Sporting Knives-Sportsmans' Friend

By Stephen Graham

They are the sportsmans' best friend. Whether used on a fishing trip or for cutting up that big buck, knives are invaluable. They come in many different shapes and sizes. The smaller knife is better used for hunting purposes. The longer thinner knives are better for your fishing uses. Fixed blade or folding knives give you a product with different handling characteristics. Knife handles come in different materials. Wood, rubber, horn, leather, plastic and many other materials adorn these blades. Blades appear in many different forms. A few of these different blade materials on these knives consist of 154 cm, 420, aus-8, 440, Ats-34, aus-6 and D-2 steel. Some steel will hold an edge longer and some will resist rust and the elements better. Higher carbon steels are better for most purposes. D-2 and ats-34 are superior blade materials. Good tempering is an added plus for determining blade characteristics.

You will pay more out of pocket for expensive handle materials. Prices will be higher for horn and other exotic materials used for handles. The better blade metal will be more expensive than lesser quality blades. The better blades will hone to a sharper edge. Blades with higher rockwell hardness will usually stay sharper longer. A rockwell hardness of 58-60 is usually good and serviceable. Blades come today in many different forms.
Ceramic blades are very sharp and usually are so hard they have to be sent back to the manufacturers to be sharpened. The only draw back is that they are very brittle and break easier than standard blades. Titanium and powdered titanium used in blade materials are very serviceable and make good blades.

Buffalo bone handles look good on Obsidian blades. Some knives that are sold are dedicated to be close copies of period knives. Bowie knives come in many different patterns and lengths. They come with matching handles that depict different eras in history. Many knives like the case products are considered collectable. They come in a variety of handle material and blade configurations. Knife collectors are abundant and keep the knife companies very busy. There are period knives made for reenactors and collectors. Modern knives are being produced that mirror those worn by the early Native American and the mountain man. The sheaths that accompany these knives are made from many different materials. Leather, kryton and other materials are offered to cover and carry these knives.
Many are embellished with materials of choice. Some have snap closures and others have nice receptacles for their fixed blade counterparts. Some sheaths are embellished with beads and some are adorned with leather lacing..

Get the knife that fits you and fits the intended use that you require of it. If you want to carry a personal knife, a small folding knife is perfect. Folders are also made for heavy work on deer and other game animals. Sets of knives are sold for the serious sportsman that will handle every chore from gutting and skinning down to steak preparation.

Usually the bigger knives appear in softer metals. large knifes used in place of an axe for cutting are usually made of this variety. Some knife makers claim that their knives will plow through two elk. Some knives are manufactured to be pleasing to the eye but will not hold up well under intense use. Fixed blade knives can take a lot of abuse and do not require a locking devise to make them stable and safe. Keep your knives sharp. A sharp knife will be much safer and it will do it's intended job much quicker and easier. Be safe and enjoy the wide range of products offered to the consumer. You have so much to choose from.

Stephen Graham, Avid hunter and fisherman, writes from his own life experiences.

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Hunting Buffalo

By Stephen Graham

The thought of hunting the large beast seemed larger than life to me. The largest animal that I had ever hunted was a mule deer. I had made many inquiries. Some companys did not have the buffalo listed on the animals that were offered by their firm. Some companys laughed at me. Some were serious.. I finally found an agent at the southern most tip of the hill country in Texas. I made inquiries. The agent thought that he could locate a suitable animal within my price range. We exchanged e-mail messages for weeks. What type of rifle should I bring? I was informed that in order to hunt buffalo successfully with the smallest chance of error you need to bring the biggest possible gun that you can shoot accurately. I had dreamed of hunting Africa for decades. I had purchased a rifle with enough punch to hunt elephants and cape buffalo previously. I thought that this hunt would be a preliminary for the hunt that I had always dreamed about. Hunting the cape buffalo in Africa. What could be more exciting? The thought of going up against the black death kept sleep from coming on most nights. M'bogo or inyati as he is referred to in Africa would be the hunt of a life time for me.

The agent from Texas called and told me that he could get me a good deal on a buffalo. The animal that he had in mind for me was referred to as a mean and rogue bull. The agent told me that the buff was so mean that the rancher could not financially keep the animal any longer. The animal was fighting and sometimes injuring his other buffaloes. I had digested this possibility reasonably well. I was prepared. This is what I had asked for. Hunting an animal that could dish out punishment. Unless the caliber and shot were true the hunter could have problems. I recieved another e-mail from this gentleman. Now he requested that I make my shot with a hand gun. I would score higher in the book if I heeded his advise. I had been the highest scoring pupil in some of the classes that I had taken. I realized the limitations of hand guns on large animals. I had been shooting a hand gun in 45-70 caliber. I was cut and bleeding as a result of the recoil on almost every shot. The 454 casull did not make me bleed but had a heavy trigger and was difficult to shoot accurately. I am a large person who is not young or quick enough to outdistance and out dodge an irrate animal. I thought about the proposition.. Visions of the 416 remington magnum danced in my head.

Practice sessions with the 416 became brutal. There is a vast difference in recoil between the 375 H and H mag and the 416. I put a good scope on top of the beast. We became familiar but not the best of friends. I could put my shots well enough on a target at 100 yards that I begain to believe that the animal would be in trouble.

The agent called again. This time he informed me of the actions of a recent client. The great white hunter had come from Dallas with a film crew to hunt buffalo. The hunter made a bad shot on the animal. The fellow with the camera advanced on the animal with a warning to stay back by the guide. The cameraman got too close and was hooked by the buff for his efforts. The buff charged the hunter with unexpected result of the hunter throwing down his gun and running in the opposite direction. The buff now turned his attention to the guide. The guide emptied his pistol at the animal while at the same time running for his life. The animal finally fell and the hunt was rescued.

After hearing this story from the agent I became excited. This was going to be a hunt that would almost duplicate my anticipated cape buffalo hunt.

Stephen Graham-Avid hunter and fisherman, write about his own life experiences.

http://goodstuffintexas.blogspot.com

http://huntn-n-fishn.blogspot.com

Nostalgic Flashback Of The 1950s Era
By Barbara Wangelid

Since I grew up in the 1950's it is fun for me to reflect on someof the nifty things during that era.

Drive In Theatres Known then as the "passion pit", Drive In Theatres bring back many happy memories! My birthday being in July was the prime season for Drive In movies. I would invite all my friends over to celebrate my birthday complete with my mother's homemade barbeque sandwiches which was my favorite.She would make it from sliced rump roast and then lay the meat in an electric skillet smothered in barbeque sauce. Just before dark we would all pile into a car and head for the drive In. I still remember the intermission jingle "Let's all go to the lobby" with the hot dog, soda drink and popcorn dancing across the screen. The Drive In was the favorite place to go on a date and the after the show we would go to the Steak n Shake for a hamburger and fries. At that time you stayed in your car and your food was brought to you. A tray holder was placed on the drivers side window to hold the food. It was just brought to my attention from my teenage grandchildren that "going steady" is no longer used. I asked them what do you call it now? They replied just "going out". Makes no sense to me, but that is how times change. Back in the 50's and 60's when you were "going steady", the girl would be given her boyfriends ring to wear. Because they were always too big to fit, we would wrap the back with white bandage tape and then cover that with fuzzy angora yarn in different colors.. way too cool!The only place you could buy the angora in my town was a department store downtown and I can still remember that they did not have cash registers at the counters, but instead the clerk would send your money through a vacuum tube that led upstairs to the cashiers office. It was much like the drive in banking tube that is used today.

Rock n Roll:

The summer of 1955 with Bill Haley's song "Rock Around the Clock" changed the music we listened to forever. I was hooked. Then came Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and the rest is history. Every Saturday I would walk downtown to Lindstrom's Record store and listen to the latest hits and always come home with at least one new 45. In my bedroom next to my bed was my radio that I would listen to every night just to hear the newest songs. Radio at that time was AM only and at night with less interference in the airwaves I could pick up a station from Little Rock which was about 600 miles from where I lived. The commercial that I will never forget was for White Rose Petroleum Jelly. I was so excited the night I heard the song "Sea Cruise" that I ran down to Lindstrom's to buy it only to find out that it wasn't available yet. My parents did not like Rock n Roll and would say it sounds like noise. They did however "put up" with it and allowed me to play my record player as loud as it would go which was not very loud when compared to today's stereos. Now we have a stereo in the living room, a portable stereo in the garage complete with subwoofer, subwoofers on our computers and a subwoofer in the car. My love for music has stayed with me and the music and the equipment to play it with just keeps getting better.

Clothes

Cuffed bobbie socks worn with suede "buckskin" shoes or saddle shoes that came in all color combinations and styles from light weight to the original heavier oxford in black and white. The sleeves were always cuffed and rolled on the girls short sleeve shirts, and finished off with a scarf around the neck. Wool skirts with the length at the middle of the calf with a slit in the back. The favorite hair styles were pony tails, and shoulder length hair that was rolled at the ends with bangs and usually a side part. Barrettes were often used as decoration and to hold the hair away from the face. The boys typical clothes were blue jeans with cuffed legs, a t-shirt with rolled sleeves, or a shirt with the back of the collar turned up. They wore various short hair styles ranging from the butch to slightly longer Elvis style that was combed back and held in place with VO5 Hair Dressing into a duck tail or DA as it was called. Going to church on Easter Sunday was a sight to behold! All the women and young girls (me included) wore a hat adorned with artificial flowers along with white gloves.

Toys and Hobbies:

I wasn't much into dolls as a child because I preferred to be outside exploring or making something with my hands. The one doll that I did enjoy for a short time was the Ginny Doll that is tucked away in a closet complete with all the clothes, accessories and furniture along with a Toni Doll still in the original box almost untouched. The Toni Doll was a Christmas gift and I was evidently at the age that it just didn't interest me much. Easy Bake Oven has been around for 50 plus years as I was given one for Christmas when I was 8 years old and made and ate all the cakes the first night. Needless to say, I got very sick later that night! One of my weekly downtown stops was the local Hobby Shop that sold Paint by Number products. I would sit at a desk in the sunroom and paint for hours. I painted a black tole waste basket and Kleenex box holder that was given to my Mother as a gift. They also sold magic tricks that fascinated me and I would give magic shows at home on the piano bench covered with a black antique crazy quilt. Two other toys I have fond memories of was the Hula Hoop and the Slinky.

Burma Shave:

The old motels are now a thing of the past having been replaced with travel hotels. More rooms in a smaller space, but not as convenient as the motels where you would park right in front of your room. When our family would take car trips we would see the Burma Shave signs along the road and read them out load as we passed them. DON'T TRY PASSING, ON A SLOPE, UNLESS YOU HAVE, A PERISCOPE, BURMA-SHAVE.

If computers had come along 45 years sooner, I think my life would have been very different. Oh well, better late than never.

Barbara Wangelid along with her husband Tobbe are the owners of http://www.JackandFriends.com where you can purchase vintage and retro reproduction signs, enamelware, antique labels, 1950's retro, and classic pedal cars.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Barbara_Wangelid

Indian Guns and Drums

By Stephen Graham

Native people seemed to always embellish their possessions. Whether it be shirts or weapons of war, they always added character to their bare necessities. This time consuming practice could add meaning and personalization to their possessions. With the introduction of the white man into their native lands the indians began to adopt aspects of the white mans society in order to compete with him. Some of the white mans ways actually made it easier for the native american to exist. The bow had always been important to the indian. With the white man came the introduction of firearms. The indians adapted to this new form of power but also added touches of their own. The firearm became an object for embellishment. Tacks were generally used on gun stocks and forearms in elaborate patterns. I have also seen horse hair and other forms of decoration used on these objects.

I became fascinated by the firearms offered in the indian style in the form of the Winchester 94 and Marlin lever action rifles by various modern day companies. The Crazy Horse rifle offered in the form of the Winchester 94 rifle is a work of art. Artful scenes on the side plates of the rifles along with tactful tack decorations on the wood parts of the rifles were awe inspiring. The art work on the Marlin firearm that I witnessed was art elevated to it's highest level.

I had a Winchester 94 in my possession that was not new and had also taken deer sized game in it's life. The gun was in good shape with good wood and excellent bluing. This was my project. I had looked at the various examples of decorations on various rifles. I decided to make my own art work on this rifle my own personal expression. The tack work followed the traditional lines of indian inspired rifle work. On one side of the stock I decorated the rifle with the out line of one of the most inspiring power animals in Indian lore. On the other side of the stock the tacks followed the lines of a teepee with a silver coin with period illustrations emblazoned upon it. This rifle is now a valued part of my collection.

The Indian also decorated the tool he used in religious ceremonies. The drum was very important to the Indian. Part of its use was a tool used to communicate with the other world and spirits. Modern science has verified that certain drum beats transform ones brain into a type of receiver and transmitter. The drum changes the wave and state of your brain pattern. The indians mainly used animal hides to make a covering for the drum. Beating on this material produced the tone so many of us are familiar with. Synthetic material is a better transmitter of tonal quality than the animal hide.

My drum arrived at my home having started out life as animal hide and wood being crafted by tribal Indians. Animal hide reacts to changes in temperature and barometric pressure. Humid days change the tonal capacity of animal hide drums. I began by using a sealer both front and back to the animal hide to help guard against changes in weather conditions.I am not the fine artist in the family. I crafted a legible rendition of the scene that I wanted on the drum. In this case the scene involved a high desert scene with several teepees and a camp fire. My wife did wonders with the desert scenery and cactus. It was dusk on the desert and night was approaching. The sky reflected this aspect of the clock. Above this scene in shadowy tones was the power animal that benefitted the moment. Additional decoration was added with leather lacing and hand painted feathers that resembled those of the eagle. With the help of my spouse I was able to add another valuable decoration to our home.

Stephen Graham-Writes articles on his may hobbies and experiences. Read more of his articles on the web sites below.

http://www.craftmenagerie.blogspot.com

http://huntn-n-fishn.blogspot.com

http://goodstuffintexas.blogspot.com