Category Archives: Miscellaneous

And here is the “catch all” category for stuff that doesn’t have its own.

Wolves in Yellowstone was Good?

by Woodsbum

I ran across this video about the wolves in Yellowstone being a good thing. It really seems like an odd propaganda piece with very little discussion about what the wolves did to the elk herds, bison, and they had odd claims about increased small game when all Washington Fish and Wildlife numbers claim otherwise. Whether you are a wolf supporter or you disagree, it is worth watching this video for the beautiful scenery if nothing else.

Like most topics and political points, I would love to see the actual numbers on the wolf reintroduction programs that have taken place in the US. From what I have witnessed and from first hand accounts of what havoc these guys have caused, I am really on the fence about this one. I would like to have some wolf pelts, though.

Wolves on Vancouver Island

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by Woodsbum

A wolf warning has been issued for the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve near Tofino, B.C. (that’s Canada, eh). It appears that the wolves up there are starting to get overly familiar when it comes to human encounters. Since May 1 of this year, there have been 14 documented/reported wolf encounters.

Here is the article: WOLVES

Because I have been to Washington Dept Fish and Wildlife meetings about wolves and compared those “numbers” to eye witness accounts of people I know (including myself), I know that “official” numbers are always WAY off. I use a rule of 10 when I deal with “official” numbers like this. Since government organizations don’t want to alarm the general population, I always multiply the “official” numbers by 10. If a number seems overly inflated, I divide by 10 to get the more accurate representation. A different system is used when referring to certain political party statistics that include replacing their “official” numbers completely after an average of 10 minutes of research, but that is a different subject…..

In liking to spend time in the woods, I have run into all sorts of critters. I have even seen wolves here in Washington. Of course my encounters have never been added to the “official” encounters list just like 99% of the population’s. Suffice it to say that the sudden increase in wolves around the country is actually quite scary. Wolves are no joke and have really messed up Yellowstone’s animal populations. Some sort of conservation program needs to be implemented to keep wolves from over hunting other animal populations.

Since our government loves to hear themselves regulate and not produce any real results, this means that you must protect yourself. Make sure that you don’t let any wolves within 100 yards of you when you are out in the woods. They will stalk you and they hunt in packs. While you are messing around and focusing your attention on one wolf, there will be others coming up behind our beside you. Carry some sort of protection with you. I like firearms, but you should at least carry bear spray and keep it handy. Also, be really careful about food scent and storage. Don’t keep fresh meat substances in your tent or around your camp. Hang it in a tree away from your camp so there is a “buffer” zone. Also remember the wash plates and bury scraps away from your camp. All this should be second nature to the regular camper, but it is good to repeat these things to at least refresh safety procedures.

Be safe out there…..

Reminder To Be Safe

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by Woodsbum

Here is a first hand account of someone that was attacked while thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. Here is his story:

His story is here

This goes to show a few things in regard to bear encounters. Bears do what they want, when they want. It first attacked the guy in his sleep and bit down on his leg. When the guy fought back, the bear really didn’t go anywhere. It kept on messing with him. Once the guy finally got the bear to leave for a short period of time, he was able to escape. The bear came back after he left for help and destroyed his gear. It would have destroyed the hiker if he was still there. If the guy had some sort of personal protection to fend off the bear he might have faired a bit better. Of course it is not “politically correct” to carry a pistol for protection, but a .44 mag through the face of a bear chewing on my leg would have been my #1 choice. This guy punched the bear and screamed at it as his only form of protection.

This guy also was the cause of the bear destroying someone else’s tent due to the blood trail he left on the way to find help. When they went into some shelter, the bear shredded the tent of the girl that was helping him.

So, let’s recap this whole thing:

Guy gets bit.
Bear shreds tent
Guy punches bear
Bear shreds tent
Guy yells at bear
Bear shreds tent and chews gear
Guy takes off to another tent
Girl helps guy and they go into some shelter
Bear shreds that tent and chews all his gear
Cost of bear attack on humans well over $1000 due to no active protection against bears
Bear will probably be shot because it hurt a human
Guy needs EMT to give him a bandaid.

If it had been me:

Guy gets bit
Bear gets shot
Guy bandanges himself up and makes breakfast (bear tenderloin and backstrap)
Guy patches half dozen holes in tent and continues hiking
Bear still dead, guy taken care of, no further damage to guy or girl like previous story and lots of bear jerky for the rest of the trip

Seriously people, don’t go all touchy/feely because you want to save Yogi. Yogi was a fake bear. Protecting yourself in the wild is exactly that: protecting yourself. Get serious about it and actually make certain that you are going to come home.

Solo Sprayers

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by Woodsbum

Several years ago I purchased a Solo 428 Backpack Sprayer. Seeing as how it was Solo brand and thus a fairly reputable company, I was under the impression that my $100 sprayer would be able to be repaired for years to come. Last night I pulled it out to use it and found that this theory was going to be put to the test, for the pump was broken.

I drove around and called several dealers of Solo sprayer products. No one seemed to have the parts for this sprayer and the unit was discontinued. Being a little miffed, but understanding that I could probably just contact the manufacturer I went ahead and bought a new Stihl with hopes of repairing the old Solo as my “loaner” sprayer.

When I called the Solo company I was told, “We don’t carry that sprayer and it was made by Plasindo. You would have to call them.” Solo outsourced this sprayer, put their name on it and now dismisses customers when they ask for help getting parts? When I asked the “customer” service representative to confirm that I had inadvertently purchased a $100 disposable sprayer and they don’t support this product with their name on it I was told, “You can deal with Indonesia, but I don’t know if the hassle will be worth getting the part. Just buy a new one.”

Seriously, this lady’s recommendation was to just “buy a new one” because they don’t support products that they outsourced from Indonesia. My question is: WHY DID YOU PUT YOUR COMPANY’S NAME ON IT THEN? Why would I have bought an overpriced sprayer from Solo if they were going to be so dismissive? I understand things being discontinued and no more parts being available for a product due to age. If that was the answer then I would have cursed a bit and just dealt with it. When the answer comes out that I overpaid for a disposable unit because they don’t support it, go deal with Indonesia….. Come on Solo.

Here is a picture I downloaded from the Internet of the sprayer. The piece that is broken is the copper tube portion of the pump.

Solo 428

I am now hoping that I can fix the cracks myself with my welder and get it back up and running. The cost of this unit was definitely not worth it since it can’t be repaired.

Chalk this up on the board as a lesson learned. I will never buy a Solo product again and have gotten to the point where I only tend to buy Stihl products. They can be repaired and hold up 10x better than their crappy Indonesia competitors.

Been Sick

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by Woodsbum

If you have been wondering why I have not posted much these last couple weeks, it is because I have been really sick. Let’s suffice it to say that not only have I missed work due to this bug, but I actually went to the doctor for it.

After a shot of antibiotics in my hind quarters and two antibiotics to take orally for a while, I am finally STARTING to feel a bit better. There were periods of time where I was running a 103 degree temperature and barely able to stand. It was that bad.

Now that I am starting to make a recovery, I will post a few things this week and get back on schedule. Right before I got sick, I ran into some problems with my black powder rifle. I also got an antler handled ferro rod that I am going to cover. I also picked up some antler to make a 70 gr powder measure for my Hawken. All this will be coming up in the next week or two.

Again, I am sorry for the lack of posting. Getting well and back on my feet was really my main focus.