Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, November 29, 2003, Image 47
Forget the turkey leftovers. Forget the shopping frenzy of the weekend. Forget the limbs tossed down, the leaves still whipping around and those lingering outside chores complicated by Mother Nature’s erratic mood swings and frequent moisture outburst tamtrums. Forget all the usual, mundane things of daily life as the Keystone State, shuts down for that greatest hunter’s holiday that dwarfs all CALL THE SPOUTING SPECIALISTS For • 5", 6" & 7” Seamless Gutters in 32 Colors • Half Round Gutters • Windows & Doors • Tubular Skylights n ’S-, L —• Call Today For A Free Estimate 265 E. Meadow Valley Rd., Lititz, PA 17543 717-733-7160 - 1-800-247-2107 - 717-627-6886 M HHHI Financing Available If CHRISTMAS ft TOOL SALE'S £ i December 1 Through December 24 Contractors, Farmers and Home Owners Get Up To 20% Discount Off Of Our Regular Prices. All Wedding Gifts Get 10% Discount On Less than $200.00 Worth All Other Farm Hardware Tools, Toys, Cookware, Wagons, All Gifts, Dog Kennels, Hot Beds. Water Bowls, All Plumbing Parts. Tobacco Twine and Paper ffmm Combo Pack _ BBWi Reg. $630 Now Net * VALLEY ROAD SPEEDER WAGONS .. Ksss^i ; r-' 3 ' J j •Will ship U.P.S. Anywhere In The U.S. (Except Model 1300) - You Pey Shipping In Advance Or We Will Bill. Jk Valley Hardware — Feed Carts - Express Wagons - Hardware - Martin Senour Paint - Kendall Motor Oils A 958 Vintage Road, Christiana, PA 17509 r Special Hours: December 1-24: Mon., Wed., Thurs. 6:30 AM-4:00 PM, Sat. 6:30 AM-3;00 PM Tues. & Fri. 6:30 AM-7:00 PM, Dec. 24 closing at 3:00 PM A others. Even if you aren’t an active participant, you could hardly miss the blitz of advertising for gear or the extended holiday observed by umpteen schools across the com monwealth. Oh deer! The annual white-tail economic revival of remote areas is already underway, as legions of license bearing hunters head for the hin terlands. While mass marketers ea gerly awaited “black” Friday for its $200.00 Get 10% Discount Plus A Free Pocket Knife $350.00 Get 15% Discount Plus A Free Water Pitcher $1,000.00 Get 20% Discount Plus A Free Vice Grip Cheek Our Special Mm O* DeWalt tad Makitt Cordleaa and Power Tools MODEL 350-* 10” Air Tires, 20”x40” Bed $157 With Racks traditional buying boost with cash and credit card swiping, many small mountain-region commu nities of our state get their year-end economic boost courtesy of buck season. Legions of trophy tales of those gotten and those that got away will arise from the deep, dark depths of the forests. The ac counts will resound, hashed and re hashed through multiple tellings, from walls of tiny, rough-built cab ins to those of fancy lodges. MODEL 1300-* 48 " MODEL 175-* A 1 no 10x175 Wheels, 16"x36' w/Racks . Ai no Bed $97 w/Racks w/o Racks yl/i3 By week’s end, the empty-hand ed may be wishing they had done their stalking someplace else. At least in the mountainous area with which we are most familiar, the deer “take” has steadily declined in recent years. Meanwhile, back down the valley a piece, on a large piece of ground held by a sprawl ing state institution, banned to hunting and bordered by homes, the deer herd grazes like a bunch of cows. Deer did not come to their abun dant population numbers by being Small deaf, dumb, and blind. Like bear, foxes, coyotes, and other of the larger state predator species, they know a good thing when they find it. And, a good thing for a deer is a lush stand of some farmer’s alfalfa. Why nibble forest browse when you could be munching sweet, tasty forage? Which is why, increasingly, the “big bucks” may likely be those that hang out in less-stalked place. Like a patch of scrub growth along an interstate, behind an edge-of town shopping mall, or a small backyard orchard bordering a housing development. While we love to watch the few that hang out in our neighborhood, we sympathize with acquaintances who lament herds of 50 whitetails nibbling their way through prime hayfields, night after night. Many of them are happy to share access to that abundance to hunters who display common sense, courtesy, and respect of property. Let’s repeat that, hunters: com mon sense, courtesy, and respect of property are critical. And, we have several hunters who are year-round regulars here, almost like part of the family. But... During goose hunting season, we allowed a few new individuals to hunt a huge invasion of geese that descended into our rye and oats fall pasture seeding. Because of cows, machinery and beloved grandchildren roaming the place, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 29, 2003-B3 ********A***************** Christmas Gift Idea * ringing Allis Home” features farm and tractor stories that { >k place on a farm near Jelloway, Ohio, in the ’4os and '6os 4 th an Allis-Chalmers WC. Part II of the book provides the * ing story-teller’s account of restoring a ’4B Allis-Chalmers * and returning with it to the old home farm that is now * rned by Amish. The 116 page, soft-cover book, contains 44 J vpictures. Orders will be shipped same day, first class, from; 4 Sharodan Educational Enterprises * 6529 County Rd. 201 * Millersburg, Oh. 44654 . 12.95* plus $3.00 S/H. (*tax is included) or Ph; 330-893-2083 4 Bringing Allis Home Copyright 2002 ISBN 0-9717437-0-3 * ************************** we set strict boundaries about where anyone can be with a gun. So when I spied a canto-dressed young man strolling, gun in hand, right behind the lawn fence early one evening,' with the grandchil dren romping around the yard, I became “unglued.” And downright unfriendly. One night later I totally “freaked out” when what sounded like a se ries of shots erupted righL outside the house. Panic stricken, I went flying out in search of the intruder, to find grandson Caleb stomping on a piece of that puffy-plastic packaging material that was pop ping with loud cracks. Some of the best hunting tro phies and the best stories come from the least likely places. Like that of a neighbor, current ly carrying around a stranger-than fiction deer antler trophy. A buck crashed into his SUV and died be neath the vehicle. Once back on the road, a bumping sound from be neath sent our friend back to the side of the road to check the omi nous sound. Stuck in one of his tires was a four-inch antler spike, which had apparently impaled the tread on impact. In a stroke of good fortune, the antler point remained em bedded in the tire until he reached a repair center. Beat that story, all you hunters headed for the hills. And don’t foret your spare tire.