Today we will be talking about the equipment you need for a successful camp kitchen. Weather it be for an overnight cookout, a weekend getaway or and extended vacation the tools you need for your kitchen will be basically the same. The equipment listed here is intended for a group of 4 to 6 staying at a campsite. If you intend to go backpacking or need to be mobile adjust your plan accordingly. I like to eat good when I'm under the stars. Good taste has taken a back seat to strange priorities for long enough. While dehydrated foods and ice cream packaged in tin foil have their place, I would rather not eat them unless I really have to. Don't get me wrong; every good camping checklist should include a safety kit with at least three days of emergency rations, the operative word here being emergency. Isn't it funny how when you are starving to death almost anything can taste good? Lets just pray none of us ever get into that situation. Just be prepared and you will sleep better at night. I know I do.

  The items listed here are intended to provide you with everything you need to prepare a quick snack or cook a gourmet meal while being efficient, reliable and lite.

 For starters you will need a place to prepare your food and do your cleanup afterward. There are many camp kitchen tables with built in sinks that provide you with a simple and fast solution to this problem, however if you don't have the cash to plunk down or you just don't want to carry that much weight there are alternatives. A #10 can serve as a dishpan or you can clean the pot you used for cooking and use that to wash the rest of your dishes.

 You will need some type of table for your stove and food preparation. There is just no getting around it, but you can get creative and use your tale gate or even a large flat rock. Just make sure you’re not close to any vegetation or anything flammable. Some campsites provide a table for you. Be sure to call ahead and make sure one will be available. Nothing is worse then planning all your meals around a table that is no longer available upon arrival.

 You should have an ice chest for perishables; a camp stove with at least two burners and enough propane or gas to last the duration. I always bring twice as much fuel as I think I will need just in case. These items tend to be pricey out in the middle of nowhere. There are complicated formulas you can use to figure out exactly how much fuel you will need but in a campsite setting it is not that crucial. Again, if you are backpacking you will need to plan accordingly.

 You will need a frying pan and two or three pots with lids in graduated sizes. I recommend a cook set with the frying pan, pots and lids in one convenient, compact set that all fits together for easy transport.

 TIPS:

 * Use the cans your food came in to heat them up and save on the cleanup.

 * A camp oven and a coffee pot that fits over your camp stove is desirable.

 * You will also need a tool set with spatula, tongs, knife etc. and a dinnerware set with utensils, and last but not least a salt and pepper shaker. Any additional spices will depend on your menu.

  * Optional accessories include and are not limited to a small cheese grater, a small whisk, a corkscrew, toothpicks etc. I always carry a multipurpose knife a.k.a. Swiss Army Knife.

 Now that you have your equipment here is a great recipe that has become a tradition around our campsite.

 Orange Muffin Cakes

 ~ 4 large oranges
 ~ 1 cup Bisquick
  ~ 1 tbsp sugar
  ~ 1/2 cup water
  ~ 2 tbsp powdered milk
  ~ butter
  ~ pancake syrup

 * Cut the tops off the oranges and hollow out the rinds to make an orange peel cup. Drink the juice from the cups and eat the fruit.

  * In a large bowl mix Bisquick, sugar, water and powdered milk. Spoon batter into orange peel cups until about half full and replace tops. Wrap with tin foil making a tight seal and bake in camp oven at 350º or bury in hot campfire coals until set, about one hour. Unwrap and eat warm with butter and pancake syrup.

 For all the items listed above, more tips, tricks and camp recipes visit Tim on his web site Camping-Cooking Supplies.com at: www.camping-cooking-supplies.com

  While I'll was sitting down to write about my latest Backwoods adventure, spring turkey hunting, one incident that happened to me while hunting kept coming to the forefront of my thoughts. Here's what happened. It was the morning of the last day I had to hunt. The previous two days had been windy and cold with only one hen the day before as the only turkey I had seen. This day was to be clear, sunny and not so windy. I was set mentally. "This is the final day. The last day of the season. Do or die." I knew this was the morning to bag me a gobbler.

 I had set up in my best spot, (where I had seen the hen the day before) on one end of a field, along the edge in one of those pop-up blinds. Which by the way are great to hunt out of when it is cold and windy! My decoys were set about twenty yards in front of me. I had settled in way before day break and everything was going as planned. Around 6:30 I caught some movement out of the corner of my left eye. "Is it a tom coming in? Will I finally get to see a gobbler working to my decoys? " No! This was not to be the day. What was coming down the field and straight for my decoys were four dogs. Words can't describe how angry I felt. Here I was on my own property and the neighbors dogs were out roaming free.

 I couldn't believe it. They made a beeline straight for my decoys and stopped about forty yards from them. I guess they were surprised that the "turkeys" weren't fleeing from them. Since I was hidden in my blind, they never paid me no mind. They started to bark at the turkeys to get them to move. While I was trying to decide what to do, they started slowly toward the decoys. Well this was enough for me. I grabbed my gun and pulled well ahead of them and as the navy would say "fired a shot across their bow". When the twelve gauge went off, there were four dogs tearing ass back toward home. My heart sank at knowing that this was my best chance and now it had been ruined.

 I'm sure that most people at some point have encountered what I did. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't condone shooting of pets but to continually be "harassed" by dogs and cats that belong to someone else while you are on your own property has reached epidemic proportions. This is not the first time I have encountered dogs coming across my property while hunting.

 Let me get on my soapbox for a while. Why must pet owners let their dogs and cats run wild across the country? I'll tell you why. They don't want to be responsible for them. People get a dog or cat and after Rover or Fluffy grows from a pup or kitten it is no longer cute and cuddly. No one wants to take care of it or play with it anymore, so just turn it loose to run wild. Which brings me to my next topic. If you want to let them run loose, why not keep them on your own property? Why not do this? Because it is too expense to erect fences or to install one of those wireless fences. Why not nip the problem in the bud and train your dog to stay within your property when it is a pup or keep Fluffy inside where it belongs.

 I have seen dogs running deer on my place as well as the neighbors property, which we have access to. I've chased them off by yelling and throwing sticks at them only to see them come back days later doing the same thing. I for one am sick and tired of it. When owners are confronted they deny that their pets do anything like that. "Look at how cute he is stretched out on the porch. That must be them wild dogs you saw chasing deer." Yeah right! There aren't too many white dogs with a black patch on its right side shaped like an acorn.

 I'm not just picking on dogs here but cats are a problem too. There was an article in Field and Stream magazine in January 2002 called "Muffy, the Quail Killer" that talks about the problems of feral cats. People complain about the return of coyotes and wolves as the reason for declining quail, rabbit, duck and pheasant numbers. Well research shows that cats kill more wildlife than coyotes and wolves combined. You can read the article, "Muffy, the Quail Killer" on Field and Stream's web site at: http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/hunting/gamebirds/article/0,13199,191854,00.html.

 What are we to do about this problem? Shoot every dog and cat that comes on our property? That wouldn't be right and in most places you will be prosecuted if caught. The correct answer lies with the owner. Keep your dog or cat on your own place. Keep them penned, chained or in the house. If you don't want your pet anymore, find someone who does that will keep them contained. I can remember my dad, grandpa, father-in-law and uncles talking about disposing of dogs that chased their stock and killed their chickens. You don't want them killing your stock so why let them run loose so they can kill, chase and harass our "stock". As hunters and land owners we spend a lot of time and money to insure the health and well being of our wildlife and don't appreciate unwanted visitors.

 Let's see where you stand on this topic. Send your opinions to: mail@backwoodsbound.com. I now step down from my soapbox. Til next time - James Burns

 Now that you've been successful this spring season, what do you do with your turkey. Here is a quick check list on deep frying that gobbler.

 1) Don't try to fry too big a turkey. The average pot will hold about a 14 to 18 pound turkey. If your turkey is bigger than that you might want to prepare it another way.

  2) Always fry your turkey outside on a flat even surface. Don't let kids or pets around while you are cooking.

  3) Be prepared in case of an accident. Fire extinguisher...good idea. Water hose...bad idea. Think about where the burning oil will go if the pot turns over. Under your truck? Down through the gaps between the boards of your wooden deck? It is best fry your turkey in the yard or on a driveway. Get a piece of plywood to set you fryer on. It will help keep splattering oil off your grass or driveway. And believe us, the oil will splatter.

 4) Know how much oil you will need. A good tried and true way of figuring the amount of oil needed is the water method. Put the raw turkey in the pot and fill it with water until the turkey is almost underwater. Now take the turkey out and mark where the water level is. That is the amount of oil you will need.

 5) Dry the fry pot out really good before filling with oil. Also pat the turkey dry with paper towels inside and out. Shake it around to get the water out of the inside. Hot oil and water do not mix very well.

 6) Use good clean oil. Peanut oil is the preferred oil because it can withstand higher temperatures better then other oils. Vegetable oil can be used in a pinch but try to get peanut oil. You can use it several times if you take care of it. Buy a filter specifically made for straining oil. They can be purchased at department stores or through mail order companies such as Bass Pro Shops. Coffee filters don't work to good.

 7) Wear thick leather gloves, a long sleeve shirt and long pants. When you are lowering the turkey into the oil you will get some splattering, so expect it. Remember, USE CAUTION! Watch out for that hole where the neck was. Oil will gush out of that like a volcano.

 8) Before lowering the turkey into the oil, TURN THE FIRE OFF. Ninety nine percent of the time oil will splash over the side of the pot. If you turn the fire off all you get is a small mess instead of a dangerous flare up. Once the turkey is in and the oil has settled down, relight the burner. Bring the oil back up to cooking temperature of 350 to 375 degrees and let the turkey cook. Keep the fire just high enough to maintain a good cooking temperature. Once the oil gets hot it doesn't take much to keep it hot with the exception of outside temperature and wind. Play it by ear and adapt.

 9) Go slow when lowering the turkey into the oil. Lower it in a couple of inches and then raise it up a little. Lower it in a little farther and then back up a little. When the turkey is a little over halfway in, tilt it to each side . This will let any air pockets out of the inside and should stop oil from splashing so bad. Going slow also applies to taking the turkey out. Bring it out slow and let the oil drain out of the inside back into the pot. And NEVER leave the cooking turkey unattended.

 10) Know when the turkey is done. The general rule is 3 1/2 minutes per pound. This gives you an idea of when it should be done but take the temperature of it with a meat thermometer. Raise the turkey up out of the oil about halfway (you'll probably need help with this) and take the temperature in the breast and in the thick part of the thigh. It should read 165 to 170 degrees. If it is done, remove it to a large platter and let it sit for about 15 minutes before carving. If it isn't done, lower it back into the oil and cook longer.

 And the last commandment, Enjoy!

Answer To Bonus Question: The first five players elected to the Hall of Fame were; Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner. They were elected in 1936.