How to Sniff Out the 'Knife Crazy' Person in Your Life
Do you know someone who is a bit obsessed with knives? Here's a case study of that knife-crazy person in your life.
I’m guessing that a lot of us have at least one knife-crazy person in our family or list of friends. Shoot, you might even be a knife-crazy person yourself. There's no shame in being enamored or even obsessed with edged weapons. There are many other things that folks fixate on and collect that could arguably be worse.
But I do find these folks interesting and their obsession oddly compelling. You see, I have some intimate knowledge of this kind of person. My brother is that knife-crazy person, or as I like to say, a crazy knife person.
Let's face it, these folks can be a little irritating. That's the case with my brother, at least. There's even a word for their affliction. It's called aichmomania, which is an obsession with sharp, pointy things such as knives. My brother would undoubtedly be considered an aichmomaniac. I'm not sure he likes being called one, but that doesn't stop me.
But seriously, there are a few traits that describe the aichmomaniac fairly well. First, they always seem to have a small duffel bag full of knives with them. Whenever my brother comes over for a visit, he's inevitably carrying a small duffel bag. He either sets the bag dramatically on the table as though he's about to unveil something mysterious, or he subtly sets it off to the side, in which case I know he's got some "old" knives that have either been newly sharpened or have new sheaths. It just depends on how quickly he wants to get to the knife demonstration.
Whether it's a new knife or an old one that's been modified, he always has something to show me.
If he has a new one, he's sure to fill me in on every single piece of information regarding its construction. He can go on and on about the most specific details. But even though I tend to glaze over at times, it is interesting. He looks at knives much like I look at different types of fishing line or .308 loads.
Next, he's able to discuss both the pros and cons of different knife sheaths, whether they're kydex, leather or a combination of the two. This is where I perk up a bit. I love a good sheath, and can appreciate both the aesthetic and practical qualities that go into one. I love the combination of form-fitting kydex covered in tooled brown leather.
Source: Peter Kohler - Dark Timber Brotherhood
Next, he performs the paper-cutting demonstration, usually by grabbing whatever paper happens to be within reach. More than likely, it's one of my bills, tax forms or something else important to me. Before I can protest, he'll neatly and slickly slice it into ribbons with a knife he's sharpened to a razor's edge, as if to validate everything he's said up to that point.
"Just look at this baby," he'll say. "Like butter, man, like butter!"
Finally, he'll allow (force) me to hold the knife and, if it's a folder, nag me to open it with one hand in one quick, smooth motion.
"Flick it like you mean it!"
If it's a fixed-blade knife, he demands that I move my hand around on the handle.
"How's that feel?" he'll ask. "Choke up on it and put your thumb on the jimping. Feel the weight and heft of it. You can see how this one would be good for batoning."
"Yes, yes. It would be great for batoning or whittling feather sticks," I'll say, trying to impress him with my experience.
This is the routine we'll go through with every knife in his bag, of which there are usually four or five, including at least one new one.
My brother, the knife-crazy…or crazy knife person.
Of course, my brother has his favorite makers, for both production and custom knives. Peter Kohler's Dark Timber knives are his current favorite, which I'd have to admit I'm quite impressed with myself. You can't help but fall in love with Kohler's beautiful, hand-forged blades.
Finally, you can also identify that knife-crazy person by their Instagram page. Where most folks will display photos of their kids, travels or fishing pics, your knife aficionado will have his page peppered with images of blades. If you know someone who displays any of these traits, there's a good chance they're a legitimate aichmomaniac.
If I'm not careful, I might be headed that way myself. There are worse things a guy could be.
Creative Sustenance to Stumpjack Outdoors
I’ve begun updating this website/blogsite again in recent months. Creative Sustenance began as a purely foraging/hunting/fishing/cooking blog and image site, with an emphasis on the foraging and cooking. Over the last few years I’ve become more interested in vintage fishing (collecting and using old lures and tackle), as well as expanding this and other platforms to include those interests.
I also get contacted regularly to review outdoors-related products, which I enjoy doing. But I don’t publish my opinions on everything that comes my way because, frankly, some of it doesn’t merit a positive review. And since I don’t get paid to review things (other than receiving the product, which I suppose is some form of compensation) I feel no obligation to any company one way or the other. So, if I do publish a review and share it on my Stumpjack Outdoors Facebook page (50k followers as of this date) you can be sure it’s a product I like and am happy to give a thumbs up to.
We’ve also moved to northern Wisconsin again, which has opened up more outdoors-related opportunities for my wife and I. All of this is to say that Creative Sustenance is changing, changing focus a bit to include other interests like vintage fishing, fishing lure making, leather work, photography and video production. I’ll be changing the name of the site from Creative Sustenance to Stumpjack Outdoors, to connect it thematically to my Facebook page, Instagram account and Youtube channel, all of which are named Stumpjack Outdoors.
So, thanks for following. And please check out my other Stumpjack Outdoors platforms:
* Stumpjack Outdoors facebook page.
* Stumpjack Outdoors instagram account.
* Stumpjack Outdoors youtube channel.
'The Greatest Gun Designer in the World' - The Remington Model 12 and John D. Pedersen
The beautiful plinker and small-game rifle was engineered by a man John Browning deemed the best to ever design a gun.
"Long time ago, when I was 11 years old, there used to be a park in Kansas City called Fairyland Park," one person recalled on a shooting forum. "It had a wood roller coaster and all the other rides. Tucked into one corner was a shooting gallery.”
"The guns were Winchester pump .22s cabled to the counter, and for, I think, 25 cents you would be given a rifle with 15 .22 Shorts to shoot at all the moving targets. You even reloaded them yourself. They had the ducks, the pipes, the stars, the cowboys, everything you've ever seen in movies and old cartoons. It was the most fun I ever had."
It would be fair to say that the success of the Winchester Model 1890 directly influenced the development of the Remington Model 12.
Eager to get a piece of the sales that the 1890 was earning—almost 850,000 units sold from 1890 to 1941—Remington enlisted the aid of John Douglas Pedersen to design a similar pump-action rimfire rifle.
Pedersen and the military
Pederson was a gun-designing contemporary of famed firearm designer John Browning. But Browning mistakenly thought Pedersen would be better remembered than himself.
In fact, Browning told U.S. Army Major General and noted firearms expert Julian S. Hatcher that Pedersen "was the greatest gun designer in the world." Browning's assessment of Pedersen may have turned out to be true had fate not intervened to deal Pedersen some serious spotlight-stealing blows.
John D. Pedersen
However, Pedersen is remembered for a few highly noteworthy firearms innovations and designs. His attempts to gain military contracts for his gun designs were marred mostly by bad timing and bad luck.
For example, his .45 pistol design was approved by the U.S. Navy but it ultimately lost out to the M1911 pistol already being manufactured for the Army. His semi-auto rifle design also lost out to the now iconic Garand rifle.
His Pedersen Device was perhaps his most ambitious design and could have made a significant impact during WWI. It was an invention attached to a M1903 Springfield bolt-action rifle that allowed the rifle to operate as a semi-automatic. Unfortunately for Pedersen, the device was approved for production just as the war was ending.
But as something of a moral victory, General George S. Patton owned one of Pedersen's pistols, the Remington Model 51. Patton was thought to have favored the pistol as his personal sidearm and it can be seen in many photographs of the General.
Pedersen also attempted to mass produce M1 carbines for the military during WWII, via his own company, the Irwin-Pedersen Arms Company, but that endeavor also failed.
Civilian market
Pedersen actually collaborated with Browning, when Browning made the principle design for the Remington Model 17 pump-action shotgun. Pedersen altered Browning's design before production by the Remington Arms Company in 1921. The 20-gauge shotgun featured a tubular magazine, bottom-loading and bottom-ejecting portals, and it was hammerless. The Model 17 later became the Remington Model 31, Ithaca 37 and Browning BPS, all very successful shotguns in the civilian market.
Pedersen either designed directly or had a hand in just about every firearm that Remington produced from 1903 to 1940. He was prolific, earning at least 69 patents for his firearms designs. These included the Model 12, 14, and 25 pump-action rifles, and the Model 10 pump-action shotgun.
It could also be fairly said that Pedersen had an indirect hand in the design of the famous Remington 870 pump-action shotgun, in that several of his design elements are present in that famous gun.
Remington Model 12
Pedersen died of a heart attack in 1951 while traveling through Cottonwood, Arizona. He was 70 years old.
Over the course of his career, Pedersen designed many firearms that were popular with hunters and shooting enthusiasts. His designs were lauded for their workmanship and efficiency, although they were sometimes criticized for being more mechanically complicated than they needed to be. Today, his guns are highly regarded by collectors and shooters.
The Model 12 Remington
While the Model 12 design was undoubtedly influenced by the Winchester 1890, Pedersen engineered it to have a much sleeker, less clunky appearance. It's a trim, more modern-looking long rifle than the 1890, but with enough antique features that make it beautifully distinctive compared to today's rimfire rifles.
Winchester Model 1890
Remington Model 12
For one thing, the Model 12 dispenses with the exposed hammer of the 1890. Featuring an internal-hammer receiver, the rifle looks sleek and efficient. This profile undoubtedly appealed to shooters, and Winchester eventually began producing pump-action rimfire rifles replicating the internal-hammer design.
The Winchester Model 61 .22 WRF was released in 1932 and appears to be, with a few notable exceptions, almost a carbon copy of Remington's Model 12.
Remington Model 12 (top)
Winchester Model 61 (bottom)
Another identifying component of the rifle is the unique teardrop-shaped ejection port on the right side of the receiver. Chambered for .22 Short and .22 LR, the cartridges are loaded in an under-barrel magazine tube.
Interestingly, the forestock is attached directly to the magazine tube, unlike in other slide-action guns where the magazine remains stationary and separate from the forestock.
Both the Model 12 and the 1890 have a straight grip stock, but the comb on the 1890 is less pronounced on the model 12. The metal butt plate is also gently concave, lending a cool, old-timey appearance to the gun.
But the feature I love the most on this Remington rifle is its octagon barrel. Nothing says vintage long gun to me quite like an octagon barrel.
The safety is located at the right rear of the trigger guard. There is also a small button at the top inside of the trigger guard that can be depressed to release the pump should it become locked in place.
The rifle can be broken down into two parts by removing a screw knob on the left side of the receiver, for ease of transporting or cleaning.
Remington issued a number of variations—Model 12A, Model 12B, Model 12C and so on—that differed in barrel length and ammunition caliber variations, had round barrels and pistol grip stocks, as well as a few customizable features. As you went up in the alphabet—model 12D, 12E and 12F—you could special order one of the pump rifles with higher quality wood, gold or silver inlays and deluxe embellishments, such as special front and rear sights.
I've looked at several lists of the various models and their corresponding features and none of those lists exactly matches the others, so until I can find an actual record from the Remington Arms Company specifically outlining what each variation entailed, I can't say for sure what exactly is what.
I’m pretty sure my rifle is either a 12A, 12B or 12C, probably a Remington 12A standard model, although there's some uncertainty regarding that. According to its serial number, I believe it was manufactured in 1913.
Remington Model 12 (top)
Winchester Model 61 (bottom)
All good things must come to an end
The Remington Model 12 was discontinued in 1936. The sleek little rifle saw impressive sales from 1909 to 1936, with more than 830,000 units coming out of the factory. The Model 12 was replaced by the Remington Model 121 Fieldmaster, a beefier pump-action .22.
The Fieldmaster was designed by C.C. Loomis and G.H. Garrison, though it clearly recalled some of John Pedersen's influence. The Model 121 was produced up until 1954, selling nearly 200,000 units.
Carrying and plinking
I love to carry this light, easy-shooting rifle. It's almost as light as carrying a heavy revolver. I haven't shot it much, to be honest. For small-game hunting I prefer to use my Marlin Golden 39A .22 lever-action. Mostly I just like looking at it and holding that old Model 12. But when I do feel like taking it out, maybe once a year, I'll load it with .22 Shorts and do a little imaginary carnival plinking at soup cans, bottle caps and plastic dinosaur toys. It's surprisingly accurate, given its age and barrel wear.
But most importantly, it takes me back to a time I imagine was simpler...a time where you could have a lot of fun for only a quarter.
I Tried Incubating and Hatching Snapping Turtle Eggs. Here's What Happened.
After deciding to rescue a clutch of snapping turtle eggs from persistent predators, this is what happened as I tried to incubate and hatch the tiny terrapins.
I've long been fascinated by and attracted to snapping turtles. They are possibly my favorite wild critter. They're ornery, individualistic, secretive, prehistoric, and very delicious. And they just look cool. No matter what their age or sex, they always strike me as the wizened, grumpy old men of the lake or pond. So when we found a big female snapper laying her eggs in the yard earlier this spring, I was excited for the prospect of eventually witnessing lots of tiny snapping turtles scurrying back down to the lake.
The mother snapper dug the hole and laid her eggs on June 12. Snapping turtle eggs normally incubate for around 90 days, but they can, depending on the average temperature during that time, hatch anywhere from 80 to 120 days after being laid. In rare cases I understand that they can also overwinter and hatch the following spring.
I kept an eye on the spot throughout the summer, hoping that no hungry predator would dig up the nest and devour the eggs. Approximately 90% of all turtle egg clutches are lost to predators such as skunks. And of course, many turtles are also killed on roads during their spring egg laying period.
I began to pay closer attention to the nest area as we approached the 8o day mark, checking the site at least twice a day. Then, around day 85, I went out one morning and saw that a raccoon had tried to dig up the clutch. Its prints were all over the place and a hole was dug that fortunately missed the nest by mere inches. I covered the hole the raccoon had dug and kept my fingers crossed. But the next morning when I went out I discovered that a skunk had done the very same thing. His identifying scat was outside of the hole he had dug, but he too had just missed the clutch, though only by an inch or two.
Now I was worried. I figured that if these nocturnal predators were determined to keep attacking the area where the eggs were hiding it would only be a matter of time—perhaps a night or two—before they hit pay dirt and consumed all of the soon-to-be-hatched little snappers.
I was desperate and decided to take matters into my own hands. I dug up the nest. Understanding that turtle eggs are very delicate once they begin to develop, and are sensitive to their positioning, I carefully brushed the dirt away from the eggs and marked the top of each egg with a Sharpie as I pulled it out and set it in precisely the same position in a large bowl full of sand that came directly from the nest area.
Then I covered the bowl of turtle eggs with sand and brought it into the house. I reburied fortysix eggs in all. But before I covered it I took a single egg and tried to candle it. I held a strong flashlight up to it in our darkened bathroom, but could see nothing. As I prepared to replace it I must have squeezed it a little too hard and it suddenly burst open. Inside was a small turtle still attached to its yolk sac.
It was alive, though it moved very slowly indeed. I knew that the rest of the eggs were close to hatching, and could only hope that my handling them had not upset their delicate biology. Several days went by and nothing happened. No turtles hatched and crawled out of the sand. I was worried that bringing them into the house had mucked things up.
Then one morning—day 92 of the incubation—my wife called me into the living room. She pointed to the corner of the room and there was a small turtle looking up at us. It was covered in sand and was several feet from the bowl on the table. She said that she checked the bowl and saw a small depression in the sand and a tiny pencil trail running across the surface of the sand. During the night the little turtle had hatched, crawled out and off of the table and fallen to the carpeted floor. We were lucky we found it. I added the little terrapin to a bowl where I had its first sibling.
That second turtle would be the only one that hatched for several more days. I decided to brush away the sand from the upper layer of eggs in the bowl (I have to admit, I was getting impatient). I watched them closely, and waited...and waited...and waited. I had always thought that turtles hatched together or within a very short period of time from one to the other. These eggs were certainly taking their time.
Finally, around day 96, more turtles began to break from their shells. It was an extremely slow process, as they would crack the shells with a tiny "hen's tooth" that was visible just under the tip of their snouts. Then they would seem to tire and would slowly poke their heads from the shells, before ever so slowly emerging. This process could take hours.
The turtles would continue to hatch over the next several days. But unfortunately not all of the eggs were viable. Many began to collapse upon themselves, appearing indented. These I gently cut open to find that no turtle was in them at all (only a yolk) or the turtle was small and deformed.
Sometimes the deformed turtle would be alive, but only briefly before it expired.
One time two baby turtles hatched at around the same time, both appearing quite strong. I placed them in a bowl with a little water. I came back to check on them a few hours later only to find one of the two on its back and apparently drowned.
I removed it from the bowl and checked it carefully for any signs of life. It moved! I was heartened and hoped that it would recover, so I placed it in a bowl with only a damp bottom, and checked it several times a day. It seemed to recover but appeared to have some sort of nerve damage, as occasionally it would become listless and appeared to be dying again. This went on for about a week, until finally it succumbed to its injuries and died.
I kept the turtle eggs until around 102 or 103 days, when there were only about six left and nothing had happened with them for a few days. I assumed that most of them were not viable, so I gently cut them open. All but two were undeveloped yolks, with two that were still viable and alive. I peeled away the clear membrane and placed them in a bowl, being sure to keep them upright and on top of their attached yolk sac. They ultimately survived and joined the rest of their siblings in a large bowl where I had placed everyone.
I kept the baby turtles for a few days, until they had each absorbed their attached yolk sacs and it appeared that they were all going to survive and be in good shape. I fed them some commercial turtle food, but they didn't appear to be interested in the food at all. From the time of the first turtle egg hatch on day 85 until the final egg hatch at around day 103, both of which were "forced" hatchings, it took 18 days for the entire clutch of eggs to hatch, or at least those that would hatch.
This surprised me, and I wonder what, if any, impact my digging them up had on the incubation period.
Of the 46 eggs recovered, more than a third of them hatched and survived into healthy, viable baby turtles. Around a third of them were completely undeveloped eggs with no sign of embryonic development, and slightly less than a third were deformed and died shortly after hatching. I don't know if this is a typical survival percentage for snapping turtles or not. My gut tells me it's not, but I don't know for sure.
What I am fairly certain of is that none of the turtles would have hatched had I not secured them from the nest and allowed them to hatch in relative safety. The clutch was being targeted by predators for two straight nights and it seemed highly unlikely that they would last long with that kind of predatory attention being paid to them.
Here's a video and some photos of the release of the baby turtles.
I took 18 baby turtles down to the lakeshore and released 15 of them into the shallow, weedy water. I kept three and they seem to be doing fine up to now. I'll likely keep them through the winter and then release them come spring of next year if they're still alive. It was a great, enlightening experience, and I like to think I did a small part in ensuring that a few more snapping turtles made it into the wild.
High Camp Firelight Flask 750
I had the opportunity to try out an absolutely brilliant thermos flask over the last month or so, the High Camp Firelight 750. It has become a cherished item in my kit, one that I’m happy to give a big thumbs up to and recommend to anyone looking for a classy, functional, beautiful flask.
First off, this is the most visually appealing flask I’ve ever seen. It comes in a hard cardboard, magnetized flip box, encased in a soft velvet-like draw-string pouch. Before you actually have your hands on the flask itself you get the feeling that this is a high quality item that has had a lot of love and care put into its production. And once you open the bag and hold the Firelight, that feeling is only reinforced. It’s simply a gorgeous flask.
The design of the Firelight is superb. It comes in four color options: stainless steel, gunmetal, onyx, and copper. I got the copper flask and the color contrast of copper and steel (once the tumblers - or cups - are removed) is elegance personified. But every finish has the same impact. Arguably the sweetest part of the design are the magnetized detachable drinking cups at the top and bottom of the flask. These too are high quality drinking tumblers, big and sturdy enough to lend some gravitas to whatever occasion you may be toasting. Plus, it’s damn clever how the cups are attached to the flask. It’s seamless, sexy, ingenious and mighty handy to have two tumblers integrated with the flask itself.
The spout is elevated and large, making for easy filling and spill-proof pouring. It goes without saying that the Firelight keeps drinks cold. You can mix, for instance, a pitcher of Wisconsin Old Fashions, pour it into the Firelight, and the spout is large enough to easily allow you to add small ice cubes. I’m a bourbon and whiskey enthusiast and the Firelight holds a full 750ml of my favorite double rye. I’ll tell you, presentation means a lot, and drinking from this flask somehow makes the drinking taste better.
I’ve got several flasks and vintage thermoses that have stood me well over the years. I’ll still rely on my old 50+ year-old dented Stanley for everyday coffee or tea. But when I’m on a road trip with my wife and we stop somewhere special, or when we’re camping and sitting around the campfire in the evening, and I want the experience to be extra special, I’ll bring the High Camp Firelight 750.
It’s not an inexpensive flask, but if you’re looking for an heirloom-quality flask this is it. High Camp Flasks also offers the Firelight in 375ml size, as well as several other flasks, tumblers, accessories and more. For me, High Camp has solved my Christmas gift problem.
The only suggestion I might have made to High Camp is a suggestion I learned that they had already rectified. This flask demands a leather holster or carry rig. By golly, they’ve got you covered there as well. The Orox Leather Holster looks perfect. Now I just have to pick one of those up, and I’ll have the most badass flask on the planet.
What I Got From My First Squirrel Hunts With My Dad
The lessons my dad taught me during our first squirrel hunts together have stayed with me to this day.
I remember my first hunt with my dad with fondness and nostalgia. It's a memory that has stayed with me through these many years, and it's one that defines my hunting and outdoors ethic to this day.
I guess it would be more accurate to describe that first hunt as a series of hunts. Baby steps for me on the road to becoming a hunter. And baby steps for my dad, on his own road to becoming a father.
As is the case with many fathers and sons, our first outings targeted gray squirrels. Small game hunting is the great training ground for introducing young hunters to the lifestyle. I have no statistics to back this up, but my sense is that squirrel hunting may be the most favored introductory game species for teaching kids how to hunt.
Every year as a child I longed for squirrel hunting season, and I couldn't wait to head into the woods with my dad. I'd read and reread the hunting regulations as best I could, and studied the stories and pictures in whatever Outdoor Life or Fur, Fish and Game magazines we had lying around.
When my dad would tell me we were going hunting on an early season weekend, I'd excitedly gather and organize all of my hunting gear, double and triple checking everything the day before. Since I was just a seven or eight year-old kid I didn't actually have any "hunting" gear, but I did have a pocket knife, squirrel call, game vest, cap, gloves, and a pair of boots.
I'd neatly organize everything on a chair in the living room, so that when I awoke I could quietly and quickly get myself outfitted. Truth be told, I don't know if I really slept all that much the night before. It was the one time I never minded not watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Our routine would be to get up well before early morning light and drive to the woods. When we'd finally park the car we'd have a little breakfast in the front seat as we'd wait for dawn's first light. Saltines, summer sausage, and cheese never tasted so good, washed down with a thermos of coffee for Dad and a canteen of water for me.
Then, we'd quietly get out and push the car doors shut, and my dad would grab his .22 rifle before we'd silently walk into the forest. He'd make sure to whisper to me about how to carry a gun, to be constantly aware of where the muzzle was pointed and to keep my finger off the trigger. These early squirrel hunting outings were as much about firearm safety as they were about hunting.
Though I didn't have my own gun quite yet, it was important to see my dad carrying his, and when he put it in my hand, I felt that wave of responsibility come over me. Just like it should.
A boy's first gun
When I did finally get my first gun I was pretty well familiar with the rules of gun safety. I got my first rifle when I was, I think, 10. It started with a gift-wrapped box under our Christmas tree. I opened the box and inside was a note that led me to a spot somewhere in the house, where I found another note that led me to another spot. This little Family Circus-like route of notes leading to more notes took me all over the house, until it ended with the final gift box stashed under my bed.
Inside was a brand new Springfield single-shot .22 rifle. It was the best Christmas gift a kid ever got. I remember thinking it was way better than a Red Ryder BB gun! I still have that rifle to this day, and occasionally still use it.
My desire to get out and start shooting squirrels was delayed, however, since dad had me carry it without the bolt in it the first time out in the woods. This was just so he could make sure I handled it safely in every situation in the field.
Successful squirrel hunters are successful hunters
The way I learned it, hunting squirrels employs all of the skills and woodsmanship necessary for successful whitetail deer hunting. Squirrel woods are also deer woods, and the pursuit requires stalking skills; the ability to move silently and slowly through the woods is paramount. It trains the eye to look for movement and small differences in the landscape. The fuzzy outline of a squirrel's tail, for example, against the harder edge of a tree trunk or limb.
I also learned that wildlife is extremely food-focused. Chewed up acorn and hickory nut hulls on stumps told the story of a squirrel's constant search for food. This transferred to learning what ruffed grouse and deer fed on, and where they might be found. These are, of course, common sense things that adult outdoorsmen and women understand, but to a small boy they were lightbulb moments.
All of these things I learned from my dad, and built upon with my experience in the field as I got older. I am convinced that being a good squirrel hunter laid the foundation for me being a good hunter of all other game.
Wild squirrels and city squirrels are two completely different animals in temperament. Where city squirrels are largely unconcerned with the presence of humans, wild squirrels are skittish beyond belief. They are, after all, prey animals that are constantly in danger of becoming a predator's meal. Sneaking up on a wild squirrel is not impossible, but it is mighty challenging. As soon as your presence is detected a squirrel will bolt to the safety of a tree, losing itself in the branches. When this happens a good squirrel hunter must exercise patience.
If it's early season and the leaves are still on the trees, you try to figure out which tree or trees the squirrel is likely hiding in. Then you find a tree to lean your back against, and you sit down. You must be able to sit quietly, without fidgeting, for an extended period of time while scanning every branch of the tree in front of you, waiting for that gray squirrel to reappear or make his move.
Sometimes this could take upwards of a half-hour. But eventually, if you were still and quiet, the bushytail would assume that you had left the area and would make its way back down the tree, presenting itself for a shot. I can almost hear my dad's voice as I write those words.
In the later squirrel season, when the leaves had dropped, you didn't have quite as much waiting to do when a squirrel disappeared up a tree. Often, you could lean against a tree and scan every naked branch until you spotted him. Unless of course he was on the other side of the tree. This was often the case when my dad took me hunting, and I learned one of the key tenets of squirrel behavior: They will usually try to put the tree between you and them. In these instances, my dad would have me slowly walk around the tree while he remained stationary. The squirrel would scamper around the tree as I made the round, inevitably presenting a shot to my dad.
Respect for wildlife
Whenever I went to pick up a downed squirrel, it always made me feel both good and a little sad. They were such cool little critters, that only moments earlier had been scurrying across the forest floor or barking to one another. But I was fascinated by their bushy tails and collected them until I had dozens and dozens.
I also loved the weight of carrying a few, or even a bag limit, in my game vest. It felt like success. My dad had used his skill and woodsmanship to best a forest creature whose life was completely dependent upon outsmarting wily predators. And now I was doing it, too. He showed me how to clean the squirrels and prepare them for my mom to cook when we returned home. If on occasion we were lucky enough to bag a big fox squirrel, I would really take my time with skinning those to preserve the hide. It was the one opportunity I got to act like a real trapper.
My mom would roll the squirrel quarters in seasoned flour and we'd feast on fried squirrel and mashed potatoes. It was a different kind of delicious, knowing I'd contributed to the meal.
My time hunting squirrels with my dad is the best childhood memory I have. He laid the foundation for my love of the wilderness, my respect for the animals I harvest, and my interest in biology. I've tried to pass that love and conservation of all things wild onto my own children.
For these memories alone I owe my dad more than I can ever repay. But he was so much more. He was also my Boy Scout leader (my mom was my Cub Scout leader), and he was our official wrestling team photographer. He supported me and my brother in everything we did.
There were plenty of important moments spent together, but that time in the woods sticks out. The lessons he taught me in the squirrel woods made me the outdoorsmen I am today. Since it's the season of giving, and he gave me so much, I'm lucky to be able to use this opportunity to say "Thanks, Dad!"
Shimano Sedona 1000 and Sensilite Ultra-Light Rod
Not too long ago I received a Shimano Sedona 1000 reel and a matching Shimano Sensilite Ultra-Light Fast Action rod to review. When I review things I make it clear that if I’m not impressed with the product I simply won’t review it. Well, I am impressed with this set-up.
I won’t go into all of the production features and details of the Sedona reel - the HAGANE gears and cold-forging techniques, G-free body design, Cross Carbon Drag system, etc - because you can read that stuff on the Shimano company website, and frankly, it’s kind of boring. I’m interested in on-the-water performance, how the rod and reel felt while casting, reeling and fighting fish. In a nutshell, this has become a go-to rod and reel for me. When I first picked it up I wondered how it would stack up against anything larger than a big bluegill or crappie. The combo is extremely light. And after catching a lot of panfish I can confidently say that the Sensilite rod - 6’6” Ultra-Light, Fast Action - has the sensitivity to detect light bites, it responds quickly and efficiently when setting the hook, and offers a darn fun time playing a fish. The rod is beautifully engineered, and has both backbone and action to cast a light lure a country mile and play a fish without feeling it feeling whippy and undermatched.
The Sedona 1000 reel is just as impressive as the Sensilite rod. I only experienced one instance of line snarl, and that was quickly and efficiently dealt with by loosening the drag (which was very easy to do as the drag knob is large and easy to manipulate) and pulling the line out until the snarl was clear. This was no small thing for me, as I have a tendency to slightly overfill my spinning reel spools, which tends to create more snarls or backlashes than most anglers probably experience. Don’t ask me why I do it, it’s just a habit that I often regret once I get out on the water and invariably end up removing several yards of line until I get things where I want them. But this reel has beautiful line management capabilities.
Casting is smooth, bail operation is like butter, and the reel is about as silent as any I’ve tried. It’s amazing, really, how tough and resilient a rod and reel combo as light as this one is can be. I used this set-up consistently for several long days in a row, and at the end of every day it felt like I was holding nothing but air. There’s no such thing as fatigue with this rod and reel.
Now then, one day I alternated between a spinnerbait and Charlie Brewer’s Slider Fishing products, hoping to hook into something larger than crappie and bluegill. That day I ended up catching over a dozen bass, including three that went two to four pounds. Those certainly aren’t monsters but they proved to me that the Ultra-Light Sensilite rod and Sedona reel were more than capable of handling fish even bigger than those. I was able to control the fight while fiddling with the drag and steering the fish pretty much where I wanted. Again, this is an ultra-light rod and reel, meant for panfishing, but it handled larger bass and even a couple of nice northern pike quite admirably.
Finally, it is an aesthetically gorgeous rod and reel. The Sensilite rod is a pleasure to behold, with a dark green blank and lovely cork grips. The Sedona reel is cool too, very modern and sleek. When it comes to the reel it’s all about performance, smoothness, line management and functionality. The Shimano Sedona reel and Sensilite Ultra-Light rod will probably be accompanying me on just about every fishing trip I make from now on, regardless of what I’m fishing for. Because it’s light, performs beautifully, looks cool, and you should always be ready to make a few casts for crappie or panfish, even when you’re fishing for bass, pike, walleye or catfish.
Sea to Summit EVAC Compression Dry Bag
This is a review for a compression dry bag that I’m happy to write. A lot of the time I get stuff to review and frankly it doesn’t really merit a positive review. So I simply don’t write anything at all. This one is different. This is a positive review of a product that deserves the kudos I’m about to give it.
I’ve been using dry compression bags for several years. I’ve tried a number of them and some I like and some I’m “meh” about. This one, from Sea to Summit is one I like. It checks all the boxes and performs as a dry bag is supposed to.
Let’s quickly get into it. First off, it’s their Compression Dry Bag UL (UltraLight), 8L (liter) size bag. It runs about $50, which I think is a bit much, but then dry bags in general seem to cost too much to me. But let’s talk performance. This bag proved to be a good size for a good number of my needs. It fit in my backpack comfortably and offered a layer of protection for items I didn’t want to get wet. I also found that the carry strap was handy and comfortable to use. It’s a tough, sturdy strap that has held up admirably. I’ve been using this bag for several months now and the hand strap still look like new.
At 4 ounces it is indeed a light bag. I appreciate that. And while you can’t expect an ultralight bag to be as tough as a heavy duty, thicker, more durable bag, this one is holding its own and thus far I’m impressed with how tough it actually is. It says it’s waterproof and I think I’d agree with that, for the most part. In wet conditions it did keep my stuff dry, while the things outside of the EVAC bag in the rest of my backpack got wet. I wouldn’t call it completely waterproof in the worst conditions - like if it was held underwater or doused with a hose (which I did) but the leakage was about what you’d expect in extreme conditions like that. It’s probably unlikely that you or I will experience conditions like that in everyday camping or backpacking. Rain yes, and I had no problems in the rain, but swimming underwater, probably not. If you’re going to be experiencing really wet conditions, go with a heavier bag. But for average, normal conditions this one was great.
What I really liked though, was the fact that it really compressed my clothing items into a small package. Sea to Summit has some terms like “Ultra-Sil 30D Cordura® nylon with a C0 non-PFC DWR…” I have no idea what that means nor do I care. What I care about is is it reliable and easy to use. The four compression straps are double stitiched and really help compress everything down to a bare minimum. It’s super easy to get into as well. Just unsnap two of the buckles and you’re in.
My Sea to Summit bag is loaded! Pretty sweet of much stuff you can squeeze into a small space. You can tell, I could fit even more into this. Love how light it is.
I do wish they were a bit cheaper, because I’d like to get two or three more. But not at $50 a pop.
Acorns, manna of the forest
I could begin almost every entry with "When I was a kid...".
When I was a kid my fondness for acorns was almost romantic, if that's the right word to describe a never waning curiousity and compulsion to gather and fill my pockets with the magic little capsules. I loved the artful look and contrasting texture of them (a smooth and shiny sphere topped by a course and fuzzy beret). But even more appealing than their outward appearance was the promise contained within. Inside each shell was the promise of not just a single giant tree, but the potential for a whole forest of giant trees. One kernal, if it fulfilled its individual potential could lead to countless more trees, more acorns, more forest. More deer and squirrels, and other animals and birds too.
Acorns also carry the promise of food, whether it be food for those deer and squirrels, who in turn provide food for we humans, or immediate food for us as we consume the nuts directly. In that regard acorns remind me of domestic corn, where a single cob offers the promise of a meal and many future meals.
Oak trees can produce truly astonishing amounts of acorns. Read any article on the subject and you'll likely get figures from between a couple hundred up to 700 or more pounds of nuts per tree, depending on various factors such as tree species and the quality of the mast in any given year. That's thousands of pounds per acre. In my opinion, no other wild nut embodies the concept of nature's abundance so succinctly as does the acorn.
Acorns drying
Shelled acorns.
I wrote about processing acorns into flour a couple years ago (Oct. 30, 2013). You can click here: Acorn Flour, to view that process. I used basically the same cold leach method this year as I always do, although I did also hot leach* a portion of the acorns and then dried them in the oven before fine grinding, just to compare the two methods again. Other than a slight difference in color in the finished products I noticed no significant difference in quality between the hot and cold leaching methods this year. The expected additional bitterness sometimes associated with the hot leach method did not manifest. I also performed the final grind in a commercial coffee grinder, set at both espresso and turkish grinds, which produced a wonderfully fine flour. However, as excellent as the flour quality was the oils in the nuts did result in some caking and extra post-grind cleaning of the machine.
Leaching is necessary to rid the acorns of the bitter tannins they contain. They're pretty well inedible without going through the leaching process. You use water to leach the bitter stuff out of the nut, just as you leach the good stuff from tea leaves with water. Cold leaching is the preferred method if flavor is a more important consideration than time. It generally takes at least a week of cold leaching, with daily water changes, to sufficiently remove the bitterness. Hot leaching is quicker. It can be accomplished in a single day, but has the disadvantage of occasionally resulting in a bit of residual bitterness even though most of the tannins may be removed. Heat can alter some of the internal compounds of the nutmeat and result in an off-taste, just as overheating garlic, for example, can result in a bitter taste. I took my time and regularly tasted the acorns during the hot leach, to make sure I didn't go too far with the process. My diligence paid off and the flavor was fine. Again, please refer to the blogpost I linked above for a more detailed review of the cold leaching process.
Cold leaching ground acorns, day one.
Cold leaching ground acorns, midweek.
I ended up with 4 large jars of fine quality acorn flour, storing it in the freezer until ready to use. Acorns can become stale, like any nut, and freezing significantly slows that deterioration. We use the flour most often in bread, pancakes and pie crusts, but I've also used it in cookies and donuts, breakfast gruel, dumplings* and as a thickener in soups. The acorn "milk" that comes from the cold leach process, particularly after the first day or two of leaching, can also be used as a liquid ingredient in bread-making or anywhere else you might use water as an ingredient. It can also be drunk straight up or with a bit of sweetener such as honey and/or maple syrup. There are nutrients in that milk, why waste them? I'm also planning to be experiment with acorn milk this year in my homebrewing efforts. Acorn Beer sounds like a winner.
Acorn flour.
Acorn flour.
We love the bread that acorn flour produces. It's flavorful, filling and richly satisfying. I generally use a loose 1:2 ratio of acorn flour to bread flour when adding no additional dry ingredients (e.g., cattail pollen, flax or corn flour). If you want a bread that acts more like a bread then you do need to use wheat flour, as acorn flour doesn't have the gluten required for bread to rise. The resulting bread is denser and has a more compact crumb than regular wheat flour bread.
Acorn bread.
Basic Acorn Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
1 heaping cup acorn flour
2 generous cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cup lukewarm water
1. Thoroughly mix dry ingredients in large glass bowl.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups water and mix thoroughly. Add more water if needed, to create a wet, somewhat shaggy mass of dough.
3. Cover bowl with cling wrap or a tea towel. Set in a warm place and let rise for 10-12 hours.
4. After the initial ride scrape the dough out onto a floured surface and quickly knead into a flattened ball or oval, depending on the shape of the final loaf you prefer. Wrap the ball, seem-side down, loosely with cling wrap, or place back in bowl and cover again. Let rise again for an hour or two (it won't rise too much the second time).
5. Heat oven to 450 degrees. If you want the normal store-bought loaf shape, oil a bread pan and place the oval-shaped dough in it. Or, if you prefer a rustic, round-shaped loaf you'll use the rounder dough ball. In that case, place a dutch oven with lid into the oven and allow to heat to oven temperature. When the dutch oven is hot, place the risen dough ball gently into it, cover and place back in the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Remove dutch oven lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes. If using the regular bread pan, simply place in oven and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Check interior of bread with wooden skewer to assure that it's done. Let cool on a wire rack.
Acorn bread.
Acorn Flour Pancakes
1/2+ cup all-purpose or bread flour
1/2 cup acorn flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
glug of vegetable oil
1 egg
1. Mix dry ingredients in bowl.
2. Whisk together milk, veg oil and egg in another bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients and mix quickly and roughly with a fork.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Pour a small glug of oil in pan and spread it around.
4. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. Try to fit as many as you can into the skillet.
5. When the surface of the pancake gets a little bubbly, then gently flip and cook the other side for a couple minutes until browned and interior isn't doughy.
6. Top with a bit of butter, maple syrup, berries, whatever you like.
Acorn pancakes.
*Hot leaching: I filled a deep sauce pan about 1/3 to 1/2 full with shelled nuts. I then ran hot tap water into the pot, set it on a burner and brought it to a boil. Once the water came to a boil I stirred the nuts for about a minute, drained the water and repeated the process. It took 10 or so water changes before the nuts began to taste tannin-free and bland. I continued the process a few more times until they were bland and palatable. I drained the acorns and patted them dry with a towel on baking sheets. Then, I set the oven on low, placed the baking sheets into the oven, propped the door and allowed them to dry over several hours, giving the pans a shake every so often. After the nuts dried completely I chopped them up on a cutting board with a chef's knife, dried them in the oven again for a couple hours, and finally ran them through the grinder to turn them into flour.
* The recipe for acorn dumplings may be found here: Squirrel & Dumplings Soup.
Acorn flour bread with wild grape jelly.
Acorn flour bread.
Mango Habanero Hot Sauce
What I like about this sauce is how the heat and the sweet so comfortably balance one another. It has a lovely, soft fruity and maple syrupy sweetness as it hits the tongue. A moment later the heat slides in and you get that nice habanero burn that fills your entire mouth and lingers for around a minute before it's gone. I love the surprise of...
Almost everyone enjoys a good hot sauce, and some of us are hot sauce freaks and aficionados. There are so many fantastic hot sauces on the market today, with as many flavors and levels of heat to keep your palate interested for many years. It's also easy enough to make your own hot sauces: the foundational recipe of vinegar, hot peppers and salt offers a framework for a practically infinite combination and variety of ingredients. What kind of vinegar? What variety and combinations of peppers? Sea salt, smoked salt, pink salt, etc., etc.. A teaspoon of this or a cup of that? Let's add some sweetness with agave syrup, honey, fresh blueberries or pineapple. How about carrots, or tomato, or nasturtiums. The possibilities truly are endless.
That being said, I made a couple of fresh batches of hot sauce over the last week, one of which I'll share here. I'm going to give you the recipe for this hot sauce, with the perhaps irritating caveat that you probably won't be able to replicate it. Heck, I don't think I'll be able to replicate it even though I was quite specific in recording the ingredients and amounts. Some of the ingredients were what I'd call "one-offs". That is, they were unique ingredients that I just happened to have on hand and likely won't have again. For instance, I pickled some habanero peppers from my garden a few years ago, and I had one jar left on the shelf. I'll be darned if I remember what recipe I used at the time. I also had some hot pepper pulp in a jar in the fridge from a batch of hot sauce I made last week. That pulp came from a larger jar of shredded hot peppers I got from my friend Marty three years ago and that have been fermenting in the back of the refrigerator ever since. I have no idea what variety of pepper they were either; all I know is that they were hot and delicious.
Those two key ingredients are non-reproducible. But that doesn't really matter. You can still follow this recipe, using reasonable facsimiles, and still turn out a fabulous hot sauce.
What I like about this sauce is how the heat and the sweet so comfortably balance one another. It has a lovely, soft fruity and maple syrupy sweetness as it hits the tongue. A moment later the heat slides in and you get that nice habanero burn that fills your entire mouth and lingers for around a minute before it's gone. I love the surprise of that delayed heat sensation. It's not real hot; I'd say it falls somewhere in the middle (a 4 or 5) on a 1-10 heat scale. But you can certainly increase or decrease the heat by manipulating the quantities of peppers and/or honey and maple syrup. That's the beauty of making hot sauce: everything is adjustable, and your results will almost always be good (and if they're not as good as you had hoped, you can still go back in and add things to adjust it further).
1 ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
½ cup water
1 tbls mustard seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1 ½ cup small sweet yellow peppers, chopped
4-6 garlic cloves, smashed
2x2-inch piece fresh ginger, chopped
½ cup honey
¼+ cup maple syrup
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
5-6 fresh serrano peppers, chopped
10-12 pickled habaneros with pickling juice
2 heaping tbls fermented hot pepper pulp
1 mango, peeled & seed core removed
1 banana
½ tsp fish sauce
1 ½ tsp sea salt
1. Simmer first 13 ingredients (up to and including the fermented hot pepper pulp) in sauce pan for approximately 10 minutes. Allow to cool enough to be safe in a food processor.
2. You're going to use the food processor now, so figure out how many batches you'll need to divide the sauce in order to process it all. You don't want to do too much at one time. For my processor I did it in 3 batches. Peel and chunk up the mango and banana and divide that into the number of batches you're going to process (again, it was three for me). Add the appropriate amount of mango and banana to each batch and pulse until liquified. Return to sauce pan.
3. Add the fish sauce and salt. Mix in thoroughly.
4. Fill sterile bottles with the hot sauce and store in refrigerator. I save and re-use old hot sauce, kombucha and other similar bottles for this very purpose.
note: I like my sauce to have a little thickness and texture to it. If you're one who prefers a silky, Tabasco-like sauce you can strain out the little chunky bits (and you might want to save that pulp for another batch down the road).