A Squirrel Hunt with Mason- Part 2- Tanning a Hide

Besides eating our quarry (and thoroughly enjoying it), I wanted to tan the hide of the squirrel for a few different reasons.  These are in no particular order by the way.

1. To Preserve the Memory of the Hunt

This was Mason's first successful hunt and I wanted him to have something to remember it by.  Every time I look at one of my mounted fish, a framed picture, or a deer mount I am almost instantaneously transported to that moment in my memory.  I hope that this display takes him back to a time that he spent with his dad in the woods up at our family farm.

2. It is Simple and Inexpensive

If you've ever tanned a hide, you know that it is time consuming and tedious but not what I would consider difficult.  If you have never tanned a hide, I highly recommend giving it a shot.  The materials that you need are inexpensive and most are readily available.  

3. To Learn a New & Useful Skill

I always try to impart knowledge and wisdom on my kids, maybe a little too much.  Learning how to tan a hide is an interesting skill to learn and has a lot of science concepts to touch on along the way.

4. To Spend Time Together

I love doing projects with my sons because we spend time together away from screens, toys, and other things.  When we tanned this hide, we had work to do and conversation.  I think both of those are pretty rewarding and gratifying.

5. To Preserve the Memory of the Animal

During this entire process, I wanted to make sure that we paid respect to the animal that surrendered its life on our hunt.  The animal's pelt will honor its beauty and sacrifice for years to come.  We respect nature and appreciate all of its splendor.

A Squirrel Hunt with Mason- Part 1- Success & Cooking

Last Christmas I gave my oldest son Mason a gift that I have wanted to give him for a long time, his first gun.  It wasn't much, just a cheap, single shot .410 shotgun.  However, to me it was symbolic.  I've taken Mason hunting a few times and on those trips we have had more days where we didn't harvest something than days where we have.  He's been a trooper on all of our hunts and rarely complained about the temperature or lack of activity.  He had also proven his ability to be responsible with his BB gun.  In my mind, he had proven himself ready and was at the age where I felt he was ready to be the one pulling the trigger.

A few days after receiving his gun, we set out on his first squirrel hunt.  The sun was out on an unseasonably warm December day and thankfully the ground was dry as well.  For a small stretch of road, we even drove on Mason Road.  My grandpa and his brother farmed this land and it is because of them that my son has his name.  Today, my uncle and his son farm the land that my mom and dad inherited.  It's a special place for a lot of reasons and the sentimentality is something that lingers in my mind every time I visit this place.  

We found some squirrel nests in some creek bottoms and saw some activity as we approached a spot that I wanted to sit for awhile.  We sat back to back and watched in opposite directions.  I banged a couple of quarters together because an old timer told me that helped catch the curiosity of squirrels.  About ten minutes into the hunt, Mason looked over his should in my direction and spotted a squirrel before I did.  I was pretty impressed by his eyes and attentiveness to be honest.  

After a little quiet coaching, he stood up slowly and snuck around a tree that was between him and the quarry.  He moved slowly and purposefully to get a better shot.  At one point I thought the tree rat was going to bolt, but instead it walked out on a branch and gave Mason a perfect shot.  With a single squeeze of the trigger my son completed his first successful hunt.  High fives were exchanged and more than a few hugs were given.  Prior to picking up the prey, we had a brief discussion about the circle of life and the reverence that life deserved when it gives it dies so others can survive.  I say it was brief because Mason reminded me that we have had this discussion a few times before.

Mason learned a few different lessons on this particular day but maybe the biggest lesson that he learned was that the real work begins after the trigger is pulled.  We gutted and cleaned the squirrel prior to taking it home.  Once we got home, we gave the meat a 24 hour bath in salt water and prepared the hide for tanning.  The next evening, we used the same recipe that I used to cook the turkey I harvested last spring (Mason was with me on that trip).  2/3 cups flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoons of pepper made for some good breading.  Mason, Cody, and I all enjoyed a little of the harvest as well as Wendy's son Collin.  Everyone agreed that it tasted like fried chicken...GOOD fried chicken!  

The next project that we took on was to tan the hide which we will get into tomorrow.

Clouser Variant

Svend Diesel is all over social media!  If you're on Instagram or Facebook, you've probably seen his work.  If you watch fly tying videos on YouTube, you've probably had him pop up on your suggested videos.  However, don't think for a moment that he is just a social media darling because he is a heck of a fly tyer.  One of his most recent videos is a very simple but really interesting clouser minnow variation.  In particular I like how uses a marker for counter shading as well as the hackle that he uses.  I also find the sparseness of the bucktail to be helpful and the flash is a nice touch.  If you're spending some time on the vise this winter, maybe this is a pattern that you tie now and fish the spring!

Link to Svend Diesel's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClGRo_ST4iwdm0EMBgEP58w

GoFundMe for Brandon Butler

Brandon Butler is a heck of a Missourian!  He was the director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri, has helped introduce legislation to support conservation, and has done more things to give Missourians opportunities in the outdoors than I can count.  He has also hosted many people at his retreat called Driftwood Acres.  However, his cabin on that property was recently burned to the ground.  Foul play is suspected and an investigation is underway.  Many family heirlooms and priceless items that hold memories were destroyed.  This is a travesty and it pains me to see what has happened to him.  Brandon is a good guy and I feel sick that he lost something so important to him.  If you would like to do something to show Brandon some support or some appreciation for his conservation efforts, please click on the GoFundMe link below.  Anything helps and I am proud to say that Wendy and I have donated to the cause as well.  Please read the details on the page in order to know what you are donating to.  

On a personal note, I have a small cabin about an hour away from my home and if it burned to the ground, I would be without a place to take my friends and family as well.  I am also in the process of rounding up a few mementos to send him so he can start to rebuild and maybe have something to add to his new place when it gets rebuilt.

Link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/brandon-butlers-cabin-burned-down-by-poacher?qid=8df918abeab2730c757c68527f6be966

Cody's Measuring Stick

My youngest son turned six years old a week ago and I thought I would share our tradition with you.  If you have young children, grandchildren, or are expecting one or the other, you might be interested in this.  

Some folks like to measure their kids against doors, walls, or sticks to commemorate ages and growth.  When Cody, my youngest, was born, I decided that I wanted to do something similar but with a fly fishing connection.  I felt confident that my son was never going to grow over eight feet tall so why not track his growth on a fly rod?  It is my plan to track his birthdays and growth on the rod and give him this rod when he is ready for fly fishing.  It's not an expensive rod, but it will always have a purpose and a personal connection.  So if you have a young fisherman in the family or are expecting one, this might be a fun and commemorative tradition that you can use.  Heck, you can even tell folks that you came up with the idea!  Whatever it takes to get another generation on the water is fine with me!

 

Fly Fishing Bass Team

This is an awesome story and a feather in the cap for all fly fishermen and fisherwomen!  This two-man team consisted of a guy throwing conventional tackle in the front of the boat and a gentleman that threw a fly rod in the back of the boat.  According to the Instagram post that was featured in the article, Ryan Williams (the awesome fly chucking dude) contributed 50% of the winning fish.  What a cool moment for fly fishing.  It's events like this that promote our fine sport and help prove that fly fishing is no exclusive to trout!

On another note, I've always wondered if there were any bass tournament anglers that carried fly rods.  I mean, what would it hurt?  If a guy had a killer baitfish fly on a lake where bass were on a baitfish feed, it would stand to reason (to me at least, which doesn't make it right) that throwing something that the fish hadn't seen yet might just get finicky bass to bite.  Call me crazy...but that just might become a thing...until big time bass tournaments outlaw fly tackle.

Link: https://flylordsmag.com/fly-fishing-team-wins-178-boat-bass-tournament-out-fishing-conventional-tackle-teams/?fbclid=IwAR0JOHJjW3-wE35jhmcJPSFcP4FZRU6LFJbi10zPtIRo5gb4Wxe7hq89Atg

How to Make a Deer Hair Head around Dumbbell Eyes with Kelly Galloup

In a recent post, I stated that my New Year's Resolution is to get better at tying and shaping deer hair.  Well my progression towards that goal took a little stop forward yesterday.  After watching many different videos and watching some folks that are truly artists when it comes to using deer hair with flies, I realized that I needed some thin, flexible, double sided razor blades.  What I didn't know what how hard they are to find in retail stores.  I even went to hardware stores and couldn't find the little devils.  So I ended up ordering some on Amazon and now I have the right tool for the job.  Now I just need to make myself sit down and navigate the learning process.  I will keep you updated on my failures and successes as they occur.

Until I have some personal pictures to share, here's a video for all of you either working towards the same goal or those of you that would like to improve your deer hair skills around dumbbell eyes.

Link to TheSlideInn YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeiQJ7VQq8g54_ZS5lkbx1w

CFM Magazine- My First Published Fly Fishing Article

When my buddy Colton from the Conservation Federation of Missouri asked me to write an article for the Conservation Federation magazine, I was flattered for a few reasons.  The first reason was that I was being asked to help support conservation in the state of Missouri.  To have the opportunity to help support something that has given me so much was humbling.  The second reason was that someone thought enough of my writing to actually have it published in a state-wide publication.  I love to write, that's why I have a blog for Pete's sake!  However, I have always struggled with confidence.  I've had people tell me that they like my writing but most of them are friends and family and I tend to think they are just being polite.  However, when my buddy Colton told me how much he liked the article, that carried a little more weight.  A lot of articles have crossed this guy's desk and for him to tell me that it was both informative and humorous, well that gave me a big confidence boost.

I hope that you appreciate the article and that maybe it helps you have an adventure and/or put a few more fish in your hands.  Let's never lose site that blogs, articles, posts, etc. should strive to make you learn, laugh, and reinforce your passion for something.  So if you're looking for some winter-time trout fishing opportunities and tips, maybe this article will act as a small guide towards what you are looking for!

Link: https://issuu.com/missouriwildlife/docs/january_2021_vol_82_no_1/34

Also, I would also encourage you to learn more about the Conservation Federation of Missouri.  They are the advocacy group for the Missouri Department of Conservation and actually helped create this government agency.  They ensure that we, as Missourians, have outdoors spaces and opportunities.  I am including CFM's website below if you would like to learn more about this organization and/or support their efforts.

Link: https://www.confedmo.org/

Brown Trout Fly Boxes- The Disappointing Conclusion

If I may be blunt, this project ended up having some disappointing results.  As you can see in the pictures, there were some flaws and imperfections that I am not happy with.  However, I thought I would share these with you in case you tackling this project or something similar.

1. I cut the foam too big and didn't leave enough leeway.  This caused ripples in the foam and it didn't make full contact with the wood underneath.  I had already glued the foam down so now I have to come up with a way to possibly fix it.  I'm either going to have to rip it all out or trim the edges (if possible) to elevate the ripples.  I cut channels in the foam which might or might not help solve this problem.

2. I also decided to get cute and tried to paint red spots on the fish.  That also did not end up looking the way that I wanted.  Next time, I'm going to keep things simple.  Apparently I am as good of an artist as I am a woodworker.

3. Apparently I don't know how to apply polyurethane.  I ended up with some drips and runs that look awful.  I applied the gloss with a foam bush but in hindsight, I think that was the wrong move.  I also think some of the foam got left behind when it snagged on the rough surface which brings me to my final point.

4. I should have sanded the boxes first.  I hate sanding and I was in a rush to get to transfer and burn the images.  Like with most things in life, when you rush, the results are not desirable.  I knew that these boxes were going to be prototypes and that I would learn from mistakes but I was also hopeful that things would turn out perfect anyway.  They did not.  Now I have to decide if I want to give this another shot and aim for perfection or if I want to say "to heck with it" and move on to other things.  

Brown Trout Fly Boxes- Part 2

After the image got transferred to the box, I settled on a dark walnut stain.  I followed that up with a few coats of polyurethane.  I went with a gloss to make protect the fragile wood and to make the burned image stand out a little bit more.

I then used a paper cuter (a perk of being a teacher) to cut out sheets of foam to fit the lid and bottom of the boxes.  I have two pieces of advice if you are considering working on a similar project.  One is that these boxes are not uniform even though there were bought from the same store at the same time.  To ensure that the foam fits well, measure each lid and bottom individually.  Second, I measure in millimeters.  I found that this gave me more accurate measurements and I would much rather deal with decimals than with fractions of inches.  

I still have some decisions to make in terms of whether I will upgrade the hinges and latches or if I will cut channels in the foam to hold flies with tension.  I am leaning towards the channels to avoid tearing up the foam which would happen inevitably with barbs from hooks.  This is where I am right now and will post another update when this project gets wrapped up.