General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
Filters (None)
In climbing what do the terms Redpoint, Pinkpoint, Flash and Onsight mean? Where does it come from?
If someone "flashes" a climb what does this mean?
I saw a Canada goose stuck frozen on Ramapo Lake in the Ramapo Mountain State Forest near Oakland, New Jersey. I was told that it had been dead for a while. Can a goose freeze to the ice and get s...
My husband and I were woken last night by animal sounds we've never heard before. We live in MA on the border of NH by wetlands. It sounded like a group of animals, at least 3. Their sound star...
A number of fishing rods you can buy have models that are 2 piece and models that are 1 piece. I have heard people say their rods snapped in half when they were 2 piece. However, it would be extrem...
Similar to the question about old ropes. I have an old plastic tent. It is for 3 persons, but is heavy and now not waterproof anymore, with some damage to the small room around the door. How can...
India is known for its historical monuments and Caves are essential part of them. While among them, almost all major tourist attractions are very well conserved and looked after, unfortunately some...
I have just purchased a 6' light action Shakespeare Ugly Stik GX2 spinning rod and a 3000 size Penn Pursuit 2 reel. I also have some 8lb test mono line. I live near Miami Beach, Florida and will be...
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...
What is the technique involved in crevasse rescues? Presuming a group are all moving together on a glacier and the leader of the party has fallen into a crevasse (collapsed snow bridge, etc.). Th...
I've been working with the bow-drill, and I notice that certain types of wood may be so hard that hardly any powder forms (like african mahogany) and others may be too soft and crumbly. Pine appear...
I have a number of old gas canisters commonly used in camp stoves. They have been around for over 5 years and have rusted - that is to say their condition is questionable. They are all 80% butan...
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...
It is quite well known that goats are into free solo rock climbing. Is there any evidence (even if anecdotal) of the highest grades they are able to climb?
We're heading to the Ardèche in France in spring, an area with hundreds if not thousands of campgrounds. Many of those are massive with lots of entertainment provided by facilities such as multipl...
Is there any good software to manage GPS tracks and POI efficiently that you would recommend? My dream would be an offline computer based (macOS and Windows) software, with a modern GUI, which allo...
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...
Is it possible to clean yourself and clothes with ocean water only, without polluting the water and almost without budget ? If so, how ? I've read that it's possible to: brush your teeth with sa...
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...
When an opossum is playing dead, will it keep up the act even if an animal decides to start eating it anyways? Or will it wake up once it's flesh starts getting ripped open and try to fight back or...
It's currently April and I know that's considered late in the season for hunting coyote. Given that I live in a desert climate, how late can you hunt coyote? Is there a reason why I couldn't hunt t...
Coyotes are coming through the lot next to my house. There are several. One ran across my driveway 2 nights ago. When I take my pomeranian out before bed, I hear them about 100 feet to the left of ...
I'm backpacking through a national park in India, which also happens to be a tiger reserve. I understand that chances of even spotting a Bengal tiger are slim, but still, what precautionary measure...
Monkeys are funny, as well as dangerous sometimes. What precautions do I need to take when I am camping (under unavoidable circumstances) in a region where there are monkeys? EDIT: Referring to Mo...
Has your city seen a noticeable decrease in population of common sparrows? And, on the contrary an increased population of common pigeons? As per my opinion prime suspects appear to be stronger ce...
We are going to Sankri-Har-ki-doon trek. So, from various sources in internet we found a that a forest permit is necessary for the trek. From where should we obtain this ? And is it mandatory to h...
I have seen many specialty broadheads for turkey hunting, like the Magnus Bullheads. What are the benefits of specialty turkey broadheads and are they necessary or can I use normal broadheads I wo...
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...
I'm from Florida and I've only ever hiked in the Southeast US. I don't know if I'm blind, but I can't find a listing of dangerous animals and their profiles. I tried Nevada Dept of Wildlife and So...
I've been out hiking in wilderness areas when I came across an unmarked trail. It wasn't on a map but it appeared to lead in the direction I wanted to go. I decided not to take it in case it was a ...
What time of year are the the dreaded midge's in Scotland at their worst? I've only really been into the Higlands in Winter and I would prefer to avoid the worst time for these if possible.
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,...
I'll be backpacking in areas where a bear canister is required by regulation. All of the tip's I've read say to store it XYZ number of feet "downwind from your camp", presumably so the scent of th...
I am a beginner hiker who is looking to spend a few days alone in the woods while not putting myself at risk before I am familiar yet. Criteria: easily accessible by a normal car sufficiently r...
I'm new in Camping, and recently I have camped in France, in the Vosges region, in the locality called "Le bonhomme". Well it's not the pure wilderness but it was very unusual for me, as it was no...
I'm new in Camping, and recently I have camped in France, in the Vosges region, in the locality called "Le bonhomme". Well it's not the pure wilderness but it was very unusual for me, as it was no...
As my other litter question stated, I live on a semi-rural road, and about twice a year pick up litter from the verge. Others pick up litter too, but there are swathes of floodplain land, conserva...
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 hike in Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India. Most of the times the hike involves walking/climbing in day time and resting/sleeping, often in caves/unmanned temples/shaks of some kind at night. Some...
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 ...
I'll be visiting Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma which is known, among other things, for having free-roaming American Bison. I've never seen any in the 'wild'. Is there a specific tim...
