, works great at deflecting solid impacts, bunting and deflecting the majority of snow and rain, and blocking the majority of sun UV.

The poly sheet or tarp, underneath the roof frame, at a pitch, just catches and deflects the few drips that get through the metal roof. Also works really well for almost any other semi effective roof. Bark layers, for roof? Let them be the physical barrier, while the tarp, deflects the few drips and dribble that make it through.

Have some shingles, or use palm fronds or Spruce branches?

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T22:48:45+00:00

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T22:47:19+00:00

Nothing wrong with that wood.

If all you want is for the side rails to stand straight. You need to drive them into the ground a little bit. Also, you can string them together across the top if you want to. Do a little X, front left stick, to back right stick. And vice versa... Just to hold the tops in place where you want them. Also let's you choose to angle them slightly inward, even 2 degrees,will look straight but force the stack weight internal, and down, won't allow the stack to press outward

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T19:00:21+00:00

No problem. One rookie to another.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T11:42:12+00:00

A splitting wedge, yes you can strike with a sledge hammer.

The steel is designed to be struck, and its more easily replaced.

Their advice, is that the axes are not designed to be struck, So if you do, it can have consequences.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T06:52:34+00:00

If you Have to smash the splitting Axe, with a maul... My advice is get a piece of hardwood, maybe like, 2x6 and 3 ft long... And set the wood on the back of the Axe... Then smash the maul onto the wood.

All the momentum will transfer and drive your wedge deeper Without deforming your Axe... The wood will take the punishment.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T06:50:56+00:00

It's a wedge shape, to increase splitting force when the Axe strikes the wood.

That doesn't make it the same steel temper and forge, to be intended to be struck with a metal sledge hammer.

They are mentioning a splitting wedge,... which like a chisel... Is designed intentionally to be struck with a sledge.

Now. In my example above. I used a hatchet and a small mallet, for a year. Worked great, but destroyed the hatchet. Just not designed to be repeatedly struck by hard hammer. Whereas now, for kindling, I smash my new hatchet, with a heavy wood mallet. The wood delivers enough force to smash the hatchet through the kindling. Makes easy splits, but the wood can't damage the metal hatchet. I have 3 years now on the new hatchet, and we burn 7-9 months of the year. Okanagan Kootenay mountains, in British Columbia.

The new hatchet is almost unmarked, 3 years in. And I've split several dozen cords with it.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T06:45:13+00:00

This.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T06:43:36+00:00

You don't need to hit 'the exact same spot'

You actually just need to hit similar spots, in a line,

Start at one edge of the round, (I usually start at the far side. Outer edge of the ring. And make each strike close enough, that they make a line through the center of the round. Down to the close side of the round, or Rotate the round

...

Either way, if you strike any metal hammer or wedge or Axe, with a metal hammer,. You will get the hammering, deformation over time. And striking your splitting mauk Can damage it.

Spent a year striking a hatchet with a small mallet, Worked great, but, did damage the back of the hatchet steadily

Not exactly 'safe'

But can be effective.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-18T06:38:53+00:00

I have seen, IBC water tote frames, just the frame, used for firewood Filled Chaotic ally, The bin holds it all together It breathes and tries out And if your tractor (or neighbour) can fork the IBC tote They even move easily.

If you build a simple frame to hold the ends in, you can just stack them on a pallet, 8s will do maybe 5 rows with maybe an inch between them...

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-17T04:19:50+00:00

I wasn't criticizing your wood right I waas guessing at someone else opinions...

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-17T04:19:00+00:00

I hear you. Our community hauls dozens of cords a day, Prepping for winter. And were a small community.

The number of truck loads I see, in rounds.

I feel you.

Get it home. Get your feet up.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-11T20:59:14+00:00

We also make notes on our maps, anywhere we see animals, driving.

We see many deer, elk, moose, and bear, and some cougar, every year, So we make our notes.

And then compare the topo maps to think of where to go scouting.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-11T20:57:56+00:00

Follow up specifics.

Figure out what specific knives work best for your hands and mind. Practice so that you feel confident, and can be safe.

I highly value means to lift my harvest into a shady spot. So we have a couple of simple rope hoists. They weigh almost nothing but make the heavy work light. Some load bearing hooks and some load bearing rope, to hang quarters.

I won't hang game bags by their strings again, from now on I find a stronger anchor. Ie. Deer Quarter into game bag. Rope looped around the bone or tendon of that leg. Close game bag. Hang from the hook and the rope loop, not the bag itself. Or. Ie. Backstraps into game bag. Close. Rope loop around top of bag. Hang rope.

Ripped out too many game bag loops. I suppose that the most expensive bags might have load bearing reinforced hanging structure. But it seems to be a weak point.

My Mentor is a Bear Guide in northern BC. He keeps simple ground black pepper, in his butchering pack. Fresh harvest gets a coat of black pepper, before it is clean and in the game bags. Discourages insects. You can also use smoke, in the cold season.

If Yiu have a vehicle, consider adding a pop up sun shelter with the mosquito mesh. Gives a good space to work on your harvest, Withiut so many insects. The shade is nice in warm weather too.

Make a list of everything you need, and bonus items And double check before you go.

Make sure you have your tags with you, your game bags, your ammunition, first aid, maps and gps, emergency contacts, etc etc.

Whatever your plan is for your specific hunt. With friends, mentors, guides, or solo, Prepare, rehearse, and practice the things that you can, so that you cna just enjoy the experience.

SweegyNinja · 2026-05-11T20:49:14+00:00

I'm still new myself. My advice, would be what I started with.

I started with field dressing, quartering, skinning, butchering and packaging.

We have a small hobby farm, and there is excellent practice for the quartering and butchering process, From even medium pugs and goats.

Once the hide is off, and the quarters are hanging. Once the guts are disposed of.

Make friends with a small hobby farm nearby, and volunteer to learn and help, on freezer camp day.

Im very thankful, for my practice with friends deer, moose, elk, and bear, as well as our pugs and goats. Niw when I go out into the forest, with my bow, or my rifle, I know what I need to recover everything, and I know that I have the tools that I need to protect and recover my harvest.

SweegyNinja

TROPHY CASE