I’m not sure exactly how many pictures I’ve taken but it is over 10,000. I received the first bobcat picture in the last batch and have yet to get a picture of a coyote, but sooner or later I’ll get one. It’s still exciting to get each group of pictures.

So far I have used eleven digital scouting cameras and am currently trying to decide which one I will try next. There are still plenty to choose from.

What have I learned over the past year?

For the most part you get what you pay for. Although there are some expensive cameras in the $300 plus range that aren’t much better than the cheaper ones there aren’t any in the under $200 range that come close to those in the $400 plus range.

You can’t beat a real digital camera for good picture quality. There are some hunters out there that do not care an ounce about picture quality but there is a difference. The higher mega pixel scouting cameras that have come out are an improvement over their predecessors but their prices are higher and they do not match the picture quality.

If the possibility of your camera being stolen is a factor you have a tough decision to make. The cheaper cameras are lacking in their ability to be locked to a tree whereas the better cameras come with much more secure locking capabilities. This makes for a tough decision. Buy a cheap scouting camera that is easy to steal or buy a more expensive one that is harder to steal. Whatever you do, don’t buy an expensive one that does not have good locking capabilities.

The latest is an infrared model and I’m not completely sold on it although it is still early in my testing. I’m not sure about the pink black and white (can this be) pictures, I’ve been somewhat spoiled by good quality nighttime pictures. I’m not convinced that these cameras are less susceptible to thievery either. An intruder would definitely see the flash but the red IR lights are very noticeable as well and they stay lit for a few seconds. I’m thinking a flash could possibly be mistaken for lightening whereas the red IR lights are a real eye catcher. As far as your digital scouting camera being stolen the IR versus flash may be a wash. The real advantage with the IR may be the distance issue.

For me batteries are a difference maker. The cameras I have that use AA rechargeable batteries and/or get six months plus from a single 9-volt battery are head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd. One of the major advantages of digital scouting cameras is how cheap they are to operate as compared to 35mm models. If you are buying a lot of batteries the advantage of a digital camera is lessened somewhat and more importantly it is a pain in the rear end.

In 2006 I’ll continue to purchase and test digital scouting cameras, have the enjoyment of viewing another 10,000 pictures and hopefully help the hunting community in the process.

You can read all of the digital scouting camera reviews at www.whitetaildeer-management-and-hunting.com.

Do you go after big game?
Are you a “trophy hunter” meaning you hunt only for the trophy or show aspect?
How large an animal do you plan to use the knife on?
Do you plan to hunt for food or to retain the animal skin for display?

Your answers to these questions will determine what kind of hunting knife you might consider.

Now that you’re clear on what you’ll be using the knife for, it’s time to start narrowing down your options to find the perfect knife for you. Knives come in two styles: fixed or folding. The fixed knife, as it sounds, is a knife that is permanently in the open position. These kinds of blades require a sheath in order to be handled and carried safely.

The second type of knife, folding, refers to blades that fold away when not in use. This kind of knife does not require a sheath and can be transported (folded) in your pocket. It locks closed by a lock and pivot mechanism which keeps the blade in place when not in use. (Be careful when folding the knife; sometimes the blade can rebound and cut your palm or fingertips).

Fixed knives are generally sturdier than folding knives because in fixed knives, the blade usually runs into the handle, making this knife stronger. On folding knives, the blade may simply be attached at the handle, creating a tension point for breakage if the knife is used with excessive force, especially twisting.

Once you’ve decided on fixed or folding style, your next decision is the type of blade. There are three main types of hunting knife blades:

The skinning blade
The clip point
The drop point blade

Let’s look at each of these blades styles in more detail.

The skinning blade is used primarily to remove the skin from big game animals. The skinning blade is at its best when used in a wide sweeping motion to remove flesh from skin. It can save a great deal of time when butchering hunted game. Skinning knives, in general, are able to perform many of the same game cleaning tasks as their cousins, the clip point and drop point blades.

Drop point knives are the best for big game hunting. They have a wide, curved blade of thick steel. They, too, can be used to separate flesh from skin, but also can be used to gut and split game; however, these tasks are best be handled by a saw or hatchet if you will be doing a lot of game cleaning and gutting.

Clip point blades tend to be flatter and more multipurpose than drop point blades. Clip point blades are good for those who hunt occasionally, or who wish to use the knife for other purposes outside of hunting. Clip point knives will perform the same actions as the drop point, only less efficiently.

In general, you will want to look for a hard blade stainless steel blade and note that serrated blades will cut more deeply and more easily than non-serrated ones. The best choice might be a partially serrated one, so you have more options. Blades coated in titanium nitride will be easier to sharpen than blades which are not.

Blade manufacturers rate hardness of their blades on the Rockwell C scale. A low C scale rating means the blade is too soft, and may flex or bend with use. A very high C scale rating means the blade may be too stiff and may break under heavy pressure or robust twisting. A C scale rating in the mid-fifties will be ideal for most hunting applications. It’s important to remember, no matter what kind of blade you get, you need to keep it sharp. Consider adding a sharpening tool or simple whetstone to your hunting equipment supplies.

Finally, the third thing to consider when buying a knife is the handle. Knife handles have traditionally been made of wood, bone, or leather; and newer knives are made of rubber or composite materials. Traditionalists may always favor the “usual” knife handles, but the rubber and composite handles are worth examining. The newer handles can provide greater grip and better hand traction when the knife gets bloody or wet. This greater grip can mean the difference between a successful hunting trip and one that ends with the hunter in the hospital. The rubber or composite grips may also be easier to clean since they will be less porous than either wood or leather.

Once you have determined whether you need a fixed or folding knife, a skinning blade, drop point, or clip point blade, and a rubber, composite, bone, or wood handle, your knife buying choice is made. Or maybe not, choosing the right knife for your purposes will make hunting and game cleaning easier and more efficient, something every hunter can appreciate. From my point of view, knives are very much like guns – buy them all, use them often!

Wesley Slade ownes and operates the popular outdoor site, WWW.Slades.Biz. He writes about hunting, camping and outdoor gear.

First, rubs being made this early are usually the largest bucks in your area. Your dominant bucks begin rubbing first and continue to rub throughout the season. By locating these first rubs, he will tell you his pattern for your early archery hunt. Wildlife biologists found that dominant bucks average about 300 rubs per year and up to over 500 rubs per year. Smaller less dominant bucks will usually start rubbing in late October. The smaller bucks have a much slower testosterone level which only starts to excite them when the does come into estrus. This is the reason why your hunting area looks like every small tree in your hunting spot has been run over by a lawnmower with dull blades in early November. In other words, finding buck rubs early on (August through September) may be showing you a true wall hanger.

The second reason for locating these early rubs is; setting up your stand or stands on these rub lines. If you wait until the immediate pre-rut to go out and scout for rubs, you may get a false sense of where the biggest buck has patterned himself. The fewer marked trees of the preseason may actually tell you about an individual buck, allowing you to set your stand before the hunting pressures alter his route. Setting your stand precisely where it is needed early in the season may determine whether you score on the big one. If your archery season begins in October, you should try to set your stands no later than the middle of September. This will allow things to settle down before your opening day of the archery season.

Setting up your stand around early rub lines should be done with good scouting in order to find the path or funnel the buck is using between his bedding ground and his feeding area. By placing your stand too close to the feeding area, it could mean the buck won’t get there in time for daylight shooting hours. Instead, place your stand closer to his bedding area, but not too close, so you don’t disturb his resting area. This will increase your chances of seeing the buck during legal shooting hours.

The early archery deer hunting season could just be your best chance of bagging your best buck ever. A little preseason scouting can make the difference of scoring big or simply struggling through another archery season. Preseason rubs are difficult to find, but when you do find them, your chance of bagging your trophy has just increased immensely! Good Luck and Good Hunting!

The author is Ted Lake. He built and maintains a website? in memory of? his dad Deuaine Lake. This site is all about Archery and Archery Hunting. Ted started hunting when? he was 5 years old. Ted says he has continued the tradition by teaching? both his boys the same respect for the sport of archery. Please feel welcome to visit Ted’s website at http://www.complete-archery-information.com

Deer Hunting Tips:

• Deer are generally crepuscular: they are often active at dawn and dusk and sleep during the middle of the day and night.
• This does not, however, mean that you will not see them feeding during the middle of the day.

• Bucks are more often hidden during hunting season.

• Go scouting. Do this during early to late summer. When you scout, be as careful as if you are actually hunting. Stay quite and do not leave much scent.

• Find the food source that the deer will be eating during the hunting season.

• Look for trees that will have the most acorns.

• Look for areas with greens like clover or rye covering the ground.

• Look for deer trail routes. The ones with the freshest tracks are the best.

• If you are going to set up any sort of hunting stand, be sure to set it up pre-season, before the deer start feeding in that area. Otherwise, you can scare them off.

• Mark your “hot spots” on a GPS.

• Also be sure to take lots of notes. Do not expect to simply remember everything. You want to write down everything that you find.

• You can find where the bucks are if you scout during the pre-season, right after the bucks have rubbed the velvet from their antlers. During this time, the rut (mating season) a buck is going to leave more markings on trees than he will afterward.

• Look for areas with thick and dense brush. It is in areas like this that deer like to sleep. You can set up on the outskirts of such an area – somewhere where you will be able to see better.

• Remain still! Do not move unless absolutely necessary!

• Do not fall asleep! This can be tricky when you remain so still, but falling asleep not only will lose you your deer, but it can also be quite dangerous if you are up in a tree stand.

• Use special products to mask your scent. Deer have an excellent sense of smell.

• Keep the wind direction in mind. Stay downwind of whatever feeding or sleeping spot, etc. you are “staking out.” Constantly check for changes in the wind.

• Wear a harness if using a tree stand.

• Move the site of your tree stand around. You do not want your deer to start associating deer stands with humans!

• Try to avoid walking a long a deer trail or even walk parallel to one. Take the back route, walk up streams, etc.

• Be sure to always be ready. Make sure that you have checked your equipment right when you get to the stand, not once a deer is already out!

• The majority of deer are shot downwind from a food source.

These are only a few deer hunting tips. There are actually many deer hunting tips available on many different websites from many different, experienced hunters. Before hunting in a certain spot, is a good idea to ask locals hunters for their own, personal tips. Different areas can vary, and everyone has his or her own tricks of the trade.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, the environment, recreation, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on hunting, please visit Deer Blinds.? ?

]]> http://slades.biz/index.php/2006/08/deer-hunting-tips/feed/ 0 http://slades.biz/index.php/2006/07/not-necessarily-drinking-water/ http://slades.biz/index.php/2006/07/not-necessarily-drinking-water/#comments Mon, 10 Jul 2006 01:21:26 +0000 wslade http://slades.biz/wordpress/?p=10 An icy cold fast flowing snow melt stream is not a place you would expect to find contaminated water. Most of us would like to think our lakes, streams and rivers are sparkling clean and free from micro organisms. Unfortunately, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that 90% of the world’s fresh water is contaminated. Outdoor activities like hunting, camping, hiking and fishing require? plenty of? safe drinkable water for each of the participants.

If you are old school (yes, I am), two safe water solutions quickly come to mind. One is boiling water and the second is iodine tablets. Boiling will make water safe to drink but it takes time for the water to heat, then cool. Boiling also requires a reliable heat source. Wilderness medical specialists suggest bringing water to a rolling boil for at least a minute. And the trusty iodine tablets have proven to not be as effective in producing safe drinking water as we once thought.

For many years, iodine tablets have been used as an inexpensive method of killing micro organisms. However, recent studies conclude that iodine tablets alone are not effective against Crypto, one of the common waterborne protozoa. Therefore, iodine tablets can no longer claim to remove all types of micro organisms. And it never tasted good.

Enter Katadyn, a Swedish company with a 75 year history of producing high quality products used whenever safe drinking water isn’t available – for travel, backpacking, camping, hunting, boating, militaries, emergencies, and humanitarian operations. More outdoor enthusiasts choose Katadyn water systems than any other brand – they are lightweight, compact and efficient. Katadyn products receive the highest ratings by Backpacker Magazine, OutdoorReview.com and outdoor enthusiasts.

Katadyn offers three categories of water treatment products to meet the varying needs of outdoor enthusiasts:

• Endurance Series products fit those outdoor users who demand products with the ultimate in durability, reliability, and lifespan.
• Backcountry Series products offer reliability and ease of use to meet the needs of the vast majority of outdoor enthusiasts.
• Ultralight Series products are the lightest water treatment products on the market, designed for those who are traveling light or solo.

We stock? each of the above series of Katadyn products. But picking the product to showcase in this post was easy. The Pocket Microfilter, a part of the Endurance Series of products has been our number one seller for the past couple of months. The first thing I noticed in looking at the product is? its obvious quality in machining and the rugged design. The filter is 10 inches long and weighs 20 ounces.

The Pocket Microfilter is the longest lasting, most durable filter on the market and provides up to 13,000 gallons of safe drinking water (that’s not a typo -? really 13 thousand gallons!). It’s used by militaries, relief organizations and professionals who rely on their filter regularly and require the very best. Katadyn is the only company to use 0.2 micron silver impregnated ceramic to prohibit bacterial growth and extend cartridge life. Rugged stainless and aluminum design carries a lifetime warranty, making the Pocket the last filter you’ll ever need. And you can rest assured knowing it safely eliminates viruses, bacteria, Giardia and Crypto.

The Katadyn product line has a water filter for about any need and price range. They also produce the only water purification tablet that meets the full EPA Water Purifier Test Standards to control viruses, bacteria, and Crypto. At $13.95 for 30 tablets you might just bypass some unpleasant extra curricular activities on your next trip.

Let us know if we can help you select one of the Katadyn filter products for your camping, hunting, hiking and outdoor drinking water needs. When you are equipped with a portable water system from Katadyn, you’ll always know you can make any water, drinking water.

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