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The InstaPrivy – a true field portable toilet
Fact: More people own mobile phones than own toilets. This is horrifying. What kind of people are we? The owners of InstaPrivy have imagined a better world. We became owners of an InstaPrivy this year. This is a very well designed super compact, lightweight, functional portable toilet and privacy shelter system. It is packaged in…
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Gary Lewis’ rules of manliness
1. You know how to build a fire 2. You don’t take selfies 3. You don’t eat GoGurt! 4. Note: relevant to older men and younger men. You wear your belt around your waist. 5. You don’t pick up dog poop with your hand in a plastic bag 6. You don’t eat fruit roll-ups 7.…
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Hunter Education Trains Novice Nimrods in Skills and Safety
I led the way, feeling the crisp October air in my lungs and the narrow switchback trail in the tops of my legs. I stopped to look back. Tiffany was coming up the trail, the Ruger 243 slung on her shoulder and a grin on her face. Behind her, on the valley floor, the rancher’s Black Angus and Herefords…
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Making Sense of Oregon’s Muzzleloader Regulations
When I became the owner of a new muzzleloader late last year, I was proud to show it off to everyone who’d take the time to look. “Isn’t that illegal in Oregon?” was the first question everyone asked. Then they’d heft it and put it to their shoulder and sight down the octagonal barrel through…
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Essential Survival Gear for Oregon Hunters
Hunters of the past placed a certain amount of faith in the items they brought on the hunt. When an Indian went hunting he carried his supplies in a rawhide bag worn over the shoulder. In it he carried dried meat to eat along the way. Today we call that a backpack. The Indian also carried…
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Youth Outdoor Adventures Cements Skills on Field and Stream
There was a time before iPods and X-Box, before Dance Dance Revolution and the Internet, before two-income families and traveling soccer teams when kids came by their hunting skills naturally. He started with a slingshot or a BB gun and graduated to a .22 rimfire or a .410 shotgun to chase squirrels and cottontail rabbits. She stalked…
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Ask not for whom the vultures wait. They wait for thee.
Spring is coming and the wildflowers will be opening soon. The sage will turn silver-green and the sky is blue. Trout are feeding on the surface again. Doves are roosting in the junipers. It’s easy to think that all of nature exists for our pleasure but the truth is that there are some critters out there that…
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Gun Control is Not the Answer
After the recent violence this past school year, a good friend remarked, “I wish they could take all the guns in this country and grind them up.” Then, as an afterthought he said, “All those hunters – they could just use bows and arrows.” Now, this is a man who loves freedom. He likes to camp,…
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Preparation can Keep Lost Hikers From Staying Lost
A week of warm weather melted the snow and I took the opportunity to make a hike into Marion Lake. I left the trailhead in the early morning as the sun came over Rockpile Mountain. The path wound up through old growth fir trees hanging heavy with moss until finally I could hear water running out of…
Field Guide
Rules and Safety
As fun as hunting in Oregon is, it’s also important to understand the rules that go along with it. Safety is always a top priority in every hunting trip we go on. Survival and safety are more important than success.