Backwoods Bound Bullet

ARTICLE: CAMPING - GET REMOTE AND GET COMFORTABLE By Samantha Jaden

 Camping.; It's a word that is applied to a range of activities. For some, camping means taking the RV to a park, hooking up to the electricity and turning on the television. For others, camping is all about living rough: backpacking with minimum gear to a remote lake and sleeping beneath the stars. I like it somewhere in between those disparities. I'm happy with 'car camping.' That is, pack as much stuff into the car as it will hold, drive to a nice campground, put up the tent and relax by the bonfire. Stiff back from sleeping on a bumpy surface and misty breath in the early morning air are part of the thrill, but there is the handy car, ready for retreat if the weather turns nasty or the neighbors get much too loud.

 Because; of those neighbors, I sometimes wish for more of a get-away. Although people surely camp for a variety of reasons, one if the most common must be communion with nature. This is not an easy feeling to experience in a campground packed with a few hundred other families. You end up being at very close range with more strangers than you would ever tolerate at home. That's expected in a campground, but you can find ways to increase your chances of camping solitude.

 For; starters, if you do prefer to stay in campgrounds and to have your car handy, try staying in the more primitive grounds. The ones with outhouses instead of bath-houses and no electricity are a lot less populated, not surprisingly. Also, they generally don't use the reservation system, so part of the adventure is to show up and see what's available.

 Now;, if you are willing to camp outside designated camping grounds, you can do this in most U.S. National Forests. This way, you can still car-camp, and have a bit of privacy. Make it part of the camping trip experience to use forest service maps and locate your excellent spot. Once you've found it, you can return many times, so it's worth investing the time to search for just the right place. Leave the area like it was when you found it. Pack out your trash, have no fire when prohibited, etc. Aside from being the right thing to do, when you leave the place like it was when you found it, other people might never notice it, and it will be waiting for you next time.

 Canoe; camping is one of my preferred ways to achieve camping solitude. Canoe camping works a few different ways, depending on the water situation. If you're at a lake, it is often a matter of simply paddling to the opposite shore from the designated campground. On a river, you'll need at least one companion for a shuttle. Choose your put-in and pull-out using the excellent maps you'll be carrying with you. The maps will also help you locate camping spots along the way of your river run. For this remote get-away method to be fun and safely carried out, I advise good advance planning, including some pre-event scouting.

 Once; you've identified places to have these sorts of camping trips, with part of the thrill being to scout and explore various possibilities, campgrounds never have quite the same appeal. Speaking figuratively, you've carved out your own little niche, and by taking good care in how you use them, the places will remain your own private camping grounds.

 Samantha; Jaden is a contributing author to News About Camping the leading resource for camping information. Visit Samantha's archive of articles at http://www.acamping.com.

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ARTICLE: MY SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE HUNTS CONTINUES

 My; next in a series of unfortunate hunts took me to Oklahoma in the middle of October 2004. For those who are new to this story, you need to go read the first installment in the December 2004 issue of The Bullet. It begins the story of my 2004 deer hunting and how bad luck seemed to latch onto to me like a hungry tick. This story continues that failed effort. Call it bad luck, a curse, bad mojo or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, my hunting trips have met with little success. Anyway, on with the story.

  The drive to southeast Oklahoma started off in the pouring rain. Was this a bad omen? As I think back, it might have been but at the time my spirits were high with the anticipation of hunting somewhere new and exciting. And of course to making new friends. My high spirits still didn't wane even after getting delayed in two traffic jams due to car accidents.

 Eight; hours later I found myself checking into a motel in Stigler, Oklahoma about forty five minutes from my final destination, McCurtain. McCurtain is close to the Robert Kerr Reservoir southwest of Muskogee. Needless to say I had that old Merle Haggard song stuck in my head for quite awhile. You know the one, Okee From Muskogee. " I'm proud to be an Okee form Musskogee"... damn it! Get out of there!

 The; next morning I met up with my host for the week, David Falconer and another fellow hunter, Barry Long. Barry, who traveled over from Georgia is a scout for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. I enjoyed talking baseball with him later on that evening at camp.

 David;'s ranch it turned out was nearly 1200 acres of prime deer habitat. Mountains covered with red and white oaks, river bottoms covered with oaks and open pasture land. Placed in strategic locations around the property were food plots and automatic feeders. Unfortunately the food plots had just about dried up from the high temperatures and the lack of rain but the feeders were in full use. There also were several treestands already in place that we could use if we desired.

 After; setting up camp, we fired up the ATV'S and David showed us around the ranch. David knows his property well and pointed out many fine places to set up and hunt. After several hours of riding around, my head has swimming with all of the things David had shown us and I'd have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed. A couple of places really stuck in my head and one of them was the location of a big rattlesnake den. Though the thought crossed my mind for a split second about getting one to eat, I made sure to avoid the area.

 David; also told us that the ranch was crawling with ferral hogs and to shot any we saw. I told him I didn't buy any tags or license to kill hogs and that I'd have to pass. He then informed us that there is no season on them and therefore we could take as many as we were willing to butcher. David promised my a steak dinner if I killed five of them. "Only five?" I replied. He wasn't asking for much was he. Turns out I didn't see any the whole time I was there.

 That; evening I chose one of David's treestands to hunt from. It was set up at the edge of a clearing off a cleared pipeline right-of-way running through a valley. It was a great spot. There were several persimmon trees growing in the middle of the clearing and they were full. I saw several deer that evening but no shots were taken. Did take one shot with my camera of a nice little buck with twelve inch spikes. As luck would have it, it didn't turn out. Should have known.

 Up; until now things were going pretty good. I went to bed that night full of anticipation. I fell asleep with visions of big racked bucks playing in my head.

 The; sound of rain and blowing wind woke me around one. I wasn't discouraged though. I thought to myself, "Its going to blow through before morning". With that thought, I rolled over and went back to sleep.

 The; alarm rang a little after five. Listening to the wind blowing like mad and the rain still falling, I elected to reset the alarm for six. I should have just gotten up then and there because I never went back to sleep. Finally around 5:40 I decided I had better get up and go check on things outside. Lucky I did too. My portable sun shade shelter I had set up was slightly damaged. The metal side supports were starting to give at the pivot points. Needing a way to strengthen the bad places, I taped some dinner forks to the areas. Thank God for duct tape and to my wife for packing a lot of forks. Not sure how many people she thought was going to be eating with me but she guessed a lot.

 Anyway;, since the weather was bad and I didn't want to get blown out of a tree, David's friend Kevin Thomas and I headed to town for a hot breakfast. Kevin was there too for a bit of hunting. Barry decided that since he had driven all that way and being the hunter he is, he forgo the hot breakfast and went hunting. What dedication!

 Arriving; back from town we found Barry packing things up. He said that he had just gotten into his treestand when his wife called him to say that he had the chance to hunt the Wade Plantation, (I believe that was the name) that weekend. Barry said that this plantation was a great place to hunt and that he had been on the waiting list for several years trying to get in. If he missed this opportunity it might take several more years before he got his chance again. He said goodbye to David, Kevin and I and headed for home. I never heard how he made out but I'm sure it was better than me.

 I; hunted later that morning and that afternoon. Saw two deer right at dark. I had climbed out of my stand and eased up to a fence I had to cross. I looked to my left and about fifty yards down, there were two deer standing by the fence. It was too dark to count points but they were two nice bucks. I had high hopes for the next day.

 The; next morning I went back to the stand I was in the previous evening ready for some serious hunting. Not long after daybreak the deer started showing up. Unfortunately they were all over a hundred yards away and heading across the field away from me. Total count that morning was fifteen deer. Out of that number, five came to within 45 - 50 yards of my stand. One was a buck that would have been a fork horn if he hadn't have been missing his right antler. No shots taken with the bow but I took a few with the camera. They didn't turn out either. Huh.

 That; afternoon David and I moved a pop-up blind to the corner of this one field where the deer had been feeding in the evenings. It was a great spot where the field made an 'L' shape and we set the blind up at the crook of the 'L' just at the edge of the woods. I arrived early and got comfortable. I waited and waited and waited. At times like this all sorts of things start going running through head. "I'm not going to see any deer up here", "I should be back in the valley by the pond", "I wish the top of this blind would stay up!" and "It sure is hot in here! I hope I don't run out of water."

 Finally; around 6:40 I saw some deer way down the fence row in front of me. Alright! I reached for my binoculars. No binoculars! I had forgot to bring them along. "Rats! Oh wait, my range finder magnifies some." I couldn't see to good out of it so I put it away and waited for them to come closer. After ten minutes or so, four does had made their way to within 20 yards of my hiding spot. I drew back and stuck a nice doe.

 As; I tried to watch her as she ran off to my right, the rest of them scattered to the left. It was getting dark fast and I was going to wait as long as I could in the blind before venturing out. The top of the blind kept collasping down on me so I after ten minutes I got out to find my arrow. As I approached the edge of the field, I looked to my right and saw a doe standing 50 -60 yards down the other fence looking my direction. I dropped down behind some branches to wait her out. It didn't take long. After about a minute or so she blew at me and ran into the woods. Was that the doe I had stuck? I tried to remember every detail of her escape so I could track her later.

 Finding; the arrow covered with blood I was confident she was stuck good. Since it was now dark, I marked the spot where I found the arrow and headed back to camp. I had to decide whether to wait a few hours and come back and track her down or wait until morning. It was going to be cold that night and I wasn't afraid of leaving her until morning if need be. I ran into David on my way back to camp and related the story to him. He said that he would go out first thing in the morning to get her and for me to go on and hunt since I still had a buck tag to fill.

 I; went to bed that night listening to the approaching rain and watching the lightning light up the sky through the tent. I was hoping that David would find the deer quickly in the morning.

 The; next morning most of my thoughts were on the doe. I was confident that David would find her and I would have work to do later that morning quartering her up. I just knew that I'd have to make a run to town for ice. But that was a good problem.

 I; did see a couple of does that morning but I couldn't get a shot even if I wanted too. I only had a buck tag left to fill and didn't need to get in any trouble. That was okay because the highlight of the trip happened that morning.

 Here;'s what happened. I was standing in my treestand watching a trail that goes around a pond when I caught some movement under some limbs almost directly under my stand. "Its a deer! No wait, it's not tall enough to be a deer." Suddenly out from under a bush popped a hairy head. It turned and looked right up at me. I was looking face to face with a mountain lion! We looked at each other for awhile and then he turned and looked around the pond. I kept wishing I had my camera out of my pack. (Wouldn't have mattered anyway. The picture wouldn't have came out either.) He turned back to look at me again and then walked on out from under the bush. It was about three feet long with a tail about eighteen inches long. It walked to the edge of the pond and stood there looking around for about a minute and then ran off. Wow! What a cool sight! I'm usually the guy in camp that never sees anything like this. I couldn't wait to tell David.

 Coming; out, David was waiting for me. I quickly asked him if he had found the doe and he replied, no he hadn't. He had searched for a couple of hours without finding her. My heart sank a bit. "Here I go again" I thought. David told me that he went out the night before just as it had started to rain to look for the deer. He was afraid that the rain would wash away the blood trail and we would lose our chance at recovering the deer. I told him the thought had never crossed my mind when I had heard the rain falling on my tent. For all his efforts, all he got was soaking wet. We decided to get together in an hour or so to take up the search again.

 Arriving; at the field, I relayed the entire sequence of events to David and off we went to pick up the trail in the woods. We searched for over an hour without finding any sign of the deer. No blood, hair or deer. I had all but given up when David suggested we go through this one area one more time. I reluctantly agreed. After looking around awhile I was headed back to the field when I stepped right in a huge puddle of blood. While staying on the spot, David started tracking and picked up the trail. The hunt was on as our disappointment was quickly forgotten.

 Seems; the doe had turned the opposite direction than the way we had thought she would go. Like a couple of bloodhounds we followed the trail further and further down the hill and into the woods. The further we went, the less of a trail we found and after an hour the trail died out. We had came this far and wasn't about to give up yet. We ventured in every direction from the last sign for 80 to 100 yards without finding hide nor head of the deer. We searched under every bush and brush pile and over every log and rock that we thought she could be laying behind. The gloom fell back upon us like a storm cloud as we sat down on a log to take a rest.

 What; a bummer. We had searched for over 3 hours without finding the deer and that didn't count the time David had spent that morning or the time he had spent the night before. We came to a few conclusions on our loss. First of all the rain had not washed away the blood trail like we had thought it would. I blamed myself for not putting a better shot on her and David blamed himself on the loss for pushing her the night before. He said that if he hadn't of came out to look for her, she more than likely would have stayed where she had first laid down and died. I had to agree on that but also told him the idea of the rain washing away the trail made sense since we had no idea how far she had ran after being stuck.

 I; finished my Oklahoma hunting trip that afternoon without seeing any deer. I stayed as long as I could in the treestand hoping for another chance but it was not to be. Darkness fell and I headed back to camp to have a drink, lick my wounds and wallow in self pity for the evening.

 Leaving; for home the next morning, I promised myself that if there is anyway possible, I would be back next year for another chance.

 Let; me wrap up this chapter in my series of unfortunate hunts by saying thanks to David and his wife Sheila for having me on their ranch and to David's in-laws Clifford and Glenda Treadway for letting me travel across their ranch while hunting. I extend a big thank you to everyone for your hospitality. I appreciated it very much. Hope to see you this fall with this monkey off by back. Until then, Jim Bob.

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In this issue:

~ Recipe: "Buffalo Style Deer Poppers"

BACKWOODS TRIVIA: This one was sent in by Scott Thomson. Who won the first Super Bowl?

Bonus question: What was the final score?

Find the answer at the end of this newsletter.

Send your trivia questions to [email protected] .

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Do you need fast reliable help?

Warning! Do not attempt to train your dog, or even think about hiring a dog trainer until you read this page!

"This is hands-down the most powerful dog training information I've ever seen!"

Go to: WWW.DOGOWNERS.INFO/CAM3.HTM

RECIPE: HOT AND SPICY DEER MEATBALLS

* Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl or pan. Set aside.

* In a large bowl, mix all of the meatball ingredients together except for the butter.

* Shape the meat mixture into 3/4 inch balls

* Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the meatballs and brown evenly. Drain any fat.

* Pour the sauce over the meatballs. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. OR Place the meatballs into the pan with the sauce and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

* Keep hot until ready to serve.

* Makes about 3 dozen meatballs.

Our thanks once again to April Barkulis for sharing another one of her great recipes. For more great recipes visit our site at www.backwoodsbound.com/recipe.html

** WINTERTIME IS CHILI TIME **

• Winter is here and so that means chili time! Backwoods Bound Chili Seasoning Mix is a unique blend of spices makes a perfect pot of chili every time. Besides making a hearty pot of chili, give it a try for delicious tasting fajitas, enchiladas, jambalaya and now tostadas! Backwoods Bound Chili Seasoning Mix, it's simple to use and great tasting too! What else could you want? Use our secure on-line ordering system at www.backwoodsbound.com/chili.html. Or pick some up today at Columbia Mini Mart in Columbia, Illinois or Evansville Food Mart in Evansville, Illinois.

• Backwoods Bound Chili Seasoning Mix - "Not To Mild... Not To Hot. Treat Yourself And Make A Pot!"

RECOMMEND THE BACKWOODS BOUND BULLET TO A FRIEND!

Know a friend who enjoys the outdoors as much as you do? Recommend The Bullet to them. It's easy to do, just follow this link or copy and paste the url into your browser! http://www.cumuli.com/ezines/backwo.ezine Thank you!

HUNTIN' TIPS: Now is the time to make sure your guns and hunting equipment are all cleaned and ready to go next fall. Gather up your gear that was thrown together in hurry when you left camp and put it all in one place. Those large plastic tote boxes are great places to store your hunting gear. They are water and dust proof. While sorting, make a list of missing or broken gear so you can keep your eyes open for deals at the sporting goods store and at the sports shows going on at this time of the year.

Send your tips to [email protected]. See more tips at www.backwoodsbound.com/tipshunting.html.

** STATE SHAPED TROPHY PLAQUES **

• Backwoods Bound State Shaped Trophy Plaques will add a special touch to your trophies. Our plaques are made from real hardwood not that imitation wood? you get in other plaques from the discount chains. They are handcrafted right here in the heartland of America not overseas. Americans working for Americans. Mount your trophy on something unique this year and have it stand out from the rest.

Don't forget about that trophy fish you caught this summer or that trophy trout you caught this fall. Tell your taxidermist that you'll supply your own plaque and order a Backwoods Bound State Shaped Trophy Plaque. ALL states and Canadian provinces are available. ORDER TODAY!! You'll be glad you did! For more information and photos or to place your order go to www.backwoodsbound.com/catalog.html .

WHAT'S NEW

• Not much new to report this month. We have added some new recipes to our already enormous collection of fish and wild game recipes. We have new recipes for duck, deer and rattlesnake. Look for them and more at www.backwoodsbound.com/recipe.html

Our Trophy Plaque sales are going strong. With all of the colds and flu going on around here, it has been a challenge to stay caught up but we are managing. Chili Seasoning sales are also holding their own. Find details on all of our products at www.backwoodsbound.com/catalog.html

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** ADVERTISE HERE! **

Place your ad here for only $6.00 an issue. Be seen by over 1400 potential buyers! Reduced rates for multiple issues. For more details go to www.backwoodsbound.com/advertise.html or e-mail us [email protected].

See this month's Crazy Captions photo at: www.backwoodsbound.com/funphotos.html and send us your Crazy Caption. Have a photo that would make a great Crazy Caption? Send it to [email protected].

INTERESTING QUOTE: "Wives are people who feel they don't dance enough." - Groucho Marx

Seen or heard an interesting or humorous quote? Send it in and we'll post them next month. Send them to: [email protected]

RECIPE: • BEAVER CHILI

* Liberally season meat on both sides with salt and pepper. Place in refrigerator uncovered for at least two hours.

* Remove meat from refrigerator and place on counter for 20 minutes. Cube meat into bite size pieces.

* In a large skillet, pot or dutch oven, melt a little butter. Saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic until semi-soft.

* Add the meat and cook over medium heat until cooked through.

* Microwave the potatoes until semi-soft. Don't overcook.

* To the meat mixture, add the potatoes, tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, chopped chili peppers, cumin and chili powder. Stir together.

* Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 60 - 90 minutes. Add a little water if too thick and not fully cooked.

A big thank you to John Eifert for sending us this recipe.

For more recipes visit our site at www.backwoodsbound.com/recipe.html

FISHIN' TIP: - Get your tackle box and clean it out. Pitch the old gum wrappers, lure packages and that clump of worms that have melted together. Make a list of the things you are going to need or you think you need for the season. Keep your list handy because it is sport show season! You can find some deals this time of the year so be prepared.

You can also find great deals from mail order companies. Check out some of the great bargins from Bass Pro Shops at www.backwoodsbound.com/fishprduct1.html . The sale items change every few weeks so check back often.

Send your tips to [email protected] and we will post them on the site or use them in an upcoming issue of The Bullet.

** ADVERTISE HERE **

Place your ad here for only $6.00 an issue. Be seen by 1400 potential buyers! Reduced rates for multiple issues. Contact us at [email protected] for details.

FUN FACTS: - Here is something interesting sent in by Michelle. "It is impossible to lick your elbow. Seventy five percent of people who read/hear this, try it." Thanks Michelle

And a couple of "did you knows". The lungfish can live out of water for as long as 4 years. No word in the English language rhymes with month. And finally, a light-year equals roughly 6 trillion (6,000,000,000,000) miles. That's the distance light travels in one year.

For more Fun Facts visit our site at www.backwoodsbound.com/funfacts.html .

RECIPE: • BUFFALO STYLE DEER POPPERS

* Place meat into a large bowl and cover with Italian dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Overnight is better.

* In a sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the hot sauce and heat through. Set aside.

* Cut the peppers into strips and the bacon strips in half.

* Place slice of pepper on a piece of meat. Wrap with a strip of bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Continue with all the meat.

* Preheat oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.

* Dip meat into the eggs and then roll in the bread crumbs. Place into hot oil.

* Cook until meat is done. You'll have to experiment a little on cooking times. Drain on paper towels.

* Place the poppers in a large container with a lid. Pour the hot sauce over the top. Place lid on top and gently shake to cover.

* Pop a cold one and Enjoy!

Many thanks to Chris Warwick for sending us this great recipe. For more recipes visit our site at www.backwoodsbound.com/recipe.html