Of all the websites and you tubes I have seen I am very impressed with the site http://miculek.com/welcome-reddit/ or http://www.bang-inc.com/

It is not only fun to watch Jerry Miculek shoot he takes the time in his video utubes to give pointers to the shooter about stance kind of weapon and purpose for rifles and he does demonstrate he has the fastest finger in the world. There are plenty of video’s to watch like speed shooting a Desert Eagle 50 cal or the 50 cal semi-auto Barrett he shoots 6 rounds in 1 second. He has an instructional video that looks to be fantastic. He is listed in Wikipedia below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Miculek

His products are for sale on Amazon.com like his Practical Rifles Video for AR Platforms. There are training classes that you can take as well with Jerry.

You will spend hours watching all he has to offer.

I like his videos for we novices so that when defense time at home at or on the go comes. You will be ready!! This is not about hunting this is about knowing you and your weapon and what you can do with a semi- automatic or just a plain revolver. Be Safe!!! Shoot often! More to come…

If you don’t have an emergency kit/ duffle -bag in your vehicle and you get caught way out in the winter wilderness unprepared, you life is on the line. Your kit should include:

An Adventure First aid kit which has a compass and matches and fire starter such as Vaseline and cotton balls or lip balm and cotton balls, Aspirin and Tylenol besides bandages and mole skin. Emergency whistle.

Flashlight with extra batteries. A head mounted flashlight is better.

Emergency Water filter that you can use in the nearby creek like a LifeStraw or Filter mechanism to keep out bacteria.

Extra gloves blankets/clothing/hats gloves.

Charcoal disposable Hand warmers and foot warmers.

A hatchet or small axe to cut firewood.

a few 50 gallon plastic bags for either shelter or coat.

Meals ready to eat. MRE’s

Sanitary hand cleaner and a roll of toilet paper.

Dish Soap and new sponge and small sealable plastic basin.

A sharp knife.

Propane cook stove and propane.

Cooking pot and potholder.

A flare gun if in winter.

A gun with extra ammo where legal.

A GPS locator beacon or E-PIRB is expensive, but not as expensive as your life.

If you are concerned for the risk then get one! © 2014

I bet you would be thinking that I would be suggesting a rifle. Nope!

One of the best defense guns on the market is the ubiquitous Remington Model 870 12 Gage Pump, fitted with a smooth slug barrel and it serves a dual investment.

You can hunt deer with it too. It is not just sitting locked up in the corner of the bedroom gathering dust. Just remember store it safely so it will be ready for home protection after you are done.

I have had an 870 pump for most of my adult life. It has served me very well for deer, turkey and ducks and makes a statement if pointed at an intruder or it is cocked with that characteristic kachunk-kachunk movement of the slide down and back up.  On the wrong end, hearing that will certainly suggest that you are in deep do-doo as an intruder.

If loaded with a round of 00 buckshot, it meets the FBI minimum penetration criteria. Slugs will penetrate much further and injure others in far off rooms. Shoot a 00 buck load and you have unleashed 8 .33 caliber pellets at the target in just one shot and will penetrate a wall or door to do it.

I like the 45ACP Pistol but if I were really concerned over local break-ins you can bet both would be ready. © 2013

I am no expert on Mountain Survival Gear however I have been in many situations that have caused me to be more prepared.

Today there is more survival gear than ever. Technology is terrific. One of the items in my hiking a hunting back pack that has always been a given is a first aid kit with basic bandages, tape, antibiotic creams etc. A good start. I like the Adventure Medical Kit at Midway USA.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/497125/adventure-medical-kits-adventure-10-first-aid-kit?cm_vc=sugv1652944

Cost: $10.00

or the Adventure First Aid Kit

at http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/medical-kits/adventure-first-aid/adventure-first-aid-1-0.html

Cost $12.00

My son bought me an Easy Care First Aid System for my birthday for the home. It covers 1-8 people for 14 days.

http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/medical-kits/mountain/mountain-series-fundamentals.html

Cost: $110

HYDRATION and ELECTROLYTES

Equally, I have been in the woods and mountains without enough water as well. That is very bad indeed. I drank from the local stream and ended up with a mild case of giardia. So lesson learned I carry a water filter, mine is a Kathadin Pro Hiker filter with a pump and will filter out giardia. It is great for creating lots of water.

http://shop.katadyn.com/product/8018273?catalog_id=1&language_id=1

Cost $84

***************************

LIFESTRAW

Today there are water filter pens and straws that are smaller and will easily fit in a backpack. Get one today so you won’t be caught without good hydration.

Example: LifeStraw

(quote from Wikipedia)

“The LifeStraw is a plastic tube 310 mm long and 30 mm in diameter.^[4] Water that is drawn up through the straw first passes through hollow fibres that filter water particles down to 0.2 µm across, using only physical filtration methods and no chemicals.^[5] The entire process is powered by suction, similar to using a conventional drinking straw, and filters up to 1000 litres of water.^[6] While the initial model of the filter did not remove Giardia lamblia,^[7] LifeStraw removes a minimum of 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites including giardia and cryptosporidium.^[8]”

Cost: $20.00

It has been used successfully around the world in humanitarian crisis. I will purchase this soon and if I like it, I will buy one for each member of my family.

Using Chlorine Bleach you can purify water accordingly at the website and table below.

Click to access drinkingwater.pdf

ELECTROLYTES

Second Item I will purchase is Electrolyte tablets that you can add to water to balance your body electrolytes like flavored “Elixer” tablets that contain vitamins and minerals that you can plop into your canteen. Or drink at home or work to give you Energy and Stamina.

http://www.brownells.com/emergency-survival-gear/water-amp-hydration/water-accessories/elixir-tablets-prod58828.aspx

Cost: $5.99 to $7.99 for 12 tablets. I have not tried them yet but they are cheap enough that if they prove out. I will surely purchase more.

Don’t forget disposable Heat Packs/Hand warmers/Foot warmers for Staying warm. You can buy them in bulk too at local retailers too.

SURVIVAL KNIVES and HATCHET

There are hundreds. I only carry a smaller knife for skinning and gutting. I like Buck Knives because they are hollow ground and maintain their edge and don’t rust However In the deep woods, or unknown forests I like to carry a hatchet too.

This is a real survival tool that can aid in making a temporary shelter. One of the best out there is the Gerber Back Paxe II – Clam for around 34 dollars. I am cheap and have a wood handled one but it did get me out of a jam when I got turned around on a Canadian Hunt. I was able to cut birch bark and make a very nice winter fire in short order. Making a survival fire can be difficult see the website below.

http://www.wildbackpacker.com/survival/tips/tipsindex.html

and

http://survivalcache.com/how-to-build-a-fire/

LOCATOR BEACONS

If you can afford one a personal satellite locator beacon can be helpful.

Cost in the $300 range

Well that is a good start but not the end. More to come..

It was supposed to snow at least 6 inches or more overnight so I pulled my tom turkey from the frozen bowels of my chest freezer for a Snow storm treat. Yes the one I shot in May of 2013, the story is in the Archives here. I skinned that bird because I did not want to be bothered plucking. The problem is to cook it without the skin takes an inventive nature. I solve this years ago by layering Bacon on the bird like a new skin with plenty of fat to drip and protect the breast and leg meat.  You can see the toothpicks I used to hold the bacon in place. If you want a more smokey flavor just use hickory smoked bacon. Another trick I have used in the past is to layer thin slices of granny smith apples over the bird for moisture and then use the bacon as I have done here.

A neat way to dress up this wild bird

So I baked him in the oven at 350 F till the internals were 165 degrees. Actually the breast was closer to 180 F And then I broiled the bacon a bit. The width of the bird wasn’t enough to stand up alone so I used the aluminum foil from his sleep in the freezer to keep him breast up.

Here is how he came out of the Oven.

Wild Turkey with Crispy Bacon skin

The turkey rested till the Mrs. came home and then we feasted. The salt from the Bacon did not overdrive the Turkey. I will use an Aluminum Foil Tent to try and keep the breast meat more moist at the end. I was able to make a fine gravy from the pan drippings.

We served buttered mashed potato and yellow squash with cranberry sauce. The leg thighs were a bit undone so I cooked them a bit more. I would say that we have leftovers for maybe 6 more servings. What a feast!

Whether you are hunting local or hunt down south, up north or out west, now is a great time to go on the Web and do that research. I am! Request brochures only from places that peak your interest. If you are like me and on a budget, it is important to add all the costs of the hunt.

As an example:

Air and Ground Transport, Gas, Hotel

License Fees

Outfitter cost

Butcher and Freeze

Cost to get meat home

Trophy Fees & Tips

Extra Items to purchase for the hunt like specialty camo or a rain suit.

Taxidermy – estimate taxidermy cost.

Total expected

Ask yourself, do I have the right weapon for this hunt?

A 12 gauge on the prairie is good for birds but not for long range big game.

A 30-30 Winchester is not ideal for Pronghorn or Mule Deer. A .270 Winchester, 308 Win,30-06 Springfield, 243 Win, 6mm or 7mm Rem is ideal.

A 50 lb pull bow is marginal for elk. Great for deer.

Be sure to check references so that you know what to expect from your outfitter.

My Firearms/archery list for big game:

Deer – 6mm and up. If I had to choose? .270 or .308 best. 40lb bow minimum best at 55 lb and above

Black Bear – 6mm and up. If I had to choose? .308/30-06 min 40lb bow minimum. Best at 55 lb and above.

Moose – .270 and up. If I had to choose? 338 or .375 best. 60 lb for bow

Elk  – .270 and up. If I had to choose? 338 or 375. 60 lb minimum

Brown Bear –  300 Win and up. If I had to choose? 338 or 375. 70lb minimum.

Africa? –  .270 and up for plains game. If I had to choose? 375 with a backup on dangerous game. With Bow, 60 lb pull minimum on all but dangerous game.

Bowhunting – I am an advocate for fixed blade broad-heads only.

Rifle hunting – I own three rifle calibers, a .22 LR, a .243 Winchester and .375 Ruger. The .243 and .375 are hand loaded by me and span all game on the planet from varmints to Cape Buffalo. Remember to use state of the art recoil pads on all rifles. Pads like Simms SVL and Pachmayr Decelerator are a must as they reduce recoil nearly 50% thus decreasing your sensitivity to felt recoil and make a better shot.

If I could not hand load I would own calibers that are purchased regularly over the counter such as a .22 LR, .270 Win, and .300 Win Mag, and a .375 H&H for all game on the planet with state of the art recoil pads which cut felt recoil in half. © 2014

Duck Dynasties Phil Robertson controversies did nothing but make him a household name even in houses that don’t hunt. Belief in God and the Bible are packed into this Duck Hunting Family. You may agree or disagree with Phil on his recent statements but the hook up with Mossberg under the banner Duck Commander is set to explode in  a way that I believe we’ve never seen before…and it is refreshing!!!

http://mossberg.com/itsduckseason

I do like to Duck hunt and these guys are set to get under your skin in more ways than one. Arising is a massive following by those hunters that believe strongly in God, Guts and Guns, Hunting and strong pride in America, the land of the free and home of the brave.

It is a stand in a time where the far left is trying to turn Americans in to sheep by trying to ban guns,freedom and destroy the constitution.

Folks like Senator Feinstein are now trying to say that if you are former Military then you may be “overly stressed” and should not own an Assault Weapon.

What the hell is she talking about, America has been fighting for Freedom since the Revolution, and Americans have owned semi-auto firearms since World War I. There are no Assault weapons on the streets or in sporting goods stores. Another lie to the Low information voters.

It isn’t just Duck hunting and Guns being sold by Duck Dynasty.

What is being sold is hunting, manhood, family and Patriotic American freedom under God that underlies the overall theme. I  like it! Way thumbs up!