Start scouting and preparing for bow season now

Posted: July 31, 2014 by gamegetterII in Archery, firearms, hunting, survival, Uncategorized
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It’s only a couple days away from August,many state’s archery seasons start in Sept.

Here in Ohio, deer archery season starts on Sept 27th.

You should have had mineral blocks out since at least Memorial day,as they help with antler growth. ( Unless not legal in your state) There’s still time to put a few out,they’ll still attract deer,and keep them coming back to the same spot every day. Be sure to place the blocks in areas where you will have a clear shot.

Now is the time to figure out where you are going to place stands or ground blinds,and trim branches,brush,or really tall grasses that would interfere with you having a clear shot.

Deer live in the woods-they notice things like tree branches being trimmed,do it now,so they get used to it,and it’s not a danger signal to them.

If you are going to hunt from a tree stand, ground blind, or ladder stand-hump it back into the woods and set it up,so you will know exactly which branches need cut back,which areas need the brush cut back,or if you need to pick a different spot for the stand/blind

Bring a small notebook,like a steno pad ,and good rangefinder,or a 150 foot tape measure with you-look at where you have your mineral blocks-which should be along a trail on the way to or from one of 3 things-bedding area,water source,or food source. Make a sketch of the area,label landmarks-old tree stump,big rock,fallen tree,etc. and measure the distance from your stand to each of these landmarks.

Repeat this for each stand location. You have to have multiple stand locations,wind direction changes,and food sources change-which means the deer’s route to and from their main food source changes. Always have a stand near oak trees,as acorns are a major food source-deer will eat acorns above all other foods,as long as there’s a goop acorn crop. The oak trees you choose to set up your stand in or near have to have an easy route in for the deer,along with an escape route. Deer always approach from cover,try to set up near the edges of stands of oak trees,that way you have a better chance of getting a shot at first or last light than you would if your stand was in the middle of the woods.

Once you have your stand locations mapped out,walk the trails in and out of the woods to each stand location. Clear dead branches and sticks off of the trails,so you can approach your stand quietly. Trim back briars and small branches so they don’t make noise by you catching your clothing on them,now is also a good time to either use some surveyors tape,or place trail tacks along your trails,or use both. Don’t start marking your trails as soon as you get in the woods-or others will be able to follow your markers to your stands.

You should have a good idea of where your trails are,that’s another reason to walk them often now,so you know the way to each stand by memory.

Just remember to walk the trails at the times of day when the deer are least likely to be there.

If you use trail cameras,now’s the time to get them set up-the more you do now,the less you have to do just before the season starts,when more people are in the woods. Pull the cards every few days,and see what’s on them-should give you an idea of the size of bucks you will see in the fall.

In states where you can’t use trail cams,or mineral blocks or other attractants,just pay real close attention to the deer trails,find bedding areas,water and food sources,and set your stands along those trials,trying to always stay downwind of the deer’s likely direction of approach.

One more thing about deer trails,the main trails you see are made by does,does with fawns, and groups of does-take a look about ten yards to either side of the main trails,look for faint trails that don’t look like a lot f deer use them-these are the trails the older bucks use-remember that when choosing your stand locations…

I got plenty of deer long before mineral blocks,scent bombs,doe in heat urine,bait,and even treestands were used by most hunters.

I got the deer by using the exact same methods I described here-it’s called hunting for a reason-there’s some hiking around and work involved in it-it’s nothing like you see on the tee vee shows-you gotta put some boots on the ground-early and often-pay attention to deer movements, know where the biggest stands of oak trees are,and get your stand set up at the edges just as the acorns start to drop,after that-hit the edges of corn or soybean fields. Pay attention to the farmers-the few days after a field has been harvested-deer are all over it.

Deer will also hit those same fields in winter if there’s stubble from the corn left,and they’ll hit the oaks again,looking for acorns under the snow.

Plan your stand locations accordingly-remember,you can use them during the gun seasons too.

Next deer hunting post will be hunting the rut.

Read.

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train.

Do more PT.

N.E. Ohio Combatives Training

Posted: July 29, 2014 by gamegetterII in firearms, self-defense, survival, training, Uncategorized
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Someone told me about this guy,which I had forgotten about,then I saw his truck on the road earlier.

Seems to be a great training program-for a very reasonable price.
Check out the Q&A,and the “About Us” parts of the site,it’s not your typical self-defense,or martial arts training course.

The instructor is a USMC vet,with many years of training experience in combatives and firearms.

 

 

http://www.streetcombatives.us/index.htm

 

 

I have not taken any of the courses,nor do I know anyone who has.

If anyone has taken any of these courses,please let me know.

Victory for Second Amendment in Fla Court

Posted: July 29, 2014 by gamegetterII in firearms, gun laws, Uncategorized
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Federal court upholds Florida law limiting doctors’ discussions of guns with their patients

“TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida law restricting what doctors can tell patients about gun ownership was deemed to be constitutional Friday by a federal appeals court, which said it legitimately regulates professional conduct and doesn’t violate the doctors’ First Amendment free speech rights.

The ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta overturned a previous decision that had declared the law unconstitutional. An injunction blocking enforcement of the law is still in effect, however.

The 2011 law, which had become popularly known as “Docs vs. Glocks,” was challenged by organizations representing 11,000 state health providers, including the Florida chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians

Doctors who break the law could potentially be fined and lose their licenses.”

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/268655302.html

Gardening,Canning and Food Preservation Part II

Posted: July 27, 2014 by gamegetterII in composting, gardening, Growing your own food, preparedness, survival
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Some things I did not discuss in detail part 1…

Compost:

Even if you live in a home on a small city lot,you can still make a compost pile.

Start the pile by saving all of your vegetable peelings and scraps,along with fruit rinds,apple cores,etc.

Add your grass cuttings,the leaves you rake up,coffee grounds,egg shells,the outer leaves from a head of lettuce,tea bags,all the stems and leaves you prune off of your garden plants-including flowers-(if your wife or girlfriend plants flowers)-if you plant flowers-and you’re a guy-your man card is hereby revoked.

Add a couple bags of manure,which you can buy at Lowe’s,Home Depot,or your local garden center. We have chickens,so we have a source for plenty of high nutrient manure for the compost pile.

I do a fair amount of woodworking and carpentry,so I have piles of sawdust to add,which helps a lot. If you use a chainsaw to cut a tree down,or cut firewood-rake up the sawdust from the chainsaw and add it to your compost pile.

If you live in the city/suburbs, in the fall,you can usually find all the leaves you can use,either raked in piles on the curb,or bagged up in the “special” paper bags the city makes you buy.

If you have a lawnmower that has a bag to catch grass,along with saving the grass cuttings,run over the leaves before putting on your compost pile.

Once you have a fairly large pile,you have to keep turning it over,or mixing it up,to speed up the process. You will notice that the stuff from the center of the pile is warm,that’s the things you have added breaking down into compost.Keep adding stuff to the pile as often as possible,turn the pile over every time you add new materials. You don’t have to thoroughly mix the pile every time,but you have to cover the new materials with the already decomposing stuff from the center of the pile. If it hasn’t rained for a week or so-water your compost pile,moisture aids in decomposition.

Wood chips are anther good thing to add to your compost,as is old mulch.

I help out a friend who owns a tree service from time to time,and he will dump a load of chips for me any time I need them.Those who live in the city can usually get free wood chips when you see a tree service taking a tree down,most will gladly give you as much of the chips as you want.

Just keep adding new organic material to your compost pile,and it will keep breaking the stuff down,and you will always have a supply of fresh compost for free.

Once your pile contains almost all fine compost,start a new pile,and add some of the old pile to the new,as this will help the new pile to decompose faster.

I took some scrap 2×2’s and a leftover piece if 1/4″x1/4″ square wire mesh,and made a frame that fits across my wheelbarrow-that way,I can screen any large pieces out of the compost I take from the pile.

All composting does is speed up what happens on the forest floor in nature-the leaves,dead plants,etc. are broken down into topsoil. So what you end up with is a free supply of what is a nutrient rich humus type soil. Be sure not to add an excessive amount of oak leaves,or pine needles,or if that’s what you have to use-add some crushed limestone to balance out the high acidity of the oak and pine.

One other thing I do is in the fall,when all my wife’s flowers die,I empty the potting soil from the flower pots into the compost pile,along with the dead flowers,just break up the roots and stalks/stems.

Those who do not believe in using chemical fertilizers can make a “tea” out of the compost,by placing some compost into a pieces of cheesecloth that’s held over and partially in a 5 gallon bucket,and pouring water slowly into it,use the tea to water your vegetable plants.

In the fall,after you’ve harvested your veggies,and tilled up your garden,spread a layer of compost over the garden,it will prevent weed growth,and the nutrients from the compost will leach into the soil from rain and snowmelt.

Till that layer into your garden in spring,and add a new layer and till it in-this should give you a nutrient rich garden soil-that means nutrient rich veggies from your garden.

Read.

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Train.

Do more PT.

Lovely

Posted: July 27, 2014 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized
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Emergency Medical Care Resources and Suggestions

Posted: July 27, 2014 by gamegetterII in emergency medical care resources, first aid, preparedness, survival
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The site below has a number of great books on emergency medical care available as PDF downloads-these should be included in your medical references.

Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook

“A comprehensive reference designed for Special Operations Forces (SOF) medics. Download Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook, 2nd Edition from rapidshare, mediafire, 4shared. Developed as a primary medical information resource and field guide for the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) medics, the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook defines the standard of health care delivery under adverse and general field conditions. It is organized according to symptoms, organ systems, specialty areas, operational environments and procedures. It emphasizes acute care in all its forms (gynecology, general medicine, dentistry, poisonings, infestations, parasitic infections, acute infections, hyper and hypothermia, high altitude, aerospace, and dive medicine, and much, much more) as well as veterinary medicine and sanitation practice under prim Search and find a lot of medical books in many category availabe for free download. Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook medical books pdf for free. Developed as a primary medical information resource and field guide for the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) medics, the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook defines the standard of health care delivery under adverse and general field conditions It emphasizes acute care in all its forms (gynecology, general medicine, dentistry, poisonings, infestations, parasitic infections, acute infections, hyper and hypothermia, high altitude, aerospace, and dive medicine, and much, much more) as well as veterinary medicine and sanitation practice under primitive conditions.”

68W Advanced Field Craft: Combat Medic Skills

“The Combat Medic of today is the most technically advanced ever produced by the United States Army. Such an advanced technician requires an advanced teaching and learning system.”

Combat Medic Field Reference

“The ability to save lives in war, conflicts, and humanitarian interventions requires sophisticated skills above and beyond first aid. Today’s Combat Medic must be an expert in emergency care, force health protection, limited primary care,…”

Where There Is No Doctor

“Hesperian’s classic manual, Where There Is No Doctor, is perhaps the most widely-used health care manual in the world.”

Where There Is No Dentist

“This 2012 updated reprint features information on Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART), a way to fill cavities without the use of a dental drill, as well as updated information on other training material and resources.”

 

http://medical-books-ipdf.blogspot.com/2011/10/special-operations-forces-medical.html

Another great book-

http://www.slideshare.net/alsfakia/us-marine-corps-wilderness-medicine-course

Another-

http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA543613

Supplement to the above…

http://www.socom.mil/JSOMDocs/Winter%202011%20JSOM%20Training%20Supplement-sm.pdf

Wound Closure manual-

http://media.benersättning.se/2012/04/Ethicon-wound-closure-manual.pdf

Everyone should have the complete U.S. Army IFAK-(improved/individual first aid kit)-

 

The IFAK (Improved First Aid Kit) consists of six expendable medical items packaged into a specially sewn expandable inner pouch with elastic bands to hold each of the items listed below. The inner pouch containing the six items is folded over and has velcro seals so that the inner supply module(pouch) can fit inside of the outer sac. The inner supply module is attached to the outer sac by means of a coil cord which is attached to grommet hole on the corner of the inner sac and then into a second grommet hole at the bottom of a modified MOLLE SAW ammo pouch.

The IFAK increases individual Soldier capabilities to provide Self-Aid/Buddy-Aid and provides interventions for two leading causes of death on the battlefield, severe hemorrhage and inadequate airway. These capabilities increase Soldier survivability during dispersed operations and the expandable pouch allows for METT-C specific “add-ins”.

Includes:

  • 1 – SOFTM Tactical Tourniquet
  • 1 – Elastic Bandage Kit
  • 1 – GA4-½” 100’s Bandage
  • 1 – 1 Surg 2″ 6’s Adhesive Tape
  • 1 – Nasopharyngeal, 28Fr, 12s Airway
  • 1 – 4 Patient Exam 100’s Gloves
  • I recommend adding the following:
  •  Add EMT shears
  • Add quickclot bandages
  • Add Dermabond
  • Add sutures
  • Add regular band-aids
  • Add Betadine
  • Add triple antibiotic ointment
  • Add a small bottle of saline solution for wound irrigation.
  • Add syringe w/out needle for wound irrigation.
  • Add aspirin,ibuprofen,tylenol-and if you have a few-prescription pain meds-such as Percocet,morphine,oxycodone,dilaudid.

Modify the kit according to your needs-it’s a great kit to keep in a bug out bag,or your hunting pack.

 

Gardening, canning and food preservation-part 1

Posted: July 26, 2014 by gamegetterII in gardening, Growing your own food, preparedness, survival, Uncategorized
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Those who live where they have the room to grow a large garden should be doing so,as it not only saves you money,it supplies you with a lot of food which you can preserve by freezing,canning,and dehydrating.

Just for an example,we just yesterday finished the last jar of tomato puree that we canned last fall,and last year was a really lousy year for growing tomatoes in NE Ohio.

We still have 6-8 pint jars of what I call chili base-it’s peeled and de-seeded tomatoes and a variety of hot peppers that makes it super easy to make a batch of chili,plus it takes less time,as all the hot peppers are already diced up and in the sauce.

We still have green and yellow wax beans canned from last year,and still have some frozen diced hot peppers,green peppers,and sliced eggplant,along with some shredded zucchini.

Even if you live in the city,in an apartment,you can grow a few tomato plants,and a couple of pepper plants in buckets,or large flower pots on your balcony.

I do the maintenance at a couple of condo complexes,some of the people there have huge zucchini and tomato plants on their small patios.

You can grow herbs like basil,oregano,thyme,and rosemary inside year round,in flower pots near south facing windows. Windows facing other directions will work,you just won’t get as much growth,as fast.

No matter where your garden is-a raised bed garden on a city lot,or a half acre garden,you have to amend to soil-which means adding organic material like composted manure(never put fresh manure on your garden-it will kill your plants)-compost,or peat,along with crushed or powdered lime if your soil contains a lot of clay.

To “loosen up” your soil,you need to add vermiculite or perlite-that’s those little white “rocks” you find in potting soil.

You also will need to fertilize your plants,I use a combination of leaf feeding,which I do with Miracle Grow,mixed at 1 1/2 tablespoons per gallon of water-that I put in a spray bottle,then spray on the plants until the leaves are wet. I do that once per week.

I also use a continuous release fertilizer which I place at the base of the plants after they have been in the ground for at least a month. Use according to directions on the package. I have used Miracle Grow’s continuous release fertilizer,and a couple other brands that are specifically for tomatoes. All of them seem to work about the same.

If you are not using fertilizers,you will have to use a lot of composted manure and compost,and rototill it into the soil both in the fall,and in early spring.

What I do is spread a thick-(4-6″)- layer of composted manure over the garden in the fall,after it’s been tilled,in the spring,I till that in,then add another thin layer-(1 1/2-2 1/2 inches)-along with some peat and vermiculite or perlite. If I’m working with soil that has a lot of clay,I also till some lime into the soil in both spring and fall. Eventually, the lime will break up the clay.

It’s not  good to use stakes made from pressure treated lumber in your garden-as the chemicals will leach into the soil-into your plants-and therefore-into you.

Starting out with canning is not all that great of an investment,water bath canners are around $20.00,you also need a pressure canner to be able to can some veggies-like green beans-plus with a pressure canner you can can soups,sauces,and meats.

You will need a set of jar tongs,a canning funnel,and a supply of Ball canning jars-with rings and lids. Also get some canning salt,and citric acid. Some recipes also call for vinegar and some type of oil.

The jars and rings are reuseable,the lids are not.

Get yourself a copy of the ball Blue Book of Canning-it’s about the best reference on canning out there,you can also get canning info from the USDA,and your county Agricultural office if you live in a rural or semi-rural area.

Go here for canning info from Ball…

http://www.freshpreserving.com

Go here for canning info from USDA…

The free, 196-page publication can be downloaded from the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. The publication is also available in a spiral, bound book format from Purdue University. Single copies are available for $18 per copy, bulk discounted prices are available. Orders can be placed via phone (toll-free: 1-888-398-4636), fax (765-496-1540) or online at  Purdue’s The Education Store.

Those who are hunters can also preserve game by canning.

Having your pantry stocked up with foods that cost you very little-other than your time,is also a great way to be able to save $$$ that can be better spent on important things-like rifles,shotguns,bows,crossbows,ammo,arrows,crossbow bolts,and fishing gear.

Read.

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Train.

Do more PT!

Good resource on saving seeds and planting

Posted: July 25, 2014 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized
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http://howtosaveseeds.com/index.php

Deer Hunting for Beginners

Posted: July 25, 2014 by gamegetterII in Archery, firearms, hunting, preparedness, survival
Tags: , , , ,
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Those of you new to hunting are going to find out that it’s not like the tee vee shows.

You have to put a lot of effort into it. You are not just going to walk out into the woods,set up a treestand,and shoot a deer-it just don’t work that way.

You ain’t gonna be posting pics of the Pope and Young or Boone and Crockett 37 point buck you killed on farcebook or twitter,or sending pics to all your best buds on your smartphone-that is simply not reality.

You also are simply not gonna be a good enough shot to take a deer unless you target practice-a lot.

You also ain’t gonna get a deer if you are a couch potato-hunting is work-you have to spend time in the woods,you have to scout locations and deer movements way before the hunting season begins.

What you need to do,if you are a slug-(couch potato)-is get off your fat ass and start hiking in the woods you plan to hunt-you will need to work your way up to being able to do so carrying all of the gear you are going to carry when hunting.

This will take you about 6 weeks-unless you have been a slug for many years-then it may take 8,10,or 12 weeks for you to get in shape!

While you are wandering around the woods you will be hunting in-pay attention to the animal trails-it’s not hard to tell which are deer trails-if you don’t know what a deer track looks like-Google it-if you are reading this,it’s kinda obvious that you have internet access -use it.

What you need to figure out while you are wandering around the woods-the slugs will be sucking wind most of the time-so they actually have more time to look at the ground- is where the deer are bedding down,where their source of water is-(deer have to drink water at least twice a day)-where their food source is-and which trails they travel to and from each area.

Once you have that figured out,you need to figure out where to place your treestand or blind.

One of the most important things you have to consider is wind direction.

You always want to be downwind of the direction the deer are traveling.

If you are going to hunt in the mornings-what you have to do is get into the woods,and to your stand or blind before it gets light. You have to do so very quietly. One thing that helps is trail tacks,they reflect the light from your flashlight-which you should use as little as possible,and with a green filter lens-so the light emitted is green. Deer supposedly can not see the green light.

I don’t really trust that 100%-so I try not to use a flashlight at all. Walk the trail you will use to get to your stand as much as possible-at times when the deer are not likely to be in the area-

If you are hunting a location that is along the trail deer use when they start moving in the am-hike to your stand in the early afternoon,after the deer have left their bedding area.

If you are hunting an evening feeding area-hike to your stand in the morning.

Many states allow the use of bait and attractants-many do not-be sure you know the regulations in your state.

A good thing to do in states where it’s legal-is to place mineral blocks within shooting range of your stand/blind-starting in early spring,keep putting new blocks out as the old ones are used up-the minerals help antler growth. The deer also get in the habit of visiting the block at a certain time of day. Placing a block near your morning stand/blind and another near your evening stand/blind increases your chances of getting a deer by a lot.

If your state does not allow the use of bait or attractants-it’s no big deal-find the bedding areas,the water sources,and the food sources. Put your stand/blind downwind of the trail the deer use to go to and from one of these areas.

If you are going to use bait-where legal-place it near where your mineral blocks are located-this gives the deer two reasons to visit the location,and to stick around for a while.

I use some shell corn-(just corn that’s been taken off the cob)-and some cob corn.

The shell corn gives them some easy to eat food,the cob corn makes them work a little to eat the food.

That keeps them in place longer,and increases you chances of getting a shot.

Deer hunting is not that complicated,it just takes some effort-you have to scout out the place you’re gonna hunt,you have to be in shape-you can’t be trying to sneak into your stand/blind at 4:30-5am and be sucking wind after you walked 100 yards-get in shape!

You have to target practice-if you are bowhunting-you need to shoot at least 50-60 arrows a day-every day-at different ranges and angles.

If you are hunting with a shotgun using slugs-the best practice would be shooting clays,then shoot a few boxes of slugs a week or two before the season starts-just to get sighted in.

If you are gonna hunt with a rifle-shoot at least 3 times a week. I know ammo is expensive-you just have to shoot 3 groups of 3,3 times a week.that’s around a box and a half of ammo.

Give up the soft drinks-the coffee at the quickie mart,the fast food lunch-and you’ll be able to afford to shoot.

You have to exercise,you have to hike the woods you will be hunting with all the gear you will take hunting,you have to pay attention to deer movements,and food sources-because the food sources change depending on what is available for food.

When the deer stop eating one food,and go to another source-like when acorns drop-plan to move your stand/blind accordingly.

That’s the way you get a deer when you go deer hunting.

I have also posted some articles on prohillbilly.com

 

Leave any questions,comments,criticisms, or death threats in the comments section below.

You can also follow me on Facebook at  Starvin Larry

On Twitter @StarvinLarry

 

 

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Blacklisted

Posted: July 23, 2014 by gamegetterII in Uncategorized
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Look how Obama’s “most transparent administration ever” is extending and adding to government watchlists…

From WRSA

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