Morning mumbles over coffee, saw a moose in Idaho

[Okanagan]

Golly my hot coffee is good this cold morning, our first frost of the year and it is a solid hard frost.

Did some wandering the past several days and was surprised to see a cow moose just off Hwy 95 in Idaho, a half mile north of Potlatch Junction.  My sister and her husband joined me for a ramble to Spokane and Coeur d'Alene to hit the big sporting goods stores up there, then back through Pullman and the fabulous Ferdinand's Ice Cream shop on the Washington State University campus.

I bought a 1.5 horse LEM meat grinder from Black Sheep sporting goods in Coeur d'Alene.  Good price, no shipping, almost no tax in Idaho  -- and it is in hand to grind the burger from four deer we have hanging or frozen in ready-to-grind packages. We ground the burger from two elk and a little more than one deer on one long evening recently, using my half horse older Cabela's grinder.  Motivation to get a bigger grinder.

Wish I could trade a chunk of outer strap blacktail for the same from one of your whitetails.  Consensus in our extended family is that blacktails on average are the best eating deer, with whitetails not far behind and then mule deer.  Gonna have elk burger and eggs for breakfast in a few. 

I hung my spike blacktail for 18 days in a cooler.  It is the best or close to it of any venison I've ever eaten. 

For my trip east, I avoided Seattle and the I-90 icy raceway over the pass, and took a little longer route up the Columbia River.  My comfort country from my formative years. 



Sorry, too many words and too many topics in one post.  I'm abusing your kindness on this forum.  

[nastygunz]

Beautiful country. Id be lost out there with no trees.

[Okanagan]

Beautiful country. Id be lost out there with no trees.

When I first would visit the thick forest on the coast, I would get uncomfortable and I finally realized that all the trees gave me claustrophobia!  I subconsciously needed to see way out there, and I would physically move my arms without thinking about it, as if pushing back the trees so I could see!  It took me a year or two of living here to get over it. 

[FinsnFur]

If I had a whitetail backstrap I'd surely take you up on that offer, Clyde
I borrowed a Cabela grinder from a co-worker a few years ago. They get the job done, there's no doubt. But they do leave a lot to be desired. This one had to be fed pretty slowly.
Love the pic of that scenery. It looks so peaceful and I'm all about peace and quite
I'm glad the family is getting you out. Keeping your mind busy, Clyde.
And your definitively not abusing anything around here. Keep em coming

[nastygunz]

84% forested here, I think the longest shot I have ever taken on a deer might be around 100 yards and that's pretty rare. I'd say the majority of shots I have taken are 30 yards or closer. That's why I have taken them with a handgun, long bow and recurve bow. I asked fish game a few years ago if it was legal to take a deer with a spear and they said no ha ha.🤣👍