Outdoor tips and tricks

[LLtaxidermy]

Thought it would be neat to see what kind of unconventional tools, tips, or tricks you all use in the field. Hunting, fishing, camping, skinning deer, cleaning fish, trapping, gun cleaning, knife sharpening etc. Anything you can think of.

[JohnWester]

well, when I go hunting in Canada or camping in the BWCA... I always pack my clothes in gallon size zip lock bags.  then you squeeze the air out and seal it.  it takes up less room, and if you tip or canoe or get rainy weather, you'll always have dry clothes.  But packing them like this saves on space, which is the key thing.

[LLtaxidermy]

Thanks John, another good camping tip is to pack dryer lint in your bag to help get a fire started, mix a little candle wax and sawdust in with it and it will burn plenty long enough to get a fire started. You can also dip the tip of matches in wax to waterproof them.

[Realtree]

A buddy of mine was just telling me yesterday of a different way of removing the hide from a deer that another friend of his shared with him this year:

They make a cut around the base of the neck above the shoulder through the hide, finish the slit completely down the belly from field dressing, and up the inside of the legs as normal.

Then, they insert a golf ball under the hide at the neck and bunch the hide up around the golf ball now under the hide. Next, they take a smaller gauge chain and wrap around the golf ball on the outside of the hide and attach this to a tractor, truck or skid steer and pull the hide off this way.

I don't know that I would do it this way, especially if you want to save the hide for anything but they evidentally do all their deer this way.

Has anyone else heard of this or done it this way? I don't think the couple extra minutes it takes to pull and trim the hide by hand with a small knife is that bad...   

[HD]

When we do processing at the shop, we do the same thing, only we have them hanging on a meat hook from the back of the neck, (after the head is removed) and we have a electric hoist that the chain runs through a clevis mounted on the floor. We hook up the hide the same way, around a ball, but we use the power of the hoist instead of a truck.
But, not everbody has a hoist at home, so a truck would work.
And we do more than just one or two, so it is a time saver!

[LLtaxidermy]

I've heard of guys also making a small incision and blowing air under the skin to loosen it from the body. Don't know how well it works but it sounds good.

[Super Star!]

For trapping i have to many to list...

other than that i think i do every thing close to perfect lol....... well maybe not but close.

[Realtree]

When we do processing at the bait store, we do the same thing, only we have them hanging on a meat hook from the back of the neck, and we have a electric hoist that the chain runs through a clevis mounted on the floor. We hook up the hide the same way, around a ball, but we use the power of the hoist instead of a truck.
But, not everbody has a hoist at home, so a truck would work.
And we do more than just one or two, so it is a time saver!

That makes sense!! I would be careful in doing this at home in the garage and pulling the roof rafters down with the skid steer....       

[barebackjack]

Now thatd be funnier than he#^ I could just see 4 guys standing around  wife pulls in to the driveway to that sight Well honey, we were having a few beers and spinach thought...................

[Grute Man]

The first thing to pack in your back pack or even a day pack for hunting is not a compass or 1st aid kit.  They do need to be there but the FIRST thing to pack is a partial roll of toilet paper.

Just  remember, if you're out in the woods and need to use you TP and you think of me -- don't tell me.   

[Realtree]

The first thing to pack in your back pack or even a day pack for hunting is not a compass or 1st aid kit.  They do need to be there but the FIRST thing to pack is a partial roll of toilet paper.

Just  remember, if you're out in the woods and need to use you TP and you think of me -- don't tell me.   

and make sure it is in a quart size zip lock bag to keep it dry...nothing worse than wet tp in your time of need! 

[HD]

Ya, but honey, some joker on MNO said it would work!



Oh, that's right, I'm the joker!