Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    D.T.
    
    I also hunt by myself; much of the time in the Rockies.  I also have a C.B.
    But like you say, the range is limited.  One thing you might want to
    add to your truck is $50.00, 2 ton, manual come-along.  If you ever get 
    stuck you can hook the come-along to the car's frame and, say a tree,
    and pull it out of just about anything.  You probably want to end up 
    investing in a good tow strap to increase the effective range.
    
    Gives me peace of mind when I get into some of those hairy situations.
    
    Mark

I'll second the come along...  along with some chains or as Mark suggested
a tow strap...  My buddy got his ford 2x stuck in a ditch in VT this year.
half the front end was suspended over a culvert and the back half was off 
the ground...  2 ton come along witha few lengths of chain was the only thing 
that would pull him out...  or a wrecker for a $100 :^(   a good set of
tire chains would'nt hurt either.

at a minimum I'd carry a handheld radio...  regardless of range.  
some items are in the truck for keeps, others i take with me into the woods...
it can be as elaborate as you'd like.

then there's obviously the standard stuff... first aid kit, survival 
blanket, few lengths of rope, lighter or matches, hatchet, food items,
small fishing kit (mono,hooks) and anything else you rocky mountain high boys 
think you may need...

good luck, Fra

	How about a high-lift jack included in the necessities ?

	Red

    	Other than finding a friend to hunt with, the other thing you may
    want to do is to get a topo map of the area you hunt and let someone
    else know where you'll be. Then, when/if you don't come back at the
    expected time, at least someone has some idea where to look.
    
    	The other thing you could do is establish a pattern of call in
    shots. Even though I hunt with friends, we still have a series of shots
    (i.e. 2 shots, count to 10, then 1 shot) in case we need help. If in
    fact you did fall and injure yourself, assuming you were conscious,
    someone arriving could fire the call in shots to let you know that
    they're there, then you could answer.
    
    	All of the other stuff, other than perhaps a couple of candy bars
    to hold you over, and the basics found with any survival knife would be 
    all that's needed. As far as just getting stuck, a come-along, or even a 
    winch would be a good idea. Especially if you're in a 2WD truck. A
    cellular phone, assuming it would work in your area, would be a good
    idea too.
    
    	Ray

    
    When I go into the woods, my number one priority is that I come back
    out in one piece.

    1)ALWAYS!!! file a "flight plan".  Make sure someone else knows where 
    you intend to go and when they should expect you back.  Twice in my life
    this has saved me from a rather nasty situation.

    2)Stay dry!  This includes sweat.  In the cold, wet is death.

    3)Always take enough cloths and/or blankets to survive almost anything.
    I carry an old raggedy army parka in the back of my car.  Not pretty, 
    but I could walk across a good part of Antarctica in that thing if I 
    need to.  A good pair of insulated coveralls are also nice.  Either
    wear or carry in your vehicle heavy, preferably waterproof, boots.

    4)Knife.

    5)If you have fire and water you are 90% there in surviving nearly 
    anything so long as you are not physically injured.  You can go for
    almost a month without food if necessary, but only a few days without
    water.  Always carry at least three methods of building a fire:
    Matches, bic lighter, etc. I carry as a "last resort" one of those
    magnesium blocks with a flint down the side.  Magnesium burns at
    2000 f. and will light even damp wood.  A 1 inch piece of candle
    will also help build a fire in damp (but not wet) conditions. An empty
    metal can to melt snow in.  I have an "army surplus" canteen with one of
    those metal pots that fit in the bottom of the canteen holder.

    6)In a car a large candle (or 3 or 4 small ones) is nice.  It may not
    keep you toasty, but will keep you from freezing.  However, candles
    tend to melt in the summer if you leave them in the car.  A good "build
    it and forget it" emergency heater is:  Clean out an empty 1 gallon
    paint can (usually the latex kind will just peal out).  Put in as many
    bottles of rubbing alcohol as will fit.  Stuff the empty spaces between
    the bottles with cloths-drier lint.  A book of matches and a bic on
    top.  Hammer on the lid, put it in the back of your car and forget it. 
    Then if/when needed, pull out the bottles of alcohol.  Saturate the
    lint in the bottom of the can with alcohol and light.  When the alcohol
    is burnt out, make sure the fire is absolutely dead out before adding
    more alcohol. 

    7)Other things in my car are.  Folding army shovel.  When set in the 
    "hoe" position and army shovel can move a lot of snow (see also 
    Stay Dry).  Tire chains.  The "cable" kind are fairly cheap and can
    get you out of a lot.  Tow rope.  Jumper cables. 

    fred();

    
    See also ABACUS::SURVIVAL.
    
    fred();

    Mega Last Resort

    Has anyone ever checked into the legalities and/or availability/cost of
    those Emergency Locator Beacons that airplanes and ships carry?  They
    are not very big.  About the size of a transistor radio and, those
    things are picked up by Civil Air Patrol, commercial airlines, even
    satellites.

    fred();

re: -1 Thats not a bad idea, I know mountain climbers use transponders. You 
still need to have someone looking for you though, and they need to know that 
you have a transponder. 



 

        re .8
    
>re: -1 Thats not a bad idea, I know mountain climbers use transponders. You 
>still need to have someone looking for you though, and they need to know that 
>you have a transponder. 
    
    Are these the same transponders used in airplanes?  The ones in
    airplanes are set to go off on impact... (on second thought maybe they
    _are_ the same ones %^} ).  Commercial airliners keep a channel tuned
    to this channel.  Certain satellites also listen on this channel.  I
    suspect the FCC may frown on non-airplane use, but even small private
    planes carry them.
    
    I'd make very sure it couldn't be set off accidentially, and use it
    only as an absolute last resort.  In Colorado, if you do someting
    illegal or very stupid, you can be charged for the cost of your
    rescue.
    
    fred();
    

    	I think that they are available for boats as well (EPIRB's ?).
    Some of these, I think, automatically go off when submersed. They do 
    make manual ones. You can probably find these in an E&B Marine catalog.
    I think they start somewhere between $200-$300.
    
    	Ray
    

    
    Just an aside as an illustration about how careful you need to be
    with these things.  My brother is a Radio-electronics officer in the
    Merchant Marines.  If you look at a ship, the bridge forms a kind of
    T on the front.  At each end of the T is one of these transponders.
    They are released from the holder on a flotation device in event
    that the ship sinks.  The release from the holder triggers the
    transponder.

    Part of my brother's job is to periodically service these transponders
    to make sure they are in working order.  He tells a story of one guy
    who set one of these off accidentally while working on it.  He discovered
    it after only about a minute and immediately shut it off.  He didn't
    think anything of it and went on about his business.  Well, when they
    go to port they found that half of the navy had been looking for them. 

    Moral of story:  Don't set one off if at all possible unless needed,
    and if you set it off accidentally, report it immediately.

    fred();

    How about a cellular telephone?.
    
    Mike

    
    As .0 pointed out, there are many places in Colorado that are out of
    range of cell-phone connections.  There have been rumors for years
    of someone trying to get some sort of cell-phone system working off
    of satellites and you could literally go anywhere on the planet.
    If they get that going it might be an option.

    I guess there is already satellite up-linK equipment, but I suspect
    it is cost prohibitive to everyone but CBS ;^).

    fred();

    The EPIRB is the best of the best. Emergency Position Indicating Radio
    Beacon. NO ome has to be looking for you. They trigger satelites (class
    A? or is it B?, canna find my nautical catalog), Whatever, the other
    type is picked up by commercial aviation. 
    
    Theyu will narrow the circle of the search. The best unit, is a manual
    one that allows for saving the batteries and has a low power beacon for
    close in work. A couple of Skyblazer meteors would be real helpful when
    help gets close. They go out before coming back down.

not so much for helping you if your hurt, but how bout a GPS for all those
inclined to get lost... ;^)  i would think that the backwoods of Maine, VT
or NH, the rockies or anyplace for that matter, would be ideal locations for 
these devices...

Fra

    I've never been lost.  Just mighty powerful confused for a couple of
    days.
    
    Mike
    

    GPS yuck! don't count on them.   Big water use only......
    
    
    check out the GPS topic in sailing.  My Garmin 45 gets lost sooner than
    I do....
    
    

>        <<< Note 1488.17 by ACISS1::ROGERSR "hard on the wind again" >>>
>
>    GPS yuck! don't count on them.   Big water use only......
>    
>    
>    check out the GPS topic in sailing.  My Garmin 45 gets lost sooner than
>    I do....
    
 
seriously???  is it a matter of getting what you pay for???  i mean all the 
articles i've read on them have nothing to say but good things...

I would think the more expensive ones would be far more accurate and 
dependable...

User error??  nothing personal meant there...  always gotta add that to the 
mix...

anyone else use them??

Fra

    No user error.  In the GPS discussion in Sailing notesfile, we have all
    determined that just about anything (a wet leaf) will attenuate the
    weak GPS signal to zero. You need a big field to have any hope of
    retaining contact with the satelites. Not much good for recording that
    perfect ambush spot in the deep woods. 
    
    Acquisition, if you get it at all, has such big error (1-200yards) that
    it is marginally useful. Our users report the same with other models. 
    
    A great big antenna might help (don't know the helix theory) but maybe
    not. 
    
    On the water, this unit is positively FABULOUS!! use it for finding
    fishing spots. forget it in the woods.