Dangers in the Wilderness

A Reality Check on Wilderness Dangers                                 

Drowning: Major danger

Sliding & Falls: Biggest danger in the wilderness!

Rockfalls, Avalanches, Landslides: Rare danger

Lightening Strikes: Rare danger

Freezing, Cold Winds: Major cause of problems

Sun & Heat: Major cause of problems and distress

Wildfire: Extremely rare

Wildlife: Very rare

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With all we hear about the dangers of wild animals, it is hard to imagine that interactions are rare.  What if you meet a (card-carrying) member of the wildlife community?

Tips for Staying Alive

Deer

You might be amused to see ‘deer’ included in dangerous wildlife.  However, they can be extremely dangerous.

See my previous story: “Amazing Info of 2008: Published by (Gasp) Others!”  Read about Randy Goodman (bottom half of the article), who learned  about “UN-dead” deer the hard way!

You Should…

Be cautious around a deer that is down.  Make sure he is really dead.  After making various other tests … the gold standard is:  If you can touch a deer’s eye, he’s dead.

Things That May Cause Deer to Attack

• Being startled
• Rutting

How You Can Stay Safe

• If you’re not hunting, make noise while moving
• During rutting,  stay out-of-the-way and near cover

If a Deer is Coming AT You

• Stop because he will run away if he can
• If you’re attacked, run and find some cover
• Hitting, kicking and yelling is a  (poor 3rd) and least-helpful choice

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Mountain Lion

You Should…

• Avoid areas where mountain lions are known to live
• Be careful around areas with steep, wooded land
• Watch yourself in bushy, rocky land

Things That May Cause Mountain Lion to Attack

• If their young are nearby
• If the cat is wounded
• If the cat is hungry
• If you are running away like his usual prey would

How You Can Stay Safe

• Don’t approach a lion kill (unless you want to be dessert)
• Don’t approach ANY mountain lion
• Don’t decide to break in your new jogging shoes in lion country!

If a Mountain Lion is Coming AT You

• Stop
• Do NOT make eye contact with lion
• Make yourself look “big” and yell loudly (Your TARZAN yell might work). Be sure to beat your chest!
• If attacked, this is no time to fight back …
• Instead, curl up to protect your vital organs
• Yell, hit and kick … only as (a poor and) a last choice!

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Next week: We will take on bears, snakes and other wildlife!

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Part 3: Finding Deer in Evergreeen & Hardwood Forests!

Finding Deer in Evergreen Forests

Whitetails Prefer to Eat Brushy Material That Grows in Open Areas! **

Deer  may hide in evergreen forests, but they don’t feed there. Why?  There’s little sunlight in these forests to allow the deer’s favorite foods to grow.

Deer often use heavy forests to hide in during the day, but they travel to better feeding areas in the late afternoon and evening.

The food that deer prefer to eat is brush —  which happens to grow in open areas.  You can use this info to find a great hunting spot.

Set up a ground blind near potential feeding areas.  You will need good visibility (to see the deer as they are coming towards you).

Plan to stay there until the shooting light merges into dark.  This is the time that deer are  moving around, looking for a quiet meal.

Finding Deer in Hardwood Forests

If you thought evergreen areas were bad, hardwood forests are no better for the hunter.  About the best you can do here is scout around for signs that deer have been in the area.

You are looking for recently used trails (is the scat fresh?), scrapes and rubs on tree branches or trunks. If you find a likely spot, with good visibility (remember, you want to shoot a deer, not a fellow hunter), select an area where you can watch fresh trails or fresh rubbing on trees.

Sometimes, as hard as you try to avoid them, other hunters are using the same patch of land.   If those hunters are on the move,  they may drive game to you.

If not, try ’still hunting.’ Move v–e–r–y slowly, stop, look around and listen for movement or sound. * ALWAYS keep the wind in your face. This is no time to let game catch your scent!

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* Before you take aim, make sure you are watching a 4 legged creature and not one with 2 legs — and a weapon!

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** This image is “Autumn Buck” and is used by permission from ClearVue Graphics.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Part 2: Finding Deer in Farmer’s Fields & in Brushy Areas!

If your hunting area is near agricultural fields, count your lucky stars! Deer head for farmer’s fields in the late afternoons and start their exit during the early morning hours.

Deer Move to Heavy Cover As Daylight Begins!

After Feeding in the Farmer’s Fields

Because a farmer’s agricultural lands are favorite eating places, deer generally spend their non-feeding hours (daylight) in heavy cover, near those fields.

If you can locate the deers’ bedding and feeding areas, you will want to set up a tree stand or deer blind.  This way, you can watch for deer moving from the fields where they feed to their bedding areas.

You will see the most activity in the early mornings and late afternoons.

Deer Hunting During the Daytime

Since you know that deer generally hide during daylight hours, you should use a different strategy.  You and a partner can stir up some action by walking parallel to each other through thickets.

With luck, you two can push deer out of their hiding places.  Deer on-the-move are easier to shoot than deer that are hunkered-down until dark.

Deer Hunting in Brushy Terrain

Deer like to eat and hide in dense vegetation.  This is another area where you can use the “drive” technique with other hunters.

You will need hunters to act as ’standers’ or ‘blockers.’  Standers are located where deer are likely to bolt and run.  Where?  On frequently used trails and along saddles.

Drivers carefully work an area.  It’s a good idea to have the drivers zigzagging through the brush, as a means of confusing the deer.

Stay Safe While Driving Deer

• All the hunters involved in the driving-and-blocking maneuver should  wear hunter’s orange clothing.
• Hunters should  pick their shots carefully because of the number of people in the field at the same time.

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Next time: More hunting tips for forest regions!

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* “When Color is King” – from the Wild Wings collection of Vantage Point Graphics.  Used with their permission.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

In a New Hunting Spot? Tips for Finding Deer!

Guess Who's Watching for YOU! *

At least once in our lives, most of us get the opportunity to hunt deer in a new locale.  Here are some tips for finding deer in a variety of locations — from deserts to hardwood forests!

Deer in Desert Regions

Because forage is hard to come by in a desert region, deer tend to travel greater distances in search of food.  The best plan here is to find a place where you can see lots of land at the same time (in a rocky area, near the top of a canyon, etc.).

With binoculars or a spotting scope,  you can see movement in large areas.  Remember, if you can see the deer, he can see you!  Slow movement is called for in this situation.

We call a place a ‘desert’ because of the scarcity of water and food. Use this fact to your advantage!

Hunt close to water holes, especially if the weather has been dry. This works best when watering holes are fairly far apart (so the deer don’t have so many choices).

Deer with Savvy

By the time a buck has reached the age of 4 or 5, he knows about hunters.  These deer are very savvy and tend to look for land with difficult access.   The harder it is for you to get to him, the easier he can breathe!

Look for rocky ridges (Stay off the ridge line, however. You’ll be busted quickly by alert, watching deer).  Other difficult terrain to try includes deep canyons.

Essentially, you are looking for places deer are sure you won’t want to bother with in your pursuit of them.  Get out of your vehicle and walk as far as you can — to avoid other hunters.

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Will be back soon with another exciting article about deer hunting!

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* “Break in the Storm” – from the Wild Wings collection of Vantage Point Graphics.  Used with their permission.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Part 2: Deer Hunting From a Tree Stand

Yesterday’s posting:

Locating Your Tree Stand

Safety & Your Tree Stand

Finding Active Feeding Areas

Pinch Me! *

Now let’s return to mid-day hunting from your tree stand.

Hunters are most active between 10 am and 2 pm (not that you are hunting them).  You can take advantage of this mid-day movement!  While deer are on the move  avoiding the hunters, they try to stay away from the open.

If you have placed your tree stand in the woods, you will be able to watch the deer move quietly from one wooded area to another, staying in the shadows.

Your Tree Stand Near Water

Locating your tree stand near water might be a great idea.  There are some factors that will affect your choice.

In dry areas, where there are few watering holes, setting up your tree stand nearby may be a super idea.  Before deciding on a spot, however, make sure there are fresh tracks around the water.

If there are few fresh tracks, the whitetails are spending most of their time elsewhere.  You have the best chance of success where watering holes are far apart.

If there are lots of gathering places for water, the deer have too many choices and this decreases your chances of catching sight of a deer in the crosshairs of your gun.

Things to Remember

Whitetails are skittish near water — they are vulnerable.  It is critical that you avoid movement or noise.

Deer do most of their feeding in dim light.  They usually drink water in late afternoon, before traveling to feeding areas.  In the morning, before heading to their beds, they also take water.

Ever watchful, if whitetails see or smell something unusual, they turn tail and run.  They don’t wait around to see if they’ve over-reacted!

Advantages of a Tree Stand

• Your stand is above the deer’s line of sight
• Your scent is above the deer
• You have a broader view of your hunting area

Did you know that arrow or gun shots that enter game’s body at a high angle and exit at a low angle leave a better blood trail? This helps you recover your game!

Two last tips: Keep your tree stand in the shadows of the tree. This is no time to give your location away!

In a tree stand, the animal’s vitals are at a different angle.  Aim your rifle or arrow a bit lower to get the vital organs.

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* This image is ”Pinch Me” and is used by permission from ClearVue Graphics.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Deer Hunting from a Tree Stand

Tips from Successful Deer Hunters

Deer Hunting Tips! *

Before deer hunting season begins,  it is important to find the places where deer feed and bed down.  Usually, they use trails to get from bedding locations to feeding areas.

After awhile, you will begin to notice the difference between primary and secondary trails. Primary trails are more worn and have more tracks than less important ones.

Situate your stand as far away from the trail as possible while staying within the shooting range limit of your firearm or bow.

Don’t forget to check wind directions and place your stand downwind of the trail.

Safety First!

Before each hunt, check your tree stand for safety.  Remember that winds and weather can cause damage or shifting.

Do you have a rope or string attached to the stand so you can pull up your bow or other weapon (unloaded, of course) when you are situated in your stand?

Safe hunters use a safety belt or harness — to make sure they are secure in the tree!

What if You Can’t Find an Active Feeding Area?

Deer = cagey, sneaky and exasperating!  But you already know that.  How else can you find deer?

If the rut is on, check trees for scrapes and rubbings.  This indicates that whitetails are active in the area.

Bucks generally visit these areas daily just before and during the rut. Look for fresh scrapings.  Look particularly along old trails and near cover.

If you are looking for a place to locate your stand,  try an area near fresh scrapings.  Remember, during the rut, bucks visit these areas at any and all hours!

Let the Hunting Begin!

During hunting season, the woods are most active between 10 am and 2 pm — for the hunters.  While hunters are moving in and out of the forest/hunting areas, they cause the deer to move.  You should be in your stand.

Come back tomorrow to find out how to take advantage of all this mid-day movement!

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* “Dream Team – One-on-One” – from the Wild Wings collection of Vantage Point Graphics.  Used with their permission.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Part 4*: Approved Detergents for Hunting Clothes**

Bow Hunters High in Trees (Above the Line of Sight) Have Fewer Worries!

Nothing was said last time about buying hunting clothes that have UV Brighteners.  This will be addressed in the next section —  Having Clothes With UV Brighteners.

Naming Names

Hunters aren’t the only group who want to avoid  UV brighteners.  The military and law enforcement have been avoiding these dyes for decades.

Washing Your Hunting Clothes

These directions are from two excellent sites: 4MilitaryFamilies.com and rangerjoes.com.  Important notes:

1) Are you using a generic or house brand of washing detergent?  Then look on the label to see ‘compare to [brand]‘.

For example: If your favorite grocery store chain detergent says on the label, “Compare this product with XYZ National Brand.”  The store brand has the same ingredients as the national brand XYZ.

Look at our list. If the brand is listed as “approved” then the generic is approved too.

2)Detergent brands are NOT going to list “UV Brighteners” as an ingredient.  The two sites mentioned above and I have called detergent companies and asked questions.

Approved Detergents (Do NOT Contain UV Brighteners)

Country Save**  ** 4MilitaryFamilies.com Approved!
Bold Powder
Cheer Liquid (all versions)
Cheer Powder (all versions)
All Powder (all versions)
Surf Powder (all versions)
Woolite (all versions)

Two Others I’d like to add: *

20 Mule-Team Borax (although not a detergent in the normal sense, this product has had the same ingredients for over 100 years.)

baking soda (same reason)

Washing Instructions

Rangerjoes.com offers excellent instructions (for the newbie-hunters). Special ‘thanks’ go to A. Hammond, 3rd IBCT RFG Assistant 10th Mtn Div, for compiling this info.

1)  ”Before washing, close hook and loop fasteners to prevent snagging.

2)  Washing: Machine wash in cold water using Permanent Press Cycle or hand wash using a mild detergent that DOES NOT contain optical brighteners or fabric softeners. DO NOT USE CHLORINE BLEACH. Rinse completely. DO NOT WRING OR TWIST.

3)  Drying: Hang dry or machine dry on low to medium setting ….  Remove from dryer immediately.

To drip dry, remove from water and place on rust-proof hanger.
DO NOT STARCH or COMMERCIALLY HOT PRESS.

4)  NOTE: Turning the uniform inside-out while laundering prevents the hook and loop from attaching to other items and prolongs the usefulness of the hook and loop.” (from Rangerjoe’s site)

Turning the garment inside-out — your clothes will last longer & there’s less wear on the pattern.

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Next time — For the Hunter with Everything, Including UV Brighteners!

* More on these items later.

** Disclaimer: I don’t sell any products I will mention in this series. This is strictly educational information.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Part 3*: Buying Hunting Clothes Without UV Brighteners! **

What’s A Hunter to Do?

This discussion will be for folks who need new hunting garments. Next, I’ ll make suggestions for hunters who already have  hunting clothes/camo wear.

Finally, I’ll talk about — Is this all “much-ado about nothing?”

You'll Need a Black Light Flashlight While Trying On Clothes

Going Shopping

1) Get a black light flashlight! You will need it when you go shopping for new hunting clothes.

Sources online offer them between $20 and $75!  You cannot use an ordinary flashlight.

2)  Shop wisely!  You will be searching for hunting camo without UV brighteners.  You will need to use a dark-ish room.

Turn on the flashlight (in a darkended room); if the clothing glows, it has the dreaded brighteners.

Hunting togs without brighteners may cost more. Keep in mind that you need to scan over all of the clothing.

You may find that  only the hip pockets glow.* Will that be a problem for you? Can you cover the area?

Are you a ‘clearance table’ hound, like me? Be careful.  The reason items may be on sale or on the clearance rack is that they were rejected by last year’s hunters. Use your blacklight here too.

Also, rub two parts of the garment together. Is there any noise?  Both deer and turkey have much better hearing than hunters.

If you can hear the ’swish’ — so can they.  That’s why cotton and wool have always been so popular with hunters; they are quiet!

Do these garments have a sheen; they must be matte!  Often, a washing or two will cure the shine problem.  Ask the salesperson or someone who would know.

Your First Washing

The trick is to keep your hunting clothes UV free!  This is no time to use the ‘wrong’ detergent and forever add UV brighteners to your pristine clothes!

Yep! It’s no joke. Using the wrong detergent — even once — will permanently add UV brighteners to your clothes!

There are a couple of enterprising companies that have created business empires by convincing hunters that anything on the grocer’s shelves will doom them (and their clothes)  to UV brighteners’ hell.

Tomorrow: The List of Grocery Products Without Brighteners

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* UV brighteners are added to fabrics before they become garments.  Sometimes, the manufacturer is not careful about checking the origin of all of the cloth.

** A Reminder: I don’t sell any products I mention in this series. This is strictly educational information.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Part 2*: UV Brighteners in Hunting Clothes & How Deer See

To Recap: By the time of the 1993 study,* China’s take-over of the textile industry was in full-swing.  These two unrelated things turned the world of the hunter upside-down!

Unhappy Hunters with New Hunting Garments

Looking for Clothes Without UV Brighteners!

Suddenly, hunters were hearing that deer could see UV light.  However,  just about all new clothing available in the stores was full of the stuff (UV brighteners)!

What should a hunter do?

Time Out For a Reality Check

The simplest thing I could tell you to do is: Watch the outdoor TV shows and buy the hunting clothes they sell (guaranteed  free of UV brighteners), even though they are very expensive.

Then spend lots of money purchasing washing products that will keep your hunting clothes UV free.

But I’m ‘Old School.’ That isn’t a service to my readers — that’s the path-of-least-resistance.

I’m going to make suggestions along the way that will leave money in your wallet.  If I don’t make a convincing argument for doing what I do, there are plenty of companies ready to take your money.

I have no axe to grind; no profit motive. I don’t sell any of the products I will mention!

Meanwhile, Back to Our Story …

The University of Georgia study had some other interesting conclusions, of interest to hunters.

1) Deer lack the ability to distinguish the color of red.  Thus, hunters can wear red and orange (so hunters can see each other), without warning deer.

2) Deer see blue and green. However, they cannot tell green from red, blue from red, or red from orange.

Blue is a poor color choice for camo — deer see this color.  But red, orange and green are safe colors for camo.

3) Deer can see UV dyes/brighteners in clothes. HOWEVER, seeing UV brighteners IS ONLY A FACTOR IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS.

The “bummer” is: Deer are more active in low light conditions.

Why Have UV Brighteners In Hunting Clothes?

The justification for adding brighteners to hunting clothes was:  These brighteners help the fabrics accept the dyes better AND colors stay longer in clothes. Thus, your camo pattern won’t fade as fast.

In other words: Longer lasting clothes = value to the customer.

Boy did they miss the point here!  Hunters are still ‘hot-and-bothered!’

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Come Back Tomorrow: What’s a Hunter to Do?

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* The University of Georgia learned “how deer see.” Their studies were verified by other universities in America.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com

Part 1*: UV Brighteners in Hunting Clothes & How Deer See

Last year, I spent several weeks studying this issue for my readers. This problem is complex and is not going to go away soon.

Can You Get the UV Brighteners Out of Your Clothing?

For the next few days, we will be discussing UV Brighteners and the use of special soaps on hunting clothes.

In the Beginning ….

In 1993, researchers at the University of Georgia conducted a study that literally shook the world of deer and turkey hunting. *

I could go into a long explanation:  ‘The difference in our eyes versus that of the deer and turkey.’  However, most folks don’t want the full 50 cent sermon; they just want to know how it will affect them and their hunting.

The 10 Cent Summary

1) Deer and human eyes are the same – in that both use rods and cones.  Rods = are light sensitive and cones = see colors.

Deer have more rods and can see better in low light. Humans have more cones, which means that we can see colors better than deer.

2) Human eyes have a protective layer that protects them from up to 99% of UV rays, but deer do not.  This means that we can see details better than deer.

3) Human eyes see light in the “visible spectrum” – including violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Beyond violet, there is something called the  ”ultraviolet spectrum.”

Deer can see this “ultraviolet spectrum” naturally.  We can see this range of color only when we use a black light.

Hunter’s Clothing, BC (Before China)

During the past generation, the changes in textile manufacturing have been staggering!

In the beginning, everyone wore cotton.  As a way to sell more white and light colored cottons, some bright bulb created ‘UV Brighteners.’

By adding these UV Brighteners, white  (and brightly colored) fabrics stayed light and bright through many washings.

These additives were not in hunting clothing while American companies manufactured the clothes we wear.

When Textile Manufacturing Moved to China

Over the years, China increased their market-share of the manufacture and construction of clothing world-wide.

However, no one advised the Chinese that UV Brighteners were not used in hunting clothes. Before long, most clothing sold in America had these brighteners.

Finally

Next time, we will learn about some mighty unhappy hunters!

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* The eyes of turkeys were also studied, and I’ll discuss this later.

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This blog is a companion to my website: EasyOnlineOrdering.com