Cleanin' ...

     Howdy!  Just got back from doin' a different kind of time in the grime ... pickin'-up trash in the Sam Houston National Forest with the North American Wood Ape Conservancy.  NAWAC adopted a 2.7 mile stretch of road on the Montgomery County side of F.M. 1375, and y'all can read all about their efforts by visitin' http://woodape.org.  If you aren't familiar with NAWAC, they are a top-notch research group as well as bein' a pretty swell bunch of folks!

 

     All I can say is that this was quite a humblin' experience, and everyone worked hard to get the job done.  One could only imagine what-all was found out there; everything from someone's voter registration card to a castin' seat, plenty of cans & bottles, discarded or shredded tires, busted furniture, Styrofoam cups and a bunch of used diapers.  Folks might think that diapers are biodegradable ... but it was downright degradin' to pick-up so many in such a short stretch of road.  The top find of the day was a brand-spankin' new Abu Garcia rod & reel combo by NAWAC member Travis Lawrence!

 

     After the clean-up, some friends of the NAWAC hosted a gatherin' and bonfire on their property, where we got to mow-down on some barbeque and unwind.  We listened to each other's experiences out in the field while listenin' to some good music as well.  I was pretty tuckered-out, and did not really want to drive all the way back through Houston on a Saturday night.  A few of the members had pitched a tent, and even though I had packed my bivi ... I opted to sleep open-air in the carpeted bed of my truck.

 

     Upon my departure this mornin', I drove the stretch of F.M. 1375 to view what we had accomplished.  I was familiar with the area 'cause I had bowhunted the Walker County side quite a bit some 18 years prior.  A lot has changed, but it's comfortin' to know that some folks still care enough to keep Texas wild.  I hope to join them again on their next clean-up, which I understood would happen 3 more times throughout the course of the year.  If y'all would like to help out, please give the NAWAC a shout!  Until next time, y'all be careful and have fun runnin' 'round out there in them woods.

Camo ...

Camo GPS, phone & camera cases, and a torch lighter;
which, my wife wants to use to torch my WH cap with!

     Howdy!  What's y'alls favorite color?  Just curious, 'cause I have several; tan, brown, olive-drab, black & gray just to name a few.  But bein' a hunter, avid outdoorsman and a bona-fide redneck, if camo were an actual color, it'd be my favorite!  A lot of stuff I've bought over the last 35-years or so has been camouflaged, includin' most of my outdoor gear and apparel.  Hell, I've even tried to buy my beautiful bride some camo; key word here bein' tried.  I was lookin' through one of them Ducks Unlimited catalogs a few years back, and they had a whole section of women's clothin', nighties, undies & such.  I pointed-out a camo thong and said, "Daaamn, I bet you'd look good in that."  She replied, "Are you remedial? And, not in your wildest friggin' dreams!"  Cain't blame me for tryin' ...

     Camo is an integral part of my sloughstalkin'.  I feel that it gives me an edge when I'm wanderin' 'round out there in them woods.  Camo patterns have come a long way since I started huntin'.  Gone are the days of U.S. Woodland Camo and Vietnam Tiger-Stripe, 'specially since Bill Jordan blew-up the industry in the mid-eighties with Realtree.  I was immediately addicted, purchasin' everything I could to become the ultimate bowhuntin' ninja!  I was Realtree from mask to boots, and even made some Realtree limb-covers for my take-down recurve.  Once I was bowhuntin' in the Sam Houston National Forest, and had a couple of hunters walk past me within 10-yards ... twice ... without noticin' I was even there.  My go-to patterns back then were either TreBark for duck huntin' in flooded timber, traditional brown-camo for duckhuntin' the marsh and Realtree for any and everything else.  And then, along came Toxey Haas and Mossy Oak ...

     I'm real partial to Mossy Oak, which offers a wide variety of patterns to fit various terrains.  By addin' shadows to create more depth in their patterns, I liked how the camo broke-up and helped me blend-in.  I am abso-friggin'-lutely obsessed with their Mossy Oak Obsession ... and often wondered what it would take to camo my boat in that particular pattern.  Bein' that my boat has seen a decade of bass fishin', duck huntin' & sloughstalkin' ... I just recently had to replace the seats.  Of course, I ordered them in camo; specifically, Mossy Oak Obsession ... and my beautiful bride just got me the matchin' castin' seats for Christmas!  I figured that I might as well keep-up appearances and camo the rest of the boat as well.  I got to surfin' on that-there internet and found www.mossyoakgraphics.com and went wild!

 

     They offer a 3M Premium Cast Vinyl that is much more elastic and durable than calendered vinyl, which allows you to wrap rounded shapes such as ribs, grooves & contours.  It's available in several different camo patterns, is fairly easy to install and its warranty states that it won't fade for 5-years.  Well, assumin' I keep my boat covered from the sun when I'm not usin' it, I'm sure it'll retain its woodsy-luster for years to come.  This material comes in kits for several different applications; boats, trucks, ATV's, guns, etc., or you can purchase it by the roll.  Their Web site even offers instructional videos for most applications, and minimal tools are needed; an X-ACTO knife, heatgun, a squeegee and low-tack maskin' or painter's tape.  I also purchased an 8 oz. can of 3M 94 Primer and some 3M 3950 Edge Sealer which is available on www.amazon.com ...

 

     The only drawback is that the temperature needs to be at least 60° to 70° for the first 24-hours after installation.  Bein' that it's winter and I don't have a heated garage, I'll have to wait 'til the weather warms to knock-out the bulk of this project.  I did, however complete the cowling of my outboard, trollin' motor and other parts that can be removed and brought indoors.  Since this was my first time to attempt this, I took a few hours to get it right.  And since I'm a graphic designer, I even reproduced the Yamaha and Minn Kota logos, horsepower decals, hull identification numbers and the boat's name to complete my project.  I'll be sure to post my photos of the finished job before spring.  So, the next time I'm out sloughstalkin' in the boat ... I'll be stealthy, stylin' & rockin' the camo while doin' my time in the grime.  Hope y'all enjoyed this and take care out there!