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in reply to: Homemade alcohol stoves #25004
Just so everyone knows — the Zen Stoves site is the single finest resource on the subject of all kinds of backpacking stoves, whether alcohol, compressed gas, gasoline, kerosene, Coleman fuel, etc.
in reply to: Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Chart for N. America #12364Yes, I saw that. I’m originally from MN and that was indeed bad news to receive.
in reply to: Michigan UP Hunt? #58055The PLB (such as the versions sold by ACR) sends a signal to SARSAT, a satellite system operated by the federal government. SARSAT operates worldwide in conjunction with the COSPAS system operated by the (Former) Empire (Formerly) Known as Evil. You don’t pay a subscription for the PLB service; all of us taxpayers subsidize your risk-taking. When you activate the signal, help comes running at the direction of local official agencies who will receive the info on your situation from the feds’ coordination center. Local agencies practice for PLB responses; I have participated in it. Some of these local agencies will have a handheld receiver that tracks the PLB signal once the responders get near you on the ground. (I don’t recall the handheld receiver detection range very well, but I kind of remember it as under a mile.)
The SPOT uses a collection of commercial satellites, and you pay a subscription fee continuously or you don’t get help. In an emergency, the “Alert 9-1-1” message you send is directed from the satellite to a private, for-profit outfit called the GEOS International Emergency Response Center. Those folks will then contact “the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information – which may include local police, highway patrol, the Coast Guard, our country’s embassy or consulate, or other emergency response or search and rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contact person(s) about the receipt of a distress signal.”
There have been discussions elsewhere about the technical efficacy of SPOT (signal strength through tree cover, etc.) and the message routing. Personally, I’m skeptical on both parts.
in reply to: Michigan UP Hunt? #5492699.9% of my time in outdoor recreation is spent solo, most of it far enough from roads that I usually don’t hear human-generated sounds, except from aircraft. Winter is my favorite time in the woods. I was also a SAR dog handler for many years, looking for lost hunters and others. So, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and preparing for the “What if?” stuff that can turn serious quickly if you’re alone. Here are some suggestions for bowhunting safely in the backcountry:
1. Leave a very detailed trip plan with someone who cares about your safe return. Be specific as to where you’re going, where you’re camping, where you’re hunting, and when to call for help in locating you. If you change your plans during the trip, try to get word back about the change. Make sure the person has a description of your clothing (including an image of your boot sole, if feasible), your gear and your vehicle. All of this will reduce the SAR response time to your location a great deal.
2. If you can’t use a map and compass expertly, use the time before hunting starts to acquire that knowledge and to practice using it day and night. (If you want some free, brief materials I’ve prepared on the subject, send me a PM.)
3. Hypothermia kills more people outdoors than probably any other cause except drowning. One of the indications you’re in serious trouble is mental confusion. It’s what is often noticed by others in the party as a sign that you’re really in trouble. But if you’re solo, no one else will see it happening, stop you, get you warm and look after you. So, leave the cotton at home, bring the woolens and other materials suited for wet, cold conditions, eat and drink continuously, and don’t take unsound chances crossing streams.
4. Carry a very loud whistle at all times on your body, not in your pack. Remember what happens to your voice from shouting a long time at a sporting event? If you’re laying in the woods, a whistle can summon help for hours and hours, even days, after your voice gives out. Blow three blasts and wait a while to listen for someone coming to find you. Keep doing it until help arrives.
5. Your broadheads are a threat to your life. Learn how to treat a serious wound quickly. Carry tampons or something similar to stop the bleeding in a big hurry.
6. Before you jump down an embankment or force your way through a deadfall tangle, ask, “What will happen if I screw up my knee or ankle doing this?” Then look at alternative ways to get from A to B before proceeding.
7. If you’re going far off the road, a PLB or a satellite phone is something to consider. (IMO, the sat phone is overkill for the Lower 48, but a PLB is worth serious consideration if you’re out alone a lot far from the road.) Rentals are available these days. Personally, I’m more than a little skeptical of the SPOT system. Space does not allow me to detail my reasons, but I’d share them with anyone who wants them.
8. Unless you’re going to Alaska or remote parts of Canada, don’t spend any time or money learning from self-professed “survival experts” how to identify edible plants, whittle fishhooks and snare forest creatures to gather food. You’re either going to be found long before lack of food kills you, or you’ll be dead from some other cause first. Spend the time and money learning how to stay warm in all conditions and how to construct emergency shelters.
in reply to: yew or osage #36039I’ve had the pleasure of shooting a couple 3D rounds with George Tsoukalas, author of the above-mentioned http://georgeandjoni.home.comcast.net/~georgeandjoni/. I’m quite sure he’d be happy to offer advice on this question and many others related to making bows. His email address is right at the top once you enter his site after the home page.
in reply to: tab vs glove #15824I’ve used a Damascus glove for several years, after losing patience with the flimsy construction of another type. My wife just gave me an Alaska Bowhunting Supply Super Glove off my Christmas wish list. I had never actually seen one, but I’d read some favorable comments.
My ring finger is longer than my forefinger, but the length of the ring finger on the glove bothered me a little when I put it on. I thought it might get in the way on the release. (I shoot three under.) I also thought I might have some trouble holding during my draw.
Yesterday I shot with it for the first time. I came in the house and declared, “It’s a good thing you got me that glove now, before it’s outlawed as unfair to deer.” I flat couldn’t believe how much it improved my release. I swear I had more arrow speed, and there were no flyers during my brief practice session with it.
YMMV.in reply to: Beginner Basics #60546Uh oh, another one lost to longbow mania. Welcome to the club. And before any of you castigate me for including hybrids among longbows, let me just say as the owner of two sticks without kinks in them:
“I’m straight but not as narrow as my bows.” 😉
in reply to: Bighorn Sheep Hunt #58805Thanks very much for posting. Those are wonderful pictures to see. Under those circumstances, it’s great that you could get these shots. Good luck!
in reply to: Buttonhead #44904Most excellent and congratulations!
in reply to: Photos from Cook Inlet Archers Turkey Shoot #38926BRUC wrote: Lots of three fingers under.
Yes, that’s how I shoot and it’s fun to see it in practice. You’ll also see some instinctive shooting (which I do) if you examine the photos. Yeah, I know it’s not literally “instinctive” — don’t make me get all Zen on you. 😀 One of my dad’s favorite jokes fits very well with what we trad bowhunters try to do in our hunting and shooting:
What did the Zen master say to the hot dog vendor?
“Make me one with everything.”in reply to: 1ST TRAD KILL!!! #18487CONGRATULATIONS! 😀 Let’s hear more details if you like.
in reply to: Archery in Western MA? #57484I strongly recommend getting in touch with the White Mountain Traditional Bowhunters. I’m sure there are some members in Western Mass. that would be eager to help. (I’m a member, but I live some distance away in NH.) Club contacts are Charlie Wilson at bets4chas@comcast.net and Harry Hubbard at hubbard.ncm@comcast.net or 603-647-6713.
in reply to: Arrows and Broad Heads #51796You might want to consider buying a test kit of shafts (or complete arrows) in different spines. This typically includes three ranges of spines, for example, 40-45#, 45-50#, and 50-55#. In the long run, it might save you time and money in trying to match shafts to your bow. Several of the leading traditional equipment dealers and arrow makers offer them.
in reply to: Pre-Rut Hunt, Pointers #41297Had a nicely-racked one in bow range today, slightly quartering away and all, but I passed on the shot. He weighed about 700-800 pounds, and I figured I’d go to jail if I took the shot. 😉
I swear, I see more moose and moose sign than deer almost every time I’m out. One of these days I’m actually going to have a moose permit, in season, when I run into one of these guys. Until then, I just stand and smile as they go about their business. And then I get back to the apparently much more difficult task of getting within range of a deer.
in reply to: Gotta get this "stuff" under control! #30487I don”t think it’s likely one can jump out of bed, go in the field without breakfast and feel good physically and mentally. Nor is it a good idea to jump out of bed and eat breakfast on the way out the door (or in your vehicle). Going without breakfast leaves you groping for energy. Eating breakfast on the way leaves you groping for leaves. 😆
The only way I’ve been able to resolve this is to eat a substantial bowl of oatmeal right when I get up, then get ready to go. The oatmeal may or may not have some laxative effect. But it sure is a good source of medium term energy for the morning.
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