General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I was making the last of my approach to Mt Ritter when I saw this salamander. It was probably 3-4 inches long and around 4:30 in the morning, I think the forecasted temperature was around 40° Fa...
As a foreigner from the EU, what prerequisites do I have to fulfill to hunt with a bow in Hungary? Edit: I'm asking for general rules like "You need an accepted hunting licence. Most of the EU h...
As a foreigner from the EU, what prerequisites do I have to fulfill to hunt with a bow in Hungary? Edit: I'm asking for general rules like "You need an accepted hunting licence. Most of the EU h...
Can a compass have its polarity reversed so that the end marked "north" points south and vice versa? If so, what could one do to prevent and fix this problem?
In many European countries like Germany, it's prohibited to sleep in the great outdoors with a tent. While I understand that downright camps are a problem due to littering, fire etc., I don't get ...
Some features in orienteering or navigation are called attack points. What exactly does this refer to?
Some revolvers are single action and some are double action, what exactly is the difference between the two types?
Somewhat like revolvers, semi-automatic pistols also come in single action, double action/single action and double action only. Also while there are similarities to how this terminology is used wi...
Comments at a recent question How many tea light candles are needed to equal the heat output of a person? suggest that burning a candle can produce water vaper that masses twice as much as the cand...
There is a current trend to carry babies in a pack on your front (Wikipedia does not show it but Google images has lots of hits 'front baby carrier') If you are hiking with a backpack, is includin...
A recent answer said: In an emergency a tea light candle carefully set on/in a disposable pie tin can heat a 4 season tent enough to aid the drying process - just be sure to isolate, ventalate,...
I spent one really miserable night because I found out during the rainstorm that my bivy sack wasn't waterproof. Drying it out wasn't an option because of the rain and moving some where else also ...
There are two shafts from Easton. The "Axis" and its younger brother the "Axis Traditional". Both of them are full featured carbon arrows but the latter one has a wooden design. I've heard that...
In European 3D archery we've (besides a few "uncommon" ratings) two basic rating systems: One kill The yellow, red and blue area is "the kill": First arrow - Kill: 20 First arrow - Body: 16 ...
Do bears, as opposed to defending cubs, being startled by humans, or trying to get into food, ever decide to prey on humans? As in stalk, kill and then eat them?
For most big game species in the United States there is a minimum legal caliber where in order for a cartridge to be used for hunting it has to be of a certain size. For example, For all big a...
There is a notorious kind of crack called offwidths. Several friends of mine stated, that they were pretty devastated at first when they were not able to do 5.8 offwidths in the valley. Later they ...
We've had a harsh weather turnaround lately in central Europe. It went from a pretty warm late summer to a pretty cold autumn in nearly one single night. As this happened, earthworms started to com...
Some revolvers like the earliest Colts do not have top straps, and that is the easy way of telling them apart from the early Remingtons or from any modern revolvers. What exactly is a top strap on...
Whistles can be used to signal to group members, however the downside is that other people may think you are having an emergency. Are there any other devices that would allow you to signal with no...
Aiders/Etriers are standard equipment for aid climbing, what qualities should I look for when purchasing a pair? I have used them before, but they were always borrowed from other people and I am l...
Recently my region in Germany had great success in bringing back the red kite bird. Unfortunately a few decided to stay near newly built wind turbines. Thus the turbines are turned off from time to...
Recently my region in Germany had great success in bringing back the red kite bird. Unfortunately a few decided to stay near newly built wind turbines. Thus the turbines are turned off from time to...
Let's say you are out for a walk with your little daughter. Strolling around you suddenly hear sounds of joy from her. As you turn around she's happily petting a (roe deer) fawn laying in the grass...
When sailing I may anchor in a different bay each evening and take a dinghy in to land to sleep in a tent overnight. I always worry that when I wake up in the morning the boat may no longer be th...
Some modern firearms can come with either round or octagonal barrels, such as the 45-70 Marlin Guide vs the 45-70 Marlin Cowboy. What would the advantages of one over the other be?
I just passed one of the town parks, and there was a flock of Canada geese sleeping on the frozen lake. It seemed like that would be a rather cold place to sleep, is there a reason beyond the possi...
I came across several shots of the 'Canoe Bike' which seems to be a custom build by Jay Broemmel. There are several action shots of this vehicle on the internet. There are a couple of similar one...
Some products like 'Icy Hot' contain a substance called 'Camphor' that can make your skin feel warm when applied. It is cold out today (1°F or -17°C). I have been making short trips out to shove...
A now-deleted answer to this question suggested using chemical heating pads in sleeping bags at night to provide added warmth. The product suggested is the 'Thermacare ... Fe-loaded material' I lo...
Regardless of why they would want to cross the road, doing so is dangerous for turtles, especially since a certain percentage of the population will try to run them over. However, snapping turtles...
I've often walked on deer trails already. The last time I've done this I suddenly realized that it might not be the best practice. I was (and I am) concerned that the "human smell" might stop the d...
As far as I know, it's generally a good idea to pee a fence around your camp. Don't know if it makes any major differences but ... It is true urinating around your tent will keep some critters...
Today I've learnt that one can't vaccinate against Borreliose, also known as Lyme Disease. I've thought that I can't get that (yeah, that was stupid) and so didn't really care about ticks. However,...
Today I've learnt that one can't vaccinate against Borreliose, also known as Lyme Disease. I've thought that I can't get that (yeah, that was stupid) and so didn't really care about ticks. However,...
If you are walking on trail, and a game trail heads off in an interesting direction is it ever a bad idea to follow it? If so how would you know when it is OK to follow a game trail? This questio...
I'm going on an adventure to Africa next year. We'll be in the savanna and thus I'm wondering how to behave in sight of hippopotamuses. What are the most common mistakes people make around hippopot...
According to Wikipedia (German Wikipedia - Truthuhn), there were several attempts to domicile turkeys in Europe since 1732. All of them were not successful at all. Still they kept on trying until 1...
There are often town signs featuring another smaller sign reading "Wildtollwut! Gefährdeter Bezirk" in Germany. This directly translates into "Rabies! Endangered district". How to react to such...
There are often town signs featuring another smaller sign reading "Wildtollwut! Gefährdeter Bezirk" in Germany. This directly translates into "Rabies! Endangered district". How to react to such...
Answers at a recent question say that Germany has been rabies free since 2008. My first response was how could that even be possible, must be some significant border protection that keeps wild ani...
If I am in the wild and encounter an animal that I think might be rabid, how can I tell if it has rabies? An animal that has been running hard, or any number of other things could cause it to be f...
I just saw this 2009 article Can a Whale Get Rabies? which includes this statement, Although there is absolutely no record of a rabid whale, and only one documented case of rabies in a seal—a r...
While we are out in the wild it's good practice to keep a fire up to hold back several kinds of dangerous animals, isn't it? I wonder if there are any (for humans dangerous) creatures out there whi...
I am looking for wildlife viewing areas that are open to manually powered boats (i.e. Canoe) in areas within a few hours drive of Pittsburgh PA. Criteria: Motor boats are prohibited (electric ...
When I slept outside in central Europe, I often recognized extremely loud snoring noises. It's not really rattling but more like rhythmical breathing. I heard it as a kid for the first time and I r...
I'm living near the black forest and one of my favorite animals are lynxes. Since 2014 the lynx-population in the black forest is growing. Still they are quite seldom and of course shy. Nevertheles...
Long time ago I saw a jaguar (I believe it was one). The strange thing was, that it was extremely dark. I wouldn't refer to it as "black" but actually pretty dark. What does such a color signal? ...
Once we were out hiking, we saw a goat-like animal in the hills around Tàrbena (Alicante, Spain). I wasn't sure what it was, cause it didn't have any horn but my mate insisted on a mouflon. I didn'...
