Ralph Abbott, aka "Country Cousin," wrote an article called "Survival Shooting" that I seen published in the Poor Man's James Bond Vol. 3, by Kurt Saxon. The article dealt with how to learn point shooting. His method was to practice with an unloaded gun and to learn how to point with your eyes shut. Once you open your eyes, you were to check your sights to see how well you pointed. This method was used to save ammo.
With Airsoft guns, ammo is relatively cheap and can be reused. There are many different Airsoft replicas and you can most likely get one that resembles your favorite gun. Commercially available targets are out there for Airsoft guns or you can make your own targets.
Using Abbott's method, you can actually shoot the target with your eyes closed to see how well you are aiming. First, stare at your target long enough to get a fix on it in your mind. Then, close your eyes and point the Airsoft gun at the target. Don't shoot yet. Open your eyes and check the sights just like in Abbott's method. Close your eyes again and repeat the steps but this time shoot before opening your eyes. You can also get a friend to act as a spotter and skip the sight aquisition step.
Start off with big targets and progress to smaller targets when you feel comfortable about hitting your targets. In three or four weeks of practice, you should be able to aim and point at a dime size target.
Abbott recommends to practice no more than ten minutes at a time but be able to practice two or three times a day. I recommend on always trying to end a session on a good note. When you think in your mind that you are doing well that session and is getting the hang of it, stop then.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Emergency Survival Bar
In an emergency or survival situation, cookie-like food bars come in handy. There are commercially available food bars out there that contain anywhere from 2400 to 3600 calories a package (usally broken down in smaller bars around 200 calories each). These bars are even handy on hiking and camping trips. Keeping several in the glove box of your vehicle can also come in handy during the winter season.
I've been searching the internet to see if there are any emergency survival bar recipes out there. One that I have came across even had a nutritional analysis attached with the recipe (link). This bar is comparable to most commercial made bars in nutritional value. The author mentions the lack of vitamin C. This could easily be remedied by adding cranberrys to the recipe.
Besides the emergency survival bars, there are recipes out there for home-made power bars (link).
Any of the above types of bars above when sealed right should last awhile in storage. This could be a cheaper alternative than buying the commercial bars, but the commercial bars have been known for their long-time storage. Be familiar with preserving and storing foods if you want your home-made bars to store for a long time.
I've been searching the internet to see if there are any emergency survival bar recipes out there. One that I have came across even had a nutritional analysis attached with the recipe (link). This bar is comparable to most commercial made bars in nutritional value. The author mentions the lack of vitamin C. This could easily be remedied by adding cranberrys to the recipe.
Besides the emergency survival bars, there are recipes out there for home-made power bars (link).
Any of the above types of bars above when sealed right should last awhile in storage. This could be a cheaper alternative than buying the commercial bars, but the commercial bars have been known for their long-time storage. Be familiar with preserving and storing foods if you want your home-made bars to store for a long time.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Willow Trees
There are over 100 different species of the willow family. Most people are familiar with what they look like. If you aren't familiar, you can go to Google Images and type in "willow trees" to see many photos of them.
In a survival situation, the outer bark can be cut off and the thin inner layer can be scraped off with a knife and eaten. You can cut it in strips and then cook it like spaghetti. You can also dry the scrapes and powdered it into flour.
Willow bark can also be used as cordage. To learn about how to make your own cordage, you can go to this link that has images along with the steps (link).
Besides cordage, you can also make willow baskets (link).
There is no limit on the things that you can make with willow. Because of the flexibility of willow branches you can make all sorts of things. You can make pack frames, quickie bows, use for a bowdrill set, or just make into stick figures for entertainment.
In a survival situation, the outer bark can be cut off and the thin inner layer can be scraped off with a knife and eaten. You can cut it in strips and then cook it like spaghetti. You can also dry the scrapes and powdered it into flour.
Willow bark can also be used as cordage. To learn about how to make your own cordage, you can go to this link that has images along with the steps (link).
Besides cordage, you can also make willow baskets (link).
There is no limit on the things that you can make with willow. Because of the flexibility of willow branches you can make all sorts of things. You can make pack frames, quickie bows, use for a bowdrill set, or just make into stick figures for entertainment.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Getting Rid of Ants
There are many non-chemical ways of controlling pests and diseases in your garden. The use of techniques such as soil solarization and companion planting at the beginning of the growing season can help you keep a healthier pest-free garden and limit the need of using pesticides. More about soil solarization can be found here. For a list of companion plants and more info about companion planting, go here.
To get rid of ants in your garden, you can equal parts of peanut butter, sugar, and boric acid and leave this in a place in your garden for a few days. Make sure you can keep it away from children and pets since the boric acid is toxic. You may have to repeat the baiting for the ants a couple of time until they are gone. Some people may notice that this is also a recipe for controlling cockroaches in the home.
If ants are entering your home, you can place cayanne pepper around their entrance to discourage them from entering.
You can place suet in your yard to attract woodpeckers. Once woodpeckers are attracted to your yard, they will help with controlling your ant problem.
Other ant predators are praying mantids, groundbeetles, humpback flies, and parasitic wasps. You should be aware what these insects look like and treat them as beneficial insects for your garden.
If you have more than one ant mound in your garden or yard, you could shovel part of mound and throw it on top of the other and then shovel up part of the second mound and throw it on top of the first. This way, the ants can be busy taking each other out.
Ants can be bothersome, but hopefully with these tips, your garden will be ant free and stay healthy until harvest time.
To get rid of ants in your garden, you can equal parts of peanut butter, sugar, and boric acid and leave this in a place in your garden for a few days. Make sure you can keep it away from children and pets since the boric acid is toxic. You may have to repeat the baiting for the ants a couple of time until they are gone. Some people may notice that this is also a recipe for controlling cockroaches in the home.
If ants are entering your home, you can place cayanne pepper around their entrance to discourage them from entering.
You can place suet in your yard to attract woodpeckers. Once woodpeckers are attracted to your yard, they will help with controlling your ant problem.
Other ant predators are praying mantids, groundbeetles, humpback flies, and parasitic wasps. You should be aware what these insects look like and treat them as beneficial insects for your garden.
If you have more than one ant mound in your garden or yard, you could shovel part of mound and throw it on top of the other and then shovel up part of the second mound and throw it on top of the first. This way, the ants can be busy taking each other out.
Ants can be bothersome, but hopefully with these tips, your garden will be ant free and stay healthy until harvest time.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Taking Care of Your Feet During Hiking
Before you go hiking, there are a few things you have to prepare for to make sure you keep your feet healthy on the hike. The first thing you have to consider is your footwear.
If you are considering buying a new pair of hiking boots/shoes, there are a few things you might want think about. Don't trust a shoe salesman in helping making the right decision for you. They will usually try to get you to buy the most expensive heaviest boot. When you pick out a pair of shoes, you will want to pick out one that is light and is still suitable for the environment you are planning on hiking in. Low-top hikers that resemble cross-training shoes will serve most summer-related hikes. Go with ankle-support only if you are carrying a lot of weight in a backpack or you have had previous ankle problems. Heavy boots that have thick leather uppers and lot's of insulation should be left for winter hikes and snowshoeing.
When you are trying on shoes, try them on later in the day when your feet have expanded from walking and standing. Try the boots on with the type of socks you will be wearing on the hike. I recommend wearing two layers of socks; the first layer being a thin nylon sock, to help prevent blisters, and the second being a synthetic wool sock. Try on different brands and see which give you a better fit. With the shoes not laced, you should be able to move your toes forward in the boot and be able to stick one finger between your heel and the heel cup of the shoe. Walk with the boots on and laced up and notice any areas that are too loose or too constrictive. If they have an incline in the store, use it and notice if your feet move around in the shoes. Take your time and only purchase a pair if you actually think it fits comfortably.
Break in new hiking boots/shoes before going on any long extended hike. Remember, the stiffer the boot, the longer it takes to break it in; another reason to purchase lighter footwear. You can use leather conditioners to soften up pressure points on leather boots. Another way to soften up leather materials is to use a hard ball and roll it on the pressure points.
After the shoe/boot selection, consider your feet. Are they usually dry and cracking or do they sweat a lot? If they are dry, use some kind of moisterizer on your feet a couple of times a day before going on the hike and bring the moisterizer with you. If they sweat a lot, you might want to consider rubbing them with alcohol or an anti-perspiration deodorant everday for a few days before the hike. Make sure to trim and file your toenails before going on your hike.
On your hike, use light-weight trekking poles. This will transfer up to 20% of the weight you are carrying from your feet to your arms. This also helps prevent ankle problems such as sprains. Note that this is one of the reasons you don't need a lot of ankle support in your shoes/boots.
Bring an extra set of socks to change out on the hike in case the socks you are wearing get wet. You can attach the wet socks to the outside of your pack with an alligator clip to help dry the wet pair while you continue hiking. It's best to avoid cotton socks because they don't move moisture away from your feet that well and take longer to dry.
You should also bring along a small foot-care kit with you. This should contain some blister patches. Another alternative to blister patches is duct tape, which can be cut and shaped to the size of the blister. Make sure to round off the edges of the tape when applying. Instead of carrying a whole roll, just wrap what you think you will need for the hike around a pencil. This will make it easier to carry. Any time that you feel a hot spot on your feet, immediately take a break and apply a blister patch or the duct tape alternative. You should also carry some lubricant or powder, a few alcohol wipes, a few tinctures of benzoin wipes to help the patches stick to your skin, and a safety pin to drain blisters. You should be able to carry all of this in a Ziploc bag.
When hiking, take a break every hour. During the break, take your shoes and socks off and let your feet air out. If you are on long hikes and camping, make sure to carry a pair of sandals or flip-flops with you to wear on longer extended breaks. Make sure there are no rocks or debris in your socks and shoes/boots when putting them back on.
These tips should help your feet survive your next hike.
If you are considering buying a new pair of hiking boots/shoes, there are a few things you might want think about. Don't trust a shoe salesman in helping making the right decision for you. They will usually try to get you to buy the most expensive heaviest boot. When you pick out a pair of shoes, you will want to pick out one that is light and is still suitable for the environment you are planning on hiking in. Low-top hikers that resemble cross-training shoes will serve most summer-related hikes. Go with ankle-support only if you are carrying a lot of weight in a backpack or you have had previous ankle problems. Heavy boots that have thick leather uppers and lot's of insulation should be left for winter hikes and snowshoeing.
When you are trying on shoes, try them on later in the day when your feet have expanded from walking and standing. Try the boots on with the type of socks you will be wearing on the hike. I recommend wearing two layers of socks; the first layer being a thin nylon sock, to help prevent blisters, and the second being a synthetic wool sock. Try on different brands and see which give you a better fit. With the shoes not laced, you should be able to move your toes forward in the boot and be able to stick one finger between your heel and the heel cup of the shoe. Walk with the boots on and laced up and notice any areas that are too loose or too constrictive. If they have an incline in the store, use it and notice if your feet move around in the shoes. Take your time and only purchase a pair if you actually think it fits comfortably.
Break in new hiking boots/shoes before going on any long extended hike. Remember, the stiffer the boot, the longer it takes to break it in; another reason to purchase lighter footwear. You can use leather conditioners to soften up pressure points on leather boots. Another way to soften up leather materials is to use a hard ball and roll it on the pressure points.
After the shoe/boot selection, consider your feet. Are they usually dry and cracking or do they sweat a lot? If they are dry, use some kind of moisterizer on your feet a couple of times a day before going on the hike and bring the moisterizer with you. If they sweat a lot, you might want to consider rubbing them with alcohol or an anti-perspiration deodorant everday for a few days before the hike. Make sure to trim and file your toenails before going on your hike.
On your hike, use light-weight trekking poles. This will transfer up to 20% of the weight you are carrying from your feet to your arms. This also helps prevent ankle problems such as sprains. Note that this is one of the reasons you don't need a lot of ankle support in your shoes/boots.
Bring an extra set of socks to change out on the hike in case the socks you are wearing get wet. You can attach the wet socks to the outside of your pack with an alligator clip to help dry the wet pair while you continue hiking. It's best to avoid cotton socks because they don't move moisture away from your feet that well and take longer to dry.
You should also bring along a small foot-care kit with you. This should contain some blister patches. Another alternative to blister patches is duct tape, which can be cut and shaped to the size of the blister. Make sure to round off the edges of the tape when applying. Instead of carrying a whole roll, just wrap what you think you will need for the hike around a pencil. This will make it easier to carry. Any time that you feel a hot spot on your feet, immediately take a break and apply a blister patch or the duct tape alternative. You should also carry some lubricant or powder, a few alcohol wipes, a few tinctures of benzoin wipes to help the patches stick to your skin, and a safety pin to drain blisters. You should be able to carry all of this in a Ziploc bag.
When hiking, take a break every hour. During the break, take your shoes and socks off and let your feet air out. If you are on long hikes and camping, make sure to carry a pair of sandals or flip-flops with you to wear on longer extended breaks. Make sure there are no rocks or debris in your socks and shoes/boots when putting them back on.
These tips should help your feet survive your next hike.
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