Every hunter will probably come across someone who questions, or possibly attacks, the activity of hunting. Here’s how to answer. by Leon Pantenburg Start by being nice and respectful: The person with the questions may be honestly seeking info and might be considering joining our ranks. All the uniformed person might know is that you …
Category Archives: Survival Skills
Living off the land – here’s the reality check
So when everything goes down, you plan on using your wilderness survival skills to live off the land. Here’s the reality check. by Leon Pantenburg I admire and respect people who take the time and effort to learn hunting, foraging and trapping skills to glean sustenance from the wild. That skill level is much beyond …
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How to clean an elk heart and make fajitas from it
When it comes to comfort foods, Mexican-style is one of my favorites. Here’s how to make one of my go-to dishes, using elk heart. by Leon Pantenburg To say you’re making fajitas is more of a statement of purpose than a firm commitment to a recipe. Basically, a fajita is a a stir fry recipe, …
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What’s the best light for deer hunters? Here are several choices
A flashlight should be part of your Ten Essentials emergency gear and your deer hunting equipment. Here are several that do the job for me. by Leon Pantenburg Every deer hunter has been in the woods in the dark, either after dawn or dusk. Successful hunters have probably field dressed a deer solely by the …
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Review: The Black Lens novel takes on sex trafficking, prostitution and drugs
Can a novel change the world? Maybe this one will help. by Leon Pantenburg Disclaimer: “The Black Lens” author Christopher Stollar is a friend, and we both worked for The Bulletin newspaper in Bend, Oregon. For me, the first novel that changed my perception of the world was Huckleberry Finn. That was in the sixth …
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Ten reasons to eat rabbit meat, and one award-winning rabbit recipe
Rabbit meat is usually overlooked as a protein source. It shouldn’t be. Here’s why rabbit should be on your menu. by Leon Pantenburg My brother, Mike Pantenburg, and I were looking for unique main dish for a Dutch oven cookoff. But this wasn’t just any cookoff – we had qualified for the International Dutch Oven …
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Check out these ten skills that helped my family survive the Great Depression
What lessons from the Great Depression might apply today? Here’s how my family got by. by Leon Pantenburg The stock market crashed in 1929, the economy tanked, farm prices dropped and my grandfather, Peter Pantenburg, lost the family farm in central Iowa. My people have been in that area since my great-great-grandfather, James Hallowell got …
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What are the best choices for backpacking knives?
by Leon Pantenburg Elk Lake, Oregon is one of the major re-supply places for through hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail. Every year, a handful of long-distance hikers will walk border-to-border on the trail. They generally start in Mexico in April, and start trickling in to the Elk Lake Resort about August, en route to …
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Stuff that works: My Buck 371 folder served me well for decades
Us equipment users find good gear and use the hell out of it. That’s what happened to the Buck folder I bought 40 years ago this month. by Leon Pantenburg In the summer of 1976, I was a new Iowa State University graduate, completely broke and unemployed with no real prospects of landing a high-paying …
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Why don’t all Boy Scouts carry and use fixed blade knives?
Some scout troops and camps have a blanket ban of sheath knives. I think that’s a bad idea and here’s why. by Leon Pantenburg I get it when parents are concerned about their boys handling sharp objects that could cause great harm. And it makes sense that knives, axes and fire should be handled with …
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