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T. Edward Nickens

and the editors of field & stream

through Whether you fall ng hi yt An e iv Surv river, or , make the away by a raging ese ck t bu ep a sw k e ac ar tr e, to ic k thic angry bear, th Hunt Better How r bowhunting and knife are down with an st te a as ve m and death. ha s, ot sh e. st m toughe wild ga rence between life ok ffe co di d e th an n r, ea he m tc s skill s skills, and haul, bu d proven expert tip ques an ni ed ch st te Te st be re e he th e dvice on Camp Anyw and build a fir Fish Smarter A d spinning, as ay warm, eat well, an st u g, yo tin lp as he itc to ba , for flyfishing t out of your record time. ays to get the mos in any situation in well as surefire w or kayak. motorboat, canoe,

374 Essential S

CKENS T. EDWARD NI itor-at-large ed m rea St & Field s has paddled, en T. Edward Nick a ed, and fished in backpacked, hunt pical tro m fro s, on ati world of dream loc er ctic Sea. The winn rainforest to the Ar the sts ho he s, ard tional writing aw na n ze do o tw an of more th tal Outdoorsman on show, The To magazine’s televisi s wisdom and hi s are book, he sh Challenge. In this ream’s outdoor that of Field & St red guides. experts and featu

0 years, For more than 10 gazine has ma m Field & Strea vice on every provided expert ad fishing, g, in hunt oor life, including gazine’s ma e aspect of the outd Th l. iva wilderness surv d an , pular, on ati erv mo ns co one of its st po doorsman issue is ts. annual Total Out ias us th million sporting en read by over nine Challenge tdoorsman The Total Ou glers from an id hunters and brings together av te their skills tra ns mo to de around the country er glory. g bucks and bigg and compete for bi hermen, fis , ers nt round hu Winners are all-a a flair for problem and survivors with . ills to prevail solving and the sk 2

ISBN 13: 978-1-61628-061-1 ISBN-13: 978-1-61628-061-1 ISBN 10: 1-61628-061-1 ISBN-10: 1-61628-061-1

the

total

outdoorsman

L MANUA D L E I F E V A H ould Know h S MUST n a E m s r TH oo d t kills Every Ou

the total

outdoorsman

ManuaL 374 skills you need

ManuaL 9 7 8161 6 2806 11

camp

fish

hunt

survive

THE TOTAL

OUTDOORSMAN

MANUAL

T. EDWARD NICKENS AND THE EDITORS OF FIELD & STREAM

WITH SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY PHIL BOURJAILY, KIRK DEETER,2 ANTHONY LICATA, KEITH McCAFFERTY, JOHN MERWIN, AND DAVID E. PETZAL

CONTENTS

CAMPING Roughing It 1 Pitch Camp Like a Wolf 2 Make a Camp Coffee Cup 3 Put Up a Camp Gun Rack 4 Make a Dutch Oven Chicken Quesadilla Pie 5 Lighten Your Pack 6 Cut the Cheese 7 Tie a Canoe to Your Racks 8 Sharpen a Hatchet or Axe in the Field 9 Pee in a Tent 10 Hang Food from a Tree 1 1 Cook Fish Like an Iron…Er, Tinfoil Chef 12 Rainproof Any Tent 13 Hoist Stew 14 Cross Obstructions on a Creek 15 Drive an ATV (Almost) Anywhere 16 Ration and Reuse Fish-Frying Oil 17 Tie a Bowline Knot 18 Season a Dutch Oven 19 Crap Like a Cat 20 Cut Parachute Cord with Friction 2 1 Tie a Butterfly Loop 22 Make a Wicked Slingshot 23 Dig a Bean Hole 24 Siphon Gas the Safe Way 25 Twist up a Constrictor Knot 26 Clear a Downed Tree with a Chain Saw 27 Make Waterproof Matches 28 Break Wind Like a Commando 29 Stay Warm on a Cold Night Field Report: Heaven on Earth 30 Open a Brew with a Blade 31 Build Four Cooking Fires

32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 4 1 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 5 1 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 6 1 62 63

Whittle a Whistle out of a Stick Create Shelter with a Tarp Build a Fire for Maximum Cooking Coals Butcher a Wet Log Recover a Stuck Vehicle Essential Gear: Choose the Right Knife Get a Tarp Up Fast Fell a Tree with a Knife Tie a Trucker’s Hitch Anchor a Tent in the Sand Rock the Perfect Camp Story Catch Fish at Your Campsite Be a Backcountry Barista Speak Knot Sharpen a Knife with a Whetstone Cook the Camper’s Suckling Pig Pipe Water from a Spring to Camp Cook a Mean Bannock Dig a Booty Hole Wield a Field Wrench Tie a Knute Hitch Pack for Camping in 5 Minutes Keep Your Cooler Cold Twice as Long Fix Any Tear, Rip, or Fray Make a Two-Step Backpacker’s Meal Test Gear in the Store Split Logs the Smart Way Throw a Knife Roast the Perfect Marshmallow Perfect the Drugstore Wrap Turn a Canoe into a Campsite (Almost) Camp Like a Ghost Field Report: River Ending

FISHING 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 7 1 72 73 74 75 76 7 7 78 79 80 8 1 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 9 1 92 93 94 95 96 97

Never Enough Flip a Lure the Florida Way Fish with a Shiner Try Beer-Poached Fish Fly Cast to Fickle Pond Trout Land a Big Fish by Kayak Track Grasslines with Sonar Fish Like a Biologist Mimic the Tastiest Crustacean Read Trout Like an Underwater Book Catch the Coolest Live Bait on the Planet Tie a Cleat Hitch Chum Bream with a Dead Raccoon Fish Every Square Inch of a Farm Pond Pimp a Ride for Your Fly Fool the Wariest Trout in the River Harvest Nature’s Bait Shop Fish a Bream Bed Store Bulk Fishing Line Patch a Kayak with Duct Tape Fry Fish Stream-Side Unhook Yourself Fly Cast Upside-Down Detect Light Bites Cast into a Tornado Troll with Surgical Precision Field Report: Catch of the Day Miss a Raft-Eating Boulder Cast Without Drag Throw a Cast Net Scale Fish with Bottle Caps Stick a Short-Striking Salmon Tie a Rapala Knot Skin a Cat in a Jiffy Drag Fish out of a Cave Skate a Fly with a Riffle Hitch

98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 1 10 1 1 1 1 12 1 1 3 1 14 1 15 1 16 1 1 7 1 1 8 1 19 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128

Get Salty with Your Bass Skills Essential Gear: Choose a Reel Carry a Tackle Box around Your Neck Fine-Tune a Wacky Worm for Pennies Fish Unfishable Weeds Cross an Eddy Line for Stacked-Up Fish Tune Lures Tie a Blood Knot Catch a Cat with Pantyhose Stick It to Short-Striking Fish Avoid Sinking Your Boat in Heavy Water Steer Big Trout away from Downed Timber Tie a Six-Turn San Diego Jam Turn a Ratty Duck Mount into a Natty Fly Line Rack Master the Canoe Paddle Catch a Muskie at Boat Side by Drawing a Figure Eight Turn Pool Noodles into Catfish Jugs Flyfish from a Moving Boat Sharpen a Circle Hook Steer Live Bait toward a Hidden Lunker Make Fish Fried Rice Control Your Wake Troll Four Ways Land a Fish with Velvet Gloves Make Your Own Cane Pole Stick a Fish with a Fly from a Mile Away Master the Tube Jig Cast Like a Church Steeple Kill a Fish Humanely Winterize an Outboard Engine Read a Trout’s Table Manners

129 130 13 1 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 14 1 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 15 1

Make a Quick-Sinking Fly Line Cripple a Fly for an Irresistible Treat Pull off the Invisible Cast Back a Boat with Style Rig a Stinger Hook Tie This Fly If It’s the Last Thing You Do Paddle a Canoe into a Gale Set Any Anchor, Any Time Dress a Fly Correctly Fillet the Boniest Fish that Swims Take the Fight to the Fish in Small Water Fly Cast in Circles Catch Bait with a Sabiki Rig Land Big Trout Solo Haul-Cast a Fly 60 Feet or More Run a Rapid Rig Lead-Core Lines for the Deepest Lunkers Replace Trailer Bearings on the Side of the Road Supercharge Salmon Egg Beads Turn a Kid on to Flyfishing Trailer a Boat in a Heavy Wind Essential Gear: Choose the Right Bass Lure Fix a Fussy Motor

152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 16 1 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 17 1 172 173

Cross a Swollen Creek or (Slightly) Raging River Catch Killer Browns Win the Toughest Fish Fight Tie a Clove Hitch Lay Your Hands on a River Monster Fly Cast from a Kayak Plant a Crappie Tree Catch Trout and Bass with Your Elk Target Deep Water for Pig Bass Document a Trophy for a Righteous Replica Try a Planked Fish Paddle a Tandem Canoe Solo Field Report: Trout Madness Tote Your Own Boat (Like a Man with a Titanium Spine) Shoot a Fly Bump Baits off an Underwater Cliff Surf Cast a Country Mile Tow a Canoe with a Boat Catch Every Fish That Bites Fish from a Canoe Take a Jaw-Dropping Fish Photo Choose the Right Blade Back a Trailer Without Looking Like an Idiot

HUNTING 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 18 1 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 2 01 202 203 204 205 206 207 208

Born in a Tree Stand Know What Your Bullet Is Doing Plant a Micro Food Plot Never Miss Again Disappear with a Wine Cork Plot a Shot with Your Computer Grill Stuffed Backstraps Identify Drake Mallards Flying Remove a Backstrap with Precision Rig a Prusik-Knot Safety Rope Adjust a Saddle for an All-Day Hunt Haul Your Deer Any Distance Face a Duck Blind in the Right Direction Teach a Bird Dog to Point Kill a Wild Pig with a Knife Dissect the Wind Walk Like a Deer Let a Young Duck Hunter Call Ducks Keep Fog off Your Scope Try Real Brunswick Stew Host a Summertime Backyard Archery Tournament Essential Gear: Pick the Right Gun Drop the Most Difficult Doves Turn a Utility Table into a Butcher Shop Know When to Switch Your Decoy Setup Be a Famous Hunt Video Director Thread an Arrow Through Cover Fool Five Thousand Geese Wet-Age a Deer See in the Dark Tan a Deer Hide Help a Kid Gut a First Deer Identify Tracks by Gait Hoist Any Load with a Backcountry Block and Tackle Shoot Your Own Bird Age Deer in a Big Cooler

209 2 10 2 1 1 2 12 2 1 3 2 14 2 1 5 2 16 2 1 7 2 18 2 19 220 2 2 1 222 2 23 2 24 2 25 226 2 27 228 229 230 2 3 1 2 32 2 33 234 2 35 236 2 37 2 38 239 240 2 4 1 242 243 244

Be the Camp Biologist Take the Tenderloins Share the Birds Stop a Running Buck Disappear from Ducks Fillet a Deer Quarter Walk Like a Shadow Tune-Up Your Turkey Skills Field Report: Showdown Skin a Deer Sit and Hit Relive Your Childhood with a Frog Gig Shoot Downhill and Uphill Know Your Ducks Build a Roofed Meat Pole Blaze Secret Trails to Your Stand Remember Four Knife “Nevers” Assemble a Rifle Repair Kit Judge a Trophy Buck by Its Ears Hold a Shotgun Tenderly Sound Like a Duck Decipher Flight Patterns Decode a Duck Quack Know When You’ve Screwed a Scope Hard Enough Know Your Flyway Make a Teal Pot Score on Birds After the First Flush Jerry-Rig a Muzzleloader Shooting Rail Bleach a Deer Skull Clean a Squirrel Set Monster Gang Lines for Big Water Divers Know Your Nuts Spatchcock Your Bird Glass with a Plan Really, Really Tick off Your Hunting Partner, Part I Make Your Own Deer Drag Spook the Bull You’re Hunting

245 246 2 47 248 249 250 2 5 1 2 52 2 53 2 54 2 55 256 2 57 258 259 260 2 61 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 2 7 1 2 72 2 73 2 74 2 75 2 76 2 77 2 78 2 79 280

Green-Score a Whitetail Rack Work a Beaver Pond Over for Ducks Silence Your Tree Climber Choose Your Weapon for Squirrels Make Buttons and Zipper Pulls from a Deer Rack Make Your Own Scent Wipes Hang a Moose (or Elk or, Heck, Even a Small Herd of Deer) from Skinny Trees Preserve a Turkey Fan Shoot Standing with Shooting Sticks Bark a Squirrel Avoid Being the Laughing Stock of the Internet Grind Burger Like a Pro Turn a Farm Pond into a Waterfowl Magnet Make Duck, Duck, Jerk Raise a Ladder Stand Safely Make the Best Jerk Cord in the World ID a Button Buck and Hold Your Fire Drop the Follow-Up Duck Hunt a Crosswind Set up for a Dove Shot Flag a Goose from Start to Finish Put a Wild Turkey to Bed Float for Ducks Essential Gear: Pick the Right Rifle Caliber Entice a Shy Bull Pull off a Bunny Hunt on Your Buck Lease Make an Elk-Stopping Bugle Scream Tie a Getaway Knot Master the Rut Claim the Shot on a Double Make Your Own Cover Scent Steady Your Rifle Track an Elk Map Your Spot Roast a Deer Haunch Clean Your Knife

2 81 282 283 284 285 286 2 87 288 289 290 2 91 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 3 01 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 3 10 3 1 1 3 1 2 3 1 3 3 1 4 3 1 5 3 1 6

Take a Killer Trophy Shot Shoot a Double Slip into a Stand Without a Sound Shoot the Tricky Out-of-Nowhere Stealth Bird Sight in a Scope on a Bolt-Action Rifle Customize Binoculars Pack a Woodstove for a Slow, Long Burn Hear What Your Rifle Is Telling You Make a Buck Scrape Clean a Plucked Duck in 60 Seconds Make Your Own Wind Checker Drop a Single Bird out of a Flock Claim the Best Bunk Sound Like a Turkey Make the Perfect Yelp Call Ducks with a Partner Age a Deer on the Hoof Hunt Pheasants Like a Commando Kneel for the Bull of Your Life Really, Really Tick off Your Hunting Partner, Part II Hunt Squirrels Like a Grown-up Stump Slump for Gobblers Sound Like a Deer Make Rattling Antlers Get into a Buck Fight with Rattling Antlers Shoot with a “Ching Sling” Sit Like a King on a Styrofoam Throne Hang Nasty Wet Boots from the Rafters Sneak a Ridge Ready to Shoot Skin a Deer with a Golf Ball Freeze Any Game for Cheap Become a Gun Writer Plot a Yearlong Ambush Restore Glory to Your Dekes Stay Hidden in the Woods Reload in Three Seconds Flat Field Report: Heart to Heart

SURVIVAL The Skin of Your Teeth

3 17 3 18 3 19 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 3 31 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 3 41 342 343 344

Survive a Fall Through the Ice Make Emergency Mukluks Call for Help in Any Language Survive the Roughest Night with a Knife Build a Fire in the Rain Aim a Makeshift Signal Mirror Spear Fish in a Funnel Trap Make a Tinder Bundle Read a Bear’s Mind Boil Water for Safe Drinking Carry 50 Feet of Rope on Your Feet Hurl a Backcountry Deathstar Create Smoke in the Middle of the Ocean

345 346 347 348

Skin and Cook a Snake Navigate by Deliberate Offset Build a Fire on Snow Avoid a Bear Attack

Field Report: Death Trap

Drink Snow Start a Fire with Binoculars Survive on Acorns Survive a Fall Overboard Beat Blisters with Duct Tape Tie a Hunter’s Bend Upgrade a Survival Kit Make a Blowgun Use Super Glue to Close a Wound Reset a Dislocated Shoulder Make a Fire Bed Make a Fire Plough Drink Your Own Urine Take a Back Bearing

Essential Gear: Start a Fire

349 350 3 51 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368

Attract Rescuers with Smoke Swim with Your Clothes on Build a One-Match Fire When Your Life Depends on It Split a Log with a Knife Fling a Bola Eat Roadkill Track Back with a GPS Unit Make a Bow Drill Be a Backcountry Dentist Survive a Frigid Dunking Make a Trap or Die Trying Choke Down Bugs Stay on Top of Thin Ice Navigate by the Night Sky Descend a Cliff with a Single Rope Break Bigger Branches Spark Fire with a Knife Get Water from a Transpiration Bag Tie a Water Knot Build a Brush Raft to Cross a Raging River

Field Report: Two Alaskas

369 370 3 71 372 373 3 74

Find Water in the Desert Survive in Fast Water Survive a Lightning Strike Cut Saplings for Shelter Pitch a Survival Camp Find a Lost Person



Resources Index Contributors Acknowledgments

Foreword

T

ry to imagine your favorite hunting and fishing moments—those memories big and small that stick in your brain and work their way into your heart, bringing a smile to your face long after they’ve passed. I bet you can’t keep the list to fewer than twenty. If it’s April, one of the first things that may come to mind is a morning in the turkey woods. You climb through the timber in the pitch black, with the whip-poor-wills droning, and as you stand on the point of a ridge listening to the woods wake up you hear it: that first gobble rolling across the hollow like thunder. It makes the hair on your neck stand on end, no matter how long you’ve been turkey hunting. A month later the top of your list may be when you’re standing waist-deep in a cold river, the current pushing against your legs, as you stare at a bit of feather and steel as intensely as you’ve ever looked at anything in your life. You watch it drift next to fluttering mayflies as a shadow surges to the surface and turns into the fist-size head of a brown trout. It inhales your fly, which is always the goal, but when it happens it’s always a surprise. Come fall there is the instant when there was nothing but thick brush and then suddenly, undoubtedly, there’s a buck—steam pluming from his nose and the sun glinting off his antlers. Or when a flock of mallards, on a two thousand-mile journey from northern Canada, cups wings and glides in to your decoys. You can probably conjure up hundreds of these glory moments, but I’ll bet some of the things you think of are more mundane. A smushed sandwich pulled from your hunting coat, eaten on a stump and washed down with lukewarm coffee. The bouncing cherry of your buddy’s cigar as he

launches into his one musky story for the 100th time while you wait for a channel cat to take the bait. Seeing a kid catch a frog with as much enthusiasm as he catches bass. The trembling of your dog right before the hunt. Watching the sun rise and set from the same tree. Staring at the dying flickers of the campfire and waiting to see who will be the first to break the spell, swallow the last mouthful of whiskey, and head to the tent. A good cast. The wind in the pines. The sun on the lake. Fresh snow. The rewards of hunting, fishing, and camping are endless, and Field & Stream’s mission is to make sure you drink deeply from these great activities. The Total Outdoorsman Manual is here to help you do that—to learn how to cast a fly line in the wind or set up the perfect camp. To call in a buck or land a truly big fish. Because the more that you can do, the more fun you can have. This book fulfills this mission the way Field & Stream magazine has been doing it every month for over 115 years: by using great writing, photography, art, and design to capture the great big outdoors, the wildlife and wild places, the laughs and the drama, and the knowledge that often only comes from years in the field. The vast amount of collected knowledge in this book comes from a team with true expertise and experience and the skills to share it. First is the book’s editor, T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream’s editor-at-large, who contributed three quarters of the material for this book. He writes the magazine’s

annual “Total Outdoorsman” cover story, relying on a network of guides across the country and his own deep experience. There isn’t much that this outdoorsman can’t do. From paddling remote rivers catching walleye or salmon to decoying antelope and chasing rabbits with beagles, Nickens explores every corner of the outdoors and comes back with hard-won knowledge and great stories to share. Next, is outdoor skills editor Keith McCafferty. If I could pick one person to bring with me into the wilderness it’d be McCafferty. This survival expert could get out of nearly any jam. He’s also a great hunter and fishermen and a heck of storyteller, so getting lost with him might actually be kind of fun. Shooting editors David E. Petzal and Philip Bourjaily are Field & Stream’s Total Gun Nuts, and they’ve forgotten more about rifles, shotguns, and shooting than most people will ever know. John Merwin and Kirk Deeter can catch any fish

anywhere on any tackle, and following their advice will put more fish in your boat. Finally, what turns all this great knowledge into a beautiful book is the vision of our photographers, illustrators, and designers. Many of the stunning images come from photographers Dusan Smetana, Bill Buckley, and Dan Saelinger; the illustrations of Dan Marsiglio make even complicated skills look beautiful. We hope what you hold in your hands adds up to more than a book. Think of it as a tool that can take you into the backcountry and help you find the great experiences that come from hunting, fishing, and camping. Keep it on hand and return to it often, and I promise you’ll always be able to add to your list of favorite moments. —Anthony Licata, Editor Field & Stream

The Next Level

T

he deer I remember the most wasn’t my first whitetail buck nor my last, and it wasn’t a big deer, not by the standard units of measurement: antler size or body weight or a wilderness residence tucked into soaring mountains. It was a 7-point buck dropped with a .30-30 lever-action rifle. My “cowboy gun.” But days earlier I’d found the subtle trail that buck used to cross a patch of open woods between a tangled ridge of oaks and pines and a line of bramble thickets along a river. I’d figured out the tree that afforded me the best shot of the crossing, and I’d hiked the three-quarters of a mile through the woods, an hour-and-a-half before sunrise, stopping a few hundred yards downwind to completely change clothes, stowing my sweaty duds in a plastic bag beside a swamp, then dousing myself in scent killer in the dark. After the deer was down, I dragged it to the riverbank, tied a hind leg to an ironwood sapling, and gutted it. I remember hiking to the barn to retrieve the deer cart—another three-quarters of a mile there, and the same back—and man-handling that deer over cypress knees and muddy bottoms. All told, three miles of hard work for one deer. My arms were shaking when I finally made it back to the truck. But more than the sight of the buck slipping into the open, or the shot, or the still form on the ground, this is what I most remember: Pushing that deer cart through the woods, stealing glances at the buck’s polished antlers and long, muscular back, and revelling in the feeling that I had done this all alone. All by myself. I would haul that deer home and age it for five days, butcher it in the basement, package it in the kitchen. This deer would nourish my family over the next year, and each time I pulled a package of deer meat from the freezer, I would reflect on that feeling I had months earlier, hauling my deer out of the woods. That’s what I remember, more than the deer: A sense of confidence and a feeling of