All Outdoor

All hunters like to be in the woods as much as possible during the hunting season. Hunting weather can be a mixture of good, bad, comfortable, uncomfortable, wet or dry conditions. A hunter must be willing to brave the elements to get as much time in the woods as he can to improve his chances of harvesting a whitetail. Knowing how to hunt in and how deer are affected by different weather conditions can be valuable knowledge to any deer hunting enthusiast.

The history and geography of knives is fascinating. Humans, as they spread across the globe, independently developed a wide variety of cutting tools–knives, axes, swords and the like. Over time, the best designs became associated with a specific region and specific use.

The mercury is supposed to pop over 100 degrees this week. With all the recent rains, the water is coming up out of the ground and making the humidity tough. So, what better time to talk about getting some work projects done at deer camp? What else is there to do with free weekend time? Me, too; I wish I could go deer hunting.

This week’s KnifeTests.com destruction test features the Chris Reeve Project II knife. This knife has a strong reputation online, as do many Reeve knives. Although this knife is hard to track down due to its discontinued status, some sites like KnifeCollectors.org still have information about where to get it. The CRK Project II is a one-piece knife, which means there’s no separation between the handle and blade. The 7.5 in. blade is made from A2 tool steel, which Knife Collectors says is not “as resistant to rust as stainless steel.” The style of this blade also means it’s less likely to “break at the tang.”

I reviewed the Freeman Outdoor 451 last fall, and since then I have had the chance to not only use it some more, but also compare it to some really great competitors–namely the Ka Bar BK9 and a custom fixed blade. The 451 still ranks as one of the better fixed blades I have used.

Scoring deer antlers can be a bit confusing, especially since most hunters score only a single set of antlers each year, if any. If one is not well-versed in antler scoring terminology, then it requires the hunter to get reacquainted with the terms (and what it’s referring to) each year. I’ll admit, it’s not an easy process/concept to wrap your mind around because the words “typical” and “normal” (and “non-typical” and “abnormal”) mean very different things when scoring a buck, but people commonly use them interchangeably in daily conversation when talking about other subjects.

I noted a while ago that the AAA format was increasing in popularity among light makers (see here).  I also noted that the flashlight “platform” was being more popular–that the light is no longer a stand alone piece, but something part of a larger system.  The LED Lenser M3R is part of that wave of lights.

A a true writer will take whatever she can get to scribble on when a brilliant idea strikes. But we’re especially fond of Field Notes, the simple little paperback notepads that have somehow hit the spot for creatives across disciplines. As we covered recently, there are plenty of great paperback notebooks on the market, but Field Notes has the form factor nailed down, only offering a few awesome variations of their standard design. As such, other companies like Word., have followed suit. If Field Notes are a staple in your EDC, it’s time to invest in a cover or wallet to keep your notebooks in good writing order. Because their size has essentially become a universal standard for paperback notebooks, there are plenty of covers to choose from. But if you want the best of the best, here are a few of our favorites.

I like the M1 carbine, but it offers two imperfect sighting options. The older 100/200 yard two-aperture flip sights are simple and easy but require a drift punch for windage adjustments and offer no elevation adjustment at all. The M2-style ladder sight is range and windage adjustable in finer increments, but on all examples I’ve seen, the aperture moves up the ladder to longer-range settings on recoil. For close range, the sights may be ignored completely in favor of pointing down the trough in the upper handguard. The stock sights are fine for engaging enemy infantry but hitting point targets — something size of a ground hog or a head sticking out of a trench — at extended range is more difficult.

At this point, I’ve tested all four of the original HiperTouch HiperFire triggers, and they have all performed excellently, including the newest edition, the 24 3gun model. In fact HiperFire triggers are one of my favorite trigger brands. HiperFire just introduced the brand new 24 3Gun which is the sublime 24C trigger with a standard curved trigger shoe instead of a flat blade trigger shoe.

Paper tuning allows you to observe the angle at which your arrow strikes your mark. From this, you can draw some conclusions about how your bow should be tuned.

Last year I did a review of the Vibram TrekSport. Since that review, Vibram has agreed to a settlement class action lawsuit.  The main point of contention was the claims of health benefits attributed to the shoes. 

Rockfish (more commonly known as Stripers) are abundant in the Chesapeake Bay right now, sometimes mixed in with Bluefish and/or Spanish Mackerel, sometimes in a school of breaking fish on the surface, although more often than not, they’re closer to the bottom.

Bucks stop eating during the rut

Sorry for the timing on this one.  Jackets are hard to test, especially one that is touted to be as all around versatile as the Stealth Hoodie.  But I realize that being prepared and being a gear geek are year round pursuits.  So have fun reading an article about a jacket on the hottest day of the year.

An outdoors publication editor asked me once “How many ways can you describe how to kill a rabbit?” His meaning was that some topics are just plain beat to death in outdoor magazines and there is rarely any new information to be offered about such topics.

This is part II of the take away lessons from Blade Show 2014.  Part I can be found here.  It was an exciting show, even for those of us that didn’t attend.  The internet and Instagram provided unrivaled access and even folks at the show were telling me that they found out about stuff going on via Instagram.

Urinating near your stand will scare bucks away

My new favorite gun over the last six months has been my Tavor bullpup rifle from IWI. It’s a design that just flat out works. My original quote in my review a few months ago was that the “Tavor is a Glock in rifle clothing”. The quote thrilled IWI. In talking with them after the review, my quote summed up their design intent, which was to deliver exceptional reliability in a rifle format. They accomplished that goal big-time and to this date I have still not cleaned the rifle since pulling it from the box, have never had a malfunction, and have over 3000 rounds through it and counting. I love this rifle because it is dependable, accurate, and fast.

This week’s destruction test features another Cold Steel–the G.I. Tanto, which retails for $41 on Cold Steel’s website. The G.I. Tanto has a 1055 carbon steel blade and a polypropylene handle. It’s a knife marketed toward survivalists who may want to employ this knife in self-defense. Cold Steel’s website reads, “As its name suggests, our G.I. Tanto is a no-nonsense tactical knife that comes with a legion of practical uses. … Heavy, sharp and wonderfully balanced, it’s easy to throw by either the blade or handle and it hits with real vigor.”