Storing Your Gun

I was visiting with a local gunsmith friend this morning and the subject of cleaning/storing guns came up. He stated that he never oils the outside of his guns. This came as a surprise but he went on to tell me that oil floats on top of water. If moisture gets under the oil or was there when the oil was applied it will be trapped there and can cause rusting and pitting. He said the best thing to do is to wipe down the exterior of your gun with a silicone impregnated cloth. Water always beads up on silicone just like a car wax. He said he also uses carnuba wax on some of his guns.

Preparing Your Gun for Cold Weather

If you are planning on some late season hunting with your favorite gun it is time to make a few small changes before going afield.

Gun oil/grease and cold temperatures do not mix well. If you are using an autoloader, this advice is especially important. Before taking off on your cold weather hunting trip take your gun apart and spray everything, except the gas mechanism on autoloaders, with a good gun degreaser to remove all traces of oil and/or grease. Let the gun parts dry for a short time and then apply a graphite power to the moving parts. Put the gun back together and go hunting.

When you are done hunting you should again clean the gun to remove the graphite powder and other residue and then apply a good gun oil.

PETA Signs

Take a look at these signs from PETA. Remember also that the Humane Society is in the same boat as PETA and all sportsman need to get involved in fighting back against these groups. If we expect someone else to fight the fight then we will all lose.

Delayed Posts

I just wanted to check in with everyone and apologize for the low number of posts lately. With the fall hunting season and fall walleye fishing I have not had much time to sit behind the computer....and neither should you...get out there and enjoy the fall!! Keep checking back as I'll be adding posts sporadically and I promise to get back into regular posting as soon as my freezer is full.

For Great Tasting Deer

Meat preparation begins BEFORE THE SHOT! Older deer (bucks in particular) usually have a stronger taste (gamy), and will usually be harder to tenderize. So if meat is what you are after, first and foremost, learn to identify and choose an animal between 1&3 years old. Does are usually the best choice. Try to shoot a calm animal. Animals that have been spooked or are running when shot tend to have a "gamy" taste when cooked. The shot...careful shot placement is ALWAYS important! Proper shot placement is not only an ETHICAL MUST...a quick kill also insures the best tasting venison! Broadside shots, through both lungs are best. This insures a quick, humane kill and destroys a minimal amount of meat. Once your deer is down...gut it, clean the inside of the body cavity (use clean dry rags and keep water away from the inside of the carcass to prevent bacteria growth) and COOL it down ASAP! In the unfortunate event of a gut shot CLEANING of the body cavity becomes TOP PRIORTY! If you need to use water to clean the body cavity out because of a gut shot then be sure to wipe the body cavity dry with a clean rag. I wish you all good hunting this fall.

Fishing Females - Reader of the Month

Dear OutdoorU,

Once again I have out-fished the guys in the boat! While fishing in the Gulf off the shore of Florida I was able to bring over 20 fish into the boat (red snapper, mangrove snapper, striped bass, spotted bass and some other stuff.) The two men in the boat caught 6 fish total. One was a "lizard" fish and another a catfish, neither of which the Captain would allow in the boat. Tee Hee.

I've attached a picture of the one of the only fish we kept (for shark bate) because the captain believed in catch and release. Next time I take a charter I'm going to make sure we have a "filet and release" cruise.

Love your sight and hope to learn enough to keep out fishing all they guys in the boat.

Sincerely,
Anonymous Fishing Female

Timeless Bowhunting

Once again I want to recommend a book for those of you that bowhunt or are thinking about bowhunting. Timeless Bowhunting by Roy S. Marlow has been one of the best books I've ever read concerning archery.

It covers every detail of the mechanics of archery for both compound shooters and traditional shooters. The book is laid out with easy to understand chapters that are only a few pages per topic. I like books that I can pick up for just a few minutes when I get a chance, read a chapter and put it back down. The problem I had with this book is that I'd read a chapter and say to myself, oh what the heck, one more chapter and pretty soon the book was done.

If you are at all interested in a deeper understanding of archery and want an easy way to learn about it, then this book is for you.

Red Line versus Red Hooks

I have always wondered how they can advertise red fishing line as being invisible to fish yet you always here that fish bite better on red hooks. How can this be? Someone must be lying.

Well today I learned the answer on the Huntcast podcast. The answer is that the red color in fishing line is translucent. This translucence will cause the red color to disappear in about 4 feet of water.

The red color of a fishing hook is opaque and reflects light which will make the red color visible down past 100 feet.

Now I feel better knowing that no one has been lying.

Controlling Your Scent With Chlorophyll

In the pursuit of eliminating human odor you may want to give Chlorophyll tablets a try. Chlorophyll has been used by doctors for years in treating patients with bad breath and body odors. Chlorophyll works on the inside of the human body at the source of the odors. If the right amount of Chlorophyll is taken your body will produce very few odors which is the goal we all want to achieve while hunting deer.

One hunter, I forgot his name, on a recent Podcast said that he stops eating meat prior to and during the hunting season. He also shaves his head and the rest of his body hair. Another thing he stated as being essential to his success was the use of Chlorophyll tablets. He said that you will know when you are taking enough of the tablets based on the odor of... well you know. He stated that when there was no odor left you are taking the right amount.

I don't want to get into how to take Chlorophyll, when to take it or how much to take. I also don't want to talk about any potential safety issues, even though I'm not aware of any. What I want to do is let you know that Chlorophyll is an option for scent control and to encourage you to check into on your own. I think you will be happy with the results. By the way, you can buy Chlorophyll tablets, without a prescription, from most pharmacies.

Don't Spoil Your Big Game

The #1 cause of spoiling wild game comes from washing out the carcass or icing down the carcass. I know this sounds strange and counter intuitive but believe me in this matter.

My Father and Brother operate a professional meat processing plant and each year deer are brought in that have spoiled because the hunter washed out the inside of the deer or iced it down thinking they were doing the right thing.

The bacteria that spoils meat needs water/moisture to grow and do its damage. Without the moisture there can be no bacteria growth.

After field dressing your big game, drain out all of the fluid and then using a clean rag wipe out the inside of the carcass as good as you can. Be sure to wipe in every nook and cranny, especially between the hind legs and up into the throat area. Prop open the chest to allow for drying and cooling.

Don't skin your animal until you are ready to process the meat. The skin will protect the meat and keep it from drying out. If the temperatures in your garage stays at or below 40 degrees you can hang your animal to age for 7-10 days. If temperatures in your garage get above the 40 degree mark because of a warmer fall you should take your animal to a meat processor or process the game animal yourself right away. Just be aware that if you do not allow your deer to age for a while you will not have as tender meat. If you are going to be making all of your deer into hamburger or sausage the aging process can be eliminated all together. Another option is to quarter your animal and age the meat in a refrigerator.

You owe it to yourself and to the animal to properly take care of the meat after the kill. Remember, wild game is the best organic protein that you can eat. Check the price of true organic beef and you'll see that venison is a bargain. At least that is my story and I'm sticking to it :)

Weighing Fish Without A Scale

Carrying a scale all of time can be a pain and using a scale can do damage to the fish. An alternate way to weigh a fish is by measuring it and doing some calculations. You can either do the calculations in the field or just take the measurements and do the math at home. It is surprising how accurate this method is.

The correct way to measure any fish for International Game and Fish Association (I.G.F. A.) rules is from the middle of the tail in the fork to the tip of the nose. Use the length and width to figure out the weight of the fish.

Here is the math needed to weigh a fish without the need of a scale. Calculate the size of the fish with the formula: length times girth squared, divided by eight hundred e.g. 33” x 21” x 21” /800 = 18.191 pounds. Anglers who don’t have a measuring device can use dollars for size comparison with photographs for later calculations. A dollar is almost exactly six inches long; take a photograph with the dollar bill in the same frame to get a near exact idea of how big the fish is. You can also make markings on your fishing rod or take a measurement of your arm. What works great though is to go to a sewing/fabric shop and buy a flexible measuring tape. The roll up to fit in your pocket, they are waterproof and they are cheap.

Fishing Tips from the Experts

The more tips and tricks that you have the better luck you’ll bring to
your fishing. As a beginner you’ll want to try a variety of techniques
until you find what works best for you and the water that you’re fishing
in.

• Thick weeds: When you’re fishing in thick weeds the best lure
that you can use is a spinnerbait or a crankbait that is shallow
running. Make sure that you cast parallel to the edge of the weed
flow if you can. Remember look in the inside edges of weedbeds.
• Timber pileups: When you’re fishing in deep timber your main
focus will be to not get your line tangled up. Use a plastic worm
or a jigging spoon for the best results.
• Fishing from fallen trees: If you want to fish from a fallen tree
make sure that you pull back your bait so that it runs in parallel to
the tree limbs. This is because the water is very shallow and you
don’t want to disturb the area any more than you have to.
• Working the area: Make sure that you work the area that you’re
fishing as thoroughly as possible. Try a few different lures if the
first one doesn’t bring you success. You might want to think
about returning again at a different time of day.
• Keep a close eye on your lines: Make sure that you keep a
constant eye on your lines particularly when you’re retrieving
them. Remember that when the weather is cold the bass can strike
and completely miss the lures.
• Avoid excess noise: The more noise that you make the less the
bass will bite.
• Night fishing: Night fishing is a great option in the summer
months when the water temperature during the day is just too hot
for bass to swim high in the water.
• Creeks and coves: During the fall months make sure that you
check out creeks and coves since this is where baitfish tend to
hover...and this means the bass won’t be far behind.
• Using surface plugs: When you’re using surface plugs try to pay
as much attention as you can to the angle of your rod. You should
be holding the rod low when you have the lure close to you and
higher when the lure is further away.

Tree Stand Safety

The most common injury among deer hunters comes from falling while using a tree stand. Don't become a statistic this fall, no pun intended, follow these guidelines to stay safe.

• Always wear a safety harness when hunting from a stand, including when ascending and descending.
• Never climb into a permanent stand that you did not build yourself, or have not carefully checked out.
• Never hunt from tree limbs.
• Be sure the commercial stand you have is safe. Practice with it before using it in the woods.
• Never climb a tree that is too small or too large for your stand to fit safely.
• Be sure your stand is level at the height you wish to hunt.
• Always stand up slowly and be sure of your balance.
• Be sure you are steady and braced before shooting a firearm.
• Always use a haul line for your gun or bow. Don not attempt to climb a stand with your equipment.
• Never climb a dead tree, or one with dead limbs above your head.

Hopefully, everyone will follow this advice and have a safe and productive hunting season this year.

Deterring Thieves

Unfortunately, not everyone that will be in the woods this fall are upstanding citizens and ethical hunters. Each fall numerous ground blinds and tree stands are stolen. To help prevent your gear from being stolen try hanging a small sign on your ground blind or tree stand before you leave. It's amazing what a small sign that says "Smile, you are on hidden camera" will do. Most people know that deer trail cameras are widely used and the potential thief may think twice about stealing your gear if they think there is a chance of being caught on camera.

Early Season Pheasants

Early in the season, pheasants sit tighter, allowing the hunter and dogs to approach them in their resting areas. Since the birds haven't been pressured much at this point, shots are usually at close ranges, and a twelve gauge shotgun with modified or improved chokes and #6 shot make an excellent early season load. This is also the time of year to unlimber your 20 or 28 gauge gun for these early birds.

Tying Effective Knots

Very few knots will ever be at 100% of the rated strength of the line. However, if you moisten your knots before you pull them tight they will be much more effective. Other things that you can do to tie a better knot include: Tighten them very slowly, Keep an eye out for any weak frays and test every knot by making sure to pull it hard. These techniques will reduce the chance of knot failure occurring at that moment when you least want it.

Traditional Archery Website

For those of you that may be interested in traditional archery or are already a traditional archer be sure to check out Pete Ward's website. I've been searching for quality information on traditional bows etc. and this website is one of the best I've found. Thanks Pete for the good work, it is appreciated.

Training a Retriever Pup

I wish that I would have known about this tip when my lab was a puppy. He is a fantastic retriever both on land and in the water, but in the water Charlie likes to take the fastest way back to shore and then run the bank back to me. This is a bad habit for a retriever and it would not bode well during any competitions.

A method I recently read about for training retriever pups is to go to a small pond that is encircled by tall grass or cattails. Beat down a small path to the waters edge and do your water retrieving training from there. The pup will have no choice but to return to you if they want out of the water. When the pup does get back to you, lay on the praise. After a few sessions of this training it should be engrained into the pups mind that he needs to retrieve directly to you if he wants the praise and the chance to retrieve the dummy again.

Fluorocarbon Line

If you are using fluorocarbon fishing line you need to know that this line does not have a memory. What this means is that in a way it is like salt water taffy. When it gets stretched out it stays streched out. This stretching is the cause of much frustration for the fisherman because it is along this stetched out section that most break offs will occur. Do yourself a favor and the next time you get snagged while using fluorocarbon line. Back up your boat as close to the snag as possible, pull a few more feet off of your reel, cut the line and re-tie. Be sure to retrieve your cut line from the water and hopefully your lure also.

Practice Calling Deer

If you don't have any faith in a deer call or are afraid of scaring deer away, only use it after you see a deer that you are not going to shoot! You will get to see that it doesn't scare them and you will get to see their reactions. Make sure to use the appropriate call though or you just might confirm to yourself that they don't work.