General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I've heard good things about fishing the Texas gulf coast with live croaker bait. What is the technique for fishing with this bait? Specifically, where should one hook the bait and what technique i...
I often read about the "spine" if it comes to archery and arrows in particular. What's meant by "the spine" and why is it so important?
I shoot Easton arrows. These arrows are normally labeled with "500" or "300" etc. to tell you the spine of them. However, I've recognized a few brands which label their arrows like "3545" (or som...
I'm wondering if one has to be careful while hiking through historical significant areas. Let's say there is a Celtic grave which is pretty good excavated. Am I allowed to walk over it? I'm askin...
While out fishing on a popular gulf coast pier, I've seen some people pull in fish left and right using only a crumpled soda can as a lure tied to a hook and line. Meanwhile, I was using normal bai...
Of course it's theoretically a difference if I've a 4" or 5" fetching. I wonder if it's really practically noticeable? I'm asking from a bow-hunter's point of view (strong bow/powerful arrow).
Thinking about going ice fishing this winter but I am worried about falling through thin ice. I know that ice should be at least 4 inches (10 cm) if clear and 8 inches (20 cm) if cloudy, but how c...
I've heard that I've to wax my bowstring. I'm a little bit lost on how to do so. I've a Dacron Flemish string on a hunting recurve. Can anyone lead the way?
Fred Bear was right-handed and, as far as I know, his dominant eye was also the right one. Nevertheless he shot left-handed - why?
On an easy but long scramble, 30 to 45o incline, un-anchored, what should be the safe distance between two people? Should the better person be ahead, or be behind supporting the other just in case?
I got given a free can of Volvo Life Paint, the idea being you can spray any material and it'll become reflective under a light source. On the can it simply says it's less effective on shiny materi...
I'm not a really good swimmer. While swimming casually, when I get a cramp in my thighs or toes, it definitely makes me panic a bit and hampers my swimming in a bad way. What should I be doing if ...
If I'm out on the rock and I come across a pair of hangers, how can I tell the difference between rap hangers (the kind you can directly thread rope through to rappel) and regular hangers (the kind...
I've successfully rescued the last few inches of my carbon shaft. What I have is a piece of shaft containing the insert an the tip (the tip can be screwed out of course). The insert is fixed with...
I have never fancied using a stick or pole for hiking. With a heavy backpack, its always tiring to walk, especially on an ascend. Last weekend it was the same east side story for me. Seeing me str...
When camping in summer rain overnight or dew in the morning is fine as it'll likely all evaporate off in the day. When camping in winter dew, rain, or sleet could lead to frost and ice on the tent...
Hi I have been a keen cyclist and walker for many many years, but this year I have taken more to hiking, 2-6 miles walk which I really enjoy. But this last 4 months I have started developing a per...
My dad, brothers and I grew up fishing. However, the vast majority of our fishing has been set it and forget it fishing for catfish, mostly at night. My dad and father-in-law are in town for Thank...
A local archery dealer measured my draw length to 29". He told me that this is not the same as the length of my arrows. I wonder how long an arrow has to be?
I'm going snowboarding in a couple of months and I'm hideously out of practice/not very good. I remember when I last had lesson the instructor talked about how I should twist the board with my fee...
I'm in doubt if I should attach tracers to my arrows. Of course, they make them better visible but I've heard rumors that they do influence the arrow (other than stated by the manufacturer). Do t...
I hear people often talk about the "Trail User’s Code" or read about it and ever wondered what it might be. Is it some kind of official act?
I've had a lot of broken arrows a week ago. I decided to salvage them and carefully removed the fletches along with the other reusable things. However, now that I have the fletches, I asked mysel...
I carry a camera that has detachable batteries. I also carry an extra spare battery for my cellphone and a power bank. Batteries discharge at colder temperatures. How do I keep batteries warm so t...
What materials can be used to make a hunting bow in the wilderness? Not just for the main structure but also the materials that would be suitable for the string. All of the materials should be fro...
I've the annoying problem that I slip and fall very often on the trail of my local 3D field archery parcours recently. That mostly comes from the trail's surface: a muddy, loamy layer above the for...
So I stumbled onto this GIF: It appears that this avalanche was caused by the deep trail cut into the snow. You can see ski tracks on the slope, it looks like it's been climbed and skied a numb...
I've recently switched from using a tent to using a tarp, and on the whole I'm really enjoying it, however there is one thing I haven't solved. How do people deal with situations where the wind sw...
I'm planning my first road trip with a friend. We're going from UK through France, probably Germany or maybe Belgium to Denmark and over to Sweden, back down to central France and then back home. ...
Inspired from this question In a survival situation, what can I use from a green coconut palm?, I wonder how can one possibly pluck a coconut from a coconut tree in safest possible ways. We can als...
The answers at How long does water need to be boiled for to kill all bacteria / viruses? indicates that boiling water kills bacteria & viruses. But boiling does not remove any chemical contami...
Ive heard that climbing Kilimanjaro doesn't require any mountaineering skills and is really just a (very difficult) hike? Is that true? Is there any gear I would need besides traditional hiking eq...
I go hiking nearly every weekend, and usually (almost always) bring my rain jacket and pants. I store them in a stuff-sack in my backpack. I air them out after hikes if they are used. I was thinkin...
I have been practicing trad climbing and I've run into some difficulty managing and handling the gear. Specifically, I'm awkwardly taking cams off my gear loops, fiddling with them, and finally pla...
Everyone knows that bending a paperclip back and forth will eventually cause it to break. This is due to a process called fatigue. And while this answer discusses the elastic limits for fatigue, I ...
I got a rip in my down jacket. I assume the fabric is nylon. What is the best way to repair a rip in a down sleeping bag or jacket?
Imagine a place with no defined path/trail to run for example in a jungle. Only the source and destination are given. The runners/participants should reach the destination from the source. Time is ...
While rare, I assume that compound bows with metal limbs do occasionally suffer limb failures. Is that correct, and if so What is the effect of a cocked metal bow limb fracturing? I'm trying to p...
I'm thinking about getting into bow hunting, and I'm wondering about the mechanics of crossbows. I assume that I wouldn't cock the crossbow at the time I see a target, and I also assume that I wou...
Years ago, after a storm, I found a dead bird with an id ring on its leg. I wanted to find out where to report it, but before I returned with a camera to take a photo, a neighbor decided to dispos...
If I'm in the wilderness in a dry, hot climate without much vegetation and I'm running low on water, what land features and other potential signs can I look for to guide me to a drinkable water sou...
When is it necessary to clean a rimfire firearm? Only after exposure to excessive moisture? Only when it begins to malfunction (for autoloaders)? With some frequency of shooting, or time, or bef...
I think it may be a salmon but the green colour is throwing me off.
My husband's brother came upon this tree while hiking up Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire, USA. This was his first time seeing bulges, for lack of a better word, like these. Knowing that I'm intrig...
I'm looking to buy a new trekking tent, a good quality one, e.g. Hilleberg, Fjällräven, Vaude, etc. At Vaude they categorise tents in 2, 3, 4, or 5-season. What's the difference between a 4- and a ...
I'm about to take part in a Ski Tour across Iceland in a few weeks time, I've just noticed by travel insurance doesn't include Search & Rescue costs, here in the UK mountain search and rescue i...
I'm planning on hiking about half of the AT Northbound at the start of May 2013. What sort of temperature ranges can I expect to encounter, and what should I look for in a sleeping bag to best suit...
What are alternate options that one can use as a sleeping pad if he/she doesn't have one along? P.S.: Lets assume that he/she has a tent. And we are not talking about any sorts of extreme weather ...
I realize that recurve bows are the "next generation" after the long bow, delivering more power for length, is there an inherent accuracy improvement with the recurve or is it just power to length?
Different countries and rock climbing disiplines have different grading systems, for example the the British trad grade system (e.g. grade HVS 5(a)) and the US point grading system (e.g. 5.9) If ...
