Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i American Outdoor Guide

We’ve been seeing it and hearing about it on the news and in social media outlets for a while. It makes sense, really, but we don’t have to like it. When livestock processing plants are temporarily shuttered because of COVID-19 outbreaks, we see shortages in grocery store meat departments. Because more people are enjoying the convenience and variety of one of the most popular comfort foods (chicken wings) delivered to their door, the available supply plummets as demand and market costs skyrocket. And, when the global supply chain gets pummeled by production line changes, along with unforeseen consumer demand and difficulties in securing transportation from the factories to warehouses, I see lots of “out of stock” messages in online stores and at brick-and-mortar retailers. I’m on product websites virtually every…

“A ROPE WILL EASILY UNRAVEL WHEN IT’S CUT, LEAVING THE EXPOSED ENDS TO EVENTUALLY FRAY. TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING, THERE ARE A COUPLE OF WAYS TO RESECURE THE STRANDS TOGETHER AGAIN: WHIPPING AND FUSING.” Clifford W. Ashley was an artist, author and sailor and was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1881. Because of his boyhood environment, he took a keen interest in whaling and all things related to the sea. After attending art school in Boston, he found himself under the tutelage of Howard Pyle in Delaware, where he created book frontispieces (illustrations facing the cover page of the book) and illustrated magazine stories. He spent six weeks aboard a whaling ship in order to do research for an article about whaling for Harper’s Monthly magazine in 1904…

The world is an unpredictable place. There might come a time when regular shopping at the local grocery store could be interrupted by an unforeseen food shortage or other natural or man-made crisis occurs (again). All it takes is one hiccup in the supply chain to disrupt the normal flow of food and those who are unprepared will be in trouble when it comes to feeding their families. One solution is to have plenty of food on hand in case such a scenario occurs, and this can be done partly by preserving fresh foods to make them last far longer than the norm. Canning, food dehydration, vacuum sealing and other methods of food preservation can all extend the life of foods exponentially while keeping their flavors and nutrition intact. To…

Wild food educator John Kallas was born in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. When he was a child, he was so fascinated with the skills Native Americans had for living off the land that he began to learn them. Extensive Background Kallas’s interest in wilderness survival and Native American skills became a more serious life study when he began college in 1970. As his studies progressed, he realized he was most interested in how our ancestors fed themselves with wild plants. He focused on wild foods, using Bradford Angier’s How to Stay Alive in the Woods as one of his first references. He soon graduated to Alan Hall’s book, The Wild Food Trailguide, along with other serious sources of information. By 1974, Kallas was taking college classes in wilderness survival and nutrition,…

There’s really nothing like a quality folding knife, especially one you can deploy quickly. Over the decades, a particular model fitting this motif of folding knife, called the “switchblade,” has developed a colorful history. To some of us, this conjures up images of ducktail hairdos, stiletto knives and sock hops. In fact, some federal legislation was anchored in 1958 to try and curtail the growing “menace” of the quick-opening pocketknife. More recently, the term, “auto,” has been used to describe a folding knife that can be rapidly opened by some mechanism, such as a push button. Perhaps more notably, laws regarding these knives have been relaxing in the last several years. Benchmade, which has crafted quality cutlery options over the last three decades, is leading the way with some outstanding…

I had never given conscious thought to what my top self-reliance items are until American Outdoor Guide Editor Mike McCourt asked me to write this article. Rather than contemplate this, I decided the most accurate way to make that determination was to go through my purse and packs. A Little Background I live in a rural area prone to weather threats, including tornadoes. Because we don’t have a basement, we put a storm shelter in our yard. In addition to items stored in the shelter, I have a backpack (go pack) prepped beside the bed. Before COVID-19, I traveled a minimum of 45 minutes to work. This travel included commuting to a major city and through rural areas where, at times, there’s no cell signal. Should something occur that causes…

The bolt-action rifle comes from an amazing design that combines strength and accuracy. In addition, pretty much any caliber can be used in a bolt-action rifle—all the way up to a .50 BMG—making the bolt action the preferred rifle for long-range shooters and many hunters. The only problem with bolt-action rifles is that they’re slow to cycle, requiring four separate motions to place a new round in the chamber: Lift up, pull back, push forward and push down. This doesn’t take long, especially for trained shooters, but these motions can take sights off target and reduce follow-up shot speed, regardless of a shooter’s skill. However, Savage is trying to change this with a straight-pull bolt-action rifle called the Impulse. “PROPER FIT HELPS ACCURACY, AND THE ACCUFIT SYSTEM PROVIDES ADJUSTMENT FOR…

Metalsmithing—taking raw metals and pounding them into functional tools such as knives, swords, awls, fire-strikers, shovels and many more implements—is one of the oldest arts known to man. It’s a common oversimplification to think of human technological advancement in terms of “Stone Age,” “Iron Age,” “Industrial Age” and the like, because, in reality, humans have been working with metals for more than 10,000 years! The development of metallurgical technologies (such as smelting and mass production) largely replaced the lithic arts, and the same has occurred with industrial technologies, replacing the old metalsmithing arts. After all, who needs blacksmiths anymore? Well, you’d be right … but you’d also be wrong. About Nhan-Esteban Khuong Nhan-Esteban Khuong is a professional martial artist and acupuncturist who got interested in the craft of metalsmithing in…

With any outdoor adventure, no matter what time of the year or where you are, you need to be prepared for changing weather conditions. In Vermont’s Green Mountains, where I spend a great deal of time, a warm fall hike can turn into a wintry whiteout and freezing temperatures at the higher elevations. A day hike I was on in the mountains around Sedona, Arizona, had me facing a sudden storm, golf ball-sized hail, plunging temperatures and the risk of flash floods. Always know the terrain you’re in, what types of weather you could encounter, and be prepared for it. Here, in New England—with some minor differences among the states, and depending on the species—hunting season usually starts sometime in September and runs until the end of December. In the…

“TO TIDY UP AND COMPLETE THE WHOLE FIREARM, A WALNUT STOCK AND FOREND PULL EVERYTHING TOGETHER. THE WOOD FEATURES IMPRESSIVE CHECKERING. THE STOCK, ITSELF, IS VERY WELL FINISHED AND HAS A SMALL, RUBBERIZED RECOIL PAD.” There are very few calibers that have a legacy like the .357 Magnum. The cartridge is nearing its 90th anniversary and doesn’t show any signs of going away. Being able to reach some efficient velocities and retain excellent ballistics in a small package makes this caliber a great option for many shooters. Hunters find it useful for taking small to medium game, while woodsmen carry this caliber for defense against all sorts of wild animals. It also has a following among those who use it as a multi-role piece for hunting and self-defense. It’s effective…