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Hey guys! Equipment check!


Williamrock

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17 minutes ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

My wife sees enough gore at the office, so we tend to quarter our kills in the field and spare her the details.

 

Mrs. Ptychodus04 made me promise when I started hunting that I would never bring anything home with a head or fur still attached, so we do the same as you. Then when it's time to become a butcher she goes shopping for the day. I'm getting hungry... I'm think I need to make some venison chili for dinner. :drool:

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@Ptychodus04  Sounds like a good house rule for a wife to make. I’ve seen a number of animals dressed in the field or yard and it is not a pretty sight.

Still can’t forget seeing an old woman butcher a chicken outside a convenience store (the owners lived next to the store) in a wide spot in the road kind of place. It got off the block and took a few steps after it’s beheading. I think I was 9 and it was pretty disturbing to me.

Speaking of venison, when I traveled to New Zealand we were driving through the countryside and discovered they raise deer like we raise cows. They serve it in restaurants. One restaurant had the “Bambi meets a perfect end” burger. That was literally the name of the burger. I asked friends there if their kids had ever seen the Disney movie Bambi. The answer was no. Bambi was not a popular movie over there for obvious reasons.

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8 hours ago, Ptychodus04 said:

 

Mrs. Ptychodus04 made me promise when I started hunting that I would never bring anything home with a head or fur still attached, so we do the same as you. Then when it's time to become a butcher she goes shopping for the day. I'm getting hungry... I'm think I need to make some venison chili for dinner. :drool:

My boy got a doe with my .45-70 Marlin lever gun this Saturday, so I spent tonight grinding most of it with wild pork flanks (I got 2 butterball piggies with one shot last month with the same gun), trimming the rest of the venison for jerky, and soaking the latter in a home spun sweet and spicy brine.  I'll fire up the dehydrator tomorrow.  

 

Tonight we had 50-50 pork-venison burgers pan fried in maple bacon grease with sweet onions...nom nom nom!

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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7 hours ago, KimTexan said:

I’ve seen a number of animals dressed in the field or yard and it is not a pretty sight.

Still can’t forget seeing an old woman butcher a chicken outside a convenience store (the owners lived next to the store) in a wide spot in the road kind of place. It got off the block and took a few steps after it’s beheading. I think I was 9 and it was pretty disturbing to me.

 

That is a recurring theme I hear. Butchering can be rather life changing. I lived on my family’s farm for a while during my impressionable years. I think that played a big part in why that stuff doesn’t bother me. I remember being 8 and getting angry with my dad because he started slaughtering our chickens and ducks without me!

 

4 hours ago, Uncle Siphuncle said:

My boy got a doe with my .45-70 Marlin lever gun this Saturday, so I spent tonight grinding most of it with wild pork flanks (I got 2 butterball piggies with one shot last month with the same gun), trimming the rest of the venison for jerky, and soaking the latter in a home spun sweet and spicy brine.  I'll fire up the dehydrator tomorrow.  

 

Tonight we had 50-50 pork-venison burgers pan fried in maple bacon grease with sweet onions...nom nom nom!

 

Well done! We didn’t harvest anything on our last hunt. That’s ok though, still plenty of meat in the freezer. Those little piggies go great whole on the smoker!

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  • 2 weeks later...

As mentioned, a knife but a good quality belt knife in a pouch style sheath for easy and quick removal.  I also strongly suggest, depending on locality, a firearm for the reason of four legged baddies.  If you get in trouble with a full grown boar, a knife will not cut it.  Pack a gun.

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9 hours ago, Mike_H said:

As mentioned, a knife but a good quality belt knife in a pouch style sheath for easy and quick removal.  I also strongly suggest, depending on locality, a firearm for the reason of four legged baddies.  If you get in trouble with a full grown boar, a knife will not cut it.  Pack a gun.

I had a pistol on me that day too.  But weighing my options, I felt I could do what I needed to quickly with a knife, without drawing the attention that gunshots bring.  Big game hunting experience has provided me with a little knowledge of game animal anatomy, behavior, and reactions. 

 

I was legal to be where I was, but I saw no point in drawing the attention of area locals to my collecting venue.  The last thing I want to do is cultivate competition within walking distance of a honey hole....generally not a situation to contributes to sustainability of a site.

 

Back to equipment, my favorite tools are the ones I design and fabricate myself that might provide a competitive edge.  I have several that I use regularly on the down low....mua ha ha.  The perceived advantage, real or imagined, tends to keep me motivated and focused in the field, so I guess in one way or another, they up my game.

 

 

Grüße,

Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas

"To the motivated go the spoils."

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On 1/22/2018 at 7:33 PM, KimTexan said:

@Ptychodus04  Sounds like a good house rule for a wife to make. I’ve seen a number of animals dressed in the field or yard and it is not a pretty sight.

Still can’t forget seeing an old woman butcher a chicken outside a convenience store (the owners lived next to the store) in a wide spot in the road kind of place. It got off the block and took a few steps after it’s beheading. I think I was 9 and it was pretty disturbing to me.

Speaking of venison, when I traveled to New Zealand we were driving through the countryside and discovered they raise deer like we raise cows. They serve it in restaurants. One restaurant had the “Bambi meets a perfect end” burger. That was literally the name of the burger. I asked friends there if their kids had ever seen the Disney movie Bambi. The answer was no. Bambi was not a popular movie over there for obvious reasons.

I remember from my childhood the day my dad beheaded a chicken.. He had to secure it to the wood block by tacking little metal strips over its neck - then whack - then it went flapping all around the barnyard for a while, as he went chasing after it. Rather disturbing to me at the time... I guess he didn't realize I was the sensitive type, or else he didn't realize it would react that way, otherwise maybe he would have recommended my discretion. He was like you guys - no problem with that type of thing, though he's not exactly bloodthirsty and prefers not to see things suffer either. Just a job to be done.

I'm not a gun user but I could imagine shooting something if I had to, because of the separation between me and the target. Seems it would be easier to take than feeling the knife plunge into the flesh. My muscles become weak and stop functioning just thinking about these things, so I wouldn't be much use.

Glad I don't have to deal with any of this! though I suppose it's only a matter of time before a come across a cougar or bear up at my collecting site. Just hope I can run fast enough or scare it off when I do...

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For trilos and shark teeth, you just can't beat an egg carton.  Yep, small cardboard pockets cushion well and makes labeling way easy.  Light, strong, and you can eat eggs for a week to empty the things out.

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On 1/31/2018 at 7:16 PM, Uncle Siphuncle said:

I had a pistol on me that day too.  But weighing my options, I felt I could do what I needed to quickly with a knife, without drawing the attention that gunshots bring.  Big game hunting experience has provided me with a little knowledge of game animal anatomy, behavior, and reactions. 

 

I was legal to be where I was, but I saw no point in drawing the attention of area locals to my collecting venue.  The last thing I want to do is cultivate competition within walking distance of a honey hole....generally not a situation to contributes to sustainability of a site.

 

Back to equipment, my favorite tools are the ones I design and fabricate myself that might provide a competitive edge.  I have several that I use regularly on the down low....mua ha ha.  The perceived advantage, real or imagined, tends to keep me motivated and focused in the field, so I guess in one way or another, they up my game.

 

It always depends on where you are fossil hunting of course.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can't believe no one mentioned this and for me it is a big one if you break rock...safety glasses!  I've had rock flakes in the eyes before and it isn't fun. I wear eye protection now in case shards go flying.

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21 minutes ago, Mike_H said:

I can't believe no one mentioned this and for me it is a big one if you break rock...safety glasses!  I've had rock flakes in the eyes before and it isn't fun. I wear eye protection now in case shards go flying.

Excellent recommendation.  Here is the link to the final equipment list I came up with in the following post.  It lists several items related to safety, including safety glasses.  This list is more suitable for digging fish or trilobites out west rather than sifting for sharks teeth in the Peace River but it’s still a good starting point.

 

 

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On 2/1/2018 at 6:54 PM, Wrangellian said:

I'm not a gun user but I could imagine shooting something if I had to, because of the separation between me and the target. Seems it would be easier to take than feeling the knife plunge into the flesh. My muscles become weak and stop functioning just thinking about these things, so I wouldn't be much use.

 

I grew up in the Boston Mountains of the Ozarks. Everyone had a gun. My dad started teaching me to shoot when I was 6. By the time I was 8 I often hiked alone in the vast forests that went on for miles surrounding our 40 acres. So my dad gave me a 22 pistol to carry if I recall correctly. Guns were tools and I guess toys too for my dad. We did not hunt animals. The guns were for protection of us and our property.

 

We had bears that would come into our yard and hang out. They’d make all kinds of messes. We also had mountain lions and a number of other wild animals.

Our nearest neighbor was 4 miles away. Our life style was not too far from the Grizzly Adams lifestyle, if you’re old enough to remember that show.

So, guns were a part of our life, but were never used unless necessary. We had a great respect for nature and the life of animals, except poisonous snakes.

I think I personally only killed a few copperhead snakes in the yard. Maybe one in the house. They were abundant along with cottonmouths, a few coral snakes and rattle snakes. If they were found in the yard or in the house they were quickly dispatched to their final resting place. Non-poisonous snakes were considered allies to keep the rodent population down and they even ate a few poisonous snakes on occasion. Often various wild animals were kept as temporary pets, king snakes, lizards, skinks, salamanders, bats and wounded birds to name a few. Life was quite adventurous out there in the wilderness.

When my kids were small they use to ask me to tell them stories at bedtime of my childhood and the adventures we had. I feel blessed to have experienced such a colorful life so close to nature as a child. It was wonderous and often adventure filled. Maybe that’s one reason I seek the adventure that often comes with hunting fossils.

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33 minutes ago, KimTexan said:

I grew up in the Boston Mountains of the Ozarks. Everyone had a gun. My dad started teaching me to shoot when I was 6. By the time I was 8 I often hiked alone in the vast forests that went on for miles surrounding our 40 acres. So my dad gave me a 22 pistol to carry if I recall correctly. Guns were tools and I guess toys too for my dad. We did not hunt animals. The guns were for protection of us and our property.

 

We had bears that would come into our yard and hang out. They’d make all kinds of messes. We also had mountain lions and a number of other wild animals.

Our nearest neighbor was 4 miles away. Our life style was not too far from the Grizzly Adams lifestyle, if you’re old enough to remember that show.

So, guns were a part of our life, but were never used unless necessary. We had a great respect for nature and the life of animals, except poisonous snakes.

I think I personally only killed a few copperhead snakes in the yard. Maybe one in the house. They were abundant along with cottonmouths, a few coral snakes and rattle snakes. If they were found in the yard or in the house they were quickly dispatched to their final resting place. Non-poisonous snakes were considered allies to keep the rodent population down and they even ate a few poisonous snakes on occasion. Often various wild animals were kept as temporary pets, king snakes, lizards, skinks, salamanders, bats and wounded birds to name a few. Life was quite adventurous out there in the wilderness.

When my kids were small they use to ask me to tell them stories at bedtime of my childhood and the adventures we had. I feel blessed to have experienced such a colorful life so close to nature as a child. It was wonderous and often adventure filled. Maybe that’s one reason I seek the adventure that often comes with hunting fossils.

Kim you are a regular Annie Oakley :dinothumb: 

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On 2/26/2018 at 8:33 PM, KimTexan said:

I grew up in the Boston Mountains of the Ozarks. Everyone had a gun. My dad started teaching me to shoot when I was 6. By the time I was 8 I often hiked alone in the vast forests that went on for miles surrounding our 40 acres. So my dad gave me a 22 pistol to carry if I recall correctly. Guns were tools and I guess toys too for my dad. We did not hunt animals. The guns were for protection of us and our property.

 

We had bears that would come into our yard and hang out. They’d make all kinds of messes. We also had mountain lions and a number of other wild animals.

Our nearest neighbor was 4 miles away. Our life style was not too far from the Grizzly Adams lifestyle, if you’re old enough to remember that show.

So, guns were a part of our life, but were never used unless necessary. We had a great respect for nature and the life of animals, except poisonous snakes.

I think I personally only killed a few copperhead snakes in the yard. Maybe one in the house. They were abundant along with cottonmouths, a few coral snakes and rattle snakes. If they were found in the yard or in the house they were quickly dispatched to their final resting place. Non-poisonous snakes were considered allies to keep the rodent population down and they even ate a few poisonous snakes on occasion. Often various wild animals were kept as temporary pets, king snakes, lizards, skinks, salamanders, bats and wounded birds to name a few. Life was quite adventurous out there in the wilderness.

When my kids were small they use to ask me to tell them stories at bedtime of my childhood and the adventures we had. I feel blessed to have experienced such a colorful life so close to nature as a child. It was wonderous and often adventure filled. Maybe that’s one reason I seek the adventure that often comes with hunting fossils.

The non-poisonous snakes sometimes ate the poisonous ones???

I know somewhat where you're coming from... I'm not exactly a city kid myself. My dad is a gun owner but hasn't used one in years. I've been avoiding going to the more remote fossil sites where you're likely to come across a cougar or bear - I imagine having a gun on me would be useful at such places, but the rifle or shotgun would be a bit of a hassle to carry over hill and dale, along with fossils and collecting equipment, so a good handgun would be better. But we don't have one of those. There are more gun laws up here too so getting one could be more trouble than it's worth for me. Up here we're expected to use bear spray and make loud noises. But still I wouldn't feel too safe in the wilderness by myself (having no collecting partner).

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