CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS TO FIT ANY BUDGET

Posted on December 3, 2011 by admin


10 gifts for outdoor ‘kids’ of all ages

It’s time to be thinking about Christmas and the gifts you’ll need for the outdoor enthusiasts on your list.  No matter if they’re at home on the water, in the woods or like decorating their favorite cabin get-away, a lot of great gift items are available that the outdoors ‘kid’ of any age will love no matter what your budget is.

RedHead Travel Pillows–Perfect for making travel easier and prevents soreness, whether in a car or on a plane or train. Soft pillow filled with polystyrene beads for support that molds to the shape of your neck, shoulders, and head. Neck pillow measures 11”W x 12”L. Roll pillow measures 16”L with 6”D.  (Retail price $9.99)  Available at Bass Pro Shops; For a high resolution image click on the links provided.

Bass Pro Shops® Big Bass Adventure Set for Kids–Introduce your kids to the thrill of landing the big one with this awesome set. It’s first-class all the way, with a 12” replica Hummer® H2 SUV to tow the world’s most exciting bass boat—the Nitro® Pro! At 15”, this boat is decked out for big-time fun, with a livewell, telescoping steering wheel, and trailer. Set includes father and son jointed action figures, fishing pole with lure hook, two giant bass, net, Wave Runner®, and yellow lab figurine. (Price: $29.99) Available at Bass Pro Shops For a high resolution image click here.
Plug It In & Play™ TV Games Big Buck Hunter® – Lock n’ load and hit the great outdoors with the Big Buck Hunter Pro Video Game from Plug It In & Play TV Games! It’s just like the popular arcade game. Take aim across several different hunting treks, and bag the biggest and best that Mother Nature has to offer. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned marksman, it’s always open season in your living room! You can also sharpen your skills with challenging bonus games. Plug It In & Play works on any standard TV. No video game console or software is needed – this game comes with everything needed to play!  (Retail price $39.99)  Available at Bass Pro Shops; For a high resolution image click here.

Browning Fishing Medallion 360 Tackle Bag—A place for everything and everything in its place!  Designed with a tough 300 denier polyester shell to protect your tackle from the elements, the Medallion Tackle Bag features heavy-duty PVC-coated mesh pockets, ratcheting pocket straps, handy storage pockets, integrated rain fly, built-in drainage holes and a convenient shoulder strap. Holds up to five 360 boxes (not included.) (Retail price $34.99)  Available at Bass Pro Shops For a high resolution image click here.
Bass Pro Shops Round Swivel Rod Rack—This quality-crafted Bass Pro Shops Swivel Rod Rack is constructed from pine with a natural oak finish. The Rod Rack features soft rubber rod grips that won’t scratch rods and a ball bearing swivel base for easy access even in corners. Holds up to 24 rods (without reels). Some assembly required. 17-1/2″ diameter. 26-3/4″ high. (Retail price $84.99) Available at Bass Pro Shops. For a high resolution image click here.





RedHead® Outlook Extreme 10×42 Binoculars—For anyone that wants a closer look at nature, these binoculars feature multi-coated optics for increased light transmission, a 100% waterproof and fogproof design, shock-case included. Power/Objective diameter (mm): 10×42. Field of view at 1,000 yards: 396′. Close focus distance: 9.8′. Weight: 23.8 oz. Height: 6.95″. Color: Black. (Retail price $99.94).  Available at Bass Pro Shops. For a high resolution image click here.
Natural Reflections® Yakutat Shearling-Lined Snow Boots–Keep her feet toasty warm with these.  Snow boots never looked so good! Designed to wick away moisture, they will keep her feet dry and comfy. They feature Shearling lining for comfort and warmth and a premium double-faced sheepskin upper. Flexible outsole. Easy on and off. Color: Brown.  (Price: $99.99) Available at Bass Pro Shops. For a high resolution image click here.

Vintage Verandah The Catch of the Day Table Lamp—Complement your cabin home décor with this rustic lamp.  Charming design extends a rod and reel right up to the lamp shade, which displays the catch. Shade is a medium brown, set off by light brown rope. Height: 25-1/2”.  Retail price $109.95) Available at Bass Pro Shops; For a high resolution image click here.


Fishpond® Wildhorse Tech Pack— Got a fly fishing enthusiast on your list? The Wildhorse Tech Pack is built to combine comfort AND capacity, with an adjustable shoulder and waist strap design, two spacious backpack compartments, two zip-down fly benches, and 12 front-pockets (two are water-resistant). Features gear attachment tabs, cord loops, D-ring net lash, and hemostat keeper. Hydration compatible. 1,200 cubic inches of storage! Color: Barnwood. . (Retail price $199.99) Available at Bass Pro Shops; For a high resolution image, click here.
RedHead® King of Bucks® Hole in the Horn Buck 9/18+7 Fire-Resistant Safe–
The unique and enormous “Hole in the Horn Buck” is forever memorialized on this handsomely appointed safe which features 12-gauge steel body with 1″ locking bolts, 1″ formed door, 9/18+7 capacity with patented 1/2 DPX storage system for easy access to long guns. Packed with a total of 1″ of fire insulation for 1200º/45 minute fire protection. Mechanical lock. 24 cubic feet. Weight: 535 lbs. Dimensions: 60″ x 30″ x 23″. Gloss Black finish.  (Retail price: $1,199.99) Available at Bass Pro Shops; For a high resolution image click here.

And, for the ultimate gift for the entire family, Bass Pro Shops presents the return of their “Santa’s Wonderland”–a nearly 6,000-square foot magical village chocked full of fun games, activities and crafts for the whole family at all their store locations.  Comprised of both animated and live elves, nutcrackers, reindeer and more, the village offers a Lionel® old-time model train area, remote control cars, a Red Ryder® laser arcade, a Nerf® soft gun range and slot car racing.  Kids will love the activity tables where they can write a letter to Santa, color and do fun crafts every weekend–all absolutely free. Of course, Santa will be in residence there throughout the season where kids can have their picture made with him free!  It all begins Sunday, November 8th  at Bass Pro Shops retail locations.  Visit www.basspro.com/santamedia for more details.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Bass Pro Shops | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cleaning and Preserving Game Birds

Posted on August 22, 2011 by admin

Main Course: Pheasant

Image by ulterior epicure via Flickr

The care your birds receive in the hours immediately following the hunt are extremely important in determining their table quality. On a warm day it is wise to field dress the birds at the time they are shot. For a thorough and quick job of gutting out a bird without getting your hands dirty, cut the wind pipe and esophagus in the neck. You can feel them easily with your fingers.

Use a piece of stiff wire with a hook bend at one end or a forked stick will work too. Simply insert it into a cut in the rear of the bird and pull out the entrails.

Upland game, such as pheasants and partridge, can be skinned easily, but you will lose a lot of flavor if you take off the skin. It is also more difficult to keep the meat moist.

Pheasants can be dry picked or the feathers can be loosened by submerging the bird into a bath of very hot water. Partridges can’t be easily plucked without tearing up the skin, but if you take your time, it is worth the effort.

Fowl may be frozen and kept for quite a long time. If you are planning on cooking them within a month or two, freeze them in aluminum foil or a double layer of waxed paper. To keep birds from freezer burn for longer periods of time(up to one year), freeze them in water. Milk cartons make excellent containers for this purpose.

Posted in Hunting Tips, Wild Game Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

SIGHT FISHING FOR BASS

Posted on July 25, 2011 by admin

Largemouth Bass

Sight fishing for visible bass is an exciting way to fish. The key to catching bass that can also see you is staying a tremendous distance away from them. A normal distance would be 15 to 20 feet from these shallow-water fish. Also, it’s important to be quiet and keep a low profile. To catch cruising bass, I alternate four colors (green, pearl, sand and chartreuse) tube jigs teamed with a 1/16 oz. bullet weight, 1 hook and 8 lb. test line. A pair of quality polarized sunglasses is crucial for spotting the shallow bass. Catching a cruising bass is a real art. Once I get an idea of the direction the bass is traveling, I attempt to lead it by about 10 feet, while aiming to intersect its path with the lure at the right time. In deeper water, I lead the bass by a greater depth to give the lure more time to sink to the level of the fish. If I make a bad cast, I will engage the reel and snap the rod to get the bait away before it ever touches the water and then try again.

Kevin Van Dam is a 4-Time
Bassmaster Classic® Champion

Posted in Fishing Tips | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

CHOOSING THE RIGHT LURE

Posted on July 10, 2011 by admin

Wobbler lure (fishing equipment)

Image via Wikipedia

What lure should I use? That’s a question bass anglers ask time and time again, especially when exploring a new body of water. Although many factors determine the best lure for a given situation, water depth should be a prime consideration. For example, when fishing water that is relatively deep, say 15 to 25 feet of water, a lure retrieved just under the surface will not be very effective. Deeper levels require baits that reach the strike zone quickly. These lures include heavily weighted worms, deep running or sinking crankbaits and jigging spoons. When fishing depths of 10 feet or less, use topwater plugs, shallow-running crankbaits, lightly weighted worms, buzzbaits and spinnerbaits or spinners retrieved just under the surface. Remember, a lure won’t work unless it’s placed where fish are holding. So as a rule of thumb, use a bait that stays in the strike zone.

Tim Horton is a 10-Time
Bassmaster Classic® Qualifier

Posted in Bass Fishing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

FISHING IN THE DARK

Posted on June 25, 2011 by admin

Squid boats night fishing off San Pedro, Los A...

Image via Wikipedia

If you’ve never fished at night, you’re missing out on a very special experience. Before you try it, develop an intimate feel and knowledge of the water you are going to fish. Fishing the lake a lot during the day can help develop a mental map.Find potential fish-holding structures and then be aware of landmarks you could identify in the dark. Also become familiar with any hazards that you might have a hard time seeing at night when cruising down the lake.Launch your boat an hour or two before dark. That way you can organize your gear and take advantage of fish that feed heavily just before night falls. Submerged islands and offshore humps are often overlooked because they are hard to find but fish love to prowl them in search of a meal. Some fish species will move into the shallows and aggressively feed others will gather around lighted docks or bridge piers.Besides the good fishing, you’ll learn to enjoy the feel of night fishing when it’s quiet and things go bump in the night.

Jimmy Houston is Host of “Jimmy
Houston Outdoors” TV Show on ESPN2

Posted in Fishing Tips | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Fishing Spider

Posted on June 14, 2011 by admin

This fishing spider has shed two of its legs t...

Image via Wikipedia

Think you’re a good fisherman?
I am sure you are but there is someone that hangs around shoreline weeds, boat docks and fishing piers all across the United States and very few fishermen or non fishermen even know about them or realize they are even there. This someone is a long-legged, buoyant spider rightly named the fishing spider. It is capable of skating across water surfaces and may submerge, for as long as 45 minutes, by grasping underwater vegetation, where it awaits minnows or tadpoles. When it catches on, the fishing spider does not release it, ever and will consume the minnow in a matter of hours. The fishing spider will also cling to the bottom of a dock or a bridge piling and drop onto a fish, biting it with venomous fangs. If the minnow is large, he will hang on, hitching a ride until the poison does its job. Isn’t nature amazing? Speaking of that, did you know the familiar striped skunk is a pretty good shot in the woods? Its spray of musk can hit a target as far as 12 feet away
and even farther if the wind is in its favor.

Larry Whiteley is host of the
award-winning Bass Pro Shops
Outdoor World® Radio

Posted in Fishing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Keeping Minnows Fresh And Alive

Posted on June 10, 2011 by admin

Minnows

 

To keep minnows fresh, place about ten ice cubes in your baitbucket when transporting minnows on a long drive. If the ice cubes aremade with chlorinated tap water, keep the ice cubes in a plastic bag. Chlorine can kill minnows. Every time you dip for a minnow, replace the bucket lid immediately. This keeps the water cool and oxygenated. Warm water depletes oxygen. If the minnows swarm to the surface, the water probably needs changing. Refill only half the bucket each time. A full bucket of fresh water can shock the minnows and shorten their life span. When you add water to the bucket, don’t let it increase or decrease the water temperature more than 10 degrees. If you carry fish home in a minnow bucket, wash the bucket afterward with baking soda. This removes bacteria-breeding slime which will consume oxygen that may be in the water. Finally, consider purchasing a bait bucket aerator to keep oxygen in the water.

Woo Daves was the 2000
Bassmasters Classic® Champion

Posted in Fishing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How to Clean A Freshwater Fish

Posted on March 25, 2011 by admin

Learning to fillet fish

Here are some practical suggestions on fish cleaning:
Choose your knife carefully. The blade should be relatively long (about 6 or 7 inches), narrow, and slightly flexible. To get the most possible meat, start your cut as near the gill covers as you can and finish the cut at the tail itself. Slide the knife along the backbone so as not to waste any of the fish. Begin the operation by inserting the point of the blade immediately in back of the head and slight off center so as to just miss the backbone. Follow the backbone towards the tail cutting about halfway through the fish and going all the way through the body after you reach the vent – hole.
Now make a vertical cut along the head, from top to bottom following close to the gill cover. Grasp the loosened fillet at the head – end with your hand that is not holding the knife; as you pull the fillet away from the body, cut with the knife as necessary.
Repeat the procedure on the other side of the fish.
Remove the skin by laying the fillet on a flat surface flesh side up and then starting at the tail end, separate the skin from the meat by sliding the knife flat against the skin and moving toward the head end of the fillet, holding the tail-end of the skin with your fingers or a pliers and pulling on the skin as you push on the knife.
You may want to leave the fillets attached to the tail and then use the tail as a handle in the skinning process.

Posted in Fishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

POST SPAWN SMALLMOUTH

Posted on March 19, 2011 by admin

Smallmouth bass in hand

Image via Wikipedia

Immediately following the
spawn is not usually a productive
time for catching smallmouth
bass. They are exhausted from
the rigors of courtship and tend
to be a little fickle. But, they can
still be caught.
A 6-foot ultralight spinning rig
spooled with 6-pound line is ideal
for catching these skittish fish in
clear water.
Think big baits too. Spawning
is hard, time-consuming work.
The fish are hungry. Now is no
time for miniscule baits. You
might not catch as many fish as
you will with smaller baits, but
you will catch bigger fish.
Target tailout pools, riffles,
and chutes, and don’t ignore
seams, eddies, and particularly
points where feeders enter a
main creek.
It won’t be easy, but when you
have a big fighting smallmouth
on the end of your line, it will be
worth it.
Tim Horton is a 10-time
Bassmaster Classic® Qualifier

Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Bass Fishing Tips | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wild Rice Dressing for Game Birds and Vension

Posted on March 18, 2011 by admin

Onions being cooked in a frying pan.

Image via Wikipedia

2/3 cup cooked wild rice

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup cooked diced celery

1 large onion, shredded

salt, spices, pepper to taste

Melt butter in a frying pan. Add the onion and fry until golden, then add mushrooms, celery and cook a few minutes longer. Add cooked wild rice and season to taste. Mix lightly but well and stuff the game or fowl.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Posted in Venison Recipe, Wild Game Recipes | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment