Its been a while, So here is a good one. Build your own shooting sticks for under $10

Sorry its been forever since I posted guys. I recently ended my vacation (read unemployment) and I haven't really had time. Anyway on to the good stuff.

Here is what you will need to buy to make these sticks, this is the ideal size for taking sitting shots.

1.) (2) 3'x1/2" oak dowel rods (about $2 a piece at the home depot)
2.) (1) Small machine bolt, 1-1/2" long ($.25)
3.) (1) Nut sized for the machine bolt ($.25)
4.) (4) Washers sized for the machine bolt ($.50)
5.) (2) pieces of 1/2" heat shrink tubing ($1.00)
6.) A drill and a drill bit
7.) (2) nails about with the heads cut off to an overall length of about 2" 8 or 16 penny work good (free)
8.) Paint - you don't have to paint them but I painted mine with some left over camo paint from doing my rifle and homemade ecaller (which I will review both of here soon)
9.) epoxy or adhesive

Step 1 - measure 5" down from the end of both rods, mark and drill a hole here in the center of the rod slightly larger than the diameter of the bolt shaft.

Step 2 - In the bottom of both rods drill a hole so the nail will fit. Clean hole, fill with epoxy and insert the nails (pointy end facing out) into the holes.

Step 3 - place one washer under the head of the bolt, insert bolt into first rod, place 2 washers over bolt shaft, insert into 2nd rod, place the other washer and the nut, tighten down

Step 4 - Paint sticks

Step 5 - Enjoy.

Craftsman LED 2AA Flashlight. Gear Review

Well with any flashlight there is good and bad, and the Craftsman is no exception.

The Good



It is a great looking light. The one I purchased came in silver. It has a nice rubber grip around the center of the handle. There is also one just below the lens for twisting that.

Another good thing about this light is the batteries last a LONG time. It is powered by 2 AA batteries, I have had the same energizer ones in it since I got the light last christmas. I use this light regularly however not for long periods of time yet it still burns brightly. I feel with a set of the new lithium energizer batteries you would never have to worry about replacing them on a light you use infrequently.

Another plus is it has a lanyard ring on the back of the light. Mine hangs on the back wall of my 2008 silverado by a lanyard that is clipped into one of the child seat anchors.

The Bad.

I do not like how the switch operates. You have to twist the light on for a constant on setting. You can just push down on the base of the handle and this will turn the light on as long as you continue to hold it down.

Another negative is the type of light it gives off. It has a blueish ring on the outer "halo" of the beam of light and then a more white and less bright circle of light in the center. Granted this does not matter much cause it still lights things up, but it could be better

This is an okay "ah crap I can't see that" Light but for something to use daily for say auto repair, or contractor type stuff I wouldn't suggest it just due to some design flaws. for something like that in a comparable size id say get the LED Mini Maglight, its around the same price and is just an all around better light.




I think I will retire this light and use it on my tamer as a barrel light. It will work fine for lighting up the eyes of coons/possums.

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Wildview EZ Cam Trail Camera - Gear Review #4

Well I was hoping to give this camera a good review, and I may update this if I figure out how to make it work better (comment if you have any tips please) but after a week of adjusting heights/angles ect. I have yet to get pictures in an area where I know animals are coming through.



The EZ cam is just that easy to use. You open up the front panel and you see 3 buttons, a switch, a SD slot and a battery compartment. Set the date/time and you are off and running. It uses 4 C batteries and has an option of using a 12 volt power pack. I use the C batteries which are still kicking although the camera has only taken about 100 pictures (about 50 of those are of me walking to and from hunting areas).

It boasts a 1.3 MP camera that takes fairly clear pictures. This is the only one I have of any animal activity

It also has a regular flash, which is not as good as a infrared flash because it has the potential to spook game, however at about $60 from amazon you can't expect much in the form of "high-techness"

I have read some reviews with people having lots of luck with this camera taking plenty of pictures, however I have not seen these results. Ill give it another couple weeks and post an update.

Thanks for reading.

The H&R Tamer .410 shotgun, Gear Review #3

I have been looking forward to doing a review on this gun. I had about $200 in bass pro gift cards from christmas/graduation and I really wanted to get something that I didn't already have. So off to BPS to check out what they had. After spending about an hour browsing through the store i saw this on the rack. Played around with it, googled it on my blackberry (and didn't find much info), and made arrangements to pick it up the next day (24 hr waiting period here in IL)



It is a sweet looking gun. It is very light weight and breaks down with just one screw. On to the review.

Materials -

The Tamer has a synthetic stock and forend, and a nickel alloy barrel/receiver. The barrel has a nice brass bead sight at the muzzle end. The gun is very sturdy and I haven't felt like I was using something cheap in the past month of shooting it nearly every day.

Using the gun

First off this is a very short, very light weight gun. It weighs in at about 5lbs, and is 34" long. It has a 19" barrel (1" above legal). Its not really built for adult sized shooters so it takes a little bit to get used to. The Length of pull is 12-1/2", by contrast most full-sized shotguns are about 14".

I found just a little change as to where I popped my cheek to the stock and I was deadly accurate (I was shooting high when I first got it). You will have to see what you have to do personally to shoot it accurately.

An SWEET feature on this gun is the 4 shell holder built into the stock. This holds the shells in tight and after about 60 rounds through the gun I have yet to have one fall out while shooting. It makes it easy to quickly reload the gun should you miss your quarry.

One problem I had when i first got the gun was that 2.5" Remington #6 shot shells were sticking in the ejector of this single single shot gun. The 3" #4's and the slugs I bought popped out fine. After about 20 rounds It stopped and in my last 40 or so shots (which prolly 25 were the 2.5" shells) I haven't had one stick.

Hunting

I do a lot of small game hunting. Squirrel and Rabbit mostly. This gun is PERFECT for this type of hunting. Its light weight makes it a breeze to haul through the woods. the .410 shell saves a lot of meat, and it has the power to take down BIG raccoons(largest thing I've tried to kill to date with this gun). With the advent of the Taurus judge buckshot loads have become available for the .410 bore. This would be great for coyote's. They have slugs too that I've read about people taking deer with. All in all a very versatile hunting firearm.


Conclusion

For a retail price of $179.99 the fun factor of this gun can't be beat. You, your wife, and your kids could all use this gun for target shooting to small game hunting. The nickel barrel/receiver and synthetic stock will hold up over the years and I can't wait to have a son to teach how to shoot with this very gun. H&R has a reputation of building products that last. Plus its made in the USA and you just have to love that. Buy one, and get out in the woods.

Another Great Reviewer. NutNFancy

I hope all of you will check out NutNFancy on youtube. He does a lot of reviews, although some of the stuff is expensive and beyond what I can afford at this point in my life his reviews are great.

Keep It up The Nutnfancy Project. I love your stuff.

Gear Review #2 - Gerber Mini Paraframe

What a great knife. Small, lightweight, sharp and it just gets the job done. This knife is my Every Day Carry knife (EDC). You will very, very rarely find me without this knife clipped on my pocket.

It comes in two versions, fine edge and serrated edge. I chose the fine edge. The best thing about this knife is its only about $12.


The second best thing is it just looks cool.



Materials -

Both the 2-1/4" blade and frame are made from stainless steel. I have had mine for about 8 months and use it daily (cause its my EDC knife) and it still looks new. The blade holds an edge very well also.

The frame is light weight, due to all the openings in the handle. This knife weighs in at just 1.4 oz. You can't even tell its hanging on your pocket.

Using the Knife -

First off I will say this one of the best pocket clips in a small knife. Not to tight or too lose it allows you to quickly pull the knife out of your pocket. Second it opens very easily with one hand, which is important for a EDC knife. I have big hands and this knife although small is very comfortable to use.

Conclusion -
BUY THIS. Honestly for a little more than 10 bucks how can you not buy it. If you are in the market for a small knife this is it. I had a buck knife of similar size prior to this one and the gerber just blows it out of the water. Way to go Gerber.

Shotgun Boredom.

I head out of town, and this is what my neighbor and his friend do cause the rabbit hunting was horrible that day. His shooting skills may be why they didn't get any rabbits. Enjoy.

Gear Review #1 - The Leatherman Blast

Here we have it, My first gear review for the blog. We will be discussing the AWESOME Leatherman Blast.



A little background on my multitool usage. I used to carry in my tackle box, a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a screwdriver with a interchangeable tip, and my knife. Lots of stuff, taking up lots of space but it was all stuff I was always glad to have. Then when I was about 13, I went fishing with my uncle. We caught a fish, and he pulls this thing off his belt flicks his wrist and out slide some pliers, Cool. I ask him to see his Gerber and he hands it to me, all sorts of cool little tools packed in the handle. I had to Have one.

I went through a lot of junk tools, and 10 years later I finally got a good one. The Leatherman Blast.

I researched this tool extensively and decided it was the one. For me the sliding feature of the gerber was no good, It would get gummed up and well the tools weren't all that great. So it was a clear choice that a Leatherman was the right tool for me.

Usage.

I purchased this tool as something to have on me almost all day every day. I always am fixing things, out in the woods, or on the lake. So weight was a consideration. The Blast comes in at 6.9 oz. Pretty light considering its capabilities. If you want less weight, go with the wave, or a smaller light duty tool. I would consider the blast to be a Medium Duty tool. at about $50 its quite the deal.

Materials.

The blast comes in two finishes Black Oxide, or Stainless.





I really like the black one but I could not find it anywhere so I opted for the readily available Stainless version.

The handles have zytel inserts. These really increase the comfort when using the pliers or wire cutters on the tool. Some may think it cheapens it but it is a big upside to me.

The unit itself is built out of stainless steel, a MUST for those who will use this outdoors.

The Tools.

The blast boasts a 16 tool arsenal. Thats quite a bit in a 6.9 oz. package. However should you buy this, you won't be pulling 16 tools out of the handle, some tools have multiple functions. I will go through these one by one. Please refer to the pictures above if you would like to see what any one part looks like.

The first tool is the file, its 2 sided, and set up to use on both metal and wood. As a little test, i cleaned up my knife blade worked great. It also has an abrasive edge on the bottom that I tested out by hacking through a small machine bolt. It took a little work but it got right through it.

Next we have the Bottle Opener/Can Opener/Wire Stripper combo. The can opener worked fine for what it is. The bottle Opener works really well, much better than some dedicated bottle openers I have. Great for popping open the brews at the campsite. The wire stripper however, Not sure how to use it so if anyone knows please post it in the comments. I perfer to just use the wire cutter to strip wire.

The Phillips Head Driver. This is AWESOME compared to most Non-Leatherman branded tools. The shank is very long on it, allowing you to get to screws that are not flush with the surface of whatever you are working on.

The last tool in this side of the handle is the Scissors. Scissors are AWESOME to have. You may think well whats the point you have a knife. True, but for tasks where control and accuracy of cut are key, the scissors will win every time. They are also great for cutting braided fishing line cleanly.

First thing you come to on the other handle is a lanyard ring. I don't use it but some might like it, that's all there is to that.

The Saw I used it when setting up my deer stand to clear branches out of my view and cutting through a branch of about 1-1/2" diameter the saw dominated it. Very sharp and very sturdy.

Next up - The small bit driver. I wear glasses, This was a huge selling point. I always have screws coming loose in them. Also fishing reels often have an assortment of small screws. It is a double sided bit, both phillips and straight that is held in by a spring tensioner. It works perfect on glasses and battery compartment screws.

On to the Medium Flat Driver and the Large Flat Driver. Again like the phillips, the medium driver is very long shanked, perfect for hard to reach screws. The flat driver however is more like one you would find in any other tool, kind of stubby.

Last tool in this handle - The Knife. VERY sharp from the factory which is awesome. It has a clip point and is made of 420HC Steel. Perfect for utility uses. Heck, I used to to skin a squirrel last week since I didn't bring my other knife out in the woods with me and I didn't want to walk back inside to get it. SHARP SHARP high quality knife.

Finally the plier head, and all its gadgets. Standard MultiTool type head, with regular plier jaws and needle nose pliers. Awesome for getting fish hooks out, twisting wire and any other normal needle nose functions.

The wire cutters are also awesome, It has a two in one function, a large area for regular wire, and a hard wire cutter at the base. The hard wire cutter snaps off finish nails with no ill effects to the steel and the regular wire cutters are great as well. If you need to snap barbed wire regularly, or 16 penny nails, go with the leatherman supertool 300. It has replaceable carbide cutters.


Conclusion.

I know this may seem long winded, but its my first blogged review, comment and tell me what you would like to see more or less of. All in all I think this is THE perfect Medium Duty MultiTool for you to have on you as an Every Day Carry (EDC) item. Its light weight, comes with a nice leather belt holster, and has more functions than almost any tool in its class.

Thanks for Checking in to the HFL Project.

Hello. The HFL Project Begins.

Hello, and Welcome to the HuntFishLive Project (HFL for short). My plan is to use this blog to give you guys and girls my indepth reviews on the gear related with hunting and fishing. I will also use this to tell stories of hunting or fishing adventures I partake in.

A little background on myself. I am a recent college graduate and avid hunter/fisherman. I always find myself purchasing new budget friendly gadgets and gear and like most of you (since you are reading this) I always do a lot of research before making a purchase. Since the constant search for a job can become overwhelming to say the least I plan to use this as a opportunity to relax and give my readers insight on some of the gear I use very regularly during my unemployment.

I am new to blogging so bare with me while I figure this all out and try to give you some insight on hunting and fishing gear that will not break the bank.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the HFL Project.