Everything Outdoors – Hunting, Fishing and Hiking

Archive for March, 2010

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Two bills of importance to Kentucky’s gun owners and sportsmen are currently on the move in Frankfort.
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House Bill 631 has a hearing tomorrow in the House State Affairs Committee and needs your support. HB 631 is designed to create an Idaho state law that meets the requirements set in the Federal NICS Improvement Act of 2007 to grant relief from mental health disabilities that prevent firearms ownership. State Representative Raul Labrador (R-14) has recognized the need for this relief and has taken on the tremendous task of sponsoring this highly important yet complex legislative issue.
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It often surprises us when we see well trained bird dogs in action. Obeying the commands of their owners, bird dogs do their work in an exemplary manner. We often wonder how bird dog training can produce such results, getting the dogs to be so cooperative.

If you put a lot of work in it, it can be done.

There are a number of dog breeds that are well suited for becoming great bird dogs. A good start would be teaching them to obey your commands. Before dogs can understand what people are telling them, they need to learn the language first. In this basic variant of training, dogs need to understand the three main commands: “come!”, “whoa!” and “heel!”. These commands need to be mastered by the owner as well.

The “Whoa!” Command

The “whoa!” command is the first thing bird dogs need to learn. By learning this, they can understand when they’re being told to stop, without moving again unless he’s being ordered to do it. Obeying this command shows that the dog respects his master and that he is obedient. If you want to test whether a dog is completely obedient, you should try giving the “whoa!” order at larger distances. This way you’re sure that he will listen to you even when the command is not enforced by the immediate presence of the master.

You can also use the “whoa!” command to control dogs that get out of hand, trying to flush a bird on their own or play with it. If their master wants the dog to stop what he’s doing, he can use this command to make him stop. Ideally, the command and the obedience should be rewarded by the master.

The “Come!” Command

The purpose of the “come!” command is to make the dog come to the owner when they hear it. It’s quite easy to use this command. In the case of a bird dog, it’s much easier to make him come to you with the thing he retrieved, if he understands this command. A lot of dogs are more independent and go do their own thing. Using the “come!” command you can keep him at a good distance from you.

The “Heel!” Command

When you want to make sure that your dog will walk by your side, and not wander away, the “heel!” command can be used to get this effect. You can teach him an additional command, like “go” or “okay” to let him know that he is released, and can return to Hunting with you.

Whenever the dog performed well, never fail to give him a tap, a treat or a praise to acknowledge his performance. Fine dogs are born with the instinct to please their owners. If you can let your dog see that he is pleasing you with his performance and you want him to repeat it, the best thing you can do is to reward him. Overtime, he will learn to repeat the same desirable action so long as you allow him to.

Each time the dog does what you ask of him, make sure you reward him either with a treat, a tap or a praise, to let him know that he did well. The best dogs are those that have an instinct when it comes to pleasing their masters. You should let the dog know that you are pleased with what he’s doing, and that he should do the same in the future. The best way you can let him know is by rewarding him.

Doing bird dog training is quite hard. If it was easy, you would see a lot more bird dogs around. Still, if you want to make a good bird hunter out of your dog, make sure you invest the patience and the time needed to teach him the three commands that stand at the basis of bird dog training.

Sam Nichols
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/basic-bird-dog-training-commands-and-tips-729568.html

Looking for a new job can be a costly affair especially if you are unemployed and looking as opposed to employed and looking.

However with some planning and prioritizing, you can keep your expenses down to a minimum.

Here are some strategies to help you.

Don’t give up the day job

If at all possible, remain in your current job whilst looking for a new job. Having a regular salary coming in is vital in keeping a level head. It’s harder to carry out an effective job search if your utilities are cut -off for lack of payment. If you are unemployed, try getting a part time job that will help you to stay afloat.

Create a budget

You need to have an idea how long you can survive without a regular income. You do this by adding your assets, such as cash in hand,savings, severance pay and unemployment insurance and dividing this total by your estimated monthly expenditure. This should result in the amount of months you can go without a regular income. If you can
manage for a relatively long time, you can be alot more selective in your job search and stick out for better opportunities.

Keep a lid on daily expenses

Your utility bills can really add up during times of unemployment because you are at home more. Your phone bill especially could rack up because you will be networking and talking with prospective employers a lot. Consider switching to a call plan both with your land line and
cellular that allows for cheaper day calls.

Also, conserve on electricity and cook inexpensively at home rather than eating out. Reduce to a minimum, all those ‘money guzzling” activities that you use to partake with your co-workers. For every unexpected expenditure, see if there is another area of your life that you can reasonably cut back on.

Balance job hunting expenses

Traveling to interviews and calls backs can take a toll on your pocket. Increasingly, companies are deciding not to reimburse interviewees for traveling expenses.

You have to weigh, whether the costs of going to an interview, for example, traveling, buying appropriate attire, cab fare and accommodation, are worth it. Things to consider about the job are, salary, distance from home, work load and prospects for career mobility.

If you decide that it is worth going to the interview,then go for it whilst being as cost conscious as you can. However, be aware that not all interviews or call backs are worth the time and expense

Borrow or get it free rather than buy

I am not talking about borrowing money but borrowing things like a suit from a close friend if money is tight. If needs be, you can buy a suit inexpensively from a second hand shop.

You can also ask your friends to give you a few stationery items from their office provided that they get permission. Asking for some paperclips or sheets of paper should not be too much of a problem. It might be possible to use your friends’ computers at work as well,rather than paying someone to type and print CVs and cover letters for you.

Visit your local library

The library is another great place for free job hunting resources. For internet, photocopying and scanning needs, the library is a low cost alternative to outside business centers. You may also be able to use the internet for free although your time may be limited.

Having a list of online recruiters who you want to apply to, handy, as well as having your resume written out in advance is a good way to conserve time.

There is no need to fill in an online resume for every job portal out there, three to four registrations should be enough. Upload your resume rather than filling out an online one where you can.

The library is also filled with books on effective job hunting techniques so borrow them instead of buying from the book store.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of cost-saving techniques but should help to make your job Hunting less taxing on your pocket

David Cassell
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/job-hunting-on-a-shoestring-57622.html

Old School Crappie Fishing Family Secrets

Crappie Slamin’ Artificial Baits

If you love to fish for crappie and want to catch more crappie and be more consistent, then you need to learn how to fish artificial baits for crappie. When you only fish live bait such as minnows for crappie you are limiting yourself to only one of the food sources crappie tend to eat on a daily and seasonal basis. If you learn to imitate the crappie’s natural food sources using crappie artificial baits you will be a more consistent crappie fisherman, and your average catch will increase drastically. Crappie may be hitting on a variety of different food sources on any given day. If you select the correct artificial bait for that day or a certain seasonal situation you are going to catch fish, and if the crappie are hitting heavy you will catch allot of fish.

You should have a variety of different crappie fishing artificial baits in your tackle box, remember you are trying to imitate the crappie’s food source the day you go fishing.Please feel free to use our suggested list of crappie bait selections. Half the battle of selecting artificial baits is knowing what to buy.

#1 You can purchase your crappie fishing jigs on line,at large department stores or at your local bait shop. You may pay a bit more at the local bait shop but you can also get great local tips of what crappie artificial have been working best. One key factor when you look for crappie fishing jigs at any of the locations is to select jigs in the weight sizes of 1/32oz to 1/8oz.I personally use jigs in the 1/32 to 1/8 once size.Crappie fishing jigs have most of their weight concentrated in the jig head. Also, jigs are packaged and marked with there weights and sometimes the hook size.

#2 Like I emphasized above you are imitating the crappie’s food source so being flexible means you need to have an assortment of crappie fishing jigs included in your list of crappie artificial baits. So your first jig to look for that is 1/16 to 1/8 ounce is called the curly tail crappie jig.The curly tail is made from plastic. To see what a curly tail jig looks like do a google search “curly tail jig” you will find plenty of pictures for reference. The curly tail jig is very inexpensive and is one of the most commonly used crappie fishing jigs.

#3 You should have some “marabou jigs” in your tackle box also.The marabou jig comes in a variety of colors. You will notice that the jig head of the marabou crappie jig is similar to the curly tail jig. The marabou jig has hair like material for the body and tail instead of plastic. Again, to see a picture of this jig just do a google search.

#4 You should have some “weedless spinner baits” in your tackle box.The weedless spinner bait has a blade at the top , then a wire formed at an angle attaches to a Fishing jig. Well guess what? The jig attached is normally a “curly tail jig” or a marabou jig”, so the only real difference is the blade and wire attached. Again, do a google search using “weedless spinner baits” to see a picture of the crappie artificial bait.

#5 You should have an assortment of “willow leaf blades” the blades should be colored Colorado or gold. willow leaf blades are again, either a curly tail jig or marabou jig with a willow leaf blade attached. Again do a google search to see a picture of this artificial bait.

mark fleagle
http://www.articlesbase.com/fishing-articles/the-amazing-crappie-fishing-artificial-baits-crappie-fishing-secrets-2-751958.html

I would rather not support the slaughter houses and really, who knows where the meat comes from and what happens to it. I have been avoiding meat for some time now, then have decided to look into the option of Hunting my own food meat. In Southern California – Inland Desert
Id like to be able to hunt and eat something that is very abundant so as to not offset any natural food chain transitions. I would hope it tastes good too. Thanks!

Pig, possum, rabbit, snake, rat (some kangaroo rats are protected), Dove, quail, Crow. Fish too of course trout, bass, catfish, blue gill, carp. All of these are plentiful and with the proper licenses you can take and eat to your belly’s content.

By any measure, significant progress was made in the expansion and protection of Virginia’s Second Amendment rights during the 2010 session of the Virginia General Assembly, which adjourned March 14.
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On Thursday, March 11, House Bill 19 was signed by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear (D).

Sponsored by State Representative Fitz Steele (D-84) and State Representative Bob Damron (D-39), HB19 will now enable military personnel who are on active duty to renew their concealed carry licenses early and by mail. It also allows for those military personnel whose license expires while on active duty to renew their license within 90 days after the end of their deployment, with no late fees or other penalties.

Thank you to all those who contacted their legislators during this process.
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Forest Dangers: This is one of the favourite places that your dog love to explore, the deep forests and the natural woodlands is like heaven to him. There are so many things to uncover, countless of items to be discovered, and being able to indulge in its natural curiousity is most fun for your dog. A forest is full of mammal life, and it is suitable for hunting or trapping. Your dog may be in danger if it is exploring what it should not be.

In the northern part of the US, hunters set traps that are designed to trap furry animals. Woodland dogs may be attracted to the bait they use, and it has caused many unwanted accidents with family dogs. These traps are usually put in ditches where dogs like to explore.

The best precaution to take when your dogs are out roaming the lands is to be well aware of the Hunting activities that go on around your area. Even if it is not hunting season, there may still be traps as the hunters and poaches may still be partially active in catching animals. The best safety measure to take is to put a bright orange hunter’s vest around your dog, which is available in certain suppliers. This will help hunters identify your dog as non-prey.

Prairies Chasing: This does not usually strike people as a potential threat, as they are not aggressive creatures and are usually afraid of most people and animals. But the problem is not in the prairies, but in the dogs, for the love chasing prairies.

Dogs do not resort to chasing animals larger than them such as deer or bison, and they will prefer to chaise prairie animals that are small. If possible, they will even chase them up to miles at a time. Some dogs can chase prairies and got lost and never made it home. Some may be wounded along the way, or wandered off too far from home, and perhaps, attacked by a larger, hungry wild animal.

Foxtail Plants: If you have not heard of the foxtail plant, it is a common plant in grassland areas, and is usually located in large fields, or some roadsides. The plant is slender shaped, with long brushy spikes and it has seeds that contain spikes that will embed in the dog if your dog gets tangled up in it. The seeds contain barbs that points backwards, and this design will cause it to push deeper and deeper into your dog’s skin after puncturing and stabbing through the skin. This can cause infections and in serious situations, cause organ failure.

Charley Hwang
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/dangers-to-be-aware-of-when-going-hiking-with-your-dog-139234.html