Jim’s Hunting and Camping

Good Morning;

What Makes a Good Fishing Trip?

Ask most avid fishermen what makes a good fishing trip and you will probably get a variety of answers. While most consider the number of fish caught to be of the most importance, it is not the only consideration. A successful fishing trip should be relaxing, enjoyable and productive. To ensure the best of all three, it makes sense to be prepared.

In addition to the requisite reel, line and bait, there are a few additions that will add to your enjoyment. Fishing often times involves camping, and you cannot go camping without a flashlight or two. In addition illuminating a campsite and helping light the pathway between camp and the river, a quality LED flashlight is a major benefit while fishing by the waterside. If fishing at dawn or dusk, a flashlight will help you better prepare your fishing pole and bait for use.

The right knife is an important part of a good tackle box as well. Nothing can make fishing seem like an unpleasant chore than attempting to clean your day’s catch with the wrong sort of knife. A fillet knife with a sharp blade makes quick work of your cleaning chores. Choose one with a fixed or locking blade but it still flexible to cut through the delicate skin of your fish.

Fishing pliers are also a very important asset. Fishing pliers run the gamut from a simple set of pliers used to cut wire and attach weights to more elaborate fishing multi-tools that contain scissors, multiple sizes of pliers, wire cutters and more. Pliers can make difficult fishing tasks much simpler and do not cost a lot of money.

Choosing the Right Equipment

There are a variety of considerations that you must use when determining the right equipment for you. The length of time you are typically on a fishing trip, the type of facilities that you stay in and the type of fish that you catch.

The longer you are gone and the more primitive the conditions, the more important it is to have multiple fishing lights. LED flashlights and headlamps are excellent choices when you need auxiliary lighting. The LED bulb is long lasting and provides a clear and bright light.

The weight and size of your fillet knife and fishing pliers should be determined by the types of fish you catch. Of course the fisherman that fishes in the open ocean will need much more heavy duty equipment than the fisherman interested in teaching their young son or daughter the basics in a pond.

Regardless of what your intentions, fishing is much more enjoyable if you invest in the proper equipment and take proper care of it. Proper care ensures that your fishing equipment will last as long as possible. Some items such as an LED flashlight, may last decades. A fillet knife, properly cared for and regularly sharpened may last just as long. The best way to extend the life of fishing pliers is to purchase a pair that is made to do the job. Attempting to cut wire or remove hooks with a pair of pliers made for a smaller job is the quickest way to break the pliers and possible injure yourself in the process.

Fishing is a relaxing and fun way to enjoy the outdoors if you are properly prepared with the right equipment.

Article by Ben Anton of ezineArticles.  Thanks for stopping by.   Jim

Good Afternoon;

My wife and I have just completed reservations for a camping trip in July, and that makes 4 week-ends so far that we are camping this summer.  So when you get ready to start making your reservations you also want to make sure that the old tent is in good shape as well.  You don’t want to find a tear or leak when it is raining out, so get the tent out and start inspecting it for holes.  If you find that you need a new tent look for one that is the best quality you can afford for tents are an investment in the future because they will last for years to come.  Happy tenting and be safe.

Thanks for stopping by.  Jim

Good Morning;

When you are in your den or living room and have a wall that is just missing something, maybe you should have a picture of your favorite dog, or ducks flying away, or a bear in the woods, there are so many things to consider.  If you are an avid hunter maybe a picture of that huge moose you are looking for.  What ever it is the picture would add to the decor of the room, and it would be a great conversation piece as well.  Have a great day and be safe.

Thanks for stopping by.   Jim

Good Morning;

When you are out backpacking and staying away for a few days or weeks and you still want to keep in touch with home or work you need to keep everything charged.  Well Brunton has a great product that will do just that, it will keep your cell phone, charged as well as many other things charged up as well so that you can enjoy the backwoods and still get that report to your boss.  Enjoying a vacation with friends and family is the most important part.  Have a great day and be safe.

Thanks for stopping by.   Jim

Good Afternoon;

If you don’t have a LED Headlamp you probably have seen them and thought – “hey that looks kind of geeky” or “that looks cool, but it’s probably a waste of money”. At least those were my impressions until recently. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for gadgets, it’s fun to see what neat ideas truly creative people can conjure up!

Flashlights are gadgets that have a very practical side to them and every household and every car should have one readily available. So flashlights have always been particularly interesting to me. However, until recently, I hadn’t realized the usefulness of the LED Headlamp.

This past summer I had been clearing out some of the junk that had accumulated in my basement. Like most basements, I presume, there are a few corners which are poorly lit. When you are sifting through boxes of possibly soon-to-be-discarded stuff it helps to have both hands available – holding a flashlight in one of your hands really slows you down. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I needed a LED Headlamp!

The headlamp I chose has six LEDs providing 4 different settings. The settings are: focused beam, floodlight, combined focused beam and floodlight, and night vision (red LED). It has a comfortable elastic headband and the back of the headlamp has foam padding. Additionally, the angle of the headlamp can easily be changed.

When I Really Needed It

Soon after buying my headlamp I helped my brother load his belongings into a rented moving van. After a long day of carrying boxes and moving furniture, we headed over to the truck rental office to hook a trailer up to the rental truck. This was well past dark, the rental office lot was poorly lit, and all the rental company people were gone. The trailer took longer than we expected, but we finally loaded his car on the back. Having the headlamp was certainly useful while attaching the trailer, but that’s just the beginning.

Around 10:30 PM on a Saturday night in a part of town where you don’t want to hang around, we finally were ready to drive off and call it a day. I was following my brother in my truck (F-150) and as we were pulling out I heard an agonizing sound from one of my tires. I pulled over and sure enough I had a flat. Not good news, and I really didn’t feel like waiting around this part of town for help to come fix it. Fortunately there was an empty parking lot where I could park and do the change.

As anyone that has changed a flat knows, you need both hands. Plus if you are bent over looking under the car it’s hard to tell someone else where you need them to point the flashlight. Fortunately for me I had my LED Headlamp. This kept both hands free and made the whole tire changing process less frustrating. Now I know, this headlamp sure is handy!

This article by Tom Brock of ezineArticles.   Thanks for stopping by.   Jim

Good Afternoon;

When you are out hunting, fishing or camping and you need a tool, take a look at a multi-tool.  They have several different tools in one that can do all kinds of repair.  The suspension by Gerber is one of the best multi-tools on the market and with the suspension you can do most jobs with one hand as it will close by itself.  So if you are looking for a tool to help around the house or in the field check out the suspension multi-tool.

Thanks for stopping by.   Jim

Good Morning;

On a camping trip, the most essential tools to consider for your kitchen are your camping stoves, which is why you should take extra effort in choosing the best equipment in the market. Most of the camping stoves available today differ in their purpose; so, before you go out and purchase one, you should think of what kind of camping activity you are going to engage in and look at the stoves capacity to cook the food you may want throughout the period of your camping trip.

If weight is not a major concern for you when camping, a family camping stove is probably the best camping stove for you. These are the largest of many types of camping stoves, are really easy to use, and are also essential for large range of camping. Their size is due to the fact that they are designed to feed a whole family. Most varieties of family camping stoves have common features, such as a large gas hob and/or a grill for a much wider range of cooking activity. Due to its large size, the gas canister attached to it is relatively large as well.

Backpacking stoves, on the other hand, are direct opposites of the family camping stoves. This type of stove is designed primarily to be carried inside the backpack during a long period of hiking, rambling, cycling or fishing. They are definitely smaller than the other types of stoves and have a lighter setting. Due to their small size, they have only one hob which also tends to be relatively small. Such camping stoves are just enough to fit the needs of an individual camper cooking an average sized meal.

The last stove discussed here is a mountain camping stove. If you want your stove to have an average size and weight, the mountain camping stove is the right cooking equipment for you. It is designed with a minimum weight and size that is critical for most mountain climbing campers. What makes this stove so significant for mountain climbers are the features which allows you to use them even in a very cold climate and in low atmospheric pressure.

In general, most mountain camping stoves are very lightweight and use liquid fuels which give the best performance when under the most difficult situations. These stoves also give the most heat for a given amount of fuel. You also can find mountain camping stoves that use gas as fuel, but gas fuel mountain camping stoves can only be used in low-level mountain climbing.

Here are a few tips to help you out when purchasing a camping stove. Find one that is easy to set-up and takes up as little room as possible when you break it down. Good camping stoves should have a good base-of-support and you should avoid ones that tip on less-than-ideal surfaces or when they have a big pot on top of them. Fuel supplies that can be disconnected from the camping stoves also make life easier.

This article by Martin Johnson of ezineArticles.   Thanks for stopping by.   Jim

Goodmorning;

Crossbows are available at the market in many different styles, some of which are match crossbow, target crossbow, sporting crossbow and traditional replicated crossbows. Accessories consist of cases, silencers, quivers, scopes and crossbow bolts. Match crossbows are spanned with a lever and quite heavy. Such crossbows are used mainly in shooting competitions, for distances ranging between 10 and 30m. Target crossbows draw a weight of around 95lb and are mainly used at archery clubs. Almost all the hunting stores and gun shops have crossbows in their stock, making it easy for the interested people to possess one.

Crossbow as a weapon has been used in military warfare for more than 2000 years. These crossbows were invented by the Chinese but spread across the world in no time. Theoretically speaking, crossbows are considered to be the link between the bow and the firearm. It gives the user more power and accuracy compared to a traditional bow that is being used in battle field and for hunting. Crossbows have been used extensively in warfare in North Africa, Asia and Europe, however, today – crossbows are mainly used for hunting and target practicing.

Crossbows have a short lath or bow which is fixed to a tiller. The tips of the bows are connected by means of a cord. The bow consists of a pair of leaf springs and its main purpose is to store energy. When the string is drawn back to the latch, and the latch released, the string moves forward to push the arrow or bolt, which is guided by a bolt rest. Toy crossbows are available with safety sucker darts. Wildcat crossbows have devices permanently attached to the crossbow and require a tension of 16 lbs to function. The crossbow consists of one crank and handle and have anti reverse gear facility. A recurve crossbow set is usually used by people who want to learn about archery. The set consists of a 15 lb target recurve bow, finger tab, quiver, multi colored target face and two target arrows. This type of crossbow has tips curving away from the archer.

High quality 80 lb crossbows are available with self locking features. These crossbows are made of high tech fiberglass. The crossbows come with an auto safety feature and have a range of 100m. Rifle crossbows with a 150 pound draw, foot pull, adjustable sights and durable fiber construction are available. Using such a crossbow you can fire to a distance of 250 ft per second and with an accuracy of 65 yards. This is a heavy duty and a powerful crossbow and is used for target practicing and hunting. This type of rifle crossbow requires immense strength to string and to cock the bow. Usually two people are required to string such a bow. The smallest crossbows available are the pistol crossbows.

Crossbow accessories like extra strings with plastic end caps and string wax is available. When wax is applied on the string it enhances the life of the string. It is advisable to apply wax after every 10 to 12 shots to enhance the life of the string.

This article by Peter Yelland of ezineArticles.  Thanks for stopping by.   Jim

Good Morning;