tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53667620063528324732013-05-17T01:16:15.036-05:00General Ramblings of a Backwoods BumAmerican Grouchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483329244995181935noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125AmericanGrouchhttp://feedburner.google.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366762006352832473.post-494900106827701702013-05-15T16:19:00.003-05:002013-05-15T16:19:34.453-05:002013-05-15T16:19:34.453-05:00

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too:If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,Or being hated don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream---and not make dreams

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Because all are created equal, and endowed with certain inalienable rights, it takes all to stand for those rights. The moment we allow consciously, those rights to be stolen or trampled upon is the moment that our own rights become violate, our own freedom curtailed, our own futures to be shadowed or snuffed. My rights end where yours begin and yours end where mine begin. All equal, do not

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It seems most of us use smart devices these days, in one form or another. Along with all that smartness comes some fragility and I suppose another means for us to add a little something in the way of style or self proclamation. Enter FUSE, and specifically these products. If you make a purchase of anything on that page, use AGBWB as your coupon code to receive a 10% discount on your order.

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Typically my work sees me traveling heavily the first month of each new quarter, moderately for the rest of each quarter. Things changed due to an acquisition late last year and as a result I've been racking up the miles and have had virtually no time outside since early November. Looks like there's some light at the end of this tunnel, two more weeks of it then some much needed downtime! One

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I remember watching Saturday morning cartoons when I was a boy. Buggs Bunny was one of them, that wascally wabbit. I don't remember which one of course and I think there were more than a few occasions where he'd pop his head up, look around and say something about making a left turn in Albuquerque, implying he'd gotten lost. Well I kinda feel like that, sort of. I've been of limited time

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And in case you don’t believe Amidst The Noise’s presentation on violent crime, here are their sources: FBI Uniform Crime Reports Table 1 FBI Uniform Crime Reports Table 16 FBI Uniform Crime Reports Table 8 Crimes Detected in England and Wales 2011/2012

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Presented without commentary.For widespread distribution, more cutting-edge commentary from Matt Bracken, former SEAL and author of the Enemies Foreign and Domestic trilogy, along with his most recent novel, Castigo Cay: Dear Mr. Security Agent, Federal, state, or local. You, the man or woman with the badge, the sworn LEO or FLEA and those who inhabit the many law enforcement niches in between

American Grouchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483329244995181935noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366762006352832473.post-46632733063851098022012-12-28T20:24:00.000-06:002012-12-28T20:27:16.360-06:002012-12-28T20:27:16.360-06:00

Two Cautionary Tales... Worth your time, regardless of your belief, click the link above to go to the full article. Strict gun laws in Great Britain and Australia haven't made their people noticeably safer, nor have they prevented massacres. The two major countries held up as models for the U.S. don't provide much evidence that strict gun laws will solve our problems. ...Within a decade of

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It's out and available, free online. The format has changed as well, as the publication is now full color throughout. Worth the price of subscription in my opinion but perhaps I am bias! Click the cover below to read online. This edition covers a lot of ground, from kids, to burning out a noggin, a quiver build along and my Tonic of the Wilderness. Nick Viau has a heck of a hunting tale, and

American Grouchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06483329244995181935noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5366762006352832473.post-10413987454003027102012-12-18T15:49:00.000-06:002012-12-18T15:49:26.874-06:002012-12-18T15:49:26.874-06:00

Carpe Diem, or in this case the moment. Last week Wolf Creek Forge posted two knives for immediate sale and delivery, I happened to be in the right place at the right time and bought them both. Shipping was lightning fast, I'm even more pleased with them in person than I was when Lisa posted them for sale. Here are those pictures; The first is the Bushcrafter, the second is a drop point well

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I don't like to repost articles from other places, however, because the conversation is reaching fever pitch I believe factual discussion is necessary, over knee-jerk emotionalism. I've got five kids of my own, ranging in ages from 18 months to 18 years, two girls and three boys. Tragedy isn't a powerful enough word to describe what transpired in Connecticut. I've been 'emotional' since it

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If you didn't grow up in the states it's probably hard to understand the American culture, particularly associated with firearms. Our history was born in conflict, our societal perception is one of self reliance, of a belief in the human, not a system, an understanding that the individual is more responsible for their own safety than anyone else. The average response time for any police entity

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I'm a pipe smoker, no longer a full time smoke every day pipe smoker but a pipe smoker none the less. I typically smoke Peterson Pipes, I like the quality, but I also have more than one corncob pipe, and several briars of moderate price but good quality. Not long ago I was pointed in the direction of MacQueen Pipes, specifically their Churchwarden line as I was thinking of trying that style of

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For the most part I'm usually satisfied with the products I buy. I'm not typically a early adopter and will usually lag a year or so behind a release of something new. I do my due diligence and research products I am interested in, read reviews from people I respect and watch videos about said products. Because of this I'm not usually dissatisfied which is why there aren't many negative

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A quote from Jose Ortega y Gasset's work titled Meditations on Hunting. Jose was Spain's leading philosopher of the 20th century. Born in Madrid in 1883 and died there in 1955. I present the quote here with minimal commentary other than to say it applies beyond the context to hunting. Indeed, it applies to all, that are disingenuous of their intent. "In the preoccupation with doing things as

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 My first impressions of the kit bag were good, and have really only gotten better since I started using it. I've tried different loadouts almost weekly except for a two week period where what I was carrying remained static, a result of hunting season but I'm getting ahead of myself. Hill People Gear (HPG) is a small family based company producing some truly innovative products designed for

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The natural world, and isn't it odd that this is a common way of referring to the out of doors? Almost as if humans live in a parallel universe of their own making, one the world of concrete and steel, the other the gilded pathways of the wood and mountain, river and lake. I guess this is a by product of the industrial and then technological revolution leading humanity down a different path

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MeatEater Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter - Steven Rinella I picked up a copy back in October but didn't get a chance to start it until mid November. Unlike most of my reading where I toss another round in the wood stove in my den and settle into it, I decided to read this one while in the woods. So it was read while in ground blinds and on tree stands, sitting stumps and other

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Minnesota is the top Ruffed Grouse state, something I didn't know until recently. I guess I sort of knew because I've seen and eaten more grouse over the past four years than any other period of my life. They've become something of a passion for me, that passion consisting of how challenging they are to hunt with a bow and just how good they are to eat! Something else I didn't know, it's

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Koda has been a faithful companion for many years, this morning was my old bird-dog's last. Going to be hard, not having him walk beside me, not seeing him as I look out of my windows. He was getting up there in years. The last month has been the worst, lost most of his muscle mass, barely moved. We took our last walk early this morning, he never stopped wagging his tail. So long my friend,

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I don't think I am alone in this. The keeping of things that have since been improved upon, newer models, some vastly superior in function over the old yet we hang on to them anyway. Sometimes for sentimental reasons, sometimes because we don't like to change from what we are comfortable with, and sometimes just because. One of those things for me, among probably too many, is a compass.

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I spent the first three days of our deer season hunting out of the camp built earlier in the year. I got in late the evening before the opener and it was quite cold, around 25 degrees that day. I didn't have a lot of light left so first order of business was getting some wood in and a fast warming fire, a teepee fire. Before ignition. After, when it took off it really took off!

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Any reader of these rambles knows I prefer a ferrocerium rod, firesteel, etc. I'm not going to argue the composition, the make up or the name of these items. They are a hard metal rod that when struck with another metal object, the spine of a good knife, sparks fly. Over the years this has become my most used method for getting a fire going. Tough to lose if you do your part, damn near idiot

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As part of the BCUSA Intermediate BushClasses this was one of the electives. I've played with magnifying lenses since I was a kid, this exercise brought back some fond memories. The video at the bottom shows the process. From my experience, it's easier if you mount your lens in a stick and stabilize it, focused, then you have both hands for manipulating what you are trying to ignite. My

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When I first saw these I figured they'd be a great fit for my compass or my fire kit, and while it works for that just fine, I am using it differently. I've always been a fan of leather cartridge carriers, the belt slide version and this Navigator pouch works very well in that capacity, across multiple calibers too! Seven cartridges, 7mm Remington Magnum 3.29COL, at this length this

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