Field craft tips

[AmericanBwana]

So what kind of little tricks have you learned over the years that make your hunt / time afield more enjoyable.

I have two that I've learned in the last year. One is to use diet coke to clean blood off your hands. Danged if it didn't work. The acid 'eats' the blood off, and the lack of sugar eliminates the sticky feeling.

The second is to (finally) learn how to tie my boots properly to prevent / reduce heel movement.

AB

[Seminole]

1)Wet wipes!

2) Cotton balls soaked in Vaseline in a sandwich bag. Great fire starter and you can use it on chapped lips.

3) a nap in the middle of the day.

[Indian Summer]

I can set a camp like McGiver. In ground coolers 1st class outhouses etc. If I have the time I know a bunch of neat little things to make to improve camp.

I can sniff out water like a camel and develop a trickle into a useable water source. I've seen guys including my partners ruin a seep by digging at it wrong and losing "water pressure". So as easy as it may seem I think the water thing is so important if you want to camp high, which I do, that I might say it's field craft #1. I carry so many Bic lighters and fire starter so that's not an issue like on tv reality shows. lol

I think one of the most important things a hunter, especially new ones can learn is how to pick a partner if you don't have or want a steady one. Having one who thinks just like you is priceless. My 2 cents.

[Bullnuts]

Carry a gallon sized baggie and put a couple bear turds in it. Bring it home, bury it in the yard and you'll be amazed at the plants that will pop up in your wife's garden!
BTW gallon sized bags are the bomb for everything. I carry a couple in my pack for everything from water collection in a pinch to emergency medicine techniques.
I always carry 3 saws with me - a wire zip saw, a big T handle bone saw, and a small T handle bone saw. The first two are for shelter building and work great to cut down small limbs in a hurry to get out of the rain or hail. The third one is for field dressing and it's awesome.

[JGH]

Indian Summer ... care to describe how you turn a seep into drinkable water? That would be a great skill to add.

[>>>---WW---->]

Right on Joe! I carry at least two if not more Bic lighters. At least one of them is vacum sealed and in my pack at all times. Never a worry about having a reliable backup if needed.

[pointysticks]

anyone ever successfully start a fire with two sticks?

i put a stick in my drill and couldnt get it to work. i would die without a firestarter. die cold.

[Bullnuts]

anyone ever successfully start a fire with two sticks?

i put a stick in my drill and couldnt get it to work. i would die without a firestarter. die cold.

Me too. It's rare that I get a fire started without a Sunday paper and a gallon of gasoline. Forget the rubbing two sticks together! I do carry a flint and steel striker, though, that I have been successful with in the right conditions and using the right type of tinder. If you can find some pine bark and scrape the shavings off the inside of the bark, you'll find that it's like a bunch of hairs - those will catch a spark really nice when you get a wad of them, and they burn pretty good. They're normally dry, too, especially if you can pull the bark off the bottom side of a downed tree.

[BRazz]

I carry WetFire tinders with me everywhere I go. They say they are easy to light with a decent spark, which I've not really found to be true. So I also carry a couple lighters with me. Once you get them lit they really get going, and are a great start to a strong fire.

[>>>---WW---->]

Bic lighters have a little metal guard between the two striker wheels. It is referred to as a child guard. If you pop it out of there, you will find that the lighter is much easier to strike. That could be a plus if your hands are cold.

[pointysticks]

i had a friend cut up a fake fire log..cant remember the name!!

he ended up with a lifetime of fire starter stuff, for the cost of one log. seemed like more messy work than i liked.

[Bullnuts]

Some of the absolute best fire starter you can use is dryer lint and melted crayons - no kidding. It's better and cleaner than cotton balls and Vaseline because it's dry. I used a couple of little sticks made of this stuff on a winter overnight in blizzard conditions and it lit on the first try, stayed lit, and burned long and hot enough to start damp tinder. It's great stuff and will cost you nothing but a couple loads of clothes and some old crayons.

[ctdad]

Do you melt the crayon with your lighter as your starting the fire or do you do something ahead of time with the crayon?

[Bullnuts]

Do you melt the crayon with your lighter as your starting the fire or do you do something ahead of time with the crayon?

You need to melt the crayon and dryer lint together. I use an empty soup can so I don't jack up a good pan, put a bunch of crayons in it - no need to remove the wrappers - and put it on low heat on the stove at home. Once the crayons start to melt, I start adding dryer lint and stir the mixture up really good. You can put a bunch of dryer lint into the can and keep stirring - you're not trying to make gravy, but you want the lint to be coated pretty good. Once it's coated, pour the stuff out onto a sheet of aluminum foil, fold it up into a bar, and let it cool. I cut the bars up into 1 inch thick lengths that are about as thick as a cigarette. One piece will burn pretty good and it will light when it's wet.

[ctdad]

Going to try this. Thanks

[Lefty]

Fresh socks just feel good to me,.. I wear cheap work socks during the week, but nice mirino wool on the hunt
I hunt the desert,
Ive found some super lightweight pants and shirts that help me stay comfortable in the heat
a very comfortable bed at night

Lots of ice and cold drinks in the cooler, a refreshing drink when ever Im back at camp

Ohh and the nap,.. more of a real skill honed after years of practice in the woods

[navet]

Do you melt the crayon with your lighter as your starting the fire or do you do something ahead of time with the crayon?

You need to melt the crayon and dryer lint together. I use an empty soup can so I don't jack up a good pan, put a bunch of crayons in it - no need to remove the wrappers - and put it on low heat on the stove at home. Once the crayons start to melt, I start adding dryer lint and stir the mixture up really good. You can put a bunch of dryer lint into the can and keep stirring - you're not trying to make gravy, but you want the lint to be coated pretty good. Once it's coated, pour the stuff out onto a sheet of aluminum foil, fold it up into a bar, and let it cool. I cut the bars up into 1 inch thick lengths that are about as thick as a cigarette. One piece will burn pretty good and it will light when it's wet.

Same idea

I use dryer lint in cardboard egg crates. Line the crate (where the egg was ) with lint and then pour wax over it until the crate is full of wax. Cut out each egg and light the cardboard. Burns about 10-15 minutes per egg.

[ctdad]

Do you need the lint for these ideas at all?

[Bullnuts]

The lint acts as a good tinder. It's highly flammable - a thousand dryer fires a year can't be wrong. The lint ignites and acts as a wick and the wax or crayon slows the burn down so that you can get your fire started

[HTNFSH]

The top edge of your window in the car/truck will sharpen the edge of a knife in no time flat. Its about the same consistency as a ceramic stone.

[Bullnuts]

The top edge of your window in the car/truck will sharpen the edge of a knife in no time flat. Its about the same consistency as a ceramic stone.

Really? How does that work?

[dtrkyman]

Fritos, taste good and start fires!

[FemoralArchery]

The top edge of your window in the car/truck will sharpen the edge of a knife in no time flat. Its about the same consistency as a ceramic stone.

Now this is one that I've never heard. I, too, would like to know more.

[Lefty]

More of camping craft than field craft. But I have a thin cheap rug I put out the door of my tent, keeps the cactus needlesout of my feet and gives me somethig other than my truck mats to stand on,
Carpet also works fantastic to lay under your tent , takes out the hard edges of that annoying rock and sticks you missed

Also I find placing my mini light and bear spray in my shoes near my head to find them in the dark.

When given a choice keep the sun to your back when hunting, shadows of anything can be a great camo,.. or if to dark be an area of concern for game.

While I believe as a trapper my ability to track , Im checking for tracks or other sign all the time when hunting. Ive realized most hunters are clueless about tracking. Look down and see what has happened. The only way to develop the skill is to practice


Being a scoutmaster, scouting tends to use all sorts of fire starters,..
drier lint isnt what it use to be, mostly cotton,. now mostly plastic, poly blends it does work quite well but can smell nasty.

For home use pine cones dipped in wax look much nicer, using your little propane or alchol stove is a good way to start wet wood.

I havent seen them lately and looked on line and cant find them ; I use to buy these huge 1/2 x 3/4 x2" start anywhere waterproof matches that were wax impregmated, keep your fingers back, when stuck they were a blaze, then burned like fragmented log started mentioned above.

In my emergency supply I carry a couple brands of matches, and lighter, birthday candles and 12 hour candles, After living on the wet side of washington and doing lots campouts in the wet, lighting a match was the biggest concern. Just remember other things can be used also in emergency starters animal fat, hair, your toilet paper etc.

If you have a fireplace at home the "pretty pine cones" make a "nice" way to start a romantic fire, well it worked for my wife anyway

[HTNFSH]

The top edge of your window in the car/truck will sharpen the edge of a knife in no time flat. Its about the same consistency as a ceramic stone.

Now this is one that I've never heard. I, too, would like to know more.

When you are at home and can spare a couple minutes, grab your pocket knife and drop your window on the car/truck to the halfway point or so. Look closely at the vertical edge. It's coated with something that usually resembles black or dark grey in color. It has the feeling of a fine ceramic stone or honing rod. Run your blade along the edge like you would a honing rod. Say 10 passes on one side then 10 on the other. You don't need to apply a whole lot of pressure either. Then do each side independently like you would with any other knife. Obviously keeping the angle consistent is a big part how well it gets sharp.

I'll remove the burring and finish the edge off buy taking my leather belt and using the inside (rough or course side) as a strop. Before heading to the field, I'll rub some rouge (green, brown or white) into the belt ahead of time. That really helps with the honing/polishing process and makes the knife razor sharp.

[Accipiter]

How to start a fire with a AA battery and a staple or gum wrapper or steel wool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVLOmYDXfkQ
I always have a couple of batteries in my pack and would be handy to use one to start a fire.

[AmericanBwana]

The fire starter input 'sparked' my interest, so over the last couple of weekend's I've been trying wax soaked, and petroleum jelly soaked cotton balls.

My goal was to find something that could easily be lite with my last line of fire making defense, flint and striker. I'm testing with this product http://www.industrialrev.com/swedish-firesteel-2.0-scout.html

Petroleum soaked balls lite very easily, but were kind of messy. Passed but messy.

My next test was wax. Couldn't get that started at all with the striker. Failed.

Finally, I tried gel wax soaked cotton balls. They exhibit the best characteristics of both the petroleum (easy to light), and wax (not messy). Hobby Lobby had it on sale at 30% off so I picked up a small package.

I heated up the stuff in an old tuna can on low (WARNING this stuff is flammable, do not heat on high or in the microwave. Read the warning's on the tub before starting) until it was fluid. I saturated the cotton ball, then let it cool in the fridge until solid.

My initial lighting attempts failed, as there was no wicking material to light. Pulling the ball apart slightly exposed some fiber. It lite on my first attempt with the striker.

The burn test was on the back porch, no wind shield (winds at about 10 MPH according the local weather report), and had a good solid flame for about 8 minutes. It finally went out at 9 or so minutes.

Mileage may vary - Be well. Go Bronco's

AB

[pointysticks]

i'm getting a lot of mileage from the proud warm glow of learning how to sharpen things..

my axes and knives..geesh. i scare folks. not many guys swing my axe at full blast the first time out..

i learn how to fix and tune a bow, next to a campfire..i'm good.

[timberland]

Been saving Belly Button lint on the years i don't draw a tag. Always keep a little amount of dry lint on my person also. works wonders

[cnelk]

Belly button lint, toe jam and ear wax = your DIY fire starter...

[danarnold]

Fritos, taste good and start fires!

X2! also Doritos and any kind of chips, they are dual purpose and as small and efficient a bic is its hard to bring other fire starters
if youve never lit chips they burn like crazy and you'll prob eat less of em when you see them burn, anything that flammable cant be good for you