left field

Oh, man, this will go south quickly. Aggressive to what? A good Jack Russell is aggressive as hell to rats. A good Akbash is aggressive to strangers. A good pitbull is aggressive to dogs. Now, the JRT is operating in prey drive mostly, the Akbash in defense and the pitbull in fight drive. They all shift easily between those drives but those are the prime motivators that allow them to do their job. So, the JRT will not give up until the rat is dead > prey. The Akbash will drive the threat off then return to the flock > defense. The pit will fight until it cannot overcome the challenge then flip to defense at which point the fight is ended > fight. Pits get press for a variety of reasons. Small, tenacious and "fearless" dogs appeal to a lot of people. Others love a born fighter. For some it could be historical pride. I like the breed. Always will, though my interests go to gun dogs these days. Here's the thing about dogs - a lot of people shouldn't be allowed to own them. Or drive for that matter. Or have kids. Or guns. But, you know ... freedom.

A well-bred Border Collie should turn on around sheep. A well-bred Patterdale shouldn't hesitate to tear through the dirt and wood to get at vermin. A well-bred Anatolin should throw itself at a wolf or unknown person near it's flock. A well-bred pitbull should be dog aggressive. These dogs have been selected and bred for these traits. We have a responsibility to consider, develop, control and above all be aware of what we're taking on when we decide to raise a specific breed of dog.

Without going too far down this road, pitbulls are no more likely to attack a person than any other breed. Some argue less, in fact. But they are a powerful and tenacious breed that can deliver a devastating bite. Poorly bred pits in the hands of irresponsible owners who relish their "tough dog" rep are a disaster wating to happen. When I trained protection dogs I was probably bitten in a suit by hundreds of dogs from a variety of breeds (and a few without a suit - one that cost me a tooth and stitches in my face) and the hardest biting dog was a GSD. Size, muzzle length and a German breeding approach made for a damn hard dog. The dogs I feared were Dutch Shepherd/Malinois/whatever crosses coming out of the KNPV system. They were unpredictable and as hard as nails. A friend imported one that took off three fingers when he tried to feed it. Pitbulls were easy. Not saying this is the same situation, but there are many times where I would want a dog to warn, confront and attack a person. I want to be fair to the dogs that bite. This sounds like irresponsible ownership. The owner needs to be spoken to with the family present. If the dog is truly uncontrollable then they need to secure it at all times or find someone who can safely handle it. Good luck.

I'm sure you know this but keep that bite as clean as possible and exposed to the air. Infection is a real possibility.

That is probably part of their camera package and therefore comes with extra batteries.

Sure, but how would he fare against a squirrel out for blood?

Bass guys ... https://sdfish.com/general/dark-secret-americas-big-bass-guru-mike-long/?fbclid=IwAR1wTJdbHYC_9TaXyPK_E_g1FlvlAdJP6njpoCMtyk6lMiWllbPQylZjvo0

Perfect. Now, get lost!

Where’s the fun in that? The only thing that caught my eye was the spoon/fork/knife set. I bought one of those when I was 11 and quickly realised that it was useless for cutting food as the fork can’t be used at the same time as the knife. There are light-weight utensils that lock-pack together but allow for separate use. Anyway, looks like you’re set. Here’s hoping you get lost in the woods.

Thanks. I’m in the process of doing the same to an acre or two of aspen and beech. There’s a part that a little boggy do I’m hoping it attracts woodcock. Did you fully clear cut or leave a few trees. As near as I can tell they recommend leaving six stems per acre. What did you do with the brush and downed trees? I’m doing this by hand so please don’t say “bulldozed into a corner”.

Can you go over what you did or are doing? Thanks.

I narrowly missed a large doe last year only to flatten the fawn that was a few feet behind her. That sucked. Picking up a new car in a few weeks. If you see someone driving along the shoulder at 15mph, that will be me.

Slight dent and a bit of a scrape running along the side. It’s my fishing truck so not too fussed. My wife wanted to go back and look for the deer but I didn’t fancy searching the dark for a deer. I hope he’s okay. I’m sure the skunk is laughing his ass off.

Driving home over a mountain road tonight I saw a skunk ambling across my lane. Normally I don’t swerve at night as I rather kill an animal than lose control on a gravel road but I didn’t want skunk on my truck so I made a quick left and right and just missed him. Thirty seconds later my wife screamed as a deer crashed into my door and scraped his way down my car. The joys of country driving.

Ahh ... jerk is jerky. Thanks. I was being an idiot for a moment.

"With all that's at stake, the day shown on episode 5 of Alone was one of the most intense I have had. Here is the detailed description of what went down. After last week's miss I built the reindeer fence. Early warning systems adjusted to have lighter breakpoints (to avoid startling the moose like the last one) had been placed around to give me a heads up. While checking my traps I heard a commotion in the area (my face in this moment was captured in episode 4 ). I quickly snuck over to my bush located at the mouth of the fence. After a short wait the young bull appeared quartering towards me and moving along the fence. I may of been able to wait and get a full broadside shot, but he was within 20 yards and often waiting means you will get no shot, so I took my shot! It felt like a great shot and as it struck him he spun around in a circle not immediately running away and not knowing what happened. I stared in awe at him for a second then thought "what an idiot shoot another arrow!". Just as I tried he trotted off, my second arrow sailed into the Moss. But the shot felt good! I wish it had been a few inches to the left which would of guaranteed a double lung hit, but I had been encouraged by a moose cough and a bubbly splatter of blood. The next hour felt like an eternity, but from prior experience I know it's best to wait an hour or so before beginning your search. I found a good trail of blood but it slowly dried up....and soon I could find no tracks or blood. Knowing I hit him in the lung, and that running uphill would be the last thing he would want to do I followed the shoreline. All the thoughts of "oh man, did it get away?" Swarming around in my head. Then I spotted some brown - and saw him move! I couldn't believe it, I was so excited to see him lying up there, but that was just the beginning. I immediately I ducked down behind a log. You want the animal to be calm, to not know what happened, and to slowly bleed out without fear and adrenaline. If he were to see me he would of gotten an energy burst and could well of ran off or charged. I really couldn't risk it. I wanted so badly to finish it off, but the risk of me losing the animal completely and leaving it die in vain was too great. Finally (on video) it stood up, I gasped, he fell over, and died. I walked up to it and confirmed it. That was pure joy. So intense. The skinning and hauling never felt like too much of a burden...problems I was more than happy to take on! Of course it's exhausting, and that is why, in a short lapse in judgement, I hit the stomach with my blade. I was foolishly trying to avoid rolling him into his back again to open up his chest cavity (which I ended up doing anyway). I then had it back at camp where I hung the main quarters in my shelter to smoke as I sat there and cut other strips off the neck and such to smoke in small pieces also (get as much smoke on as much meat as possible to get it to freezing temps). Other parts I hung up in trees to keep away from predators, though not high enough to keep our of the reach of bears. I figured if one came he would go for that lower hanging meat before he went for the smoky human scented shelter meat, and that I may even get a chance at him! But all that is for the future, we'll see how it goes down."

Stupid question and I should probably just look it up, but how does smoking work? Does it cook the meat through or just seal/preserve the outside? And what do you guys mean by "jerk"? The only jerk I know is the fine fine chicken I had on a beach in Negril and Alan Meigs in the 8th grade.

I agree. A bear, a moose haunch and the guy, all in a bag would be better TV. If you mean hanging a few hundred pounds of meat, well, I think that may attract more than a few animals.

I think he was smoking it. How effective that will be and how he fends off animals will be interesting. A hungry wolverine popping into the tent at midnight should be excellent TV.

Protein seems to be easy this season. The cold may be another thing altogether.

N&A contestants get $5K plus an economy ticket to wherever they shoot and a couple of nights/expenses at a hotel. I assume their medical is covered in case of something serious as a result of the show. Insider fact - the guys often ask the editors to make their genital blurring a little larger. Alone contestants are only allowed to hunt legal game. My guess is that if someone killed an animal out of season they would be dealt with as any other poacher.

Good post. Would read again.

And that penknife work. Damn.

Maybe all we need is this?

You could afford bread? Lucky! When I was a kid, white bread was 25 cents a loaf or five for a dollar. It was a big day when my mother showed up with five loaves. Anyway, back to the program. Most people who get lost and perish do so from exposure and that's usually because they're not dressed for the weather. Cotton kills, wet cotton kills quicker.