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Why Trap? -- Reasons for Fur Trapping
March 11, 2013 - Why trap?
Trapping has gotten a reputation in recent decades as being fair game to hate. It's possible that this is changing. I wasn't in favor of the hate then and am not now. I suspect that like many things that it's a relative good or bad.
I trapped, farmed, hunted and fished as a teen. I earned money from the trapping an...
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The $500 Drilling?
February 19, 2013 - Would a budget drilling ever be cool, likely or appropriate?
You know what I mean: a triple gun.
For my variant I envision a: 20-gauge; .22; .300 Sav.
Make it short and handily take-down, why not.
Where would it be good?
Gosh, I guess for places that are somewhat open-terrain where you might want to pot a: *flyin...
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Hear of "3 Gun" Shooting? Sounds Fun!
February 19, 2013 - 3 Gun competition sounds pretty neat! I like this recent trend to versatility in outdoor sports. (The "Total Outdoorsman" being the main player here -- other than my own "Backyard Olympics" events. : ) )
3 Gun is big now. It has its own TV show and its own magazine.
The event has you shooting: *pistol; *rifle; *shotgun....
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Folk Art Firearms
February 19, 2013 - It's still what I want to do. I went to the local Mason Gun Show last week and had a dandy time.
It's like visiting a gun museum, seeing all the variety of firearms both new, used and collectible. There is also a ton of nifty accessories, like reloaders and bullet-casters plus vintage books and military surplus luggage. A pl...
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A Quick Defense of Hunting, Just in Case
October 23, 2012 - At this colorful and autumnal time of year many hunting seasons are in full swing with more set to come on. It's a great time of year to be outside as much as possible, 24/7, ideally.
I've posted little defenses of hunting here before, all googleable, I hope. But it bears repeating and refreshing.
Just like it shocks me to ...
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Dan's Tackle Shop: Best Fishing Lore in Chicago!
September 18, 2012 - One of the coolest things I experienced this summer was visiting Dan's Tackle Shop in Chicago. There are two great kinds of shops in the world: old ones with wood floors, and cluttered expert dens. Dan's is the latter. His shop is in his house, upstairs, near Bucktown. Several rooms are jampacked with decades-worth of the best ...
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Vermin Sniping: Rascals vs. Teddies
September 14, 2012 - It's come to it.
The red squirrels invaded our vintage travel trailer. We've been trying to live-trap them but they're ignoring peanut butter in favor of all the walnuts and pinecones laying around -- which they're loading into the trailer walls. We didn't want to poison due to birds of prey eating carcasses and becoming poi...
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Fishing Tip: Change COLOR If Getting Half-hits
September 03, 2012 - Fishing tip, ahoy! I've been fishing a couple times lately and I notice that the fish KINDA like the lure I've been using. They hit it PRETTY hard and rather often, basically every bit of water that has fish gets a swirl, tug or kinda-hit. So I keep trying. I've landed a few, but I've been curious about the half-hearted hits. T...
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New Encyclopedia of Outdoor Hook'n'Bullet Skills
June 28, 2012 - It's been, what, decades since a book came along telling us how to do all the various hook'n'bullet sports. What would that have been back then? I'm thinking that only the McClane's books would've done the trick -- and then you'd need both the Hunting and the Fishing encyclopedias.
I'm probably overlooking some worthies -- so lem...
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Crossbows! -- Easy Accuracy without a "Bang."
June 01, 2012 - Crossbows are big worldwide. These days especially, but they probably have been for a long time. So many niches thrive outside the limelight. The limelight being reserved for big money sport.
Crossbows make sense to me for the kind of suburban hunting that I often do. Since they don't make gunlike noise but require only gunlike ...
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Hunting Slingshots Gone Wild! ...Meet Chief A.J.
June 01, 2012 - OK, I thought that things might be interesting in the land of slingshots because I recall some nifty target rigs with stabilizers and such. But when I googled it I had no idea what I would run into.
There's this guy, Chief AJ, who seems to be a big player in the sling scene. He's an old dude, but totally buff still. And he's gun...
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Trouting in the Driftless
April 16, 2012 - My pal Chris and I just got back from a weekend of trouting in the Driftless area of SW Wisconsin. Beautiful valleys, farms, and cold limestone creeks galore.
The creeks seem like they should be warm, due to all the greenery and cows, but there's all this limestone shelving -- and cold springs upwelling. Neat! It's a worldclass...
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"Tarpon": a Lost Movie Starring Jim Harrison (of all people) & Friends
March 21, 2012 - Here's a clip/trailer from a lost 1972 movie called "Tarpon," found in a barn in France, starring Jim Harrison, McGuane, Brautigan, featuring the music of a young Jimmy B.
(Ya know, there's no reason why hot outdoor dudes can't be partying like this today. I mean, locally and with beer. It's unlikely they'd be able to hook up wi...
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How About an American Drilling? (What's a Drilling, you ask?)
February 03, 2012 - "One gun to rule them all."
A perennial hook'n'bullet campfire discussion is "If you could only have one gun..." I admit I'm happy to go there. And, like many, there are Swiss Army Knife influences on my gun interests. Versatility is something one can easily pine for. Most hunting is actually quite specialized, howeve...
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Hybrid Guns, Ahoy!
February 03, 2012 - Freak guns, ahoy!
Weird gun hybrids are popping up a lot these days. Budget gunmakers Rossi, Taurus, and H&R seem to be leading the charge. What's up with those guys? Who's in charge? I sense wild characters at work. Some "car guys" have been given the keys to the factory and is cranking out some seriously creative firearms t...
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Marbles Reissues Classic "Game Getter" Pack-Gun!
February 03, 2012 - I just found out that Marbles has re-issued their classic combi-gun, the Game-Getter. I've been posting and harping about this gun for years. I can't believe I missed this new item. Maybe I overlooked it because it's pricey and the barrel is too long, but whatever, it seems clearly like news.
The Game-Getter has always been "...
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Quite a Bunch of Dudes
December 08, 2011 - Thanks, Chris B, for putting me onto this!
It's an article about a new TV series.
"Garden&Gun" --ha! What a mag/site title!
Well, this here's a story about a great group of dudes. Dang, I like great gangs. Of course, they're rich folks who party together, but I won't begrudge 'em. Good groups come in all flavors. Colo...
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Recycled Ice Shanty
January 20, 2011 - by Layne Cameron
[Layne lives in Okemos and sometimes says that he can't go skiing because he has to go ice-fishing! But, ya know, fresh fish from a lake without using a boat is a good thing. The ice-fishermen are really onto something, I bet -- notice how quiet they are. --JP]
First of all, I have a confession to m...
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Crayfishing! -- Fun Down at the River
September 19, 2010 - I'd been meaning to take the kids fishing this summer. We finally had the chance so we dashed down to the river a half mile down the street.
It's the Red Cedar. Not a famous or popular river. Kind of a muddy ditch of a thing. The miles near our house are jammed shut by dozens of falldowns so it's no good for canoeing. But i...
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History Channel's "Top Shot": shooting sports galore!
September 15, 2010 - Anyone see the grand finale of "The Top Shot" last night? On the History Channel. I lucked onto it.
Dang, all the shooting sports in one elimination-format reality show contest, for $100k prize.
It was sweet!
You had knife-throwing, archery, pistols -- old and new, rifles --old and new, and military firearms -- old a...
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Compton's Traditional Archery Meet: June 18-20
May 21, 2010 - June 18-20 is the 10th big traditional archery campout in Berrien Springs, MI. A friend tells me that it's the biggest bow event anywhere and a great time for the family. Lots of kid activities, lots of everything, bowmaking, you name it. People camp for 3-4 days. Set along the St. Joe river. We'll try to check it out this year.
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Gun Shows: Whew! ...Great for looking, but a bit Rackety
April 12, 2010 - I don't know about the Gun Shows in your area, but around here, they're great for looking but not so much for buying.
I think there's a certain dynamic at play in Shows in general which applies to these as well. Correct me if I'm wrong.
At a Hobby Show you have a 100 dealers set up in an arena. Before the Show opens the deal...
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Farming the Forest: a Fur Trapping Essay
March 25, 2010 - (...Kind of longwinded...)
Trapping is a tricky thing, due entirely (I think) to its growing unfamiliarity to so many. The "familiarity" a lot of people have with it comes from intentionally alienating media and websites depicting it out of context.
"Silent Sports" magazine ran a profile this winter of an old trapper ...
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Traditional Archery Expo: Huge Annual Event 1/29-31, Kalamazoo
January 28, 2010 - The huge annual traditional archery expo is happening this weekend in Kalamazoo. All kinds of displays, booths and workshops ongoing from Fri-Sun.
Flintknapping, whittling selfbows, laminating recurves, horn, wood, primitive, hightech epoxies, historic, reenacting, fantasy, Indian, Asian, -- you name it, it's going to be the...
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The Nomadic Bows of Eurasia
January 28, 2010 - Interest in the deeply recurved bows of the nomadic peoples who swarmed the plains of Eurasia is making a comeback.
Part of this is from the recent opening of the East to the West.
Part might even be due to movies like Lord of the Rings.
All of it has exploded thanks to the Web.
So check out the archery of the Huns, ...
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NYT: Urban foodies turn deerhunters
January 27, 2010 - Here's a link to a NYT story about how urban foodies and "locavores" (those who like to eat locally sourced food) are starting to take up hunting to get in better contact with the roots of the food they eat. Michael Pollan's recent book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" had an essay about his experience as a cityslicker in taking the plun...
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JP's First Muzzleloader Deer
January 03, 2010 - Act One
I went out one morning [Dec. 20 or so] because I like the idea of hunting around here in fresh snow. It feels more wildernessy than usual -- the snow transforms this exurban area. There's open land near here where I used to play as a kid so it means a lot to me to keep in touch with it before it gets built up.
...
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Opening Day with the Lads
November 23, 2009 - There we were, out at the Wildwood Bump, a shack on a parcel owned by one of the gang. 6 of us on 20 acres. Small but picturesque and full of deer. What would the morning bring?
Well, the corn harvest was late this year and it was all still standing on opening weekend. The deer were sleeping where they ate. So we didn't see m...
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Opening Day Ahoy! Where's Yours?
November 13, 2009 - I know where I'll be tomorrow...what about you?
It's "Opening Day" weekend for the lower peninsula of Michigan.
A friend recently bought 20 acres down by Hillsdale with a 2-room shack on it. He's fixed it up and we've all helped out some. Tomorrow SEVEN of us are converging on it for a real hootenanny.
Pictures to follo...
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Freaky New Hunting Tech: Crossbows and Silencers
November 13, 2009 - Here's a light and early nod to two big new developments in the world of the shooting sports.
Crossbows are now legal for hunting in Michigan. They give accuracy confidence out to 50 yards and along with quick-drop performance (via bigger broadheads due to the increased power) and possibly a convenient new small-game option. ...
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Gun sights: tricky, non-intuitive stuff
November 11, 2009 - It's too late to do much about this for this year's hunting season, but there are a couple notions regarding sights that seem worth pondering.
The main thing in iron-sights is the FRONT sight.
But the biggest main thing is *trigger pull*. The way you pull the trigger determines your hit more than anything else -- that's m...
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Tale of Wintering Alaska's Boonies as a Teenager
October 28, 2009 - Here's a blog report from a guy who decided to go and rough it in the Alaska Bush when he was 18. And unprepared. Hard to believe he made it. There's a famous movie/book about a somewhat similar kid who didn't...
I've bumped into this report a few times now so finally thought to pass the word along:
http://www.survivalblog....
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"The 24 Hour Campfire": Huntin', Fishin', Campin' Chat
October 20, 2009 - I've always liked the name of this website/forum.
If you have any questions or stories to tell in the huntin', fishin', campin' vein, it's a good place to go.
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Birthday Shoot
October 05, 2009 - Henry turned 12 so for a treat I took him to the gun range. He's lately been getting more interested in the history and variety of firearms and weapons of all kinds.
This summer we shot some skeet and .22 ... and the booming M1 Garand, and the .38. He hit the first clay pigeon, which was nice ... and then more than half of the...
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"Fondling My Gun": gun love from out east
October 02, 2009 - This guy's blog cracked me up.
It's from...
"Alphecca: An occasional blog of opinions by a politically independent, libertarian, gay gun nut in Vermont."
It takes all kinds!
But he does hit the nail on the head about the joys of fiddling around with guns. Just check the action first.
Metal, wood, craftsmanship, c...
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Thompson Center Encore: I like a Kit Gun
October 02, 2009 - I've mentioned this gun system before, but here it is again, same pic even. I modified this pic to show the true range of the system.
I'm not sure why, but I like a kit gun. Lots of guns in one. And I've like the stylish curves of the TC line since I was a teen in the 1970's.
It's not like you can really use multiple guns i...
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"Backwoodsman" July/Aug 09:
September 21, 2009 - "BWM" is the best "outdoor skills for regular folks" magazine out there. Its emphasis is traditional outdoor skills done in a thrifty, homespun way. It's hunting and fishing for food not trophies. It's about homemade everything in the out of doors. It's about recycling and versatility. There are regular reviews of military surp...
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"Backwoodsman" Sept/Oct 09: Like Mother Earth News Only with More Action
September 21, 2009 - Another dandy issue of "BWM."
This one has a "cheap living on the water" theme via two extra-long articles, but it's bolstered by a couple dozen other well-detailed tales...
Some of the Contents...
* Home Made Raft Construction
* Live Aboard Basics
* My Smoothbore Muzzleloading Pistol
* Recycli...
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RIP: Jack Lewis, Tough Hollywood (Former Boss)
June 30, 2009 - I had the good and interesting fortune to get my first magazine editing job back in 1982 with Jack Lewis and his stable of outdoor sports mags.
I was graduating the next year from MSU with a journalism degree and a longtime interest in outdoor magazines. So I thought it would be neat to get a summer internship. I wasn't on the in...
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New Breed of QUIET Airguns
May 19, 2009 - I've long been a fan of airguns. And I really like my old Sheridan pellet gun, which I've had for 30 years now.
Airguns are accurate, relatively quiet and can be used for both target shooting and small game hunting.
Even so, most airguns are still pretty darn loud when used at the higher velocities needed for long ranges (out...
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"Whitling A Longbow": From the 1995 OYB Vault
May 18, 2009 - [NOTE: This article seems to be the most-googled of my 1000+ online stories. I put it up in 1995. It's from super print issue #7, still available (see "Mag Issues" link at left). It has been located on a buried old OYB webpage. I've finally up-dated it. If you're new here, courtesy of this story, welcome! OYB is a big t...
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Morel Camo: Just try to find it!
May 11, 2009 - It's morel mushroom season here in mid-Michigan. And what fun it is hunting for these elusive morsels!
I feel rather thankful for all those hours I spent as a youth searching for lost arrows behind the makeshift archery range in our yard and everywhere else around the roaming landscape. I got kinda good at finding arrows.
Now I...
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Grampa's Old Singleshot Bags the Longbeard
April 24, 2009 - I shot a 20-lb turkey this morning about a mile from our house.
I used my grampa's old singleshot 12 gauge hardware store shotgun from the old days. It has a crack in the grip with a classy duct-tape repair (gotta epoxy it proper). I like it and it fits. It's very lightweight. Most critters are got in the first shot anyway. You ...
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First Tom for JP
April 21, 2009 - [BUMP from 4/23/06]
[Update '09: It's turkey time again! What a great time of year! Lush green warm new spring growth everywhere. Birdsong at daybreak. What a far cry from frigid gun deer season. But we've had cold rain the first few days of this opening week. My pal Steve and I know where a BUNCH of toms are. I hope we're not ...
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The All-Time Classic Pack Gun: Marble's Game-Getter
February 15, 2009 - In about 1908, the Marble's company of Gladstone, Michigan, came out with its Game-Getter, a versatile, foldable over/under trail gun. The top barrel was a .22, under it was a .45 bore that could handle either bullets or .410 shotshells. It had a folding wire stock and slipped into a shoulder holster. It came in a couple barrel-...
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Ah, the Savage 24... a Downhome O/U
February 13, 2009 - I've long had a thing for the Savage 24 and any of its variants.
This would be a rifle over shotgun combo firearm.
There've been a bunch of guns made along these lines, but the S24 rules.
It's main models are/were the .22/.410, the .22mag/20-ga and the .30-30/12-ga. Whooo-eeee! Those are all sweet set-ups.
Most O/U's...
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"Backwoodsman": best backwoods skills/culture mag
February 02, 2009 - BWM has long been the best magazine of backwoods skills. It's a thrifty, affordable black'n'white magazine full of interesting projects, feedback and lore based on "gettin' by" and oldtime skills and practices. Lots of DIY huntin' and fishin' info. Cheap everything. Juryrigged and homemade. Survival kits and selections carried i...
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Cosmic Deer
December 16, 2008 - Our friend Sarah just gave me a framed artwork for Xmas. It's a handmade "glittery" card from Mexico. It has a symbolic meaning. I just googled it and learned more---it's pretty amazing.
It's from the Huichol people. In their culture, deer and corn and peyote are all one. It's called the "deer-maize-peyote complex" by the ant...
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Confession: I go nuts this time of year
November 19, 2008 - I have to confess that I just go nuts this time of year.
Every kind of hunting is reaching its peak. And trapping is at its zenith.
The build-up started in autumn, with the colorful leaves, warm days and cool nights. That's bow-hunting time. And scouting time for everything else. (I'm no pro---they scout year-round.) But ...
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Hunting Public Lands: what's it really like?
November 19, 2008 - We live 10 minutes from Rose Lake State Game Area. It's about 5 miles by 5 miles of public land. The word is that it's heavily pressured. It's the game aera that's closest to the capitol city and the Big U, right? But is it really? And how does that work anyway?
I wonder what's the real score.
Here's my hunch...
I bet 9...
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Daisy 499: World's Most Accurate BB-Gun -- Ideal for Kids
February 21, 2008 - Here's a bb-gun that was designed for the Jaycee's youth bb-gun program as well as for 4H and the Boy Scouts. It's low-power, to satisfy modern paranoia. And it's very, very accurate. Costs about $100 these days---it looks like they're being cleared-out.
Now, I don't mean pellet guns here. This is a BB gun. Standard lever mod...
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Deer Camp Radio
December 03, 2007 - The gang went up north this past week for our annual deer camp.
It was the last week of the season. That's because some of our folks are in the food biz and they're busy with T-day til then.
We have occasional newcomers---this time we had 2. We try to show them the lore and the ways.
Unfortunately this time we didn't ...
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Natural Fishing Poles...Just a Pretty Stick...
September 17, 2007 - Here's a company that makes fishing poles the old way, in a new way. These are full-length bamboo canes, with guides wrapped onto them and a real-seat of your choice. Simple, natural.
Lots of folks know about the sweet, high-end feel of the bamboo flyrod made with sliced sections of bamboo glued into an octagonal cross-secti...
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Thrifty, Classic, Gorgeous New Rifle: H&R 1871 .38/55
August 27, 2007 - I saw one of these at a gunshop not long ago. Man, they are classy! And I've heard of people getting them very cheaply. New, they're about $320. I hear they're very accurate---like, inch groups at 100 yards.
I like so many things about this gun. Simplicity. Affordable. The checkering. The schnabel fore-end. Long, heavy octagon...
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An Enjoyably Turkey-less Turkey Hunt (Plus Singleshots, Multiguns & a Handy Knife)
May 04, 2007 - Last week some of us went up north to Mike's cabin for a spring turkey hunt. We don't see bucks when we go up deer hunting but we've always seen lots of turkeys. This time we didn't see any turkeys. Oh well!
We did have plenty of fun, though.
And we were actually guaranteed a turkey no matter what happened because the day befo...
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Be Still My Heart --- for what might have been...
April 24, 2007 - Some friends were over the other day and I was showing them our various new dried animal skins. ---Two minks and one pheasant---from recent roadkill finds. I like having representative pretty things around.
We found 2 lovely minks on local roads in the past month, in perfect shape, nice big ones, so I skinned em out and dried/p...
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Wild-But-Accurate Ultra-Short Tech-Bow
March 21, 2007 - My brother saw a guy shooting one of these at a local archery range the other day. He hit a quarter-sized spot with every shot.
The Liberty I (One).
What a freaky bow!
It's 20" long, 70-lb pull, with 10-lb hold-weight. Shoots 304 fps.
People say it reminds them of a wrist-rocket slingshot.
Why not merge archery and...
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Land Access: What if Outdoor Users were Licensed/Bonded/Insured?
December 23, 2006 - When I ask for land access permission nowadays from private landowners I sometimes get the "I'd like to but I can't for liability reasons" excuse.
I wonder if hunters could get their own insurance policies that would somehow cover landowners, if hunters (etc) could be bonded against damage, or if there might be any kind of li...
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How to get more people outdoors & more revenue...
December 23, 2006 - So outdoorsmen are in decline I hear. And revenues are down.
And fees are maybe going up (they tend to).
Add a couple more notions to the mix....
*United we stand.
And: *it's a global economy (well, intra-state activity is really common).
This brings me to an idea: What if more states/regions banded together for r...
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What Some Hunters are Wearing...
December 18, 2006 - ...Well, one anyway.
It doesn't have to be all about camo and blaze orange.
The orange can be used judiciously, as needed, and as the law requires.
But there are classic ways to blend into the scenery. Tweed and old plaids both work fine.
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Deer Camp '06...and...Why Hunt?
November 21, 2006 - Deer Camp 2006
We got skunked.
(Well, one of us got a nice doe at last light on the last sit---can't slight her. She's tasty vittles in the freezer. Thank you. But the rest of us got nuttin'.)
Most of us saw deer on opening morning. Does. We passed them up hoping for bucks. They never appeared.
But the six of us had...
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Nobility of the Workingman: Commuter, Trapper, Net-fisherman...next down is Recreation...lastly, Sport
November 10, 2006 - I think the ranking of social nobility starts with the values and activities of work, next is recreation (creative recovery and rest), and last comes sport. And sport itself is only valuable in homage to the worker.
In this line-up we have the bike commuter coming in ahead of the recreational cyclist. They're both fine activi...
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The Michigan Dove Hunting Ban: Too Bad...
November 10, 2006 - What a debacle. Michigan almost had a dove hunting season, like most other farmland states. Unfortunately the local hunting lobby took the wrong tack. And the anti-hunters were as venal as ever.
The lobby didn't defend the sport per se. Bad move. They opted for the slippery slope instead.
The anti's chose several lies that...
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A Little Sharper Knife Cuts a WHOLE Lot Betta
July 13, 2006 - Here's a tip: decrease the bevel of your knife edge about 5 degrees and improve cutting performance about tenfold.
Today's better, fancy knife steels are made to help you more. How do they do this? By letting you use a flatter edge and by letting that longer, thinner edge hold up as well as your old edges used to.
So if you h...
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Best article: "50 Best Guns of All Time"
May 12, 2006 - "Field & Stream" finally came up with a winner. Actually, the slicks usually have a od article in each issue. But Dave Petzal's "50 Best Guns of All Time" is the best story I've seen them do since I was a kid. I guess it's played well for them, too. --I see it's their #1 requested web story. It was the Feb. '05 cover story.
You kn...
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Airguns Out Your Backdoor, by Michael Edelman
April 10, 2006 - [bumped up]
Did you have a BB gun when you were a kid? I didn't. I wanted one, all right. I wanted a Daisy Model 25 pump like my pal Mike Sarkozy had. But between my Dad, who never forgave Daisy for leaving Michigan and moving to Arkansas, and my Mom, who realized that a BB gun in the city in my hands wasn't the smartest idea, I...
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NYTimes Hunting: City-Guy Gets Close
March 27, 2006 - Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/magazine/carnivore.html
Good stuff! Boy, he covered tons of areas.
I really liked his discovery of the heightened senses aspect of hunting. It helps us see how much awareness of life that we redirect and push down when immersed in citylife or when we only receive our ideas ...
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Project: Combo Animal Ornaments...and Targets!
March 22, 2006 - We have a country yard that has a woodsy natural section and some trails in it. I've put bird-baths and other lawn ornaments out here and there over the years. We've always had a range for archery and bb-gun targets.
I've always wanted one of the 3D buck deer targets to practice archery on. But I've also thought that it would b...
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Check out OYB's "Hook'n'Bullet" focus site!
February 23, 2006 - If your interest is in the grassroots culture of the "hook & bullet" sports, check out the sister site of OYB at HooknBullet.com.
At H&B we explore the culture of every aspect of the outdoor "food" sports.
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A New Age of Feist!
January 02, 2006 - Dog hunting seems to be becoming more elitist. There are fewer game birds for the bird dogs and less room to trail for the hounds. In the end, getting access to game often costs a lot more than it did, say, in the 1970's before the family-farms died out (they tended to let people hunt/wander their lands quite freely). The way man...
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Forged "trade" knives, cheap...& much more
December 14, 2005 - "Track of the Wolf" is a great catalog/website of supplies for the heritage outdoorsperson. They sell everything you need to build your own blackpowder firearms of all kinds, as well as knive kits, apparel and tent supplies and such. They also sell completed items, such as a wide variety of hand-forged knives of the sort used in...
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Snaky bows: the sexiest bows out there
December 14, 2005 - I tend to prefer a simple, direct bow made of one piece of wood. This kind of bow is called a selfbow. I also prefer a selfbow to have a lot of character. The wood should reveal amazing grain and color. In the world of selfbow-making (all by hand) there's an elite level where bowyers work with wildly curvy wood---often including...
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Camo is Fashion
November 29, 2005 - Someone complained that I'm dissing bluecollars by criticizing NASCAR. No, I say they're dissing themselves by falling for an ad campaign. I don't mind local car racing---as long as people don't go nuts over it. I question mass marketing and mobs. And obsessive hobbies.
In the new print OYB I also reject pro-sports clothing ...
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Crossbow: new inter-urban hunting tool
November 26, 2005 - The new hunting reality for lots of folks is likely made up of little woodlots. Obviously, the land is no longer city-and-country, but city tossed throughout the country---with country sometimes creeping surprisingly far into the city.
The country is still full of natural vibes. You can go into an interurban woodlot and feel...
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Deer Camp
November 21, 2005 - I got invited to go on the Big Deer Hunt again. It was the same gang plus one---a housemate of one of them who'd never gone hunting.
Once again we had the deluxe food and drink courtesy of our own chef (or two) and of the generous fellow who owns the high-end food store...oh yeah. I pitched in in a small way but as best I co...
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The 10/90 Formula: It only makes sense
November 14, 2005 - Sometimes people laugh at the fact that outdoor mags only run a few articles over and over again. Wretched formula! they say. Well, the thing is that the same things keep coming up time and again and new people come along all the time. So every season the same stories are run. Oh, with slight wrinkles, sure. I suppose the better...
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One Guy's Ideal Gun Collection...
November 13, 2005 - [Updated 1/10...also 7/06]
Free copies of Outdoor Life and Field&Stream started showing up a few months ago.
I read them for the pictures. Usually the stories are trite, but they do run good articles from time to time. They have millions$ in resources and access to a lot of talent (undoubtedly stymied, unless they're true...
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Alert! Slingshots are a Sport...
November 13, 2005 - OK, I knew there were nice slingshots out there and I even had a vague memory of a model with counterweights for target-shooting fanciness, but last night I was boggled. (So today I googled...)
A stout little elderly lady stopped by a friend's house where we were having a party in the Detroit area. Among other surprising thin...
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Backlist of Hunting, Anti-Gun and Animal Rights Stories
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Backlist of OYB Ruminations on Outdoor Action
May 19, 2005 - Here's a backlist of "think pieces" I've done about "hook'n'bullet" subjects. These are notions and angles that I haven't seen covered elsewhere. The outdoor scene is jampacked with cookie-cutter, "let's take sides" official doctrine. NONE of this is official anything. It's outlaw yet I also say it's responsible. It's what I am sure ...
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