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Durable, light and easy to set up makes this the go-to 2 person tent for hikers and hunters in the back country.
Spring is here and the mountains are calling! Getting out and enjoying the weather is a must in spring and early summer and SlumberJack has upped their game and has gotten you the best tent for hiking and camping in the mountains this year. The SJK Nightfall 2 person tent is made for three seasons of camping and is easy to set up and carry. Read on to learn more about how the SlumberJack Nightfall 2 person tent is going to save your legs some wear and tear this camping season.
The SJK Nightfall two person tent weighs in at just over five pounds and can easily be packed into hard country.
Mountain tents need to be lightweight, easy to haul and easy to set up. The SJK Nightfall is great for all three. It features external pole architecture that keeps the inner part of the tent dry when you’re setting it up. This is a nice feature so that once you climb in you wont have to deal with all the wet footprints and such.
There is plenty of space inside of the 2 person tent too. The walls are almost vertical and there is plenty of room for two occupants. There is even a fast pitch option that allows the inner tent to be left back at the car and then the tent gets even lighter. This is great for hunts when you only need one night and are chasing after big game.
Each tent has three poles and makes set up a breeze. I was able to set it up for the first time in just under ten minutes. The packed weight of the full tent is 5 pounds, 2 ounces, so really lightweight for a good tent. If you chose to go with the fast pitch option, the weight is reduced to 2 pounds, 9 ounces.
Once set up, the tent has a height of 39.5 inches in the center and a floor area of 31.4 square feet. This should be plenty of room for just you or you and your camping partners in the back country.
As a hunter, the sturdiness of the tent is vitally important. Gear needs to be able to last and withstand rough elements and go through some thick vegetation. The fabric is thick polyester, so it won’t rip easily and the poles are heavy duty aluminum but are still light.
You can purchase the SJK Nightfall 2 person tent on their website here for just $139.95. This is a great bargain for a high quality, packable tent and will give you many years of good, hard use.
Check out more camping gear reviews and some other great SlumberJack hunting products.
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For the third time in less than a year, the U.S. Congress will attempt to pass legislation that will allow the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wyoming to control their wolf populations without interference from the courts. Previous legislation was strongly supported by Wisconsin Senators Baldwin and Johnson and they will likely support the new proposal. This latest legislation was introduced into the U.S. House by Representatives Sean Duffy (R-WI), Collin Peterson (D-MN), and Liz Cheney (R-WY). Cheney is the daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney. Wisconsin has been unable to hold wolf seasons for the past two years due to a federal court decision in 2014 that returned wolves to protected status.
As a result of the court decision, Wisconsin has seen its minimum wolf population increase by 12.5% in 2015 and 16% in 2016 (746 and 866 wolves, respectively). An important caveat in these numbers reported by the WI DNR is that they are the minimum populations. Knowledgeable observers place the actual population between 1,500 and 2,000. However, even accepting the minimum count in 2016 of 866 as representative of the population, it is enlightening to compare that number with the states of Montana and Idaho, both of which have less human presence than Wisconsin. In 2014, Montana’s wolf count was 554 (numbers for 2015 are not currently available) and Idaho’s count was 786 in 2015. The wolf population in Wisconsin is second only to Minnesota in the lower 48 states.Several years ago when the wolf population was lower in Wisconsin, the DNR estimated that wolves killed 20,000 whitetails per year. Proponents of wolf protection argue that bears, coyotes, and bobcats also kill deer. While these predators typically kill fawns in the spring, they do not hunt in packs (coyotes rarely do) and they do not typically kill adult deer. Wolves, on the other hand, hunt in packs during the entire year, killing fawns and adult deer, and also engage in spree or surplus killing of prey that they do not eat.
There have been reports by deer hunters who live or hunt in Wisconsin’s northern counties that the deer population has suffered as a result of depredation by wolves. Some hunters have passed up the deer seasons and others have moved their hunts to central and southern counties. Currently, there is debate among hunters, DNR personnel, and others regarding the reported increase in 2016 of buck harvest in the northern zone. The causes of this are not clear but one suspected cause is an abuse of the electronic registration system. The contention in this regard is that wolf protectors falsely reported buck harvests in order to show that wolves were not decimating the northern deer herd. This has led to pressure on the DNR to abandon electronic registration and return to in-person registration in the northern zone or even the entire state. So far, the DNR has defended electronic registration.
If and when Wisconsin is allowed to control its wolf population, how many wolves can be allowed without having devastating effects on big game and livestock? Numbers and percentages from Wisconsin’s three wolf seasons offer some guidance. During the first wolf season in 2012, 117 wolves were taken; the total human take during 2012 was 239 (This includes legal culling done by the USFWS, the USDA/Wildlife Service, landowners and illegal kills). This represented 29% of a minimum wolf population of 820 animals. The following year, the minimum population was 809, virtually unchanged after the 2012 season. During 2013, the total wolf take was 364 with 257 accounted for by hunting and trapping; this accounted for a 55% reduction in the population. In 2014, 222 wolves were taken by hunting, trapping, and other means, out of a minimum population of 660. Clearly, the 2013 take was beginning to impact the population.
The experience of the USDA/Wildlife Service also lends some insights into the wolf problem. This arm of the USDA is responsible for reducing or eliminating predator effects on livestock. Various hazing methods have been used to scare wolves away from livestock but none has proven effective except on a short term basis; once the wolves figure out that the expensive electrified fences don’t carry a lethal shock, they ignore them. Or, as a USDA biologist noted, the calves slip under the fences only to be met by wolves. Neither does the trapping of offending wolves have any effect when lethal methods prohibited by federal court decree are in effect. Trapping and relocating wolves only moves the problem from one locale to another.
Despite the presence of wolf packs in Wisconsin in the 1960s and 70s, as documented by the DNR, it was decided to place wolves under federal protection in order that wolves could migrate from Minnesota and the U.P. and establish territories in the state. The initial population goal was 100 animals but was later raised to 350. As a result of increasing populations that far exceed the 350 goal, wolf depredation of livestock, hunting dogs, and domestic pets has risen. During the 2016 bear season wolves killed 40 hunting dogs, the highest number since wolves were initially protected. As wolf populations increase, so does their territory. There have been recent reports of wolf sightings in Waupaca and Outagamie Counties. The accompanying photo of four wolves was taken on a trail camera in Waupaca County in 2016. It should come as no surprise that wolves expand their territory when prey numbers decline.
Once Wisconsin regains control of its wolf population, how should the DNR proceed to reduce the numbers to 350 (interestingly, 32 county boards have endorsed a population of 350 or less)? Hunting and trapping seasons will help but, alone, will not have a significant impact. Dr. Charles Kay, noted ecologist at Utah State University, reports that sport hunting and trapping of wolves in Montana and Idaho have not had a major impact on wolf numbers. He is convinced that actual predator control is the only way to significantly reduce the population. He further recommends that the first year of wolf control must remove 70% of the population followed by a 40% reduction every year after in order to keep wolf numbers stable. In order to limit the population to 350, the hunting community will need to send a clear message to the DNR and to its leadership. This effort has a precedent. In the early 1900s wolves had decimated the deer population in northern Wisconsin and the U.P. An appeal by hunters to the federal government resulted in a major decline in wolf numbers and an increase in deer numbers. Hunters and conservationists have expended considerable time, energy, and resources for many years to ensure a healthy and sustainable deer population in the state. The time has come for a renewed effort to continue that goal.
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How many of us have heard someone at a distance yelling at their dog? The loud commands that they might be yelling range from; NO! Come! Here! Sit! Get over here NOW! A two worded dog’s name combines into one, for example, John Wayne is now JohnWayne. This experience is one that all hunters with dogs or being on a hunt with dogs have likely had happen at some point in time. Or, maybe we were the one doing the yelling!
One dog issue that happens dog owners frequently encounter is, “the chase.” What I mean here is, most of the time in the pheasant field the dog runs off after a pheasant. Or, if you miss a bird, your dog or your buddy’s dog will not come back as it continues to chase up other birds. This tends to happen with an untrained, young dog without any control. Certainly, if you have a trained, experienced dog you would not have that issue. From a whistle tweet, to a simple, “No bird,” it lets the dog know it’s not supposed to chase the bird anymore and come back. An experienced hunting dog will have minimal commands yelled at them because they just know what they are doing. For some breeds, like a pointer, it only takes a few tweets with a whistle to stay close, sit or whoa. This obviously makes the hunting experience much more productive and enjoyable. The less commands, the better the hunt is. A dog that knows the reason he or she is in the field is one that is easy to be around. One of the biggest mistakes I see out in the pheasant field are handlers trying to over handle their dog. If I see a dog establishing a hunt, I let them hunt. Sometimes the best command is no command. Keeping a good eye on the dog during the hunt will help keep you in control. You should use commands only when necessary.
To insure a good hunt, train your dog with the help of a professional ahead of time. The E-collar can be a helpful training aid. If handled properly, which means the dog is collar conditioned ahead of time before it takes the field, problems can be avoided. I start the pup or young dog with it on their neck to get them used to it without using the actual electricity or vibration- some call it a stimulation or shock. After I feel comfortable about the dog knowing the obedience commands of sit, heel, and here, I may start to implement its use. I will use the E-collar at a low level to get the right reaction I need to get the dog to respond and respect the collar. Again, it is very important to use only commands the dog already knows, and use it as a reinforcement tool. The most important thing to do is put on the E-collar right away before he or she gets out of the truck, trailer, car, UTV, or whatever you are using to carry your friendly hunting buddy. If the dog is E-collar trained, you can use it on the dog if they do not respond to your commands.
I will agree that it is important to have bonding time with your dog at a young age. The more time spent with your dog at a young age, the better the dog will be. The bird training will help make your dog a better hunter. This is something to think about in the offseason. I start taking the dogs in at right around the age of 6 months or better. I train dogs year-round. I train other owner’s dogs to be better hunting companions. I typically get dogs in for what I think is a short time period of only 3 to 6 months. It really isn’t necessary to train for longer than that in most cases.
The majority of the time it is the husband that will say, “I just want a hunting dog.” If you can look into the future, the benefits of having a well-trained dog in the long run is worth the time and investment for your family. I train the dogs on bird drive, obedience, force fetch collar conditioning and quartering the field. I use different drills and techniques to get that dog to become a better hunting dog for the client. It takes a lot of time, hard work, patience and repetition to become a good hunting dog. But in the end, a happy client makes it worth it. Let’s face it, if you hunt long enough, long shots are fun to see and spending time with friends, family and business acquaintances in the field. The indicator for me to have a great hunt is in the quality of dog I am working with. If it’s a loud hunt with a lot of yelling and hollering it’s probably not that fun. You must be patient with young dogs and continue to work hard with them to make them a great hunting dog.
In the end, do the right steps for your hunting buddy and they will be the best they can be for you and you both will win!
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How to Hunt Deer With an AR-15
Deer hunting with an AR-15 is a possibility and if you follow these steps you can learn how.
Although the AR-15 is widely used in military and police applications, it is suitable for civilians who would like to increase their hunting prowess with greater firepower. Not only does the AR-15 provide greater accuracy and stability than comparable firearms, but it’s a rather familiar and accessible gun that can be enjoyed by hunters of all ages.
Types of Ammunition
The type of ammunition you choose is dependent on the type of game you’re after. If you’re solely hunting deer, a caliber like the .223 is a great option, but it lacks the punch that is desired by some hunters.
Apart from hunting deer, some also target larger game such as bear or elk. In this case, a larger, big bore ammunition is typically preferred. To accommodate this, the AR-15 can be configured to accept .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM and .50 Beowulf bullets. Although these were originally invented for military use, hunters have had great success taking down large game with them.
In either case, a headshot is preferred if you plan on eating the meat afterward, but some areas have restrictions on certain ammunition. The .223 caliber, for example, is outlawed in some states and communities due it’s relatively small size and low impact. Always check hunting regulations in your community before heading out into the woods.
Other suitable options include the 6.8 Remington and the 6.8 Remington SPC. This ammunition is great when a .22 or .223 is too small but you can’t justify stepping up to military-grade firepower.
Barrel Twist
The barrel twist of a firearm refers to the degree of the interior rifling of the gun’s barrel. As rifling is done to increase bullet spin and, as a result, both speed and accuracy, twist is an especially important metric when configuring your AR-15 for hunting purposes.
If you’re exclusively targeting small game, a twist rate of 1:10 or even 1:12 is suitable. For larger game, or to accommodate a wider range of ammunition in general, you might consider an AR-15 with a twist rate of 1:9 or 1:8. If you’re setting your targets on the largest animals in the forest, a twist of 1:7 might be your best option.
Comfort and Safety
Many hunters opt for the AR-15 due to its comfort, safety and accessibility. The majority of today’s military veterans are well-versed in the AR-15, so they feel comfortable adapting it to the sport of hunting. Older individuals are also comfortable with the firearm, too, as it features an incredibly low recoil for a gun of its size.
Making the Case for the AR-15
Despite the popularity and usability of the AR-15, it still catches a lot of flak from those who are vying for stricter gun laws. Given the gun’s effectiveness in the field and its relatively affordable price tag, it’s safe to say that the AR-15 isn’t disappearing from the civilian consumer market anytime soon.
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By: Gary Parsons and Keith Kavajecz
While current and wind can make for a great bite, they can also be a nightmare for trying to position the boat. Being in complete control when we are chasing walleyes hasn’t always been easy. This type of fishing was very tiring and hands-on in the past. It meant putting the anchor out and then having to toss it out again for a slight adjustment. It meant having a foot on the pedal of the bow mount trolling motor at all times and constantly making adjustments to the speed of the kicker motor. There were even days we had two drift socks out and still couldn’t go slow enough for our presentation to work!
The design of your boat can impact how well you can control it in adverse conditions. There are two things to look at when you are purchasing a boat. First, it should sit level in the water, so wind will affect the whole boat, not just one part of it, like the bow. This is really dependent on boat design, like tank placement, battery placement, floatation and hull design. The only way to see if a boat sits level is to see it on the water.
It is also important to have a boat with a good keel, which will help it track better in the water. When we are trolling sideways in the wind, or into the wind, the boat will not wander as much because the keel will keep tracking and hold the boat on course. You can often tell how well a boat tracks by running it backward and turning. If the boat just slips backward and doesn’t follow the engine, it probably won’t track well. If the boat follows the engine and can make quick turns going backward, it means that the boat does track well.
Advances in technology have really changed the walleye game when it comes to boat control, making it easier to position our boat. They also keep us from not becoming as fatigued as we would have been in the past after a long day on the water.
One of our favorite boat control features is the Anchor Mode on our MotorGuide Xi5 bow mount trolling motor. This comes in handy when we are casting jigs or Shiver Minnows. Instead of having to put out an anchor, with the click of a button the motor will act as the anchor and hold us in place while we work a spot over. Not only does this eliminate the splash and commotion that is usually associated with a traditional anchor, but also we can easily position the boat right where we want it to be.
If we are working a shoreline or bridge pillar, a feature that works great in conjunction with Anchor Mode is “Jogging.” Again, with the touch of a button, we can move in five-foot increments, forward, backward or sideway. The motor will then re-anchor. If we want to move 10 feet over, we just click twice.
You can also connect your Lowrance HDS sonar/GPS units to the Xi5 by using MotorGuide Gateway. The Gateway is a cord that uses the NMEA Network port so you can control your trolling motor right from your Lowrance unit. This allows you to tell the trolling motor to anchor on a specific waypoint, or you can move the cursor to a spot on the map and the motor will go there.
Another great boat control feature is “Heading Lock,”,which can also be found on the Xi5. We like to use this when we are pulling Slow Death rigs or spinner rigs on bottom bouncers. When fishing this way, it is important to keep your bait moving. If you make a sharp turn or slow down too much, the bait will fall to the bottom.
This is where Heading Lock comes in. We just point the motor in the direction we want it to go! The motor does all the work to keep us on course at the desired speed. If we want to move deeper or shallower, we just click a button to turn the motor in the new direction. As it starts to head in the new direction, the motor will actually straighten itself out, cutting boat control in half! Not to mention that the turns are very smooth, so your baits won’t drop to bottom.
If you have a Power-Pole on your boat, you definitely want to get the Drift Paddle attachment. The Drift Paddle attaches to the spike on the Power-Pole and can be used to create drag. If we are trolling open water in early summer using spinners, and the wind is up to about 15 to 20 mph, as we troll with the wind, it becomes difficult to maintain a good slow speed for the spinners because the wind is pushing us. With the Drift Paddle attached to the Power-Pole, we simply deploy it into the water creating drag that helps slow down our trolling speed.
We can even control the amount of drag it creates by how far down into the water we lower the paddle. If we deploy it only half way it slows us down a little. By deploying it all the way down into the water we have actually been able to slow the boat down as much as a mile to a mile and quarter when trolling with our big engines.
Another advantage of using the Drift Paddle in this scenario is that with the paddle down, it dramatically decreases the “surge” effect the waves have on the boat as we troll. That’s a big deal, especially when trolling spinners, as the surges can affect how the spinners are running, and in dingy water can make it difficult for the fish to track down your bait. By eliminating or at least lessening the surging, the spinners run truer and therefore are more effective.
The Drift Paddle is also useful when doing a controlled drift. It has seven quick-change positions that cover a full 180 degrees, allowing us to set the paddle at any angle we need to help the boat drift on the path we want it to.
We can control the boat’s path from the bow mount trolling motor. When we need to move in or out on a break, the Drift Paddle easily cuts through the water making positioning so much easier than having to drag a drift sock. By drifting with the paddle off the back and steering with our bow mount trolling motor up front, we have excellent control of the boat! By incorporating technology into fishing, you can have a less stressful day on the water and take control of your Next Bite!
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Lake Michigan is a popular destination for tourists. It offers wide-ranging fun activities and restos satisfying both the body and the belly.
Okey, winter can sometimes be a little too boring for the adventurer. While most people are busy
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