Posts Tagged ‘nature’

Finding Affordable Camping Equipment

Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Camping is a very popular activity among the under Forties. People like to go hunting, fishing, hiking, walking or just camping with their friends, family or lover. The outdoors is attractive and can be romantic. Lots of people want to get a little closer to nature and the easiest way of doing this is sleeping under canvas, or nylon or something man-made like that. Another benefit for the young is that it is inexpensive.

However, it is not only inexpensive, it is healthy and instructive. All children ought to go camping either with their parents or the scouts in order to learn something of nature before they get locked into a career to pay the mortgage and forget that there is life outside the city. You know, there are inner city kids that do not know that milk comes from cows? How ludicrous is that?

So, if you are going to take an education in nature by the horns, you will have to have some camping equipment. Inexpensive though camping equipment is relative to the equipment required for other activities, most people still have to be a bit careful how much they spend.

If you fall into that bracket, then this article is for you. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it is worth pointing out that if you have the money, you can do worse than just going down to the local sports shop or camping shop and buying all your equipment from them. Buy everything you need in one go and ask for a discount. if anything ever goes wrong they will remember you as a big spender and fix it for you straight away.

However, the remainder of have to be a little more circumspect with the cheque book. If you know a bit about camping gear from your parents or from the scouts and do not mind second-hand, then car boot sales and garage sales can be just the ticket.

Often people are selling stuff because their kids have left home and they are having a clear out or perhaps they have had more children and the pup tent is no longer any use to them.

I sold a lovely tent not so long ago for peanuts because I knew that I would never need it again. The beauty of these sales is that you can put the tent up or get the seller to put it up for a closer inspection. Look for rot, sniff for mildew, check the number of pegs and guide lines et cetera, but do not get carried away with perfection, you can buy extra pegs, lanyard and a mallet, but you do not want to have to sew up holes or replace zips or fly screen.

Classified ads are another good source of equipment, but pick the item up yourself so that you know where to take it back if you do not have the opportunity to inspect it properly before handing over the money.

EBay and Amazon are also pretty decent, but you have to do some research on the manufacturers’ names and the standard retail prices otherwise you might end up buying a costly copy, a kiddies’ toy tent or simply junk.

One of my favourite stores to browse is the Army and Navy Surplus store. Try going into an A&N and coming out empty-handed. If the equipment in there is good enough for our troops to risk their lives with, it’s decent enough for a week in the Poconos.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on many subjects, but is at present concerned with thinking about the Poconos International Raceway in Pennsylvania. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations.

Techniques For Keeping Cats Out Of Your Garden

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

It is very difficult to keep cats out of your garden, but do not give up, it can be done. Cat owners may not understand why gardeners want to stop cats gaining access to their gardens, but there are valid reasons, it is not always that gardeners hate cats. Cats are vicious hunters and can also be quite destructive.

For example, my next door neighbour had a cat, but felt lonely when her daughter moved away, so she permitted the cat to breed. Now she has six cats. But cats are not like dogs. My dog stays in my garden not bothering anyone apart from by barking if a stranger walks past the gate However, that is his job and he is not only warning me but the neighbours too. These six cats do not stay in their own garden though, so we have all acquired six cats whether we want them or not.

The first issue I became aware of was that birds stopped coming to pick my dog’s bowl clean in the afternoon. Then I saw a cat eating a lizard, a lovely nine inch adult and then I remembered not seeing many lizards recently. There is one lizard, the Tokay, that they have completely wiped out - I used to listen to them calling at night, but no longer.

Cats also dig up flowers when they defecate and use furniture as scratching boards, so I do not want these destructive animals in my garden. But how do you keep cats out of your garden?

Walls are rarely protection against cats, but cats will often prowl along the bottom of walls and if they come across a hole, they will probably go in out of inquisitiveness, so repair all low-level gaps in your fences. There is not much you can do about the top of your wall short of putting broken glass or electrified wiring up there, but that is not a nice idea.

Some dogs are good at keeping cats away, but not all. My dog got a nasty and totally unexpected swipe of claws across his nose one day. He used to chase them when they were kittens, but now they have grown up, he only growls to tell me a cat is on the property. I cannot blame him.

In Australia, a lot of gardeners reckon that transparent bottles full of water confuse cats, so they stay away, but in my experience, only Australian cats react in that way.

A row of prickly bushes or flowers along the base of a wall where cats frequently come in works. At the bottom of high walls too, where the cat cannot see them until he is on top of the wall. I often see cats mewing (in frustration, I hope) on the top of one of my walls. The only route down is to go back.

If you still cannot keep cats out, then you will need to train them not to come in. This is easiest achieved by using several methods. If cats are utilizing your flower pots are conveniences, try smearing the pots with pepper, lavender, lemon, mustard, or tobacco. Or you could leave a mothball in each pot. Some of these will have the desired result for you, others will not.

Then there are commercial repellents, but I do not want to resort to them. However, if you have a big garden and a big problem, it could be the only way. There are also high frequency sound emitters. Humans cannot hear them, but almost all animals can, so I think that that is deplorable too.

At night, motion-activated external lighting is a great upset to cats. Cats have very sensitive night vision so a quick flash from a floodlamp really puts them off a garden.

The best disincentive is water. You can get motion-activated sprinklers, which are brilliant at keeping cats out of your garden, but I like to sit in my office or in the garden with a powerful water pistol and squirt them by hand. The lizards have not come back yet, but nor do the cats quite so frequently either.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on quite a few subjects, but is now concerned with visual comfort lighting. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Outdoor Wall Lamps.

Choosing Your Patio Garden Furniture

Monday, June 6th, 2011

Once you have finished making your patio, your deck or your lawn, you will unquestionably start thinking about how you can enjoy more time out of doors. Therefore, you will need some garden furniture. Many shops stock garden furniture. You can try home improvement centres, large department stores and garden centres. There are also businesses on line that will deliver. The hard job is picking your garden furniture.

There is a very broad choice of designs of garden furniture - a style to suit every person and complement every garden. So, before rushing down to the garden centre, it is worth considering for a while what you would like to accomplish with your open-air seating area. Do you want a theme? Do you want to entertain or dine there? Or do you just want to sit peacefully, take pleasure in your garden and read a magazine?

Indeed, the reply may well be a permutation of all those things. If you simply want to sit there with a drink and a book, you may be satisfied to just buy a couple of chairs and a small table, but if you want to entertain or eat family meals outside, you may prefer a more substantial table. A large oak table would be quite expensive, but it would look fabulous and last for a decade or more.

If you choose a table, you will have to have chairs to match, but do you want loungers as well? They could be of plastic and kept in the shed until wanted.

You will likely need some form of shade. This can be supplied by folding, even removable umbrellas or by overhanging trees or shrubs. Wisteria or clematis can do the task as well and cost you next to nothing.

Do you intend cooking in this space? If you do, what and how? Do you fancy a barbecue pit or a proper hob and oven? A lot of people in regions where the climate permits are doing a great deal of cooking outside in a carbon copy of an indoor kitchen, but without all the walls.. If you plan the outdoor kitchen carefully, you will be able to use it in the rain too. I find it lovely not to have kitchen smells in the house and cooking out of doors is a good experience as well.

If it gets nippy in the evenings then you can consider buying some patio heaters. They are not expensive to buy or to run and one standard patio heater can keep quite a crowd of people warm. (By the word ’standard’ here, I mean upright, like a lamp post).

Lighting is the last major point in the list when choosing garden furniture. There are actually two sorts of garden lighting to mull over: lighting to see by and lighting to lure insects away. Again, you could use standard lamps to illuminate your patio. They shine their light far enough so that you can still look at your garden after dusk or you could have separate wall light on dimmers.

The one light I would definitely have is a mosquito lantern. Hang this away from where you sit, because they do draw insects to them which they then electrocute with a pleasing zap.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on a number of topics, but is now concerned with visual comfort lighting. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Outdoor Wall Lamps.

How To Extend The Life Of Your Summer Garden

Friday, May 6th, 2011

The overwhelming majority of gardens look their best in the summer whether they produce flowers, fruit or vegetables, the same is probably true of your garden. When the garden looks so good and the weather is fine, it is nice to spend more time outside.

There are two ways of approaching this: you can endeavour to extend the growing life of your garden by say a few weeks or a month or / and you can extend the number of hours you can sit in the garden every day. By taking both routes you will get the greatest pleasure from your summer garden.

The first thing you can do to extend the life of your summer garden is construct some raised growing beds. Raised growing beds heat up more rapidly and cool down more slowly than a growing bed in the soil. This is because the brick walls of the raised beds will soak up and hold the sun’s heat, warming the soil faster and retaining it.

It will also chill down more slowly as winter approaches because frost comes up from the ground and your raised beds will be that much higher so the chill will have to travel further. You can also strive to heat these raised beds artificially if the first frost has not yet arrived. Apply the heating to the walls of the beds.

You may find that the cost of heating the flower beds is not worth the money, but if you have a special occasion on just at that period of the year when the weather usually takes a change for the worse, you may believe the cost worth it to have a nice floral display for that special day.

Raised growing beds are definitely the best route to take, but if for some reason you cannot construct some raised beds, you could give your plants a head start by planting them in pots ahead of when the first frost is predicted for. if you have a greenhouse, you will be able to get even flowers commenced in this manner. Then, you could transplant more mature plants outside when the weather allows. This will extend the life of your summer garden to the fore a little.

Another way of extending the garden’s summer life a little is to cover the plants over at night. However, you must keep an eye on the plants, because these covers are very effective. You have to be able to remove them before the sun warms up or your plants may swelter. You cannot go to work in the morning and leave your plants covered over all day.

The second way to get more pleasure from your summer garden is to stretch the number of hours per day that you can spend outside. This is easily achieved with exterior lighting. You can either run electric wiring to your garden and have lighting installed or you can use solar powered lighting, which will save you money on installation and electricity costs.

Once you have enough light, the only other things you might have to have to extend the life of your summer garden are a mosquito trap and a patio heater.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on quite a few topics, but is at present involved with exterior lighting fixtures. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Outdoor Wall Lamps.

Hiking And Camping Is Undergoing A Revival

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Are you interested in getting closer to nature? Do you like hiking and sleeping under the stars - or under canvas at least? If you do, then a walking or hiking and camping holiday may be just the thing for you. A hiking and camping holiday will get you out in the fresh air, allow you to observe nature first hand and cost you very little to boot. In short, hiking and camping are the perfect blend, if you are looking for a healthy, inexpensive break outdoors.

Not only that but you can either go alone with a few good books, take a lover, take a friend or take the family with you. All in all, you have many options available to you if you want to trek off into the wild blue yonder on foot.

There are a few of ways of tackling a vacation of this kind. You can either book into a hiking and camping site or you can literally simply head off. If you have children with you then the camping ground is a necessity, but otherwise the decision is yours, although it has to be borne in mind, that camping off site is or can be illegal. Trespass is absolutely illegal as is causing a nuisance of yourself, putting wild animals under stress for no decent reason, damaging trees or property and littering.

So, if you are new to hiking and camping, you will probably be better off going to a hiking and camping site or park. Do not be put off by this thought, some of them are truly immense. Check out the Poconos and other national parks for instance.

There is no doubt that cost is a factor in the choice of a camping holiday for many young people, but it is seldom the sole reason why people like to get away and sleep under the stars. Going back to nature and bird- and animal-watching are other everyday reasons.

If you fancy this sort of holiday, it is worth remembering that hiking and camping have become extremely popular pastimes of late. They always were well-liked, it is true, but they waned in the Eighties and Nineties, and are seeing a resurgence now. Therefore, do your homework, see where you would like to go, get some brochures or look on line and book up early. Yes, nowadays you have to book up early to get into the best hiking and camping sites again.

A final note of warning, if you decide to go off into the wilderness outside a park, let people know where you are. Take your mobile phone and a couple of fully-charged extra batteries and say when you are going to phone in that you are safe and make certain that you abide by it. It is very expensive if Air-Sea Rescue are called out on unnecessarily.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with the egg crate foam mattress pad. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Egg Crate Mattress Pad For Sale.

Where To Buy Your Camping Equipment From

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Do you like to go camping? Do you go with friends or family and do you help with the planning? If so, then you almost certainly already have a lot of the items you require, but as you doubtless already know, there is always something you have to purchase for each trip. If you are planning your first trip, then it is to be hoped that this short piece will give you some tips.

In fact, there are quite a few sources of camping gear. Some offer better value for money than others, some offer low quality gear and others offer high quality at high prices. The trick is to be somewhere in the middle, where you can get decent quality equipment which is fit for purpose at the right cost and this is what we will help you to do.

One of the first points to comprehend, and it is very helpful to understand this , is that a camper has to have camping gear, ie the tent, sleeping bag, et cetera and camping supplies, ie food, insect repellent et cetera. It is practical to realize the difference because some camping stores sell both gear and supplies, whereas others only sell one or the other.

Starting with camping gear. You can buy camping gear on line at dedicated camping stores, at department stores and at eBay and Amazon. The trick here is to do some research first to find out what is the best of what you require and how much it costs and then to go searching on line for that particular device manufactured by that particular manufacturer. You will absolutely save money by purchasing on line, but you have to be more careful of copies.

Army and Navy Surplus stores are pretty decent as well. After all, if it is good enough for our fighting forces it is not going to fall apart the first time it rains or blows a bit. I have always found it hard to come out of an army and navy store without buying anything, even if they did not have what I went in there for. I always end up purchasing a new compass or a knife or some other gadget.

Department shops are next and you can pick up good deals out of season, otherwise they tend to be expensive and you have to be cautious of not buying ‘kiddies gear’ meant for use in the back garden by mistake. Sports stores and dedicated camping shops are usually very reliable, selling the best gear at the top prices.

Now on to camping supplies. To be honest, what do you eat when camping that you do not eat at home every week? Moose, squirrel, possum, deer? Well, you are not going to take that with you anyway, are you, so you might as well get your camping supplies from your favourite supermarket.

Or you can go to the camping shop and pay over the top for ’specialist foods’ and ’survival rations’, but again, to be honest, you would be better off acquiring things like that either on line or at the Army and Navy store again. If you want to try out some of these army rations, it can be amusing, but get them at knock-down prices from the A&N.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a variety of subjects, but is now concerned with the egg crate foam mattress pad. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Egg Crate Mattress Pad For Sale.

Pheasant Farms Deliver A Great Resource For Hunters & Pheasants

Sunday, July 11th, 2010

Pheasants can be found in several places around the world with many distinct colors. Habitat is ultimately the most important thing in the survival of the pheasant. Particular habitats tend to be more protective of pheasants and their eggs than other places, and it inhibits predation. Like many bird varieties, the pheasant can be a yummy treat for a hungry wildcat and other wild animals.

Pheasant farms offer hunting, but they also protect the species from extinction. Pheasant reserve farms will make sure to harvest the eggs and take care of Those eggs until the young birds are ready to be released out in the wild. This early intervention protects their future generations of pheasants. Sometimes they order eggs from other locations which ensures genetic diversity.

Good hunting dogs are imperative to being successful on the hunting range. A good dog will not only find the bird, but also scare and retrieve it for you. Labs are preferred for flushing out birds and great for finding a downed bird. It takes a good bit of training to train a good bird dog, but once it’s ready to go and experienced, you will want to live in the fields. Some hunters prefer pointers, but not me.

Water is a commonplace to find pheasants during the hot times of the summer. This can be a good way to make sure that the local population is strong. They enjoy ponds, creeks, streams, faucets, irrigation areas as well as pumps. I know that in Wisconsin that you can only hunt pheasant from mid-October to the end of the year, so it pays to scout for birds during the warmer parts of the year. When it is time to hunt, you can expect to find the best hunting in the mornings and afternoons of the day. The morning seems to the best time to hunt as pheasant tend to be feeding in the open fields.

It is always a good practice to wait for the birds to settle back down. When you and the dogs arrive they will retreat and hide and come back out after things calm back down. It is important that you have tracking skills and have scouted the area prior to going hunting. On pheasant farms, this is not a concern as many of the birds have been released within hours of your arrival.

For more on pheasant hunting and Bird hunting lodges. Get your bird dog ready for a hunt of a lifetime.

More information on pheasant hunting and Alabama Pheasant Hunting. Get your bird dog ready for the bird hunt of a lifetime.

Background Information On The Pheasant

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

For pheasant hunters, it is a awesome experience to have the ability to go out into the great outdoors and to shoot wild pheasant on a Saturday afternoon. The scientific name of the common pheasant is Phasianus Colchicus. This fowl is tremendously revered by bird hunters.

Pheasants typically live in wooded areas. Their food intake is made up typically of earthworms, snails, spiders, millipedes, and grasshoppers. The magnificent birds love to scratch up foliage for these types of soft invertebrates and they also relish different whole grains and all types of berries. Roosting in the trees in the evening and pecking around most of the day, pheasants can for sure give you a fine hunt.

Pheasants is a term frequently used for quail, partridge, or ruffed grouse. In the U. S., the ring-necked pheasant were introduced in the 1800’s. The male pheasant is called a cock and is known to have vibrant brown plumage and most species have a white ring around the neck. It is much more colorful (than the female) with a variety of green and purple markings. Female pheasant plumage has a more subdued brownish look to it. Both the female and male have yellowish stout beaks and rounded short wings. Male pheasants have tails that are over 20 inches long and protective spurs on the back of their legs that takes them from wild animals.

It’s getting harder and harder to find good wild populations of pheasant due to environmental issues such as pollution and the reduction suitable habitat due to things like clear cutting and urbanization. If we don’t start now in protecting pheasant populations from the harms of modern society, the good old days of pheasant hunting will be a thing of the past. Fortunately, there are pheasant farms with protected areas for the pheasants to grow their populations unhindered by modern society. However, it is hard to find areas that are not touched by air or chemical pollution. In the United States, pheasants populations have declined due to many factors. Farms allow for better managed populations.

Out west on the Great Plains, you will find that there are an abundance of pheasants in the open fields and around old farm houses. The birds absolutely love to peck around on the grasses for grains and insects in the fields and roost around old homeplaces and farming implements. In the US there are about 10 million birds compared to about 35 million in the United Kingdom.

In the spring of the year, males will court females by strutting. The head on the male will become bright red and engorged with.feathers puffed out as the male begins strutting in a courtship dance. Males will fight each other until the death at times in order to win the reading rights with a female.

Male birds are polyamorous because they will mate with more than one female throughout their lifetime. It is common to find more than one female following the male at any one time. The females nest on the ground and will have about 10 eggs per nest. The incubations period last between 23-26 days between April to June.

For more on pheasant hunting and Bird hunting lodges. Get your bird dog ready for a hunt of a lifetime.

Fishing Destinations And Guides

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

There are loads of styles and strategies for fishing, with the rod and reel being the most popular in the United States. Using a rod, reel, fishing line, and a hook, the probability of catching a giant one is literally in your reach. The size fish that you be able to reel in relies upon the weight of your line, strength of you rod, your ability, and sometimes a little luck. Through skillful technique and the correct settings you can sure hook that trophy.

Fly fishing is becoming more widespread and can an wonderful means to come across your trophy. You can find trout in the mountain streams and the most excellent way to reach them is wading in the cool mountain streams. Don’t forget bears love tasty trout too! Fly fishing started out utilizing a stick or a bamboo pole with a string tied to it with a fly baited hook. Instead of reeling the fly in, you just pull it again and fling it once again. Popping on the top of the slow moving stream is tempting for a hungry fish. Contemporary fly rods use reels and give more control for reeling in that monster.

Most large lakes have a good quantity of fish species. In the United States, you can locate fresh water populations of bluegill, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, quadalupe bass, black bass, spotted bass, yellow bass, white bass, striped bass, shad paddlefish, blue catfish, flathead catfish, channel catfish, black catfish, golden shiner, white crappie, yellow bullhead, black crappie, longear sunfish, green sunfish, trout, redbreast sunfish, warmouth, redear sunfish, common carp, Texas shiner, grass carp, red shiner, blacktail shiner, longnose gar, alligator gar, spotted gar, shortnose gar, smallmouth buffalo, bigmouth buffalo, walleye, bowfin, pickerel, American eel.

Listen up whenever speaking with locals, they may point you to a hot fishing location in the area you would like to fish. Look on forums, blogs, websites and your local paper for good insights. You will find that many people like to show off their trophy catch and often give out their honey hole spot.

Fishing can end up being a tricky activity and do not expect you’ll bring home diner each and every time! Determining when the fish bite and frogs jumping can be tough. The best time to catch a big one is between 30 minutes to an hour from sunup or sundown. Also the more moonlight, the greater chance you might have a great day of fishing. Angling is greatly affected by the time of year and also moon phases as well as the weather. Air temps, muddy water conditions, and various other circumstances also will impact just how fish feed.

Indians had their very own methods such as utilizing a spear which can be easier said than done. They often would utilize holes in creeks and channel the fish into the openings. When inside, the fish can not get out and before long they could have a good deal of fish waiting for the fire.

Many cultures around the world often catch fish by feeling for them around rocks. This seems to be popular among fisherman searching for big river catfish. They use hands and their arms to catch these monster cats. Feeling through the muddy water doesn’t come without risk! In some areas you might find a big mean water moccasin or even a gator, so watch where you stick your hands. Good luck on your next fishing adventure.

For more information on fishing guide or Alabama fishing!

5 Great Things To Do in the Mountains

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Many friends and family members book cabins for vacations and for a private get-away from the fast moving real world of everyday life. There isn’t any better place than to get lost in the mountains for a week or two for a retreat. Get your list prepared and be geared up for your vacation! Here are some tips that can assist you plan an adventurous journey!

1. Fishing - If you’re in the mountains, angling in a cool mountain stream for trout is a must. Fly fishing has been a well-liked fishing approach since man commenced fishing with hooks. Fishing for trout seems be getting hot by May and continue throughout the summer. Salmon fishing is good between September and December in most areas. Be sure to study up on the area you are going and find out what is biting when you are going to be there. There are also some big bass in mountain lakes as well as crappie and other species.

2 Biking - Finding a cool biking trail can be tough to find and really depends on where you are. In Alabama, we are fortunate enough to have a number of really awesome trails. Our state parks have done a nice job of developing wonderful mountain bike paths. Bike riding is enjoyable to do in groups or on your own. Always research your trail before you set out and make sure you have the suitable tools. I usually carry an Allen wrench for my brakes and a bottle of air with a patch! Always wear a helmet while your riding! A cycle helmet can save your life if you strike a tree or a rock!

3. Boating and Kayaking - Floating down the creek in a Canoe or Kayak is a great way spend early summer. Some people fish, some people take pictures and others just enjoy the views from another perspective. Remember to always wear a life jacket and never underestimate the power of water. One minute the river can be calm and slow and the next you can be white water rapids. The best way to learn about the river is to go on guided floats. Many parks and lakes have boat rentals at affordable rates!

4. Swimming - Jumping in a cool river stream to cool off is a must if you are in the mountains. Remember that some currents may be stronger than you think so be mindful of water conditions. Many mountain streams are perfect to play in during the summer months when rainfall is lower. Many mountain rivers can rage during winter and spring months.

5.Snow Skiing - Snow skiing in the United States is a fun winter activity and can be enjoyed by anyone. There are many great locations to snow ski throughout the US. Some resorts have advanced snowmaking systems that allow more snow and in some cases extends the season.

Be sure and share your experience, so don’t forget your camera! Just remember don’t become too comfortable around wild animals, many are territorial and don’t take kind to anyone invading their space.

Find a great Vacation Rental or a secluded Mountain Bed and Breakfast today!