We had some smoked clams while on the dream hunt last week and old Bears Butt wondered how in the heck do they harvest clams.  Now we had baby clams on the hunt and they were pretty dang tasty.  They were also in a can and they were smoked.  So, for sure some commercial outfit got them and processed them.  In no way do I think they send out a few thousand people with bent fork tools to hand dig clams, but they must have some sort of quick way to gather a bunch of them up.

But, more important in my research are the folks that go about getting a hold of clams for personal use.  I found this video to be the most informative, even though I did watch some that had some real characters in them.

This video takes place in Alaska, but I saw videos from nearly every state that comes in contact with an ocean and some with inland fresh water clams being gathered up.  I know that Willard Bay has clams in it, but how to gather them up might be a trick.

Hunting is hunting to me and this looks like it would be a great hunting trip.  Maybe I’ll put it on my bucket list.

This guy not only shows you how to collect them but also how to cook them up.  I think with a few beers that would be some really good eating!

Bears Butt

Dec. 5, 2012

It’s getting close to Christmas and you are probably worrying about decorating the house and yard, but then money is tight and things just might have to be put off as far as decorations go.

But wait!  I’m here to help you!

You really don’t need a tree stuck in your house you know.  I don’t know where that came from, but you don’t need a tree, I’m telling you!

Once a long time ago, Sherry and I decided to heck with a tree and we saw a tumble weed stuck in a fence….I got it and we just laid it on the table and decorated it.  It was pretty cool too.  That got us to thinking and the next year or so, we cut a sage bush down that was all dead, I stuck the base in a 3 pound coffee can filled with dirt, for weight, and we decorated that up….Now that was really cool, because it had some way cool scent to it.

Even another year, I gathered up all the drop horns I had and we piled them up on the table and decorated them with lights and tinsel and ornaments.  Now THAT was cool.

So, what I’m saying here is you DON’T NEED A TREE!  Why waste good money on a stupid tree?

Ok, so you have something ready to decorate and you don’t have anything to decorate it with.  BS is what I say.  Every house has something to decorate with and if you don’t  then let’s go get some things.

Look around almost any camp site…empty shells of all sorts.  Gather them up.  Shot gun shells are the biggest and best, but 30-06 shells are great too.  You tie strings around the bases and hang them in the tree or bush or whatever you are decorating.  Need tinsel?  Probably not, but if you do, go get some baling twine…it seems to be almost everywhere.  Live in a big city?  Gather up some of that skinny flat plastic packaging wrap stuff.  That will work.  Heck, even the shrink wrap stuff and that will add a little sparkle too.  The pop tops off soda and beer cans are nice little sparkly things when they are tied on the tree too.  String a bunch of them together and you will be the envy of the neigh-bor-hood I’m tellin you!

If you’re decorating thing is really big, why not tie on the whole can?????  Or better yet, stack up the cans and let that be your tree?  Heck yes!  Maybe even buy some duck tape and tie it all together solid like.  Stick a mag-light on the top with the twisty end taken off and there you go!  Christmas at your house!  I like it.

Start now for next year and you could have one of the best decorated houses that would be the most envious of the entire town!  Just use your imagination.

How would it be if there was an old used toilet sitting on old broken snow skis, in front of  your place, hooked with baling twine to nine old snow ski poles stuck in the ground at angles away from the toilet seat.  Each pole decorated with hanging table forks and knives and the lead ski pole had a flashing barricade light painted red on it?   I really like that idea.

On the toilet seat you could put a scare crow looking dude all dressed in red and white.  You could even use your old flannel shirt…you know the one…the one you just can’t toss away yet.  Who says it even has to be red and white?  What’s wrong with plaid?  We are talking Christmas here aren’t we?  Who decided on red and white anyway…..let’s change that….right now….here in a minute!

So, get busy finding just what you want to decorate your house, apartment, yard, car, whatever….there are plenty of things out there that will work just fine.

Oh and for a gift…get some old used eating utensils; knives, forks, spoons and the like.  Drill holes in the handles, up near the end.  Tie on some heavy fishing line.  Get a good solid stick and tie the other end of the fishing line to it so that you have three or four or five (or more) of them utensils hanging down close enough for the wind to make them touch when they move….There you go, a redneck wind chime!

I have to add:

Let’s make a “manger scene” using spent bullet casings:

Mary – 30-30 casing, Joseph – 30-06 casing, Jesus- 22 casing, 3 wise guys – 30-06 or 7mm casings, Camels, donkies – 410 casings, Shepard- 30-30 or 30-06 casing, three or four sheep-17 hmr casings.  Oh ya!

I really like this time of year!

Bears Butt

Dec. 5, 2012

On the Dream Hunt we met one of the tag holders for a brief time and he said that he was not camping in the area but would be driving in each day until he filled his tag.  He made a comment about even being allowed to hunt on Thanksgiving Day if he chose.  Tracker asked him how much that cost him…he replied…”A LOT of money”!

I’m not very good with peoples names, especially just after I have met them.  The name usually goes in one ear and out the other and so did his.  I did manage to give him a Dream Catcher for this hunt and wished him well.  He was quite appreciative.

After the hunt was concluded, Baby Boy looked his name up on the computer…lo and behold…This man teaches a “long range” shooting course here in Northern Utah.   On the site he  says he “GUARANTEES” you will be grouping shots at 1,000 yards by the end of the second, and final, day of the course.  Now to me that is one heck of a statement to be making.  He also says he will refund your money if you are not grouping those shots at 1,000 yards.

It sounds like a great course and I’m sure it is, but as for me, it is way to pricey.   Part of the deal is you are buying a special rifle and scope along with the course.  It sounds fun.

I looked up the caliber of bullet the rifle is made to shoot and to buy factory ammo it will cost you anywhere from $140 to $155 for a box of 20 bullets.  OUCH!  I’m sure reloading your own would save a lot but would still be expensive.

And how about the recoil from that rifle?  OUCH again!  I suppose the cost of the bullets would not be too much of a deal over the long run, say a year.  I could only imagine myself shooting one time every month at the most, and that would be if the doctor allowed me to shoot after my shoulder surgery.  That being said, 20 shells would last 20 months.

The recoil reminds me of the first time I used 425 grain conicals in my muzz and I followed the manufacturers recommendation to use 120 grains of ffg powder to push it out the barrel.

I spread out my blanket on the ground, got two pillows to rest the rifle on, laid down prone, took careful aim and fired the first shot.

My GOD did that hurt!  I rolled over on my back and started to rub my shoulder thinking I had just broken my collar bone.  Tears welled up in my eyes and there I laid moaning.  After a bit I got up and went to see the enormous hole in the target only to discover I missed the target and the large cardboard backing it was mounted on.  I had no idea where the bullet had gone.

Reluctantly I went back and reloaded only this time with 90 grains of powder instead of the 120 they recommended.  It still hurt like crazy causing a second bruise on top of the first one.  I still missed the target and picked up all my stuff and went home crying.

Shooting should be a fun thing.  So, when you are viewing this long range target shooting site, and you see the guy laying on the ground shooting time after time, pay close attention to the size of the guy.  He isn’t a little guy like me and he obviously has had some major surgery done to his shoulder.  I think he has had a metal plate installed.

http://thompsonlongrange.com/

Check it out.  Mr. Thompson seemed like an OK guy and I’m sure he is teaching a lot of people how to hit what they are aiming at out there at 1,000 yards.  He is also making Weatherby and Leopold some good money as well.

Bears Butt

Dec. 4, 2012

I’m sorry, but todays national holiday is rather dumb.

It’s National Wear Brown Shoes Day.

I reckon if I put on my black shoes and walked out among the cow crap they would look brown.  And then go into the local popular restaurant for coffee and a donut I could celebrate it pretty good.

So, that actually sounds like a good thing to do.  I’ll wear my black boots and head out to the farm to check on the horses and such and really get down and dirty with them droppings and then head over to J&D’s for breakfast….that should get things going!

See you there!

Bears Butt

Actually Dec. 3, but this is for tomorrow morning.

Dec. 4, 2012

The Utah Wildlife Board meeting is this week and after receiving an email from the Chairman of the Board this morning, it looks like my proposal to expand the muzzleload opportunities for hunting antelope will be passed on to the DWR for further investigation.

I plan on being there even if it only takes a 2 minute discussion by the Board to approve it.

Life is good!

Bears Butt

Dec. 3, 2012

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I  wish each and everyone of you a special day.  May God bless you and everyone you come in contact with.

I always think back to what something might have been like first, long before what we see today as the way it was, and so with Thanksgiving.  What was the first Thanksgiving like?  With the world wide web available to us all, it was not hard to find some historical information about it.

http://www.pilgrimhall.org/1stthnks.htm

So, it seems there were but a small band of white people among the Indians of the area.  It was Fall and it was also time to prepare for the upcoming winter and it’s cold and snow.  All summer long they had taken care of their crops and gone fishing and put up lots of food in their storage places.  I picture huge amounts of dried fish hanging in a shed.  Each family having an equal portion of it.

I also picture dried game meats like deer, bear and whatever other kind of big game there was around there.  It too cut into strips and dried and hanging inside the same shed with the fish.

Game birds were plentiful, at least Wild Turkey, and those too had been properly harvested and taken care of and dried and hanging among the fish and the game.

And with Fall season the migration of the waterfowl was upon the people in full force.  They would have harvested many of the birds and done likewise as with the turkey and had them hanging in the shed as well.

Their crops of corn were stripped and dried and some of it made into flour and placed in cribs in the same shed.  Lord have mercy should something happen to that shed.  All of their food was in there and without it, they probably would not make it long.  Of course they had the others around them who would no doubt share their bounty with them should they need it.

53 people all huddled within a small area, each one caring very much about the other as they all worked together to make their survival possible.

And so they joined in a celebration to thank God for all that they had.  They invited the local Indians to join them.  Fresh game was acquired and cooked and shared with everyone.  A bounty of plenty.  And it says the Indians came forth with deer to share with the white people.  And they celebrated for up to three days.  The children played games, the adult men shot rifles and the women cooked the meals.  The Indians also joined in the fun and work involved and everyone had a great time.

The local Ogden Standard Examiner featured a story this week and in it the author said that for drink at their festivity they drank beer.  Sort of a necessity they thought, because the water just might not be that fit to drink and so to ferment it was the proper way to drink it.  I like that idea.  I imagine that the party lasted three days because that is how much beer they had on hand that was ready to drink.  More, of course would have been in the making but not quite finished to the drinking point (that is my take on things).

In that same article, it reads that forks had not been invented as yet and so they used large cloth napkins to hold onto the meat that they ate.  That sounds rather savage right now, but I have eaten in such a way and it is not such a bad way to get the nourishment you need.  A huge leg of turkey in one hand and a mug of beer in the other.  Tomorrow can’t come soon enough!

I have to differ some with the fact that forks had not been invented yet.  As there is much evidence that people used sharpened sticks way back when to hold meat over a fire to cook it.  I’ve done that as well.  And so, as time goes on a single pointed stick, would be better if it had two points to help hold the meat.  I’ve used things like that and sure enough, the meat can be turned to properly cook, without the meat spinning around.  And as we progress, suddenly there is a stick with three pointed ends and then four.

As Wapiti says, it is not a “fork” until it has four points on which to poke your food.  A three point one is a “trike”, a two point one is a “bike” and a one pointed on is an “eyenk” (if my memory serves me correctly).

I have learned many things in my life and one of them is to not send Edjukateer out to gather hot dog cooking sticks, which by the way usually have two points, because you get back eyenks of the smallest proportion.

Well, enjoy your holiday and may God bless you.

Bears Butt

Nov. 21, 2012

In life all is not fun and games.  Sometime or another there will be something that comes along and breaks your heart or really saddens you.  This happened to me yesterday.

A bit of background.

We took camp up into the Crawfords last Friday and got it set up.  During the week prior, I was visiting the Utah Wildlife Network forum and a man on there named “Vaporpest” messaged me and talked about he and his father going into the Crawfords the same day to set up their camp.  He and I exchanged messages back and forth and both were very excited.  His excitement was for his father to finally get a chance to shoot something with 4 points on each side, as he has never done that in his entire life.  I gave him pointers like “hold his caps, and don’t let him take the first one he sees” etc. etc.

Saturday morning found us enjoying the hunt and in the early afternoon we had to go into town and gas up.  On our way back into the mountains, a side by side rig was coming out.  I pulled to a stop and the man driving said…”Are you Bears Butt”?  Of course I answered affirmative and got out of the rig to meet the two gentlemen in the rig.

Sure enough the young man sitting in the passenger seat was Vaporpest and his father, Kevin, was the driver.

I gladly gave the tag holder, Kevin, one of the dream catchers I had made up for this occasion and wished him all the luck in the world.  We shared a couple of quick stories, including the fact that his wife was one of the “Hilton” girls (Cache Valley Rendezvous) and then we went our own ways.

Later that evening they stopped into our camp to share with us the wonderful stories they had about the deer they had seen during the day.  Grins were everywhere as you can see in this picture.

Matt and Kevin Hardman

We had a wonderful visit with the two of them and of course some of the stories got a bit exaggerated.  Including one about the color of the flames the fire was putting out.  “Alterwood” makes the flames do that Matt.

————————————-

Yesterday I read about a tragic accident out on the Great Salt Lake, where two young duck hunters had lost their lives when the waves capsized their boat and they succumbed to hypothermia.  One of the men was a son of  Kevins  and brother to Matt.

They would have received the text message just after leaving our camp as they cruised out of the canyon just a short mile away.

My heart goes out to them and their family, as well as to the family of the other young man who also passed in that tragic accident.

From the four of us who were in the camp and got to meet the two of you, we are all very, very sorry for your loss.  I personally hope you make it back up into the Crawford Mountains after the funerals as part of the healing process.  As tough as it might seem right now your lives will still go on, only now there is  a piece missing.  Your son and brother would want you to head on back to the mountain and bring home your long deserved prize.

I said a prayer for your families last night.

Bears Butt

Nov. 20, 2012

November 20…that’s today!  YAAAAA!  What else is going on?  Well for one it is National Absurdity Day!  Do something really dumb and you will fit right in.  If you are reading this before going to work, this is your chance to wear that Hawaiian shirt to your big business meeting and be able to get away with it.  Or place a special order with the hospital staff saying your doctor ordered you to eat some crazy food that they normally don’t serve patients (you see I don’t know who is reading this or where they are reading it from).

The bottom line is today is Absurdity day and anything out of the ordinary is perfectly justified.  I suggest you keep it legal however.  And maybe just inside the sane line or your tomorrow might not be too fun.

I looked up the word on line and found a definition that allowed viewers to make comments…I think that is absurd, and I told them as much.

As for my personal life, I’m just too set in my ways to be too absurd, besides I’m still in Crawford Hunt Mode…which to some may seem absurd.  To me it is perfectly normal and I know of 10 people who agree with me and several more that are fighting the urge to join the 10 of us, as they have to work, which to them is absurd.  I agree.  Just because they have recently changed jobs, I find it absurd that their new boss can’t let them have some time off to come up and join us in the hunt.  The boss on the other hand thinks it absurd that the newly hired pee-on is even asking that he have time off to go on a stupid hunt in the first place.  You see how absurd things can get in a hurry.  So, enjoy the day.

What’s absurd?

Frying your donut.  Wearing shorts in a snow storm (that could be confused with freezing your butt off).  Or Softballs normal “colder than cold” statement: “Standing on a wind swept, blowing snow mountain with nothing on but a wet sheet” (which IS freezing your butt off).  Pouring an entire bottle of ketchup on your fries.  Dipping the same fries in a beer before eating them.  Asking your brother for $20.  Fishing off the Golden Gate Bridge.  Desiring to get between a cow moose and her offspring.  Adding mustard to your coffee.  Washing the red flannel underwear with the white shorts.

You see the list goes on and on and is only limited by YOUR imagination.  You don’t have an imagination?                  That’s absurd….of course you do.

Bears Butt

Nov 20, 2012

Thinking about going back into the muddy situation we left yesterday in the Crawfords, I went in search of a better way to travel in the mud.  This is something I found.

http://www.j-wheelz.com/intro_video.html

Sorry, they don’t make them for 4X4 SUV’s….Yet!

Bears Butt

Nov. 19, 2012

OK.  I know you have time for this.  Go to this web site and do what is asked.  You will be told just what kind of person you are when you are done.  Have fun!

http://drawapig.desktopcreatures.com/drawApig.asp

Bears Butt

Nov 14, 2012