Tagged: Outdoors RSS

  • Tony 8:40 pm on January 6, 2010 Permalink | Reply
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    The Arenas Effect (and Gun Control) 

    Gilbert Arenas has made a complete ass of himself, the Wizards and the NBA by knowingly taking guns to “work” as a “joke”. The fact he made an ass of himself doesn’t bother me. People do it all the time, but when their dumb decisions have an impact on me that’s where I draw the line. How did Gilbert’s poor judgement impact me? In two ways: 1) it digs up the gun control issue out of context and 2) perpetuates the notion that blacks, through the misguided judgements of professional athletes, idealize the thuggish lifestyle.

    The gun control issue is the one that burns me the most. Gun control advocates are already a motivated group and they will no doubt take Gilbert’s actions, in one of the most anti-gun cities in America, out of context and use this as further motivation to ban guns. This is my “Turn them into Monsters” reference on my post earlier on How to Stop the Hunting Tradition. Arenas will be turned into a monster that represents the hunting culture, though, I can say with virtual certainty that Gilbert knows nothing of the lifestyle. Don’t believe me? With public support for tougher gun control at an all time low, anti-gun rights groups will try to seize the moment. You only need to see some of the comments pouring in already (here and here).

    The sad part is Arenas isn’t alone. You have Plaxico, P. Diddy and a host of black entertainers turning up with firearms in situations that impact not only gun control but the hunting lifestyle I hold so dear. It is important that anyone reading this still objective on the gun control issue, understand that people like Arenas do not represent gun owner (generally) and hunters (specifically).

    The second impact this Arenas situation has on me is the fact he is black. Stereotypes are already ripe and, trust me, living in Iowa with hobbies that take me into rural settings I know what they are. It is on this issue I find myself agreeing with Stephen A Smith. I say throw the book on him. No, not with just unpaid leave for the rest of the season…what will that do? The guy has a $100 million contact so if you sit him out now when he’s already made roughly $7 million, he’ll only lose around $9 million dollars, or 10% of his contract. Me, if I tote heat to work – joking or not – they put me under the jail. Furthermore, my real rage comes from the parent in me. Children, including black kids, look up to professional athletes. Sure, bring out your Charles Barkley “I am not a role model” mantra. But even Sir Charles didn’t mean it in this bad of a context. Apparently I’m not the only person of color taking this stance. Reverand Al would just assume throw the book at Areans, too.

    To many I am probably just an anomoly…a black, legal gun-toting American living in Iowa with a thirst for the outdoors and the lifestyle it affords me. Maybe so, but being responsible regardless of context is something I expect of my family, friends and of all Americans across gender, political and racial lines.

     

    • Cory Glauner 8:51 pm on January 6, 2010 Permalink

      I totally agree. Everytime some jackass pulls a stupid stunt with a gun, it’s just another chink in the armor. I think that most people are neutral on the gun control issue but the trend is going the wrong direction. Everybody needs to wake up and be a bit smarter.

    • Tony 8:54 pm on January 6, 2010 Permalink

      Cory, what’s sad is Arenas played in that game last night. Any spine I thought Stern had flew out the window…same for the Wizards coaching staff. How do you *not* bench him?

    • Ken 9:33 pm on January 6, 2010 Permalink

      To me the telling line in the article is “Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets has said he believes 75 percent of NBA players own guns. ” Guilt by association. If you own a gun, you must be a threat.
      Tony, you hooked up with Rev Al on Facebook.:-)

  • Tony 9:21 pm on January 4, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Outdoors   

    Street Smarts for the Woods 

    For the beginner, hunting can be an overwhelming experience. Nevermind that one may not know much about firearms, understand the gear needed or how to use the right call. By removing all that you are left with a more fundamental set of skills which can be described by a solitary, single word: Woodsmanship. Nevermind the traditional sex roles that term might conjur up, Woodsmanship cares not about gender, race or wealth. Woodsmanship is being able to decipher what feels like sensory overload to the novice. The sounds, tracks, expansive terrain, shifting weather and seasonal changes in your quarry. Woodsmanship is knowing when to call and when to shut-up. Knowing when to move and when to set still. Knowing when to pass up on a bad shot and when to wait on a decent shot for a better one. It’s knowing how the land shapes the pattern of nature’s creatures, how the need for food, water and cover effects their habits and how their desire to breed can toss all of that out the window. Indeed, Woodsmanship is street smarts for the woods. So how do you get it?

    While some of what is Woodsmanship can come natural, such as the ability to see the flick of a buck’s tail through dense, winter timber to the ability to navigate unfamiliar terrain without getting lost. However, much of Woodsmanship comes from a single source. Experience. Luckily for those of us young in our lifetime outdoors, experience doesn’t have to be the kind experienced first hand, it can be experiences others have accrued through the years. In fact, your first course – Woodsmanship 101 – should take advantage of as many outdoors veterans as you can. Working in your favor, many of the best outdoorsmen I know have a unique combination of arrogance and unselfishness that makes it easy to draw knowledge out of them. They can’t wait to tell you what they have learned while hunting and how good they are at doing it!

    Your 200 level Woodsmanship course moves you to published works. Wikipedia, outdoors magazines, outdoors television shows and publications by outdoors organizations such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Ducks Unlimited (DU) and outdoor TV shows will be a good place to start and has the added benefits of serving you well when life keeps you indoors. My suggestion is to skip Barnes and Noble and head to your closest half-price book store where there will no doubt be a number of hunting books on the cheap. Better, in my opinion, are the regional online communities such as Iowa Sportsman. Not only do such communities have a lot of members with tons of experience, they can also lead to friendships with people willing to show a novice the ropes.

    After that, your studies take you into woods where Mother Nature leads the class. Entering the woods shouldn’t make you feel you are encroaching so much as you joining your rightful place in nature. Woodsmanship is much to do with reestablishing your ties with nature that our society, full of distraction has tried hard to tear down. Once there Mother Nature will likely not lay quarry in your lap, rather, give you the chance to listen and watch your quarry allowing you to apply this knowledge on future hunts. In fact, Mother Nature will often give you as much advice on how to turkeys while you are on that deer hunt as she is about deer. Woodsmanship is being open to the experience, appreciating that killing is a small part of hunting, the blending in with nature to watch creatures do what they due is the truest reward of any hunt.

    Finally, it’s important that if you learn nothing else from all this, that Woodsmanship isn’t so much an attainable goal, rather, a ladder that much be climbed one step at a time but that can, with the help of others, be scaled quicker. It’s a path that is best shared and when shared with a seasoned veteran of the wood, Woodsmanship is knowing they only do so with the implicit expectation that you will do the same for others.

    NOTE: Many thanks to the Iowa Sportsman Community (formerly Iowa Outdoors). Their member continue to teach me about Woodsmanship and the true meaning of happiness.

     

  • Tony 3:37 am on January 4, 2010 Permalink | Reply
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    How to Stop the Hunting Tradition 

    Hunting is an archaic activity that does nothing other than give its participants an excuse to bear arms and hurt nature’s creatures. Stopping these senseless traditions is as easy as exposing these people as the brutal, animal hating, gun toting rednecks they are. How do we do this?

    1. Start Small – Before trying to destroy hunting in a large country like the United States which is deep with outdoor traditions, start with a smaller country such as the United Kingdom. Using the Scientific Method, establish it as your control and try out a number of ideas you feel can lead to outlawing the barbaric outdoor lifestyle. Start by seeking the outran ban of a very specific species of animal that people are sympathetic to. In the case of the UK, for example, you can use the medieval class system and how it ties to oppression as a great reason to ban fox hunting. If that doesn’t work, throw in the fact the foxes will die in a brutal manner because of the use of dogs since, as we all know, mother nature is the most humane of all killers…not people nor pets.
    2. Divide and Conquer – This concept is nothing new. Take a large group such as outdoors enthusiasts and divide them into increasingly smaller groups. Start by dividing them into hunting and trapping camps. Then move on to dividing hunting into deer hunters, turkey hunters and the like. Then do your best to turn those groups against one another by suggesting whitetail deer are much more of a challenge to hunt than turkey. Encourage the proliferation of region and species specific online communities. In this manner, mis-information they give about us so-called “antis” will be limited to those communities. Be sure to perpetuate the stereotype that hunting is an activity for only the manliest of white, anglo-saxon protestants. The last thing we need is the additional contention that women, blacks and Mexicans could bring to the table.
    3. Turn Them into Monsters – It’ll be much easier to outlaw outdoor activities if the participants are looked upon negatively by the general public. The best part of this is you can often profit off of this activity by making things like stickers of the Confederate Flag, bullet holes or of phrases like “if it’s brown it’s down”. Then make sure others take note during hunting season as these hillbillies sport the elk or deer they shoot uncovered in the back of their pick-up or trailer. After that, find a few sensational idiots in the outdoor community such as felons and poachers and create as much publicity around their situations as possible. When that doesn’t work, hit the public with obscure facts or outright fabrications of so-called “scientific evidence” that clearly show that hunting does nothing to curb wildlife populations and even exposes those populations to hard hitting diseases that could decimate their already “managed” populations.
    4. Find Sympathetic Businesses and Organizations – When the above doesn’t work, get a few so-called “non-profits” who can fight these barbarians using public donations. If you can, do some clever things like get companies that provide common, everyday products like dog food to donate part of their revenues to those same non-profits. Outdoorsmen are pretty dumb and won’t dig deep enough to find out that the product they just bought is actually working against them. These non-profits also bring the added benefit of having Washington D.C. lobbyists at their disposal. These groups are great at working the political circuit and the art of the amendment. That’s right, our lobbyist friends have found crafty ways to attach anti-hunting legislation to bills that have nothing to do with hunting or the outdoors! While all that is going on, we need to point out at every chance we get that our non-profit partners and leaders in business are responsible for the massive turn around in game populations throughout the country. Hunters will lie and suggest the government – through hunting and fishing licenses – are responsible which, of course, is a lie.
    5. Hit Hollywood Hard – Let’s face it, there is no denying the influence that Hollywood and celebrity actors have on the general public. Many of these same celebrity actors tote around their pets and even dress them up like real people. Find the biggest names in Hollywood you can to take up our cause and publicly humiliate these neanderthals. Don’t forget, these same celebrities have deep pockets and relationships with influential people such as judges and politicians. If Hollywood can get Obama elected, damn it, they can help us outlaw hunting!
    6. Outlaw Their Tools – Fact is these bozo’s can’t kill or harm an animal if we take away the very tools they depend on. First try hitting them where it hurts most by taking away their guns. If you can’t ban firearms outright, first try to outlaw automatic weapons. Turn it into an issue of public safety deflecting the issue of hunting. Be sure to point to the escalating crime in your area as a reason to get rid of these radical firearms. Once you get automatic guns outlawed, just start climbing the ladder to handguns, shotguns and rifles. While you work on the firearms bans be creative and consider trying to obtain the outright ban of ammunition. Maybe even sue a firearms or ammunition manufacturer for the death of some pour soul in some big city…it doesn’t matter that hunting wasn’t involved.
    7. Give Them Something Else To Do – If all of the above fails, one thing we have in our hip pocket is that hunting is on the decline. We need to continue pushing distractions such as mobile phones, the Internet and gaming devices like the Wii and Playstation 3. Fact is, kids would rather text, update their Facebook status, or play computer games against each other. This is our Plan B. These hunting fools are too stupid to realize how drastic the decline in hunting licenses are and the positive effect it will have for us moving forward.

     

    • Cory Glauner 8:55 pm on January 6, 2010 Permalink

      The divide and conquer method drives me nuts. Elitists who hate other sportsmen because they don’t agree with their methods don’t do any of us any good. If it’s legal I’m for it. Just because I think Noodling for catfish is a little weird doesn’t mean that it should be shut down. Let’s stand up for each others rights folks.

    • Tony 9:01 pm on January 6, 2010 Permalink

      Yeah, that’s the point I hope more of us take home. Trappers take heat, Fly Fishing anglers come off as snobs (yes, a generalization), but that the more we see our selves as different the easier it is for anti-[whatever] groups.

  • Tony 10:03 am on November 6, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Outdoors   

    DNR Safe Hunting Commercial 

    Here’s the second commercials featuring yours truly.

     

  • Tony 4:14 pm on October 30, 2009 Permalink | Reply
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    Bibbs Family Featured in Iowa DNR Commercial 

    This is Maia, Lauryn and myself in a DNR video featuring safety as the Iowa Pheasant season gets started:

     

  • Tony 9:30 am on July 9, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Outdoors   

    Boat for Sale 

    Well, I’m finally getting around to upgrading my boat. I’m pretty excited but this also means I need to sell mine. I’m asking $3,750 or best offer for a great boat with these features:

    • 1997 Spectrum Boat
    • 2006 30hp Mercury 4-stroke with less than 35 hours
    • 3 swivel seats with backs all in good condition. 1 pedestal seat used for bass fishing
    • 12 gallon gas tank, two storage compartments and livewell.
    • Lights, bilge and aerator all work and are in good condition
    • Galvanized trailer with full spare that’s in fantastic shape. Tires on trailer are brand new.
    • Optional: Minnkota Trolling motor. It’s an auto-pilot that is compatible with the co-pilot remote (not includeded)
    • Interested parties should contact me at tony [at] tonybibbs [dot] com or call 515.554.8046

    Fishing Boat for Sale from Tony BIbbs on Vimeo.

     

  • Tony 6:54 am on June 23, 2009 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Outdoors   

    Preparing to Wade Iowa’s Interior Streams 

    My first try at a short podcast. Basically a video with zilch in the way of editing. That’s next:

    Preparing to Fish Iowa’s Interior Streams from Tony BIbbs on Vimeo.

     

  • Tony 8:38 am on June 14, 2008 Permalink | Reply
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    Making Memories in God’s Country 

    Every year I try hard to get close friends and family together to enjoy the outdoors. This often takes many forms from the simple fishing trip, a walk in the woods mushroomin’, a short hunt or, like this past Memorial Day weekend, a healthy dose of camping. No, not just any type of camping where you pick some random park and hang out. We’re talking God’s Country, Northeast Iowa where limestone bluffs, clean, small streams and classic Iowa towns give you plenty to do like canoing, fishing, birdwatching and a kids versus adults game of kickball. This past weekend was unbelievable!

    You have to immediately understand why this part of the state is such an attraction for anybody that loves the outdoors. The image to the right is literally across from our campground. Imagine how relaxed you’d be hearing the trickle of the stream, echoes of morning songs sung by birds and he shear beauty of such a perfectly sculpted work of art! Another reason this part of the country is so special is because this is where my mom took my sister and I many times. Gone now two years this coming Father’s Day, the memories I have of my mom over so many years up there gives me a strong spiritual connection with her everytime I visit. I can only hope that everybody reading this has such a place, somewhere you can go to clear mind, get right and focus on what is truly important in life. That’s exactly what I did!
    The first treat for me on this trip was leaving a day sooner than the rest of our group to secure a good camping spot along the river. Because Maia had school, Kate stayed back with her while I took Lauryn and Ava on their first trip to this special place. It’s not often I get to spend quality time with any of my girls but especially with my younger two. The nearly four hour drive up was pleasant as the kids did some napping before waking up to sing songs they heard on SIRIUS’ KidStuff channel (awesome channel for anybody with kids). After arriving in Bluffton the kids were angels just taking in the sights and exploring as I got camp setup. As you can see in the picture both Lauryn and Ava were getting the hang of this camping thing quite well!

    Day two things only got better. We started thing slowly with a campfire breakfast, some donuts and, for me, coffee. After that I wanted to do a few things with Lauryn and Ava that would give them a lasting memory of this area! First up was a trip to the Decorah Trout Hatchery. For those not in the know, many Northeast Iowa streams can support trout including brookies, rainbow and browns. The Decorah Hatchery is an impressive facility that not only raises trout fingerlings to catchable size, they also have a trout stream on the property that provides convenient access to anybody including those with accessibility concerns. Ava and Lauryn absolutely loved it! Small fish, big fish and everything in between. I had hoped to do some trout fishing that weekend along with a shore lunch. Ah, but we had so much to do we simply didn’t have time…besides we’d get plenty of other fishing in! In fact, we left the Decorah Trout Hatchery to hit the upper dam in Decorah. I’ve heard the lower dam is much prettier but the upper dam gets less pressure and has easier access for guys rolling solo with two kids.

    First of all, this was the first official fishing trip of the year! Man what a memorable one! Ava and Lauryn *loved* playing with the worms (yeah, that’s right, fishing old school, baby). In fact the worms were almost too much of a distraction for them. Almost. See, the area we picked is one that is now on my top places in Iowa to take a kid fishing. Not only will they likely catch some fish, but they will be a good mix of “game” fish and bigger “rough” fish. To the right you see Lauryn holding a Rock Bass…she’d be the first to tell you she did it “…all by myself!” I have a deep connection with the outdoors and I have my mother to thank for that who got me visiting this part of the state when I was younger. She’s been gone two years come Father’s Day and yet her legacy lives on by passing these experiences to my kids. My bond with the outdoors and this part of the state can’t be over emphasized!

    After fishing the kids were hungry and tired. Kate hadn’t arrived yet so all our food for the weekend was still enroute so on the way through “downtown” Decorah we stopped at Happy Joe’s Pizza. Why there? Well turns out that the first Happy Joe’s Pizza Parlor was opened in the Villiage of East Davenport in 1972. A few years after being hatched in 1973 my parent rented an apartment above one of the local pubs. I have very few memories of that time in my life but I do remember Happy Joe’s with the vibrant red-and-white, enchanting noises such as bells and horns. Few can say they grew up on any one food but I can say I literally grew up with Happy Joe’s. So it was only fitting that after a great day a the trout hatchery and after some awesome fishing we eat at a place that had some significance in my life. This trip to Happy Joe’s wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the beauty of downtown Decorah. Some think if you’ve seen one small, Iowa town you’ve seen them all but few compare in raw, traditional beauty. Shop after shop with everything from ice cream and pizza parlors to antique and consignment shops. They truly have it all. (Click read-more for full story)
    After lunch we headed back to camp where we all managed to catch a quick nap. Nothing is more relaxing than napping outdoors, stream side with your kids. I only regret that Kate and Maia had to miss out on all the days fun. It wasn’t long before the rest of our group started arriving. First it was the Williams clan, friends from Des Moines. Not long after them came the Kronfelds…the four of them up from Cedar Rapids. Then it was Kate’s brother, Jon, and his girlfriend (and hopefully future wife) Rebecca – Reba for those who know her best. Of course that leaves Kate and Maia who not surprisingly showed up last. It was 8 adults, 8 kids and a Boston Terrier in all. If you don’t particularly like camping and have never had the chance to camp with a large group of friends you really have to give it a try to see if doesn’t change your perception. One of the great things about camping is the kids pretty much entertain themselves, the adults can kick back fireside and relax and each day spent was nothing short of relaxing.

    One the highlights of the trip was, not surprisingly, the float we made on Saturday. Blessed with perfect weather, we selected a short float that was the perfect amount of time to keep the kids excited yet not too long to bore them out of the minds. Few places in Iowa offer the beauty seen on the float between Kendalville and Bluffton and if you are familiar with the area you really need to make sure you float the section that has Chimney Rocks. To the right you see one of the Williams boys with one of the best backdrops Iowa has to offer! Best yet, this float gave us one big surprise. Kevin, a long time hunting and fishing buddy, was working with his oldest son on casting from one of the many sandbars you can pull out on. Kevin and I have been visiting these waters for over 10 years so we have gotten pretty good at reading how “fishy” a spot looks and believe me when I tell you there wasn’t anything particularly impressive about this spot. No eddies and for what little slack water there was it was only a few inches deep. That left only the swift part of the river as a viable place to cast. Thinking we had this spot pegged Kevin and I paid little attention while the kids were casting and then, sure enough, we hear yelling. Yep! Fish on! Man, as was it ever. After a few second fighting the fish to shore, it revealed a roughly 17 inch smallmouth bassblack bass that puts up the best fight pound-for-pound. This is why I’m cursed to never “pleasure boat”. I’ve decided if I’m ever going to be in any vessel that floats I will always carry at least one fishing rod.

    One of the other highlights from the trip (well, for some anyway) was the kids vs adults kickball match. We’re talking serious stuff here. Both kids and adults took the game very serious and I was surprised at how much trash talking that was coming from both sides. It all sort of reminded me of this classic ESPN commercial. The kids proved to be worthy opponents and it was surprising difficult to actually hit such small and quick targets. In the end, the kids one but I’d like to point out that it was only after yours truly had to come out late in the game with a leg injury. It’s official….I’m not “young” anymore. Ok, so there I was “batting” and clearly being an idiot because a) I was barefoot…sandles were getting in my way and b) I got the itch to see just how far I could kick the ball. Foolish move. As I kicked the ball I am pretty sure I heard my quadricep tear away from the bone. Ok, ok, maybe it wasn’t quite as bad as I’m depicting but I can say it was a fairly severe pulled muscle leaving a nice bruise on my thigh for about a week. Despite this very serious injury I can still tell you it was all worth it. I can’t remember that many adults participating in any sort of pick-up game like that when I was growing up!

    Wrapping up, one of the other reason for us having chose this section of river is the convenience. If you recall our campground is right on the Upper Iowa River so by floating the stretch upstream we avoided the hassle of loading all the kids up a second time. We were able to simply pull ashore and send the kids off to play while the adults got unpacked. Once unpacked the evening camping ritual of campfire dinner, smores, beverages of choice and – for those interested – a nightcap of a fine cigar under starlit skies. Even this lengthy blog post can’t recount all the memories made…things like Reba finding a dead, dried-up leopard frog, Jon accidentally giving his dog, Pele, a bath in the cold waters and of the Upper Iowa and one I won’t forget…pulling my quadricep playing the time honored tradition of kickball.

    As that weekend ended, it was fate to be a perfect weekend. Before heading home I convinced everybody to go to the Upper Dam to see, first hand, how good the fishing is. I believe all the kids minus one caught a fish but everybody undoubtedly had a great time. One of the things that will last with me was when Doug told me one of his kids were surprised at how much fun fishing could be. Sounds like we may have a budding outdoorsman in the making! Trips like that is truly what it is all about. Anyway, Mother Nature chased us off with lightening coming from some ominous clouds so we all made a mad dash for the vehicles to begin the trip home. Turns out the ride home would even be memorable…but for the wrong reason. We drove through the beginning of what has now been three weeks of very heavy rainfall in Iowa leading to very serious flooding. We personally missed or tornado that touched down just north and east of Waterloo on it’s way to Dunkerton. Not everybody was so lucky as anyone in the towns of Parkersburg and New Hartford will tell you. We made it home safe and while getting home tried our nerves, I know I’m not the only one that can’t wait to get back up to God’s Country and make more memories.

     

  • Tony 11:01 pm on May 13, 2008 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Outdoors   

    Spring Outdoors 

    The nation’s mid-section and much of this great country is experiencing a cooler than normal spring. Don’t worry, even for those of you on our border with Canada, you will soon be outdoors (I hear ice out is about 10 days behind last year). That said, spring activities are in full swing in most of the rest of the country and now is the time to get out. What should you do? After reading this list I think you’ll agree it will be hard to pick one!

    Float a small river or stream

    .Most of us are within a few miles of a small river or stream. This gives anglers and those who simply enjoy a leisurely float in a canoe or kayak a chance to enjoy the change of seasons. For the angler spring gives access to fish moving upstream to spawn. Odds are you’ve already missed the northern pike and muskie spawns but many of you can still get in on the walleye and crappies as they move up. Don’t fish much? Floating small streams this time of year make upper stretches of many small streams a challenge and this time of year that many such places have enough water to float. Just be careful, spring rains can raise streams to dangerous levels so take all the necessary safety precautions.

    Lake Fishing

    Spring is the great equalizer on most of our nation’s lakes. Why? Just like in our streams, spring means spawning runs but instead of moving upstream, lake fish move to the shallows making them accessible from shore. Crappies are a favorite this time of year with small tackle and live bait being particularly effective. Looking for more adventure? Wading is a great spring-time tactic for catching ice-out catfish patrolling the shallows for winter kill fish that have blown ashore. While ice-out has hit much of the country already, walleyes also provide great wade-fishing action. Just remember if you choose to wade take all the normal safety precautions (e.g. don’t go alone, wear a life jacket, avoid bad weather, etc).

    Turkey Hunting

    Many states in the union offer up some excellent turkey hunting and spring is synonymous with turkey hunting. This late in the spring turkey hunting can be a real challenge because many of the toms are “henned up”. This means you can’t expect calling to be as effective as it was early in the season and that hunting later into the day is a top option as many toms will leave hens they were tied up with in the morning to search for others. Setting up on known travel routes and calling just enough to entice a wandering bird can be particularly effective. Another good tactic is to simply spot-and-stalk. The new foliage of late spring can make sneaking up on a gobbler easier, though, it can also mean getting a shot off can be a challenge. If you do spot-and-stalk, avoid crossing saddles and ridges without first setting up and calling as peering over saddles and ridges is often the time you get busted.

    Mushroom Hunting

    For the die hard mushroomers spring means long walks in the woods after one of natures most delicious treats, the morel mushroom. Mushroom hunting is something the entire family can do when you do it safely by avoiding ticks and the disease they can carry as well as avoiding false identification of morels which can be deadly.

    Camping

    One thing that goes well with all of the above activities is camping or can stand alone by itself is camping. Spring brings warm temperatures yet you can avoid the nuisance of many bugs such as mosquitoes who haven’t reach their full summertime numbers. Camping is something that can transcend age, and lends itself well to long talks with family and friends either in reflection of past outdoor pursuits or just touching on any of life’s experiences.

    Spring is a time of anticipation of the great summer to come. I hope you all get a chance to get out and enjoy the outdoors particularly with kids. Blackberry’s, the upcoming election, video games and life’s other distractions can’t compete with the time a family or group of friends spends in the outdoors. So get out there, enjoy the outdoors and make some memories!

     

  • Tony 8:51 pm on May 11, 2008 Permalink | Reply
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    Don’t Get Tick(ed) Off! 

    Let’s face it, now is the time to be outdoors. Whether you be chasing wild turkey, planting food plots or taking the family on a hunt for the delicious morel mushroom which is just coming into season in many parts of the country you are going to expose yourself to ticks. In fact this time of year I expect to see ticks doing their best to catch a free ride and, worst yet, a free lunch. Ticks, generally, are fairly harmless insects but left unchecked they can introduce some very nasty illnesses…some that can even kill you. As with any potential enemy it is best to learn as much as you can about them and how to combat them. So how do you do that?

    First, learn about the two most common types of ticks in the United States. There is dermacentor variabilis known as both the dog or wood tick. Adult specimens are relatively large to other tick species making them easy to spot as they attempt to make their assent to a warm, cozy spot on your person. This species has been known to transmit an illness called Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. In my experience this is the tick you are most likely to run across, particularly in my neck of the woods (Iowa).

    More feared than the wood tick is the Deer Tick known to people in white coats as lxodes scapularis. This tick is much smaller than the wood tick which is a problem because it can transmit lyme disease one of the more feared tick-born illnesses and one all who love the outdoors should become familiar with.

    Ok, so you know what they are so how can you prevent getting them and what do you do if you find one making home on you, a loved one or friend? First you need to know how these little rascals get on you. They do not jump and can’t fly so the only way you can get them is to come in physical contact with them by either walking through grass and brush or, less likely but possible, have one fall from overhead. That said it is absolutely imperative for anybody enjoying nature to do “tick checks” after each trip afield. Before we get into how to remove a tick, let’s talk about preventing them from setting up shop in the first place. For this Google is your friend as there is no shortage of advice (here, here and here to name a few). Let me sum up a few of the most common recommendations:

    1. When you can wear white or light colored clothing. Ticks are dark and will be a nice contrast to a white shirt allowing you to quickly spot them.
    2. Tuck your pant legs either into your boots or socks and wear long sleeved shirts buttoned up at the wrist. Wearing a hat and optionally a mosquito net will help protected your head.
    3. Use a tick repellent. Many common brands of bug repellents also deter ticks.
    4. Do tick checks often, particularly when you are in areas with heavy tick populations. Each outing should conclude with a full body tick check. Adults should always do this for children and even adults could benefit by having a spouse or significant other provide a second set of eyes.
    5. Prevent bringing ticks into your home. This means checking pets that my have been out with you as well as ensuring the clothes you wore are tick-free. I’ve personally seen ticks show up on one of my daughters who wasn’t even with me on the prior excursion. I’m convinced the tick came in with me on my clothes.

    Despite your best efforts if you are an outdoor enthusiast you will undoubtedly run into a situation where a tick will have set-up shop. Now what. One common misconception is that the use of heat or chemicals should used. I personally recall being told to use tweezers and to heat the tips of the tweezers up with a lighter…NO don’t do that. Turns out that using heat, chemicals or even crushing the tick while attached to it’s host could cause it to regurgitate into the skin. Instead simply use common household tweezers or specialized tick tweezers like Tick Twister to remove the tick.

    Finally I’m going to leave you with this video which specifically discusses prevention of ticks, symptoms of lyme disease and other useful tips:

     

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