Never run with a loaded firearm! It's like running with scissors--didn't your mother teach you anything? LOL (Apologies to your mom--tell her I was just kidding). Seriously--decoy hunter gave you good advice. I'll try to add a little. Move slow--more like stalking than running. Try using a locator call while you're on the move--like a crow call. Once you hear a tom, set up if he's close--if he's far, move in on him & set up. Then put your lipstick on & do your best impersonation of an amorous hen. (The lipstick is a joke, son--if you actually put lipstick on, I'll disavow all knowledge of this conversation). Have a good safe hunt.

You can eat just about any meat that isn't rotten or contaminated (and some that is if you got the stomach for it). Do I eat carnivores? Heck yeah, I do. We fried gator tenderloin last night and Sunday dinner was a gator & shrimp gumbo that was good enough to serve in a fancy restaurant. Think about it--most of the fish we eat are carnivores (or piscavores???)--wild hogs, ducks and chickens are omnivores...the list goes on. We tend to eat the plant eaters but there is plenty of good table fare that eats meat.

Lookin' for love in all the right places--and in one wrong place if I have any say in the matter.

Bo's advice is good. I'm partial to Remington, but the 500 & the 870 are both good. If you can handle a 12 gauge, get one--it'll last a lifetime. If you get someting smaller, you'll be looking for a bigger gun by your 16th birthday. I don't know much about lefty shotguns except that they seem to be hard to find and more expensive. You should be OK shooting a pump action lefty. I've shot mine off-hand a few times & I didn't have a problem even though I don't practice it much.

On maintained roads, it's illegal in a lot of places. If that's what you're talking about, I agree with Bo. Even where it's legal, I don't think it's right & I would never do it. Where they still do deer drives & dog hunting, they use the "roads." But those are usually not public roads & I don't think that's what you are talking about.

I prefer the Rem 870 but the Mossberg 500 is about as good. Look at Bo's comment about different barrels. Start with a smooth barrel with a screw in choke & add on when you have the money. Turkey season's coming up quick--start with a full choke, no scope needed--you're almost ready to hunt. Be safe & good luck.

I've got a few rifles--the Savage .308 Model 10 is my favorite for deer hunting; 2 Rem 870's--1 slug barrel & 1 set up for turkey; 2 CVA muzzleloaders--a .45 Kodiak & a .50 Optima; an Arisaka Model 99 (Jap WWII rifle); a Henry 22mag & a few others. Handguns--Glock .40 cal Model 23 is my primary carry gun--I've got a S&W .357, a Sig .380 & a H&K .22 revolver that I'm hoping to use to teach my wife to shoot (wish me luck on that one).

South Florida, where the deer are small and the gators are not. Also home to pythons, iguanas & hundreds of other invasive exotic species.

I don't like it at all, even where it might be legal. In most places, that's poaching.

I think it's mostly personal preference, but pellets make loading a lot quicker & easier.

That's right.

Possum on the half shell. Two with one bolt--nice shot, Big O!

I've got both. They're both good. F&S usually has a little more traffic (that can be good and bad--I'll just leave it at that).

Sunny, about 60 degrees with a light breeze--and I'm stuck inside at work!

Amen to that dropjhook.

I'm still working on the wife--it's a long term project. I took 2 of the boys to the range on Saturday but Mrs. Seadog didn't come (she promised to go on Valentines day). No daughters, so if I can get mama into shooting, the whole family will be armed.

It's helpful but way overrated. My turkey gun is camo, but most of my others are not.

I've got an older 870 slug gun & a fairly new 870 turkey gun. The older one's never given me any problems. The newer one feels & shoots great but only time will tell if it's made as well as the old ones were. I guess I'm a little biased in favor of the Remington, so it gets my vote.

You got good advice above. What I would add is that you could be doing something to alert him of your presence. Maybe your setup is too close to his bedding area & he hears you coming in. Also consider the wind--make sure you have a downwind setup for any wind direction.

I have a Horton crossbow that I use for gator hunting. I love it. I haven't used it for deer or hogs, but if I do, I think I'm going to like it.

Good point Kody. I'm not sure if it's "most" of the pics but a lot have the muzzle pointed in the hunter's general direction. That's a bad safety message. I think it's OK to display the firearm with the game, but it should be displayed safely.

I never tell my wife an outright lie, but I usually save up some of my pocket money for a few months until I have a little put away that she doesn't know about. Then I have cash if I want to buy something at a gun show. When I buy a new gun, I pay for part of the gun with a credit card and the rest in cash. She only sees the credit card bill so she doesn't realize how much I really spent on it. This way, we're both happy.

You'll never get total agreement on this question. I've heard a lot of good things about the Mossberg 500, but my vote goes to the 870. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

Go with madmax on this one. A .243 Savage is a great choice for your first deer rifle and it should be right in your price range.

Where it's legal, I like to carry a pistol for self defense during archery. Check the law--it's not legal everywhere. You're usually allowed to shoot a predator that threatens you, but be careful. It can still get you in trouble in some places. But if you feel you're in danger, shoot it. It's better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6.

I get the magazine & I like it. I can take it anywhere & read it when I'm not around the computer. Give it a try.

I think there's a pretty big difference between a $50 scope and a $200 scope. But a $1000 scope isn't 5 times better than the $200 one. (Like a $20 bottle of wine is a lot better than a $5 bottle of wine, but I don't even know what a $100 bottle of wine tastes like.) If you can afford it, I think a $300 or $400 dollar scope is worth the extra money over the bargain model. But to me, the top of the line isn't worth so much money.

I ran out of fingers & toes just counting the ones I've been to this year.

I also go to both sites and I like both of them. He's right that F&S is a lot more active, but I agree with Mike that OL has some great writers. Sometimes the traffic here gets a little slow, but some of the discussions get real lively. (Go to my profile & check out the iguana discussion in my "Likes" column.)

I don't know a lot about duck hunting, but I know about gators, so I'll try to help. What you heard is typical, but not always true. They often wait to ambush prey with just their eyes & nostrils above water. When they stalk on the surface, that's usually all you see. You're not really looking for an "alligator." You're looking for the profile of the top of the head & snout (eyes & nostrils). Most of the gators out there are big enough to steal your ducks, but the dog is too big for them--but there are plenty big ones too. I hope this helps. You should talk to some duck hunters to see how they deal with it. Good luck hunting.

File this one away under Bad Advice. Bo's right--don't do it.

I've accidently tapped my ring on my treestand. You'd be surprised how loud that sounds when the woods are quiet. I don't know for sure, but I doubt if a deer would see your ring unless you are in direct sunlight. You can always wear a glove on your left hand.

It shouldn't hurt the barrel to leave the pellets in from one hunting day to the next, or even from one weekend to the next, but be sure you store the gun in a dry location. Doing this raises some safety concerns. Always remove the primer cap. Be sure you know when your gun is stored loaded--I leave the rod in the barrel as a reminder anytime I leave pellets & a slug in the barrel. I don't think it would damage the barrel to leave pellets in longer, but for safety reasons, I never leave my muzzleloader loaded any longer than the few weeks of black powder season. I also unload and clean at the end of the day every time I fire it. You say you clean after every 3rd shot. I think you should clean before you put the gun away even after one shot. If you shoot 3 times in one day before you clean it, that's OK.

Good point Kody. I suspect that they're reading the questions but don't have the answers. It could be that OL is loaded with hunting, fishing & gun experts, but a little short on techy geek types. I can certainly relate to that. I can use this computer but I'm a lot more comfortable in the woods or on the water (where I should be right now). And I can disassemble, assemble, load, unload ... my guns blindfolded, but don't ask me to try to fix the computer.

Your hunting license covers it on private land. You also need a WMA permit if you're hunting in a Wildlife Management Area. You can get all the Florida regs at www.myfwc.com.

These guys are right. A spike is usually just a young deer. Sometimes bad genetics will produce a deer that stays a spike or cow-horn or whatever, sometimes just on one side--but that's the exception. If you get a good look & that "spike" is an older mature deer, cull it. Otherwise, let it walk--it's your trophy for a few years from now.

You can do it wrong like me--I close my left eye. Or you can switch to shooting left handed--the bolt will be awkward until you get a left handed rifle. I really don't know which solution is better. You should try to decide soon. It will get harder to change the longer shoot one way. I learned to shoot righty when I was young, but nobody taught me about eye dominance until many years later. I tried to learn to shoot off-hand, but it still isn't comfortable. I still shoot righty. I've gotten used to it. It isn't too bad for hunting, but something tells me that I wouldn't have made it as a sniper.

I think you get points for posting both questions and answers. Go to your profile & click on the link to info about the point system & it explains it, but doesn't say how many points you get for what. I suggest you just have fun on the website & the points & stars will add up. I noticed that my profile shows a total of zero for my answers, but if I click on the link all my answers come up. That seems wierd but I won't lose any sleep over it.

By the teeth, but I can't explain it. If you have pictures or actual jaw bones to compare, it's pretty easy. They grow an extra tooth--I forget--at about 2 years old I think. From there, the teeth wear down like a horse.

I'll let someone else handle advice on duck hunting gear. I just wanted to put my 2 cents in to say thanks for your service.

The deer go online every year to download a copy of the local hunting regulations. They also read OL to keep one step ahead of us. They can tell from your username that you are an ethical hunter, so they know they are safe after shooting hours. I hope this helps. (Sorry, I'm in one of those moods again--I can't help it).

It probably depends on what kind of leaves you used. A strong foreign scent might alert the deer (but not as much as a strong human scent). If you used some dry broadleaf with a mild scent, you're probably OK. If it were me, I'd air out your clothes a little before the hunt and not worry about it after that. Have a fun and safe hunt.

I own several of both. I agree--wood stocks are beautiful. Synthetics are more practical. I want more of both. The next wood stock I get will probably be because of the beautiful stock.

Your scent, movement or noise could be alerting the deer. Just do you best to control all three, and as pineywoods just said, be patient. Good luck & have a safe hunt.

My dad bought me my first rifle & taught me how to shoot but he didn't hunt--he did teach me to fish and took me camping. I learned about hunting from a couple of great friends, a lot on my own (experience is a great teacher), and some from magazines like OL. I still credit my dad with planting the seed--he's the one that first got me interested in firearms and the outdoors.

I think it depends on where you hunt. If does get very little pressure, they aren't as wary as the bucks. Where does are hunted more, that horny old buck might give you a better chance.

That Kody sure is brave to mess with Texas, but I can't find any reason to disagree. I am, however, no fan of those winning teams from NY & Boston.

I agree with Johnie. I'm not sure how it would pattern 'cause I never tried it. I wouldn't want to risk damaging the rifled barrel.

The 887 is a pump gun like the 870. I don't think Remington has a new semiauto similar to the 887, but the 1100 is a good gun.

Sure. You don't need the decoy.

I agree with charlie elk, but don't take what he said as an insult. It's normal to be a little jealous. Just don't act upset about it. Be proud of your friend. That wierd feeling you're getting--suck it up like a man--it will pass. Last year, my friend got a gator that measured over 11 feet. I went home & bragged like crazy to anyone that would listen about my friend's 11 footer, but I was secretly a little jealous. Two weeks later I got a 12 footer.

I was looking for a particular choke for my 870. I knew exactly what I wanted so I just asked if they had it. The guy actually working behind the counter in the Walmart gun department didn't know what a choke tube was or what it was used for. I don't think he even knew the difference between 12 & 20 gauge. I agree with the comments above. The only advantage to Walmart is IF you know what you want, & IF they actually have it, you can usually get it a little cheaper.

I think a natural blind is better, but I usually use both. I carry a small, light, folding blind (a "turkey" blind). It sets up fast & easy. Then I cut some brush to fill in my "doorway" and break up the straight lines and unnatural look of the blind.

I don't get out west much but I count em the same as Charlie says--anything 1 inch or over is a point. In some WMA's the rule is 3 points on 1 side, but if it's a 3x3, I'd still call it a 6 point.

FYI The first wolf taken on opening day in Idaho was killed by one of the regulars on the Field&Stream website. He's got pictures posted & there were a lot of good comments on the site all last week. (Sorry for promoting the other magazine).

This is an interesting question. I can't think of any good reason why it shouldn't be allowed for hunting. If I had enough time to practice & get proficient, I would like to try it. For fishing, I think Florida law would treat it like a speargun in salt water & like bowfishing in fresh water. Most game species would be off limits, but some fish are OK. You could use it to hunt exotics--I've got snakeheads behind my house that would make great targets.

I'm probably not the best person to answer this, being from the opposite corner of our great country where the big game isn't quite as big, but that sounds like a pretty big load to me.

I use the soap & the detergent, but I don't go crazy with all the other stuff. I can't say for sure if they're really worth the extra money, but I'm willing to spend a few extra bucks on something that might gove me an advantage if I can't stay downwind.

I wouldn't put tape on the sheath--you need to oil it. If it were me, I wouldn't use it as my regular knife. I'd just break it out once in a while. If you take care of it, you'll still be able to pass it on.

Wow--that's a pretty broad question. I'll throw out a couple. Get familiar with your weapon. Sight it in, then practice at distances you are likely to shoot in the field. Check your equipment well before opening day--including little things like batteries in your flashlight or headlamp. If you tend to fidget, get a blind or one of those camo skirts for your treestand. Be quiet & still--you can spook a deer that you never saw--& never will see. If you walk, there is no such thing as too slow.

I haven't seen that in any stores. Talk to the pros at a good archery shop. They should be able to help you switch cams & make adjustments to increase the draw weight.

I was going to suggest the same thing Yoda said, but I really like Gerry's do it yourself method. Most of us probably have everything you need right in the garage.

I haven't harvested one myself, but if I understand the biology right, SD Whitetail has it right. The antlers harden up well before the velvet comes off. By opening archery, they should be good to mount.

I'd say opening day. It might depend some on your age, though. I'm the old guy buying the Christmas presents, not the kid waking up early to open them. If you're 14 & you get your first rifle as a Christmas present, then Christmas might be better for you this year.

I like hunting better than hook & line fishing, but I like diving for lobster & spearfishing better than either one. That's just me, but I'm a seadog.

Interesting question & a lot of great comments. I'd take my first good clean shot.