Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

A good tripod can improve the quality of your photos exponentially. (Ubeesize/)

No one single piece of equipment will improve your photography skills like a tripod. These unsung devices hold your camera level and motionless to provide the best possible image. Whether you fancy yourself a shutterbug or just want to commemorate your time outdoors as best as you can, you should pick up a tripod. Even if you’re only using a smartphone camera, a tripod can help you take your pictures to the next level. If you’re not sure what to look for, here’s a primer on the basics.

Size & Weight

Tripods with rubber feet are suited for indoor use, while tripods with spikes are better for outside. (UBeesize/)

If a tripod is too big or heavy, you'll end up leaving it at home. Look for a model that easily fits wherever you intend to stash it. If you plan on keeping it in a blind bag to get a trophy photo at the end of a day afield, you're limited to a compact model. This is fine but might not be the best choice for shooting landscapes where the added height of a full-size tripod is useful to capture the horizon line.

Load Capacity

Pick a tripod with a head that’s strong enough to hold a heavy camera. (Ubeesize/)

A tripod can only hold so much weight before it becomes unsteady or the head starts to tilt. Think of how much your camera weighs before selecting a tripod and make sure it's not close to the tripod's load rating. Even though the manufacturer may state it can handle heavy cameras, the tripod will start to get shaky when you approach the top end of the weight capacity. Stay within the lower two-thirds of the stated weight capacity for the best results.

Trail snacks are usually lightweight, easy to pack, and a delicious way to take a break. (Power Up/)

If you are beating the bush in pursuit of elk, venison, or some other free-ranging organic vittles, chances are you aren’t too concerned with, say, vegan trail snacks. But in addition to all the humanely sourced nuts and molasses on the shelves today, there are a host of other dietary qualifiers making their way into this most basic of outdoor foods. Fortunately, we live in the Golden Age of choice, making it easy to find trail snacks for even the most discerning palates.

Keto and Paleo Friendly

Keto and paleo trail snacks are low on carbohydrates and include mixes of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. (Keto Farms/)

Two of the most popular diets in recent years are the Ketogenic and Paleo diets. Both call for reducing or limiting your carbohydrate intake to either move your body into ketosis (the state of burning fat for fuel), or to mimic the diet of our paleolithic ancestors before processed foods and commercial deep fryers turned us into walking carb sponges. If you are a serious adherent to either diet, then a keto or paleo friendly trail snack will keep you on the wagon even in the wild.

Gluten and Lactose Free

If your body reacts to gluten or dairy, there are trail snacks that don’t contain either. (Larabar/)

Gluten and lactose intolerance are serious conditions that can make life miserable for sufferers. Fortunately, it's easy to stay on the right path with gluten and dairy-free trail products that go heavy on nuts and berries.

Making sausage is simple with a few tools and ingredients. (Pixabay/)

No style of wild cookery says “game chef” like good sausage. It’s a skill that makes the most out of lesser cuts and takes the concept of nose-to-tail eating to its most refined state. Sausage making and other forms of charcuterie can be intimidating at first, but there are some basic principles that will keep you on the right path when you first set out to create an exceptional food out of a second-rate cut. Here are three essentials to keep in mind.

Mise en Place

Before you actually make sausage, organize your ingredients so it’s easy to run through the process like an assembly line. (Hakka Brothers/)

Mise en place is a French culinary term meaning "putting in place." It's a useful organizing principle for everything from general cooking to carpentry, but preparation is especially critical in sausage making, which can get messy. Mise en place means having the right number and size of bowls and appliances laid out, cubing the meat and fat and measuring out spices beforehand, soaking your casings, and just generally having the process well mapped out ahead of time. When it comes to sausage making, the old adage of a place for everything and everything in its place can spell the difference between disaster and turning those off-cuts of shank and skirt steak into memorable meals that you will enjoy long after the season ends.

Keep Everything Cold

Keep your meat and equipment cold to prevent the process from becoming a greasy mess. (Hakka Brothers/)

One of the most basic mistakes in sausage making is to let the meat, fat, and kitchen appliances remain at room temperature. Chill everything before you start, making sure the meat and fat are nice and cold, as well as your grinder parts. The grinding and stuffing process can build heat from friction that causes fat to break down inside the casing, leading to a greasy mess during preparation and a dry and crumbly finished product. When in doubt, err on the side of going colder.

Even though ladder stands are safe, you should still wear a safety harness to prevent falls. (Big Game/)

When it comes to choosing a treestand, the type you purchase should be dictated by what and how you intend to hunt. They will all get you above the game’s line of sight and smell, but with varying capabilities for different hunting methods. Here are the three basic types of stands, and the type of hunting to which they are best suited.

Ladders

Ladder stands are easy to install and ascend. (Big Game/)

Ladder stands, or “leaners” as they are sometimes called, are the most user friendly of all stand types. Set one up against a good straight tree, lock it in, and easily ascend in comfort and safety. They are the preferred stand type for many southern hunters who need an elevated platform with a stable rest. Cutovers, beanfields, and plantation-style hunting are all home turf for the ladder stand. Place it along the edge of a cut cornfield or food plot and slip in and out all season long as deer patterns dictate.

Climbers

Most climbing stands have very comfortable seats, but you have to work to climb up and down the tree. (Summit Treestands/)

Climbing stands use a mechanical advantage to allow a hunter to ascend a tree trunk to virtually any height. They do not require climbing steps and are generally more comfortable and safer than hang-on stands because they usually have a rest or bar encircling the sitting position. Climbers are suitable for both rifle and compound archery or crossbow hunting, though traditional archers may find that the safety bar interferes with their draw. Climbers are a bit bulkier than hang-on stands, can only ascend relatively straight and limbless trees, and require you to make an ascent each time you enter your stand location.

The Leupold SX-5 Santiam HD and Maven S.2 were two of the more intriguing spotters in our test field. (Bill Buckley/)

There were no clear winners in this year’s spotting scope test, but the following optics warrant extra attention from big-game hunters and shooters.

Leupold SX-5 Santiam HD

Leupold SX-5 Santiam HD 27–55x80 • $1,800 (Bill Buckley/)

Wearing the same rugged armor and aggressive styling as Leupold’s Santiam line of binoculars, this angled-eyepiece spotter (a straight eyepiece is also available) meets all your expectations of a full-size spotter. Its controls are tight, the aluminum chassis is durable, and the center-barrel focus is precise. And because the eyepiece is permanently attached to the body, the scope is impervious to dust and moisture.

The Santiam’s good glass is improved by Leupold’s proprietary coatings, including the Twilight Max system that minimizes glare and enhances the blue and violet wavelengths that predominate in low-light conditions. We suggest adding a sighting tube to enable target acquisition at high magnifications.

The spotter is heavy—a little over 4.25 pounds—but because the rotating tripod mount sits aft of the objective lens barrel, it balances well and maintains a low profile.

Winning rangefinders: Zeiss Victory RF (right) won our Editor's Choice award, and the SIG Sauer KILO3000BDX (left) won our Great Buy award. (Bill Buckley/)

We reviewed most of the laser rangefinding binoculars on the market to provide prospective buyers with a sense of the capabilities of all units, not just those new for this year. We created a course of targets varying in surface type and distance from 10 yards to 5,000 yards. We used Steiner’s military-grade M830r rangefinder, capable of ranging targets beyond 6,000 yards, to set standards for each distance, then measure each submission’s ranging power, precision, and processor speed against the Steiner.

Editor's Choice: Zeiss Victory RF

Zeiss Victory RF 10x42 • $3,300 (Bill Buckley/)

This rangefinding bino does almost everything right. Its fluorite glass is among the best in the field. Its balance and ergonomics are so nimble and its profile so slim that it's hard to believe there's a laser and processor in its guts. Its ability to connect to a mobile app through Bluetooth was the final detail that pushed the Victory RF to our top spot of 11 units in our laser rangefinding binocular test.

The Zeiss is not quite perfect. The ranging button, out on the right-hand barrel, caused testers to lose their grip on the optic when activating the rangefinder. And the processor, especially in scanning mode, is slower than we’d like. Also, it’s very expensive (although the nonranging Victory binocular costs $2,800).

But the laser is powerful­—we routinely ranged non-reflective targets to 2,100 yards—and precise. The Zeiss has the full gamut of modes, and the mobile app allows users to load specific ballistics data in the Victory RF’s brain.

The winning binos, clockwise: Meopta Optika HD 10x42, Nikon Monarch HG 8x30, Maven B5 15x56. (Bill Buckley/)

It's unfair to test a tiny portable binocular against a massive optic meant to be used with a tripod. So in our test, we divided binoculars between those portable units intended to be carried on a hunt and those intended to be mounted on tripods and used for extended stationary glassing sessions. Then we tested the glass, low-light performance, and ergonomics. But our main standard for rating a binocular is how comfortable it is to use. If that sounds overly subjective, consider your own experience. If a binocular makes you squint, or doesn’t fit your hands or your face, or the focus wheel feels spongy, you simply won’t use it as much as you might if it had better glass, more comfortable contours, and precise controls.

The three award-winners in our two binocular categories—medium- and large-frame—all are a joy to glass with. That’s the real measure of a binocular; the more comfortable it is to use, the more you’ll use it, and the more game you’ll see.

Midsize Binoculars

Editor's Choice: Nikon Monarch HG

Nikon Monarch HG 8x30 • $950 (Bill Buckley/)

Nikon's Monarch HG is a hard-wearing classic. Its pebbled finish is grippy and handsome, it balances beautifully, and its extra-low-dispersion glass is vivid and bright. The Nikon was runner-up in our low-light test and posted excellent resolution and image-­quality scores. The oversize focus wheel is buttery-smooth but tight and precise, and the open barrels are well-suited for one-handed operation. The three-position eyecups comfortably fit nearly any facial dimension.

Versatile scope standouts. Top: The SIG Sauer Whiskey5 3–15x52, our Editor's Choice winner. Bottom: The Nikon Prostaff 5 4–16x42, our Great Buy winner. (Bill Buckley/)

We declared the death of the duplex reticle last year, and before that, the demise of the 3X–9X riflescope. A decade ago, we cheered the departure of the porro-prism binocular, replaced by the compact and durable roof prism. What optical trend is in its twilight this year? The simple and the modest are on life support, replaced by scopes with gee-whiz reticles and uber-​­turrets, and binoculars with integrated laser rangefinders and Bluetooth.

Companies making these products are meeting a demand for specialization, to help customers shoot farther and better, to move more nimbly, and to pay less for good-quality glass. But don’t assume all optics in this year’s test are built for a narrow niche. You’ll see some excellent crossover scopes that are suitable for shooting distant targets and close-up deer. You’ll also see a growing trend: the integration of electronics.

Versatile Riflescopes

Editor's Choice: SIG Sauer Whiskey5

SIG Sauer Whiskey5 3–15x52 • $1,200 (Bill Buckley/)

With its Whiskey5, SIG has a crossover hit on its hands. The company has correctly read the market, understanding that precision shooters require extremely tactile turrets tuned to reticles with abundant references, but that hunters want a second-plane reticle and a modest magnification range.

You’ll see some excellent crossover scopes that are suitable for shooting distant targets and close-up deer. You’ll also see a growing trend: the integration of electronics. (Bill Buckley/)

Anatomical change, like bankruptcy, happens gradually and then suddenly. Years go by with small tweaks—to a metatarsal bone or a savings account—and then a bad break can undo them both. The same can be said of our sporting optics; this year, there are some tiny, useful evolutions of both internal and external anatomy, and some quantum leaps in design and performance.

We declared the death of the duplex reticle last year, and before that, the demise of the 3X–9X riflescope. A decade ago, we cheered the departure of the porro-prism binocular, replaced by the compact and durable roof prism. What optical trend is in its twilight this year? The simple and the modest are on life support, replaced by scopes with gee-whiz reticles and uber-​­turrets, and binoculars with integrated laser rangefinders and Bluetooth.

Companies making these products are meeting a demand for specialization, to help customers shoot farther and better, to move more nimbly, and to pay less for good-quality glass. But don’t assume all optics in this year’s test are built for a narrow niche. You’ll see some excellent crossover scopes that are suitable for shooting distant targets and close-up deer. You’ll also see a growing trend: the integration of electronics.

We categorized optics according to how you shop for them. In riflescopes, we split precision target scopes and versatile crossover scopes. We divided binoculars into those large, high-magnification units suited for tripods versus those designed to be carried and held by hand. And we reviewed most of the laser rangefinding binoculars on the market to provide prospective buyers with a sense of the capabilities of all units, not just those new for this year."

Top Hunting and Precision Riflescopes

Michael Jordan said ‘you miss 100% of the shots you never take.’ But when we get close to missing 100% of the shots we take we get frustrated. (Tom Keer/)

If I consistently hit 100% of the birds, waterfowl, or clays that I shot at I’d probably take up another sport. Wingshooting would be too easy. Misses keep us coming back, but a long string of them is frustrating. Rather than get hacked off at consistent whiffs, figure out what the problem is and fix it. Here are 12 common problems and how to fix them.

1. Don't shoot a shotgun like a rifle

It’s as basic as it gets: When wingshooting, shotguns shouldn’t be aimed, but rather pointed. (Tom Keer/)

The Brits are the best shotgunners while we Americans are descended from rifle shooters. Using rifle techniques with a shotgun is especially common among hunters who hunt both big game and birds. Rifle shooters stand sideways and gain confidence from matching the target with the front and rear sights. Their front grips are set further back on the fore end, and one eye is closed for increased focus. Rifle shooting is an incredibly focused discipline in which less movement is best.

Shotgunning is a dynamic sport which involves a lot of movement. Shotgunners need balanced stances so that they can move, and that starts with feet slightly wider than the shoulders and squared toward where the target will be killed. For a smooth gun mount with no muzzle rock, front hands are placed further forward on the fore-end. Both eyes are open so depth perception is clear, and a view is on the target, not the front bead. As rifle shooters need precise placements, bird and waterfowl hunters need shot to be in a general area. Think of the shift from rifle shooting to shotgunning like driving a manual transmission. Whenever you trade your deer stand for a walk in the woods or a seat in a duck blind make sure your scattergun technique comes with you.

2. Keep your head down

A camera can have all the features in the world, but you still need to stick to a few basic principles if you want to create good images. (Sony/)

Whether you are shooting a modern digital camera or burning black-and-white film through a pinhole in a shoebox, the principles of good photography remain the same. Many of us are so focused on recording special moments in the field that we don’t take time to consider how we might improve those images. You don’t have to understand all the bells and whistles on a high-dollar DSLR to shoot better photos. Pay attention to these three pillars of good photography every time you open the shutter, and eventually they will become second nature.

Composition

Many digital cameras come with a feature to help you frame your image in equal thirds. (Sony/)

Great photography starts with sound composition. Know your subject, the exact focal point, and how to position it within the frame to accentuate the element you viewer sees first. Learn and practice the "Rule of Thirds," a photography principle that places the primary focal point of any composition at the intersection of vertical and horizontal lines dividing the frame into equal thirds. The primary element should be positioned either along one of the lines or at their intersection. Most modern cameras have a thirds grid that can be turned on in the viewfinder to aide composition. Experiment with holding the plane of the lens at different angles to the subject. Once you have composed the photo, try backing out another 5 to 10 percent to create extra margin. That leaves the ability to crop more precisely during editing. Remember that straight horizon and waterlines are usually better than angled lines, and oh yeah, don't forget to smile!

Focus

There’s no substitute for good focus, especially if you plan to print the image. (Nikon/)

Tack sharp photos are the mark of a skilled photographer. Notwithstanding the use of special effects, such as creative blur, zoom blur, or manipulated depth of field, a sharp photo is a better photo every time, especially if you intend to produce a print. Modern cameras are so advanced that solid focus is all but guaranteed in auto modes. Nonetheless, study the focal controls in all modes for maximum sharpness. When natural conditions like low light, moving subjects, and multiple focal points try to confuse the camera's auto-focus, you'll need to understand how to compensate.

Adding wood to your grill can give meats a unique flavor. (Traeger/)

Nothing says outdoor cooking like smoky flavor, and you don’t have to have a full-blown barbecue pit to achieve it. With just a little preparation and the right technique, any gas, wood, or briquette grill can infuse your steaks, chops, ribs, and loins with the hardwood flavor of your choice.

Smoking Chips

You don’t need a barbeque pit to infuse your meal with a smoky flavor. (Western/)

The most common form of grill-top smoking is with hardwoods chips. They come in about every species of wood you could conceivably want to smoke with, from pecan to apple, mesquite, hickory, and more. When in doubt, you can never go wrong with hickory. Use the chips dry to impart just a tinge of smokiness as a finishing touch. Or for deeper flavor, soak the chips for a half hour and spread them directly on well-lit briquettes or arranged in a smoking box, or create a little boat of tinfoil to rest above the flames of a gas grill. Soaked chips will simmer for a half hour or more, plenty long enough to dress up burgers, steaks, or chops.

Hardwood Chunks

You can use wood chunks instead of chips if you’re grilling something that takes a considerable amount of time. (Weber/)

If you want longer smoking time, such as for a rack of ribs or even a pork shoulder, you're going to need something that will light and stay lit. Hardwood chunks are the same as chips, just longer lasting. Use them dry or soaked the same way as chips and monitor the cook every half hour or so to determine whether you need to create some airflow for the chunks to keep smoking or possibly add more chunks.

Tackle trays make it easy to separate and categorize your fishing tackle and tools. (RUNCL/)

Most fishermen don’t limit their angling pursuits to a single species. We like to fish for whatever we can catch, and that usually means a lot of terminal tackle and rigging. The easiest way to keep it all straight is to use individual tackle storage trays for specific species and techniques, from freshwater to saltwater, natural baits to lures. If you need to add a few trays to your collection, here are a few things to consider.

Convenience

Keeping tackle organized makes it easy to just grab and go fishing. (KastKing/)

Keeping your tackle compartmentalized is the best way to have the right tackle in the right place when you need it. With configurable dividers and see-through tops, you can stack them all in a master bag or box, quickly identify the right tray for the job, and then just grab it and go!

Configuration

Figure out the size of the tools or baits you’re organizing first so you buy a tray with compartments large enough to accommodate everything. (RUNCL/)

Plastic tackle trays are nothing more than hardware utility boxes by another name, and they come in as many different configurations as there are bits and bobs to store in them. But the removeable dividers aren't always the most reliable. They come loose and get lost. Or they go unused and take up space because we are loath to throw them away. Since soft plastics, swim baits, hooks, and weights all have unique shapes, the best practice is to know exactly what category of tackle you want to keep in each box and select a tray with as many fixed compartments as possible, keeping those you need to divide to a minimum.

Elk hunter, digital scouting master, and founder of Treeline Pursuits, Mark Livesay. (Mark Livesay/)

Mark Livesay is a Missoulian from Missouri who came to Montana to do even more of what he loves most—DIY elk hunting. Last year he hunted every day but two of September (with one 21-day stint in there), and only missed one week of October. “I’ll break those records this year,” he says. (He is entering his 30th year of elk hunting.)

Livesay uses llamas to pack in and out—“They’re wonderful, calm, and sturdy animals,” he says—and spent 108 nights in a tent over the whole year. “I’ve been elk hunting since my 20s, but I lived in Missouri. That meant traveling—a lot. I spent my first 26 years of elk hunting driving back and forth out to New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, those front-range western states.”

Like any other hunter not from elk country and coming west, there were a lot of articles to read about finding the right state, ratcheting down to a unit, drawing the tag, and all that,” he says. “But it all ended there. Nothing about scouting or finding the exact spots—and spots within the spots—to hunt.”

So Livesay developed and honed an elk-scouting process that has blossomed, leading to the founding of a company called Treeline Pursuits. Now he specializes in digital scouting and other elk-hunting tips with instructional Youtube videos that combine old-school maps and materials (still valuable) with new-age digital tools and opportunities. So, get ready. Here's a deep-dive into Livesay's six-step digital elk-scouting process.

The Goal: A Written Hunt Plan

A well-built overhead storage system can free up space in your garage, shed, or storage closets. (Fleximounts/)

Where and how to store equipment is an issue that all sportsmen face at some point or another. Too many toys with not enough room can lead to disheveled mounds of recreational gear and clothing and difficulty finding what you need when you need it. You don’t have to go all Marie Kondo to get organized. But a little tidying up can go a long way, and overhead storage racks are the perfect accessory to help get your sporting house in order.

Conserve Floor Space

A solid overhead rack can hold anywhere from 200 to 600 pounds. (MonsterRax/)

By tapping into the ceiling joists or roof rafters of your garage or basement, drop-down storage racks offer a perfect solution to getting gear off the floor. Made of steel, they normally hold anywhere from 200 to 600 pounds or more, depending on the size of the unit and the number of joist connections.

Bin Storage

Install your overhead storage before you buy bins so you know how large and how many you can fit. (HyLoft/)

Overhead storage racks are perfect for making the most of commercial storage bins. Just make sure you have enough drop on the vertical members to accommodate whatever bins you are using. Overhead storage racks usually have a mesh or wire-rack bottom, from which you can suspend other items, such as bicycles, tools, or lawn equipment.

If you’re unsure which spice you prefer, you can never go wrong with a sampler selection. (Coghlan’s/)

If you aren’t spicing your beef briskets and pork butts with the right ingredients, you aren’t reaching your full pit-master potential. Sure, we all have our private sauce and rub recipes, but there are so many quality commercial products out there, sometimes it just makes more sense to take advantage of them. Here’s how to spice up your game.

Dry Rubs

Dry rubs are ideal if you’re cooking meat over smoke. (Bad Byron's/)

Dry rubs are meant to be massaged onto the goods well before smoking, allowing the spices to work their magic of adding flavor while also producing great "bark" on a pork butt or rack of ribs. Dry rubs impart that tell-tale smoke ring in the outer layers of meat that helps your guests fully comprehend how fortunate they are to dine in the presence of grilling greatness.

Injection Marinades

Injectors infuse meats with marinades and prevent them from drying out on the grill. (Kosmos Q/)

If you struggle with keeping barbeque moist, it's time to resort to an injection marinade. Prepared as a solution in water, broth, or even fruit juice, an injection marinade goes deep to lock in the flavor and moisture. Just keep in mind that injection methods also require some sort of syringe specifically made to handle the job, which is an extra expense.

Most modern air compressors are easy to relocate and ready to tackle any task. (Makita/)

Sportsmen are tinkerers. We pride ourselves on always being ready to go by fiddling with gear in the off season, taking on DIY projects, and building what we can’t find in the marketplace or afford to buy. Among all the tools that we can own, a portable air compressor probably isn’t at the top of most folks’ list. But they are one of those pieces of equipment that, once you own one, you’re shop will never be without it again. From inflating tires to blowing the dust out of gear to framing up that man cave in the basement, the utility of an air compressor is limited only by the number of accessories you choose to pair with it. Here’s a look at three common types that will help you get any job done right.

Pancake Compressors

Pancake compressors are portable but take a long time to build air pressure. (Bostitch/)

The pancake air compressor is one of the most popular styles on the market. They come in a wide variety of sizes and capacities, as measured in pounds per square inch (psi) of pressure. Some pancake compressors are sold as elements of a system that includes the hose and various attachments. If you are buying only the compressor, be sure to match it with a hose rated well above the compressor's maximum psi. Pancake compressors are generally lighter and more portable than cylinder units, but they often take more time to recycle and reach maximum pressure.

Hot Dog Compressors

Cylinder compressors can power almost any pneumatic tool. (Makita/)

The cylinder or "hot dog" style compressor is the heavy-duty version of the home handyman's pneumatic shop. They'll run any tool you have, from framing nailers to paint guns and socket drivers. Just beware that cylinder models are typically heavier and therefore less portable than pancake compressors. Be sure the unit you choose has a handle for moving it around or look for a mobile unit on wheels.

A good pair of Merino socks should perform well in any conditions, even when wet. (Darn Tough/)

When we think about critical outdoor gear, socks are not typically the first items that come to mind. But the reality is they are your first line of defense against the hazards of the trail, and if you skimp on this essential bit of gear you could pay the price in blisters, cold feet, or some sort of zombie foot funk. Like everything else, fine socks are expensive, and the best are made with Merino wool. Here are a few reasons why you should be hunting in Merino wool socks.

Comfort and Durability

Merino wool socks are warm, durable, and form fitting. (Darn Tough/)

If a company is going to go through the effort and expense of putting Merino wool in a pair of socks, it's going to build them right or go out of business. You can't go wrong with a pair of Darn Tough made in Vermont. Their seamless-construction blend of Merino, Nylon, and Spandex makes for an extremely warm, durable, and form-fitting layer. At upwards of $30 a pair, your only regret in owning one pair of Darn Tough socks is that you might not be able to afford two!

Anti-Microbial

Merino wool naturally fights odors, so you can wear a pair of socks for several days before you start to smell something funky. (People Socks/)

Merino wool has a natural anti-microbial and anti-bacterial property that keeps feet warm even when wet, helps eliminate scent, and reduces the chance of any kind of creeping foot crud on the trail. While it's better to wash Merino products after every hard use, you can wear Merino multiple times before it really starts to beg for a time-out.

Often disregarded, always underrated, proper sinker choice can greatly increase your catch rate on virtually every species of fish. (Phil Duff Outdoors/Alamy/)

That sinker on your fishing line is much more important than you realize. The type sinker you choose, its weight, shape, and manner in which it's rigged and used can make or break a day of fishing.

In the most basic sense, a sinker is simply a chunk of metal used to take baits and lures to depths where fish are found. In most cases, weights are made of lead. But in recent years some states have made use of small lead weights unlawful because of the potential for lead poisoning in wildlife that may ingest sinkers.

Anglers must check state fishing regulations on lead weight use. Note that California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York require lead-free weight substitutes, chiefly for small weights under one ounce, or lead weights that may be small enough to be eaten by fish or game.

Federal lands and waters also may require lead substitutes for fishing. Such alternative lead weights (made of steel, tin, tungsten, and alloys) are more expensive than lead. But they've come down in price in recent years and are not cost-prohibitive. They manufactured by many companies, including Eagle Claw and sold by large retailers such as Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.

While lead weight substitutes such as spark plugs, lug nuts, and pieces of bricks have been used successfully to take baits deep to fish, there's no question that sinkers designed specifically for situational angling are best for that purpose. For practical fishing purposes, treat all lead and non-lead sinkers the same, since physical shape, design, and weight of a sinker are the key issues in their proper use.

Camp tables can help you stay organized outdoors. (ALPS Mountaineering/)

Most people go afield to get away from the trappings of civilized life, not to drag them with us. So, taking a table into the woods seems about as antithetical to the experience as packing in a four-poster bed. But let’s face it, preparing a meal in the outdoors is easier with a stable platform. There’s no balancing act on a log or rock, and after you’ve spent time whipping up your favorite bankside or campground repast, it’s just more refined to enjoy it off of a proper table. Here are a few options to elevate your outdoor dining without weighing down the chuck wagon.

One-Piece

A folding table is easy to set up and pack up. (Redcamp/)

If you are looking for an easy way to set up a platform for cooking, serving, food prep, or even a little mobile workstation, a traditional one-piece folding table offers excellent convenience and stability. This style of table folds up on itself like a slim little suitcase and is as portable as any piece of camp gear. There are no separate parts to keep track of or maintain; just unfold it and get cooking!

Some Assembly Required

Multi-piece tables require some assembly but generally create a larger working space. (ALPS Mountaineering/)

Multi-piece tables make carrying a large surface area more feasible than one-piece designs. The framework and tabletop break down into separate sections that can be further collapsed in on themselves to conserve space. It is one more piece to keep track of, but the ratio of working area to storage size is much higher than it is with one-piece folding tables.