Tips and Tricks for the Outdoorsman

[ChristianCoffee]

Hello everyone:

I have been an avid hunter and fisherman since I can remember. I also enjoy camping and gardening. Here is what I am proposing: why don't we post little tricks and tips for hunting, fishing, gardening etc here to help each other out. Knowledge is power , as the old Schoolhouse Rock cartoons say. So lets share some tips. Here are my first 3:

1) If you are having a hard time walking quietly in a wooded area, try stepping with the outer heel of your foot first. Then, slowly roll your foot down and place pressure on it. In that way, you will "feel" what is under your foot, and be able to adjust your step so you do not make noise.

2) If you use plastic worms for fishing, they tend to get torn up. Do not throw all those bits and pieces away: instead, get a small piece of pvc pipe (I use 1/16" diameter). Cut it in half (I mean split it), and tape the ends off. Then, take your bits and pieces and place them in a small pot. Add just a touch of cooking oil (so it does not stick to the pot), and on low heat melt them down. Stir with a whisk gently to mix the various colors. Spray your mold with Pam, or some other non-stick spray. Then pour the liquid in your home made mold. You can even make home made molds by carving pieces of wood (I use pieces of oak 2x4 I carve with my pocket knife). Let cool for about an hour, then remove the finished pieces you have made. You can also make repairs on plastic worms and such by heating tears with a match.

3) Most everyone has leaves that need to clean up. Make a simple mulch pile by boxing in an area, and dumping the leaves there only. Cover the leaves with a thin coating of lime, and turn them once a week. By the next Spring, you will have some yummy black soil to add to your garden or household plants.

I have many more things I can post here, but I want input from everyone. So please, add your ideas. This could be lots of fun, as well as very educational.

In Him,

CC

[Brother Mark]

Make sure, when spotlighting, that you use a gun that you can quickly dismantle and hide. Also, it is recommended that you don't use a truck that you cannot afford to lose. Because, if you are caught, the game warden will own the truck.

[Kahtar]

Make sure, when spotlighting, that you use a gun that you can quickly dismantle and hide. Also, it is recommended that you don't use a truck that you cannot afford to lose. Because, if you are caught, the game warden will own the truck.

Maybe the OP should have included a 'legal' parameter.
When I walk quietly through the woods, first I wear moccasins with a soft sole, so that I can feel what I step on. Then, as I walk, I place my foot gently on the ground without putting weight on it, so that I feel it first. That prevents cracking twigs, etc.
I also put the ball of my big toe down first, and roll my weight backward. This takes some getting used to tho.
If I want to be really quiet, I don't even put my heel down, I just walk on the balls of my feet.
When hunting, if you walk like the creature you are hunting, you can often walk right up on them.
Ever gone 'buck slapping'? Sneak up and slap them on the butt, and run like crazy. They have horns, and know how to use them.

[Reynolds357]

Make sure, when spotlighting, that you use a gun that you can quickly dismantle and hide. Also, it is recommended that you don't use a truck that you cannot afford to lose. Because, if you are caught, the game warden will own the truck.

If I were going to spotlight, which I am not, I would use a night vision scope and a rifle that has a can.

[ChristianCoffee]

If I were going to spotlight, which I am not, I would use a night vision scope and a rifle that has a can.

As to night hunting, I have done it for 'coons. It is quite difficult, but fun.

[Brother Mark]

Maybe the OP should have included a 'legal' parameter.
When I walk quietly through the woods, first I wear moccasins with a soft sole, so that I can feel what I step on. Then, as I walk, I place my foot gently on the ground without putting weight on it, so that I feel it first. That prevents cracking twigs, etc.
I also put the ball of my big toe down first, and roll my weight backward. This takes some getting used to tho.
If I want to be really quiet, I don't even put my heel down, I just walk on the balls of my feet.
When hunting, if you walk like the creature you are hunting, you can often walk right up on them.
Ever gone 'buck slapping'? Sneak up and slap them on the butt, and run like crazy. They have horns, and know how to use them.

The last time I tried that, I slapped a spike. Man, that cured me forever. Those spikes hurt like crazy when they hit between a rib. Reminds me of the first time I went snipe hunting....

[Brother Mark]

2) If you use plastic worms for fishing, they tend to get torn up. Do not throw all those bits and pieces away: instead, get a small piece of pvc pipe (I use 1/16" diameter). Cut it in half (I mean split it), and tape the ends off. Then, take your bits and pieces and place them in a small pot. Add just a touch of cooking oil (so it does not stick to the pot), and on low heat melt them down. Stir with a whisk gently to mix the various colors. Spray your mold with Pam, or some other non-stick spray. Then pour the liquid in your home made mold. You can even make home made molds by carving pieces of wood (I use pieces of oak 2x4 I carve with my pocket knife). Let cool for about an hour, then remove the finished pieces you have made. You can also make repairs on plastic worms and such by heating tears with a match.

Interesting! I didn't know you could melt those things and re-mold them.

When I have a plastic worm get torn up, I just bite the top part off, and slide the hook back in. Amazing how biting an quarter to half inch off the top will help. (OK, is my deep woods raisin startin' to show?)

[Reynolds357]

As to night hunting, I have done it for 'coons. It is quite difficult, but fun.

I used to Coon hunt just about every night for many years.