Modern Stetson Open Road

[gtdean48]

Knowing gtdean he probably has wrestled a couple of gators. I never have personally. The closest thing I've come to it is wrestling a very mean wild hog I had to kill with a bowie knife.

As close as I've come to a gator was on the golf course & my ball landed near one by a water hazard. I let him keep it....
I shoot wild hogs. They are too mean & ugly for a knife fight!!!!

 

[warbird]

I was flipping channels two nights ago and saw one of the cooking shows dump a whole roast pig from the chicken wire into the big metal serving pan. The dude took out the tusks and handed them to the show's host. They were nice and long, they would be good on the hat too.

Maybe one attached somehow to the hat band would be cool. They know how to use those tusks for sure. And they hurt. They go for your lower legs and run by you. They won't jump on you. They like to bite too. They be some mean critters. Probably as mean an animal as we have in the south. Gators will come after you sometimes. Bear will almost always leave you alone. But these wild hogs will attack when they see you, even if you 100 or so yards away.

 

[fmw]

I saw TV show about how the American wild hogs have interbred with the Eurasian hogs making a larger more agressive animal. Are they any good to eat?

 

[warbird]

I saw TV show about how the American wild hogs have interbred with the Eurasian hogs making a larger more agressive animal. Are they any good to eat?

Yes, the smaller ones are very good. The larger ones not so much. 250-300 lbs is about as big as you want one to eat. I wonder what kind of a hat or boots a wild hog would make? LOL.

I would head down to Louisiana and get myself some nutria for some hats if I knew of some way to have the fur made into some blanks. Maybe Winchester could send it overseas and have someone process the fur. I wonder how many nutria it would take to make one hat. We could have ourselves a regular TFL hunting event for nutria and we could all get some hats made out of it. Love nutria fur.

 

[gtdean48]

.... But these wild hogs will attack when they see you, even if you 100 or so yards away.

That is why I always carry a side-arm when deer & turkey hunting!

They make good sausage...

 

[DanielJones]

I was thinking armadillo claws in Rusty's honor. Saw a dead one on the way to my deer stand earlier this month....

Sweet! That would have been perfect!

Cheers!

Dan

 

[danofarlington]

Maybe one attached somehow to the hat band would be cool. They know how to use those tusks for sure. And they hurt. They go for your lower legs and run by you. They won't jump on you. They like to bite too. They be some mean critters. Probably as mean an animal as we have in the south. Gators will come after you sometimes. Bear will almost always leave you alone. But these wild hogs will attack when they see you, even if you 100 or so yards away.

I take it that hog hunting isn't "catch and release?"

 

[warbird]

I take it that hog hunting isn't "catch and release?"

Definitely not! They are a real problem down here in the south. They need them gone. They are ruining farms, crops, etc.

And they can feed the family for a long time.

We also have hunter's donor programs down here so the meat goes to feed families in need.

 

[DanielJones]

We also have hunter's donor programs down here so the meat goes to feed families in need.

Now that there sounds like a great program!

Cheers!

Dan

 

[warbird]

Now that there sounds like a great program!

Cheers!

Dan

It's called the Hunter's for the Hungry program. They will take hog, deer, bear, elk, ostrich, bison, turkey and process it into steaks, hams, bacon, sausages what have you. They process a donation at a reduced rate. Hunters usually pony up the money themselves to have the meat processed. In several states we have established a foundation where gifts from donors pay for that processing. The processors are overwhelmingly on board and most participate.

 

[Mobile Vulgus]

It is a great program. Just about every state has a chapter. You can find out info here...

http://www.nrahq.org/hunting/hungry_nat_list.asp

 

[warbird]

It is a great program. Just about every state has a chapter. You can find out info here...

http://www.nrahq.org/hunting/hungry_nat_list.asp

Thanks for the link. I had forgotten it was there. Yes nearly every state has one and as far as I know most take in quite a bit in donations every year. It certainly is a worthy endeavor and helps a lot of people.

Now if we could just establish a nutria pelt donation for hat wearers in need in the gulf coast region we would be set.

 

[1961MJS]

I take it that hog hunting isn't "catch and release?"

HI Feral Hogs are a dangerous pain in the rear for farmers that have them on their farm. Domesticated hogs have their tusks cut out when they are very young. Feral hogs don't, and use the tusks to dig up roots etc, that the farmer would rather have around. Farmer's will cultivate for deer or Pheasant, but in general would like to see all of the feral hogs gone. I don't have anywhere to hunt them, but the VERY VERY non-vintage AF-15 in .450 Thumper (9 shots) would be my choice against them.

Later

 

[frussell]

Still waiting for Miller Hats to get my "Open Door" in Silverbelly from Biltmore. I've heard some sketchy things about Miller Hats before, and I know they have a pretty ironclad policy of not giving refunds, but I'm losing patience. Since right at Christmas, they've been telling me "should be the next week or two." Store credit is not an option for me, since the everyday 4 inch crown cookie cutters they mostly sell don't work on me at all. The different open crown hats they have listed, like the "Lanchow," "Open Bay," and the "Lackey" are all made by Biltmore, and as it turns out, are all the same hat, just different ribbons that Miller puts on. Which means I can't use my store credit for one of those WAR open crowns they sell, as they are all "on backorder" in 7 3/4. Today they told me the Biltmore factory was closed during December, which they neglected to mention in previous conversations. All this for an Open Road clone. Boy, I hope it's a hell of a hat when it comes. Frank

 

[Brando11]

I'm very interested in a Silverbelly Open Door too- Hope you get yours soon and it turns out to be perfect for you!

 

[fmw]

Still waiting for Miller Hats to get my "Open Door" in Silverbelly from Biltmore. I've heard some sketchy things about Miller Hats before, and I know they have a pretty ironclad policy of not giving refunds, but I'm losing patience. Since right at Christmas, they've been telling me "should be the next week or two." Store credit is not an option for me, since the everyday 4 inch crown cookie cutters they mostly sell don't work on me at all. The different open crown hats they have listed, like the "Lanchow," "Open Bay," and the "Lackey" are all made by Biltmore, and as it turns out, are all the same hat, just different ribbons that Miller puts on. Which means I can't use my store credit for one of those WAR open crowns they sell, as they are all "on backorder" in 7 3/4. Today they told me the Biltmore factory was closed during December, which they neglected to mention in previous conversations. All this for an Open Road clone. Boy, I hope it's a hell of a hat when it comes. Frank

You do have other options. If you don't want to wait for it, you can ask for a refund and, if they won't give it to you, you can force the issue with a credit card chargeback. I was curious to see the "open door" but couldn't find it on their web site. No search function. Terrible web site. The company may be great but they should put up a professional web site if they really are the largest on-line hatter and want to stay that way. The site turned me off.

 

[Mr. Paladin]

I take it that hog hunting isn't "catch and release?"

I hunt in a seven county hog event in South Texas where the last year I attended the hunt killed 729 hogs and didn't make a dent in the population. They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to crops, fences, livestock (due to brucilosis), and property and are literally out of control down here. Hog hunting is my favorite type of hunt and we butcher out as many as we can eat. 200-300 lbs. is as big as you want to eat though; the others are too tough and stringy. To keep this hat oriented, here is my hog hunting hat, a Bradford in canyon color; complete with hog stain.

 

[danofarlington]

I hunt in a seven county hog event in South Texas where the last year I attended the hunt killed 729 hogs and didn't make a dent in the population. They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to crops, fences, livestock (due to brucilosis), and property and are literally out of control down here. Hog hunting is my favorite type of hunt and we butcher out as many as we can eat. 200-300 lbs. is as big as you want to eat though; the others are too tough and stringy. To keep this hat oriented, here is my hog hunting hat, a Bradford in canyon color; complete with hog stain.

Interesting. I was going to ask how well they cook up. How does the meat compare to regular grocery store pork?

 

[Mr. Paladin]

It is really not much different, especially smoked. My hunting partner and I usually put everything but the backstrap with venison and make it into sausage. Some really great eatin'!

 

[azhiker]

OK, I jumped out of my comfort zone now. I purchased this today at a 'consinment store' here in MI. I don't know if it is a modern Open Road, or how old it is. They had just distroyed the box yesterday, as they thought they had already sold the hat. Not a mark on it. It is pristine, looks like it was never worn. Can anyone help me date/get a value on this?

here is the requested shot of size tag