By David E. Petzal

by David E. Petzal

It has come to my attention that some of you have not been able to buy a new Aston-Martin this year and have to stick with the 2010 model. This means you’re probably looking for things that are affordable, as opposed to what I usually write about. Here are two such:

The Cold Steel Bolo Machete. This is one of six models that the company offers, and is my favorite. It’s patterned after the bolo knife which is much loved in the Pacific Rim countries. The 16 ½-inch blade is made of 1055 tool steel, and swells at the tip, giving the knife a weight-forward balance. Weighing just an ounce over a pound, the Bolo Machete comes with a decent, but not frightening edge. A dozen passes through a Work Sharp sharpener will change that pretty damned quick, however. [ Read Full Post ]

By Chad Love

Today's blog is both a mini-review of a product and a handy-dandy training tip, all rolled into one smelly, disgusting post. For the past few months I've been using one of the new Tri-Tronics Upland Special G3EXP e-collars and thus far it's been a rock-solid performer. The transmitter's layout is easy to understand, its' shape is grippy and ergonomic. The collar is light and unobtrusive and, like virtually all Tri-Tronics products I've used in the past, it's been dead-reliable. Among those who know and hunt with me I am infamous for losing and/or breaking any type of electronic gear. So if I noodle around with something for an extended period of time and it doesn't break, it probably won't.

I love the collar, but I have discovered the Upland G3's one glaring flaw: it's not unloseable (see paragraph above). This weekend I was working my young setter on some planted birds when the transmitter apparently fell out of my shorts as I bent down to pick up something. I had already finished training and loaded up the dog so I wasn't using it and therefore never noticed it gone. [ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

The world is positively awash in survival knives these days, and some of them, I’m sad to say, appear to have been cooked up by people who never got farther outdoors than the parking lot at industrial arts school. The SK-5 does not come under this heading. It’s designed by a fellow named Paul Scheiter, and while I’m not familiar with his credentials, he knows his s**t.

This is a knife that is not too big while being big enough, made of 154-CM steel, has a terrific and more or less indestructible canvas micarta handle held in place by three stainless-steel bolts, and an excellent MOLLE-compatible sheath that’s made of coyote-colored Cordura nylon. The blade is 5” long, spear-pointed, and tempered to Rc58-60. Mine came just short of razor-edged, and once I put a shaving edge on it (30 seconds on the Crock Stick) it held that edge like Grim Death.

A more useful, simple, and well-designed all-around knife you will not find. If I were taking one to the Sand Box, I might want to have the blade bead-blasted to kill the shine, but aside from that, it’s perfect.

[ Read Full Post ]

By David E. Petzal

Over the past several months, through the forbearance of Carl Zeiss, Inc., I’ve been able to form a meaningful relationship with two spotting scopes that deserve special attention. Neither is brand-new, and I believe I’ve written about at least one before. But so what? Would you play Screamin’ Jay Hawkins recording of "I’ll Put a Spell on You" only once? Huh?

The first of these is the Victory DiaScope T* FL, which comes in 65mm and 85mm versions. (I had the 85.) It’s rubber-armored, runs from 20X to 75X, weighs 52 ounces, comes in straight or angled versions, and costs a lot of money. You can look up the price yourself as it varies considerably by source.

The important thing about this instrument is, its brightness, sharpness, and high magnification render it nearly intergalactic in its capabilities. If you’re a serious shooter, it’s worth the money, period. It will do things that other spotting scopes can’t. [ Read Full Post ]

By Philip Bourjaily

Back before matte finished and camo guns were common, taping up my gun in the spring was an important pre-turkey season ritual, as was holding my breath after the season as I peeled the tape off, wondering if anything had happened to the blued steel underneath. If you hunted in a downpour and didn’t pull off the tape and wipe the gun down right away it would be spotted with rust.

Now there is a better way. Mossy Oak Graphics sells a kit containing a version of its vinyl truck cladding cut for covering one pump or semiauto shotgun. It’s waterproof and, if you follow the instructions, it’s safe to leave on your gun for as long as you want without fear of rust. You trim the pre-cut pieces to shape, then fix them on with a hairdryer, which shrinks the material on for a tight fit. The gun doesn’t quite look dipped but you can make out the checkering pattern beneath the cladding. It looks good.
[ Read Full Post ]

By Philip Bourjaily

No single piece of gear I use has changed waterfowling as much for the better as the layout or laydown blind. Before laydown blinds if you wanted to hunt anywhere with sparse cover (cornfields, the banks of ponds) you either dug a pit or lay in mud or frozen stubble and covered yourself with burlap and decoys.

In 1993 guide Ron Latschaw decided he was sick of staying up late digging pits for the next day’s hunt and invented the laydown blind, a low profile one-person blind that lets you hide in plain sight in perfect comfort. Field hunting immediately became more mobile and more practical. Landowners that didn’t want you digging holes in their fields would let you lay out in them. Since Latchaw’s first Final Approach Eliminator, blinds have gotten better and better, which brings us to the Cabela’s Interceptor Ultimate Layout Blind.

The Interceptor Ultimate is excellent in almost every way. It has a very thick waterproof 1000 denier PVC bottom that extends 10 inches up the sides of the blind to keep water out. That's important, because waterfowling often takes place in wet, mucky conditions and a blind that lets water makes for a miserable experience. On one hunt last fall there was so much water standing in our blinds that when my son dropped a shell, it sank out of sight and he couldn’t find it. [ Read Full Post ]