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in reply to: Thee Elusive Thunder Chicken #24168
Duncan wrote:
…I enjoyed seeing your camp too.After years of sleeping on the ground in small tents I could barely sit up in, I decided this year to go big, and get a cot as well. It feels pretty darn decadent. Sure was nice during a 12-hour, heavy rainstorm, though.
in reply to: Thoughts on camo, fabrics, etc. #23505A few more thoughts –
– Even in most environments that we as humans tend to perceive as being fairly “green,” the actual color green often adds up to no more than about 30% of the total environment, and usually less. Much of the rest of it is shades of tans, browns, grey, black. So if you are going to wear camo, why not wear camo that blends with 70% of the environment, rather than 30%?
– The question still remains, particularly in regard to hunting ungulates – if they can’t see green anyway, why wear it at all? FUBAR came up with the best answer yet – to hide from other humans, who actually can see green. But I remain unconvinced that green camo looks like anything other than grey to ungulates. (though I’m focusing these comments on the question color, I still think that patterns that break up the human profile are more useful than mimicry patterns, regardless of the color used).
– If I was told I had to pick a solid color to wear while hunting, I think my choice would be tan/medium brown, even for hunting in what we tend to perceive as dominantly “green” environments…
in reply to: Dating Martin Howatt Bows? #12285Cool, thanks. And I probably should have been more specific that my bow wasn’t vintage.
in reply to: Dating Martin Howatt Bows? #10948Thanks. I recently acquired a Savannah (which has quickly become my favorite bow, btw), SN# 6738. I e-mailed Martin customer service and gave them the SN#, and was told that the bow was manufactured in 1996. I don’t recall Savannahs being that old, so I called DH, and was told that the previous response was mistaken, and that based on the first number of the SN, the bow was produced in 2006.
But if the SN# isn’t a reliable indication, how would one verify it from a catalog?
in reply to: Happy Birthday Dave… #8707A whiskey will be raised this eve!
in reply to: Favorite turkey slate call? #57100David Petersen wrote:
It’s supposed to be an Easter egg hunt, after all, not a winter survival ordeal. 😀 dpNo kidding. Sounds like my last couple weeks here. Alas, my two week tag came and went with a lot of freezing mornings in the blind and never hearing a single gobble.
in reply to: Wolf observation. #57097runamuck wrote:
I want to point out that like us traditional hunters who do not want to be placed under the “Big Tent” family ranchers should not be placed under the “Big Tent” of the corporate farms. This farm like all family farms are extremely affected by the loss of baby animals by wolves. We can not allow them to be use by corporate farms as examples nor can we let the government red tape them to death. As ethical hunters and woodmans we need to get rid of the polarization of the issue and illuminate the multiplicity of problems and solutions that are making up this debate.Erik
Agreed, and I should probably clarify my statement above – I live in a rural part of Idaho as well, and I’m sympathetic to how tough it is in this day and age to continue ranching at the family farm/smaller-scale level, and not give in to the pressures of corporate farms and developers. And I support it with the local beef we buy every season. Like I said above, if you’re on your own land, you should have the ability, and tools you need, in order to protect your livelihood.
My point is only to the undue amount of influence that the livestock industry has over what happens on public land, and the way they often seem to act as though they own it, and expect that it all be managed for their interest first and foremost without much compromise. It is also a comment on the land mgmt. agencies that frequently cater to this one lobby in the West as though it is their sole user group, at times to the detriment of their responsibility to manage the land in a balanced way for all. Public land grazing has its place if it’s managed well and done responsibly, unfortunately I see too much evidence to the contrary.
in reply to: GFA Knives #56303Just received the GFA “Small Western Trade” knife, with a neck sheath, from Kustom King.
First impressions – it’s just as good looking, if not more so, than the pic on the website. Nice curly maple. Full tang, and you can tell it is solidly made.
Quite sharp right out of the package, and with just a few passes on a ceramic rod, it’s now wicked sharp.
I’ve never carried a knife in a neck sheath before, and had some misgivings about doing so, but I was curious. With a 2-3/4″ blade, this isn’t a big knife by any means, but I’d say that for a neck carry it’s the perfect size, I wouldn’t want any bigger. And it’s still big enough to be practical for a lot of different tasks (though if you have big hands you might want to go up in size to the next model).
Probably my biggest misgiving about a neck sheath was just the idea of having something sharp hanging around my neck/chest and having the knife accidentally fall out of the sheath. After wearing this around a bit, I’m not concerned about that – it’s a thick leather sheath, and the knife fits deep and securely inside.
I could see this becoming an automatic item I put on every time I go in the woods. Thanks to GFA and Kustom King for an excellent product at great price.
in reply to: Favorite turkey slate call? #56232I’ve been really happy with The Freak by Primos. It’s capable of getting really loud, but with a little practice I can get quiet, subtle purrs out of it as well, and just about everything in between. The striker it comes with works well, and I’ve got a more slender “Kee Kee” striker for variety.
I also really like that I can strap it to my leg, and be calling with one hand, and holding my bow with the other. I can put the cap on it and move around with it still attached to my leg and not have to fiddle with packing it away and digging it out again – it’s always right where I need it (though I improved the strap system a little). A one-handed slate call, combined with a diaphragm call, gives a lot of calling options simultaneously, while still being ready for a shot, imo
in reply to: New bowhunter born today! #56224Congrats!!!
in reply to: Stalk in these? #55325FUBAR wrote: Maybe I will get a size 22 and wear them through the woods. Should be lots of reports then of bigfoot tracks:wink::D
I’m not sure I’d do that during spring – you might get one of the males on your tail…
in reply to: Left Wing, Right Wing,,,no difference #55320Whew. From the title I thought this was a political thread…:wink:
in reply to: Backyard Wildlife #50690Elk have mostly already started moving uphill, but there are a few still around. Lots of mulies all over the place. Coyotes and a few bl. bear tracks in the remnant snow. Eagles, osprey, merlins, red-tails, various owls, finches, warblers, sandhills, honkers, swans, and more.
Our Merriam’s seem to be in a similar state to Dave’s. After spending the last two weeks going out just about every morning on a limited draw tag and not hearing a single gobble, or response to any type of call, I’ve come to the conclusion that they’ve taken a beating this past winter (145% of normal snowpack) and the survivors are a little shell-shocked. They’re there – I’ve seen ’em crossing the road, but they’re silent and very, very wary.
in reply to: Wolf observation. #49869Just a further thought on this issue, as I get halfway through a pint this eve and my mind wanders to the bigger picture:
One of the biggest arguments I hear from many in the sporting crowd is that wolves are ‘decimating’ game herds, and that’s why their numbers need to be culled. I’m not going to debate that point, as it rarely seems to go anywhere – people’s minds tend to be firmly made up on that one way or the other.
But what I will say is that outright loss of habitat due to development has done more to reduce game herds than all the wolf predation of the last decade combined, a thousand times over.
I would love to see every sportsman arguing for wolf ‘management’ on these grounds to also be a staunch advocate for habitat protection and limits placed on development/urbanization. If you’re advocating for the former, and not at least as much for the latter, your argument doesn’t hold much water with me.
Wolves will always be a hot button, polarizing issue (and thus an easy target for political means and shell games), but I believe there is no single thing we can do to better protect game levels, healthy ecosystems, and our right to hunt, than by protecting habitat in its entirety. On this, we should all be united.
in reply to: bear kodiak magnum #49427David Petersen wrote: While I can’t speak to limb performance, I have owned a couple and with their shortness and significant recurve, it seems they are perfectly made for a 26″ draw.
x 2. I have a 27″ draw and I find the K-Mag to be a smooth drawing, good performance recurve.
David Petersen wrote: Of course, Bear has reintroduced the K-mag, for $500, and I look forward to reports of its performance. Until such time, if I were shopping for one — and while I’m not actively shopping, I’m watching for ads and very interested — I’ll hold out for a vintage Grayling-era model, which generally will sell for less than the replicas.
x 2 again. You can often find vintage K-Mags on eBay for less than a new one, and a Grayling model is a classic piece of trad bow history as well as still being a very functional hunting tool. Just make sure to ask the right questions before buying.
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