For a long time, I've been curious about what different members of the Savage Forum do for a livelihood. Is this too personal of a question?

not too personal for me . I install all types of floor covering , I am a self employed subcontractor. been working for myself for 32 years now. so damnesia what is it you do ( did ) ?

Collect my earned pensions and investments! Hire out as a boy (oldman) toy to supplement. Three times a year isn't cutting it. GW

Jobs in 'order'.....

1969
Driving a tractor raking hay for a USDA Beef Cattle research station, dad worked there, they didn't care that I was fifteen...

State Park lifeguard

Retail Grocery - never again

Flight Instructor - never again

Charter Pilot

Air Traffic Controller

Contract Instructor for the FAA teaching new hired Air Traffic Contlrs...

Haven't worked since 2011 - likely never will again...............

Oh I guess I should have started offering up my own info. Sorry about that. My title is Principle Engineer. That is just a fancy name for I've been a software developer for 30ish years. I specialize in writing linux based embedded operating systems and do a lot of middle tier programming in C and C++, and to a certain extent Java. 20% of my job is supposed to be contributing to the linux kernel ( open source ).

Don't want to give people the wrong impression. I don't have a college degree in anything related to what I do for a living. I do have a degree in genetics and population biology. There was only one extra extra semester required to get both degrees and I thought population biology was a more interesting direction.

writing linux based embedded operating systems and do a lot of middle tier programming in C and C++, and to a certain extent Java. 20% of my job is supposed to be contributing to the linux kernel ( open source ).

Wait.....what?

Retired, printer for 48 years after getting out of the Navy.

I know. I didn't want to mention it because it gives the wrong impression. I grew up on a farm in rural Kansas and happen to have a natural aptitude for math. I've been wanting to ask this question or a while and was trying to avoid presenting my own info. Every time I tell people in person what I do, the answer is always the same "Wait what, you write software?" Even when I try to explain it to software developers they still don't understand what I do.

I dig ditches.

And stuff.

I be a damn plumber. Will be 50 yrs on 6-30-21

I know the date, cause I still have a copy of my apprentice indenture contract. Five long years.

I have been a Building Engineer in high-rise office buildings for the past 25+ years. Basically, I am a glorified maintenance man. The difference between my title and Janitor is, when water is pouring out of the ceiling it is my job to know where the water is coming from and what valve(s) to shut to make it stop. Once that is accomplished, I grab a wet vac and work alongside the janitor cleaning it up. 😀

Retired. Was the Quality Assurance Engineer and later Plant Engr. at the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant. It was a GOCO plant operated by Hercules then ATK. Produced one part of a triple base canon powder. When the plant closed (put 1,000,000 pounds in storage) we stripped out the buildings and burnt them. The plant (10,000 acers) was built during WWII and was active during Korea and Vietnam making many types of explosive components.

I install low voltage cabling. The company i work for is small but we have all big clients in our area. Right now we are doing all the fiber optic cabling at Pocono Raceway.

Joe

Journeyman lineman for the power company. Been with them 40 years.

When I was young I had clearance to mow the grass at Sunflower. It was my main source of income when I was a teen.

What's wrong with being a plumber? When I lived on Vashon, WA they got $150+ an hour. That's more than I've ever made.

Retired from IBEW Local #3 NYC

Retired USAF Jan 1989. As a Meteorologist some of my work was for the Atomic Energy Commission while stationed at Patrick AFB, FL at the AF Tactical Applications Center (AFTAC) and also worked as a Space Shuttle Weather Forecaster at Cape Canaveral, FL for some 3-4 years. Since retiring, I played hunting guide here in Texas at a big game ranch with over 50 species of exotics. Got tired of the BS and rich clients after 6-7 years driving around in a Zebra colored jeep. Lately just fully retired. Tom

I fish, hunt, and bug my wife, not necessarily in that order. Mow a couple lawns for spending money and split firewood. I was a shop steward at UPS for 30 years. I was such a bad driver, they pay me more to stay home, than they paid me to come in. Go figure, I took the deal.

Official title: Systems Engineer. Just a computer geek since I walked into the computer lab in 7th grade (40+ years ago...), saw all them teletype machines and was hooked. Spend most of my time on the phone babysitting people who shouldn't be sitting in front of a computer for a living. At night, musician, fisherman, gardener, tinkerer, astronomer and just plain curious about the universe. Wanted to be an astronaut as a kid, but soon discovered other heavenly bodies that were more trouble than they were worth.

Loved every minute of it.

Only about 50 an hour down here, but some of that is for having a masters, backflow, wastewater, CDL, asbestos, licenses. Get a bit for being the backhoe operator and the welder. I’m about done anyway.

Been retired since 2005. Thirty-nine years with W. A. Whitney Co, through three changes in ownership. No problem with the first two, third convinced me it was time to retire. Started as Cost Accountant, retired as Director of Finance and IT. Thirty-eight and a half of great times, half a year of crap.

If you work in heavy sheet metal, or plate, you probably saw machines I did the cost analysis on. Earlier, we were big in structural, with beam lines and material handling systems.

Mostly retired now. I have a part-time gig at a small local college building/maintaining apparatus used in the Physics labs- all recreations of 18th & 19th century gizmos created by the likes of Faraday, Maxwell, Tesla, Coulomb, etc. As interesting and challenging as it is, and aside from it keeping me off the streets and out of the bars a couple/few days a week, the main draw is I have the use of a wonderful wood and metal shop and have carte blanche to work on my own projects at will. Essentially they pay me to tinker and I literally set my own hours. I rarely ever get up before 9AM and roll in anywhere between 10 and noon, take an hour lunch, and go home around 3-4PM.

In the past I did a career in industrial management, in a couple steel industries, where I wouldn't have stood still for the kind of work hours/habits I exhibit now myself. I then did an about face and did a half-career (for lack of a better term) as a boat builder, specializing in custom interiors of luxury yachts and sport fishers. Built a lot of stuff for celebrities such as Walter Cronkite and Eric Clapton. Annapolis is a great place to be doing that.

Along the way I also taste tested whiskey and women, bought&sold British cars, fly fished my butt off, and managed to mess with about every make of gun known to man. In other words I found countless ways to enjoy most of the nickels I made- the rest I just wasted. It's been a helluva ride.

I've meet some great friends here on the campfire since I became (more) interested in 99's about 10 or 12 years ago.

I am currently the production manager of one of the largest commercial orchards and vineyards in Virginia. I have a duel BS degree in Forestry and Forest Biology from the College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University. 85 and 86 respectively. My career and a hard working and understanding wife has provided me the privilege of having the ways and means and time to hunt my way through most of North America and it's big game species as a younger man. Experiences for which I am eternally grateful for. Africa is still a dream if I live long enough and can make enough money. That and going bear hunting with my new 35 Rem with Roy.

With our Daughter having just one more year of college, my wife and I are currently on a 5 year dash for cash to get to 62 and check out to spend the rest of our years living life on the Lake driving around in the sun in a gas guzzling boat.

It's not everybody's dream, but it's our dream.

God willing.

I hope God is willing you make it to Oregon for that bear hunt.

I work for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, part of USDA). You may remember us as the Soil Conservation Service, the name changed in the 90's but the work is mostly the same, helping farmers prevent soil erosion and keeping manure and other nutrients out of streams, ponds etc. Been there about 10 years now, before that I managed a county government owned educational farm.

Dale

Well, let's just say you and I have a lot of the same base skillsets, just different specializations.

Rural Nebraska for me though. Got lucky and didn't get born in Kansas.

Roy, can I tag along with Randy? I'll drive!

house painter, paint store clerk, bellboy, Navy, Marine Corps, stockbroker, plumber, oil company lab technician, national guard, Army reserve, used motorcycle dealer, restorer of vintage Harley and Indian motorcycles, rented old vehicles and worked as an extra in the movie industry, freelance magazine photo-journalist, shuttle bus driver, traffic flager, writer and landlord for rental properties. I probably left a few out. I did as many as five of these at one time.

this, for 44 years and still counting;

Worked for a defense contractor for 26 years, mostly working on a satellite program (microwave electronics 1-18Ghz) for the NRO. Mostly inter-digital filter tuning and micro-strip and strip-line tuning. Now I'm retired and on disability for some medical problems.

Sparkles come from my fingers (Retired) most of my career (electrical engineer / God of thunder that kind of stuff - funny only if you have seen the movie “THOR”)

Was lucky enough to learn from a whole bunch of smart people over my life time... hope I put thier knowledge to good use.

Screws, Nuts, Washers, and Bolts and related.
Been at it since June 4, 1979. Bought the company in 1997.
We are a fastener distributor. We buy from manufacturers and importers and sell to O.E.M's. We are small, and plan to keep it that way!
October first, we start our 51st year. Don't know if I'll ever truly retire. I don't do a whole lot any more!
In my spare time, I chase down cool old guns and related and hunt every chance I get!
In the summer, my wife of 35 years and I spend time on our small pleasure boat on a small river near our house. It's not paradise, but we enjoy it!

Retired 3rd generation Local 5 Field construction Boilermaker NYC. Son is in his 15th year.That's me in my younger day's welding superheater element's for a resource recovery plant(garbage burner).

I worked for 15 years as an industrial engineer before I realized I was not a good employee.I then went into the gun business owning a shop in Nashville called Game Fair Ltd for 30 years.Closed the shop in 2013 and started a gun appraisal business working with collectors,estate planners,insurance companies,and divorce lawyers.This last gig has turned out to be pretty interesting.I have seen some fantastic guns and met some interesting characters.

Retired after 37 years from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as a mere electrician and planner.

Retired since 2013. 6 years Army Corps of Engineers (Construction Battalion and a Cartographic Company), 12 years - Petroleum Engineer (subsurface, reservoir, and drilling), 20 years – Banking and Insurance (IT Management - Application Development and Support)

Lots-o-interesting software development gigs in the defense industry. Currently doing mobile sensor platforms <--> satellites <--> ground stations software development.

welder/machinist the last 32 years .any thing to fix /rebuild / modify /fabricate or make out of metals .i can not think of something i have not worked on trains /planes /copters / boats /heavy equipment / space shuttle launch stuff . and stuff i did not know what it was

Hey! I have something in common with Wyo1895 besides a love of Savage 99s - we both started out painting houses. That was my first job, at age 15 in 1961. Since then, I have lost track of the jobs I have had. A buddy says his resume reads like a confession. I'm not that bad, but let's just say it is "varied". Short version: I did excavating work, was a social worker for welfare, worked in NYC for MCI and Citibank in telecom, and ended up teaching special education. My wife and I retired from teaching ten years ago. Now I mostly fiddle with firearms and fly fish.

This is a real interesting thread.
I'm always interested in what careers or paths other people have followed.
I just want to say thanks for sharing! Very interesting.....

I started out in heavy equipment and tractor repair. Went into Law enforcement, spent almost 29 years with the sheriffs department. Been retired since 2017.

Dale K., when my folks bought their ranch in Sonoma County, CA in 1948, WAY before it was "the Wine Country," it was a mess of Russian and Yellow Star Thistles, dust, and deep gullies and land slips. Had been overgrazed by sheep for decades, starting in the 1920s--the Great Depression didn't help....

With the help of SCS and UC Extension, we turned it into a very productive and nice place to live. Those two agencies were the only ones that were welcomed at the ranches and farms around there--anyone else with a clipboard was liable to be met with the business end of a .30-30.

I was only 5 then but I remember the SCS agent getting right down in the gully bottoms with us and showing us how to make soil catchers from all the rusty bobwire strung all over the place, how to plant hedges along the gullies and how to plant, harvest, and plant Harding Grass. Still remember the silky feel of a handful of Harding Grass seed that we had just harvested by hand like neolithic farmers!

I spent 10 years in 4-H because of those agents and agencies and loved every minute of it. The place is now owned by a Public Land Trust and is public open space, mainly used for hiking and horseback riding. Fulla game, too. When we moved in there, we had few deer, no game birds, no predators, mainly ground squirrel colonies and dust. Now there's scads of quail, tree squirrels, cottontail and jack rabbits, coyotes, tree foxes, and bobcats. And all the trees we got from SCS are HUGE! The SCS-planned farm pond is full of catfish, largemouth bass and bluegills.

Sometimes the Guvment does GOOD stuff for the land and the people. Helps if the people add some elbow grease to the equation, a labor of love.

Had a paper route from age 10-16. This was back when you actually had to walk to deliver papers 364 days a year, we averaged well over 100 inches of snow a year AND you had to collect every Thursday. Graduated from college with a BA in Criminal Justice in 4 years, paid my own way with loans. Although back then state university was only 3200 a year. Went right into federal law enforcement at age 22 in 1993 and retired with 25 years in December of 2018 at the ripe old age of 47. I now hunt, fish, go to gym, volunteer and shoot all year round and take care of our 167 acres of heaven. Only job I have now is mowing the lawn of an older woman down the street and that's only because shes a good friend of my wife. I will never work again. I have learned a lot from you guys. TY!

Did the "And stuff" yesterday. Built a road up a mountainside so I could get a water tank high enough to gravity feed an irrigation system. I can't believe I get paid for this.

Grown up Tonka toys. How could you not love that!?

I refuse to grow up Tim!

You guys all sound so... responsible. And prudent. And deliberate.

All the things I'm not!

A real good friend of mine is in his mid 70's and has been a gun dealer for 40-50 years. His "and stuff" is his main business, farm drainage/ Tiling.
This guy works 7 days a week and loves every minute of it! He loves playing on his dozers and excavators.

USAF 59-63 Intelligence intercept ops, met my wife of 55yrs while stationed in Germany, spent 6 years building my own lawn, landscape company plus working 40hrs wk to pay bills, joined Chem Lawn Corp as a founding employee, started on a spray truck, left 13 years later as a group VP, cashed in my chips and been living the dream ever since. I was very fortunate and blessed to be surrounded by a group of very bright and talented people at a young age. Now spend most of my time at my small farm surrounded by black angus cows and managing a small business office park I built back in the late 80's.
I was also fortunate to meet Rick99, Lightfoot and others back on the G&K website way back when and as they say, the rest is history! I really enjoy the forum and have met a lot of really nice people here as well as at the Fests.
I also enjoy hunting, fishing, shooting and gardening as well as collecting and drinking fine wine.

Pic of me on a movie set with my two "police Harleys". The one I'm sitting on is a 49, the other one is a 59. I was never a cop although I guess my military bearing got me asked frequently on movie sets if I was a real cop.

The 49 getting put back to original.

The ID in the lower right corner was my backstage pass to the 2000 Academy Awards. I had put a sidecar on the 49 and a seven foot LAPD motorcycle officer was supposed to deliver the MC to the stage in the sidecar at the beginning of the ceremony. The cop screwed up the rehearsal so bad the MC started yelling "get that (expletive deleted) motorcycle out of here!!!". They let me stay and watch the ceremony though after I got the (expletive deleted) motorcycle out of there. The cop carried the little shrimp MC out on the stage. I can't remember the MC's name. He's a well known jerk of a comedian.
That's me and my 56 T-bird in early 1966 in the left bottom of the pic. It was a Florida beach rust bucket so I got it cheap.

Wow, when Chem Scape came along they ran an add for employees, said top pay. I thought they may have been a franchise and was interested. The guy I talked with may have been a franchise owner and was looking for workers. His idea of top pay was way different than mine. I had a Maryland Tree Experts license, an applicators license, and had 12 years in the tree business. When Dad retired I was kind of burned out on the 24-7 of running a business, so I let the family business go. I had put a few years in at UPS when I saw the Chem Scape add, and was thinking that maybe I'd get back to something I liked better that breaking Roy's rifles.Well, after talking to that guy, I decided what the heck, I'll probably never meet this Roy guy, so I stayed at UPS for 30.

I work out of a field engineering office for the state department of transportation. We build roads and bridges.

I have had several jobs, laborer, cut and sold firewood,machine shop in a Union Oil refinery. Mostly cabinets and countertops for 30 years. Also worked in a gunshop as a semi retired thing.

Well if we're giving our resume. I've also been a mechanic, metal fabricator ( what I'd like to be doing now ), bouncer, bartender and have played in miscellaneous bluegrass and punk rock bands to limited success. I originally wanted to me a machinist and regret not going in that direction. I picked up basic milling and lathe skills living and working on farms, but have never been trained. I still do it for gun and car stuff, and although I can figure out how to do what I need to do, I'm too slow and loathe CNC ( I am the most anti-technology technical person you could probably ever meet ). Still try to use my Bridgeport 2J2, Burke #333 and Clausing lathe at least weekly, at least when it's not -40°

Since moving to northern MN I can add mosquito hunting guide to the list. If anyone wants to hunt them let me know

https://www.bugasalt.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIydS8svLU6QIVC9bACh0VcAlwEAAYASAAEgK03fD_BwE

I love running and working on heavy equipment, but am not good enough where anyone would ever want to pay me to do it. Unless I only charged operator rates of about $5 an hour

I wanted to be a Formula race car driver. But continuously bumping into stuff convinced me maybe it wouldn't be a smart career move. (Did do a few Solo I events at Watkins Glen and a bunch of hill climbs, but no wheel-to-wheel stuff.) I also wanted to be a machinist, but by then I was supervising a department full of them and making more money than them so I gave up that idea. What an idiot.

Most regrettable career move was not becoming the gigolo all the women wanted me to be. I cry myself to sleep every night regretting that.😂

Gary. "Most regrettable career move was not becoming the gigolo all the women wanted me to be. I cry myself to sleep every night regretting that." Yeah, hindsight.... I feel ya, man.


Damnesia, "played in miscellaneous bluegrass and punk rock bands" Ya got me wondering what bluegrass/punk fusion would sound like.

Damnesia, "played in miscellaneous bluegrass and punk rock bands" Ya got me wondering what bluegrass/punk fusion would sound like.
[/quote]

It sounds awesome! Bluegrass isn't too different from punk rock really. It's all about playing what you feel, granted bluegrass is more about the gospel and jesus, and punk rock is more about being downtrodden by the government. I learned how to play guitar setting in with the old guys playing bluegrass and love the music, it also makes you learn to play fast. Then I got older and became more rebellious, so I intertwined the two as best i could. Now I have a lot of old Fender guitars that I haven't played in 15 years or so. Need to find someone who wants to trade old Fenders for 1899s

This is one of my favorite songs to cover in more of bluegrass style


another one:




Along with some real tradition bluegrass standards. The late 60s to early 70s Stones lend themselves to BG very well.

I started out after college selling farm tractors and machinery for a few months. Then found a job as a farm foreman on a local vegetable farm that included moving equipment, checking field levels, supervising spraying crops and managing people. Then spent the next 50 years managing vegetable farms in Ventura County, California. That is on the coast about 50 miles north of Los Angeles,California and yes there are still farms in Southern California. Retired in January of 2018 enjoying it ever since.
Steve

Of course.

5 years Retired and living the dream here in Alaska. Ran Water Treatment plants for 40 plus years, Got to live and work in some neat areas. Now its my projects and helping others. Kurt

Hey y'all.

Retired and broke now, but Happy. No more getting up at 3am and long hours. Usta be a Maintenance team leader of 26 techs on the daylight shift in the automotive field, tier 1 suppliers. When I started there in 89 we had 2 small glue robots. When I left last year they had over 100 spot welding and material handling robots. I don't miss those at all. Well maybe a bit. They were fun to work on.

stay well

OT a little bit maybe, but reading to what each of us did for work all those years made me think of the old adage, "When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail". I know while I'm driving around I see work for my machinery. I tend to end up buying places that need work like that too! You guys do the same thing or am I weird?

I am 62, I work seasonally in HVAC these days, hope to work a couple of Elk/ sheep hunts this fall for local outfitters. I also shoe horses and keep livestock myself.
No intention of quitting any of it. Helps me keep a good figure, keep on going

Pizzeria / Restaurant business. Been doing it for close to 40 years.Opened my own when I was 27. Still here . Partners in another location also.

Fireball2, never once since I retired have driven by a machine tool shop and thought "I bet I could straighten out their accounting problems"! I do have a recurring dream of telling our president I'm retiring tomorrow.

started out as farm hand 11 or 12, then slaughter house butcher shop, night janitor at ski area, grade foreman on the interstate highway, auto mechanic, ski area mechanic, master mechanic at electric company, certified welder, back to electric company journeyman lineman. Couldn't put up with useless union workers started my own business. Crane service tree removal and now work for utility company that I quit from. Also Loggah and vegetable farmer ready to retire. Jack of all trades master of none!! And one hell of a gun collection next to Loggah ad FUG.
,

I met a guy once that sounds like you. I still need a garlic cream sauce recipe for my basil and bacon pizza...

Me? Started out in the glass trade doing commercial installations, went union in Toronto and worked on some major projects, ruining my right arm in the process working like a fool chasing the carrot of "unlimited overtime."

Convinced the powers that be that I was a candidate for re-education and completed a university degree at 54 years of age. Now I am part-time in an office that supports injured workers who find themselves in the mess I once got myself into. Funny how some things come full circle.

Best things in life are being in the field with my other "boy" Jack:



And being an old Savage.

For those of you that haven't been paying attention Mike has had some beautiful collectable rifles for sale recently.

I'm waiting for Jed's F's....

Ski area mechanic? So lift mechaniic?

I spend all day chasing down firearms here that need a little tinkering with, for a certain member here. He appreciates my efforts enough that he has given me a special name.


Keeps me busy......😉😎

Journeyman Lineworker for 29 years for the Local Rural Electric Coop..... before that I was a farmhand from 13 to 21

Grew up with father running potato farm and living off the land in northern Wisconsin. Learned a lot. Got lucky as graduated college on a Saturday and following Monday started 34 year career with Wisconsin Dept. Natural Resources in wildlife management, then research and then back to wildlife management. Great work with a lot of dedicated, enthusiastic people. Of course politics tossed in a few bumps along the way. Been retired 8 years. Have federal bird banding permit so stay busy with volunteer educational programs. And keeping old tractors and 1960 jeep running. And taking care of 40 to 80 bird flock of heritage chickens depending on season.

I want to hear more about Jack!!

Yeah, that would be weird.

Glad I'm not a Minneapolis cop right now.

Yep
Same guy . Met you at Fest , Jeds wedding.
Was a great time with a great bunch of guys.
I think you shot my 338 federal 99 that I purchased from Wild West guns in Alaska.The lobsters and lobster rolls that Fug made where delicious.Would be great to get together again at a Fest and talk 99’s.Learned a lot from the guys there. Me , Rory,Steve,John ,Mike And another gentleman shared a cabin on lake .
Great time.
Mike

Haven't laughed that hard since, I don't think...



And even though I wasn't feeling too hot, the lobsters were truly amazing!

Started in construction with my dad when i was 12. He was Old School. Hand saws and chisles . String lines and toenailing studs. Broke from that for a few years and went logging at 16. Spent a few years setting chokers and falling. Chased landing on a few high lead sides in Oregon. did 2 years working in a hospital. Went back to construction for the next 35 or so years with other interest's like LE. and owing and operating a gun shop. Spent the last 10 years before retiring as a property aqusision agent for the largest Senior retirement company in the world. That got me traveling all over the country and europe.
Now i sit and tinker with the place here 30 miles from nowhere!

1.you can take the boy out of the woods ,but you cant take the woods out of the boy.
2.the feeling of running a piece of machinery is addicting
3. The smell of cut wood is addictive.
4. Any technician of any type sees whatever in his field of expertise that needs fixed when others dont have a clue

I was a pulmonary intensivist M.D. in Appalachia until I retired in 2015....beautiful country between the Smokies and the Appalachians. Never had time to sleep, much less do much hunting, but had some good luck with deer in SW Virginia and loved dove and duck hunting when I could.

I graduated medical school 1968, drafted by Uncle Sam and signed commission papers during my internship in January ‘69. To my surprise they didn’t send me active duty orders (apparently due to cutbacks after Cambodia). I am probably the only living male dumb enough to have filed two sequential Congressional complaints trying to get into the active duty army in that era! DEROS in late ‘73. Went back into specialty/sub-specialty training, finally at age 34 went into practice in late ‘77.

Anyway my 4th attempt to retired finally “took”in early 2015. My wife of 52 years this last May never quite forgave me for taking her to the mountains as she grew up in Virginia Beach, so the deal was we’d move to our condo on Amelia Island, Florida. Both of us now have health issues, so I mostly fo the a pistol range about once a week, shoot skeet or sporting clays twice weekly, clean and fondle my rifles, work on the house and yard, and, of course, do whatever the voices in my wife’s head tell her to tell me to do. She is my first and only love, helpmate, main supporter and I love her dearly because she loves me back.....been lucky all my life!

Hey Rory,.
Who has the dancing elf video with some of you fella heads on them?

yes lift mechanic mostly summer months building new or up grading. then working on snow cats, busses ,plowing snow. The worst thing LOGGAH was my BOSS !!!. oh yeah left out hard rock gold mining and fishing guide northern Quebec 6 to 7 lb square tail's 15 lb pike .waiting for the border to open. for last week of July first week of August

Bert you met the 2 Mikes at Fest #2 rember we called them the Soprano Boys! Brother Mike do you still have my Prints ?/ LoL A few here no of the Prank the Soprano boys pulled on me!

I remember... that's the year I brought the young grouser, Fug brought lobster, Jed and Lulu got married and I cuddled an 1895 SRC.

Thanks for sharing the success story, that's the kind of thing that keeps me going to the field, especially when the government 'stuff' starts getting deep. That elbow grease you mention is a very important part of the way NRCS works. We offer suggestions and options to fix a problem and the farmer/landowner decides what they want to do. They buy in because they made the decision, it's not some government agent telling them you must do it this way.

Dale

absolutely nothing.

Dale I tip my hat to you also. I also had several projects under the NRCS performed on my 2 properties(Warren and Crawford co) BOTH properties exceeded my expectations!

Before I retired to a life of leisure, I was a professional singer in the Navy Band, DC, a maritime/ Chesapeake Bay fossil museum exhibit interpreter and field guide, and a professional bird carver.

Thanks! I'm based in our Area office in Clarion. I probably know some of the folks you worked with on those projects.

Dale

I'm into my second career as an assistant solicitor for a county government in southeastern Pennsylvania. Got laid off from a corporate legal department after we were acquired at age 63 and wasn't ready to retire. Probably do this a couple of more years, as it's a whole lot less heavy lifting than what I used to do and I like the mental stimulation and interaction. I've also been able to make some improvements in our procurement processes, which has saved the local taxpayers some $$ and that makes me feel useful.

My Savages are all deer rifles - an early Savage 340 in .30-30 and a 1950s 99 in .300 Savage. I also have a Stevens Springfield 16 gauge sxs shotgun that was my father's. I'm not a collector - more of an accumulator, and I've been slowly liquidating the accumulation to try and get it down to a manageable level.

Aviation Safety Inspector, FFL, and slum lord.

Which county? I used to live in Montgomery and Lancaster, have a daughter that lives in Berks so I get down that way pretty regular. Or did, this covid thing really has screwed up life big time in that part of the state.

Dale

well lets see at 11 i started an afternoon paper route somewhere around 14 i switched to a morning route followed by walking hots before school [[ hots being race horses after a morning work out] by 16 i was working at a bowling alley looking after 30 automatic pin setters after school till closing at about 11 oc, in the summer i worked in the hay fields loading trucks then the barns, then after june i spent 2 months surveying on a highways relocation project , after high school i worked many small jobs flitting from one to another for more pay or different work conditions ,, gas station ,tire shop ,delivering furniture , hauling hay. working in a freight warehouse then hauling freight ,than as a labourer on a highways bridge project, then on a building maintaince crew , then back to surveying then logging school and setting chockers and splicing wire rope for a A frame log dump, and some labouring on house construction crew, all in all i spent about 5 years surveying , 5 years doing house and foundation construction , 4 years as a foreman at a rock quarry out in the boonies ,,fly in only way to get there. then i got into excavating and i still get paid to play in the dirt ,dig big holes load and drive big trucks , build driveways and highways , design and build private bridges, wok in the oil patch ,, so at 74 i still work most every day and call myself semi retarded not semi retired, and life goes on and on some where along the way i became a Savage nuts with help from the enablers on here,,,,Norm

Keep it going, Norm!!!

I mostly lurk on this section as I am a noobie at best. I hoped to go to the Dells get together a few years back but other events prevented that. This year's get together was on the calendar but it too fell by the wayside.

I retired 2+ years ago after spending 33 years as a Firefighter/EMT. Currently work in a variety retail store, mostly sporting good, but I can be found in hardware, automotive, farm, pets, and lawn and garden depending on the day.

I get thrown into a lot of positions as my background gives me a wider but shallower base of knowledge than many of my coworker's. I grew up part city boy, part Jackpine Savage in northern Minnesota, and part on the family dairy farm in central Minnesota. Did these through most of high school. Generally had at least two jobs and often three. Other jobs have been driving semi for 4 years, 11 years as a volunteer/paid on call firefighter/EMT, part time police officer 5 years, 4 years warehouse work, about 2 years total fast foods at fairs, 5 years radio station promotions, and probably a couple more I can't remember offhand. I Also did a bit of testing/trialing pointing dogs, mainly the continental breeds but also a few setters.

This all kept me mostly out of trouble in my early years as I didn't have much of a personal life. I started toning back in my mid-20's but old habits die hard as my "part time" job often has me working more than full time hours. I hope to make a get together some day and not only learn more about Savage firearms but place faces to names.

I started my career as a deputy sheriff/paramedic over 37 years ago. Worked the road for 7 years, then made Detective. The state built a new prison and I got hired there to investigate inmate crimes inside the prison and handle employee misconduct allegations. I then did 3 years with Adult Probation and Parole before I commanded a multi jurisdictional drug task force for almost 5 years. Now working for the state as a fraud investigator. Going to retire in 22 months and have bought mountain property in eastern Idaho where the wife and I will build a home and live out our last years. It'll be 39+ years when I retire and one hell of a ride. Looking forward to lots of hunting, fly fishing and time on the ATVs. Hopefully the grandkids will want to come and visit during the summer months.

If your kids/grandkids don't visit, I'll volunteer to visit/freeload!!!
Congratulations!

I took six months off for this viral thing to settle in. Been doing part time at the prison from whence I retired after 21 years. Did 9 years transporting crooks around the state of Misery. I decided to enjoy retirement and may go back in September to return my issued gear. Be Well, Rustyzipper.

Being retired is starting to sound real good to me.

you'll never work harder.

Retired hospital administrator in 2017. Retired US Army Reserve in 1996, 7 years active duty, 15 National Guard and Reserve. Was training to be a consultant forester in East Tennessee, primarily strip mine reclamation when I won the draft lottery. Have lived in 7 states and Germany, most recently Alaska 12 years, Oregon 15 years, New Mexico 3 years and going on 12 years in SW Montana where I plan to stay until I graduate from this life. Studying to become a commissioned ruling elder (lay pastor) to provide temporary pulpit coverage for rural Presbyterian churches in Montana.

Life has a way of taking us lots of places we never dreamed of. Have been privileged to enjoy hunting in Alaska and Montana primarily, especially Dall sheep, moose and more recently elk and deer. Hunted some in other states but mostly whitetail or blacktail deer.

Dad had an old model 99 in 25-35 when I was a pup and have loved these rifles ever since. I've only shot a number of deer with my 99F in 300 Savage, also have a 99A and 99EG in 250 Savage and a custom stocked 99 in 308 which will shoot both 150 and 165 grain hornady superperformance in less than an inch consistently but have yet to shoot game with it. Probably heresy to say this but most of lever action hunting has been with a BLR in 358 Winchester. Deadly on deer and moose and nice to have on hand when grizzly are near. Have shot more game with bolt action 270's than any other rifle. Hope to get my elk with a model 99 this year, just because those rifles deserve to be used more. Thought about rebarreling the 250 EG into a 250AI with a 1 in 10 twist like my 99A, but may never get around to it. The EG has the best trigger of any of my lever actions but won't stabilize 100 grain bullets too well, maybe a 2 1/2 inch rifle at 100 yards.

Sorry, talking too much probably. Great forum for model 99 information.

retired from a large home builder "quality control" also finish carpenter

I'm the managing partner of a company that owns resort rental properties, currently condominiums in Breckenridge and Dillon, CO, and a house in Breckenridge, CO. I spend an average of 12 hours per week "managing" them. I've been doing this since 2003, so it doesn't take as much time as it did when I was learning the ropes.

The 2 minority partners are friends from when we lived in Hanover, NH, who each own 20%, while our company owns 60%. Until COVID-19 shut us down in mid-March, we were content with our portfolio, but the partners are talking about buying some condos in the Vail market if the prices are right. I told them that I didn't want anything to do with Vail ever again, so if they want to get back into that market, they'll have to form their own new company and find someone to manage it for them. Being the majority owner with absolute veto power has some upside.

I had to come back to work to get some rest. I’ve been hauling things to a new deer lease. I was off 5 days. I’m tired.

Don't retire, it gets worse.

It gets better after you learn how to put off till tomorrow (next week, next year...) what you could/should have done today.

👍👍👍👍👍👍

Joe, you're not doin' it right.

I do a major home renovation project each winter to keep the lil woman happy. The rest of the year I hunt and fish and recline on the boat, while sipping cocktails with other gentlemen of leisure.

Damnesia: NOTHING!
Been retired for 23 full years now - those pension checks, investments and my social security check just keep coming in and adding up every month!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I am a retired school teacher as was my first wife .. She passed in 2006... We had spent most of our lives in Southern Wyoming... In 1999 we took early retirement... We were 51 and 52 years of age.. I am so glad we did.. She would have had nothing if we had waited til we were 62.. As it was we did a lot of hunting fishing, traveling and visiting relatives before she was taken.. Since then I have another partner... The only thing I would have done differently if I could have was retire right out of high school!!! I liked teaching, but have not missed it one bit.. This last year I can see myself slowing down, but I still get out most days with my dogs and shoot, cruise the hills or sometimes fish... Don't wait life is too short to spend it working.. My stepdaughter's husband is a great guy, but he has never learned how to play... All he does is work and then work around the house on week ends.. Sad!!!

This has been a very interesting thread.

Have not contributed much to the forum for a while, because while I was a 99 (and 95) loony for several decades, eventually almost escaped. My last remnant is a Featherweight .358 made in 1955, inherited from one of my hunting mentors--who grew up in New York City, and in his high school years hitch-hiked to the Catskills to deer hunt with the cased .358 over his shoulder. At the time you could not get a driver's license in NYC until 18.

My resume: paper delivery boy from 12-15, but also worked summers for a live theater run by a relative during the same period, mostly building sets but sometimes standing around mumbling on stage when a "kid" was called for. First jobs after high school were "cowboying" and farmhand., but always wanted to be a writer. Started publishing stuff for money at 21, but kept working part-time at various jobs until 30, including oil-rig worker and seasonal "custom cutter," running a wheat/barley/safflower combine from July to October for seven years. (Eventually worked my way up to foreman.) Also worked a couple years for a historical/archaeological research firm, as the cartographer both in the field and the office--and turning field reports into English.

Meanwhile kept writing in my "spare" time, and since age 30 haven't done anything else. Have written for several dozen magazines, including National Geographic and Sports Illustrated, and traveled a bit around the world on various assignments . But have "started" retiring in the past few years, due to some OK investments--though writers usually never retire. They just write less.

Have seen some 99s that have tempted me a LOT lately!

Yard worker and handyman. Electrician/Air Conditioning/Carpenter/Plumber.

Up until I retired, I was a union carpenter superintendent!

Retired Plumbing contractor.

Nice John, sounds like a rich life!! Thanks for that Paul Harvey summary

Mule Deer, maybe you should be writing the engraved Savage book.

Oh man, don't be telling me that. I come from a long line of folks for whom retirement was something only the "country club" set did. My father "retired" at 74 when he figured he could no longer do the heavy lifting required for repairing John Deere rice combines and farm tractors. His decision was driven by physical limitations and not economic leverage on old age. I remember listening to his comments on the labor issues in the auto industry back in the 70s. He wasn't anti union, he wasn't union at all because those types of organizations played so little in the average work life of northern Californians - as they do even today. But often he did say he wished he had made as much money and benefits as the auto workers did - even before they went on strike for more! I got lucky and eventually found work with a state agency that provides some for retirement and I'm beginning to carve notches in the wall. And when I do retire, I will be the first in my family to have actually had the opportunity to do so. I sure wish I could tell my dad about it but he only lived a decade after deciding to call it quits on his work life. So I am looking forward to retirement, god willing I keep my health and mental faculties in tack - the latter of which I will admit that some have argued to varying degrees of success I never really had. But that's another story for another day.

I served 25 years active duty in the Air Force and 20 years DOD civil service. I retired 5 years ago to spend more time with my kids and grandkids. Started late in life with Savage 99's, trade for a 99E at a gun show 20 years ago. I have had a dozen or so over the years and was influenced by Mule Deer's writing on them. Down to a 1958 model 99F in 300 Savage and imagine I will give it to one of the grandsons some day.